365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

Simple Saturday ~ For my Sydney Readers

by

Come join me

I’m going to be spending a couple of days in Sydney (Australia) next month and since my time is mine to do with what I like I thought I would see if any of my Sydney readers would like to join me for a cuppa and a chat.

Date: 14th August 2012

Time: 10am to whenever

Where: The inner city somewhere.

I was hoping someone might have some suggestions for a place where they serve good coffee, maybe cake, perhaps even lunch and wine depending on how chatty and hungry we get. Just leave a comment below if you are interested in joining me and sometime before the event we will decide on the location.

The Weekend Mini Missions

Saturday – Household cleaners ~ I keep kitchen cleaners and the all-purpose spray that gets used most days in the kitchen but all other cleaners are kept in the laundry cupboard. It may seem convenient to have toilet cleaners next to every toilet and a bottle of all purpose cleaner in every bathroom cabinet but what this really is is clutter. Don’t just round these up reduce them to one of each. After all the extra exercise to collect them from a central position when you need them will do you a world of good. I do keep a microfibre cloth in the upstairs bathroom because in reality microfibre will wipe up any mess and eliminate 99% of germs so there really is no need for chemical cleaners anyway.

Sunday – Electrical cables ~ Create and area where these items are returned to when not in use. Cables such as phone chargers, USB cables, small extension cords and reusable battery chargers end up scattered all over the house when the various family member use then leave them where they had them when done. Designate a drawer or storage container to keep these things in and make a rule that they be returned there when not in use.

Comments

  1. Guess it’s just not feasible for me to fly from the USA for a quick cuppa, is it? 🙂
    Hope you get to meet lots of your readers.

    • I don’t see why not Maggie people do those sorts of crazy things all the time. 😉 At least my husband would if I let him. He’d quit work liquidate our assets and run off with me to Europe in a heartbeat if I gave him the nob. I am a little more long term financially security conscious for that kind of caper. Oh to be braver.

  3. I’d love to come too but, knowing me, I’d stumble upon a Superb Fairy Wren someplace between the airport and the cafe (or due to jet lag I would halucinate a Superb Fairy Wren…) and go haring off into the wilderness.
    Colleen, what a treat it was to come home yesterday from ten days away and walk into my study. No clutter. No mess. All the effort to tame the Paper Monster before leaving paid off in spades. It’s moments like that when you realize that the decluttering efforts are working. W

    • Hi Wendy, if you didn’t stumble upon a Superb Fairy Wren on your way to the cafe you could come home with me and I would take you for a bike ride up the Fernleigh track and show you the ones there. Along with some Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, the Blue Mountain Lorikeets, perhaps a Galah or two, some Kookaburras and hopefully some garbling Magpies.

      You bet those decluttering efforts are working Wendy and how nice it is to gloat on it occasionally.

  4. Alas as often as Kiwi’s hop across the ditch to the West Island (LOL) I’m afraid I won’t make it.

    Electrical cables – oh the pain of even thinking about them Colleen. I started the bookcase & dvd cupbard mission last week. The box of cables wasn’t even located in these and not part of the mission. Suddenly they became pivotal to the whole kick off.

    Lynda gave me really good advice. She told me to pull out each games console, camera, camcorder etc. Find the cable for each. Label them. Set them aside. Look at the pile that is left, is there anything obviously useful in there? Get rid of the rest.

    (it stands to reason that anything new coming into the house will have everything labelled as it comes out of the box)

    I opened a camcorder bag and it had two sets of leads that obviously had come with it as they still had twisty ties around them and were folded neatly. Those sets of leads were identical to about 5 other sets in our box of leads. So I’m guessing most devices come with an assorted of leads.

    I recall a guy on freecycle who was interested in anything electronic so I’ll track him down next week.

    • I am very familiar with this phenomenon Moni. My husband has decluttered our cables a few times now. Like you say every digital gadget come with a set of cables, usually most of them are identical the cables already owned. We decided we are unlikely to need all the duplicates at one time so got rid of most of them. If only Liam would stop buying camera equipment then they wouldn’t continue to multiply. That isn’t likely to happen because photography is his career plan.

  6. Ohhhhhh!!! If only I was able to join in the fun!!!!!!!!!!!

    Well for those of you who can be there, have a great time, to the rest of us, well, why don’t we try to meet up in our respective places?

    Colorado anyone?

  7. Oh Colleen, I probably live less than five kilometers from you here in Newcastle but would love to join you in Sydney ! Count me in! How about some truly cluttered place like Syndey antiques centre or the totally opposite Museum of Contempory Art at the Quay, I think it is free entry during the Bienniale (?).
    Cheers

  9. I can’t believe that I didn’t find your blog earlier!! I love it!! Now I have something to read all day long 🙂

  10. Great idea Colleen – would love to join you but the journey would be a tad long 🙂 Ayway, I hope to get to see you next year,hurray!

    Well good morning from an Olympic happy GB! Anyone who needs any explanations about the opening ceremony, I happy to try and help lol.

    Moni – good luck with the great cable fest. I have finally leant to lable cables as they come in now and boy does that make a difference. I bagged up a few mysterious cables last year and put them in the attic with the date marked on them, so it I didn’t find their ‘use’ within a year I could chuck them. That has now been done.

  12. I will wave at you via satellite service. Since I have met you in person :), I know that everyone will have a fantastic time at the meet up.

      • The tried and true (and therefore $$$) is Jet Cafe which is at the ‘front’ of QVB (Queen Victoria Building) facing Town Hall. It’s just so easy to meet people there – though there are a number nice cafes all through QVB. The suggestion in Newtown would also be good – it’s an area with a lot of character – so fun for people watching! I have a number of cafes in my street (Regent St, Redfern), some better than others – Appetite seems to be the longest running, and well frequented. The others are newer. And there’s a few wine bars, as well as a Waffle and Pancake place (I think) – non chain, all very authentic! So I’d be happy with any of these! Once we’re all confirmed I’ll take some time off work – more annual leave than my usual holidays take, so it’s a pleasure! I could even show you my place, if we meet in Redfern

        • Hi Snosie, I would love to check out Redfern. It has had a bad reputation over the years but when I drive through there in the car or go by on the train it looks so interesting. QVB, Newtown and Redfern all sound like great meeting places to me. I have been to Newtown before several times and love it. I had better make my mind up soon. But it will definitely be on even if only two people were to turn up because I am going to be in town and have no other plans so plan on taking time off for the day. I will decide by the end of the week.

        • We used to go to the Jet bar for coffee regularly but since they renovated it now has very poor acoustics so it’s hard to talk in there.

          • Day in calendar to take off, so all is good! Redfern is a bit of a mixed bag, but I like it because of that! I definately see all sides of it (ie I park opposite two mercs, but walked past a drug deal on Sat night…).

            • Great Snosie, I am looking forward to it. I only wish I had two days now but I am off to Qld the next day to sit back and let my mummy look after me. And help her buy a new washing machine and teach her to use her iPad.

  15. Annabelle,
    Not in Colorado but in Northern VA. Any takers. Tyson’s I or Tyson’s II mall or Ballston Commons Mall in Arlington, VA would be nice.
    Anyone close?

  16. I do love a good cup of coffe or a capuccino! But as I am on the other side of the world I can’t make it 😀 ! Have fun Colleen and everyone that joins her. You should come over here to have a cup of coffe!