Hi there!

Friday was the last day of July and so my 20 things a day challenge ended. While the first three weeks could be labeled “random decluttering of random clutter”, after about 500 items or so, my assorted little junk items were almost all gone and it was time to change the method a bit. Inspired by a window shopping tour (of all things!) that led us to a interior store, my boyfriend let me know that he would like to get rid of a lot more of what we owned and would actually like a fresh start without the old stuff and, while buying new furniture big style is out of the question moneywise at the moment, we could well get rid of a lot more of what we owned. As I had wondered ever since our guest with “hardly any belongings” that filled 5 big moving boxes nonetheless moved in with us, how much stuff we actually own, I decided on sunday to completely empty out our worst remaining clutter hot-spot: a cabinet in the living room that holds everything from craft supplies, cables and stationery to photos and documents. I packed everything in there along with all the other items that could logically be put there as well, if there was more room in the cabinet, in moving boxes (we happened to have 5! 😉 ). The shocking news is that I needed all five boxes for that! However, the cabinet and it’s surroundings got thoroughly cleaned and we decluttered again when putting things back in there. The task that remains is for each of us to sort through their documents and other paperwork. To see however, how much volume of stuff was there in a relatively small space in our home showed me again, much like the past month’s challenge, that we own still huge amounts of things and that a move would still be quite a task. (We are fantasizing about a long-distance move in the end of next year or the year after, so every box counts! 😉 )

I decided to sell at a flea-market with a friend this week-end, went through the apartment and pulled out some china, books and all kinds of other stuff that I’ll be taking there. It’s all stuff I like, but we just have too much of it in general and it’s not my very favourite of its kind. We’ll see how that goes, I haven’t tried selling at a flea-market since I’ve been a child. 😀

So, I think, in August there will be a lot decluttered, even though my challenge ended. However, a new challenge has come up: those documents and other papers I still have to go through. I’ll do a little bit each day for August and so they should be all neat by September!

Thank you everyone who took part in my challenge, whether as a fellow declutterer or through cheering me on! And thank you, Colleen, for posting my request and my updates!

I had a blast with this challenge and some new motivation for decluttering!

Sanna

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter five magazines that you had saved to reference later but so have never have.

Eco Tip for the Day

Buy local when possible or affordable. It is a good habit to break into even if only a little at a time. Because as I always say here at 365 Less Things “Every little bit 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

As the saying goes ~ “Believe and the Universe will provide.” Whether you are religious, spiritual or neither there is a good chance that this saying is true for you. It sure has been true for me, and that is why I never worry about letting go of the things that I don’t use. I hold on to very little in the way of things that I only think I might need some day because I have no doubt that…

1. …I probably won’t and never did “need” it in the first place and…
2. …and anything I do need want can be easily replaced at a later date.

One of the reasons I believe these this is that I am very good at improvising so can often do without things by coming up with ingenious ways to make do. And that so often, for me, when I “need” something it has a habit of “miraculously” falling into my hands. I’ll give you some examples.

My daughter has always wanted a Magic Bullet Blender  (Too much exposure to infomercials on television in America). I have often thought of buying her one as a gift but never did for various reasons. Last week my friend Wendy was about to take one to the thrift shop but when she found out Bridget would like one she gave it to me to give to her.

A while back I was in want of some double sided scrapbook paper to make pinwheels for my handmade cards. One day I went to a yearly huge car boot sale (flea market) and, lo and behold, one stall had some offcuts for sale which were reduced to half price. I have since used it all up and made some nice pocket money in the endeavour.

Some months back my son mentioned that he would like a handheld vacuum (dustbuster, whatever you like to call it). The very next time I did a shift at the thrift store one was donated which I bought for him for a mere $5. My daughter also mentioned she wanted one of those plastic kids sandpits to use as a dog pool. The very next day I picked one up for nothing from a bulk rubbish pile on the side of the road. The same thing happened when she mentioned she wanted a clothes airer.

This kind of thing happens to me all the time and sometimes with the strangest things. But even if it didn’t I am confident that I would either, never again need an item I have decluttered or I will be able to afford to replace something should it be necessary. Luckily that has rarely happened. I don’t know if this is because the Universe truly does provide if you believe it will but either way I am content to believe that there is nothing I need be afraid to let go of if I am not using it.

It always intrigues me that among a community of people with an abundance of items, that we are all endeavouring to declutter, that any of us could possibly believe that one day life is going to come to a standstill because we might have to go without items we never really needed in the first place. So please don’t hang on to trivial unnecessary stuff in the fear that you might need it someday. Have faith in yourself that you will always be able to provide, even if you don’t believe that the universe will, and just let go of things you haven’t used in a long time and probably never will.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter five food items that have been in your pantry for a while by making meals out of them this week.

