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!

In this comment Rachel W. tells us about some unintentional decluttering she has done at times. Funny how it all seems so tragic to us when this happens but later we realise the stuff didn’t really matter at all.

This comment from Jen has examples of problems turned into opportunity to me.

Here is a great tip from Dagmara on allowing “Natural Progression decluttering” to take care of the constant influx of kids art projects.

Dagmara also left this comment telling us how she get her husband on board with the decluttering. How clever is she?

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

It is nice to finally see an article out there that takes on the subject of the prospect of a green economy in out future. Not too distant future I hope. http://www.triplepundit.com/2012/10/green-economy-future/

This link, kindly sent through to me by Nana, tackles the subject of how we are coerced into parting with our hard earned cash in the stores. Fortunately it comes with tips on how to avoid the con.   http://www.savings.com/blog/post/Why-We-Buy-The-Science-of-Shopping.html

What kind of clutterer are you? Read this post which outlines five types of clutterer according to Peter Walsh (Aussie Clutter Guru) Shared with us by Andréia.  http://www.oprah.com/home/Whats-Your-Clutter-Style-Peter-Walsh-Declutter-Tips/1

In an attempt to locate an article whose link was not working I found this article about compulsive hoarding.

Today’s Mini Mission

If, like me, you are decluttering your craft supplies now is the time to make your holiday/Christmas cards if you haven’t done so already.

Today’s Declutter Item

Oil Painting

Eco Tip for the Day

Use the stairs rather than the elevator. This of course has the added bonus of a little impromptu exercise.

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

A place for everything and everything in it’s place!

• If you always know where everything is you won’t need to replace it because you can’t find it.

Know the difference between need and want

• It is easy to convince yourself that something you want is something you need. Don’t be fooled by this.

Only shop for what you need

• This one speaks for itself, if you aren’t bringing anything you don’t need into your home it will stay uncluttered.

Make it clear you don’t want clutter gifts

• It is possible to convince most people not to buy you gift or at least insist that people only give you consumable gifts or gifts of experience such as movie tickets etc.

Remove clutter receptacles in your home

• Adding clutter is difficult if you have no where to store it. Things such as bookcases, display cabinets, baskets, shelves and storage containers are clutter receptacles. Get rid of them as soon as you get rid of the clutter that was in them or you may just fill them up again.

Don’t sacrifice your principals for the desires of others

• Don’t accept other peoples clutter just so you don’t hurt their feelings. Your feelings matter too and you shouldn’t be expected to sabotage your lifestyle in this way.

Remove any items that become useless immediately

• Lifestyle changes are inevitable as time goes by. Once an item become of no further use to you remove it from your home or once again clutter will start to develop. Just because something wasn’t clutter once doesn’t mean it won’t become clutter in the future.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter the kids toy area to make room for the inevitable influx of new fun things. Regardless of how much you manage to contain the influx you will still need room. Kid will be kids and it is there job to have fun.

Today’s Decluttered Item

 It is amazing how little stationary one needs when most all data, correspondence or bills that comes into your home comes in digital form. Needless to say these folders and filing supplies are no longer needed.

Stationary

Eco Tip for the Day

When entertaining, rather than resort to disposable crockery and cutlery, use all the non-disposable items you have on hand, if necessary borrow more from family, neighbours or friends or get the guests to bring their own. I put on the occasional neighbourhood get together and all guests are instructed to bring their own cups, plates, and cutlery. They never turn down the invitations so I guess they don’t mind.

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

Have you ever decluttered when you didn’t really mean to? I have, and I’m here to encourage you to embrace these accidental declutterings, no matter how annoying they are at the time.

What do I mean? Here are some times I got roped / fell into decluttering when I had absolutely no intention of doing so.

Audra recently opened the door to the craft closet, sat down right in the doorway, and started crafting. Eventually, she had every sticker that we own in a heap in front of her. I kept trying to ignore the mess, hoping that she’s just scoop it all back up and cram it back into the drawer from whence it came. But no. Eventually I heard, “Momma, will you help me pick up?” Of course, I had no interest in this project and felt a bit resentful that she’d made a big mess and wanted me to help clean it up. Eventually, I sat down next to her and started sorting the stickers: Ones I might use; ones no one will use; sheets with no stickers on them at all. In the end, there was a much smaller pile to go back into the drawer plus a smallish pile to take to school for the younger grades that have craft corners.

