I am currently in the process of making a cover for our lounge. While the lounge is structurally sound, the fabric cover has seen better days. Stains, tears, fading, wear… it doesn’t look so good.

When I’m done, I’ll write more about how I went about recovering the lounge. Today is all about the zippers on the cushion covers.

I had originally intended to buy a couple of zippers. Instead I had a brain wave in the eleventh hour and decided to reuse the old zippers – the free alternative.

To remove an old zipper, grab a seam ripper and cut through the stiches holding the zip in place. In my case, I chose to sew up the seam left by removing the zipper. You can see by the state of the cushion why I had no qualms tearing out the zippers.

One of the zippers had separated long ago. If you’re wondering how to fix a separated zipper, here’s a YouTube video that explains it quite well. Try as I might though, the zipper would not go back together and after further reading, I found out this was an issue with the slider. Sure enough, a pair of pliers and a few attempts later, the slider broke in half.

This was not the end of that zipper though! I was pretty determined to get that darn thing fixed (after all it is the perfect sized zipper for the cushion and it is free).

You know that packaging you get when you buy sheets or mattress protectors or a whole host of other things?

I cannot bring myself to get rid of these bags. They are great for storage as well as a source of free zippers – just cut the zip to length and sew across each end to stop the slider from falling off. In this particular instance, I cut off just the slider and attached it to my zip.

Voila! Zipper fixed!

As for the rest of the vinyl bag, I can cut off the handles for to use in other sewing projects and I plan to use the plastic to sew a see-through pencil case for the little fella,with a zipper reclaimed from a pair of beloved (but torn across the bottom) shorts.

And here’s the zip in it’s new home – a good match colour wise too.

And the work in progress lounge cover:

If you are wondering, the fabric for the lounge cover is a painter’s cotton drop sheet from Bunnings, but more on that when I’ve finished the cover.

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday – wash your plastic bags
2. tip tuesday–desk drawer organisers
3. tip tuesday – starting a craft box for the kids

While washing up the other evening, I heard the familiar sound of buzzing turn to a high-pitched and frantic attempt to be free of a spider’s snare. Quick as a flash, I watched the spider living in the window above the sink, dash out and deftly truss, anesthetise and forever silence that fly.

You see, the spider and I have had an unofficial arrangement for over a year now. I provide a pesticide-free environment, and he kills as many flies and ants as his appetite will allow.

Little does he know that I have a similar arrangement with the spider in the living room window.

Of course, flies are dirty. They carry disease from poo. When watching one trek it’s way across the potato salad at a summer BBQ, one does not like to think where that fly has been earlier in the day.

But while most would agree flies are a little unhygienic, we tend not to ponder too deeply on the effects of blasting the air with fly spray. We argue it’s for our own health (and naturally, things designed to kill living creatures will have no harmful effect on humans whatsoever).

Practical measures like covering food and basic hygiene have given way to automated systems that inject pesticides into a room every few seconds.

Personally, I prefer the pest to the pesticide.

Recently, we had just sat down to dinner at a friend’s place – the lamb tagine was served, the wine poured, the conversation interesting.

Then we heard the buzz of a lone fly.

Chairs fell backwards, wine was spilt.

“THERE’S A FLY!’”

And the hosts collided on the way to grab the Mortein.

“Did you see it?”

“Where did it go?”

“Over there!”

“No hang on, I missed it, over there. GET IT!”

Constant caesura does not for convivial conversation make. And Mortein-laced lamb tagine is a dish best left unserved.

“Thank goodness we got that fly. It could have ruined dinner!”

Now, as I watched that spider in the window do what it’s ancestors have been doing for thousands of years, I felt, for a moment a connection with the past and with our land. I imagined a squatter’s wife in the past, also washing dishes after a long day, the doors and windows open to the still and heavy air of the evening, the sound of crickets in the trees, the smell of the lemon gums mingling with the lingering smell of stew and tobacco.

Like me, while no one else was looking, she might watch that spider and the corners of her mouth might turn up and her eyes might soften just a little – a silent nod to the spider, a moment communing with the natural world.

And as he busily stocks his larder, she might imagine a salute in return, an acknowledgement of their unofficial arrangement.

[A tilt of the hat to Emily Dickinson for the title.]

