Seven Things Week 6

This week I expected to have some kind of decluttering hangover, but so far so good.  Certainly I slowed down, but we've had a few things on after work and I was busy with other activities all this weekend.

What I have noticed, though, is that I am noticing more.  As I walk past a shelf in the garage, for example, I notice that someone's left a paper bag, a receipt and some other detritus, and that's it's been there for a while.  And I deal with it.

I have also been critically evaluating our pantries and have disposed of dangerously out of date items, and rehomed items we no longer use, such as flavoured teas and tinned goods that came in hampers.

It's like you just get your eye in and as layers of stuff leave the house, the breathing space created offers up more possibilities.


IN

2	plant pots	Buy Nothing Community
1	digital radio	Buy Nothing Community
1	wall hanging	Buy Nothing Community
1	manequin head	Buy Nothing Community
3	gotoobs	Buy Nothing Community
1	wrist support	retail	see previous week’s injury
1	phone charging cable	retail	replacing a dead one
1	magazine	subscription	won’t be renewing.  Indie Road magazine is just not that good.
1	kilt	retail	TOF loves his kilts and wears them often.  We bought this brand new Scottish made kilt at this week’s Canberra Gathering at about a fifth the price of having one made for him (which we were preparing to do this weekend).  I will now have to make or commission a formal jacket and a work jacket to go with it.
2	pairs kilt hose	retail	one to match this new kilt and one to match his everyday kilt
1	tankini top	op shop	now I just need to find a couple of bottoms and I will have enough sets of swimmers to get me through the week as I swim on average every second day.
1	cushion	The Green Shed	I have a plan for how my sewing room will look when I’ve cleaned it out.  This second hand cushion from the free bins at The Green Shed is exactly the right colour and will save me buying new or making with new fabric and included the insert
1	dog coat	The Green Shed	new from the free bins at The Green Shed. Dora loves her jackets
5	notebooks	Buy Nothing Community
1	set earbuds	Buy Nothing Community
23

OUT

6	Christmas baubles	op shop
7	handbags and purses	donation to Zonta pre-loved ashion sale
25	balls of yarn	gift
1	Tupperware jug	Buy Nothing Community
7	books	gift
10	plant pots	Buy Nothing Community
18	bags of beads and jewellery findings	Buy Nothing Community
1	gift bag	Buy Nothing Community
1	biscuit tin	op shop
2	video cases	recycling
2	bags of ribbon	op shop
2	reels of ribbon	op shop
193	singleton knitting needles	Buy Nothing Community	going to a group of urban homesteaders for a variety of uses
1	decorative wine box	op shop
1	casserole cover	op shop
1	tankini top	op shop	doesn’t fit as well as the one I bought last week
1	phone charging cable	bin	dead
2	pairs of pantyhose	Buy Nothing Community	they will be tying up tomatoes in no time
3	decorative bottle stoppers	Buy Nothing Community	because when wine is opened, wine is finished
7	serving forks and spoons	opshop	we have some lovely serving spoons in our wedding silverware, cheap acrylic begone!
3	kilt pins	Buy Nothing Community	cheap stuff that won’t be going on TOF’s kilts
1	spurtle	Buy Nothing Community	It’s a traditional porridge stirring stick.  I don’t need 2.
3	plate holders	recycling	rusty and dangerous
1	box toothpicks	op shop
1	length of fabric	op shop
1	top	donation to Zonta pre-loved ashion sale
6	paper plates	op shop
6	fulled jumpers and cardies	Paper and the Works
2	shirts	op shop
41	books	Lifeline
8	lengths of fabric	Paper and the Works
364

NETT OUT 341

total out since 27 August 2018     =   1779

The method to my madness

Seems I'm not getting comment notifications, so my apologies to Jess64 who has left a few comments.

Jess commented on how methodical I am being, so I thought I would tell you a bit about the method.

The fact that I am only committing to 1 thing per day helps when I'm low in motivation,  time or energy.  I can totally handle one thing.  There's always a little mess somewhere that needs to be tidied away.  While I'm doing it, I assess each thing - "Do I want to put it away or do I want to give it away?"  When it's a small mess then the micro-decisions that can be so exhausting don't add up as much.  Sometimes I want to put all the things away and as I do so, find other things that can go.

As an example, while I was unpacking the dishwasher I went to put these two mugs to the back of the cupboard.  While they are perfectly lovely fine china mugs, they were the ones I chose last every single time.  So instead of putting them back in an already full cup cupboard I got rid of them.

The act of decluttering also builds its own momentum.

A woman in the Buy Nothing Group I'm a member of works in a dementia ward of a nursing home and is always looking for things for her residents.  Yesterday she was coming to get a few craft items so I asked her what else she was looking for.  She left with the craft items and a couple of vases which was great and I have somewhere to creatively rehome things where they are needed, rather than burdening the waste supply.

If I looked at everything in our house as a whole, I would take myself off to bed for the duration, but when it's just a little mess to tidy and one thing to find, I can manage.

When I decided to blog this process again, I created a list of places to declutter.  Importantly, it includes areas where I can get easy wins (the boots in the Garage), and also some easy steps into harder areas (yarn, sewing stuff and Tupperware).

