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!
Thank you to Jane for her personal story of how she decluttered a career that had become dissatisfying, 60 pounds and a whole pile of clutter. And how she believes that there was most certainly a connection between all three situations. She elaborates further in this comment.
I loved this comment from Moni on how although the modern day housewife has all those mod cons to make life easier it isn’t necessarily so.
I received this comment from Jane at 365’s Facebook page. Great way to enjoy reading without the clutter Jane, thank you for sharing.
I also enjoyed this comment where Michelle tells us how she has come around to the way of the French. C’est la belle vie pour toi Michelle. 😉
Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!
Here is a Huffington Post link with advice from Peter Walsh on decluttering, brought to my attention by Andréia to share with you.
My husband found this link from Lifehacker with advice on how to sell your unwanted crap (their words not mine).
This guest post by Dana White for Home Your Way is more proof of my opinion that organising will take care of itself once you get rid of the clutter causing the disorganisation. Sanna was kind enough to send me this link.
Wendy F brought my attention to this funny little story. I am not sure I believe it but it is humorous none the less.
If you have any doubt about the benefits of recycling then this link from National Geographic sent to me by Cindy ought to put them to rest.
This link is not directly linked to decluttering but some of the lessons in it could easily be applied. I just thought it was a great article for anyone to read. Having the good grace to be able to take a close look at oneself and see ones own short coming is essential to being able to do something about it instead of continually blaming the world and everyone else around us.
Today’s Mini Mission
Declutter a kitchen cupboard that is so full it is too much bother to retrieve what you need from it.
Eco Tip For The Day
 Recycle your old joggers with Nike Reuse a Shoe
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow
Great links! I absolutely love the Lifehacker article; probably one of the more comprehensive articles I have seen on the web in this regard. Some wonderful comments as well.
Glad you found the Lifehacker article useful Tony. Good luck selling.
Dana White’s article – oh I could have written that. Why do so many of us fall into the same trap. Where do we get the idea that being organised is the key? Its not like storage solutions run media campaigns to rival McDonalds or Pepsi or Coke.
Anyway, having a big week with decluttering – happy dance – my hubby and son are away so I have had a bit more time on my hands. And we had a novel new method – The Mouse on the Loose Method. I think the cat bought it in and it escaped and so we shut off all the rooms and went room by room, checking every nook and cranny, under every bed, every cupboard, behind and under every piece of furniture and as I went anything that was borderline not-worthy-to-keep got chucked in a basket as I went. Of course, I still have to process the exit strategy for these items but if you could picture 3 females (afraid of the mouse too I might add) using our borderline hysteria to make decluttering decisions – well, we made some great inroads.
Moni – Mouse on the Loose Method!! Hilarious!
Oh Moni, that is so funny! The combination of hysteria and decluttering decision making is like something out of a Woody Allen movie 🙂
Megan S – it would have be right up there with Woody Allen. If only mice realised how scared we are of them, they’d learn to go “WOOF” and take over the world. Alas, no mouse but a couple of baskets full of stuff to be processed.
Moni, this is too funny. My friend, S, has mice in her house right now. I wish it would motivate her to do this. No such luck.
But did you find the mouse?
I hope never to have to use that method.
Colleen – alas the Ninja Mouse is still unaccounted for, the cats don’t seem on high alert so I’m taking that as a good sign it is gone.
When I was a teen we had mice in the house. This one cheeky mouse would come out while we were watching TV stop briefly to look at the TV and then take off again. My dad got out the air riffle (slug gun), sat in wait and needless to say the next stop the mouse made was his last. My dad is a good shot.
Oh I wish your Dad was at our house. Years ago ‘The Mouse’ we had would stop in the middle of the floor check us out and then run to the freezer cord and jump on, run up it and dash across the brick work. Every time he/she came in it did the same thing. Left a chip packet open with a few crumbs in it on top of the freezer and we waited till it got inside and we would nab the packet. Little bugger was so fast, freaked me out. Took five tries to finally get the damn thing. Should have used a gun hahaha:) 🙂 🙂 What freaked me out more was the over thinking of where the little swine had been before it appeared to check us out. EEwww not real keen on mice. 🙁
Another great collection of comments and links Colleen! It’s so wonderful to read Jane and Michelle’s affirmations of how decluttering and simplifying leads to a more enjoyable life (and possibly finding a lost pet 🙂 )
The Change Blog article is very confronting in the best possible way and I love how he has used himself as the example.
