Replacing All Those Kitchen Appliances with Multi Functionalism!

As you know – if you’ve been reading the previous blogs, we’ve been minimising our kitchen through our kitchen appliances.  The kitchen is 3m by 2.5m which is mostly overcrowded with kitchen cupboards, worktops and pantries; the flat was built sometime in the 1950s apparently and of course, items in the kitchen have come along way since then.

Here is a list of items we got rid of:

  1. Microwave
  2. Food Processor
  3. Food Chopper / Grater
  4. Steamer
  5. Kneeder / Mixer
  6. Toaster
  7. Coffee / Hot Chocolate Pod Machine
  8. Glass Blender
  9. Slow Cooker
  10. Waffle / Pancake Iron

At first, we didn’t want to get rid of the top 6 as we used them often, however since being on the Keto diet we didn’t need the bottom 5.

However… We did replace them with a kitchen appliance that has multiple uses.  We are looking to buy a Thermomix – but the closest and cheapest thing we could find for the time being was a “Instant Pot Duo 7-in-1 Electric Pressure Cooker”.

A 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker;

  1. a Pressure Cooker
  2. a Slow Cooker
  3. a Rice Cooker
  4. a Yoghurt Maker
  5. a Steamer
  6. something that warms up your food
  7. as well as saute/browns /caramelises your food

 

A Thermomix will do all of the below;

  1. Mixing
  2. Blending
  3. Weighing
  4. Steaming
  5. Stirring
  6. Whipping
  7. Emulsifying
  8. Grinding
  9. Controlled Heating
  10. Cooking
  11. Chopping
  12. Kneading

…Apparently it can also make yoghurt and caramelises your food too; so as soon as we have £945.00 saved towards the Thermomix, it’s bye-bye 7-in-1 Multi-Functional Cooker!

 

Another thing we purchased was a “7-in-1 Non-Stick Snack Maker; Sandwich Toaster, Waffle Iron, Panni Press, Grill & Omelette, Biscuit, Doughnut Maker”

  1. a Sandwich Toaster
  2. a Panni Press / Mini Grill
  3. a Waffle / Pancake Iron
  4. a Omelette Maker
  5. a Biscuit Moulder
  6. a Doughnut Rings
  7. a “Nutty” Moulder – for when you want to make something shaped like a devilled egg boat? Who knows!

Minimalism & Cleaning…

It’s a well known fact in Minimalism that if you have less stuff, there’s less “stuff” to clean.

However, you still need to…

  1. Clean windows inside and outside
  2. Wipe down window sills and sashes
  3. Dust any blinds you may have
  4. Wash any curtains and/or net curtains you may have
  5. Clean mirrors
  6. Dust photo frames
  7. Dust walls for cobwebs and dust
  8. Dust ceilings for cobwebs and dust
  9. Dust skirting boards
  10. Dust ceiling lights, wall lights and/or light stands
  11. Dust and polish any wooden furniture
  12. Sweep, mop and/or hoover floors
  13. Empty bins, clean and reline them
  14. De-clutter, organise and/or straight up shelves, sides, cupboards and drawers
  15. Make beds and/or strip beds
  16. Laundry
  17. Hang clothes to dry
  18. Do the dishes
  19. Clear out fridge
  20. Taking out the recycling and general rubbish
  21. De-clutter, organise and/or straight up cellars, lofts, garages, sheds, gardens, hallways, kitchen, living room, bathroom and bedrooms

…That’s still a whole days worth of cleaning, tidying and organising if you live alone; half a day if you rush it.  I have known some people to tackle one room a day on rotation every week… If you can be bothered after a day at work!

Are our houses too small?

As a nation we have over 7.3 billion pounds worth of unloved, unused gadgets, items that are just stuff in our homes, we have literally ‘stuff overload’ and now most of us think that our houses are too small.

In fact, a whopping 10 million of us reckon our family homes aren’t big enough, and if there’s one thing our stuff needs it’s space and that’s fast becoming a rare commodity these days.

Across the UK we have a vast legacy of homes, but they were built at different times and for different ways of living.

With around 2,000 sq ft to live in, the Georgian’s had family living politely sewn up, these houses were designed to impress.

Let’s compare one of these houses with a near neighbour, the Victorian’s. With 1500 sq ft it’s also a good sized family home, the Victorian’s never wanted for space with their odds and ends, but to be fair they didn’t have much.

Fast forward over a hundred years and home building is a very different story.  In the 1980’s we forgot all about space and you can now get a newly built family home for 900 st ft, that is half the size of what it was years gone by.

So giving our love of stuff and our shrinking houses it’s more important than ever to keep our clutter in check.

– Phil Spencer, The Big Spring Clean (Channel 4)

1950’s Minimalism

Back in the 1950’s a tidy home was the ultimate status symbol, we spent 50 hours a week keeping things pristine and never missed an annual spring clean.

But today the claws of consumerism have taken hold, and cleaning is the least of our worries.  All to often our homes can look a bit like a bomb site, we’ve accumulated so much stuff that our groaning houses are starting to effect the way that we live.

So if the things that you own are starting to own you, it’s time to declare war on your clutter.

– Phil Spencer, The Big Spring Clean (Channel 4)

STEP TWO: Step-by-Step guide to Minimalising…

I’m going to try and make a Step-by-Step guide to Minimalising…

STEP TWO: Sort out your Bathroom & Toiletries: 

  1. Throw out anything that’s empty or out of date
  2. Try looking into minimising your toiletries and cleaning products with more natural products
  3. Donate anything that doesn’t need to be in a bathroom; bathroom scales, shower rug, shower caddy, toilet brush, towel rack, rubbish bin and maybe a children’s stepping-stool are all acceptable to keep.