I have had a couple of conversations lately with people who are struggling to gain momentum with their decluttering. They are making fitful starts here and there but get frustrated. I have discovered through these conversations that the main underlining theme behind their difficulty is that, once chosen, they don’t have a plan in place as to how to get rid of the clutter. As a result all they end up doing is moving it around the house.

Most of my regular readers have this situation well and truly in hand. So much so, that they can also easily investigate and discover an outlet even for those odd items that don’t fit with their usual system. This comes with practice and experience of course. For those starting out though it is better to keep it simple and grow from there.

With a little forethought, a few phone calls and maybe a little leg work anyone can set themselves up to be successful declutterers from the start. The fact is, that knowing how to get rid of the stuff is equally as important as being willing to let it go in the first place.

So here are my suggestions for what to do to get yourself set up for declutter success…

• Keep it simple. Choose a few methods for getting rid of your stuff that will make it easy to achieve success. You can always get more imaginative with your disposal methods later when you have worked out how to really flex your decluttering muscle.
• Let your fingers do the walking. Use google or your local phone directory (online or off) to find where the thrift stores are in your area. Phone them and enquire what items they are willing to receive. Many such organisations have web sites these days that give all the information you will need. Choose the one that receives the widest range of items because that will make it easier for you to get rid of lots of things at once and will save you a lot of running around. Better still, choose one that will come to you if that is an option.
• Make freecycle.org your new best friend. Listing stuff to give away on freecycle is a great way to offload things that are still good but not accepted by your local thrift stores.
• See if curb-side decluttering will work for you. Just put something out with a FREE sign on it and see if it is taken. Please don’t leave things out overnight though.
• If you are feeling adventurous and think you may want to sell some things through online selling sites like ebay, Trademe or Craigslist etc, investigate how that works and do a trial run with an item you have chosen to send on its way. Talk to a friend or family member who has used these sites for advice on how to go about selling and what strategies have worked best for them. My suggestion is to keep it simple to begin with; don’t worry what day or time your auctions begin, just get them up there. Limiting yourself with best times can have the effect of slowing you down. I find it makes no difference as to how my auctions perform so long as the auction ends at a reasonable hour of the day.
• Consider having a garage/yard sale. This way you can put the stuff aside for a while until you have enough items for the sale. What isn’t sold at the sale can then be donated.

Once you have yourself set for success that is exactly what will ensue.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something used for food preparation.

Today’s Declutter Item

I have a timer on my oven, a timer on my microwave and a stopwatch on my cell phone so why do I need this old fashioned egg timer. I don’t! So out it goes. I can’t imagine how I have missed decluttering this for so long.

Old Fashioned Egg Timer

Eco  Tip for the Day

 Avoid using throw-away items where possible. Eg. paper napkins, batteries, paper cups etc. Instead, replace these with reusable items to reduce on waste.

“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

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.

Every piece of clutter we own has a function or at least used to before we stopped using them. This week’s mini missions are centred around the intended use of an object. I’ll name the function and you can use your imagination to choose something to declutter that suits that category. Have fun and happy decluttering.

Monday – Declutter something intended for entertainment.

Tuesday - Declutter something used for food preparation.

Wednesday - Declutter something used as an adornment.

Thursday - Declutter something intended for pampering.

Friday - Declutter something used for cleaning.

Saturday - Declutter something used for nourishing.

Sunday - Declutter something used as a covering.

Today’s Declutter Item

I had kept these trains in the top of my son’s closet because they were one of his favourite toys when he was little. He asked me a little while back, “Why haven’t you gotten rid of those Thomas toys yet? I don’t want them.” That was all it took to convince me to let them go. He was glad to have the money from their sale.

Thomas the Tank Engine Train Set

Eco Tip for the Day

Eliminate the need for your second fridge. Often used only to keep beer and fizzy drinks cold, second fridges are such a waste of energy.

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

Hi my wonderful 365 readers. Last Friday I asked for your opinion on the Friday Favourite posts. I am glad to say you were all very supportive and I have decided to continue with Fridays as they are. Clearly I value your opinion about how 365 Less Things is presented and what is included so today I once again would like your opinions on a couple of other things that I have changed, added recently or am thinking of changing and that perhaps even you would like changed about the blog. Below are the subjects I wanted to raise for your feedback. Please feel free to give me your honest opinion.

