Finding Colleen’s web site really was an eye-opener for me as I did feel overwhelmed by stuff at the time but didn’t really know where to start. I just moved in with my boyfriend and we both had lived in shared flats before, so we had a mixed jumble of furniture and household goods and got help and cast-offs from many relatives as well. So I was in that new apartment surrounded by lots of stuff that didn’t really match and didn’t really fit either. Moreover as he liked his stuff and I liked mine, of course we didn’t want to give away our own stuff but would have preferred the other’s to be sold, donated or trashed. You know how it’s always easier to point out other people’s trash, as you have no sentimental feelings about it and it might also not suit your taste as well as things chosen by you. As there was not much money to spend on this project and we both have a “no-waste”-mentality, so trashing wouldn’t have come easy anyway, I was so glad to find Colleen’s website and her slow-and-steady approach. From the first day, I stuck to it and it really wasn’t hard to find one thing a day to give away or recycle. I also tried to implement the “one place for everything”- strategy soon, which meant that we joined all our office supplies, tools etc. and started using them up instead of bringing new things in due to not knowing that we already owned something like that.

However over the time, mostly happily hauling small or big bags of stuff to the thrift store every other week, I hit frustration a couple of times. Even after months our apartment wasn’t near to a minimalistic state, we still own quite a lot which isn’t really necessary, just because we or one of us doesn’t want to let it go.

We didn’t drastically reduce our space or furniture and it still seems to be rather well filled. So I asked myself more than once: What did I do all this time? Is there progress at all?

Last september I took a few photos of parts of our apartment, namely shelving units etc.

Here you see our bookcase in the living room then and now. Can you spot the difference? (I can’t help that the after picture is darker, this is due to our winter weather)

Before and After

Oh yes, it is still full, but note that all that left this bookcase, left for good, while many other things that cluttered other parts of the apartment have found their way in: This suitcase (which holds our yarn stash and knitting needles) had no home before – it was somewhere underneath the sofa or somewhere else on the floor. Same goes for the basket which is now next to my sewing machine – it holds sewing/mending work in progress and was underneath the sofa as well. Also, our bookcase now holds the wrapping paper, my clarinet and three unused canvases that had no real home either.

Mostly books and CDs have been decluttered, but also a few other things, like two vases that went to the thrift store, the little black laquer tray I gave to a friend or the pin cushion which now fits in my sewing kit.

So, yes, although we still have a full bookcase, although there are still many purely sentimental items in it, I can spot a difference in the before and after photos and I know that this means one less moving box for books, which shows to me that I am, after all, making progress, as slow as it may be.

Since Sanna first sent me this post she has decluttered even more. Proof that, over time, one is prepared to relinquish more and more items that once they thought they never would. A job well done I’d say. Below is a very current photo of the decluttered shelves and below that a collage of the Before After and Now shots just so you can compare the difference. As Sanna said when she sent me the new photo this week….

“I just looked at the “before” picture myself for the first time in a couple of months. Wow. I’m amazed by the difference! Taking pictures really does help to see the progress. I wouldn’t have remembered how cluttered it was.”

The shelving unit now

Before                                                                                   After                                                                              Now

Today’s Mini Missions

 Last but not least I am once again going to harp on about those tchotchkes collecting dust around the home. They have to be cleaned, they have to be housed and they take up valuable space that could be used for something useful. I am not saying get rid of them all, I certainly won’t be. Just do yourself a favour and lighten your space and your work load. Declutter a few more this week.

“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

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 Wendy B demonstrates that all kinds of circumstances initiate decluttering. Well done Ian and Wendy.

Wise words form Ideealistin in regards to buying to resell. I have encountered more than one person in my life who bought to resell then stopped reselling. There homes ended up full of clutter. The buying became like any other addiction.

Yesterday we had four previously silent readers come forward to make their first comments. I felt inclined to share them with you. Enjoy! I appreciate every reader contribution to the blog and encourage you all to join the conversation. So welcome to Katy, Nanette, Leah and Purplej. I hope I haven’t missed anyone.

