I need to get a grip…

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Here I am whinging because I can’t subscribe to a magazine immediately (luxury item, not a need!) and I’ve just read on a friends blog that she and her hubby are short their rent money because she had to replace her glasses. Kind of puts my ‘issues’ into perspective! Ok, I feel like a worm, extremely selfish, low-life human being…..

Especially in light of this…. I bought fabric today! I needed some other colours of floss so I went to spotlight and came home with two lengths of fabric to make some summer work shirts out of… What I should have done, being that I only have a few summer work shirts (hang on, I’m only going to be working two days a week, how many do I need???) is buy them secondhand. I really suck at this Compacting… Bring on April and freedom!!!

This all doesn’t say much about my self-control or commitment does it…. Nine days into Compacting and I’ve broken the pledge already. I can sook, flagellate myself, or get over it and move on. I think the last option is the best one.

I guess the best thing now is to actually make the shirts, instead of having the fabric get lost in my stash, like 90% of the rest of the fabric I’ve bought in the last year! Hubby agrees… He’s on my case too. Sigh…

Delayed Gratification

As one of my Compacting Exceptions I am allowed to buy the craft magazines that I regularly purchase. Normally I buy them from the Newsagents, but I worked out last night that if I subscribe then it costs less. So, I reached for the credit card…. and then realised that because of the Money Makeover I’m not allowed to use credit!!! Argh!!!! I have to save and pay cash…. All I can say is thank heavens it’s payday on thursday, although one subscription will literally take all my spending money for the fortnight… so I will have to put away half this week and half next pay… I wonder if I could negotiate with Eddie to sell some stuff on ebay and use the money from that?????

I want… I want…

To spend money!!!!! I had to buy some embroidery floss today (comes under my exceptions!) and saw some gorgeous fabric. It’s just lovely! And some stunning knitting patterns that I could make for winter next year. And the woollen mills here are having a sale and I want to stock up before we leave. And I need to buy a gift to send to a friend, and I can’t buy it because I could actually make her something from what I have here, but I WANT TO BUY SOMETHING!!!! Oh, I also want a big stock pot for making stock as my biggest pot only makes about two litres at a time…

And yet I’ve CHOSEN to put myself through this torture and denial! What was I thinking????? I must be just about ready to be committed to an insane asylum…

The point is, although it’s no comfort to me right now, that Compacting is about doing without, or finding a way other than buying new. So by denying myself, I’m actually following in the compact. It doesn’t feel good! I don’t feel any self-righteousness, doing good for the planet and my wallet feelings, right now I am feeling like such a drongo for actually choosing to do this!!!! Bah humbug!!!

Back to the embroidery thread this morning, I had to replace some that I left in Canberra a few weeks ago. I’m in the middle of a smocking project with it so I couldn’t substitute a similar shade from my other threads. So I went into my favourite shop, full of fabric, threads, wool, patterns, ribbons, it’s like a treasure trove! I normally go in for one small thing and come out $100 later…. and my fabric/thread/wool/pattern stash increases! Not today, I bought the thread, paid 90c and left. That was hard.

Reading what I’ve just written, I sound like a little kid stamping their feet and throwing a tantrum in frustration at not getting their own way! Well, that’s what I feel like!!!! Thankfully, I’m a wee bit more mature than that and can deal with this a bit better, but yeah, I wouldn’t mind stamping my feet! Anyone want to watch me throw a tanty???? LOLOL!!!

The rooster is gone!

Thank heavens for small mercies! That revolting creature was starting to crow from 4.30am onwards and keeping us all awake… We’ve all been cranky and tired. I gave him away to a good home after advertising on Freecycle and they picked him up yesterday. The sleep in this morning was wonderful!!!

I can’t say I’m sorry that he’s gone. The girls (hens) didn’t really get on with him too well, and I think that affected how I felt about him too! It’s nice to be back to just the two girls, they’re sweet.