This post was inspired by an episode of CSI Las Vegas while the excerpt below is borrowed from Infed.org

To Have or To Be (1976) was Erich Fromm’s last major work. In it he argues that two ways of existence were competing for ‘the spirit of mankind’ – having and being. The having mode looks to things and material possessions and is based on aggression and greed. The being mode is rooted in love and is concerned with shared experience and productive activity. The dominance of the having mode (as he argued in The Anatomy of Human Destructiveness) was bringing the world to the edge of disaster (ecological, social and psychological). Erich Fromm argued that only a fundamental change in human character ‘from a preponderance of the having mode to a preponderance of the being mode of existence can save us from a psychological and economic catastrophe’ (1976: 165) and set out some ways forward.

In the light of the recent world financial crisis you have to think he wasn’t far off the mark with his prediction. All I can say is stop having and start being as it is a far better state to live in.

ITEM 325 OF 365 LESS THINGS

More sports memorabilia that has been hidden away in a box in the top of a wardrobe somewhere out of sight our of mind.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Hubby made the bed
2. Finding the giddy up to finally wash the car and do the ironing.
3. International food – My family love variety and so do I
4. Beautiful spring weather – I know I have mentioned this more than once but it us usually hot as Hades by now but it is just nice a I am loving it.
5. Liam is getting back into his old life – It’s as scary as hell for me but I have to be brave and trusting.
   

From that heading you are probably wondering what is Colleen going to be on about today. Well, exactly as the title says movement is exercise – every movement you make is exercise it doesn’t matter if it is a morning jog, an hour at the gym, walking around the grocery store or picking up around the house – movement is exercise.

So why waste all your exercise time in the gym while at the same time feel deflated because your house is always a mess or at least not in the shape you would like it to be in. The good news is that you and your house can get in shape together with the movement is exercise approach to housecleaning. And maybe you could save money on expensive gym fees at the same time.

Consider the amount of exercise you will receive doing any of the following

• Bending up and down picking things up around your home. (Squatting and lifting)
• Vacuum the floors (cardio workout)
• Sweeping (cardio workout)
• Dusting furniture (great arm exercise)
• Dusting baseboards  (great for lunges & squats)
• Climbing a ladder to clean fans or cobwebs. (great for legs and reach)
• Cleaning mirrors and windows (great for arms)
• Polishing the furniture (arms & cardio)
• Emptying out and cleaning a cupboard and decluttering its contents. (an all over workout)
• Mowing the lawn (definitely cardio and leg workout)
• Gardening (another all round workout)
• Cleaning and treating the leather furniture ( arms and legs get a good workout)
• A thorough floor clean moving the furniture out of the way. (Got to be good weight baring and cardio exercise)
• Cleaning and re-organising a bookcase (once again squats, arms and weight baring)
• Washing the car (arms, legs and stretch)
• Cleaning and rearranging the pantry (once again squats, arms and weight baring)
• Raking leaves (cardio workout)
• Cleaning the bath, shower and basins (if you are like me there will be cardio, arm and leg excise involved)
• Beating out the door mats (cardio and arm exercise)
• Tidying and sweeping the garage (cardio and arms again)
• Cleaning out the pots and pan cupboard (definitely lifting and squatting involved here)
• Changing the sheets and turning the mattresses (cardio and weight lifting)

I could go on and on as I am sure there are many more areas that I haven’t even mentioned here. Every one of these chores involves movement and like I said movement is exercise. Depending on how vigorously you approach these tasks will determine how much of a cardio workout you will get and how much you will achieve in the allotted time. Add in a game of wiffle ball with the kids and a walk to the store rather than taking the car, and you will be well on the way to a higher level of fitness and maybe even loose a little weight if that is your goal and most definitely a clean and tidy house.

Item 324 of 365 less things

We gave this towel to my father-in-law to use on his golf cart.

5 things I am grateful for today

1. Liam survived the night in our care so we are allowed to keep him – Well it was something like that.
2. Hair Salons – I had my hair cut, dried and straightened and my eyebrows waxed and tinted today and I feel human again. I haven’t been near my salon since August which isn’t that unusual for me as I am more miserly than vain.
3. Google Calendar – Between trip planning, keeping track of all my 365 things and now Liam’s appointments we have given our google calendar a good workout this year.
4. My Bamix stab blender – It is coming in mighty handy for pureeing Liam’s meals. He is going to be very glad when his broken jaw is healed.
5. Having in internal staircase – It adds an extra bit of exercise to my house cleaning routine especially when I go up then get sidetracked then remember what I went up there for once I get downstairs again.

