Moving.

Fortuitously, I have already spent several months decluttering so I'm in the right state of mind for packing! It's a bit harder to declutter while packing because you don't have time to ponder, you have to put it in the box or not, so sometimes I pack it in the box and ponder it later. But on the other hand, it really forces you to completely empty everything out, not just glance at into a drawer and say "yes, that all looks useful". Really empty it out and it turns out it's 30% crap. Another thing is that my flatmate is staying on and replacing me in the unit so I can leave quite a lot of things she will use. Bookshelves. Cleaning products. Things in kitchen drawers.

Mum dropped by on the way back to Maitland a while ago and we filled the station wagon with a load of things, like winter stuff, keyboard, blanket box, books, coffee table. I've been gradually packing boxes every now and then, so there is another pile ready to go up this weekend, which I'll do myself.

Furniture I'm taking is: blanket box, coffee table, lamp (all done), lounge chairs x3, washing machine, art cupboard, chest of drawers.

Furniture I'm leaving: 4 bookcases, the kitchen table and chairs, probably the bed, TV etc, fridge.

Furniture I've got rid of: freezer, small chest.

I think that's a pretty good effort for downsizing. My rule is, anything I've bought and it's properly useful, I'm keeping. If it was free or basically cheap, I'm leaving it behind—easy come easy go.

Finished little quilt!

Didn't do much this weekend, felt blah, but the weekend before I finished this job.
One small quilt. Woo. A frugal end to a pile of scraps!

I've been processing change.

This is the process.

Two weeks ago on Friday: phone call out of the blue with job offer. Very excited!

Try to weigh pros and cons, but just excited!

Accept job on Monday.

Monday night: anxiety and regret.

Tuesday onwards: think it's a good decision regardless of the mixed feelings. Looking forward to some things, sad about others.

Spend the week emotionally flipping back and forth, because still getting used to the idea. Randomly cry at TV commercial for funerals, story on A Current Affair about baby with 2 faces and 2 brains, and while telling people I'm leaving. Lots of tension in neck. I think that was there before the job offer though. And it's too muggy at night to sleep well.

Telling people quietly that I have a job offer, but since it's pending official approval, holding off on big announcements. And it's good to let some people know personally anyway, hearing on the grapevine can be hurtful.

And now it's going ahead, it's out there, and it's all about the logistics.

Mid-week leave.

I took a day of leave on Wednesday. It was really nice! Sometimes a random day off feels like a waste, I don't relax... I just feel like I'm not making the most of it. But I made the most of it! Went for a swim, had lunch with a friend, browsed a second hand book shop that's closing down, (bought the book Going Grey, which I want to pass on now I've finished it, holler if you want it), painted nails, had a lie down, sold a freezer on gumtree! I call that a win. Failed to get a massage because didn't want to go out in the rain, but read the new book instead.

Sewing to be useful.

I did a lot of sewing. Some of it was inspired by my decluttering. I decided to use up fabric and leftovers from my recent quilt-finishing project and make a small quilt for a baby gift. I had a few bits of patchwork already done, and I cut other fabric into strips and sewed then together then cut them into strips the other way and mixed them up and sewed them together.

I didn't use a ruler and all the equipment that makes quilting accurate, I just used a Twinings tea box as a guide and tried to cut straight. So the resulting quilt isn't exactly square! But I don't care. It was never going to be beautiful because the fabrics clash. I do think it will make a nice cot quilt though, it's an excellent gift. Hopefully when I trim it and bind it it will square up a bit. It cleared out my fabric stash beautifully, anyway.

 The other thing I did was add length to a friend's dress. Very satisfying. I love helping people get more value out of dresses!

Earring repair.

Some of my favourite earrings look too old to wear anymore. Just all tarnished and gross. SOLUTION! I bought a packet of hooks for about $3 at Spotlight. (I got a packet of little rubber backs while I was there. Now all my stud earrings have backs.) I took my earrings off the old hooks and onto the new ones, using my flatmate's pliers.

I love this guy. My favourite sidekick ever. His voice is hilarious.

SO OBSESSED WITH MINIMALISM

It's a rebellion against materialism. Although the people who are best at it are the people who live alone. Other people wreck the purity. But when I look at my stuff, I need it you know. I want pictures on the wall and wool to crochet. I don't think I can do true  minimalism as a creative person.

Getting ideas off blogs like this one. http://www.theminimalists.com/fool/ This idea is intriguing.  My frugal nature rebels but I agree with the logic. Paying full price would require actually thinking about how much I need it. Although there is a danger that you end up just as materialist but in a different direction: you only have 1 coat but it's the perfect coat!!! it's still being obsessed with stuff, only in smaller amounts of stuff.

On the other hand, I have realised that I already am QUITE minimalist. If I had a linen cupboard, it would not a very full linen cupboard. It's just that I feel crowded with stuff because it's all in my bedroom built-in. So I'll stick with the slow and steady Daily Bin thing and see where it takes me.

I hit the wall on the weekend with some sentimental things though. In theory, they're useless. Drawings and letters and so on. Should I keep them forever? Just to look back on every so often? I think that's OK. But really they are useless and I rarely enjoy them. At least I've already got rid of the mediocre ones. And I find that every time I try and throw things away but cant, I get a bit closer to the day I suddenly do throw them away. I threw out my first camera on the weekend. I couldn't throw it out last time I decluttered, even though I took photos of it. But now, chucked. It didn't take good photographs.