Do you also feel like you have to think three times about every euro these days? I do. Life is rapidly becoming unaffordable. Everything is more expensive than ever, whether it's your daily groceries, filling up with gas, your energy bill, or even a simple day out. Prices are rising to unprecedented heights, and it seems like there's no stopping it. But our income? It's just lagging as if it's stuck somewhere halfway while the rest of the world keeps on going. And let's be honest: that worries me.

However, I try not to just get stuck in that oppressive feeling. When the weather permits, I go out. Just go outside, put my nose to the sun, and get some fresh air. Luckily, we had a few beautiful days in the Netherlands last week. The kind of weather that allows you to tell yourself that everything is not so bad, or at least that life still has beautiful moments. So I've been outside a lot. Just in the garden, or out for a walk. Just letting my worries drift away.

But anyway, as soon as you spend more time outside, you suddenly see things that you might have previously managed to ignore in winter denial. Weeds, for example. That cheerful, cheeky stuff that nestles between the joints of your driveway without shame. It raises its head as if it wants to take over the world. And I have to say: this year I really didn't feel like it.

Every year, it was a huge job. Scraping joint by joint, removing clump by clump. I usually spent three full days on it. And although the result is always quite satisfying, this time I wasn't in the mood for it at all.

Luckily, we had bought a high-pressure cleaner last year (one of the few expenses that really proved its worth in retrospect). So this year, I decided that I had to let it do the dirty work. Literally. Hose connected, plug in, and spray away. In no time at all, the weeds were flying in all directions. And yes, I was covered in mud from head to toe myself — that’s what you get when you tackle things at war strength — but the driveway looks beautiful again. At least, mostly. I still have to do that last bit, but hey… small victories count too.

In addition to being outside, I’ve also been working on my pyrography a bit more. Yesterday, I showed you how I burned Skipper — our beautiful, but somewhat anxious German shepherd. But of course, I don’t only burn dogs. Cats are at least as rewarding a subject. And our neighbors just happen to have a beautiful cat: Gizmo. A few days ago, I captured him on wood as a gift for the neighbors. The nice thing is that a project like this calms me down. It doesn’t cost me anything extra except time and dedication, and the result is something unique—something you can’t buy in a store.

And that is what I think I am increasingly paying attention to these days: what can you still do without it costing you an arm and a leg? Enjoying the sun, a good book in the garden, being creative with wood burning, cuddling with Skipper — that kind of thing. There is no price tag on them, and they do give you the feeling that life, despite everything, is still worth living.

But grocery shopping? That has become a kind of military operation by now. First, compare prices, then weigh up what is necessary, and then hope that you are not shocked by the total amount at the checkout. And a day out? You think twice about that these days. Not because you don't feel like it, but because it is simply no longer financially self-evident.

Sometimes it seems as if we have collectively ended up in a kind of survival mode. Everything is expensive, the world is restless, and the future feels uncertain. And then I haven't even mentioned all the geopolitical situations that hang over us like thunderclouds. It's hard to completely shut yourself off from that.

But that's exactly why I try to hold on to what does feel good. Being outside. Being creative. Spending time with the people (and animals) I love. Those are the things that keep me going in these bizarre times.