Thistle's Mission

Thistle-down

My life has been in a huge mess for years - finances, house, health, priorities... I seem to have no self discipline and it is time to change. I am starting this diary to keep myself accountable and hopefully gain some tips and support along the way. I'd like to look back in 12 months and be happy with how far I've come.

We are in the process of applying for DROs after years of only being able to pay the minimum on our debts. In the last 18 months, we closed a dying business and moved to a new town where Mr Thistle has only found part-time work. I am not completely unable to work, though I do have health issues and some bad days where I can't do a lot. At the moment I do music when I can and sell our excess stuff on ebay, though once I'm feeling stronger I am planning on looking for part time work.

We moved into the cheapest house we could find, it's extremely small and has no storage. We have too much stuff and there are piles of boxes, etc. everywhere. Once I get control of the clutter, it will be a lovely. We are hoping to be here for at least five years. I would like to save up for a second hand pine Welsh dresser to put in the dining room, I have dreamed of having one for decades and the extra storage would come in very handy.

My weight has started to affect my health and I am tired of always being tired and in pain. At the moment I want to lose 7 stone and get back into good shape. We all need to eat more healthily and I need to start cooking properly again.

Once the DRO is in place, it will take a long time before our credit score is in any kind of shape to buy our own house. We have very little discretionary money at the moment but if I can put aside the odd pound here and there, in 6 years or so we might have enough for a deposit to buy a tiny house of our own.

I need to get organised generally, I have a hard time finding things because there is no system in place. It all gets lost in the mess. I have no routine for anything, and I think this is a big part of the problem.

So, my current goals are:

• Declutter the entire house
• Lose 7 stone
• Save for a Welsh Dresser and then:
• Save for a house deposit
• Get Organised
• Stick to a routine

I know trying to change everything at once can be a recipe for disaster, so I am going to take things slow and work a little on each area every day, though I could do with some advice on where to start...

In the past I have turned a blind eye to the entire mess and focused on just getting through the day, it was too overwhelming to look at the big picture. After reading other diaries I have realised that I am not powerless and it's down to me to get my life back under control. Sorting out the finances was a big first step, now I just need to get going with the rest.

Lauralozzle

Good luck - you're not alone wanting a Welsh dresser. I've wanted one for years - they're so pretty and practical!!! Here to subscribe

Thistle-down

Lauralozzle wrote: »

Good luck - you're not alone wanting a Welsh dresser. I've wanted one for years - they're so pretty and practical!!! Here to subscribe

Thank you! I am hoping to get one for under £100-150, it's not hugely expensive but I thought having a goal posted (and then reaching it) would be a moral boost. I have £10 saved for it so far, and am hoping to add at least a few pounds each week to the pot.

I would love to have it in place for Xmas but not sure if it's realistic. I do still have a fair amount of clutter to list on ebay, and I can put some of that money towards the dresser. It's a good motivator to get the clutter sold and out of the house!

DD265

If you can think of the clutter as a money-making opportunity, suddenly the prospect of clearing it becomes a little more exciting.

Our flat is relatively clutter free apart from the spare bedroom which is an absolute tip. I just go in when I feel like it and do 15 mins with a timer - only to realise that I don't want to stop mid flow so I do a bit more. In fact, a couple of months ago I could even see the sofa bed. The fact that I can't any more is neither here nor there.

Good luck!

Thistle-down

Just back from the dentist who was pleased with my teeth, only need a routine checkup in 6 months. Today won't be a NSD but will be low - my daughter wants me to walk to Sainsberrys with her, I'll only buy a few loose veg and tortillas for dinner. I'll do a proper shop at Ald*s on Thursday, but pop into Tesc*s to check out their reductions first.

Once we get back from Sains, I'll spend an hour sorting clutter in the dining room, have lunch, take Thistlepup for his daily walk, tidy the living room and then spend an hour and a half rehearsing and working on a new song. Sort dinner, take a shower, and get ready to go the acoustic cafe. Will make a point of touting for gigs tonight. Thankfully it's an early start so I should be home before 9:30pm.

A big part of my disorganisedness is spending too much time on the computer - fb, looking at houses I'd like to live in, etc. It's easier to get lost in a fantasy world than sort out the one I actually live in. I am going to stay off the entertainment side of the computer during big chunks of the day - not quite worked this one out yet, but I definitely need to be more 'present' in my life.

Thistle-down

Didn't manage quite an hour of sorting but made a good start. I took photos of the mess so I can look back and see my progress. It's such a big job, it'll probably take a good few days before anyone notices any difference.

