Friday, January 27, 2012

Packing an Overnight Bag

Recently, I stayed one night at a hotel (kids-free!!!), and again, another night away for a friend's wedding.

Both trips, only one night.

Packing the overnight bag was a breeze because....(here's the trick), I only took 2 outfits! I know this is absurd for some, some even may consider the practice "unhygienic" (what, you wear something twice without washing?? YES).

Do you know how light my bag was? On the way home, I could even squeeze in my husband's work jacket as there was plenty of room.

2 outfits
1 pair of shoes
2 undies
1 pjs
toiletries
book

I dream of travelling with just two outfits.
One day...

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Garage Sale

I don't have enough stuff to sell to organise my own garage sale, but when a friend was having one, I scrummaged around to find some stuff to sell.

I fell into the trap of "What can I get for this?" rather than "How can I price this so it goes out the door?"

I sold one item, a little glass candle holder, quite heavy, and pretty, and expensive glass, but rightly priced at $2.

The other items, I may have over-priced.

A woollen Portmans top $5
A big cane basket $5
A ceramic oven dish $4
A pair of jeans $5
A big cane basket $8
A jacket $5
A stripey collared shirt $5

I should have made everything $2! Then I would have made $20 :)
My friend made $70.

Learn from her next time.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Wardrobe Basics 101

You google "Basic Minimalist Wardrobe" and you get lists of 30 plus! That ain't Minimalist or basic! Here's my top 10.

Top 10:

1. A perfect pair of jeans
2. Black pants - stretchy, slimming
3. The LBD
4. Plain Cotton Tee (in a block colour: e.g. black, white, navy)
5. Dark cardigan
6. Cocktail dress
7. A well-fitted jacket (leather, bomber or denim)
8. A-line black skirt
9. Black & White striped top
10. Black leggings

These are the "building blocks" of my wardrobe. With a nice scarf, belt and shoes, this basic 10 set can go far!


Not much to steal

There is a very funny article on Miss Minimalist about being broken into and the police coming and seeing the house, saying, "Wow, they really cleaned you out!" When in fact, they just took some jewellery and a bit of cash out of desperation - there was nothing to steal.

This is what her living room consisted of: one couch, fairy lights and a lamp.

Hilarious!

Read her article here: Nothing To Steal.

There's not much to steal here either at my place. If we got broken into, what would they take?

1. The laptop: but it's old...

2. The camera: again, old...

3. My reindeer hide: expensive but quite 'unusual'. I'm not sure if the thief would like it. Not to everybody's taste.

I really can't think of anything else that's worth stealing!! No cash, no jewellery, no smokes...maybe some canned goods (tuna, lychees, tomatoes) if they were very desperate and hungry.

*My beloved can of lychees - in Maoist style can design. I love it!

Minimalist's Shoes: an Update

Last time I wrote, I had 16 pairs. I'm now happy to report that I own 11.

Yeah, baby!!!

1. Uggs - still 2.
2. Flat shoes - still 1.
3. Heels - now 1. Donated 1. Woo!
4. Sneakers - now 1. Donated 3.
5. Ankle boots - now 0. Donated.
6. Thongs - still 1.
7. Birkenstock - still 1.
8. Sandals - still 1.
9. Hockey Shoes - still 1.
10. Boots - still 2.

Going to get down to 6.

I think uggies, hockey shoes and boots are going. When they are worn out that is...

5 Questions: Deciding to Keep or Purge

From Apartment Therapy.

On the spectrum of keeper or purger I fall clearly in the camp of purger. There are, of course, a few exceptions to this rule. Here are five questions I ask myself to decide what to keep or purge during each clean out.

We purge our home of clutter quarterly because even though we are mindful about what we bring into the apartment, stuff piles up over time.

Here are five questions I ask myself to help decide what to keep and what to purge.

When was the last time I actually used it?

If the answer is more than five months, it probably needs to leave the house. Even though I love having a clutter free space, I can be very sentimental about some items. I use this rule to force myself to part with things in order to see if I can really let them go. I am ruthless about obeying the five month rule when I am sorting. Everything unused gets put in the purge pile. Period. The trick to making this work is to use the 8:00 a.m. rule. I never actually get rid of the purge pile on the day it is made. I'll always sleep on it to see if I really want to get rid of an unused item or put it to good use. (See number 4 for an example.)

Does it serve more than one purpose?

I really like living in a clutter free environment. In order to do that, we tend to have things that serve multiple purposes. For example, we don't have a tea pot because it is just as easy to heat water in a pan. If something passes the five month test but it is taking up space and doesn't serve more than one purpose I consider getting rid of it.

Do I like it?

This seems like an obvious rule, but it is critical. There is no point of keeping something around if it is not liked.

When will I get around to finishing this?

I like projects but I don't always finish them quickly. This is one of the reasons a quarterly purge is necessary in our household. Inevitably, every time we purge, there is a half finished project that has been collecting dust for a month. If I decide that I don't like the project enough to finish it within a few weeks of the purge, then it has to go. This decision serves a double purpose because it either removes the clutter from our home or it motivates me to finish things that didn't have a deadline.

How much is it worth to me today?

I have made the mistake of holding onto too many things because the memory of what I paid for them kept me from letting them go. If the item doesn't have a high value in my life right now then it isn't worth holding onto, regardless of how high the purchase price was.
How do you decide what to purge or to keep during a clean out?

Letting go of my favourite heels

It's time to let go of my beautiful Bally high heels. I have had them for 13 years, and it's time to let them go.

It's a bit sad letting these go...they were very very expensive! (Thanks Dad). And they are quality shoes. Italian. Leather. Nice.

But I need to let them go because:

1. I haven't worn them in five years. Since kids.

2. They are work shoes. I am not "working" (in a paid sort of way). I'm working at home, which means I don't need to wear high heels and nice grey wool tailored pants.

3. They are high heels. After three pregnancies, I have stopped wearing heels. I am not Victoria Beckham!

4. They need fixing. The inner sole needs gluing. When am I ever going to get around to doing that?!

So with the above four reasons...I am letting them go. Releasing them into the universe for some more wear before they head to the tip. I wonder if anyone of my friends would like them, before I donate to Vinnies.

Any takers?

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!!!

I didn't get round to writing in December, with three birthdays (Bad Planning) and Christmas. Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with your loved ones.

Now that the excitement of Birthday and Christmas is over for both kids...it's time to get SORTED!

They received 22 new toys over the festive season. Yes, both my children AND Husband have their birthdays in December. So as you can imagine...the amount of gifts we receive is...well, overwhelming to say the least!!!

But my extended family have been very thoughtful and kind. Instead of loading them up with excessive amounts of plastic toys, they have given little things like:

1. Japanese doll case with hair clips, elastics etc
2. A small white handbag
3. A snorkel
4. A book

Simple, small gifts.

Thank you!

Now to donating/purging old toys...