Last week we got onto the subject of how to ensure you are buying quality clothing. I scanned the internet for information and didn’t find anything I didn’t already know so that had me feeling confident that I knew what I was talking about. I also asked my mother, who was a private professional dressmaker, and my mother-in-law who is a crafter who also sewed and repaired clothes for herself, her husband, her children and even my children for many years, for any advice they had to offer.

Below you will find our collective advice and I sincerely hope you find it useful when clothes shopping in the future. These tips aren’t a guarantee of success but if followed they sure will improve your chances of buying better quality clothes that will last well. I don’t know about you but I find poor quality products not only to be a disappointing waste of my money and time but a blight on the environment as well. I keep my recipes until I am satisfied that the products I buy live up to their function. If they don’t I return them for a refund, it is the only way I now to make a protest to companies who unleash items like this onto the market.

Stitching

1. Check for loose thread and uneven stitching.
2. The more stitches per inch the better. Shorter stitch length will ensure better seam strength.
3. Hem stitching for blind hems should be completely invisible from the outside.
4. Double seam where appropriate will also insure good seam strength.
5. Garments with facings should include interfacing for strength and structural integrity.
6. All edges should be finished to avoid fraying. Some fabrics such as lycra can hold together well without a finished edge but most are not so hardy.

Cut

1. Garments should be cut straight on the grain except where a distinct 45 degree angle cut for stretch is intended. If this does not occur the garment will pull out of shape very quickly.
2. Where a straight hem is intended it should be cut to fall at the same length all around the garment when worn. Side to side and front to back should appear even.
3. Check all panels of the garments to make sure the pattern of the fabric run in the same direction. You don’t want to find out later that your floral design is one way up on one side of the garment and up side down on the other.
4. Some fabrics have a nap (just as timber has a grain) such as velvet, micro-suede or velour where the surface threads of the fabric usually lay in one  particular direction. The nap usually causes the fabric to look shiny in one direction and dull in the other. Like in cut tip #3 this nap should lay in the same direction on all panels.

Finishings

1. Buttons should be evenly spaced and sewn on firmly. Some should be reinforced behind in the case of leather, wool, fine fabrics, fabrics with a wide weave etc, where the thread is likely to pull through if not securely braced. Allowance should be made for buttons on thick fabrics to allow enough shank length to pass through the hole and sit neatly on the outside.
2. Zippers should slide up and down smoothly. The should also be fastened into the garment neatly and be well concealed. Check for reinforcing at the bottom where they are under the most pressure. To test for fastness do the zipper up halfway then fold down the pull tab then place your finger above the slider and push down. The zipper should hold fast in its position.
3. Trims should be firmly attached with no end exposed that are likely to fray.

Fabric

1. Cotton and Linen blends are often lower maintenance than 100% cotton and linen. Less likely to crease, fray or even stain.
2. Unless you are intending to by a sheer fabric you do not want your white or light coloured garments to be see through. Best to try the garment on to see how transparent it is before buying it is not always obvious when viewing it on the hanger.
3. One fabric I would suggest you avoid is rayon, both the stretch and the non stretch varieties. The stretch variety, often labelled viscose, usually falls heavily and in large quantities doesn’t hold its shape well. It also has a habit of clinging to every imperfection on your body. The non-stretch variety is often used like a cotton fabric for dresses and blouses but is softer  than cotton and falls heavier. It crinkles easily and is very poor wearing so generally ends up tattered and holey in a very short time span. Both of these fabric feel lovely on which makes them very tempting so beware..
4. I also am not of lover of Chenille, it is a tufted velvety fabric often knitted  into women sweaters. Being a tufted fabric the fibres are not well anchored and come out easily. Any areas that get any sort of rubbing will become threadbare quickly.

Beware the loss leader sale items

1. These are often cheaper garment at sale prices designed to drawer you into a store in the hope that you will purchase other items while you are there.
2. These items can be identified by the fact that they are new to store product that there are plenty of stock of.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an item that best matches the following statement ~ This drawer is going to explode if I don’t get rid of some of what is in here.

