It goes against all my principles, but I am considering putting clothes, that no longer fit me, into storage. I know! Shock, horror, gasp!

It is all because of an argument going on in my head. There is one side of my brain which is yelling at me saying “What the heck? Did we not go through this last year? Did you not pull down from the ceiling storage, boxes and boxes of clothes in assorted sizes and assorted eras, and proceeded to get rid of them all? Did you not participate in Project 333 and swore never to go back? Did you not encourage other 365’ers facing a similar situation to let go of the past? What are you thinking, girl?”

And then the other side of my brain speaks up “But, you have only been on a new diet regime since December the 1st, you haven’t yet committed to any sort of fitness programme, most of these clothes were purchased in November, what if you need them again?”

The other voices pipes up “How could you even think that? Did you not write a guest post on “just in case” and did you not quote an author saying that kind of thinking indicates a lack of trust in your future?”

“Yes, but your weight has been a bit of a moving target over the last five years and you don’t actually know if you will get down to your goal weight. After all it is just a number you plucked out of nowhere. And its not like you keep a large wardrobe, you keep the number of items under 30 pieces and they would all fit nicely into one of those empty storage boxes and it would take up barely any room in the ceiling storage now that you’ve had a big clear out up there…..I know, why don’t you eliminate something else from up there, so this could take its place.”

“I already need to go down a size in clothing, but I am just trying to make things last until the end of Summer. I won’t fit my jeans and all my winter jerseys are likely to be too big too. You don’t have a problem with getting rid of those and buying new Autumn/Winter clothes, do you?”

“Of course not, I’m looking forward to that, but next Summer is a long time away. And shouldn’t you be thinking of sustainability? Carbon footprint? What if you end up having to re-purchase a whole Summer wardrobe in the same size?”

“What if I don’t? What if by next Summer I am even smaller? What if I don’t even like that style of clothing next summer? What if I don’t have the security blanket of an easy upsize? Would that in itself keep me on target? And what if I’m not the same person anymore? What if this is the new me?”

“Oh sweetie – if you want to think that, you can think that, I’m just trying to look out for your best interests. I just think you should wait and see what happens.”

So that is the debate going on in my head. It is easy to get rid of out-sized clothes that haven’t been worn in years but clothes that are less than 3 months old…….that I am struggling with. My diet buddy (who is not a minimalist nor a declutterer) says I should be replacing roomy items now and not trying to make them last until April. She is, however, a fashionista, whereas I feel I should be saving my pennies for my Autumn clothes.

So 365’ers – how would you settle this argument?

Today’s Mini Mission

If you have moved sometime in the last ten years but still have clothing or equipment that does not fit with and has therefore not been used in your new location it is more than time you decluttered it. This could be clothing, sporting equipment, gardening implements, snow shovel…

Eco Tip for the Day

Get the spatular and scrape every last trace of food out of your cooking bowls. It may not seem like much waste but waste is waste. There are people in the world who don’t get that much food in a day. (The photos are from when my children made lasagne while I was out.

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

After reading the title of today’s post you are probably eagerly awaiting an explanation. I am going to attempt to keep it brief because I have a somewhat related topic I would like your opinion on before I sign off today.

What Redundancy or Destruction relates to is this:-

The less we own ~ be that reducing what we already have or minimising what comes in ~ the more likely it is that we will wear things out (Destruction) rather than them becoming useless to us (Redundant).

This is especially so for items of clothing, both for adults and for children. Recently Lena commented that she has so few clothes these days that things are wearing out faster. That could sound like the clothes aren’t well made but what Lena clearly meant was that the clothes are being worn far more often because there are so few in circulation, that they are naturally wearing out sooner.

The beauty of this method is that you get to replace items with something new and exciting, guilt free, because they simply need replacing. This satisfies the need to buy something new and pretty occasionally, keeping your wardrobe fresh and up to date, so to speak. One of the other advantages is that should you gain or lose a little weight over time your wardrobe will be replaced by natural progression over that period without you ending up with two sets of clothes. Ones that fit and ones that don’t.

