Cheapskate

I've been thinking today about some of the things I used to regularly spend money on. Each one of these items used to be a spending habit and has been dropped gradually one by one. 

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Tumble drying

Foil highlights at a top hairdressers
Up dos for the Xmas work's party
Grocery shopping without a list
Buying clothes/home ware items in 24 hour super stores 
Clothes from closing down sales
Complete new outfits for weddings, parties etc.
Full priced ready meals
Magazines
Any magazine with a free gift
Expensive face cream
Charity shop browsing (I never left empty handed)
Annual spa day with girlfriends
Fabric conditioner
Every 'Buy One Get One Free' offer
Flowers - weekly
Two Saturday newspapers

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This list isn't exhaustive and I will still spend on some of these items  from time to time. I'll buy a magazine or flowers but I no longer do it  out of habit, boredom or compulsion. I love shopping in charity shops but I don't go every week now. I'll often do my grocery shopping on line so that I can keep editing it and I avoid the overly big supermarkets. At the moment we are buying some items to make our new house work but these are considered purchases.

It's an odd thing that although our joint income has reduced significantly I don't feel that our standard of living has. I feel more grateful than ever for what I have, not what I don't have. Even if we had more income I wouldn't spend my money on these things again. I have thought long and hard about how and why I spend money and can now recognise a 'want' from a 'need'. I just don't feel comfortable with mass consumption any more. And I feel a lot happier now that I'm not chasing the empty promise of shopping as a leisure pursuit. 

Because I don't think the waste, debt or guilt is worth it.

It is possible to develop more sensible spending habits and rein in your extravagances. 

No Gangnam style for me - I'm proud to be a cheapskate.

52 Weeks Of Happy (3/52)

I believe that the very purpose of life is to be happy. From the very core of our being, we desire contentment. In my own limited experience I have found that the more we care for the happiness of others, the greater is our own sense of well-being. 

Dalai Lama (1989 Nobel Peace Prize winner)

 ♥

I'm joining Jen at Little Birdie in her new project: 52 Weeks of Happy. 
The idea is to post about four simple things making you happy each week.

I love the brightness that this project brings to the week. 

Snaps and snippets from my week ...

Feeding three hungry men.

 Sculptural seed head silhouettes.

This wide-eyed beauty loving her new home.

Saving on home insurance with cute free toy to boot!

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Why not join this project?

I do feel blessed. Enjoy your day.

Sharing

Our sharing platter for 6 served last night when we had family round. Followed by a roast pork dinner, Cornish ice-cream with forests fruits and ginger cookies and cheese and biscuits ... simply yummy.

Talking of sharing, I must explain why I have reposted 'Just a little goes a long way' (originally posted 1st October). Being a little bit over enthusiastic in the editing department I somehow lost the whole post. Since it was all about our second hand kitchen table (and it was a popular post) I thought I'd give it a relaunch. Doesn't she look lovely all dressed for dinner? 

'Just a little less' goes a long way

With a new house comes the challenge (for wannabe minimalists) of fitting existing furniture into new surroundings. There have been pleasing successes such as our ten year old plus 'shabby chic' sofas fitting our new living space and our equally old, much loved pine chest of drawers and Habitat bed frame just squeezing into their new abode. 

However, with downsizing we no longer have a separate dining room and a kitchen diner. We now have a kitchen diner space where we eat together as a family and would also like to entertain up to 8 (at a squash) people. We sold our large extending Ikea dining table and 6 chairs that resided in our dining room and chairs prior to our move and have been using our 3ft square kitchen diner table since moving in. After much searching and researching we had come to the decision to change this table for an extendable version. The best fit was found to be a John Lewis model but as our new house is only four years old we don't want a too perfect look and have been discussing a second hand more 'rustic' look. Of course there are all the other reasons familiar to thrifters and minimalists alike such as cost and not buying brand new when there are second hand options available. 

Hence my early bird journey to Catcott just outside Glastonbury, Somerset on Friday morning; a round trip of five hours to collect my ebay win: an extending solid oak utility table. An opportunity to see the early morning views over  this magical place was a delight in itself and the table is both functional and beautifully aged. Also, of course I was delighted to have saved a considerable amount of money in buying second hand and collecting it myself.

It appears that the table dates from the Second World War and was part of a scheme to help address the severe furniture shortage caused mainly by bombing. The aim was to ensure the production of strong well-designed furniture making the most efficient use of scarce timber. The designs were in the tradition of the Arts and Crafts movement and were simply designed without ornamentation, contrary to the popular taste of the immediate pre-war period. How satisfying that this table was now meeting our needs too, both in functionality and design. Apparently the quality of furniture varied considerably due to the high number of individual manufacturers supplying the scheme but had we been the original recipients of the scheme we would have been delighted by the quality and design of our piece. Its utilitarianism and simplicity suits us perfectly. 

This piece of history is now settling into its new home. It has been christened with curry and red wine and is giving us daily pleasure as it helps morph a new build house into our home. 

It can be hard work sometimes when you are constrained by money and space but the upshot of downsizing is having more time to find solutions and go on adventures.