I loved both those comments and change blog article too. I love the idea of monitoring my behaviour and trying to change for the better. I even love learning what not to do from other peoples examples. In fact in recent time I am almost sure God has put people in my path to help me see things about my self that need a little work. I like to think I am improving. I have to also say that I feel sorry for those who can’t look within to see why their lives don’t work out the way they want. Not being about to do this cuts a person off from so many possibilities.
Dizzy – are you out there?
Have a project underway that you could appreciate – am making my way thru old ballet, jazz & tap costumes to list on Trademe. Big project.
I have one daughter who is still competing and has solo seal next year and my other daughter doesn’t compete but has solo seal this year.
I have prioritised that everything that doesn’t fit goes – so that’s keeping me busy in the meantime – but there is a surprising amount of that still fit. Given your involvement in the dancing world, you can appreciate that “just in case” means something else in that universe, its not like throwing out an old pot where you can get another one from kmart if you need to. I am leaning to whatever ends up surplus after diplomas can always be sold then, but I am now semi-programmed to seek out and destroy/declutter anything not in active duty. When you were clearing out your son’s costumes, did you come across this situation?
Hi Moni,
Alas yes I did have a few problems with costumes,
1. They all were for a male, tall, broad and cut to fit in a lot of situations.
2. How many guys out there really wanted to be buying a spangled coat or tails, seriously how many!!
3. Highly unlikely I was going to find a male that was a dancer that would be able to make use of the costumes when most of the guys are a foot shorter, and either stockier or slimmer or do a completely different style.
4. My willingness to just purge all the excess and surplus helped get a lot of it under control. If you have a lot of expensive stuff then your job just got all the harder hahaha sorry!!!
Then someone suggested I should get in touch with Dance supply stores that sell costumes and also the school and other dance schools. Best thing I ever did, not only that I always made sure that if a guy showed an interest in the costumes I always gave them first offer when It got retired. I have had a bit of success with it so far. To date I only have one thing that will get moved on before long and that is a hot pink suit used for a song and dance, everybody wants it because it is so specky but it is tailored so that is a problem. Everything else I have stored here is becoming a pain but hopefully I can move it out to a studio soon!
With girlie costumes may I suggest you take them to a school that has a dance programme and offer to donate. If you really would like to get money back on them you may be able to sell them to the school. Another thing that happens over here a lot is mums have pics of the costumes, approximate sizing and details of fabrics and put them on a pin up board at all the comps. You’d be amazed how many get snapped up. I know a lot of money gets spent on them and they can become a real pain to pass on, but, I know from past experience that there is always someone in need of something so I would pack them in a box safely and see how the response is at the next round of exams or comps. Failing that if you just want to be shot of them then put them in the dressing room at school or comps and believe me they’ll go.
Hope that might help a bit. I wish you luck, ha my niece is 6ft, and all her costumes are tailored so trying to get them passed on takes a titan-ish effort, every girl dancer here is tiny in stature and frame but occassionally we run into a tall girl that needs something specky. Now dance shoes aarrggghhhh don’t even go there sister !!!!!! heehee 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dizzy – I have no problem with selling them on trademe, and plenty of bidding. Had a bidding war over one of Courtney’s waltz tap dresses which I have to post out on Monday.
The problem is knowing what to keep and what not to keep. If they don’t fit it, its photographed, listed and put in my “waiting for its new home” box (I actually have a number of these boxes at the moment as I am on a big roll to get things out the door). But there is a respectible pile of stuff which fits one, sometimes both of them, that could be re-used even if it is revamped or cross-utilised.
What I am facing is what to do with costumes that fit and highly doubt will ever be a re-visited theme, even for Solo Seal. For example a jazz American Indian costume from a concert and a Bollywood costume. I really don’t see them being used again, but imagine the horror if I sold them and then the teacher said, right for your jazz solo we are going to do “Jai Ho” by the Pussy Cat Dolls.
