Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

What do all these things have in common?

• Buy (Red): 10 to 50% of the proceeds of which go to eliminating AIDS in Africa.
• Book Sale: 20% proceeds go to your child’s school!
• Would you like to buy some wrapping paper to support our band trip?
• How about a beautiful $200 beaded bracelets that supports JDRF? An undisclosed portion of the proceeds are donated to the organization.
• Rubber bracelets for sale for every cause possible. Typically $1 each.

Obviously, these are all ways of coaxing a donation out of you; that is, providing a rationalization for a purchase that you might not have otherwise made. A blunter way of saying it: These sales feed on people’s desires to get something back for their donation or circumvent our reluctance to make a donation in the first place.

The book sale example is from my own life just last month. My daughters’ school sponsored a book sale at a local book store, and 20% of the proceeds went back to the school. As you probably know, I rarely buy books and certainly not new books. But there I was, shelling out $65 for four children’s books. (Yikes! Thus reinforcing why I prefer the library.) The return on my investment to the school? $13.00. They would have been way better off if I’d just handed them $65. But, quite honestly, I wouldn’t have, because my husband and I just made a large donation to the school for our annual fund drive. The book fair was really fun – there were special readings and meet the author events, the honors orchestra (including my eldest) played, and it was a great opportunity to socialize. Also, a lot of the parents at our school do buy books and lots of them. I was surprised my friend G could even carry her basket of books it was so loaded up! Nonetheless, for me, it was really a moment of buying something I did not particularly want or need in order to make a donation to the school.

One of the things I like about our school fundraising gala, which happens in the spring,  is the “fund-a-need” auction. The Head of School selects something that the school needs (last year, a bus), and at the gala, you can bid in any amount toward the purchase of the need, but you get nothing in return except knowing that you contributed to the school.

Dan and I tithe bi-weekly to our church. The bottom of the form that we receive tallying our donations says something like “No goods or services were exchanged for these donations except spiritual ones.” I like that.

So next time you’re confronted with the opportunity or desire to buy something to support a charity ask yourself

1. Do I really want and need this item?
2. What portion of my sale is really going to the organization?
3. Wouldn’t this charity be better off if I just handed them the amount of money I intended on spending anyway?

Today’s Declutter Item

During my recent reshuffle of the garage due to space opening up on my shelving units I decided that this bin is really not needed. We don’t generate enough trash in the garage to warrant keeping it especially since the outside bin is so close by. That’s one more large item that isn’t taking up space.

One too many garbage bins

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My parents made it home safe and sound after their visit. It was a trying trip for them as my mum was really not well, but they are home now and can recuperate in the comfort of their own abode.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

The combination of the words meaningful and gifts is probably half the problem with the whole gift giving phenomenon. We place so much importance on material gift giving that the thought of an alternative is almost unheard of. And of course the retail industry milks this sentiment for all it is worth because they want to sell more product.

There are so many other ways to show someone you love them aside from giving material gifts. Do something for someone, spend time with someone, have a nice outing together, get a manicure or facial together, play a round of golf with a friend or take a fishing trip, these are all gifts just from the heart not from the shops. It is interesting how they are been lowered so far on the gift giving list these days that most people don’t even consider it. Yet in the end if we were honest with ourselves they are all more important to all of us than we might have realised. And there doesn’t need to be a special occasion to give them either. The more I think about this situation the more complicated it is and at the same time how simple.

It’s complicated because we have been brainwashed into believing that giving a material gift is the best way to show someone you love them. And the more money you spend the stronger that love is (What a sickening thought). So people feel obliged to have some material token of affection whenever the situation calls for it. We often buy things that we see and think the person will like but more often that not we a totally off the mark.

I prefer the simplicity of gift giving. I phone my friends and family who aren’t near buy and spend so time just chatting and catching up. I also make them a personalised card. For those nearby I usually take them out for a meal and a pleasant outing. Just spending time together is more important in my book.

I know for myself that I don’t want people buying me gifts. I only want what I need and I am fussy about those things. I want them to suit my needs as perfectly as possible and if I have trouble finding just the right thing when I am shopping what are the chances that someone else is going to get it right. I would prefer a hug and a kiss and an I love you any day to a peace of clutter.

