Our New Flat and the Dungeon.

Shellie and I and three other friends got together and decided we need to get a place to ourselves. We began the flat hunt. After a few good flat viewings, being disappointed when we missed out; and a few terrible flat viewings and counting our lucky stars that we can afford not to have to put up with that level of filth; we found a place in Wadestown on Weld St.
We spent an exhausting Saturday moving in and then over some celebratory beers we fittingly came up with a name for our house “The Forge”.

The forge is the perfect residence for us at this stage of our lives. Each of us has a large enough bedroom. There is enough parking space for our cars and the scooter. There is a space out the front of the house ideal for BBQ’s and sun bathing. The location in Wadestown is close enough to everything, plenty of fast food eateries, a dairy, a bus stop, a taxi stand, and only a five minute drive to the city. There are plenty of green spaces nearby including the Ahumairangi hill, perfect for weekend runs, and Trellisick Park, which has plenty of walking tracks and picnic spots.

The property also includes a space beneath the lounge which had been neglected and deemed a spot for rubbish storage. When I first saw this area of the house I was excited, I could make excellent use of such a space.

Halfway through sorting the junk and adding my own belongings

I spent the night of Wednesday cleaning out the space which has the flat has dubbed “the dungeon”. There were all sorts of lost treasures and junk buried in there. Old benchtops, doors, a bed base, pieces of a couch, a mirror, timber, shelves, a sink, a playstation, a creepy music box, gardening tools, a watering can, storage bins, the list goes on.

A creepy music box

A big mirror

The first thing I did was using a scrap of GIB clear away the masses of spider webs throughout the space. I stacked all of the wood in a corner, out of the way. I didn’t bother to remove the rubbish and other junk, but I did stack it neatly out of my way.

Accumulated cobwebs

Next I gave the place a good sweep. There was years of dust piled up across the floor, hidden within every nook and cranny, and throughout all of the shelves. I just swept it under the floorboards, as underneath is the ground; dust is dirt so to the dirt with the dust.

As the tidy up continued

All along the front wall of the dungeon is a huge display of shelves, these provide the perfect space to put all of my D.I.Y. bits and bobs, and things I usually put in the garage.

Storage and Workbench

The dungeon provides a space for my belongings which I don't mind getting dusty, this includes things like Outdoors equipment, ropes, tents etc.

The mountain of rubbish which previous tenants left behind.

As it is a long room it is ideal for small target practice. I have a toy BB gun and the space is ideal for shooting cans with the gun.

One of the flat mates  has a dart board which he has allowed to be setup in the dungeon. I measured up the hooks and then put a couple of nails into the wall studs. I hung it on the wall and it provides an excellent environment to practice accuracy with darts.

A beautiful piece of artwork.

A couple of things that I haven't gotten around to are fixing the air ventilation system which has been poorly attached and even more poorly duct taped. So with a friends help I'll do a better job of taping it.

Fantastic Ventilation; Yeah Right!

There are also a few wires that hang down from above my head that lead to the lights and other electrical outlets, I want these well away from my head space so that I don't pull them down, removing the light source in there or electrocuting me.

It's my space and I'll put what I want in it

Ultimately the dungeon is a space for me to play with my tools. I am always looking for projects to do with which I can use my tools, I stapled some pieces of cardboard to the wall so I could write up my upcoming projects and have them in front of me as a reminder. I have a few projects planned, so watch this space updates.

Buy from the producer - Market shopping

First of all. I'm sorry its late, this week has been a week of illness and stress and I am only beginning to put the rest of it in order.

Pressing on.

Wellington is a great place to live because on both Saturday and Sunday every week there are veggie markets. I often use the Victoria Street market on a Sunday which is run out of trucks in a car-park block. Another brilliant veggie market is the Hutt City Riverside Car-park market, held every Saturday, this market is similar, but also includes some fast food stalls and other junk stores, and some other types of goods.. Generally they are open all morning until the steady stream of customers dissolve in the early afternoon

http://www.huttvalleynz.com/Events/Riverbank-Market/

The best thing about shopping regularly at the veggie market is that it is cheaper. I won't start crunching numbers here, but your $20 on veggies will make you a lot more stir fry if you spend it at the market than at some super-brand-company that will sell you food that is sub-par for the price you pay. The best thing is saving money, but it isn't the only thing.

By shopping at the market you as a buyer are saying no to the overpriced veg, no to the imported veg, and no to the veg that has been frozen six months ago, only to be defrosted and put on shelves when it is no longer grown, that is given to you from supermarkets. There is no need to purchase fruit and vegetables that are individually wrapped in plastic. When you shop at the market you show your power as a buyer by negating the advertising and signposting of corporate super chains, and choosing for yourself instead, good locally produced food. Simple. You 'Take the power' and 'share the power'. Choosing your own destination for your hard earned coin.

                                      

 

https://www.change.org/p/countdown-supermarkets-progressive-enterprises-stop-wrapping-vegetables-and-fruit-in-plastic-wrap-and-styrofoam

By clicking on the above link and signing your name, you will be helping to rid supermarkets of excess plastic as seen in the image above.