Dizzy if you were me…..would you quietly put such ones back into storage and re-visit after each girl dinishes her solo seal? Or would you risk it?
Hi Moni,
Firstly, I’d only ditch them if there is no way you’ll be revisiting the same music, but in saying that I’ve ditched and then low and behold, we’re doing Fagin. Possibly it is a little easier for me as we get to choose our own music, so therefore have 90% control over what gets made. Maybe send it all to a school and if you need it you know where it is. The dilemma gets worse I suppose for you because you have girls close together. Are they taller girls or medium height? ( just thought if you store by hanging you can hang a heap together without damage. (until you ditch or sell).
I need another clean out and I can honestly say most of this lot will go to the local schools with dance and drama programmes because I know they’ll use them. Alot of his flashier gear is going to the Drama Society, they have already given me a price and they can’t wait for this round of comps to finish.
Moni, I guess if you can afford to have more made if needed then get rid of everything asap because the longer you stall and overthink it the more you’ll hang onto. I know you may feel guilty cos some of the cossies can be hellishly expensive but I’m sure you’ll sell everything that can be turned back into money. Hang the best and pack the wild ones (indian and bollywood) till the Seals are complete and then ditch. Easy to find or make a quick leo with a skirt, but a little harder for a theme. Trust me i’ve been there and I did only wait one more round then the lot went out the door. Good luck!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dizzy – its good having someone who comes from the dance world to discuss this with you.
Dayna is the older daughter and is still taller but has a longer body, she sits 2 possibly 3 solo seals this year. Courtney is 13 months younger and is short body but long limbs, she still dances competitively and I think her solo seals are spread over a couple of years starting from next year.
One more round – that sounds like a good plan. And as a few of them only fit Courtney and she is going thru what will probably be her last round of growth….I can possibly have another cull in a few months time.
I am listing costumes on trademe Monday-Thursday, all the decriptions and every possible measurement, boy it takes time but there is plenty of interest generated so I remind myself that (hopefully) I only have to do this once and then they’ll leave for their new homes.
Some are harder than others as there is some sort of attachment to it, but they are beautiful costumes and they should be on stage not in a box.
Once I have things down to only what still fits, I can have another objective look – which can be used for what. Wish I could have you pop in a for a cup of tea and an opinion of which I should keep, it would be ever so handy!
Do you think decluttering should take place at a larger, societal level?
The thought is in my head because I was reading an essay by Neal Stephenson where he joked that Greece has a “what have you done for me lately?” approach to architecture and other things from the ancient Greek civilization. The tendency to demolish and repurpose old buildings and other things could be considered a large scale form of decluttering. Maybe that building was super expensive to build 2000 years ago, but it just hasn’t aged well and the city could really use a nice open park there instead…
I’m being silly, but I wondered about this community’s stance on societal large scale decluttering. A lot of buildings and other big expensive things are decluttered with breaking or becoming prohibitively expensive or being repurposed, but a lot of things are kept and maintained at no small cost. What should happen when something big and historic is no longer beautiful or useful?
Rebecca – interesting topic, I am in no way qualified to comment on architecture but I do think it is lovely when something historical is still around. On the other hand I love seeing houses that are a bit dated ie from the ’60’s and 70’s get a refurbishment and make over.
We were talking the other day along similar lines as the primary school my kids attended is only 13 years old but has had to be practically re-built due to leaky building syndrome including the hall which is less than 5 years old, whereas the last town I lived in had a school that was 110 years old and apart from a re-paint every 10 years, in the last 20 years the only major piece of maintenance required was replacing ONE windowsill and that was from an act of vandalism rather than rot. I guess they don’t build things like they used to. Wasn’t fancy looking, very traditional school buildings from that era but obviously built to last.
Having said that I do enjoy living in my modern brick and tile.
Rebecca, I don’t think it is a silly thought. Personally, there are some buildings out there that I don’t care how old they are or expensive they should be demolished because they are in such poor condition and bringing them back to good condition would be even more costly. I think there are probably several ways communities and countries could declutter.
