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.

How many times have you kept something because you thought you might need it someday. Have you ever stopped to think maybe you never needed it in the first place. If it is an item that you might only need someday then chances are, if it is an item that only makes a job easier but you could manage without it ,then it isn’t worth the space it is taking up. So lets see what we can find this week that you really won’t need someday.

Monday – Declutter a kitchen gadget that you use rarely but could easily manage without.

Tuesday – Declutter a tool from the garage or shed that is use too rarely to allow to clutter up the space.

Wednesday – Declutter an item of clothing that is used rarely if ever.

Thursday – Declutter excess sheet and towels that would only be needed should you house a much larger number of people than maybe even your house would allow comfortably.

Friday – Declutter crockery and cutlery that would only be required under the same circumstances as the Thursday mission.

Saturday – Declutter medication from your cabinet that you bought to have on hand when you needed them but now are out of date.

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

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

Do you have a lot of stuff lingering in your home that serves no purpose but to have you clinging to the past. Not that there is anything wrong with holding on to things, so long as they are useful or beautiful in your eyes. But dwelling too much in the past can hamper the possibilities of the present and the future. And there are endless possibilities.

I am not saying to try to forget your past and I am most certainly not saying to let go of your memories of people, places and situations you once loved, lived and enjoyed. But if you have a home full of stuff that is now of no use then it doesn’t leave much space to comfortably allow those new possibilities into your life. And besides the memories are in your mind not in the stuff, the stuff is merely a prompt. And it is my experience that we run into these kinds of prompts on a regular basis in our everyday lives.

Mind you I am also not saying to get rid of the clutter from the past just to fill your home up with a whole lot of new clutter. Sometimes being spoiled for choice is just that, having so much to choose from you don’t know where to turn. You could just end up with a whole pile of unfulfilled aspiration. There is always a fine line between inspiration and aspiration.

Anyway I am getting ahead of myself here. So lets go back to all that stuff in your life that you no longer need, want, use or love. Things like…

• Gifts that you no longer care to keep but do out of obligation. The point of a gift is in the giving and although most people try to give you something that they believe you will like, that goal is not always achieved. And, even if it is, eventually the novelty can wear off and you no longer want the item. You should not feel obliged to keep anything you never or no longer like or want. If the giver has a problem with that they that is their own personal issue.
• Sporting, equipment, hobby and craft supplies that you no longer use but fear getting rid of in case you have a desire to return to that particular pastime. The fear and thoughts of waste could be blocking you from taking up a new and more enjoyable pastime for the current you. If you do start something new, cater to it in moderation so if you once again move on then not much will go to waste.
• Clothes that fitted a body size that you may never return to, whether you desire to or not. That is larger or smaller clothes kept out of fear or aspiration. Fear that you will regain weight or aspiration that you will lose it. Both types can cause feelings of negativity.
• Fashion related accessories ~ jewellery, shoes, handbags, hats… ~ that no longer suit the person you are at this given time. Keeping such items in the hope that they will come back into fashion is a fools game if your desire is to have an uncluttered home.
• Papers from past studies, business etc. The chances are that you will never need them and most of what is in them are out of date materials now anyway. Of course when it comes to business, tax papers need to be kept for a certain length of time but shred them and make space to thrive as soon as they reach their expiry dates.
• Personal papers are a tricky one. Only you can make the call on how important they are to you and how many you are prepared to keep. Digitising is an option if you aren’t that attached to the original form.
• Even the value of certain keepsakes in your abundant collection will wain in importance as the years go by. And don’t be fooled by the buzz you get when you encounter them after long periods of time. Take them out of that dusty old box and put them on display for a while and see how long it takes for the novelty to wear off. Having volunteered in thrift shops for a long time I can attest to the fact that once you are gone, if the items have no meaning to the next generation, they will soon end up in the trash or donated. However if they items are particularly special I am sure they will be kept and passed on.
• General just-in-case items. All of those miscellaneous items we don’t use anymore but keep just in case we might need them one day. The chances are we never really needed them in the first place. When you encounter such an item ask yourself ~ “If I found my in the situation where I “need” this item in the future could I improvise with another item I still own or easily borrow one from someone else?” The answer is usually yes.

