Wednesday, August 25, 2010

lists of doing&buying.

of how i really do seem to love and rely on to do lists. if ever i get a few minutes free at work [usually on my last or second to last night because my freedom is in sight] i will grab a blank piece of computer paper and start anxiously writing&doodling. i feel like i am unloading my ever-working brain. we even got a single "To Do List" in a card for our wedding, just one. but i love it. how darling. i surely haven't used it... oh! i will copy it!

when i get to actually cross things out on my to do list... well, that is bliss. especially things that have made their way on several different lists because i was never able to get them done. my current to do list [the one with 22 (now 30) tasks that i made after we got back from our trip] has the majority crossed out; i couldn't feel better about it.


when i was in nursing school i felt so overwhelmed and beat all the time i started adding mundane tasks that i knew i would get done to my lists [interspersed with actual tasks, of course]. ex:

dance
eat
laugh
say hi to a friend
laugh
brush my teeth
drink water
hug someone
call my parents
walk

it made me feel so productive and proud. [until one day it was commandeered by one of my most un-favorite nursing teachers as she read it so sarcastically in front of the whole class as everyone was laughing at me]

i make lists for grocery trips [always, this is an after marriage discovery, ask megan]. even if there are only 3 things. one time i thought i would be adventurous to venture into the wonderful world of walmart, just me and my cart, and see where i ended up. i ended up spending regrettable more than i usually do, and buying everything from pre-made cinnamon rolls to several brownie and cake mixes. a list at the grocery store gives me purpose, helps me stay within budget, and helps me keep my trips to those ever-so-tempting middle aisles to a minimum.

last walmart trip i was feeling extremely frugal and we tried something new. every time dan or i decided we wanted something that was not on the list [such as the fancy poppyseed dressing or a baguette] we had to remove something that we had already put in the cart, to control unplanned spending. it worked quite well. we ended up putting back one of our lime [which was 22 cents... we tried] and the second bag of chocolate chips].

my frugality advice: check your bank account and take a good, hard look at all the money you have spent recently right before you go grocery shopping {or any other shopping} and it will put things in perspective and infuse in you a new sense of "we don't need that."

good luck!

3 comments:

  1. I'm a listmaker too. Branden makes fun of me because I write out lists to make on other lists. That is so cute the easy stuff you write & so mean about your teacher! What a horrible lady. & I love that crossing off feeling too!

    ReplyDelete
  2. lists are such my best hobby too. that and crafts of course <3

    ReplyDelete
  3. it's so funny you say that about lists... i always put on my lists "make bed, say prayers, shower, eat..." just so i can cross more things off. one thing i learned was that i do better if i list EVERY thing i need to do the next day right before i go to bed. then in the morning after i say my prayers and read scriptures, i select the 6 most important things that HAVE to get done. then everyhting else is bonus!

    also something else. when we first got married we would go grocery shopping together and just wander up and down every isle and grab whatever we thought we needed... ahhhhh. so naive we were. now, i always look at the wednesday ads (via southernsavers.com) i clip coupons, menu plan for the next week, and NEVER EVER EVER go to walmart. EVER! i save so much more money doing that. this morning i went to publix, spent 92 dollars for our family of 5, and saved 112! and even got food storage! sorry... still excited about that ;) anyways, i like your experiment of putting one item back for things you want off the list....

    oh, and sorry for writing so much!

    ReplyDelete