After 25 months of decluttering it is hard to believe that there are still some things that I have too many off. It’s OK though because we are still happily working away at the excess one day at a time. I will however share with you below a list of some of those items. I will also explain the excess and why they are still here even though I am aware of them.

• Bath towels ~ I have weeded out the tatty ones and donated the extreme excess but the remaining ones will be subject to natural progression decluttering. That is, I will not replace them once they wear out. Sometimes it is just insane to declutter items that are perfectly good and useful to you that will cost money to replace sometime not too far into the future.
• Keepsakes ~ Periodically both my husband and I sort through these and weed out a few more items. This is an area I don’t like to be too hasty with. I consult the children and my husband about the items I am decluttering because this is a communal collection of our history. Happily there is a lot less of it now than there was when we started our declutter journey. And there will be even less by the time we reach our final decluttered destination.
• Souvenirs ~ For the most part these aren’t mine so it goes to my husband to do most of the decluttering in this area. Slowly but surely he is letting go of more and more of it. That makes me a very happy lady because I am the one who dusts the items that are out on display. My son has his own collection but like hubby he also has the odd impromptu cull.
• Kitchen items ~ This area of my home has been continually picked over throughout the last 25 months. As a result there is far less than there was when we began. Much of what is excess is only there because we use a dishwasher which, depending on the daily menu, can swallow up several of an particular item before it is full and warrants turning on. There are some items that I will give to my son when he leaves home and if he doesn’t need them they will be donated to charity.
• Socks ~ I started out with quite a large collection of socks. Last year I paid close attention to what I was using during the cooler months. Once it became clear which ones weren’t being used I rounded them up and donated them to the thrift store. A few other pairs succumbed to natural progression decluttering which is pretty much what is planned for the remainder.
• Clothing ~ This is an interesting area for me because over the last two years my circumstances have changed due to quitting my job. I am now home most of the time and don’t see that situation changing any time soon. Therefore last year I donated several of my work outfits as I noticed that there is always a good supply of replacements at the thrift store should I choose to reverse my current employment status. Several everyday outfits have, like my socks, became shabby and old and were thrown out but some of those required replacing. There are still a number of items that are also about to reach the point of becoming rags and will soon depart my wardrobe and won’t be replaced. I am however not content with my fashion choices but am undecided about what to do about that so I will continue to deploy the backward facing hanger tactic each change of season until I discover what the solution is.
• Craft supplies ~ Anyone who has read my blog posts for a while knows how overstocked I was with this category before my 365 less things challenge began. Well I have a whole lot less now than there was at the beginning due to selling and donating much of it. But there is however still I lot more than I would like and I am not using it up quick enough. This area will be subject to continuous decluttering for some time yet. I am happy to let go of more as I feel ready.
• Jewellery ~ Although I have been through my jewellery box may times and have let go of several items I know that there are still things in there that I am quite ready to part with. The only thing holding me back is that I feel inclined to try to sell them and just can’t be bothered with that rigmarole right now. They take up so little space that I feel no urgency to deal with them. Perhaps soon.
• Furniture ~ There are a couple of furniture items taking a vacation from the house in the garage at the moment. They have been in constant use over the years but now I think with the reduction of other items they are no longer required. I will make a final decision on them soon. The most likely outcome is that I will send them on their way.

So no matter whether it is by natural progression or through some effort by me the plan is to continue to reduce. Meanwhile there seems to still be plenty of other odds and ends heading out the door. Do you still have something that you feel you have too many of and what do you plan to do about it?

Today’s Declutter Item

Speaking of craft supplies here are some more that have been used up to make this years birthday cards for the women in my life. Already several have headed out the door to their respective recipients as the first couple of months of the year are busy with birthdays in our family.

More craft supplies converted to this years birthday cards

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Mango and macadamia ice-cream. A flavour combination made in heaven I believe. Cool, refreshing and crunchy all rolls into one. M Mmmmmm!

“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 dug this set of mini missions out of the archives. Enjoy!