What about you. Think about all the material gifts you have received over the years and consider how many times they haven’t really been what you wanted or needed. Think about the special occasions when the gift has been non-materialistic ~ I friend has come from out of town to spend time with you, your child has done a nice deed for you, you have enjoyed a delicious meal out with friends or family. Which have been more special? I am guessing that you are all racking your brains trying to remember what material gifts you received and loved while the wonderful memories of times spent together or a lovely gesture flood into your mind immediately.

Now consider what you will give as gifts during the year ahead to those that you love. To help with ideas take a look at my Unclutter Gift Ideas guide

Today’s Declutter Item

This table runner is another item no longer needed now that we have swapped the too big dining suite to a small one that better suits our smaller home and the even smaller home we expect to have in the future.

Bamboo table runner

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Getting a couple of loads of washing done. A cool breeze on an otherwise quite warm day. My car back from the mechanics (All fixed this time I hope). And so much more…

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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.

One of the key features of the holiday season is food. Lets face it, it would be just another day without all those special foods that we break out just for this occasion. So what makes preparing food easier? That’s right a decluttered kitchen where the things you need are easily found because they aren’t hidden under clutter. So this week we shall do just that, a little kitchen decluttering.

Monday – Start doing a use it up challenge in your pantry. Eat your way through all those double ups and food from the previous season. Or better still donate any excess canned food to a local homeless shelter or soup kitchen.

Tuesday – Go through your utensil drawer and eliminate any items you never or rarely ever use. There aren’t many jobs in a kitchen that can’t be achieved with a sharp knife, a fork or a spoon, you don’t need fifteen single use gadget to achieve the same result.

Wednesday – Do you have any small appliances you rarely if ever use. How much easier would it be to store the ones you do use if these were out of the way. Store them in the garage, attic or basement for now and if you don’t bring them back during the holiday season then sell them. They are just getting in your way and taking up valuable space.

Thursday – Do the same with excess crockery as you did with the small appliances. Store them out of the way and if they don’t come back in over the holiday season get rid of them in the new year.

Friday – I know I mention this last week but by now it could well be a mess again. Clear off your kitchen bench. You are going to need that space for food prep and serving. And really, isn’t it time you quit using it as a catch-all for things you are too lazy to put away properly. Find a place for everything and make a habit of putting everything in its place.

Saturday – Herbs and spices get used now more than ever. Throw out the ones that have been sitting unused for months. Try to set up a share arrangement with friends or family members for the holiday spices you know you won’t use all off. Between you you might have just enough and none will go to waste.

Sunday – Check out your serving dishes do you have enough to serve an army. Consider decluttering the excess. You can always borrow from a friend or neighbour if every you do have a large group to serve. It makes more sense than cluttering up space with items you only use rarely.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I am pleased to say I no longer need this once handy item. Once upon a time it used to be jammed full of plastic bags from my grocery shopping. Now I have been reformed and have no further use for something that holds and dispenses something else that not longer enters my home. Even if the odd plastic bag does sneak in via those less vigilant than myself, there are certainly not enough to require a plastic bag holder/dispenser.

Plastic Bag Holder

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I am glad we made it home from Sydney even thought the car was having some overheating problems. I think that airconditioner that we had repaired recently is not as repaired as we thought. We had a lovely time with nearly all my siblings and parents together to celebrate my brothers birthday. 

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

I wanted to bring this to your attention today in advance of Cyber Monday

The Nature Conservancy is celebrating the second year of Green Gift Monday, which coincides with Cyber Monday, November 28th, the biggest online shopping day of the year. We’d love for you to join us in raising awareness by promoting green, responsible giving options for the holidays – like purchasing energy efficient products, creating a do-it-yourself project, or donating to a charity in a gift recipient’s honor. Last year’s Green Gift Monday was a huge success, with 65+ partners showcasing their support. The campaign included coverage from Mashable and Treehugger just to name a few.

You can also check out The Nature Conservancy’s Green Gift Guide to find wonderful, responsible gifts of nature, like Adopt an Acre of Rainforest or a Coral Reef, that holiday shoppers can purchase without having to fight traffic at the mall. You can even send an e-card to announce your gift and reduce holiday wrapping trash.

