Here is a short video that may help put our ‘problems’ into perspective. Just skip the advertisement at the beginning. Thank you to Susan who shared the link on Facebook.
Please let me know your thoughts in the comments section.
Owl or Fowl
3 CommentsAre you an ‘owl’ (night person) or ‘fowl’ (morning person)? I am definitely a fowl. I generally get up at 5am to leave for work by 5.40am but even if I have no specific commitments I am often out of bed and rearing to go well before 7am.
It is so much more efficient to plan your day so that you get the maximum benefit from your prime time. I can achieve more in 30 minutes in the morning than I can in 3 hours of an evening.
This evening is an excellent example – there is a basket of clean clothes to fold, some ironing to do, sewing to work on as well as sweeping and mopping floors. I will not be doing any of it tonight but once I have had about 8 hours sleep it will be finished in less than an hour.
When do you do your best work? Do you have different times for different activities? How do you structure you day and what needs doing?
Still On Track
2 CommentsMy tandem challenges for October are both still on track.
Frocktober – I have accepted the challenge to wear either a dress or skirt each time I leave the house. In order to add a degree of complexity to the challenge I am trying not to wear the same outfit twice during the month. So far this is going well.
Stoptober – in conjunction with Frugal Queen I am endeavouring to spend as little as possible this month. In addition to my haircut and fruit and vegetable shopping which I mentioned in an earlier blog, I bought some hem binding to complete a false hem on a skirt for Missy. My total spend in 9 days has been $59.70. The Duke has ordered a new DVD player online since our old one simply ceased to work. He searched for a good deal and this one is less than $5o, including delivery.
My organising has been fairly limited recently but I am working on completing mending and sewing projects.
I am busily making lists of what I need to achieve before Christmas which is only 11 weeks away. Composing my Christmas letter and writing cards are things that I like to get done fairly early so will be starting those soon. I am also keeping an eye out for recipes to include in our Christmas menu. It will be a little different this year as I am eating a gluten-free diet. I try to make it grain and sugar free as much as possible, too. Creativity will be the key.
Have you started thinking about Christmas or do you have your head buried firmly in the sand?
Frocktober – What I Wore Last week
Leave a commentI promised I would post photos of what I wore during the week as part of my personal challenge to wear only skirts or dresses during the month of October.
Unfortunately, there was not time to take photos each morning but here is my outfit from Thursday.
On Friday I wore a black and white striped denim skirt with a red t-shirt. On Saturday evening when we went out the spotted skirt was given another airing with the red t-shirt.
I am enjoying the fact that my planned pieces are truly versatile and can be worn as several different combinations.
Spending for Stoptober – $35 for haircut, $20.75 for fruit and vegetables. Tomorrow I need to buy some olive oil and also look for some vegetable seedlings.
I will report back tomorrow after I have been to the shops.
Balancing The Ledger
Leave a commentI have now completed 4 days of no spending for ‘Stoptober’. It has not really been particularly difficult because I often do not spend money during the working week. I do not drink coffee or buy magazines so these are not challenges that I have to give up.
Today I will be spending money but it is all planned. I need to get my hair cut ($35) and buy fruit and vegetables for the coming week (about $15) as well as renewing my annual Simple Savings subscription ($21).
The upside is that this week I have taken steps to make some money as well. I sold 1.5 dozen eggs ($6) and have arranged to sell 2 dresses ($20) and a pile of books ($30). While this does not equal the expenditure, every bit helps.
The other good news (for our mortgage) is that following the announcement by the Reserve Bank of a 0.25% cut in the official interest rate, our mortgage provider will be lowering the variable home loan rate by the same amount. I am not sure when this is effective from but it is another opportunity to reduce our debt a little faster.
Project 333 – Frocktober
1 CommentIt must be because the name of the month lends itself to corruption, but as well as my participation in Frugal Queen’s ‘Stoptober’ I have also taken up the challenge of ‘Frocktober’. This is an initiative of the Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation here in Australia to raise funds for and awareness of ovarian cancer.
As those of you who read this blog regularly will know, I only own 1 dress/frock and I am not quite ready to embark on a challenge of the magnitude of ‘One Brown Dress’. This was one woman’s personal challenge to wear the same dress everyday for a year. Although the original blog no longer exists the link gives an idea of the project.
I have not registered officially for ‘Frocktober’ but plan to make a donation to my friend who has registered. I have broadened the scope slightly to include skirts and tops and my goal is to wear a skirt or dress to work every day this month and also whenever I go out socially or just to the shops.
