Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

In Honor of Tuesday’s Mini Mission

Imagine your freezer, nice and tidy, not too empty and not too full. Now imagine dumping it all out on the floor, scrambling it around, and shoving the frozen food back in willy-nilly. Whew! That’s a mess. Now double the amount of food and really cram it in there. That’s what my freezer looked like last year.

I decided to do something about it. Just like with any other major decluttering and organizing project, before I began, I got boxes and my label maker. I was ready. I did this cleaning in winter in the garage, so there was no worry about defrosting. I started removing the food and sorting it by category: vegetables, chicken, ice cream, beef, and leftovers all went into separate boxes. Not surprisingly, I unearthed a Ziploc bag of soup that was 2 years old and some frozen tidbits that I couldn’t identify, but the thing that did surprise me was the broccoli. I buy broccoli in four pound bags from Costco. There were two full bags and one half bag jammed into the freezer. Nine pounds of broccoli!

While all the food was out, I wiped down the freezer and cleaned up all the sticky blobs. Then I reloaded, keeping like with like. Certain shelves were dedicated to certain things. I left the meat and bags of veggies (except my truck load of broccoli) in low-sided boxes and labelled the outside of the boxes: chicken, pork, beef, veggies, potatoes. Of course, I had to juggle things around until I could find a pattern that worked best. Once everything was back in, I labelled the shelves, as well.

Before I ran out of steam, I hit the refrigerator freezer, too. I removed everything that wasn’t used frequently and sorted it into the big freezer. (Quick to do, since I’d just finished out there.) Leaving in the house only the items that are frequently used, I organized what remained and labelled the shelves.

We ate and ate, and I did see a lowering of my grocery bill for the first two months. I had my own grocery store in my garage and hadn’t even realized it! This system has been in place for months now, and it works wonderfully for me. I buy less; I can find everything. Your freezer and its contents represent a major investment; shouldn’t it be as organized, useful and free of UFOs (Unidentified Frozen Objects) as any other space in your home?

Today’s Declutter Item

Reams of binder paper that I should have donated in America before we left. It has been lingering here for over three years and I am over it. I sent it to the thrift store in the hope that it might be immediately useful to someone else. I still have enough scratch paper to keep me going for a very long time. It is amazing how little paper one really uses in this age of computer technology.

Things I am grateful for today

• A cooler overcast day – It has been very hot here lately and I could do with the reprieve.
• Being reminded how lucky I am – Thanks Amber
• Fresh Juicy Apples – One of these at lunch after a big fat scone with jam and cream for morning-tea is a balanced diet, right?
  
• No more visits for Liam to the Maxillofacial Specialist – His jaw is in good shape all things considered and he doesn’t need any more check ups. That’s one down now just the 6 month dental, the physiotherapy, the speech therapist, the neuropsychologist and the clearance from the neurologist to go. Hopefully the last  4 will be done in the next week. Then that will just leave the dentist. Yay!
• My darling husband– Who goes to work five days a week to keep me in the manner to which I have become accustomed. Lets face it he is good at it and I deserve it!
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

For those of you who haven’t read my earlier posts or have forgotten, natural progression decluttering is where instead of reducing the number of certain items by giving them away you use them until they outlive their usefulness. Once gone do not replace them. There are several ways this can happen depending on the kind of clutter.

• Wearing out – Things like an over-abundance of  socks, underwear, shoes, towels etc are prime targets for this type of decluttering. The key to making this work is to move the items that you are wanting to declutter to the front position in their storage space and use these most in order for them to wear out first.
• Use up – Toiletries, cleaners, stationary items, craft supplies etc would fall into this category. Use your imagination with some of these items in order to use them up faster than you would normally.
  • Shampoo and bubble bath  can be used as hand wash or detergent for cleaning items that won’t be used to eat off.
  • Toilet cleaners with bleach can be used as grout and tile cleaner.
  • Glass cleaner can be used as an all purpose spray cleaner if you aren’t happy with the way it cleans glass.
  • With pens and stationary stick to the one pen or one packet of staples or one notebook etc and use that one all the time until its used up or runs out. (be mindful of pens if you have far too many as they can dry up and become useless to anyone. Best to give them away before this happens if you are unlikely to use them quick enough.)
• Breakage – crockery and  glassware are the first things that come to mind when I think of breakages. When you have tiled floors in your home like I do this can happen at a more rapid pace than you would like.