I wrote about bookshelf organization for Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom this week, and I showed my friend Corinna’s living room book shelf. Here are photos of her ninth grade daughter Audrey’s color coordinated shelves, along with the letter Corinna emailed me explaining the hows and whys of the color coordinated books.

The color book order is only about looks.  We’ve just retrained our brains to visualize what a book looks like, and therefore what color it is, when we want to find a book.  That’s actually easier than it sounds.  It also reacquainted me with a lot of books I hadn’t looked at in a long time and helped me decide which ones to donate.

How we came to display our books like this is fairly involved: The girls used to share a bedroom and our other bedroom was an office/guest room.  When it was time for them to each get their own room, we had to incorporate a computer/desk area into our living room.  I tried to do this in an attractive way by hiring a cabinetmaker to create the cabinetry and the floating shelves.  And when those new shelves were installed, I just couldn’t put all our books up there without trying to do justice to the beauty of the shelves.  The color thing was on a lot of design blogs like Apartment Therapy at the time.

I also have books on another bookcase next to the TV.  The color-ordered ones are mostly fiction, while non-fiction is in the other case. In terms of decluttering, I would say that color-ordering of books is only helpful in that it makes how the books look a priority, which can help in reducing the number. I have to edit the books every so often, because when new ones come in, old ones have to go out.

I hope this is helpful – love the blog, btw!

Love the last line. Thanks Corinna!

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my five favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my five favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Fave Five Comments. Enjoy!

This comment form Spendwisemom just goes to prove that Christmas can have a different format to drowning your children in gifts and still be great for both you and the kids.

This week Sara added her voice to the group and wow is she doing her bit for the environment. You can read about it here if you missed her comment on Wednesday.

Perhaps we have a Kindle convert in Martha @ minimalistinthemaking.blogspot.com. although I don’t think we will wean her off real books altogether I think she is finding that digital isn’t so bad after all. Read her comment here.

In this comment Debbie tells us about what great declutter buddies her and Sabine have been for each other.

I enjoyed this comment from Jessiejack because she seems to have found the balance between her love of reading and the need to own the books themselves. 

Fave Five Web Finds. Happy reading!

www.dailymail.co.uk ~ Clutter-makes-fat-If-house-mess-chances-eating-habits-says-new-book

It is hard to avoid extra shopping during the holiday season but it really isn’t that hard to avoid plastic bags. I found this website this week dedicated to going bagless ~ baglessnu.wordpress.com ~ check it out.

If you love to give gifts from the heart but feel the need for there to be a tangible item passed from the giver to the recipient then here is a wonderful solution.  It is a better option to buying gifts that end up as clutter in peoples home and can also then be passed on from one recipient to the another creating a history as it goes. In fact the tangible part of this gift could be returned to the giver when the actual kindness has been carried out and then passed on to another. I know I would like someone to wash my car, cook a meal or take me out for a treat instead of giving me a gift I most likely didn’t even want. “What am I talking about?”, you ask, well check this out and see for yourself ~ me-do-dat.com

Here is a simple little blog post that says a lot from ~ simplesavvy.wordpress.com ~Most Valuable Possession, or A Load of Claptrap 

This link highlights some basic pre-holiday organising tips ~ kijiji.com ~ Holiday decluttering tips

Today’s Declutter Item

At long last the end of the Coca Cola collection. Sometimes it takes a little perseverance to sell things on ebay. Luckily I have no shortage of determination and finally I sold these off to once again make a little pocket money for my son. I am just glad to see the back of them.

The last of my son's Coca Cola collection sold on eBay

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Just sitting around chatting. It is good to be able to spend hours in the company of others and do nothing but chat about whatever subject comes up.

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

Colleen and Cindy wish all our American readers and the good folk of Leiden (Netherlands) a very happy Thanksgiving

May you eat all you want and not gain an ounce. Now that would be something to be grateful for.

A little more Wisdom from Cindy

Photo credit http://gengame.net/

In the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, the day that marks the start of the “holiday shopping season.” It’s a day of amazing sales and deep discounts. Some stores open as early as 4:00 am, with people staying up all night in the parking lot so they can be the first in the door, as the very best sales (aptly named “doorbusters”) are only available in limited quantities. In other countries, Boxing Day is similar.