In this comment Marianne gives her advice on how to enjoy books and magazines without the clutter.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

This link for Becoming Minimalist gives good advice on why fewer toys are better for your kids.

I enjoyed this link also from Becoming Minimalist. It matches so well with the theme of my mini missions this week.

Andréia sent me this link to an article about decluttering books After reading it I was a bit reluctant to share it here as the writer still had a vast collection. As it turned out she was a book reviewer. However I found the first few paragraphs too interesting to keep them to myself. And here is another one about making a household inventory.

Here is another great article about including kids in the chores and decluttering from The Other Side Of Complexity.

Today’s Mini Mission

Having too many items of clothing to choose from can lead to baskets of unwashed and/or unfolded washing laying around. This can also cause wasted time making choices on what to wear. Declutter some excess clothing. Think about whether the number of clothing items you own represents the amount you really need or how often you can be bothered washing and ironing them. I DO NOT mean for you to consider washing small loads more frequently (that would be bad for the environment). What I am saying is do you still have several weeks worth of this seasons clothes in your wardrobe at the time you are doing a full load of laundry. If that is the case perhaps you are overstocked.

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

I mostly talk about clutter in the form of items that are unused and unloved that could be permanently removed from our homes.  However the detritus of unfinished tasks also mounds up over a very short period of time when a short attention span, lack of planning or sheer laziness has us making a half hearted effort.

Below are some reasons why this sort of clutter accumulates and the possible consequences…

• Mail is opened but not attended too. ~ At the very least there should be a designated place for mail to be filed when needing later attention. Not doing this can end up in late fees for unpaid bills. Any mail that is just plain junk deposit it straight in the recycling bin. Do what you can to digitise bills and cease junk mail to make this task easier in the future.
• Dishes unwashed or washed but not put away. ~ This makes a kitchen look dirty, untidy and ,in the case of small kitchens, far less functional. Then there is the time wasted looking for, and possibly having to clean on the run, items you need for the task at hand. And also there is the possibility of attracting germ carrying bugs.
• Getting dressed but leaving discarded clothes left lying on the floor. ~ This is bad enough when the clothes are dirty and simply need the little effort it takes to put them in the dirty clothes basket. But should they be clean, nicely ironed clothes that have been tossed aside in an attempt to find just the right outfit for the occasion then you have not only left a mess but you have wasted all the time and effort that you used to launder these items in the first place. Once they are crinkled in a pile with all the other dirty discarded clothes then they are no longer clean and wearable.
• Performing ablutions and then leaving your toiletries everywhere. ~ Toothpaste and brush left open or not rinsed on the sink,  make-up everywhere on the vanity, shampoo in the floor of the shower with lids off…  What and eyesore and a mess for the next unfortunate bather to have to deal with.
• Mending started but not completed. ~ Now not only the item that requires mending is hanging around out of place but also the equipment needed is out of place with it.
• Random items used and left discarded all over the house. ~ Right now as I look to my right I can see on my living room side table a hair comb, a used and empty coffee cup, a bottle of nasal spray and a used tissue. That last items is particularly gross. Everyone of those items has a place and none of them are in it. The cup belongs in the dishwasher, the comb in the bathroom cabinet drawer, along with the nasal spray and the tissue in the bin. I have been past the kitchen several times since I finished the coffee, the bin also resides in the kitchen and I have also gone upstairs and into my bathroom more than once. I could easily have taken care of all of these items during anyone of those trips without it taking me but a few extra seconds. Ignore enough things during the day and ones house can become an awful mess. Especially if neglected in this way for days on end.

If you are guilty of any of these clutter producing habits why not try to change your ways. With a little extra attention to detail and putting in place new strategies I am sure you can turn things around. Maybe you will save yourself some time, stress or even money in the long run.

