The Zero Waste Home

This post is part of a series on homes that inspire me, as part of mulling over what my dream house looks like and to help motivate my decluttering. 1: A cob bungalow | 2: The woodsman's cottage | 3: A minimalist cabin | 4: A narrowboat | 5: The tiny appartment | 6: The crafty home | 7: The Burrow

I've not come across a reference to a 'no waste home' before, but the concept is fairly self-explanatory. Bea and her family generate (almost) no waste. This is the total amount of waste thrown in the bin in their house in 2014:

So you may wonder what kind of house they live in, and what their lifestyle looks like. Is it hard work? 

My first thought was of my uncle who, according to family legend, once lived a year without throwing anything away. He just piled the trash under his bed instead. 

So is there home cluttered, chaotic?

Oh no. It's beautifully minimalist. The zero waste mentality also means thinking carefully about everything you bring into your home, and living a very decluttered lifestyle. Bea focuses on five tenets: firstly, refuse things you don't need or which are wasteful, for example free disposable pens. Secondly, reduce what you do use. Thirdly, reuse what you have used before you move on to the fourth step, recycle. Then the rest is rotted down in the compost.

To cut out food packaging, and packaging in general, Bea buys in bulk. And it looks so beautiful.

If you're tempted to have a go at buying bulk, Bea has developed an app (called, logically enough, 'Bulk') which helps you locate and rate shops near you that sell in bulk.

Her archives make for interesting reading, on how she manages to take her zero waste philosophy on holiday with her, and inform her kids on why this matters, and the advantages that down-sizing her home, possessions and consumption have brought.

She's also got a book out, which is definitely going to be in my letter to Santa Claus. You can read an excerpt here. In the meantime, the blog has given me plenty of food for thought. I've started tracking what I throw away in the same way I track my expenses, and on the basis of that I am thinking about how I can reduce my waste.

Why I love my wardrobe

If you had told fifteen-year-old me that I would love love love my wardrobe, I would not have believed you. I hated shopping, hated fashion, and generally wore whatever came to hand first - usually a block-coloured v-neck sweater and a dark pair of trousers.

If you had told me even a year ago that I would love my wardrobe, I would not have believed you. I still hated shopping, hated fashion, and still wore whatever came to hand first - usually a block-coloured v-neck sweater and a dark pair of trousers.

In January this year, I started something called Project 333. The basic rule involves limiting the number of clothes, shoes, accessories etc to 33 items for 3 months. I told a few people I was planning to have a go at this, and they thought I was bonkers.

The core of the challenge is to limit the number of clothes, shoes etc that you wear for a period of time. The original challenge is 33 items of clothes, shoes, outerwear and accessories for 3 months, but you can set your own challenge. I exclude scarves, coats, belts and jewellery.

Ten months in, I still hate shopping and fashion - but I no longer pull on the first thing that comes to hand in the morning. A number of people have commented that I look smarter. I wear a greater variety of clothes, styles, colours and combinations than before. Despite having fewer clothes in my wardrobe.

I am more aware of how I present myself, and I take better care of my clothes and shoes. When I get dressed, or set out items for the next day, I think about a variety within the outfit and through the week. I do less laundry than before - although I do have to be more organised so I don't run out of things!

I think not just about a garment but about its function within the wardrobe, which helps me when I do make rare purchases or when I plan to make clothes. (Still largely at the planning stage...) This has transferred across to other things I own - I look for duplicates not just in type or appearance but also in function, which helps with decluttering elsewhere.

I have also given away several bags of clothes to charity, so that the clothes not included in my 33 almost fit into one suitcase, where before they filled two. I have emptied a huge box of old clothes, and either donated them or turned them into cleaning cloths. I would have done this earlier if I had realised that cotton t-shirts make marvellous dusters.

When I open the wardrobe in the morning, I am greeted by bright, clean clothes neatly arranged. It welcomes me home at the end of the day, a reminder that order has a place in my cluttered life. I am a total convert and will not be returning to my old arrangement. Which would you prefer?

To anyone thinking of trying this challenge, go for it!!! You can find out more on the Project 333 website.

