Dump it, sell it, or give it away.

Dump it, sell it, or give it away.

decluttering

Hello. I have stuff that I don't need, stuff that I don't want, I am sorting it into piles, at some point it will leave my house to go onward to the next place. Some of it will go to charity shops, some will be sold on the cat rescue stall, some I will put out on the front with a label on saying free please take, and some will be made into something new and given away. I have stuff scattered on the floor, I have too much.

If you are suffering from an overload of stuff take a look at this video. You may be inspired to take a fresh look at your stuff and decide if you really need to keep it.



On the other hand, you may wish to keep your stuff because you may be able to sell it, car boot sale, ebay or whatever. Thanks to Anon for pointing me in the direction of this web site, Things I find in the Garbage. The writer lives in Montreal, and scavenges through people's rubbish to find things of value that they can sell. There is also a Facebook page.

I'll leave you to sort out your own stuff, I am bagging some of mine up and it will go to the charity shop this afternoon. I have some stored in boxes to sell in June at the Village Fair, and I will keep some things for my arts and crafts.

Have a nice weekend. Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Happy with my bills

Happy with my bills

cats cooking decluttering food money saving

Hello me hearties. I haven't got any fresh veg left because I want to eat out of the cupboard and freezer for a few more days. I have plenty in the freezer to keep me going, seems daft to leave it in there forever and a day, it's got to be eaten sometime, might as well be now. 

Frozen chips indeed. Yes I bought a bag of these as something different, can't remember when I last bought them, that long ago I have forgotten. Yes, a bag of potatoes would have been cheaper, but I don't make real chips in a pan at home, I don't have a chip pan, and I'm certainly not doing them in a frying pan on the hob with all that oil spitting all over the place. These oven chips are cooked under the grill, turn once. Half a tin of spag hoops, and two scrambled eggs, my dinner tonight. I just fancied this and it was very nice. 

I am sorting out my spare room, aka the fabric store, plus all manner of stuff I collect because it might come in useful. It's going really well. The ladies at crafty club took some of my excess off me this morning, things I knew I was unlikely to get round to using. I've found some bits for the charity shop as well.

Three bills dropped through my door last week which will be paid tomorrow. I'm not too bothered by regular bills because I know more or less how much money they want from me. I email my gas and electricity readings in monthly, and they use these to calculate an amount. I last emailed on 25th September and the bills were dated 5th October, so there is a bit of a gap there. I see they have estimated what I have used during that gap, and they are pretty close so I am happy to pay them.

I get both gas and electricity from SSE, they are the suppliers, but my account is with Ebico, a not for profit organisation. I have no penalties for paying quarterly, and I have no standing charges. Everyone pays the same price per kwh. So, my gas bill is for £4.04, and my electricity bill is for £36.75. My electricity bill is always more than gas, probably because I have this computer on a lot. It rises slightly in the winter due to lights going on earlier.

My gas bill is obviously low in the summer months because I don't have any heating on. It will go up a bit in the winter. I think it is so low because I have been having a lot of meals which require little or no cooking. A lot of salads, and one pan meals, the shorter the cooking time the cheaper the meals are. Even a pan of veg stew made with fresh veg only takes about ten minutes on the hob, and if I use a big pan to make four portions, three of those will get heated in the microwave.

I only heat a tank of water if I am going to have a bath, why do I need to have a tank permanently full of hot water? I can boil a kettle to wash a few pots in the sink or wash my hair.

The other bill I have received is for £28.10 payable to Severn Trent Water. This covers the period from April to October, and is for surface water drainage. I will get another bill shortly from Anglia Water, it will be around £37, that's for clean water into the house, and a small amount of that will be sent on to Severn Trent for removal of dirty water through the sewers. Being on a water meter works best for me because I am in control of how much I use.

All cats are in for the night, they don't seem to want to go out much these days. Mayze spends a lot of time on my bed, she loves snuggling under the top cover, I often find a bump in the bed when I get in. Heidi is due for a vet visit later this week, we are getting to the end of her tablets. Best let the vet check her over and get some more. Bugsy is still camped out on the living room table right next to me. Boy does he yowl when I don't serve up the right food. Today they got a treat, I buy bags of cheap frozen white fish and microwave it for them. They love it.

Right, I'm off now. It's not yet 7pm and dark already. I still have to go and do my walk. I could have a day or two off but I don't want to drop behind. The extra I did last week has boosted my total, I will finish October over the target. Hope you are all keeping it up, no slacking now the weather is getting cooler. A good fast walk will keep you warm.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

Breath in

Breath in

confused decluttering friends

Hello. I've got the sloppy habit of draping my trousers over the banister, because I can't be bothered to put them in the wardrobe and keep taking them out. I wear trousers all the time, alternating between four or five different pairs, so to have them handy makes dressing and undressing a lot quicker and easier. 