Note: Since writing this I’ve (re)-read two related materials: Jackie French’s book The Wilderness Garden, in which she talks about maintaining the natural balance of pest and predator for a healthy garden, and, for those who aren’t totally grossed out by flies, an article about how to build your own maggot farm (I kid you not), which is a little on the gross side,even for me, but I love the concept anyway.

Have you read these articles?:

1. pest control and the cycle of life – to kill or not to kill?

While this may be old news to many, since writing about the viability of solar power for the home, I’ve come across the idea of passive solar energy.

And I’m excited. Why?

Because with just a few changes and without a huge capital outlay, every home in Australia could potentially reduce their reliance on fossil fuels to some degree, saving money at the same time.

Passive solar energy is about using smart building design to make the most of the sun’s energy to heat and cool your home.

Sustainable house design is, of course, nothing new. The problem is that most of us live in houses that weren’t designed with sustainability in mind. There are however, things we can do to make the houses we live in more solar passive and therefore reduce (and in some cases eliminate) the need for ‘active’ heating and cooling systems like air con and heaters.

This article is meant to be an introduction to passive solar design, rather than a comprehensive overview. If you’re interesting in finding out more, the resources at the end of the article will take you further into the design specifications of a solar passive home.

In this article:

• What is passive solar energy?
• The benefits of passive solar energy
• The basic principles of passive solar design
• Working with what you’ve got: retrofitting your home to be more solar passive
• Further resources

What is Passive Solar energy?

Passive solar is using the energy from the sun without mechanical methods of collection or storage. Generally, when people talk about passive solar energy they are referring to building design that reduces or eliminates the need for ‘active’ heating and cooling systems, and that is what this article is about.

However, before we delve into the world of passive solar home design, I want to mention just a few other ways we can use solar energy passively (besides getting out into the sun to warm up and dose up on Vitamin D).

Firstly, we eat solar energy. You and I are fuelled by the sun. Plants capture the sun’s energy via photosynthesis and we consume that energy by either eating plants or eating animals that eat plants. That food, in turn, provides the energy we need to live. Some food for thought.

Speaking of food, solar cookers use the heat from the sun to cook food and you can use glass to effectively channel the sun’s heat to dehydrate food.

Finally, solar hot water systems passively use the sun’s heat to heat water (unlike solar power systems that actively convert UV rays into electricity). While a split-system does use an electric pump, a thermo-siphoned (roof-mounted) system relies on convection and gravity to supply hot water to a home.

Benefits of passive solar design

By using good passive solar design to heat and cool your home, you not only reduce or even eliminate heating and cooling costs, saving you money, you are also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. And unlike installing solar panels, making basic changes to improve passive solar design can be relatively inexpensive and accessible to most people.

Yes, but I can’t afford to renovate my home either, you might say. No, neither can I. But what we can do is be creatively frugal with the principles outlined below. For example, water can be used to store heat – one suggestion I read while researching this article was to use bottles filled with water as a thermal mass (see more on thermal mass below); that’s free and something anyone can do.

Here’s another idea: remember the old bricks that people used to use to warm the bed? Rather than an electric blanket, why not put a brick or hot water bottle in the sun, then place it in the bed in the evening to warm it – just like in the old days .

the basic Principles of passive solar design

Passive solar design uses the elements of a building (orientation, windows, walls, roof and floors) as well as the localised environment to collect, store and distribute solar energy to heat a home in winter, and block the sun’s heat in summer.

Generally speaking, passive solar design makes use of the following elements:

• Orientation – The ideal building orientation will depend on the latitude you live at and the local climate. Generally, for optimal passive heating, living areas should be north facing  in the southern hemisphere – the reverse for the northern hemisphere. (see first link in the resources section for further details).
• The local environment – The local climate and local environment (surrounding trees and buildings) will impact on the design and efficiency of a passive solar house. For instance, established trees that block summer sun will help keep a home cool. Obviously, houses in some climates benefit more from passive solar design than other climates. However, most houses, regardless of climate, can benefit from some improvement in design.
• Eaves and awnings – Correct eave design will maximise the solar efficiency of north facing windows. The angle and width of the eaves is important and will be determined by latitude (again, see resources below for exact specifications).  

