October 2012 is Buy Nothing New Month

I know its the 8th October but I have decided to pledge to buy nothing new for the rest of October.

Christmas is not far now and I know I will be throwing myself into the usual frantic consumerism that Christmas usually entails. I think spending (pun intended) the next 3 weeks not buying anything new will help to put November and December in perspective. The amount of money we spend as a household on things we really don't need it crazy and frankly a little obscene. And I've been trying to limit our spending anyway to keep our budget under control. It will be interesting to see how we go.

A couple of guidelines for the month:

• Food, Medicines, Bills, Hygiene Products are all OK. ie, any essential items (a new pair of shoes are NOT an essential item no matter how I try to spin it).
• Second hand, swapping, freebies are the preferred method of acquiring things.
• Unnecessary wastage is also to be avoided in the name of the game. I will aim to use all the food in the fridge before buying more (for example).

If you are interested in joining Buy Nothing New Month you can pledge here.
 

Pinterest Inspiration - Homemade Christmas Gifts

Source: celebrations.com via Emma on Pinterest	Source: nofussfabulous.com via Emma on Pinterest	Source: gallery.me.com via Emma on Pinterest
Source: soapdelinews.com via Emma on Pinterest	Source: keeperofthehome.org via Emma on Pinterest	Source: tradewindtiaras.blogspot.com via Emma on Pinterest
Source: noodle-head.com via Emma on Pinterest	Source: melskitchencafe.com via Emma on Pinterest

Source: bumblebeescraftden.blogspot.com via Emma on Pinterest

20 Days to Organise & Clean your home Challenge – Round Up

The Organised Housewife's 20 Days to organise and clean your home challenge is over. I can't believe the 20 days went so quickly.

Unfortunately I didn't finish all the tasks from the challenge but I have them all printed out and in my folder so I can continue them over the next month.

My house is improving and I think the challenge is a big part of that. I began a daily and weekly cleaning routine about a month before the challenge started and I have kept it up. The challenge helped cement the routine. I must admit there is still a fair bit of clutter but under it there is a clean house (with snippets of organisation).

The one thing I absolutely loved was the daily tasks printable.

This is the day 1 printable. I've linked to Katrina's blog post for that day.

I am a list girl and having this each day made me all tingly. I think I'll continue something similar from now on.

So, a big thank you to The Organised Housewife for helping me to get my house in order. I really enjoyed the challenge and look forward to being part of it again next year.