Info Hoard

I think I might be an information hoarder.

I have thousands of bookmarks, Pins, lists, and Google documents all neatly filed away into various categories: interesting online shops, things to make, places to visit, workouts or recipes to try. I see something interesting and tuck it neatly into a folder to look at "when I have time."

In fairness, I'm relatively organized about my hoarding; I can find anything I'm looking for within a few seconds, and I keep my computer desktop, browser windows, and dock clean. My information is easy to access, and since I mostly store everything online, my hoarding doesn't really cost me anything but time. And when Abe is working nights, and I'm bored or lonely, it is pleasant to browse through my online lists and make vague plans to do something with the stuff I've accumulated.

The thing is, though, that I'm not doing anything with all this mental fluff I'm saving. For me, planning is the ultimate form of procrastination.

Now that I've recognized the problem, I'm not sure what to do about it. I'm pretty sure if I make some sort of plan to deal with all my links, I'll just be procrastinating anyway.

Maybe I'll just shut the virtual closet door and ignore the problem until it goes away.

Moving day

We (hopefully, fingers-and-toes-crossed) close on our new house in one week. Two days later (fingers-and-toes-and-eyeballs-and-anything-else-we-can-cross) sell our condo two days later.

Yikes.

That's our new kitchen. I'm excited.

Flirtation with frugality

I'm a big fan of personal finance and frugal-living blogs, and over the years, I've tried a lot of tips to save money. For example, I'm willing to try just about any DIY beauty or cleaning product at least once. Lola the Corolla has been paid off for several years, and I'm in no hurry to replace her (and I'm willing to do some car maintenance myself), and when I do, I'll probably buy another used car, or consider becoming a single-car family if it's feasible. I'll also happily make my own lunch, reuse plastic food containers for other things for a while before recycling them, and take the bus when it's practical.

However, there are a few common frugal-living tips that I've come to realize I'm just not going to do:

• Turn the thermostat way up. I work from home. In Texas. I firmly believe people should be comfortable at work, and one can only take off so many articles of clothing. I'm perfectly willing to bundle up in the winter, but in the summer, I want my MTV A/C. 
• Completely kick my caffeine habit. I would like to do this. Really I would. I just function so much better on caffeine. (I blame ADHD. And Abe's and my weird sleep schedules.) I do try to avoid ordering soda at restaurants and getting fancy coffees too often, but I don't know if I can ever give up caffeine entirely.
• Make my own laundry detergent/Oxy-Clean. It's cool that people do this. However, making my own laundry detergent seems kind of messy, and (considering how much you make at a time) kind of a waste of space. Frankly, I'd rather just wear my clothes a few more times between washes. Oxy-Clean is a necessity in our house - it's the only thing that keeps Abe's gym clothes from smelling like dirty filthy grossness. Keeping gallons of hydrogen peroxide around to make my own just feels a lot less practical (and seems like it would generate a lot more plastic and gasoline waste) than getting a giant box of of Oxy-Clean from Costco every six months or so when I have a coupon. 
• Cancel cable. I'd actually be perfectly happy without cable, but it would make Abe miserable. I'm not willing to sacrifice one of my hub's favorite ways of relaxing for the sake of saving money. He has a stressful job. 
• Buy cheap beer/shoes/meat/dog food. With the exception of flip-flops, I've learned I always pay for cheap shoes with my comfort. (Flip-flops just aren't going to be comfortable regardless.) As far as meat goes, I'd rather eat a few extra vegetarian meals a week than eat tons of growth hormones and pink slime. I'd probably feed Bailey less expensive dog food, but he's allergic to a lot of the ingredients in cheap dog food. I'm willing to pay a little more for grain-free food to avoid doggy IBS accidents and excessive trips to the vet. Life is just too short for cheap beer.
• Tip poorly. If customer service jobs suck, waiting tables sucks to the power of 11. If I were to have service that was bad enough to warrant not leaving a tip, I would consider it my mistake for not speaking with a supervisor or letting the waiter/waitress know there was a problem. 

What do you think? Do you have any frugal tips for me to try? Is there any frugal advice you just won't take?

Bullet points and some pictures of my dog

• We got Bailey one of those dog couches at Costco. He likes it.
• I'm applying for a new job that I probably won't get. It pays more, and I wouldn't be working from home full-time anymore. I think it would be a pretty enjoyable job, but mostly, I just need to stop answering phones for a living. Last week a guy told one of my coworkers that if she turned out to be wrong about some information, he'd find her, gut her, and string her intestines up like Christmas lights. Um. Yeah.
• I think my family is pretty much fed up with me. At least Abe's family likes us. 
• I am overwhelmed with Things To Do. I just don't know where to start so I stare paralyzed at my to-do list while it continues to grow.
• Sometimes, I think Bailey and I should just trade places Freaky Friday style.

Oops.

You know how sometimes you accidentally delete your blog template, header, everything? And you are pretty sure you backed it up at some point, but you're not sure where?

No? Just me?

Well. Welcome to my new blog layout.

I call it "Better than nothing."

xoxo,
Sandra