Another time I decluttered without intending to was about a month ago when I washed all the window screens on the enclosed porch and got water all over the porch as well. While I don’t have a lot of clutter on the porch, there were a few things. Things that are now elsewhere. As I sweep the porch clean of water, I decluttered too. Those two air mattress that I’ve been meaning to try (and try again) to find the leaks, they were aspirational clutter that was never going to happen and they went into the trash. The “box of fun” (outdoor toys) got reduced so that what was left actually fit into the box with the lid closed. I got the go ahead from Audra to sell the gymnastics mat that’s been living on the porch, and I pressed my mother about whether she really, truly was ever going to use the folding chairs on my porch. Since the answer was, “I guess not really,” off they went to the thrift store. Between the decluttering, the clean screens, and the scrubbed floor, it looks much better out there!

My last example is not my own. When you have friends coming for the holiday or weekend, I know you’re going to clean, I know you’re going to bake and cook, I know it’s likely that you’ll even take off work for a few days. Do yourself and your friends a favor, and declutter the space they’ll be using too. It’s so nice when you visit to be able to use the closet or drawers. Decluttering them now will help your friends feel more comfortable and welcome later. (A shout out here to my cousin Rilee who does an excellent job of prepping her guest room so that everyone is happy and has what they need. Hi Rilee!)

When you stumble into that quagmire that is an unexpected decluttering opportunity, don’t curse it! Embrace it!

Today’s Mini Mission

Have the, perhaps dreaded, conversation with the grandparents about giving gifts of experiences or at least not so many material gifts to your children so your home isn’t overrun with toys.

Today’s Declutter Item

Basketball Collectable

Eco Tip for the Day

Dress appropriately to lower or even avoid the need for artificial climate control. In the winter wear comfortable warm clothing inside and at least lower the thermostat. In the summer dress in light natural fibre clothes and at least raise the thermostat.

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

Below are ten guidelines I follow to simplify my Christmas. They don’t guarantee a stress free Christmas but they sure do help. Neither do they eliminate outside pressures to conform to the rest of society but we can make changes to better suit our princles.  I hope you find them helpful as it is possible to have a very merry Christmas without all the expense, over indulgence, stress and clutter.

1. Get organised ahead of time. Whether you have big plans or small the more you have sorted ahead of time the smoother everything will run and the more relaxed you will be when the festivities begin.
2. Declutter ahead of time. For me, nowadays, this is easy. However if you have kids pass on the toys they no longer play with or are broken. If you are having visitors get rid of all the excess stuff out of the guest room. Have the kitchen decluttered so the cooking tools you need are all close at hand.  Clear away space wasting items in other areas of the home to make room for the festivities…
3. Keep decorating to a minimum and/or recruit helpers. A home can look festive without being over cluttered with decorations. It may even look more tasteful. There is no need to take on this task alone, get the whole family in on decking the halls. As they say, the more the merrier and what better way to prime the whole family for the holiday season.
4. Keep gift giving to a minimum ~ Don’t be overindulgent with children and consider convincing other friends and family memebers to reduce the gift giving. Both sides of my family do a secret Santa these days. When I suggested it they were only too keen to comply. It was as if they were waiting for someone to get the ball rolling on that idea.
5. Be prepared for guests ~ Whether they are staying overnight or just dropping in for a drink make preparations way ahead so that there is no last minute rushing about, tidying, cleaning, decluttering or shopping.
6. Minimise travel ~ In Australia where we celebrate a summer Christmas there is a lot of outdoor activity. Trips to the beach and road trips to visit family are the norm. Unfortunately rushing, alcohol, fatigue and traffic volumes can result in tragic accidents. Also travelling via other means is expensive at this time of year. For me any time is a good time to see family so I try not to travel too often at Christmas.
7. Don’t over cater ~ Peoples stomachs do not increase in capacity over the holiday season. It is possible to enjoy all those wonderful holiday treats without overindulging. Resisting the temptation to do so is aided by not oversupplying in the first place.
8. Don’t be a control freak and insist on doing everything yourself because you think this is the only way it will be done “right”.   If you are the only one who cares how the tree is decorated, the menu is set, the gifts are wrapped … then perhaps it really doesn’t matter. In fact perhaps someone else might really enjoy being involved in their own special way.
9. Don’t feel obliged to follow traditions you don’t necessarily enjoy. Christmas is a time to rejoice and be glad not suffer in silence letting everyone else have their way. With family consultation, begin new traditions that make you all happy, that fit with your simplicity goals. It is possible that everyone would be happy to make some changes and are waiting for someone to lead the way.
10. No matter what happens, as I am sure there will be some things you just can’t change, make the most of it and have a wonderful holiday season.

Today’s Mini Mission

Study my uncluttered gift giving guides here and here to help you find uncluttering gift for your loved ones and to make suggestion of uncluttering gifts for yourself should anyone ask.