Eco Tip for the Day

If you see things going to waste, rescue them and find them a new home. I do with from the recycling bins at our apartment all the time. It is amazing when perfectly good items people through in the bins. I take them to the thrift shop where they are sold on.

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.

Hello, it’s Monday again and we all know what that means. And what can we take care of with our mini missions this week. I think we might put a number on this weeks missions, and that number is five. Of course you can go over or under five if you discover you find you have fewer or more of an item when you check. But the more the better I always say. So go in search of the items I have mentioned below and see if you can come up with any. My husband took care of the cables on the weekend. We have no magazines, very few books and no excess of any of the other things listed. So it looks like I am going to have an easy week. How will you fare.

Monday – Declutter five electrical cables that seem to multiply when you aren’t looking.

Tuesday – Declutter five food items that have been in your pantry for a while by making meals out of them this week.

Wednesday – Declutter five magazines that you had saved to reference later but so have never have.

Thursday – Declutter five grooming items. Excess razor handles, unused hair brushes, worn out nail files, products…

Friday – Declutter five books from that over full bookcase.

Saturday – Declutter five dust collectors that you aren’t in love with.

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

So, going through my house to remove any clutter build up didn’t take long. As you can imagine with only two bedroomz, tow bathrooms, the kitchen/dining/living area and the balcony, it wasn’t a difficult task. Just to be up front though, I didn’t spend too much time on the craft area as it was a case of ~ found some items then immediately began crafting to use them up. It is my intention to base the crafting I do over the next weeks on using up items that I feel have lingered too long. I had a good sales week at the art space and need to restock so I’ll certainly be doing plenty crafting over the next week or two. And then father’s Day will be almost on us so I had better keep that in mind while I am at it.

Anyway, I have put together a little collage of what I found to rid my home of. So without further adieu here it is.

All and all it isn’t very much but I am sure that I will find more the next time a do a declutter sweep through the house. I know there is plenty of craft stuff to continue using up. There are also a couple of other unfinished projects that will clear away some scrap wood, unneeded recycled parts and then, as a result, a small piece of furniture. Then there will also be some long sleeve Tshirts with small holes that I will be cutting up, for crafting with, once the warmer whether arrives.

I have made a drop off at the thrift shop, paper is shredded, a few items went in the bin, some taken by my daughter, some in the recycling and the craft to the art space. I am still to drop off the batteries and the ink cartridges and the unused, out of date drugs were dropped off at the pharmacy for careful disposal. I am glad they are all out the door because they were mounting up in transition areas all over the house.

So as you can see I am keeping up with my maintenance decluttering plus seeing ahead to future maintenance tasks, while I am ever vigilant. One thing that didn’t go unnoticed by me was how easy the task was due to all the minimising I have done. My experience is proof that a decluttered home is a home that is easy to maintain.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some outdoor sports equipment that is no longer in use.

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

Sanna’s success with her 20 thing a day challenge got me thinking about how short term challenges can be very inspiring for letting go of things. So today I have come up with some short term simple challenges that anyone can do. Hopefully they will inspire some of you to do a little extra decluttering.

If any of the following challenges appeal to you give them your best shot and let us know how well you did when your challenge is complete.

1. Each day for one week choose a drawer or shelf to declutter. You might be surprised how much easier it is to find what you need in small areas once they are decluttered. Such seemingly small changes can greatly simplify your daily routines.
2. For one week find ten things to declutter each day.
3. Within a week find 100 things to declutter throughout your home.
4. Choose a collection of things you feel you would like to reduce, making them easier to fit into a certain space. Remember how I did this with my craft supplies. However that was a huge challenge that took some time. You could choose a small collection of stuff such as kitchen utensils, clothing, kids toys, your socks, linen, makeup… Choose the space you want to contain it in and declutter any less loved items to make this possible.
5. If you are a book lover, perhaps your bookcase is overflowing. Declutter enough books so that everything fits in your bookcase with enough room for five new books. From then on perhaps you could be determined to maintain this level, by using the one in one out method of maintenance decluttering.
6. If you have a lot of clutter, choose one room to deal with. Challenge yourself to clear one cubic metre or yard of this room each day or week (depending on the level of clutter) until it is clear.
7. If you are a good way along with your decluttering goal have a short turbo charged period of decluttering by finding fifty items in the week to declutter.
8. If you feel you are happy with your level of unclutteredness (spell check doesn’t like that one) then choose a room each day to double check all the nooks and crannies for items you have missed or have since become clutter. Do this once a week until your whole house has been checked for clutter.
9. Scan your home for consumables that are being ignored in preference for others. Put these front and centre and begin a use-it-up challenge on them. It is so satisfying every time you use them, knowing that they will soon be gone and not wasted. And the liberated space is a great thing.
10. Start a trial separation challenge. Choose at least ten items that you are on the fence about decluttering. Hid them away somewhere and only retrieve an item if you are truly in need of it. Make an attempt to improvise before retrieving any item from the hiding place. At the end of two months declutter any item that you haven’t retrieved.