Today’s Declutter Item

There are drawers in the end of my bed. One of the drawers has housed our unused ski clothes since we returned to Australia. I am not sure why I have kept them so long. I sold the children’s ski clothes back in the first year of my declutter mission. I guess I thought we might still ski one day but that day never came. I did consider keeping the jackets just in case of outdoor winter activities but that has never happened either. The drawer they were in was barely able to shut because of the bulk. I have managed to sell all but my husbands jacket recently so no more bulging drawer. Yay!

My Ski Jacket

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A good friend taxiing me around today. I had no car and it was raining.

“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

Cindy

It’s almost “second winter” here in Texas, where the weather is so hot, and typically so dry, that nothing grows any more. It just tries to hold on through the hot months.

Before that happens, it’s time to declutter the garden. Now I know that not all of you have a garden. Do you have potted plants (inside or out)? A front stoop or entry way? Any bit of lawn that you’re responsible for?

The first thing we’re going to do is assess. This is best done from the vantage point of the street or sidewalk looking back at your garden or entry way. Are there toys, tools, boxes, political signs from by-gone elections or other junk that either 1) doesn’t belong or 2) needs to be straightened? Take care of it! Your neighbors will thank you – silently, if not out loud. Sweep the sidewalk and the porch or stoop. That looks better already!

It’s amazing to me how much junk – real junk – people sometimes store in their yards and especially on the side of their houses. Take an honest assessment of your situation. At a very minimum, make sure than anything that’s stored in the side yard isn’t trapping water and giving mosquitoes a place to breed.

However, you’re not going to stop at the very minimum, are you? Next, take a good hard look at what’s stored in your yard. Are these things you need, want, and will use? Should you sell, donate, or trash some (all) of these items? Often yard stuff is bulky, so you might not be able to dispose of it easily. Make a plan on how you will eliminate unnecessary items. Perhaps you’ll need to make a list of what you have to dispose of so if your community has a bulky trash pick up, you’ll know what you need to pull out to the curb.

And let’s not neglect our plants, while we’re in the garden. They will all look fresher if you deadhead them and remove the brown leaves or stalks. In many places, this is not a good time to prune: you don’t want to encourage your plants to grow (by pruning) if you’re going into a dormant season but removing what’s spent won’t hurt. Mulch makes even potted plants looks fresher, and it help to keep precious moisture in.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that comes to mind when you ask this question ~  At what point in my life did this fit/suit me?

Today’s Declutter Item

I can assure you this item never suited me but it kept me warm on the ski fields and that was all that mattered. I think one of my children bought me it as a gift so I suppose it fits two categories for this week’s mini missions. There is a young women I work with at the thrift store who is crazy about baseball who will simply love this. So off it goes to its new home where it will be greatly appreciated.

Red Sox Beanie

Something to be grateful for today

A little bit of sunshine and a little bit of rain. Both come in handy for survival.

“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

Today I thought I might bring you along with me during my decision making process. I have chosen several items that up until now have escaped decluttering but that I have had my eye on for a while. I will share with you my thoughts relating to each item and what my final decision is.

Before I get to individual items my first consideration in the decision making process is whether or not I am satisfied that I have gone far enough with my decluttering. Whether I am happy to keep everything that is left in my home. At this point in time I don’t have to waste much thought on this because I know for sure that I am not done yet.

The next step is to take a look around during my daily routine to spot items that are still up for consideration. This also doesn’t take much effort because, with the gradual process that I use to declutter by, there are always items in the back of my mind that have a tenuous grasp on their position in my home. If they aren’t very useful or much loved they are a candidate for elimination.

Then comes step three the individual decision making process which I will run through with a selection of items I chose to consider last week. As I mentioned above they are all items that have escaped the declutter process over the last few years but the time has come to bring them to the fore. So without further adieu here they are.

Glass Vase

Item No. 1  ~ A Glass Vase

The reason this vase has escaped decluttering so far is simply because I happen to like the look of it. That isn’t however enough to warrant keeping it when the object of this exercise is to declutter under utilised items from my home. I guess it would come under the heading of quilt clutter because I wasted money buying it on a whim. So I ask myself ~ How often has it been used since it was bought and the answer is probably twice in five years. Then other issues come to mind like the fact that none of the shelf spaces in my kitchen are tall enough to house it so it has been collecting dust on the top of  those cupboards. It also stands too high to look right no matter where I have attempted to display it and I rarely have a flower to display in it. So the verdict was that it can go to the thrift store.

