Cindy

Today’s post is geared toward the advanced decluttered. If you’re a beginner, don’t try this at home…or anywhere else…it can lead to discouragement, a big mess in the hallway, and a complete lack of improvement in your situation. But if you’ve passed the beginning stages of decluttering, if your friends call you The Decluttering Queen (that’s what mine call me, at least), or if you’ve been at it for more than a year, then today’s post might be for you.

Sometimes, you’ve just got to start all the way over.

Yes, all the way over.

That’s what I did last week. My pantry is decluttered. There is no food that no one eats nor out-of-date cans, and like food was stored with like food, but it wasn’t working for me. I have a pretty great pantry that is wide but fairly shallow. I don’t want to have to reach around and knock things over, and I want to be able to see everything at once. The very top shelf had food stacked on top of food, and the snacks, cereal, and other dry goods seemed to be sorted wrongly.

I was sure that I was going to need to take the whole shelf of baking goods (flour, sugar, baking soda, etc.) and find another place for it; there was no way everything was going to fit the way I wanted. But I was wrong.

First, I took everything off the first two shelves, which are pantry staples – canned goods, pasta, dried beans, etc. Having everything out allowed me to sort it a little bit smarter, and I got it back into the same space it had been in before but without being double stacked.

I just straightened up the next shelf. It’s the one I use the most, and the stock there is always rotating.

The next two shelves are snacks, nuts, and cereal. Again, I removed everything. Because my eldest daughter is diabetic, she eats a lot of nuts, which do not raise her blood sugar. I literally have an entire shelf devoted to nuts. Snacks of various kinds were organized on the next shelf. Since it’s summer and since my eldest and all her friends are teens, the amount of snacks that can be consumed is fairly amazing. I try to keep a large variety of healthy choices. Dry cereal, granola bars, oatmeal and grits were clustered on the shelf below that.

The next shelf is the baking shelf. Amazingly enough, with the re-organization and sorting that went on above the baking supplies, I didn’t have to move them any where.

Last, I got out my label maker and labeled the shelves that I thought would most easily fall into disarray – the ones that are used by the most people. One shelf is labeled NUTS, another CHOCOLATE, CHIPS/PRETZELS, DRIED FRUIT, CRACKERS,  and the last one is DRY CEREAL, OATMEAL, GRITS, BARS (that is, granola bars).

I was surprised that after years of use, there was a way to fine-tune the pantry, to make it that much more functional. And, as is so often the case, I had all the room I needed; I just needed to use it more efficiently.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a dust collector that someone gave you. I have a little elephant pie funnel that was given to me by a very dear friend who has now passed away. I remember her often enough without needing to keep this item as a reminder. Also I have seen this exact item sell for in excess of $100 on eBay and wouldn’t mind a piece of that action. 

Eco Tip For The Day

Stop using fabric softener, some experts say that it is a waste of money and not that good for your clothes. Try using white vinegar instead. Not only will it remove chemical residue in your fabrics but will also help control mould and mildew in your washing machine. If you like to add a nice scent to your wash load add a few drops of essential oil.

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

Sometimes in our homes we have items that on first inspection seem to be either beautiful, useful or truly sentimental to us or a combination of those values. These items have either gone under the radar or passed the clutter inspection and survived previous culls.

However as we continue on our declutter journey we tend to become more ruthless causing us to be more selective about what really is useful, beautiful or of sentimental value to us. Having experienced how good simplicity feels, our desire to continue on that path can easily eclipse old feelings of sentimentality or opinions of beauty or usefulness. This creates thought patterns that allow us to part with things that once upon a time we would possibly not have considered letting go. We question these items each time we encounter them, testing through a process of enquiry as to whether they will stay or go.

This strategy works the same whether you are not far along on your decluttering journey or almost at the end of it. It simply boils down to whether something really warrants a space in your home. And some items don’t pass this close scrutiny. Here are some examples of the scrutinising process below.