Today’s Mini Mission

Décor items can certainly warm up a room and make it feel homely but too many can have a detrimental effect. They can clutter the space, make it appear untidy and harbour dust mite among other things. Declutter one or two dust collecting décor items this week. Scatter cushions, rugs, throw rugs, wall hangings, drapes…

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave tasks linger for so long that you have to redo them such as drying the washing or folding it. This can cause you to have to waste more electricity rewashing and ironing. Need I also mention your wasted time and wear and tear on your appliances.

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

My youngest, Audra, made me laugh recently by saying that a friend had gotten a new wardrobe from IKEA but preferred to continue using “the floordrobe.”

Personally, I hate the floor. How does so much stuff wind up there? I have four animals, and they each seem to shed their bodies’ weight in fur every week. I don’t have any carpet to trap the fur, and that’s a good thing, but it also means that I have the tumbling tumbleweeds of hair every time we open the windows and a breeze gets going. Yuck. I hate a hairy floor.

I also hate to walk barefoot and have stuff stick to the bottom of my feet. I suppose if I had carpet, the hair and dirty things would sink into the fibers, but that’s not such a pretty picture either. I have only wood and tile flooring and a single 8×10 rug. I’ve told Dan that when the vacuum cleaner dies, I’m going to get rid of the rug rather than buy another vacuum. The rug is the only thing I use it for.

But more than hair and dirt, which are supposed to get on the floor, how do so many other things end up there as well? Looking around, I see two boxes of uniforms that I got down from the attic and have yet to return, a plastic Easter egg (the cat was playing with it), a dog booty (thrown off by the dog and left there for several days), a wash cloth (why?), a bow from a package (what gift? when?), and an insulated bag that’s supposed to be in the back of my van.

All that on the floor in the living room and kitchen, and I don’t even use my floor as a floordrobe! What if those items (which I notice primarily belong to animals….hmm, there could be a lesson here) were joined by clothes, books, magazines, old newspapers, stacks of mail, CDs, shoes, toys, and a pile of laundry to be folded? How about bags of never-opened bags from the store, craft projects, extra pillows, a life-size paper mache giraffe? Some people’s house look like this. Mine has. Yours might.

I once worked with a man named Scott. Scott’s desk was a foot high in papers from right to left, front to back. Worse, he used his floor as an extension: his floor was literally covered with stacks of papers. No one could enter without playing tip toe. I did that for a while, but then I got so irritated with his mess that I just stomped straight over anything on the floor. I figured if he didn’t care enough to keep it off the floor, I didn’t care enough to avoid stepping on it. Probably not what he would have preferred, but it worked for the two of us. But think about it: He had papers so “valuable” that he had to keep them out and available, but it was okay that I walked on them. What does that say about their true value?

The floor is only for a few things: a bit of dust, a drift of pet hair, your feet, the furniture, some lamps. You should be able to walk freely through your home without worrying that you might step or crash into something. It shouldn’t be used as a storage room, trash can, dresser or closet. It’s not your storage unit, and it’s not a library. Get it decluttered if you can’t even see it.

Do you have a floordrobe, or have you overcome one?

Today’s Mini Mission

Aside from all the picking up and wasted storage space, indulging your children with too many toys teaches them the habit of excess and can also stifle their imagination. Have your children choose three toys each to donate to charity this week.

Eco Tip For The Day

Clothes remain new looking for longer when laundered with care. Wash lights with lights, colours with colours and dark with dark. Now that my household is down to just two I wash our lights with our sheets to save on wash loads. The spare bed sheets are red so when needed I wash them with red or even black clothes.

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

Never fear all you book lovers out there, I am not going to once again nag you into relinquishing books today. This post is about the accumulation of reading materials other than books.

Reading materials are another form of clutter that tends to accumulate around the house, in racks and on benches, tables and floors. Magazines, newspapers, sales catalogues… There is no reason why most of these can’t immediately go in the recycling bin once read. Particularly the newspapers and sales catalogues.