Fruit Bowl

Item no. 2 ~ A handcrafted Fruit Bowl

This fruit bowl was a wedding gift from two very good friends who have  passed away in recent years. That is the only reason I believe it has stayed this long. How many times have I used this bowl in twenty five years of marriage? ~ I would hazard a guess at twice and that really says it all. Do I particularly like it? ~ No. I loved the people who gave it to me but I don’t need it to remind me of them. It has spend most of its twenty five years in the bottom of one china cabinet or another and has recently adorned the top of my kitchen cupboards with the vase mentioned above. I think it is time to let it go to someone who will appreciate it. It will also go to the thrift store.

Artificial Plant

Item no. 3 ~ An Artificial Plant

I don’t particularly like artificial plants and this one is no exception. You might wonder then why I bought it, well I didn’t my husband did. It adorns my lovely glass dining table. I have tried various other decor items from around the house on the table but have never been happy with the result. I am not happy with the plant either but the table looks too bare without something so for now the plant will survive the cut and stay on my table. This just goes to prove that not everything ones keeps is ideal. Mind you this item has a very tenuous hold on its existence in my home.

Craft Robo Cutter

Item no. 4 ~ Craft Robo Cutter

I have included this item because it is an item that at present doesn’t get much use. I is however a very clever little gadget and has served me well in my crafting endeavours in the past. As anyone who has been reading my blog for a while knows there have been a lot of craft items decluttered over the duration of my mission and I dare say there will be more before I am done. But this gadget is safe for now and I can’t see me ever decluttering it. What I do envision is finding more time for crafting in the future. I have always been a crafter and dare say I always will be.

Craft Items

Item no. 5 ~ Knitting Tools

While we are on the subject of crafting items here is another example that came under scrutiny last week. I have passed over these knitting tools time and time again because although I have not done any knitting for about 6 years I have tended to return to the craft over and over again throughout the years. That being so I figured that these didn’t take up much room so why not keep them in the event that I would need them some day. Well my desire to reduce my craft has overtaken my desire to keep these items. I bundled up the better metal needles and stored them with my other sewing equipment but this lot can go to the thrift store along with the other sewing tools you see in the picture. If I need any of this size needles in the future I will check the thrift shop first because we usually have a good selection there.

So I hope that sheds a little light on how I go about choosing what stays and what goes.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an item that fits with this question ~ What was the person thinking when they gifted me this?

Today’s Declutter Item

In keeping with today’s mini mission I will add one more item to declutter today and let you in on the decision making process involved. This large floral canister was a gift from a friend. It wasn’t a gift I was expecting because the person and I were not close friends. If I remember correctly it was full of different kinds of dried pasta. It was an interesting choice for a gift but I kind of liked its cheery design and its large proportions. It has decorated my kitchen for about 6 years now but it has no other real function for me. Like the knitting needles I have a greater desire to liberate the space than I do to keep the item so it will go to the thrift shop with the other items. That is one more thing not collecting dust and cooking grease on the top of my kitchen cupboards.

Floral Canister

Something I Am Grateful For Today

When the skin on a port roast cooks to a light and crunchy crackle. Mmmmm yum.

“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.

This comment from Kimberley last week inspired this week’s mini missions. You will have to use your imagination with these missions though. Just read the questions ~ they are more like exclamations really ~ and see what you can find to match them in your home. Even after all this time I am sure I will still be able to find some matches. Have fun with it. I am looking forward to hearing about your finds and the funny stories behind them.

Monday -  “What was I thinking when I purchased this?”

Tuesday - What was the person thinking when they gifted me this?

Wednesday – At what point in my live did this fit/suit me?

Thursday –This drawer is going to explode if I don’t get rid of some of what is in here.

Friday – At what point did I find this attractive? (Spouses are exempt from this mission)

Saturday – What makes me think I need so many of these?

Sunday – What is this thing even used for?

