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.

Last week I wrote a post called Be Open Minded. This post was about being open to changing your mindset about what you keep. We keep so many things because it is conventionally normal to do so. This week lets see if we can get rid of some things that we have because it is the norm whether we actually need them of not.

Monday – Declutter anything you have several of for no reason other than that variety is the spice of life. Is it, is it really? ~ crockery, towels, sheets, trinkets, jewellery, toiletry products…

Tuesday – Declutter a kitchen item that you have simply because everyone else does. If you don’t find it helpful on a regular basis then it isn’t necessary to you. ~ Garlic press, potato peeler, cake pans, blender, turkey baster, meat thermometer, deep fryer…

Wednesday – Declutter something from your pantry that isn’t healthy for you even though most people stock it. The best way to avoid unhealthy food is to not keep it in your home. ~ White sugar, pasta, sweet sauces, white rice, white flours, candy…

Thursday – Declutter something you only keep in your home for those rare visitors that drop by maybe once or twice a year. They can always bring their own or do without. ~ Hair dryer, spare toothbrush, a variety of soap, talcum powder, more linen and towels than necessary…

Friday – Declutter a piece of excess furniture such as bedside cabinet or a dressing table in a spare room. Guests don’t bring that much stuff that they require whole pieces of furniture to store it in. It is just something else you have to dust and vacuum around.

Saturday – Take a look at your cleaning products. Perhaps you could find some multipurpose ones so that you don’t need to carry such variety. I use vinegar and bicarb soda for so many things these days along with a little lemon juice and dish liquid. These three ingredients with or without water makes up my surface cleaner, shower cleaner, jewellery cleaner, fabric softener and drain cleaner. Also three of these ingredients were things I already carried in the pantry for cooking.

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

Eco Tip for the Day

Switch to 100% recycled printer paper.

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

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!

Here is a great comment from over at the 365 Facebook page from Jenny Adamson. Giving things away can bring more joy than keeping them.

Here is a thought about the shopping high from Idealistin.

Cat’sMeow has some great advice about treating yourself without causing clutter in this comment.

Brenda sent us this comment with a great quote to live by.

And while we are on the subject of quotes here is a message Cindy sent me this week that I wanted to share with you all. If you can identify who the quote was made by we would appreciate it.

Does this quote ring any bells with you? “I never dreamed that when I grew up I’d have so much crap that all I did was take care of it?” I know that’s not exactly right, but it came from this blog post that I loved and cannot re-locate. The author, who is a woman, is imagining sitting with her idealist college friends and never saying things like “I hope I have so much junk when I grow up that I have debts.” and “I hope I have to buy a bigger and bigger house to store all my belongings.”

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Here is a link sent in by Sanna for your enjoyment and mine ~ Just a little less ~ Making Room ~ The junk-room

And  Cindy sent in this link that is good for parents or even grandparents to read ~ www.parents.com ~ The to-do gift

I enjoyed this post from Tohami at Midway Simplicity ~ 25-simplicity-quotes-to-live-by-illustrated-with-pictures

Willow sent us in this link ~ www.nytimes.com ~ Living-with-less-a-lot-less

The Minimalists ~ 3 REASONS PEOPLE SEEK OUT OTHER POVS

Here is a link to a post by one of your fellow 365ers, Mard Adam Douglas.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter some odd little thing that, up until now, has escaped your notice because it isn’t outstanding in any way. Yesterday I checked my bra drawer and in the bottom I found four little plastic baggies of extra bra straps that had come with bras that have long since worn out.

Eco Tip For The Day

If you use a cleaning service ask them about switching to using eco friendly cleaning products or consider switching to one that does.

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

This week’s mini missions ought to really get you thinking about the way you see the items in your home. Today’s mission ~ Declutter something you have kept out of habit because it used to be useful but now isn’t necessary ~ suggests that you should be open minded about everything in your home not just the things you know for sure are clutter. Moni made a point yesterday that she liked that there were no bedside tables in what was my son’s bedroom, even though she is a bedside table kind of girl. As I said to moni, when visitors come I can always bring down a side table from my bedroom or from the living room, for the short period of time they are here. The other 11 months of the year that room will be easy to keep clean.

Convention has us thinking that things should be done just so. My daughter’s opinion of my son’s room was that it looks like a jail cell. No personality. I understand where she is coming from and even I may relocate a little wall decor from another room to jazz things up a little bit. But, since for the most part no one is going to be in there, there is no point in cluttering it up.

