Thursday 30 June 2016

Thursday

I lead a busy but very well-organised life (some would say 'boring').  I tend to do the same things on the same day every week.

Today, Thursday, is 'Hair Day'.   We all spend our money on different things don't we - perhaps on essentials.   Well, I consider my weekly trip to the Hairdresser to be absolutely essential.   I have difficult hair in that it is fine and completely straight.   Today is 'perm' day, next week is 'colour' and then off we go again on simple blow dries for a few weeks.   I really would find it a nightmare to manage my own hair.   I sometimes envy the farmer, who is more or less completely bald and who follows the modern trend of having what little hair he has cut extremely short.   As he is also grey you really get the impression that he hasn't got any hair.

Another essential for me is to have a cleaner.   J has been coming to me for twenty two years and has never let me down once.   She is totally trustworthy and I don't know how I would manage without her.   Physically I just couldn't do the hard jobs myself - I just do things like cleaning the silver, washing the odd cushion cover etc.   It works well for both of us and again is money well-spent.

The farmer has semi-retired and lets off most of his land.   In the Winter he takes in in-calf cows into the loose housing and really enjoys looking after them (with the help of various pieces of machinery).   He has just grassed-over our vegetable garden; his neck and shoulders are bad and don't take kindly to gardening.   At present he is resisting getting in a gardener to help with our front walled garden, but the time will come I am sure.

A window cleaner cleans our outside windows (and often, like this week, it rains immediately), an engineer services our boiler and various pieces of equipment.

But don't let me give you the impression that either of us sits about doing nothing.   I meet friends almost everyday, lunch out often (I no longer report every time I lunch out, mainly because readers are apt to say "Not again!")   Tomorrow I am going with friend W to look round the things for sale on Saturday at our local Auction House - and when we have looked round them we shall have our lunch in the Restaurant there.

My reasoning is that for my working life I worked jolly hard in a job which was never going to be easy (Head of a Unit for pupils with learning difficulties, many of them associated with the fact that they were recent immigrants from the Punjab
and so had little language).   My colleagues were lovely and I am in touch with some of them still, but we would all agree that it was jolly hard work.

The farmer has worked on the farm since long before he left school.

So I think you will agree that we should be allowed to pamper ourselves a little.

Do you pamper yourself?   What things, if any, do you consider important when it comes to spending money?   I would be interested to hear.

20 comments:

Jennyff said...

Pleasantly thought provoking post. I would never criticise anyone for the way they spend their money, if you can't use it to make life more comfortable it's pointless having it. Hence we have our second home in Italy and I have such a large stock of yarn and toiletries. Continue to enjoy what you enjoy.

Derek Faulkner said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Derek Faulkner said...

Mmmm, that last comment didn't quite read how I meant it to. What I also meant to say, was well done to you and the Farmer for enjoying life now and doing what suits you two. It takes an awful lot of hard work and stress to get to a certain age, now enjoy the fruits of that labour.

It's Only a Baby said...

I came to your blog today through 'Our new Life in the Country' blog and I love your gentle, intelligent way with words-thankyou, from a new reader x ps cleaners rule!

jinxxxygirl said...

First i guess would be that the necessities are taken care of... bills paid etc.... some set aside for emergencies etc... after that it would be whatever brought me joy... Hubby and i are both retired and like you consider that we have worked hard all our working life. We don't hire any help. I clean the house and we both take care of the yard. I can see a day when the yard may get to be too much.. 2 1/2 acres but for now we can do it.. We probably eat out way too much and we enjoy going to the movies... As you know i enjoy making my crafts and art and i buy supplies for that and hubby enjoys wood working and we buy supplies for that... My dear Pat you worked hard all your life and we able to retire... not everyone can...enjoy yourself, spend your money as you wish. Hugs! deb

Gwil W said...

Pamper myself? I do that a lot. Little luxuries for today - perhaps a couple beers as I watch Poland beat Portugal later tonight.

Terra said...

You sound a bit more organized than me, re your doing certain things on certain days of the week. I smiled when I saw "hair day" because I get my hair cut about every six weeks, not on a schedule. We are retired too, and like you, keep very busy, most of it with stuff we choose to do. Hurray for retirement. One day I do schedule each week is volunteering at a retirement/memory care home.

Heather said...

Like you I like to have my hair done, which for me means a visit from our oldest daughter who is a qualified hairdresser. She cuts it better than anyone else and I don't bother to colour it. Between cuts I manage it myself. We have a window cleaner for the outside of the windows and my husband usually does the insides for me. We can still just about manage the garden which isn't very large though seems to be getting larger! I do the housework but it would be lovely to have someone do it for me. As you say, the time will come when we will need help which I don't regard as pampering but more a case of prolonging the enjoyment of life.

Wilma said...