Probably everyone who lives in the US is familiar with Groupon and other coupon sites. A few weeks ago, Living Social Deals offered a half-price VIP Black Friday shopping extravaganza at the mall nearest to my house. Normally $20, this deal for two shoppers was discounted to $10. What did you get for your $10? Parking in a reserved area of the mall, access to a VIP rest and refreshment area, and transportation on an electric cart to and from my car. I’m still marveling at the cleverness of the mall at making just shopping there something that you can pay for.

Here’s the take away message for Black Friday. If you want something, have planned for, made a smart determination that this item is needed by you, and you can afford it, feel free to purchase that item while it’s on sale. Otherwise, stay home. Rest. Enjoy your family. Eat leftovers. Watch a football game. Read a book. Just because the stores are desperate for you to purchase doesn’t mean that you have to be desperate to buy.

May your Friday not be Black

Today’s Declutter Item

Instead of risking getting trampled to death on Black Friday why not buy secondhand on eBay. You’ll still get a bargain plus buying preloved items is better for the environment. I recently sold these Peanuts Pez dispensers on eBay and made three people very happy. The buyer who was happy to add them to his collection. My son because the money went into his bank account. And me because they are one less item of clutter wasting space in my home.

Peanuts Pez sold on eBay

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My parents made it to me safe and sound and now I get to enjoy then for the next five days. 

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Books are a collecting weakness of many people. I know that in my early 20s I dreamed of having a library – ideally one with a rolling ladder. Then I moved every year for four or five years and put that foolish idea behind me. Books are heavy!

Photo credit www.atticmag.com

I’ve been a library user my whole life. I remember when I was a girl going to a particularly library that kept the Nancy Drew novels separate from the rest of the books – heaven! And I have clear memories of Library Period in elementary school. Back then, I read biographies of famous females. Annie Oakley, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abigail Adams, Florence Nightingale, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curry – These were the ladies (along with my mother) who showed me what a smart, determined female could accomplish in this world. I even have a library card for the Wyoming, Iowa library (population: not a lot) where my extended family is based.

Why even buy books, especially new books? I’ve got to tell you, that’s a question that I reflect on frequently, as I am far from the only reader in my circle of friends and acquaintances. I am, however, one of the heaviest library users. I buy books, sometimes new and often used, for my daughters, especially the eldest one, because she is a voracious reader and reads and re-reads whatever is on her shelf. She has several series that she enjoys, and we have the whole sets of these (Ranger’s Apprentice, Gregor the Overlander, Harry Potter, Warrior Cats, Persey Jackson, etc.)

As for myself, the books I own fall into a couple of categories: medical (espeically diabetes), dictionaries and reference books, Spanish and German language books, gardening and the natural world, religion, and novels that I enjoyed enough that I wanted to own then and knew I would reread them. (Almost all of these were first read as library books, and I decided they were so terrific, I had to own them.) Dan has a lot of computer, science, and programming, which are stored in his office. These are tough because most of them cannot be checked out of the library and are fairly expensive because of their low print runs, but their usefulness passes quickly as technology rapidly changes. Dan tries to think hard before he makes a purchase. I think he’s only bought two books this year. (He also subscribes to a number of science magazines. These are passed to a science-minded friend when Dan is done. When the friend has read them, they go to the free magazine exchange shelf at the library.)

Nonetheless, whether you own lots of books or few, you undoubtedly own some, and there are various ways of storing them, which might be more and less useful to you.

Subject

First up is my system. I mentioned the various categories of books that I own above. They are stored, like with like, on the shelves. The left hand book shelf is all non-fiction. The right hand shelf is fiction. The bottom two shelves are the kids’ overflow books, primarily series, the third shelf is my books, and the top one is Dan’s small science fiction and fantasy collection. When I buy a book, it has to fit onto the shelf with its peers. If there isn’t room, then someone’s got to go. My system isn’t necessarily one in, one out, but there has to be room.

