Put away your purse & become debt-averse

foxgloves

Well, you might remember I was wittering on about beansprout seeds last week. I'd decluttered an ancient packet into use, on the understanding that if they didn't perform, they'd be binned. A kind of beansprout 'last chance saloon', if you like. First, a brief resume of my beansprout history, which does unfortunately reflect elements of my past spendy behaviour. I first tried growing them in the 1980s. I bought a paperback book on the subject & set up the recommended large jam jar covered with a piece of muslin secured with a rubber band. Felt quite cool, healthy & hippyfied while I was growing them, but the sprouts used to break off while rinsing, they used to smell weird & I rarely achieved more than a spoonful or two to add to a sandwich or salad. Then growing beansprouts became 'a thing' & kit started appearing, so this being the Spendy Decades, I bought a stacking box of trays for establishing a new windowsill beansprout empire. Can't recall price, but not cheap. Beansprout production didn't increase, because the sprouts used to grow through the slats in the trays, get stuck & break. New gizmo ended up in cupboard under the stairs until I moved, then went to the charity shop. A few years later, I decided to have another go & bought a large jar with a metal drainer set into the lid, especially for beansprout growing. It came in an enticing box with a picture of lush flourishing beansprouts. Same problem....because as you have no doubt realised, this was simply a spendy (£11) version of the 'Tape a bit of old tea towel over the top of jam jar method' I'd already tried for free. A complete waste of money, which I still have in the shed right now!
So.....goodness knows why I bought yet another pack of the wretched things, but at some point, I must have done & they'd sat in my seed box for ages. Was intending to dust off the 'waste of money' jar for another go, when I noticed on the seed packet instructions that these particular sprouts (mung beans) were supposed to be grown on damp kitchen paper or cloth on a tray, cling-filmed, then covered with another tray to block out the light. And that just 6 days later, I too could be enjoying crisp fresh beansprouts in my salad. So, i gave it a try. Did the experiment work? Well, yes it did! I rinsed the sprouts as instructed & removed the seed part (that was a bit of a weird idea....unless they contain a bit of those toxins you sometimes get in raw beans?) & then I ate a couple. Hmmmm, edible, but very bitter-tasting. Decided to stir-fry lightly & added a dash of soy sauce. OK, very nice now, just like the ones you can buy as a side-dish from the local Chinese take-away........but was it worth all the effort? As I looked at my barely two tablespoons of cooked beans steaming gently in their ramekin, I had to conclude that it was not. Rest of the seed packet now permanently decluttered. My relationship with beansprout growing is over! I think I'd need to be in a garden-less flat with only windowsill growing available to me even to contemplate it again, & even then, I think growing mustard, cress & other micro-greens would still be more productive.
So I'm officially all beansprouted- out!
F x

foxgloves

And in case anyone thought I'd skived off today's declutterings.......no, I haven't. 21 items for 21st July as follows:
* 1 x broken box lid.
* 6 x grubby candles found in shed. Brought inside for wiping. Have put in candle drawer to be used next, as they are perfectly usable.
* 1 x clear plastic punnet from shed - no use as a cloche as doesn't fit anything.
* 1 x gift aid leaflet from something mr f set up, No longer required.
* 1 x gift box - I kept it for gifting my home made fudge, but realistically it's too big, so it's gone.
* 1 x piece of black plastic pipe. No idea what it's from.
* 1 x large button found in shed - added to my button jar.
* 1 x plant instruction label - why did I keep this? The instructions are how deep to plant it (it's been planted for months) & that it needs light & water........no, really??
* 1 x small jute bag which was hanging around doing nothing in particular except getting faded.
* 1 x jar of ancient herbal unguent.......oh dear, yes, I remember buying this. It was from a gift shop back when I seemed completely unable to leave a gift shop without buying something. I was on holiday, so maybe my feet were aching or something, I don't know, but I bought this jar of herbal stuff & the used it about once. I found it yesterday, removed the lid & tested it out. It did smell quite herby in the pot, but once it dried, I found it gave off an odour reminiscent of school toilets circa 1975.....(if you were there, you'll know what I mean!) Promptly binned (& arm washed!!)
* 1 x compost scoop made from large plastic milk carton. Not strong enough to scoop compost properly.
* 2 x pots of cuttings which I've ignored for ages. Now potted up & a little bit of space made.
* 1 x trough of old compost I saved for topping up a small raised bed. I can't tell you how often I've walked past this, yet it took me less than a minute to tip it out, rake it & put the trough away. Why do we keep ignoring all these little tasks for weeks on end?
* 1 x soggy pencil.
* 1 x rusty needle.
One of the things I'm most enjoying about doing this challenge is that I am creating clear surfaces & spaces, and am increasingly able to get to things without first having to move a load of other silly stuff first.
That's two posts back to back & a lot of typing, so I think I will take myself off to the garden with my book & a cup of tea.
Love to all,
F xx

