Deb J

We have a plethora of pots and pans as you can see by the picture (see below). This is an area I feel needs to be decluttered. Does anyone need this many cooking pots? Maybe a gourmet cook, which we are not. There are 3-4 of these we use on a regular basis. We make a lot of soups in the stock pot. We water sauté veggies a lot in the big skillet. We use the medium pot for steaming and the smaller one for cooking individual veggies. So why in the world do we have all the rest? Because Mom says we might need them. Mind you, we also have a microwave we use with a couple of covered glass dishes for cooking. Most of the things we usedf to do with the medium and small pot we now do in the microwave. This is one of the holdover areas for Mom. I’m still struggling on this one with her. I’m thinking a move to an independent living life care unit is on the horizon. They provide at least one meal. Maybe that will be the trigger that gets much of this decluttered.

How are you doing in this area of your kitchen.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter  something that has wiring in it. An old lamp, excess cables, jewellery, computer gear, a small appliance…

Eco Tip for the Day

Investigate mopping with microfibre. All I have used for the last 10 years at least is a microfibre mop and a little water (not a bucket full and no detergent).

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

Anyone who has been following my blog for a while knows that I don’t talk much about organising. It is my experience that getting rid of a bunch of unused stuff makes it easier to organise the useful stuff left behind, so I focus on the decluttering side of organising.

However rearranging an area in your home can be a great catalyst to letting go of the stuff that doesn’t fit with what you expect as the end result of this task. Being bogged down in the same old, same old can be energy sapping and blind you to the stuff laying unused everyday right under your nose.

When I was a child it was not unusual to come home to find my bedroom rearranged, or indeed, not even where it used to be. I always found this refreshing. Like moving house without actually moving. “A change is as good as a holiday.” so they say. My mother obviously thought so too because she did this often enough that I remember it as one of her loveable quirks.

My sister-in-law, who has just been visiting me, told me she was planning on doing a bit of a furniture reshuffle when she got home. She was open to a little decluttering in the process. She said that it had only just occurred to her that she could use the furniture she already had to change things up a bit and sounded excited to get started.

Even though the philosophy behind one a day decluttering is to take it slow and not disrupt the household with a major reshuffle, sometimes that is exactly what is needed. The best way to approach this is to pump yourself up with a vision of what you hope to achieve, devise a plan of attack and throw yourself in wholeheartedly. Don’t look at it as a chore but as an adventure. It is amazing how much more energy is generated when one is excited about the task ahead.

Do you have an area of your home that would benefit from a reshuffle? It doesn’t have to be a whole room, perhaps just a closet, a work space or some kitchen cupboards. Any area that could be more functional or pleasurable than it is right now and get rid of some stagnant stuff in the process.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something made from fabric. An item of clothing, lines, raggedy or napkins, handkerchieves…

Eco Tip for the Day

It is better to refuse than to reuse or recycle. Imagine if everyone refused to use plastic bags. How much less trash would that generate.

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.

Stuff is made of all sorts of stuff. This weeks mini missions challenges you to find clutter made of different substances. You can really use your imagination for these. I’ll name the substance and you find some clutter made from it to declutter.

Monday – Declutter something constructed with wood. Perhaps a photo frame, a piece of furniture, a pencil…

Tuesday – Declutter something made from fabric. An item of clothing, lines, raggedy or napkins, handkerchieves…

Wednesday – Declutter something made from glass or china. Crockery, figurines, eye glasses, glass beaded necklace…

Thursday – Declutter  something that has wiring in it. An old lamp, excess cables, jewellery, computer gear, a small appliance…

Friday – Declutter something made from plastic. Toys, Tupperware, pens…

Saturday – Declutter something metallic. Cutlery, tools, utensils, hardware…

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

Take care of the thing you own. The longer they last the less often they need replacing. Which means less manufacturing.

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

Today’s Decluttered Item
A bunch of old warranties and manuals.

While decluttering some paperwork last week my husband came across the removal manifest for our move from America to Australia in 2007. We held on to it to make the comparison with this latest move.

There were no fewer than twenty pages of this manifest. That did not even include the items that were in storage here in Australia that were also delivered to our home. All of our electrical items, furniture and any items that would not fit in a packing box, when we left for America, were all left behind. So If I took a conservative guess I would say there were at least 23 pages in all, of boxes, furniture, individual items, suitcases, bikes etc.

So, drum roll please, guess how many pages were to the manifest of our recent move. Fifteen? No! Ten? There were not quite five pages. And that my friends is the power of one a day decluttering. So if you have any doubt the one a day can be effective then give up that doubt right now. Granted it took three and a bit years to get to this level but the difference was staggering even to me.

