As you know I enjoy and answer all the comments directed to me here at 365 Less Thing but each week I choose five to share with you that I don’t want you to miss and below are this week’s five.
I had to include this comment from Katharine this week and add my heartfelt congratulations.
Dianne had a sad story to tell in her comment in response to my post Sharing the wisdom of experience. I so very much appreciate readers sharing their stories, happy or sad, because there are such important lessons to be learned from them.
Angle Kay shows she is really “getting it” with this comment about how she is learning to separate from sentimental objects.
In this comment Donna reminds me of a hint I often use when deciding whether to list an item on ebay that I forgot to include in mt post. Thanks for the reminder Donna.
Ornela shows how she is doing a fine job or combining slow and bulk decluttering and finding new homes for the things she is decluttering in this comment.
And of course every week I weed out five blog post/articles from web sites to share with you that I found informative and below are my favourite for this week. Happy reading.
www.littleheroes.com ~ Be cautious about giving too much
Red Lotus letter ~Â Feng shui and-clutter how an overstuffed home robs you of vitality…
Becoming Minimalist ~ Encouragement for your first step towards living with less
The Healthy Living Lounge ~ The emotional cost of clutter
A Fresh Space ~ Embrace your clutter release the guiltÂ
Today’s Declutter Item
I am not sure why I haven’t rid myself of these containers sooner. Actually I have three more in a smaller size and I dislike them just as much. I don’t see the point of microwave containers that can’t handle heating on high in the microwave without causing the lids to stop fitting properly. When I bought these containers I was told that they are designed to heat food not cook food and so I have never cooked food in them. When I tried to get them replaced under warranty I was told I had mistreated them because I had heated them on high. I am not impressed considering I was not informed about this subtle difference in instruction. Adding to my discontent is the fact that they cost about three times as much as the inexpensive containers I also use that seem to have survived my “mistreatment” quite well. Strangely enough Tupperware have redesigned these containers in the years since I bought mine which says to me that they weren’t a good design in the first place. Needless to say I am left feeling bitter and twisted considering what a good customer I have been over the years and I assure you I will never buy another Tupperware brand container ever again.
Tupperware that left me bitter & twistedÂ
Something I Am Grateful For Today
I had a fun time today for my first day volunteering at my local thrift store. The staff were friendly, it was really busy and I wasn’t the only newbie. I spent my time processing clothes and was happy that there were only a few items that were unsellable out of the seven of so big bags that I emptied, tagged, priced and hung. I think I am going to enjoy this new experience and I will keep you all informed about how it goes. Oh! And I only stabbed myself in the finger twice with the tagging gun.
Hi Colleen
Will you be tempted to buy by seeing all the donations at the thrift shop?
No No No and No!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I was wondering the same thing :0 but I trust you Colleen to not succumb to the temptation 🙂
Love the play on words – “bitter and twisted”!! I don’t microwave in any plastic containers for this very reason.
What a great experience to work in a thrift store! minus the finger-stabbing, of course. You will be a great asset to them as well.
Hi Jo,
I must admit microwaving in plastic probably isn’t wise even then the containers are marked as microwave safe. Perhaps I should adopt you practice as I have plenty of glass bowls.
Thank you for your vote of confidence on my worth at the thrift store. I love how much more appreciated your work is when you are not being paid. I would rather volunteer work any day which probably doesn’t say much for how well employees are treated at times.
Hi Colleen! I am glad you enjoyed your thrift store experience. I liked the links, especially the one about gift giving to children. I am always questioning myself about the amount of gifts my children are getting. I have decided and let my family know that there will be no gifts (other then clothes and shoes, for immediate use) for my boys out of especific dates, just as I had it when I was a child. I have this habit of saying that I don’t have money when my older son asks for this or that. Sometimes it is not expensive but I don’t want buy it and as soon as we leave that shelf behind he already forgot about the thing he asked for. Am I doing the right thing? I would love to hear your thoughts on the subject.
Hi Andréia,
it didn’t do us any harm as children to only receive gifts only on special occasions such as Christmas and our birthdays so I fail to see why this same rule shouldn’t apply to children of today. If they want to get extra things in between times then they need to find a way to earn the money to pay for them themselves. I used to give my children pocket money for the chores they did ~ and only the chores they did, I did not give them a set allowance.
I see no problem with refusing to buy things for children while you are out shopping together as they have to learn that they can’t have whatever they want when they want it. Sadly you only have to give in once to these requests to set a precedence for a child that then takes what seems like endless time and heartache to break. I have learned this lesson the hard way. I see no problem with buying them things that assist in their education, sporting or artistic endeavours but aslo within reason.
Rather than say I don’t have the money I think it is better to say that there are other more important things that I need to use the money on like food etc. It is best to train your children from a young age to not only spend wisely but to find other ways to enjoy life without constantly wanting new stuff.
