The conversations we're having lately make me think I'm living in the Jim Crow-era instead of 2015. The latest revolves around the Confederate flag, or more specifically, the battle flag we refer to as the Confederate flag. Following the shooting in South Carolina, many began to campaign for the removal of this flag from government sites. Mississippi was soon brought into the conversation, as its state flag contains the "Rebel flag" in its canton.
Mississippi has a very complicated history and a terrible image. We're known for being the worst in everything: poorest, fattest, least educated, most miserable bunch of people in the country. And while there are a lot of things we get right (writers, musicians, charity, medicine, athletes, etc.), the bad unfortunately outweighs the good. Too many times, I've been outside of our beloved Southeast and had my accent give me away. This accent draws people in like flies to honey. People are fascinated by it and always ask where I'm from, guessing Texas and South Carolina. I used to proudly say, "No, I'm from Mississippi!" However as I get older, that prideful exclamation has turned into a sheepish, "No... I'm from, um, Mississippi." The novel enthusiasm over meeting someone from the South quickly drains from the face of my new friend. Sometimes he or she will reply with a simple "Oh." Other times it's "I've driven through there before... beautiful place...." I've even gotten "I'm sorry" once or twice.
Mississippians feel so much pride for our state. We have to. We're the underdog in this country. No one but us thinks positively about this place. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being proud of where you come from, but a lot of times I've wanted to hide in shame of this state.
I've longed to be able to drop my accent; to not hear the silence on the other end of a phone call with anyone above the Mason-Dixon; to not be automatically labelled as backwards, stupid, and poor; to not have to see that look of sympathy on a person's face when he/she discovers my home state; to no longer feel like the disappointment of America, the skeleton in the closet that no one wants to talk about; to no longer hear "Thank God for Mississippi." Sometimes I want to run away and surround myself with like-minded people and forget that I was ever a part of this place.
Then I remember: this is exactly what those before me and around me have done. This is what the expats have done, leaving out of frustration with a never-changing people. This is what many who still live here have done, growing defensive and stagnate, retreating further into themselves. Mississippians have segregated ourselves from the problems; we pretend that they don't exist. "We're just being picked on." "Mississippi isn't such a bad place to live." "The media only focuses on the history." While these things may all be true, that history isn't staying in the past and those statistics they spout off aren't unfounded. Mississippi isn't giving anyone any reason to see the good in us. We've come kicking and screaming into the present, not wanting to give up the "good ole days." We pitch a hissy fit (that's a technical term) at the mention of change. I do not understand the desire of those in our state who do not want to progress.
I think a lot of these attitudes may come from an ignorance of the world. Many never leave the safety or "bubble" of their community. They do not educate themselves on the world outside their own. They are kind, honest, hard-working people, but they are naive. They are skeptical of anything that challenges what they've been taught and believed for so many years. They've never experienced the gut-punch reaction from someone who feels sorry for you because you grew up here. They've never longed to "get out." They've never had an open conversation with someone who felt differently about a topic. They've never done the research on a highly debated topic for themselves.
I used to be like this. Before I graduated high school, I had never been west of the Mississippi or north of the Mason-Dixon. I had exactly one black friend. The only science I was ever taught was tainted with skepticism, and FOX News's word was as good as God's. I remember arguing in a freshman college course that racism didn't exist anymore. I signed petitions to keep Colonel Rebel as a school symbol and didn't think twice about the Confederate flag. I didn't realize how these things made some of my fellow Mississippians feel and how they made our beloved state look to outsiders. I slowly began the climb over the fence. I educated myself; I devoured information and formed my own opinions on topics. I began to meet and interact with people who were different from me. I put myself in uncomfortable situations in order to challenge my beliefs and ideals.
I encourage my fellow Mississippians to do the same. Pick an issue and gather reliable information from both sides of the debate: facts, not opinions. Have a conversation with someone who feels differently than you do about a topic. Get out and see the world. Get your news from multiple sources in an effort to weed out bias. Separate yourself from everything you know once in a while. If after doing all these things, you still hold the same opinion you did before you began, think about how that opinion affects our state. Does it represent our residents as a whole? Should it represent us on the national and international level? Will it bring industry, advancement, travel, etc to Mississippi?