Today’s Mini Mission

Start a trial separation of stationery items.

Eco Tip for the Day

As you light globes wear out replace them with LEDs, they use less power and don’t have the disposal issues of CFLs.

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

Today’s Decluttered Item
Some poster size photos that we have no wall space for.

On our daily walks by the beach my husband and I pass by a little rock pool area. As we walked by the other day I wondered something of Steve that not one minute later he put into words ~ “Do you sometimes regret decluttering the snorkelling gear?” After laughing and telling him I had just wondering if he though that, my unreserved response was no.

You see we had had that snorkelling gear for at least twenty years when I finally decluttered it. It hadn’t been used for about nineteen of those twenty years. The fact is that if I hadn’t began this declutter mission, and let go of all the things we didn’t use, then we would likely never have fitted into our lovely little apartment near the ocean.

Peoples’ lifestyles continually change and if we kept everything because we thought that life would go full circle and we might need things again and again then we would be so bogged down in stuff that life would likely become stagnant. Now that is something I would regret.

Today’s Mini Mission

Start a trial separation of costume jewellery items.

Eco Tip for the Day

Clothes don’t usually need to go in the wash after just one use. Wearing them at least twice will save on laundry detergent, electricity and your time and energy. (This does not apply to underpants. 😉 )

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

There was a lot of chatter generated yesterday about an overabundance of plastic containers. It seems most of us still have an excess of these.

In a bid to reduce food items in both the fridge and pantry due to my long vacation and impending move late last year, I have become very efficient at catering, shopping and using up leftovers to the point where my need for plastic containers has become greatly reduce. I mostly shop for fresh produce, meat and dairy these days from which there is very little waste. Any leftovers are soon devoured.

I have also eliminated several baking items in my pantry. Because I only make dessert once a week, if that, there is no need for a plethora of ingredients to be stored in the panty. For starters, I managed for seven and a half years, living in America, using a combo of baking powder and plain flour rather than stocking self-raising flour so I decided that was good enough for here too. That eliminated one large canister in my pantry. We use rice much less these days too due to our lower carb eating choices so I reduced the amount I stored. Similarly ingredients such as desiccated coconut were so infrequently used I decided it could also go, along with several pasta varieties, chick peas, noodles and white sugar. Should I ever wish to make something with any of these ingredients I buy the smallest possible quantity so there is little or no leftovers, any of which I include in another recipe ASAP.

I also have a variety of glass mixing bowls that nest inside each other which can also be used of storing food. If I can make and store the item in the same bowl it also saves on washing up adding a little more efficiency and an element of eco friendliness. These bowls have lids, but if they didn’t I would opt for a plate to seal the food in rather than waste cling film.

Admittedly not having any children left at home has added greatly to this streamlining.

Is there an area in your life where efficiency would allow you to declutter?

Today’s Mini Mission

Start a trial separation of fashion accessories.

Eco Tip for the Day

Yesterday I cleaned all the glass doors on my balcony. What did I use to do that? Microfibre cloths and water. No chemicals and they are as clean as a whistle. A few good microfibre cloths and good old H2O is better for the environment and can save you cash as well.

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.

Some items that clutter up our home are items that aren’t unused individuals but similar items that we use but just have too many of. This weeks overall mission is to start a trial separation from some of these items to see if we really need so many or can happily live without some. So find yourself a box to store these items in, gather them up and put this away somewhere for a while. If you find you don’t retrieve them in a month or two then it is probably safe to declutter them permanently.

Monday – Start a trial separation of plastic kitchen storage containers.

Tuesday – Start a trial separation of fashion accessories.

Wednesday - Start a trial separation of costume jewellery items.

Thursday - Start a trial separation of stationery items.

Friday - Start a trial separation of kitchen gadgets.

Saturday - Start a trial separation of your lease favourite clothing items.

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

Save the water in the kitchen sink while rinsing items. Then bail it out and use it on your potted plants or garden.

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

Today’s Decluttered Item
Paperwork no longer necessary to keep.

Sorry about the delay in today’s post. I think I caused to problem by forgetting to give the page a title. Alls fixed now.

Doodle asked yesterday…

“If someone came to you for help, what 3 top tips would you give them to get them started (decluttering) and how would you sell the knock on benefits of a de-cluttered life to others in less than three sentences?”

Here are my answers…

1. Start with the easiest stuff to part with first and don’t be in a hurry. Take your time and make it easy on yourself. Be satisfied in knowing the stuff is heading out the door and it doesn’t need to be immediately obvious.
2. Set your disposal methods in place before you begin. Find a charity nearby you can donate to and brush up on selling methods that work for you.
3. Stop the flow of stuff coming in.

