Category Archives: Minimalism

Back to the Bin

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Thank you to everyone who took the time to comment on my post about the kitchen bin.  Today I remembered to chop up some of the bacon scraps and put them out for the chickens.  I have not checked to see if they ate them but if they do I will gradually give them the rest over a period of time and that will be another thing that will not go in the bin.

When I next emptied my kitchen bin I took a couple of photos of the contents which I would like to share with you.

2012-08-08 01 This is what 2 weeks worth of rubbish looks like.  There are 2 adults in the household.  I placed it next to a dinner plate so you can get an idea of the size.

2012-08-08 02Here it is on the scales.  It weighed 411g.

So, what was in the rubbish bag for the week?  An empty toothpaste tube, a foil sheet from medications, a plastic bag from the carrots, plastic packaging from a block of cheese, packaging from razor blades, plastic bag from frozen peas and elastic from several pairs of worn-out underpants.  There were other items that I have not identified as well.

Next time I do this I will be a bit more specific about exactly what it contains.

Obviously our rubbish varies from week to week as some thing are only discarded a couple of times a year.  It is a worthwhile exercise to check what you are discarding each week as a way of considering whether you can change habits to reduce the amount of waste.

The Kitchen Bin

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Tonight’s post is in response to a question posed by Jean in the comments of my post a couple of days ago about Zero Waste.  She asked about alternatives to using plastic to line a kitchen bin.

I have read about using newspaper to make an origami-style bin liner and one day I might do that.  In the meantime, I find that despite my best efforts, I always seem to have plenty of plastic bags for the purpose.

I line my small kitchen bin with whatever plastic bag comes to hand.  I do not knowingly bring any extra plastic bags into the house but some is simply unavoidable at this stage.  Any bag that looks as though it would be useful for this purpose is saved. I keep them in a ziplock bag in the laundry cupboard.

For example, I buy frozen peas so I carefully slit the top of the bag and then use that in the bin.  Often, it does not tuck neatly over the edge but I am prepared to accept that.  I use a rubber band to tie it off before throwing in the bin.  If I get any plastic bags in packaging of items such as small appliances these are kept for the bin as well.  They usually have a few air holes to avoid accidental suffocation but that is not a problem as my waste is usually just confined a small number of non-recyclable items which need to be contained rather than necessarily sealed in plastic.

I do not put any meat scraps in my kitchen bin. I generally buy meat that has no waste eg: skinless, boneless chicken breast fillets, premium mince etc.  The exception is bacon as I trim the fat off it. I put the meat scraps in a bag in the freezer and occasionally add them to a kitchen rubbish bag immediately prior to putting the garbage out for collection.

Anything which can be composted is collected in the compost bucket  – this includes all fruit and vegetable scraps as well as eggshells and butter wrappers.

Finally, here are the bins in a pull-out drawer in my kitchen.  Each bucket lifts out for easy disposal and cleaning.  On the left is the small one I line with my rubbish bag and on the right is the recycling.

I will do another post soon and examine exactly what rubbish we have for a week.

Let me know how you manage your various waste streams.  Have you made a conscious effort to reduce the amount of rubbish you send to landfill?

Zero Waste – Is It Really?

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One of the things that I am really passionate about is waste – specifically packaging.  For many years I have worked hard to reduce what I bring into the house and while I am nowhere near the nirvana that is ‘Zero Waste’, I generally do a pretty good job.

Today we went shopping for various things.  One thing I bought was some sliced salami.  Whenever I buy deli meat from the supermarket or meat from the butcher I always take my own plastic container and ask them to put the meat directly into the container and to stick the price label onto the lid.  Most of the staff are really good and simply weigh the container before adding the produce.

2012-07-29 02However, sometimes it can be challenging and you have to constantly watch what is happening or otherwise you can be easily blind-sided.  We have had instances where my request was followed and then they wrapped the whole container in miles of cling wrap or put the meat in a plastic bag before putting it in the container – AARGH!!  Today the young girl clearly had no idea how to establish the tare weight of the container so she spread a plastic bag on the scales, placed the salami on it and then tipped it into the container I had provided.  I chose not to say anything as it only causes distress to all concerned.

Also, there was not enough sliced salami in the display so she got more from the coldroom  and sliced it.  The piece she retrieved was wrapped in clingfilm and this was removed, discarded and a new piece re-applied when she had finished slicing it.  The display trays are covered with cling film also.

So, by taking my own container and refusing plastic bags and outer wrapping, can I regard this as zero waste?

Buying dry goods from bulk bins creates the same dilemma because although you buy them loose from the bulk bin they have been decanted from some sort of packaging.  At least it is usually a large quantity such as 25kg of flour or sugar so there there is less packaging per kilo.

