I received an email from a new minimalist blogger on the weekend. His name is Marco Laberge and his blog is Toward Minimalism. He asked me to check out his blog and give him some feedback. I am a busy lady these days with my blog, my craft making and selling, my other volunteer work, friends and family, so reading is just one things I don’t have a lot of time for. Most of the posts, from blogs I subscribe to, that appear in my in-box are deleted without receiving any of my attention due to these other commitments. However I was intrigued enough to take the time out to read some of Marco’s posts.

I have to say I was suitably impressed. Marco, like myself, focuses on the mind rather than the clutter itself. As I have said many a time, clutter is all about mind set and not the items. The items are just the material manifestation of a skewed attachment and want for stuff. His post ~ Are you too attached to your possessions ~ sums up one aspect of this thinking beautifully. I urge you to read it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a sentimental item that habit says keep but your mind says is just wasting space.

Eco Tip for the Day

Use a microfibre mop to clean your floors. All you need is a little water, no harmful chemicals. Even green cleaners have to be manufactured so why use them if you don’t need to.

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.

We all have those items that we have procrastinated about for some time but are still lingering in our homes. At the moment the items lingering in my home are items we intend to sell on ebay but just haven’t got around to it. I also have some silver jewellery that I haven’t decided how to deal with yet. Anyway enough about me. Do you have any such items either awaiting sale or not dealt with for some other reason. This week is the time to deal with them.

Monday – Do something about selling a clutter items you have been meaning to sell for a while.

Tuesday – Declutter a sentimental item that habit says keep but your mind says is just wasting space.

Wednesday – Declutter an item you have known you no longer want but guilt has had you hanging on to.

Thursday – Declutter a something you have kept out of obligation but really wanted out of your house for some time. Perhaps an unwanted gift or a family heirloom you wish to hand on the responsibility to someone else in the family.

Friday – Declutter clothes of the wrong size that have been stored so long that they are out of fashion.

Saturday – Have a conversation with someone else in the house who is holding on to something that you know they don’t really want to keep but for some reason feels obliged to.

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

We all have at lease one if not several “Why oh why!” items we have parted with or should part with. Michaela shared one such story with us last week. Here is her story to set the scene for today’s post.

Michaela ~ Kind of on subject here, but today I decluttered a (never worn) bra. I bought it probably 10 years ago, and when I purchased it I was on a visit (three hours away). It fit wonderfully in the store, but upon returning home I realized the sales clerk grabbed the wrong one and it didn’t fit me (and it was expensive = grrrr). So for whatever reason I held onto it, taking up space in my drawer, all this time – thinking maybe, someday, I could *possibly* squeeze my assets into it. Today I finally tried it on and lo and behold – ill fitting as can be. It was comical. So into the Goodwill bag it went. It feels great to look in my drawer and NOT see it. WHY, oh why did I hold onto it all this time? The world did not end . . .

I will admit I had some sexy lingerie that I hung on to for ages with the thought that I would use it at some point. But in reality sexy lingerie is usually uncomfortable, unflattering and impractical (even for the purpose intended). I held on to it for at least the first two years of my decluttering mission, like Michaela, mostly because I had paid a lot of money for it. Lets face it whose husband/partner ever needs any extra encouragement to participate in this kind of activity.

I am sure I could also summon up a few other examples if I put my mind to it.

The fact is that mistakes in purchasing, whether yours or someone else’s aren’t a reason to hold on to clutter. In fact these items are some of the worse clutter to hold on to because they make you feel bad every time you lay your eyes on them. Bad because you don’t want the items, bad because you are reminded of the money you wasted and bad because they are wasting space in your home.

So if you have any such item in your home right now, then let it go. Resell it to recoup some cash if you can be bothered but, one way or another, get it our of there. You don’t need the item or the angst that comes with it.

And one more piece of advise is, never buy items out of town at shops that don’t have a store in you home town unless you are certain the purchase is sound and transacted correctly. Returning items become near on impossible and, at the lease, very inconvenient under these circumstances.

Today’s Mini Mission

Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Eco Tip for the Day

Carpool with friends when attending social events. Consider the possibility that you could compromise on when you need to arrive and/or depart. Sometimes we are a little too spoiled when it come to having things completely our way.

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.