There is nothing stupid about this question Rebecca J, in fact it can cause quite the dilemma for both historians and city planners. Let’s use the Colosseum as an example, I am sure it costs a fortune to keep it standing not to mention the areas they are rebuilding to show what it once would have looked like. But oh, what an amazing sight it is. Having come from a country where no building is older than a little over 200 years, I was amazed enough when visiting the west coast of America for the first time and seeing building over 500 years old. Imagine my delight then when I saw the Colosseum and the Pantheon and St Peters for the first time. Then Venice in all its beauty.
I love old cities with cobble stone streets and alleyways. That being said, I suppose we can’t afford to save them all. So as long as we don’t get carried away and destroy all the wonderful history out there then I say save some and clear some away for a better purpose. Only the insignificant some though. Which is where the dilemma begins. Which ones stay and which ones go.
I doubt that the upkeep of the Akropolis or the Collosseum are really that costly – after all they generate a huge amount of tourism and cities like Rome or Athens rely very much on that. There wouldn’t be tourists any more if there only were sleek modern buildings.
This said, I am living in a city where most buildings are older than 100 years. The one I’m living in, too. I love those old buildings. Just like Moni said, they aren’t worse than modern buildings. Once they are renovated (modern bathrooms and such), they provide wonderful homes. I love the little details that they had time for at that time and a few features like deep window sills that aren’t in style at the moment (in old houses here, walls are thicker, so there’s more room for a window sill) – but there’s nothing better than sitting on a cushion on a window sill. Not only me, but very many people over here prefer living in the older buildings – and they’re upkeep isn’t more expensive as long they are constantly inhabited and renovated (you need a new roof every so-and-so-many years but if you re-do it before it leaks badly, walls etc. don’t suffer any damage).
What I find a little weird is when destroyed buildings are re-built, but conserving old buildings as such is something I do like. I wouldn’t say it minders life quality, for me, it adds life quality. I feel much better in a pretty and also dear-to-me surrounding, a city with a historical “heart” rather than just modern buildings. It’s a little like if you go through a forest of old trees – this feeling of “this forest was here long before me, think of how many stories this tree might have seen” – just with a building or a city. For me that’s inspiring. Not clutter in any way.
Btw: Colleen, do you know how much cheaper the upkeep of a cobble stone way is in an old European town? They recycle the cobble stones over and over again for hundreds of years already. And it’s a much better material to “mend”, that is, to redo just a small part. With asphalt, mending is never as sturdy as doing the whole street in one go.
I’m very much for including modern buildings, parks etc. in old cities, but I don’t think you have to actively tear down anything for that. Sorry to say, but wars, recessions and dictators take care of that anyway over time.
Hi Sanna, I can assure you I am not for knocking down old buildings willy nilly either. That is not what I intended by my comment. One of the things I love about Europe is the age of many of the buildings and not just the famous ones. I love the architecture of all the places I have visited, aside from the people and the culture the buildings are what make them unique. Heck I love the architecture of my own neighbourhood. Such an amazing combination of all sorts of styles and eras through its short history of modern settlement. 1788 was when the first fleet arrived in Australia from Britain.
Fortunately, aside from darwin in the top end, most of Australia has not had to withstand the ravages of war. So the design, the construction style and materials and even the location ( weather etc) will determine how long they will stand the test of time. This does not guarantee longevity though because unless a building is protected by preservation laws the owners have the right to tear them down and build new. There are however as I just mentioned many building that are heritage listed and rightly so. I feel it is important to preserve examples of all eras of architecture for histories sake but that isn’t always feasible.
Anyway now I am just prattling. Suffice to say I love old buildings and it is always a shame when the are knocked down to make way for they new but to a certain degree that is just inevitable.
One of the things that has always attracted me to Europe is that not only do you have lots of old buildings but they have been kept up and used. Here in the US many buildings are “throw aways” just like we treat most things. It’s rather sad. So many buildings are just thrown up with no concept of them lasting and becoming something to be proud of. We also have so many buildings sitting empty and being let deteriorate. There is one building that comes to mind that has been empty for over 20 years. It’s now been condemned. Some day the demographics of that area of town will change and someone will decide to buy the property, tear down the building and build something else. We have vast shopping malls, strip malls, and other things that are sitting empty because they are no longer in “the area” to be. So sad.