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I know what I was thinking when I purchased this. I was thinking “Wouldn’t this be handy to take lasagne or something to a pot luck dinner and it is at a clearance price so why not buy it?” I’ll tell you why I shouldn’t have, because I have never used it in 5+ years. I did consider ditching one of my old well seasoned pans and keeping this one but the lid is useless to me and takes up so much space and just throwing it in the garbage seemed such a waste. I decided that my old pans work perfectly well and someone might find this one (in tact) more useful than I did. It didn’t even make it to the shelf at the thrift store before one of the staff purchased it.

Covered Baking Dish

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Just feeling content. Contentment is highly underrated. It is kind of the lesser relation of excitement, achievement or success but I happen to think that you don’t need those other things to be content and I am happy with that.

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

 

Craft Storage Unit

The storage unit to the left is my latest declutter item. Why did I declutter it? Because I have decluttered all the craft items it contained so I no longer need it. Years of neatly organising my clutter makes me hesitate to part with good storage items of this kind but I have no desire to ever need them again as I have no desire to clutter up my house again. So these days as soon as they are empty I try to get them out the door. This one lingered a little longer because I was trying to sell it and sell it I did for $30. I was pleased with that and even more please to see the  space liberated on its departure.

Now the Simple Saturday question for today is…

What is your latest declutter item and why did you declutter it?

The Weekend’s Mini Missions

Saturday – Declutter something that used to fit with your previous lifestyle but no longer does.

Sunday – Declutter an unused craft, hobby or sports item.

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!

This comment from GreyQueen adds a lot to the conversation, especially to make a point about the ultimate cost of freebies.

I liked Romney’s simple solution to the buy on get one free offer in this comment.

Jez has realised through experience that the easiest way to stay organised is to reduce. Read her comment here.

This comment from Mary is short and sweet but it sure outline one of the great benefits of decluttering.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

In this link from ecosalson.com learn five steps to better recycling.

I stumbled across this site while looking for something else and it is definitely worth a read. Sue Rasmussen~ Making room for what really matters ~ How clutter control affects you.

I was looking for clutter quotes when I stubbled across this collection and decided to share it with you rather than dole it out in small doses.

More than one of my readers has mentioned Karen Kingston as a decluttering guru so I looked her up and found this little tidbit to share with you all.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you just have too many off.

Today’s Declutter Item

Now that these towels are gone all that is left are towels that get used on regular rotation plus two beach towels should the need arise. I can honestly say I don’t think my linen closet has ever been this decluttered in all my married life.

The last of the excess towels

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

I have had this post in the pipeline for a while and after Tuesdays post on freebies I thought this would be as good a time as any to complete and publish it. It was inspired by Moni some time back when she left this comment in response to my post Mad if you don’t ~ Mad if you do. Here is what Moni had to say…

“My daughters shop in JayJays a lot and they often do a deal which is 2 t-shirts at a discounted price pretty close to the price of 1, and you rationalise, oh well its only an extra t-shirt, it will get used. Last night, Courtney asked me to help her sort out her t-shirts as there were too many to fit in her drawers. I noticed roughly half looked unworn and I asked her why that was? She said they were all the 2nd t-shirt from the discounted price for two deal. She loved the t-shirt she’d gone in there for, but had just grabbed a 2nd t-shirt. However, very rarely loved or wore the 2nd t-shirt.
So I told her to only buy what she loves and knows she will wear, then wear it to death, and next season get something else you love.”

Her comment got me thinking about my son’s clothing purchases or more to the point the clothes I purchase for my son. Liam doesn’t want for much really. He knows his own style, there is no doubt about that. He is a skinny little guy who hasn’t changed in size for years even though he is only 20 years old. Needless to say because of that we usually get good value out if his clothes, years in fact. He has some t-shirts that he has been wearing since he was 12 years old. And yet some perfectly good clothes have still been decluttered over the last two years and there is a consistent reason for that.

The reason is because I can be reluctant to pay full price for items of clothing for him. The price of young mens  clothing can be quite outrageous.  As a result, in the past, if I thought the item he had chosen was not good value for money I would insist he find something more reasonable in price or wait until it went on sale. He would then either 1. settle for something he wasn’t that keen on, 2. wait until the item went on sale by which time there were often none left in his size or 3. insist the item is the perfect one until I gave in against my better judgement.