• Is anyone missing the ~ Something I am Grateful for Today ~ segment of my blog? I only stopped because I went away on short notice and it was easier to swap it out for the Eco Tips being as I wasn’t going to have easy access to the blog while I was away. No one has mentioned that they missed it so I haven’t bothered to reinstate it.
• What do you think of the Eco Tip for the Day. I am going to compile an Eco Tips page that can be easily accessed via the menu bar under the blog header. This way you will be able to refer back to the daily tips in order to, if you wish, instigate incremental changes to your daily routine for the good of the environment.
• As suggested by Snosie I have begun a Before & After Page which now can be accessed from the menu bar under the blog header. The idea of this page is to inspire by example by showing photographic proof of what wonderful improvements can be made to your home through decluttering. I have many more examples to include and will continue do so over the weekend. Please let me know what you think. Also if you would like to submit your own before and after shots to add to the page I would be more than happy to receive them at any time. Just contact me and I will send you an email address to send the photos via.
• Are you still enjoying the Monday Mini Missions. Do you feel that sometimes they are much larger than a mini mission or sometimes too involved to remember easily without having to refer back to the list. I realise that my one word mini missions are easy to remember and wondered if you would like me to try to stick to that format. Alternatively do you find a little explanation and examples more useful in triggering ideas of items you hadn’t thought to declutter.
• If there is every any subject you would like me give my thoughts on in a blog post please feel free to contact me anytime via my contact link which can also be found on the menu bar below the blog header.
• Similarly, if you have any issue with something that has been written that you don’t wish to share in a comment please contact me.  I am more than happy for people to voice their disagreement no matter how small or large with anything I have to say. The way I expand my views is through what other people have to contribute and I am always open to other’s ideas and views.
• Are you happy or disappointed with the increased number of guest posts I have be including of late? I find these inspirational and hope you do too but you may feel that you would prefer I wrote more often.
• That being side if anyone who is interested in writing a guest post for me, about their unique experience with decluttering, is always welcome to do so. Your success stories are inspirational to others, your hard earned lessons along the way, invaluable and your particular way of dealing with both the mental and physical side of clutter is very helpful so please share them with us. Once again, you can do this by sending me a message via the contact link.

Thank you in advance to those who share their input on the above subjects. I think of 365 Less Things more as a community of like minded people than simply a blog and everyone’s opinion on how it is run is valuable.

Kindest regards

Colleen

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 Jen tells how she has embraced the slow decluttering approach and the benefits there of.

Loved this comment from Lena on how one small action caused a chain reaction resulting in only one thing decluttered but a whole lot of satisfaction gained.

GreyQueen left this comment in response the Cindy’s post this week ~ Makes me want to have another sort through of my scrapbooking paper. In fact today (Wednesday) I am going to an event to make Christmas cards for the troops to which I will be taking an offer of paper for others to use. It’s a win win situation.

It seem Lena has been having a particularly enthusiastic week when it comes to decluttering. Good for you Lena. I loved this comment she left on Tuesday’s post. Who needs sentimental clutter to conjure up thoughts of a loved one when their wise words are always lingering just below the surface of our memories.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

This guest post form over at Miss Minimalist is more about being eco friendly than decluttering but that is important to me so I have included it.

Loved this episode of The Midway Simplicity Show with Tammy Stobel

Cindy sent through this link full of eco tips from oprah.com

Here is a great post from Cat’sMeow that was sent through to me by Sanna.

And even my husband was finding me links to share with you this week. This one for huffingtonpost.com reveals what many people waste their money on without even giving it a second thought and wonder why their credit card debt is so high.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something made from glass

Today’s Declutter Item

This is the closest thing to glass that I have to declutter today. I had kept this bowl because my son preferred it to the other large bowls we use for serving pasta and curry. He hasn’t used it for some time so out it goes.

