Making the Most of the Thrift Store

I am making a conscious effort to reduce my carbon/environmental footprint.  I wouldn't go so far to call myself an environmental minimalist, but I'm starting.  I've decided to use the thrift store for as many items as I can.  Online shopping like Amazon is extremely convenient, but I'm determined to try the local thrift place that is near by first.  I don't go to the thrift store without a purpose.  I have specific items and a plan to use them with a relatively short time frame.  This is my way to combat clutter that takes up space.  Recently I have purchased:

1) Ice Cube Trays - I took a friend's advice to freeze milk and yogurt for daily power smoothies.  I actually went to a box store first and was not successful.  It opened my mind to the possibilities.

2) A basket and bows - I used in making a raffle basket for a charity.  The basket was $1 and so was the bag of bows.  I used it immediate upon getting home. I wish I had snagged a picture, it looked great when it was done.

3) Wrapping tissue - It's new and still in its original packaging.  With Christmas around the corner, I couldn't pass up the deal.  I used it the next day while wrapping present.

4) Books - A friend of my daughter makes a version of an altered book by creating artwork on the pages of old books.  Sometimes the art relates to the story on the page and other times, it does not. I gave them to her the next time I saw her and she was delighted.

5) T-Shirts for a themed quilt - You might have noticed I'm into a turtle theme.  I would really like a t-shirt quilt along those lines sometime in the future.  I have started looking now so I only use what I love and not the items that are available when the time comes. This requires some storage space but I've made that choice

6) Pearls - enough said, right? I wear them regularly.

As you can see, I had a plan for each purchase.  I put the items to use within days, save the t-shirts for which I have a long term goal.  I use this same philosophy when going to a regular store.  The thrift store is wily because there's a sense that the item will not be there next time and certainly not for such a low price and there's always some use for it.

Go in to a store with a plan.  Don't purchase what you don't need.  Make use of the item(s) purchased asap.

Winter Capsule Wardrobe Week #1

I dressed to go out three times this week.  I'm definitely looking forward to my haircut next week.  It seemed my hair didn't want to behave.

I love my skin care products from Roden and Fields.

I have fought acne all my life and I finally have decluttered my face.  It's so nice to have smooth, clear skin!

My other good news is I dropped 11 pounds this week!  Yup, I'm happy to be gaining momentum toward my daily routine.  It helps keep the pounds off.

If it's on the floor, you don't need it no more.

Today I got back into the groove of laundry.  The Tide that I purchased prior to my surgery had a malfunction and decided to explode/leak everywhere.  People in the house noticed, but not the extent that it had leaked.  I found a nice puddle under the bag in front of the washer.  It feels amazing to have it all cleaned up.  I look forward to my daily laundry routine resuming now.

This is the first time I am showing my before and after pictures on my blog rather than just my supportive group of peeps on FB.  This is me and I'm real.  So is my struggle to manage things at times. The majority of the clothes on top of the washer need to be air dried.  We take that term very loosely in our house.  The mess on the floor was mostly things people other than me don't know how to wash or mismatched socks belonging to the youth.  Funny thing is, they don't wear matched socks so I threw them all in the wash along with the other items that could be washed and I deemed worth saving.

Obviously in had been put in the down position where it liked to leak.

It took me about 40 minutes to get to the results you see in the after picture.  Much more than my normal 15 minute focused clean up.  It was well worth it.  

(Side note: you can save a lot of money if you can live with a washer and dryer that don't match.)

After today, I may start a new motto:  "If it's on the floor, you don't need to no more."

Cha, Cha, Cha, Changes

I watched "Hoarding, Buried Alive" last night for the first time this year.  Last year I binged watched it until they started to repeat shows.  Some watch the show and say, "Thank God, I'm not that bad."  For me, it's very motivating.  I'm not in a hoarding situation and I never want material things to have power over me.

Last night's episode featured an older couple. They were forced to deal with their problem after the ambulance team reported them to to the county. The gurney wouldn't make it to the bedroom.  The wife admitted she was purposefully not taking her medication because she wanted to end her life.   The three adult children were the support group along with a licensed counselor.  It was so sad to see the mom focus on hoard items when her children were trying desperately to gain her attention.  The counselor then explained how addiction works and holds an immense power to consume the hoarder.  Then I got to thinking about my situation in a different way.  Yesterday morning, when I stepped on the scale, I hit an all time high number: 250.  Maybe I was watching this episode it an attempt to feel better about myself.  Maybe I have an addiction.

