The spare room ~ Always ready for guests

Why bother to declutter? What is it really going to do for me? How is it going to make my life better? I am sure these are the first questions people ask when they begin on the journey of decluttering and/or minimalism.

I know we have discussed this topic many times before but we can always do with a refresher course especially if we have lost momentum. So today I will share with you this chapter from my free ebook as it covers some great benefits of living a decluttered life.

The Joys Of Clutter Reduction

I would like to point out the joy that can be found in reducing the clutter in your home. This joy can be appreciated from day one, not just at the end of the journey. See if you can identify with the joy of:

• A Fresh Start ~ It is never too late to begin a new phase in your life. Cut yourself some slack and do not dwell on the past. Acknowledge the things you got right and learn the lesson of your follies but either way do not dwell on regrets, just enjoy the fresh start you are making.
• More Space ~ It really does feel good as the clutter starts to disappear and you begin to feel the freedom of empty space growing around you. This feeling can be appreciated from the very first item and increases over time. Take a moment to focus on that freedom with every little piece of clutter you choose to remove and fill the process with joy rather than dread.
• Less Maintenance ~ It stands to reason that the fewer items cluttering up your home, the easier it is to keep your surroundings clean and tidy. Every item you remove is one less thing you need to maintain in any way whether dusting, cleaning or storing. Also house cleaning will be simpler if there are fewer items to be moved in order to access the surface under them such as benches and floors. And you gotta love that!
• Guilt Relief ~ We generally carry a burden of guilt for every item associated with the waste of money or lack of use. For every one of these items that leaves our home there is a relief from that guilt so long as we learned the lesson of needless waste.
• Giving Back ~ Whether we sell items to grateful buyers on eBay, donate items to charity, give items away to friends and family or recycle them, there is a good feeling that accompanies each action. Focus on those good feelings and it will spur you on in your quest.
• Appreciation ~ You will find that you have a higher appreciation for the items you choose to keep and their role in your household.
• Being Environmentally Responsible ~ The key to decluttering is not to reclutter. For every unnecessary item you do not purchase, and every item that you give to someone in need, you are doing a small deed to save the environment. For every item that is manufactured there is a cost whether in natural resources or carbon emissions, so the less you contribute to the supply and demand of these products the better hope there is for our planet’s survival.
• Simplifying -There is more to this topic than the title implies, having an uncluttered home and embracing the principles of staying uncluttered can simplify your life. I have discovered the freedom that clutter reduction has added to my life and that has allowed me to enjoy the present and foresee a better future.

Now I will share with you a very short story on my most recent joy of clutter reduction…

I received a call from my parents Tuesday to let me know they are coming to visit me on Wednesday and will be staying for a week. Now my parents don’t live around the corner they live 900 kms away so it isn’t as though they drop in all the time. So you may think there has been a mad scramble overnight to get prepared for this visit. I have made a list below to show you what was involved in this mad scramble so you will understand the joys of decluttering…

• Put clean sheets on the spare bed.

No I didn’t forget to finish the list, that’s it! The spare room is spotless, the house is spotless, I don’t have to clear anything out of the way and I am ready to take visitors anytime at the drop of a hat. Now if that isn’t a huge benefit of decluttering I don’t know what is.

I now need to add this paragraph to my ebook…

Less Embarrassment ~ Being able to welcome visitors into your home at any given time, without a moments notice and without feeling ashamed about the appearance of you home is a big plus. If you have so much stuff that it can’t be stored away neatly the oposite situation can be a real possibility for you.

Today’s Declutter Item

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• Not having to prepare my house for quests.
• A nice sunny day to get the sheets dry on the clothesline.
• Having the car to run errands with. ~ I finally got that load of stuff to the thrift shop.
• The friendly staff at my local hardware store. ~ They were extra friendly and extra helpful today and I appreciate that.
• Reading the book my daughter wrote about me. ~ Here is one of the things she wrote. I’ve never known anyone who is so loved by all of the people in their life. You almost glow with a personality that is impossible to deny. There should be so many more people like you in the world. ~ I don’t know if all that’s true but if she believes it then that is pretty special and I am a very lucky mum.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

What is landscape clutter? Well, I’m a big gardener, but I’m not referring to anything you might see in the yard. No, landscape clutter is clutter that you are so accustom to seeing out-of-place that you no longer recognize that it’s out of place. It’s become a part of the landscape of your home.

