Hi, I’m Keelan. I am a writer and I paint in my free time. I have two hyper kids. I have a blog at thefunkythrifter.com about creativity, cheap activities for kids and living on a budget. My books are all available on Amazon (my name is Keelan LaForge.) I love finding creative things to do on a small budget :)
I used to write for Vintage Life magazine and I have over 20 books available on Amazon. I like to talk about the process of writing and creating art. I also vlog about what I’ve been doing with my kids to share ideas and inspiration.
Join the library and read all the books you want. Also they have apps that let you download books, BorrowBox, but I know you need a Kindle Fire but you can download on other devices too. Great tips. Mary, Joes wife 🙇♀️👏💪👍🙏💐
Your channel brings me so much joy! 🧡 I’d love to see a video with completed outfits, like how you’d style different pieces together, how you’d style the same dress in different ways, or just your overall favorite outfits.
Aw thank you, that makes me so happy to hear ❤️ that sounds fun, I like playing with clothes so I will definitely keep that in mind and make a video like that at some point 😊 thanks for joining me ☺️ xx
I will try and comment on all your videos to support you 😁 Good tips, lots of stuff I haven’t heard anyone else say before. I think decluttering has definitely made me spend less. When you see how much you accumulate and how hard it is to get rid of. Also selling things on Vinted - it takes effort to get rid of things by selling them and when you see how much you made on Vinted and then think how much you actually spent on that stuff (probably 4 times more!) it definitely puts you off buying more.
Aw thank you so much, I really appreciate that, it’s so kind of you. I’m glad you liked the tips and didn’t find them samey lol. Yes decluttering kind of gives you a wake up call about how much stuff you have accumulated! I’ve never made money back on Vinted but at least it’s going somewhere it’s wanted lol. It does make you reassess everything and think that you wish you hadn’t bought it in the first place.
great video and please dont ever apologise for being your fabulous self i am in NZ and it is spring here I was just looking at cuttings videos before i found your channel. I love these tips and looking forward to more - thanks
whenever I wear something "sweaty" i check the tags and it's usually made of mostly synthetic materials :/ i'm more careful now to avoid buying synthetic fabrics altogether
You’re doing brilliantly so don’t stress. Keep at it. You’re keeping me going. I don’t see anything wrong with helping others so don’t beat yourself up about helping charities. I’m constantly having to reset but I’m not going to berate myself about it. Every day’s a new day. Like you, I’m seeing the marketing strategies all around. It’s like walking down a street and being assailed at every shop door by someone trying to pull you in to buy. Total bombardment. We’re developing awareness every day. Well done!! 👏 xx
Aw thank you, I’m glad it’s keeping you going. Yeah there is no point in berating ourselves.. it doesn’t help us to keep trying. I don’t think McDonald’s counts as a charity but I can maybe count the strand anyway lol. Yeah it’s scary how it is absolutely everywhere. Yeah it’s a gradual process. Well done to you too 😊🥰xx
100% progress over perfection. It’s quite extreme to go from typical shopping to not buying anything, I think anyone would slip up but the process is already working very well for you so keep going! :) You do inspire me! I haven’t attempted a ‘no buy’ but trying to cut down on spending. ❤
Aw that’s great, good for you! I totally agree, if you aim for perfection you’re going to fail so I’m just going to do my best to stay on track and move on if I don’t. I’m glad this inspires you 😊 it feels like a good time of year to spend less because it’s getting colder and Christmas is coming up etc. thanks for watching ❤️
Love seeing your colorful wardrobe. So unique and fun! 💫 To me, quintessential decluttering reasons are fabric quality, fit, color, practicality, care instructions, how it makes me feel. I like to think of my wardrobe as a special club that not everyone is allowed entrance - and let me tell you, it's even hard to find things that tick all the boxes. Literally 90% of the time, I end up altering the fit with my sewing machine for the pieces that are worth it.
Aw thank you so much and thanks for joining me 😊 that’s a great way to look at it. You could nearly make a spreadsheet to decide which candidates make it lol. I like organising clothes and assessing them.. it’s like playing with a doll’s house as a kid lol. I love my sewing machine too. I alter quite a lot but I’m not so sure how to make pieces bigger without ruining them lol. Thanks for the special club idea. I like your thinking 😊
An experiment to try might be to take everything out and then put back only those items you’re enthused about and wear often. Then sort what remains into groups like “love it, seldom wear it” or “doesn’t fit as well as it used to” or “nostalgia”. Some of these might be better stored in a basket in the bottom or top of your wardrobe as a transitional step to maybe decluttering vs being mixed in with more wearable and appealing options for daily wear.