The 5 thought filled comments I wanted to bring to your attention this week in case you missed them the first time around.

Eve on Day 317 – I do have an opinion on this, which is… Read more

Isabella on day 317 – You could just “white knuckle it” as Dr Phil would say… Read more

Calico Ginger on Day 317 – For me it’s about connections. Some stuff I’m not “connected” to… Read more

Bridget on Day 318– After spending two weeks at mom’s house…  Read more

Anna on Day 321 – Just from where I am sitting now I can see… Read more Make sure you scroll down in that link to check if Anna did manage to do her list in 5 minutes.

The 5 posts I wanted to share with you this week

Mothering – Nurturing creators not collectors

The Minimalist Path – Mirror

Sanity in Simplicity – How minimalism can help you find and follow your passion this is an older post but I thought it was a good example of how minimalism can change your life and help you achieve your dreams.

The Halfway Point – The politics of communication avoiding the trap of relationship partisanship

Collaborative Consumption – This one isn’t actually a post but the online hub for Collaborative Consumption.

Item 323 of 365 less things

Our daughter is a Yankees fan so we palmed off this piece of memorabilia to her when she was here last week

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Liam is home.

2. Businesses that still give good customer service – The story behind this is too long to recount but it is nice when as a regular customer we were treated with respect.
3. Getting a few repairs done around the house today – new silicone in the shower. gotta love that.
4. Spring – It is a beautiful to see all the blooming Jacaranda trees lining the streets.
5. My bed – I looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight.

I am satisfied with the fact that our garage is a work in progress. Certainly the step by step strategy is being employed in this area of our house more so than anywhere else.  Sometimes it may be one step forward, two steps back because it is the holding area for many things…

• Items awaiting their trip to the thrift store.
• Ebay auctions items that we haven’t dealt with yet.
• Things that belong to the children that will move on when they do.
• Things that we are not real sure we want to get rid of or not.
• And I dare say there are more than a few things that we just haven’t considered for decluttering yet.

What ever the reason, I am OK with that. One thing a day is all I have committed to do and I am happy to continue at that pace even if it takes longer than the 365 days. I am more than satisfied with the progress we have made, and with the benefits I discovered that came with going slow. Being calm and relaxed about the process and knowing that the lessons I learned along the way are now engrained into my psyche.

Now please join me for a tour of the garage before and after and keep in mind this isn’t the end of the garage declutter…

BEFORE

AFTER

Item 322 of 365 less things

We dismantled the wardrobe that took up valuable real estate in the garage and put it out on the street during bulk waste pick up week. You can see this item in the middle of the Before photo at the top of the page.  Most of the items removed from it were either disposed of during the pick up week or found a new home in the garage where once again something has been disposed of to make way for them. I featured some of the other items on Days 308 to 313 and Days 318 to 321.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Coffee with a friend.
2. Being able to play CD’s on the laptop – when you want to stay sitting next to your husband but don’t want to listen to the c**p on TV.
   
3. Music – I really don’t stop to listen to it often enough while my children can’t live without it.
4. My new little ebook – I hope everyone picks up a copy it is free to subscribers new and old.
5. A chance to show our gratitude – Liam, hubby and I went back to the ICU and Ward G2 today to thank the staff for taking care of Liam for the first two week after his accident. Liam didn’t recognise anyone but they sure remembered him and were glad he was doing so well. We hope they enjoy the cards and chocolates we delivered as a token of our gratitude.

A Guest Post by Cindy Bogard

Recently, we were carving pumpkins on the screen porch, and during a lull in the action, I thought I would be efficient and put away the clothes on the little drying rack I keep out there. Now, if you knew what was on that rack and how long it had been there, you’d be laughing like a crazy person at my use of the word “efficient.” That’s because the things on the rack, swimsuits and swim shirts for all four of us plus three towels, had been there since the last time we went swimming, at least 2 months ago. Um, yeah. I think they’re dry.