Here are some examples of things that have been landscape clutter in my house:

• A cocktail dress that hung in the doorway between the kitchen and the living room for 3 or 4 months
• A piece of furniture that we moved out of Clara’s room with the intention of moving it into the attic. It got as far as the hallway, where we left it. It’s not where it belongs, but it’s not in anyone’s way, and there it sits. (At least it hasn’t become a black hole as well as being landscape clutter. Don’t know what a clutter black hole is? Check it out here.)
• The laundry basket and empty 5 gallon paint bucket that the girls used outside in their playhouse and then dumped on the ground. (Ok, this landscape clutter might actually qualify as being part of the landscape.)
• Countless number of things that I put by the front door with the intention of taking to a friend’s house, the thrift store, or work that seemed to grow roots once they were left there.
• A can in the back of my pantry that had only been there “a little while.” When I decided yesterday that it was time to eat those canned plums, I discovered that the “best if used by date” was 2007!

The trouble with landscape clutter is that you’re so used to overlooking it, that it’s hard to notice.

I’ve written about this topic before. (As I was writing, I knew some of it sounded familiar to me), but the solutions haven’t changed. If you can’t see it, you can’t recognize it, and you need some other way of noticing the clutter. You can become aware of misplaced items by touching each thing and saying the name aloud, asking a friend what they see that’s out of place, developing a need for the item, creating a new strategy for dealing with a category of clutter, or by taking a picture or video and examining the photograph. I’m always stunned by what I see on my counters and such when I look at a photo that I somehow can’t see when I am looking right at them.

Here’s how I got rid of the clutter I mentioned:

• A friend said to me, “You know this dress has been here a while. I thought you might not be seeing it any more.” Well, of course I knew it was there, but that motivated me to actually do something with it.
• I’m embarrassed to admit that the furniture is still sitting right there in the hallway. It’s made of solid wood and is remarkably heavy. I vow to get Dan to help me move it to the attic this weekend, so my strategy is that by admitting publicly that something’s out of place, I am motivated to deal with it.
• The bucket and laundry basket were put away when I needed a laundry basket. While thinking, “What can I use to contain these items?” I noticed the basket sitting on the ground outside, and when I fetched it, I put away the bucket too.
• Items by the front door that get stuck get “unstuck” in a variety of ways but in general, I think the best solution for me is to put things directly into the van, rather than letting them rest by the door. That way, they’re with me when I drive past the thrift store or when I stop by a friend’s house.
• The old canned plums, which went into the compost pile, were spotted when I was a little desperate for lunch ideas on Sunday.  I have a can riser, like stair steps to keep the cans organized and visible. The plums were on the top shelf, far corner. Since they’d worked their way from a lower position to the far back corner (just like clothes you never wear!), that’s a reliable indication that they’d been there a while.

These bits of clutter came to my attention for a variety of reasons, but the key is that because they’d become part of the landscape of my home, I had to have some other stimulus to bring them to my attention. I was so used to just scanning over them with my eyes that just a quick glance around was not going to being them to my attention.

What are you seeing today that you’d been overlooking?

Today’s Declutter Item

A sweater once worn by Liam but has reached the unused in the back of the closet stage. Off to the thrift store with you.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• Having a lovely morning-tea with my neighbours.
• I thought I was so behind time getting everything ready for the morning tea this morning but then I was finished with ten minutes to spare.
• Finding out by accident that I can actually buy milk at a reasonable price at my local paper shop (Newagency).~ Usually I would choose to go without rather than pay the price the local grocery store charges so this is good to know for future reference.
• Mini caramel tarts ~ I should share this recipe with you all, they are delicious.
• My mum and dad are coming to visit tomorrow.

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

Sounds like a simple question doesn’t it ~ How many is too much? Angelina asked me this question yesterday about children’s toys and my response was ~ There is no definite answer, but for me their indoor toys should be able to be tucked away neatly in their own bedrooms when they aren’t being played with. If they are overflowing into all the living spaces as well then there is just too much.

You will notice among the words in my response were two small words ~ for me. Although I feel you can spoil your children by giving them too much or anything it is not up to anyone else to decide what is too much. That is your decision, but think wisely.