To add some interest I am planning not to wear the same combination twice during the month. This will test just how versatile my wardrobe items are. When I started Project 333 about 6 months ago I had to seriously consider what I had in my wardrobe. I decided that everything I kept needed to earn its place and be able to be worn as part of several different outfits.
At the end of the week I will post photos of the outfits I wore.
On another note, today was another no-spend day and in fact, I even made money. I sold 1.5 dozen eggs for $6. I also received an email advising that someone wanted to buy 2 dresses that I had offered for sale (a closed group) for $10 each so that will be a bit of additional income also. I had not worn the dresses for several years and they no longer fit me so it is better that someone else gets the opportunity to wear them.
Stoptober – Days 1 & 2
1 CommentWell, I am off to a flying start.
Day 1 – Monday was a public holiday here and despite the fact that we are into the second month of spring it was cold and wet. The clouds were right down over the mountains and it was definitely a day for staying at home. I washed (dried in front of the fire), ironed, planned our meals for the rest of the week and caught up on some routine housework. $0 spent.
Day 2 – Tuesday was back to work. As usual we packed our lunches to take with us. I also pack my breakfast and eat that when I get to work since we leave home quite early. I went into the city at lunchtime to run some errands but did not go shopping – I did not need anything. $0 spent.
I expect that the next 3 days will be more of the same.
Our train fares are budgeted for and are automatically debited to our card.
I have identified a couple of expenses that I will have this month. One is $21 for the annual renewal of my Simple Savings membership. I regard this as good value for money and will continue to renew my membership in the foreseeable future. The other thing is that it is almost 7 weeks since I had my hair cut so I will probably get it cut again at the end of next week. I have very straight hair which I keep cut short. A haircut costs me $35 and it is the only money I spend on my hair.
How are you going with stopping your spending?
Party, Party, Party……..Now For *STOPTOBER*
2 CommentsWe have been home for 2 weeks now and life just seems to have been an endless whirl. I feel as though my feet have barely touched the ground. The whirl culminated yesterday with taking Miss O and Izz to a friend’s birthday party, then we headed off to a picnic for a belated celebration of Belle’s 30th birthday and finally dinner with our neighbours. These were all enjoyable but now it is time to stop and take stock.
There are jobs to do at home which have been neglected so now is the time to get organised. The everyday stuff that keep the wheels running smoothly – making sure the washing and ironing is all up to date, menus planned so that we have meals ready for when we arrive home from work, gardens prepared for summer vegetable growing and so on. My sewing and other creative pursuits are waiting for me and I am itching to get back to them.
I also read this post from Frugal Queen and I am definitely joining in *STOPTOBER* While I am not sure that I can spend NOTHING for the whole month I intend to spend the absolute minimum, stop and think before I spend and generally make do with what we have. To keep me accountable I will post each day about my success (or otherwise) of not spending and keep a tally of how much I spend and what I buy.
I am really looking forward to this challenge and sharing with you. Please consider joining in (you can make your own rules) and let me know how you go.
Sew Easy
3 CommentsOur granddaughters are staying overnight so this afternoon I took the opportunity to get some current measurements of them.
While I was in the sewing room I found a piece of fabric and was inspired. I made this dress for Miss O, using the t-shirt she was wearing as a pattern.
The patterned fabric was a remnant that I bought from Lifeline a few months ago for $1.
The stretch fabric means that the dress can simply be pulled on over the head and there are no fastenings. It will be a cool, comfortable addition to her summer wardrobe.
Chemical-Free Cleaning
2 CommentsAs promised here is a recipe for one of the homemade cleaning products that I use. I found the recipe on the internet some months ago and have adapted the quantities to suit my needs.
It is simple to make. You need only basic utensils.
Only 3 ingredients.
Cream Cleanser
1&1/2 cups bicarb soda
110ml dishwashing liquid
30ml eucalyptus oil
Mix all ingredients together to form a ‘Gumption-style’ paste.
Store in container. I use glass because the original instructions cast some doubt over the compatibility with some plastics.
Use to clean sinks, baths and basins by rubbing a paste over the surface and rinse clean with fresh water. You can spray with vinegar for added effect. As always, test surface to ensure it is OK to use.
I use this paste and a soft cloth to clean my Neoflam frying pan.
You should never need to buy Gumption, Jif, Ajax or similar ever again.
The eucalyptus oil gives the added bonus of relieving any head cold symptoms while you do the housework!
I will have another recipe tomorrow but in the meantime feel free to share any chemical-free/homemade cleaning tips.
organised castle 