Organising On The Run

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Just because I am away from the house does not mean that the organising has to be put on hold.

There are all sorts of small things you can do while you are out and about, particularly while commuting.

Digital files are one of modern life’s organising challenges and they turn up in all sorts of places.  Whether it is lists on your computer, contacts for your mobile phone, songs on your iPod or books on an ereader you need to keep them in some sort of order so that you can locate them when you want them.

I do not have a huge number of books on my Kindle yet but I have decided to develop a ‘filing system’ for them before it becomes too overwhelming.

This is before I started.  I had 4 pages of books that I have downloaded so far.

2012-05-22 01Once I completed the index, it is now much easier to find a particular book, especially as my Kindle library expands.  I may add more categories as time goes on but these are definitely enough to get started.  The categories I have chosen are all condensed onto one page and the books are sorted into the relevant collection/folder.

2012-05-22 02What digital files have you organised?

Project Streamline – Dress

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Did you notice the singular – dress?  That is correct, I own 1 dress.  I have had this dress for 3 years and during the summer it is worn at least once per week.  It works well at the cusp of the season with a cardigan, too.  This is a perfect example of everything an item of clothing should be.

Relatively classic style
Versatile
Good quality
Comfortable

It is also fully lined, 100% cotton and made in Australia.

When I first tried it on I realised that it would require some alterations as it was too long in the waist and too deep in the armholes for me.  I was able to do this by removing the collar and lifting the shoulder seams before replacing the collar.  Even if I had to pay for this to be professionally done, it would have been worth the expense.

So, no decluttering in this category.  The dress stays and has pride of place in my wardrobe.

Black dress with white spotsI want to make a couple more dresses like this one so that I can wear a dress and sandals to work each day during the summer.  The existing dress is still way too good to consider deconstructing it so I may have to use a combination of a commercial pattern and the measurements from the dress.

There are no other categories  in my wardrobe which contain only a single item, so next week I will be back to justifying my various collections.

Meanwhile, I am creating a list of things I would like to buy when we are overseas.  The first things on the list are 2 pairs of trousers that are suitable for wearing to work  and an outfit for a wedding at the end of March in Canberra.  I have no idea of what I want for the wedding outfit so it will be a matter of looking to see what I like.  The other criteria will be that it is versatile enough to be able to be worn for other occasions.

Digging in the Dirt

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Today we have been out in the garden.  Vegetable gardens dug over and mushroom compost added.  Then it was time to plant out our winter crops.  Broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, snow peas, strawberries as well as red and brown onions.

Most of them were bought as seedlings but I did have a go at raising some from seed.  The cabbages were from seed as are one lot of broccoli and one of cauliflower.  They are somewhat less advanced than the seedlings so hopefully it will spread the harvesting out over a longer period of time.

Continuing on yesterday’s theme of using up everything, I made some pumpkin and sultana scones with some mashed pumpkin that had been thawed from the freezer and not completely used.  I did not get to make the lemon butter so that will have to wait for another day.

2012-05-20 01

A Lesson From The Past

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Some people in various parts of the world are living in economies that are officially described as being in a recession but wherever we live, these are definitely uncertain times.  At the same time there is research showing that many 1st world nations waste up to 20% of all food purchased.  That is the equivalent of bringing home 5 bags of groceries and throwing one bag of groceries straight into the bin.

Perhaps it is time to look back to earlier generations and their ‘waste not, want not’ mentality.  Everything was used, re-used and re-fashioned until not a single thing was left.  This applied in equal measure to food, clothing, furniture and so on.

Today I want to show you how we can easily make better use of the abundant food that we have.

This morning I juiced a large carrot, 2 apples and about 1/3 of a pineapple.  I drank the juice for breakfast and saved the pulp.

Next was a 600 ml container of cream.  This was bought in January and not required for a luncheon we were hosting so it was put in the freezer.  Last weekend I thawed it to have some cream on dessert.  Only a small amount was used so today I put it in my Kitchen Aid stand mixer and made butter.  I followed the description from here.  I was very pleased with the result.

2012-05-19 01I used 100g of the butter when I made pastry and this is what was left.  From about 500ml of cream I made 220g of butter and had 250ml of buttermilk.

I used the buttermilk tonight when I made a bacon and mushroom quiche for dinner.  I mixed a couple of tablespoons of milk powder into the buttermilk to make a thicker liquid for the quiche.

2012-05-19 02While the oven was on I also made a batch of muffins using the leftover fruit pulp from my juice.

2012-05-19 03I made beef curry in the slowcooker from a recipe in one of the Sally Wise cookbooks.  This is now divided into portions and frozen along with several serves of bolognaise sauce and a dish of lasagne.

2012-05-19 04Making these meals is a reminder of how we can use our own condiments.  The curry called for tomato sauce, worcestershire sauce, chutney and curry powder as some of the ingredients.  I had home-made versions of all of these to use.  Some of the pasta sauce I made during the summer when tomatoes were very cheap and plentiful went into the bolognaise sauce.  The lasagne sheets were ones I had made some weeks ago and frozen.  It is great to have so many of the ingredients for meals at your fingertips and know that they have been created in your own kitchen and you know exactly what went into them.

