Decluttering – The How

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I have done quite a bit of decluttering over the years and most of the time we are in maintenance mode here.  However, every now and then we have things that need to be moved along.

Once you have decided that an item no longer belongs in your home, the next question is, “Where does it belong?”  I try not to throw things to landfill if I feel that there may be someone who can use what I no longer want or need.

There are several options of what to do with your stuff.

Sell it – eBay or Gumtree

Give it away – Freecycle

Donate it – Lifeline, Salvos or Endeavour Foundation

These are just some of the popular and well-recognised methods here in Australia.  Of course, there are others here and I am sure there are different, yet similar options in other parts of the world.

Today I have advertised and sold a queensize bed and mattress using Gumtree.

2013-10-12 01The mattress has gone to a new owner today and the base and frame have been sold to someone else and are planned to be picked up early in the week.

Fridge/freezerFreecycle is a worldwide organisation dedicated to keeping items out of landfill.  I have assisted in that goal today by advertising our old fridge/freezer and some assorted used fencing wire.  Both items have been requested and I am just in the process of making arrangements for them to be collected.

WireNow there is just the child’s car seat which is listed on Gumtree.  I will keep my fingers crossed.

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As you can see, there is a diverse range of things that can be sold or given away.  Before you rush off to the rubbish dump or toss things in the garbage bin, stop and think about whether someone else might be able use what you no longer require.

What options do you use when decluttering?

Project 333 – Holiday Shopping

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We have been on holidays for a week so I have actually had time to browse in a couple of shops.  I found a couple of tops that will add a bit of interest to my wardrobe for the upcoming summer.

Shirt
I bought this one  at Penola in the south-east of South Australia.  It is a lightweight cotton and will be perfect for our hot summer.  It is a small black and white check with a touch of red stitching on the collar and the frilled front.  I will be able to wear it with both shorts and 3/4 pants in black and white.  A plain red skirt is on my wishlist which would match perfectly.

Top
Today I bought another top – this time I was at Victor Harbor.  The colour is badly distorted – it is actually mauve, not blue.  Once again, I will be able to wear it with both the black and white 3/4 pants and shorts.

When I get home, I will take a closer look at my existing tops with a view to moving some along.

Do you refresh your wardrobe on a seasonal basis?

Going, Going………Not Quite Gone

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Last weekend we did some more demolition work on the old chicken coop.  We have been fairly careful in how we went about it because it was our goal to salvage most of the materials for use in future projects.  There is now only one piece of chain wire to remove and then the posts.

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The Colorbond sheeting from the roof and walls will come in handy for some of the remaining raised garden beds that we are planning to construct.  The posts have been earmarked for use in building the perimeter fence of the vegetable garden.  That was the reason that we fenced the new chicken run before the vegetable garden as the posts for the run were taller so had to be purchased.

The woodshed which is in the foreground of the photo will be retained and some minor modifications made to it.

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I will also be making some changes to how the wood is stored.  Although it cannot be seen in this photo, I had wood stacked quite high against the side wall.  I use the past tense of ‘had’ as recently there was a tremendous crash during the night and we have now discovered that my carefully stacked wood has collapsed and is now a disorganised jumble on the ground.  I suspect that some of the local wildlife was instrumental in this event.

As always, there is always another project lurking in the background, even if it is only in our minds at this stage.  Once the structure is completely removed this will open up the possibility of having at least one large limb lopped from one of the jacaranda trees.  There is also a very large boulder which has dislodged from higher up the mountain and is resting against part of the old fence at the top of the block.  We may remove the fencing to allow the rock to roll to the bottom of the garden (another ‘meteorite feature?) before repairing the fence.

Then there are the possibilities of what to do with the area where the chicken run was but I will save that discussion for another day.

Not So Perfect

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More on the organising theme today.  After reading a couple of the comments on my previous post, I wanted dispel any misconceptions about me being perfectly organised.  That is definitely not the case.  My dressing table is a case in point.

