Deb J

My Mom is a gardener at heart. She loves to work in the yard growing flowers and some veggies. She also loves to grow indoor plants. I think if she could she would be “gardening” all the time. There are problems with all this. She can no longer physically do the gardening. It is hard for her. She feels she has lost part of her identity.

We have always been known for having a “jungle” in our house. There have been plants, plants and more plants. When she was still gardening we also had a yard full of plants. It drove me nuts because to me it was too crowded. This is one area where I have learned to just compromise and live with it.

Lately Mom has been looking at things a little differently. She has given away a number of plants out of the house and off the porch. She says it feels stifling. She never thought about it because she was so on the go when she was younger. Now she sits down more, she realizes that it is draining.

These changes have recently precipitated several conversations with others about their landscapes both inside and out. It takes energy and time to have a breathtaking landscape. They have been asking. Do you have the energy and time? Is this where you want to spend your time and energy? Or do you need to declutter the landscape in order to create beauty while also creating minimal effort and time?

One last thought. What does your mental/emotional landscape look like? Does it also need some decluttering?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a  childhood or baby item of you or your children.

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t throw those old sheets, towels, blankets and pillows in the trash donate them to an animal shelter, humane society, wildlife rescue service, kennel or veterinary surgery.

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

Recently a friend was cleaning out items from his mother’s estate, a chore than sadly has stretched on at least two years now. He brought over a bag of craft supplies, jewelry, and a peanut butter jar full of needles and other small sewing items.  In pretty short order, Dan and the girls and I sorted through the jewelry and craft supplies. Only the peanut butter jar remained. Specifically, it remained on my desk for weeks. Finally I got sick of looking at it there, so I moved it to the kitchen island to motivate myself to sort through it. There is remained for another month. I looked at it yesterday and realized that I still hadn’t sorted through it and that, more importantly, I obviously didn’t care. I don’t need any needles; I don’t need any pins. I suppose it’s possible that there is some tiny sewing item in the jar that might make my sewing box better and more complete, but I don’t know what it is and (say it with me) I don’t care. It’s just clutter. I don’t know everything that’s in that jar, and I just don’t care. It wasn’t my clutter, but then I let it become my clutter. I put it into the thrift store bag without opening it. Problem taken care of.

We think that we have to sort, and categorize, and make a wise decision about every item that needs to be decluttered. Maybe it doesn’t matter to you; maybe you don’t care.  Do you need to look through each craft supply, each ball of yarn, each set of beads and make a separate and independent decision? Not if you don’t care. Just get rid of the whole lot and be finished with it. Same with books, tools, cookware, collectibles – anything that you feel this constant, aching need to “deal” with when you just really don’t want to. Let me free you from that nagging thought. Who cares if you could make a few bucks on Ebay? Who cares if one of those 100 books might be worth more than 25 cents at a garage sale? Just free them from your life. Sometimes it’s okay not to care.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a souvenir.

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

If you find it hard to part with sentimental clutter I have a plan that may help. The thing that is important to people when it comes to items of sentimental clutter is the memories they evoke and not so much the actual item itself. So I have two suggestions. The first one is simple.

Take digital images of your sentimental items, load them onto your computer and then declutter them. Include the image as part of your screen saver file so that whenever your computer goes into hibernation these memory triggers will flash up to remind you of precious loved ones, places and events in your life.

The second suggestion is to look at the item in question and think about what or who it reminds you of. Then think about what comes to mind regarding this person, place or event. Next step is to link those memories to everyday happenings that could easily evoke the same memories. For example…

An object that reminds me of my mother will bring up images for me of her laughing. I know that whenever I see someone uproariously laughing I always think of my mother. Cooking and sewing also remind me of my mother as does the shape of my mouth and some of my behavioural traits. I encounter all these things on a regular basis therefore I have no need of physical reminders collecting dust in my home.

For my father I only have to be working on a project and putting my all into it. My dad always says “A job worth doing is worth doing well.”. Kangaroos remind me of my father as do cars (he worked in the automotive industry). As you can imagine these things affords me plenty of opportunities  to think fondly of my dad and all the things I learned from him.

Seeing photos, artworks, documentaries etc. of places I have been remind me of my travels as does hearing names and accents specific to these places. Australia is multicultural enough that I am constantly reminded of my adventures in other parts of the globe without feeling the need to acquire souvenirs.

So give it go. Match the things you wish to remember to everyday things that don’t waste space in your home. You will be surprised how much more often you think of these things in the future. As I right this Jamie Oliver is on an ad on TV, this reminds my of my vacation in the UK.

For further inspiration to let go of sentimental items read the following links to so great comments by your fellow readers.

Todays post was inspired by this comment form Alicia. I immediately wanted to assure her that there are lots of memory triggers out there that will remind her of her friend without needing to possess physical reminders.

Then Andréia left this comment which summed up what I was thinking quite nicely. Andréia also left this comment that inspired this week’s mini missions.  She is living proof of how a person can change their ways when it comes to clutter.

