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.
Later this week we will be entertained by another of Nicole’s guest posts. She is going to play a little game with us that I hope you will enjoy. With that in mind, this week’s mini missions will reflect what is coming later in the week. So have fun with it.
Monday – Declutter something beginning with the letter S.
Tuesday – Declutter something from a drawer.
Wednesday – Declutter three of something.
Thursday – Declutter something beginning with the letter T.
Friday – Declutter something from a closet.
Saturday – Declutter something in the kitchen.
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.
Colleen, I think this is going to be fun.
I think so too Deb.
the letter S: large silverplate platter and 2 fancy silverplate candy/nut dishes…will go to my sis-in-law
something from a drawer: ceramic coffee pot, sugar and creamer…to the thrift shop (was stored in a drawer in our garage)
three of something: Almost 100 plastic clothes hangers (the good kind that you buy in packs)…to my cousins
something beginning with the letter T: 2 silverplate trivets (and a silverplate candy dish)…to the thrift shop
something from a closet: winter coat…to my cousin
something in the kitchen: a wine collar and 2 wine bottle stoppers…thrift shop
Also:
Coloring & sticker books to my 3rd cousins
Necklace
Mixing bowl
Coffee grinder
Wow, you go girl. Although I have to say you are disqualified because there is no T in silverplate candy dish. Ha ha, just kidding. In fact you get extra points just for getting rid of silverplate anything. The sliver tea set my parents gave me was one of the first things I got rid off when I returned home from America. Boy did I hate having to clean that thing. In fact I could have taken it to America with me but I chose to leave it behind simply because I didn’t want to clean it.
Colleen – I hate cleaning silverware which is why I don’t own any. I have a friend who has a magnet on her fridge that says something along the lines of: Have nothing in your household that is more high maintenance than re-growth.
Moni, I don’t like/want high maintenance things either.
I like the sound of that moni. And even more so when you don’t even like the thing you are having to maintain.
Yeah, Colleen, I’m not into silverplate either…or cleaning it. These are all things I’ve been pulling out the last few days. Actually it was a thilverplate candy dish…HA! I also sent my garage sale mandolin home with my cousin, but I haven’t released it yet. She’s going to restring it, clean it and tune it. Then she’ll enjoy learning to play it. And by then, I hope, I can just say “it’s yours”. It does have sad memories with it. I had a hysterectomy shortly before I bought it. I was so sad. I thought I could learn to play it a bit…and just play my mandolin and be sad. I read something in your archives today about things with sad memories may be the holdback in letting some things go. Thanks for a place to let things like this out by voicing them.
Deanna USA – I don’t know what it is about us humans but we seem determined to hold onto things that have sad or hurtful emotions attached them. Last year one of my daughters went thru a very rough year, not one but three separate health issues. We tried everything as we watched all her goals and dreams unraveling. We ended up with such a collection of part used medicines, pain reliefs, vitamins, supplements, drops, lotions and potions. One night around New Year’s I showed my two friends and told them that these represented desperation and defeat to me. One is very frugal and the other is a ‘be prepared’ type. I thought they would tell me to snap out of it and put my big girl britches on, or something practical. They gave each other a nod, grabbed a rubbish bag and swept it all in. They felt that something which made me feel so negative didn’t have a place in the New Year, everything had changed and adapting to the new reality was the priority. They took responsibility for disposing of the items sensibly and although I knew there was a small fortune sitting in the rubbish bag it was such a relief to see them gone. I am very grateful they did that for me.
What good friends Moni! Hope your daughter is all healthy now.
ROFL” thilverplate” candy dish.
Today I am working on a huge box of paperwork.
With lots of Shredding as part of the work plan.
My son says ~ “Well played!
These should be fun. I suspect I have a big week ahead of me, after the girl’s had a big clear out of their rooms it all got dumped in the garage, I notice that several boxes of ‘stuff’ belonging to my husband have also migrated out there too. All in all, it looks like a garage-sale, so I must do something about it!
Hi Moni. a garage sale sounds like a great idea. Especially now that the weather is beginning to warm up again.
Colleen – I doubt a garage sale will eventuate but it certainly looks like a jumble sale at the moment. Some friends of the girls are coming over for a swap meet of the clothing, soft toys and trinket-y things will go to Goodwill, but there is another collection of boxes that has appeared that I need to investigate.
What a fun week of mini missions
Mon…letter S, like new sandals that get passed over for the last 3 years for other sandals
Tuesday..drawer..hmm, will have to look for an item
Wednesday…3 somethings, 3 knit shirts
Thursday..letter T, tie dyed head Bandeau (to friend)
Friday…closet, three shirts are from closet
Saturday…kitchen, decluttered so it’s good
Will take last weeks this week’s items to goodwill tomorrow
Yay!
Hey Calla, no cheating on Friday, you can’t count the same mission twice. 😉
Oh darn…thought I’d get that past you!
lol
Nice try but you’ll find you have to be a lot sneakier than that to get it past me.
LOL I saw that two-fer as well and thought you might notice Colleen.
