Dump it on me

The end of the year is nearing which means I have a lots to do. First of all, it has been ages that I have vacuumed the carpet and wipe down all the surfaces. I still don't have a home for all the great stuff that has been coming through the door.

I already bought presents for a house warming party but till then you can find the gifts somewhere under my pc table. Which I still have to clear for the first of January when my nephews are coming. My siblings clothes still drying on the radiator.

Did I mentioned I still have to iron my clothes? So much to do in so little time. But if I think about it and just do it, it will be done in 3 hours tops. I mean all those chores are easily done and I am a fast worker. My bedroom wipe down doesn't take 5 minutes because there is so little in it. Ironing just a few items doesn't take an hour. Folding the stuff around the house takes even less.

The difficulty lies in the start because when I start there is no end. I know myself well enough to realize that. And don't forget the last minute groceries that the family will dump on me, last minute. Yeah, lets get everything done today so tomorrow will be a nice last day of the year.

Christmas Feast

Oh my, over the past few days I had a eat festival. Starting with Christmas eve with fried snacks and beer. In the morning I had a late breakfast with the family and after two hours of doing nothing until the delivery sushi came. Being stuffed with raw fish and rice was nice but after two hour it was tea time. The expensive chocolate cherry cake was delicious and nice but I was still full from the lunch.

I got to nap in between the lunch and tea time still didn't burn enough calories to eat more. So diner was last and that means we got to go outside for a drive. A medium lamb steak was made for us and I sipped a glass of wine.

Honestly, Christmas is all about food and coming together to drink and chat. Looking back this year, I find that I could have done more but my clutter pile didn't grow and I didn't bought things that I regret. I also shrunk the all-round stuff around the house.

This Christmas has been spent with those I love and cherish.

Back Up Box

Like any other girl, I have my back up box filled with daily supplies of things. Yesterday at night I find out that I am running low on my Vitamine E cream and it was about time to get something new but before I buy, I needed to check my box. But because it's all the way in the attic I didn't check it. I remembered that I've seen something on sale but I ushered myself to wait.

In the morning I got up and went to the attic and found out that I still have a spare pot of my night cream. Okay, it's not half full but still enough for a whole month. After that, it came to me that I can buy if I just combine the cream in one container.

But the back up box isn't meant to be used like that. So I have to finish both containers before buying a new one. Luckily the sale is now all-round the year and don't forget that the new year sale is coming up.

My treasured back up box is going to be a bit empty but next year it will be filled with new things I want to try and experience.

To Realize

No new post for more than a week, I just realized when I watched my post. It's bad because this blog put a lot of my daily happening in perspective. Thanks to it, I have learned to reflect in a short timeline. Something I haven't learned to embrace. I mean looking back in my own life I can reflect but on daily basis it would become a nuisance but not anymore. I have learned to embrace the fact that I can reflect on daily basis. Honestly, I also missed it.

Yesterday night I was sitting on the couch watching telly and looking into the advertisement. I found the hand cream that my mom uses is on sale. I told her that and asked if I needed to buy it for her. She told me that she still have enough and if she bought it, it would only encourage her to use different hand creams at the same time and let it lay around everywhere in the house.

It's true, just in the living room I can find two hand creams and don't get me started on her other bottles or tubes of things. It's nice that my constant bickering and nagging made her realize that she has so much.

I think that it is a nice moment where both my mom and I were made to realize we learn from each other.

Pissed

Last night I got pissed as hell. Why? Because my family doesn't put the stuff back where it belongs. I really hate the fact that whenever I put so much effort to declutter and organized it get messed up so easily. The fact that they don't even try is even the worst.

A month ago my siblings came back from their holiday but just brought back the suitcases. Two suitcases. I stocked it up with clothes so it doesn't take much space but they never put the clothes back They just dump it and let others fix it. One thing, I have promised myself is that I won't clean up their mess anymore. 

So yesterday night I was a b*tch towards my mom. She always thinks I am the one to fix it but this time I was the unfriendly one. Cause whenever your the ancor in the house to clean things up, people will take you for granted. And it felt good and still does because sometimes I need to make sparks to convey my feelings. 

