3 Free Things that Make My Days Better

By the author of the FREE online course Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture

Let’s face it, life is challenging these days. People are facing unprecedented financial challenges. The world has a lot of conflict, and the future seems uncertain. 

On the other hand, there is still much to be grateful for in the average Frugalite’s day. In this article, I thought I would share some completely FREE things that I do every day to improve my day. After the end of the article, I hope you’ll share your own tips in the comments! 

Slow food

We all have to eat; it’s the fuel for our body’s engine. However, it is how I eat that I am drawing attention to. The slow food movement got a lot of attention some time ago, as a response to all of the fast food in our lives. Sometimes, though, it can feel a bit overwhelming for me to cook up a real fancy meal just for myself.

So, I’m not talking about fancy French cooking, although if that’s your thing, go for it. Nope, I’m talking about slowing down the whole eating process. Really taking the time to eat without distraction, even without music, just eating. So, the main time I do this is in the morning. I make my toast and peanut butter and jam and one wonderful cup of coffee. For tips for coffee connoisseurs check out these articles here.

I sit down, without distraction, and look outside and listen to the bird song through my open windows (ya, I’m talking about summer here!).  I chew my food well, and, if I am doing any thinking about stressful things, I try to let it go and just focus on my breakfast. I let breakfast just be breakfast. I know it’s easy to eat breakfast without tasting a single bite, lost in thoughts about the past and the future. I try to enjoy what I have, which, in that moment, is my breakfast! I find that slowing my eating down like this has a positive side effect: I taste my food more and appreciate it more. I’m sure I chew more, which I also know is good for me, too!

Setting priorities

In the past, I would make a to-do list. It would be HUGE. I would put so many tasks on it that I would never have the satisfaction of finishing everything in one day. All that was on my list was work, work, work. After many years of running my life like that, and running myself into the ground, I wondered if there was a different way to do things.

These days, I do make a list for my day. It is shorter. It reflects different priorities, and I do my best to make my health a priority each and every day. So, rather than just being about work, I put something healthy on my list each day. Often, that is my daily walk. When my doctor first recommended this for me, I have to admit I was a bit skeptical. After all, I had been a competitive athlete in my youth…how much difference could a dumb 20-minute walk make, anyhow? 

Well, fast forward a few months, and I am walking at least half of my days, if not more. I enjoy my walk, and it has allowed me to meet many of the people who live in the neighboring village where I walk. So, this is a priority on my list of things to do. Another priority is connecting with people. So, on my list, I might add a reminder to call or visit a friend, or I might remind myself to send an email to a friend who lives far away. This connection is another top priority for me. 

So, now when I make my list of Things to Do, my list helps keep me healthy and happy because I include priority items that are good for me. Doing this after I finish my delicious coffee only takes a few minutes and sets the tone for my day. 

EnJOYment

Finally, although this might seem obvious, it hasn’t always been obvious to me. I do at least one thing a day where I focus on enjoyment. Today, I needed to pick something up from someone. She suggested we meet in a local parking lot partway between both of our places. I remembered that we had talked about meeting in a local park for a chat one day. I asked her, why don’t we combine the errand with a meeting in our beautiful local park on the water? So, we brought out lawn chairs, our water containers, and had a nice chat under the shade of a beautiful tree overlooking a lake. How great is that? 

By slowing down what could have been a 30 second meeting in a parking lot to a 30 minute chat, I was able to learn more about my neighbor. We both enjoyed ourselves and it was the first time for both of us to be out at this gorgeous park, a resource that is free to all residents of our township. So, in this case, by focusing on enjoyment in my life, I was able to transform a humdrum errand into something memorable and fun.

You are Worth it!

These are only a few of the free ways that I emphasize health and happiness in my life.  Could you see yourself trying any of the tips offered here? Do you have your own free way you enhance the quality of your life? Please tell us in the comments below.

About Colette

Colette is passionate about sharing her knowledge of thrifty living and self-sufficiency. She has developed her skills in self-reliance living in the suburbs, the city, and more recently, on her own Half-Acre Homestead. Colette lived five years completely off-grid and without running water in an eight by 24 foot tiny home while designing and building her own 18 by 24-foot eco-cabin. Her website, Half Acre Homestead is attracting followers from around the world who want to become more self-sufficient.  Colette invites you to stop by the Homestead and check out all of the great resources including the practical How To Guides, A Tiny Home Resource Center and her organic gardening stories on her blog. She shares her wholistic model (body/mind/spirit) for achieving self-sufficiency in her Free Course, “Growing Self-Sufficiency: The Whole Picture.” Stop by the Homestead today to register free of charge!