The Duke has made our bread from bought pre-mixes for a number of years and now he is experimenting with making it from scratch.  He has the white loaf pretty well perfect but has working on getting the wholemeal loaf the way he wants it.  Here is the result of his effort today and naturally he is very pleased.

2012-05-19 05Tomorrow I plan to make lemon butter which will use our own eggs and lemons as well as some of the butter I made today.

How do you make the most of the food you have?

A Plastic-Wrapped Impulse Buy

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If it was a perfect world I would not have bought these.

But we all slip up from time to time.

2012-05-18 01These are 2 rolls of birthday wrapping paper that I bought this evening from Aldi when we called in to buy some milk.  I had not even thought about buying wrapping paper until I saw it.

Now for the debate:

The Good

  • Multi-purpose – suitable for child or adult birthdays
  • Bargain – 1m x 5m roll for $1.99
  • I had virtually no new birthday wrapping paper and have not bought any for over 10 years

The Bad

  • Wrapped in non-recyclable plastic wrap – contributing to waste
  • Made in China – transport costs, probable exploitation of workers
  • Impulse buy – do I really need it or could I have continued being innovative in my gift giving

It seems ridiculous to be buying gift wrap when I am currently working on making a series of re-useable bags from Christmas fabric for Christmas gift-giving.  However, even if I find I do not need it all I am sure my granddaughters will be able to use it when going to friends’ birthday parties.  You need to strike a balance between environmental and economic concerns on one hand  and ensuring that children are able to engage with their peers on an equal footing without being made to feel odd or extreme.

Would you have bought this paper?  What impulse buys have you made?  I have heard of people who go out to buy the Sunday paper and end up buying a new car.  Now that is a bit ridiculous in my opinion!

Shopping For Scraps

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Today I went to 2 op shops looking for fabric suitable for my patchwork project.

Here is what I found.

A skirt

2012-05-17 02A dress

A blouse

2012-05-17 04A single bed sheet

2012-05-17 052 identical U-shaped pillowcases

2012-05-17 06And a ruffled single bed valance.

These will all be washed and unpicked ready to use.  The valance is big enough to use for the entire backing of the quilt.

Although these items were not super cheap it will still be quite a frugal project. I will mix and match them with existing pieces from my collection.

Thanks to Froogs at Frugal Queen for the inspiration.

Holiday Planning With A Difference

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We have decided to try get someone to housesit while we are on holidays.  We are in the process of finding someone suitable who we trust to care for our house and animals while we are away.

Instead of planning what to take I need to think about what to leave behind.

This is going to require some planning and organisation to be able to hand over the running of the household.  It is a reminder of how much knowledge and information is carried in my head.

Things like instructions for the washing machine, location of the booster switch for the solar hot water, how much food the dog eats, what day the rubbish is collected and so on.

The upside is that the house is pretty well decluttered and organised so it will be easy for someone to find where things are.  There is also plenty of space for extra clothes and belongings.

I am determined that I am going to have all the planning done well in advance of our trip so that the last week or so will not be a mad rush.  I want to simply pack my bag according to a pre-determined list and go to the airport, knowing that everything has been sorted out.

In the past, sometimes the last week before a holiday is so frenetic that I just want to get on the plane or in the car before my head explodes.

I would love to hear if anyone has had experiences of someone house-sitting for them.  How did you choose them and was it successful?

Just Because It’s Free…………

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…………does not mean you have to accept.

When you are given the option of free stuff, whatever the reason, try to fast forward to how you will feel about the item in 6 or 12 months time.

  • Will you love it?
  • Do you really need it?
  • Will it be back in the donation box for the op shop or garage sale?

Today at work someone was handing out giant-sized mugs with corporate branding on them.  After having refused pens that were being offered last week, I was approached with a half-hearted comment about me not wanting their gifts.  I simply assured them that it was nothing personal but that I really did not need a mug.  Suddenly there was a chorus from the rest of the office about how they loved freebies.

If I see a particular use for a freebie I will accept it – otherwise I do not.

Also today, it was interesting to see that one of my colleagues had a new knitting pattern and next thing I knew it had been photocopied numerous times and copies were being handed around to everyone.  While I could appreciate the pattern I have no intention of knitting it so I turned down the offer of a copy.  It is a waste of paper and will clutter up my home and I could even end up feeling guilty that I had not used the pattern.  Much simpler to just say , “No thanks”.

The other freebie was a little more insidious.  A cake recipe sent via email.  This came from another work colleague.  There had been no discussion or request for the recipe – it was just there in my inbox.  It had probably been discussed by 1 or 2 people and when it was sent to them everyone in the department was included – I expect so that nobody felt left out or forgotten.  A nice gesture, I suppose but the recipe is now in the deleted box because I do not need it.

After spending time and effort decluttering, I owe it to myself to remain vigilant and stop all sorts of stuff before it gains a foothold.

What have you refused lately?

Project Streamline – Trousers

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It is now the middle of May and halfway through the 3 month period of my participation in Project 333.