My intention when decluttering was to do it for good. No getting rid of stuff just to make room for more clutter. As each potential declutterable item passed into sight I would ask myself ~ “How much do I really need or want this?”. The answer was often ~ “Not enough to keep it and waste space in my home.” Through this process I realised how much stuff passes through our lives that isn’t used or loved enough to have wasted our hard earned money on. I came to the conclusion that is was time to put not only the stuff but that way of living behind me. So good by stuff and hello not working so hard to afford it. And hello to a much more satisfying life full of far more worthwhile pursues and possibilities.

Is that the kind of life you would like? Well get rid of all the stuff holding you down, shake of the bad habits of the past and get on with your new clutter-free life.

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 mission are all about growth and change. We may stop growing physically when we reach adulthood but we never stop growing mentally. So therefore we are ever changing. And in order to not end up with a house full of clutter we need to let go of the things that are no longer useful or meaningful to us as we grow and change. So this weeks lets get rid of some stuff that we have “grown” out of.

Monday – Declutter something from an old pastime, sport or hobby.

Tuesday – Declutter a piece of clothing that no longer fits with how you now see yourself.

Wednesday – Declutter something from an past relationship that isn’t meaningful to you any more.

Thursday – Declutter a book that you doubt you will ever return to read again now that you are more mature or your beliefs have changed.

Friday – Declutter a gift that pleased you in the past but now isn’t something of worth to you.

Saturday – Declutter something that was useful when you lived elsewhere but isn’t in your current location.

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

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

Today I am publishing a comment from and new reader, Joann, who left a comment to an old post. I enjoyed the comment so much I wanted to share it with you. It is a little out of season but who cares. Christmas will be here soon enough. So without further adieu, here it is.

Every Christmas we celebrate what we call Freebie Christmas. Nothing may be bought, everything has to be free, like a coupon for a free box of detergent or an ice-cream cone. When the bank gives me a thank you pen, or blank book, or backpack for opening an account, these go into the freebie box. By the end of the year, I have gifts galore for every one. One year a friend gave me a set of stoneware loaf pans she no longer wanted, brand new in the box! These went into my freebie box. As a result of a year of collecting “new” stuff, I have lovely things to give to my family and extended family. A store was going out of business and you could fill a bag for $5. I filled my bag, calculated what would have cos $5 and put the rest into my freebie box. This included 3 beautiful china teapots, which were a great hit as gifts. Since of the gifts have no monetary value, no one minds if the recipient recycles the gift to some one else and NO ONE ever has their feelings hurt, because it does not matter, it is for the fun, not the gift. One year I received those plastic covers with elastic around the edge for covering food in bowls. I had never seen those before and thought they were very clever shower caps in all sorts of sizes, even one for the dog. Another year, my brother had won the contents of an old theater prop room, so we received Tiny Tim Cratchit’s crutch and a beautiful set of replica Titanic china. We do a lot of laughing and enjoy Christmas very much, without any guilt for passing on some of the gifts.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something made from an animal product eg. leather, bone, wool…

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

When buying bars of soap, buy ones without wrappers or multipacks that come in a simple cardboard box. Every little bit of plastic saved from landfill counts.

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

In a post a couple of weeks ago that asked a range of question about your clutter issues and my blog. One of the readers asked for more information on how to get rid of the clutter that has been set aside for removal. I do have a list of ideas on a page here at 365 called Recycling/Donating Guide that you can find here. However it is an unfinished page and may not yield the information you are looking for and also may not be relevant to your location. It is worth taking a look at none the less during those times when you have hit a brick wall.

As I just mentioned, access to ways to sell, donate and recycle your decluttered items is individual to your location. Sometimes you just have to get imaginative. However the more knowledge of general options you have, the easier it is to expand on that knowledge in tricky situations.

The original purpose of this post is to suggest ways to send on the items mentioned in this weeks missions. However together, in the comments, we can expand on that and bring new options to light that many readers may not have thought of before. Not only for the items of the missions but for other items. Just throw in your query or suggestions and see what comes of it.

Monday – Declutter something made from paper.

• Books ~ Donate to a library, mini local or pop up libraries or thrift shop, nursing home, hospital. Sell on-line or at a garage sale, market stall or secondhand bookshop. Give to friends.
• Magazines ~ Donate to all places mentioned for Books, also schools or doctor and dental surgeries for use in their waiting rooms. Put them in the recycling. Sell on-line or at a garage sale, market stall or secondhand bookshop. Give to friends.
• Old paperwork ~ Shred and recycle. Or if you are the crafty type you could make recycled paper from them yourself.
• Letters, diaries ~ Shred and recycle. If there are any pages you wish to reread but don’t want to keep digitise them prior to destroying them.
• Greeting cards ~ Donate to schools or craft groups for upcycling. Digitise if desired and recycle.