Do you have things cluttering up corners, closets, cupboards, drawers and walls in your home that are simply there out of habit or because convention dictates that it is appropriate to own such things? Well, I don’t know about you but I don’t like being dictated to so I will do and own just what pleases me. To heck with convention, I love space, fresh air, ease and spare time.

So take a long hard look at everything you have in your home with an open mind and ask yourself, do I need this, do I love this, do I want to continuously take care of this item.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you have kept out of habit because it used to be useful but now isn’t necessary. Maybe old pet equipment, outgrown kids toys, kitchen gadgets, reading glasses that are no longer strong enough…

Eco Tip for the Day

My daughter says, choose two meals you would like to cook in the week and then plan the rest of the week around the leftover ingredients so that nothing goes to waste.

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

My in-laws have recently visited us, and like a light bulb coming on over my head, I realized that my in-laws are living like minimalists.

I’ve talked about my in-laws here before from a different perspective – as owners of several storage units. While they live in California, the majority of their stuff lives in storage, in Texas. Each time they visit my family, they also make a couple trips to the storage units.  Over time, they have reduced what is being stored there, and last year, they arranged a Salvation Army to truck take away a large amount of stuff, including furniture. Nonetheless, they still have an entire storage unit here, and my mother-in-law has told me firmly “That’s what we want to keep.” Truly, I have no idea what’s there except for their china, and I only know this because she and I have the same china pattern, and she’s given me a few of her pieces.

In addition, they have a storage unit in California near where they live. This unit contains the furniture, electronics, and household items that they were using in their most recent home.

Two storage units? How can they be living like minimalists, you might ask? Well, while their stuff is living in storage, they’re living with a bare minimum of possessions.

They sold their house, which they primarily purchased as a fixer upper / flip and are happily living in a Residence Inn, a long-stay hotel. Because they like to buy and sell houses, travel, and not plan very far in advance, the Residence Inn fits their lifestyle beautifully, and they are happy there.

The two of them live in a one bedroom apartment. Breakfast is provided every day, I believe, and dinner is provided four days of the week. They have a two burner cooktop, a microwave, and a refrigerator. None of the furnishings, linens, etc. belong to them.

When they want to travel, which they do frequently, they pack up all their personal items, load them into their (one) car, and check out of the Residence Inn. They drive the car to a storage unit that they have in California and park it inside, with their stuff still in the trunk. From there, they take a taxi to the airport, and they’re on their way. If it’s a driving trip, they unload the car and drive off.  Literally, they are able to pack everything they live with into a vehicle, make a single trip, and be finished. When they return back to California, they reverse the process.

It’s the perfect solution for a couple who wants to be footloose and fancy free and can live without being surrounded by their own stuff. Could you live like my in-laws?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something because it is an eyesore in your home, or perhaps always was. Maybe some sort of junk in the back yard, an ugly décor item that someone else gave you but you never liked or a fixture in the home that has become ratty or faded.

Eco Tip for the Day

Instigate a weekly old fashioned board game night for the family. Turn of the televisions, the computers, the DS, the PSP, the XBox and the PS3, get everyone in the same room, turn out all the other lights and save a little power for a couple of hours a week.

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

Today’s mini mission is to declutter something because it requires dusting and you don’t like it all that much anyway. Have you ever considered how much time you spend cleaning things in your home that aren’t even necessary to your happiness or survival. Or perhaps you avoid this task until the dust is causing hay-fever, someone is coming to visit and it looks embarrassing or the humidity is turning that seemingly innocent dust into a breeding ground for mould or mildew. Or perhaps you don’t even realise that this dust could be causing health problems.

My son’s bedroom used to be a huge dust collector. Needless to say I often made a lackadaisical effort of cleaning this space. I didn’t want to deal with the difficulty factor of cleaning it properly. There were various reasons why this job kept getting relegated to the too hard basket.

Firstly he had a large desk in his room which caused bad placement of his other furniture. His bed was placed in a corner and over a window. Making it difficult to change the sheets and flip the mattress. And also the window sill was half covered by the bed head making it difficult to dust. Also only about two metres of his skirting boards were exposed for dusting and only about one third of his carpet was accessible to vacuum.

My Son’s Room

This large desk, intended for him to execute his university art assignments, was mostly covered with numerous dust collecting sentimental items making it an enormous task to keep it dust free and tidy.

Then there were the two guitars resting on their stands in the corner and a small ottoman he had a habit of “hanging’ his half soiled clothing on.