Today’s Declutter Item

Yay there have been more baseball collectables relinquished.

More Baseball Collectables

Eco Tip for the Day

 Keep your motor vehicles well maintained not only so they last well but also so they run efficiently, and cause minimal emissions.

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

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week at 365 Less Things we are launching a preemptive strike on the Christmas/holiday season. Time to do some pre-holiday decluttering and organising so when you break out those decorations, the guests arrive and the presents are opened, there is enough room to accommodate them. The more organised you are now the smoother the days will run when you are truly in the thick of it.

Monday -Start getting the guest room ready. Declutter any obvious excess stuff in there to make it comfortable for those coming to stay. Make arrangement to borrow extra bedding if necessary for any overflow.

Tuesday -Study my uncluttered gift giving guides here and here to help you find uncluttering gift for your loved ones and to make suggestion of uncluttering gifts for yourself should anyone ask.

Wednesday -Have the, perhaps dreaded, conversation with the grandparents about giving gifts of experiences or at least not so many material gifts to your children so your home isn’t overrun with toys.

Thursday -Declutter the kids toy area to make room for the inevitable influx of new fun things. Regardless of how much you manage to contain the influx you will still need room. Kid will be kids and it is there job to have fun.

Friday - If, like me, you are decluttering your craft supplies now is the time to make your holiday/Christmas cards if you haven’t done so already.

Saturday - Start having a “use it up” declutter of the freezer. Eat through all those double ups and half eaten packages so that there is plenty of space for the holiday food.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Handmade (by me) Jewellery Piece

Eco Tip for the Day

Using electricity off-peak doesn’t save electricity but it can lessen the strain at peak times which can result in a reduced necessity to  increase infrastructure.

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

Written by:- Cindy Bogard

If you’re in a big hurry, just read this: 

Resist!

If you’re not in such a hurry, feel free to read on.

In the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which was on Thursday this week. Sadly, the website Answers.com defines Black Friday as “an unofficial American holiday”. Sad, not because the rest of you are missing out; sad because a day of shopping insanity has somehow become “an unofficial American holiday”.

So what is Black Friday? As I said, it’s the day after Thanksgiving and the official start to what’s called the holiday shopping season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, Holiday Shopping, Winter?) It’s called black because of traditional accounting notations: While debt is noted in red, profit is noted in black. Some businesses run “in the red” all year and don’t go “into the black” until the shopping mayhem begins the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday is a day of amazing sales and deep discounts. Some stores open as early as 4:00 am, with people staying up all night in the parking lot so they can be the first in the door, as the very best sales (aptly named “doorbusters”) are only available in limited quantities. In 2008, a worker at Wal-Mart was trampled to death in the frenzied crush of Black Friday.

Recently, a friend forwarded to me a website devoted to Black Friday (www.Black-Friday.net). They’re posting the circulars (advertisements) in advance on their site and boast over 100,000 fans on Facebook. They report that Kmart’s Black Friday circular is 44 pages and that  “We can’t stress enough how much we love this ad (Wal-Mart). There are tons of excellent deals and we think you will be very happy with it.”

Oh my. What’s a decluttering gal to think?

Resist!

If you really feel that you need or want a 47″ flat screen TV or a new laptop, don’t let a sale ad make the decision for you. Research your purchase. Think through your decision making. Don’t buy in haste. The same rules apply to shopping on Black Friday as to every other day. If you see what you want at an excellent price, and you can tolerate the bedlam (which I can’t), then fill up your thermos with coffee, stand in line all night long, and get your doorbuster deal, but don’t buy out the place just because there are sale ads plastered on every item in the store. Remember, the stores are desperate for you to buy; that doesn’t mean you need to be desperate to purchase.

May your Friday not be Black

Weekend Mini Missions

Saturday – Declutter a part of a set, group or collection of items where you use or enjoy some pieces but not others. Here is a post from Cindy that explains what I mean but it doesn’t give any advice on how to convince yourself to let go. I can assure you though that I have done this several times over the last couple of years and I have never regretted it once.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

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!

