I received the following comment on Thursday for Joanie and I am hoping those of you who have been through a similar experience might have some good advice for her. Hi, Colleen! You are talking to me. My mom passed away in October at 93. I was her main caregiver and, at her death, inherited her home of 45 years. I’ve been sorting, shredding, recycling, donating and throwing out ever since. I didn’t want to stay here but didn’t know how I would get rid of an old house in a fraying neighborhood. Then my niece approached me with a very sensible plan. She is weighed down with student … [Read more...]
Archives for May 2015
Declutter as if you are moving house
There is nothing like the prospect of moving house to motivate a person to get rid of their clutter. My son and his family have been doing this for a few of months now. Initially it was to make room for the new baby that is on the way but then they decided they had had enough of renting a home from someone who wasn't keen to maintain it. So they decided to move house. He is lucky because he has a very easy way to get rid of his clutter. And that is to fill up the trunk of our car every time we have reason to go to his house. I think he actually invents reason for us to drop by just so we can … [Read more...]
Mini Mission Monday ~ Why
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. Why keep stuff that we don't need. Why do we decide to let them go. Other than that we are sick of the clutter. This weeks missions are all about reasons for letting stuff go. So lets get started. Monday - Let something go that you have more than enough of. Tuesday - Let something go that … [Read more...]
See space. Fill that space … Not! by Nicole V
By Nicole V We said goodbye to an old friend yesterday. It was a hi-fi system that had served us faithfully for many years. I was with my then-boyfriend (now husband) when he purchased it and – as it was large and really heavy – I remember us taking a cab back to his place and watching him set it up in his room. After we got married, it moved with us to 3 different homes and brought us countless hours of enjoyment and relaxation (thank you, Old Faithful!). After working tirelessly for so long, it finally gave up the ghost and my husband dismantled it and it left our home soon after – … [Read more...]
A Post from Deb J ~ Reading Too Much
I have discovered something about myself. I read too much. Yes, I really said that. I definitely read too much. I love to read and I am a very fast reader. I read 2-3 books in an evening depending upon the length of the book. I was pretty happy with the decluttering I have done over the years. I used to have an extensive library. I once sold enough books to pay for one semester of college. While I never accumulated that many books again, I did have a bunch of books that I decluttered over the last few years. Then I started using a Kindle and had over 1000 books on it. I … [Read more...]
Mini Mission Monday ~ Three months or longer
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. I think the title certainly gives away the theme of this week's mini missions. We are going to search areas of our house for things that haven't been used in three months. Then hopefully we can convince ourselves to let them go. Monday - We'll make today easy. Find something in your kitchen … [Read more...]
It’s all about you
Today's mini mission is ~ Just declutter something that isn’t “youâ€. In reality all of this weeks mini missions have been about getting rid of things that aren't you. By this I mean things that don't spark any joy in you. Joy that something fits you. Joy that something works well for you. Joy that you find something beautiful. Joy that brings back happy memories... Unwanted gifts. Disappointing purchases. Items that feel like they are nagging you to do something you don't have the time or inclination for right now. Items you accepted from others only because you felt you couldn't say … [Read more...]
Simplify
I was browsing Pinterest yesterday and this article, about what to do when feeling overwhelmed, caught my eye. Read it now if you are interested. It go me thinking that although I have a blessed life I still feel overwhelmed at times. More times than is healthy or logical actually, given the relatively easy life I live. I got to the next to last paragraph and this is what it said... SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE This won’t necessarily help in the moment, but I still think it’s important to prevent it from happening again. One of my goals this year is to live with intention and cut back on the … [Read more...]
Mini Mission Monday ~ Why keep things YOU don’t really want.
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. I guess it is about time again for a set of mini missions based on some of the psychological reasons we hold on to stuff. Monday - Declutter some aspiration clutter. That is something you hold onto because you aspire to doing something with it. An aspiration that has gone unrealised for a long … [Read more...]
More great readers comments.
Christina Loved reading your bio, add another 20 years and we are almost identical, yes I am outspoken too! My de cluttering occurred because we have lived in this home for 35 years and unlike friends and family have had no need to declutter due to moving house. I decided I didn't want to leave unnecessary "stuff" for my 2 adult children to declutter when the time eventually comes ( we are determined to live until we are at least 90!) So I am religiously following your de cluttering advice on a daily basis, with a few extras of my own. This last week I decided to attack my sewing … [Read more...]