For a long time now my husband and I have kept track of our savings and spending using budgeting programs on our computer. We record pretty much every cent we spend so we know where the money is going. Recently we bought a new Apple Mac Mini so our old software is no longer compatible. We downloaded and tried out a couple of free software programs but have not been to happy with the performance of these. I have been persevering with one anyway just so we can keep track of things as usual but after today we have decided that we really don't need to do this any more. There are two reasons for … [Read more...]
Day 165 Would you like some adventure with your coffee
I live in a city on with a population of about 160,000. So far I have explored very little of the area and have decided it is about time I made a bigger effort to find out more about the wonderful ways to spend time in this fascinating city without it involving shopping. I meet a friend for coffee at least one day a week and usually we get together at the local shopping centre because it is convenient and there are plenty of cafes to choose from. The problem with this arrangement is that once we have finished dining there is nothing else to do there except shop. As you know I have no desire … [Read more...]
Day 157 Alternatives to shopping
While blog hopping I ran across a list which I have put a link to below which gives a list of 100 things that are free to enjoy and make life happier. It got me thinking that there were a lot of items on that list that were great alternative to shopping. Things that cost nothing or next to nothing but are a lot more social, healthy, educational, uplifting. rewarding... need I go on. Here are some of the things I could and do take advantage of on a regular basis Go for a walk Go to the beach Spending time with friends Sitting back and enjoying the view. (Anywhere even people … [Read more...]
Day 135 Resistance is NOT futile against retail assault
One of the most important lessons I have learned since taking on this challenge of 365 less things is that resisting the temptation from retail assault is not a futile exercise, it can be done. As I have mentioned before I hardly ever go shopping anymore except to buy my groceries and I am fine with that in fact I feel that I have the upper hand in some kind of battle of wills. I did have a little head start or incentive if you like before I made the conscious decision stop spending on things that might ultimately become clutter. After living in the United States for seven years, I just … [Read more...]
Day 129 Learn to love the process of decluttering
I no longer look at the decluttering process as a chore in fact I really enjoy it. I look for the positive in in every little effort I make. I no longer focus on the enormity of the task and just revel in the good feelings I get every time a piece of clutter leaves my house. There is such a feeling of accomplishment and freedom associated with ridding myself of objects that bring me stress rather than the joy I thought they represented when I brought them into my life. I have almost forgotten what the feeling is like that is evoked by retail therapy. I think I was pretty much over … [Read more...]
Day 128 Step it up a notch to minimalism
When I first started this adventure of decluttering at the beginning of the year that was all it was to me, decluttering. As I go along on this journey and discover the freedom that unburdening our lives of things that only bring stress on us I am starting to embrace the idea of taking it to the next level. It really is a natural progression because the fundamentals of minimalism have been a constant topic of conversation in our home for some years mostly without me even realising it. My husband has been reading up and considering the options available to us for some time now and I have … [Read more...]
Day 124 Revisit the gift wrap stash
Remember my blog way back on Day 86 when I decided to find a way to use up all my gift wrap items that seemed to be multiplying rather than diminishing in the linen closet. Well this weekend I attended a lovely get-together in the wine region of the Hunter Valley to celebrate a friend's 40th birthday. The weekend which included wine and cheese tastings, a lovely lunch, a bus to take us to all our destinations and overnight accommodation, cost us all $270 each. I felt inclined to provide a gift even though I was sure one wasn't expected due to the financial outlay for the event. So I … [Read more...]
Day 123 Manuals on-line
On day 119 I spoke briefly about sorting through my warranties and manuals. I received a comment from Jen who suggested using Manuals on-line to source the manuals on line and saving them to a file on your computer for when and if you need them. You could also just access them online when you need them saving room on your hard drive but you relying on the fact that they will be available indefinitely. Steph said:-I spent the afternoon tossing old manuals and finding the rest online. Now I have a Google Docs folder with PDFs of everything I still own. I found most of them on the … [Read more...]
Day 117 Snow Gear
I finally got all the snow clothing out of the cupboard on the weekend (one of those jobs I have been avoiding) and put it all on eBay. All that is except the pair of men's pants that had a hole in the leg and a ripped lining - I don't know why I hadn't already tossed them out- and 2 pair of goggles that the foam fining had perished while stuck in the cupboard unused. The auctions are going well 5 out of 10 things already have bids on and anything that doesn't sell will be going to the thrift shop. While writing this I realised that I forgot to put the other pairs of goggles on eBay so … [Read more...]
Day 114 Decluttering the garage
Last year we decluttered the garage by one whole car. Now I know you thought this post was going to be about cleaning out the garage and in a way it is because we made a whole lot more space by getting rid of one of our cars. Granted this car was only bought because my husband had to work 500km away from home for almost a whole year and only came home every other weekend but never the less we could have kept the car for the convenience when he came back but we didn't. The money we have saved not paying for insurance, licensing (rego to you Aussies) and maintenance alone never mind … [Read more...]