For this week’s mini missions I am going to encourage you to declutter some of those items you have been clinging on to for toooooooo long. You know the items I am talking about here, things you just haven’t been able to press the reject button on even though they have been in your radar for a while. There is always something holding you back, some lame reason for hanging on, none of which are because you love the item and want to keep it. The reasons you still have these items will become apparent as you start to work through the list for the week but lets face it, you already know the reasons you just haven’t done anything about it. Yet!

Monday – One I might need it some day item. (If it makes you feel better find someone you know nearby who will take this item off you, then if you do need it you can borrow it back.)

Tuesday – One clothing item that you keep telling yourself…

• will fit you one day.
• will be great for the right occasion (that occasion hasn’t arisen for two years what makes you think it is going to).
• is too good to give away and besides it cost a lot (even though it went out of date years ago).
• I love it and I am sure it will come back into fashion soon.
• etc etc etc

Wednesday – Either repair or arrange a repair  on a broken item you have been keeping because you intend to use it again . If it isn’t important to enough for you to fix quickly then perhaps you don’t need it as much as you think you do. If that is the case then just declutter it. Right now it is just wasting space and tormenting you.

Thursday – One expensive item you keep clinging to because you paid good money for it. (it will never realise its value if it never gets used. Learn from your mistake and move on. Sell it if it makes you feel somewhat better about the waste.

Friday – One item that you keep trying to use up but never seem to get anywhere with. I recently decluttered a bunch of scrap paper that I have been trying to use up for years and have hardly made a dent in it. I am going to donate it to the local school this week now that they are back from vacation.

Saturday -One sentimental item.

Sunday – If you have grown up children, choose a childhood item you have saved for them and ask them if they want it. Chances are you are saving a whole lot of stuff for people who just don’t care. If they do want it, give it to them and get it our of your house. If they don’t want it then you are free to do what you like with it.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

There are an awful lot of caps in this house considering they rarely get worn. This one found its way to someone else’s house via ebay so that is one less in my house. Woo Hoo!

Cap sold on ebay

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Although we took the risk we didn’t get rained on during our walk today. There were ominous rain clouds and it did sprinkle a little here and there but we stayed dry. It was more good luck than good management.

“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

Today I wanted to share another little story with you regarding a thrift shop donation. To be correct it really wasn’t a donation it was me acting as a go between. Confused? Well here’s the full story.

A man came into the thrift store where I volunteer. He had a microwave oven to donate. Now for reasons unknown to me we can not take donations of microwave ovens so I had to refuse the offer. I suggested to the gentleman that he check out freecycle.org but he looked somewhat confused and I got the impression that the oven was going to end up in landfill if I didn’t do something. The man had said it was a perfectly good appliance but that they had bought a new one. Diplomacy prevented me from asking why on earth they bought a new one when this one was still in good condition but it was a struggle I can assure you.

So needless to say I took the microwave oven from him and told him I would find a new owner for it myself. I left the oven in the back of the store in an area the customers aren’t supposed to enter with the intension of taking it home with me to Freecycle. Nevertheless about ten minutes later a young couple approached me at the counter with the oven in hand asking how much is was. So I did what any good intentioned person who hates waste would do. I said to them “I am sorry it is not for sale we aren’t allowed to sell microwave ovens but here is what I can do for you. You can have the microwave oven for free, it just didn’t come from this store. OK!” The young couple understood the underlying message, gladly picked up the oven and went merrily on their way. They were happy to get a freebie, I was happy not to have to freecycle it and the man who donated it was happy. All in a mere fifteen minutes work.

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

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

Sabine nailed the clutter selection process perfectly in this comment. I couldn’t have put it better myself.

Karen has a sensible outlook on what is an heirloom in this comment.

I loved Juhli’s last sentence of this comment so much that I tweeted it and posted it on Facebook.