Boots in the garage
Picture frames in the shed
Yarn not taken in Guild destash
Tupperware in garage
Jars in garage
Habby - hemming tapes and belt kits only
CDs
DVDs
Kitchen odds and ends drawer
Crockery sets
Unused furniture

Holding myself publicly accountable is helpful.  Also, I really do need to get rid of those boots in the garage.  They came as a bulk lot I bought at auction two years.  I wanted the gorgeous shoe stretchers and got the cupboard and several pairs of boots and shoes as well.

Seven Things Week 5

The biggest week yet!  13 hours on Saturday spent mostly on the sewing room.  I wish it is obvious that 872 things have left the house and left a streamlined, tidy and functional sewing room to show for it, but I can't - nowhere near it.

I am the grateful recipient of many craft bequests.  I craft often and in public so when it comes time to disperse sewing rooms, I often get a call.  I honour these gifts and the craft of the women who collected them before me.  Often things are moved on quite quickly, but sometimes the bequest arrives when I am not able to deal with it, so it migrates to my sewing room (or garage) until I have the physical and emotional energy to deal with it.

Added to this years of second hand shopping means I have amassed a goodly stash of materials already.

I am not a fan of buying new materials.  There is so much out there already without adding to the world's waste problem.  When I do buy new it is out of necessity (elastic is not something to be op shopped, for example) but I have built myself a collection development policy of sorts for sewing materials.  It is based on knowing my own style and preferences (colours, patterns and fabric composition) and what I use most often (never turn down bias binding in any colour but rarely I buy zippers anymore).

Fortunately I am part of a large network of crafters and can find recipients for many things.  I try and match my offerings to their personal style and preferences.  And more people with interests both shared and tangential to mine keep showing up.  Most recently the local Buy Nothing group has turned up several crafters to add to the network.  And when there isn't someone in the network to pass items onto, or I have tried and failed, Paper and the Works is grateful for craft supplies; particularly when they are sorted before donation.  I try not to overwhelm my own beneficiaries and think it is unfair to burden them with extra work. 

This week will be slower - wrist sprained wrangling a heavy car hatch and bags of stuff to go into it.

IN

2	Pashminas	Buy Nothing Community	Brand new cashmere and silk pashminas in colours that match my work wardrobe.  Time for a scarf/shawl clear out to compensate
1	tankini top	opshop	I swim 3 or more days a week and tankinis are the most practical of swimsuits
10	sets metal file drawers	gift	organisational storage for the garage
1	peg board	Buy Nothing Community	organisation equipment for the sewing room
1	book	Paper and the Works	took a carload, came home with a book - perfectly reasonable exchange
1	plant pot	The Green Shed
2	shirts	gift	gift to Richard from my SIL
18

OUT

4	glass jars	Buy Nothing Community
8	glow sticks	Buy Nothing Community
4	steak knives	Buy Nothing Community
1	jewelry display torso	Buy Nothing Community
1	swimming cap	bin	it had degraded to the point of that plasticky stickiness
5	notebooks	Buy Nothing Community
1	portfolio	opshop
1	water jug	gift	We are moving soon and I need to set up two kitchens.  I love this Jensen designed water jug but have never used it at home.
3	Fitbit accessories	Buy Nothing Community	I upgraded my Fitbit earlier in the year, these are no longer required.
18	shawls, cowls and scarves	gift
1	hand cream	bin	so noisome
10	books	gift
73	sewing patterns	Paper and the Works	some when to my sewing niece, but most went to Paper and the Works
5	reusbable shopping bags	opshop
2	tins of steel dressmaking pins	Paper and the Works	I prefer the very long glass headed pins to the old fashioned type that hurt my fingers and blunt very easily
2	hanks of silk embroidery threads	Paper and the Works
1	small jar of buttons	Paper and the Works	I still don’t need to spend time counting  individual buttons
26	lengths of fabric	Paper and the Works	also gifts for friends but mostly Paper and the Works
12	jumpers and cardigans	op shop
10	calico bags	Paper and the Works
1	dvd	Paper and the Works	How to Crochet - so excess to my needs!
1	dish for entertaining	Buy Nothing Community
175	fabric bunts	Buy Nothing Community	I made Christmas bunting a couple of years ago.  I cut more bunts than was necessary.  These are going to a nursing home. There are at least 175 of them here but I measured and estimated so am rounding down.
2	baskets	Buy Nothing Community
4	belt buckles	Paper and the Works
90	skeins of tapestry wool	Paper and the Works	I’m just guessing - well more probably as it was a large grocery bag full.
307	suffolk puffs	Paper and the Works	I counted
31	lengths of trim	gift
43	lengths of ribbon and lace	Buy Nothing Community
1	length of elastic	gift
2	spools of thread	gift
4	pairs of knitting needles	Paper and the Works
9	beanies	Buy Nothing Community
1	reel of wire	Facebook Craft destash group
5	earring backs	Paper and the Works
2	reels jewellery wire	Buy Nothing Community
2	decorative earring bits	Buy Nothing Community
3	organza gift bags	Buy Nothing Community
1	knitting bag	Paper and the Works
872

IN 18

OUT 872

NETT OUT 854