Thrifty Living: Use It Up

Last week, I pledged to be less of a consumer. This week, I'm trying to make good on that pledge, starting with using up what I already own...

I like knitting, which you've probably gathered, as I'm always banging on about it! So it's no surprise really that I have quite a lot of wool. Not a completely ridiculous amount, but a fair bit. It all lives in a large Harry Potter-esque (that's the only description I have for it!) trunk, taking up more than it's fair share of my bedroom floor, and doubling as a handy table/seat/stepladder when needs be. You'd think that because I have a lot of wool already, I wouldn't need to buy any more - this is also the same for pretty paper, fabric and lots of those I-don't-know-what-I'll-use-it-for-but-it's-so-novelty craft supplies, but I work in a craft shop, in fact, it's not really a craft shop, it's like a craft supermarket. Temptation is frequently too much for me to bear.

Customers regularly say to me "I'd spend a fortune if I worked here!" and it's true, it's like being a kid in a sweet shop. If something's on sale, I'll buy it, if something new and pretty comes in, I'll buy it. It's a compulsion! However, in an attempt to curb my spending and more importantly, to clear out some space in my pretty small craft room with a bed in it bedroom, I'm pledging to use up if not all of what I have already, at least a substantial portion of it, before buying anything new. 

Wool-wise, as luck would have it, one of the lovely ladies at my Wednesday knitting night succeeded in teaching me how to crochet a granny square last week. This may not sound it, but it's a seriously big deal for me. I've been trying to teach myself to crochet for years, ever since I taught myself to knit, and I just couldn't do it, which was pretty infuriating as I tend to pick things up quite quickly. Now I've mastered the very basics, I intend to use up all those annoying scraps and half-balls of yarn that hoarders like myself cannot bear to throw away, by making a big granny square blanket*.

It's quite therapeutic, crocheting round and round, using a ridiculous amount of colours. I don't think I've really made much of a dent in my stash yet, but it's a step on the long road to recovery! Haha.

Have you got any good stash-busting projects? If so, send them my way!

A ♥

*yes, another blanket. To go with last years knitted blanket and my (still not finished) patchwork quilt. I won't need to waste money on frivolities such as central heating when I'm a student! haha.

Materialism, some food for thought.

Being less materialistic is a goal that frequently crops up on my New Years Resolutions and lists of general self-improvement that I'm in the habit of making, and it's a really difficult one, one that I haven't managed to conquer yet. The problem is that it's not really a measurable goal and finding a place to start, is tricky. It's not like dieting (first step: step away from the cakes Amy) - although in fairness, I haven't managed that one particularly well either - but that's another kettle of fish entirely! 

Anyone who has any length of conversation with me, will know that it is my number one dream in life to live in a field, somewhere in the countryside, far away from concrete tower blocks, in a village that's not full of takeaway restaurants and betting shops. I want to eat home grown vegetables and have chickens and knit jumpers and raise my children to rely on love, not money (this is where it gets a bit wooly, I know). The trouble is, 21st Century living is all about money. I'm not going to rant about house prices and petrol prices, because we are all too aware of how expensive everything is.

The difficult bit, for me, is fighting against the consumer culture that tells us that we need to buy things in order to be happy. Now, I have a lot more possessions than I need, yet you need only glance at my amazon wish list to see how much more I'd like to own. I'm always thinking, oh, I must pick up a new nail polish, or sketchbook or , when in actual fact I have a lot of nail polishes and sketchbooks already. 

We only have one life - is there enough time in it to use all the things we're accumulating? 


This train of thought has been sparked by the amount of money I've spent this month, on little bits and pieces of unimportance, which is most out of character for me, I am very careful with money - partly because of my general panicky nature and also because I've never had a steady nine till five job, so it's always been important to save it when you have it. I am the queen of saving for a rainy day!

Being less materialistic isn't just about spending less money, it's about appreciating what you already have. 

So I'm setting myself a challenge - I'm going to spend less time dreaming of all the things I need want and make as much as I can out of things I already have. I'm going to start with buying less craft supplies - working in a craft shop is hard - and using up the mountain of wool, paper and fabric I already have. Needless to say, I will be documenting my Thrifty Living challenge, right here. 

If anyone has any tips, or feels like joining in, leave a comment below or drop me an email: amy_eg[at]hotmail[dot]co[dot]uk

A ♥

The pictures accompanying this post are of my work-in-progress patchwork quilt!