Quite frankly though in the age of modern technology there is no need to even acquire these reading materials in the first place. You can read the news on-line. Web sites like Pinterest or Taste.com have all the links to inspiration one needs in the way of helpful hints, home decorating and cooking. All other topics can also be found at numerous other web sites as can most retail outlets’ specials of the week. So there really is no need for trees to fall, ink to be wasted, money spent or clutter to build up in the pursuit of something to read.

That being said some people still like a good old fashioned hard copy of these articles in their hot little hands. However, even in that case, by the end of the day the newspaper is full of old news and can go in the recycling bin. And hopefully I have convinced most of you that sales catalogues are best put straight in the recycling bin if you can’t find a way to stop them coming in altogether.  Now that just leaves magazines.

Magazines are often the tricky periodicals that people tend to cling to. They come in every subject available from craft to fashion to hunting to smut and gossip. Personally I think that paper and ink is totally wasted on the smut and gossip mags, however I can understand people wanting to indulge in a little reading on other topics of interest.

The problem begins when we convince ourselves to keep our magazines with the intention of looking back at articles, recipes and the like. I have done this myself in the past. I found though that what happened was I ended up with so many magazines that the thought of ploughing through them all, for just the right project, information or article, was so much bother that I gave up before I began. I knew the information I wanted was in one of those magazines but what a task. Had I bothered to put a data base together with a list of all articles I am interested in the task would have been easier. But once again putting that data base together would be a job and a half itself.

Then there is the idea of clipping articles but once again my experience is that those clippings also have to be filled somehow and nine time out of ten I never bothered to look back at them. On reflection I think it is a much better choice to scan articles, recipes etc of interest, save it to your computer under a folder name of like subject with a file title making it easy to identify at a later date. Then recycle, donate or pass on your copy for someone else to enjoy. If you don’t have a scanner perhaps a photograph will suffice.

Personally I choose not to purchase magazines at all these days. My subject of interest was usually cooking or craft. These days I just use my search engine of choice to find what I want quickly and easily on the internet. At least then I don’t have a huge collection of aspirational clutter wasting space in my kitchen or craft room.

Today’s Mini Mission

Reading materials are another thing that end up accumulating around the house, in racks and on benches, tables and floors. Magazines, newspapers, specials catalogues… There is no reason why most of these can’t immediately go in the recycling bin once read.

Eco Tip for the Day

Consider subscribing to digital copies of newspapers and magazines so as to save on paper and publishing.

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.

There are definitely specific items that, in excess, make your home harder to keep tidy, organised and efficient. For today’s mini missions I will make some suggestions of items to declutter and why they can have a negative effect in your home when in over-abundance. Most of the items I mention can be cleaned up and donated to charity.

Monday – Having too many kitchen items makes it difficult to access items when you need them and you blasé about cleaning them quickly. Declutter a few items you don’t need or are in over abundance.

Tuesday – Reading materials are another thing that end up accumulating around the house, in racks and on benches, tables and floors. Magazines, newspapers, specials catalogues… There is no reason why most of these can’t immediately go in the recycling bin once read.

Wednesday – Aside from all the picking up and wasted storage space, indulging your children with too many toys teaches them the habit of excess and can also stifle their imagination. Have your children choose three toys each to donate to charity this week.

Thursday– Décor items can certainly warm up a room and make it feel homely but too many can have a detrimental effect. They can clutter the space, make it appear untidy and harbour dust mite among other things. Declutter one or two dust collecting décor items this week. Scatter cushions, rugs, throw rugs, wall hangings, drapes…

Friday - Having too many items of clothing to choose from can lead to baskets of unwashed and/or unfolded washing laying around. This can also cause wasted time making choices on what to wear. Declutter some excess clothing. Think about whether the number of clothing items you own represents the amount you really need or how often you can be bothered washing and ironing them. I DO NOT mean for you to consider washing small loads more frequently (that would be bad for the environment). What I am saying is do you still have several weeks worth of this seasons clothes in your wardrobe at the time you are doing a full load of laundry. If that is the case perhaps you are overstocked.