Monday’s Shredding party disposed of 180 pieces of paper. I kept a prison wall tally, just for fun.
For Tuesday I had no trouble finding something. I have at least 100 drawers in my house! Maybe more.
I decluttered several pairs of old glasses from one drawer, by dropping them off at the local optometrist. They get reused for charitable purposes.
Lol, well several people saw my two fer cheat
So for Tuesday I found a reusable bag in a drawer
For Friday I found a short light weight jacket in a closet.
Now I have clear conscience!*smile*
Well done Stephanie. Paper clutter can be a real b***h so you get extra points for tackling that. I need to get back to the optometrist to give a glasses donation too and get the new ones I just got adjusted. Teething issues there for sure but it is nice to be able to see really clearly again.
I am glad your conscience is clear Calla. You can happily get on with your week. 😉 And the bonus is you got rid of one more thing.
This is like Sesame Street! 🙂 Will next week be brought to us by the letter Q, or Z, or X? I don’t have a xylophone or any x-rays to declutter; I’d be interested to see what anyone else could find 😉
Actually, for a weekend burst of decluttering, the alphabet method might be an idea. I’m going to note that down somewhere.
Ha ha, Kate, it might be. Just wait until Thursday when the real fun begins.
Katie, I like the idea of the alphabet being thrown in every now and then. I even have x-rays I could toss. I would never have thought of getting rid of them, but they’re probably over 10 years old and would be worthless now.
Ha! You win, Deanna! 🙂
I looked around and easily decluttered a scarf, sunless tanning lotion, and a studded collar (leftover from my Hot Topic days). :]
Ahhh, Hot Topic. I visited that store several time with my kids when living in the US. We got my husband a Flaming Mo (Simpsons) bowling shirt. He loved that thing. Whenever he wore it people (complete strangers) would comment on it.
Yesterday I decluttered a broken laptop cooling fan and some clip-in hair extensions (they were both stored in drawers). Today I decluttered three ink pens. :}
And I decluttered a tote bag. I’m slowly achieving the daily missions. \o/
Monday-strand of leaves or a small piece of a garland and a glue stick.
Tuesday-small stack of papers, a figurine, and 2 calculators.
Wednesday-3 books? I may have trouble with this one.
I don’t know what I will declutter for the rest of the days yet, but I feel like I’m having fun with this week’s mini mission.
Stacie, I’m glad you are having fun with this. I think it is so much fun to be able to just take a room a day and find something that can be decluttered.
Monday – 18 shirts to donate and another 10 for resale shop (husband cleaned out his side of closet )
Tuesday – 3 random items from the junk drawer in kitchen plus box and receipt for hair straightener I’ve owned for 9 months
Wednesday- 3 plus 20 sheets of white scrapbook paper. Still have plenty!
Thursday – white light long sleeve tshirt to the trash (horribly stained)
Friday – navy shirt to resale shop
Saturday – 10 more random items from junk drawer
Sunday – custom duvet cover from guest closet that was on oldest DDs bed when she was 5? She is 19 now
Ooh that is a good week Melissa – 57 things!
I did my 3 for Wednesday, twice. 3 books, plus 3 nice patchwork/quilting magazines. All off to the thrift shop.
Wow, what a great week you had Melissa!
Good on you
Wow! I just read The Tea Chest Challenge by Moni back in June of 2012. HOW EXCITING!!!
Deanna – LOL that is a blast from the past!
Ooh, I’m going to go read that!
I’m writing on Monday’s post so that I don’t muck up the game. I mentioned a few weeks ago that I had something listed on Trademe that was holding up work on our upstairs storage room at work. Well today I finish packaging the second lot and I ship out 32 kilos of Temuka Dinnerware. Originally my daughter wanted it kept for her first home, but she’s realised that she’d like something simpler when she goes flatting and she’d also like flexibility to travel one day without significant possessions to consider. So I suggested we sell it and put the proceeds towards her student loan. She was very happy with that idea and its yielded roughly 10% of this year’s course fees, so she’s happy. Now I don’t have 80-odd pieces of crockery (it had everything from a casserole dish to salt & pepper shakers plus extensive dinner set) sitting around I can get back to work up there.
That sounds like a very nice dish set, but man those things are hard to move around. You are nice to not make your daughter take on that burden!
Melanie – the saying about ‘visiting the sins of the father on the children’ did come to mind. It would be ok if she was settling into her own home, and I imagine when she was younger and put dibs on it, she did picture herself all grown up and settled into her own household at 18. She is close to finishing her first year of study and has a more realistic idea about her short to medium life expectations. 🙂
Well done Moni. That just goes to show that valued items can serve us in different ways. Sometimes the funds mean more to us and can assist us more so than the item itself.
Colleen – yes she is much happier to reduce/clear her student loan as she goes along. I’d safely say she is going to be a minimalist. And the best part is that I was able to ship all this crockery using surplus plastic storage bins!
I’m late to the game, as usual. We are in moving mode, so I have my own 365 schedule to follow this week/month. I just wanted to say how cute this week’s mini mission was! And the comments are all so great. Happy weekend, everyone. 🙂