Project 333 – Packing

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Posted on November 28, 2013

For those of you who may be new to reading this blog, it is probably timely to explain about Project 333. It is a concept developed by Courtney Carver in which you commit to wearing a maximum of 33 items for 3 months. You can read all about it at her blog, Be More With Less.

I first discovered Project 333 in April 2012 and followed the guidelines carefully for the next 3 months. Since then, I have continued to streamline the contents of my wardrobe. I am constantly striving to create a small but effective selection of pieces which work for me. For ease of searching, I have used “Project 333” in the title of all of my clothes-related posts. If you have not read them all you can search all posts under this topic to gain a broad understanding of what I am doing.

I have been in Sydney for the past 2 days for work. I needed to be appropriately dressed on Tuesday when I arrived as well as yesterday and today. I was meeting friends for dinner on Tuesday evening and attending a work-related dinner last night. The constraints were that I planned to only take carry-on luggage as well as staying in a hotel and no opportunity to wash clothes.

Here is what I packed.

Green jeans, denim jeans and white 3/4 trousers.

Floral cardigan, teal top, red/white striped tee and black pullover. These all have 3/4 sleeves. I find these very practical for a range of weather and they can be worn in a variety of ways.

I also packed a black camisole, black/white checked short sleeved shirt and leopard print scarf.

2 pairs of flat shoes completed the selection. I try not to wear the same shoes every day.

I chose the items with a specific plan in mind but sufficient versatility to change the choices if my mood or the weather dictated it. The plan (which I adhered to) was:

Denim jeans, red/white tee and red flats on Tuesday flight.
Green jeans, black pullover and scarf with pewter flats for dinner on Tuesday.
Green jeans, black camisole, floral cardigan and red flats – work on Wednesday
Denim jeans, black camisole, teal top and pewter flats – dinner on Wednesday.
White trousers, checked shirt with black pullover (if needed) and flats – work on Thursday and flight home.

I really only wore each item once , however, the combinations are almost endless. The only ‘no go zones’ as far as I can see were the green jeans with the teal top, the red flats with the teal top or the the striped top and floral cardigan together! My maths is not good enough to be able to calculate all of the possible permutations but I know there were plenty of choices. All of this confirms what I have often said, “You need almost as many clothes for a couple of days as for a few weeks”.

How do you decide what to pack? Have you ever travelled for an extended period of time with only one bag?

Organised Kids

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Posted on November 26, 2013

On Friday afternoon The Duke and I picked up Miss O as she was coming to stay for the night and most of Saturday before meeting up with her Mum at a family BBQ late on Saturday afternoon.

Whenever either of the grandchildren come to stay something invariably gets forgotten and it is often a toothbrush so we reminded Miss O when we arrived. This time it was spare underwear that was left behind and then when it was bedtime she announced, “Mum forgot to pack any toys”. I pointed out to her that it was not actually her mother’s responsibility to pack toys – after all Miss O is nearly 6.

I decided to help Miss O to try to overcome things being forgotten so we made a packing list.

This is what we created. Miss O decided what needed to be on the list and with the aid of Google we found images to go with each item. Naturally, there will be seasonal variations and not everything will be required each time she packs to go somewhere but I am hoping it will be a useful prompt.

We did not get it quite finished on Saturday but it is all done now, laminated and posted to Miss O as promised.

The picture prompts will also encourage her reading skills.

Wardrobe Workhorses & Wishlists

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Posted on August 13, 2013

This week the weather has turned warm, even hot by some standards and it is officially still winter.

Many of my clothes are suitable for most of the year depending on how I wear them. However, the warmer weather has made me stop and think about what new things I might consider buying this season. I have 3 good pairs of shorts and probably enough skirts but it might be time to get some new tops. Other than that the 2 main things on my wishlist for summer are sandals and a hat. My current sandals are well-worn and have been repaired. They will keep going for some time yet but it would be nice to have a new pair to wear to work during the summer months. The hat that I crave is a straw one in a dressy style. Since I am not tall, I find that I need a hat with a straight or slightly upturned brim or otherwise I end up looking like a mushroom. I have a fabric hat which is fine for travelling and beachwear but I would really like one that I can wear with a dress in the city.