Aw thank you and you inspire me so much so I’d mention you any time! Thank you for your videos. I feel starstruck having you pop up on my channel lol xx
Hi, randomly came across your channel today. Lovely to hear a fellow Northern Irish accent. I'm up in Ballymena, having a lazy Sunday afternoon, watching RU-vid, knitting and drinking lots of tea. Will be sure to check out your other episodes!
Aw hi 👋 😊 it’s lovely to hear from you! Thanks for joining me! That sounds like an ideal way to spend a Sunday! Hope you’ve had a lovely relaxing day! I love the Ballymena accent lol
I love this idea, thank you for sharing it. I will start interrupting myself - especially in the evenings when I feel like buying secondhand books online. I do not need more books - I need to read the ones I have (and we have a great library in our suburb too)
Aw, maybe you could add book ideas to a list instead? That’s what I’m going to start doing! There is so much to read and not enough time to fit it all in! That’s good you have a library nearby too. We love our library xx
I keep lists but unfortunately keep adding to them! I have been practising your interruption method since I watched this short yesterday and it is proving to be very helpful. Thank you
@nickiclarke4304 aw I’m really glad that you find it helpful! It’s funny how the simplest things work sometimes! I can relate to the list problem with books lol. I could write my own 1 million books to read before you die lol
Aw thank you so much! Wow you live in Australia! I’ve never been there but I’m sure it’s exciting. Is it your springtime now? It’s amazing how far the tightwad gazette travels lol xx
@@thefunkythrifter yes, it’s springtime here, but we’ve been having some very wild and woolly weather with it - not very spring like at all. Also, I love staying local too, like you do.
I’ve ( Louise ) just discovered your channel, watched a couple of videos and enjoyed them. You’re doing a good job, glad you’re still here, persevere, you come across really well- thank you ❤ Louise and Emily
Aw hi! Thanks so much, that means a lot 😊 I think we all need that lol. I’m planning on making another video with more tips soon. Thanks for joining me 😊
@deeacrt2808 aw I’m glad you like them. I just used this one abeautifulmess.com/psl-syrup/ I left out the cloves and just used ground cinnamon. I just cooked the pumpkin and mashed it and it worked as good as purée because you strain it at the end anyway 😊
I have an addiction to using wax melts and I use kitchen roll to clean up the old wax. I keep all the old wax and kitchen roll in a cardboard box and when it’s really cold outside I dig out my incinerator and burn it for free heat for my four outdoor guinea pigs. It’s got little smell but it’s enough to smell nicer than not using the wax. If that makes sense?
@@anaveragemuppet aw I love that, that’s so cute and I’m sure your Guinea pigs appreciate your efforts 😊 thanks for joining me and I think I’ll make another similar video soon 🙃 hope you and your Guinea pigs are well. I love wax melts lol
@@thefunkythrifter I’m terrible with wax melts, whenever they’re on sale I buy more! I had to ban myself from buying more now. Yes, Willow, Autumn, Orchard and Honey love being snug as a bug(s) xxx
@anaveragemuppet aw their names are so cute too! I’m the same with wax melts.. I banned myself and now I’m actually down to my last couple which feels kinda satisfying! I’ll have to wait until my no buy ends to get more! At least you are good and get them on sale 😊 we all need little treats lol
@@thefunkythrifter definitely look into cosy aromas I think they’re called? Their melts are incredible and worth the money. I bought out their stock of pistachio ice cream as it’s to die for. They’ve often got sales on too xxx
Haha that’s a great one! I don’t have one but every year I buy for trick or treaters and no one comes to the door lol. At least we can eat the sweets after lol
Good job! I like that you showed us everything and told us what your thoughts are about every item. 😍 One tip is to tell your children why you are going through all the things and what your goal is and then ask them about their things, if there is anything they can think of passing on or want to keep. That way, they are involved and they also get to think/feel it through just like you. I don't know how old they are or if that's even possible, but it's one thing that has helped me with my kids in my own decluttering journey. 🥰 Maybe you can store seasonal items and things you don't use very often, like plastic cups, strawberry bowl and jug and tray, at the top shelf? Then you get more space where you can actually see and reach and can store the things you WANT to use but usually don't see/forget about. 😊 For your medicine, you can buy maybe four smaller organizers where you can categorize things? Like a box of things for colds, a box of things for wounds and injuries, for example. You can also label the boxes so you can see which box contains what. Maybe that will help you a little? ♥️ I look forward to see more videos from you. Greetings from Sweden. ♥️🇸🇪
@@standbyhellyh aw thank you so much! Those are all great ideas and I will definitely need to use those! I like the seasonal shelf idea! The top shelf is a mystery to me that I can’t see most of the time anyway so it makes sense to reserve it for those items! I will try and involve my children in the process too so they can learn how to do it because I am only really learning how to do it properly now lol. Love the medication box ideas too. I might need to categorise it and create like a tablets library because there are so many lol. Thanks for joining me and it’s so nice to hear from you! ❤️
It is surprising how fast stuff accumulates in cupboards that are hard to access. I try and go through my cupboards regularly myself as I live in a pretty small house with a tiny kitchen.