Deadline decluttering

I've generally been pretty good about limiting clutter building up in the last few months, apart from two key areas - the table for mail for processing, and the spare room. On Friday morning, the spare room looked like this:

Two forces have combined to give a deadline for the decluttering. Firstly, I made a deal with my boyfriend to get something I want in exchange for clearing the build up along the sofa and on the desk, and the second is that we have a guest coming this weekend. Both dictated that these spaces needed to be clear by the end of this weekend. And I have found that the deadline has really helped:

Miles better. There is still a pile on the desk and a bag on the sofa - both my boyfriend's - but it already looks so much better and I feel so much lighter. Why didn't I do this ages ago?

I struggled to motivate myself to spend my weekend sorting through this stuff - I hate decisions and I'm really good at procrastinating. I found it useful to remind myself that if, as I hope, I will eventually have animals to care for (not to mention children), then I absolutely cannot procrastinate. If animals need to be fed and watered, brought in for the evening or given other care, that has to be provided regardless of whether or not I want to spend the afternoon on the sofa with a bottomless pot of tea.

Now I think I'm going to go make some cushions and a throw to prettify the sofa so I want to keep it tidy in future.

P.S I must confess much of the staff has moved rather than been given away...

Project 333 - take three

This weekend marked the end of my second 3-month stint of Project 333, so on Sunday afternoon I duly got my bags out of the basement for the selection of my next 33.

 

It's getting easier and easier to select my 33. The first one took ages and was a real wrench to make decisions. Now I can see duplicates or near-duplicates more easily. I see combinations more easily, and I am more aware of when I actually wear things. There are several lovely items of clothing that I have held on to in the hopes that my life would enable me to wear them but in reality I spend less than one day a year lounging on a beach with a book. I prefer holidays with interesting things to see and do, with time lounging in the shade with an ice cream/cold beer and a book. Why do I have garments specifically designed to be worn over bathing suits on the beach? Very silly. Another bag of clothes I don't use is heading for my favourite charity.

You will not be surprised to learn that I am a complete convert to the principle of Project 333. I don't think I will ever go back to that awful crowded wardrobe. I'm not sure how much longer I'll stick with the 33 rule, but I will continue to limit the contents of my wardrobe and rotate through the seasons.

I still haven't managed to make much of what I think I want to create but that's ok. I'm wearing everything in my wardrobe now, can always find what I am looking for, and have a clear idea of what I want to add. Laundry is less stressful and my clothes are better cared-for. Best of all, even when the house is a tip, getting dressed is always stress-free, and I have a daily reminder of the benefits of minimalism.

The Burrow

This post is part of a series on homes that inspire me, as part of mulling over what my dream house looks like and to help motivate my decluttering. 1: A cob bungalow | 2: The woodsman's cottage | 3: A minimalist cabin | 4: A narrowboat | 5: The tiny appartment | 6: The crafty home

I've been listening to the Stephen Fry Harry Potter audiobooks on my walk to and from work. It's actually really good fun, rediscovering nuggets of the stories I had forgotten or missed first time around (I read the first book for the first time about 15 years ago...). Audiobooks are also a good way to savour a book - I tend to skim read, I do it so much at work that it's a habit and it's very difficult for me to read every single word on a page, particularly if I've read the book before. The audiobook helps me slow down and enjoy every image the author conjures.

It's been reminding me of my wonderful, wonderful trip around the world of Harry Potter with my friend Kaylie. Harry Potter is but one of the worlds we have shared together - if I tell you that she is most definitely a kindred spirit and we once discovered Narnia in the snow, that should give you some idea. She took me around the World of Harry Potter and all the sets, and I was very interested to note that the set I was most drawn to is The Burrow, the home of the Weasley family.

It's the opposite of minimalist. It's cluttered and chaotic and bursting with people and activity, but it's so personal. It's a place you would instantly feel at home, slumped in a battered but comfy chair under a hand-knitted blanket with the smell of stew on the stove, a fire in the grate and someone playing a prank on someone else. Far too boisterous for you, but entertaining nonetheless. I would love to live in somewhere like the Burrow - if I had magic to help with the dust, the washing up, the hoovering.