The situation is slightly different for children, because they require a bit more in their rotation since they tend to be somewhat messier. However it makes possibly even more sense to apply this logic to their wardrobes being as outgrowing their clothes is inevitable, not simply due to poor food choices.

This same inevitability applies to all sorts of items that we can stand to have a few less of in rotation. Items that might perish rather than wear out or run out such as, pens, food, toiletries… This doesn’t only make economical sense it is also the environmentally friendly approach.

* * * * * * *

The somewhat related topic I mentioned earlier:-

I have had a post sitting idle as a draft which I have been advised not to publish. It is not finished but the theme is sensitive. However this same theme just keeps popping up all over the place for me lately and I am seriously considering taking the chance that I won’t offend too many people and just let the post out there. The topic in question is the connection between clutter and being overweight.

Having never been overweight myself, writing such a post could be construed two ways. One ~ “What do you (meaning me) know about being overweight if you never have been”. Two ~ “You (meaning me) ought to have something helpful to say on this topic because you must be doing something right as you have never been overweight.”

I have been offered a blog post from one of our readers on this subject. I am currently reading Peter Walsh’s book ~ Does this clutter make my but look fat. Also I have very recently stumbled upon two other blogs that have suggested this is an area of our lives that could do with habit changing.

So I put it too you here and now to let me know if you think this is a subject that you would like me to at least touch on once. Or do you think I should just leave this alone and allow my readers to deal with their household clutter first. I have noticed that many people who get their clutter under control also begin to form better habits in this area also.

Please give me your honest opinion as to whether you think this is something I should write about. I am happy either way so please don’t just say what you think I want to hear. 

Today’s Mini Mission

Go through your children’s clothing and assess what is worn out, no longer fits, is not useful to hand down to another of your children or be kept for another child should you be planning of having another one soon. Declutter what you will not need.

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t be a princess. Clothes can be worn twice, towels don’t need to be laundered everyday, misshapen fruit tastes the same as the pretty stuff, as does the food in dented tins and crinkled boxes. You might be surprised how much power, water and perfectly good food is wasted by being so picky.

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 of the clutter we accumulate over time is simply due to life changes. Growing older, changing interests, education, career change, kids growing up, injuries or illness, gaining or losing weight, relocating… All of these changes can leave in their wake items that are of no use to us. I am sure that we all have at least a little of this kind of clutter and this week we will work on it for our mini missions.

Monday – If you completed college or university more than five years ago it is probably time to declutter all those old college papers stacked in boxes in the attic, garage or basement. If you can’t bring yourself to get rid of them completely scan them and only keep the digital copies. Use text recognition software to convert the scans into editable and searchable text, making it easier to reference it should the need actually arise. It makes more sense to keep it in this format because it is far easier to access the information you need when you need it.

Tuesday – Go through your children’s clothing and assess what is worn out, no longer fits, is not useful to hand down to another of your children or be kept for another child should you be planning of having another one soon. Declutter what you will not need.

Wednesday – Declutter old sporting equipment for sports you no longer play. I have done this with our snorkelling gear, my son’s little league gear and  most of my softball gear as I have no intention of ever playing again. I kept my mitt as a keepsake because it is special to me and has lots of signatures from the Seattle Mariners on it.

Thursday – If you have moved sometime in the last ten years but still have clothing or equipment that does not fit with and has therefore not been used in your new location it is more than time you decluttered it. This could be clothing, sporting equipment, gardening implements, snow shovel…

Friday – Declutter old clothing that fitted with your previous life that are now no longer needed. This could be sports uniforms, work clothing, clothes that no longer fit, clothing that is inappropriate to the climate you now live in, clothing that is inappropriate for your age, maternity clothing if you have no intentions of having more children…

Saturday – Do a quick declutter of your children’s toys. There are often broken ones, ones they no longer enjoy to play with or ones they have simply grown to old for.