I see no point in decluttering items that I use daily just because I would rather have fewer of them. By deploying the above strategies these items will wear out, be used up of break soon enough by naturally progression. It would be a waste to throw them out  and a waste of money to give them away if they are going to need replacing too soon after decluttering.

Natural progression decluttering is different to keeping items “in case I might need them some day”. The first group are items that are in regular use that are likely to diminish soon enough to an acceptable level while the latter are items that are rarely if ever used and will be wasting useful space in your home for years to come.

At the moment I am using bubble bath as hand cleaner. Using the same bottle of perfume everyday it is actually my last but I don’t love it but I will not replace it until it is all gone. Using the same few pens although I may have to donate some before they die of old age. Wearing several pair of socks that are getting close to wearing out and using this strategy with underwear and T-shirts as well. I am also using the same two sets of crockery that I have used for years even though there is not a full set of either left. I will use these until there are too few and then start on my good set. I have almost completed a declutter on a bottle of face wash, a tube of moisturiser and  . Oh and lets not forget my mountain of craft items, I plan on creating and opening an etsy shop so I will get have fun using them and hopefully redeem some of the money I spent on them over the years.

So set things in place for some natural decluttering today.

Today’s Declutter Item

This group of baseball paraphernalia was picked up by a very happy Freecycler on the weekend

Things I am grateful for today

• Seeing nature at play – the sulphur crested cockatoos in our neighbourhood have a liking for hanging upside-down on the electric wires and antenna tethers. The first time I saw this I thought the bird was snared but then it flew off and came back to do it again. Silly birds.
• Catching up with friends.
• Freecycle – One item gone five more to list.
• Friends who take my stuff – I got rid of two more things this way today.
• The kind people who found Liam’s lost wallet yesterday and took the time to come to our home to return it – the world is a better place because of these sort of people.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

It is that time again – Mini Mission Monday – and I have come up with a new set of mission for this week with a little help from you, my friends in the 365lessthings community. Thank you all for the great feedback you have been sending about you mini mission successes. It spurs me on to know that what I do here is helping others. If you have a good idea for a mini mission like Calico ginger did this week please don’t hesitate to tell me about it through my Contact Form

• Monday -The glove compartment in your car can be a junk collection point. Go now and give it a clean out.
• Tuesday – Grab one item out of your freezer that you know has been there for some time. Either throw it away if you don’t trust that is is fresh enough to eat or include it in a meal this week.
• Wednesday – Find something in the house that belongs to someone else that you feel needs decluttering and gently ask the owner if they still want it or could you donate/recycle/sell it for them.
• Thursday – Today is the day to declutter your key ring. Are there any keys on there that you no longer use or a bunch of cutesy dingle dangles weighing you down that have seen better days. Well now is the time to lighten the load. (Thanks to Calico ginger for this mini mission suggestion)
• Friday – What is on your walls? Is there something hanging there simply out of habit that you don’t really want? Now is the time to declutter it.
• Saturday – Time to check that there are no expired ointments etc in your first aid kit.
• Sunday – If you have a sewing kit even if only for small repairs have a look through it and clear out the things that will never get used like spare buttons saved for cloths you no longer own.

Extension work for over achievers (like Anne):- Address that one area of your house that you know you have been avoiding like the plague for some time.  I want you sit in this area and just think about what is holding you back from getting started here. While you are thinking about it look at the items individually not as a whole and consider removing one item at a time.  Does that approach change your attitude to the size of the task. Pick the first item you feel you can deal with and decide what to do with it and take action. Don’t think of this area again as one large task but as single items that alone are not difficult to declutter. If you revisit this area once a week and remove one more item before you know it everything will be gone. Good luck, it really isn’t as hard as it seems.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I tried to find a taker for these unwanted adhesive dispensers but no one wanted them so I had to throw them out. I can not longer get refills for them locally and I don’t need them anyway. Shame!

Things I am grateful for today

• The kindness and generosity of others – it is heartening to watch [on television] the people of Queensland pulling together to help each other with the flood recovery. Unfortunately there are flash floods going on in Victoria now.
• Having a butcher within walking distance – I am trying to buy local rather than from the big chain store.
• Having the roses to stop and smell – Not actually roses but all the things in live they deserve savouring.
• Knowing that the mini missions are making decluttering easy for my readers.
• When thought hopping leads you to a great solution to seemed like a difficult problem.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

The product featured here is – in my opinion – a complete waste of natural resources and manpower. Please do not buy one or any other worthless product of this nature.

All you really require to crack or separate an egg is an egg!