All and all this was an uninspiring room to entice me to keep clean. As a result quite often I would  wipe down the skirting boards I could see, change the sheets, run the vacuum over the carpet I could get at, and walk away. I would perhaps once a month make a bigger effort but only out of sufferance. Less often I would insist the desk be cleared off so I could give everything a good dusting. Usually at the end of a school term.

My difficulties with this room were somewhat unavoidable simply because he needed the furniture that was in it. Also it is his room, his domain, and I felt that he was entitled to adorn it with what ever personal items he liked. A mother often doesn’t get much say in how tidy a 21 year old keeps his room either. One can merely guide not force. Well my son has moved out now and you should see his room. In fact you can in the photo below. It is vacant except for a bed.

My Son’s Room Now

Do you have a room in your home that is too hard to keep clean because of the clutter collecting dust, resting on dust collecting furniture that isn’t necessary, which covers walls, floor and skirting boards that rarely see the light of day that could do with a good clean. Do you really need or want all this stuff getting in the way of a clean and tidy home or is it just there out of habit. Give it some serious thought because as I mentioned above it may be less harmless than it appears.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something because it requires dusting and you don’t like it all that much anyway

Eco Tip for the Day

Embrace your real hair colour, even if it’s grey. The environment could do without all those nasty chemicals and wasted water going down the drain in an attempt for you to be something other than the beautiful creature nature made you.

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

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’s mini mission post is titled Reasons. I am going to give you six days worth of reasons to declutter things and your job is to find something to match the reason and let it go. Best to declutter the first thing that comes to mind when you ponder each reason. Simply because you are least likely to find an opposing reason to convince yourself to keep these items.

Monday – Declutter something because you never use it.

Tuesday – Declutter something because it requires dusting and you don’t like it all that much anyway.

Wednesday РDeclutter something because it is an eyesore in your home, or perhaps always was. Maybe some sort of junk in the back yard, an ugly d̩cor item that someone else gave you but you never liked or a fixture in the home that has become ratty or faded.

Thursday – Declutter something you have kept out of habit because it used to be useful but now isn’t necessary. Maybe old pet equipment, outgrown kids toys, kitchen gadgets, reading glasses that are no longer strong enough…

Friday –  Declutter some odd little thing that, up until now, has escaped your notice because it isn’t outstanding in any way. Yesterday I checked my bra drawer and in the bottom I found four little plastic baggies of extra bra straps that had come with bras that have long since worn out.

Saturday – Declutter something because it doesn’t work as well as it should. These sorts of items are annoying for various reasons. 1. Because they make you feel duped. 2. Because they most likely were a waste of money. 3. Because they don’t make your life any easier. These items may need to be replaced by something more efficient but at least you will have decluttered the angst.

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

Eco Tip for the Day

Even biodegradable bags have to be manufactured so even they are best avoided where possible.

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

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!

Kim tells us how she is finding it hard to walk past her favourite shops and asks her fellow 365ers for their advice in this comment.

Deb J had some great comments this week. This first one gives her take on those somedays that never come, while the second lets us in on a little update about decluttering with her mom.

This comment from Jo H says, in nine words, what my whole post didn’t quite convey. Well said Jo H.

Wendy B likes to want things, actually getting them would spoil the fun. Read about it in this comment.

Michelle tells us how she isn’t settling for second best or forever wanting stuff in this comment.

Judging by this comment Jen has cured herself of someday clutter collecting. 

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

If you feel like exploring some new to you blog on the subject of clutter reduction you might find a couple that take your fancy among this link  www.housekeeping.org/blog/25-blogs-guaranteed-to-help-you-reduce-clutter-in-your-home

Here is a good eco tip link sent in by Wendy F ~ www.providentliving.org.nz ~ Bottle Drip Irrigation

Here is a nice little post about how clutter kills freedom by Dana Byers

I am not sure if I have posted this link form The Happiness Project here before but just in case I am posting it again. It has nothing to do with decluttering just a lot to do with seeing things from another person’s perspective and possibly questioning our own. I thought it worth sharing.

Here is a blog post from the lovely Shaloo Walia at Spiritual Boosters. It has links to some good minimalist/simplicity posts.

Today’s Mini Mission

Get rid of a craft project you keep promising yourself you are going to finish someday. Donate it to a thrift shop as-is or find a local craft group who might be happy to take it off your hands. Learn what your habits are in the respect of finishing projects. If you have a habit of not finishing large project stick to smaller ones in the future. And also commit to not buying craft supplies that you only plan on using someday.

Eco Tip For The Day

Purchase and use reusable diapers/nappies for babies rather than disposable ones.

