365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

Friday’s Favourite Five ~ 26Aug2011

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There were lots of great comments this week and here are the five that I have chosen to bring to your attention.

Deb J tells us in this comment how her church group is trying to do their bit for the environment. Like decluttering, every little thing makes a difference.

Kathleen has been reading my blog for a while but was inspired by my Simple Saturday ~ Operation donate Recycle post to leave her first comment. I am glad it has inspired her to make her own stand for the environment.

Sharron points out some interesting facets of perfectionism in this comment. Funny how the same trait can be helpful in some cases and a hinderance in others.

This comment from Amy was an AH HA moment for Jo who although been told these things over and over suddenly heard it in a way that spoke to her. Read the whole comment stream to get the full conversation.

Cindy picked this comment from NatalieinCA as her pick from the ones that came in as a result of Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom. Natalie has even got the kids in on the act.

I seem to devote very little time to reading other blogs these days because I am just too busy. Luckily though I seem to stumble on to some good ones when I am least expecting it.Here are this weeks five that I have chosen to share with you.

Dave hits the nail on the head here. How are people supposed to feel good about showing consumer restraint when we keep getting told it is bad for the economy. I for one think it is time the economy adapted to revolve around another axis. A Guy Named Dave ~ Restraint as economic revolution

When reading this post keep an open mind as to how you can implement the spirit of it into anything you do. Jonathan Fields ~ Make more bad stuff

Do you have the same issues in your kitchen as Lynn does at Defrag my Life ~ Kitchen dekluttering ha ha, if you do perhaps you should follow her lead.

I am lucky that my spouse is on board with the whole declutter/simplify mission but not everyone is so fortunate. Maybe this post from Be More With Less ~ When your spouse isn’t simple will help you to get your partner motivated.

This post was suggested by Amy amid the comment stream mentioned above. I decided to add it here for those who didn’t read that far. Wisebread ~ 25 things to throw out today

Today’s Declutter Item

These pieces of fabric were quickly snapped up at the thrift shop and I was glad that they would finally get used. They have been languishing away in the bottom of my camphor wood chest for years.

Fabric Pieces ~ More Aspiration Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I had a little visitor today in my back yard as I pottered in the garden. It was the next door neighbour’s cat. He is gorgeous in his lush black and white coat and purs happily when I scratch him under the chin. Other people’s pets are the best, all pleasure and no responsibility. I would have one of my own but I like the freedom of being able to get up and go whenever I want without the trouble and expense of finding a carer. So I am grateful that the neighbour is happy to share theirs with me.

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

Comments

  1. I actually look forward to Friday, i love the round up of comments and what’s round the world wide web, some of the comments i have missed or more comments have been added so this is perfect. Good job Collen, i think your blog/commenters have a really great vibe, you really have created something special 🙂 And i am honoured that i get a little mention,and that somebody actually listens to me 🙂

    Sharron

    • Same here, Sharon. I enjoy catching up on things I might have missed and very pleased that something I said helped someone else.
      Gotta do all my reading today since we have a major hurricane headed toward the US. Time to check for batteries, water, cash, etc,
      and get ready. See you all Monday if I have power.

      • Amy, My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family during this storm. Please post a comment and let us know how you are as soon as you are able.

        • Thank you for the good wishes. Unfortunately our town is under 4 ft of water, our basement is flooded and we have been bailing and pumping water all day. Anything down there will be a total loss.
          Worried about big things like the furnace and water heater and will continue to update as I can. Want to read a bit of what I’ve missed while I still have power. Winds are high here and lights are flickering.

    • Hi Sharron,
      thank you for being one of our community that creates that vibe and thank you for the compliment. My blog posts are often inspired by something that a reader says in their comment so keep those comments coming or I might run out of things to write about.

  2. This doesn’t relate to today’s post specifically but I find I keep thinking about your discussion of “aspirational clutter”. I am going through my house and identifying those items. They will be sold or donated before the year ends! Thanks.

    • Good for you Juhli,
      it is like closing the door on aspiration guilt and opening the door to new possibilities. Good luck with your mission!

  3. I had to smile at your “Something I’m grateful for today” as we have no pets and enjoy the next door neighbour’s black and white cat who often comes over for a bit of a stroke. All of the fun and none of the responsibility or expense!

    Once again Colleen I must tell you how much I enjoy your blog, it’s the first I read every day, you are amazing.

    • Hi Janetta,
      thank you so much for that vote of confidence. Funny I should get to your comment just now because I had just gotten up to an odd sound at my front door and it was the cat. He must have figured out that I lived in here and has come to say hello. I had the same thing happen with a neighbours cat in America, he used to actually knock on the door and sometimes he would leave me special surprises like half a dead shrew. That sounds a little gross but I am assured that it is a great compliment.

  4. Something l’m grateful for also made me smile. I recently moved after all my life living in city to the “sticks” in country VIC. The other morning as l was putting out some rubbish l came face to face with a large roo. A lovely surprise (he wasn’t too close to cause me concern). He bounced off in one direction. Then l saw his mates hopping down near the lake to the national park they live in. The first one that went the other way was trying to find his way back to them (a dog barking made him bolt in a different direction). I watched as he eventually worked out where he was going and jumped off after his mates into the national park. It was a sunny crisp morning, but seeing them made my day!

    • Hi Felicity,
      it is convenient to live in the city but the bush has isn’t special qualities too. I am glad your friend the kangaroo found his way back to his mob.

  5. I linked over to the wisebread blog and read it. However, whilst I was reading it, I realized how important is it for me to read Colleen/Cindy, and comments, thru-out the week. Why? I personally need the connection to the emotional aspect of getting rid of stuff/of not buying. The wisebread article has some great ideas; but it left me feeling kinda empty/lost. Like just ‘get-rid-of’ stuff. Instead of the more in-depth encouragement of why/what/how/etc to get rid of stuff that I find at 365LessThings. Also, the comments from 365LessThings readers help me understand that I’m not alone in this journey, and that is totally reassuring.

    • Hi Annabelle,
      thank you very much for those kind words. I feel the same way myself. There is a personal connection here that I don’t experience when I read some other blogs. Especially the ones the don’t allow comments. That only says to me that the writer has reached a level of detached professionalism and now they don’t care about their readers any more. As much as it would be nice to make a living out of this I would regret the day that I couldn’t respond to all the comments that come in. Thank you again and keep reading we are in your corner and cheering you on all the way.

      • Yes, the “vibe” here is the best. We’re all in this together and each person helps a bit with their thoughtful posts. I feel we are all friends here encouraging each other.

      • I love the international aspect of this blog. Colleen’s commenters are from different hemispheres, countries and states and yet we all deal with the same challenges and goals. This blog seems to be more inclusive than many others, especially for those of us who are not so young. There’s a maturity here. It really DOES feel like a community.

  6. Just read the Jonathon Fields link on “Make More Bad Stuff”. What a great thing to remember! I can use this in so many ways – decluttering, of course, but also cleaning, new tasks on the job, and getting started with a different direction for my craft work.

    Also, Colleen, when I went to Lynn’s blog, in her July 30 post she encourages comments, but her comments are turned off. I think you may know her. If so, would you be able to contact her and tell her?

    • Hi Jo,
      I loved that “Make more bad stuff” post too. We really need reminding sometimes that there is a learning curve to everything and it is better to achieve a mediocre result than no result at all. The success can be simply learning from the experience.

      Lynn might only leave her posts open for comments for a certain length of time. I will send her a message anyway just in case she isn’t aware.