I still buy my cheese from both the supermarket or the local factory where I can get 2kg blocks but they are still wrapped in plastic.

2012-07-29 04When I buy fruit and vegetables I always make the choice to buy loose produce that I can put in my own tulle bags that I made even if it is more expensive than the pre-packaged option.  A good alternative is a Farmers’ Market, though you do have to check as some stalls do package things into plastic bags.  It is a matter of being committed and voting with your feet as to where and how you shop.

Yandina Markets photo

The only true zero waste shopping is what I can collect from my own garden – eggs, avocadoes, citrus fruit, spring onions and parsley was the haul for today.

2012-07-29 05Do you try to avoid packaging when you are shopping?  Does this influence where you shop and what you buy?

Edible & Spreadable

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What do you spread on your sandwiches?  Butter, margarine, something else or nothing at all?

I used to buy margarine without giving it a great deal of thought, however, about 18 years ago I changed to spreadable butter that I make myself.  My reasons are several:

  • Eliminate non-recyclable waste (margarine containers)
  • Health benefits (margarine is simply a chemical cocktail)
  • Easier to spread than pure butter
  • Know exactly what the ingredients are

2012-07-15 01This is the recipe.

SPREADABLE BUTTER

500g butter
250ml oil
150ml water
3 tablespoons skim milk powder

2012-07-15 02Allow the butter to soften but not melt.  Beat butter using a mixer or food processor.  Combine the other ingredients in a jug and stir well to dissolve the milk powder.  Gradually add the mixture to the butter while continuing to beat.  Beat for another 1 – 2 minutes until white and creamy.  Spoon into containers and refrigerate.  This made almost 1500ml so it is really quite economical.  Actual costings would depend on the type of oil that you use.

2012-07-15 03I generally keep one container in the refrigerator and freeze the rest because we do not use a lot of butter and it will go mouldy/rancid if stored for long periods in the refrigerator.  I use Pyrex glass containers as they can be put in the freezer and I am constantly trying to minimise the amount of plastic that I use for storing food.

2012-07-15 04This mixture can be used instead of butter in cooking and baking.  The only exception I make is pastry as I prefer to use ‘real’ butter for that.

The type of oil you use is entirely up to you.  I choose to use locally grown and produced organic olive oil which I buy in bulk at the Co-op in Maleny.  Olive oil does have a distinctive flavour so you may prefer something more bland such as rice-bran oil.  I do not consider canola oil as an option as most of the commercial crop is genetically-modified and I prefer not to use foods that contain GM products.

This is not a totally zero-waste exercise but it is certainly better than all of the margarine containers that you would otherwise use.  I take my glass bottle to be refilled with oil.  The butter wrapper is used to grease baking trays or line cake tins and then goes into the compost.  I buy skim milk powder from Aldi in a 1 kg non-recyclable bag, however, I have recently discovered that I can buy this in bulk from Simply Good so will be doing that in the future.

Cut Out the Middle Man

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Firstly, my apologies for no Project Streamline post this week.  My busy day yesterday did not include photographing the next lot of clothes so tune in again next week when we hopefully reach the end of the wardrobe confessions.

Meanwhile, I wanted to tell you about some more clothes that I acquired last week.  Don’t worry I am sticking to my plan of keeping a minimalist wardrobe.  One of my work colleagues decided to get rid of a bag of clothes destined for the op shop which had been sitting under her desk for over a year.  I am not sure why taking them to the op shop/donation bin was so difficult but I generously offered to drop them off for her.  When handing over the bag she lightly suggested that I could check if there was anything I could use.  Most of my work colleagues are aware that I sew and refashion clothes.

I selected the following items and so the clothes went directly from her to me without going via the op shop.

This paisley cotton skirt is the first thing I have started unpicking.  I intend to keep the fabric for either patchwork or a summer outfit for Miss O or Izz.  It will depend on what they need.

The fabric from this pink top will go towards my current patchwork project.  The cotton lace is worth saving for when I need it.

I intend to use this pretty border print to make a summer skirt for Miss O.  I love the cool, summery look of it.

Finally, this black singlet top is a very soft, ribbed fabric and I will cut it down to make a singlet for Miss O.

I will post the results when the refashioning projects are completed.

Decluttering Meets Damask

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I have decluttered my linen cupboard several times over recent years but there were a couple of damask tablecloths which defied decision each time.

We now have a small round table which extends to an oval but both of the cloths are rectangular and one is quite large.  About a week ago I had a blinding flash of inspiration.  I am unlikely to ever have a large rectangular dining table again so I decided to cut the cloths to fit my existing table and enjoy using them rather than storing them for some vague reason.

