The Compact Challenge 2010 (formally "Need help for a challenge")

415SanFran

Ow no, they have always had little "nick nacks" in as well as the sweets and the confetti. Or in my case colored envelopes that have been through the shredder.
A girls will have say a few hair pieces and perhaps a few bead bracelets, nothing expensive.

Although I have seen adult ones that must have cost a lot of money, with good quality chocolates, mini alcoholic drinks, and a surprise engagement ring.
Like most things they can be as cheap or expensive as you want to make them.

They are a lot of fun for all age groups, but little boys especially love to bash things, so it just seemed fitting for him.

pink_numbers

Busy busy busy!

Yesterday, I battled with my sewing machine (sewing is not my best skill), and using the pastel stripy sheet I bought for £1 at the car boot sale, I made two speaker covers to hide my OH's speakers. The speakers stand out like a sore thumb, them being black and rest of the room being nice pastel colours. I'm not ecstatic about the turn out of the covers, but they will do the job... and for 70p

This morning, I made some hedgehog/kitten bags (basically fleece hats) out of fleece remnants that I had left over from when I lined our curtains with fleece. I was quite surprised that I managed to get 9 bags out of the fleece, and they only took me about an hour to make. I just really hope that the hedgehogs and kittens aren't very picky about how well they are made...

I am going to challenge myself to not spend a penny next week. This is partly due to the fact that I spent this morning doing all my spreadsheet and I don't want to be messing around with them again!

SanFran - Are you making a girly one or a boyish one? What kind of theme are you going for?

Aril

Hello everyone:D
Hope everyone's getting on well. Other than the Wii I haven't blotted my copybook too badly.
With regards to packing materials- I would also suggest freecycle. My company freecycle all our jiffy bags to a chap who does a lot of ebaying. My other small thought was that some of the big window envelopes you get through the post might be suitable for lighter items and perhaps you could wrap items in plastic coverings that come in the post but use labels for the address and stick a stamp on a label in the top RH corner.
Arilx

pink_numbers

Aril, glad to hear that you are doing so well. That's brilliant idea about the plastic covering. I keep them as they make good poop bags for fishing them out of the cats' litter trays, but I do get too many bags. Thank you

I have to say, I'm a bit funny about freecycle. I tried giving once, and I was buried under by sob stories, and some of them you know were making it up. I just don't want to deal with emotional blackmail! So I give things to friends, families or take them to the charity shop now. As for receiving, I am not keen on as my aspergers makes me useless with strangers. I think I would be happier to find solutions to things with what I already have (like the plastic postal bags).

In fact, I think it would be more of a challenge to make through this year of compacting, without relying on ebay or freecycle. I've now added this condition to my own compact & updated my blog goals too. It kinda fits in better with my ethos, although I'm still trying to figure out what my ethos are!! (For now, it's really an excuse not to use freecyle or ebay!)

pink_numbers

I am feeling a bit lost as to what to do today... Have done my quota on my thesis, rippled two rows on my throw. I have many things I could be doing, but not sure what to make a start on!

415SanFran

HI,
Did the fleece on the back of the curtains work?
I was going to do this and bought some lovely fleece off Ebay, when I got it, it was so nice that I thought it was too good to get hidden away behind the curtains, so it is still in my box awaiting to become something more usefull! (buying nice snoopy material might not have been a good idea)

Are you sure about the not spending anything! Not even a bottle of milk? I knwo what you mean about spending time on the spreadsheet though, I was really good at first, every night I would spend just a little time on it, then I got ill for those few days and it all went to pot, spent an absolute age on it on Friday after putting it off for a few days after I got better.

pink_numbers

GAH I just lost my post!

Basically, I said that fleece makes a HUGE difference, and that you should attach your fleece to your curtains with lots of quilting safety pin (any old safety pin will do though). Or you can just bast stitch them on roughly. Since the fleece goes onto the lining of the curtains, you can't tell how it's attached anyway. Plus this means you only need one set of curtains, rather than having to have a summer set and a winter set.

We have 3 unopened bottles of UHT milk, and we only use about 2 a week. Doing the spreadsheet must take you twice as long because you have to put the full price and the woopsie price. ohhh the pains of being the Woopsie Queen! lol

pink_numbers

I am in decluttering mode today!

Have sorted a huge cardboard box + big bag of stuff to take to charity shop, and have piles for stuff that I think would be more loved at other people's houses

I've also found a fabric (well, a single duvet cover) that I squirrelled away ages ago that may just be right for covering up my shelves above my desk

(you know all these effort is just to try and ignore the fact that I can't go spend any money this week...)

415SanFran

Ha, Great minds think alike apparently.

I have de-cluttered this house to with-in an inch of it life. Well under the stairs at least, silly stuff that I was keeping for no apparent reason.
The bottom of the stairs was a positive health hazard with old DVDs and radom stuff that was dumped full of good intentions that I would move them when I next passed, was just not happening, so I took the bull by the horns, I did little blocks of time say about half hour long and got a lot of stuff sorted out, as well as noticing that I have a few appointment for next month that I had forgotten all about, and one in 2 days time!! I would have missed that I not been so good today.

pink_numbers

OMG I just got a letter from DVLA saying that they are revoking my driving license because I'm bipolar and I refuse to take meds for it.

I have NEVER been a dangerous driver because of my bipolar! Yes, I spend stupid amounts of money of stuff when I'm high, yes I stay up all night, and get very depressed, but I NEVER drive when I am likely to be of any danger to anyone. I don't think I've ever been a dangerous driver anyway! I may harm myself in other ways, but NEVER others.

It was bad enough not being able to drive while they took months to make a decision, now I don't know what to do