The same goes for anything in your home. I have three pairs of kitchen tongs is that too much. For some people yes, for me no. Quite often all three of those tongs are in the dishwasher at the same time so clearly I use them. If only one pair was ever used at any given time and I kept the other two just in case one day I have a house full of people and need three pairs, then yes three would be too many. Could I cope with one pair? Of course I could but I don’t choose to. If one pair broke would I replace it, probably not.

I have one bottle of perfume is that too few? Some women would think so because they like to mix it up a little, something floral one day, something oriental the next. Some may even think I am very unsophisticated for this. I care little about their opinion because one is enough for me. I am sure also that they would have the same opinion of me because I only use one handbag and it doesn’t match all my shoes. Once again, I don’t care. I find life simpler with less choice.

Someone else may only have two towels, two pair of shoes, one set of sheets but a display cabinet full of china handed down form a relative long passed. So what, minimalism is one thing to one person and something else to another. It is not up to anyone to decide what you care about and what you don’t, what is too much and what is too few.

Anyone reading my blog is here because they want to reduce what they own in order to free themselves of the restrictions that clutter can cause. Space restrictions, time restrictions, cash flow restrictions etc. Having the intention to declutter will set you in the right direction, then I am sure you are all capable of deciding in what areas you want to reduce and by how much. As momentum takes over you may get more adventurous but that is up to you. Be an individual and do it your way.

Today’s Declutter Item

I am pretty sure that if I hung these towels in our bathroom my husband would say ” Why are we using these old things?” WE have since moved on to thicker more luxurious towel which rotate regularly through our bathroom. These can go to thrift store where someone not so fussy as us will likely be happy to have them.

Gratitude

Instead of my usual list of things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome today I leave you with this poem from The Kitchn.com. In its simplicity it exemplifies how if you take your time to feel and see what is around you at any given moment you will realise there is plenty to be grateful for in life.

Today my pear at breakfast was perfect, so very ripe and juicy and scented sweet. And although a pear is just an ordinary thing, still I felt a little spike of pleasure when I spooned it into my mouth along with some yogurt and honey. There was pleasure, too, that I had this quiet time to notice the pear and the way the morning light was washing into the room where I sat on the floor with my back up against the wall. Without their wooly slippers, my bare feet were getting cold but I stayed there in that moment of pear delight until the whole bowl was licked clean. An ordinary pleasure, a simple moment.

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

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering

We are going to do a declutter tour of our houses this week and visit one room a day. While you are in each room do a little visual declutter. What I mean by that is, aside from the mini mission item you are removing you might spy an area or two that needs more attention later on. Make a list of these areas so you remember where and what they were for when you have a little extra time up your sleeve. I will leave the item up to you to choose but I want something removed from each room I mention each day.

If by some lucky chance you don’t have seven different rooms in your home and have a lot less housework than some, chose seven different function areas. Even in a small living space we designate spaces for paperwork, cooking, bathing, relaxing, sleeping, dining, storage etc so concentrate on each of these areas if you don’t have separate rooms.

Monday – Bathroom (Perhaps you have some old make up brushes you no longer use)
Tuesday – Dining Room (Perhaps you have some excess linen in the buffet)
Wednesday – Living/Lounge Room (Are there old magazine in your coffee table drawers)
Thursday – Bedroom One (There is nearly always old clothes that are hiding in the back of the closet)
Friday – Bedroom Two (Children’s old toys may be found here)
Saturday – Kitchen (There is always something lingering here, unused gadgets particularly)
Sunday – Laundry (Cleaning products that didn’t perform well or old cleaning rags are often found here)

Good luck and happy decluttering

Don’t forget to leave a comment telling us what you managed to achieve with your mini missions.

Today’s Declutter Item

These little plastic bottle held beads and hotel shampoo. I was saving them to put more beads in but have convinced myself that I need no more beads unless I use something else up. I will use the one in one out method to keep things under control in the craft room. So these bottles are useless to me and unfortunately they went in the bin because there is no recycle mark on them.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• I had fun at a surprise birthday party of a good friend. ~  It is so nice to be a part of the celebrations of life.
• I looked after a friends dog and she gave me a clutter free thank you gift of two plants for my garden.~ I needed a little inspiration to do some gardening now that the weather is colling down.
• Roast chicken dinner.
• The cooler nights of Autumn.
• Chatting with an old friend from America on Facebook ~ it was great to hear from her.