• Sanna shares some views and experiences of aspirational clutter in this comment.
• Apparently there is such a thing as good clutter or at least Lena has me convinced there is with this comment. We always had a calendar in the toilet room when I was a kid but Lena’s mothers tradition would have made it much more interesting to relieve one’s self.
• Clutter is different for everyone and for Debra F Christmas decorations are never clutter. I love her enthusiasm even though I don’t share her passion. Read what she had to say about decorating for Christmas here.
• I like Judy’s attitude of enjoys utilising something she already has instead of buy something new. Read about it here.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

• Both Clare and Snosie sent me this article by Jane E Brody for the New York Times to share with you this week.
• Here is one little eco tip from Daily Lime that is easily achieved. In fact it takes less effort for you than the alternative.
• This link has some more minimising/simplifying tips from the guys at The Minimalists.
• Here is another great article that my husband drew my attention to. One guilt trip that is touched on in this article is the equation that high retail sales = healthy economy. There must be a better way to have the best of both worlds, less waste and a healthy economy.
• Here is a little more on the Christmas Cindy began earlier on in the week. Sanna was kind enough to send me this link.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you keep for security reasons. That is simply because you fear you might need it or wish it back someday. Letting go is also about letting go of the falsehood that you ever needed them in the first place.

Today’s Declutter Item

Mini Souvenir Baseball Bats

Eco Tip of The Day

Small incremental ways in which you can help the environment by reducing waste each day.

Return hangers to the dry cleaners. Every little thing helps!

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

Today’s Decluttered Item ~ Photos

Not many people would just up and throw away all their photos. Even I’m not that keen to create space. However having rows and rows of albums lined up in a bookcases full of photos that are of no historical or significant  personal value to you or your family could very well be classed as clutter. Quite frankly these albums would probably bore anyone, including yourself to tears, should you actually choose to take one down and browse through it.

Today’s post isn’t about how you should store your photos, how you should take photos or how you should identify photos when you do store them. It is about getting rid of the ones that are just wasting space.

Below are 7 characteristic of photos that guide my choices as to which ones to cull.

1. Multiple copies of the same image ~ Ask other family member if they would like one of these copies and if not throw them out. Even stacked behind one another these photos still take up space.
2. Multiple similar photos ~ Choose the best image among a group that are almost exactly the same and ditch the rest. Once again you can offer them to other family members or friends.
3. Photos of people you don’t even know, remember or care about ~ There is no historical value to you in photos of people who are so insignificant to you that you don’t even remember who they are or, if they can be identified, you just don’t care. People come and go in our lives and some, who may have seemed photo worthy in the past, just don’t matter in the long term.
4. Bad memories ~ Enough said, why keep photos that only give you grief.
5. Blurry images (unless they are of significance) ~ Sometimes the only shot taken of an important occurrence unfortunately turns out blurred and can’t be recaptured, these are be the only blurred photos that I keep.
6. Insignificant images ~ There are some events in life that over time become insignificant and not important to our history. We often get carried away taking photos at the time and then end up later with an album full of boring images such as animals in zoos, uninteresting locations, insignificant building etc etc. Why keep these images if they have no meaning to you.
7. Bad timing ~ Photos where the focus of the shot has moved just as you click. Where you end up with  images of the backs of peoples’ heads, children ducking out the edge of shot and sometimes the focal point has disappeared altogether.

I am sure there are other reasons I have missed that warrant mentioning and if you can recall them please feel free to leave a comment below because we can all benefit from your input. The ones I mentioned were all used in the process of culling the photo prints in the image above that is today’s decluttered item. In fact many of them survived the first cut but as I continue on with the process I get more ruthless. Much the same as I do with everything in my home.

If you are confident of converting your printed old style film photos to digital copies why no do it. The only room you will then be using is space on your hard drive. That being said I use the same guidelines mentioned above to declutter digital images as well. We have in fact had all our old negatives scanned ~ in case of age degradation ~ but have chosen for now to keep the prints. At least those that make the cut.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you have aspired to making use of for a long time but never have.

Remember the November Keep it Tidy Challenge

Eco Tip for the Day

Drive calmly as this will save on petrol and wear and tear ~particularly on the brakes and tires. It could also assist in avoiding accidents and  lower your stress levels. Leaving early so you don’t have to rush will contribute greatly to the likelihood of obtaining and maintaining this calm state.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

Please don’t call me Scrooge, but I hate decorating for Christmas. In fact, I hate decorating for all holidays. To me, it falls under the category “another darn thing I have to do.”

So last year, I decided it was time to change that.

I pulled everything out of the attic at one time. My hope was to get everything back into just the plastic bins and get rid of the boxes; that seemed like a reasonable level of reduction to me.

I started early in December, wanting to be sure that anything that went to the thrift store had time to be resold before the end of December arrived: I didn’t want my clutter to become their clutter too.

I got the family involved – very important when sentimental, seasonal, “that item means Christmas to me” things are involved – and we start opening boxes. One of my annoyances, as I’ve already said, is decorating the home – all the little seasonal do dads we’ve accumulated over the years. Most of those were the first to go. Turns out that no one cares very much about little Santas tucked away on the bookshelves or snowmen sitting on the coffee table.