Well as painful as it was on those rare occasions where I gave in I eventually learned something from them. Something that has eliminated the problem of unloved barely worn clothes being decluttered from his closet. You guessed it, when he got his way he worn the clothes he chose over and over and over until they were threadbare and only good for the trash. while the second choice clothes ended up only worn in desperation but mostly hidden in the depths of his closet. The ultimate result being that these items of clothing would eventually appear in a pile on my kitchen bench. That is where he puts things that he is ready to declutter. Lesson learned…eventually.

The moral of this story is that sometimes full price is the best price. The math goes something like this, a $20 shirt that is worn twice = $10 per wear ~ while ~ A $50 shirt worn 50 times = $1 per wear which is far better value for money. Being that Liam usually only asks for clothes when something else has worn out it is not breaking the bank to buy him what he likes. Mind you we aren’t talking $200 pairs of pants or anything just $50 shirts and $80 Chinos etc. I am not completely insane.

I have to say I can’t believe I just wrote this post. It has always been my policy to get the best price I can and I still do where sensible but there are just times when full price is the best price. Luckily for me I don’t find the need to shop very much so it doesn’t effect me a great deal in the long run.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a storage container that you not longer need because you never plan to reclutter.

Today’s Declutter Item

Storage Box

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Getting some chores done around the house, doing my thrift shop shift and still have time to take some exercise. A well rounded day I would say and it feels good.

“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

Cindy

My mother is more tidy and more decluttered than I am, by far. Yet one day when she saw me tidying my pantry, she kind of laughed at me and said, “Are you straightening up in there again?”

Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am. And you should too.

Why does your pantry need decluttering? Two main reasons

1. Unless you live alone, it gets rummaged through more than any other cupboard or drawer in your entire house and
2. There’s surely something (probably more than one something) lurking in there that needs to be eaten, thrown away, or shared. The pantry is the perfect place for Use It Up decluttering.

Besides, if it’s messy, things are hard to find. Who needs that?

I personally recommend, as I so often do, that like be stored with like. I am blessed with a wide but not ridiculously deep, pantry, so it’s easier for me not to lose cans or bottles in the deep, dark back of the cabinet. Very few items are doubled up where something has to be removed before something else can be seen or reached.

My pantry is arranged like this:

1. Top shelf: grains, legumes, pasta and the occasional truly oversized item. (Right now, a long package of smoked salmon.)
2. Next is a narrow shelf that’s the most miscellaneous: drink mixes, a few packet mixes, and a box of ramen (which technically should go on the shelf above, but the child who likes ramen can’t reach that high).
3. Next are all canned and bottled items, crackers, peanut butter, and a few items waiting to replace condiments that are almost empty in the refrigerator. I maximize space here by using an expandable can riser.
4. Next shelf is nuts (many kinds, since they’re Clara’s #1 snack) and granola bars. All of these are in storage containers, rather than their original packages, so they fit better and stay neater.
5. Next down is breakfast cereal, oatmeal, and grits.
6. The next shelf is devoted to my little cook Audra’s kitchen wear, some of which is play stuff and some of which is real, including her stock pot, which is bigger than mine.
7. And at the bottom are baking items: sugar, flours, cornmeal, and a lazy Susan (spinning circular tray) with vanilla, cocoa powder, baking powder, etc. on it.

The other reason you need to declutter your pantry is that there is food in there that you are ignoring and need to eat. Find that food and make a plan to eat it or use it in a recipe. Or there’s food in there that you shouldn’t eat (hello chips and packaged cookies!) and should get rid of by taking them to the office, giving them to a friend, or just throwing them away. It’s much easier to eat a healthy diet if the food that you have at home is healthy. If you don’t have chips, it’s a lot less likely that you’re going to give in to the chip monster when he comes calling (“eat me! eat me!”) while you’re watching TV or reading a book.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something your children no longer want saved for them.

Today’s Declutter Item

This belonged to my son but he is past caring about it. He allowed me to donate it to the thrift store. That’s one less thing that requires dusting in this house. Yay!!!