*

Blackcats

Hello Foxgloves - ah yes the smell of school toilets - my nose wrinkled at the very mention of that strange aroma. A bit like the unique smell of PE changing rooms where we hung our homemade drawstring bags containing plimsolls and aertex t shirts and in my school's case bottle green sports pants for use under the wrap around netball skirt.
Inspired by you I have tackled one of the drawers of detritus. I have a very large Victorian chest of drawers with deep drawers and I have tidied and dumped stuff in there over the years. Drawer 1 - so many small items of junk that I'd taken the trouble to buy pretty storage baskets in which to dump the junk (seemed like a perfectly logical thing to do in spendy years). This drawer seemed to be the place for the lovely, highly coveted samples of lotions and potions from the expensive cosmetic counter we both frequented. Now, I find myself wondering why, if I wanted them so badly, didn't I bloomin well use them? I have rescued a make up bag from said cosmetic company which is a perfect size for the sat nav, another make up bag which is now a pencil case and another make up bag to make a change from my usual make up bag. I found lots of free gift lipsticks and nail varnishes in the brightest reds and deepest plums which made me look like Morticia Addams - binned. I did find a lovely lipstick, some moisturiser samples and foundation samples which I've started using. I've got a selection of small toiletries from hotels which are now ready to take on my next work overnight visit. I think I must have bought a new kohl pencil each time one went blunt rather than sharpenIng .... and the rest was absolute rubbish - receipts, shopping lists, broken hair clips, empty contact lenses boxes etc etc etc.
Apart from the obvious ridiculous waste of time keeping most of this junk, I also realised what a terrible amount of plastic is used to package the tiny, weeny sample pots. So, one drawer done ..... what further treasures await.
I hope all going well with your parents house sale - apols if I've missed an update.

foxgloves

Hi Blackcats,
Oh my days, school changing rooms smell. Horrid. Ditto the home made PE kit bag, vile pants (navy blue in our case rather than your more alluring bottle green) & a flappy little netball skirt that barely covered our pride. Urrrgh, (shudders). Re your decluttered drawer. Yes, those samples were so coveted at the time, weren't they? It took quite a significant spend to get them..... all in yet another 'free' make-up bag, but you're right, the colours were usually either Morticia or reminiscent of a 19th century consumptive about to breathe her last. I well recall wearing one of the lipsticks to work one morning & between the staff entrance & my office, THREE separate people stopped to ask me if I was OK, because I looked tired!
I need to move my decluttering challenge into the whole arena of my home office shelving ('Foxgloves HQ') to ensure that gets a thorough blitz.
Re my parents' house. Thanks for asking. The sale completed last Tuesday, so it's just the final legal work (& bills) now to finalise the estate. It has been a big weight off my mind this last few days no longer to be responsible for a house 80 miles away. It's been a really stressful couple of years, & I just need to move on from it now.
F x

Blackcats

I'm pleased that the sale has completed. As you say, you've had a tough couple of years. Not any consolation after the loss of your parents so close together but I hope that your inheritance will bring you and MrF some .... I don't know the right word - it's not happiness or joy as that's not the right sentiment - perhaps comfort or security are slightly better words? Any way I hope you know what I'm trying to say.

foxgloves

I do, Blackcats, & thank-you. We will be more secure financially, of course, because we will be able to pay off our mortgage, but we wish the circumstances facilitating this had been different x

Kantankrus_Mare

So pleased I read your piece about beansprouts which made me laugh :rotfl::rotfl: Only the day before, I was sat at the allotment looking through some old "grow your own" magazines and there was an article about growing your own beansprouts.

Thought it was a great idea for getting a bit more free (ish) food and then read your experiences so dont think I will bother.

In other news.....we have picked some lavender to go in vases in the house and last night, I noticed little black things had fallen. At first, I thought they were tiny insects and I was staring for so long, I was convinced they moved! They didnt lol.
Are they seeds? Will I be able to grow some more? Thought you might know the answer with your fantastic knowledge.

Elnora32

Hello foxgloves, I have read through your diary and have been following for a few weeks. It’s been very enjoyable – I really like your writing style.

I love your decluttering list and accompanying comments - I have a hairbrush with a loose head which falls off every morning. This morning I decided to take your advice and do something about it – took all of 30 seconds to glue it! Morning irritation averted.

Love the debtisodes, gardening talk and reminiscing.

Elnora

foxgloves

Hi Kantankrus - I can't in all honesty recommend beansprout growing as a worthwhile activity. If I only had a windowsill, I'd probably try & find a different method, but I have a decent sized garden & I don't need to be faffing around with micro-production & smelly sprouts!
Re the lavender. Hmmm. I've been pondering that. I've grown lavender from seed in the past, but I can't recall what the seeds looked like. I know there are currently loads of tiny round black shiny bugs in our flower borders, as every time I bring a bunch of sweet peas in, they start dropping off all over the windowsill. Some crawl around, other seem to do a kamikaze death leap off the blooms & I keep having to sweep them up with a tissue. My first thought was that you have maybe got some of these, but if none of them are moving, maybe it's seeds. Sorry I haven't been able to be more helpful......but at least I stopped you from being tempted by beansprout kit!
F x

foxgloves

Welcome Elnora,
Thanks for your kind comments. I do enjoy writing. Really, instead of coming on here & sharing debisodes, garden tales & decluttering lists, I should be making a concerted effort to get my novel finished. I was making such good inroads on the current one until my parents became so ill, & all that followed. A month before my Dad's death, when I visited him in hospital, he asked me how I was getting on with my book & I had to say I wasn't really putting the time in & that it had come to a standstill. I promised him that I'd get it finished, & I did get back to it last year, then with everything that happened with my Mum, followed by having such a lot to do to sort out their estate, I put it on the back burner again. I suppose that at least coming on here & sharing my debtisodes, etc, is helping to keep the writing juices flowing a little, anyway, & it certainly helps keep me on the straight & narrow with our finances.
I had to smile about your hairbrush.......those little annoying jobs take such a tiny amount of time, don't they? For instance, I haven't been able to wear my watch for about 2 months because the strap end has broken. I have glue in my desk drawer which sticks leather, & a stronger one in the shed if needed. This job would take all of 10 mins, including finding the glue & putting it away again afterwards, but I still haven't done it. It's one of those annoying jobs I just seem to walk past on a daily basis.
My mood is benefitting from the declutter challenge because it's so nice seeing extra space being freed up, also not to have to move a load of dross in order to reach whatever it is I'm looking for, so I can really recommend it.
F