When it was time to decorate the tree, I made this rule: we would all open the ornaments and put them on the tree as always. However, if we opened an ornament that we didn’t like, didn’t care about, thought was ugly, etc., we would put it on the sofa. Anyone else who saw an ornament that they liked or valued on the sofa could pick it up and put it on the tree – no questions, no anger - just pick it off the sofa and put it on the tree. There were a few squeals of outrage (“WHO put this on the sofa!!!??”) but everyone stayed calm when I repeated the rule: “No questions, no anger, just put it on the tree yourself.” We probably reduced our ornaments by about 2 dozen and also got rid of 4 or 5 strings of wooden “cranberry” beads.

It was a remarkably painless process that hugely reduced our supplies. Before, we had 10 boxes/bins, 2 tree stands, and 2 outdoor wreaths. After, we had 6 boxes/bins, 2 tree stands (the smaller of which I decluttered earlier this week), and 3 outdoor wreaths. (Yes, I gained a wreath, which I found at the thrift store. We all agreed that the upstairs balcony looked woefully undecorated, and this wreath was our solution.) My before and after photos are below.

If decorating for the holidays really doesn’t put you in a holiday mood, try my reduction techniques and see if that doens’t bring a smile to your face like it did mine.

The Before & After Pics

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter something you are only keeping because you feel obliged to because it was given to you by someone else.

Remember the November Keep it Tidy Challenge

Today’s Declutter Item

This nativity set took a while for me to decide to declutter for several reasons. It has sentimental value because my parents bought it for me. It is the most real Christmas symbol I own. And I like it because it is beautiful. The problem is though that it really doesn’t fit in this smaller home and will certainly not fit into one that is smaller. I took it to a garage sale I was involved in a few weeks ago and put a price tag of $50 on it. I figured if I must let it go I was at least going to get a good price for it. I set it up to look its best but feared that some overzealous garage sale shopper might accidentally break it. I was so glad when someone said they would like to buy it. I couldn’t get it packed up safe again quick enough. I actually knew the person who bought it and she was a secondhand dealer. I was amazed and very pleased that she didn’t haggle over the price and happily paid me the $50. I suppose it was just meant to be.

Nativity Set

Eco Tip for the Day

 Take care of the things you do own so that they may last and last and not have to be replaced prematurely.

“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

At the moment I am reading Dan Ariely‘s book Predictably Irrational. Chapter eight is all about keeping doors open ~ that is keeping opportunities available just in case the current situation doesn’t work out as planned. Dan loves to test his theories and after experimenting with this idea he came to the conclusion that “…running helter-skelter to keep doors from closing is a fools game. It will not only wear out our emotions but also wear out our wallets.“

Of course leaving the odd door open isn’t always a bad thing so long as you reserve the habit for important doors. Feeling the need to do this with every situation in life can surely only lead to constant dissatisfaction and a whole lot of stress. As the saying goes ~ The grass is always greener on the other side.

With that thought in mind Dan poses this question ~ “Similarly, how many times have we bought something on sale not because we really needed it but because by the end of the sale all of those items would be gone, and we could never have it at that price again?”

This is a case of seeing the door closing and making an irrational decision to buy such items ~ you guessed it ~ whether we need them or not. It doesn’t seem to matter that it has been proven to us over and over again that no sooner does a item go off sale but returns ~ sometimes even at an even cheaper price ~ very soon thereafter. It is the possibility that this time that door may never open again and that lures us in. So don’t be fooled because even if it doesn’t reopen the chances are that the most likely long term effect is that you have saved yourself some money.

Practice ignoring those sale doors often enough and soon you will realise that there is a lot of stuff out there that you can live without. You may also want to close a few doors on past hobbies and interests that you have not engaged in for some time. Also close the door on items you think you may need some day. Chances are if you aren’t using that door now you won’t need to in the future. Close the door on the idea that stuff will make you happy. How many other doors to clutter can you find to close and set yourself free from unwanted stress, wasted space and the futile attempt to buy happiness. You may then find you are free to open new doors onto something good and worthwhile in your life.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you are only keeping out of guilt because it cost you much more than it proved useful to you. That is you paid a lot for something and now you feel obliged to keep it even though you hardly if ever use it.

Remember the November Keep it Tidy Challenge

Today’s Declutter Item

Silver Bracelet

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave the TV on during the day just for company. You may laugh but I have know plenty of cases of people doing this.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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