You might want to follow this comment thread back to the beginning to understand it fully but what I loved about this response is that Lena is clearly analysing her belongings. This is a good thing because it helps you make good decisions. Mind you there is a difference between analysing and falsely justifying so be mindful of that. If in doubt consult a third party.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Beckie suggested this site for anyone wanting to organise and use recipes on line www.pepperplate.com

Here is another new blog to take a look at. It is by another 365 reader, Jane, who has been inspired not only to declutter but to blog about it. declutterrecycle.blogspot.com

I often like to visit Unclutterer.com to see what their latest offering is in their Unitasker category. These products would be simply hilarious if it wasn’t for the fact that natural resources are wasted making these pointless items.

I googled “Too lazy to declutter” and came up with this post. I liked it because instead of continually cluttering and decluttering the areas of concern, this person analysed what the cause of the clutter problem was and eliminated it for good. A little rearranging of your space can make a big difference to how it functions.  www.idreamofclean.net ~ Decluttering-tips to prevent clutter from returning

Today’s Declutter Item

The thrift store jewellery stock has increased and profited a lot from me this week. Between the vintage jewellery I donated, all the items I repaired for them and a few that I made for them from craft supplies I no longer wanted they stand to make a good few dollars that’s for sure. It isn’t a one way street though I have the pleasure of knowing that while gaining some space in my craft room I have helped a worthy cause. So win win.

Another 3 stand Vintage Necklace

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A good book to read. The only problem is, that right now I don’t really want to do anything else but read it. Now I know why so may of my cluttered readers are book lovers. 😉

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

We received the following comment from Snosie in response to one of Cindy’s archived posts I republished over the Christmas break. This post gave great advice about thinking twice before buying. Snosie has just bought her first home and is in the process of moving out of her parent’s house. She now has the task of furnishing and equipping her new home with the things she needs. A daunting task in which one could really get carried away but not Snosie she has it all worked out. Here is her comment…

Great post Cindy – and a lot of what I’m saying to myself (without even realizing). I won’t buy something til I know it fits where I want to put it. I have a notebook/journal in my handbag with measurements I think I’ll need – it’s not easy to find a ‘skinny’ drying rack. But then I know I can just lay things on a tea towel for now… Or put them in the (currently) unused dishwasher to ‘drain’.

It doesn’t even frustrate me that my shopping missions seldom results in many purchases. At least I know when I buy something, it’s right for me, and my house.

See how Snosie is improvising with what she has rather than rushing out and settling for second best. Compromising usually leads to dissatisfaction later on and then next thing you know you will be out at the shops again trying to find the item that best suited your needs in the first place. Adding to supply and demand and clutter to your home.

Too often we rush into purchase things because we “need” them but either don’t give enough consideration to what that need is or whether we really even need them in the first place. There are very few non-consumable items in the home with the possible exception of a refrigerator, some cooking and eating utensils and somewhere to sleep that are essential. Just about everything else is a luxury and even those first few items could be borrowed or hired until we make an educated decision on what will best suit our needs. A home usually comes with the other three essentials, a stove, a toilet and bathing facilities.

There is no item too small or seemingly insignificant that this principle doesn’t apply to. With the endless variety of items on the market there are decisions to me made as to your requirements before you even approach the stores. Even potato peelers come in several different shapes, sizes and ergonomic design. Do you need one? No, a knife would do the job but if you use one as often as I do it might be considered essential to your minimum requirements. So why not take your time to get the one that best suits you. Improvise with the knife in the meantime.

Step one is to work out what your requirements are. For instance, say I use a toaster on a regular basis, enough to warrant its existence in my home. My toaster breaks down and I need a replacement. Perhaps I toast muffins and bagels as well as bread in my toaster so I will need one with wide slots. Perhaps I keep my muffins and bagels in the freezer so I will need a defrost option on my toaster. I would like a four popup toaster because I sometimes have guests but I would like it to have a power saving setting where it only heats two elements when I am only catering to myself. These are the requirement I need to be aware of before I even consider shopping for the replacement.

