National Novel Writing Month. Heard of it? It's a month of insanity, creating a first draft of a (minimum) 50,000 word novel in 30 days. Whaaaaat???
I tried it last year, made it to about 25,000 words before I burned out.
So I'm trying again this year. The get-go has been significantly slower than last year. This time last year, I was sitting around 10,000 words. But today, my total is around 1,500.
Why? It's not that I don't have a good story idea, and I have a pretty good idea of how it's going to pan out.
I don't know. Probably something to do with my chronic procrastination. I really need to get 'er done. I have no excuse.
Anyone else doing NaNo? Tips or tricks to kicking the procrastination demon? Always appreciated!
Yours procrastinatedly,
Laura
Finding Inspiration in Uninspiration
Creating goals and reaching for them has always been easy for me. Attaining them, not so much. For the most part, it seems like anytime I start something, whether it's a craft, a routine, an activity, I get super gung-ho about starting it... and then it dwindles.
For example, I've been working on a crocheted hat made of bright, verrugated, crinkly yarn for almost a year now. It's not that it is a challenging task, I just don't feel inspired to work on it. Or I decide that other things are more important.
But are they? Are the small goals as important as the big ones? I should think so, seeing as you need to acheive multiple small goals before you can fully acheive any big ones. Yet here I am, staring at this headband of bright colours that should have been a hat months ago, uninspired.
A lot of things happen in a day, and I know I can't control them all. I wouldn't want to, I think my head would explode. But sometimes it just gets to me, how out of control I am about everything. Creating beautiful things is a goal, a passion, of mine, but I spend more time worrying about how to do it than actually just doing it. Ridiculous.
Starting today, I'm making a vow to myself to spend at least 15 minutes doing something instead of thinking about it. I'm going to finish that damn hat before it snows, and I'm going to wear it like a freaking crown.
Take that, inertia!
Much love,
Laura
For example, I've been working on a crocheted hat made of bright, verrugated, crinkly yarn for almost a year now. It's not that it is a challenging task, I just don't feel inspired to work on it. Or I decide that other things are more important.
But are they? Are the small goals as important as the big ones? I should think so, seeing as you need to acheive multiple small goals before you can fully acheive any big ones. Yet here I am, staring at this headband of bright colours that should have been a hat months ago, uninspired.
A lot of things happen in a day, and I know I can't control them all. I wouldn't want to, I think my head would explode. But sometimes it just gets to me, how out of control I am about everything. Creating beautiful things is a goal, a passion, of mine, but I spend more time worrying about how to do it than actually just doing it. Ridiculous.
Starting today, I'm making a vow to myself to spend at least 15 minutes doing something instead of thinking about it. I'm going to finish that damn hat before it snows, and I'm going to wear it like a freaking crown.
Take that, inertia!
Much love,
Laura
Adventures in Saving Money - Part 1
Following up with my last post, I'm going to share some of the ways that I save money every month. Some of them will be damn obvious, others maybe not so much. Either way, I invite anyone who reads these tips, tricks, and stories, to share their personal feelings and opinions about it. I love learning new things from different people, and saving money is something that we all have to do in life.
I was reading in the newspaper on the weekend that Canada's debt-to-income ratio is sitting around 150%. That means that people who are making 50,000$ a year owe (or add to their debt) approximately 75,000$ per year. (Correct me if my concept is wrong, please!). How on earth can we as a population be expected to contribute effectively to the economy if we owe more than we make? Ridiculous numbers, if you ask me.
Saving money and saving the environment absolutely go hand-in-hand. Buying less new both saves money and puts less strain on limited resources. Using homemade cleaners, same concept.
Today, I'm going to start with a task that takes me (on average) about an hour each week, and saves me close to 200-400$ per month. That is some sweet return for my investment if you ask me. It's like making 50-100$ per hour for those hours.
What could be so easy a way to save money for so little time?
Read Your Flyers!
Seriously. That's it! Check out your flyers, make a list of whats on sale, and buy from that list. For non-perishables, buy extra to last (ideally) at least until the next sale.
Doing this will also give you a good idea of what a "good sale" price is. For example, some people will go out and buy a brick of cheese whenever they need it. The going rate for a 500g brick of cheese right now is 8-10$. That's ridiculous. Cheese is something we eat A LOT of at my house. So when it goes on sale for less than $4.50 per brick, we buy at least 8 and freeze them. Currently, we have about 20-25 bricks of cheese in our freezer, none of which did we pay over $4.50 for.
Almond milk (since I don't make my own due to time/space constraints) is purchased in bulk when it's on for less than 2$ a carton (regular price is $3.99).
Small changes create big effects, and reading your sales flyers is just one small change that can really open your eyes into how much money and time you are wasting.
If you don't get the flyers delivered to you (like us), you can use websites that post them online (which saves paper too!) such as flyerland.ca.
Do you read flyers for your shopping (if you even shop at grocery stores)? How do you prepare your grocery/food list for the week? Share, share, share!
Much love,
Laura
I was reading in the newspaper on the weekend that Canada's debt-to-income ratio is sitting around 150%. That means that people who are making 50,000$ a year owe (or add to their debt) approximately 75,000$ per year. (Correct me if my concept is wrong, please!). How on earth can we as a population be expected to contribute effectively to the economy if we owe more than we make? Ridiculous numbers, if you ask me.
Saving money and saving the environment absolutely go hand-in-hand. Buying less new both saves money and puts less strain on limited resources. Using homemade cleaners, same concept.
Today, I'm going to start with a task that takes me (on average) about an hour each week, and saves me close to 200-400$ per month. That is some sweet return for my investment if you ask me. It's like making 50-100$ per hour for those hours.
What could be so easy a way to save money for so little time?
Read Your Flyers!
Seriously. That's it! Check out your flyers, make a list of whats on sale, and buy from that list. For non-perishables, buy extra to last (ideally) at least until the next sale.
Doing this will also give you a good idea of what a "good sale" price is. For example, some people will go out and buy a brick of cheese whenever they need it. The going rate for a 500g brick of cheese right now is 8-10$. That's ridiculous. Cheese is something we eat A LOT of at my house. So when it goes on sale for less than $4.50 per brick, we buy at least 8 and freeze them. Currently, we have about 20-25 bricks of cheese in our freezer, none of which did we pay over $4.50 for.
Almond milk (since I don't make my own due to time/space constraints) is purchased in bulk when it's on for less than 2$ a carton (regular price is $3.99).
Small changes create big effects, and reading your sales flyers is just one small change that can really open your eyes into how much money and time you are wasting.
If you don't get the flyers delivered to you (like us), you can use websites that post them online (which saves paper too!) such as flyerland.ca.
Do you read flyers for your shopping (if you even shop at grocery stores)? How do you prepare your grocery/food list for the week? Share, share, share!
Much love,
Laura
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