This item is better known as Kitchen Clutter

It was another big week for comments this week which makes it hard to narrow it down to just five but these are the ones I chose. Sorry if yours didn’t make it but it was probably on the short list.

Patricia on Letters and Greeting Cards – As I try to clear the clutter in my house and try to live a more minimalist lifestyle…Read more

Calico ginger on Mini Mission Monday – Wow, what a great response to the mini missions!…Read more

Cindy on 10Jan2011 – A husband story from the Bogard household… Read more

Annabelle on Letters and Greeting Cards – Years ago, at a local historical society ‘library’ facility, while researching my family tree, I came across a hand written letter… Read more

Denise Yribarren …I am helping a neighbor who is trying to provide baby clothes and baby formula for an orphanage in Tanzania….Read more

Five posts I enjoyed reading this week. There aren’t many directly about decluttering but there is more to the attitude of decluttering other than stuff.

The Personal Excellence Blog – Cultivate-a-good-habit-in-21-days

Good News Network.org – Ocean-plastic-patch-exaggerated Thanks to Cindy for letting me know about this link. It is nice to have soom good news about the environment for a change.

Becoming Minimalist – The-hidden-power-of-humility

My Zero Waste – Decluttering-zero-waste

Zen Habits – 5 Ways to lose your stuff – (Not your lover) I know this is going to be a must read for some of my dedicated declutterers out there.

Today’s Declutter Item

These were a batch of old posters I stumbled upon by accident when I went to mat some artwork. Sadly that says a lot about how often I use my mat cutter but we will ignore that for now. These went in the recycling bin.

Things I am grateful for today

• The floods in Brisbane did not get as high as they feared they might.
• No more dental appointments for Liam for a while.
• A cool afternoon breeze.
• We had a foot long Blue Tongue Lizard visit us in our garage today – it remains to be seen if he has moved in permanently or not.
• Another load of stuff went to the thrift store today.
  

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

“Is prosperity only a material condition? Is there not prosperity of the soul? Outward riches without inward peace, I think we can all agree is a tentative state of wealth.” –Dave Bruno

Having never actually been a follower of Dave Bruno’s Blog, I only had a vague idea what the 100 thing challenge was all about, and in my ignorance I was very sceptical about the concept of paring down to only 100 things. The odd snippets I did come across while reading minimalist blogs gave me the impression that a lot of people were jumping on the band wagon like it was some kind of competition as to how few things the participants could live with.

When out of the blue I received an email from Mary at Harper Collins asking if I would be interested in receiving a free copy to review my initial reaction was to think – Do I really want to add this book clutter to my home.  Then I thought – What have I a got to loose, I can always hand the book on when I am done.

Well I have to say the book pleasantly surprised me. The story is simply one man’s attempt to break free from the constraints of American-Style consumerism. As my readers know I am  a strong advocate for adopting a more sustainable approach to consuming. My first advice when it comes to decluttering is to be conscious about what you buy or you will just be re-cluttering while you are decluttering.

Dave lives with his wife and three daughters in San Diego, California. He sets his story up with a little information about his life from both a business and personal point of view so we get to know him a little. He outlines the rules  of his challenge so we know exactly what is considered personal items, and what items are considered shared property, so not included in the challenge. Dave is honest and open about his struggles during the challenge, and about the mistakes he made with some of his choices.

He touches on how disappointment is built into the products we buy causing us to be constantly dissatisfied with our purchases. I could really relate to this and have blogged about this problem myself in the past on Day 214 and Day 111. Sustainability is not even a factor in some of the useless and flimsy products on the market.

Even though he took a year to reduce his belongings to the 100 thing limit, it forced him to part with some things that he later regretted not keeping.  This particularly concerned me as he then talks of replacing those items once the challenge was over. He also traded a few items out as the challenge went along.  All in all though, compared to the average consumer he certainly set a fabulous example for how we can all live a fulfilling life with minimal possessions. Several months after the challenge is over he is still living with less than 100 personal items, and content that the challenge brought him to to his goal of being a more thoughtful and joyful person.

Would I recommend reading this book? Yes, I personally preferred reading the first half of the book, it tells of Dave’s soul searching to choose which 100 personal items to keep. He delves into the reasons behind why he was clinging to certain objects in his life, how he came to terms with and untangled those ties. How there is more to it than just parting with the items but also letting go of the unrealised dreams that those items represent. For this alone the story is really worth the read.

