A guest post by Cindy Bogard

I subscribe to Real Simple magazine. I enjoy it, especially the section “New Uses for Everyday Things” which gives alternate uses for common objects. (Newspaper can deodorize food odors. Who knew?)

The December 2010 issue had an article called “Five Things to Save for Your Kids.” “That sounds good,” I thought. Well, think again, Real Simple. For once, I think your advice stinks.

The five experts and their “must keep” items are:

1. Eric Silver, an antique gallery owner and appraiser on Antiques Roadshow: Insignificant objects from significant occasions, such as a souvenir program from a concert or postcards from vacation.
2. Mike Bender, founder of the website AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com: Something mortifying from your childhood. Mr. Bender believes that we will whip this object out at the crucial moment and show our children how we can relate to their current, awkward situation in life.
3. Rafael Guber, genealogist: Practical, high-quality household items, such as soup ladles, candlesticks, rosary beads, and other items which can be used by the recipient to create a feeling of closeness to the item-giving loved one.
4. Jennie Eisenhower, great-granddaughter and granddaughter of two U.S. presidents: Something your descendants can re-purpose. Her example is a sugar bowl from her grandmother Pat Nixon, which she uses as a spare change bowl on her dresser.
5. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, history professor and author: What you wore to work Monday. Dr. Ulrich says that wedding dress are “a dime a dozen” because everyone saves those. Something really valuable is common, daily clothing, which few people save.

Wow, decluttering expert Cindy Bogard, blogger from Austin, Texas, thinks these people, with the possible exception of Jennie Eisenhower, have it all wrong.

Here’s how I break it down:

1. Insignificant objects from significant occasions – Significant to whom? Why? Mr. Silver’s example is a playbill from a concert by The Doors and Jefferson Airplane, now valued at $1000. Unless my father was a professional rock musician, if he gave this to me, I would say, “Thanks Dad” and sell it promptly.
2. Something mortifying from my childhood – Frankly, I have tried to rid myself of these things. I don’t think a ghastly photo of me wearing a now deeply unstylish outfit with a bad hair do and unflattering glasses is going to convince my children that I can relate to them. If anything, it could make me seems more out-of-touch.
3. Your practical, high quality household items – Hmm. While I don’t disagree with this bit of expert advice in principle, the items that Mr. Guber mentions (candlesticks, soup ladles) are not valuable to me. I like my grandmother’s kitchen knife that my grandfather sharpened so many times that it has an oddly curved blade and the handle is worn silky smooth. Hardly a “high-quality item,” but dear.
4. Something your descendants can re-purpose – This is the only one I like, because I like Ms. Eisenhower’s flexibility in re-purposing. I like that she feels free to enjoy her grandmother sugar bowl as a knick-knack collector on her dresser. I hope her grandmother likes it too.
5. What you wore to work on Monday – I’m sure historians would love to find a fantastic handmade, everyday outfit from the Colonial times, but it will be hundreds of years before someone will value the mass produced jeans and school t-shirt I am wearing right now.

Item 340 of 365 less things

Something I picked up at a garage sale back in the States because my hubby is a Pirates fan. Is has never seen the light of day since I bought it. It would be a miracle if someone spots it at the thrift shop and think “Wow a Pirates bag I have to have that”. Ha Ha

5 things I am grateful for today

1. Another beautiful day – Not to hot and a nice breeze and a few clouds around.
2. Skip-Bo – A card game that Liam, his grandma and I have been playing everyday for a week. I love to play games with family and friends. I don’t even care if I lose I just love to play.
   
3. Fred’s garden – I needed some chives for something I was cooking for dinner and my neighbour Fred has a great garden and loves to share. He actually thanks me for making him feel useful by using his stuff. What a guy!
4. Cindy – For saving the day yet again. With a visitor in the house and a busy week-end I went blank when trying to come up with a post today so I used one of Cindy’s efficiently written ahead of time posts.  I will try not to make too much of a habit of it.
5. Pancake shakers – Went there is only enough milk in the fridge for a morning coffee and there isn’t enough bread for toast it is great to be able to whip up a quick brecky (that’s breakfast for you non-Australians) of pancakes and syrup. No effort involved.
   

Cindy Bogard’s Weekly Post

I’m half-way through my decluttering journey. At the end of May, my friend Janet sent me a link to Unclutterer.com, and from there I found Colleen’s blog. I decided, “That’s a challenge I can take on,” and I started decluttering June 1. Every day, I post what I have decluttered on Facebook.

In the 182 days since, I have purged 1225 items, and made $1034.54 selling on Craigslist, Ebay, and Amazon.

How has this journey changed me? My family? What lessons have we learned?

Here’s the biggest one for me: Decluttering leaves money in your pocket. We are savers and have a fairly complex system of accounting that allows us to save for all sorts of eventual needs and wants: large home improvements, a new car, annual property tax on our house, etc. Each time my husband gets paid, a significant amount of money is siphoned off to savings, leaving a relatively small amount for groceries, monthly bills and gasoline. Prior to decluttering, this account was often close to (or at) zero when the next paycheck arrived. But in the past few months, I’ve had several hundred dollars still available when the next check came. That’s powerful motivation!