1. I have a throw rug that my mother gave me. It has survived the cut so far because it is pretty and it performes the, not so important, task of tying the colour scheme of my living area together, and because it was made for me. What it hasn’t done is perform the task it was made for, that is keeping me warm on cold evenings. You see it makes me itch and sneeze so I can’t use it. My son did use it when he lived he but he has since left home. It got in the way when anyone wanted to sit in the chair that it was draped over. It often slipped off onto the floor. And I have plenty of other throw rugs. In the end all I am really keeping it for is because my mother made it for me and that isn’t enough of a reason. Result:~ I have offered the rug to my children. One had more than enough rugs already and the other had the same itch problem with it that I did so I have decided to donate it to the thrift shop.
2. I had a flour sifter that used to belong to my grandmother. It did the task that it was made for and it had sentimental value for me. But the reality was that I hardly ever baked anymore and, for the occasions when I did, I could use one of the other two more versatile sieves that I had in my kitchen. I also didn’t need this item to remind me of my grandmother, I think of her often anyway. I decluttered the sieve and haven’t missed it.
3. I have a big cooking pot. It is actually a pasta pot which included a slotted insert and also a colander. For years I have kept this set together simply because it came as a set and because it took up no more room whether I declutter parts of it or not. I can’t remember if I ever used it to cook pasta so the slotted insert was almost never if ever used. Also the colander was badly designed with a handle that if held while straining anything hot would result in some painful scalding of ones hand. Sanity prevailed some time ago when I finally broke up the set and donated the parts, I didn’t use, to the thrift shop. Perhaps I should have asked myself these questions sooner ~ Do I use all the parts? Are they even well designed? Would I miss any of the useless-to-me items if I broke up the set? and Is it likely that I am suddenly going to change my cooking habits and wish I had kept these items? The answers were no no no and doubtful, once I finally did ask them of myself. Now when we use it we don’t have to remove all those useless-to-us parts that once nested inside of it.
4. I have a camphor wood chest that I have owned since I was 15 years old. It holds our spare blankets and duvets and some sentimental items from when my children were small (that also come under scrutiny periodically). It is hand carved and the rich warm wood colour suits our décor and I like it. Here are the questions I ask myself about this chest. ~ Is it useful to me? Yes. Could I do without it? Yes, there is plenty of room in the closets to store the items in it. Will it fit in a smaller dwelling should we finally make that move? Possibly not. Am I going to declutter it? Not now, I like it, I feel good about it and it is serving a purpose for now.

Use these examples to help you ask question of your stuff. Don’t be afraid to put your items under scrutiny, be honest with yourself over this and make the right decision for you in the moment. There will always be an opportunity to revisit your decisions again later if you feel you want to continue simplifying.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some wall art. I have a set of eight canvases with photos attached from trips we have made to Europe. We have more than enough wall art so I offered these to my daughter last week and she said she would take them. She is coming to dinner tonight so now is as good a time as any to take them down off the wall and give them to her.

Eco Tip for the Day

Why not engage your eco friendly habits in your work place. Scout around to find ways to save water and electricity while at work. Suggest changes to you boss and coworkers. Don’t be deterred if your ideas are met with rejection just do what you can do and hopefully others might follow suit in their own time.

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.

The inspiration behind this week’s mini missions is stuff in my house that I would still like to declutter. Why haven’t I done it yet you may ask. Well I will explain that below, along side the appropriate mission. As I write this I only have a few items in mind to declutter, so part of the inspiration is to force me to take a good look around to find enough items to complete this post. Perhaps I had better resume my work on our inventory, as I am sure I will find plenty of inspiration, being up that close and personal with my stuff.

Monday – Declutter something that you keep just because someone made it for you. I have a knitted knee rug that my mother made for me, but I can’t use it because it makes me itch and sneeze. I asked the kids if they wanted it but they didn’t so I suppose the next option is to donate it.

Tuesday – Declutter some wall art. I have a set of eight canvases with photos attached from trips we have made to Europe. We have more than enough wall art so I offered these to my daughter last week and she said she would take them. She is coming to dinner tonight so now is as good a time as any to take them down off the wall and give them to her.

