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Compacting Mommas Winter Thread - Page 9

post #161 of 237
2/5/07 at 8:11pm
I'm gonna buy HP new. I have all of them and really like having the collection. it's probably the one thing i will break on without thinking. Unless someone gives it to me as a gift
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post #162 of 237
2/5/07 at 8:22pm
I feel a little sheepish... I started a blog (in part to keep track of the compacting and decluttering and green promises). And yeah Adina, I copied your compact almost word for word (so it was good!). It's very subtly linked in my sig. My latest post is about my buying temptations. I'm a little embarrassed. I think of myself as being pretty darned green, pretty anti-consumer in the first place. But the compact is making me see that little things add up.

We've gotten the HP from the library in the past. I'm very good about using the library. (And : I will admit that my aunt is going to get it, read it herself first, and then send it to us to save for the kids... so I guess I don't have to worry about it... but it *will* get read by 3 adults before the kids ever get to it, years from now!)

Decluttering... I've been picking away at the pantry.
post #163 of 237
2/6/07 at 10:51am
The Compact has been going well for us! Our only slip-up has been ds's birthday (which I think I wrote about here a while back) in mid-Jan.

One small success: we use cloth rags instead of paper towels in the kitchen, and - this is really dumb - I forgot to wash a pile of dirty ones before we left to be out of town for 2.5 weeks . Some were moldy, all were stinky when we got home. For about 5 minutes I thought we were going to have to break the Compact and buy some new washcloths. Well... we got new towels as a gift for Christmas and we still had our old ones. I cut up one of the old ones and got 24 kitchen rags out of it! Saving ourselves $$ and having to buy washcloths at a discount/box store (I don't know where else I would have got them).

Another thing we are doing is de-cluttering. More. Because we are (hopefully) going to be buying a house in our old town that we love (the house is a bit smaller and has a little less storage so time to declutter!). Last summer we got rid of enough stuff to literally fill our entire Volvo wagon except for the driver's seat. Right now I have a trunk-full of bags of clothes and coats to donate to a local church's ministry that gives clothes and homegoods to needy families for free. We have so much *more* decluttering to do, too. It doesn't *look* like we have a ton of stuff, but we do, apparently.

We have also been eating in most of the time. It helps that the closest local restaurants are a 25 minutes drive so it rarely makes sense to make a special trip.

One last thing. A question: I am thinking of switching to mama cloth. Do you all think that is an exception? Or is it just me trying to justify a kind of fun potential purchase?
post #164 of 237
2/6/07 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by rachelmarie View Post
One last thing. A question: I am thinking of switching to mama cloth. Do you all think that is an exception? Or is it just me trying to justify a kind of fun potential purchase?
You'd be saving a lot of potential purchases by getting some mama cloth. You may also want to look at the Diva Cup or the Keeper. I love my Diva Cup!
post #165 of 237
2/6/07 at 4:24pm
I made my mamma cloth which is within the Compact. Last time I looked, there were free patterns on-line. I have not looked in a while.
post #166 of 237
2/6/07 at 4:43pm
Mama cloth is like underpants. I think it's MORE than OK to buy new If you're not gonna make em. SPeaking of which, I know a great SAHM who makes em.
post #167 of 237
2/6/07 at 8:27pm
I made mine our of fleece remnants and a couple old towels. All you need is a basic pattern and a machine that does zig-zag stitch, they are very fast to whip up.

I think I may look into a diva cup when my period returns.
post #168 of 237
2/7/07 at 1:49am
I have old towels and tons of extra fleece - and a sewing machine. I'll look around for patterns, too. Maybe I'll buy the diva cup and make pads.

Maybe. I always have good intentions about that kind of stuff, but somehow it rarely gets done. I may just end up buying.

I think it's Compact friendly because even though it's new, I'd be buying something from a wahm (supporting a small business, the person making them gets a fair wage, etc.) and they are so much better for me and the environment. Besides, that's one thing I, personally, wouldn't be too comfortable buying used so either me making them or buying new are the only options.

chiromama - who's the wahm you know? PM me if you want - I don't want the thread to get too much OT. Thanks!
post #169 of 237
2/7/07 at 1:58am
I actually found a disposeable pad that I had around and that i liked the size of, and traced around it and added wings to go around my panties. I traced it on some paper, and then cut it out and used it as a pattern. Then pinned the layers together, and zig zagged around the outside, and then ran a stitch up the center to hold the layers together.

It was super easy - I made about 15 in one afternoon.
post #170 of 237
2/9/07 at 5:54pm
I just wanted to share this... This is a recent blog post I wrote about compacting.