Hi Rebecca J,
I understand the dilemma a lot of people face when asked this very question. Over here (W.A. Australia) we have had a lot of debate about buildings, albeit ugly useless and a smudge on the beautiful skyline, has been met with yes and no’s for years. At the moment we have a Bell Tower that caused a rowing uproar to the point of dividing the city. Some wanted new some wanted the old, the pollies all got their 2c in and someone eventually got elected but honestly, it was a storm in a teacup compared to natural (or un-natural) decluttering of historic heritage buildings that have been lost to fires. We have lost two beautiful historic homes here in WA to bush fires not including all the beautiful natural bushland, parks, gardens and other heritage and historic buildings over the years that have succumbed to getting mowed down or burnt down.. Sad but true, there will always be for and against when it comes to societal de-cluttering. Heritage buildings that are protected can be a grey area too. Although they are beautiful old building in their own right, some have to be practically rebuilt after a mishap of whatever cause. These re-builds & fix it up jobs end up costing a fortune and I can see why people get divided over it all. I for one love old buildings and streets and parks etc etc, but we also have to be vigilant and not choose heritage over safety.
I used to work in a building in Perth that was over 100 yrs old , Not only was it old in a nice way it was old in a completely horrible drafty, cold, leaky, damp and dusty way. Absolute nightmare to work in and you always felt it might drop in on you if you screamed at the ghosts loud enough. Everybody hated it, but when the town planners and everyone decided to give it a monumental overhaul, the whole place was up in arms. Took forever for them to actually do something with it, structurally it was made sound again and the facade with prettied up but what a fiasco. Can honestly say I do love the old buildings but they have to be safe. Unfortunately it is not the case with many
It amazes me though that Australia is really a baby compared to Europe and other far flung places. When I was last in England I visited a church that was getting a beautification due to a few leaks and a little subsidance. This church is smack in the middle-ish of the town and busy motorways and roadways are right on it yet this church was built back when dragons ruled the skies and knights tried to run around in their armour. The building was erected and constructed back in the 1500’s or so and re-furbished once or twice along the way, about 50 years ago it was given a real good seeing to and made all pretty again. We are talking about a building that has stood the test of time, rain, sleet, snow, sun, not to mention fires, floods and wartime. What the, and it was having a little touch up whilst I was visiting it. That is a building built to last. I truely hope it never gets de-consecrated and knocked over even if it becomes unsafe. I think for that one place it should be left to become a ruin all on it’s own but I know that will never happen. Some bright spark will want to put a storage supply store there hahaha!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Colleen! I guess the story can be true. It was really shown in our television here in January. I find it hard to believe, but since the man brought things from the street, probably he attracted mouses, that could be eaten by the tortoise (how about a tortoise, Moni? 😀 ).
I really related to Dana White’s story. That is exactly what is happening in my home. I could never get organized, but enough decluttering helped me with that.
As for the link concerning inner change, I have, more than once, had to face my own short comings when decluttering. I could declutter because I had to admit to myself that, although I did not buy most of the stuff that cluttered my house, I DID KEEP them. I could not blame anyone. I did that. I refused to let things go. I have, sadly, seen people that I care about search for the source of their problems and for the source of the solutions outside themselves. Inner growth involves acknowledging our faults, as hard as that can be.
Andreia – ha ha ha – we barely survived the mouse. You’d have thought with all the high pitched voices, frantic hand flapping and teary eyes that went on that someone was dying. Nothing like a pressure situation to get the job done. It sort of went like this:
“is the mouse under there?”
“I can’t see it”
“but what if its hiding?”
“well you shouldn’t have so much stuff under your bed”
“but is there a mouse?”
“I don’t know you have so much crap under here, didn’t I tell you to clear it out?”
“but is there a mouse?”
“I don’t know”
“what if the cats come in and find the mouse under my bed?”
“I don’t know, pull everything out, I can’t see if its hiding”
“but what if the mouse gets me?”
“you’ll survive”
“OMG something moved”
“is it the mouse?”
“no its a shoe”
“your shoe moved?”