An Odd Bowl

Eco Tip for the Day

If you are one for ironing just about anything ~ sheets, underwear, pyjamas, tea towels etc ~ do yourself a favour and give it up for the sake of the environment. Electrical energy won’t be the only energy you will be saving.

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

This post is about what we want as a home against what we need. Recently I bought a house. I already lived in this house before I bought as a tenant. When the house came on the market I had first option so I buy it. A few years ago (5 or 6) I would never had bought this house, because I always had this sure feeling that, when I buy a house, it would be something twice as big as this one. My house is about 100 square meters – 3 nice bedrooms, a living room, a laundry room, 2 bathrooms, kitchen and my home office – and the total land space we have is about 250 square meters. I thought I wanted a bigger house because I was completely sure would need it.

Then came the question ~ need it for what? To store my stuff, that’s what I would need it for. Then I started to declutter. I did a lot of decluttering. I had kids. More decluttering. And suddenly I was not really sure I would need all that space I dreamed of. Then something weird, really weird happened to me a year ago. I was walking along a quiet street, thinking about decluttering, and Colleen’s blog and all that stuff I let go and how good I felt. Then I saw this lovely little house ~ must have been 50 square meters at most ~ and I looked at it very pleased and thought ~ “What a lovely little house, I would like to have a small house like this and not have so MUCH STUFF”.

That was when I appreciated that I did not have to live in a huge house to be happy. That the house I currently lived in as a tenant had an excellent location and a nice enough size. It hit me, finally, that I didn’t need more space, but less stuff. In January 2012 I decided to start decluttering more because I would look for smaller houses to buy, cheaper and better located than the mammoths I previously coveted. And to my bafflement, in February 2012, my house, the one I started to like so much, the one I was currently living in came on the market. The questions I askedhad to be answered were:

• How does a 20 square meter backyard versus a 50 square meter backyard makes you happier or makes a home better?
• I have in my house three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They are enough for my family and it is quite comfortable. Do I need more?

…by April I was its proud and happy owner.

It is funny, but the first thing I did do, as soon as I signed the contract, was start decluttering. There’s years of holding back stuff because I would have to give it back to the owner. Yes, the “lovely” former owner left her stuff  here. And happily I now freeing up space. Things that were kept “in case of moving” are gone. Things that originally belonged to the house, but are useless now, are gone. And I also decided I have too much storage space in the house, so I am thinking of decluttering wardrobes and other such storage units. Make them smaller, with less stuff, so I can manage things better.

A big yard isn’t necessary. If a person wants to spend time playing with their children they will regardless. A park near your house or a public soccer field is a great place to play if there isn’t enough room for all activities in a little backyard.

If you want to have a nice house you don’t have to have a huge house to impress anyone. Because nobody cares. Or as they say, people who care about the size of your house don’t matter, and people who matter, don’t really care.

So what I want most to say is that I learned a valuable lesson at 365 lessthings….

I have to be, not to have. I don’t have to own stuff to be. I don’t have to have the biggest house in the family to be. To be I just have to value feelings instead of stuff. I have stuff to make my life easier, I don’t have stuff to worship it.

Thanks for the wonderful lessons you have shared.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something made from fibre.

Today’s Declutter Item

This item fits in with todays mini mission being that it is an oil painting on canvas. We went a little crazy on “Back Art” at one point but now that we are minimising some of the not so great ones have to go.

Oil Painting on Canvas

Eco Tip for the Day

 Try growing plants from seeds or clippings rather than buying seedling in plastic pots at the nursery.

“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

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

So many people know that their homes are over cluttered, they can feel the oppression of it, but they just can’t bring themselves to deal with what seems like such a monumental task. Just last week I was having a phone conversation with my mother-in-law about this. She often reports to me what she has been decluttering lately but she still looks at the stuff around her and the items she has mounting up in the garage to sell or donate and thinks “It is such a big task still ahead!”. I told her the same thing I tell my readers “It isn’t you know, it is just one thing a day.”