Saturday – Last but not least I am once again going to harp on about those tchotchkes collecting dust around the home. They have to be cleaned, they have to be housed and they take up valuable space that could be used for something useful. I am not saying get rid of them all, I certainly won’t be. Just do yourself a favour and lighten your space and your work load. Declutter a few more this week.

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

Next time you are in the shops and are tempted to buy some item that you just don’t need, stop and give some thought  to the mentality behind this compulsion. That moment of instant gratification comes at a cost to you, your home and the environment.

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

With Andréia’s permission I am sharing with you today an edited excerpt from an email she sent me last week. I know how you all love to read about your fellow declutterers successes. Last week Andréia had reason to appreciating what difference she had made in her home over the last three years. Since these improvements take place over time it sometimes isn’t so clearly obvious how much difference we have made until an event happens that brings things into clear perspective. So without further adieu here is Andréia’s story.

Last Saturday I had a party at my house. My two kids’ joint birthday party and I decided to do a small gathering of family and friends. It was tiresome, because, even though I had someone to help me clean, there is the cooking and last minute details that all parties entail. But that is not the point of my story.

As I was welcoming two friends, that arrived early to give me some help (putting up balloons putting some dishes away…), they said it was all great and were glad the bigger things were ready. I looked at them and said: “Oh girls where were you four years ago?”. They looked puzzled  and I said that four years ago, at my oldest’s first birthday party, I was overwhelmed with shuffling stuff around the house. This time around all I had to was make food with a lot of help from the family.  I had a very busy Friday but I was not so overwhelmed as I had been last time around when I did not cook (bought everything ready) but had three days dedicated to just cleaning and putting stuff away because my home was so cluttered and disorganised.

This time as I was walking around putting stuff away before the party I was so pleased to know that whatever I was putting away was staying away because it was in its proper place. No cramming, no hiding stuff that would flow right back into the house afterwards, just getting it tidied up like a NORMAL house. No rooms that were “No go zones”, “Forbidden entrance because this-is-where-I-threw-all-the-stuff-people-were-not-supposed-to-see”, “Clutter spaces”, nothing like this…

…All in all I am writing to you to say that I am a very happy with my progress so far.

Well done Andréia. I am so glad you have had this occasion to help you realise the fruits of your labour. How wonderful! And for any of you who feel like you are getting nowhere, you may be surprised at the slow but sure difference you are making.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some craft materials that you are unlikely to use. This will not only reduce your clutter but also make it easy to find the good stuff you intend to use.

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!

Michelle has been converted to using microfibre for cleaning. Read why in this comment.

Melissa tells us about some quick clothing decluttering she did this week in this comment.

This comment  from Dizzy had my head spinning. What a mammoth effort.

Whoever Anon is I thank them for this comment. What a wonderful example of why stuff is not the answer to a happy life. And more so, what a great example that with the right help one can overcome depression and keep it in check.

Kim and her husband have instigated some great ways to avoid clutter and do the right thing by the environment in this comment. Good for you Kim and Hubby.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Here is something to think about when choosing which brands you think have the right ethics to suit your sensibilities.

One a week where I post a mini mission about reducing your gift wrapping supplies Lena stubbles upon this article to share with us. I am only posting it for your amusement, please no one tell me you have a wrapping room or I am going to give up blogging. 😆

Here is the latest episode of The Midway Decluttering Show from Midway Simplicity.

I liked this article from The Minimalists because I was never on the minimalist path either. My path had the same purpose described in this article. One the suited the way I wanted to live. Little did I know how wonderful that feeling of freedom from stuff and the desire to acquire would be.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that has no real value to you, either of use or sentiment. I am sure if you go searching with this criteria in mind it shouldn’t be too hard to find something. You may have pangs of “I might need it someday” but I am sure you can determine that most things are never really needed in the first place never mind someday down the track.