Hi my lovely 365ers, and what kind of decluttering are you up to this week. Well here I am again to help you along on that task. This week we are going to unclutter and declutter at the same time. That is each day we are going to seek out something in our homes that need putting away ~ that’s the unclutter part ~ then where we put it away we are going to see if we can find something to declutter completely. So every day the instructions will be the same but the state of your home will determine where and what will be unclutter and declutters. So here goes.

Monday – Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Tuesday - Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Wednesday - Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Thursday - Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Friday - Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

Saturday - Put away an item out of place in your home then declutter an item in the place that you just rehoused the other item.

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

If you see an item in someone’s junk pile that isn’t junk, salvage it and take it to your local thrift store for resale. You will be rescuing an item from landfill and helping Charity at the same time.

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

I received a comment yesterday in relation to craft clutter. Please read it below…

Gillie: I recently decluttered almost all of my craft supplies. Not because I was going to give up but because I wanted to take it back up again. There was always so much there that I was just overawed by it all and never really got around to doing anything. When I was younger and had very little I made a lot more, because I had little choice and got on with what I had.

I think this applies to so much of our stuff . The more we have the less we are able to do because it takes too long to choose or sort.

***

And there was an equally interesting reply that I can fully relate to…

Sanna: Gillie, you are making such a good point here! I also find that in the past I often have bought supplies for a hobby instead of pursuing the hobby (bought books instead of reading one, bought fabrics instead of sewing etc. etc.), whereas I purge most in the areas I actually work in most – because it bugs you most if you can’t get to things you need on a nearly daily basis because they are buried in an overflow of other similar items.

***

I also chimed in on this conversation…

Colleen: I have experienced this situation myself Gillie. I actually think that I gave up scrapbooking because it was too hard sifting through the 1000s of photos of every vacation we went on. In the end the decision making got the better of me. Now that I no longer scrapbook I also never bother to look at the vacation shots once we get home. I was there, I remember it, I had a wonderful experience and I don’t need to relive it through photos. It is all there in my mind when I want to revisit it.

And the same goes for me with the craft supplies and tools. I ended up with so much that they were also a pain to sift through every time I wanted to make something. Even lately I have been picking up some free bits and pieces from my mother and MIL for crafting, and it just starts to build up to too much aspirational clutter. KISS (Keep it simple stupid) really does apply when it come to craft. Right now I want nothing more to come in, even though there is more going out, because I just can’t bare the thought of it building up again and turning me off crafting altogether.

You name the situation, they may all be slightly different but they end in the same result, frustration, disappointment and abandonment.

So yesterday while I was making some new labels for my spice jars I ran out of a cartridge for a certain craft tool I have. I quickly improvised to finish the project. Then I made a split decision ~ If I can improvise on this occasion,  I can do without this item, whose cartridge are terribly expensive here in Australia. Add to the fact that this item doesn’t get used all that often these days when I am crafting a lot. So I put it in the corner of my living room with a pile of other stuff I intend to auction on ebay.

It is so easy to get carried away like this. Whether it be with craft supplies, décor items, clothes, shoes, tools, sporting equipment, pretty things, books, cooking ingredients, collections… you name it. We get all excited about a hobby or pastime and go crazy with catering to it. Before you know it the pressure to perform, so to speak, gets too much and we end up giving up altogether. Or the trouble sifting through trying to find just the right thing for a project that you know is there somewhere, get irritating. Or the aspiration to use up all the stuff turns into an all or nothing situation and you give in and give up. Or you thing the next purchase will improve your game but it doesn’t and meanwhile spenders guilt becomes unbearable.

So that is one less bulky, space wasting tool cluttering up my crafting space and one step to simplifying my options in this area.

I have done the same in my kitchen over the years of slow decluttering, also my wardrobe, my toiletries, make-up, jewellery, shoes, reading materials etc, etc.

I am now itching to take a good look at my other crafting tools and make some choices on other items I can declutter. I have a couple in mind without even looking. And the plastic containers in my kitchen are also in my sights right now too. I can feel some very satisfying decluttering coming on.

And before I go I just wanted to share another of this weeks comments that I found very true and satisfying. I love to hear from reading who have made big changes to their thinking that has helped them declutter. And this comment from NF is just such an example.

