Cindy

Last month, I helped my friends, The E family, move. In the last month, I also helped my daughters’ school pack for a move. The Es have lived in their house 13 years; the school has been in this location 10 years.

Let me tell you, I have seen a lot of junk, stuff, things, good stuff that’s no longer needed, beautiful useful items, heirlooms, and lost & found in the past month. A lot.

Moving really forces you to focus in on what’s essential. This is especially true for the school, which is being torn down and rebuilt. For the first half of the next school year, The Girls’ School of Austin will operate nine grades (K-8) in a church that used to rent its extra space to a preschool. A preschool. To say that the girls will be cramped and the teachers will need to be flexible is probably an understatement.

The Es were in the fortunate position of moving across town and into a a home that is both lovelier and larger than their previous home.

But whether it’s a school or a family, moving involves the same essential processes and the same opportunities to declutter and downsize your possessions.

Anticipation

You know the move is coming. Maybe next week, maybe next year, but it’s never too early to start. (For those of us who aren’t moving, just keep decluttering. Every now and then, you hear of someone who had to / got to move totally unexpectedly, and if this is you, you’ll be glad you already reigned in your stuff.)

I think it can be hard to get going in this stage; the move is still so far away. Well life is going to keep on happening, and moving day will arrive before you know it, so start small and keep going.

Staging

In the US, “staging” your house has become the new normal. That’s where you pretty the whole house up to look really nice, but it doesn’t necessarily look much like your house any more. Personal pictures are removed, new towels are hung, things that you’ve lived with happily mismatched for a decade suddenly need to be matched. This is staging. (And if you think staging – or at least cleaning – isn’t important, check out these photos. This site always makes me laugh and cringe.)

This is also another chance to declutter. Since you’re removing all these items, think about whether they still serve you. Whether you need / want / and enjoy them anymore. Now that you own the new matched towels, shouldn’t you use them and donate the old towels to the animal shelter?

Packing

It’s the main event folks! The time when you will touch every single thing you own. Every single thing. Let’s let that sink in for a moment. (And if you’re Colleen, you will not only touch every single thing you own, you will have to write it on a list – literally. That’s what the Australian Air Force requires when it moves its personnel.) Leave yourself enough time to actually think about what you’re packing, rather than just cramming it all in a box as fast as possible. Either you or your employer is paying for each and every item, each and every box. Even if you’re moving yourself you’re paying – in exhaustion, favors owed, beer, etc. Think about what you are packing and make sure you have enough time to dispose of the unwanted items in an appropriate manner.

Unpacking

The second half of the main event. Probably the last time you will touch every single thing you own, until the next move. (Dan swears that he’s not moving until he is in a box.) Not everything will fit or work in your new location. As you’re unpacking, this is the time to make the second pass of deciding if you really need four glass pitchers and 20 framed photos of your children ages 1 – 2.

Your first unpacking and arranging shouldn’t be your last. After you live in your new location for a time, you’ll realize that the silverware, towels, books, dish towels – something – really isn’t stored in its best location. Don’t be afraid to move and fine tune your home. A more efficient arrangement can also mean more decluttering and less chance of cluttering later when you can’t find what you want, even though you know it’s here, somewhere.

Good luck E family and good luck GSA. Good luck to any readers who are moving. My love to you all!

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some money related items. Old money boxes, wallets, bill clips, change purses, coin sorters, coin wrappers or bags… . You could also drop foreign coins off to the bank for donation to charity or gather up all the coins that you have accumulated and cash it in at the bank by either depositing it into your account or getting bills in exchange.

Eco Tip For The Day

Here is an eco tip that is good for your waistline, your wallet and food waste. When going out for morning tea or lunch with a friend why not share that slice of cake, piece of pie or lunch dish. I do this all the time with my friends because usually the servings are large enough for two to share. We just ask for an extra plate and cutlery and split it between us before hoeing in.

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

Decluttering is all about change.

• Changing the way you think about stuff: It isn’t important. It can trigger memories but doesn’t contain them. It usually becomes clutter eventually no matter how excited you were at acquiring it in the first place. It doesn’t raise peoples’ opinions of you. It doesn’t make you happy in the long term. You have to work to acquire it, which may rob you of precious time spent taking care of those and that which are actually important to you. 
• Changing long formed ideas and habits: You are not obliged to keep stuff no matter how it was acquired ~ gifts, heirlooms, rewards, awards, prises, souvenirs… . You are also not obliged to accept stuff ~ gifts, freebies, special offers… . You can express your wishes, ahead of time, to those close to you that you would rather not receive gifts and learn to say no when people offer you other things that you don’t need. It is OK to say no politely.
• Changing your shopping habits: Replacing what you are decluttering will put you back to square one in no time. I have found that resisting the temptation to purchase things that aren’t necessary can soon become a habit that requires no effort or cause any disappointment.
• Changing your mind about what need is: Chances are most of that stuff you are afraid to get rid of, in case you need it one day, was never really needed in the first place and probably never will. Don’t be confused between need and want.

