Sarah Jane Weldon
  • Home
  • About
    • Events
    • Instagram
    • My Pets
    • Office & Home Tour
    • Tea Collection
    • Become a Patron
    • Calendar
  • Books
    • Brew to a Kill Series
    • Christmas Series
    • Coffee Shop Series
    • Cozy Collie Series
    • Dead Before Breakfast Series
    • Death is Vinyl Series
    • Destination Unknown Series
    • Digs, Death & Denial Series
    • Food Blogger Series
    • Grime Fighter Series
    • Guy Fawkes Night Series
    • Hair Raising Mystery Series
    • Knitty Cats Series
    • Lady Adelaide Victorian Series
    • Movie Set Murders Series
    • Murder at the North Pole Series
    • Murder Down Under Series
    • Murder Once and Floral Series
    • Nail Salon Series
    • Silent Bundt Deadly Series
    • ​Sniffing Out Clues Beagle Series
    • Totally Girly Girl Series
    • Twelve Deadly Days Series
    • Short Stories
    • Children's Stories
    • Adult Colouring Books
    • Non-Fiction, Journals, Planners
    • Romance
    • Foreign editions >
      • Spanish
  • Box Sets
  • Audio
    • Free Audiobooks
    • Coffee Shop Series
    • Cozy Collie Series
    • Grime Fighter Series
    • Short Stories
    • Children's Stories
    • Romance
  • FAQ
    • No Kindle?
    • Cozy Mystery Day
    • Isla Britannica Books
    • Privacy
    • Press
    • ARCs
    • Libraries & Book Clubs
  • Say Hi
    • Guestbook
  • Shop
    • Stickers
    • Magnets
    • Pins & Badges
    • Greeting Cards
    • Acrylic Blocks
    • Notebooks & Journals
    • Postcards & Posters
    • Prints & Frames
    • Zipper Pouches
    • Coasters
    • Mugs & Travel Mugs
    • Water Bottles
    • Socks
    • Clocks
    • Bedding
    • Cushions & Pillows
    • Bath Mats
    • Shower Curtains
    • Tote & Drawstring Bags
    • Backpacks
    • Duffle Bags
    • Tapestries
    • Scarves
    • Aprons
    • Phone Cases
    • Laptop Skins & Cases
    • Popsocket Grips
    • Face Masks
    • Tank Tops
    • T-Shirts
    • Hoodies
    • Sweatshirts
    • Raglan & Baseball Tops
    • Long Sleeve T-Shirts
    • Dresses & Skirts
    • Leggings
  • Free Book Friday

The Cozy Guide to Life: Spring Cleaning

27/2/2020

0 Comments

 
​This week I began the first of many changes to my life, in order to make room for more coziness. I haven't been in my new place for long and I had nothing when I got here, but amazingly after sorting through every single cupboard and having a bit of a spring clean, I still managed to find a few things to get rid of. I love the simplicity of a minimal life and I find it quite claustrophobic to have too much stuff, but if you are one of those people who hasn't moved house recently or tends to hoard things, then I can highly recommend a book (and a Netflix series) called Spark Joy by Marie Kondo. Basically, you look at every item you own and you decide whether it makes you feel happy or not when you look at it. If it doesn't 'spark joy' then can you get rid of it?
​I only had a handful of items because I've moved so much in the past 18 months that I've gone through this process multiple times and only just purchased basic furniture things like a bed, but the point is, if I can find a few things that I don't need, then so can you. I needed to find a way to bring in funds pretty desperately because I knew my dog, Isla, was dying and I needed to have £125 in my bank ready to pay the crematorium otherwise they wouldn't collect her and I didn't want to have her body lying around at home and because I'm renting it is illegal to bury a pet - plus my yard is paving slabs and I wanted to be able to take her ashes to my forever home in the Lake District later in the year. 
The only thing I could think of to sell, was my cat treadmill. This was a luxury purchase but also essential when I was living in one room of the bed and breakfast when I was of no fixed abode for 14 months as my three cats were in a confined place and putting on weight and getting bored and were starting to get cabin fever. They used the wheel all the time in the room, but since we moved to the this place and now they play outside most of the day, the treadmill is just gathering dust. So I put it up for sale on Facebook Marketplace, along with a couple of extra plates and bowls (I live alone, and really don't need a whole set especially since I don't know anyone here so never have guests over), and a few other trivial items. The treadmill sold after a few days, and I gave up with the smaller items as they were a couple of pounds each and seemed to be attracting a lot of either scary people (from their Facebook profiles - always vet people before allowing them to your house) or were time wasters and didn't show up. Those items I ended up taking to the pawn shop where I got my replacement laptop. But you could sell your stuff outside your house in a yard sale if you have neighbours (which I don't because the properties are mostly empty or boarded up), have a car boot sale (I don't have a car and didn't have enough things for this), or sell them through places like Craig's List or Ebay. I probably could have got more for them through Facebook Marketplace, but I decided that my time and energy was worth more than waiting on non shows, and so the pawn shop was my preference. I took things in to town and asked for valuations from both places before deciding. 

The sale of the cat wheel was cash, which I promptly paid into my new Starling bank account via the post office at the end of my street, and I even had a little bit left to get some food in the house, which felt amazing - nothing fancy, just bread, eggs, cheese. The things that I sold at the pawn shop (CEX was one place I visited) netted me about £40 amazingly, and I used this to buy seeds, compost, and containers ready to grow my own produce which I hope will save me money in the longer term. I did toy with using this money to pay off the interest on this month's credit card bill, but I decided that I was better to 'invest' and 'grow' this 'seed' money because all being well it will save me more over the course of the year and help me to clear my debts and buy my house sooner. I'll talk more about debts in another post. I'm no expert on financial things, I'm really just sharing my own journey with you. I'll break down exactly what I spent this money on in another post, and tell you where I got things from and how I plan to be more self sufficient and to lower my outgoings.