  

  Both diagrams from the ‘Your Home‘ Australian Government website.
• Insulation – Good insulation is essential for reducing the reliance on ‘active’ heating and cooling systems.
• Energy efficient windows – Windows play an important role in passive solar design as they are the portals that let the sun’s heat into a home, effectively heating it. Glazing is also important and the optimal type will depend on your local climate.
• An absorber – The absorber is the surface that received sunlight and converts the energy into heat. The brick wall of a home, for instance, acts as an absorber.
• Thermal mass – Thermal mass refers to materials that store heat (the walls or floor of a building). To differentiate: while a tiled floor (especially a dark one) will absorb heat, the concrete slab below will store the heat. This absorbed heat is released as the air cools at night time, keeping the house warm for longer if you prevent this heat from escaping. Thermal mass also helps keep your house cool by absorbing heat during the day. However, rather than trapping this heat at night, good ventilation is important to let the heat escape and keep the house cool.
• Heat distribution – A passive solar design relies on natural heat transfer via conduction, convection and radiation as well designed ventilation systems (internal vents for heating various parts of the house or external ventilation to cool the house in warm climates). Fans and ducts can also help with heat distribution.

It is important to note that passive solar design is very site specific; your local climate and environment will dictate the best design. A house in Tasmania will have different design needs to a house in Queensland; a house built on a block with established trees will have different design needs to one that is build on a block with no trees.

working with what you’ve got: Retrofitting you home to be more solar passive

While it’s all well and good to talk about optimum design, most of us live in houses that were built without passive solar design in mind and we have to make the most of the design we’ve got. There are, however, things we can do to improve the conditions of our existing homes and thus reduce our heating and cooling costs.

Around 80% of the population live in urban areas. While new buildings add at most 1% a year to the existing stock, the other 99% of buildings are already built and produce 27% of all carbon emissions. At least 80% of the current housing stock will still be standing in 2050. Therefore tackling its energy efficiency is vital to our future.”  (Power, A.  2005) [Source].

Before I get into retrofitting ideas, I want to mention one suggestion that I haven’t read anywhere else and it’s free: think about how you use your house and adjust your use for the seasons.

For example, our townhouse is all wrong when it comes to passive solar design and because we are under a body corporate, there is little we can do to the exterior of the house to improve it’s design (like adding awnings). What we can do is make the most of the cooler rooms in summer and spend more time in the north-facing rooms in winter. In other words, we can focus on what we can control, and save money on cooling at the same time.

The first step in improving the passive solar design of your home is to look at drafts and air ventilation: drafts in winter will reduce the effectiveness of any heating system and need to be sealed. On the other hand, good ventilation (as simple as opening a couple of windows) in summer will help keep your home cool. Again, this is an inexpensive adjustment to make.

The next step is to ensure your home is well insulated. Insulation alone can reduce the reliance on heating and cooling systems by up to 45%. Insulation prevents heat loss in winter and heat gain in summer.

When it comes to collecting solar energy via windows, you have two main options for increasing the amount of sunlight in your home through retrofit: install more or larger windows on the north side of your house (southern hemisphere); or, use reflectors to reflect light through windows on the shady side of your house. Derek Wrigley’s book (link below in resources) goes into detail about constructing and using reflectors; this website also gives an idea of how they work.

On the other hand, to reduce sun (in hot climates) or improve climate control throughout the year, you may want to consider installing adjustable awnings, trellises with deciduous climbing vines or for a long term approach, plant deciduous trees on the north side of the house.

To maintain a comfortable temperature in the home, the heat from the sun then needs to be stored in a thermal mass. One of the simplest examples of retrofitting thermal mass is tiling an existing concrete slab (but again, you can get creative with this – check out the resources for more info on thermal mass materials). 

Preventing heat loss at night and making the most of the stored heat released from your thermal mass is as easy as closing the curtains in the evening (heavy curtains with pelmets work best in cold climates) and sealing drafts. On the other hand, clever ventilation will ensure your house stays cool in warmer climates or during the warmer seasons (again, Derek Wrigley’s book has lots of information on ventilation).

In order to achieve the ‘perfect’ indoor climate via passive solar design, the design maths can get technical. Check out the resources section if you are looking for more detailed information.