My mother had her life and days organized very much like you do. Her standing calendar had 6 days our of 7 with recurring engagements that kept her active and happy right up until the last 4 months of her life. When Dennis and I both worked full-time, I had my hair cut and colored every 4 weeks and we also had weekly cleaners, someone to mow our large lawn, and someone else to snowplow our driveway in the winter. Those things were actually necessary because we put in 65-80 hrs per week with our careers. I did do the flower garden and weeding as my anti-stress therapy! Now that we are both retired and living off-grid in a tropical climate, our days, needs, and desires are very different. It is a treat for us to have the time to cook 90% of our meals. We enjoy taking life slowly and keeping things low key. We have lots of help keeping our 2.5 acres tended, especially the beachfront. But we do all our own house cleaning, cooking, shopping. I can see the day that we will need more help with that. Indeed, we are planning for that and will one day have accommodations for live-in help. Our splurges are taking the time to read, nature watch, garden, and just "go slow". I cut my own hair short and am happy with the natural grey that has taken over. My third anniversary of retiring from a very stressful career is July 31st and I am only now beginning to recover from the burnout of the final 5 years on the job. It seems you have things worked just fine for you and the Farmer. Enjoy each day. Cheers!

Rachel Phillips said...

Sounds like me.

Sue said...

I can't imagine having a cleaner. I would end up cleaning and tidying everything before they arrived!

Derek Faulkner said...

I must agree with Sue, I couldn't imagine having somebody in my house cleaning it, I'd rather it looked scruffy than have that.

donna baker said...

I don't pamper myself, but I get the most enjoyment from giving to my children and grandchildren.

Fairtrader said...

I really don't mind that life of yours, people should be able to live life as it fits them. As long as nobody get hurt and I fail to see how this would. I am glad that you have the opportunity to dine out, meet friends and go to the hairdressers. It doesn't turn you into Hollywood wife - britishmakeover. But I do agree with Sue here, I would break my back cleaning the house for the cleaningladies arrival. Silly but true. I'm glad you have found such a treasure!! My fatherinlaw has one as well, she is in her 70ths I think. So what is my pleasure apart from blogging??? We spend money on the cinema, we both love it. We have a lovely theatre in town, small with an old touch to it, especially since they brought in some old furniture with velvet cushions in purple and empiretables. In the lobby, mind you, not in the theater itself! We both work in church, but different parishes so sometimes we meet for a lunch on town. It doesn't sound much, but for us these moments are valuable. When the girls leave home we will travel a lot more, like that boattrip you took!! Thank you for sharing this interesting topic!!

Mac n' Janet said...

Our biggest pampering is that when we travel, as we do several times a year, we travel 1st Class. I put up with crowed Economy for many years, but it finally reached the point where I told Mac I couldn't do it any more. My rule is, if the the drive is more than 2 hours, then we fly. If the flight is more than 2 hours it has to be 1st Class. When we arrive at our destination, if it's overseas, then we have a car and driver pick us up at the airport and drive us to our hotel.
Here at the house we still do most of the things ourselves, but I can see that before too long we're either going to need some help or a smaller house.

Joanne Noragon said...

Every day of my calendar is filled, too, with grandchildren. My day will come, and I do enjoy hearing about your days.

Frances said...

Weaver, when I was reading this post and came across your mention of your teaching days, my mind went on a little journey. I began to think about many families who have had children whose lives have been improved and challenged by their contact with you. What a marvelous rippling effect you set to rippling!

Your description of your week's regular stops, along with the extras that come and go through the seasons, seem very rich to my eye.

As I am still testing the waters of my new retired status, I thank you for reminding me of so many choices that will present themselves. In the last decade, I tried to be wiser in my budget, realizing that many dollars spent in the past truly did not have any lasting value to me. I am now beyond any trend following. I like to stay aware of what is changing the world which we share, and actually think that paying for my internet connection is the pampering I value most.

xo

Librarian said...

For most of my adult life, I've been in a more or less precarious financial state. Being divorced once and widowed once (with no pension from my late husband, because he did not work long enough in this country to be eligible for it), I often only just got by, last but not least because I never had a car and saved a lot of money that way.
Four years ago, my life started to take a turn for the better - not only financially. Since then, I have my hair colour done every 4 weeks by my hairdresser, friend and neighbour. Also, when I now spot a nice dress or good pair of shoes in a shop, or actually two good pairs and I can not decide which one I really want, I buy both - something that would have been unthinkable a few years ago.

As for housework, there is not much to do in my 2-bedroom-flat and my (mostly) single household, and I actually enjoy it, having no physical limitation.

I very much like the sound of your organised and pleasantly busy life! But the Farmer definitely still works too much.

Devon said...

I am still in the working phase of my life with a husband and two teenagers, there isn't much time or money for extras. I would probably say that when I do treat myself, it is usually painting supplies or yarn~

The Weaver of Grass said...

What an interesting lot of comments you have all left - and how differently we spend our spare cash (if we have any). I worked very hard indeed for my teaching life in an inner city school and now - out in the beautiful countryside as I always intended to end up - I feel I can enjoy life to the full. Friends are my most important luxury - without them I just can't imagine what life would be like. The coffee is quite incidental - it is just somewhere to meet.
My cleaner would be the last person I would give up - for she is a friend too.
And as for washing my own hair, well I would look such a fright as I am absolutely hopeless at it.
Thanks to you all.