I love the personal touches and souvenirs - drawings on the wall, photos freezing individual moments, finds from forgotten places, and of course the famous clock. I so want a home full of reminders of all the people and places and things that I love. The balance we're trying to strike between minimalist and personal is not - quite - there. You wouldn't know this home was mine, ours - it could easily be someone else's. And I know that there are only two things stopping that - my lack of courage in my own vision, and my lack of discipline for making it come alive.

So, a clip of the Burrow to encourage me to stick my cousin's drawings, my grandmother's photo and my homemade bunting on the walls. (I hope I'm not violating copyright by sharing - if I am please let me know and I'll remove it!)

My missing month: Lessons learned during my blog absence

So. What was I up to during the last month? You won't be surprised to hear that I've been working a lot, and also a fair bit of travel (some work, some play), which has meant several weeks when I've only been at home for a few nights. From this month, some things really stand out.

1. I love my minimalistic wardrobe.

When you're packing for a six-day trip which encompasses a business trip somewhere very hot and sunny with a personal trip somewhere probably cold and grey (the UK), and through an administrative error it transpires that you don't have any luggage booked in the hold for the flights, what is your reaction? Sheer panic? Thanks to Project 333, I managed to pack with only one fairly modest carry-on bag and with no stress at all. In fact, I didn't wear all the 'combinations' I'd allowed for because the weather in the UK was unexpectedly nice. 

This caused some humourous moments when we arrived at the business trip, me with my tiny overnight bag for six days, and everyone else with HUGE GREAT BIG SUITCASES. (Most of the guys had bigger bags than the girls, interestingly). I quite enjoyed the incredulity it prompted.

2. You'd be surprised at what Muggles like us can fix.

We're all about the repairing and mending in the simple living club. We sew buttons on, we mend tears, we might repurpose or upcycle a damaged table or stained sheet, and it's not strange to see weird and wonderful receptacles used as planting containers. We'll paint walls and put up shelves, but some things we generally think should be left to the professionals - in my book, plumbing and electricity. Anything that could kill you or damage the structure of the building is a bit of a no-go zone.

Not so for my boyfriend. Water has been constantly running into our toilet bowl for some time now. It's annoying and it's an expensive waste of water. We did have a look in the tank and thought it was build up around the outlet valve causing it not to shut properly, and started putting bicarb and vinegar down it regularly, with no success. This weekend my boyfriend amazed me by working his way round the inside of our toilet flush mechanism to identify the problem. After removing and taking apart the inlet valve, he found the problem - a tiny rubber diaphragm (about 3cm across) was degraded and this was causing a constant drip-drip of water into the tank, which was then flowing into the toilet bowl through the overflow mechanism. 

We took the dodgy diaphragm to the DIY shop, found a replacement, put the valve back together, and voila. Toilet fixed, at a grand cost of €6. I am supremely impressed, and convinced that provided you turn off water and electricity supplies at the mains/entry point to the flat before you start poking your fingers in, we could probably fix more things than we realise.

3. Gardening needs more than watering, it needs planning and execution.

During my busy period, I have managed to keep watering the surviving plants every few days. Most small seedlings have died because I didn't have anything to plant them out or up into, but my beetroot looked like a small jungle. I was starting to worry I would get sick of beetroot, that I would run out jars to pickle it all.

Then I picked some to roast for lunch. This is what I got:

I'm a gardening noob here and this is my first attempt at beetroot. I'm guessing that this is the result of (a) not thinning the beetroot seedlings and (b) letting the soil get too dry at some point and so become more dense/caked. (If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know!)

It's very clear that my loose plan wasn't much of a plan at all, and I need to have something like a rough schedule and a clear idea of what will be planted where and when before I touch any seeds. I'm still on the hunt for cheap things I can use to plant on the balcony because I continue to refuse to fork out €10 for a low-grade plastic pot in the gardening centre. I feel like it kind of defeats the point of the exercise.

So that's what I've been thinking. How about you? Any standout moments from the last month?