I’m fed up of being pants about blogging so will put aside my fear of not being sufficiently thorough and just flippin’ well get on with it. It’s not like anyone reads it, after all!
I have a mission, you see, and want to blog the various processes as some of them will be useful for others, perhaps… And I actually can make use of the process for business, most obviously the JDIY Club.
Next summer we have the chance to buy the house we’re currently renting and I want to stay here. That means somehow raising a significant deposit plus the fees, and then sustaining the income level afterwards to sort out all the things this dear old house needs doing to it. Of course we have no savings, we’ve had to move too often and don’t live in the cheapest houses, amongst other things… And I love it here – the things I could do with the garden fill my head with too many ideas to be sensible, and the neighbourhood is the nicest I have ever lived in. I want to stay with all my heart. Unfortunately my beloved husband sees this house a bit differently, he sees all the work needing to be done and the vast mowing timesuck (me, I’d get a ride-on mower), but actually I doubt there is a house he’d be happy to buy anyway (we did try before to buy something but could not settle on anything – oh how we kick ourselves now!), so I’m on a mission to persuade him of the potential here.
Anyway – even if not here then if we go for it we are more likely to be in a better position to buy something else, or at least to move without worrying about the next lot of removal costs and a deposit. So – going for it (finally put up Christmas present lights – thank you Annie).
Where to start – well for that I’ll blog on Dabble and resurrect that lovely idea before opening it up for others to share their dabbling adventures. Then with the rather astonishing amount of retro fabric I’ve amassed I will make tote bags – even I can sew well enough for that, and will build a small brand and sell them – that process can be Dabbled too but I will probably set up a new website too, for the learning aspect on JDIY Club.
A part of me thinks I’m a cross between Drew Pritchard (my dad introduced me to Salvage Hunters very recently – I’m addicted now!) and Money for Nothing’s Sarah Moore (I am encouraged by her boundless enthusiasm to give my own free rein – wonderful person) – not that I rummage at the local tip (not really physically able, thank goodness – because I’d do it!) or hunt down items to sell on – much as that would be a dream thing to do. But I dabble – and indeed something I can explore on that blog too. I do have a bit of an eye recently buying a lamp base that I just know is a “thing” and a few other items I will upcycle. But you’ll need to read about that over there…
So – as for the core mission, selling my stash and minimal buying to sell on (because there is not the room, quite frankly, never mind the day job and a not-insignificant need for me to take care of family matters – these are huge just now and need my focus but for my own sanity I need this mission too, I think. It’s how I will cope instead of my couple of WordCamp weekends a year – that has to stop for a while, and I will miss that horribly – indeed this weekend I was to be at WordCamp Brighton, but family needed me here instead. And that’s fine, and actually it is rather lovely to know my tribe miss me too, kind of… I’ve just stepped back from an amazing opportunity to help lead a project for a weekend charity website building initiative – but there will be other opportunities, and have this mission instead anyway. Onwards… This is all side-hustle stuff, of course. The main way I can earn more is by sorting my business projects out and make them fly, for of course I can, I just need to harness the time to do that. And I will…
Enough wittering, Babs, and get on with it. I’d better go and remind everyone that I’m not really here so they’d better sort out the washing, dishwasher and shopping! 😉