Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

We all want to succeed. We all want  a clutter-free, clean, and peaceful home. Yet sometimes we struggle. What are some of the stumbling blocks to success?

Making Excuses Instead Starting

“I’d like to start.” “I’ll get around to it soon.” “When things settle down, I’ll declutter.” Those are excuses, and if you’re using them, they’re getting in the way of your success. One of the beauties of one-thing-a-day decluttering is that it hardly takes any time, especially in the beginning. In the beginning (which is when excuses are their strongest) nearly anything you touch or see is a candidate for decluttering. Even people who have been steadily decluttering as long as Colleen and me rarely need more than 5 minutes to find something else that needs a new home – outside of our home. Stop making excuses and just start.

An Attack of Negative Thinking

“One thing a day? I’ll be decluttering for the rest of my life?” “What’s the use? There’s too much stuff.” “It probably won’t help anyway.” Stop! No more negative thinking! If you never get started, it won’t ever change, and even one thing less is better than one thing more. We all know that every journey begins with a single step and that a giant tree began as a tiny seedling. Your decluttering journey is no different. Stop thinking and start acting.

Stuck in Your Comfort Zone

You say you want a decluttered home, but really, you like being surrounded by all that extra stuff. Besides, what if you need it some day? Being comfortable is comfortable and wanting to change can be hard and scary. I used to work with a psychiatrist who said, “People don’t change until they’re sick and tired of being sick and tired.” How true. But if you’re here, searching the Internet for inspiration in your decluttering journey, I’m going to believe that you’re sick and tired of being sick and tired and that today is the day you’re going to make your first change. You’ll be leaving your comfort zone one step at a time, one day at a time. Don’t be afraid to take the first, small step. You may be amazed at how many steps come next.

A Second Attack of Negative Thinking

“I’m not getting anywhere.” “This isn’t working.” “It’s too slow, maybe I should just quit.” We’re not running a sprint in our decluttering, not even a marathon. This is a long, sometimes meandering journey on foot, and you won’t get from point A to point B in a single day. That’s okay. Your house didn’t get cluttered in a single day, and it’s not going to get uncluttered in a single day. Write down everything you do get rid of. You’ll be amazed at how quickly the numbers add up.

Input and Output

And if you truly, sincerely feel that you’re getting no where, start writing down the number of non-disposable items (not food, toiletries, etc.) that you purchase. If your incoming goods almost match your outgoing goods, that’s going to slow you down significantly. Purchasing excess to your needs and not purging is how we all got cluttered in the  first place (or inheriting a boatload of stuff from someone who purchased in excess to their needs and never purged). You’ve got to stem the inflow, too. As a bonus, your bank account will thank you.

Get a Goal

Maybe “to have a decluttered house” is too vague for you. How about setting a specific goal? “To have company over at any time without feeling embarassed.” “To sell my excess and use the money for XX (mortgage, vacation, private school, credit card debt).”To reduce my china until all of it fits in the china cabinet.” All these are specific, quantifiable goals that may make it easier to get on track and stay on track.

A Final Attack of Negative Thinking

“Stinkin’ thinkin’ ” is what I called this when I was a therapist. This is any thinking about yourself as a person that holds you back. “I’m not worthy” or “I made my bed, now I have to lie in it.” This type of negative thinking is hardest to detect and most insideous, because rarely do we say right out loud to ourselves, “I am not worthy.” Of course you’re worthy! We’re all worthy. Maybe you did make this bed, but you darn sure don’t have to keeping lying in it. Get up! You’re never too far off course that you can’t start to make a change, and it can start today. Say it with me “I am worthy. I can correct any mistakes I have made. I can change what does not work for me and make it better. All of these things are fully within my power. I AM worthy and I CAN do this.”

Today’s Declutter Item

Rather than waste time and effort trying to sell these last few records on ebay it is time to set them free the quick, easy way and more generous way, off to the thrift store they go.