I flouted the ‘rules’ on Saturday and wore a plain red knit top, white ¾ trousers and red/white striped overshirt.  None of these were on my original list.  The weather was unseasonably warm and all of these items are on my ‘big picture’ list.

Let me explain.  Ever since I started the challenge of wearing only 33 items for a period of 3 months, I have been mentally working on creating a master list.  This means I will not look at my wardrobe in terms of the next 3 months but rather the whole year encompassing all 4 seasons.  I am identifying what works and what doesn’t and rather than have a major cull it will be a matter of removing things as they wear out and replacing only if required.

The first part of the journey is to catalogue what I really have instead of simply saying that I don’t have many clothes.  Each week I will photograph and discuss one type of article of clothing.  Today is trousers so you can judge for yourself.

TROUSERS

This category includes everything from trousers to wear to work to trackpants that I do not wear outside the boundaries of our property.

2012-05-14 01Charcoal grey work trousers
PROS – colour, weight, style
CONS – too big in the waist, slightly too long, only one pair, about 7 years old
DECISION – wear for the rest of the winter  then send to op shop.  Replace with 2 pairs of well-fitting trousers.

2012-05-14 02Black ¾ trousers
PROS – good fit, nice fabric, suit work and casual wear
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing until they wear out, consider something similar as a replacement

2012-05-14 03Jeans No 1
PROS – perfect fit, op shop jean which I bought and altered to fit
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing them

2012-05-14 04Jeans No 2
PROS – good fit, well-worn
CONS – getting threadbare in places
DECISION – keep wearing till the end of winter, send to op shop, look for another pair to replace them

2012-05-14 05Black Cotton casual 3/4 trousers
PROS – good fit, basic colour
CONS – a few years old, won’t last forever
DECISION – keep them continue to wear

I also have an identical white pair (the ones I wore on Saturday).  Same as above.

2012-05-14 06Striped 3/4 cotton trousers
PROS – there are 7 nice matching buttons that I can salvage
CONS – 6 years old, a bit faded, the top I always wore with them has gone to the op shop, not really my colour, a bit tight
DECISION – remove buttons, send to the op shop

2012-05-14 07Navy 3/4 trousers
PROS – go with most tops I have
CONS – starting to fade a bit, am a bit over navy
DECISION – they get a reprieve at least until next summer.  Op shop if I find that I am not wearing them

2012-05-14 08Navy trackpants x 2
PROS – comfortable
CONS – unflattering
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 09Grey drawstring pants
PROS – comfortable
CONS – unflattering
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 10Cotton 3/4 pants x 3
PROS – comfortable, suitable for home and local activities
CONS – not my colours, starting to wear out
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 11Sage green lightweight jeans
PROS – good condition, bought from op shop
CONS – not my colour, don’t wear them them much
DECISION – back to the op shop

2012-05-14 12Charcoal travel pants
PROS – comfortable, zip-off legs, love them
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing them and buy another identical pair before we go overseas later in the year.

2012-05-14 13Beige travel pants
PROS – zip-off legs
CONS – not super comfortable, dry more quickly than the other style
DECISION – keep until we go overseas then decide their fate

This has been a cathartic exercise and if you are trying to minimise your wardrobe I would strongly suggest trying to convince someone else either verbally or in writing why you should keep certain items.  It has also been useful to do all of one type of garment together and then you can see just how many you really have and the range of occasions that they cover.

Watch out for more posts on the same theme each Monday for several weeks.  Categories will include skirts, dresses (that will be short as I only own 1 dress), shorts, cardigans and so on.

Now that I have laid bare the inner secrets of the best and worst of my trousers please feel free to comment – the number, quality etc as well as my thoughts and decisions.

Sunday Sewing

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Today I took a break from the patchwork and did some other sewing.

First though, I did the ironing.  While I was doing it I discovered a tear in the ironing board cover.  I had noticed recently that it was getting close to wearing out.

001So it was time for a new one.  I decided that it could not be that difficult to make one so set about deconstructing the old cover.

002Here is what I salvaged: padding which I reused and also used as a pattern, bundle of polyester binding from the edge, elastic and clip from the edge, 2 velcro straps from underneath, edge strip which I used as a pattern.

003The fabric I used for the new cover is part of an op shop quilt cover that I bought last year.  I used the front to make a tablecloth for a work event and I had the backing left over.  I don’t think the quilt had been used and the fabric is 100% cotton.

004This the almost finished cover.  I just had to do some adjustments to the velcro straps which go underneath the board.  They were not long enough to go across my board so I had not used them previously.  I replaced the short end with some cotton tape so that I could use them.

005Just like new.

007This is the view under the board and you can see the modified velcro strap.

008I re-used most of the original cover when I made the new one.  The pile on the left is the cotton fabric which has gone into the compost.  On the right is the rubbish pile – remnants of foam which has almost disintegrated in places, the polyester thread from the unpicking (not visible) and the 2 short lengths of velcro that I replaced with cotton tape.

And a preview of things to come – starting from tomorrow and continuing each Monday for several weeks, I will begin a series  titled ‘Project Streamline’.  It is a natural progression (for me) from my participation in Project 333.  Please drop in and feel free to offer your thoughts/advice or you may like to join in.

See you tomorrow.