Monthly Archives: January 2022

Making Something Old New Again

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Personal Tagged , , , , ,

I’ve long lamented the influx of fast fashion, made with inferior fabric that will not hold up long. Proponents only need the fabric to last as long as the fad lasts, but those of us who treasure well-made clothes out of beautiful fabrics cringe when we hear that sentiment expressed. Our love of high-quality garments and fabrics explains why we may own pieces that are 20 or 30 years old (or older).

Recently I’ve been reading about sewing bloggers who search thrift stores for older garments made of beautiful fabrics in any size. Then they remake the garments to fit. If the garments are too small, which is often the case since people have gotten bigger over the last 40 years, they combine fabrics that go well together so that two old garments turn into one “new” garment made of high-quality fabric.

I love this idea! I suspect estate sales would be another good source of older garments made of great fabrics. I think between estate sales and thrift shops, I may soon develop a new hobby!

Middletons’ Grocery Store

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , , , ,

If you’re a minimalist, you might not like this post.

I’m going to advocate keeping a large supply of things you don’t need right now but may need in the future.

As I’ve mentioned before, problems with supply lines have caused certain products to be in short supply. We’ve seen this at our local grocery stores, where certain products have just disappeared.

Case in point: our son who lives with us has some digestive problems. One of the things that keep his system on an even keel is a daily small glass of prune juice. But we haven’t been able to find prune juice for several weeks now. I hate to think of how his system will react and how he will feel if we run out of prune juice.

Fortunately, we have quite a few bottles of prune juice because we’ve been squirreling it away for months. They aren’t the only things we’ve been stocking up on, either. We have two large 6’ tall shelves in our basement packed full of non-perishables including coffee, tea, and canned goods like meats, fish and vegetables. These are joined by large packages of paper goods nearby.

This makes an imposing sight; it looks like we have our own little grocery store downstairs. It certainly breaks all the decluttering and minimalist rules I’ve ever heard of. But in these times, it makes sense. Not only does it keep us from running out of things we can’t find, but it also stretches our dollars during a time of high inflation.

If this offends your minimalist sensibilities, I’m sorry. But I don’t want my son to go without his prune juice, or my husband to go without his coffee….or me to go without my tea!

Not All Hacks are Good Ideas

By Claire Posted in Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged ,

I’ve noticed that some people who write about “hacks” seem to think the ideas they’re sharing are new. Well, these kitchen hacks aren’t new; I found several of them in my own little house (circa 1960) after I moved in, and we bought it from an 85-year-old woman. But if you’re new to the world of organizing a kitchen, you might find them helpful, especially if your kitchen is not exactly spacious.

Of course not all hacks are helpful or even safe. This idea, in particular, seems dangerous, especially if you have large pets or wild toddlers running around your home. The possibility of a small loved one covered in hot food after running into said hack is just too scary. If your laundry room is nearby, try parking extra dishes of hot food on your washer and dryer instead.