The last of out record collection

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I think I have finally found just the right sandals. Being a conscientious consumer is hard work sometimes. I needed sandals but I wasn’t going to settle for second best, I needed them to be comfortable, versatile and cute and after trying on just about every sandal in town I think I have found a winner. Now all they have to do is pass the husband test.

“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

Sometimes when you visualise the declutter task ahead it is easy to focus just on the sheer size of the task. How much there is to move, the logistics involved in disposing of it responsibly and how on earth you are going to find the time to deal with it. These would have been my thoughts too had the brilliant plan of tackling it slowly but surely not popped into my head on the third of January 2010.

Admittedly I wasn’t overrun with clutter but it was there hiding in every storage space in the house. To begin with, in 2007, when we moved into this house it was stacked two packing cartons high four long and three deep in the living room but I’d rather not remember that. And that was after we had already filled all of the available cupboard space.

Anyhow, I had no idea how simple this task was really going to be even though I knew my plan was cunning in it’s simplicity. The key to it all is looking at every item in a positive way.

To stay positive from the start, begin by decluttering the easy things. Items that have seen better days from being well used, outgrown or no longer suited to your lifestyle. Enjoy there departure by celebrating every square inch you reclaim. As you begin to identify other objects that you are willing to let go of pay attention to your feelings about the object. Perhaps there is some guilt involved in the financial waste this object was. Don’t feel sad just be glad that you are learning from your past mistakes and moving on to a better future.

Be grateful for the service that each and every item has performed for you over time even if that was short lived. If these items are still in good condition be glad that they are being sent out into the world to be helpful to someone else. Someone, maybe, who is less fortunate than you who would not be able to acquire the same item new.

Rejoice in your ability to now be able to release items you once thought you would be not be able to let go of. Items such as sentimental clutter that you now realise you don’t need to hang on to in order to remember good times and loved one past and present. Enjoy the memories they evoke as you let them go and he happy you are moving on to a bright decluttered future.

Be happy in relieving yourself of aspirational clutter. Be grateful you can now let go of the strings that bind you to expectations that are now in the past so you can focus on the activities you really love right here right now. Learn the lesson of not overcatering to hobbies that may not last. In the future only buy what you need when you need it for the activities you enjoy.

Approach every piece of clutter with a positive attitude, accept what it has to teach you and then move on to the next. This way you will not only make steady progress on your task but you are equipping yourself with the knowledge and attitude never to allow yourself to get into this situation again.

Today’s Declutter Item

This item was a gift I bought for my husband some time ago after the one his grandma gave him because old and worn out. He came to the conclusion that he really only uses the nail clippers and doesn’t need this whole case of implements. I am glad he didn’t feel he needed to keep it just because I gave it to him. The funny part is the the nail clippers from the set broke soon after receiving it. The rest of it will go to the thrift store this week.

Gift Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Having the right size boxes in the garage to pack up my ebay sale items. Being as my supplies are getting low it was lucky that the ones I did have were perfect for the task. I look forward to the day when I have nothing left to sell.

“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.

Since you all enjoyed the seven REs last week I thought I might follow it up with seven BEs this week. 

Monday – Be realistic ~ Declutter an item of clothing today that no longer fits, is probably never coming back into fashion or really never suited you.

Tuesday – Be courageous ~ Declutter and item that someone else gave you that you are only keeping out of fear they may notice it gone.

Wednesday – Be generous ~ Donate something today that you are considering selling. It is quicker to donate anyway.

Thursday – Be impulsive ~ Declutter an item today that you have never really considered for decluttering before. Go on there is bound to be something you haven’t noticed that really is excess to your needs.

Friday – Be decisive ~ Find an object you have been procrastinating over decluttering for some time and get it out of there.

Saturday – Be brave ~ Declutter an item that you are keeping because “you may need it some day”. Take a chance that someday will never come, lets face it, it hasn’t come for years already.