Basketball Souvenir

Something to be grateful for today

 A good cup of tea. Especially when someone else makes it for me.

“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

Yesterday’s mini mission got me thinking that it has been a while since I wrote a post on the subject of freebies and it’s about time I did.

Who can’t resist a freebie? It isn’t everyday that someone offers you something for nothing and it’s like getting a gift right? Well unfortunately like many gifts the freebie is often something you don’t really need and it soon becomes clutter. One advantage a freebie has over a gift though is that it isn’t usually given to you by a loved one so refusing it isn’t going to hurt anyones feelings. That being so, I would suggest doing just that, politely refuse the offer unless it is something you have a use for or is something you can sell on immediately for a profit. Of course if it is instantly consumable like chocolate or a latte or it is a pampering freebie like a massage or manicure, go for it.

Here are some examples of freebies that normally ought to be refused if you don’t need them or already have of enough of them.

• Those reusable shopping bags. If you already have enough of them you don’t need excess.
• A free razor handle with new replacement cartridges. Those handles rarely if ever wear out so you don’t need more.
• Toiletries bags on long-haul flights. Bring you own minimal amount of toiletries in your hand luggage. Wth any luck the airline will reuse the untouched samples. I hope so anyway because the amount of waste involved in those freebies does my head in.
• Sample bags from trade conferences. Usually 90% of what is in those bags are useless to you ~ pamphlets you can access on-line, stress balls, keychains etc. Perhaps these companies will respond to supply and demand ~ that is if people keep refusing them they will adjust how many to supply in response, saving the planet from all that waste.
• Plastic shopping bags are usually free when you purchase something but those bags are just pollution. Their manufacturing causes pollution and the bag itself becomes pollution once its purpose is achieved ~ usually the minute you get it home. Take your own bag it really isn’t that hard or inconvenient. I don’t know many women who don’t take a handbag when they go shopping. A little reusable fold up shopping bag will fit easily into most handbags.
• Those little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion and small soaps that are supplied at motels. I have no qualms about using the soap because a cake of soap is messy and bulky to carry. But the other items are more pollution than they are product and usually not good product. By all means use them if you find them suitable but don’t be tempted to bring the unused ones home, once again adding to supply and demand and cluttering up your bathroom cabinet.
• Free newspaper or magazine subscriptions. If you don’t already read these publications it is unlikely you are going to find them any more interesting just because they are free. Not to mention the fact that many of these offers don’t automatically cancel and if you forget to cancel them before the free offer expires you will then find yourself paying for them.
• The freebie box at garage sales. If the stuff in this box was worth selling it would have a price on it so the chances are it is just clutter about to happen.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you received as a gift but have never used.

Today’s Declutter Item

These handkerchiefs are pretty and the lady who gave them to me is a beautiful soul but the fact is I don’t use handkerchiefs so there isn’t any point in keeping them. Although it is better for the environment to use these rather than tissues I find fabric to be harsh on my skin.

Pretty Handkerchiefs

Something I Am Grateful For Today

“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.

Once again this week I have chosen mission that reflect things I am decluttering and the reasons they are being decluttered. So follow along with me and see what you have lurking in your home that match the description. It will be interesting to see how different your things are to mine.

Monday – Declutter something that was a freebie that you didn’t really need.

Tuesday – Declutter something you received as a gift but have never used.

Wednesday – Declutter something your children no longer want saved for them.

Thursday – Declutter a storage container that you not longer need because you never plan to reclutter.

Friday – Declutter something that you just have too many off.

Saturday – Declutter something that used to fit with your previous lifestyle but no longer does.

Sunday – Declutter an unused craft, hobby or sports item.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Freebies can be a curse, they can be hard to say no to because they are free and then get kept because they could come in useful. These items have all entered our household that way but have never been used. We have learned our lesson about freebies and aren’t so quick to accept anymore.

Toiletries Bag & Bit & Bobs

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Internal plumbing. I can’t imagine a time where people couldn’t have a hot shower on a cool day. I am grateful I didn’t live in those times. Although I am sure they had other advantages back then that many of us yearn for in this day and age.

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