A Simpler Life 2018

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

How is the work going squirrelgirl? My simple life is currently very simple - I am being quite lazy - a bit of housework & cooking, watching TV & reading but still have a cluttered house

Hey ho, I’m sure I will get back into the swing of things soon :rotfl:

MrsSD

[Deleted User]

Getting there thanks MrsSD!

DVD's all gone now other than the ones we are keeping, dil has been busy transferring the cds to my mp3 player (we have a LOT of those so its a monumental task!!), half of the house has been rewired (sparky back this week hopefully) the windows and door are in (problems with those so not completed yet:mad:) and the plasterer starts the first week in December :j

Living in a dust cloud at the moment but hopefully by the end of the year we will be able to start the decorating and then do the wardrobes and carpeting in January internal doors and all the woodwork in February along with the curtains then March will hopefully be the beds and breathe!!!:rotfl:

Still on track to get the mortgage gone by solstice 2019 so fingers crossed it all goes according to plan!

bexster1975

Well I have your decluttering mojo Mrs SD when you want it back:D

I have filled my wheelie bin and been to the tip twice sorting my spare room/office.

Plan to finish decorating main bedroom this week as its been delayed due to work / illness. Christmas plans coming along. Admittedly much of it is not buying gifts and arranging not to but still planning. Most buys for Christmas now done, a few bits to still sort but otherwise going well. Lots of edible gifts will be made this year so most provisions are in for this. I have a bit of work to do this week but I will also be doing my share of Mrs SDs reading and TV watching. I'm also on week 4 of couch to 5k starting this morning.

Bexster

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

Well done squirrelgirl :T Everything seems to be progressing very nicely & if the windows & door are the extent of any problems then you can breathe a sigh of relief. Hope the workmen sort out the problems quickly & efficiently

Bexster - if I can borrow my decluttering mojo from Friday for ten days I would be extremely grateful :rotfl: Well done on tackling the couch to 5k challenge - you are braver than I am :rotfl:

MrsSD

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

My Simpler Life has had a boost - my DH is escorting my DSis to France :rotfl: She is leaving the car there & visiting her son & our friends - not sure how long she is staying but DH will be back next Thursday :T

So I can keep the house tidy, get on with some housework & hopefully a bit of decluttering as well :rotfl: fingers crossed :rotfl:

MrsSD

RicardaRacoon

Hello everyone


It is ages since I last posted.... And I've did a few things that were far from simple living in some way.... For example I finally got my bedroom done properly 5 years after moving in here... I did a mini-make-over a few years back but it still looked very missmatched and not as calm as I wished my bedroom would look. So I did some reseach and looked at thousends of pictures of bedrooms and draw some inspiration from the lovely bedroom in the holiday flat we rented in Brighton in September.

What should I say? Switching perfectly well curtains and bedding for something new might not be simple living in the sense of redusing waste etc. but I now have a bedroom that makes me happy hopefully for years to come. Next step is having a look for an old dresser and nightstand to replace my current one.


The biggest thing that I tried to simplify lately is food. I'm guilty for buying all these bits and bobs for a recipe and never use them again.... I found a bulk store lately, so decided to buy dry good there. Also I did a little rationbook challenge during October which went surprisingly well and decided to just go on like this, with slightly relaxed rules though, so some "modern" food is allowed to come back. But generally I'll try go do as much from scratch and sweets will stay rationed to encourage me to bake bisquits instead of buying them with tons of packaging.

The nice side effect of the whole business is that I lost a good 8 lbs in the past 6 weeks....



I did a little decluttering challenge, every now and then when I don't feel like turning everything upside down I just try to bin 50 random things and see how long it takes me. Took me two evenings and am now on 56 things inlcuding 13 dvds/cds, 11 books, some plates and crafting stuff and just some odd bits and bobs. Am very proud that I also binned a cat figure that I actually don't really like but kept as I got it from my grandad. But I decided that I have so many things with memories to him attached that I could very well part with one...



Mrs SD you'll be like a child alone at home the next days and can do whatever you want :-) Enjoy it!