This is what it looked like last night.

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The state of this area has been bugging me for months but there always seems to be something else which was more in need of my attention.  The other thing holding me back was perfectionism.  Why start it if I could not complete the task properly?  I have come to realise that perfectionism is one of my personal hurdles and it has taken many years and false starts to identify the problem and then try to work on it.

I had moved some of the larger items in the last week or so but it was still messy and cluttered.  Some of the things that I moved and put away in their correct places were:

Bone density xrays
Prescription tablets
Repeat prescriptions
Warranty for new phone
Packet of Christmas bell decorations
Plastic container

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What is not evident in the photos is that I have not washed all of the china, changed the doyley nor dusted and polished the timber.  The knowledge that I did not have time to do all of this would be reason enough not to tackle the job, however, last night I decided to just put away/discard the extraneous ‘stuff’ and leave the actual cleaning until another day.

The job did not take long and I felt better once it was done. So what was so difficult?  For me it is overcoming the feeling that I have to do the whole job in one go or why bother.

What are your hurdles and what strategies do you use?

Keeping It Simple

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It is a challenge to just keep my head above water during the week as we are commuting/working  for long periods each day.  It is very easy to just flop in a chair and do nothing, and some nights I do just that.  However, I find that if I do a little bit each day it is less onerous when the weekend comes around.

Here are some of the things I try to do to keep it simple:

Plan meals – on a good week I have the whole week planned out but otherwise I at least know what we will be eating for dinner the following night.

Pantry

Plan what I will wear – as above.  It saves wasting time on thinking in the morning.

Lunches planned and at least partly prepared.

Rinse/wipe the basin and vanity to keep it looking clean.

Washing/folding/ironing – make sure it is up to date.  This morning I hung out the sheets, tonight I took them off the line and they are now folded and put away.  I also handwashed some jumpers and hung them out.

Ironing basket

What do you do to keep the wheels running smoothly?

Simply Sewing

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One of my favourite activities is sewing.  More specifically, sewing clothes.  In years gone by I have made everything from business shirts to swimwear but in recent years I have not done as much as I used to.

I have never had a huge stash of fabric, although The Duke may think otherwise.  Nevertheless, over the last couple of years I have been working on gradually whittling down what I do have.  I decided that a cupboard of excess fabric is of no benefit to anyone so I should use it up to make things, whether they be for the family, to sell or simply to donate.

Sometimes it seems that as fast as I use up fabric I am given some more so I have set myself the challenge to use up everything I have.  This weekend I made a pair of satin boxer shorts from some gifted material which I think I will give to my daughter.  I will make a camisole from some white interlock fabric to make a set of summer pyjamas.  Here are the shorts.

Boxer shorts

In the same bundle was some crinkle cotton fabric which was a fairly unappealing yellow check but I managed to brighten it up with the addition of some plain red for the contrasting pockets on this dress I made for Izz.  It will be perfect for summer days at childcare.

Dress

I also started sewing a toddler dress which I will show you when it is finished.  Then there was the mending/alteration pile.  I hemmed 2 pairs of trousers for The Duke and have adjusted the hemline on a new skirt of mine.  It is now pinned and ready to handstitch.

My goal is to do some sewing each day and gradually work through the ‘to do’ pile before starting on some new projects.  I have 2 skirts which I am altering that are waiting as well as a cot quilt which needs the binding sewn on and some hand-quilting to be done.  I have several pieces of gifted fabric which I contemplating what I will make.  Not all of it is suitable for our family so I am busily planning what to sew that will be of use to someone.

The Production Line

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Having a productive garden entails more work than just planting, watering and harvesting the crops.

The next step is to make sure that the produce is used wisely.  It is difficult not to have some wastage, especially when there is a glut.

At the moment we have an over-abundance of lemons and grapefruit and are doing the best we can to deal with them.