Wednesday – Declutter a dust collector that someone gave you. I have a little elephant pie funnel that was given to me by a very dear friend who has now passed away. I remember her often enough without needing to keep this item as a reminder. Also I have seen this exact item sell for in excess of $100 on eBay and wouldn’t mind a piece of that action. 😉

Thursday – Declutter something that came free with something else but you have never used it. My son’s current motorbike came with a touring bag which he has never used nor expressed any desire to use. My daughters partner however has a need for one of these, so it seems logical and practical to pass it on to him since he will get good use out of it.

Friday – Declutter some pantry or refrigerator items that you used once for a recipe but have not found a use for since. I think the ingredients, that tonight I will pass on to my daughter when she comes for dinner, may actually have been bought by her while she was living here recently. Of course I enjoyed her cooking for me, but she is more experimental with her cooking than I could be bothered with, so she is more likely to use these items than I.

Saturday – Declutter a sentimental item. I made a cross-stitch sampler for my daughter when she was a baby. It is still in the cylinder that I stored it in while I was making it. I have never framed it so, aside from when I was making it, it has never seen the light of day. I asked my daughter if she wanted it but she didn’t. I considered just throwing it in the garbage but that didn’t sit well with me. I will donate it to the thrift shop and see if anyone cares to buy it.

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

Drink tap water in preference to carbonated beverages. It doesn’t take a genius to work out how much better that is for the environment. Your waistline and your teeth will thank you for it as well.

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!

June  is new to 365 Less Things. Make her welcome.

Deb J‘s mom is thinking about doing some more decluttering. Yay!

Michelle has been decluttering and donating to her favourite charity.

Dymphy has found opportunity in the face of renovations. She also tells us, in this comment, about the progress she is making with her decluttering, how she can identify that and how she has used the mini missions and eco tips to same a pair of shoes from landfill for now. Good on you Dymphy. I also love that your name has no vowels, which proves that we don’t have to have things just because most people do.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

lifehacker.com ~ How-clutter-affects-your-brain-and-what-you-can-do-about-it

Don’t be deterred that this post from Open Shed is based on happenings in and around Sydney. Among the information there are some great eco ideas. Take a look.

Sanna suggested I include this Post from Gillie a fellow blogger and reader here at 365 Less things. onepairofshoesatatime.wordpress ~ read-or-dust

I am including this post (story) because I though it was both beautiful and inspiring. www.thechangeblog.com/personal-choice/

And here is a post suggested by Moni. ~ www.moneytalksnews.com ~what-happens-to-your-data-when-you-die/

Today’s Mini Mission

Deliver a load of decluttered but still useful items to a charity of your choice. Or if you have the option phone the charity to come and collect if from you.

Eco Tip For The Day

Save a tree ~Stop junk mail. It mostly contains advertisements for stuff you don’t need anyway. In Australia this is as easy as putting a No Junk Mail sticker on your mailbox.

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

Have you ever had a craft/hobby that got completely out of control. Not so much the making of items but the accumulation of crafting supplies. I most certainly have. Through that experience I have learned a few things and here is my advice on avoiding this problem.

Always supply your craft hobby as though you are a beginner.

Any wise person who starts a new hobby generally begins with the minimum of supplies in order to try it out to see if they are really going to enjoy it. They buy or better still borrow the basic equipment or perhaps even take a class where the equipment is provided. Then they buy only the materials that they need for the project and give it a try.

Sometimes this hobby goes nowhere because they discover they didn’t enjoy it or didn’t have the aptitude necessary. Nothing lost here because they only bought the minimum of supplies. On the other hand sometimes the person finds they really enjoy the hobby and delve in enthusiastically. Hobbies can be so satisfying and are a wonderful way to reduce stress and fill your time doing something better than just sitting around watching TV in your spare time.

Where we then go wrong is to become overenthusiastic about buying up materials for our hobbies. Seeking out and buying materials in advance of even having a project in mine. This is so easy to do when you see that cute piece of fabric, that gorgeous piece of paper, that lusciously grained piece of timber… . You must have it now because you may never see anything like it again. Sound familiar? It certainly does to me. Then of course there are tempting sales and hobby show that also draw you in. Temptation is everywhere.