Mississippi is a great place, but we're content. I sometimes feel that we have let the negative statistics define us. We've accepted them, embraced them, adopted them, worn them as a badge. It doesn't have to be that way. There are those of us who want more this place. Let's work together to advance the image or our state instead of against each other. Don't give up on yourself, Mississippi; we're the only ones fighting for us.
Wednesday, June 24, 2015
Tuesday, June 16, 2015
Reducing Out Eating Out Budget: Week 2
Remember from this post that we are trying to reduce the amount of times we go out to eat this week? Well week 2 was just as successful as Week 1! I'm very excited about how well we're doing. Let's post the calendar.
Thursday night, Drew and I went to see Jurassic World. (It was a super awesome movie, by the way! Go see it if you haven't already.) Since we had the wedding that weekend, we went ahead and made plans to go out for dinner before the movie. We grabbed Chick-fil-a in the mall. Yum.
Friday, we did our usual routine of going out for lunch. We had the wedding rehearsal dinner Friday night. Saturday, I had to be at the wedding venue pretty early in the day. All of the bridesmaids had agreed to bring food to snack on, and I chose to bring a hometown delicacy - slug burgers. I haven't had one in sooo long! So I ate some of those for lunch. Drew showed a little more restraint and ate a pizza at home.
After a long wedding-weekend, we decided to go to lunch after church. Dinner Sunday night was had at a couples shower for some sweet friends at church.
Like I said, I feel pretty good about how things are going. We're on target to reduce our spending by about 1/3! I'm ok with that. :)
Thursday night, Drew and I went to see Jurassic World. (It was a super awesome movie, by the way! Go see it if you haven't already.) Since we had the wedding that weekend, we went ahead and made plans to go out for dinner before the movie. We grabbed Chick-fil-a in the mall. Yum.
Friday, we did our usual routine of going out for lunch. We had the wedding rehearsal dinner Friday night. Saturday, I had to be at the wedding venue pretty early in the day. All of the bridesmaids had agreed to bring food to snack on, and I chose to bring a hometown delicacy - slug burgers. I haven't had one in sooo long! So I ate some of those for lunch. Drew showed a little more restraint and ate a pizza at home.
After a long wedding-weekend, we decided to go to lunch after church. Dinner Sunday night was had at a couples shower for some sweet friends at church.
Like I said, I feel pretty good about how things are going. We're on target to reduce our spending by about 1/3! I'm ok with that. :)
Monday, June 8, 2015
Reducing Our Eating Out Budget: Week 1
Our goal for June is to reduce how much money we spend on dining out. We're not targeting a specific amount of money; we're targeting a number of times to go out. After a few months of this, I think we'll be able to determine a new budget.
Over the past 6 months, we've averaged spending 9% of our monthly income on going out. For us, we felt like that was too much. Our new goal is to go out once a week for lunch and once a week for dinner.
Let's see how week 1 went:
Over the past 6 months, we've averaged spending 9% of our monthly income on going out. For us, we felt like that was too much. Our new goal is to go out once a week for lunch and once a week for dinner.
Let's see how week 1 went:
Overall, I think we did very well this week. We each went to lunch once during the work week, and we had one date-night dinner. Thursday night, I had a work dinner but met up with Drew at a birthday dinner later that night. So his meal came out of our budget, while mine was made for by my employer. Sunday, I had a moment of weakness. It was one of those days that I just did. not. feel like cooking; so we grabbed Mexican for lunch. Don't worry. We followed it up with a 14-mile bike ride to burn off some of the calories. :)
This upcoming week will be an interesting one for our new goal. I'm in a wedding Saturday, so we'll be out of town Friday night and most of the day Saturday. Then Dew's parents are joining us for church Sunday morning, followed by co-hosting a bridal shower for some friends that afternoon. It'll be a busy weekend, but I'm positive we can do it!
When Was the Last Time I Used My Kitchen???
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We go out to eat a lot. One or two times a week for lunch, two or three times for dinner. That adds up to a whopping 9% of our monthly spending. That's more than my car payment. Pretty ridiculous, right?
