There is a story about a man who approached Gandhi and said that he’d been thinking about living a simpler life, but he didn’t feel like he could give up his collection of books. Gandhi is said to have replied, “As long as you derive inner help and comfort from anything, you should keep it. If you were to give it up in a mood of self-sacrifice or out of a stern sense of duty, you would continue to want it back, and that unsatisfied want would make trouble for you. Only give up a thing when you want some other condition so much that the thing no longer has any attraction for you.”

Wise words, though I think it’s our own task to separate our need from most material possessions and only keep the core of our belongings with us. Right now my dad and I live without most of our material belongings, and I can’t say I really miss them (though I do want to watch a movie now and then and can’t).

Still, keeping them to a minimum and making sure you stay detached works just as well. It prevents living in clutter and insanity that so many people are prone to do.

I was listening to my co-workers debate about the best method to organize emails and they had my head spinning so I figured I’d post down my very watered-down simple method of dealing with emails at work and at home. Granted everyone has their own system that works for how their brain operates.

Work Email

- My inbox is only filled with items to be addressed. Items flagged red are for work. As of this post I have 2 flagged assignments for work, and 3 personal assignments for myself in my inbox.

- When tasks assigned to -me- are completed they are archived into the individual project folder.

- When logins/passwords are sent to me, they are put into a LOGIN folder so they are all grouped together should I need to reference a certain login or password later on.

Home Email

Home is a bit more difficult because I get so many correspondences and requests that I’m not able to fill right away. It’s also a lot less organized, whereas work is almost impeccably organized.

Inbox: Tasks to be addressed, though there was a time this got out of hand so I have about 500 emails that were put into a “to go through” folder so I wasn’t feeling so overwhelmed in my inbox. I’ve cut them down considerably but this is still an ongoing project. But the point of moving them to a separate folder was to rid of that “overwhelmed” feeling of backlog.

Several category folders such as: CLG correspondences (including sub-folders for those like Message archives for big flamewars and stuff that happen that I need to keep for future reference), genealogy inquiries, receipts, mud applications, old mud logs.

Bookmarks

This is a different monster all together. I do keep these categorized into folders because otherwise the list is extremely long. Folders like, Survivalism, ADF, Shopping (links that I keep on reference for items I like for my house or may want to buy eventually), Gaming links, and even a folder for links I want to post about eventually.

I’ve pondered switching to an online bookmarking service like de.licious but haven’t made that switch yet, and am not sure I’m going to. It’ll be nice to reference links outside of my home, but I haven’t really had the need yet.

As far as articles or how-tos that I come across, instead of saving tons of links of these to filter through that may eventually disappear anyway, I print them into a .pdf file and archive it on my computer. This way I know the article will never be lost and I don’t have to deal with paper clutter. I’ve been working on scanning some magazines this way as well, and writing the two magazines that I subscribe to in order to convince them to switch to electronic format or at least provide the option. I just can’t stand so much paper clutter.

Or, “Why we have so many dumb people.”

In an epiphany while talking to my 13 year old sister, I realized that many children these days are not taught basic life skills that they need to get by in life, which I think contributes to the general lazyness and fast-paced environment we have now. People forget to eat, get overly stressed, rush around constantly, and essentially harm themselves needlessly because they just don’t know any better.

Essential Things We Aren’t Teaching Our Children:

1. How to cook. One thing I was given when I got married at 18, was a bin of index cards with family recipes on them from my mom, and various aunts and other female members of the family. This was a wedding gift, and a very cherished one.

My sister is now 13 and knows little about cooking good wholesome meals. It’s not surprising given the microwavable mac n’ cheese, hamburger helper, hotpockets and other such unhealthy and pre-packed foods. I try to involve her in cooking when she comes over my house, so she can at least learn the basics. Even just basic recipes and cooking techniques like how to cook steak, how to make cheap crock-pot dishes are a great skill to learn.