Hi Colleen! I think my confusion cames from the easiness that we have today. Back when I was small, getting a chocolate bar was an event. It was expensive and we only got one on special ocasions. Today everything is cheap and easy to buy. You can easily buy lots of chocolate, for example. I mean, let’s look at Hot Wheels little cars. They are really cheap (around US$ 2,00 each) so we bought a lot of them for my older kid. He now has too much. We decided not to buy anymore. But it is just a little car! But he already has too much. So we think: “Are we being too harsh when we have the money? When to buy? When not to buy? Is it ok to buy a little thing once in a while?” I think the better way is to buy nothing unless it is a special date, or if it is needed (shoes and clothes, because do they grow fast 😉 ), but people disagree. I have explained to my oldest the concept of working to buy food. He understands I am going to buy food he likes (meatballs have been a favourite lately 😀 ), but sometimes it is hard to make a three year old understand that no, we are not buying this and that just because we are at the supermarket.
Hi Andréia,
I am not sure that most people still find it that easy these days, they just have a lot of credit card debt. The world has gone a little insane when it comes to consumerism and I think we need to slow it down a bit. Teaching our kids to perpetuate the problem isn’t going to be good for the overall health of the environment they are growing up to inherit. That being said I don’t think we need to deprive our kids of a treat now and again either. Why not use it as a reward system for good behaviour though, and even in this case it is best to surprise them with the reward rather than to bribe them to behave, there is a difference. Don’t forget to tell them why they are being rewarded it reinforces the good behaviour as well as justify the treat.
I know it is hard to explain to relatives (especially grandparents) not to bring them something every time they come to visit but it is worth trying. If the treat is kept small and isn’t offered every time, if they come often, then it is harmless enough. Kids know this is something that they might expect from the relative but that Mom and Dad aren’t going to do the same. Quite often my mother-in-law would bring secondhand things which was still a treat to them but a lot less harmful to the environment as well as much more affordable. I considered it a reason not to have to supply things for them myself as they do need a certain amount of creative stimulation in their early years. I felt it was more important to sit and read to them, draw with them, take them outside to play or socialise them with other children rather than keep them occupied with toys all day.
Raising kids is a very tricky business and in the end we all just try to do the best we can. Every parent is different and every child is different. I raised both my children much the same but they have turned out very different especially when it comes to their spending habits and their consumer want and needs. So who is to say what is best and what isn’t.
I just now had a chance to check the favourite five comments and the links, and I have to say how much I got out of the final link: Embrace your clutter … release the guilt. This is a refreshing approach – which I feel I need right now, first because I have always felt such guilt over my stuff (having too much compared to other people, wondering if I’m giving other people stuff they don’t want, how can I send so much stuff to the landfill, what if we need this later and have to buy it again on a tight budget, etc etc until my head feels like exploding) AND second because I have been guilty lately of pushing members of my family to declutter 🙂 🙂 🙂 Great timing, and thank you for finding these gems every week.
Hi Jo,
I was a little reluctant at first to include that post until I reached the last paragraph with its promise that relieving the guilt and the pressure would open the mind up to decluttering possibilities not give a person the excuse to keep everything. I hope you read the same message I did and haven’t given up on decluttering altogether. I think my method of slow decluttering kind of embraces this idea by giving a person the luxury of time to come terms with parting with certain objects instead of feeling like they have to make rash decisions in a hurry. Good luck sweet lady and I hope you reach your declutter goals.
I did indeed read the same message you did 🙂 and it allowed me to stop pushing my wonderful husband about his one indulgence (books) and at the same time took the pressure off me to just heave everything out the door. It’s all good, never fear, and thank you for the kind words.
And, to update on this week’s mini-missions, I was able to part with two more ornaments – both of which were obligation clutter. I think I’m a day behind … the weekend is almost here, though.
Hi Jo,
I am glad we are on the same page and it gave me a little insight to how my mother-in-law must feel about her stuff. Using the power of gentle suggestion is sometimes a bigger motivator than nagging.
Good for you parting with those ornaments, I hope you feel better for it. I have sold five things on eBay that I have been holding off on just because I didn’t want to deal with them not because I didn’t want to get rid of them. One was a jacket of my sons and I am sure he will be happy with that $30 in his bank account.
Many thanks Colleen! Very touched. We haven’t let the grass grow under our feet. We are getting married the 3rd week of September, all booked,and are getting lots of lovely offers of practial help in lieu of traditional presents.
Hi Katherine,
that sounds perfect. I hope it is a beautiful day for you with the sun shining and the birds singing. I will be thinking of you on your special day.
Thanks for the links. I’ve read them all and plan to forward a couple to my girls.
My pleasure Willow I hope your girls find them helpful too.