Energy saving tips for the moderately severe patient

[spindrift]

Cain, Seat and Bag (all in one)

Look what I just found! This would be excellent for shopping or traveling.

http://www.walkinbag.com/about/testimonials/laptop-rolling-tote-review-jetcart

@ Camas,
When I go grocery shopping I do use the little electric carts. I actually think they're
fun to ride. Makes me feel like being in bumper car as kid. I actually chose the places
I preferably shop by, do they have electric carts?

 

[camas]

Look what I just found! This would be excellent for shopping or traveling.

http://www.walkinbag.com/about/testimonials/laptop-rolling-tote-review-jetcart

Those are clever! I'm very tempted. :Retro smile:

 

[kerrilyn]

Does anyone have a cooling vest, and what do you think of it? All my energy is zapped when I step outside in the summer so I rarely go out but I thought I'd see if a cooling vest would prevent me from wilting so quickly that I could go out and attempt light weeding at times this summer. I lay out a blanket and attempt it while laying down.

I'm also on the hunt for a folding directors chair to sit at counter height and help prepare dinner or at the stove (stirring pots). My other chairs are too short for that.

Danib, our Roomba is older and out of warranty now. I've seen a video on Youtube how to fix it (it's complicated) and I've not found the ambition to do it yet. We just bought another one, I've definitely struggled to keep up the vacuuming without it. If I can fix the other one maybe I'll have Roomba races to entertain myself during the day. :Retro smile:

And I want Victoria to come organize my life!!!

 

[Victoria]

And I want Victoria to come organize my life!!!

I could come & organize many people's lives, but unless all those people aquire the same skills that I have aquired, the minute I leave your life, you would fall back into the same state of disorganisation LOL.

Learning to be organised does not happen overnight. It takes years of falling over in a heap & learning by mistakes.

It's taking relearning old habits. On my Blog Clearing out the Trash (towards the end), you will find some words of advice. I'll add to them here.......

Learning how to organize your life, is about learning to let go.

Be it habits or thought patterns. It's about living in the moment. Only having material possessions which you really & truly need.

It's also about less is more. Learning to live a more simple life, so that clutter doesn't accumulate.

Clutter makes work.

It's also about following a few simple rules. And the rules are:

1. Stop living your life by other people's rules.
2. Stop aquiring possessions based on other people's possesssions.
3. Stop trying to please other people - look to what YOU need to live a satisfying life.

Instead of saying I wish I had "xyz". Look at "xyz" very closely & decide whether you need it or you'd like it.

Do you need a home filled with ornaments (which require dusting & polishing)? Do you use all those kitchen utensils? Or did you buy them on a whim or at a sale. Something is not a bargain, if you don't use it.

If you don't use a "bargain", it is a waste of time, money & clutters your life - creating more work & energy loss.

How much unecessary material possessions can you dispose of? (Preferably to a charity or charity shop).

You need to simplify everything in your life (to live a simple, easy, organised life).

You need to learn new habits. eg Stop buying the latest gadget, latest fashion, latest sale item. If you are a shopaholic, then you are wasting your time & money doing something unecessary.

"Organising your life" is about doing the necessary (not the uneccesary).

And secondly, don't take something because it's free (unless you can use it). If you can't use it regularly, leave the free item for someone who really needs it.

If you can do this, then you are halfway towards "being organized".

 

[serenity]

i'm completely with Victoria, almost - i am an organization nut too, but i will continue to buy every dang article of clothing that i want because it is my hobby & my fun & i will not give it up it's about all i live for! haha! but i do have a rule, one item comes in one item goes out. my friends love me, i give away clothes like crazy. i am not rich, i don't give a crud about anything else. my home & car are modest & i dont' take ritzy vacations, but fashion is my passion!
Kerrylin, glad you got a new Roomba. it's a must have in our life.

 

[GoddessinRepose]

You all were talking about canes etc. My husband has to push me in a wheelchair for now, for longer trips to large stores. But when I get better, I will get one of the seats with rollers as a transition, then maybe that cane. I can walk into a restaurant and sit, small trips, but I can't stant or walk for a long time. It is much better now most days though.

Where did you get the twirling smiley & how did you insert it here? Love it!

 

[gracenote]

I have real difficulties with these types of moving images. I can't read the page that contains them without covering them up. I would be very appreciative if these types of images were not added to posts.

Thank you.

gracenote

 

[Victoria]

i'm completely with Victoria, almost - i am an organization nut too, but i will continue to buy every dang article of clothing that i want because it is my hobby & my fun & i will not give it up it's about all i live for! haha! but i do have a rule, one item comes in one item goes out. my friends love me, i give away clothes like crazy. i am not rich, i don't give a crud about anything else. my home & car are modest & i dont' take ritzy vacations, but fashion is my passion!
Kerrylin, glad you got a new Roomba. it's a must have in our life.

I DID smile when I read your post, Danib,

I studied fashion designing & worked in the fashion industry for many years before travelling overseas in my twenties. I used to have a different outfit for every day of the month. I used to have many shoes (that matched each outfit) & of course, every pair of shoes had a matching handbag.

Admittedly I made many clothes - after all I am a trained dressmaker, but after I spent a couple of years overseas (including buying many clothes, shoes, boots, handbags - made out of the very best fabric & leather), I kinda lost interest in sewing.

After getting toiletries & cosmetics (& cigarettes) duty free, I spread my wings & bought eyeshadows & lipsticks to match every outfit.

Then I started doing more walking & hiking & needed flat, lace up shoes, so the desire for 4 inch heels kinda waned as well. Then my back pain started & I had to wear flat shoes (whether I liked it or not).