The second step is to investigate the choices out there in the market place. Believe it or not there are many other features on toasters that I haven’t mentioned which I may opt to include once I see what is out there but the replacement must have those first three features I mentioned or I will soon be disappointed.

Perhaps your third step should be to seek out some product reviews to make sure your short list of choices has a history of living up to what is expected of them. You can’t take the word of the manufacturer, the sales person trying to earn his store commission or advertising hype, that a product is a good one.

Of course this is not an exact science and there is still an inevitable failure rate to everything no matter how hard you try to get it right. But by at least putting careful thought into your choices, before rushing out there to enjoy the thrill of buying something new, you are increasing your chances of success. Improvise in the meantime and you never know you might realise you really don’t need the item after all.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is an item I bought on a whim about five years ago. It’s one of those purchases I thought I would get good use out of but never did. I thought that if I had a convenient way to listen to my music I would listen to it more often. Wrong! Luckily my son gets great use out of iPods and when his died from excessive use he commandeered mine since I wasn’t using it. He later found out that there had been a recall for faulty batteries on his old one and he got it replaced and no longer uses mine. We sold it on ebay for with the case & charging cord for $76.00.

“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

Recently my in-laws were in town. They went to their storage unit and returned to my house with a glass pitcher that they thought we might like ~ it had belonged to my mother-in-law’s great grandmother. My husband seemed eager (or at least politely accepting), and I had broken one of our two glass pitchers a while back, so I wasn’t opposed to having it. It was not fancy or heirloom quality, just a pressed glass pitcher with a duck scene molded onto it, something that would be the equivalent of a Wal-Mart purchase today.

I used it a few days later and proudly showed my husband when he got home from work. I thought he’d be pleased that I had readily accepted this new item into my kitchenware. Instead, he barely recognized it, said he didn’t know which grandmother it was from, and said, “Who knows? She may have been ready to throw it out when she died.”

Interesting.

Interesting because while his mother had ascribed sentimental weight to its existence, Dan couldn’t have cared less. I might have cherished that pitcher as a relic from his great-grandmother for all of his life and passed it down to our children as a treasured heirloom. But he didn’t even care!

In my life, I have an old cook book that belonged to my Grandmother. She was a great cook. It is so stuffed full of recipe clippings that the spine is broken, and when she died, it was thought that I should have it because I’m a good cook too. It’s been more than nine years since she passed, and I have barely given it a look. I don’t ever remember Grandma using it. She used a couple of her cookbooks but mostly used a spiral notebook full of hand written recipes frequently. But this book? It seems to have been a storage unit for Recipes Not Made. While it is supposed to be sentimental to me and to the relatives who decided that I should have it, there’s really no evidence that it was sentimental to my Grandmother. After all, as far as any of us can remember, she never even used it. Sure, she kept it, but my Grandmother was a depression-era housewife: she kept everything. That doesn’t mean that it was near and dear to her.

As you’re decluttering, you will inevitably find something where you will think, “Oh, but Aunt Regenia was so fond of this.” Was she? To whom is this item sentimental and is it sentimental to you?

Today’s Declutter Item

These are another example of aspiration clutter that I was planning on doing something with one day. They was actually given to me by someone who didn’t want them. She knew I made jewellery and though I might be able to use them. I graciously accepted. They were one of those “sentimental to someone else” pieces that Cindy spoke of above. They belonged to my friends mother-in-law who she didn’t like. So I figured I was doing her a favour by accepting them so she didn’t feel obliged to keep them. I attempted to sell them on ebay recently without success so now they are off to the thrift store.

Another Vintage Necklace

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I am grateful that they are understanding and trusting at the dentist surgery because I realised at the last minute that I had forgotten my purse. I am also grateful that the reason my friend cancelled our pm coffee together wasn’t because of bad news at her daughters doctors appointment. And I will be grateful if the last thing I had planned today actually works out right. Crazy day! But I am grateful for my patience and sense of humour. Oh and I didn’t need any follow up dental treatment. That is at least fours years in a row now. Woo hoo, gotta luv 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

I received a comment form Shirls a while back which started out like this…

Aah Colleen, will I ever get as far along the declutter road as you?