If you aren’t prepared to change, then the chances are, your attempt to declutter will fail or your decluttering will be a never ending process. All these changes can be made gradually, you don’t have to go cold turkey or become a new person overnight. The changes in me during my decluttering process have been gradual and painless. Remembering all the while that these are all changes for the better makes it easier.

Are you ready to change? Have you noticed the changes in yourself already? Tell us about it.

Oh I forgot to mention. The result of all these changes can be a beautiful, wonderful, simplifying, economical, time saving and liberating thing.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some garden related items. Tools you don’t use, empty plant pots, bits of wood or wire that are rotting or rusted, seeds you are never going to plant… .

Eco Tip for the Day

Try changing your usual wash cycles to ones a little shorter and more economical. You might be surprised that your clothes come out just as clean.

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. Here are this weeks missions.

Monday – Declutter some computer related items. Old floppy discs you no longer have a drive for, outdated or unused CD-ROMs, unused components or even just old digital files you no longer need… .

Tuesday – Declutter some garden related items. Tools you don’t use, empty plant pots, bits of wood or wire that are rotting or rusted, seeds you are never going to plant… .

Wednesday – Declutter some money related items. Old money boxes, wallets, bill clips, change purses, coin sorters, coin wrappers or bags… . You could also drop foreign coins off to the bank for donation to charity or gather up all the coins that you have accumulated and cash it in at the bank by either depositing it into your account or getting bills in exchange.

Thursday –  Declutter small hardware items that have accumulated. Excess screws, nails, drywall plugs, used sandpaper, multiple allen keys, washers… .

Friday – Declutter excess plastic kitchen storage items. I have discovered that there is often just as many of these items waiting to be used as there are ones in use. This means to me that, for the most part, I have more than I really need or else the majority of them would be in service most of the time. I think it is time I gave a few more to my daughter.

Saturday – Are there things in your laundry cupboards that need decluttering? Cleaners you no longer use, grubby rags, perished rubber gloves… ~ if so give this area a little decluttering.

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

Check that your fridge is not set too cold. You only have to keep things cold not icy. This will save power and cold hard cash.

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

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!

Becky

Jez

Creative Me

Marianne

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Sanna brought my attention to this web site and I think you will enjoy it ~ thesimpleyear.com ~ The-great-library-book-hunt-of-2013

I love this song by Peter Doran, brought to our attention this week by the guys at The Minimalists 

Here is a link sent to me by Wendy F. ~ www.nytimes.com/2013/05/19/sunday-review/should-america-bag-the-plastic-bag. It seems the USA is ahead of Australia with this move. No states have instigated a ban the bag here.

www.time.com ~ Don’t own, share

Today’s Mini Mission

Last week I was determined to do a little more reshuffling in my craft area. As a result I decided to part with some items that hadn’t been used in quite a long while, or at all in the case of some. I figured if I haven’t found a use for them yet then I probably never will.  Do you have craft or hobby items that you haven’t used in a long time. Perhaps they just don’t appeal to you anymore so let them go.

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

One of the methods that really helps me get ruthless with my decluttering is making a decision to allocate a certain amount of space to a category of items. Take my craft space for example. After decluttering quite a lot of stuff from that space I eventually made a decision that ultimately all my craft items must fit into the ten specially made craft cubes I had bought to house it all in years ago. It took a while but I finally achieved that goal. That decision certainly did spur me on to declutter lots of stuff I otherwise would have clung on to.

I made a similar decision with my linen closet ~ one shelf only for towels and one shelf only for sheets, throw rugs and small miscellaneous linen. In my kitchen I decided that one set of double door cupboards should be enough to house all the dinner ware, mugs and drinking glasses, one shelf for the baking trays, two shelves for canisters etc etc. Our clothes were to fit only in our wardrobe and not spill over into the guest room. Which isn’t so easy when married to a man in uniform (cams, blues, mess kits, flying suits, etc etc).