Then I got more & more ill health, so my interest in fashion waned somewhat too. I no longer had money for fashion (even if I wanted to be fashionable).

I then got interested in health & wellbeing.........but that's a whole new story..

Anyway, I'm glad to hear about your rule - one new outfit in, one old outfit out - at least you're sharing clothing & caring for your friends .

 

[GoddessinRepose]

I have real difficulties with these types of moving images. I can't read the page that contains them without covering them up. I would be very appreciative if these types of images were not added to posts.

Thank you.

gracenote

I completely understand and will not use the moving smilies.

Does anyone know if there a way to add non-moving smileys that are not on the site into emails? I'm thinking add photo would work.........

 

[Victoria]

Thanks GoddessinRepose,

The moving smilies make me dizzy too (even though they look like lots of fun).

I can't scroll quickly through posts either (I have to move slowly, otherwise I get confused & disorientated).

 

[Sunday]

Excellent tips, thank you. It always amazes me how many great insights you get when a bunch of people look at the same situation.

Here's one of mine: when I move from one room to another for any purpose, I carry something that needs to be exported or imported. Like, if I am lying in bed and need to get up to pee, I carry my dirty teacup into the kitchen on my way. If I'm lying or sitting in the living room and go to the bedroom to get a sweater, I carry the library book I left out in the living room. And so on. The lying down part gives me plenty of time to work this out if I'm brainfoggy.

You can also apply this to moving from indoors to out, car to house, and so on.

 

[Sunday]

By the way, with regards to drying hair, I advise the air-drying method.

Blow-dryers are terrible for your hair (very drying and weakening), and their decibel level is enough to contribute to incremental deafness. We've already got enough problems, we don't need to add deafness to them.

 

[Min]

thanks Sunday, I've gone back to using foam hair rollers when my hair is almost dry because blow waving is so painful to the arms.

 

[Victoria]

Great idea, Sunday,

I used to do a similar thing when I lived in a double storey house in the UK. Every time I passed the bottom of the stairs I would leave things to be taken up stairs & then do the trip upstairs when I saw a few things had accumulated (to make the trip worthwile) - & that's 30 years ago, before chronic ill health..

Excellent tips, thank you. It always amazes me how many great insights you get when a bunch of people look at the same situation.

Here's one of mine: when I move from one room to another for any purpose, I carry something that needs to be exported or imported. Like, if I am lying in bed and need to get up to pee, I carry my dirty teacup into the kitchen on my way. If I'm lying or sitting in the living room and go to the bedroom to get a sweater, I carry the library book I left out in the living room. And so on. The lying down part gives me plenty of time to work this out if I'm brainfoggy.

You can also apply this to moving from indoors to out, car to house, and so on.

 

[GoddessinRepose]

This thread is so helpful. I have started making grocery lists that are specific to where things are located in the store so I do not have to go back and forth at all--can move through quickly in one trip. Making the list well in advance and fully thinking it through helps a lot too--otherwise I always forget one or two things.

I bought myself a metallic pink cane (which felt a little weird for me) and have jeweled it up with lots of gems--which makes if feel more fun and more me. (I need to work up to the cane with seat which would be the best)

I ordered online a portable shower bench (Carex at Amazon) and a rolling stool for the kitchen (my husband found it on eBay). I use the kitchen stool a lot so cant wait for the rolling stool to arrive. I can post the links if anyone is interested.

I am becoming an energy efficiency expert--I want to save as much energy as I can to do the things I need to.

My new motto is Less is More! :Retro redface: (I think it used to be More is More )

 

[Lynn]

My life changed about 6 months ago when I found grocery delivery that you could order online and started using my freezer. My husband used to do all of the shopping and cooking (there's just the two of us). Now I order all of the groceries on line by what's on special that week. I use a recipe database to keep track of all of our recipes and we we cook together 2 or 3 times per week. We always cook six servings and freeze four of them. It's kind of like the OMAC cooking but much simpler because we just cook one dish. After a while our freezer becam full of healthy main dishes. We just cook up a vegetable to have with it and we are all set.

It has made my husbands life dramatically simpler and I feel like I am contributing more without spending a ton of energy.

Lynn

 

[dancer]

Great ideas from everyone!

One of my tiny energy-savers is to wear comfy slip-on shoes. I used to wear tennis shoes a lot, but bending and lacing was extra effort. I also had clogs, which were convenient to just step into, but with my balance wobbly, those weren't as steadying. Now I have loafer-type shoes I can step into.

 

[Sallysblooms]

By the way, with regards to drying hair, I advise the air-drying method.

Blow-dryers are terrible for your hair (very drying and weakening), and their decibel level is enough to contribute to incremental deafness. We've already got enough problems, we don't need to add deafness to them.

I let my hair air dry unless it is cold. Then I do use the dryer, but carefully to keep from damaging my hair. I also use soft ear protection to keep from damaging my ears. Also, I rarely let the hairdresser dry my hair, but if it is cold, I also use the ear protection. Doing something like that every day is bad for the ears.

When I used to vacuum, I used ear plugs too.

 

[GoddessinRepose]

Favorite Quick & Healthy Meals

What are favorite easy (& healthy) no prep or low prep (5 min or less) meal/snack ideas?

I am a vegaquarian. Some of my favorites are making a smoothie, humus with pita, egg sandwich made in microwave, PBJ, celery & almond butter, tomato & avacado salad.

What are other peoples favs?

 

[dancer]

I've had to get creative with easy snacks because of going gluten-free/dairy-free. Corn tortilla chips with guacamole is one favorite. Also, I keep a mix of nuts (pecans, walnuts, cashews) and dried cherries and/or raisins on hand.