I went to Target today. Once again, I’ll say upfront that I believe that I buy less “crap” from Target than most people. But it is still Target, after all, Home of Crap, the Crap Super Center, Come Get Your Crap Here (though probably not to the same degree as Walmart). It was kind of nice to know that because of the compact, I couldn’t/shouldn’t get anything other than what I was there for (washing soda, a scrub brush, stickers for T’s class, and a package of candy which I had been specifically directed to buy for their Valentine’s Day party… maybe I’ll complain about that later… wasn’t going to rock the boat this time). I was also purchasing a gift for the birthday party T is going to on Saturday. And yea for me, I remembered to bring a cloth bag for this errand, not just the trip to the grocery store.

I realize that these forays into the wilds of Target will take on more and more of an anthropology field trip feel the further I get into the compacting mindset. As I walked by various toiletries displays, I boggled at some of the weird new crap being sold (or at least being marketed). I walked by fast enough that I’m not completely sure what purpose some of these things served. One set of thingamajigs involved molded plastic, batteries I think, and probably some kind of creamy stuff inside. There was an anti-aging display (my thought: aging happens, folks). Tons of tschotchkes in the seasonal area (where I found the VD candy). [Honey, if you’re reading this, please know that as usual, I don’t want any crap for VD, I just want a thoughtful hand-written letter. :>) You’ll get the same.]

As far as the birthday present goes… I tried hard (as I usually do) to get a gift that is non-annoying, useful, fun (and hopefully, fun beyond the moment that the package is ripped open), etc. I don’t go for ridiculously gendered toys (like those he man rescue heroes… I don’t care if they fight fires, I can tell that they’re taking steroids, and I’ll bet they don’t bake little molded plastic cakes back at the fire house). I will not do plasticky battery-operated toys (because I’ll admit that I generally hate it when my kids get these things as gifts). Anyway, yes, I bought a birthday gift, but since this is listed as an exception in my compact, I don’t feel any guilt.
post #171 of 237
2/9/07 at 9:27pm
Just had a very successful trip to the thrift.
got a pastry mixer i have been needing (now gonna go make some tasty scones!)
two pairs of pants (ooooh that fit! too much weightloss with breastfeeding)
and an awesome wooden stacker from ikea - brand new for a friend who's looking for wooden toys for her baby.
feels good!
Now back to organizing!
post #172 of 237
2/11/07 at 11:31am
This week was the first time we really needed to buy something. Our alarm clock broke. Well... dh had to break it because ds's finger got caught in the part that opens where you put in a CD. That was also the part with the clock. Ds's finger was okay, but our clock wasn't. I needed to drop some things off at Goodwill so I went in to see if they had an alarm clock. They had one. It works great, and only cost us $2.50!
post #173 of 237
2/11/07 at 11:41pm
I have a question for you compacters (and I posted a ? in a new thread in the DOS subforum, but you guys are probably really the ones I want to ask, I now realize). As I'm decluttering, organizing, and compacting, I'm wondering how to better store and organize the stuff we keep. What do y'all use? I really don't want to buy clear plastic bins (it's plastic, it's buying). But I seriously doubt that I'm going to find organizing tools like bins etc secondhand. (And I have no ideas for making anything. ) Any suggestions?
post #174 of 237
2/12/07 at 12:46pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by KKmama View Post
I have a question for you compacters (and I posted a ? in a new thread in the DOS subforum, but you guys are probably really the ones I want to ask, I now realize). As I'm decluttering, organizing, and compacting, I'm wondering how to better store and organize the stuff we keep. What do y'all use? I really don't want to buy clear plastic bins (it's plastic, it's buying). But I seriously doubt that I'm going to find organizing tools like bins etc secondhand. (And I have no ideas for making anything. ) Any suggestions?

We live in a small space (around 800 s.f.) so optimal storage is key for us. Our main focus is simplifying so we're getting rid of a lot more stuff than we're bringing in, but for those items that do need to be stored we use attractive baskets, vases and containers to artfully display the every-day items.

For instance, instead of hiding extra candles under the sink or in a utility room waiting for them to be used, I place them in a glass vase and display them on the mantle. Instead of hiding my knitting/craft stuff in the closet, I put it in a big basket and display it on the coffee table.

I gues sit depends on what you need to store.
post #175 of 237
2/12/07 at 1:00pm
A lot of it is kid stuff. We're trying to be ruthless and get rid of stuff we really don't like/use/want, but there are still toys, art supplies etc to organize. Snowbunny, your suggestions are excellent (hey, are you in CO?). We don't really like "decorating" (having/acquiring crap to "make the house attractive"--blech), and it seems like it would be "decorating" with our lives. I lean toward the idea of baskets and canvas bins, anyway, because if the container itself (the basket/bin) gets damaged, I can compost it or possibly fix it.
post #176 of 237
2/12/07 at 2:28pm
KK: I'm so with you. We are definitely not into buying decorative items for the sake of decorating. I hate knick-knacks, and my grandmother's house is full of them! I'm of the school that everything we have should have a purpose.