So how exactly do we go about reducing this spending? Going out to dinner is so convenient and our "date" of choice.
We plan to limit our dining out to lunch one day a week and dinner one day a week. We'll cook new recipes and get creative with dates. I'll also keep some easy meals and hopefully make up a few freezer meals too. Each week, I'll check in to share how we did. Wish us luck!
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
Let's Talk About ... Money
Several months ago, I met with a representative from the company who handles our 401k at work. They send someone about once a year to meet with us one-on-one; we get to ask questions about how we're investing, if we're on the right track for retirement, etc. During our discussion, I asked her when I could retire. Her answer? "As early as you want to." Sure, you can't take money out of your 401k until you're 59.5 without penalty, and you can't receive Social Security benefits until you're around 65. But there are a lot of other options to help you retire early.
I said, "Ok, I want to retire at 50 then."
I'll be 25 this year, so that's 25 more years of work. I mentioned this goal to a coworker of mine. He offered to let me borrow a few of his Dave Ramsey books. I read each book in just a few days. Drew and I have very little debt - only the house and my car. We were very fortunate to escape student loans, and our first few years of marriage taught us the importance of a budget. We felt like we were ahead of the game and didn't really give it too much more thought.
Then a few weeks ago, I was looking over our budget. (Drew and I share the MoneyWiz app, in case you're curious.) I noticed budgets we were continually busting (like eating out) and a catch-all category that things just got lost in (conveniently named "Extra"). While we save plenty, we both feel like we could be saving more. And what about this retiring in 25 years goal that we had? What were we doing to reach that?
I began by comparing our current budget and actual spending to two popular methods: Dave Ramsey and 50/20/30. The results? Honestly, we weren't doing too bad. We were saving more than both methods recommended, and we're "living within our means." We should pat ourselves on the back, right?
Maybe not. I started to notice even more what a problem some of our categories had become, like eating out, extra, and bills. If I could reduce these, couldn't we save even more?
Now I feel like a woman on a mission. I've retooled our budgets to reflect our actual spending, and my goal is to reduce our spending in a particular category each month. After staying at these reduced levels for 2 or 3 months, we'll reduce that category's budget.
Furthermore, I plan to start getting this ball rolling on financial independence and early retirement. I hope to share this journey with you and that you'll benefit from it. Here's to saving!
Obligatory Disclaimer: I'm not here to tell anyone how to spend his or her money. I feel like we each value different things and will therefore spend more or less on certain things than other people. How you spend your money is a very personal thing. Therefore I will most likely not talk "real" numbers and instead use percentages. I think the most important thing is to know how you spend your money and then decide if you're ok with where it is going.
Friday, May 29, 2015
Living with Less TV Update
It's been two months since I went on a tangent admitted how much time I was spending in front of the TV and how I wanted to make a change. I was turning that thing on about 4-4:30pm everyday when I got home from work and not shutting it off until bedtime. Was I spending that full 5-6 hours every single day sitting in front of the TV? Not usually. But man was it easy to get sucked into a marathon of What Not to Wear reruns (may she rest in peace).
So where am I now? Did it work? I'm happy to report that while we're not living TV-free yet (and probably never will), it gets significantly less time that it used to. We're watching about 1 hour each night; it's still something Drew and I do together before heading to bed. All of our viewing comes from recorded shows or an episode (or two if it's a shorter show) on Netflix.
And you know what? I feel so much better! I'm so much more aware now of what I'm watching and how much I'm watching. I spend more time outside. My house is cleaner. I've read more books in the past month than I have all year. When the list of cancelled shows was released, I was secretly happy to be able to delete a couple more items from my DVR. And I haven't read a single article about "which shows you have to watch this fall." I don't have to watch them, actually.
Like I said earlier, I don't think we'll ever cut the cord completely, but we're definitely moving our time toward other forms of entertainment. Hopefully this will help us to eventually cut out that horribly expensive DirecTV bill.
What about you? Have you started watching less TV? What was your reasoning?
So where am I now? Did it work? I'm happy to report that while we're not living TV-free yet (and probably never will), it gets significantly less time that it used to. We're watching about 1 hour each night; it's still something Drew and I do together before heading to bed. All of our viewing comes from recorded shows or an episode (or two if it's a shorter show) on Netflix.