Solar panels for electricity isn’t necessarily viable for the average person, at least not at the moment. What’s more, they only works well if your home is already energy efficient, otherwise they cannot completely supply the energy needs of a household. Passive solar energy, on the other hand, can cost as little as nothing, and there are lots of improvements we can make to a home, at less expense than installing a solar system, in order to benefit from this free resource, saving us money at the same time. And if you do then install a solar system, it will better meet your energy needs.

further Resources

• A comprehensive guide to passive solar design. Lots of specific information about passive solar design – much, much more detail than this article (Commonwealth Government website)
• A five part, comprehensive overview of passive solar design – written by a Systems Engineer in the energy industry (The Oil Drum, US).
• Wikipeadia on passive solar building design (again, lots of in-depth information)
• Making your home more sustainable: A guide to retrofitting by Derek Wrigley (I borrowed this book from our local library – it is Australian and written by a retired architect. There are a lot of great ideas on how to retrofit you home, and, for the DIY person, lots of technical information. There is also info on retrofitting on a budget, including information for renters.
• Thermal Mass Fact Sheet (pdf) from Sustainability Victoria (Victorian Government site)
• Passive Design and Retrofit (pdf) For the maths person. An American paper on getting the balance between solar heat gain and loss.
• Using Thermal Mass for Heating and Cooling (Wiki) – looks at things to consider like area and density for maximum efficiency.
• Taking things one step further: some interesting information on Seasonal Thermal Store and Passive Annual Heat Storage.
• Plans for a solar heat grabber via Mother Earth News (and more info here).

Have you read these articles?:

1. solar power–are you missing out on energy that’s out of this world?
2. an energy saving alternative to solar – an addendum
3. bathing in sunlight – can solar hot water save you money?

The other day I mentioned the need to perform regular maintenance around the home. While there are a lot of reasons that regular maintenance tasks don’t get done, lack of time being one of them, the reason I’m focusing on in this post is the lack of organisation when it comes to our tools.

For instance, the handle on our saucepan was getting wobbly. Tightening the screw before putting the pot in the cupboard is really only a 10 second job. What makes this task an effort is trying to find the screwdriver.

The same story can be said for gluing a hook back on the wall. The problem is: ‘where did I put that glue?’

So when it comes to making regular maintenance easier, these are my tips:

• Have some basic hardware supplies on hand (screwdrivers, pliers, glues etc.). If you can think of a must have tool to have around the home for general maintenance, I would love to hear about it in the comments below .
• Have a place for your hardware and return things to that place when finished.
• Organise your tools so that they are easily accessible, like on a peg board or in a dedicated drawer. Then fixing that wobbly pot handle really does only take 10 seconds.

Do you have a tool kit for home maintenance tasks?

Have you read these articles?:

1. drain your savings by avoiding regular car maintenance
2. annual gutter maintenance
3. tip tuesday–washing machine maintenance

We had our garage sale this weekend (more on that in the coming week; let’s just say we had enough rain during the sale to launch Noah’s ark). After an early 5am start and a long, busy day, we decided to treat ourselves to a relaxing night with Thai takeaway and a movie.

The phone rang. DH was calling from a payphone to tell me the car key snapped off in the lock and he would be walking home with our dinner.

Very tired by the time he got home, we both sat down to semi-warm chicken curry.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

We look up.

Our upstairs toilet is leaking through the ceiling, into the lounge room and onto my basket of clean washing and the TV power socket.

Yeah, it’s been one of those months. Don’t even ask me about the $700 break repairs done to the car last week. And the fact the muffler fell off this morning (although I think that should have been fixed with the brakes, but anyway…)

Here’s the lesson:

The car lock has been stuck for ages now. And we actually have the graphite powder needed to unstick the lock. A 30 second job would have saved us the long walk to and from the car as well as the $10 for a new key.

The brakes squealed for three weeks before being repaired.

The toilet has also been leaking for quite some time. We’ve been dealing with the leak by turning the water tap off at the wall and only turning it on to flush when absolutely necessary.

We had planned to get a new toilet this week with the funds from the garage sale. I’ve been saying that if we didn’t do something, we would wake up one morning and find our upstairs toilet… downstairs. I’ve even measured the s-trap set out, the pan length (to make sure we will still be able to open the loo door) and looked online for good dunny deals.

What we didn’t plan was the $200 Saturday night call-out fee on top of the cost of putting in a new loo and whatever repairs we’ll have to do to a damaged floor and ceiling.