The short answer is ~ If you believe it, it will be so. It may not happen overnight but it will happen.

The long answer is ~ I thought I would be finished decluttering and have moved on to the maintenance decluttering phase before my first 365 days were up. And perhaps that would have been the case if I hadn’t continually moved my goal posts along the way. When I first started out I would never have thought I would get rid of some of the stuff that is now long gone. At times I do wonder when enough will be enough but I am not the least bit concerned when that will be.

As the title of this post states Rome wasn’t built in a day, if it had been it would be a very small collection of buildings. As I am sure it was for the builders of Rome I began with a plan in mind but really didn’t have a fixed idea of what the end result would be. Then as time worn on my plans expanded to new areas I hadn’t considered delving into and they continue to evolve as time goes by.

Where you end up on this journey is entirely up to you. What is far enough for you might be too far for me and vis versa. Never mistake someone else’s goals for your own or even strive to keep up their pace. So long as you keep moving forward at your own speed until you reach your finish line you are doing just fine. You can also speed up and slow down to suit you own time frame.

So keep at it and don’t give up and I am sure that all in good time you will realise the fruits of your labour and realise you have arrived at the end of your journey.

Today’s Declutter Item

What use is a gorgeous vintage necklace if I never wear it? Best to sell it on ebay and give someone else the pleasure of using it. Sold for $10

Gorgeous Vintage Necklace

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Rocky Road ice cream ~ Now who wouldn’t be grateful for that. The one I am eating has chocolate coated peanuts in it. M Mmmmmm!

“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.

I love to throw in a good old clutter category set of  missions every now an again to get you thinking about what sort of clutter you have. So this week we will declutter something from each of the clutter categories I refer to on a regular basis and one or two less used categories I have referred to in the past. Declutter at least one item per category.

Monday – A Sentimental item. This is self explanatory really it is an item you feel personally attached to or at least once did.

Tuesday – A Guilt item. Something you feel guilty about acquiring in the first place.

Wednesday – An Aspirational item. Something you aspire to getting around to using or trying one day.

Thursday – An Obligation item ~ Something you only keep because you feel you should. Often something someone else gave you.

Friday – A Lazy clutter item ~ No attachment you just haven’t got around to getting rid of it.

Saturday – An Natural Progression item ~ Something that no longer fits, physically or intelectually or has simply been used up or worn out.

Sunday – A Location Inappropriate item ~ That is something the no longer suits your lifestyle since a location change. Perhaps snow gear if you have moved to warmer climes.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I have held on to this embroidery thread because I have used it off and on at different times over the years. In an effort to continue to condense my craft clutter this is one of the things that didn’t make the cut this time. In the unlikely event that I will take up cross stitch again I will just have to buy new thread. In the meantime this lot is no longer going to waste.  I am sure it will sell quickly at the thrift store.

Aspiration Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A good friend of mine was going through a very worrying time this weekend. The crisis is over now thank God. Now they can begin to strive for the best possible long term outcome. Wish them luck.

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

A Simple Saturday Post by Cindy

The thrift store has been quite the topic of conversation this week, hasn’t it? Today I want to look at it from another perspective – completing the circle. If you only donate to the thrift store, and never shop there, you are not completing the circle. Now, for those of you who already like to shop in thrift stores, this is not permission to run out and purchase willy-nilly “because Cindy says it’s a good idea.” No, no, no! The idea behind my list is to give you an idea of all the really great stuff there is available in this world that you can purchase used, without calling on the earth’s resources to manufacture new, and you’ll save yourself a lot of money in the process, as well. Here is a partial list of non-new items in my house, and where I acquired them. As Colleen said earlier this week, I always look to buy used first.