And you know what? I feel so much better! I'm so much more aware now of what I'm watching and how much I'm watching. I spend more time outside. My house is cleaner. I've read more books in the past month than I have all year. When the list of cancelled shows was released, I was secretly happy to be able to delete a couple more items from my DVR. And I haven't read a single article about "which shows you have to watch this fall." I don't have to watch them, actually.
Like I said earlier, I don't think we'll ever cut the cord completely, but we're definitely moving our time toward other forms of entertainment. Hopefully this will help us to eventually cut out that horribly expensive DirecTV bill.
What about you? Have you started watching less TV? What was your reasoning?
Tuesday, March 31, 2015
60 Things To Do Besides Watch TV
I'm on this journey to kick my TV addiction and redirect that time to doing other things. My first step was to go through all of the shows I currently have on my DVR and delete anything that I could live without. Drew and I went from recording 49 different shows to 23. (Read more about that process here.)
My new rule is:
I record all of the shows that I really enjoy and are important to me. This will help me avoid going into zombie-mode. With this method, my TV viewing should cut down from about 5.5 hours each day to maybe 2 - a show on my own and a show with Drew. I need to be prepared with a list of things to do with this freed-up time, or I'll fall back into the same trap. Y'all know I'm all about a list ('bout that list, 'bout that list, no randomness).
My new rule is:
I record all of the shows that I really enjoy and are important to me. This will help me avoid going into zombie-mode. With this method, my TV viewing should cut down from about 5.5 hours each day to maybe 2 - a show on my own and a show with Drew. I need to be prepared with a list of things to do with this freed-up time, or I'll fall back into the same trap. Y'all know I'm all about a list ('bout that list, 'bout that list, no randomness).
- Read a book - Make sure to have some on hand that you have really been wanting to read as an extra incentive
- Play with the pups
- Ride my bike
- Go for a run
- Practice yoga
- Cook up something yummy
- Study your Bible
- Take a long bubble bath
- Practice photography
- Clean out the closet
- Plan a yard sale with everything you just purged from the closet
- Take on a home improvement project - I keep of list of projects on my phone that I could choose from
- Weed the yard
- Trim the hedges
- Clean out the attic
- Clean out the garage
- Take a walk
- Put a puzzle together
- Play a board game
- Compile a photobook
- Go shopping
- Sew - I have a basket full of items that need work
- Knit
- Deep clean my car
- Do a digital deep clean - delete old files, update software, etc
- Write a blog post
- Call my grandmas
- Visit a craft store and pick up whatever speaks to you!
- Listen to music and do nothing else
- Take a creative class - cupcake decorating, photography, etc.
- Learn an instrument (or relearn if you've gotten a little rusty)
- Volunteer
- Plan a vacation
- Take a dance lesson
- Give the pups a bath
- Write in a journal
- Write a list of goals
- Take a free online class
- Practice a new hair or makeup look
- Clean your fridge
- Teach the pups a new trick
- Do a Pinterest project
- Do a social media cleanse - delete anyone that brings negativity to your newsfeed
- Take a new fitness class at the gym
- Plan and iron your outfits for the week
- Rearrange your kitchen cabinets
- Comment on a blog post your really enjoyed
- Plant a garden
- Be a tourist in your hometown
- Have a picnic
- Fix that "thing" in your house that's been driving you nuts
- Do something you've never done before
- Go to a new restaurant
- Do something nice for someone else
- Babysit a friends' kids so they can have the night off
- Do a crossword or Sudoku puzzle
- Go to the park
- Create a blessing bag
- Shop for items to donate to a local school or animal shelter (or both!)
- Take a nap
Whew! I think this list is enough to keep me busy for a little while, don't you? This list is pretty specific to me, so I encourage you to make your own lists. Any time I find myself without anything to watch on TV, I can easily refer to this list and find something to fill that time. And the thing is, I'm sure any one of these things will bring more joy to my life than another episode of House Hunters.
What is your favorite thing to do besides watch TV?
What is your favorite thing to do besides watch TV?