This week I have another example of how a ten minute tidy up can make a big difference to how an area of a home can improve in appearance. My craft room is a perfect example of how working with reckless abandon can cause things to get a little messy not to mention the fact that it is the most cluttered area of my house.
A couple of weeks ago I photo documented this tidy up of my collection of craft ribbon and unlike last weeks “Spot the difference” you don’t need to look closely to see the improvement here.

Before

Before

Quite the jumbled mess don’t you think but ten minutes later it looked like the this…

After

After

There was no decluttering involved just a few carefully placed pin and a lot of rewinding. Quite an improvement don’t you think.

To all you Aussie Declutterers out there check out this little gem on an idea. Click on the heading (link) blow to view the web site after watching the video.

~ The Garage Sale Trail ~

I mean to encourage you to have a garage sale and get rid of some stuff not follow the Garage Sale Trail and buy more stuff. 😉

Wow, it was a busy comment week but I narrowed it down to five for you. I hope you enjoy them.

Hanoush in response to Don’t let it linger-Donate ~ …Oh, and totally agree with donating… Read more

Cindy in response to Annabelle ~ Annabelle, I agree with Colleen that it’s best if you stay away… Read more

Debra F in response to Excess Abundance ~ Sometimes the hardest lessons to learn and the simplest… Read more

Loretta in response to Declutter Update ~ While I don’t think most of us can live with 100 items… Read more

Liina in response to Declutter Update ~ This is really inspirational! I love the idea of your project… Read more

Fave Five Links this week

Exconsumer ~ Nostalgia sentiments and stuff

Simply Being Mum ~ Faminimalism simply being mums story

Uberless ~ 3-steps-to-minimalist-bliss

Minimalism Defined ~ What-to-do-when-you-live-with-non-minimalists

Willow’s Cottage ~ March-begins-with-small-things

Today’s Declutter Item

Finally starting to reduce the amount of crafting supplies. Every birthday card I make every celebration someone asks me to create invitations for is one step closer to a less cluttered craft area.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• Lots of chats with the neighbours ~ The time just flies then you realise you are half an hour late to start cooking dinner. Having an efficient decluttered kitchen helped put me back on track.
• Soap that comes in cardboard boxes with no individual wrapping.
• Getting my tea party invitations made and delivered.
• A refreshing shower at the end of the day ~ followed by a cup of tea.
• All the wonderful minimalist bloggers out there who contribute to our collective wealth of knowledge.

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

Dachau Germany ~ Click on the photo for larger detail

I received an email from my sister today and then Cindy wrote something similar in a comment that gave me inspiration for today’s blog post. It is more about simplicity than decluttering but there is a strong link between the two topics and I felt like having a little fun. I hope you enjoy this little diversion from the norm.