I like your words "decorating with our lives" because that's really what it is. The things we have out are decorative, but they're useful too.

As for toys, we're REALLY trying to downscale DS's toys, but it seems that people keep giving him stuff faster than we can get rid of it! We have a fairly large book shelf in our living area and the bottom two shelves are for DS's toys and books. The big stuff (xylaphone, drums) can sit on the shelf alone while small stuff (blocks, decoy remotes and phones) is in an attractive galvanized metal tub.

We are in CO (Crested Butte) and we love it, what about you?
post #177 of 237
2/12/07 at 5:54pm
Well, some of this might be a confession for the decluttering thread...

Yeah, the stuff we "decorate" our house with, we want to have some meaning. So dh's artwork, family photos, T's artwork from school.

Snowbunny, I guess your mentioning your grandmother's house set me off... Some of what I decluttered this weekend is stuff my dad passed to me after my grandparents died a couple of years ago. They were *major* accumulators of CRAP (as is my dad), definitely had a LOT of knick-knacks. And my dad really thinks that I should hold onto all of this crap (though clearly, *he* didn't want it). We're not talking family heirlooms or anything like that. Grandma accumulated it, and I'm not supposed to divest myself of it. (Oh well, too late!) It's hard for me to overcome guilt in getting rid of it, which is why I hadn't to this point. But this weekend, I guess I got a little indignant and full of righteous energy.

And re the toys... it was a lot easier to stay on top of things when I had one young toddler (and our house was tiny, and we lived far away from the grandparents). This past Xmas was especially discouraging (my dad and step-mother were the big culprits). It's so hard when they get a TON of plasticky (battery-operated) crap. We need to find a way to talk to them without hurting their feelings, because we have/will be giving the majority of the stuff away. It's a really delicate thing.

I had a pretty good idea re containers when I was walking to school to pick up T (people's suggestions got my mind moving)... one of my objections to cardboard boxes is that they're just ugly and tend to fall apart. I realized I could cover some boxes using a glue gun to tack pieces of colorful old sheets/table clothes/etc onto them (in a nice way... I realize that my description sounds a little tacky, but I'd tuck the ends in). Anyway, it's very low cost/free, and when the container is no longer needed/no longer sturdy, I can recycle the box and stick the fabric in my rag bag or compost poile.

We're in Boulder. I grew up in Montrose... not terribly far from you.
post #178 of 237
2/12/07 at 6:30pm
I have been doing well since the middle of January when I unofficially started. I did buy a Non-Violent Communication workbook as I can't seem to find used.

I am decluttering the house. Anything not used in recent times has to go.

Big find - dd had her 2nd birthday at the beginning of the month. DH wanted to check out a new thrift store. I stayed in the car while dd slept. I told ds and dh to see if they could find a gift for dd's b-day. They found a baby doll NWT and a book for her. Total was under $5!!!

Currently "need" a new cooking thermometer and a bread pan. Keeping my eye out for them used on FS or at GW.

Woo Hooo!!!
PM
post #179 of 237
2/13/07 at 7:03am
You mamas are so inspiring! I'm thinking about this compact thing, and have started playing with my "rules" and "exceptions". For now though, I'll just keep reading all your brilliant ideas!
post #180 of 237
2/13/07 at 9:23pm

dipe bag pattern?

In my decluttering this weekend, I found some old skirts of my grandmother's. They just aren't me... granted, they are from her more slender days, but she was more "hippy" than me (and I am much more "hippie" than she... ). So I wanted to get rid of them, but then I got started thinking... the fabric is really nice. And I would like a new diaper bag. I've been carrying an old REI backpack that predated my mama days. It has never fit me that well, and the drawstring is all yucky, and it's not the most convenient or attractive bag. So I'm thinking that maybe I can use the skirts to make a new bag (maybe even two... I find that I have "big bag" days and "small bag" days). I tried to look over at the Wardrobe Refashion blog, but there's no search function. (And I tried to search the sewing subforum here, and I didn't find much, but I'm not the best searcher.) Any suggestions? Any patterns? Should I just go crazy? I think something with an adjustable cross-body strap would be best, or something with backpack-like straps. I'm kind of thinking of asking my mom friends who have nicer/more attractive dipe bags if I can paw through them (for design ideas) and/or go to a couple of stores and look at new bags for design ideas :, literally. (Don't worry, I won't get tempted to buy one.)

Yeah, I *can* sew, though time is always precious. (But I want to get rid of the old dumpy backpack pretty badly.)