Monday, March 30, 2015
The Purge
So a few days ago, I mentioned that my goal in April is to watch less TV and be more selective about the shows I watch. I don't know about you, but I hardly ever watch "live" TV. I DVR everything. If there's nothing already recorded that I want to watch, I flip to Netflix. So the first step in my journey to less TV is to sort through the list of shows I record and delete anything I can. Then, if there is something on the DVR, it's going to be something I really enjoy watching. If there isn't anything, instead of turning to Netflix, I have to find something else to do: read a book, play with the pups, go outside, etc. Anything but watch TV.
I thought it would be fun to share the list of shows I have currently on my DVR list and sort through them together. Just no judging, okay? Let's get started.
My "Series Manager" has 49 shows. Who needs to watch 49 shows? Apparently I do. Ooops.
1. The Walking Dead - This one is Drew's; better not touch it.
2. Doctor Who - My favorite show ever. It's staying.
3. Ray Donovan - Another of Drew's shows.
4. Big Brother - This only comes on once a year, and I usually enjoy it. It can stay for now...
5. Project Runway - I've watched this show for years, but I could probably live without it. Delete.
6. Hard Knocks: Training Camp - Drew's.
7. The Mindy Project - Mindy Kaling is a genius, and I love her. Staying.
8. Catfish: The TV Show - This was really good the first season but has kind of lost its magic. Delete.
9. Bones: A favorite. Keep.
10. SEC Storied - Drew's
11. Grey's Anatomy - This is one of those I wish they'd cancel. I've watched it since the first season, so at this point I'm invested. Keep for now.
12. Awkward. - I really enjoy this one and it's about to run its final season. Keep.
13. Glee - Well since it just ended, I can easily delete this one. Lucky me.
14. Once Upon a Time - Probably my 2nd favorite show. Definitely keep.
15. The Goldbergs - Drew and I watch this one together. It's hilarious. Keep.
16. Agents of SHIELD - Drew's
17. Project Runway All Stars - No Heidi, No Tim, No Nina. Why do I watch this one? Delete.
18. Grimm - This one just gets weirder and weirder. I could probably live without it. Delete.
19. Talking Dead - Drew's (You can't have Walking Dead without Talking Dead, right?)
20. Rehab Addict - I enjoy it. Keep for now.
21. The Following - I could definitely live without this one, but Drew's still into it. Keep.
22. The Little Couple - They're so fun to watch, but I could probably live without them. Goodbye Jen and Bill, and Will and Zoey. Delete.
23. Game of Thrones - Not even a question. Keep.
24. Teen Mom 2 - Is this even on anymore? Also, I don't think I can name one of them... Delete.
25. Faking It - Funny show, but I mostly watch it because of Awkward. I'll reevaluate this one when the new season airs.
26. Fargo - Drew's
27. Food Network Star - Delete
28. Constantine - Drew's
29. Girl Meets World - It's a cute show, but I only watch this out of sentiment for Boy Meets World. Delete.
30. The Strain - This one was so weird and terrible. Delete.
31. Southern at Heart - I love this cooking show, but I could probably do without it. I've never made anything from any of the episodes, so... Delete.
32. Hard Knocks: Training Camp - Didn't we already see this ones?
33. Sons of Anarchy - Drew's
34. The Flash - Drew's
35. Agent Carter - Drew's
36. Reign - This is one I found on Netflix. It's really good, but I don't love it, you know. Delete.
37. Fixer Upper - I need to do some thinking on this one. I follow Jo's blog, so I could probably delete. I'm just not sure. Still thinking.
38. Figure Skating - Let's be real. I only watch this for Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. Delete.
39. Expedition Unknown - This is a really fun show that Drew and I watch together. Keep.
40. Flip or Flop - It's a fun show, but I could live without it. Delete.
41. Better Call Saul - Drew's
42. The Pioneer Woman - I like this show and have actually made a few of her recipes. But I think they are all on her blog too. I could probably delete this one.