But that's your homework for today! Have a spring clean and see if there is anything you can sell, and then list it for sale or sell it at a car boot or through a place like CEX. If you don't use those items from week to week, then chances are you won't miss then at all, and you could use that cash to grow more cash, time, or energy in the longer term (or use it to buy investment pieces like tracker funds or new cozy mystery book covers). I would love to know how you get on. If you feel overwhelmed then tackle a little bit at a time, like one shelf of a cupboard, or your sock drawer first. Oh, and if you are doing clothes things first, then check out Marie Kondo's folding video. I've been using this system for a couple of years now and I love it.      
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Categories

    All
    Amazon Prime Reading
    Animal Cozies
    Art Gallery Cozies
    B&B Cozies
    British Cozy Mysteries
    Call For Submissions
    Charity
    Children's Literacy
    Christmas Cozy
    Christmas Wish List
    Coffee Cozies
    Collections
    Corgi Cozies
    Cozy Guide To Life
    Cozy Mystery Audiobooks
    #cozymysteryday
    Cozy Mystery Writing Resources
    Cozy Questions
    Crowdfunded Cozy Mysteries
    Culinary Cozy
    Destinations And Locations
    Donut Mysteries
    Easter Cozy
    Featured Authors
    Filming
    First Book In The Series
    Flower Themed Cozies
    Fourth July
    Free Books
    Fruity Cozies
    Giveaways
    Halloween Cozy
    Historical Cozy
    Home Renovation Cozies
    How To Become A Full Time Author
    How To Become A Full-Time Author
    Irish Cozy Mysteries
    Isle Of Man Mysteries
    Kindle Questions And Devices
    Kindle Unlimited Books
    Kobo Cozies
    Legal And Lawyer Cozies
    LGBT Cozy Mysteries
    Movies
    NaNoWrMo
    National Days
    New Releases
    New Year
    New You Collection
    Oceans Project Charity
    Pancake Day Cozies
    Paranormal Cozies
    Patreon Supporters
    Podcasts & Interviews
    Quilting Cozies
    Sarah Jane Weldon
    School Visits
    Scottish Cozy Mysteries
    Seaside And Coastal Mysteries
    Sheepish Cozies
    Short Reads
    Speaking Events
    Spring Cleaning Cozies
    St Patrick's Day
    Summer Reading
    Tea And Coffee Shop Cozies
    Tea Themed Cozies
    Television Series
    Thanksgiving Cozy
    Valentine's Day Cozies
    Weekend Reads

    Archives

    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018

Picture

STAY CONNECTED

Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture
Picture

Contact Sarah

Terms & Privacy

Picture
Copyright © Sarah Jane Weldon, 2021
Isla Britannica Books Ltd. Registered in England & Wales. Co Nr 11672411
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
  • Home
  • About
    • Events
    • Instagram
    • My Pets
    • Office & Home Tour
    • Tea Collection
    • Become a Patron
    • Calendar
  • Books
    • Brew to a Kill Series
    • Christmas Series
    • Coffee Shop Series
    • Cozy Collie Series
    • Dead Before Breakfast Series
    • Death is Vinyl Series
    • Destination Unknown Series
    • Digs, Death & Denial Series
    • Food Blogger Series
    • Grime Fighter Series
    • Guy Fawkes Night Series
    • Hair Raising Mystery Series
    • Knitty Cats Series
    • Lady Adelaide Victorian Series
    • Movie Set Murders Series
    • Murder at the North Pole Series
    • Murder Down Under Series
    • Murder Once and Floral Series
    • Nail Salon Series
    • Silent Bundt Deadly Series
    • ​Sniffing Out Clues Beagle Series
    • Totally Girly Girl Series
    • Twelve Deadly Days Series
    • Short Stories
    • Children's Stories
    • Adult Colouring Books
    • Non-Fiction, Journals, Planners
    • Romance
    • Foreign editions >
      • Spanish
  • Box Sets
  • Audio
    • Free Audiobooks
    • Coffee Shop Series
    • Cozy Collie Series
    • Grime Fighter Series
    • Short Stories
    • Children's Stories
    • Romance
  • FAQ
    • No Kindle?
    • Cozy Mystery Day
    • Isla Britannica Books
    • Privacy
    • Press
    • ARCs
    • Libraries & Book Clubs
  • Say Hi
    • Guestbook
  • Shop
    • Stickers
    • Magnets
    • Pins & Badges
    • Greeting Cards
    • Acrylic Blocks
    • Notebooks & Journals
    • Postcards & Posters
    • Prints & Frames
    • Zipper Pouches
    • Coasters
    • Mugs & Travel Mugs
    • Water Bottles
    • Socks
    • Clocks
    • Bedding
    • Cushions & Pillows
    • Bath Mats
    • Shower Curtains
    • Tote & Drawstring Bags
    • Backpacks
    • Duffle Bags
    • Tapestries
    • Scarves
    • Aprons
    • Phone Cases
    • Laptop Skins & Cases
    • Popsocket Grips
    • Face Masks
    • Tank Tops
    • T-Shirts
    • Hoodies
    • Sweatshirts
    • Raglan & Baseball Tops
    • Long Sleeve T-Shirts
    • Dresses & Skirts
    • Leggings
  • Free Book Friday