NF: As I’ve decluttered, downsized, whatever u want to call it, during the past four years, I realized my conglomeration of “stuff” was a combination of my depression era parents(save everything) and my 1980′s mentality of “buy everything.” Both were creating a huge conflict in my life. First I de -cluttered because I didn’t have the room in our smaller home, then I sat back and watched what I actually used and what I did with it, how i used it and and how often(and how often I had to dust it if it were decorative). It was like a minor epiphany. I understand the “I might need it one day” or “I spent a lot of money on this” guilt and logic. if I live to 100, I would never use all the stuff I’ve accumulated on a consistent basis, so off it goes. charity, eBay, heirlooms back to relatives. I used to take any free thing offered to me, no more, much to the affront of the giver. I had one of my biggest arguments with a friend over a pair of hot pink velour sweatpants (which I would only wear if I were comatose and naked), because I refused them. They weren’t a gift, someone had given them to her and she didn’t want them either. I now follow my own logic and heart, not my guilt. it’s really hard to do, but just like any habit, if you keep doing it, it will become standard practice. Minimizing is very liberating once you get past your own mental roadblocks and detours. Drive straight and don’t deviate. 

Have a great week-end everyone and happy decluttering.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter  a grooming tool or product that you don’t care much for using. Even I have one of these to declutter.

Eco Tip for the Day

Borrow and share rather than buy, clutter and add to your carbon footprint.

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 have never encountered a kitchen that wasn’t designed for clutter. There are nearly always cupboards in them that are too deep or high for practicality. These spaces are designed to store seldom used items. Everyone knows that the things you use all the time are the ones that are in the easy to reach places. In the fronts of the deeper cupboards and in the ones at the most convenient height. So I think it is entirely possible that everything else, at the very least, boarders on clutter and in most cases is clutter.

Yesterday I was doing some reorganising of my craft supplies and tools. Part of my plan was to rehouse some of them to the cupboard below the kitchen bench where I do my crafting. In order to do this said kitchen cupboard also needed rearranging. Most items in this cupboard are used regularly, so needed to be within easy reach. So to accommodate craft supplies I needed to install an extra shelf. In the end I was left with three shelves with most items neatly arranged to the front and nothing much in the back.

This is what got me thinking that kitchen cupboards really are designed for clutter. How much stuff do you have lingering in the far reaches of your kitchen cupboards that are rarely if ever used? How much would it really matter if you decluttered these items? And I mean, really matter. How much, just in case or, I use this only on special occasions or I used to use that, stuff are you hanging on to in your kitchen? Run a really critical eye over the murky depths of those cupboards this week and see if you can find at least a few things that you could happily live without.

To put things into perspective, these shelves are two feet (60cm) deep. The plates on the top shelf take up less than half of the shelf. And I am also considering decluttering some of those plastic containers. Although they all get used, they rarely all get used at once.

Today’s Mini Mission

Inspect the tools stored in your garage or other work space. There are usually a few that are a rarely if ever used. Declutter at least one.

Eco Tip for the Day

Save water and electricity ~think twice about how often you really need to wash your clothes and linens. Underpants and perhaps socks are the only clothing item the really need to be washed after one use. Most other clothing items are usually clean and fresh enough to wear twice unless badly soiled the first time round or if the weather is extremely warm and/or humid. Sheets need only be washed once a week at most while towels can last up to a week provided they are air dried between use.

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

All that “I might need it one day!” clutter is about control. Control over your future, a future that may never unveil itself. A future created in your own mind that won’t allow you to relinquish items you don’t have a use for right now, probably never will and in all honesty, although used in the past, were never really needed even then.

What tragic outcome would ensue in the future if, today, you decluttered that spare potato peeler? If you got rid of that ever growing pile of ragged bath towels you save in case of a huge spill? If you put all those magazine clippings in the recycling bin that you have been saving to reference when “needed”? If you donated all those material scraps that you might use some day to a craft group who will use them now?

Would the world come to a screaming halt sometime in the future due to these scenarios and any other that come to mind? NO is the answer to that question. “But what if, later, I can’t afford to replace such articles?” I hear you say. And I reply… “STOP and really think whether this item is really even necessary in the first place. A potato can be pealed with a knife, a good towel can be washed and reused after cleaning up a spill, any information clipped from a magazine can be easily accessed via the internet (and more easily for that matter), and material scraps really didn’t matter that much in the first place. Apply this thinking to anything that you feel is contributing to the clutter in your home and see what rational conclusions you come to.

