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!

New reader Sarah tells us her story in the comment. Welcome Sarah.

I really appreciated this vote of confidence from Jo H.

Loved this little story that Megan S had to share with us. The lady involved was both old and wise.

Jen had some interesting things to say in this comment on both having less clothes and the accumulating of clutter for comfort reasons.

Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!

Although not all this article appeals to me there are some great tips on making the most out of the clothes you own rather than buy more. From Jillee @ One Good Thing by Jillee ~ Shop your closet…

I loved the theme of this post from Asymetrical ~ Not a natural writer. It is more than the title and beginning suggests.

Here is a promo for a book that might be interesting to read ~ http://www.uctv.tv/shows/Stuff-A-Cluttered-Life-Middle-Class-Abundance-Ep-1-24699

Perhaps we could use this trigger idea from The Minimalists to get us all decluttering

Here is something for the parents of little ones to think about. http://www.filmsforaction.org/watch/consuming_kids_the_commercialization_of_childhood_2008/

Thank you to all my wonderful readers who sent through many of these links to me. I can’t remember who sent what but you know who you are.

Today’s Mini Mission

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…

Eco Tip for the Day

When trying something new like a new sport or a new hobby, consider starting out with secondhand, hired or borrowed equipment and only graduate to your own personalised items (should you feel the need) once you are sure you will continue.

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

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

Advertising or a trip to The Container Store may convince you that there is a perfect, purchasable  solution for every one of your problems, needs, and desires. But before you rush out and make a purchase, stretch your brain to think: do I already have something that will serve my purpose? The following are some things in my house that we have made do with very satisfactorily, no special purchase necessary.

Stuff

A cardboard box with a few large and small holes cut out of it for the cats to play in. They love their cardboard box, and it certainly works as well as they $25 cardboard “cat castle” that I recently saw at Petco.

Cardboard boxes are also fine for storing Christmas ornaments and the like. There is little reason to purchase plastic storage containers, especially extremely specific containers like the ones that are supposed to hold wrapping paper or your seasonal wreath.

For years I have used the compartmentalized side of egg cartons to hold my earrings. Each carton holds a dozen earrings and several of them fit neatly in my drawer.

I repurposed several excess leftover containers to hold my various chargers and iPod accessories. A label on the lid makes this storage system even more efficient.

Some other extra leftover containers migrated to the bathroom where they now hold cotton balls and Qtips.

When my pillows started to get too flat, I cut them open and redistributed the fluff. Instead of 6 flat pillows, everyone in the house got a new, fluffy pillow. (And, in case you’re wondering, I discovered that the fluff was almost exactly the same in every one of the pillows. What was different was the fabric and style of construction on the pillow case.)

Food

My husband and I package our dinner leftovers immediately after eating. (And sometimes before we are done, if we think that we’ll needlessly eat too much.). Depending on what’s left, we may make up a lunch that’s ready to grab and go or just put away like with like.

We don’t leave the leftovers in pots, as that would be inconvenient when I cooked again. In fact, it might make me think I needed to buy more pots! In addition, having pots in the refrigerator makes it harder to maneuver.

In addition, every container is marked with a piece of masking tape on which we write the date and what’s inside. This simple step really cuts down on food waste.

Lastly, every Saturday lunch is a leftovers meal. I pull out everything that’s in the refrigerator  and everyone helps themselves to whatever they want. Usually this takes care of anything that’s still hanging around at the end of the week.

What clever solutions have you come up with to make do with what you have?

Today’s Mini Mission

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.

Eco Tip for the Day

I don’t think we need an eco tip today as I think Cindy has it pretty well covered.

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

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

Any fan of Star Trek or American pop culture has heard the phrase “Resistance is futile.” It was popularized on the TV show Star Trek when the Borg (human-machine hybrids) were about to assimilate (i.e., suck in, take over, and destroy) a new race of beings.

This phrase popped into my mind yesterday when I was perusing the sales flier for the big box discount store Costco.

Costco and its competitor Sam’s sell items in bulk – big bulk – in a warehouse setting and at discounted prices, often significantly discounted. Not only can you buy food in bulk, more than half the store is dedicated to non-disposable items such as kitchen appliances, electronics, mattresses, furniture, office supplies, and a huge variety of “storage solutions.” (Clever of them!)