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.

February’s Habit Changing Challenge

Remember last month I set you the Habit Changing Challenge to make your bed everyday. How did you go with that? This month I have a new challenge for you. No leaving your clothes lying around. If they are dirty put them straight in the dirty clothes receptacle.  If you intend on using them again do not leave them draped over a chair, on the end of your bed or worse still, laying on the floor. Instead put them back on a coat hanger and hang them in a designated space in your wardrobe or provide hooks to hang them behind a door.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Always at least consider the eco friendly option when buying products. Just be mindful that they are actually eco friendly and not just labelled that way to entice the innocent. Also don’t be lured into paying an exorbitant amount of money for these items. It seems to me that any company that is truly interested in doing the right thing by the environment would prefer to encourage us to do the right thing by charging reasonable prices rather than to prey on our concerns while gouging our pockets in the process.

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

The 10 year old outfit

The outfit

I never thought I would write a text about an outfit. Especially not the one in this photograph, because the only relevance it has in my life is that it was never worn. I bought this outfit in 2003, it was Autumn. It is a winter outfit. The skirt and blouse are of a hot fabric (sweating is not an option or it would stick and get smelly, even in winter) and it was very stiff, not allowing much movements. But I am making excuses for myself. I knew all of this when I tried the outfit at the store. I remember very clearly the day I bought this outfit, because it was the one time out of two that I put it on. It was not an overly expensive outfit, but I did pay money for it. The first time I tried it, at the store, I felt powerful. I thought I would put high-heeled boots with high tops and look great. Except that the perfect place to use that outfit never came. Never! And the years came and went. I gained weight, got pregnant twice, lost weight, gained again, bought clothes to fit my new weight, donated loads of clothes that were too worn/small/not my style anymore but this outifit, never worn, never made it to the donation pile. I changed my clothes from one wardrobe to another and the outfit was just going from one place to another. And it never met my washing machine either…

I remember the other occasions that I gave clothes away when I looked at this outfit and I thought: “I am going to use it. The perfect time for using it will present itself.” Of course that time never came. But I could not accept that I had done this, that I bought something and had not worn it. Not one single time. I get hand-me-downs from time to time and I don’t wear the clothes because I don’t like them, I just pass them on. But I did not choose those clothes. I did not go to a store, try them on and buy them. They came for free and the same way went.

On January, 11, 2013, I was trying to do a challenge, like Steve did, and was assembling 100 objects to declutter. And I opened the place in my wardrobe where the outfit was. I was with a trusted person, who helps me with housekeeping and babysitting when needed, and she said I should let it go, because in three years she had never seen me wear it. I did not try it on to see if it still fitted, I just let it go.

Why did I hold on to that outfit for so long? Because, as Colleen has put again and again on this blog, I could not accept defeat. I could not accept that I did not like the outfit, that buying it was a mistake and that it was simply not my style and I would never wear it, no matter how long I held on to it.

I learned my lesson. But it took me too long and I agonized too much over it. Don’t let clutter agonize you, if you have something that you never wore, never used and are just hanging on because the day will come when you use it, give it up, that day will never come. Even if you think, as I did briefly, that there could come a Contry Theme party and I would miss that outfit and would want to wear it, I reminded myself that two such occasions did present themselves in 2012 and I did not wear that outfit. I chose something else. And the outfit had been there, at my disposal, in my wardrobe. So I let it go. Trust me, give up whatever you are not using, you will not need it and the occasion will never rise, I waited 10 years and that “perfect occasion” to use it never came.

The Weekend’s Mini Missions

Saturday – If you haven’t taken a look at your collection of books for a while now is as good a time as any. If you are inclined, reduce the number a little more. Question your sentimental attachment to books you have already read and aren’t likely to read again.

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.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

Sanna fills us in on her reasons for liking the slow and steady approach to decluttering in this comment.

Creative Me gives us her take on how the best of a collection can just get lost in the crowd in this comment.