Good luck to those who choose a challenge to undertake and happy decluttering!

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter any gardening items that don’t seem to be getting used. Perhaps even pull out some weeds that are making your home look tatty.

Eco Tip for the Day

Modern dishwashers have filters so don’t waste water rinsing of your dished before putting them in the dishwasher. Just scrape of any scraps into the bin prior to stacking them in.

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

Of late I have been getting the felling that maybe there is more stuff coming into my home than there is going out or being used up. Typically craft supplies is my biggest area of concern. Stuff regularly goes out in this area but some stuff does come in, through generous friends and because I am continually experimenting with new ideas, and then there are the supplies that have to be restocked (adhesives, white card stock etc). But there are also other areas of the house where items have also come in, perfume from a good friend, new glass spice container to replace the plastic ones (which are now at auction on eBay), medications, paperwork (not too much of this), some free baskets from the side walk to deck out my laundry… and so on.

For the most part items being replaced are soon parted with when I attend my weekly trip to the thrift shop. Other items, such at the perfume I already had are close to being used up while some things, like paperwork, are dealt with periodically. However I am a busy lady. Mostly doing stuff I love but busy nonetheless, and it is very easy to begin to lose track of whether or not my belongings are keeping under control.

So today, inspired by Sanna’s challenge I decided to start going through each, drawer cupboard, closet, side table and basket in the house to make sure no clutter is building up. A stocktake so to speak. Later in the week I will be posting a photo pictorial of the items I have decluttered, but I am glad to say that so far I haven’t really unearthed much. But I am acquiring the peace of mind that my suspicions of clutter build-up were, for the most part, unfounded. Mind you I haven’t got into the closet where those craft supplies are yet. But any outstanding project I find there will be getting a deadline for completion or will be sent to the thrift shop.

This is what I call maintenance decluttering. Staying ahead of the clutter so that it doesn’t build up again. Mind you I have noticed some small spaces opening up around in drawers and closets lately, despite my suspicions, which also leads me to think I am concerning myself about nothing. But you know me, if there isn’t some maintenance needed there is always a little bit of lifestyle change clutter that rises to the surface that I am only too happy to expel from the premises.

Have you got to the maintenance stage yet? If so be vigilant so your home remains decluttered. Doing a regular sweep through, which shouldn’t be hard given the work you have already done, is well advised.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter any outdoor pet related items that are ready for the trash.

Eco Tip for the Day

Know where to send spent batteries and printer cartridges for recycling. My Library takes the batteries and the local office supply the cartridges. Do you know where to send yours?

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.

As you  can guess from the title this week’s missions are all to do with the outdoors, whether in your yard or equipment you use to enjoy communing with nature. So lets see what missions I have come up with for this subject.

Monday – Declutter any camping gear you no longer use. Perhaps items you have upgraded but kept the old item just in case.

Tuesday – Declutter any outdoor pet related items that are ready for the trash.

Wednesday – Declutter any gardening items that don’t seem to be getting used. Perhaps even pull out some weeds that are making your home look tatty.

Thursday – Declutter any old outdoor toys that your children have grown out of.

Friday – Declutter some outdoor sports equipment that is no longer in use.

Saturday – Declutter any old building supplies getting overgrown with grass in your yard. Timber, bricks, gravel, wire mesh etc..

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

Join your last fragment of soap to the new cake so as not to waste it. They usually stick together well when wet.

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

Hello everyone!

How are your challenges going?

My original 3-week’s challenge has ended, but I will keep going for another week as it has only now begun to get a little harder and I’d like to find some more hidden clutter to get rid of. The pace is getting a little challenging meanwhile, but I will do it for the rest of July!

For me, it has been a success so far. I kept decluttering my 20 things a day and even got rid of some more (all together another week’s worth). Mostly sewing supplies, photos, paper and office supplies had to go, but I also got rid of the odd item of clothing, dishware and a couple of books.

Meanwhile, the difference is visible. I could fit some more stuff (wool stack, photos,…) into our cabinet in the living room and alongside with the other decluttering opened up quite some space in our storage/laundry room that way.

Most things I got rid of weren’t valuable at all and I made excessive use of a cardboard box with a “for free” sign on the sidewalk. Pens, pencils, jewel cases, file binders and other doodads found a new home that way. Most of my sewing supplies went to a friend who will make good use of them and a couple of other items went to the charity shop. A couple of broken things went straight to the bin. Despite my frequent decluttering, all the stuff was not only drawn from their hiding places but actually also sent on its way to a new home.

