Cindy

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Except for the garage, my home is mostly decluttered. Well, except for the garage and those few scary areas too intimidating to attack. One of these areas consists of several boxes of photographs and memorabilia. Another is the picnic basket I brought back from my Grandparents’ house after my Grandfather’s death. It is filled with photos and mementos that I had to have but have conveniently stored on the floor of my closet for the past seven years. Last, I have a deep drawer full of art, most of it framed, and some of it quite expensive. It was taken off the wall for the remodel and never rehung.

What happens when I try to approach these areas? In the case of the photos and the basket from my Grandparents, I just swerve around that area like it’s not even there and keep going on my merry way. In the case of the art work, I have twice taken it all out, stacked it all around the room so I could see it all at once, got the feeling of jelly legs, stacked it all back up, and returned it to the drawer. Two other times I have opened the drawer with the sincere desire to tackle it once and for all, squeaked in panic, and slammed it back shut.

Clearly, I am intimidated.

Since it’s been well over 100 degrees (35 C) for more than 70 days, there is no way I am going to work on the garage. I’m going to have to tackle these intimidating areas if I’m going to continue making decluttering progress.

I know how to handle the photos and memorabilia. It’s really the same way I handle everything else: one thing at a time, one decision at a time. I think it can be too hard to make every decision the first time through. On my first pass, I’ll get rid of duplicates (triplicates) of the same event, the same child doing the same thing, people I can’t even remember. If that hasn’t winnowed down the photos enough, then I’ll make a second pass and reevaluate. After that I’ll have to decide how I’m going to store them. Everything doesn’t have to be in a coffee-table worthy scrapbook. Sometimes a well labeled envelope in a box is good enough.

For the artwork, I have decided to get the girls to help me. My plan is to pull out one piece of art per day and with their help, decide 1) if we’re going to keep it and 2) where we’re going to hang it. Having their help and the weight of their often-strong opinions should help bring the fear factor down to a manageable level.

What’s intimidating you, and how do you plan to tackle it?

Today’s Declutter Item

Some more fabric gone to the thrift shop. It is good to be honest with yourself that you aren’t likely to use something and just send it on it’s way. One less thing cluttering up  the place and your mind for that matter.

More Fabric (Aspiration Clutter)

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Some days it is just good to have a day that is just ordinary. Nothing spectacular happening just calm and simple. Yesterday was one of those days and I am grateful for that. It was also a good day for blog comments, that kept me busy most of the day. Lucky Cindy does today’s post or it may not have happened. 😉

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

Last weekend we bought a new printer/copier/scanner/fax because the old one was returned to HP for a refund due to that fact that it was a lemon. But don’t get me started on that story! The minute my husband had it up and running he began scanning documents into the computer so he could throw away the old paperwork. You see, this new machine has a document feeder where as the old one (among other issues) had to have each item loaded manually one at a time. That one inconvenience caused a big hinderance to this process causing the task to come to a standstill.

For some months now I have been trying to produce an eBook about decluttering your kitchen. I am probably about three quarters of the way through. I have to use the big computer upstairs to write this eBook because my MacBook Pro doesn’t have Windows Word program due to the fact that our version only allows us to run three subscriptions and mine is the forth Apple in line. It is colder up stairs in the Winter and hotter in the summer and just inconvenient running that computer when I have a perfectly good one in my lap for most of the day. Hense it deters me from finishing this project. Small inconvenience yes but a road block for me nevertheless.

When it comes to decluttering, my small inconvenience is usually selling stuff. Sometimes it is just a lot of bother finding the right selling method. I usually get there in the end because I am determined to make some money back on the item or I am inspired by previous successes. Nevertheless there are still items taking up space in my home simply because I want to sell them and haven’t found the right method.

What is the inconvenience holding you back when it comes to decluttering. Is it really so insurmountable that you deprived yourself of the joys of living with less. Stop and think about this for a minute. Maybe you aren’t even sure what is holding you back. As an experiment why not spend one week ignoring that inconvenience and move forward anyway. Step out of your comfort zone just for one week and see what progress you make. Perhaps you will realise that the results are worth the effort or perhaps you will figure out what is holding you back and find a way to remove that hinderance. Keep analysing the situation as the week progresses and see if you can come up with some solutions.