We’ve been through this before, but obviously, it’s a lesson that we still haven’t learned. Small maintenance tasks today can really save you a small fortune in the future. A stitch in time saves nine…hundred dollars.

Give or take.

Do you schedule in regular maintenance?

I’m in the process of drawing up a household folder and creating a (new) rough schedule for getting the housework done (which hasn’t been getting done at all lately).

I’ve also thought about scheduling in regular maintenance tasks (like checking the oil in the car, checking tap washes, oiling hinges, getting the hot water heater serviced, that sort of thing) so that these tasks actually get done rather than being pushed aside and forgotten about until we reach critical mass and pipes start bursting in walls and mufflers fall off. Or what not.

I feel like we’ve been letting our house fall down around our ears a bit lately and that’s not smart considering it’s a huge financial investment of several hundred thousand dollars, once you factor in interest. That’s an investment that’s worth looking after.

So now I’m scheduling in regular maintenance. I will attend to small repairs that need attending to. And I will be on the look out for signs of decay and wear.

No more showers in the living room. At least, not ones caused by neglect.

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday–organising your tools for regular maintenance
2. two life lessons learned building blocks

Running a little late with posting today: the internet was disconnected and I spent yesterday enjoying a local rainforest with the little fella and my mum who is up visiting for the week (and it was her birthday yesterday too) instead of writing.

Decluttering an entire house can be a big job and on top of the usual commitments like work, childcare and the day to day tasks of running a household, it’s a job easily pushed aside.

But decluttering regularly is important for your health and wellbeing, so it is a task that is just as important as cleaning the toilet or doing the dishes.

Here are a few tips to find the time to declutter and make the process easier.

You don’t have to go at it all or nothing.

The conventional advice on decluttering your home is to set aside a weekend to declutter the entire house, all at once. If that works for you, then do it that way. However, doing a little each day or week is just as effective.

Rather than tackling your whole house, or even a whole room, break the decluttering process down into small, manageable chucks: a single drawer, half a cupboard, one shelf. A little each day still gets the job done whilst fitting in with your schedule.

Create a declutter checklist

If you intend to declutter a little each day, it is useful to have a decluttering checklist to keep track of what you’ve done and what still needs decluttering.

Here’s an example of a checklist for our bedroom:

Before you begin decluttering each room, go through and work out what needs decluttering, breaking the room down into the smallest units (a single drawer or shelf) and draw up a checklist to keep track of the process.

Before you begin: organise your workflow.

Before you tackle the sorting and the decluttering, gather your supplies and think about your workflow.

You will need bags or boxes (for the garbage, for sale if you intend to sell stuff, for charity, and for things that need relocating to other rooms or need storing), cleaning supplies to wipe down shelves or dust drawers and possibly pen and labels.

You will also need to consider where you are going to temporarily store these bags or boxes while you declutter. We have several boxes in our hallway at the moment with things we intend to sell at the garage sale. When the charity bags get full, we store those in the car, ready to be dropped off.

Fit decluttering in with your usual chores.

If finding time to declutter seems impossible, try fitting it in with your usual chores. For instance, while you’re putting the laundry away, go through the drawer and pull out anything that doesn’t get worn. Do the same while your stacking the cutlery or putting something away in the cupboard.

Again, you will need to (temporarily) store a spare box or bag to put these things in (unless they are rubbish) and once this box becomes full you can take it to the charity store.

Delegate and involve the family.

Time and time again you will be told to declutter without the kids. I disagree for several reasons.

Firstly, it may not be practical. If you care for young children full time, then you often have to involve them to get anything done.

Secondly, foreign stuff in drawers is like exiting treasure for children. Remove dangerous or breakable items then let them explore and discover this new stuff as you declutter. It takes longer, yes, and stuff can get spread all over the place, but it’s free entertainment (without the TV on) and you can declutter one drawer while they explore another.

Thirdly, I think it’s a matter of respect to involve (older) children when decluttering their stuff. You wouldn’t throw your husband’s Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVD collection out when he was at work (even though he hasn’t watched it in the eight years you’ve known him…) because it’s his DVD collection. It’s just as important for children to have a say in the decluttering process of their own possessions.