Cindy's Library

By Color

Colour coordinated book storing system

My friend Corinna has a beautiful and artistically decorated house that includes a shelf of books organized by color. I found this so fascinating that Simple Saturday’s post will be dedicates to what Corinna told me about the whys and hows of a color-coordinated organization system.

Other systems

Alphbatically by author

From most to least liked (This was my eldest daughter’s idea, and she’s sure she could do it on her shelves. I know I could not on mine.)

Chronologically from childhood favorites to books on menopause and carrying for aging parents

Using Library Thing or other on-line software, although this is more geared to helping to keep track of what you own rather than how it is organized on the shelf.

A Kindle Instead?

Do not flame me! I don’t get Kindles. Ok, I know what they’re about (download lots of books, portable, easy to read screens, long battery life, some libraries now have Kindle downloads), but I don’t understand why they’re needed, except possibly by those who travel extensively and for long periods of time. Perhaps it’s because I don’t buy books to begin with, so buying them instantly on the Kindle is no advantage to me.

I wondered if e-readers were more eco-friendly than traditional books. I suspected not. Kindle owners claim that they just bought the Kindle and now they’re buying downloads. Yeah, but do you know how much energy goes into making one of those (and all the electronics we love)? I heard on NPR last week that half the energy involved in the World Wide Web is devoted to the making of the equipment. And I know that people will be replacing their Kindle every few years. Electronics come and go in fashion and utility, and Amazon is certainly invested in making a better Kindle so you’ll want to trade your old one in.

On the other hand, the manufacturing of paper is a dirty business, and books are heavy to ship. Turns out that there is no clear answer to this question, and if you want to read all about it, I recommend you explore the website Eco Libris.

My personal bottom line on a Kindle? Any tool that only does one thing is not as good as a tool that does sevearl things. I’d buy an iPad or similar devise. Tech Crunch outlines your choices.

My personal bottom line? Visit your local library and if you must own it, buy it used at your local book reseller or from Amazon.com.

Today’s Declutter Item

Since we are on the subject of books why not make today’s declutter item this ear mounted reading light. I never wake up in the middle of the night hankering for a good read. Usually it is the bathroom I’m needing and then I just go back to sleep. So I don’t really need this light cluttering up the bedside drawer. Off to the thrift store with you little light.

Ear mounted reading light

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Today I am grateful that my house is clean and tidy and all my other chores are out of the way, even the ironing. Now I can devote the next five days to enjoying my parents visit. 

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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

Last week Dizzy informed me she was totally committed to Buy Nothing New November, a self imposed challenge as she was not able to comply during October. Not being one to do it the easy way Dizzy has committed to only buying milk and bread while feeding her whole family with just the contents of her Freezer for the whole month.  If I attempted that my family would stave to death due to the minuscule size of my freezer but that is a whole other story.

This is what dizzy wrote in a comment last week…

Great post Cindy and a great post from Colleen, love your Chrissy Preparations, I have not done anything yet, haven’t even been anywhere to find a bargain, op shop or otherwise except for milk and bread. We are happily still making our way through the freezer and so far all I have bought this month is milk and bread. I have pledged to buy nothing in November and so far I haven’t, (except milk and bread) I will admit it was tough to start but it made me get creative in the Kitchen and we’ve had some rather weird dinners hahaha, my hubby loves it cos he’s getting fit and my son gets the chance to help and serve up some rather interesting concoctions! We are still alive though 

I asked Dizzy if she would write a post for me about her freezer decluttering effort and of course in Dizzy’s true enthusiastic style the very next day I received this response.

MY CLEAR OUT THE FREEZER CHALLENGE

Four things have been at the forefront of my self appointed challenge…

1. Sheer stupidity when shopping for food (buying the 2 for 1′s etc.)
2.  Sheer laziness, it was, or seemed easier, to pick up a cooked chook (that’s chicken to non-Aussies) and a bag of pre-pared salad etc rather than cook what I had in the freezer!
3. Realising that I and my family were doing too much apart rather than together! We are all busy but thankfully that is changing!
4.  And (just thought of this now) we bought a bigger freezer back when I used to get Chrisco, my freezer habit went from there! I no longer get Chrisco so the big freezer will be finding a new home.