It is not possible to keep / achieve a decluttered house without resisting the temptation to purchase more. Everything that you bring into the house indiscriminately is what later turns into stuff that needs to be decluttered.

Let’s walk through the sales flier together, and I’ll tell you what I’m thinking as we go along:

• First page, TVs and electronics – “Don’t need any of these, keep going.”
• Norton Anti-Virus, limit 10. “I wonder who would buy ten? Why buy the software at all? You can pay for it on your computer and download it directly, no software, box etc. needed.”
• 4 pounds of jelly beans and 48 Pop Tarts. “No one needs that many Pop Tarts or jelly beans. No one.”
• Izze sparkling juice, Kashi Go Lean cereal, Splenda. “Still have plenty of all of those. They’ll be on sale again. No need to buy today.”
• Bottled water with and without vitamins. “Probably the number one source of plastic waste after plastic bags. Why do people buy it?”
• Sonicare toothbrush. “I bought one of these for Audra for Christmas, because she’s such a tooth brushing fanatic. Wish I’d realized that the replacement heads are almost $10 each, though. What a rip off!”
• Vitamins. “Have what I need right now. They’re always on sale.”
• Various medications. “Don’t need, don’t need, don’t need.”
• Charmin toilet paper. “Don’t need any right now. I hope they get the recycled kind back in stock.”
• Paper towels. “I hardly ever use these, and only buy one roll at a time. I certainly don’t need a dozen.”
• Ziploc baggies. “I definitely don’t need these! Still have some that I purchased 2 years ago. I wish I’d known how long it would take me to use them.” (I try not to use baggies, and when I do, I always wash and reuse until they fall apart or until I put meat in them.)
• Venus razors. “Clara uses a Venus, but she just needs replacement blades. This has three handles, too. What in the world?”
• Quicken. “Same with Norton Anti-Virus. Most software can be downloaded.”
• Beds, furniture, giant playset. “No, no, no.”

So I’ve done it. I’ve looked through the sale flier of one of the stores that I frequent most often and found nothing new, special, or discounted that I cannot live without, at least until my current supply runs down.

How do I approach shopping in the store?

I start with a list. We keep a running list of things that are finished / running low on the refrigerator. Everyone in the family knows to add to this list. Things that are purchased at Costco are marked with a big C.

When I enter Costco,

• I walk past all the electronics, furniture, appliances, etc. that line the left side of the store and head directly to the back where the refrigerated cases, bread, and liquor is. I pick up what is on my list, usually bread, Parmesan cheese, beer, and hummus.
• I often buy apples (although the plastic boxes that the apples are packaged in bother me greatly) and a sack of oranges. It doesn’t matter that other fruit or vegetables are so cheap that a box here is the same cost as 2 or 3 pieces at the regular grocery; I only need 2 or 3 pieces, and the rest would be wasted.
• I swing to the back of the store if I need toilet paper, dog food, cat food, or outdoor bird seed.
• Then I hit the freezer cases (again, only buying what it on my list), and quickly make my way through the grocery area, avoiding any aisle that doesn’t contain items that are on my list. 
• Occasionally I make a pass through the pharmacy section.
• Last I hit the snack area and pick up a few things there. Then I check out. 

You’ll notice that I skipped the entire middle section of the store, where all the books, DVDs, seasonal items, clothes, and linens are stocked. Those are not on my list; I do not need to venture in there.

How do I deal with the ladies passing out yummy samples? I hardly ever refuse them, but I don’t buy the item on impulse. It wasn’t on my list; it will be there next time; waiting keeps me from bringing home two dozen servings of something that no one may want to eat after trying the first one or two.

To reiterate:

• No shopping for non-consumables that aren’t my list. No looking even.
• Buy only what is on the list.
• Remember that even if I like a product, I may not like a 4 pound package of it.
• Don’t shop in aisles that don’t contain goods on the list.
• Don’t wander. In any store, the more you wander, the more likely you are to buy what you didn’t intend to purchase.
• No impulse purchases from samples.

Resistance is NOT futile, and if you do it right, you feel like an efficient and smart shopper, not like someone who is about to be assimilated by the Borg of consumerism.

Today’s Mini Mission

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.

Eco Tip for the Day

Save petrol by making do with what is in the fridge and cupboard rather than taking an unnecessary trip to the store.

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