How to sell the knock on benefits…

Freeing up your space, time and effort is enough on its own but being free from the consumer rat race is one of the best knock on effect of decluttering that I can think of. The money saved to go towards things that really matter.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something hiding behind something. Behind a door for instance.

Eco Tip for the Day

Share and loan with family and friends things not don’t use often enough to own/store. (Spices, tools, kitchen gadgets…)

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 of our long time regular readers Doodle has kindly agreed to help out here at 365 by writing a blog post for me every other Wednesday. Today is her first regular post although not the first she has contributed. She has become quite the expert on the subject of decluttering over the years and I am sure you will all be able to learn a lot from her. Welcome Doodle and thank you for your contributions, past, present and future.

Owning your life skill

The biggest reason I owned too much stuff, was I just never realised I didn’t have to. It was as simple as that: getting rid of stuff as a regular proactive life choice had just never occurred to me.

The realisation I could be happier with much less came gradually. Now, the more I get rid of, the more I look to pare back even further and it brings a deep satisfaction that this is the way I’m meant to live. (Fortunately I’m no minimalist longing for bare white walls: my husband is a bit of a hoarder so I am always going to have walls filled with his books.)

Knowing you don’t have to keep everything you’ve ever owned is a life skill in my opinion. Some of us learn this sooner and some of us later and like all life skills, the fact it is ok to let go of stuff can be taught and learned.

We don’t have to be trapped for ever in being overwhelmed by excessive belongs…how good is that!

So those of you who have been de-cluttering for a while now, do you realise you are honing an excellent life skill that you are not only benefitting from yourself, but can pass on to others?

After all I have learned about de-cluttering in the last 3 years I found myself naturally helping a few family and friends who’d got a bit overwhelmed.

It became apparent that I have a knack of helping in just the right way and they all encouraged me to do it professionally. So now I do. I love it so much.

If someone came to you for help, what 3 top tips would you give them to get them started and how would you sell the knock on benefits of a de-cluttered life to others in less than three sentences?

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter something hanging on your wall.

Eco Tip for the Day

Take the stairs instead of the lift. The exercise is good for you and you save electricity. I have to remember this myself instead of walking past the stairs, that are right outside my apartment door all the way across the building to the life. I may actually hardly be using any extra energy by taking the stairs. Silly me.

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

Today’s Decluttered Item
This is just a small sample of the dozen or so that I have given to my children in the last week.

The beginning of the year is always a good time for a post about the benefits of owning and wanting less stuff. By wanting less stuff I mean not wanting for stuff, being free from the desire to acquire. That combined with the benefits of having less stuff to care for and accommodate is reason enough for learning to let go.

Also at the beginning of the year is when new readers arrive at a blog like mine looking for help with the process of decluttering. So a post pointing out the advantages of letting go is always a good way to encourage a person to jump in feet first and get on with the task.

Since I have written several post like this in the past I figured I would just share one with you that I have posted previously. Those who haven’t read it will benefit from it and those who read it along time ago can also benefit from a reminder of why they are making the effort of going through this process. So here is a post I wrote back in August of 2011. Enjoy!

When we talk about decluttering our goal is to end up with less stuff cluttering up our homes and lives. But after living for so long having and always wanting, more the word less sounds like something negative, not a good thing. It exudes a vibe of going without or lacking in some way. And that doesn’t sound at all pleasurable. But in reality the opposite is true. So instead of dwelling on the idea that less is a negative thing why not focus on the positive. How does less equal more?

• Less stuff to take care of = More time to spend doing the things you enjoy. More time to spend with the people you love.
• Less stuff cluttering up your home = More space for comfort and it makes your home seem bigger.
• Less money spent acquiring stuff = More financial security for the things you really need like food, shelter, health care etc.
• Less Money worries = More piece of mind.
• Less happiness tied to material “wealth” = More focus on what really matters in life ~ Friends, family, activities that help others not just yourself etc.
• Less desire for material items = More freedom from the strain of having to work so hard to earn the money to pay for the things to quench that desire.
• The Less products you consume = The better it is for the environment and the supply of natural resources.
• Less things you own that tie you down = More freedom to escape to do the things you enjoy like travel.

This list could go on and on. Think about the material things you desire then think about how much you need them verses the impact they have on your life, your family and the environment. Think also of the way your money could be better spent.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something whose purpose is to wrap around something. Perhaps a belt, a set of sheets, and old scarf, excessive rubber bands…

Eco Tip for the Day

Only run your dishwasher when it is absolutely full.

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