Sunday – Be inquisitive ~ Take a look in a place that you having paid any attention to for a while and declutter one of the items in there that you obviously care so little about.

And one more word of advice ~ Behave yourself in the future and be discerning about what you bring into your home because what doesn’t come in won’t become clutter later on.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I am going to be realistic about the fact that I will probably never make anything out of the beads in this jar. They have been sitting around unused for a while and it is time I set them free to be loved by someone else. And time to set myself free from the aspirations of ever using them.

Jar of Beads

Something I Am Grateful For Today

For a lazy, relaxing Sunday yesterday. I did do a few things but mostly I took it easy.

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

The October issue of Real Simple magazine reveals a grim statistic: 6,250 tons of landfill waste “could be avoided if half the kids in America traded Halloween costumes instead of buying new ones.” That the equivalent to the the weight of more than 3,000 mid-sized cars! Be sure and swap, sell or donate this year’s costume. Did you know there’s an official Halloween costume swap day? Of course it’s already passed, but you can mark your calendar for next year’s swap.

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 Amy in NY did a great tips round up in this comment of all the points from many of the comments on my post What are you leaving to your family. It is never too soon to get all your ducks in a row and be ready for the inevitable.

This comment from Becky @ Decluttering Diva says it all about how much better a decluttered, simpler Christmas can be. It may not be for everyone, some people don’t find Christmas stressful but for it it sounded perfect.

Here is a comment/request from Raesha regarding keepsakes clutter and family history. Perhaps more readers could give her their opinions, that way she will have a balanced view.

Annabelle came to her own correct conclusion at the end of this comment. Please anyone who is willing back her up on her decision. Cheap clutter is still clutter.

I loved Ideealistin’s way to get rid of awkward stuff in this comment and make sure you read on to her followup on what she managed to get rid of on Freecycle.

Fave Five Web Finds. Happy reading!

This website has some good little articles on going green ~ secondact.com including ~ Five ways to eliminate plastic from your life   How many other ways can you think of and instigate in your home.

This one can be a little confronting but then it is designed to get you thinking about doing the right thing ~ The Story of Stuff

Here is a little more advice on decluttering and organizing your keepsakes from Organize Me ~ Just clutter or a keepsake collection?

WARNING WARNING:  “This is what you should not do so let that be a lesson to you!” ~ Dr Suess. While googling clutter to find some good items to share with you today I found this absurdity. Please read and absorb until you get to the part where it says ~  The most obvious solution to this problem is finding more space to put stuff – purchasing a cheap self storage at Merthyr selfstorage.co.uk ~ Solve your clutter problem the benefits of cheap self storage.

Unitasker Wednesday over at unclutterer.com is always good for a laugh. The thing is, it is only funny until you start thinking about all the resources that go into making these next to useless objects.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is some more greeting cards declutterd, this time from my 21st birthday. Oh the freedom I am feeling as the keepsake clutter disappears. 20+ years those things have been taking up space in my home waiting for the day I die so someone else has to sort through them and possibly feel guilty about throwing them away. Well I have solved that problem.

More Keepsake Clutter Eliminated

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My mother-in-law came through her operation this week and was feeling good yesterday. It has been quite a difficult twelve months for her. Hopefully the next twelve months will be good to her and she can take it easy for a while.

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

With all the talk last week of leaving endless clutter behind for a loved one to deal with when you die, I was inspired to finally make a start on my keepsake clutter. I have been ignoring this task in preference for getting rid of the more obvious clutter that is taking up more space. To be honest I have also been avoiding the tediousness of the task. So I decided to practice what I preach and focus on dealing with a little at a time rather than dwelling on the entirety of the task.

This sort of clutter takes up a lot less space than it does time to sort through. Therefore I started on the easiest things first so as to maximised the feeling that I was making good progress thus giving me inspiration to go on with the task. My focus so far has mostly been on greeting card clutter from my wedding and engagement. There was also a few nicknacks and little memorabilia items that I chose to declutter as well.