On the up side, you can delegate tasks to partners and older children, reducing your workload and making the decluttering process quicker.

Embrace the mess, it’s part of the process.

I wish I had taken photos, but maybe it’s just as well I didn’t. I decluttered my quilting stash by pulling everything out of the wardrobe and dumping it all on the floor. And then I wasn’t sure how to organise the fabric scraps, crochet twine, wool scraps and batting so it stayed on the floor for two whole weeks and between the little fella and the cat, the pile got spread from one wall to another and beyond. Mess is part of the process and mess is ok.

Most of us are busy and decluttering is a task that can easily be put off and put off until we are drowning in stuff. By making decluttering a priority and doing a little each day, it doesn’t take long to clear our your home of excess clutter.

Have you read these articles?:

1. 5 reasons why you should declutter
2. finding time to craft Part One–making time
3. finding time to craft part two – making the most of your time

We are in the process of a major home declutter at the moment. Going to garage sales on the look out for renovation materials has given us the idea of having a garage sale of our own. Over the last month, we have been pulling out every drawer, have gone through every cupboard and left no cranny unexamined in the effort to declutter.

It’s certainly a cathartic process, although we haven’t been as ruthless as we could be. Its a slow process of letting go. At each declutter session we say goodbye to one more item that we couldn’t bare to part with last time.

We are pretty frugal, we don’t buy a lot of stuff anymore, but we do have a tendency to hang onto it. I have finally cleaned out clothes that I’ve had since high school (over twelve years ago) and while collecting bubble wrap ‘just in case’ might seem frugal, there’s a point where you can have too much bubble wrap.

And cardboard boxes.

And even books.

5 good reasons to declutter

1. It is good for your health.

Even though a lot of our stuff is packed away in cupboards, it has become incredibly dusty – our decluttering frenzy has been accompanied by a cacophony of sneezing, coughing and spluttering.

It is impossible to clean effectively when there is junk under the bed, the cupboards are overflowing, stuff is stacked in piles on tables and in corners or you display masses of dust collectors. On the other hand, an uncluttered house is much easier to keep clean and if you suffer from allergies or asthma, this is especially important.

It’s not just dust that’s the problem, however. There is also the possibility of mould, damp and insect infestation that can go undetected, hidden from view by clutter, and affecting the quality of your home environment.

Finally, the clutter itself can be affecting the air quality in your home. Plastics, furniture and other common household goods ‘shed’ microscopic particles and omit VOCs (volatile organic compounds) and other pollutants. In fact, we are often exposed to more air pollution inside our homes than we are standing next to a busy road!

2. It is good for your mental health.

I’m not going to go all Feng Shui on you, but clutter around the home does add extra ‘mind baggage’. It’s hard to relax knowing the turbulence that lies beneath the calm waters of a tidy room. Open a cupboard and waves of clutter break onto the carpet.

Stuff can also clutter our minds with unnecessary emotions: the fear that our stuff will be stolen, lost, damaged or destroyed; the expectation that you have to hold onto gifts, mementos and keepsakes; the burden of being responsible for so much stuff; and the irreverence that comes with the knowledge that you can just go out and get more.

If you’re ever feeling ‘stuck’, bogged down or just down, try clearing out some clutter, it’s amazing how uplifting it can be.

3. You gain more space.

Apparently, the storage industry is booming. Not only are we spending more money on stuff, we are paying someone else to store it when stuff no longer fits in our homes.

Or we use our stuff to justify the need to buy a bigger house.

Either way, it’s a lot of money to pay to keep stuff you don’t use. And if it’s in ‘off-site’ storage then I can guarantee it doesn’t get much use.

The other option of course, is to make more room at home by getting rid of the clutter. Not only do you free up storage space, you no longer need the extra furniture to store stuff (less bookshelves, cupboards, drawers needed etc) which also frees up extra space in your home.

4. You gain more time.

I recently read the book Simplicity Parenting, in which the author argues less is more when it comes to kid’s toys. Apart from the benefits that the author cites such as encouraging imagination, creativity and avoiding that ‘overwhelmed amongst the chaos’ feeling, there is one other benefit…for you. There’s less stuff to clean away at the end of play time. You’re not spending your life picking up toys. Here are a few other time saving benefits of decluttering:

• there is less stuff to organise, put away or keep clean
• it’s quicker to tidy away when ‘there’s a place for everything and everything in it’s place’
• you have less stuff to dust
• there is less stuff to move around when vacuuming
• there are less clothes to wash, iron, fold and put away
• you have less stuff to pack and unpack when moving

5. The possibility of making extra cash on the side.

The whole impetus for our decluttering activity of late is to hold a garage sale and make some cash for our trip to England.

