Living Simply Saturdays ~ October 4

I was reading about this on a guest host spot and thought the post was lovely. I look forward to joining in this week.

I enjoyed visiting the blogs of the women who participated last week.

This week two things come to mind that I did that are considered simple living.

One involves packed lunches and the other de-cluttering.

There is also making pickles and some seeds arriving in the mail.

On Thursday in my Thankful Thursday post I mentioned I had just enough money to pay for the largish dentist account for the two of us, my daughter and myself, large because of the cost of cleaning teeth these days. I also was able to buy a nice present for my daughter's birthday and keep some money for netball on Monday, as my middle daughter is starting netball.

At some point this week I decided, that it would be best if I took packed lunches on my trip to the dentist and to meet with my Mum to pick the three girls up from their holiday. I thought if I took all the cash available to me and made my lunch I would probably be able to do what I wanted to do, well I was hoping. I nearly cancelled at one point, that would have been sad, as I don't what the fact that we are living in this remote location to impact our teeth and other things permanently.

So my second son and I made the trip to our hometown, 2 1/4 hours, leaving before 9am. I thought he would enjoy seeing our hometown again and his Nana. As it turned out his Nana made a big fuss of him and bought him some old-fashioned headphones which he likes.

Because I shop 50 minutes out of town and we live with very hot weather over the summer I am used to putting eskis in the car when I go shopping (pic here). Our son had boiled some eggs, or maybe he and hubby did while I was showering etc. or earlier as he is an early riser, they both are. So he made egg and mixed salad green sandwiches for us and his three sisters. I asked hubby to put the eski in the car as per usual and some water bottles that we have, and a thermos for my cup of tea.

Last time we bought a twist or two at Baker's Delight hubby noticed that the drinks are what added up. I said to him that is why I used to bring the cooler with me years ago when we went weekly to ballet lessons. Last time I asked for it, he flippantly said we had lost part of the lid. This lid the lid was on. Later on I asked him about the lid, he said it must have turned up in the meantime. Well, however it got there I am glad!

One good thing about Baker's Delight at the moment is the free bread you get. I have been out three times in as many weeks, unusual for me, and twice we have had this free bread.

When I met Mum I gave her the lunches, and took my daughter and myself to the dentist. When I came back my daughter wanted to check out the shop for something so I ate my lunch and had half a mug or so of tea. I finally worked out how to use the thermos properly without unscrewing the lid. Well I was shown and I did have some prompting awhile ago from my eldest daughter when I asked her about it on the way down. I believe side steps on 4x4 are for putting thermos on! Eventually because I was in a carpark I had to close the door and hurriedly had to move my thermos nearly dropping it, so maybe not.

It turns out that the girls had new drink bottles on them with their name on them and a string for their neck which I thought fitted in well.

I did go into the shop a couple of times, BigW mostly because it has the nicest toilets, important for big trips, I have a my favourites memorised depending where I am going. I noticed that people really get into this shopping thing. Because I don't live near the shops I notice these things. I followed an older couple in through the front and straight away their eyes were going here and there. I suppose I mostly just get what I need. I don't think I looked at anything while I was there, probably because I had been there the week before, maybe if I had more money on me it would have been different?

I was very tired by the time I got an hour from home. We stopped for a break at the park. I sat down to another cup of tea, and it did help, that and listening to a comforting CD, an oldie from my collection by Lee Kernaghan. Well it is not so old, it is The New Bush.

Not all the sandwiches were eaten, but it did what it was supposed to do, help with the money. I also brought bags of popcorn for afternoon tea. At one point driving I could smell popcorn as the kids had a lovely time listening to their Miley Cyrus CD, maybe not at the same time, but I think it was. They were telling me they think Miley Cyrus is a Christian. Hubby and I had grilled egg sandwiches for lunch yesterday.

This isn't a complaint, but US music and Australian have a different sound to them, even though the song themselves are very similar. I find I can't listen to the American music so much on long trips the background is more geed up or something and I find I get headaches, well not headaches but can't listen to it for long. I find the same thing with electronic games. I have been listening to my favourites on a mixed CD Faith Hill's The Lucky One. It has a simple living message I suppose. Miley Cyrus was enjoyable on the whole.

Yesterday my hubby and I did a mammoth de-cluttering task. My daughter who is six, has many handed down clothes. We had her try on last seasons clothes and we went through all the clothes belonging to her and her 11 year old sister. We ended up with six shopping bags that went out. I personally am not convinced decluttering helps the simple living cause because it dimishes your ability to be self-sufficient but that is another post.

During the week we made some citron melon or jam melon pickles. Also a relative sent a card for my daughter's birthday and enclosed some seeds for me.