Donation Day!

Yesterday was Donation Day. I didn't get to give away much, but it was good to get my items out the door - even if they didn't fill up a whole bag.

But while I was out and about with my good friend, Elisabeth, I bought 3 balls of yarn. That's all I bought because I'm saving up for a new vacuum cleaner. My old one had bitten the dust in a such a way that I can't buy new parts for it - the company doesn't make bits for it or even vacuum cleaners anymore, and that's not a good thing. And for a 20 year old vacuum cleaner, well, I think it's not a good thing; they really should last longer. Such a pity they don't.

Well, we went off to the Variety1 store at Arndale next and I found a large plastic bucket there for just $15 and it's perfect to use as my donation box now. And I've thrown out my cardboard one. I've been able to fit in other things into the bigger one. The best thing is that I don't run into it as much as it's soft. I've already put in some prints I no longer use and other things as well. I'm looking forward to filling it up. 

What have you been up to this week to keep your place tidy? I haven't put in any Weekend Challenges lately because I think Easter and ANZAC Day can be busy times for everyone. So, next week, I'll bring them back. 

Memory Box

I have something called a 'Christmas Box' or a 'Memory Box'. This is a box I have which is filled with thing from my childhood I love and cherish. 

However, my 'Memory Box' has overflowed into two other boxes. This means, I'll have to start looking for another box - or a small suitcase - to fit my things into. This will make me throw out the three boxes I no longer need. 

Now, that's not a bad deal, right? 

Well, I hope anyway.

I've been donating things bit by bit this year, and it's going well. However, I've had a few problems with how the donations have been handled.

Recently, I donated some glass jars and other items and the young lady who took my bag upended the whole thing into a shopping trolley; instead of pulling things out and placing them in the bottom of the trolley carefully. When she came back to me with my reusable bag, I told her that two of the larger items were glass bottles and 'I hope they were broken when you threw them into the trolley.' she stared at me, asking 'What?' I took a deep breath and looked around for a supervisor who was over-seeing this young woman's actions, and called out to somebody I recognised there, 'In that trolley, over there, is some donations. But be careful, you might come across a couple of broken glass bottles. This young woman threw them in there without checking if there was anything fragile in it.' This person looked shocked at first, then glared at the young woman and shook their head, 'My god, what's wrong with you.' 
I didn't say anything else, just walked away. She had to be dealt with. But I got this same young woman at the check out and she was smarmy to me there, stuffing up my order, 'Oh, oops, my fingers slipped, sorry, you don't owe us '$47.95. It's only $14.95... he..he.' 

Sometimes I wonder about what happens with the young people who have to work for their unemployment or welfare benefits. Are they thinking they can sit back and it'll come in without working for it? And working at a local charity is a good thing to have on your CV. 

Well, until my next post, I hope you're going well with your place. And I also hope you haven't had a bad problem with your local charity as I have. 

Donation Day

Yesterday was donation day for me and another friend of mine, Elisabeth. We headed off for coffee at our usual haunt and then went to Bunnings to score some cheap plants... very cool.

Then, it was time to drop off some donations to Life Line Super Store at Logan Central. We looked around there for a little while and I scored a couple of things, nothing too expensive, but thing I haven't seen anywhere else. 
It's always nice to get out into the op-shops when you haven't been to them in a while.

But then, it's good to get home and work out where to put the things you've bought too. I bought a cribbage board and had to rub furniture polish into it to get its shine back before finding out where I had put my card games. I cleaned out that drawer and put the cards back and then added in the board. It's good to find that I've got that drawer clean now.

Then, there were 3 vinyls I bought which I've added to my collection on discogs and I've added into my real collection - now just to get in and clean them too. 

I also bought 2 Tupperware containers - old ones - and I washed them up and did out my Tupperware when I wanted to find a spot for them. It turns out I have just enough of this stuff to work in my place. Yeah, after doing it out last year, I'm not doing too badly with it all. 

The good thing is that bag by bag, my house is getting cleaned out - even if it's small loads which are being moved out. I mean, I donated a candle and replaced it with a hand-made candle-holder I bought from a local artist. It's something I'm working on in my house; to fill my home with classic items I'll use. I'm hoping to clean out the video tapes and get the put onto dvd in the next year or so one by one... and get rid of the VCR tapes. So, how's your cleaning up going? All well? I hope so.

A Rough Week

I'm sorry I haven't been in here. I haven't been well this past week; and I've been busy with family things. Mum hasn't been well and I'm off to help her with her ironing today. 

So, apologies all around for not being in here to keep you guys active with your decluttering. 

I have been decluttering, but not in the house. 

It's Autumn/Fall here in Australia, and this is the time I attack the garden, and I plan what to do with my plants. You see, all my plants go to 'sleep' and it's easier to work with them without making them go into shock too much during the cooler seasons. So, around March/April, I organise myself to buy some potting mix and start moving plants around the garden. 

Right now, I'm looking at buying two larger pots for two plants I'm going to repot and relocate in my garden. The other pots they've come from are going to be reused for other plants. 

I have clipped back some of my plants from their Summer growth and am going to use the clippings to make new plants - yep, I grow succulents - and then I'm going to get rid of large white bucket in my garden which has become a haven for mosquitoes. 

There's other things I'm hoping to save for, like new seats around the garden - the ones I have are rotting, and I need new ones to make the place look and feel better. This will take time, and I'm hoping to get in and make sure I pick out the right seats. I'm hoping to get two large metal seats and replace three wooden seats. I'll ask Dad to rust-proof the metal seats for me if he can, to make them last longer. 

Yep, this is my decluttering idea for my garden this year. So, what have you got in mind for your garden this year? I know this is a different way of looking at decluttering, but really, I think if it's a part of your home, the garden should be decluttered as much as your house. Even if you're not much of a gardener, your outdoor area should be tidy and make you feel good about yourself. 
And if you feel it's too much, which part are you going to start on first? The weeds? The old, broken, useless pots? Sweeping up? Drop a comment and let us know.