I made it a topic of my therapy session today.  My therapist reminded me that I deal with lot of health issues for which I take medication.  That medication is what peaked my weight in the first place.  In recent months, life has thrown a few emotional curve balls.  I had back-to-back surgeries and numerous medication changes, in November alone, to improve a chronic condition.  My therapist concluded that I have not misplaced an addiction because I didn't start with one.  Yes turned to comfort food in a time of stress and frustration.  It has added about 20 pounds to an already large number made by the meds.

I guess when I think about it, this is a journey and I have to tackle minimizing my stuff everyday.  Whether it's household items, emotional baggage, weight, memorabilia, food, or cyber clutter, it has to be dealt with on a regular basis.  And that's what I'm doing.  I'm not running from the situation.  I am positive I can make the changes needed to make the change needed.

Winter Outfit #1

On Tuesday, just 4 days ago, I had another surgery that lasted 3 hours to repair some issues with the surgery on the 13th. I made a promise to myself that I would put my winter capsule wardrobe to use when I got back in the real world.  There was also a promise made to my son a while back that I would make my famous lasagna that his dad always remembers fondly.  I haven't made it since I was diagnosed a Celiac over 6 years ago.

This afternoon I went to the grocery store to purchase lasagna ingredients and put this outfit together -

I put on make-up and styled my hair with mousse.  I wanted to blow it dry, but my hair dryer was MIA.  I'm certain one of the girls in the house must have borrowed it.

The decision to go to the nicer grocery provided self care by minimizing stops and offered a drive up service to load my car.  I remembered by reusable bags to minimize my environmental footprint as well. 

My famous lasagna retained its pedestal status.  My son has informed me that I can never again purchase Stouffers lasagna.  It has been a successful day.

Capsule Wardrobe Winterized

I'm learning so much in my journey.  I am learning to focus.  I have the time to enjoy the little things I love so much.  Even though I have been out of commission recovering from surgery, I have a bright outlook because I've learned that I can bring my house back in order in a short amount of time combining focus and joy.

Today I will be winterizing my 33 times as I have officially turned on the heat.  I will remove the skirts because they are simply too cold for me.  I will replace them with warm pants.  I have light weight cardigans that I will be switching out for heavier/warmer styles.  That means a bit of shopping for me.  Thankfully, I finally found shoes that are appropriate for winter and properly support my tendonitis ridden feet just before I had surgery.

With my epiphany regarding self care, I am making it my goal to utilized my wardrobe each day as well as do my hair and make up.  Its unlikely that I will have plans to go out everyday but I'm doing this for me.  I like myself in the 33 items I have chosen.  I enjoy the compliments my husband gives me when I make an effort.  For the record, he gives me compliments when I'm in sweats and have bed head hair.  It's just hard to accept those.

I'm going to make this journey more public and start posting pictures on my blog.  Get ready.  It's going to be fun!

Self Care

A questioned that comes up often in my circle is, "What do you do for self care?"  The typical response ranges from getting a Starbucks coffee to a spa day.  These things are deemed for special occasions in my book.  They definitely qualify as treating oneself, but I think we're looking at the question wrong.  I think self care is something we should do everyday.

When I think of how I care for my kids, spouse, or pups, I immediately think of providing food.  Then I think of activities.  I think of clothing, quality sleep, and entertainment.  If I translate that into my own care, I need to be feeding myself properly.  I need to insure quality sleep.  I need to exercise, wear clothing I love, and do some fun things too.  As a mom, I am guilty of neglecting all of those things.  Basic things to many people.

When I had surgery last week, the importance of self care became very clear.  I found myself extremely tired and hungry with an afternoon procedure scheduled.  I became very negative and complained a lot.  It demonstrated how much easier it is to keep a positive attitude when I'm well rested and have eaten properly.  It's important to keep those things in mind during the holiday season.

My capsule wardrobe helps me feel my best with the greatest of ease.  I am no longer overwhelmed by choices of sub-par options.  My FitBit allows me to connect to family and friends all over and have fun with challenges while meeting my goals.

I appreciate that life has slowed down as a result of my minimalism. It allows me to focus on basic self care daily.  I don't have to go out of my way, let alone my house, to be good to myself.  That's a huge lesson.