I always rotated the food so I haven’t had to throw anything out. However this situation gave me the kick in the pants I needed to come to the realisation that the shops are open nearly all the time so until I need something the shops can store it for me.

My storage habits are changing because I’m planning ahead better and I’m more organised when it comes to meals. My spending has changed dramatically because (apart from this month being self appointed) I am organising myself more therefore everything around me is becoming more organised. My money is happily gathering dust in my purse. 🙂

From now on shopping will become easier because I will have a list and only get what is on the list!! Since I started this ‘Buy Nothing New in November’ it has made me think twice about everything I am doing and so far it has worked. Clarity is there now, I actually find myself saying that I don’t ‘need’ it or what I have is ‘enough’. When whatever it is at the time breaks, falls apart or otherwise becomes redundant then and only then will I replace it with a new one or 2nd hand if available.

Whilst I have been whittling away at the food side of things I have also realised that I don’t need half of the storage containers I have for the freezer so they will be finding new homes too!

I will be shopping today for fresh fruit (I have used up all the frozen berries and tinned fruit) and I will buy only fresh, it’s spring/summer now so there is an abundance of great fresh produce available.

Out of this whole excercise I am learning that a full freezer is not only taking up space and wasting electricity, it is requiring constant vigilance, the thought of it breaking down sits in my brain screaming at me. Imagine having to clean that mess up, the waste and the insurance run around etc, I do not want to travel that road. Now it all matters not a jot if the freezer blew up tomorrow because there will be very little to lose.

Right now I have what I NEED and I WANT what I already have!

Today’s Declutter Item

More of the Snoopy collection sold on eBay. A little more cash in my son’s bank account and a little less clutter in the garage.

More Snoopy items sold on ebay

Something I Am Grateful For Today

After Sunday’s 39Ëšc I am grateful that the temperature has dropped back down the the mid 20s. It might be raining but I am perfectly OK with that.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

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.

My guest bedroom~ ready for guests at a moments notice.

With the holiday season upon us I think I will continue to focus our mini missions around having the house ready to receive visitors/guests. So we will concentrate on the areas they will be most likely to see and use.

Monday – Take a good look around your living room. The room where you sit back and relax in the evening. Does it inspire rest or does it cause feeling of claustrophobia. Declutter excess items that make the room feel cramped or require more dusting than you prefer.

Tuesday – Start a use it up declutter challenge on excess items is the bathroom that guests will use. Make sure there is enough space in there for guest to store their toiletries.

Wednesday – Declutter chipped crockery and glassware from the kitchen. Do you really want guests using those or even seeing them for that matter.

Thursday – If you have a large enough garage for visitors to park their car, now is the time to make sure the spare parking space is not cluttered with junk.

Friday – Is there enough space for guests to hang some items in the guest room closet. If not it is time for a clean out.

Saturday – Are your kitchen benches clear of clutter. With more people to cater for and serve up to you will need the space.

Sunday – Is your dining table clear of clutter and is there enough room to move around it freely. If not now is the time to prepare this area for your guests.

Once you get all these areas clear of clutter and ready for your guests to enjoy and for you to enjoy your guests, take a moment to think about how good that feels. Now make plans to keep it that way.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Although my living room is always ready to receive guest at a moments notice, there are still more things in there than I prefer to dust. Most of them aren’t my things so I don’t have a whole lot of control over that. However it doesn’t hurt to ask periodically whether family members still what to keep certain things. I asked my son about the items pictured below (except the dog, it is was mine) and he didn’t feel the need to keep them any longer. They are all souvenirs of our trips to Europe. We have now learned our lesson about collecting souvenirs. I am happy to send them off to the thrift store and even happier not to have to dust them anymore.

Dust Collectors

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I would like to mentioned today how grateful I am for all the wonderful readers who contribute to my blog through comments. It makes decluttering all the more rewarding when we share the experience together. Last week Judy mentioned that she liked the Christmas “tree” branch I linked to in my Favourite Five and that she was going to adopt this idea herself this year. Judy was kind enough to send me a photo of her branch to share with you and here it is…

Well done Judy, I am loving this minimalist look. I think I will be making a new tradition of the Branch Christmas Tree.

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