She was proudly telling me how she had decluttered one hundred doll magazines that week ~ she collects, makes and dresses dolls. She decided that she just wasn’t looking through them any more and they were just collecting dust. She was clever enough to offer them to a friend that is also a doll collector to either keep for herself or donate them to the doll club. How easy was that, here one day gone the next. I pointed out to her that a little more clever thinking like that ~ to find outlets for her clutter ~ and she will see improvements in no time. Just remember how good it felt to get rid of those magazines and capitalise on that feeling.

Later that same day I read a blog post by The Minimalist about cultivating a passion to follow. It got me thinking that decluttering very quickly became a passion for me, not a chore, when I came up with the idea of doing it the easy way, one thing at a time. I have never looked back, in fact on that day and every day since I have actually enjoyed the challenge.

I get a buzz every time I choose that one thing to declutter each day and again when I send it on its way. It isn’t about being excited to one day finally reach the finish line, it’s about enjoying every step I take along the way.

I am finding it hard to put this into words but the gist of what I am saying is to celebrate every little achievement, every item, everyday. The payoff can be everyday not just at the end ~ everyday! It is like getting an excited tingle whenever you think about an upcoming enjoyable event rather than whining about the event being so far off. Like being happy to put money in the bank to save for a trip rather than just focusing on the treats you might be missing out on in order to do this. Like relishing the changes and sensations in your body as a baby grows inside you rather than just wishing that the pregnancy was over and you could just be enjoying your new baby.

Although I love it when I can see that I have made a difference most days I can’t. One small thing in a drawer doesn’t change the look of things much. However, I know that there is one less thing cluttering up my home and that is enough for me to get that warm fuzzy feeling of achievement.

What better encouragement is there than to see what is potentially a chore as a treat. If you can savour every moment then the finish line will just be the end of a wonderful journey.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something made from wood.

Today’s Declutter Item

I was using one of these pot stands on a regular basis while the other sat dormant in a drawer. In another drawer was a metal trivet that I use once a year when I make our Christmas pudding. These couldn’t replace the need for the trivet but the trivet could replace the need for these. So out they go. The trivet is now in daily use and there is more space in my drawer. Once again I was very pleased with myself with this mission accomplished. That was my little buzz for the day.

Two wooden and tile pot stands

Eco Tip for the Day

Just like my decluttering approach you can gradually improve your carbon footprint by implementing a new environmentally friendly routine into your life on a regular basis. It doesn’t have to be a chore but a fun challenge to not only help the planet but quite often it turns out will also save you money.

“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

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.

…Well that is an easy question ~ everything imaginable that is what clutter is made of. So this week I had a little fun putting together seven mini missions based on the substance of what clutter is composed. Have fun with them. I am looking forward to hearing about what you come up with.

Monday – Declutter something made from plastic.

Tuesday - Declutter something made from wood.

Wednesday - Declutter something made from paper.

Thursday - Declutter something made from fibre.

Friday - Declutter something made from glass

Saturday - Declutter something made from metal.

Sunday - Declutter something made from leather.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Here are another couple of items from the garage that weren’t being used. I attempted to sell them on eBay without success so they are off to the thrift shop this week.

Clamps

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t throw away that old electric kettle or use harsh cleaners on it because it is all stained inside. Fill it with cold water, add a lemon wedge and bring to the boil, that stain will miraculously disappear.

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

Newcastle (Australia) Area 365ers

Who would like to get together for a chat and a cuppa with me

I was hoping we could do this sometime during the first half of october. If you are interested please comment below with your availability and location preferences. Any weekday is good for me except Wednesdays. There are so many great cafe’s in the Newcastle area where we could meet up just let me know if you have transport requirements that limit your options.

I am not even sure how many of you there are out there but even if it is only one that would still be great. I am always ready for a chat about decluttering and simplifying life.

Sydney readers are also welcome. It only costs about $11.40 off peak (after 9am) return ($16.40 earlier times) to get here by train from most Sydney suburbs.