So I repeat again ~ Always supply your hobby as though you are a beginner. Only buy materials for the project you are doing this moment. Only buy the tools that you a sure you will use over and over again and always finish one project before you begin the next. This comment sense approach will ensure your hobby supplies don’t get out of hand and you end up giving away hundreds of dollars worth of supplies should the time come that you tire of it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Choose a few items to declutter prior to tomorrows mission that is delivering your donations to the thrift store.

Eco Tip for the Day

Share and borrow between friends and family rather than everyone owning/buying everything.

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

So I tend to bite off more than I can chew. A few months ago the opportunity to have everyone out of the house for a weekend seemed like the perfect time to do some major cleaning up. I had high hopes. I was going to tackle the worst room in the house. It was filled floor to ceiling with boxes from the move and just had enough floor space to walk a thin path around it. Since the move had taken place some five years before I had the brilliant idea that it would be no sweat to clear out that area.

But where to start? I mean of course you wanted to start near the door so you could make sure you had room to actually get things in and out but What then? Well, I started out at the door. To the right of the door was a large bookshelf filled with odds and ends and stacked on top of the shelf were old boxes. I managed to get a step ladder and started from the top. The boxes were very heavy and I barely made it safely to the floor with them. I imagined they were books or something equally as hefty. As I opened them I discovered they were VHS tapes. Boxes and boxes of VHS tapes.

The hoarder in me wanted to save them as I had invested a lot of money completing my collection but I was reminded of my vow to stop collecting things. Things are not important. People and memories are. If I really wanted to remember a particular video I could just take a photo of it and remind myself to look it up later. I did, however, go through the boxes and take out the recordings of my family. I did not want to toss out memories, just junk. That took me some time and I hauled the boxes down the stairs and out to the street.

Moving on, I went through the rest of the bookshelf. I had three boxes with me. One was marked Goodwill, one was Trash and the last, smallest box was Keep. I went through those shelves ruthlessly tossing almost all of the junk into the goodwill pile. Broken dishes, bits of paper and so on went into the trash. That went quickly and I was relieved. Beyond the bookshelf was a walk in closet. It wasn’t the biggest closet, about the size of a twin bed. However it was packed with old clothes and more boxes, big ones.

I got the boxes down one by one. The first few largest ones were filled with blankets. Twin, King, Queen, quilts and throws and everything in between. Some I recognized as belonging to my great-grandmother and I set them aside. Others were down and were perfect for winter. The rest I threw in the Goodwill box. Although it is good to have extra blankets on hand I though three large boxes full was going a bit overboard. Especially when we had not used the in five years. Throw pillows, stuffed animals and other small soft things were in the next box. Then I got to the hard part. Boxes of photos and papers.

The photos had to be kept, of course, although I was not going to volunteer to sort through them and create an album. The papers were old enough that they could be tossed safely and I tossed as quickly as I could. A box of my old things from college was next and I couldn’t help but hold on to a relic or two. A small box of old comics went into a pile for eBay along with a few collectable toys.

All the dust was really starting to make my eyes water and I dragged some things downstairs for a break. Gathering a mask and washing my hands I ventured back into the never ending closet. The clothes were next on my list. I brought up trash bags and just started to go through the clothes one by one. Easter dresses, graduation gowns, old sweaters, Halloween costumes and anything else you probably would not miss packed the closet. The packed bags filled the floor of the closet and I was forced to drag everything out to my car before continuing. Exhausted and only halfway through with the closet I called it a night.

The next day I started up again. I finished the clothing leaving only a few outfits to decorate the bare walls. Before I could move on however I had to address the growing pile of bags and boxes in my living room. Far more than could fit in the trunk of my car I had to figure out a way to get them to Goodwill. I finally got my neighbor to drive a load up in the back of his pickup and we managed to get the whole thing done in one go.

When I returned to finish up the room I felt defeated. I had barely scratched the surface in a day and a half of steady work. On top of that the break from the family had been cut short and they were due back any minute. I forced myself to straighten up and make sure the walking path was navigable again. Thoroughly disgusted I felt like I had wasted my time. But then I thought about how much I had gotten rid of. Hundreds of pounds of junk was no longer in my house. Even though it might not look like much, it was that much less I would have to deal with in the future.

The experience also inspired me to tackle my own closet. It was much smaller and less daunting then the one I had already done. With only an hour or two of work I was able to get my closet in great shape and feel like I had accomplished something.