This is the larger cloth on my oval table.  My mother gave this to me and I am fairly sure it belonged to my great-grandmother.  What would she think if she knew I was taking to it with a pair of scissors?  Probably happy that it was going to be used rather than stashed in the back of my linen cupboard.

I made a pattern of the tabletop, worked out how much drop I wanted and set about cutting out my ‘new’ tablecloth.

Here it is hemmed, pressed and ready for use.

Then I started on the other cloth which I planned to make to fit the table when it is not extended and is just a small, round table.

This cloth was much smaller and when I cut the biggest circle that I was able, it was still a bit short on the overhang.  So, I decided to increase the diameter by stitching some extra fabric on.  I cut 12cm wide bias strips from the leftover fabric which you can see below.

I then sewed them into a continuous strip and edged the cloth with it.  You can clearly see the join but I am not particularly worried as I now have a usable cloth for my round table that I did not have before.

I have now been inspired to re-look at my collection of tablecloths and see which ones I really should be keeping and how I can re-fashion them so that they are able to be used with my current table, either as a round or oval.

What have you given a new lease of life to?

Project Streamline – Summer Tops/Shirts

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I am getting close to the end of cataloging the categories of clothing in my wardrobe.  Naturally, I have left the most difficult till last.  Even so, I have split the tops into a couple of groups.  Today I am looking at the summer (short-sleeved and sleeveless ) tops that I have.

SUMMER TOPS

As usual this includes the full range from old polo shirts that I use for painting to tops I wear to social events.

2012-07-02 012 T-shirts in good condition that I wear regularly though not frequently
They are both ‘souvenirs’ that I will happily keep and use until they wear out.  I probably will not buy any more of this style in the future.

2012-07-02 022 polo shirts – the darker one is actually a corporate freebie but the logo is reasonably discreet so I do wear it.  The lighter shirt  is quite faded and whilst still wearable is probably not required so I think it will go to the op shop where someone may get some use from it.  In the following photos you will see that I have more than enough shirts to wear when I am painting/gardening etc.

2012-07-02 03These tops are identical and are a simple scoop-neck top with a cap sleeve.  You can see my penchant for buying more than 1 of the same style when I find something that I like.

2012-07-02 04I have had these tops for over 10 years and they are a permanent fixture in my wardrobe.  They are not identical but very similar.  They have a short sleeve which is quite fitted and are perfect for travelling and suitable for wearing under a rugby top.  They feature in almost all of my holiday photos and will be going to the USA with me in a couple of months.

2012-07-02 05These 4 paint-spattered polo shirts belonged to my daughters when they were at high school (10-15 years ago).  They are hold every colour paint that we have used in 3 different houses!  I wear them when gardening or painting and will continue to do so as they are no use for anything else – not even as rags as they are polyester cotton and have no absorbency.  One day I will throw them out.

2012-07-02 06These are 3 shirts which are suitable for wearing at home but have not descended to the level of the previous selection.  I will probably get rid of the green one and keep the others.

2012-07-02 07Just in case you thought that I don’t have any presentable tops – here is a sleeveless linen one I made last year.  I have 2 more in the same style that are partly made so they will be new for next summer.

2012-07-02 082 basic cotton/lycra camisoles for wearing under shirts/cardigans

2012-07-02 093 cotton shirts that I have made.  The red/white definitely stays but the others are looking past their best so I might move them along.  I will reserve my judgement on that for a bit longer.

2012-07-02 10This is a loose cotton shirt that I made many years ago and it is excellent for those really hot days as it is 100% cotton.  Not the fanciest style or pattern but definitely a keeper.

2012-07-02 11This black collared top is well-worn but super comfy and goes with anything.  It stays.

As usual, I am forced to make some decisions, simply by virtue of having to put in writing why I own some of these pieces.

I will throw 2 of the ‘painting shirts’ in the bin.  The faded navy polo shirt and the green t-shirt will go to the op shop.  I will decide the fate of a couple of others when the warmer weather returns.

Next week will be my 3/4 and long-sleeve tops and then that should be almost the end of Project Streamline.

It has been an enlightening exercise to list all of my clothes here week by week.  I can now see where I have an excess and what I need to replace or add to.

Project Streamline – Coats & Jackets

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In Project Streamline this week I am looking at my coats and jackets.  Many people who live in more extreme climates would suggest that we do not need jackets or coats in Queensland.  However, we live in one of the cooler districts and these are mostly quite lightweight so they all get some use during the year.  The colours are either neutral or fit with my basic colour combinations.  We are only 3 weeks into our ‘official’ winter season and these have all been worn this year.

2012-06-25 01Navy water-resistant, lined jacket
This is a practical colour, easy to clean, has adjustable cuffs and a concealed hood
Good for outdoor activities and travelling.

