Simplifying Life - Mark II

Justamum

mary43 wrote: »

Another thing I might do that will help me and 0H is to use an address book and note down in it where stuff is kept...........my tip for you ladybird:

Household bills write down in the H section where they are(which cupboard/file)
First Aid kit - write under F - which cupboard/drawer its in

It's me who deals with all that stuff and if I were away for any reason 0H would have no idea where things were. (all other ideas welcome)

What a good idea!!!:T:T It's off to the stationery shop tomorrow for me I need to buy a new index book. I don't use address books, all my addresses are in an A5 indexed book - I always find dedicated address books don't have much space to actually put anything.

I've also bought myself an A5 diary with a page a day so I can list what I have to do each day, and I'm finding that helps. I'm actually getting jobs done (OK I know it's only day 2, but still ).

ceridwen

I dont use an address book myself - my addresses are kept on small index cards in one of those little boxes. Then when someone's address changes - I can just cross it through and write the new one on the back. A further change and I just throw out the card and make out a new one.

I used to have an address book years ago - but it just got so messy and I ran out of room in some parts and had lots of "dead" addresses in it to wade through. This index box system works much better - and when it comes to Christmas I just haul out the cards I am sending Christmas cards to and put them back in as they are done.

mary43

I've got one that has virtually everything in it from friends/family to the plumber etc. -another is in the kitchen near the phone with just general numbers that are used by the kids as well as us.
Mum won a Birthday book in a raffle the other year at the care home and gave it to me insisting I use it...........she would never have known if I hadn't but I do anyway..........handy for addresses of people who's birthdays I just might forget and for christmas card lists/presents given so I don't give the same again. Must admit to have a weakness for notebooks/address books...........lol

Intended going out this morning to get the plate hangers for my soon to be 'hanging books' but it was so cold, the pavements were slippy so I stayed indoors instead and cut up my christmas cards to recycle next year..........another small job done. Meant to attack the kneehole of computer desk but I'm finding it a bit daunting............:eek: Heaven knows what I've stuffed under there.............I know there are four wicker baskets stacked up and then there's stuff wedged down the side that's probably not needed at all..................maybe when OH comes back from his saturday pint or several I'll give it a go.

Charis

mary43 wrote: »

Meant to attack the kneehole of computer desk but I'm finding it a bit daunting............:eek: Heaven knows what I've stuffed under there.............I know there are four wicker baskets stacked up and then there's stuff wedged down the side that's probably not needed at all..................maybe when OH comes back from his saturday pint or several I'll give it a go.

Lol Mary, either I have deja vu or I think you have a 'hot spot' (as fly lady would say) under your desk? http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=9985101&highlight=kneehole#post9985101

mary43

Charis - lol............:rotfl: very much a 'hot spot' I'm afraid - it's oh so easy to slide something on top of the baskets or down the side. Still, at least I got rid of the electric typewriter to a good home last year............course that left a gap just waiting to be filled................lol
OH is going to give a hand tomorrow (he says!) but bet I end up doing it myself. And whats the betting one of the baskets is empty and somewhere I could have used as good storage...................lol

mary43

Update - have now cleared out kneehole of desk.:T
............four wicker baskets now labelled with whats in them -all stuff I really do need to keep and hessian bag at the side of them with magazines I need for reference.
Dilemma though - I've a shoe box full of half done air fix cars.......they were first OH who died and I've hung on to them, but only for that reason. They're now sat on the kitchen table..........First OH didn't have a lot of 'stuff' (unlike me) so apart from photos and a bedside cupboard he made at school, plus the plant stand he made for Mum and Dad that I've now got and repainted.
Do I hang on to these air fix things ? How bad will I feel if I get rid of them ?

Greenshieldstamp_2

Hi Mary43

Well done on clearing out the desk. Just a thought on the airfix models. Would it be possible for you to finish and keep one of them in your First OH's memory? Or even just keep one of your favourite 1/2 done ones, and then pass on the rest to a young person who would really appreciate them and have the benefit from making them up.