After last weeks cash windfall while going through my son’s cards I thought it wise to look inside each card before putting them aside for recycling. Alas no such luck with the money this week. But I did have a good time seeing who they were all from and reading the occasional funny message. I didn’t even recognise the names in a few of them.

As for the wedding cards, I made a list of all the names in the acceptances and inabilities to accept in order to have a record of who attended. Then as I went through the wedding cards I transfered the information about the gift given along side the name on the list. I was amused to read what people had given us and did a mental check off of what of that still exists in my home. The items remaining list was short but I found myself thinking ~ ‘Oh, so and so gave me that, well done, I got really good use out of that or I still have that!’. I have started a keepsake file on my computer to store this information should I ever feel compelled to review it.

Most of the stuff I really just had a quick glance at, decided I hadn’t looked at it properly since the day it went into the box and put it aside to recycle. Keepsake is a well constructed word to describe this kind of item, we keep it just for the sake of it. We think we will cherish it forever and look back on it in the future but how far into the future do we go before we ever really care to look at it. My husband and I  have been married for 24 years and if it took till now to look in those cards then we don’t really need to keep them. Given the failure rate of marriage, the fact that we are still together after all these years is enough for me and I only care to look forward to another 24 years. I don’t need clutter to remind me how good my life has been and it gets better every day.

Part of the process was to divide and conquer.

Today’s Declutter Item

These are the items that were decluttered from the box. The box was empty once I was done while the few items I kept were transfered to another box with will be the subject of further decluttering.

The Keepsake Items Decluttered

Something I Am Grateful For Today

That the sun shone brightly today for my son to finally achieve the sun exposure photo project for his final body of work for one of his university photography courses. The weather has not been very cooperative for this entire project so I was grateful that he finally can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

“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

A couple of weeks ago, my church had a huge garage sale, which netted us $6000. I worked Friday putting toys out and pricing them and Saturday afternoon as the sale was winding down, increasingly slashing prices in order to unload the rest of the items before the end of the sale when the Salvation Army truck would swoop down and take the remainder away.

On Friday, while I was pricing toys, I was almost weak in the knees when a truck pulled up with trash bag after trash bag of the nicest toys you can imagine. The woman who was unloading them explained that they were from her daughter’s house. Her daughter has four girls and three sets of grandparents, and apparently every single one of them buys, buys, buys. Her daughter, bless her, had carefully put all the pieces of all the toys together and wrapped them in plastic so they’d stay together. So many very, very nice toys, most of which were in like-new condition and many of which were almost identical.

We were also inundated with stuffed animals. There is no reason for anyone to ever buy a new stuffed animals, as far as I can tell. I’m sure there were more than 100, many of which were obviously new and most of which looked like they’re hardest life task had been to adorn a shelf. (Virtually any stuffed animal can be machine washed, but they do need to be lined dried. It’s the drier that will cause the fake fur to loose its softness.)

My husband observed that people hang onto things too long, so long that they lose their appeal and attractiveness to others. He noticed that lots of the decor items were quite out-of-date, and he had plenty to say about the electronics. We had a large number of TVs, big beautiful TVs, but ones that weren’t HD compatible. Dan pointed out that when HD became the US standard, a converter box for a TV such as these could easily be purchased for $20. Now, several years later, converter boxes are $80, the same price as a smaller flat screen TV. These TVs started out being priced at $25. In the end, those that sold only fetched $5. Yes, $5 for a TV that originally cost over $500. Talk about something losing value because it sat around too long!

Someone was hoping that the church would sell his very fancy but old Macintosh computer for $250, which is more than similar units were selling for on eBay. Dan pointed out that the processor was made by IBM, which hasn’t worked with Apple in more than 5 years. The operating system is out of date, and the computer will not be able to run newer programs. Because the owner had let it sit around, it had increasingly lost value.