 

Market shopping is good for the soul.
The setup is only present one morning per week and therefore a lot of people rush to one place to buy their vegetables. You will be pushing, squeezing, and excusing your way past many complete strangers, and that is good. You learn skills of interaction not only with them, but also with the tellers.
You are outside, rather than in a warehouse prison that the media has hypnotized you into spending much of your life in. You will experience the weather, you will breathe fresh clean air, and you will have to avoid mess on the ground that no one will cleanup. Market shopping will keep you active, and fill you with your daily dose of fresh air.

http://websta.me/p/671121070847395062_16532272

Market shopping at first can be an overwhelming experience, but when you have learnt to move with the crowds and handle your goods it becomes a fun experience. You will get to know your food better by moving around it and exploring good and less good qualities of food. You will have opportunities to eat and taste your food, One of the best marketplace snacks is vegetarian dumplings. Often times the market will have a busker or two, making music for the people to enjoy, some people love buskers and give them a few spare coins, others despise their attempts to screech out well known lyrics; regardless, buskers add to the environment of humanity found at the market. There are people. Lots of people, you might see a friend you know.

http://blandforddailyphoto.blogspot.co.nz/2014/06/2609-market-busker.html

Holding on to many bags of food as well as operate the mechanism of a wallet and the correct coins can be tricky, but in a fast paced market environment you will learn how to make a transaction fast. Some tips:
1. Take a friend. They can help you hold stuff, while you take on wallet responsibilities.
2. Prepare your money before approaching the teller, and move off to the side once the transaction is complete. This is an efficient way of market shopping that saves you time, and allows those waiting in line behind you to get on with their transaction.

http://peacechild.org/21-easy-ways-to-help-the-environment/

 

 

Market shopping works perfectly with re-useable bags, just weigh and pay for your produce and then put it in your own bag. A decent big bag will save on awkward carrying, and lessen the impact of your consumerism on the environment.
Recently I have even purchased free range eggs from the market, these are at similar prices to your normal Farmer Brown caged eggs from Countdown Eggs. Now that leaves your conscience feeling clean.

Clean your fruit and veg

 Speaking of clean, you must be vigilant at the market to choose produce that isn't spoiled. Check for clean fruit and veg before you buy. A cheaper price at the market means a product with less life, the cheapest bananas will be ripened black in a couple of days so you will have to use them quickly.  Clean your veg when you get home. Some people suggest cleaning produce before you eat it, I suggest cleaning it before you put it away; by doing this you ensure that the produce is not rotten, you can maximize spacial efficiency by cutting up certain produce and throwing out (composting) the waste;
Capsicums are a great example. Cheap to buy in bulk; when I get home with them I chop them up, chop the top, the bottom, cut out the seeds and core, and cut the stem off the top piece, you will be left with the top, the bottom, and a large round. Rinse these in water, shake off any excess water, and then put them in the  fridge in a container, ready to use when you need them.

A whole capsicum chopped, cleaned, and ready to eat.

By buying from the market and looking after your food before you eat it, you will be eating the best healthiest food there is on offer. If you run into me at the market, come and say hi!

Storage - Shelves/Containers

Have you ever seen those television shows about people who seem to hoard lots of things who have the inability to be able throw anything away?
I reckon a lot of people are like them only different. I will admit I hoard things, useful things, and maybe some useless things. Pens. String. Ribbon. Broken cellphones. The only difference between myself and these hoarders is I know how to store my stuff without it looking like I live in filth.

http://thecorp.org/blog/2014/04/a-hoarders-guide-to-spring-cleaning-2/

When I buy music I am a sucker for a physical compact disc. I love opening the case, admiring the artwork, and then displaying the CD for all to see. For this reason I use CD racks, eclectic shaped, yet, densely packed CD racks. They don't look like mess, they look like furniture. (More frequently CD cases are being made from paper rather than the classic smashable plastic case).

Centre: Cast iron, cactus shaped CD holder.

You've seen the shelves I made from old timber, Storage using shelves is a space-wise way to not only hold things, but also to have easy access to them. Without good shelves everything would be stacked up and the things at the bottom would be lost and forgotten about. Or scooped into a heap and thrown away.

Seen above is a picture of some more shelves that we use in our small house. It may look somewhat messy but you can see some organization amongst the chaos, from bottom to top we have shoes and tramping packs, my toolbox, craft materials, clothing, bags, linen, kitchen appliances, non perishable food and drink, outdoors gear, hats etc.
Every little section is sorted into an efficent storage space, for example, here is how I keep my shoes ordered in an old beer crate.

I have found whilst living with stuff it is easier to sort your stuff than to not. Using containers to store your belongings is a practical way to contain your stuff that means easy access to it whenever you need it. I use a range of containers to achieve organized cleanliness, many of which are recycled junk. We use lolly tins for hair ties, bobby pins, and earrings. We use plastic moisturizer tubs for scout woggles, old cards and ribbons.

A Wooden box to house lose cords and headphones,

A decent metal toolbox is a useful container in a number of ways, it can lock so the tools stay safe from people who know not how to use them, and keeps potentially dangerous tools away from accident prone people. It is waterproof, inside and out, and it can be carried anywhere I need using the side handles. But as a toolbox is intended I can throw my tools into it and close the lid.

A thing of near-retro beauty that I do not want to part with is my old apple I-mac Computer. But it takes up a lot of table space. Using scraps of wood from around the property my partner Shellie knocked together a shelf that holds the moniter up and allows the keyboard and mouse space to slide underneath.

By using old old and recycled materials you can become more efficient with the space you have available. Organize your stuff and your life will become less cluttered. By keeping and organizing objects instead of throwing them away you begin to accumulate resources that will one day when needed be given a second life instead of merely being thrown out, you don't have to buy the material when you need it brand new.