Simplifying Life

needmoney

ceridwen we've been studying those tumbleweed houses and think they are lovely, but I wonder how warm they'd be in our climate and I wonder if our councils would allow them as permanent dwellings.

For instance say you had a large garden and waned to section it off and rent out one of these.Very interesting.

ceridwen

needmoney wrote: »

ceridwen we've been studying those tumbleweed houses and think they are lovely, but I wonder how warm they'd be in our climate and I wonder if our councils would allow them as permanent dwellings.

For instance say you had a large garden and waned to section it off and rent out one of these.Very interesting.

Well - I guess one way to give these a tryout is that there is a firm renting them out temporarily for music festivals I believe - eg Glastonbury. Some parts of America get a good deal colder than we have it here in Britain - so maybe thats not a problem? Councils - well - theres some pretty large garden sheds and conservatories that go with some houses these days - and at least the garden wouldnt be built on (one of my pet hates - I really dislike seeing people sell off their gardens for building on - as the land is gone for good then - no visual amenity for the rest of us and no garden for a future owner to grow food in).

tooties

evening all i have at last made a start
de cluttered my chest of drawers in my bedroom and my christmas decorations. i didnt have the energy to tackle the wardrobe though
maybe a job for tomorrow
regards
tooties

ceridwen

and for those wanting inspiring quotes, I'll add a bit from something I came across on the Net:

Simplicity is:
- a form of freedom and an opportunity to heal
- a means, an opportunity to discover who I am and whats meaningful in my life
- gives me permission to sit and stare at the sky
- gives me the time to let things that I dont understand unfold around me
- allows me to abandon the expectations that have driven me to work too much
- about being rather than doing, because its only through being that our emotional life becomes deeper
- about seeing layers of meaning and nuance
- about removing the things from a life that keep you from seeing yourself and others more clearly

Well - thats quite a few thoughts encapsulated in that - and I guess I've put this in partly as my own little reminder to myself as to why...

sophiesmum_2

I have a hotspot on the end of my kitchen worktop that is always full of paper clutter as thats where the post/junkmail etc invariably ends up in a pile for sorting.
In an effort to stop the clutter developing i am going to leave the shredder permanently plugged in there. New rule for myself, open, read,shred anything not important immediately.:D When it's full it can go for recycling. Should keep the worktop clearer, and save me time doing sorting/shredding/chucking once the pile takes over.

teacup_2

well I did the supermarket shop[ quite late tonight as supermarket open 24 hours. Well went in via the clothes section......Saw a dress and and two tops and stuck them in my trolley and whisked them off to changing room. Dress looked like a sack on me so definaetely NO, one of the tops made my shoulders look a bit too big and the last top I loved fitted perfectly and it was priced at £16.00 so I left it in my trolley and whisked it off with me to do the rest of the food shopping . I was shopping and being so good with my food shopping as being the first shop for january I bought smartprice hot chocolate . sp sliced tinned mushrooms , coffee 9(34p as well!) , sp beans, sp silver foil, sp fruit n bran as well as my regular items and was being so good doing my food shop for 2 adults and two kids. I had to buy a big surf tropical, shampoo ( as completely used every last drop!), bubblebath (I didnt get any for christmas!), dental floss, sanitary towels.
Anyway...... shopping came to £49.65 and I asked him to subtotal it before it came to the top I wanted ,so with the top it would have been about £66.00 , well as I am trying to stick to a budget of between £40.00 & £50.00 per week for food shopping . I said I NO LONGER WANTED IT !!! ( I did really!) but you see its this websites fault!. Now I question my buys! and this thread makes me want to simplify and avoid adding to everything all the time. I didnt NEED it, so I guess I just wanted it because it was pretty. Also there was no way I was getting into the new year only on the 3rd january buying a clothes item!!. I have done everything to avoid the sales and buying this would have gone against everything i was trying to do with relation to simplifying and changing spending habbits. Also going round getting smartprice products and that top would have cancelled out all my moneysaving on my shop.
quite proud of myself !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I


so thanks you lot

lessonlearned

I love this thread - very motivational.

One of the reasons I want to simplify life is to make time for things I enjoy doing - mainly art and craft, gardening etc.

I started last year with a big declutter and made over £1100 by the end of the year. Have still got quite a lot left to do though.

I've become a fan of lists of "things to do" and find it helps keep me focussed.

This year I will add to that and try one big project a month. January will see me sorting through paperwork and photos. I've got some spare clip frames so will make some photo-collage pictures as well as photo albums.

This years big resolution is to find more time by not watching as much TV. (most of it is repeats anyway).

sophiesmum_2

Hi Teacup,
Look on the positive side - it is one less thing to wash, dry, iron and find somewhere to store:rolleyes:
Just think of all the work you just saved yourself:D

rosieben

teacup wrote: »

... quite proud of myself ...

and so you should be, well done! its hard when its something you really like isnt it? :T

auntymabel

Champys

Could you take photos of some of your sentimental items and keep them in a memory box, then you can pass the actual things on someone else without feeling you're being disrespectful?

champys wrote: »

I am struggling with the 'sentimental items' as well. My OH's parents died within a year from each other, and at the same time my mother moved from the family home into a flat. I feel inundated with things, but know that many of them are important memories and must be given a proper place and proper use rather than being stuffed in the attic 'for the time being'. Sometimes it feels like processing clutter is my main activity apart from my job. If any of you have good ideas in how to handle these memories, thinning them with respect, then I would be grateful to hear.