Maybe you just haven’t figured out you best methods of disposal. Maybe you have trouble letting go. Maybe you don’t know where to begin. Maybe the solution is to begin with the easiest things, things that can go in the trash, items you have not personal attachment to, items that obviously need to go and you are happy to let go. Find your stickling point and push your way passed it, sometimes it is just the fear of the unknown. Once you conquer that fear there will be no holding you back.

Good luck and happy decluttering. And don’t forget, if you do work out what your road block is and you need advice on how to get around it, please leave a comment. If I don’t have the answer maybe the 365lessthings collective voice might. There is a lot of experience and knowledge to be shared between us all.

Today’s Declutter Item

This is another necklace among my craft items that I have chosen to liberate to the thrift store. I am comfortable with the idea that I will probably never deconstruct it and use the beads to make something else.

Shell Necklace

Something I Am Grateful For Today

The house is clean and tidy and the guest room is ready for visitors on the weekend. When I say ready I mean even the mattress has been vacuumed. It is good to be so decluttered and organised that there is time enough to leave no stone unturned when it comes to presenting a fresh, clean and comfortable place for my guests to lay their weary  heads.

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.

This week’s set of mini missions is a little different to the usual format. Instead of finding something different every day I want you to pick a area in your house that you feel is too cluttered and choose seven possible declutter items regardless of whether you are sure about decluttering them or not. Just pick seven items that you feel are cluttering up the space, physically or mentally.

I want you to set them aside somewhere that they are clearly visibile to you. For the rest of the week I want you to contemplate these items. Use my Declutter Decision Making Guide to help you decide if these item should stay or go.

At the end of the week make the final decision, what stays and what goes. The point of this mission is to train yourself to be objective about each item for what it really is and not just what it represents to you emotionally. In some cases it my be about weighing up emotions ~ do I love this item more than it is an inconvenience to me.

Good luck! I would love some feedback on whether you kept all seven, decluttered all seven or did a little of both. Remember be objective.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

In an attempt to once again reduce my craft supplies I sifted through my mat board and threw the small scraps and scarred pieces into the recycling. This allowed me to relocate the remainder into a smaller container thus freeing up a little more space.

Mat Board Scraps

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My husband and I had a lovely ride on his motorbike up to the vineyards in the Hunter Valley today. The weather looked a bit iffy but it got better as the day went on. The scenery was lovely and it was nice to get out of the house for a few hours.

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

I have a question for you all to comment on…

How has your attitude to possessions and your desire to acquire things changed as you progress on your journey to declutter your homes?

Here is my answer to this question…

If something is of no personal or functional value to me there is a good chance it will find itself featured as the Declutter Item of the Day. I am finding that cutting the ties with objects is getting easier and easier as the time goes on.

I find I have no desire to acquire anything that adds to my possessions unless I am sure it will be well used. I have spent money recently on replacing items of furniture in my home in a bid to streamline the functionality of my surroundings but aside from that I tend to spend my money on non-material things. I spend money on outings with friends and family, I like to travel and once or twice a week I enjoy food that I don’t have to prepare myself. I spend less than I can afford in order to set money aside to provide the finances to continue to enjoy these things in the future. I never feel like I am missing out on anything and I never feel inclined to buy things to show off to others around me.

The one drawback I can think of is that when I do need to make a purchase when something requires replacing I procrastinate forever over the purchase. I find I am a little obsessed with making the right choice that I will be satisfied with for a long time to come. Unfortunately this doesn’t always guarantee that the product will live up to my expectations or it’s promises but that is life I guess.

Send me a comment on how you are progressing when it comes to breaking ties with your things and resisting the urge to bring new items into your home.

There were lots of great comments this week and here are the five that I have chosen to bring to your attention.

Deb J tells us in this comment how her church group is trying to do their bit for the environment. Like decluttering, every little thing makes a difference.

Kathleen has been reading my blog for a while but was inspired by my Simple Saturday ~ Operation donate Recycle post to leave her first comment. I am glad it has inspired her to make her own stand for the environment.

Sharron points out some interesting facets of perfectionism in this comment. Funny how the same trait can be helpful in some cases and a hinderance in others.

This comment from Amy was an AH HA moment for Jo who although been told these things over and over suddenly heard it in a way that spoke to her. Read the whole comment stream to get the full conversation.

