So, have I mentioned that I'm not very organized? I'm really, really not. I know exactly how I got this way. I have always had a touch of the OCD, and wanted very much to stop it, already. So I went to a seriously high-priced psychiatrist, who very kindly gave me some of the best advice I've ever gotten. "When you start to have an obsessive thought, just stop. Just because you have the thought, it doesn't mean you have to complete the action. Just stop." Crap. That was easy.

But now, I think I may want just a bit of it back. Just the useful parts? I would like to flip the OCD switch often enough to keep me organized, but not enough to make me crazy. But, I don't think it works that way. So, Plan B, I guess.

Right. The THINGS I NEED TO ORGANIZE BETTER include, but sadly are not limited to, everything relating to the kitchen, the sewing room, the bill-paying desk (because if I call it anything else, nobody knows what I'm talking about), and the housework in general. And then, there are the other things in our wider life that I want to do better. There are so many things I want to learn about and to do that I don't get to because, well, I don't always know why.

I also think I'll keep a food diary here, because I am concentrating on our health and comfort much more than I used to. My main dietary goals are: many more fruits and vegetables, whole grains, etc. Whole foods as much as possible. All the usual good, healthy things, I guess. The difference is that I absolutely will not exclude any food that is reasonable. For instance, I think chocolate, cheese, bread, wine, pasta and meat are lovely and should be consumed within reason whenever I want to. So there. And I don't/won't count calories/fat grams/carbs/whatever.

I'm writing this in the afternoon, so I don't know for certain what I'll eat tonight, but, anyway, here's the lineup so far: breakfast - 2 tiny slices of store-bought french bread with strawberry jam and a scrambled egg; lunch - 4 black olives, steamed broccoli, tomato mixed with cottage cheese, some bratwurst. I think dinner will be some sort of chopped salad, cheese and crackers. Or maybe a fruit salad. I like to wing it. I do know, though, that it's way too hot to cook anything in my kitchen by late afternoon.

Post The First

OK, Love-Of-My-Life, you win. I'm blogging. Where's my membership card? Don't I at least get a t-shirt? Oh, fine. Whatever.

So, as I'm fairly certain no one will ever find this blog, except myself and you, darling, I won't put much effort into an online persona, as if I have the attention span to pull that off anyway. And, oh yes, I will use many, many commas. And many unnecessary words. If you are Mr. Terse, I am Mrs. Not-Terse.

All right, so the point of this blog is to help me try to organize my oh-so-disorganized thoughts and plans regarding the management of our household. This is not a mommy-blog, but since the kids are the main reason I want to do a better job, they will seep in occasionally. Which makes them sound a bit dangerous. But then, they might be.

The title of the blog is sort of wishfull-ish thinking. We don't really live in poverty, but we don't always have enough money to do what we need to do. This is because we don't have very much income and we don't properly manage what we do have. I think that last sentence is really the point of this blog. I can't do much about the limited income, but I CAN be a better manager. And Sort-Of-Lower-Middle-Income-Done-Well doesn't have quite the same ring to it, eh?

So there you have it. My first post. Earth-shattering, I know.