This comment in response to Cindy’s post this week is also from Creative me. She stumbled upon a way to resist retail temptation.

Rebecca is using much the same method to declutter her photos that I am. Read about it here.

Ideealistin gives  us a rundown in this comment on how she was being inspired by both posts and fellow 365ers last week.

One of a newest 365ers, Mags, introduces herself and lets us know what areas of clutter she is working on in this comment. Welcome to the gang Mags.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Cindy sent this link from the NY Times

In case you haven’t been over to Midway Simplicity lately, to see what Tohami is up to, here are a couple of posts worth reading. The first by Kate Carpenter on the true cost of clutter and the latest video project The Midway Decluttering Show featuring Joshua Becker .

This post from Slow Your Home gives you 52 reasons to simplify.

Here is another article, this time from Body & Soul with more information on, and reasons behind clutter.

Today’s Mini Mission

I find that the stronger my desire to reduce my belongings becomes the less attachment I have to sentimental items. Assess what you have in the way of sentimental items and declutter those that no longer hold much attraction. Take into account whether you really need these items to remember the people, places and events.

Eco Tip For The Day

If you enjoy a nice coffee seek out cafés with and eco friendly bent. Two of my favourites have secondhand décor, sugar bowls (not sachets), butter and spreads served in dishes no foil or plastic…

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

Out of sight clutter

Have you ever noticed that there is certain clutter in your home that you not only never use but you don’t even lay eyes on it for long periods of time. During that time you don’t think of it. It is like it doesn’t even exist. But the minute you unearth it memories come flooding back and suddenly it seems so precious.

I am not just referring to keepsakes here I am including all manner of clutter. That old tupperware way back in the furthermost reaches of your kitchen cabinet. The sporting equipment buried under more useful stuff in the back shed. Photographs in which you can’t even identify half of the subjects. Plush toys in the bottom of your old blanket box. Those least favourite socks in the depths of your sock drawer. The file relegated to the last hanger of your filing cabinet. Boxes in the garage that you never unpacked after your last move.

Would these items come to mind if you had to compile an inventory of your home contents off the top of your head. I bet not. And yet were you to unearth these items you would likely be struck with crazy thoughts of how precious they were to you or how useful they are or I might still use that. The memories of days gone by when these items were an everyday part of your life cloud your judgement on just how big of a waste of space they have become.

When confronted with these objects try to be logical. Everyday we create new memories and new priorities. Saving a little of the past is fine but life has a way of twisting and changing and the less stuff you have blocking your way the freer you are to live in the now and explore the possibilities of the future.

In the wise words of Dr. Suess ~ “Today is gone. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one. Everyday from here to there, funny things are everywhere.”

Today’s Mini Mission

I know from experience that, when overstocked, one can lose sight of individual craft items that have been drowned among the masses. Quite often when you do unearth them they are no longer to your taste. Declutter any craft supplies that you, if you are honest with yourself, are unlikely to use.

Eco Tip for the Day

Transferring cash and making payments digitally saves on trips to the bank, paper, mailing and wear and tear on printed currency. Saving little pockets of energy with each of those savings.

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

Over the last week there have been two comments that inspired this post. One from Sanna expressing her excitement about decluttering a box of little bits and pieces and another from Moni suggesting that decluttering one book at a time is easier for her than contemplating getting rid of the whole collection.

Some people may think that decluttering will go on forever at this pace but I have found quite the opposite. Sometimes decluttering doesn’t even begin when a person looks at the big picture and feel there is too much to lose. This is especially so when a person has been avid about collecting certain things over a long period of time and/or feels personally attached to this collection. Book lovers are a prime example of this. When faced with the prospect of having to decrease their collection by one entire bookshelf they may want to run and hide. Give them the task of removing just one book and the task isn’t so difficult. Empowered by that achievement the task of finding another and later another and another gets easier.