43. Teen Mom - Keep. (Hey, I said no judging)
44. Love, Lust, or Run - Delete.
45. Dancing with the Stars - Delete.
46. My Dog Ate What? - Do I really need to know? Delete.
47. Aloha Vet - This show is so cute. It stays for now.
48. Wild Hawaii - This one didn't turn out to be what I expected. Delete.
49. Cesar 911 - Delete.
Whew. That's a lot of shows. 12 of these are exclusively Drew's. Probably 7 of them are shows we watch together. That means 30 of them are all mine. If I delete the one's I could live without, that leaves 17 shows that are mine or mine & Drew's. That's a pretty good chunk of shows gone.
Update: Drew and I went back through the list and deleted a few more. We're at 23 total shows in our Series Manager. Awesome!
What are your favorite shows? Have you ever done a TV purge?
I thought it would be fun to share the list of shows I have currently on my DVR list and sort through them together. Just no judging, okay? Let's get started.
My "Series Manager" has 49 shows. Who needs to watch 49 shows? Apparently I do. Ooops.
1. The Walking Dead - This one is Drew's; better not touch it.
2. Doctor Who - My favorite show ever. It's staying.
3. Ray Donovan - Another of Drew's shows.
4. Big Brother - This only comes on once a year, and I usually enjoy it. It can stay for now...
5. Project Runway - I've watched this show for years, but I could probably live without it. Delete.
6. Hard Knocks: Training Camp - Drew's.
7. The Mindy Project - Mindy Kaling is a genius, and I love her. Staying.
8. Catfish: The TV Show - This was really good the first season but has kind of lost its magic. Delete.
9. Bones: A favorite. Keep.
10. SEC Storied - Drew's
11. Grey's Anatomy - This is one of those I wish they'd cancel. I've watched it since the first season, so at this point I'm invested. Keep for now.
12. Awkward. - I really enjoy this one and it's about to run its final season. Keep.
13. Glee - Well since it just ended, I can easily delete this one. Lucky me.
14. Once Upon a Time - Probably my 2nd favorite show. Definitely keep.
15. The Goldbergs - Drew and I watch this one together. It's hilarious. Keep.
16. Agents of SHIELD - Drew's
17. Project Runway All Stars - No Heidi, No Tim, No Nina. Why do I watch this one? Delete.
18. Grimm - This one just gets weirder and weirder. I could probably live without it. Delete.
19. Talking Dead - Drew's (You can't have Walking Dead without Talking Dead, right?)
20. Rehab Addict - I enjoy it. Keep for now.
21. The Following - I could definitely live without this one, but Drew's still into it. Keep.
22. The Little Couple - They're so fun to watch, but I could probably live without them. Goodbye Jen and Bill, and Will and Zoey. Delete.
23. Game of Thrones - Not even a question. Keep.
24. Teen Mom 2 - Is this even on anymore? Also, I don't think I can name one of them... Delete.
25. Faking It - Funny show, but I mostly watch it because of Awkward. I'll reevaluate this one when the new season airs.
26. Fargo - Drew's
27. Food Network Star - Delete
28. Constantine - Drew's
29. Girl Meets World - It's a cute show, but I only watch this out of sentiment for Boy Meets World. Delete.
30. The Strain - This one was so weird and terrible. Delete.
31. Southern at Heart - I love this cooking show, but I could probably do without it. I've never made anything from any of the episodes, so... Delete.
32. Hard Knocks: Training Camp - Didn't we already see this ones?
33. Sons of Anarchy - Drew's
34. The Flash - Drew's
35. Agent Carter - Drew's
36. Reign - This is one I found on Netflix. It's really good, but I don't love it, you know. Delete.
37. Fixer Upper - I need to do some thinking on this one. I follow Jo's blog, so I could probably delete. I'm just not sure. Still thinking.
38. Figure Skating - Let's be real. I only watch this for Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. Delete.
39. Expedition Unknown - This is a really fun show that Drew and I watch together. Keep.
40. Flip or Flop - It's a fun show, but I could live without it. Delete.
41. Better Call Saul - Drew's
42. The Pioneer Woman - I like this show and have actually made a few of her recipes. But I think they are all on her blog too. I could probably delete this one.