• 90% of my clothing, 80% of my husband’s clothing, and almost 100% of the children’s clothing are second hand, except for their school uniforms, which are a mixture of new and used, depending on what’s available in the uniform closet. (Thrift stores, EBay, and my youngest gets hand-me-downs from her sister and from her sister’s friend.)
• Both girls’ bedroom sets, including dressers, beds, and nightstands. (Craigslist)
• Three upholstered chairs, sofa, love seat, coffee table, and living room art. (Craigslist, thrift store, purchased from neighbor)
• Tile for kitchen backsplash (never used). (Craigslist)
• 16 foot sliding door (never used). (Craigslist)
• Two Anderson sliding glass doors (never used). (Craigslist.)
• A truckload of wood, now the ceiling of my screen porch. (Craigslist)
• Two bathroom sinks with faucets. (Craigslist)
• Wooden desk. (Garage sale)
• Swing set. (Handed down from neighbor.)
• Porch chairs. (Found during bulky trash pick up.)
• Kitchen light fixture. (Habitat Restore, which sells new and used building materials)
• Window for stairwell. (Habitat Restore.)
• Rug, sofa, and side table. (Furniture consignment store.)
• Dining room table. (Top and legs purchased separately at Habitat Restore and assembled by my husband.)
• Dining room chairs. (Craigslist.)
• Silver jewelry. (EBay)

There’s more, but that’s enough of a sampling. Nearly every piece of clothing and piece of furniture in this house was purchased second hand. The terrific find of the 16 foot door saved me almost $4000 over the cost of the same door new. I have lived lighter on the environment by purchasing used and second-hand goods, some of which were no longer in their factory container but were, in fact, still new.

It’s important to complete the circle, but remember, you don’t have to do your part and the part of four other people, as well. If shopping at garage sales or thrift stores is a temptation for you, shop with a list, or avoid those stores all together until you are able to control your impulses. Follow this list to make wise buying decisions (starting with “Do I need this item”) and then complete the circle by purchasing used.

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

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

I loved this attitude from Faith and  I am exceedingly grateful to the thrift stores for accepting my stuff too.

I liked this short comment from Ann. The benefits of decluttering are realised in little ways that add up to a big difference in the long run. In what little ways have you noticed the difference a little decluttering can make?

Spendwisemom has the right idea in this comment. If we lived our lives like most of us treat our good china what a boring life it would be. (Ssshhh. Just don’t tell my son I said that alright. He is a big enough danger to himself already 😉 )

Our friend Dizzy has the most interesting comments at times and this one is a doozy.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

We have another new reader Karen who has recently started to declutter and blog about it. Take a look at her site ~ stashingless.blogspot.com ~ she has gotten rid of a lot of kitchen items and yarn and that was just two of the many items that have gone since the 26th of December.

This link has nothing to do with decluttering but has such a worthy intent that when I was asked to feature it on my blog by Siobhan I couldn’t say no. It is focused on a United States audience but some of the tips are universal. ~ Icantpaymybill.com

And here is a link just for fun. Cindy shared this one with me and I had to feature it here for all you book lovers out there. Enjoy! The joy of books.

I must give a warning before you read this next link as his idea is sound but his language can be a little colourful at times and some may find it offensive. jaeminyi.com ~ Stop buying, start “temporarily owning”.

Spendwisemom sent we this link that is a real eye opener. The lady in the interview said it was shameful and she was right about that. All I can think of when I see this is the people are starving in the world.

Here’s another good link sent to me from Cindy. womensvoicesforchange.org ~ My battles with clutter – Sorting the wheat from the chaff.

And why has it taken so long for these to make it onto the market. I believe the technology has been around for years. Hush money perhaps? popularmechanics.com ~ The world’s first air-powered car.

Today’s Declutter Item

I think these are discs from a hard drive. One of those things set aside that might come in useful one day. Surprisingly enough one day never came.

I might use these one day clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A cool afternoon breeze, taking the time to welcome the new neighbours, refreshing watermelon for lunch and finally ordering my new glasses. My desire not to shop does sometimes impede my progress at buying the things I do need, but I am OK with that.

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