Live an organised life through basic living

Nothing can make your home life more organised than living with a ‘basic’ mindset. That doesn’t mean selling up your possessions, moving to the bush and living off the grid. Learning to live with less, make do with what you’ve got and desire more experiences in life rather than stuff with help you live an organised life through basic living.

Living an organised life through basic living is a lifestyle that you create by not wanting more but learning to live with less.

This lifestyle is not without creature comforts but rather one with all that you need to live a comfortable life that doesn’t require a lot of your time to organise or continuously declutter.

It’s a basic lifestyle in that you don’t really want for anything. You have all you need. You work out what that is you need by being more mindful about what it is that truly makes you happy. Practicing mindfulness on a daily basic allows you to work out what your ideal life is. You’ll soon realise it isn’t about personal possessions but one that that is more about experiences, feelings and learning to live a simple lifestyle that gives you everything you need.

The less you own, the less organising you have to do. The longer you use something until it’s completely worn and broken, the less money you have to part with. This all contributes to a more organised and stress free life.

Here’s how you can apply a basic living mindset to every part of your home.

Kitchen

You don’t need the latest and greatest appliances to create simple but great tasting food. Eating fresh, wholesome ingredients prepared in the simplest, quickest way is all you really need to worry about.

Having the latest kitchen appliance invention isn’t going to make the process any easier. It might make it a little quicker or the meal might be made while you’re doing something else, eg slow cooker, Instant Pot etc but just because someone else has those appliances and you don’t doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy it just because they have it.

Women before us cooked the most amazing meals and baked the most amazing desserts well before any of these appliances were invented. I’ve never owned a mix master in my life but have been baking cakes and cookies all my life, mixing the ingredients by hand with the trusty wire whisk owned by my Nanna. Same great results as she had.

The same goes for all of your kitchen crockery, cutlery and glasses. Until you feel organised and in a position to be able to afford the dinnerware of your dreams, make do. A plate is a plate. A fork is a fork. A glass is a glass. They all do the same job. How pretty it is or in fashion it is isn’t going to make the food or drink taste any different.

Don’t worry about your pantry looking like the latest image on Instagram either. Not for now anyway. If you’re looking at getting yourself organised, start with a basic system of storing like with like, using the bags or containers the food comes in. That’s enough! As long as you can easily see what food you have in your fridge, freezer or pantry and can find an ingredient when you need it, that’s all you need to be organised in your kitchen.

Bedroom

I can’t believe the amount of people who change their bed linen just for the look. A sheet is a sheet. A pillow is a pillow. Getting back to basics in the bedroom means as long as you are cool/warm and comfortable when you go to sleep, that’s all you need.

I have two sets of bed linen for each bed. One set is on the bed, the other is in the linen closet. This cuts down on washing, organising the linen closet and if you buy good quality sheets, they will last you a lifetime. Also, it doesn’t matter what colour they are underneath the doona or quilt? Who will see them? I’ve bought the highest thread count bed linen from thrift stores and outlet shops so I’m never paying the full price.

Just because a magazine or shop advertises a new range of bedroom linen, don’t feel the need to rush out and buy it. When you sheets are so thread bare and beyond repair, that’s when you buy new ones. That’s what my mother did and that’s what I do. I don’t even have to give what’s going on in the stores or their catalogues a second thought.

Come to think of it, I haven’t looked at a store catalogue for decades. They go straight into the recycle bin for me. I have the mindset that I have all I need to keep everyone in my home comfortable. Buying new linen when it’s not needed is a waste of money.

Bathroom

The same rules apply to the bathroom. Yes, go for a makeover. Change the curtains, the towels etc but only if it’s needed. The above bathroom makeover was done a couple years ago for under $500, and $395 of that went to the plumber to hook up new tapware. Everything else was reused, recycled or bought at thrift shops. Most of the homewares I do find at thrift shops are the same ones found in the cheap discount stores but at a tenth of the price.

I like to add a decorative touch to my home but if it’s not serving a purpose, it doesn’t belong in my home. It only means more work by having to keep it clean and then when you tire of the look of it, you have to make the effort to declutter it. Like every room of your home, keep it basic and simple and you’ll have less organising to do.

Storage

This may sound a little weird but I love boxes. It doesn’t matter if it’s a cereal box, a box the pencils came in or the box the reams of paper come in (one of my favourites). It’s cardboard, a perfectly sturdy material that will last a long time and can be recycled but it can be so easily used as a receptacle for storage. Storing anything.

I utilised a two drawer filing cabinet in my office/craft space to store a lot of my craft supplies and had saved a lot of boxes from packaging for this sole purpose. I could’ve gone out and bought plastic organisers and storage boxes from the shop (in fact, I did buy 2 as pictured above) but I mainly reused cardboard boxes.

The fact that I re-used an otherwise unwanted filing cabinet (no longer being used to store paperwork), into a perfectly useful storage option with saved cardboard food packaging meant it didn’t cost me a penny. Getting back to basics helps me stay organised because I’m not bringing in new stuff into my home but rather utilising and repurposing what I’ve already got.