Once clutter becomes familiar to us, it’s easy to overlook. Right now, I am sitting at my kitchen island. Looking around with a slow and critical eye, but without getting up from my chair, I can see the following things that aren’t where they should be, but have been there for at least (at least) a week: a book on the kitchen bar, a standing fan that needs to be put away until next summer, several “important” and now yellowed notices on the fridge, a large box of packing materials in the living room, quite a few pieces of framed art and a bolt of fabric partially tucked behind a chair. (Same chair. I guess its role is to hide clutter, although it’s doing a poor job!)  Sure, I can rationalize why these things are out of place, but that doesn’t stop them from being clutter.

How does this happen? Why does it happen? I don’t have the answer to either of these questions, but I do have some ideas as how to overcome this phenomena.

• First, and most efficient: When you get it out, put it away. (Sometimes easier said than done, I know.)
• After shopping, put things away promptly. If you don’t know where it belongs or can’t bother to take it out of the wrapping, should you really have purchased it in the first place?
• As you’re cleaning, especially in an area that holds misplaced objects, put them all in one corner while you clean. Know that putting these items away is part of the cleaning process, but do not put them away as you go. That’s a trap that leads to meandering around and losing focus (see day 306).
• If you have trouble seeing out-of-place items, look at or even touch everything on the coffee table or counters. Say the name of the object in your head or out loud. Experiencing your clutter through one of your senses besides visual will help you to notice what does not belong.
• Take a picture of your room or just look at the room through the view finder of the camera. A new way of seeing things will help you see through to the clutter.
• Ask someone you know, preferably someone who does not live with you and can offer a fresh and honest perspective, about your clutter.

As for me, I put away the swimwear and sat down to type this blog. I managed to continue to overlook the other items, but not for much longer. What did you see in a new light today?

ITEM 322 OF 365 LESS THINGS

A couple more books that are either out of date or no longer wanted.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Sunshine after the rain – just the right ratio of both is nice.
2. Self check out at the supermarket – Always much faster than waiting at a normal register.
3. When you wake up and realise you were just dreaming – This is only in the case of bad dreams of course.
4. Summer fruit – Big fat juicy mangoes, yellow and white peaches, strawberries, watermelon and all those other yummy delights are starting to hit the shelves of the grocery stores.
5. Liam had his interview for the brain injury unit today – Hopefully he will be able to do outpatient therapy and be home from hospital very soon.
   

When we knew we would be moving back to Australia from the USA in July 2007, we wanted to move straight into our town-house with all our belongings and settle quickly into our new life. I suppose that is when  we truly began the decluttering.

We did several things to purge items we knew we didn’t want to take back with us. Luckily, we sold some stuff at a planned neighbourhood garage sale. We also listed other things for sale to other Aussies who were staying in the US, and sold some things to the family who replaced us. We also donated a bunch of stuff to charity. I kept several electronic items that I now regret not selling over there while we had the chance. At the time, I thought I would still use them but alas I haven’t for one reason or another.

Next we packed up all the things we felt we wouldn’t really need for a month and sent them ahead by sea freight at the end of May 2007. Then a month later we packed everything else up and sent that by air freight while we took a month touring Europe on our way home. I can’t say I remember missing anything out of the sea freight while living in the house for a month without it. We managed to survive quite well with just what we had left. Unbeknownst to me I suppose that was my first taste of minimalism.

We did notice that when everything lobbed on our doorstep in Australia two days after our arrival, there was far too much stuff to fit comfortably into our new home.

There was also the stuff that had been waiting in storage for seven and a half years for our return. Aside from furniture, there wasn’t much in this load of belongings that I had missed. Unfortunately, some of the stored items I looked forward to getting back no longer worked due to being unused for too many years. I will point out here that we weren’t expecting to be gone so long.

Over the next two and a half years, we continually decluttered stuff. At first, there was a quick purge of extra furniture and home goods that just would not fit into the house. Then, that slowed to sporadic purges as we began weeding out the obvious items that needed to go. Then the 365 day challenge began and the slow but steady fine tuning was under way. Now we are at day 320 with only 45 days to go to the finish line. Somehow I don’t think that is going to be the actual finish line because I am sure there are more than 40 items left but I am very pleased with the result so far.

The lessons I have learned along the way…

1. When moving from country to country think very carefully about the things you take with you. Although I thought I did this there were several expensive items that have never been used since the move that would have been easier to off load in their country of origin.
2. It is amazing how few things you really need to get by day to day.
3. Things can be rendered useless from lack of use just as easily as overuse.
4. The bigger the house the more stuff people tend to buy to fill it.
5. Open space is a wonderful thing.
6. If you don’t want to clean it, store it or move it don’t buy it.
7. Decluttering slowly has been more effective and educational for me than decluttering quickly.

