House & Home Reducing Waste at Home

All sorts. The bigger the browner

 

Feeling extremely guilty this weekend - we're putting our farm up for sale, to downsize to a resi block with a double garage (with workshop) and half sized house. I'm looking forward to it ... but ... every move we've had I've had a serious declutter inside the house and I'm not a hoarder ... hubby's sheds (yes, plural) are another matter.

For decades I've been trying to get him to sort his "stuff" - instead he simply loads up the boxes and moves them to the next "even bigger" shed - and time has come for a major toss.

Now, don't get me wrong, there is stuff that is essential - every tool known to mankind, drawers of nails/screws, plumbing stuff and lots and lots of bits and bobs - but when you have four packets of 10 x screw-the-toilet-seat-to-the-toilet-bowl - used taps you've been carting around since the 1980's - rowlocks when you haven't owned a dingy for 10 years - and a whole timber fruit box of massive bolts it's getting a bit much.

He's doing okay but I am horrified at the amount of "stuff" we are tossing out - much of it unopened but not worth trying to sell or even give away

 

I waste nothing apart from non recycle plastics, we have animals and I make soil, zero waste almost.

 

You should.

The people who do not do the work or have no knowledge all do the same crap, but are also often th e most demanding and tight when it comes to job costs.

Your old man is saving the world, we now are in a mess cause everything is a throw away item...

But I do believe it should be neat, or in sheds, not a junkyard...

 

I know - no need to beat me up about it.

The problem is that when he needs something, he's doesn't fossick through the boxes of "stuff" in his shed - he simply goes out and buys a new new one.

He had drawers and drawers of nails and screws but apparently never the right size - and I really don't need the covers for extractor fans that I don't have the fans for - or the leftovers from installing the dryer vent - or that 3m of removed electrical wire - and I certainly don't need 40 screw-the-seat-to-the-bowl plastic thingies

If he had less "stuff" he could actually find the bits he needed

 

after this lot of garbage bags I'll be using you paper tip.

 

Well, yeah, that is no good....

At times I may do the same, but that is cause I have moved a few times and buying some new screws in 15 mins is better than spending half a day looking, when you only get one free day here and there to do stuff...

It is no good collecting stuff all your life in case you need it, when in reality your never doing the work where you will use stuff, or are running out of time in life to be able to do stuff

 

I will try to remember to utilise Lizzie's plan with taking plastic containers or tupperware to the butchers.

 

Generally it's a bloke thing. Bunnings is our second home.

Would have been useful to rummage through your fella's stuff. May have come across some decking screws we needed yesterday.

 

Probably a whole stack of them - not necessarily matching. That's another issue - so many internal doorknobs but none matching - same with hinges - shelf brackets - and "you name it"

 

Yep - occasionally something comes in handy - apparently enough to justify the rest ... but today was a perfect example ... I was going to the hardware shop (for something we didn't have) and he asked me to pick him up a lambswool deck oiling "thingie" with the head insert

Ahem - as I pointed out, we already have two in the shed, right next to the decking oil!

 

Ahh lizzie , hope you don't regret.
l've lived on small acre's last 15yrs but moved back into suburb. Even though it's the last house on the edge of the town and still has 2000 ac across the road, it's just not the same. l miss that living so much. Now when l go to my brothers he's still on ac ac block , can't even compare , l just wanna get back to that.

 

Haaaa, it's full of women to these days .
One of the things about Bunnings really ****** me off is again packaging overkill. such waste. You buy a pack of screws or 100s of other small things and they're in this thick hard plastic box or wrap. Or a lot of the time "every" nut or bolt has this plastic ring and label hanging of it, l mean do they really need to label and tie up every bloody nut or bolt or thing, in the place, yaknow.Would they do that crazy extreme in other countries?
Or lot of sealants say, they've started making an extra plastic bit that holds the nozzle on the tube, God it drives me crazy, and it's only one more piece of plastic you have to cut off and throw out first before you can even use the damn thing. l use 100s of them at work .

 

Hoping not - we're moving to a great community atmosphere, on a 500sqm block with a 100-year old villa (needs a reno) - two blocks from the beach and only a short ferry ride into the CBD

Hubby's a beach bum from waaaaaaay back so he'll be happy - and with a reno required and a bore on the property I hope to turn the block into an gorgeous villa amongst a urban vege garden with a "help yourself" box out the front (so I'll be happy)

 

Ahh sounds gorgeous , and near the beach. That's one thing was actually going through my head when l was scribbling that, except for beach areas haha those l do like the suburbs and life. Great atmosphere to huh , lucky you l miss that so much and the property sounds like it's got character too, coolio. The town l moved to now has zero atmosphere people are just nothing there's no vibe no life , not sure what l'm gonna do yet but l really wanna get outa here.
There's a beach town over on the coast here has some really cheap blocks lived there before too but it's too tiny , couldn't go back to that one couldn't afford one of the bigger livelier beach towns though damn.
Anyway sounds like your gonna have some fun with that place, good luck.