Natalie Thinks

This week I realised there was an important category missing in my budget: calamity.  I realised this when the R1000 speeding fine arrived in the mail.  I wanted to howl.  Really.  I was going 80 in a 60 zone but, in my defence, your Honour: 1.        It was one of those areas where it becomes 80 in about 20 metres from where I was fined. 2.        I really try to stick to the speed limit; not only because the roads I travel are policed by some of South Africa’s most vigilant traffic cops, but because I try to save diesel by driving cautiously! 3.        Most days I do an 80km round trip virtually all on provincial roads with high speed limits. I have become quite obsessive (but clearly not obsessive enough!) about abiding by speed limits.  My car has a very lovely cruise control which I use in the 60 zone (but obviously not that particular zone).  Henceforw...

Is it just me or is January a very long month?  I am running my budget from 25 th -25 th and even so, here I sit on the 22 nd and every budget allocation is either exhausted or overshot.  Again. Damn. I really was very conscious of every cent I spent this month because I knew I would have to account to y’all, and yet I still went over my grocery budget by about R800.  The good news is Woolworths allowed the use of Ucounts (Standard Bank rewards) for 2 weeks in January.  They did this last year too.  This enabled me to spend R1200 essentially free, as we had not used any Ucounts all year.  (Note to self: save this up again for beginning of year.)  So monetarily I stayed within budget, but really I went over…. On the subject of reward/loyalty cards; these are generally worth having.  Most don’t cost anything and if used judiciously they can save you quite a bit.  Just be aware of the psychology behind these, which is that when I walk ...

We are a family of six: 2 incomes, 4 kids (yes they were all planned; yes we were warned).  We have drawn up our budget for the coming year and after trimming and trimming we are still R3000 in the hole! (Munch Scream).   And in the face of the drought South Africa has faced this past year, food prices are predicted to rise significantly in 2016.  Scary times ahead. If you’re also feeling the pinch you may want to follow my blog this year as I try to implement some thrifty ideas.  Suggestions will also be welcome.  I can also mail you a sample Excel budget sheet that you can tailor to your requirements.  If you have less or no kids, for example, then why the hell do you have a problem? then you can adjust it accordingly. No doubt, we all have different ideas of what constitute luxuries, and of course some of the things I spend money on may seem indulgent to you, and vice versa. The following are luxuries I can can’t CAN live without....

I am the dirty sock picker-up, the bottle washer, the taker of stones out of pockets, the kisser-better of sores. I am the lunch-box packer and the supper-server and the complaint-bearer; the driver-back of forgotten things. I am the tidier of cupboards and toys and dirty dishes. I am the homework-helper. I am the arbitrator, judge and jury of quarrels. I am the motivator after life's blows. I am the listener, the teacher, the shouter. I am tired. I am tireless. I am mother. Natalie Simmons 2010

This past Sunday I visited a new church. Again. This would be the 6 th church in as many years.  And I had practically given up hope of finding meaningful fellowship.  But this Sunday was a profound experience.  I was moved to the verge of tears throughout the service.  And I enjoyed being there.  And I didn’t feel critical or guilty or angry or annoyed once.  I don’t know when last I was in a church where I actually felt like singing or being there or actually looked forward to going again the next week. Here are some of the things that made it such an enjoyable and meaningful experience for me. 1.        When we arrived 10 minutes early for the service there was almost no-one there.  When I questioned the pastor, he said, “It is happening, everyone just comes late.” Why does this comfort me so? Perhaps because it acknowledges our human-ness.   Perhaps because when we arrived late at another church; ...

Did anyone notice that the 21 day NO Bread, NO Sugar deadline came and went?  Umm not me. In the spirit of honest blogging let me share that around day 17 I was again battling with constipation .  So shortly after reporting that I had lost 2 kg, I apparently put about 1,5 back on.  It seems ironic considering many people feel that wheat ‘blocks up’ their tummies, but clearly I just wasn’t getting in enough roughage so I reverted to my wheat bran rusks for breakfast. And that’s where it all started going wrong, because once the door was open I thought, “Mmm, I have been avoiding potatoes but technically they’re allowed…” so Friday night I had a bag of potato chips.  Then I thought I’d take the weekend off and sample all the things I’d been stashing in the cupboard.  Like: my friend’s homemade fudge, those chocolate biscuits that were on sale (disappointing), my multi-grain bread (stomach still not working at this stage), a glass of mango juice – for...

Some of you may think I am not taking this seriously enough or with an open heart, but I am, I am!  I am being very good about sticking closely to the challenge and have only cheated properly once when I had 2 slices of pizza.  I hasten to add that this was not succumbing to a craving but sheer tiredness on my part to cook anything else and the pizza was there for the 6 teenage boys! So today I will share some of the positives I have gleaned so far. 1.       What they say about cravings is absolutely true.  They do dissipate completely!  As per banting-lore the fats seem to keep me satisfied and I can truly say I never feel hungry and have no cravings.  In that sense it becomes easy to avoid unhealthy treats, although from a psychological point of view I still miss breads and rusks especially. 2.       Consequently I have lost 2 kilos so far without trying to eat less.  I can imagine that ha...