My year of trying to lead a more minimalistic lifestyle

 

Its that time of year where I start reflecting on how this year has gone, what I have achieved & what resolutions I have failed.

 

*This year I embraced the ethical clothing challenge  (which I failed 4 times over the course of this year). To which Im continuing this challenge into 2015 & including Kobe. I hope to only buy preloved clothing except the essentials like thermals & underwear. Everything else I shall try to source from markets, Ebay & op shops or I shall make it myself. If I do choose to buy new, it will be clothing that is not made in a sweatshop and shall be made with sustainable fabric.

 

*2015 is going to be the year of the handmade gifts. Where Im focusing on mindful gift giving of items that will be lovingly used (& not dumped in the trash days later) of items that I have either made myself, bought at a craft market (support the makers!!!) or D.I.Y craft projects for the kidlets as Im all about entertaining the kidlets creatively without the help of tv (although it stays on during meal times). Im sure this wont make us popular with some people who are expecting the lastest mass produced must have item at gift time but such is life & you cant please everyone.

 

*Although I did well about limiting what I brought into our tiny house in 2014. I didn't get rid of any clutter I had been hoarding (eh hello over-crowded garage your getting a big clean out!!!). So 2015 is all about paring back on possessions & also the bad food we eat. Luke & I binge on junkfood the moment Kobe's tucked into bed all nice & snug. Out comes the hidden chocolate stash, ice cream & corn chips. It would be awesome to limit our processed sugar intake & having a healthier diet.

 

*I joined a local Facebook group about saving money & budgeting where everyone shares their tips. I would like to get more involved into reducing food wastage & costs where we could share/barter our excess produce. The war on food wastage begins!

 

*Most importantly 2015 will be the year about chasing life experiences over the lastest must have fad or accessory. About living life at a slower pace where I can literally stop & smell the roses instead of racing from one thing to the next.

 

Wish me luck Im going to need it;)

 

Happy Saturday friends!

Grace

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to have a rich but frugal christmas

Kobe & I went on the bus today with our neighbours to see Santa at a shopping centre. Where we were greeted by crowds of shoppers with trolleys packed to the brim with presents for loved ones. All I wanted to do was turn tail & get back on the bus home before I too got swallowed up in the consumerism of this festive season.

Strangely this Christmas Im a lot more chilled about it as I sticking to a more relaxed mindset of "Christmas is a time to spend with loved ones not spend lots on loved ones to prove how much you love them".

 

(Sidenote; how freaking cute is this retro burger bank I found at an op shop? It will be Kobes once he learns to respect his stuff & not break it carelessly. Cant wait til he fills it up with pocket money he has earnt to save for something special).

So I thought why not share my frugal tips of surviving on a budget during this festive season.
To keep costs down this time of year I follow these basic principles;

*Be organized, I jumped on the internet halfway thru November to order gifts so that they would arrive with plenty of time before Christmas.
*Go for mindful gifts that will be used as opposed to gimmicky gifts (you know those annoying ones that fart or swear etc) that everyone will laugh about when they open them only to ditch them days later once the novelty wears off.
*I hate shopping centres due to the large volume of customers. I feel suffocated & overwhelmed which would leave me to grab anything to buy just to get the frick out of there. If your like me then write a list & stick to it & don't go on an empty stomach (unless you really needed 4 bags of cookies... which are my weakness). If you dare, take cash & no bank cards, that way you resist any impulse purchases.
*Set a realistic budget which you can afford without relying on a credit card. Do you really want to spend January playing catch up paying off December purchases?
*Box up your unused clutter & sell it on Gumtree, Ebay or at a market stall. Put what you made towards your Christmas budget.
*Embrace seasonal produce, its cheaper.
*Share the load on Christmas day & everyone brings a platter. No one wants to be stuck in a hot kitchen all day doing all the cooking. Sharing is indeed being caring.
*Waste not what not. Why not regift anything you no longer need to someone who would actually use it? Cheeky sure but one less item in landfill.
*If you have a large family why not do chris cringle & everyone pull out a name out of a hat? We have done this for Lukes family the past couple years but sadly it got to the point where everyone just chose their own gift. So Im advocating for family time spent together as the gift this year. Afterall the best things in life are free such as quality time with loved ones.

I hope I didn't come across as the Grinch who stole the Christmas spirit but you don't need lots of stuff to have a fulfilled life:)

Happy Friday friends!
Grace

A christmas giveaway

 

Hello, if your in the mood for winning. Feel free to enter A Secondhand Life Facebook competition. All items above were purchased by me to give to one lucky winner. Competition is open to Australian facebook followers & closes on Monday 15th, 9pm Perth time. Items will be posted via Australia post.

 

Prize includes; 4 mini gift bags, Christmas card pegs, a box of Christmas decorations, 2 Christmas themed earrings & an organza bag (red bows not included).

 

Goodluck!

Happy Monday friends!

Grace

 

**A Secondhand Life does not take responsibility of any items damaged while in transit but stating that I haven't had a problem with Australia post so far.

 

A kids christmas wishlist (minus the crap)

I have been more mindful on what comes into our house inconcern to the little one. So I prepared a kid friendly gift guide minus the crap stuff which may help other parents dealing with the same issues or any auntys or grandparents who might need a little help. This list is based on what will be used lovingly & not thrown out days/months later in our home.

1. For the outdoor grubby child who loves getting dirt in his finger nails (& drag it thru the house too). Im loving the Seedling kid friendly garden range which goes splendid with Dirtgirl seeds. Nothing like encouraging your child to be involved in the garden.

2. Instead of a product gift why not gift an experience? Zoo passes, aquarium passes, reptile park passes, or even playcentre passes would be super handy to any family.

3. For the kid that wants everything why not teach them the gift of caring for others? We have a tradition to take Kobe to the Kmart wishing tree every year to drop off a couple presents. I tell him "we are helping Santa with gifts for the children he might not have time to get to as he has a very big job delivering presents & we don't want any child to miss out".

4. Im quite proud of my mini-me recycler (except when he makes us check every freaking smelly bin when we are out in public) so this list cant be complete without Recycle books aimed for young children. Peppa pig "recycling fun", Charlie Lola "we are very good recyclers" & Don't throw it away are on the grandparents please buy Kobe gift wishlist.

5. Childrens music; I have just started catching glimpses of Kobe's impromptu dance routines to music:) Justine Clarke I like to sing he asks for daily, I secretly sing along also to Yo Gabba Gabba & anything Playschool related is sure to be a winner. Plus its so handy to drown out toddler tantrums with chirpy music on car trips...

6. Practical & functional you cant go past a pair of Birkenstocks. You can even get them upsized up to 2 sizes bigger (for an extra cost) when they outgrow them the following year.

7. You cant go wrong with craft stuff. We love the Crayola craft range in our house. The dry erase number cards are Kobe favourite drawing activity at present. The Seedling craft kits are pretty cute too.

8. And because I have to include one toy on the list it has to be the Trashpack range. Finally a freaking toy that my child will sit & play with for over 10 minutes. Hallelujah!!! I was organized enough to jump on Ebay earlier this month to buy mint condition preloved Trashpack stuff for a bargain.

Happy Tuesday friends!
Grace