We've been discussing how much can be achieved in two and a half hours on the Controlling our Budget thread.
Because that's 150 minutes, we're calling it our Nifty One Fifty. If you accept that just 2 1/2 hours, whether it's daily, twice weekly, weekly or fortnightly can transform your home and your life, then that 150 minutes will seem like nothing.
If it's ONLY 150 minutes and then you have the rest of the day to yourself to do whatever you want, then it might even seem worth getting up early or staying up late for.
On Friday, I had a Power Cooking session...
http://www.simplesavings.com.au/fora/3374988/#3376405
...and this is just a portion of what I managed to cook in that time...
...so it's amazing what you can achieve if you just treat what you're doing like a job, and get stuck into it. No breaks. No having a cuppa while the cake bakes, or sitting down at the computer to check on the forum ;-)
So the premise is this. Treat your domestic tasks like a real job. Accept that you'll achieve more if you just focus on the task at hand, without interruption (if possible), and without a break. If it were your 'real' job, you wouldn't take a break in a 2 1/2 hour shift. You'd arrive, do your job, finish your shift, THEN relax. Treat this the same way.
So on Friday, it took me 150 minutes to fill my fridge with four dinners, at least four breakfasts, and snacks for a week. I estimate this saved us about $150 on supermarket spending as I only used what I had on hand, and if you equate it to eating out or takeaway (which we as SSers don't do so much, but some people DO), I potentially saved my family around $600!
It got me thinking. If managing the home is my job, what else could I apply the 'Power' mentality to, and spend two and a half hours on, that will make a difference to our lives and our budget?
I'm thinking....
150 minutes of intensive cleaning.
150 minutes of cutting out items of clothing for sewing. That includes PJs, lingerie, dresses and shorts and so on.
150 minutes of sewing the above.
150 minutes of preserving fruit and veg and making jams and relishes for gifts.
150 minutes of preparing cookie dough for baking treats for gift giving closer to Christmas.
150 minutes of making velvet and brocade heat wheats for gifts.
150 minutes of altering and mending.
150 minutes of decluttering.
150 minutes hours of making gift cards for birthdays and Christmas.
150 minutes of printing on butchers paper (which I bought thousands of sheets worth for $24 at Christmas), and making gift toppers for gift wrapping. I'm thinking I could package the hand printed paper and gift toppers which I blogged about here....
http://atrayofbliss.blogspot.com.au/2014/02/rose-silhouette-present-topper.html
....and give packages of them as gifts to friends and family too. Funnily enough I find everyone actually loves getting a gift of gift wrapping stuff. It saves so much time and money :)
That's ten things.
That's two working weeks worth.
That's my next challenge. I'm going to work my way through that list and see just what I can produce in 2 1/2 hours a day, or a Nifty One Fifty.
I'm giving myself weekends off, except for today because I can't wait to get started ;0)
Once I've Nifty One Fiftied the home, our wardrobes and our gift stash, I'll apply the same principle to the garden.
What could you achieve with a regular Nifty One Fifty?