Beyond just cleaning up that closet I also learned a valuable lesson. Even good stuff that is stored away becomes bad stuff eventually. There is no sense in keeping things you are not going to use. It only makes it that much harder on you later. Now I have started to just throw away things that do not have to be kept. I try to get at least one bag a week in my trunk and off to Goodwill. This helps me to keep the clutter from building up again. Hopefully one day I can get the clutter in my home under control, but until that point I will try my best to not add to it.

I have started to think of clutter like the chains in Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol. Every day we build a new link in the chains that bind us when we continue to let junk build up in our lives. The only way to break free is to stop building the chains and start working to undo them.

Author Bio:

This post is contributed by Linda Bailey from housekeeping.org. She is a Texas-based writer who loves to write on the topics of housekeeping, green living, home décor, and more. She welcomes your comments which can be sent to b.lindahousekeeping @ gmail.com.

Today’s Mini Mission

Repair something that has been sitting useless so it can become useful again.

Eco Tip for the Day

Take a few lesson on sewing and/or simple handyman tasks. This way you can repair things rather than throwing them out and buying a new one. My local hardware store give free lessons or repairing and repurposing, maybe yours does too.

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

Right now I am working on our inventory of possessions, which is a task we have to do for insurance purposes when we are moving to a new location. This is in case something gets damaged during the moving process. If it isn’t listed on the inventory it isn’t compensated for as loss or damage.

This task gives me the opportunity to identify every item in our home and either add it to the inventory or make the decision to eliminate it. It is nice to know that I have been through the entire kitchen this week and have only felt inclined to declutter four little things. I am very happy knowing that this area is as I want it to be. For now anyway.

We are working off the previous inventory from our last move. The first thing I do is go through the existing list and delete the items that I know we no longer own. I have to admit that this action reduced the value of items in my craft area by $2500. Yikes. And that doesn’t include doing a recount on scrapbook paper of which I know I have sold or given away quite a bit of.

Since writing that last paragraph I have been working on the craft area inventory and am a little disappointed with the small quantity of things I have decided to part with. It seems I have not recovered completely from the I-might-want-it-some-day attitude in this area of my belongings. Mind you when you look at the comparison photos of my craft area now and what it looked like when I began decluttering, the reduction is certainly impressive. There is nothing wrong with maintaining the opportunities to be creative I guess. For now I will continue with the inventory and reduce where I feel comfortable. Then I will wait to explore what outlets for creativity there are in our new location, next year, before I make any more reductions in this area.

What I do know is that this is the only time I have actually enjoyed compiling the inventory of our belongings. In the past the list was extensive and took in inordinate amount of time to read through and update. This time around it is a joy in its simplicity. I tackle one area of the house at a time. I get great pleasure in the first step of crossing off all the things we no longer own. The next task is to add items to the list that we didn’t own when it was last compiled. Step three is to reduce the item count on the things that we now own fewer of. Then there are slight adjustments to be made on the replacement cost field. After those tasks I usually have enough enthusiasm remaining to rename items in the database so that they are easier to search for when doing future adjustments.

As I mentioned in the first paragraph, doing the inventory is an opportunity to go over everything we own with a fine tooth comb, so to speak, and decide whether we want it or not. It is also a good chance to make sure that all items are stored in the most logical positions in the home. I am glad to say that so far, in the kitchen, all I have reshuffled are a few storage items and the craft area required a little reshuffling as I found items to declutter. Which just goes to prove that once the clutter is removed the organising takes care of itself, because things naturally find their logical position within the home.

This exercise will also give us a definite value of our home contents for insurance purposes. I have my fingers crossed that we can reduce and adjust that and get ourselves a small refund on our current policy. My husband however thinks that we may have gotten a little over zealous when we reduced the value when we last renewed the policy. Time will tell.

One thing is for sure, the pre-pack day for our move should be short and sweet, as should uplift day and the set down and unpack at the other end. Yay for living a more minimalist lifestyle. 

Today’s Mini Mission

Return something, whether that be to another person or to a store.

Eco Tip for the Day

If you use a printer in your workplace, only print what really needs printing and print double sided if you can.