After attending a few garage sales, I’m surprised by how popular they are. This is encouraging, hopefully we can make a little money. 50c earned from unwanted clutter is much better than the dust it is earning now.

And as an added benefit, having a specific reason to declutter is actually good motivation.

It is so much easier to collect clutter than it is to get rid of it. Months and years pass, good intentions to declutter our homes get pushed aside and suddenly we find ourselves with a house full of stuff that is impacting our health, our wellbeing and our finances.

This is the first week of Spring, so what better time to start decluttering? If you’re thinking, ‘yes, but I don’t have time’, tomorrow’s article is about finding the time to declutter.

Have you read these articles?:

1. finding the time to declutter
2. uncommitted. declutter your schedule and get a life
3. tip tuesday – three habits that stop impulse buying and reduce clutter

We have been in a decluttering frenzy over the last month and so this week is all about decluttering.

When it comes to successful decluttering, one of the most important things to remember is not to replace what you get rid of with more clutter.

However, it’s not always easy to recognise clutter when you see it. Standing at the cash register, ready to part with your hard earned cash, you’re sure you really need it or really want it. But then it gets used once or twice before it goes into the cupboard to collect dust.

The seven and a half million books we have from our cashed up days are a testament to this.

So here are three speed bumps that I use to prevent impulse buys and stop the clutter before it enters our house:

1. Never purchase something without going away and thinking about it for at least one day. You will almost always change your mind, realise you don’t need it, find it cheaper somewhere else, borrow it from the library or find a substitute.
2. Ask yourself: “What will my life be like if I don’t purchase this?” This is a powerful question to ask yourself because 99% of the time you will realise that life won’t be better if you make that purchase.
3. Ask also: “What is the opportunity cost of this purchase?” What will you miss out on if you do buy that thing you have your eye on. This comes back to knowing what your savings goals are, both long term and short term.

That doesn’t mean to say that I never impulse buy, but these three habits help reduce the impulse spending and as a result, limit the clutter in our home (or it would if I stopped collecting bubble wrap, but that’s another story).

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday – quick tidy strategy
2. tip tuesday–little boxes
3. tip tuesday – possibilities calendar

You don’t need to buy lots of plastic totes for storage. Instead, you can make the most of a free source of boxes that are better on the environment that their plastic counterparts. What free boxes?

Vegetable boxes from the greengrocer.

I have mentioned before how I store my sewing stuff in one of these boxes for quick access. We also use these boxes for storage, for the recycling, as garbage ‘bin’, as a playdough table for the little fella, as a toy car, as shelves for the toys (pictured below), to cart things around the house in, as a cat bed…

What ideas do you have for making the most of vegetable boxes from the greengrocer?

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday–desk drawer organisers
2. Handmade Treat Bags and Gift Boxes
3. tip tuesday – starting a craft box for the kids

These tip comes from Julie, a Frugal and Thriving reader from the US.

“At our medical doctor’s office, I noticed they spray and clean counters, handles etc using 1/2 water and 1/2 rubbing alcohol. This also works for mirrors and windows very well.”

Other uses for rubbing alcohol include cleaning CDs and DVDs, mozzie bites, sanitising things like the phone, remove sticky labels, make an ice pack, nail polish remover, ink stain remover.

Rubbing alcohol is a common household product in the US, but I’m not sure about its availability in Australia. You need to buy a brand that is at least 90% isopropyl alcohol. You local chemist and possibly the hardware store (and electronic store) is the best place to look.

Julie also suggests using washcloths for dish rags (easier than knitting your own), that way you can sanitise, wash and reuse them over and over.

Julie, thanks for your tips, I know there were lots more, but I seem to have deleted your second email in my over-zealous attempt at clearing out my inbox.

Have you read these articles?:

1. tip tuesday– remove crayon from painted surfaces
2. tip tuesday–clean your drains chemical free
3. tip tuesday–taking a plate