Seven Things Week 13

Slow down is the new normal.  This week I resorted to one of the easy wins identified at the beginning, the picture frames we rescued when Richard's parents moved into retirement living earlier in the year.  I wasn't saving them for a slow week, as such, but the ramped up socialising and end-of-year work frenzy meant I didn't really have much time for other areas.

I did do some hard thinking over some clothes in my wardrobe.  I'm delighted to report there is breathing space in the hanging part of my wardrobe now - everything is not jammed in as it was.

IN

1	rainwater tank	swap	really it was a gift but we'll call it a swap because we brought it home after delivering pavers to a friend
4	weights	The Green Shed	these are actual weights that go on a weightlifting bar, but they are the smallest - they will become my patten weights.  I've wanted pattern weights for a long time, and was to pick these up for 50c each second hand.  I need to brush the surface rust off and give them a coat of clear varnish before I can use them.
5

OUT

1	glass	bin	the ceramic floor claimed another victim
2	jackets	op shop	I did a try and evaluate session in part of my wardrobe and several items did not make the cut.  These were very difficult decisions.
2	dresses	op shop	They no longer fit my needs
2	pairs of trousers	op shop	Just didn't fit right
2	cardies	op shop	I wore them but I was never happy with them
1	book	gift	tis the season for Secret Santa gifts
110	pavers	swap	really they were gifts but as we were given a rainwater tank from the paver recipient the day we delivered the pavers, we can call it a swap
43	picture frames	The Green Shed	Rescued from Richard's parents when they moved earlier this year.
2	sets of metal drawers	Buy Nothing Community	I brought these home a few weeks ago, we kept what we could use and now I'm sharing the joy
1	wooden doll	bin	she was our car mascot, having from the rear vision mirror.  Her ribbon rotted and broke.  She is so faded, it was time to release her.
166

NETT OUT 161

TOTAL OUT SINCE total out since 27 August 2018 = 4233

Seven Things Week 12

Wow!  3 months of being accountable, and there were many more months of decluttering before this.

I really struggled this week.  I'm in pain and I'm tired and the easy stuff has all been done.  In some areas I am now on the second or third pass.

Initially, in every area of the house, there are things it is easy to get rid of. With some areas I would race through the easy stuff then shy from the hard decisions when the easy wins were had.  My heart would cry nooooooooo!  In some cases I ploughed on but it often resulted in a resistance to declutter anything at all, anywhere.  The oppositional child reaction.  So in order to maintain momentum, when I hit a really tough emotional response, I move onto to an area where the emotion isn't as deep.  It is an exercise like any other, as I practice I get stronger and everything gets easier.   The later passes have been much easier.  This works for me, it is certainly not the advice in the decluttering literature.

Also, honouring the impulse to create last weekend, even though the things I sewed were small, helped a lot.  I gathered all of the fabrics of the type needed.  I used the ones that appealed to me the most.  This week, looking at the ones I shied from I figured I'd already made the decision and offered them to friends first and op shopped the rest.  I guess it's Marie Kondo's "spark joy" concept, but I needed to demonstrate it.  Just holding the stuff isn't enough.  My thought process are "Every piece of fabric is useful, right?" and "I can totally make something out of that!" These things are true but when given the opportunity I chose not to use certain fabrics.


IN

2	stencils	Ebay	ordered in a moment of Bullet Journal envy
1	painting	op shop	Forgot to list this from a couple of weeks ago.
1	calendar	Etsy
1	washing basket	The Green Shed	Forgot to list this from a couple of weeks ago.

OUT

27	Fowlers Jars	bartered	honey and veg - great deal
1	t-shirt	op shop	stained and ill-fitting
3	dog harnesses	op shop	none of the neighbours wanted these recent eBay mistakes so off to the op shop.
4	Tupperware cups	op shop	and as I had to take the dog harnesses to the op shop, I decided that everything else could go there as well and I didn’t have to bother listing for Buy Nothing.
2	Tupperware mugs	op shop
4	draw string bags	op shop	Projects bags for knitting that I don’t like or don’t use
6	tops	op shop	I will end up with a capsule wardrobe in the end, I suspect
4	dresses	op shop
8	pieces of fabric	op shop
3	key rings	op shop
13	doilies	op shop
1	pair of pants	op shop
47	dvds	bin	downloaded, dodgy burned discs.  We have been through our DVDs at least twice in the last 2 years and yet I still find more.
1	pair of socks	bin	handknits with an irreparable hole
1	phone charging cable	bin	the cheap ones die so readily
1	quick-unpick	bin	Blunt and had lost the little ball from the end.
2	vintage linen teatowels	gift
36	doilies	gift
5	pieces of fabric	gift
169

NETT OUT  164

total out since 27 August 2018 = 4072

Seven Things Week 11

A definite slow down this week. My pain levels are very high and as Dora has been waking me in the night for comfort (she is not well), sleep has not been great.