Lemons

On Saturday evening, The Duke and I juiced and froze about 3 litres of lemon juice and a litre of grapefruit juice.  Most of the lemon juice is in 1 litre quantities so that I can thaw it and make cordial when required.  However, I did put some into ice-cube trays for those moments when I just need a tablespoon or so of juice.  We have 2 lemon trees and it is only a rare time when there are no fresh lemons available but it is best to be safe and have some on hand.

Juice to freezeYou can also see more beans and carrots that we picked on Saturday.

What are you harvesting at the moment?

Nachos Night

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As per my menu plan for the week , we had nachos for dinner last night.  Like everything I prepare on weekdays, it is quick and easy.

Nachos ingredients

Corn chips
Tinned tomatoes
Refried beans
Cheese

I make my own refried beans from the recipe here using dried kidney beans.  I freeze the mixture in 500g tubs for future use.

Last night I used tinned crushed tomatoes but you can use chopped fresh tomatoes or even a bit of diluted tomato paste.

Making nachos

Here is the first layer – corn chips, refried beans, tomato and then grated cheese.

Add layers until desired quantity is reached.

Nachos - ready for oven

This is 3 layers ready to go into the oven.  I use 2 small Pyrex casserole lids as I find the Pyrex easier to clean than a metal tray.  This used half a packet of corn chips and is a substantial meal for 2 adults.  I serve this with home-made guacamole and yoghurt on the side.

Total preparation and cooking time is about 20 minutes.

Project 333 – Red Replaced by Pink

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Remember my post from Sunday where I showed that I could wear my red cardigan all week with different outfits?  Well that plan came to a shuddering halt yesterday because I was wearing it when I had my hair cut.  Now, I know that I had the towel around my neck and a plastic cape on but nevertheless, those tiny bits of hair just end up everywhere.  So, the cardigan was consigned to the washing basket – and I had not even worn it on Monday at all as my 3/4 sleeve shirt was warm enough!

All is not lost as I have kept my basic outfits the same and swapped to a pink cardigan for the rest of the week.

Wednesday outfit

Luckily, my choices for today and Friday are fairly neutral and tomorrow’s outfit combines red and pink in the one dress.

It would not have been the end of the world if I did have to re-think what I was planning to wear but I still maintain that it is better to have a plan than not.

Planning – Dinner and Dressing

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As you may have guessed from my lack of posts recently, I have been rather busy both physically and mentally.  There is a lot going on at the moment and I had dropped the ball as far as menu planning went.  We have still been eating meals – almost all cooked at home but I have been throwing them together without a lot of thought.

Today I decided that I needed to refocus and get organised.  Here is the plan for the week

Sunday – Beef stroganoff with mashed sweet potato and green beans

Monday – Stuffed mushroom slice with coleslaw

Tuesday – Sausages and salad

Wednesday – Chicken and green bean stir-fry

Thursday – Nachos with refried beans and guacamole

Friday – Cheese omelette with bacon and avocado

Saturday – Rissoles and salad

We have green beans and avocadoes from the garden and the remaining fruit and vegetables that I need were bought this afternoon.  By having a plan I make sure that I use the food on hand, wastage is reduced (hopefully to zero) and I can do some preparation the night before.

The other thing that I like to plan in advance is the clothes that I am going to wear.  Here in south-east Queensland we are into some seriously warm weather with the maximum temperatures forecast for this week ranging from 26C up to 32C so my footwear each day will be my very comfortable strappy sandals with a small heel.  Here are my planned clothes for the week.

Monday – white cotton drill 3/4 pants and blue/white striped collared shirt

Tuesday – sleeveless cotton dress – black with white spots

Wednesday – skirt – cream with black spots and black sleeveless t-shirt

Thursday – Pink/red/white floral, sleeveless dress

Friday – skirt – navy with white spots and white sleeveless t-shirt

It can still be cool in the mornings and also the office is air-conditioned so I will wear a red 3/4 sleeve cardigan with all of these outfits as required.

I will try to take and post a photo of my outfit each day.

What do you plan in advance?