“no it just looked like it did, pass the torch”
“no I need this torch in case the mouse comes at me”
“hey, here’s my old sweatshirt”
“do you still want it?”
“I don’t know”
“well decide because if I was a mouse, I’d hide under your bed with all the stuff under here”
“OMG the mouse might have been on this, no I don’t want it”
“good – hey whats in this box?”
“I don’t know – is there a mouse in it?”
“its got a nintendo game and some old toys in it”
“but is there a mouse?”
“do you want to get rid of these?”
“Is there a mouse?”
“no mouse, do you want to get rid of these?”
“I don’t know, OMG I think I just saw something?
“do you want to get rid of these?”
“yeah ok I don’t use them anyway, oh its ok, it wasn’t a mouse, it was a sock”
“for goodness sake put it out to be washed – do you use these school books?”
“No, do mice like hats?”
“Probably not as a fashion statement, why?”
“cause my ski hat is here”
“you haven’t been skiing in years”
“but a mouse would like a wool hat to sleep in wouldn’t it?”
(suspicious silence) “yes that’s exactly the kind of thing a mouse would like to sleep in, put it in the basket, quick”
“ok, hey, here’s the old star wars light saber”
“get rid of it”
“but it could save me from the mouse”
“its not a real light saber”
“I know that but it makes a noise”
“I think you squealing and jumping on the furniture makes enough noise”
“good point, its in the box”
I think we can say that rodents top reptiles as far as decluttering goes.
A very successful decluttering day from my point of view!!! 😀 And to clarify to your daughters: yes the little mouse can hide in any of the places above pointed and decluttered 😀 . The mouse that was in my house ate some old envelopes in a drawer.
Andreia – that mouse achieved what I hadn’t been able to. There is now nothing under her bed.
Andreia – my other daughter would like to verify that she doesn’t have anything under her bed as it is bad sheng fui
I think I am with your daughter. I want my trunk bed but I am sick and tired of having a big storage box for shoes under the bed. It seemed easy and practical when I first saw it, but it gets annoying with the passing of time. That mouse was a great ally! 😀 😀 😀
Moni – You are cracking my stuff up today! 🙂 🙂 🙂 I don’t like mice but what a way to declutter. Funny, I was doing some decluttering of light sabers myself this week.
Jen – I have to ask myself – why did we own a light saber?
That is a great question, one that I am not sure that I have the answer to today or any day. It certainly didn’t help with the mouse situation but the lights and noise are cool I must admit :).
This is a hoot, Moni. Hey, maybe we should all let a mouse loose in those places we can’t get someone to declutter. Grin.
Deb J – if I could get over my tendancy to hysterics when around little furry running things I’d let a whole herd of them in to speed things up!
They are just another animal and won’t hurt you. Plus, let the cats go after them. Grin. Of course, if you are extremely allergic to cats you won’t do that.
Moni, you knocked this one outta the ballpark! I couldn’t read this without adding the voice inflections & frantic shaket hands thing & the tip-toey dance moves I always find myself do when a creepy crawler or micro-critter is afoot.
Exactly Andréia. If one can’t search within themselves then I think they are more than a little lost.
Colleen, another good Friday of links. Good job. Not much to say as I’m super tired. Happy though that I got another album gone through yesterday with the page protectors and album cover ready to sell.
Deb J, rest up my friend and stay well.
Great links today, Colleen. I had not read the comment by Jane until today, what a great story, and the other comments are good too. I liked the links too, especially about the organization and I always love Peter Walsh. How many times do people think the following – “I have run out of room to put my stuff” or they will say “I need more room/storage area”. When the truth is, people (not all) have too much stuff. When you let go of stuff, suddenly there is more than enough room and they can locate stuff. Amazing how that works :).
Hi Jen, simply amazing I would say. It is just one of those common sense things that just doesn’t seem to be all the common.
Jen, I had a work mate say this to me one day. I asked her if she was planning of have more kids and she said no. I said so you just want a bigger house to keep your stuff in. That certainly made her think.
Yes, taking the time to really think when it comes to this monster called clutter would save so much time, money and sanity.