2012-06-25 02Dark navy, lined, double-breasted, wool coat
20+ years old, usually worn once or twice each winter.  I wore this today to work and probably will for the next couple of days as it is quite cold when I leave home and again when I walk from the train station to the office.

2012-06-25 03Lightweight, khaki/navy water-resistant jacket
This was a corporate gift about 8 years ago.  It gets worn when I don’t need the weight/bulk of my navy jacket.

2012-06-25 04Black cord jacket
I wear this to work regularly as it teams with all of my work clothes.

2012-06-25 05Dusty pink suede jacket
Versatile item which is worn to the office with business attire or jeans on the weekend.

2012-06-25 06Pink vest (polar fleece lining)
Great for in between seasonal wear.  Colour fits with the rest of my clothes.

2012-06-25 07Red polar fleece jacket
I bought this a few months ago for our holiday in August/September.  I plan to keep it for the trip although I have worn it once – when we went to the football.

2012-06-25 08Red, hooded wind/waterproof jacket
This belonged to Belle but she no longer wanted/needed it so I decided to use it when we are travelling.  It is lightweight and takes up very little space.  The sizing on me is generous so I can wear it over a couple of other layers if required.

After I had taken all of the photos, I remembered that I have another spray jacket (navy zip-front one) but it is much lesser quality and does not stop the wind as well as the red one.

I am happy that all of my jackets and coats have earned their place in my wardrobe and they will stay, even though they are mostly worn only during about 4 months of the year.

Next week I will start on my tops/t-shirts/blouses.  I have put these off until last because I am not sure how to group them and there are more than any other category.  However, I will bite the bullet and do them so tune in next week to see how I justify them.

Project Streamline – Cardigans

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As promised, here is my review of the next category in my wardrobe – cardigans.  There was a time, not too long ago, when I did not own any cardigans.  However, I have discovered the versatility of this particular item, especially light-weight ones in our mild climate.

2012-06-18 01I bought these 3 identical cardigans at Uniqlo in Japan when we there on holidays in 2009.They are a fine cotton knit which is perfect for trans-seasonal wear and in the airconditioned office during summer.

2012-06-18 02This gold-coloured lacy knit cardigan is perfect for wearing over sleeveless summer tops.

2012-06-18 03Here is a 3/4 sleeve red cardigan which is also useful for trans-seasonal wear.  It goes well with my predominately red/black wardrobe.

2012-06-18 04My only true winter cardigan is this turquoise woollen one.  I bought it in Tasmania several years ago.  It is beautifully soft, warm merino wool which is grown and processed in Oatlands, Tasmania.

I have one other cardigan which is an older black one.  It lives on the back of my chair at work for whenever the airconditioning becomes unreasonably cold.  If it wasn’t for this role it would be in the op shop.

The beige Uniqlo cardigan is the least appealing in terms of colour and does not get worn as much as the others.  The final analysis is that the beige one may go.  All of the others are worn regularly and fit with the main colours of my wardrobe.

Project Streamline – Skirts

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Following on from my earlier posts on trousers, shorts and dress, here is the latest instalment of Project Streamline – skirts.

2012-06-11 01Grey patterned skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, always get positive comments
CONS – slightly too big in the waist, only one top that I can wear with it
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, alter the waistband to improve the fit, consider this skirt when buying more tops

2012-06-11 02Black skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, plenty of options of what to wear with it
CONS – the style is not as obvious in plain black, I have another black skirt which I prefer
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, probably would not replace it as I really don’t need 2 black skirts

2012-06-11 03Black crepe skirt
PROS – length, weight and style
CONS – NIL
DECISION – keep and continue to wear

2012-06-11 04Black and floral skirt
PROS – good fit, nice fabric, pretty
CONS – only suitable to wear with one top, 7 years old and I am just about sick of it, some of the embroidery is starting to catch and unravel small threads
DECISION – will probably be the next thing to go

2012-06-11 05Black and white striped denim skirt
PROS – good fit, comfortable
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing it in the warmer weather

2012-06-11 06Floral skirt
PROS – good fit, get positive comments, I like it
CONS – only have 1 top to wear with it
DECISION – buy/make more tops to wear with it

2012-06-11 07Pink cotton skirt
PROS – bright colour, comfortable
CONS – several years old, won’t last forever
DECISION – keep it and continue to wear

My skirt collection is all about what I wear in public – unlike my trousers!  I have not included a skirt which I put aside when I first started Project 333 back in April as it most likely will not go back in the wardrobe.

Much and all as I have loved the floral embroidered skirt I think it is almost time to let it go.  Other than that the rest will stay for the time being.