It means I save money, I save time on having to shop for just what I want and I don’t have to worry about discarding these unwanted items.

Getting back to basics means you have less worries, you do what you can within your means, your mind is free to concentrate on other activities in your home like pursuing hobbies or taking care of yourself. It means you have less to organise therefore leading to a more organised life.

You can apply this way of thinking to every part of your home. Imagine a life less cluttered, more organised, with more time on your hands to do what you want with the money to do it?

If our mothers and grandmothers did it and it worked, why shouldn’t we be doing it today?

Tricks to Throw a Great Christmas Party in a Small Apartment

The Christmas fever is here! Everybody is rambling about their plans and things they have to do; stores are crowded with people choosing presents and preparing for the holiday season.  There’s just something in the air making us all feel excited.

Christmas parties are one more thing to get excited about – choosing the right food, decorating your home, making a guest list, choosing the date, thinking about the right music. Every host would like his/her party to be the one that will be remembered in the years to come by providing great food, a thrilling and cozy atmosphere, great fun and excellent guests. Of course, the location itself dictates some of the things you’ll need to take care of. If you live in a small apartment and you would like to have a Christmas party to remember, there’s a few tricks to throw a great Christmas party in a small apartment.

Here’s how:

Use rooms in unexpected ways

Surprise your guests by giving a different purpose for each of the rooms. Usually hosts tend to serve food in the kitchen while using the living room for dancing and playing games. Be original.

For example, you could put the board games in the dining room and make it a hangout area. Another idea is to use the guest room in a new way by making it a dessert room. Fill it with cakes, candies and other sweets. The patio is another great place for serving food. This is how you will prevent people from piling up in the kitchen only.

The key is to use every available area that you have. If there’s a balcony area, decorate it and put some food and drinks outside. This can be a space for those who would like to smoke or just have a bit of fresh air.

Create new serving surfaces

Serving food can be tricky in a small apartment. Go beyond using only the kitchen table and counters . Any flat surface will do the work. The trick is to cover the surface with a Christmas tablecloth or fabric and it instantly becomes special. If you don’t want to push with Christmas motives on the tablecloth, find a fancy fabric and cut out squares to cover your stereo or any other flat surface. The more level of serving surfaces you have, the better and more interesting it will be visually.

Rearrange the furniture

 

To maximize the space in your apartment you’ll need to rearrange some of the furniture. Your bedroom won’t be occupied that night, so you should move the extra furniture from the living room to the bedroom. The TV, along with the TV stand, the carpet, and all the extra pieces of furniture won’t be needed for the party. People mostly need a comfortable place to sit or stand. Everything else is unnecessary. The rest of it, like sofa and chairs, should be placed against the walls, making room in the center for dancing or having a buffet table.

While you’re at it, consider moving some of your stuff from the apartment permanently,or at least for some longer period. If you realise there’s a large piece of furniture that takes too much space, and it can’t be used for the party, find a storage unit where you can keep it for some time. This way, you’ll declutter your apartment and not just for the sake of the party.

The secret is in the details

Your Christmas party should be unique, so make an effort about the small things. If you’re planning a more intimate party, then forget about paper plates and use the best dishes you have. If you feel creative, make handwritten invitations to let your guests know how much you want them to come.

Gift bags are another way of showing your guests just how special they are to you. You can place a couple of gift bags in each of the rooms and let the guests find them during the evening, while they’re mingling and walking around.

Create mood lighting

If you have that option, don’t use overhead light. They tend to ruin the special atmosphere. Instead, rely on lamps and candles. Put a candle or two on every serving surface.

Tea lights don’t need too much space so you can place them literally anywhere. Lamps should have a warm white light, while string lights give that final touch of a festive atmosphere. Hang them across the room or across the walls and shelves. The more, the merrier.

Find a spot for your guests’ things

This may seem like an obvious thing but is very important if the party is in a small apartment. First thing, forget about the shoes off rule to reduce the clutter. The purses and coats can be placed on your bedroom bed or you can create some extra space for the coats by putting hangers on the shower curtain rod in the bathroom.

In the end, the people are what makes a party good. Still, as a host, you need to do your best in order to set a nice, comfortable atmosphere. Even a small apartment can be a place of joy and great fun for a big number of people. That’s what Christmas is all about.

 

Disclaimer:  This is a guest post by Victoria Lim.

 

Podcast # 2 - Treat your home budget like a business

Hello and welcome to my second podcast, “Treat your home budget like a business”. Glad to have you here. Today I talk about why it’s important to me to review my home budget every year and why the start of every year is as good a time as any. 

If you’ve got any questions about home budgets or can offer me any advice about how you manage

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your household finances, please leave me a comment below.

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Additionally, if there’s anything you’d like to know about how I manage my home, my family, any questions at all, let me know and I’ll be sure to feature it in a special podcast, featuring you!

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