Well, I did it! Actually, I did two things! I got my storage pantry set up in the garage and I finally plucked up courage to check out the little second hand shop I've been eyeing up for days. I did take photos of the wall unit newly transformed into the pantry - but to be honest it just looks too boring at the moment, there's not much food in there! But it's great to know that from now on all the new tins and jars automatically go outside. I'm already finding it's made it easier for shopping and meal planning as I can see exactly what we have and how much. As soon as I bring in the last tin or jar of something, I write it on the shopping list. Which isn't rocket science I know, but before I could never see whether I had one jar or 10! I've popped it next to the beer fridge in the garage, which is now much more than a beer fridge as it also has to hold all sorts of other things. Mind you, I have already learned one important thing - if you're going to start a stockpile, remember what you've bought! I bought a bottle of wine, some grapefruit juice and some dog food and went out to the garage to discover I already had plenty from the previous shop! Out of sight, out of mind! Still, it's nice to know all this food is out there now, it kind of gives a feeling of security and I know the stocks are only going to grow from here. The only ones who aren't impressed are the boys. 'There's no food!' they grumble when they open the tiny pantry in the kitchen. Little do they know!
As for the second hand shop, I was glad to get the urge to shop out of my system but I confess I was largely disappointed. Not through any fault of the nice lady who owns it but because I didn't need anything! And, I knew that even if I did see anything I wanted, there was nowhere to put it in our new house! It was a real Aladdin's cave of wall to wall stuff; china, glass, books - some of which I hadn't seen since I was a little girl - and just about everything else you could imagine crammed into every space and corner. It would have taken me a good hour to get around everything in the shop and once I got back to the beginning, I felt I needed to go around again in case I had missed anything!
Still, I do confess to buying one thing for the princely sum of $2.00. Ever since I got hooked on the '50c Indulgence' threads in the Forum here I have been dreaming of dainty op shop china plates and a pretty glass decanter to put my cheapo bubble bath in. If you haven't checked out these threads before, do go and look; they are quite simply the most delightful and heartwarming things I've read in a long time. Helen, the creator of the thread asks members to share their favourite treats that cost 50c or less, with the idea being to show that 'truly enjoying life need not cost the earth'. As soon as I began reading I was drawn in and I began looking at my own favourite indulgences in a different way.
For example. My favourite yoghurt in the world is De Winkel Greek Yoghurt with Honey. Noel always laughs at me because I call it heaven in a pot. I'm sure it's horribly fattening but what the heck, it tastes sooo good! It's not particularly cheap so I ration myself to a couple of spoonfuls at a time - usually straight out of the pot! However, the day I first read the 50c thread I remembered a tiny crystal bowl which never gets used that I had seen sitting in the cupboard. I grabbed the bowl, plopped in a couple of spoonfuls of yoghurt and all of a sudden my daily treat became doubly as good. Eating my everyday yoghurt out of a dainty crystal bowl felt so decadent, so indulgent! I swear I shall never eat it any other way from now on!
My new indulgence didn't cost me a cent more than usual; all I had to do was change the bowl and it instantly became a little bit posh. Just like all the ladies in the thread who had professed their love for sipping tea out of English china cups, or serving their friends cake on delightful old fashioned patterned plates, all picked up from op shops, I now shared their delight for 50c indulgences!
At last I had a reason to go to the second hand shop. I was on a mission! Ever since I had read the idea of filling an old fashioned glass decanter with every day kids' bubble bath, I had wanted to try it. Years ago my parents used to have decanters sitting on a silver tray with whiskey and sherry for when visitors came. You don't see that much in this day and age but I was pretty confident I would find what I was after in the second hand shop and I did! First I picked up a pretty blue decanter and thought 'yes!' - but this was soon followed by 'no!' when I saw the price was $25. I thought my mission was going to be fruitless after working my way round the whole shop but before I left I thought I would have one last peek along the shelves and there I found it. A gorgeous glass bottle with a fish edged on the front and a glass stopper in the shape of a shell. It couldn't have been any more perfect for my beach house bathroom! Best of all, it was only $2.00. Whilst it was a little over a 50c indulgence, I have a feeling this is one treat which will keep me happy for quite some time!
The second hand shop is owned by a lady called Lisa. I soon worked this out because just about everyone who went past called in 'Hi Lisa!' or 'G'day lovely Lisa!' That's the way people are around here and I'm trying to be the same. When it comes to holding a street party I confess I'm letting the side down. I don't have any neighbours to have a party with! However the street party concept has still had an effect on me in other ways. Once upon a time I wouldn't have gone out of my way to say hello to people I didn't know but now I make a point of saying 'Morning!' to everyone I bike, walk or run past. It makes me chuckle because nine out of ten people don't expect it but they always respond with a smile and a hello back! Once again SS is enriching my life in a way I never expected!