2. How to eat. Going along with #1, we aren’t teaching our children how to eat. Burgers, fries and a Milkshake are the norm. Quick breakfasts bars and sugary cereals are daily sustenance. Sugar and red meat are the worst things we are doing to our children, and needlessly. No wonder obesity and diabetes are epidemics.

The best thing we can do is make a conscious decision to change how we eat and what food we keep in the house. No sodas, but instead sugar-free drinks (Safeway’s generic brand of sugar-free drinks are AMAZING). No sugar-filled cereals and quick breakfasts and instead cook up a scrambled egg on wheat toast with butter. It only takes a moment, and is much healthier and will keep them awake longer during the day. Keep re-heatable soups and stews from the crock-pot that they can heat up on their own instead of the quick hotpocket meals.

3. How to clean properly and without chemicals. The fact that we disinfect everything using bleach and anti-bacterial soaps is doing more harm than good. Our children’s immune systems aren’t as strong because we’re protecting them so harshly. In addition to that, we are exposing them to harmful chemicals by using commercial cleaners rather than cheap eco-friendly alternatives.

By teaching our children to use vinegar and water with a newspaper instead of windex and paper-towels, we are allowing them to save money, be kind to the earth, and responsible cleaning habits. Most natural cleaning solutions are much cheaper, healthier, and obviously more environmentally friendly, so why not switch while they are young? When they move out on their own, make a basket of natural cleaning products as a housewarming gift.

4. How to manage money. I always thought this should be something taught in school, but I was never taught how to manage my money properly. In fact I remember specifically in 6th grade I was taught how to write a check, but that was it. So essentially I was taught how to -spend- money, but never how to -manage- it.

I’m a strong believer in teaching financial habits at a young age. Setting up chores for children to complete and in return receive a small allowance. Make a deal that they can spend a certain amount of their allowance, and deposit the other portion into a high interest savings account for when they get older. Sit down with them each month and let them see the interest they gain on the account, and make a list of things they want to buy and how they can budget to save up for it. Make sure they understand what is a need versus a want, and how to be frugal with their decisions.

I think the United States especially would be in a better place if the people who are in so much debt were more educated when they were younger about their financial decisions.

5. How to spend money (frugality). Going with #4, I think even just a few basic frugal skills are good to teach our children, even if you aren’t a frugal person yourself. Going through and purging toys and clothes regularly and not purchasing a toy every time you go to the store. Using actual lunchboxes instead of brown paper bags, and reusable utensils. Even using a small container for their sandwiches instead of disposable plastic baggies is a beneficial habit for them to learn, and good for the environment.

6. Basic auto maintenance. I know of a girl who had her transmission slip for well over a month before deciding to tell her husband about it in which case it was already too late. There are also people that don’t know how to check their oil or even the fluid in their radiator to make sure they are going to make it to their destination. Since an automobile will enter almost everyone’s life at some point, and is such a necessary for so many people, it makes sense that we teach our children how to maintain such an expensive investment. Even if it’s just the basics.

7. How to take care of their hair and makeup. Yes, this will generally only apply to the female population, but given the amount of make-up, dye, and hairspray I see on today’s youth, I had to mention it. Hair is generally important to most females, but we’re constantly teasing, applying chemical, and doing more damage than good. Girls are now inspired by Britney and Bratz, instead of how to look/dress appropriate.

When I was younger, I always combed my hair while wet and used those horrible rubberbands in my hair, not to mention dyed it blonde for many years. I had no idea until recently that this sort of routine is what caused my hair to be come so dry, have so many split ends, and why I am now struggling to get it to grow further than the middle of my back. I feel cheated.

Besides the adorable words like “Dodgy”, “Posh” and “Bloody Hell”, I’ve recently found other reasons to love the English.

On cable in the states, we have this channel called BBC America. I don’t ever watch it, but I was flipping through channels on a lazy Saturday noon the other day, and ran across How Clean is your House.

I immediately fell in love with this show because obviously it makes my house look like a gold tooth in a mouth of foulness, and because of their ridiculously awesome cleaning tips. And we’re not talking the Americanized cleaning tips where you drench your house in Clorox and Febreeze, but many eco-friendly and frugal cleaning tips that WORK.