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

I know that people come to my blog to get ideas on how to reduce their clutter and there is plenty advice here about that. I also know that it might seem a little late to suggest that prevention is better than cure, but prevention is an ongoing necessity in order to both become less cluttered and to stay that way. Prevention is a life sentence if in fact you  don’t want to end up back at square one.

Life sentence may sound like some sort of harsh treatment but I can assure you it isn’t. Quite the opposite in fact. I wish I had handed myself this sentence years ago. I know I have said it before but it is worth repeating over and over again ~ Having no desire to acquire is one of the best outcomes of my decluttering mission. Second only to having an uncluttered home. In fact they aren’t separate things at all, as the uncluttered home can’t happen without stopping stuff from coming in.

It isn’t just about the fact that if I don’t buy stuff new potential clutter isn’t entering my house. It is several other freedoms and joys that are so wonderful, such as…

• The money that it saves.
• The reduced detrimental effect I am having on the environment.
• The time not wasted shopping.
• Less frustration not being able to find exactly what I  want right now.
• No settling for second best. Instead if there is something that I have a purpose for acquiring, I generally know well in advance and am prepared to wait for just the right item to come along.
• No disappointment when I can’t get stuff at the price I want.
• Less time wasted on product reviews.
• Less possibility of buyers remorse.
• No shopping guilt.
• No more procrastination over whether I should spend the money or not.
• No more justifying the expense to other members of the family.
• Being satisfied with what I have instead of forever wanting something else.

I am sure that other people could add several more feelings, anxieties and issues that go along with the desire to acquire. Equally some people may think that living without the thrill of the chase and enjoying new stuff is unthinkable. But I am sure that if they really looked inside themselves they would find their need for stuff causes them more grief than joy. You only have to turn all those positives in my lists to negatives to get a picture of that grief.

Even as I type this I feel I am not doing justice to expressing the freedom I feel at having escaped consumer madness. However I certainly hope that this post tweaks enough interest in some to give them the desire to at least attempt to achieve the same in their lives.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a recipe book or two that you only ever use one or two recipes from, while the rest you have been going to try someday.  Scan the recipes you do use and donate the book. Recipe clippings are another thing that accumulate over time while someday never seems the day to actually arrive to try them. Do yourself a favour and get your recipes from the internet in the future when you are feeling adventurous enough to give something new a try.

Eco Tip for the Day

Consider trying some homemade cleaning products. Here is a web post I found yesterday with some good recipes. Sometimes natural cleaners can require a little extra elbow grease but the extra exercise is good for you. Natural cleaners are better for you,  your family and the environment and often better on your wallet as well.

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

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a large item you might have in the garage, attic or basement that you have kept handy in case you will have a use for it someday. Perhaps and item of furniture, a sporting item you used to use, a restoration project…

Eco Tip for the Day

If you don’t have a dual flush toilet you can adjust the height of the float so less water is released with each flush.

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

In the responses to Cindy’s and Deb J’s blog posts last week I kept reading the same word over and over again. Someday. You know how the saying goes ~ Tomorrow never comes ~ well someday is even further away than tomorrow. And if by some miracle someday does actually arrive, you are best to leave acquiring stuff that you “need” for it until then. Now is not the time.

Oh, how much someday clutter did I accumulate when in the honeymoon days of my scrapbooking hobby? Hundreds of pieces of printed paper that were too beautiful, cute or relevant to resist that I would use someday. The same went for stickers, embellishments and rub-on words. All items I convinced myself I would be sorry if I didn’t buy them because this might be a once in a lifetime opportunity or a bargain too good to miss. Where are many of those fabulous crafting items today? Sold, given away and some still in my craft room. Yes some of it got used but some of it has been undergoing a use it up challenge for three years now. I think I will be giving more of it away soon because I will be years ploughing through what is left. And it is taking up room that could be better served for another purpose.

In this day and age of rampant consumerism what are the chances that something bigger, better, cuter, more fashionable… will come along at the same bargain price or better soon enough? Experience tells me that there is every chance. So there is no need for people to be purchasing items for the future, a future that could be very different than one imagines. This is especially so for items that aren’t even necessary in the first place.

If you can’t bring yourself to get rid of the stuff you have acquired for some day, at least have the fortitude to resist acquiring any more of these items from this day forward. Live for the present because someday is never guaranteed.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a few books that you set aside years ago to read someday but you still haven’t got around to it.

Eco Tip for the Day

Follow the creed of  The Non-Consumer Advocate ~ Use it up, where it out, make it do or do without.

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