Hope your mum is OK,
Best wishes
greenshield

mary43

Greenshield - OH wants to have a look at them later on -maybe he can complete one and I could live with that (to be honest I'm not a great airfix fan) The boys we've got at the minute aren't into that sort of thing either so it would be freecycle or charity shop -at least they'd go where they were appreciated.
It does seem silly to hang on to them and just end up moving them from one place to another and part of me says I'm just keeping them for the sake of it, if you know what I mean. I've got his Readers Digest DIY book and set of three gardening books.........them I will keep.
I'll see what OH says but it's a bit like keeping several jigsaws with the pieces missing.
As for Mum, well she's soldiering on. Brother is going back to Spain tomorrow as he planned - he'd said he's stay on if she didn't improve.
I'll go down when I can but at the minute OH is still suffering with this flu type cold that seems to be everywhere and certainly wouldn't want to drive, plus his leg is still painful (though not as much) and a long drive might set him back a bit.
So its that 'wait and see' game again

pagangirl

Hi folks - full of cold, very stuffy nose, head is bursting, apart from that I'm ok. Didn't do much yesterday except shredding (2 bags went in bin today). Felt better this morning so have sorted all cosmetics/smellies/bath stuff etc. don't think I need to buy any more for a couple of years! (cold is back with a vengeance now - seems to get worse as the day goes on - logic somewhere but it escapes me right now)

Think Greenshieldstamp has the right idea Mary - to keep one of the cars that was his favourite maybe and recycle the others - depends on how you would feel not keeping them. Were they really important to him? Congratulations on the 'under the desk' sort - doesn't it make you feel better?

Like the sound of the indexed address cards Ceridwen - I use small old 6 ring organiser with address pages you can buy, and add more/take out as needed. Find they give me more space than proper address book.

Back to work tomorrow - woohoo! Shouldn't complain with all these people having lost their jobs, but would love to take early retirement/just go part-time but can't afford to. Had pension date worked out for me - will get full pension when I'm 63 1/2 :eek: No way I'm working til then - life's out there - want to finish now and be able to do something with it !!! Like Ceridwen - I'm saving like mad so can at least finish when I turn 60. (winge over)

mary43

pagangirl - sorry you're not feeling so good. Take it easy and rest - thats what OH is doing -he's been coughing and sneezing for Britain !

Felt so much better after I'd done one desk........I set to and did the underneath of the other one. Thought it wouldn't take long but it did......I kept finding little things I'd bought for my friend to put in with her christmas stuff ..............oh well, she'll get them for her birthday now. I've put them upstairs with all the other hoard of pressies. Cleared out my stationary drawer so now, when I want to write a letter (one of those things I've said I will do every week) I can find the assortment of notelets I've got a lot easier. Even found some postcards I didn't know (or had forgot) I had.......now they're in the drawer they just might get used.
Floor is total mess of carrier bags destined for charity shop or recycle bin -3 of each ............or is it 4 ?? But that will all change once they're gone and I can see the floor again.
As for the airfix.............well we had them all out on the table............couldn't work out whether there was one more complete than the other, which wheel went with which one............all very mind boggling so OH said to put them back in the box and upstairs with Dads stuff so at least they're not taking up valuable storage space. So, thats that solved.........well for now anyway. Don't think first OH had a favourite and both me and OH felt it was 'all or nothing'..............maybe the time just isn't right for me to get rid of them just yet.

Am getting rid of shelves in the lounge tomorrw - they're fairly small and to be honest the stuff on them just gets dustier by the second, isn't precious to me and if I find anything on them I really don't want to part with there's always a bit of space on the kitchen dresser. I've a picture thats been propping up the bed settee for a while now and where the shelves are would be the perfect place. Maybe do that tomorrw when the decs. come down.

Take care