My most recent “space allocation” method of decluttering is taking place in my garage. My goal is to finally declutter enough items so that everything stored on two existing shelving units and a small single door pantry unit should eventually fit onto only one shelving unit. The notion of “I might need it someday” soon is ignored when the desire for space limitation comes into play.

I have to say that I find this method of decluttering very motivating and effective for me. Perhaps it would work just as well for you.

Today’s Mini Mission

Do you have any things lingering around your home that your kids no longer want. Seek out one or two and send them on their way.

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t use one use throw away cleaning wipes. They are available for cleaning wood, kitchen spills, television screens, make-up removal etc etc. They are usually made from manmade fibres, soaked in chemicals and sold in plastic containers, all of which are bad for the environment. You can do all these jobs with a little water and a microfibre cloth that can be washed and used over and over again.

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

Cindy

Just a short post today to tell you that my Christmas present finally got finished. My husband Dan and my friend Dan built a Little Free Library for me, out of scraps we had in our garages, and my friend Holly painted it to match our house. It only took contributions from a couple of people, and we were in business – the business of book exchanges.

Little Free Library was started by a Wisconsin man in 2009 as a way to honor his deceased mother, a teacher. Now there are thousands of Little Free Libraries in the United States, and some in other countries, as well. It’s really just a book exchange – in my front yard. I tell people “Take a book, leave a book. Take a book, return it later. Take a book. Leave a book.” We’ve had no trouble keeping it stocked, and we’ve had quite a few exchanges in our first week. It’s been so gratifying to see neighbors stop by or to receive an email from a neighbor I’d never met telling me what she’d taken and what she’d left. One neighbor even brought me some books and some cuttings for my garden after seeing my house on Google Maps.

I promoted the library on our neighborhood listserve, a Yahoo group that frankly, I think every neighborhood should have. It keeps us connected, lets us know what’s going on in the ‘hood, and is frequently the starting point for “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure” swaps. The first day the library was finished, I listed all the titles we have on the listserve in an email titled “Need something good to read this weekend.” Most of the original books from that email have already been swapped.

I love it!

Today’s Mini Mission

Do you have any electronic equipment that no longer works or you just don’t use anymore. Perhaps it is time to sell it off or dispose of it appropriately.

Eco Tip For The Day

Don’t just throw old electronic equipment in the garbage. Investigate eWaste drop off’s sites or events in your area. You local government web site will usually carry this sort of information.

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

I implore of each and everyone of you that if you buy something, which for one reason or another, does not meet expectation and is eligible for return, please do just that. RETURN IT! As soon as possible after purchase or when it becomes apparent that there is a problem.

There a several legitimate reasons why you might return goods to a store and I will attempt to list them below. However not only are you entitled to return them, whether for store credit or a full refund, in some cases you are doing the rest of the world a favour in doing so. Some products are just a sheer waste of resources. They aren’t made well and they don’t live up to their promise of functionality.

There a several reasons that you might return goods due to your own fault. However depending on how lenient retailers are in your area they do have a right to refuse refunds on items returned for these reasons.  From experience, I know that the rules in the USA are much more lenient for the buyer than they are here in Australia. There are time limits imposed on all returns, but usually, when the customer is a fault, that limit is its shortest. It is an expectation of the retailer that the items return through your fault should be unused at the time of return. Some of the reasons for returning under these circumstances would be…

• Bought the wrong size.
• Want to swap the item for a different colour.
• Bought too many of an item and want to return excess.
• Simply changed your mind and don’t want the item.
• Your circumstance changed and you didn’t need the item after all.

There are also several reasons, through no fault of your own, why you might and should return goods. It is expected that these items will have been used first before returning. How would you know if they were faulty or did not live up to expectation if you hadn’t.

• The item is faulty in some way ~ whether at the moment of unpacking or breaks soon after when used as directed.
• When, within a reasonable period after purchasing, clothing items shrink, fade, fall out of shape or come apart when washed correctly using manufacturers guidelines.
• When an item does not live up to the functionality promised in its advertising or by the sales person.
• You asked a sales person for assistance when purchasing but the item does not do what you specifically asked for.
• If you order an item but when it is delivered it does not match the sample or demo in store.

So often I hear of people who just don’t want to deal with the returns process, don’t like confrontation or just don’t get around to returning goods until it is too late. This is such a shame because there are potentially numerous circumstances that can arise from this lack of action.