Cindy picked this comment from NatalieinCA as her pick from the ones that came in as a result of Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom. Natalie has even got the kids in on the act.

I seem to devote very little time to reading other blogs these days because I am just too busy. Luckily though I seem to stumble on to some good ones when I am least expecting it.Here are this weeks five that I have chosen to share with you.

Dave hits the nail on the head here. How are people supposed to feel good about showing consumer restraint when we keep getting told it is bad for the economy. I for one think it is time the economy adapted to revolve around another axis. A Guy Named Dave ~ Restraint as economic revolution

When reading this post keep an open mind as to how you can implement the spirit of it into anything you do. Jonathan Fields ~ Make more bad stuff

Do you have the same issues in your kitchen as Lynn does at Defrag my Life ~ Kitchen dekluttering ha ha, if you do perhaps you should follow her lead.

I am lucky that my spouse is on board with the whole declutter/simplify mission but not everyone is so fortunate. Maybe this post from Be More With Less ~ When your spouse isn’t simple will help you to get your partner motivated.

This post was suggested by Amy amid the comment stream mentioned above. I decided to add it here for those who didn’t read that far. Wisebread ~ 25 things to throw out today

Today’s Declutter Item

These pieces of fabric were quickly snapped up at the thrift shop and I was glad that they would finally get used. They have been languishing away in the bottom of my camphor wood chest for years.

Fabric Pieces ~ More Aspiration Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I had a little visitor today in my back yard as I pottered in the garden. It was the next door neighbour’s cat. He is gorgeous in his lush black and white coat and purs happily when I scratch him under the chin. Other people’s pets are the best, all pleasure and no responsibility. I would have one of my own but I like the freedom of being able to get up and go whenever I want without the trouble and expense of finding a carer. So I am grateful that the neighbour is happy to share theirs with me.

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

I received a comment from Willow on Saturday 20 August that inspired this post. I don’t hear from Willow a whole lot through the Summer months in the USA because she is always away somewhere living life. Camping, exploring, visiting family and friends and generally enjoying new experiences.

Willow is teacher and her husband is a professor so naturally their vacations coincide with school vacation times. This gives them a nice long Summer to do lots of exciting things. Needless to say that instead of owning a large home full of expensive stuff they have opted instead for a small uncluttered cottage and to get out and enjoy the world and people around them.

To me this is the way to live life. Not surrounded with relics of the past and hopes for a future that never seems to materialise. Buying unnecessary stuff that is a consolation prise compared to real experiences only limits your ability to afford true happiness. Sure put aside a nest egg for a rainy day but live life. When you do this there is no need to bring home and hoard momentos of the experience. Momentos just fill space and focus your thoughts in the past (and require dusting). Live for today, plan a little for the future and revel occasionally in the memories tucked safely away in your own mind. But most of all be in the here-and-now living life to the fullest.

Below is the response I received from Willow when I sent her draft copy of the above post..

I think your post states clearly how John and I view our choices.  Years ago, we sat down and wrote out our 5 year, 10 year and life goals.  Separately, we chose almost all experiences and not stuff!  What we value the most is our family and friends and time spent with them so it was easy for us to choose a small place to live and focus on what we DO, not what we OWN.

Like everyone, some days I get bogged down in the stuff.  I still have so much, too much, and I don’t have the push to deal with it. Other people wouldn’t think of my house as cluttered, but it’s feeling that way to me right now.  All those little piles of books and papers that come with the teacher territory.  Sigh. However, all in all, the decluttering is always slowly progressing 🙂

“An empty house is a calm house is a focused house.”  When my home is uncluttered, it’s easier for me to concentrate on my teaching and prep and the people I care about.

Thank you Willow for your contributions to my blog that have been coming since Day 133 that was only about two months into my blogging experience.

Today’s Declutter Item

There is not much to say about these shoes except that my husband has a certain standard of dress he has to uphold in his line of work and these shoes are getting a little shabby. I am sure someone at the thrift store will find them more than suitable and serviceable thought.