While Dan was surprised at the number of very aged items for sale, I was surprised by the number of brand new items, as you can see by my list of true confession purchases below. Why would someone get rid of an unopened package of baby wipes? Why would someone buy fancy lights for a party and never put them up, never return them? Did someone really believe that Beanie Babies were so collectible that they should stay in their packages? Why, why, why?

My last observation is about purchasing at the sale. I didn’t start working until 11:00, and it was soon afterwards that we started marking things down: lamps for $1, a bag of children’s clothes for $1, a bag of stuffed animals for $1. Then later, everything you could put in a smallish box for $2 or a large box for $5. I saw one man load up several books, a quilt, and a HP flat scanner for $5! People filled their boxes with stuff they really didn’t need or even especially want, because there was still space in the box.

The next day, I was teaching the 3rd to 5th grade Sunday school class. I asked all the kids if they’d gone to the sale and what they’d purchased. Several of them could name their items specifically, but a lot of them could name a couple of items and then concluded with “and some other stuff. I forgot what.” Clearly, the new treasures had been unloaded in their rooms (or maybe not even unloaded yet) and were already so insignificant that they’d been forgotten. One girl had purchased a bag of stuffed animals. When someone else expressed surprise that she’d gotten animals (usually by her age, they’re decluttering their animals), she shrugged and said, “Why not? They were only a dollar.” Clearly this girls was only thinking in terms of the bargain she got, not the cost of having yet another 10 stuffed animals in her room, being stored, collecting dust, and eventually returning to this very same sale.

In the name of full disclosure, I purchased:

• 2 (new) boogie boards (body boards) for the girls to play at the beach
• a (new) pack of 10 pencils
• 2 (new) packs of notebook paper
• a (new) package of baby wipes (Yes, I still carry these in my purse)
• a (used) boxed set of the Chronicles of Narnia
• a (new) Scrabble Apples games (already played)
• a (used) game of Boggle
• a (used) purple beaded curtain (for Clara’s purple room)
• a (used) pair of shoes for Clara
• a (used) sundress for Audra
• a (used) pair of jeans for Clara that fit neither her nor her friend Grace. They’ve already gone to the thrift store.
• and Dan would like to point out the he bought nothing

Today’s Declutter Item

I listed this old TV on Freecyle it took a while and a couple of no shows but someone finally picked up. Actually it’s not that old but it no longer fit into my son’s bedroom after we bought him a much needed larger bed. There was nowhere else in the house for it. I never watch TV during the day so there is plenty of time for Liam to play his playstation in the living room on our only TV.

Television Freecycled

Something I Am Grateful For Today

The one day of the year that all of Australia comes to a stop for at least five minute is Melbourne cup day. A horse race unites the nation. I am not one for gambling but if I am invited to a cup do I don’t mind entering a sweep. Today I won and went home $20 richer. Actually it cost me about that for the plate of cheese and crackers and the bottle of wine I took with me. So I broke even but had a great time with some lovely ladies. Win Win!!

“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

I have three main methods of disposal when it come to rehousing my clutter.

• I donate most of my items to the thrift store. I have used the same thrift store since the beginning of my declutter mission and now I volunteer there as well.
• I sell items that I feel inclined to recoupe my losses on, by auctioning them on ebay. It is a love hate relationship but all in all I have done pretty well out of it.
• And then there is Freecycle.org This is my go to place for when I am trying to responsibly dispose of items that are not appropriate for the thrift store or that are too awkward to sell on ebay.

Freecycle, like ebay, can have its love/hate aspects as well. I have come across more than one potential recipient who messed me around, not turning up and generally wasting my time. There is at least one lady that often tries to claim my stuff that has surely got to be either a hoarder or owns a secondhand store. Either way she is hopeless at showing up on the first attempt. But I can forgive these little inconveniences because of the many time I have successfully rehoused items that may otherwise have gone to waste.