I wouldn’t suggest that you reduce you personal belongings to 100 things on a whim?  No, but it is not unreasonable to think that in the endeavour to simplify and declutter your life you may wake up one day and realise you have done  just that. I have no doubt that you would be happier for it.

Today’s Declutter Item

Another DVD that Liam decluttered. He has been very cooperative with the decluttering lately and I am milking that for all it’s worth. There is no telling how long it will last.

Things I am grateful for today

1. I have managed to resurrect a favourite pair of shoes today with the help of a bottle of suede/nubuck dye.
2. I found a good red lentil dahl recipe on the internet.
3. I have my car back – Steve’s motorbike is finally back on the road.
4. I made it home safe and sound each time I left the house today – despite the fact that in four separate instances when vehicles tried or did take my right of way. I seem to have been a crazy driver magnet today.
   
5. Memories of reading bedtime stories to my children when they were younger- I loved reading to them and sometimes I would con them into brushing my hair so I would read an extra story. I love to having my hair brushed.
   

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

True confessions time: I can’t get rid of part of something. I can get rid of all of it, but not part.

What in the heck do I mean? For years, I had a matching coffee and side table set. At some point, I stopped using the side table, but I couldn’t part with it. After all, I still had the other piece and was using it. What if I changed things around again and wanted to use it again? Even after years? It could happen.

Well maybe a piece of furniture does seem reasonable to keep. After all, I would not have been able to replace the table should I have want it again. But what about these things? Years ago, I was given a food processor. It came with four blades. I have only used two of them. Ever. But I keep all four of them because I still have the other part.  I bought the guinea pig a new cage, and it came with a ramp and a small second floor platform. Although guineas do enjoy climbing things, we feel it takes up too much room in the cage, but because I have the cage, I still have the ramp and platform. I still have the other part. I’ve had the same comforter set for years. When I purchased it, I also got a shower curtain with the idea that I could turn it into valances. At least eight years have gone by, and I still have the shower curtain. Why? Because I have the other part.

Why do I do this? I’m perfectly comfortable completely getting rid of something. I suspect that it’s because I sell many things when I’m finished with them. Even things I give away, I realize may be more valuable to the next owner if they have the complete set. But also, I think it’s because I fear changing my mind and not having the other pieces. Often, one can buy the whole but not the part. While I can buy a new guinea pig cage, I cannot buy a new ramp and platform, and I’ll certainly never be able to purchase additional pieces for an eight-year-old comforter set. (Even Ebay can’t help you with some things.)

Is this sensible or is it foolish? I don’t know, but you can bet I have the other part.

Today’s Declutter Item

This was a DVD that Liam had from a subject he did in school. I doubt he even looked at it.

Things I am grateful for today

• Remembering to take a book back to the library- it was due on the 5th of January, my bad.
• Chancing the rain to take a walk – I didn’t get wet but i wouldn’t have minded (I think I have a case of cabin fever meets PMS).
• Bridget (my daughter) managed to evacuate from down town Brisbane and arrive home safely- the flooding in Queensland is spreading over a wider area every hour.
• Liam co-operating with a little more decluttering
• The good response to the mini missions – Thanks readers you make blogging fun.
  

Clink on this link of you are interested in nominating 365lessthings for a weblog award. Appropriate categories include Best-Kept Secret Blog, Australian or New Zealand Blog, Best New in 2010 and Best Topical.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow.

I received this comment from Anne last week…

I’ve been following your blog since September which was when I started to declutter my apartment. It’s a slow process with lots of decisions. I have several boxes of letters and greeting cards from friends and family dating back to 1970′s and I have no idea if I should keep them or not. Have you made a post of what to do with letters and greeting cards?

My reply was…

Hi Anne, letters and greeting cards are a tricky thing for some people. The short answer for me is keep the letters but weed through the greeting cards and only keep what is really significant to you. This is such a good question though that I think I will address it this week in a post so stay tuned.

Then I also received this related comment from Lesley who has been ploughing through the 365 archives…

I have the letter regret too. I had some old letters from a dear friend written about 18 years ago. Totally inconsequential stuff, nothing too deep or anything like that, mostly just written (years before email!) when arranging to next see each other. Very sadly he died this week far too young and I would give anything to be able to read those letters again. Just to be able to hear his humour in them one more time.
I need to go through my momento box at some point and will definitely be scanning stuff in before chucking anything else.

I have written before about how years ago I convinced my husband to throw away letters from a cousin that they had exchanged during their turbulent teenage years. When the cousin died in her early forties he regretted so much having parted with those letters. They would have been a great comfort to him at the time. We have however kept the letters we wrote to one another during our courtship days and from early in our marriage when we were separated at times due to my husbands work. Can’t say I ever pull them out and read them but I wouldn’t get rid of them.

