A Whole New World

While I was out thrift shopping yesterday, I was seeing clothes in a whole new way. I no longer looked at size or shape, I was basically shopping for material! It was a unique experience, and one I'm eager to repeat.

Cue obsessive behavior!! I found out the thrift shop has dollar days once a week and I was all set, ready to go back later in the week for more material!

But recall that this weekend I organized my new craft corner. What do you suppose I found by doing so? I fille a large drawer plus a large basket of raw material. That is - yards of material uncut. Plus remnants, some I've used parts of, some still in their original rolls. This is not even counting all the clothes that I don't fit into or I don't like...I'm not counting them because I haven't even sorted through my drawers and closets yet! (yes closetS, but there are only two of them and they are the small type.)

So...I'm thinking maybe I have enough stash to last me awhile before I need any new/used material for refashioning!

Therefore I'm implementing a craft budget. I've already started a tally of any wardrobe related purchases, just to keep me aware of what I'm doing. Now I'm going to implement a budget of $50 a month. I only say $50 because I've almost purchased that already! Really, going forward I shouldn't even need to do that. Maybe $10/month would do...for thread, embroidery floss, etc. I have so much! My hubby even asked if I'd like a pantry-style cabinet for the space. I am fitting everything in under the table, but I imagine he sees that might get annoying...but I'm thinking that's where I'll put all the clothes that need refashioning, never mind what I'm hiding under the table skirt!! (he remodels and installs kitchens among many other things, so often takes out old kitchens and can score old cabinets for free if the homeowner doesn't care to keep them.)

Besides limiting myself to what I already have, plus $10/month on craft-related spending, I'm taking a serious look at my house. I had a counseling session today and "Bill" knows me so well! He said he imagines if he came to our house, he'd see lots of "stuff" around...otherwise known as clutter. He challenged me to go through the house and shed with a notebook and just jot down what dominates the space in each room. I'm so looking forward to it!

We had a free yard "sale" this past weekend and got rid of a bunch of hand-me-down exercise equipment, baskets, books, decorative things. But there is so much more that I'd like to get rid of! I was going to have a yard sale, but it's a lot of work on the front end, pricing everything, sorting it all, storing it all until the sale...I fizzled out and just put a free sign out there. It was great, we only had to bring two bags of books and some assorted decorations back in. But there is so much more that I can purge from the house!

So another goal I currently have is to do the inventory, as "Bill" suggested, and also to start putting price stickers on things I want to sell. I think if I do it as I go along, it will make it easy to just bring it out the day of the real yard sale so I don't wimp out again! No worries on the tacky aspect of pricing the house furnishings! We hardly ever have guests, and I'll probably begin boxes to put on the 3 season porch to put all the small stuff anyway.

So once more, I'll leave you with today's lunchcapades.

Another yard sale find...50 cents! And they are yellow-tinted, my favorite color!