Item 320 of 365 less things

While my daughter was visiting we went through the box of old children’s books that she had chosen to save and culled them down a little.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Having made a head start on tomorrow’s cleaning day
2. Rain – We have had a string of hot days so it is nice to have a little cool down.
3. Having fun while answering comments today – I always enjoy it but today I was just being a little silly
   
4. My garden growing madly without any help from me
5. Liam’s progress –He is through his post traumatic amnesia period and has an interview with the brain injury clinic tomorrow. Hopefully that means he will be moving on to the next phase of his rehab very soon.
   

Way back on day 94 I wrote a post called – When a bargain isn’t a bargain – and just recently I started a post on Unclutterer Forums titled – Can you justify your last purchase?

The old post from day 94 is worth a second read if you are a sucker for a bargain and have a home cluttered with them. Some of these bargains prove useful while others whose low buying price is the main focus of attraction soon become guilt clutter taking up space in your home.

As for the topic I started on Unclutterer Forums I was a little amazed at how many people can justify a purchase simply because it was a bargain. I have fallen into this trap many times in the past myself. Now I reserve my bargain hunting for when there is something I am planning on buying and want to get the best deal unlike in the past where I would stumble upon a great deal and not be able to resist.

Very few of the of the bargain purchases written about in this thread were justified by the fact that they were a replacement item or a planed purchase. Some purchases were consumable and others were digital which don’t cause clutter so that fits in with the theme of the forum. Some contributors were realistic and claimed their purchase as unjustified. But there were a number of comments that really had my head spinning.

I know I am starting to sound like the “Shopping Police” here but my mind keeps going back to several concepts I was considering when I used the word JUSTIFY. These were …

• Declutter the don’t reclutter
• Sustainability
• Supply and demand
• Environment
• Credit card debt
• Recreational shopping trap – Just buying things for the fun of it.
• Need v Want

I know everyone has their own individual level of clutter tolerance and that is for each one of us to decide. I also admit that I have been very guilty of the – purchase – loose interest – declutter – reclutter cycle in the past but I am so glad to have hopped off the merry-go-round. I just want to get the message out for people to consider the seven points above when they make future purchases as it isn’t just about clutter it is also about the environment and sensible spending.

Bargains are hard to resist but remember a bargain is only a bargain if it isn’t going to quickly become clutter itself.  Sometimes this even applies if the new item is replacing a perfectly functional item which then becomes redundant unused clutter just because the former is shiny and new. My laptop nearly ended up this way but I decided that I would rather persevere with it until it really becomes a problem to use.

Item 319 of 365 less things

Like I said yesterday we have more than enough of these that we don’t need to keep broken ones. someone picked it up off the footpath during curb-side pick up week.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Bicycle helmets – Liam was wearing his when he had his accident and it is probably the only reason he is alive today and recovering so well.
2. The comment my darling daughter left today
3. Alarm clocks – My daughter had a 6:20am flight this morning and we had to be up at 4:14am to get ready and drive the 40 minutes to the airport. Thanks to the alarm clock everything went to plan. Travel can get expensive if you miss the alarm and subsequently your flight.
   
4. My laptop – It has it’s little quirks but it has served me well.
5. My husbands editing skills – He often has to pull me up on things I write that although not intended sound a little pompous. He does this without judgement or curtailing my personal style. Sometimes I have to do a bit of a rewrite like today so I hope this post didn’t end up sounding pompous anyway.
   

I love it that we get to start over each morning with a “new day”. This statement formed part of a comment left by Suddenly Susan @ Freezerburned recently and it is a good attitude to live by.

This creed can easily relate to our decluttering efforts especially when we are dissatisfied with a poor performance at any point. Instead of beating ourselves up about it we can just wake up and start afresh tomorrow with a better attitude and renewed vigour.

Today Is A New Day!

Today is a beautiful day because it’s a gift.

Many people around the world did not receive this gift.

You did receive the gift of TODAY – what are you going to do with it?

Today Is A New Day!!

If you want to be a better father or mother – today’s the day!

If you want to be a better son or daughter – today’s the day!

If you want to forgive those who have wronged you – today’s the day!

Yes, this gift is so precious that

If you want to take steps to improve your health – today’s the day!

