Day 212: Rubbish and my branston pickle jar that is not rubbish at all

I saw a link to this post all about a family who supposedly live without clutter or rubbish and I did go to read it expecting it to make me feel terrible. Today the bins go out and I knew we'd had to do that thing where you find space in the neighbours bin once they've out theirs out as you've just too much rubbish and you know there'll be too much next week to wait. But actually, as I read on I decided we're not so bad after all. This family have basically thrown out all their junk, and stuff and try to live with as little else as they can. I keep all my junk and stuff and try to buy as little new as I can. And actually, though it feels like a big self indulgent time of chucking out to make space for our new favourite things we're actually not throwing much away at all. About 7 bags have gone to charity - toys and games and crockery all to St Lukes, 4 bags came through the door for clothing and bedding colections and we managed to fill at least half of all 4 of them. Lots of hardly worn stuff on ebay - which I actually like doing because I like the thought of someone choosing something one of my children used to wear like a bit of treasure for their children to wear. I love those things I've found for 99p that my children love to bits! Plus of course, money for the credit card jar :) And apart from the tiles making the actual black wheelie bin - all the rest of the kitchen is being sold on ebay! I don't care how much we get really - how can I when the alternative is that we have to drive it over to a dump and just chuck it. If someone is willing to pay to drive over and collect it from our lounge where it is mainly all stacked up there...then I feel like I should be paying them...but good to know that someone else can make use of something we don't want.
So the credit card jar is filling up and now I have spending money. Yes, I get an allowance just as I did when I was 13. Joel has an allowance too. £50 a month! Yes... and thats a whole increase of £20 from what I got when I was 13- and to cover all the same things! Anything I want to do, entertainment, clothes, coffees, entry fees, grabbing lunch while I'm out, parking etc all has to come out of my spending money. It has made me ignore the lovely All Saints dress I've been watching on ebay for £30 buy it now - thats over half my money in one go. As much as I would so much rather it was a lot more than that I do think its a great idea. Joel and I have never had a spending budget and share a bank account - so if we run out of money its too easy for him to blame me for buying clothes and me to blame him for going out too much. This way neither of us needs to get stressed about what the other one buys. If he wants to go out for lunch rather than take a pack up then that's fine as its not coming out of the grocery budget then that I have to make cut backs in.
Woop for the credit card fund branston jar as a tax refund for our old car came through for £100 - taking the jar total to £480.39. Thats a happy recycled jar for you!