My mother bought me an iPad mini last month, I've never used one before and am still getting used to it. I thought I'd try out the eBay app as listing from my laptop seems to take forever. I tend to put off listing things until I have a big pile and then it takes hours to get it all done. The iPad mini seems much easier, especially with being able to take photos with it instead of a camera. I am so clueless that I didn't save a huge amount of time, but I can see how it will be much quicker once I am more familiar with it. I'm aiming to list things as I come across them and get them out of the house sooner.

Cup of coffee and then rehearsing. So far so good. I have always been one who jumps into something wholeheartedly and quits when I can't see instant results. It has to be different this time, hopefully this diary will help but if anyone has any suggestions to help keep myself motivated and on track, I would be grateful!

Thistle-down

Today will be another hour (or as much as I can do) of sorting, listing, taking things to the handy charity box across the street, walking Thistlepup, and rehearsing/writing. Thankfully I am staying home tonight. I was up at 5:30am and have already done the shop and sorted laundry. Ahh the joys of jetlag! At least I was sound asleep last night pretty early.

I've been in Canada for the last month, my lovely mother paid for my ticket to come and help her sort her house out. It's like something from those drowning in clutter TV shows, 60 years of shopping and storing and hoarding. She lived in dire poverty on the plains of Alberta when she was young, rarely having enough to eat or clothes to keep her warm. Once she started making money, she started to buy things and store them, I guess it was her way of making sure she would never be in that situation again.

It was heartbreaking to think of how much money my mother has wasted, but then again I am not really in a position to point the finger. I just wish she had spent it on things that would have been a real treat for her, or made her life easier. I threw out food that was decades old and took box after box of perfectly good unused clothes and goods to the charity shop (and saw very little improvement). It's made me determined that our house will not be the same.

On my walk yesterday, I found a plum tree on common land that only has fruit left higher than I can reach. I came home and looked on the internet and will be making one of these to take on our walk today, I'm hoping to pick enough plums for a crumble. If we have a decent filling dessert, I can cut back on the portion sizes of our dinner. I'm cutting back on my own portions anyway, but this will help stretch our very tight food bill and still keep the family satisfied.

My life is so exciting!

[Deleted User]

Hey Thistle,

You have had such a lot to deal with, you are already sounding very determined & I definitely think that having a diary on here will help you so much.

This site is such a life-saver for the majority of us on it, I really don't know what I would do without it!

There are some amazing people on here who will be able to give you some good pointers & advice along the way.

I am trying to become debt free, lose 6 stone, save up a deposit & buy a house so we are in the same boat.

We will also be looking to buy in around 4-5 years so I am here for the long haul.

I think you are right that it is good to try to tackle small bits at a time.

Anyway good luck!

Dxxx

trixiepix

Hi Thistle,


Wishing you well - Baby steps turn into huge leaps, so pace yourself and as the months go by you'll be surprised at just how small changes make a huge difference.


I've always been a tad guilty of being a 'gatherer of lovely things' ☺
Although I do continually ebay the things we no longer need or DD's have grown out of and over the last 10 years have sold nearly £11,000 worth of stuff on Ebay (you'll find you're running total on the sellers page) - considering it's often only items for a few pounds it just proves how it all mounts up!! (I so wish I'd saved it all as I'd now have my house deposit, lol!!)


Good Luck

Thistle-down

Thank you Dolly Rocker, we do seem to have similar goals! It's daunting to think of how far there is to go, but the feeling of accomplishment will be amazing. I have a problem of wanting instant results so really want to focus on working every day to reach longer term goals.

Trixiepix, I used to be a terrible lovely thing gatherer too. The one habit my mother passed on was to buy quality things that will last, and then look after them. I think the idea was to buy only a few quality things, but both of us took it too far. Guitars were my biggest and most expensive habit. I have sold most of them with the rest of the more valuable stuff on ebay already, and am now starting on the smaller, under £20 stuff. It's more work for less return so I have been putting it off. It's sat around cluttering up the place for too long.

I am planning on saving 20% of what I make on ebay after fees, the other 80% will go into the joint account for household bills, food, etc. I'm not sure if I should save the entire 20% for the welsh dresser first or split the savings between the dresser fund and the house deposit.

I managed to get enough plums for a crumble. My homemade fruit picker didn't work very well, but it was better than nothing. Unfortunately I had the bright idea of wearing flip flops on my walk as it's such a hot sunny day, forgetting that the plum tree was surrounded by nettles. My toes are still tingling!

[Deleted User]

Oh ouch! Glad you got enough fruit for your crumble.

Dxxx