That is enough about my wishlist, now for the workhorses.

These are some singlet tops that I bought at Uniqlo when we were visiting Japan in 2009. They are some of the most versatile items I have ever owned. I wear them as singlets in winter, pyjama tops with boxer shorts, tank tops in summer and even to work as a camisole with a skirt and cardigan. The lace edging and straps are actually elastic lace and they are really comfortable. When these wear out I will definitely buy more or possibly make some if I can find suitable elastic lace.

Having items of clothing that do double or even triple duty will be very useful when I come to pack when we travel overseas. I am hoping to travel as lightly as possible. Do you have any particular ideas that have worked for you?

Falling Into Place

Holiday Habits

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Posted on October 25, 2011

We are now on holidays in New Zealand for 2 weeks so the posts will be a bit erratic. As with our holiday in May I am trying to maintain our sustainable habits as much as possible.

It is a bit more difficult this time as we were flying internationally so customs precluded taking any of our own food. Nevertheless, we took our own food in reuseable packaging on the flight.

I packed a calico shopping bag as well as some of the mesh bags I use when buying fruit and vegetables. Our food for the trip was in ziplock bags so those have been washed, dried and reused as well.

Although we could not carry fluids on the flight we did pack our stainless steel flasks and have been using them since we arrived. I also packed plastic plates and some cutlery in a cloth bag so that we can use them for lunches when we are travelling.

Yesterday I bought an insulated cooler bag with a zip top to carry some refrigerated items in the car as we travel from one self-contained accommodation venue to the next. The cooler bag is soft-sided and can be folded flat so that I will be able to take it home to use on future trips.

The supermarkets here have a range of goods in bulk bins so I bought muesli, dried fruit and cashews. I used my own ziplock bags so did not need to add any extra packaging.

Till next time.

Tying Up Loose Ends

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Posted on August 30, 2011

I am quickly putting this post together while I run through my lists (written and in my head) to make sure I have everything organised for my trip. I am heading off in the morning to a work conference in Victoria, followed by the weekend with friends in Melbourne and Bendigo.

As usual I set myself all sorts of goals to achieve before I go. These included creating a costume for the dinner on Thursday night, getting all of the washing and ironing up to date and meals planned for when we get back. We arrive home on Monday and then it will be 4 full days at work for the rest of the week so I need things at home to run smoothly hence the need to plan ahead.

My bags are packed, all the gadgets (phone, laptop, camera, iPod and Kindle) charged and chargers packed and clothes laid out for tomorrow so I feel prepared. Hopefully, I can go to bed relaxed and get a good night’s sleep.

Here is one loose end that I have yet to tie up – the paperwork that I culled last week is now a bag of shredded paper which is sitting in the corner of the office. I will deal with that when I get time.

Not matter how much time I have before I travel I always manage to find enough things to do to fill my time up until the last minute. How about you?

Holidays Here We Come!

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Posted on April 27, 2011

Tomorrow is the big day – we set out on our road trip through western NSW, into Victoria (albeit briefly) and on to South Australia. We have our itinerary planned, the accommodation booked and most of the packing done.

I have a medical appointment at lunchtime and The Duke is working so we will hit the road at about 4pm.

The excitement really set in this afternoon when I moved the car and reversed it into the garage so that it would be easier to pack the boot. You know the trip is close when the car is reversed into the garage!

Holidays are a bit like Christmas – making a list and checking it twice!

The broad categories are:

Clothes

Electronic gadgets

Craft/games/books

Linen

Camping stuff

Groceries

Medication/first aid

Miscellaneous eg: torch, compass

I hope to post along the way and share our adventures.