Here in the southern hemisphere we are heading towards Spring and I cannot wait for the days to get longer and the temperature a bit warmer. As we have trudged through Winter we have had our share of coughs and flu’s doing the grand circuit through the household. I am, as usual, the last person to go down with the flu and just back on my feet again after two days in bed. Of course, my husband is sure I (Moni) could not have had what he just had because he couldn’t get out of bed for five days whereas I (Moni) seemed to be able to roll out of bed to collect the girls from school and to deal with dinner and laundry. Surely, I must have something less severe. 🙄

So the medicine cabinet has seen a bit of action lately but I am rather pleased with the lower level of stock that we are managing on these days. In previous years our medicine cabinet has rivaled a Pharmacy (Drug Store in US) for the variety and quantities of over the counter meds we had – my annual decluttering of the medicine cabinet was a joy because everything had an expiry date which meant justifiable expulsion from the household. Earlier this year I noticed how many similar items could be found in our medicine cupboard and usually within 3-6 months of each for expiry date. Two lots of antihistamine, three lots of the identical headache/pain tablet, four lots of similar flu meds and so on and so on. I gave this some thought but couldn’t explain the phenomenon until eventually I caught myself in the act. My daughter was sent home from school with a head cold and I beelined for the Pharmacy on the way as I couldn’t recall if I had anything suitable at home already. This is how the fourth set of head cold meds entered the house to sit between an identical half empty packet and two other rival brands containing the same active ingredients.

My daughter is a rather logical thinker and was highly amused in a clogged up, watery eyed sort of way, and suggested I write a inventory of what we have and keep it on my iPod Touch since it goes everywhere with me now that I have discovered Notepad and “Things” app (my iPod is my training ground for an iPhone) . So I did so and included any extra details that were included on the packaging plus the expiry dates. From that day onwards – which fortunately was early Autumn – I have carried with me an inventory of medicines already in the house and thanks to a damp cold Winter and a lot of flu’s going around, a noteable reduction in our stock levels.

This method is working well for me, but it could be as simple as a piece of paper slipped into a pocket of my wallet. What I am doing is Decluttering 101 in that I am reducing the amount of incoming items and hopefully it will reduce the amount of medicines that I have to dispose of at expiry time.

What other clever ideas are there for managing the medicine cabinet?

The Weekend’s Mini Missions

Saturday – Declutter a electric cable that serves no purpose.

Sunday – Declutter something made of paper.

“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!

Deb J agrees, through first hand experience, that the brain can be retrained in this comment.

Laura took all the right steps to do the right thing to dispose of out of date medication that she found in her medicine cabinet. She shares her experience in this comment . For anyone in Australia ~ I believe every pharmacy/chemist in Australia will accept expired medication so it is a easy as dropping it off the next time you are there.

Elizabeth is one smart nana. Learn why I say that in this comment

Deb J said just the right things to inspire another reader judging by this comment from Connie

I also loved this comment from Melisa. Keeping up with the Stewarts can be as hard if not harder than keeping up with the Jones.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

I recently discover Daily Lime a web blog where they post great environmentally friendly tips each day. They don’t always relate to my situation but I read them all and learn some good stuff. Here are just a couple that I felt compelled to share with you. Link 1 & Link 2 . I highly recommend you subscribe to this blog if you are at all interested in reducing your carbon footprint.

Lynn sent me this link from link from Zen Habits. I must admit it took me 10 days to get around to reading it but I am sure glad I did. What a great post! Thank you Lynn, keep them coming.

Cindy sent me this great piece from Oprah.com comparing everyday items we use in our homes. It gives great advice on making the greenest choice.

I can find a link between this post from The Minimalists and decluttering. See if you can find one. In fact I think I will write a post about my thoughts on this very soon.

Here is a link shared with me by Low Income Lady with some good advice on how to declutter your social networking time.

Before I finish with today’s post I wanted to ask your honest opinion of the Friday Favourite posts. Do you look forward to them each week or would you be happy if I used Friday for another post or guest posts from your fellow 365ers. Let me know your feelings on this so I can decide whether to change thins up a bit or leave them as they are.

Today’s Mini Mission

 Declutter a pair of shoes you rarely use.

Today’s Declutter Item

These are one of those “I might need it some day” items. The fact is that some day might very well come but by that time these boots could have perished so much that they fall apart on first use. After five years of them wasting away in my closet I think it is time to send them off to the thrift store before that eventuality becomes reality.

Warm Outdoor Boots

Eco Tip for Today

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.

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