Still haven't really thought about Christmas, besides the fact that I'll keep it simple. Did an advents calendar for my sister and a friend for years but it got increasingly difficult to come up with things to put in it so won't do any this year.
Present wise I plan on knitting socks for my whole family (will start as soon my jumper is off the needle), my parents will also get tickets for the latest play of our drama group and grannys present is set too, as she always gets fancy body lotion that she would not buy herself and really loves. That basically leaves me short a present for my sister in addition to the sock and one for a friend. In case I don't find something nice for my sister she'll just get a gift card for the National Trust as she loves the blankets there.


So, I'll be off the computer now to prepare dinner, a potato and leek bake inspired by Homity Pie without the pie base.... And since the oven is on already I'll also feel the sweets tin again as the base of the tin is showing through....



Have a lovely evening!

bexster1975

Hope you enjoy the new bedroom Ricarda. I am just finishing decorating mine too. Quite simplifying as lots decluttered, and very good price for paint and paper, plus own elbow grease.

Office now completely decluttered so I hopefully will have a decluttered mind for my work!

Hope your decluttering goes well Mrs SD. I think I have most of the ingredients in now for edible Christmas treats. I only have a couple of gifts left to buy for the big C. Have still got a few bits to make, but have all the stuff for that already.

Bexster

RicardaRacoon

Happy Sunday everyone!


It is grey and wet here which is the perfect weather for our towns Christmas Market, isn't it? Don't know yet if I will be going, guess will need a phone conference with the rest of the family about going and when...


I gave my bookshelf a good clear out and parted with 25 books, so together with the ones I binned in my last decluttering challenge earlier in November that is about 10% of my bookshelf.

Over the past few years I reduced it from more than 400 to about 320.


Yesterday I did some decluttering in my office, binned about half of my pens and am now the proud owner of 2 fountain pens, 6 pencils, 4 biros, 2 highlighter and 20 felt tips and fineliners... Also parted with some sewing and knitting stuff as well as things for papercrafts.



I went into town yesterday to buy most of my christmas presents. Presents for a friend and my sister are sorted, only need to finish a pair of socks for my sister and add it to the box. Parents presents are sorted too, besides the theatre tickets I'm still having to order. That leaves flowers for granny and a few glasses of jam that I will have to cook. Bought everything within one hour and didn't even looked around for things I might like for myself, well, besides two soaps at Lvsh, since I switched to solid soap instead of shower gel buying nice soaps is my little guilty pleasure.


Tonight I'll have a little cooking / baking session, cake for the office tomorrow and since the oven will be on it will have to earn its keep by baking a Homity Pie and a vegetable gratin.


Have a lovely Sunday everyone!

buildersdaughter

Lovely to hear from you Ricarda. And I completely support your decision to make your bedroom somewhere that helps you feel good. The old bedding / curtains will, i am sure, not be wasted - given /sold, or tucked in a cupboard for spares.
I had a lovely day yesterday. I aim for my gifts to also do some good - so they are from ethical companies, fair trade, local craftspeople etc.
Our pub did a local Xmas shopping event and I was able to buy cheese & sausages, beautiful hand printed fabric (from my neighbour) and locally made chocolates as gifts. In the evening I drove 2 miles (not walking along an unlit country road in the dark) to a lovely local concert to herald advent.
A wonderful day,using my Xmas spends to benefit the local economy and get in the Xmas spirit.

RicardaRacoon

evening all!


Builders daughter, I really like your idea to buy christmas present locally and from small companies!


I did some more decluttering over the last few days...!
- 4 big bin bags with stationery, crafting stuff, two old pillows, a small carpet that didn't liked being washed, two pairs of worn out shoes and bits and bobs
- a box full of odd plates, cups and flower pots for the tip

- a bag of books that aren't nice enough to pass on so they will go to the tip

- a bag of books for the book exchange
- a box of bedding, mainly pillow cases, for donation
- a box of odd ends for recycling, like metal, electrical stuff, a lamp



I decluttered a few times this year but I still wonder where all this stuff came from... There were even things where I could have sworn I binned them in the past, I guess they sneaked back in once my back was turned....



But now I feel a milion times better and feel ready for the holidays where I will spend a few days just enjoying to be home and doing all the things I love. And then in the new year I will try to go on as I did this year, thinking about what I bring into my life and my home. Funny enough the more I declutter the less I feel like buying new things.


have a lovely evening everyone!