43. Teen Mom - Keep. (Hey, I said no judging)
44. Love, Lust, or Run - Delete.
45. Dancing with the Stars - Delete.
46. My Dog Ate What? - Do I really need to know? Delete.
47. Aloha Vet - This show is so cute. It stays for now.
48. Wild Hawaii - This one didn't turn out to be what I expected. Delete.
49. Cesar 911 - Delete.
Whew. That's a lot of shows. 12 of these are exclusively Drew's. Probably 7 of them are shows we watch together. That means 30 of them are all mine. If I delete the one's I could live without, that leaves 17 shows that are mine or mine & Drew's. That's a pretty good chunk of shows gone.
Update: Drew and I went back through the list and deleted a few more. We're at 23 total shows in our Series Manager. Awesome!
What are your favorite shows? Have you ever done a TV purge?
Saturday, March 28, 2015
How Am I Really Spending My Time?
Last week we had 3 glorious, beautiful days of warm weather. I've been getting the itch to "pretty-up" the yard this year, so I spent the afternoon weeding the backyard. The pups loved having me outside with them while they played, and I loved getting some fresh air. It was a nice break from my usual routine.
Lately, I've began to notice that I spend a lot of time in front of the TV. I get home from work around 4:30 and turn the TV on. It doesn't get turned off until about 10:00 pm that night when we go to bed. That's 5.5 hours of TV EVERY DAY!! Kind of ridiculous, right? What else could I be doing with this time?
Also, I'm not even sure that I really enjoy all of the shows I watch. I often find myself thinking, "I really wish they'd cancel this show, because I'm tired of watching it." What the heck? I'm a grown woman. I can just not watch the show.
Then Drew started complaining that our DirecTV bill went up again. We're paying about $125/month for TV. That's $1500 a year. Do I really get that much enjoyment from TV? Probably not.
Just Google "advantages of not watching TV." You'll get an endless list of articles and blog posts with a million reasons why watching that much TV is bad for your health: mental, physical, and relational. (This one is my favorite.)
So I've decided that during April I'm going to try to reduce my time in front of the tube. I'm too addicted to TV to just throw the thing out, but I can start being more selective about what shows I watch. After I pick my favorite shows, I can start finding other ways to view them: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, antenna for local channels, etc.
Drew's on board with this idea. He doesn't really watch that much TV anyway; his only concern is how to catch the Ole Miss games this fall. That's something we will definitely have to work out. :)
I probably sound extremely dramatic to most of you, but I realize how much of my time I'm spending just doing nothing. That's not how I want to spend my life. I'll keep y'all all updated throughout this journey. I hope that it leads me to rekindle forgotten hobbies and a happier life.
Do you have an TV addiction? What about another kind of "harmless" addiction?
Lately, I've began to notice that I spend a lot of time in front of the TV. I get home from work around 4:30 and turn the TV on. It doesn't get turned off until about 10:00 pm that night when we go to bed. That's 5.5 hours of TV EVERY DAY!! Kind of ridiculous, right? What else could I be doing with this time?
Also, I'm not even sure that I really enjoy all of the shows I watch. I often find myself thinking, "I really wish they'd cancel this show, because I'm tired of watching it." What the heck? I'm a grown woman. I can just not watch the show.
Then Drew started complaining that our DirecTV bill went up again. We're paying about $125/month for TV. That's $1500 a year. Do I really get that much enjoyment from TV? Probably not.
Just Google "advantages of not watching TV." You'll get an endless list of articles and blog posts with a million reasons why watching that much TV is bad for your health: mental, physical, and relational. (This one is my favorite.)
So I've decided that during April I'm going to try to reduce my time in front of the tube. I'm too addicted to TV to just throw the thing out, but I can start being more selective about what shows I watch. After I pick my favorite shows, I can start finding other ways to view them: Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, antenna for local channels, etc.
Drew's on board with this idea. He doesn't really watch that much TV anyway; his only concern is how to catch the Ole Miss games this fall. That's something we will definitely have to work out. :)
I probably sound extremely dramatic to most of you, but I realize how much of my time I'm spending just doing nothing. That's not how I want to spend my life. I'll keep y'all all updated throughout this journey. I hope that it leads me to rekindle forgotten hobbies and a happier life.
Do you have an TV addiction? What about another kind of "harmless" addiction?
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