Tuesday – Declutter something made from wood.

• Small wooden items (trinkets, boxes, toys) Donate to a thrift shop.
• Lopped trees etc ~ Use up as firewood. Advertise as fire wood to sell or give away. Take to a local waste and recycling site where it might be chipped for garden mulch.
• Building supplies ~ Advertise to sell or give away, the internet sites like Freecycle, ebay or local buy-swap-sell sites on Facebook are good for this. Donate to a local mens shed or woodworking group/club.
• Furniture ~ Sell via the internet sites like Freecycle, ebay or local buy-swap-sell sites on Facebook etc. Sell to a secondhand dealer. Or donate to charity. Most charities will pick up so you don’t have to worry about transporting the items. If you live in an apartment building you could place an ad on the building bulletin board. I have given away small furniture items by placing them on the footpath in front of my house until someone takes them away. I never leave them out in the rain and I bring them in at night. They usually disappear before this is necessary though. You might want to check it this is legal in your area.

Wednesday – Declutter something made from fabric.

• Clothing ~ Sell through the internet (see above ideas) or local consignment clothing stores. Donate to thrift shops or local charities who send to those less fortunate overseas. Local churches often run or have insight to these charities. Hand clothing on to friends or family. If too far gone use them as rags. Anything beyond that probably just needs to go in the trash.
• Sheets, towels & blankets ~ Donate as above. Also sheets can be used as weed matting in the garden. Towels, blankets and pillows can sometimes be donated to pet shelters, veterinary surgeries, pet day care centres and the like.
• Fabric cuts and scraps for crafting. Use them up by making them into something useful. They can also be donated to thrift shops. Schools will appreciate them for arts and craft projects. Local quilting groups would, no doubt, also be happy to take them off your hands.

Thursday – Declutter something plastic.

• Kitchen ware ~ Sell, donate or give away using various methods already mentioned above. If broken many plastic items can be recycled.
• Children’s toys ~ Donate to thrift shop or other charity, day care centre, any place with a waiting room where children attend. Hand down to family or friends. Or sell using methods already mentioned.
• Pens ~ Donate to a school or perhaps even to your work place if you have way too many.
• Storage containers ~ Hopefully you might have empties a few of these by now and have vowed never to need them again. Ofter them to family or friends or donate them to a charity or thrift shop.

Friday – Declutter something made from an animal product eg. leather, bone, wool…

• Woollen clothing ~ (Sweater, socks, trousers, underwear, scarf…)
• Leather Accessories ~ (Handbags, wallet, purse, jewellery…)
• Leather Wearables ~ (Shoes, jacket, gloves, belt…)

Most, if not all, of these items can be donated to thrift shops or other charities. Or sold if in good condition to individuals or via a clothing consignment store.

Saturday – Declutter something metal. That could also be precious metal.

• Kitchen Items (Pots, Pans, cutlery…) ~ All can be sold or donated like any of the other items above.
• Scrap metal in the yard ~ Sold to metal merchant or taken to recycling facility.
• Jewellery ~ Donated or sold same as kitchen items. Passed down to another member of the family or friends. Sold to precious metal merchants as scrap (I’m not a lover of this method as you are usually paid a pittance.).

You can also accumulate your items and hold a garage sale or participate in a car boot sale. This is a quick and effective way of getting rid of a lot of stuff on one occasion. However it does mean having the stuff hang around until you have enough to make the event worth the effort and the season has to be right for some climates. Once the sale is over the leftovers can be disposed of by one of the other options mentioned. I actually do enjoy this method, although the last time I did this was in 2007. With eBay, Freecycle and other online and offline methods I managed to sell most of the items I wanted to without the problem of having somewhere to store them.

Usually a quick google search with yield information about local charities in your area, also where you might find a consignment store, scrap metal merchants or any of the outlets mentioned above. That includes searching for local events such as flea markets/car boot sales and identifying online buy swap & sell sites.

Word of mouth is also a very good way to get rid of items you either want to give away or sell. I have parted with many an item this way. Simply ask anyone you know who you think might be interested in an item. It they aren’t interested they might know someone who could be. Telling people in your workplace, family or friends are some of the most likely options for offloading stuff this way.

If you work within a large workforce instigate a “free box” in the staff room where small items can be put for giving away. Staff bulletin boards are also good for giving away or selling items.

