De-cluttering

Have spent some of the past few weeks de-cluttering the house and have spent tonight listing a few of the brand new unwanted things on e-bay, trading in some old mobile telephone and then offering the rest on free-cycle. I wonder which one will be the most effective way of getting rid of things and which ones will go the quickest. Supposedly one person's rubbish is another's treasure and I have in the past derived a lot of pleasure from charity shop and jumble sale shopping. My best find was an old-fashioned glass cake stand which I serve cakes on for birthdays and tea parties.

This week the 'credit crunch' has rather started to hit home. In my annual review I asked for a pay rise which was refused so although my wages remain the same, all interest rates have increased, council tax has increased, gas and electricity prices have increased and it is more expensive to shop than it has been. So, I have to make my money go even further and it is at this point that I realise that I am fortunate to not have any children or a mortgage. Times must be hard as I have even counted out and bagged our copper collection ready to take to the bank tomorrow.

Of course, times like this are where the saying 'spend less or earn more' really matters. It is clearly not feasible to have another job (unless I could find some local babysitting, which is something I might try) so it will have to be spend less. Clearly there are a few places that costs can be cut (less drinking, fewer taxis) but these are getting less and less. Most of my expenses are now essential and it is starting to worry me.

UPDATE: I cannot believe how quickly things go on free cycle - within 2 hours of listing 14 items only 4 remain unallocated.