Old Work Shoes

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Every now and again, no actually quite often, one of my readers will write a simple sentence in a comment that really makes me look at life and go… YES! That is the way life should be ~ or ~ I hadn’t though of that situation that way before ~ or ~ Thank you for expanding on what I was thinking ~ or ~ That’s just the validation I needed. So thank you my wonderful commenters for your input and inspiration even when you didn’t even realise you were saying something that really mattered.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

We all have our favorites – favorite laundry soap, favorite hand lotion, favorite beverage, favorite brand of tool. We also all have our second favorites – second favorite lipstick, second favorite pair of black pants, second favorite brand of tea, second favorite bath soap.

How did we accumulate so many seconds? Perhaps the second favorite used to be the favorite, before it was replaced. Or maybe we shopped at a different store than usual, and our favorite item wasn’t available. Or perhaps you just thought that you should branch out some – not just stick to the same old, same old.

But, you always reach around it. You never remember that you have it. It’s pushed too far back in the cabinet to find without a stool. You’ve bought refills of your favorite item (more than once!) and still not used up the second favorite.

What to do?

Well, the most obvious choice is to declutter it – give it to someone else, donate it to the thrift store, throw it away.

Or you could intentionally use it up.

I wasn’t using a type of tea that I like just fine, because I like another kind better. I decided that I would use the second favorite brand when I make ice tea, which I drink in vast quantities in the summer. One more batch of iced tea, and my second favorite tea bags will be no more.

I had a lip gloss in my purse that had fallen out of favor. It goes on a bit sticky, but I’m not really sure why it got downgraded to second place. Instead, I prefer a lightly tinted lip balm. My eldest daughter was leaving on a trip and realized in the car to the airport that she hadn’t packed her lip balm. I gave her mine, and vowed that I wouldn’t replace it until I used all of the lip gloss I’d been carrying around. True, it’s a bit stickier than I would like, but it’s a pretty color on me.

I had a lovely tin of breath mints in my desk, which where given to my children as part of a thank you gift. Rather than the usual peppermint or cinnamon, they’re rose and violet flavored. Odd, I know, but not distasteful, simply not a favorite. I took the tin and put it in the car. There aren’t any other choices in the car. If someone wants a breath mint, rose or violet is what they’re going to get. We’ve been munching our way through them ever since. (As a bonus, the pretty tin looks, well, pretty sitting in the car.)

My friend Holly eats her pantry down to the bare bones once or twice a year. The first time I realized she was doing this, I thought it was odd and unnecessary. Now I see the value of it. There’s always a canned good or special spice that lingers in the cupboard long after everything around it has been eaten. Making sure to clean the cupboards out completely was Holly’s way of forcing herself not to waste food. Plenty of second favorite items, which probably should have stayed on the store shelves, got consumed this way. A similar declutter could easily be performed on the refrigerator or freezer.

In her book The Happiness Project, Gretchen Rubin talks about owning numerous pairs of blacks pants, only one or two of which she really likes. Every time she wants to wear black pants, she has to sort through her closet looking for the favored pair. Why keep multiples of durable goods (clothes, tools, kitchen appliances) when you have a favorite and someone else could use it? Move it along to a friend or to the thrift store, and relieve yourself of the burden of trying to find that favorite thing.

What can you find today that’s your second favorite, and how will you declutter it?

Today’s Declutter Item

This frame is quite cute but I don’t like frames that distract from the picture that is put in them. I am sure someone will love it though so like many other items this one will go with me to the thrift store.

Disney Frame

Something I Am Grateful For Today

You know some days are harder than others to come up with something to be grateful for and that is ridiculous. Everyday there is so much to be thankful for, a roof over my head, a cosy bed to sleep in, a wonderful family around me, food on my table, good friends and good health. And you know, that is all a person really needs to live a happy, comfortable life.

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

It is so easy to throw your hands in the air and give up before you even begin decluttering due to the thought that you can’t possibly get the job done to your perfectionist standards. You might be interested to know that quite often hoarders are perfectionists that gave up trying.

If you get an image in your head about how you want things to be and then see the disparity of where you are now and your ultimate goal, the journey in between may appear insurmountable. Therefore you give up before you even begin.

Just yesterday I was lamenting the boxes of my daughters clutter that are still in my house that I really would like to see the back of. She isn’t settled in a way that really allows her to take her clutter away but it still drives me crazy storing it. After pulling down a few boxes and then changing my mind about reorganising it I really felt rather disinterested in tackling any other tasks that were awaiting me.