I feel really great about having done this challenge (although I’m not quite done as I mentioned! 😉 ). My home is not perfect now, especially as I have to sort through my paper work and also give my computer a good declutter. But – and it’s a big “but” – the clutter spreading in the apartment has really slowed down. Things don’t spill as easily from drawers or cupboards, I got rid of almost all underused items that have been here as a back up of my favourites and only cought dust (e.g. my second hair brush) and I’m down to much more reasonable numbers of “use it up” supplies.

I think, it’s astonishing quite how many items I could so easily let go. After all, I have been decluttering for years and most of the items I got rid of in the last weeks have been there from the very start. More than 500 completely unnecessary items went and to see how relatively small the impact was nonetheless made me realize just how many items must be around still. So, no matter that we are just living in an apartment and probably own less than many other people, there was still a whole lot of stuff I can’t even remember the minute I got rid of it. So, I will continue in this pace for July and after that continue decluttering on a daily basis, though one item will be fine as well. The new state of the apartment feels so much better than before and I think strapping another 500 or so items will do only good!

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a few pieces of jewellery that you no longer find the desire to adorn yourself with.

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

Sorry Sanna and Readers I should have published this post last Friday. Better late than never I suppose. I will be publishing this week’s update tomorrow.

Sanna’s Update

So, I’m in for almost 3 weeks and actually, I’m meanwhile 200 items ahead of my challenge.

This week, lots of incense, recipes, more pens and pencils, a few books, notepads and more left the house. Fine weather made it possible to put a cardboard box with a “for free” sign on the sidewalk which made getting rid of these little items as easy as can be.

I also went through my “memorabilia box” (which includes photos) and though I just got rid of a couple of things there, I put all the photo CDs and DVDs that are in there in cd sleeves and got rid of the original cases, so that I gained a little space in there. (in the long run, I should probably combine all those on a little USB stick or so, but I haven’t yet done so. Baby steps. 😉 )

As before I counted every little thing seperately and for me that is a good thing. First, it makes it easy to reach my goal. 20 recipes or similar a day isn’t hard to do, so even on stressy days I can be done in a couple of minutes. However there’s another benefit and that is that I get a better idea how many things exactly I own of some things. A stack of recipes is just that: a stack. However, when I counted so many 20 pieces out of it, I get an idea that there are actually hundreds of recipes still and that it would take months to use them all! Because, let’s face it: even when you’re in use-it-up-mode, you don’t cook 20 times a day! 😉 This makes it easier for me to declutter to a more realistic number and don’t get biased because things aren’t taking up much space.

Although I’m still not running out of stuff to declutter, the effort meanwhile really begins to pay off. Our stuff fits better in its designated place and there are fewer items lying around somewhere. I feel great to have got rid of so many things that sat in drawers forever waiting for their time to get used. They’re now off to someone else who is hopefully using them a little sooner than I would have!

I hope your decluttering missions are going strong as well and that this week’s mini missions helped you all get going!

We’ll make the clutterfree home happen! 😀

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an inherited item that you never really wanted.

Eco Tip for the Day

When dining with friends at a cafe that dishes up large servings share a meal. It saves on wasted food and inexpensive to boot. Not to mention easy on your waistline.

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

Deb J

Over the years Colleen has talked in various posts about decluttering craft supplies, photos, and items of memory clutter.  You know those things we hang onto because they help us remember times in our lives that have meaning.  You also know I was into scrapbooking for a number of years and have recently decided that I no longer want to continue this hobby.

As I thought about all the money used to buy supplies, those I have used and those I have given away or sold, I began to realize there is a good solution & it goes along with journaling.  I have not been a very good journaler.  I find that I just don’t have that much to say about my days.  For one thing, my life is not that exciting.  For another, I can’t believe my life is that interesting to others.  What I really like to keep note of are those special times in my life.  These can be vacations, special events, even times when I have a breakthrough in my spiritual or emotional life.  

I realized the solution is to make a memory book.  It can be anything you want to make it but for mine I devised a binder that holds 8-1/2 by 5-1/2 lined pages in it.  It also has page protectors to slip these pages into.  When I have something I think I want to remember I can write it down in that book.  I can add a picture(s).  If I have an item I have kept as a reminder, a picture of it placed in this memory book takes the place of the item.  It’s a one-stop place for memories.  

I’ve learned something else about this Memory Book.  I wish I had started doing this years ago instead of scrapbooking.  I’m thinking of tearing the scrapbooks apart someday and putting it all in the memory book.  I may ask my brother what he thinks as he is the one who will inherit them.  

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something from your attic, garage or basement.

Eco Tip for the Day

Reduce your reliance on paper reading materials. There are so many digital ways to get your fix on anything of interest.

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