I doubt that the upkeep of the Akropolis or the Collosseum are really that costly – after all they generate a huge amount of tourism and cities like Rome or Athens rely very much on that. There wouldn’t be tourists any more if there only were sleek modern buildings.
This said, I am living in a city where most buildings are older than 100 years. The one I’m living in, too. I love those old buildings. Just like Moni said, they aren’t worse than modern buildings. Once they are renovated (modern bathrooms and such), they provide wonderful homes. I love the little details that they had time for at that time and a few features like deep window sills that aren’t in style at the moment (in old houses here, walls are thicker, so there’s more room for a window sill) – but there’s nothing better than sitting on a cushion on a window sill. Not only me, but very many people over here prefer living in the older buildings – and they’re upkeep isn’t more expensive as long they are constantly inhabited and renovated (you need a new roof every so-and-so-many years but if you re-do it before it leaks badly, walls etc. don’t suffer any damage).
What I find a little weird is when destroyed buildings are re-built, but conserving old buildings as such is something I do like. I wouldn’t say it minders life quality, for me, it adds life quality. I feel much better in a pretty and also dear-to-me surrounding, a city with a historical “heart” rather than just modern buildings. It’s a little like if you go through a forest of old trees – this feeling of “this forest was here long before me, think of how many stories this tree might have seen” – just with a building or a city. For me that’s inspiring. Not clutter in any way.
Hello Everyone!
I’m posting here on Friday’s Favourites because it’s representative of how much a favorite this
blog is! I have only posted a couple times in the years now that I’ve been reading, but wanted to
say a big thank you to all of you who comment, & to Colleen, Cindy & the others who come up with
the inspiring posts to keep us all going.
Along with the gratitude I wish to express, I thought I’d add how the “slow and steady approach” has had a good impact in other arenas of my life. I live in a place where the winter is long & cold, and begins in January. Many people dread this, but I’ve looked forward to taking the month to declutter my files & to putting other things in their proper places. Having completed this, I then
felt ready to declare another challenge for myself. And so have hit on the idea of taking the entire
remainder of the year to systematically go through every drawer, shelf, cupboard, box, etc. throughout the house. I began in the kitchen, and it is really very simple: pull out everything from a drawer, for example, then clean the drawer & (this is the key) then ask myself which things we really use, how many of such things are sufficient to our needs, and replace those. It turns out many items can be decluttered in this process. It doesn’t take too much time each day & if I really don’t have the time I can skip a day, or I can downsize to an even tinier piece to work on. But either way the decluttering mission is moved forward, great discoveries are made, and a sense of
order is restored along with a great appreciation for the items that actually do serve us so faithfully.
So thanks again, everybody, for your suggestions & inspiration!
Hi Sumarie and thank you for your email. It is always nice to hear that 365 Less Things is helping people clear the clutter from their homes. And I am so happy for you that you are making great progress. I am also at the stage where I am slowly going through ever drawer, self, nook and cranny to find items that have been passed over so far in the process. I am taking my time though as I am quite happy with where I am at right now and don’t feel the need to declutter everyday like I did in the past.
I am excited to say there are some big declutter events coming up soon also. My son is moving out as soon as the end of next week and my daughter will also be moving out in a couple of months time. Then all that will be left belongs to my husband and I and the real fine tuning can begin. There are also things I have held back for the kids or been asked to hold on to by the kids which will also go. My kitchen in particular will benefit from those reductions. I am excited to see the results.
Drop by again and let us know how you are getting on.
Thank you, Colleen, for your encouragement as well as the example you set for us,
as we’re all “working in the trenches”, so to speak — it is so good to have company!
Also, how exciting that you two will soon be empty nesters. Hope all goes well
for both “launchings”!
I hope those “launchings” go well too Sumarie. Happy, healthy, independent children is the goal of every parent.
Hi Colleen,
Soon you’ll you’ll be empty nesters! What will you do when you have fine tuned everything? What will you do if your kids don’t want what you have held back for them? I hung onto a few things for my niece for when she moved out. Now that the cutains etc are gone I ended up filling the space with more stuff to go. I’m hoping she’ll want that as well. Fingers crossed.! 🙂 🙂 🙂