Remember the good old day when…

• Milk used to come in glass bottles with foil caps. The caps were decorated during the holiday season. And the milk was delivered right to your door step. I even remember my Grandmother leaving out enamelled cans and the milkman would fill them with milk.
• Nearly everyone’s mother was home when they got home from school. (Sorry to the feminists out there but I loved this about my childhood.)
• The green grocer had a truck and would do the rounds of your neighbourhood. The fish monger did the same. Oh! and don’t forget the ice-cream van.
• You got your windscreen cleaned, oil checked and petrol served, without asking, all for free, every time you put gas in your tank.
• Candy (lollies) were in open containers in a glass cabinet in the store and you would tell the salesperson how much you wanted of each one and they would put them in a little paper bag. I remember some lollies being 4 for 1c when I was young. Ahhh, those were the good old days.
• You could return glass soda (softdrink) bottles to the store and get a refund. Usually that money went to buy the candy mentioned above. I believe this does still happen in some places but certainly not where I live.
• Fish and chips came wrapped in newspaper with just one layer of butcher paper against the food. I don’t think that actually ever killed anyone. Meat at the butchers used to come the same way. Where I lived we could even sell our old newspapers to the fish shop and butchers for a little pocket money which we often used to buy that candy mentioned above.
• A family of seven had one small tin trash bin collected each week. Granted ours was usually full to overflowing but most of it was organic so no harm done.
• There was no such thing as hand sanitizer. I managed to survive that as well.
• Actually, remember when we weren’t constantly bombarded with commercial from chemical companies trying to sell us all sorts of products to kill germs. They aren’t trying to save our lives they are just trying to sell more product.
• Children used to ride their bikes to school and just about everywhere else as well. When I was in school there were about 500 kids at my school and about 400 of them rode bikes everyday. In places like Germany and the Netherlands I believe they still do this and adults too. The photo at the top of this post is of a bike shelter by a railway station in Dachau which had hundreds of bikes parked under it. It brought back fond memories.
• No one ever asked where the car keys were because they were always in the car, in the ignition and the doors were never locked. Back then having a car was a luxury now it is a necessity and most families have more than one.
• Children weren’t expected to go to school from the age of three to the age of 23 in order to be considered educated.
• Kids used to play together outside from the minute they got home form school until they had to come in for dinner.
• Bottles came form the corner shop without safety caps and hermetic seals because no one had yet tried to poison perfect strangers.
• You could take a picnic lunch to the ballpark including a knife to cut up food. Now we are limited to the size bag we can take and that has to be searched on the way in and we could be arrested for having that knife. Now once you get in there is costs $8 for a plastic cup of soda.
• We wore our clothes until they were shabby or we had grown out of them.
• Eating out was a luxury and frozen dinners didn’t exist.
• Christmas consisted of a decorated tree, a wreath on the door, a home cooked meal, a small stocking from Santa and a couple of gifts from parents and grandparents.
• Parents weren’t required to sign a contract at the start of their 10 year old’s little league season promising not to be abusive to the opposition (players, coaches and parents), umpires or their own children.
• Things we bought didn’t come in blister packs.
• The Joneses only owned a three bedroom house and one car. They were a lot easier to keep up with then.
• Recycling bins weren’t necessary.
• Children only received toys for birthdays, Christmas or other special celebrations.
• When even the stores weren’t air-conditioned. Do you remember that even being a problem, I don’t.

I remember those times with fondness not with horror. And yes I know there are a lot of not so good things we could remember from those days too but that isn’t the point here. The point is life was way simpler back then and there is no reason why we can’t have some of those good things back. A little less greed, a little less elitism, a little less competition, a little less pampering and a lot less supply and demand would make the world a better place in my opinion. What do you think?

What are some of the things you miss from the good old days? Please send me a comment so we can all have fun reminiscing.

Today’s Declutter Item

Today’s we have an item that could very easily have become sentimental clutter. My son Liam was carrying this bag over his shoulder the night he was involved in a very serious cycling accident last year. Luckily we still have our son so we don’t need this bag to remind us how lucky we are.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• Reminiscing while writing the list above.
• Going to the shopping centre with a friend and coming home with nothing.
• Creating an oil burner from a metal frame a tea light and an small saucer.
• Liam is back at work, he has gone to his first work shift at his new job today. One more milestone reached.
• Laughing with my husband when he wished me a happy false anniversary today. For some reason we both get confused as to whether our anniversary is on the 21st or the 23rd. We don’t know why we have just had this issue right from the start. So we forgot to wish each other a happy anniversary on Monday the 21st but today Steve remembered. He is too funny sometimes.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

At the height of my cluttery mess, a friend and I went to the home of one of her friends. There was not an inch of surface uncovered; the toy bins were bursting; there was stuff on the ground. I was appalled. After we left, I said to my friend, “Tell me my house is not that messy.” There was a long pause before she answered, “They’re about the same.” Ouch!

Fast forward to a month ago. I took my eldest daughter to a pediatric eye doctor. Apparently Dr. Nice was very concerned that patients feel completely at ease because I had never seen so many toys in one place. I had to slide past the four play kitchens and over the rocking cow to sit down. In the exam room, there were stuffed animals, hanging gee-gaws, and toys on the exam table. There were even toys and kid junk mixed in with the patient files in the receptionist’s area. Without a doubt, the office could have outfitted two day care centers. I was uncomfortable surrounded by so much excess.

I was very moved by Small Notebook’s recent blog on this topic. (I highly recommend you read the whole post here.) She wrote that when she and her friends were young adults and making their plans for their lives:

No one of us ever said, “I hope I have a big house full of things that I bought just because they were on sale.”

We never talked about our intentions to own so much stuff that we would spend our free time trying to organize it all.

No one said, “I hope my future kids have so many toys that they can’t pick them up because it’s just so hard.”