So it was easier to deal with bulk stuff from the garage than in the house.  We have a HUGE supply of Fowler's Vacola preserving jars. We don't bottle as much as we used to so don't need the large jars anymore. We offered up our larger jars on a Facebook barter group. The group is largely home growers and makers so we've been swapping our jars for produce.  We have a lot of eggs, now (and into the future). It's been a really positive experience.

I also got into the sewing room this week.  While there is still much to declutter and reorganise, the need to create could not be denied.

IN

3	dog harnesses	Ebay	When preparing to evacuate we realised that we needed harnesses for the dogs in both cars.  These rarely come up second hand and our need is fairly urgent. Unfortunately these are too small, so I will have to find a new home for them soon.
2	dog seatbelt extenders	Ebay
5

OUT

2	blankets	Buy Nothing Community	More souvenir stuff that we get as members of football clubs.  I’ve asked them to not send me the member stuff this year.  It’s better for all of us.
1	decanter	Buy Nothing Community	A hideous wedding present.  A glass and silver plated duck that one of my neighbours loved so much she sent her husband to collect it immediately before anyone else could get it.  Each to her own.
56	cloth unpaper towels	Buy Nothing Community	I made these out of flannelette pjs in the free bins at the Green Shed.  I love them, but have more fabric than I need, so I decided to offer them to the neighbours.  There was much demand.
42	resuable makeup wipes	Buy Nothing Community	Not as popular as the unpaper towels, but I could have given away many more than I had.
1	keyboard	Buy Nothing Community	My work iPad died.  I’d bought a keyboard to make it useable while travelling.  The keyboard still works but is excess to our needs.
3	pairs of trousers	op shop	TOF did the hard thing and gave up some trousers.
10	pairs pantyhose	op shop	I may be a librarian but I am never going to wear sheer beige panythose.  Ever.  These are all new and in packaging.
92	Fowlers Jars	bartered	Bartered for food - mostly eggs.
32	wall hooks	gift	We bought a bulk lot of removable wall hooks to hold up the bunting that was wall decoration for our wedding.
7	saucepans	recycling	Pretty sure these pans came with our touring caravan.  They were in such terrible condition the only use for them was metal recycling
8	pieces of fabric	used up	I made some Christmas presents out of stash
254

NETT OUT  249

total out since 27 August 2018 = 3908

Seven Things Week 10

This last Friday we prepared to evacuate our home in the face of an out of control bushfire that was (and still is) 8 kilometres away.  Ours is among the first houses in the direct path of the fire. That tends to concentrate the mind about what is important.

I packed the dogs, medications, our laptops and vital personal documents (certificates and passports) and enough undies for a week and a couple of changes of clothes and shoes each.

And then I turned to the inessential but important things.  For me it was our wedding photos, my jewellery and family items - my great, great, great  grandmother's chest brought out from Ireland in the 1850s, my great grandfather's WWI diary, the recordings my father sent to my mother when he was serving in Vietnam, the recordings of family funerals, and some other family desiderata.

And then I packed a set of interchangeable knitting needles and a 2k cone of lace weight organic merino and cashmere.  Because I am still me and I had the time and space.

It all fitted into the back of our 19 year old Corolla with quite a lot of room to spare. 

So that and my husband (whom I left at the house to put out spot fires), are the things I value most.  Useful to know in this latest journey of decluttering.

Snowie (front) and Dora ready to be evacuated

A poor photo (I was in a hurry), of a not full boot of a 1999 Corolla hatchback

IN

1	Sarong	The Green Shed	I really love the free bins at the Green Shed
1	suitcase wetpack	The Green Shed	no more totally wet suitcase from my swimmers while I’m travelling - more from the free bins
1	insulated lunch bag	The Green Shed	I probably didn’t really need to bring this home but it was cute and free - I’m not perfect

OUT

80	balls of yarn	destash	getting rid of yarn is really hard
3	pairs undies	bin	last of the ASOS cheapies - lesson learned
14	pavers	gift
5	tops	op shop
1	pair trousers	op shop	They were fine but I would have need to buy or make tops to go with them.  Easier to let them go than create more things.
180	reels of nylon binding	Buy Nothing Community	no tomato plant will go unsupported this year!
5	dresses	op shop	Try them on and if they don't fit well, they go
35	sewing needles	Paper and the Works	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
4	sewing needles	bin	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
1	lip balm	bin	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
3	pencil toppers	bin	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
10	hair clips	op shop	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
5	decorative tins	op shop	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
3	pin tins	Paper and the Works	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
1	knitting needle	Paper and the Works	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
32	stitch markers	Knitters Guild	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
1	thimble	gift	Hot afternoon declutter of my knitting tools trolley
8	buttons	used on a knitted garment
153	balls of yarn	Knitters Guild	It’s a lot easier to give it away than it is to sell it.  I value my time.
10	shirts	op shop	TOF succumbed to my suggestions (nagging is such an ugly word) that he look at the shirts he didn’t wear last winter
2	looms	Paper and the Works
6	craft books	Paper and the Works
562

NETT OUT 559

total out since 27 August 2018 = 3658