How A Simple Conversation Might Save The World
The politicians can talk all they like. But do you know who really has the power to save the world? It’s you.
All posts filed under: stuffocation
The 100 Day Declutter
A while back I embarked on a major declutter and enthusiastically announced I’d have this done in 30 days. That was 6 months ago. During that time I’ve hauled several carloads of stuff down to charity shops and school fairs, but it really doesn’t feel like much has changed. So I’ve decided to undertake a 100 Day Declutter – a rather ambitious task for me I admit, but by turning it into a game (of sorts) I’m hoping it’s something I’ll persevere with. Below is the list – I’ll keep adding to it as I go along. Wherever possible I’ll find a home for my stuff and in doing so hope to hunt out some worthy charities or causes that might be useful fo you, my fellow declutterers. Some will go on TradeMe for sale to help fund my first renovation project – the hallway (and yes, I’m pretty sure that’s going to take me another 100 days to complete….) and other things I’ll post on my Facebook page to see if anyone else can re-use …
Give the gift of: 48 Hours in (Roto)Vegas
Keeping the kids entertained during school holidays is never easy, especially when you’re self-employed. Being dragged to meetings or having yet another ‘movie day’ while Mum gets her work done isn’t what my kids call fun, so rather than bribe them with toys I promised them an experience focused totally on stuff kids want to do. Where we went For this, Rotorua is perfect. There’s plenty to do and lots of fun to be had for kids and parents alike, even if the weather isn’t great. What we did We found a package at Quality Inn that offered two nights’ accommodation plus vouchers for the Gondola and Luge, Rainbow Springs and the Polynesian Spa all at a price that made a fun-packed weekend away very affordable. Normally I’d be disappointed that the definition of a ‘family’ is 2 adults and 2 kids – but with Miss 10 away at Horse Camp we fitted right into that box. How it went We checked into the hotel on Friday afternoon. The room was basic, but comfortable, with …
Giving the gift of: Social Cooking
In our busy lives the most precious thing we have is our time, which is why this year I’ve decided to #givepresence instead of presents to everyone I know – young and old. Choosing an experience for my best friend was easy – something we both love to do is eat good food. Taking her out for dinner would have been way too easy and predictable so instead I took her to a place where you get to learn, cook and then eat your own tasty creations. Where we went I chose Social Cooking as they were located not too far away and offered a range of different styles of cooking. Plus they do vouchers which makes it an easy – give the gift then sort out which class to go to later. What we did We booked into the Celebrity Chef series to learn to cook MasterChef Dai and Dal’s famous Pork Larb – one of the few dishes to ever get 10 out of 10 from the judges. Just a word of warning …
Giving the gift of: Skiing
For some reason my kids have ended up with a passion for hobbies that are both expensive and very much unsuited to inner city living. Miss 10’s passion for horseriding can be fulfilled any time of year, and summer was perfect timing for Mr 8’s Monster Slide birthday experience. Miss 8, however, has settled on skiing. Now I’m pretty good at organising most things, but skiing in the middle of summer is a little out of my league. Where we went Thankfully Snowplanet is only a 30 minute drive north of us. What’s more they aren’t terribly busy this time of year so it’s easy to pick up a ski pass deal on Grabone. What we did We snapped up some $15 all day ski passes. You had to buy passes for a specific day so we chose the Monday after Miss 8’s birthday. It meant everyone taking a day off, but that made it feel all the more special and – given we still had to pay for boots, skis and other bits and …
Giving the gift of: Horse Riding
Miss 10 is mad on horses – which is unfortunate given we live in the middle of a big city. So as part of my commitment to #givepresence instead of presents I decided the perfect experience to give her for her 10th birthday would be a horse riding experience. Where we went I chose Horse Riding Auckland for our experience. They offered a few different options most attractive of which was the opportunity for a mini-trek around their farm. They were also really easy to deal with, responding quickly to my request with all the information I needed. What we did I opted for a ½ hour horse riding lesson for all three kids, then a ½ hour mini-trek around the farm for Miss 10 who is a more experienced rider. Total cost was $135 which I thought was pretty reasonable for a private booking. How it went The horses were saddled and ready to go when we arrived which meant we could get straight into it without any mucking around. The kids were fitted …
The Declutterers Xmas Gift Guide
“Gifts, like friends, should be few and well chosen.”
The Downside of Downsizing
One week in to my decluttering project and already the difference is noticeable. So far I’ve: Gone through all our clothes and got rid of all the kids clothes they’ve grown out of, and any clothes I had to honestly say I’d never wear again Cleared a whole 12 cubby bookshelf by getting rid of CDs, DVDs and books that were no longer of use I don’t even want to think about how much money is tied up in all that stuff. It’s been a real trip down memory lane so it feels a little ruthless and hard-hearted to discover these memories only to have to expel from the house and from my heart. Thank goodness I still have my mind. It takes a special kind of ruthlessness The rules of decluttering are a great guideline, but they don’t prepare you for all the hard decisions that need to be made. For example, I’ve got rid of all of our CDs except this one. My husband and I met at a Mighty Mighty Bosstones gig …
Downsizing for Beginners
It seems like we spend our whole lives upsizing – bigger houses, bigger cars and bigger responsibilities – until one day we realise it’s time to downsize. Perhaps because the kids are gone, or we realise we no longer need, want or can manage that big house and all of the stuff that goes with it. But what about choosing not to upsize in the first place? There’s no denying our houses are getting bigger. The average size of a NZ house in the 1970s was just 107m2. Kids shared bedrooms and everyone shared one bathroom and one living space. Today it’s not uncommon for new houses in this part of the world to be 200-250m2 – that’s a whopping 90m2 per person. Buy stuff. Keep it. Buy more stuff. Keep that, too. Buy more space. If the size of our houses is increasing, then it follows that the amount of stuff we own is also increasing. A study in the US of 32 dual-income, middle class families highlights just how much we clutter our …
Downsized Living in an Up Market Neighbourhood
Once upon a time we had it all. We both had successful, highly paid jobs. Our kids were happy and doing well at school. We lived in a beautiful inner city suburb and were about to sign off on a renovation that would turn our modest bungalow into a beautiful family home. Life was good. Busy and stressful, but good. Then burn out hit. And this time it was bad. After four weeks of sick leave and a lot of counselling I was only just able to hold it together through a full day at work – and only if everything went to plan. We had a decision to make. If we wanted the beautiful house I was going to have to find a way to stay in a job that was eating away at my soul. The alternative was to quit my job and put the renovation on hold. Two weeks after I finished work my youngest daughter turned to me and said “Mummy, you have time to hang out with us now and I think that’s …
Polly Unsaturated 