In addition to just staying out of the stores, with every purchase I ask myself “Do I need it? Do I want it? Will it fit? Do I have something that I could use instead? Can I borrow this?” Sometimes it slows my shopping down (sometimes ridiculously so), but it keeps money in my wallet. I’ve just gotten rid of too many things to bring more stuff in willy-nilly. I look at everything with a critical eye and think, “How long until you’re decluttered?”

My husband says that the thing he has learned is that storing things for years because “I might need it someday,” is a poor trade-off between space and money. He realizes now that he would rather move things along and have more space, particularly in the garage and office.

My ten year old says that she’s realized how much she enjoys having a cleaner room, and she’s also thought a lot about gifts.  She’s concluded that while gifts are exciting to get, they often don’t get used and end up cluttering your space.

My eight year old says she’s learned, “Don’t clutter,” and what I’ve learned about her that while she loves to gather, hoard and collect, she is a ruthless declutterer too. Truly, she is “easy come, easy go.”

Besides the savings, other lessons I have learned are:

1. It’s lovely to have an easier-to-clean house.
2. Everyone appreciate the cleanliness and space.
3. Everyone’s “want its” are diminished because a “want it” today is a “don’t want it” tomorrow.
4. The less you have, the easier it is to use and appreciate what you do have.
5. Purchases are sweeter knowing how it was hard for them to get into the house.
6. The more you let go, the easier it is to let more go.
7. This journey will go past 365 days. The list of places I have yet to investigate ranges from my jewelry drawer (probably a 10 minute job) to the garage (possibly 365 days by itself).

Congratulations to me and to you, too, wherever you are in your decluttering journey.

Item 335 of 365 less things

We have learned how to reduce paperwork over the last twelve months so we no longer need this hanging file box.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. That my mother-in-law and I get along – Especially since she is visiting for a week.
2. Rolling over and going back to sleep – after my husband got up at 6am to go to work.
   
3. Cheap Tuesday pizza night – It is OK to have a night off cooking occasionally.
4. Happily watching the world go by– Sometimes I like to be kept waiting because it forces me to stop and simply observe for a while.
   

5. The facial doctors gave Liam the all clear to chew again. Yay!!!!

Written by:- Cindy Bogard

If you’re in a big hurry, just read this: 

Resist!

If you’re not in such a hurry, feel free to read on.

In the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which is on Thursday this week. Sadly, the website Answers.com defines Black Friday as “an unofficial American holiday”. Sad, not because the rest of you are missing out; sad because a day of shopping insanity has somehow become “an unofficial American holiday”.

So what is Black Friday? As I said, it’s the day after Thanksgiving and the official start to what’s called the holiday shopping season. (Spring, Summer, Fall, Holiday Shopping, Winter?) It’s called black because of traditional accounting notations: While debt is noted in red, profit is noted in black. Some businesses run “in the red” all year and don’t go “into the black” until the shopping mayhem begins the day after Thanksgiving.

Black Friday is a day of amazing sales and deep discounts. Some stores open as early as 4:00 am, with people staying up all night in the parking lot so they can be the first in the door, as the very best sales (aptly named “doorbusters”) are only available in limited quantities. In 2008, a worker at Wal-Mart was trampled to death in the frenzied crush of Black Friday.

Recently, a friend forwarded to me a website devoted to Black Friday (www.Black-Friday.net). They’re posting the circulars (advertisements) in advance on their site and boast over 100,000 fans on Facebook. They report that Kmart’s Black Friday circular is 44 pages and that  “We can’t stress enough how much we love this ad (Wal-Mart). There are tons of excellent deals and we think you will be very happy with it.”

Oh my. What’s a decluttering gal to think?

Resist!

If you really feel that you need or want a 47″ flat screen TV or a new laptop, don’t let a sale ad make the decision for you. Research your purchase. Think through your decision making. Don’t buy in haste. The same rules apply to shopping on Black Friday as to every other day. If you see what you want at an excellent price, and you can tolerate the bedlam (which I can’t), then fill up your thermos with coffee, stand in line all night long, and get your doorbuster deal, but don’t buy out the place just because there are sale ads plastered on every item in the store. Remember, the stores are desperate for you to buy; that doesn’t mean you need to be desperate to purchase.

Happy Thanksgiving

to all our American readers

May your Friday not be Black

Item 328 o9f 365 less things

A sentimental item for sure. An old cap from my husbands years in Malaysia. I have heard all the old stories so many times I am almost convinced I lived there too because they are so familiar.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. My hay fever seems to be going away at last.
2. Puzzles – they kept both Liam and I amused over the last month.
3. Watching a movie together – These nothing like a little family time.
4. Cindy agreeing to take on a weekly post spot. – Her post will appear on Wednesday in Australia which is Tuesdays in the US and somewhere in between for everyone else. Thanks Cindy!
5. Laughter – It is so much fun sharing the stories with Liam about the antics he got up to in the hospital. Like when he tried to order a cheese pizza from the florist kiosk.