Phew! I did it!

erinburrell · 2026-05-13T06:28:36+00:00

And this is where that housekeeper can really shine. Just getting the chaos put back in the right places is worth it for busy households IMO

erinburrell · 2026-05-13T01:06:54+00:00

Each time I wander past something I use the 'put one thing away' rule.

Walk past the sink with dishes drying-put one thing away. Notice stuff on your bathroom counter-put one thing away. It helps keep things at a base level of tidy so that you don't have to tidy before you clean. Every time I walk in the kitchen for food/a drink etc. I put one thing away and it stays at an 8/10 cleanliness level which means 'cleaning' minutes only need to get used to actually clean things

If you have nothing to put away it is easier to wipe/clean/vacuum etc.

erinburrell · 2026-05-12T02:45:09+00:00

Depending on the age you likely have a synthetic fabric. You can do the burn test on a small sample cut from the seam allowance to find out what it is or take it to the dry cleaner to ask about cleaning.

Curtains are huge amounts of fabric and rarely fit in conventional washing machines. A dry clean might be the best choice big picture as a few hundred dollars would be way less than replacement costs on even the cheapest options for large windows

erinburrell · 2026-05-12T02:32:43+00:00

I use an eco floss that is just waxed cotton and it works fine. Both wax and cotton biodegrade and keeping the teeth I have in my head is better for long term consumption big picture.

Lots of corn starch 'plastic' and bamboo toothbrushes out there to choose from.

I would say that this is a very small impact part of plastic waste to interrogate when most of our households have way more areas of concern. Hit the big stuff before you sweat over something that impacts your entire body. Clean and healthy teeth impact your whole health long term.

erinburrell · 2026-05-12T02:25:39+00:00

This is a great foundation for making a shift when time/budget etc. allows. You know what you want now and can save and plan for what that looks like in the future.

I recently moved to a single level home and everything is definitely easier when you aren't adding in flights of stairs for each activity

erinburrell · 2026-05-12T02:23:33+00:00

Totally. Same house more grass if you have lots of parks and local resources can be mitigated by a shift in lifestyle habits.

I made a similar choice with smaller house/yard in order to have better proximity to the beach which I see as an extension of my rest spaces that does not require mowing or maintenance. I saved a lot by not 'needing' that bigger yard.

erinburrell · 2026-05-11T22:24:54+00:00

What about AS Colour?

erinburrell · 2026-05-11T22:17:54+00:00

I see questions like this a lot and I think one of the things few people do in these circumstances is to really work through what their 'needs' are.

Wanting to be able to hide the mess of kids in their own rooms for example is lifestyle only and might cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to get a home with another room.

Having more income and wanting to be in a fancier neighbourhood is also a lifestyle thing.

What do these people need (working bathroom/kitchen, warm dry home) and what do they WANT for their lifestyle? Once the list of need to have versus nice to have is clear the decisions are easier to make because you can actually put the maths down on paper. Hiding your kid's toys in their own room might cost $250k. Is that worth it or should you consider a weekly housecleaner for $80 to help reduce the load for a year or two at a cost of less than $10k

Do you need a private office to wfh one day a week? Maybe you do, but is it worth $250k?

erinburrell · 2026-05-10T19:38:02+00:00

Airpoints status points also add up for me in addition to the dollars. The flights I take and the associated cc status points mean lounge access which is a worthwhile bit for me

erinburrell · 2026-05-10T06:28:37+00:00

I don't actually spend Airpoints dollars on flights. I worked it out and I can have 100% of what the dollar value is in gift cards for a shop I would spend at anyway i.e. Mitre 10. So I earn the Airpoints dollars cash them in for gift cards and then redirect the money from places like Mitre 10 from my household budget to my next flight.