Rebecca also left this great comment explaining how she is paring down her mementoes.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a family heirloom you possibly never really liked. Give it to another member of the family. Last week I gave my Grandmother’s engagement ring to my sister. I like it but I rarely wear it, however I am sure that she will.

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t throw away that old electric kettle or use harsh cleaners on it because it is all stained inside. Fill it with cold water, add a lemon wedge and bring to the boil, that stain will miraculously disappear.

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.

Last weeks post ~ Memories are no stuff ~ deserves a little more attention than just one post. So this week I will dedicate the mini mission and another post to the subject. I feel this is important because this kind of clutter is often the sort that most people have trouble detaching themselves from. The power of suggestion is, as the phrase suggests, a powerful thing. One can change their belief system when exposed enough to an opposing logical suggestion. So let me just repeat again that we don’t need stuff to remind us of those we love, what we have achieved or the good times we’ve had. Without further adieu here are some suggestions for things you might find you can happily live without.

Monday – Old birthday cards

Tuesday – A family heirloom you possibly never really liked. Give it to another member of the family.

Wednesday – A souvenir.

Thursday – A childhood or baby item of you or your children.

Friday – A diary or journal.

Saturday – Any memento that is boxed away somewhere where you rarely see 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

Using reusable items rather than throw away is not only good for the environment but can save you money.

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

Stuff is not people. Stuff is not places we have been, experiences we have had or the happy times in our lives. When all is said and done it is our memories that are important. All the significant loves and moments remain in our minds without  stuff so represent them. Yes stuff can remind us of those people, places and times, but any of significance will come to mind regardless of whether we have mementos or not.

In my experience the tendency to attach too much sentiment to inanimate objects comes hand in hand with a need to acquire and save objects to commemorate every little event in life. This can perpetuate a significant clutter problem. Since decluttering most of the sentimental items in my home I do not feel any less attached to the memories and loves of my life. They come to mind a on very regular, if somewhat random, basis. I am sure your experience would be the same minus all the storage issues, dusting and waste of money.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you feel ambivalent about. Something you have been sitting on the fence about decluttering for a while. Perhaps it is time to let it go.

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

Cindy I. posed a three part question in a comment two weeks ago. It went something like this…

Question. What makes you feel at home? Which little things do you need in order for you to feel good about yourself and your surroundings?  Do you think they may be things that other people take for granted?

This is a very good series of questions that make you think about what means most to you. Once you have formulated your answer ask yourself ~ “So why do I need all this other stuff?” Let this questions guide you in making easier decisions on whether to keep things or let them go.

If you feel inclined share your thoughts on this below. My answer is this…

The people I love is what makes my house a home but on the “stuff” side of things ~ I appreciate items that I find constantly useful. I appreciate art and like to have pieces I really enjoy in my home. I like to have items on hand that I can exercise my creativity with. I like to have a minimal amount of sentimental items. Aside from these things I really have no space to waste on anything else.

Today’s Mini Mission

It seems I have gotten this weeks missions mixed up and posted todays on Tuesday so I will post Tuesday’s today.

Declutter something that evokes a feeling of dissatisfaction. Perhaps an item of clothing that never quite suited you.

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

In the mail last week I received, from my mother-in-law, an article cut from a newspaper. The story was about a Brisbane family who set themselves a resolution to buy nothing new for 365 Days. Before I even got past the first sentence of the second paragraph I was inspired to write this blog post.

The first sentence of the article read ~ “A hair band was nearly her undoing.” ~ and right then and there I knew exactly where they were going with this story. You see I had the same epiphany one day when considering the purchase of a packet of hair bands. I have mentioned it before in this post which read…

I have about six hair ties bands. Yes that is right those little elastic rings to put hair in a ponytail. I keep one in my purse, one in a drawer downstairs to save me running up when I need one and there is often one in my hair. That doesn’t leave me a lot of spares so I am careful to keep a track of their whereabouts. In the past I bought these by packs of about 50 and as a result I didn’t bother to be precious with them. This doesn’t cause me extra work it just makes me mindful to put them back where they belong. It is not going to save me a fortune but it will help to reduce the number of them that go to waste.

The more we take things for granted the more careless we are with them. And that is another reason why decluttering and not having excessive backups on hand is advantageous. We take more care and don’t waste what we have, which is better for us financially, liberates space,  and is better for the environment.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that although it brings you happiness you really would rather the liberated space.

Eco Tip for the Day

Waste not, want not. ~ Don’t waste even the most trivial little things. Every little bit of waste eventually adds up.

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 we are going to let our feeling help us to declutter. I will name an emotion and you will find something in your home that evokes this feeling. I will of course be focusing on negative emotions because after all who wouldn’t want to get that sort of clutter out of their homes. I will how ever through at least one positive emotion, one neutral one and one undecided. So here goes

Monday – Declutter something that brings you sadness whenever you see it. Perhaps something that reminds you of a lost love.