Cheers!

originally posted Monday 1st October 2012

Buy to last

Becoming minimalist is a lesson in compromise and discipline. When we moved to our new house in June the hall was carpeted in cream and was a nightmare to keep clean (well we gave up); especially as June and July were so wet here. We put aside money from the house sale to make necessary changes to the house and planned to spend this wisely. In the first month we had the loft boarded and a wooden pull down ladder installed. Re-flooring the hall was the next big change we wanted to make. 

We would have loved a solid oak wood floor but the estimates we got were too expensive. I was disappointed and tempted to blow the budget and get a real oak floor somehow/anyhow (DIY wasn't an option due to lack of skills and a conscious decision not to spend too much time on house projects). In the end I gave myself a hard talking to: "You are on a lower income and have to stick to a budget. You have no credit card debt and some savings BUT A SOLID OAK FLOOR IS OUT OF YOUR BUDGET!"

This is how I have changed as a wannabe minimalist. A few years ago I would have had that wooden floor - I have been an interiors obsessive and I still get these grand illusions from time to time (for e.g. that solid wooden flooring is the best option and it has to be German). Now I know that a hard floor is a hard floor and that buying the most expensive won't necessarily be better or even more stylish. Also, if you stick to your budget there will be no guilt and still money left in the bank. 

Eventually we went for the best man-made alternative that we could find. We chose Karndean (big in the UK) and chose a reputable local company to fit it. It has a 20 year guarantee and should last longer. It cost about half the price of solid wood flooring and we could also afford to have it laid through to the downstairs loo. We are pleased with the look that the new flooring brings to our home and with the quality of the fitting. The colour ('Dawn Oak') is warm and welcoming and isn't high maintenance in the cleaning department. And it looks like real wood!

                                  The estate agent's pic of before.
                        

                                The new look.

So what have I learnt?

◊ If you are renovating/making alterations to your house set a budget that       you can afford.
◊ Decide which changes will have the biggest impact on you home in terms of   looks, maintenance  and lifestyle.
◊ Get the most important and most expensive jobs done first.
◊ Take time to consider before you buy. Is it too fashionable? Will I tire of it?
◊ Accept that you can't always afford what you desire/aspire to.
◊ Make a decision not to get into competitive house improvements - do you   want shallow friends who only like you because of your taste/flashy house?
◊ Although not as eco-friendly as natural products, man-made products can be ethical if they are bought to last a long time.
◊ Buying from a local independent supplier supports the local economy and therefore makes you feel good.
◊ Get the best quality of product and fitting that you can afford.

How about you? Do you sometimes put yourself under pressure to buy 'the best'?

Choctober

Do you feel guilty about your cravings for chocolate? STOP. Because it's national Chocolate Week (it is only 6 months 'til Easter). If eaten in moderation and preferably dark, chocolate is good for you. It can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol. Also, the physical changes caused when we eat chocolate make us feel good - it acts as a stimulant, anti-depressant and mood enhancer. For anyone who eats a little (?) chocolate daily this is good news.

It's nearly the weekend 
Last weekend I over committed myself and whilst at the time I enjoyed it, I have realised that I took on too much. This weekend I am planning a slower pace with time for reading a book, taking a walk to steal some more glimpses of Autumn, entertaining family, peppermint tea and cake at a local cafe and phoning a friend to catch up. Oh, and of course some chocolate!

What are you going to make time for this weekend?


Worth a visit:

♥ This mini-mission from Courtney Carver at Be More With Less.

♥ Yummy recipes here on the Chocolate Week website.

Happy Friday xo

Keep swimming

Meet Roger and Val who reside in our downstairs loo. They live on the top of this mirror and can be found in different positions. In our house we loved the BBC TV comedy series 'Roger and Val' (starring Dawn French) and these bath toys were named after them after a similar wind up swimming toy featured in one episode.

Our Roger and Val make us smile and keep us motivated. This morning I had to remind myself to, as Dori says to Marlin in Finding Nemo, "Keep swimming, keep swimming, keep swimming ..." See here  for clip. 

What little things keep you motivated? I love hearing from you.

It's been a long week but it's nearly Friday!  xo

On trend

So after making the decision that we could fit our family of 4 into a smaller house came the next challenge - hubby working from home. We think he is lucky to have a job and so we were open to the news that the office was closing and he would have to start working from home. 

In our previous home we had a spare bedroom/study but we had bought this house thinking we would be social networking not grafting from home. The only room with any potential for a work space was the lounge. Although our new house was fairly neutral  throughout, the lounge was fussy with a feature wall and embellished curtains. To quote Oscar Wilde's alleged dying words it was either me or the wallpaper that had to go. And so before my husband took his last commute to work a rapid makeover began. This is how the room looked before we bought the house (please note this is the estate agents' photo).

The feature wall was stripped, curtains and poles removed and the room painted. After an intense search a matching desk and cupboard/shelf unit were purchased, new technology installed and off he pootled to his new work station.

According to a new soon to be published book The Middle Class: A Loo Book (Fi Cotter-Craig and Zebedee Helm) working from home, among other things (tap water, man hugs), are irredeemably middle class. Not for us trampolines, underfloor heating or Carluccio's - but the rising cost of office space and the squeeze in the economy has made working from home a necessity.

Luckily my husband is my minimalist hero and keeps his desk very tidy. How could my friends have suggested that he work in the loft or shed? How about you do you or your partner have to work from home and how do you manage the space?

Happy middle of the week xo