If you want to help a charity – today’s the day!

If you want to pray for a troubled friend – today’s the day!

You see, what you do with the gift of TODAY is up to you.

If you want to improve yourself or your life or anyone else’s life in any way

Today’s the day!!!

Welcome to today!!

© Steve Maraboli

check out www.abettertoday.com

ITEM 318 OF 365 LESS THINGS

After all this decluttering the empty storage containers are starting to stack up so I gave this one to a friend.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Friends coming to dinner and I don’t have to cook – My darling daughter is doing the cooking tonight.
2. Liam is home for the afternoon- I just hope he doesn’t give us any trouble when we have to take him back.
3. Air-conditioning – It has been a hot one today and with Liam home for the afternoon we needed it to be comfortable. He is finding enough to complain about. 🙂
4. Not having to buy rosemary for tonight’s dinner – because I have it growing in my garden.
5. Macadamia nuts – Mmmmm delicious.
   

I seem to be suffering from ebayers block at the moment. I know what the cause is and I was hoping if I share it with you maybe you would have some good advice for me on how to overcome it.

Here are a list of my symptoms…

1. Lack of enthusiasm for writing descriptions and uploading photos.
2. Not being sure what starting price to set.
3. Fear of not realising a good price for the items that are going up for auction. Taking into account the original price paid and the lack of use some items received.
4. Fear that the items won’t sell and I will have wasted the money on insertion fees.
5. Not wanting to deal with postage and handling.
6. Fear that I will regret selling at least one of these items.

Now that I have listed the symptoms I think I have worked out the cure..

JUST GET ON WITH IT!

I have a feeling that no matter what the outcome I will just be glad to be rid of the stuff even if I practically give it away. The guilt burden from those few items alone has been gnawing at me for some time now and it is time I put myself out of my misery and set a good example for my readers.

I will still be happy to receive any advice you have on the subject even though I appear to have made a decision. Someone please call me out on this before the end of the week to make sure I followed through on my resolution.

ITEM 317 OF 365 LESS THINGS

I listed this item on Freecycle today lets hope it is gone by tomorrow if not I will have to decide what to do with it. I is made for American power supply and the battery needs replacing.

5 things I am grateful for today

1. Finding the charger for my camera within a hour of discovering it wasn’t where it should have been.
2. Being bored – It is a strange thing to be grateful for but it means I am getting back to normal after the last three weeks of madness and need something useful to do.
3. My new blog layout gives me room to put a bigger photo.
4. The red chicken curry with bamboo shoots I made for dinner turned out really nice even if I say so myself.
5. Liam was firing on all four cylinders today- He is starting to realise how silly some of the things were that he believed to be true. He has suddenly realised how important it is to score 12 on his PTA tests and is starting to employ strategies to help him remember the correct answers. The problem is that he has also realised how boring it is being stuck in hospital and is getting obnoxious about it. All good signs but this could mean trouble!

Five comments I didn’t want anyone to miss this week

Di on Day 310 – Thanks, Cindy, for a great post. In the 14 months that I have been decluttering…  Read more

Jo on Day 310 – Yes, yes, YES! This is why I love “a-thing-a-day” decluttering too!… Read more

Crystal on Day 312 – …A couple of sayings that have helped me immensely… Read more

Meg on Day 314 – Clean out your purse either right before shopping or right after… Read more

Cat’s meow on Day 314 – I know what you mean. During the past year I’ve read… Read more

Five post I enjoyed reading this week

Art of Minimalism – Brainwashed how businesses get their dirty hands inside your head

The Minimalist Path – Heirlooms and the near death experience

Elegant Simple Life – Minimalism and the paradox of choice

The Simpler Life – Living midst mistakes

Raptitude – You must go do the next thing This is a little off my usual topic but it spoke to me so I wanted to share it with you.

ITEM 316 OF 365 LESS THINGS

I have my doubts about the value of rechargeable batteries. They cost so much more than ordinary batteries but they seem to only have a fairly short life before they don’t hold a charge properly. Is it just me or do others agree?

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Cheap rail fares – I know I have said this before but I went to Sydney for $7.80 again today and I just love the value for money.
2. A day for myself – I went to a bloggers festival.
3. My hubby and daughter having some quality time together while I was away for the day.
4. Good documentaries.
   
5. Feeling good – Regardless of everything that has gone on lately I feel pretty good at he moment and I am truly grateful for that.