• The most obvious is that if the item doesn’t get used it will become clutter in your home and have been a waste of your money. 
• That waste of money can give you feelings of guilt every time you encounter the item.
• If you force yourself to “make do” with the item, every time you use it that nasty feeling of dissatisfaction arises which makes you unhappy and resentful.
• A recall by the manufacturing will not be enforced if not enough people come forward to make it obvious the product has a genuine fault.
• Misleading advertising will not be ceased if enough people do not complain.
• Misleading sales people will continue to get away with ripping people off.

So in future do yourself, your fellow consumers and the environment a favour by making the effort to return unsatisfactory items before it is too late.

Tip: Keep all receipts for items that are eligible to be return until you are sure you are satisfied or until the warranty expires. I keep random receipts for items such as clothes and other smaller goods together in one place. While the receipts and other relevant paperwork for more expensive items that carry a warranty are filed with other important papers.

Have you ever been sorry you didn’t return something, sorry you bought something in the first place or sorry that the guilt of wasted money has held you back from decluttering something?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some paperwork that is no longer relevant to your current circumstances ~ old tax papers, irrelevant manuals and warranties, settled insurance claims…

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t hesitate to return goods that don’t live up to expectation or don’t last as they should. World resources are wasted in the manufacturing of these items.

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.

Yes I am still finding things to declutter, usually odd bits here and there, but then when did I ever declutter any other way. Perhaps my examples of clutter clearing might inspire you to let go of something similar. So this week’s mini missions will reflect what I have been getting rid of over the last week or two.

Monday – We have slowly been getting rid of old photo prints.  Photos that aren’t so good, duplicates, ones that don’t lend any insight to the history of our lives ~ such as zoo animals ~ and excess shots from the same event. As a result and with a little shuffling I have been about to empty and throw away two old photo albums.

Your Mission: If you have any old photos like I mentioned above, perhaps it is time to do a little culling of photos and condensing them into fewer albums.

Tuesday – I have also been doing a little bit of paper decluttering. I went through a couple of files that belong to our son. Old school stuff and health records. With his help we condensed down the old school papers to just what he felt it necessary to keep and let go of the rest. Then I went through the paperwork file from his accident claims and decluttered what I felt wasn’t important to his medical history or for future reference.

Your Mission: This week declutter paperwork that is no longer relevant to your current circumstances ~ old tax papers, irrelevant manuals and warranties, settled insurance claims…

Wednesday – We also have a little eWaste set aside to be dropped off at the appropriate site. Our old DVD player bit the dust and has been wasting space in the entertainment unit for a few months.

Your Mission: Do you have any electronic equipment that no longer works or you just don’t use anymore. Perhaps it is time to sell it off or dispose of it appropriately.

Thursday – There has been a cookie jar that belonged to my son sitting on the top of my kitchen cupboards for years. When he left I asked if he wanted it and the answer was no. Last week I asked his sister if she wanted it and I got the same response. So this week it is off to the thrift store.

Your Mission: Do you have any things hanging around your home that your kids no longer want. Seek out one or two and send them on their way.

Friday – Last week I was determined to do a little more reshuffling in my craft area. As a result I decided to part with some items that hadn’t been used in quite a long while, or at all in the case of some. I figured if I haven’t found a use for them yet then I probably never will.

Your Mission: Do you have craft or hobby items that you haven’t used in a long time. Perhaps they just don’t appeal to you anymore so let them go.

Saturday – This mission isn’t so much about items in particular but about being determined to reduce the contents of a certain area in order to bring everything of a certain category into the same space. In my case I was determined to get rid of enough items from my craft area in order to bring my ten or so craft books out of the linen closet and into the craft storage furniture.

Your Mission: If you have certain items that belong together but are scattered do to overabundance, identify this category of items and begin to reduce them so they can all be stored in the same space.

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

Resist the urge to replace perfectly good items just because you would like something new. Wear out or use up the old ones first.

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

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!

Lucinda shares her experience with collecting packaging in this comment.

Calico Ginger shares her take on Feng Shui, or at least positive energy, when it comes to her home in this comment.

In this comment Wendy B also gives us an example of the negative energy she once felt in her kitchen and how she solved that.

Dizzy gives us an update on how she is feeling about her stuff at this point in time.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

This link is a guest post by Tony, author of the We Do This Only Once blog which was published at the blog Great Jolly Hoombah ~ How-to-bring-others-on-board-with-change/ . It is good advice to keep in mind when trying to convert people you know to a more minimalist lifestyle.

Here is a short little post from the Minimalists which gives a quick insight as to how decluttering continues even when you think you are done. I know I’m not done yet.