That’s good you keep on top of it. We don’t have much surface space in our kitchen either. You wouldn’t know I regularly go through stuff in cupboards but I just seem to make everything disorganised quickly again lol xx
Keep the wool needles, if you get into making crochet garments you'll need them to sew pieces together. Seems like it's all mainly useful stuff in that cupboard, maybe it just needs to be more accessible! I think being a minimalist, as in having the bare minimum, is a difficult lifestyle if you have a family or hobbies. I personally get rid of most of my sketchbooks and a lot of my artwork once it is no longer serving a purpose, and absolutely all journals. It took a long time though for me to decide that it was the pleasure of making things that mattered, and that at this point I'm unlikely to become a sought after artist!
Thanks for the tips and I think I will start doing the same with sketchbooks etc. you can’t keep everything and I rarely look at mine! Yes minimalism has to suit each person’s individual needs and I think if you get rid of creative stuff you end up buying it again if you’re an artistic person! I will hold onto the needles then, thanks for the advice! I haven’t got that far in my crocheting journey yet lol.
Looks like you and your girls enjoy crafting. Why not make a craft station. Or get some kind of draws, those plastic ones are a cheap option. Then put all the things in it, maybe Label them too, then you will know what you have and you can all craft together, even some shelfs for the books 🤗🌜🌅 😊
Aw thank you for the suggestions, these are really helpful. Will definitely have to look into that and shelving would be great as we don’t have much floor space available. We have a craft trolley in the kitchen but unsurprisingly it’s also full lol. Thanks for the great ideas ☺️🥰😊🙃 xxx
I am in the midst of moving bedrooms after having work done, I'm making a craft room at long last. Unfortunately, I have an enormous amount of craft supplies plus memories etc in boxes, the decisions in down sizing is so I hard, so watching RU-vid videos for inspiration 😊, and came across yours. You can do it with a few storage solutions and Shelfs, it will make finding things so much easier. Your children are young, so I'm sure they will appreciate a place to find all the exciting things to craft with too 🤗🌅🥰
@kimtownsend838 that’s true, they would love that! I need to bite the bullet and do some diy lol. I always put it off cos I’m scared of messing it up! We are also thinking of having our kitchen redone so I don’t know if we should wait until after that. It’s hard as a crafter, isn’t it? It might seem like clutter to other people but it feels useful and valuable to us! Thanks for watching and I enjoy watching decluttering videos too. It helps to know other people are working through the same stuff! Good luck with yours 😊
@thefunkythrifter, Thank you, I just found you 🤗 You can't mess it up. Go for it 🥳 yes, so many things are useful, even a loo roll middle or empty box, milk carton lol, I'm getting rid. There's always another one to grab if needed 😁 Good luck with the new kitchen, I've had work done in every room, 4 holes in the roof , 😵💫new roof, down new bathroom, toilet, plastering, kitchen sink, so much and more coming too, but the mould looks to be gone, which after years is such a relief 😊 I'm sure you can put your crafting mind to a little cute setup for arts and crafts ✨️🌟 Back to work for me haha , take care 🥰
@kimtownsend838 aw have a good day 😊 thanks for joining me and stopping for a chat! That sounds like a lot of work to have to deal with. I’m sure you’re fed up now lol. I kinda dread having work done in the house! We have had mould too. It is so annoying! The junk art thing catches me out too sometimes lol.
This was great! Would love more decluttering videos, especially showing before & afters of the space. You have a super chill voice, too!! You may have success tagging “ASMR” videos
I think being minimalist is so hard especially for things you actually use. For me I just try to organise what I've got if it something I will use. If I haven't used it or looked at it in 12 months I usually get rid/donate.
@@ecologist_to_be That’s true and I think it’s hard if you’re interested in lots of things…Like I use my kitchen equipment and sewing machine and art stuff .. just not all at once lol. I’m not great at making inside cupboards look pretty either lol. Thanks, that’s a good tip I will use and thanks for watching 😊
When you give your name and address you enter a contract ! Give no name and just the address and then remove their right to access your land . 22 years free of this bs 🏴🏴🙏🫡