After reading Moni’s comment I decided once again to apply this logic to my craft supplies. I went to my pantry and grabbed a coffee jar that had been set aside for just such a purpose. I took it to my craft room with the intention of slowly filling it with beads as I decided I could live without them. I began my quest in a box where I knew resided beads that I was not so enamoured with. I chose a few to put in the jar intending to stop there. But then I started thinking that there were others I could happily live without. Sure I could have made something from them one day but I have no shortage of other beads to choose from so why keep ones I have had for ages yet never used.

Once I was on a roll I decided to go one step further. Could I get rid of enough to condense a couple of boxes down to one. Sure enough my momentum brought me to having a full jar of beads to donate as well as one divided storage box to go along with it. It may not look like much but I am very happy with my efforts.

Your momentum may not carry you this fast but it sure is easier to convince yourself to let a little bit go rather than a lot.  My experience is that this, less traumatic approach, is more likely to result in a repeat performance. My dramatic craft room declutter mostly took place this way. A little here and a little there. Once you condition yourself to letting  go it becomes easier and easier. In fact more often than not my desire to reduce eventually overrides any desire I have to keep things and I end up decluttering far more than I thought I would.

Today’s Mini Mission

Shoes are another kind of item that need reassessing on, at least, a seasonal basis. Get all your shoes together and decide whether you really use or need them all. Declutter those you don’t.

Eco Tip for the Day

On a rainy day put out a few large containers to collect water for use on the drier days to irrigate your potted plants. Best to use containers that have lids because if not used quickly the sitting water can become a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

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.

This week the mini missions are all about reassessing items you own in multiples. Items you have decreased in numbers previously but now feel you can reduce even more. I find, as I get more ruthless with my decluttering, I revisit areas again and again and reduce more and more the quantity of these items. This can be especially so for items that inhabit more than one place in the house. Even if I use each of these individual items I realise that I can manage with less and declutter the ones I am less enamoured with.

Monday – Sanna commented last week on how many pairs of scissors she has in her home and she decluttered a few. This had me doing a roundup of my own scissors. I owned two more pairs than I thought I did, a total of ten pairs. I decided to declutter three pairs. Do a roundup of your scissors and if you have more than you need choose some to let go of. 

Tuesday – Shoes are another kind of item that need reassessing on, at least, a seasonal basis. Get all your shoes together and decide whether you really use or need them all. Declutter those you don’t.

Wednesday – CDs and DVDs are another thing that we can tire of over time. Flick through your music and movie collections and decide whether they are all loved enough to keep. Sell or donate the excess.

Thursday – I know from experience that, when overstocked, one can lose sight of individual craft items that have been drowned among the masses. Quite often when you do unearth them they are no longer to your taste. Declutter any craft supplies that you, if you are honest with yourself, are unlikely to use.

Friday – I find that the stronger my desire to reduce my belongings becomes the less attachment I have to sentimental items. Assess what you have in the way of sentimental items and declutter those that no longer hold much attraction. Take into account whether you really need these items to remember the people, places and events.

Saturday – If you haven’t taken a look at your collection of books for a while now is as good a time as any. If you are inclined, reduce the number a little more. Question your sentimental attachment to books you have already read and aren’t likely to read again.

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 have mixer taps turn them to the hot setting while waiting for the hot water to come through. There is no point in wasting both hot and cold water during this wait.

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

Prepare to be inspired. The Tall Poppy Project by Kylie Pratchett encourages you to take a good look at yourself to find what it is that will take your life from ordinary to delicious. This book gives you a holistic approach to bringing out the best in yourself, body, mind and soul. By encouraging you to explore the possibilities of improving your life through simple and incremental changes to diet, exercise, relationships, self image and more.

Base on her own experiences of redesigning her life, Kylie Pratchett, who went from forensic scientist to Holistic health coach, shares her tips on seeking out and making the changes you may need in yours. Encouraging you to embrace the wonders that are already there but perhaps not appreciated or utilised to their fullest. Making the most of life’s pleasures is something she strongly advocates and who wouldn’t want a piece of that action.