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 weeks mini missions are all about the act of actually getting your clutter off the premises. Choosing something to declutter is one thing but the mission is not complete until you actually take the final step to get it out of there. There are several ways to  go about that ~ sell it, return it, transform it, donate it, recycle it or trash it. So here are your missions for the week.

Monday – List something for sale that you have been putting off for whatever reason.

Tuesday – Return something, whether that be to another person or to a store.

Wednesday – Repair something that has been sitting useless so it can become useful again.

Thursday – Choose a few items to declutter prior to tomorrows mission.

Friday – Deliver a load of decluttered but still useful items to a charity of your choice. Or if you have the option phone the charity to come and collect if from you.

Saturday – Declutter some items, that are no longer useful to anyone, by putting them immediately into the trash or the recycling bin.

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

Give consumable gifts. Preferably one from sustainable sources.

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!

Barbara

Gillie

Creative Me

EcoCatLady

Melissa

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

lovingsimpleliving.com  ~ Cant-afford-minimalist-lifestyle

www.collaborativeconsumption.com ~ google-the-latest-collaborative-consumption-startup

unclutterer.com ~ A-too-small-house

www.aslobcomesclean.com ~ methodical-vs-maniacal

The latest episode of the Midway Decluttering Show

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter electric entertainment devices that aren’t that useful to you. Suggestions ~ Outdated games consoles, old stereo equipment, superseded iPods, old computer equipment, electronic photo frames, slide projector, video player, second, third or forth TV… .We now own one TV, an iPod dock, computers that are all in use ( a laptop, a desktop and an iPad) 

Eco Tip For The Day

Most people have digital cameras these days but some still think “old school” when it comes to printing and insist on hardcopies of everything. Why not save paper and ink and only get the photos printed that you intend to display. Even sending copies to family and friends can be done digitally. No need for waste there either.

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

Deb J

A quick apology to Deb J and the readers who wondered why her 4th Thursday post wasn’t published last week. Silly me! I forgot. Goodness only knows why because Deb’s posts give me a day off each month and you would think I would look forward to that. 

I’d had this soft, cuddly Ground Hog Beanie Baby since 2002. On Ground Hog day that year I had a new job and the company had a celebration because we had supposedly survived the “go live” of four new programs as well as new phones. One of the people I worked with had given all of us in management one of these little toys.

I had a small cloth rabbit that was the start of a rabbit collection I didn’t want. It was from a very close friend and I really liked the rabbit when I first received it. I just didn’t want a collection of rabbits. I’d had it for many years. I never see the friend anymore because we live far apart but she will always have meaning in my life.

I had this cute rabbit sitting on a chair that another friend had given me. I received it several years ago and it had meaning because at the time this friend was a rabbit collector herself. She’s still my best friend but one of the few people I know who is just as much a declutterer as I am.

I had a small quilted rectangle with scripture on it. I had made it many years ago and then made more to give to friends. It was very special at the time because of the circumstances in our lives back then. It was old and worn.

The day I wrote this post I took pictures of all of these items. As I was looking over items with the idea of decluttering them I realized that while they had meaning they didn’t really need to be kept. Having a picture of them would remind me of the person or occasion they were from and the object itself could be passed on or trashed. They just sat on a shelf collecting dust. The ONLY time I looked at them was when I was dusting them or when I had to move them to get to the books behind them.

I’m not sure I even need the pictures. But since they are just taking up a small bit of space on my hard drive right now, I can take some time to think about them. It’s easy to pull up a picture and decide if I need it. I do that about once a month. If I decide to keep it then it goes into one of the files I have on my computer for pictures. If not, it gets deleted. Simple. Easy. I’ve been doing a lot of this lately—taking pictures, holding them a while and most being deleted. I don’t need an item to remember people who are/were special to me. I’ve got a good memory for things like that.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter electric garage or craft tools that aren’t useful enough to warrant keeping. I won’t make a list of these as they are so many and varied.

Eco Tip for the Day

Let your fingers do the driving. When there is something you need to shop for, phone ahead to make sure the store has what you are after rather than making a wasted trip. Every small amount of petroleum product saved is a good thing.

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