I liked the idea of Task Bankruptcy in this link from David at Raptitude. We can do the equivalent with our possessions. When we realise we just aren’t going to use them we could just get rid of them. Both Wendy F and Edna recommended this article. I just hope no-one interprets it as dropping any of their decluttering tasks. 😉

“It’s a paradox that the more we let go, the more control we gain.” This quote alone makes this next post worth the read but it has a lot of other useful advice. www.houzz.com ~ 4-Obstacles-to-Decluttering—–and-How-to-Beat-Them

And last but not least here is a little post from one of your fellow 365ers Lucinda at her blog Lucinda Sans. Her post was inspired by a post by a guest post by Andréia. Well done Andréia for inspiring others in their decluttering mission.

Today’s Mini Mission

I used to own more mending items than were ever going to be used in a reasonable amount of time. As a result many elastic items perished, many reals of cotton sat unused, fabric remnants awaited their call up to patch items, and those unique spare buttons that come with new garments were stored in the sewing kit long after the garment has worn out or been passed on. Granted, back in the days when the children were young, I used to sew more but now I don’t. Now I buy just what I need when I need it, I have reduced the cottons and buttons to more generic colours and styles, and the fabric remnants have long been decluttered. If your mending kits has more stocked than need be, give it a good declutter keeping only what really will come in handy in an emergency. Any other repairs can wait.

Eco Tip For The Day

Watch less television. Find something to do for amusement that doesn’t require electricity in place of at least one session of your weekly television viewing. This of course will only work if the television gets turned off and not watched by someone else in the family. Perhaps you could instigate an old fashioned games night.

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

Deb J

It has been almost 5 years since we moved to Arizona. I have been putting off the hassle of updating all the legal paperwork like the wills, etc. I know I should have done it sooner but can admit that what we have would work in a pinch. I also have to admit that it would be more of a hassle for those left to deal with it if I had left things as they were.

I have been updating everything and creating a set of instructions for those who will be our executors if both of us go together or at such time as the other is gone when one dies. It’s much more of a hassle than any of us want to deal with but deal with it we must.

What does this have to do with decluttering? Believe it or not decluttering really makes a difference. Here are some of those differences:

1. The less you have left the less the survivor(s) has to deal with.
2. If more than one person inherits you have to indicate what each is to receive.
3. The majority of your estate may go to one survivor but there may be individual items or small groups of things you want to go to a special friend or group.
4. If there are no survivors, your executor will have to know how to distribute your estate.

As you all know, Mom and I have been slowly decluttering. Something that really opened Mom’s eyes to a good reason for decluttering was my delving into updating all of the legal paperwork. She suddenly began to look at all of those things we had stashed away in the cupboards and closets and sheds with a new outlook. If we were gone, did this item mean enough to pass along? If so, who should get it? What did my only sibling really want and what would just be a burden to him? Did any of the items have real worth as far as selling them? If so, did we want the money to use now or should we let the item sit so the survivor would have it? Did we have anything that other relatives would want if my brother didn’t? There were many questions we asked.

We went through my late father’s items that had been in a box for these 20 years since he passed on and just mailed my brother two small boxes of items. Now we are waiting to hear if there is anything he wants of my mother’s when she is gone.

Maybe you are young and you think you don’t need to really consider these questions. Yesterday a 26 year old man we know had a massive heart attack and is in a coma. Two weeks ago a 32 year old man we know was killed in a car accident. We never know when we will be gone. Everyone not only needs a will but we need to have only those things that are important and needful in our home because we never know when someone else will have to clean up after us.

When I talked to two people about being Executors for our wills I showed them what I have as instructions for them. They were shocked I had covered everything so well. They were also excited that there was not much for them to do because we had it all done for them, especially after I explained all the decluttering we had done.

Today’s Mini Mission

Like kitchen utensils I found that baking pans and trays were another thing that accumulated over the years. Cookie trays, loaf pans, muffin pans, cupcake pans, square tins, round tins, spring form pans… you name it I had usually more than one of them. These things came in much more handy when the kids were still at home but even then a cake tastes much the same whether it was round, square or made in a spring form pan. Yes, if you bake a lot or are particular about these things the thought of living with less of them would be unthinkable. However I am not Martha Stewart and at my age the less cake, cookies and tarts that are around my house the better. We tend to only indulge when we go out for a coffee. That is not to say I have gotten rid of them all but there are certainly fewer now than there once was. Do you have a greater quantity or more variety in the way of baking pans than you truly have aspirations to use? Then perhaps it is time to let go of a few.

Eco Tip for the Day

Use the stairs rather than the elevator. This of course has the added bonus of a little impromptu exercise.

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