With a deadline for this review I read the book without following through on the excises Kylie includes to help the reader identify and work through their issues. I will most certainly be reading the book again and participating in the exercises next time around.

To be honest I found some chapters of this book were more relevant to me than others which was a relief, because I would hate to think I needed help in all aspects of my life. I found myself highlighting passages that were very thought provoking and rereading them over a few times. Here is one I wanted to share with you.

“…I too, am a recovering perfectionist. There, I’ve said it! You probably know people like me… obsessed with the clean house, needing the crockery to match and the cushions on the lounge to be set ‘just so’. Unfortunately this quest for perfection can grow its tentacles into every area of your life, and contribute to you feeling constantly under pressure from that nagging voice in your head.

On the one hand, you become quite the control freak, trying to keep tabs on everything that crosses your path. Of course when you are a perfectionist it is a short and slippery slope to judging other people just as harshly. On the other hand, needing to do everything exactly right can be a really good cop out! It can be an excuse to not even try.

How far then do we push ourselves? Generations born since the late 70s have been sold this notion that we can have it all. You know, the fabulous house, the husband, the 2.2 kids, the picket fence, the snazzy car, the lovely holidays and above all else the amazing career! There’s one problem with all of this: it’s sold us all that this is what success looks like. And it may well be for some. But if we are honest, it is highly likely that on a soul success level, success might look very different at least for some of us…”

With that passage fresh in your mind I would suggest that if you too would like to unearth the real you and start living a more delicious life you might want to get your hands on a copy of this book. It is neither preachy or judgemental in fact Kylie’s style of writing is more along the lines of a gentle guiding hand.

If you would like to try before you buy you can sign up to Kylie’s website and receive a free chapter of the book.

The Weekend’s Mini Missions

Saturday – Make-up and medicines (pills, ointments, antiseptic etc). Both these items are made from substances that perish over time. Although medicines will usually have a used by date some cosmetic don’t. Either way you need to do a regular declutter of, what is or what you believe to be, out of date products in your medicine cabinet, your first-aid box and your make-up kit. (Read here for advice on used by dates for make-up)

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.

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Favourite Comments. Enjoy!

This comment from Ideealistin is a great example of how ease of use is better than unnecessary backups.

This comment from Moni proves that there is a positive side to every situation.

Loretta takes both the environment and her budget into account when it comes to how much stock of anything she keeps on hand.  Fear of running out is not her motivator. Like me she has plans on how to make do. Read her comment here .

I had to laugh when Andréia said she didn’t agree with me in her comment when in fact, from the way I read it, we agreed almost entirely. If Shampoo and olive oil are the only things she cares about running out of then she is doing just fine.

I enjoyed Dagmara take on her comfort zone in this comment. I am with you Dagmara, why step out of your comfort zone when you can expand it from the inside. I also felt like that is what I did when it comes

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

This week I am only going to link to two posts. I have chose these two because they get to the core of how to distinguish the good things from the clutter and how modern society ended up down this path of consumerism leading to the clutter issues we have today. Both these posts are worth more than one read through I think.

1. http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/how-to-make-trillions-of-dollars/

2. http://www.raptitude.com/2011/01/i-dont-want-stuff-any-more-only-things/

Today’s Mini Mission

Electrical appliances. Like anything else on this week’s list of mini missions these items will wear out from being used but at least then you will have gotten your money’s worth out of them. Having left electrical items in storage when we moved to America and then coming home to find they no longer worked I know for sure that it is a reality the they don’t like sitting idle for too long. so if you have gadgets you aren’t using pass them on now before they die from lack of use.

Eco Tip For The Day

My daughter was just saying she read an article which had a suggestion about saving water when washing your hair in the shower. After wetting your hair turn off the water, lather and turn the water back on to rinse rather than leave it running continuously. Do the same during the conditioning process. It might be a little cool in winter to attempt this but it would work just find in the summer months.

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