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.
This weeks mini mission are quite simple to follow. I have formulated them leaving a wide breadth of opportunity to find something from each category to declutter. Sunday however has been changed up a bit and will be kept this way on a trial basis for a while until you, my readers, decide whether you find it useful of not. So good luck with the missions and get your thinking caps ready for Sunday.
Monday – Declutter a leisure item. That could be anything from a piece of sporting equipment to a deck chair.
Tuesday – Declutter a fashion item. That could be a piece of clothing, a pair of shoes, a handbag, a scarf…
Wednesday – Declutter a domestic tool ~ Perhaps an item for working in the kitchen or the garage.
Thursday – Declutter a decor item ~ Perhaps excess cushions on beds or sofas, or one of too many adornments collecting dust.
Friday – Declutter something purely kept for memory’s sake ~ Perhaps a souvenir or some other sentimental item.
Saturday – Declutter a gadget ~ Gadgets are so alluring but once acquired they often fall short of expectations. Get rid of one of those that has fallen short.
Sunday – On a trial basis ~ for now ~ Sunday will be reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.
Good luck and happy decluttering
Today’s Declutter Item
My husband in provided with a watch through is work. He has come to the decision that he doesn’t need an extra one “just in case”. This one will be off to the thrift store this week.
One Watch is Enough
Eco Tip for the Day
When shopping for groceries try to choose items that come in the least environmentally offensive packaging or preferably no packaging at all. I have mentioned this before regarding soap, I only buy soap loose or in a cardboard box. Individually packaged snack food such a chips and candy bars are also big offenders when it comes to this kind of excessive packaging.
Is anyone else out there frustrated by the increasing inability to avoid packaging in the stores? I am happy to take my reusable bags to the store but the bread, the fruit, the cheeses are already encased in plastic. More and more vegetables are packaged on styrofoam trays and wrapped in more plastic. I try to reuse the plastic but it is taking over my house. If the mega-store is your town’s shopping option, how do you keep the plastic from coming into your house?
Delores, I have seen someone who takes in a cardboard box, about the size of two shoeboxes (possibly something else cut down) and she was loading up her fruit and vege in that and at the checkout handed them across to the operator and then loaded them back into the box at the other side. I thought it was a good idea even from a stopping things getting squished point of view.
Hi Delores, with the fruit it is easy. I put them all in my grocery cart loose and check them out that way, I have done so for about ten years now. I do however buy cut pumpkin which is wrapped in plastic wrap ~ I would like to avoid this. I never buy bags of fruit or vegetable for three reasons 1.) They come in plastic and 2.) They may be cheaper but buying in bulk often ends up with more waste for us because there are only two of us eating it. 3.) I have found, especially with potatoes that there is nearly always on bad one that ruins the batch before I get to the bottom of the bag.
Many people say to me to shop at the local farmers market on Sunday but there is no guarantee that the produce for many of the fruit and vegetable stores are local anyway.
I was shopping at my local butcher more to avoid all the wrapping at the grocery store but the price difference is incredible at times. I need to investigate this option further. It is very disappointing trying to buy local and without all the packaging but then the cost is much higher even though the cost of freight and packing must be much less for the local guy.
I wish we had a store here like Trader Joes or Whole Foods with reasonable priced organic food and the opportunity to buy dry good by weight with own containers.
You can only do what you can Delores, so just avoid the packaging where possible. Every little bit you don’t consume is an improvement.
Delores, I so get what you mean. It seems like you can’t buy a package of tape without getting a cardboard backing with a plastic covering over the tape dispenser. I wanted to buy some refills for my pen and had to buy them one at a time and they were in this cardboard/plastic wrapping. Grrrr! At the store I refuse to buy fruit or veggies unless it is loose and I can pick it out. Then I take my own soft mess bag to put it in and give it to the cashier. I don’t want all that plastic. When I do get stuck with stuff like that we are blessed to be able to recycle it. I can recycle all plastic, cardboard, aluminum, metal, glass, and paper. So we are able to get rid of most things that way. But, it takes so much energy to make it and I wish we could get companies to stop doing it.
I agree. My problem is the local store already has things packaged. The only way I can avoid bringing the plastic home is to unwrap their already packaged items. And then they would just throw away the plastic.
Delores ~ Do they not sell fruit and vegetable singularly at all?
Some, but more and more they are pre-picking for us and using those styrofoam trays. Sometimes even individually wrapping the fruit items. I guess it will just take repeated comments in the produce department but I hate to be a pain.
Hi Delores,
I feel for you as that store is certainly making it difficult to shop sustainably. You are also right, I think they need those repeated comments. They won’t change their ways if people don’t tell them they don’t like their methods. If I were you and there was another choice of place to shop near by I would boycott that store. Let your money do the talking.
I know that Aldi tend to package a lot more than other stores which is one of the reasons I stopped shopping there.
Today I put two dresses in the donation bag. They don’t fit anymore so time to let go. 🙂 I think Trader Joe’s is a little more reasonable than Whole Foods. A friend of mine calls WF…Whole Dollar. 🙂
Hi Lisa, well done with the clothing declutter.
It is a shame that there is a higher cost to buying the eco friendly way. There are many variables that affect that pricing and it would do my head in to figure it all out. One thing that does lower food bills and make it possible to pay the higher price for sustainable food is to reduce the portions we eat if we know we could stand to eat less. Being careful how we shop so as to avoid waste also gives us a little more wriggle room in our budgets. I have noticed lately that my grocery bill has been decreasing as I am more mindful of how I shop so there must be some truth to that.
Buying sustainable food often means cutting pre-made food and buying only the basic ingredients. They are both cheaper and mostly less packaged.
We are buying only very little cookies, flavoured yoghurts, etc.
We are rather going for plain yoghurt adding a spoonful of jam or are making cookies ourselves. (okay, not ALWAYS, but more often than not)
With fruit I don’t know of every area in the world, but over here it’s always possible to find a farmer or a farmer’s market nearby to at least stock up on SOME fruits without much packaging. Also, seasonal veggies and fruits are less packaged even in the big supermarkets. I find often the big or “boring” stuff like cabbage or cauliflower goes unpackaged, whereas those things you are supposed to eat straightaway, like tomatoes or berries are rather extensively packaged.
Maybe, just getting some veggies you usually don’t think of will solve the problem partly.
…more like Whole Paycheck
Hey girls! I’m dancing a jig here. S and I are going to work today on getting all of the stuff we have already sorted ready to be taken to the various distribution places. A friend of ours with a pickup truck is coming this evening (Mon) to carry it all away. WooHoo! That will leave us a place to sort out more to go. Right now we are running out of room and only have a path to get through it. There are things from all the categories above going in this load. I’m so very proud of S.
That’s great, Deb J!
Deb J that’s great!
My husband and I have a small business. When we bought it part of the inventory included items for making gift baskets. It made sense but in several years we have never done gift baskets. But it was a lot of stuff so it seemed like we should sell the materials rather than just give them away. They have been taking up room forever. We found out another friend of ours runs a charter business and makes gift baskets for her employees and big customers. Problem solved and three less cartons in my house. Happy dance.