Letting emotion flows and vent for once in awhile it's healthy. I mean being nice is good but I need to love myself once in awhile. Placing myself in the number one spot.

The Downside

Sometimes I do hate minimalism. For example today I got a great offer in my mailbox about
lip balm 50% off. The price would be around eighty euro cents, a great deal for a lip balm but
I still have some around the house and in my backup box.

Also this year I bought two Burt's bee balm for half the price but it's still expensive and one of it
is still in the box. So right at the moment when I got the mail I was a little pissed off. Like that's a great deal but I can't buy it.

I think it's good to recognize these situations because if I acknowledge it, I can at least do something about it. I try to think back before I started minimalism. I always bought cheap stuff but it was so much that I have to start shrinking my belongings. So it was a great decision to buy Burt's bee lip balm instead of a half priced intensive care balm because I already have something like it in my box.

And I still remember that I once had my Vaseline lost underneath my bed and bought a new one. And after a year or two it's empty. When reflecting on my days before being a minimalist it makes me happy to see the changes in my environment.

There are times that it's not fun but almost everything comes with a downside. I am fortunate that the downside is so small and all the other reasons to be minimalist nullify the negatives.

Difficulties

It is December and that means just one thing. It's sale time. With the economy still in it's recovery stages after 2008 retailers are pulling every little trick to get money out of our pockets. And I don't mean it in a bad way. For now we consumers are the lucky ones. We think we got really good deals. But as I have mentioned before the really good sale is starting after the holidays.

I did got some vitamins that were on sale in house and a comforter. Last week my siblings got one in sale for €30,- and I got the same thing for €23,-. Yes that's how I do it, I always wait until I find the price is right. Thirty bucks is too much but twenty three is reasonable.

Anything else that's crawling in the house is food or things bought by others. In the meanwhile, mom and I have found really inexpensive and quality sponges for our dishes. Yes, last month we bought a packet and the quality and durability is great. 

There are a lot of things I want to buy but it's all so unnecessarily so I haven't bought any. I am currently waiting for the clothes sales in January. Other things that I really want aren't things I can buy. For example, the bag that I want to have, own and use is only available in Japan. It's the Busy Beaver Glasgow and I like it so much. 

The pictures shows the functionality and it's also very good for my back. I love it and it's also a reason why I don't buy any new bags. Seriously, I think I will buy it after all my other bags are worn out but for now I use what I have. 

It's also possible that I will purchase the healthy back bag but it's just doesn't measure up to the 'Glasgow'. Still, I have to wait until the real sale season starts and start selecting things to donate.

Cold

It's getting dark very soon and that means I spend more time at home. I still love to be outside but the weather is getting colder and grimmer. I already have my fleece vest on and it's very cozy. I even use the electric heater at night to get warm. Yes, I don't use the central heater cause it works on gas and that's much more expensive than electricity.

I love the way that such a small heater can make me feel warm. Of course I also have my thermos pants out of my closet. I really want to spend all my time in bed and warm up but there is also life. I have to get out but it's very difficult.

The wind does bring chills on my cheeks when I ride my bike but it's also nice. The last few days, I have been going around but that's not really a problem. I love the fact that winter can brings us together. I have been sharing the blanket with my siblings when I sat on the couch.

The thing is, the winter is cold but it also brings us together and that is warm.

Sinterklaas

It's almost the birthday of the holy old guy Sinterklaas. I never believed in it and I think Santa Claus is a rip of version of the guy. I mean they have so many thing in common like servants and animals helping him. But honestly, I don't really give a damn about both holidays.

It's not that I never got something but how the heck is it humanly possible to register if a child has been good or bad for a whole year by just one person. Nevertheless, today I got something Sinterklaas related, a facial washcloth.

I really like the fact that it's free of charge. I went out to buy something for someone else and I got it as an extra catch. I had a blast today. It was calm and the weather was not bad.

And in a few days Sinterklaas is going back to Spain and Santa Claus is coming from the North Pole. I really can't wait.