The Cost of Fun

WEIGHING UP THE COST

Drinking for fun is a double edged sword. While it can feel relaxing having a drink or two - there has to be a payoff. 

If we add up all the money spent on alcohol - we can see how much of our hard-earned cash is blown on something that offers very little return other than a few hours of relaxation or abandon. Counting the real hours of work against tax, outgoings like shelter and food - we can see the real value of our hourly rate of spends. 

If we consider that a pint of beer purchased in a London bar costs as much as a meal, we start to see more clearly how the balance of our spends is massively warped in favour of turning off our thoughts rather than tangible, positive investments for bettering ourselves.

If we can better monitor our spending, and see how our budgets are being hit, surpassed and ultimately depleting our savings on a daily basis, we can make better decisions about impulse buys and do we really want that pint of beer...

That's where an app for budgeting money will really help us. I've just downloaded one called Goodbudget - and set myself a tight £1200 for January. Let's see if I can make it work!

Fun Allowances

KEEPING THE FUN TIMES IN CHECK

The Summer is a special time. It's an opportunity to venture outside more when the days are longer and brighter, to share experiences with our family and friends. 

This year, I've made a pact with myself to mindfully focus on making changes to my life. The years are rolling by and for the most part, I seem to have been living on autopilot. For sure there's been a lot of fun having a lot of fun, but now's the time to make better decisions to really make something of the coming years.

Whoever said you can never have too much fun, doesn't know how to really push it...because having fun can be tiring. And having so much fun that your brain is numb from the excessive partying, means the fun stops. And if you have some work priorities to deal with, this means the responsibilities fall by the wayside. August 17th is my other halve's birthday and it's always a lot of fun - but it starts beginning August and goes on for the whole month. So, August is always a measure of the fun levels. Right now I'm tipping on the burnout scales. Fun is costly too, so I think August is one of the most expensive months of the year for me. I'm now going to need a frugal few months just to get back in good financial health!

Next year is my girlfriend's 40. That means an even bigger celebration. So rather than start the summer in May, I'll look at having just a 1-3 month Summer of fun and use the time better for something constructive instead. That may entail taking on some project that needs full attention and commitment to keep me out of trouble but that will be my new quest going forward

Bingeing

GLUTTONS

We're getting fatter. Obesity levels are rising – over half of the population of the UK are overweight or obese and 1/3 of the world's population are overweight and figures are set to increase. Apparently we take on an additional 580 calories a day in snacks alone. When I look back at family pictures from the 70's, everyone is super skinny. Not so any more. What's changed?

Choice and convenience. Too much and too easy. We're constantly being bombarded with clever marketing about food and it's becoming increasingly difficult to exert the willpower to stop ourselves grabbing a flapjack at 11 and a mocha and having a chocolate bar for mid afternoon snack and a pack of crisps with a pint (or 2/3) after work. Having so much choice and having it so readily available, means, unless we're mindful of these choices, the quality of the food we ingest is also going to be another major factor for growing our waistline and increasing the risk of illness.

The Quick Fix
Fast food and the quick fix solution are what we are choosing over having considered and quality alternatives. As well as having an impact on our food choices - the immediate fix for taking on new information has also meant we're ingesting far more info in the form of tweets, emails, RSS feeds, SMS, IM's - and with our news and updates coming through as small, easily absorbed chunks - we're gorging ourselves without any real thought about the value or quality of this information and the impact it has on our lives.

Everyone is working faster, cramming more into a day - trying to keep on top of the work / live balance and have enough energy to get it all done. We're going to make ourselves ill if we don't take more time to rest and reflect. We need to stop, look up from what we're caught up in, take some deep breaths and really think about what we're absorbing. Do we really need that flapjack – at a massive 440 Calories, high in both sugar and fat? No. Do we really need Facebook notifications or Twitter updates and emails distracting us from a family meal or something equally important. No.

Calming the mind
I found that my attention span was getting shorter and my thoughts jumping around too much to allow any greater thoughts for creativity to flow - all as a result of having constant bombardment from my iPhone and other connected devices. I've now turned off all notifications on computer and smart devices, removed myself from every newsletter subscription that isn't required, changed email settings to only check when I want to check them and will regularly switch to 'do not disturb' or even leave my phone switched off when at meal times, in a social environment or working on something that requires focus like reading a book, watching a film or generally relaxing. I avoid looking at any trashy newspapers/magazines/fanzines or blogs at all and do not watch TV. I have adblock installed on my computer and will only limit myself to certain times when I can 'surf' the internet.

Apparently, the time it will take to reset my mind in order for it to operate once again at a calmer level, will take some months to reset. A holiday will help but it's a lifestyle change that is required for setting up the mind to function well and I'm sure this is something a vast proportion of the population need to be doing too. Many are completely unaware of the lasting effects that bingeing on fast food and quick-fix information will have on their wellbeing and the more I see, hear and read about - the more I can observe it happening on a grand scale. 

I'm sure there will be a change coming about one day soon - either naturally as people tire of being 'connected' 24/7 or governments and working organisations will realise their workers are sick and unproductive and will implement some new rules and regulations.