That and the tall woman has a lot of british sass, which I love. Watch a sample episode here (and this isn’t the worst episode I’ve seen).

I wish America could catch up the UK regarding being eco-friendly, but I imagine that’s far from happening.

Some tips from the show:

Mix salt and baking soda into a clogged drain, pour hot vinegar on and let sit for an hour.

Put coffee grounds in your fridge to neutralize odors.

Put bicarbonate of soda on your mattress and let sit before vaccumming up to help get rid of odor.

To stop the bottom of your shower curtain from becoming discoloured or mouldy, coat it with baby oil. (though I recommend getting a fabric shower curtain)

When you wash the kitchen floor, use your rubbish bin instead of a bucket to hold the water. This way you get a fresh bin without the hassle of washing it.

And there are tons others, but I may compile them all into its own post at some point.

I’ve been wanting to get a fireproof safe for years now, and managed to finally do so about a month ago. Then I was faced with the question: “What should you put in a fireproof safe?”

I put obvious items in, automotive titles, diploma, birth certificates, some court documents, external hard drive backup of all digital files. But I wanted to have an idea of anything else I should keep in there. Here’s what I found:

• Papers or records that prove ownership (such as real estate deeds, automobile titles and stock and bond certificates)
• Birth, marriage and death certificates
• Legal papers (such as divorce and property settlement papers)
• Contracts
• Household inventory
• Wills
• Advance Directives such as Living Wills or Durable Powers of Attorney for Health Care
• Anything else that would be expensive or difficult to replace.

Some other notations I found

In general, bank account registers, canceled checks, transcripts, medical histories, employment records, tax returns and insurance policies do not need to be kept in a safe deposit box or fireproof home storage.

Health, accident and auto insurance information, and information on allergies, health problems and blood type should also be carried with you.

Thoughts

I haven’t done a household inventory yet, but it’s on my list of things to do. I may be able to do this with my digital camera as well, since it takes video. I can burn that on a disk and keep it in the safe, as well as a printed inventory.

I will mention that I created a database of my library already and keep it in digital format, should I ever need to replace all of my books. Movies is another story, but will be another task at some point. I also intend to keep some of my major software (Win XP especially) in the safe.

I’ve also been working on creating digital backups of all of our old pictures (this is a pain in the ass though, let me tell you), so that should I ever need to have them reprinted, I can (these are kept on the external hard drive as well).

I have $30k worth of renters insurance on our place here, which has an additional $3k coverage for my computer. I’m starting to wonder if $30k is enough, because I have no way to place a value on our belongings. We don’t really have many items that are worth much money. All of our furniture is hand-me-downs, -all- of it was free, and I’d be fine with replacing with other free stuff later. We have tons of antique oil lamps, but they are more for the memories than anything.

Next is finding out how long I need to keep certain papers. I’ve done a lot of research on this already, it’s a matter of posting it.

11 Causes and Cures for Procrastination by John Place Online. A decent list of ways to help beat the inevitable procrastination blues. #11 is my biggest competitor because once 3pm hits, my brain shuts down.

Fundamentals of Personal Finance - The University of California, Irvine provides an online introductory course to Personal Finance.

Working Woman’s Guide to Finanicial Security - The University of Illinois offers quite a few resources on financial information, this is just one of them. Others include tips for thrifty living, credit card smarts, and consumer and family economics.

How to avoid getting ripped off by a Mechanic - These should all be obvious, but we all know people who have no idea what to do about automobiles. Fortunately I do most of my own maintenance myself, so I don’t particularly have to worry about mine.

7 Secrets of the Super Organized. Though, they don’t really seem like secrets, just things we tend to put off.

Turn a C Battery into a D Battery with Quarters - Now if they could just turn AAA to AA, I’d be golden.

40 ways to reduce your monthly required spending - Several easy tips and ideas that people just don’t seem to think of for the most part.

As posted by The Happiness Project:
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Ririan Project posted 9 ways to live a more positive life.

#2 is probably one of my hardest.
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