Eco Tip For The Day

I have been skipping the Eco Tips here and there lately because I can’t always come up with something new to add. My question is would you rather I skipped it or would you prefer if I just reposted a previous tip. I like the idea of reposting because we can always do with a reminder.

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

As you all know by now I like to encourage people to buy secondhand rather than new. This is better for the environment. Of course I encourage you not to buy at all wherever possible because most of what people do buy is absolutely unnecessary.

Now let me combine those two ideas. What are the potential outcomes of recreational secondhand shopping? Yesterday’s eco tip gave you the answer to this question.

1. When you buy something secondhand that you don’t need you are potentially forcing someone else, who has a need for the item, to buy new.  Also that someone may not have a lot of cash to throw around and may have to go without because they can’t afford to pay new prices.
2. While the item you buy secondhand that you don’t really need will become just another potential clutter item in your home. You may not think this while you are enjoying the moment of acquiring but think about it now. What feelings run through you while seeking, finding and purchasing? Are they feelings of need – as in actual need, or feelings of need – as in I NEED to have that. How often people get confused between need and want.

I know a couple who spend most of their time scouring the thrift shops in search of potential bargains. They regale me with their stories of what beautiful things they buy and what bargain prices they get them at. I often ask them ~ “So are you going to sell it on and make a good profit?” The answer is always no we will keep it in the house with the rest of our stuff. They rent two homes and both are packed to the rafters with only enough space to move around.

This is all very well and good for them if they are happy to be hoarders, which they are. However it drives me spare when I think of all the lovely furniture and useful items just hidden away being of no use to anyone. The only purpose these items serve is that the owners are delighted with their bargain and know it is buried somewhere among the clutter.

So if you have things cluttering up your home, hidden away in closets, attics, sheds and basements, think about releasing them to someone who will really appreciate them. Lets just hope that the new owners aren’t someone like the couple I mentioned above. I also hope that if you are visiting the thrift store you are only there for something you really need or are dropping stuff off.

Today’s Mini Mission

Start using up greeting cards and wrapping paper rather than buying something new for every occasion. I have noticed that many people have a stockpile of these sorts of items but still buy new more often than not. Time to reduce the stockpile and leave only enough in case of emergency. It is the thought that counts and what you write in the card that matters most anyway.

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

Cindy

Once your house is mostly decluttered, besides maintenance, the biggest thing you need to watch out for is accumulation. Everything you buy takes you back toward The Land of Clutter.

We’ve talked about shopping because you’re angry, bored, lonely. Because it’s social or habitual for you. One thing we haven’t talked about is the dangers of drinking, lonliness, boredom, and TV shopping.

A woman I know drinks a lot of wine every night, and she shops. The Home Shopping Network seems to be her favorite. Slightly tipsy, she orders jewelry, knick knacks, and shiny things that catch her eye while she relaxing with her wine. I became of aware of this because of the amount of stuff she was returning, but there’s no way she’s returning it all. Slowly but surely, night by night, she’s accumulating more and more stuff to add to her already very full apartment. She’s drinking and shopping – her inhibitions are down, and all those pretty things on the TV are calling her name.

That got me thinking about my friend’s mother. A shut in and grouchy recluse, she had little company but the TV and those friendly faces on the shopping channels. When he had to move her into assisted living, her home was full of gadgets, what-nots, small appliances, and cheap jewelry – a lot of it still in boxes – that she has acquired from TV shopping.

Those TV shopping channels are almost predatory. People whose lives are full and busy don’t sit around at home waiting for something interesting to buy. But the lonely, sad, drunk, bored are all potential victims.

Has TV shopping ever been a downfall for you?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some items of clothing that are shabby, no longer fit or you realise are unflattering.

Eco Tip of the Day

Buying secondhand is better for the environment than buying new. However buying secondhand just for fun of it not only clutters up your home but could be depriving someone else of something that they need who then is forced to buy new.

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