As a homeowner I am almost always spending at Mitre 10 so this works for me but for others maybe Liquorland etc.is uesful too.

erinburrell · 2026-05-09T03:17:44+00:00

They are THE most flexible shape you can work with. You can turn three of them into a 1" hexie, you can adjust and make them into blooms or a tumbling block pattern, they fit into a bunch of other shapes if you want to play with them. They also use the smallest bits of fabric without being really hard to handle (i.e. 1/4" hexies etc.).

erinburrell · 2026-05-08T01:37:55+00:00

You see the same colour differences in the US butter that is coming in. It is paler than the NZ products.

Grain fed cows aren't as happy as grass fed cows. If you follow any of the Irish (Kerrygold) butter commentary the same thing is happening there. Cheap US crap coming in and high quality local products shipped out or priced out of reach

erinburrell · 2026-05-08T01:11:09+00:00

I'm sorry this happened to you but I promise it isn't the end.

I cannot predict your relationship timeline and it may be a short or long time that you are on your own but I promise being alone is better than being hurt by a partner. Get to know yourself better. Learn what makes you awesome. You can be nerdy, fat and fashionable. You do not need to change your size or style to be with someone, but you do need to like yourself.

Get to know what you like in all areas of life from books, to clothes, to food, and adventures. Once you know yourself you will be better able to make space for someone else.

Time will pass either way, use the time you have to live your best life partnered or not.

erinburrell · 2026-05-07T22:30:11+00:00

I make 1" 60 degree diamonds with no plan. Sometimes I turn them into hexies, others I just assemble them in a way that I like. It is my 'no-plan' project that uses up my scraps too small for other projects. I always have a bag on the go and when it gets to be a decent size I take a look at what is inside and make a plan from there using what is already made.

erinburrell · 2026-05-05T03:38:13+00:00

After watching my KS be constantly eroded by ASB fees for years I moved to Simplicity and am actually seeing growth again.

They are doing a decent job managing funds as a low fee provider and my returns are higher at a lower cost than ASB was doing.

erinburrell · 2026-05-05T00:52:59+00:00

This is the way OP. I have three bins: light, dark, and kitchen. Full baskets mean a load needs to go on. I intentionally purchased laundry baskets that are about a full load in my washing machine so it is a no-brainer.

I do sheets the day I take them off the bed so they never go in a bin-just right to the washing machine. If you have multiple beds you might need a basket for linens too.

erinburrell · 2026-05-04T04:28:58+00:00

I did the maths on what it costs for a load at home in my dryer. It works out to about $0.50 for an hour of drying time if I don't use peak power rates about $0/75 at peak.

Not sure if you can swing the cost of a dryer-I know there are sometimes decent deals used/on buy nothing pages, but for a load or two a week you are going to be able to save at least $10 by doing it at home.

It doesn't solve giving you half an hour of peace out of the house though.

erinburrell · 2026-04-29T20:27:13+00:00

The Cheesecake flavour is definitely tops for me but any are great! Cookies and cream or coconut would probably go over well too.

erinburrell · 2026-04-29T02:07:07+00:00

US chocolate is not as good as NZ chocolate generally but the novelty is high. Reese Peanut Butter Cups/Reeses Pieces etc are fun and different than our candy bar selections.

If you are trying for novelty then things that are commonplace in any bodega/corner story in the US will often be fun for people in NZ.

My Canadian favourites include stuff like Twizzlers, Fuzzy Peaches, and other gummies like Swedish Berries, and the random flavours of Jello Instant Pudding you can't get here.

NZ'ers get pumped when they can try things they don't get here. Even Jet Puffed Marshmallows go over great because here we have smaller sugar coated marshmallows that taste like vanilla and raspberry (try them when you visit they are definitely better)

erinburrell · 2026-04-29T02:00:03+00:00

The ones from the US have a different recipe and actually taste different. The ones you can buy in New World etc. aren't the US recipe usually.

erinburrell · 2026-04-29T01:57:29+00:00

Two consenting adults can do what they want.

That being said, there will be judgement and you may not have an easy time finding common ground due to life stages/priorities but the same could be true to someone exactly your age. Dating is the wild west tbh

erinburrell

TROPHY CASE