Tuesday – Declutter something that evokes a feeling of dissatisfaction. Perhaps an item of clothing that never quite suited you.

Wednesday – Declutter something that causes you anger. Perhaps something that you bought but has never worked properly.

Thursday – Declutter something that although it brings you happiness you really would rather the liberated space.

Friday – Declutter something that you feel ambivalent about. Something you have been sitting on the fence about decluttering for a while. Perhaps it is time to let it go.

Saturday – Declutter something that evokes no other feeling except sheer boredom. This could be anything.

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

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

Last week one of our readers, Bea, asked for advice in this comment on how to avoid feelings of regret when it comes to decluttering sentimental objects. My advice, and one of the principles of my slow and steady decluttering style, is to work on the easy stuff to let go of first. Tackle the harder stuff later on when you are better at disassociating yourself from stuff.

Sanna then posted the following advice which gives a perfect example of this…

“We often tend to focus on the hardest decisions. I was really having problems with my difficulties of letting go some of my pottery and vase collection. I KNEW I had too much, but it was all there because I couldn’t bear parting with it and I let that drive me mad. However one day I finally realized, I needn’t worry about them, if I didn’t feel ready to part with them. After all, if I had no other clutter at all, that collection could easily fit in my home. So I went about other things I didn’t feel as attached to and – believe it or not – in letting go of that thought that I “must” declutter some of the pottery, I also let go of my inner child’s reaction to stubbornly cling onto it and I realized that I wasn’t actually that attached to ALL of the collection. It’s always best to just go with what you really feel good about.“ Read Sanna’s entire comment here.

What a great example of how this principle works. Thank you Sanna.

When I started out on my decluttering journey I had no idea what would stay and what would go. I am sure there were things I thought I would never declutter. However from the beginning my intention was to make my journey a smooth one and deliberately charted the easiest course. I started with the easy stuff, bypassing the difficult decisions and soon enough the harder stuff became the easy stuff. Practice hones your skills so that actions become second nature.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter items adorning benches that just make cleaning more of a chore. Kitchen benches and bathroom cabinets are  areas prone to this nuisance clutter. In bathrooms particularly there is not need to keep everything you use, once or at best twice a day, sitting on the bench top. It takes a fraction of a second to open a door or a drawer.

Eco Tip for the Day

Prolong turning on lights until you really need them and turn them off the moment you no longer do. Every second counts and there is the added bonus of a lower power bill.

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

I don’t remember exactly why I started decluttering. All I recall is that I was overwhelmed. I told about this here. However that story is over two years old. So why have I continued decluttering, even though I had reduced to a “manageable’ amount of stuff and a big house where I could fit all the storage units my heart could ever desire? I was not sure about the answer. I wanted more space, but more so, I did not want my children to deal with my clutter should something happen to me. There is always going to be some stuff they would have to deal with but less is better right. But why should that matter to me, I would be gone and they would be left with a lot of useful stuff among the clutter too.So there would be no harm, right? Wrong!

Well, yesterday I was watching “Hoarders: Buried alive” and it was a heart breaking episode. The actual hoarder had died, but she had left her hoarded house to her three grown offspring to clean up and return to the bank, as she had mortgaged her house to finance her acquisition of stuff. Sadly her son had been living with her and now has nowhere to live. It had gotten to the point that, had she lived, she would have nowhere to live either as the bank was already planning to foreclose on her mortgage. All caused by her clutter issues, her hoarding that she did not deal with. I know she had a mental illness, but it was a warning for the ones of us who are not sick.

As they started looking for important papers, heirlooms and documents amidst the trash, it was plane to see how lost and angry they were at their mother. As the show progressed and the cleanup team arrived it was so sad that instead of being able to cherish her memory they had to deal with this mess and humiliation. One of the daughters was so furious that she smashed a chair that had been her grandmother’s. I had been ruined amidst the grime caused by the hoarding. All the love was buried beneath the junk and the rats nests (plenty of those, yuck!!!). I felt sorry for them. They had not had the chance to grieve her properly. They could not walk through the house their mother had been living in and sit at her bed and just think about her. They could not gather one last time around her table to remember the good times. Clutter had robbed all that from them.

That was when I thought: “that is why I am clearing my house”. That is why I declutter. I declutter so that I live a full life, so that stuff is just the things that I use. So that my house will have breathing space for me and my family. Space in my bedroom where I teach my five year old to dance. Freedom to make clean up a quick chore, so that I have time to enjoy the good things in life.

And when I go, when I am no longer here, my loved ones will walk into my house, look at those empty spaces, remember me and all the good things that we shared together. Then they can quickly dispose of the physical stuff we all need to live in this world, but, in the end, is just stuff.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter parts of sets that aren’t being utilised. It isn’t compulsory to keep sets together. In the past I have sold or donated attachments to kitchen gadgets, a strainer from a pasta pot, saucers from a dinner set…

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