Some of them I haven't worn for ages, so I thought I had better try them on and see if they still fit. I think I have gained an inch or two around the middle, so best to check. 

Oh heck. These are my last pair of black denim jeans, it must be over five years since I last wore them. At one time I was always in denim and I preferred black rather than blue. They are a size 12 and the label inside says waist 26 inches, hips 37 inches. Looks like my bottom is not a size 12 any more. Nope, it isn't, the tape measure says I am 29 waist and 39 hip, so that's more like a 14. 

Maybe if I just breathed in I could perhaps manage to fasten them up. Yep, can do that. However, I can imagine that spending any length of time with my insides squashed up like a vacuum packed trussed up chicken would result in horrendous abdominal pain as my wind struggled to find the way out. I also doubt very much that I could sit down. Nothing for it, these will have to go to the charity shop. 

I don't think I need to be too worried about an extra inch or two, these are a perfect fit and so comfortable. They are lightweight and lined, with elastic around the back and a drawstring at the front, and supposedly a size 10. Very strange. It pays to try on clothes before you buy, not all labels tell the truth.

I had visitors this morning. Brenda and her family called in on their way to a caravan and camping rally at  Sandringham. The car was loaded up with three bicycles, they are hoping to get some rides in while they are there. I hope the rain stops for them and it brightens up a bit. Brenda very kindly gave me a bag of fabric which she doesn't need. I'm having fun sorting through it and adding it to my piles in the stock room. I'll take some to crafty club next week to see if the ladies can find a use for it.

I forgot to take a photo while they were here, but Brenda has one so I'm sure it will appear on her blog when she gets a minute to write up her trip report. Her link is on the sidebar, but here it is if you want to look out for the picture.

Thanks for popping in, we'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip

I can't possibly throw her out.

I can't possibly throw her out.

decluttering

Hello. I need to do more decluttering, I have too much stuff. I keep revisiting cupboards and drawers, going through things over and over again. Do I really need this or can it go. Maybe I should keep it, it might come in handy. I have had this a long time, and can't let it go, always excuses as to why I should keep things. I have too many pairs of socks, why do I keep the holey ones? Some of my sweatshirts are faded, stained, and worn out, maybe they will be useful for wearing around the house. 

Sometimes I am in a brutal mood and put things in bags and take them to the Age UK shop, but no matter how many times I do this, I still have far too much. Things find their way into my house when I am not looking. I need to balance it out and take more stuff to the charity shop. 

But what to take? I've found a few things here that I have had for many a year, they have moved house with me several times, I can't leave them behind, or give them away. 

My first and only baby dolly,  it must be about 60 years old. It still has the same romper suit on, and it has a lazy eye. I called it Amanda after my German Grandmother. Poor dolly is losing it's stuffing, the rubber arms and legs have perished and it's falling apart. I can't possibly throw her out. 

My jewelry box from when I was about 13. It's got a red silk lining with a tray dividing the top and bottom. I never had any proper jewels to put in it, just a few chains and beads. This has to stay.

My mum's musical jewelry box, she had it for as long as I can remember. I love to lift the lid and listen to The Blue Danube. Mine to keep forever.

Mum's transistor radio. I always used to nick this and take it to bed with me and listen under the covers. She used to put it in her handbag and take it with her when she went out anywhere. She was a big fan of Derby County Football Club and always listened to the match on it. I have to keep this.

These books belonged to my dad, he had a big collection of film books which he kept in a cupboard in the living room. we weren't allowed to read them, but often sneaked them out when he wasn't looking. I got into trouble once because I scribbled in one with a pencil. After he died we had to sort his few belongings out and his book pile was thrown away. I kept these. What a shame that I didn't keep them all, they would have been collectors pieces now. I might as well keep these, they are not taking up much space. 

Oh well, back to the drawing board, these things stay, but surely there must be more stuff lurking in my house that I can move on. I'll have a check round.

Do you find it easy to declutter, or do you hang onto stuff? How do you decide what you actually need to keep, or what you can manage without?

I haven't done much in the garden today. Crafty Club this morning, and I took Rocky for a check up at the vet this afternoon, and to get some more medication as we are just coming to the end of the bottle.

I was tired last night after all that brick humping so I didn't do a walk. I must go and do it now. Thanks for popping in. We'll catch up soon.
Toodle pip