The problems of clutter and overconsumption are so widespread. We just have so much. So much too much. I’ve decluttered more than 1600 things, and believe me, no one would call my house minimalist. Sadly, the problem of excess is frequently seen as a problem of insufficient storage, rather than as a problem of an overabundance of things. Why does buying more seem to be the first solution to every problem? The only way to declutter your home and keep it decluttered is to 1) remove excess items and 2) not replace them.

That’s such an important ingredient to success, I’m going to say it again: The only way to declutter your home and keep it decluttered is to 1) remove excess items and 2) not replace them.

In the land of plenty, it’s easy to have plenty too much.

Today’s Declutter Item

All of the items that make up todays declutter effort come from my bathroom cabinet. They were either out of date, never used or rusty. these items all went in the trash as they were not suitable for recycling or rehousing.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• I am glad that I am married to a good man who is neither physically or mentally abusive. Some women aren’t that fortunate.
• Bruschetta ~ You gotta love the Italians for their contribution to great cuisine.
• The workmen have finally come back to finish the job they started on our balcony.
• Making plans to host a morning-tea for the neighbours.
• Finding just the right thing to say at the right moment. Especially if it is funny.

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

It isn’t often that I give you an update on how the decluttering is going in my home. You would be forgiven for thinking that by now I have run out of things to declutter and spend my spare time nagging at you, my lovely readers, to get your clutter under control. Well that just isn’t the case unfortunately.

Recently I participated in a radio phone interview. I had to move to the patio to record the interview because my living room had a slight echo which didn’t sound good during the sound check. Nevertheless there are still things in the living room that I want to declutter. Yes those pesky trophies are still collecting dust because I haven’t got around to photo documenting them yet. I made a pledge to Loretta in a comment yesterday to deal with them before the end of April. There are still too many books and paper craft magazines cluttering up the bookcase. And I hope to empty the display cabinet altogether and move any glassware I don’t declutter from it into the empty spaces in the kitchen cupboards.

There are a few things that I have already moved to the garage with intent to declutter which hubby has listed for sale on the on-line bulletin board at work. There are also things in the garage that I am saving for our daughter for when she actually moves out on her own. My husband and I had a discussion on the weekend as to what Christmas decorations we want to keep and after I had a similar conversation with my son today I think the general consensus on this is none. There are storage containers starting to stack up out there that I never plan on needing ever again that can also go to the thrift store.

I think I can possibly still declutter more items out of the kitchen. The there is still some natural decluttering that is going on in my wardrobe. I did a count while ironing the other day and realised I own no less than 13 pairs of capris. If that isn’t excess nothing is.

I could probably come up with more stuff if I put my mind to it but I am starting to scare myself. I think I will be at this for a while yet but that is OK. The longer I take the more I am willing to part with so my cunning plan is still having the desired affect. I will keep on keeping on until I reach a point where I am content with what is left and I hope you will too. So get ruthless and happy decluttering.

Today’s Declutter Item

This incense burner is just one more thing I never use, another item for the thrift store I believe.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• The feel of a freshly cleaned house around me.
• All the lovely anniversary wishes I received from my readers Yesterday.
• Catching up with an old friend.
• Email – It is a great tool for having a conversation with someone when you don’t want to be interrupted or rebuked until you have finished having your say.
• Being content with where I’m at.

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

This week I thought I would like to highlight different kinds of clutter for our mini mission challenge. Each day this week we will be decluttering a piece of clutter from one of Seven categories. I am not even going to elaborate on these categories because I think they speak for themselves. Have fun with this and I am eager to hear what sort of things you all came up with. So please send me some comments with your lists of decluttered items.

Monday - Outgrown
Tuesday – Guilt
Wednesday – Sentimental
Thursday – Unwanted Gift
Friday – Purchase regret
Saturday – Lifestyle change
Sunday – Obligation

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I bought this roll of tulle ribbon back in about 2004 for a scrapbook project I did for a friend. I have never used it since. It will go to the thrift store in the next load.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

• Sleeping in.
• A visit to the art museum – Every year they have an exhibition of high school students work and it is very good. There are some talented young people out there.
• Sunday was a nice sunny day for drying sheets on the line.
• Finding the time to clean out my car ~ It is so nice to get into a clean car. Quick tip never buy a car with a black or very dark grey interior.
• Today is Steve’s and my 24th wedding anniversary and we are going out to dinner.