• There was the broken guitar amplifier that one man was happy to tinker with
• A lamp that needed rewiring
• My old motorcycling leathers that were stiff from lack of use over 20 years and no longer fit me. These were eventually donated by the Freecycle recipient to a vintage motorcycle club to be auctioned to raise money.
• The hutch from my entertainment unit. I kept the bottom as my lowline TV unit and Freecycled the hutch section. It was collected by a carpenter who was thrilled to use the lead-light doors and was also going to salvage the timber for other projects.
• Numerous baseball souvenirs that weren’t worth the hassle of selling on ebay
• Some Snoopy toys
• A television that even the thrift store didn’t want. (Not featured as My Daily Declutter Item yet only collected on Saturday)
• A selection of collectable Coca Cola bottles that I felt iffy about selling on ebay because they were full and awkward to post. I didn’t think these were appropriate for the thrift store either because someone might have bought them to drink and they were way past their used-by dates. (Friday’s declutter item)
• And today’s declutter item, some seat cushion covers and back cushions for a pair of Ikea tub chairs. I doubt anyone would have wanted to buy these on ebay or at the thrift store but I found a taker on Freecycle within the afternoon or advertising them.

I know that there are a number of disadvantages of getting rid of your stuff this way…

• Sometimes people don’t show up when they say they will or at all in some cases. I usually just put the item on my front stoop and the people pick it up when they are ready. What do I care if someone steals it, I don’t want it anyway. It is somewhat annoying though when people don’t show up to collect an item that I don’t feel comfortable putting outside, such as the television. I make a time, I wait around, then I get a text saying “Sorry something else came up.” and I have wasted my afternoon. Grrrr! For me though, I will suck it up for the satisfaction of finding homes for my stuff and keeping it out of landfill.
• Another deterrent is the fact that you are giving complete strangers your contact and address information. Who knows what sort of people they are and soon they are going to turn up on your doorstep. I don’t let this bother me. I am sure there is only one fruitloop in a million and I haven’t encountered one yet. For the sake of extra safety, plan pick up times when you aren’t home alone.

In relation to people not turning us a arranged ~ I often pull the trigger too soon by being overeager to make arrangement with the first person to email in their interest in the item. I think it is probably better to wait a while, read all responses and pick the one who seems the most keen. Their eagerness may inspire them to be more punctual and accommodating. I will try this approach the next time I list something and see how it turns out.

The Freecycle Networkâ„¢ is made up of 4,989 groups with 8,800,647 members around the world. It’s a grassroots and entirely nonprofit movement of people who are giving (and getting) stuff for free in their own towns. It’s all about reuse and keeping good stuff out of landfills. Each local group is moderated by local volunteers (them’s good people). Membership is free. To sign up, find your community by entering it into the search box or by clicking on ‘Browse Groups’ . Have fun!

If you haven’t tried it yet why not give it a go. You have brought all of this stuff into your home. You have come to the conclusion that you no longer need or want it. The responsibility is now yours to dispose of it responsibly. I have had people say to me “Finding ways to get rid of clutter is such a bother.” My response to that is “Try harder!. You got yourself into this mess and it is up to you to do the right thing by the environment while getting yourself out of it. Think of it as penance from your past indiscretions and as an incentive to be a more responsible consumer in the future.”

Today’s Declutter Item

Some time ago I bought some slip on covers for my ageing Ikea tub chairs. Included were seat covers and back cushions so the ones below became excess to my needs. I stuck them in the bottom of a closet where they hid for years. Last Friday I finally got around to advertising them on Freecycle.org and lo and behold someone claimed them. She was happy, I was happy and the cushions were saved from landfill and stopped cluttering up my closet. Win Win!

Tub Chair Covers & Cushions

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Finding the time to get started on making my Christmas cards. I got the housework out of the way, even pulled down the microwave and cleaned the little nook it sits in. Meanwhile I did three loads of washing and answered lots of blog comments. Snuck in the odd coffee and a piece of chocolate here and there and still found time to make some cards.

“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