Although it makes sense to scan and store letters digitally and dispose of the originals because they take up space there is just something special about having the originals that puts me off this idea. To have the original paper chosen by the author and their own ink and script is far more personal than to just have a digital copy. That being said if I had several boxes full that were a mix of insignificant scratchings and meaningful correspondence I would be inclined to scan them all but only keep those that I considered important to me.

When it comes to greeting cards I usually display them for about two weeks after the occasion for which they were celebrating. The only ones I keep intact are the ones from our children that usually contain a meaningful message that they have written themselves. Our daughter is particularly adept at writing just the perfect message while Liam is the comedian of the duo. From the other cards I then cut off any parts I can use to make my home made cards and throw the unusable segments into the recycling.

Our collection of meaningful communication would fit in a large shoe box and I consider that to be a small treasure that no amount of desire to minimise my belongings would make me part with.

If anyone out there has any suggestions and opinion on this topic please leave a comment in order to give a more rounded view on this subject.

Today’s declutter item

Things I am grateful for today

1. Getting through the house cleaning quickly.
2. Not getting too wet on our afternoon walk.
3. Accidentally finding something useful when looking for something else – on the internet of course by now I ought to know where everything is in my house without having to look.
4. Tom Yum Goong – I love this Thai hot and sour soup.
5. My friend Amber – She comes out with some funny stuff at times the rest of the time she is just a really nice person.
   

It’s Monday again and time for another set of mini missions. How did you go with the missions from Saturday and Monday last week?  I know that Calico ginger, Susan S and Janetta were having some great success with their attempts to  follow  all seven and Mrs Green from Myzerowaste.com was also getting in on the act, Lady In a Small Town is even blogging about it and quite a number of you wrote in to say how much you liked the mini missions and are giving them your best shot. Did you do all seven or were there some things you didn’t have to do on the list because you have already taken care of some of these areas thoroughly already? Either way I hope your homes are a little less cluttered than they were at the start of last week.

Here are your mini missions for this week

• Monday – Get to the stores today and return anything you have lying around the house that you have been meaning to take back.
• Tuesday – Everyone has a drawer that holds stay pens. Go to it now and test to see which pens aren’t working and discard them.
• Wednesday – Go to where you store your manuals and warranties. Eliminate those that are now unnecessary or out of date. If you feel a little more adventurous get on-line and download any pdf’s available for your manuals and you will be able to free up a little more space in your filing cabinet.
• Thursday – If you have daughters with hair accessories now is a good time to declutter and re-organise these items.
• Friday – Have a look in your display cabinet there is bond to be something lingering in there that you long ago lost interest in. Time to send it to the thrift shop.
• Saturday – Is the outside of your refrigerator door a cluttered mess? Now is the time to reclaim that clean clear space it used to be. If you aren’t sure you want a clean clear fridge door just take everything off and stand back and see what you think of it. If you don’t like it put the stuff back it’s your refrigerator I am just suggesting you give it a try. (Thanks to Cindy for this mini mission idea)
• Sunday – I think it is time we looked at the garage there must be at least two things you can quickly remove from there.

Today’s Declutter Item

Another one of Liam’s declutter items.

Things I am grateful for today

• Running into old friends and having a nice long chat.
• Knowing the air-conditioner is there if I need it – I think it is going to be a hot day.
• A good nights sleep
• The nice espresso my husband just made me.
• Being safe and dry while many towns in Qld Australia are underwater in the worst floods in years.
  

Clink on this link of you are interested in nominating 365lessthings for a weblog award. Appropriate categories include Best-Kept Secret Blog, Australian or New Zealand Blog, Best New in 2010 and Best Topical.

I know I said I wouldn’t be posting on the weekends but I just wanted to draw your attention to the 2011 weblog awards. I know my humble little blog with its small number of followers has no hope of winning but it would be nice to be nominated. So if you feel inclined just click on the weblog awards logo above and it will take you to the nomination page. Scroll down and you will find a variety of categories that would be suitable to nominate my blog under. I planned ahead for you and chose the following categories that I thought might suit.

• Best Australian or New Zealand Weblog
• Best Topical Weblog
• Best-Kept Secret Weblog
• Best New Weblog

Nominations close Sunday, January 1610:00 PM EST (UTC-5)

Thank you in advance and have a great weekend.