That feeling of defeat can soon permeate your whole being if you allow it. Instead of letting it affect my day I resisted the temptation to throw my hands in the air and give up. Instead decided to put on a load of washing and then declutter my sock drawer instead. In complete defiance of the give up attitude I followed up with doing the ironing, two more loads of washing, cleaned out the fridge and freezer and wrote this post.

I admit it, I am a perfectionist and I like to do a great job of whatever I decide to tackle but I also know when I have to settle for good enough. I know that I felt better about my day yesterday than I would have if I had sulked around for the entire day achieving nothing. I guess you could say that, for me, doing nothing is a far worse option than having to settle for less than perfect. So ignore your perfectionist side and just do something, anything that is progress.  If that idea is abhorrant to you, focus your perfectionism on one small attainable section of the overall task then move to another while wasting no time thinking about how far you have to go.

Today’s Declutter Item

One thing Bridget did allow me to declutter from her vast collection of things left behind was Blue Bear. It’s not much but every little thing counts.

Blue Bear

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Knowing that I can ignore the perfectionist side of me in preference for just making progress. A job worth doing is worth doing well but most of all it is just worth doing.

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.

There is no real theme to this weeks declutter missions just a few suggestions on areas that might need a little consideration. I hope they spur you on to some great decluttering successes this week. Remember every little thing is one step closer to a decluttered home.

Monday – Whether you live in the Northern Hemisphere or the South and new season will soon be upon us. Now would be a good time to turn those coat hangers around that hold the next seasons clothing in your closet. Then as the season progresses you will be able to see which clothes you use and which ones you don’t. It will make decluttering the unused items and easy task at the end on the season.

Tuesday – In honour of Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom last week, today would be a good day to do a little use it up decluttering in your pantry. Plan on eating something out of there that has been sitting around for a while.

Wednesday – And in honour of Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom for this week why not start using up one of those second favourite items that have been set aside for a while because you like something better. Use it up and get it our of the way.

Thursday – Why not do a little digital decluttering today. Clear your inbox, eliminate unused numbers from you cell phone, do a little photo culling in your computer files or tidy up and eliminate out dated document.

Friday – The end of the working week. Take a little time today to declutter something from your work station. Whether that is at your paid job or at home is entirely up to you. Working is much more efficient in an uncluttered environment.

Saturday – The weekend is here and the family are together. Today would be a good day to get a little assistance with decluttering. Ask someone else in your household if they have something to add to your declutter pile. Sometimes they need a little coaxing to join in the mission. They may find the freedom of reclaiming some space addictive, fingers crossed! 😉

Sunday – A day to relax and contemplate what you would like to declutter next week. Take some quiet time today to think about one area of your home that you know needs dealing with. Simplify the situation in your mind so you can make a start without it seeming overwhelming.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

This is another piece of aspiration clutter that I have decided is excess to my needs. If I haven’t deconstructed it and used the beads before now I probably never will. One more item to go to the thrift store.

Beaded Necklace

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Finally I am getting ahead of myself with blog posts. It is Mondays and the rest of the week, except Friday, is already in place. This is harder than you would think to accomplish so I am grateful that the ideas have been flowing lately. Maybe I will have less spelling and grammar mistakes but I am not expecting miracles. 😉

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

I ran into a friend at the grocery store a week ago and we had a little chat. She was searching for some containers to hold clean and used plastic teaspoons that she washes and reuses in her work space. She works in a training environment and as usual coffee and tea is provided as refreshment. In order to do the right thing by the environment she encourages people to leave the plastic spoon to be washed and reused. Of course not everyone conforms to this ideal so the spoons constantly need restocking.

I offered to find her some proper metal teaspoons at the thrift store where I volunteer making it more likely that people would leave then where they use them. This should eliminate the use of plastic altogether and the spoons are secondhand so buying them doesn’t add to the supply and demand for new product.

I managed to pick up 20 silver plated teaspoons for only $4 and delivered them to her. She was very pleased and I was happy to help. Not only did we achieve something for the environment but the sale of the spoons provides cash for a charity that helps people in need. To top it off, my donation of the spoons to the organisation she works for saved them the expense of buying new ones. Win Win Win!

My Silver Spoon Donation