And while you are at it think what immediate positive impact decluttering all those unused items will have on the appearance, feel, ease of organising and cleaning  and the comfort level of your home and then explain to me why you are still holding on.

Let go of a little control and live for today. At the moment the clutter is controlling your life, not the other way around. So do something about it. You might be surprised at how liberating relinquishing control can be.

Today’s Mini Mission

Have a good look in your kitchen cupboards and drawers. This is usually a hotbed of only slightly useful stuff that you could declutter.

Eco Tip for the Day

As adults it is our job to teach our children to conserve power and water. If you raise your children with good habits now conservation will come naturally to them when they become the adults themselves.

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.

Do you have a few items you have been procrastinating over decluttering for some time. Well perhaps this week is the time to finally bite the bullet and let those annoying suckers go. Start controlling your clutter rather than letting it control you. Take a look at each item with a very critical eye and realise that the world won’t come to a screeching halt should you let it go. I’ll name six areas around your home in which to identify such and items and hopefully you will let these items go.

Monday – Take a look at all your sentimental items. There must be something among them that you really won’t miss.

Tuesday – Have a good look in your kitchen cupboards and drawers. This is usually a hotbed of only slightly useful stuff that you could declutter.

Wednesday – Inspect the tools stored in your garage or other work space. There are usually a few that are a rarely if ever used. Declutter at least one.

Thursday – Declutter  a grooming tool or product that you don’t care much for using. Even I have one of these to declutter.

Friday – Search among your craft/hobby supplies and let go of at least two things you will probably never get around to using.

Saturday – Go through your kids toys and declutter a couple of items they have grown too old for. If you don’t have kids, find something among your own “toys” that has fallen out of favour and declutter 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

Spend less time in the shower. Long showers are one of the biggest water wasters in the modern home.

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

Deb J

60 Spools of thread & 100 skeins of embroidery cotton

We have talked about this before but I wanted to bring it up again.  This is another area I would like to declutter but there is resistance.  It’s all that thread and other sewing supplies.  I don’t know how well you can see this in the pictures but Mom has about 60 spools of thread and about 100 various colors of embroidery floss.  I can see having all of these when she used to sew and I cross stitched.  Now she barely gets something hemmed and I haven’t cross stitched in 10 years or more.

Why do we need all this?  Mom says, “We might need a particular color some day and they are hard to find.  Plus we have already paid for them.”  I can’t seem to get across the idea that over time colors change and I doubt we will get any clothes in the colors of most of those thread colors and little in the way of cross stitch or anything else in the colors of the floss.  I wouldn’t be surprised if they have faded over time too.

Do you have anything like this that you are dealing with?  

Today’s Mini Mission

 Choose three books from your book collection. Declutter the one least likely to be reread.

Eco Tip for the Day

This tip was something that Wendy F brought to my attention. Use the fabric from old mens’ shirts to make handkerchiefs. You will be repurposing the fabric in the shirt and saving paper used to make tissues.

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

One thing I have noticed since I began my decluttering mission is how much more pleasure I get from the items I do acquire. The reasons for that are…

• I am more careful about my choices so therefore am much more satisfied with the items I do acquire.
• I acquire stuff far less frequently these days so it is a bigger novelty when I do acquire.
• The things I buy get well used because they are bought with much consideration and not just on a whim.
• I generally get things at a good price, if not free, because I don’t feel the need to acquire urgently, so am prepared to wait until what I want/need is at a good price.
• Much of what I acquire is secondhand which makes me feel like a good custodian of the planet I live on.
• I only acquire items that are suited to my needs not because they are fashionable, the latest trend so to speak.

Decluttering has taught me to be more appreciative of what I do have and be aware of each items usefulness or beauty. And these behaviours have spread to other areas of my life I may have taken for granted in the past.

Have you experienced to joy of acquiring less? How has that carried over to other areas of your life?

Today’s Mini Mission

Take out your three least comfortable pairs shoes. Declutter the pair that you are least likely to wear.

Eco Tip for the Day

Pay close attention the the waste in your life and do all you can to reduce it. Wasted power, wasted fuel, wasted resources of any kind… Be aware of what that is costing the planet. You have as much to gain for being less wasteful as the environment does.

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