Hopefully this has given you some good ideas on how to offload your unwanted stuff. Please make sure items are clean and in good condition when donating, selling or giving them away.

So now lets see what other wonderful idea my wonderful readers can add to this discussion.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something plastic.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Consider online magazine subscription rather than wasting paper.

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.

After being away interstate celebrating a family occasion and catching up when getting home, I haven’t had much thought for decluttering. Except the usual crafting in the seemingly never ending bid to reduce my craft supplies. It is a labour of love.

I must apologise also for not being present in the conversation going on in the comments section of the blog posts. Same reason as above. Hopefully life will settle back into a rhythm for a little while again.

So what shall we focus on decluttering in the mini missions this week. Lets go with what things are made of.

Monday – Declutter something made from paper.

Tuesday – Declutter something made from wood.

Wednesday – Declutter something made from fabric.

Thursday – Declutter something plastic.

Friday - Declutter something made from an animal product eg. leather, bone, wool…

Saturday – Declutter something metal. That could also be precious metal.

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

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

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.

As the title of today’s post implies the missions this week focus on stuff that is out of place in our homes. It is an old MMM post that I have dragged up out of the archives for your decluttering pleasure. Have fun with it and happy decluttering.

Monday – Declutter something in a pile somewhere that it ought not be.

Tuesday – Declutter somethings that have overflowed the area designated to the likes of it.

Wednesday – Declutter something that you’ve been keeping but really belongs in the trash.

Thursday – Declutter something that is wasting space, making it difficult to store more useful items.

Friday – Declutter something that hasn’t been used in a long time. After all, if you don’t have a use for it then your home is not the right place for it.

Saturday – Declutter receipts and other fiddly bits from your handbag. Clutter in your bag makes it hard to find the things you do need from in there.

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

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

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

Last week I received a response from deanna ar USA to the following archived post. Deanna is relatively new to my blog and is busy reading through the archives. Quite a feat given I have been writing for over five years now.

I was glad she drew my attention to this old post because there would be quite a lot of my current readers who have never had the opportunity to answer the questions involved. There would also still be some readers around who answered it the first time who could give us some interesting updates on their continued progress. Either way it will be fun to read all your responses.

So without further adieu here is the post.

Today’s post is short and straight to the point. I have laid out ten questions, five about you and five about me. I would like you to read, think about then answer them either privately to ponder on or in the form of a comment so we can discuss them between us. Maybe we can learn a thing or two not only from the answers but from the discussion they generate. There are no correct answers to these questions and some may even be irrelevant to you so just  answer them honestly. Here are the questions.

For you

1. What do you think has been the main cause of clutter build up for you in the past? (This could be more than one thing)
2. Have you changed your purchasing habits since you have begun your latest decluttering mission?
3. Do you think you have learned enough about your clutter habits not to end up back at square one sometime in the future?
4. What is something that you have realised recently that had never occurred to you before about your clutter?
5. Is your clutter problem more about having too much or not being organised?

For me

1. Has my blog helped you with your clutter mission and if yes, in what way?
2. My style of decluttering is “Slow & Steady” do you think that is a style that works for you and makes my blog unique?
3. Do you need more advice about organising the stuff you are keeping or getting rid of the stuff you aren’t?
4. Do you think you need practical advice about decluttering or do you feel you benefit more by being awakened to what the problem might be in the first place?
5. Is there something you would like included here at 365 less things that you feel is missing and would make my blog a better help to you?

* * * * * * * * * * *

And to save Deanna the hassle of having to retype all of her responses here the are…

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you wouldn’t keep if you didn’t feel obliged to.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

It is better to refuse and reduce than to have to recycle. So if you can avoid packaging and bags please do.

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.

Being useful or beautiful, or brings you joy, some might argue, or the only reasons to keep things. And they sound like good reasons to me. There are infinitely more reason to let things go. So this weeks missions cover just six of those reasons. So let’s see if we can find six objects to match those reasons.

Monday – Declutter something you wouldn’t want to pack up and move to another house.

Tuesday – Declutter something that you wouldn’t be sad about being destroyed in a house fire. (Even as I right that it sounds a little morbid)

Wednesday – Declutter something that you wouldn’t keep if you didn’t feel obliged to.

Thursday – Declutter something that makes you feel uncomfortable. Be that physically or mentally.

Friday – Declutter something that you simply have no use or love for.

Saturday – Declutter something from a too full drawer or cupboard shelf. Keeping in mind that things in cupboards or shelves are spare and we only need so many of them.

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