No Longer Money-Hungry.

I haven't had paid work for over a decade now. And I've found that it's not so bad. You just have to keep yourself occupied and busy during the day and stay away from the brain-rotting box in the corner of the room called 'The Television'. Yes, that thing was a great invention for its time; but it does serve a purpose... night time use only. During the day, there's more to do than to stare at it. Talkshows bore the living crap out of me! Cooking shows can do the same; especially when the hosts get in the way of what's going on and talk over people!

I love getting up early - even when it's freezing cold - and facing the day. I'll sit on the edge of the bed and stretch and turn and then stand up and look outside briefly before pulling the curtains and looking for something to wear. The morning starts with a good breakfast and a listen to the radio. Then, I get in and do some housework. After that, I have the day to myself. However, sometimes, the housework gets left until later... which is okay to me. I'm in no real hurry to get it done. I do enjoy pottering around the house and getting some things done.
You see, I'm into Bookcrossing and Outsider Art; both of which take up a lot of my time. I'm also a prolific reader. I'm ravenous when it comes to books. It's only April and I'm reading my 12th book! My Mum is very proud to tell people that I read a lot of books and she really doesn't have a clue how many I've read - just that it's over 10 so far. Gardening takes up my time too. I enjoy getting my hands dirty in the potting mix and planter pots. It's just something I love to do.

Something you'll notice is that I'm not money-hungry. I'm on a DSP (Disability Support Pension) and that doesn't pay a lot. I just scrape by paying my bills, rent and groceries (the latter two of which I pay fortnightly) and I put away $150 into a few accounts (one of those accounts in a bill-paying account). I'm not usually left with a lot to play with. So, when it comes right down to the bottom line of it all, I find that I have to shop around for great bargains, buy second-hand clothes, books and lay-by almost everything I want... or save up really hard for it.
I'm only on Bookcrossing because it's an internet site where we all trade books to each other, conduct bookrings (where you get a list of people who want to read the same book and they receive the book, journal it, read it, and then post it onto the next person on the list) and it saves us buying the book. This site has saved me so much money... however I have found that the money I would use buying a book is now used in postage in sending out the books. However, my best finds are always at either garage sales or charity stores.

It's taken me a few years to realise that it's not the huge salleries and big jobs that make us happy. It's the small stuff; the flowers coming into bloom. The great dvd we just watched with home-made popcorn and melted butter. The boardgame we've just played with the family that makes us happy. When we are pushed back into a corner and find that there's nowhere to go, we look around and sit there waiting for the problem to fix itself when really, all we need to do as pick up the book that's sitting on the floor by our feet and open it. Say, that title looks good... have a quick read of the first few pages; it may get you interested yet!