Household Tiny Stuff

I received the following comment from Coonie on Tuesday and since this is the theme for this week’s mini missions I thought I should slip in a post about it before the week is up.

Coonie’s Comment

Hello! “Tiny stuff de-cluttering” is just what I needed. I am very organized and reduce clutter all the time, but “tiny” things elude me! All my tiny things are labeled and in containers (lol) I would love it if you could focus on this a while…name all the tiny things and what do you ask/tell yourself to reduce “the stash.” Help me know how many is too many and why not keep and store them if I have the space? I think my view definitely comes from raised in scarcity—but things aren’t scarce now. Thanks for your blog.

Firstly Coonie, well done containerising and labelling your tiny things. Working in the thrift store we often receive donations of kids games many of which have all parts missing. These toys are next to useless to us in this condition. My kids toys never had parts missing because all the small pieces were kept in ziplock bags or plastic containers and the kids were taught to take care of them.

As for “why not keep and store them if I have the space?” I would suggest that if your tiny stuff is of no consequence to you clutter wise then leave it well enough alone. Personally though I find every inch of ground gamed from something that isn’t being used or is overstocked in my home is a small victory in the war on clutter. Back on May 21st last year I wrote a Simple Saturday post about my stationery drawer declutter which just goes to prove how little things can add up to a lot of wasted space. When writing that post I was attempting to reduce yet again the amount of stuff cluttering up my craft space. And now after several more sessions of removing tiny items, small items and some bigger stuff from that area I have managed to declutter two sets of plastic drawers which took up about five square feet of space.

Tiny stuff tends to come in four categories. 1. Stuff that your actually use but is a little overstocked and can be used up in a reasonable amount of time if you put your mind to it. For example travel size shampoo, motel soaps etc. 2. Stuff that is rarely used but so numerous that it would take years to use up. Like the hundred or more paperclips, thumb tacks and rubber bands I decluttered last year. 3. Items that grown in number due to replacing them because you couldn’t find them when you needed them, such as Allen keys, and nail clippers. And 4. Items that you just keep buying more of because you want to. Like little trinkets, jewellery, fashion accessories etc

My guide when it comes to tiny stuff is if you aren’t using it it’s clutter. For example if you have a box of 100 paperclips and you use about six in a year then keep about a dozen (and that is probably too many) and get rid of the rest. The same goes for most of the little things you will find on the list below. Observe for a while how often you use these things and adjust how many you have in proportion to how many you will use over perhaps one year. As for the small items that accumulate due to being misplaced the best method to keep track of them is to always put them back in the same place. I know that rule sounds fundamental but it isn’t a rule always observed. Once you have this down pat you can safely declutter the excess. As for the “I just want them” things, declutter the ones you no long want or are useless due to damage on a regular basis. If you still want them they aren’t clutter.

Don’t buy tiny items in bulk just because it appears to make economic sense unless you share the cost and the quantity with a friend or family member. Such as make-up sponges, Post-it note pads, boxes of staples, pens etc. If the shared quantity is still too many give the rest away to other loved ones. It is so tempting to buy 1000 of something when it only cost one and a half times as much as 100 but then you are stuck with them for what seems like an eternity and they take up four times as much space as the smaller quantity would have. Keep in mind some items perish and become useless if left unused for an extended period of time.

Tiny Things

• Jewellery ~ Necklaces, earrings, brooches, pins, tie pins, cufflinks, bracelets, bangles, watches…
• Stationery ~ pens, pencils, markers, paperclips, rubber bands, post-it notes pads, bookmarks…
• Toileties ~ Samples, travel size, make-up items, nail clippers, nail files, cotton balls, make-up sponges…
• Hardware ~ Nails, screws, nuts, bolts, rivets, washers, picture hooks, Allen keys…
• Kitchenware ~ corn holders, skewers, muffin/cupcake papers, cutlery, twist ties…
• Sewing equipment ~ Pins, needles, buttons, clips, cotton reals, machine bobbins, safety pins…
• Household items other ~ Keys, key rings, zip ties, …
• Craft ~ Beads, findings, embellishments, stamps, buttons, tacks, picture clippings, off cuts of wood and paper…

Ways to dispose of

• Jewellery ~ Give to friends or loved ones, donate or sell, Freecycle.
• Stationary ~ Donate to a local school, thrift shop or take into your work place to be used up.
• Toiletries ~ Most of these can be used up and not repurchased. Make-up should be thrown away if out of date. I would not advise giving it to someone else. Excess clippers, files and applicators could be shared among friends, preferably unused.
• Hardware ~ Donate, offer to a neighbour, friend or family member, give to your handman the next time he calls to repair something, Freecycle in batches.
• Kitchenware ~ Donate, offer to friends or family, freecycle, sell on ebay if worth the effort.
• Sewing equipment ~ Put together in a kit and donate to the thrift store or to your local highschool or a local craft group.
• Household items ~ In the case of old keys they can probably be recycled. Another useful stuff could be donated or Freecycled.
• Craft Items ~ Schools, craft groups, thrift store, local craft shop who runs classes, sell on ebay.

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is an example of decluttering little things. It may not look like much but just because it isn’t being used by us doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be useful to someone else. For every little thing hiding away in your home unused someone else is having to buy new. Send them out there where they can be useful. And all the little things add up to a much bigger waste of space in your home than you would think.

Decluttering Little Things

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Getting rid of a batch if things to the thrift store and the craft store up the street. It is one thing to decide and divide but the clutter disappearing act is the best part. “Hey Presto!”

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

We just passed Thanksgiving (in the US) and are coming up on Christmas and Hanukkah,  and I am willing to guess that December is the most heavily photographed month of the year. Well, last month, I spend an hour sorting through a huge box of photos and memorabilia. There were packets of organized photos from my college years, but beginning with my wedding (1997), nothing was organized, culled, etc. What a miserable experience!

"The photos that survived this culling and an outfit that was in box that belong to my Grandmother Clara."

Here are the things I learned:

1. If you don’t sort through your photos when you get them, it will not get easier 14 years later.
2. If you don’t label your photos, it will not get easier 14 years later.
3. If you’re not motivated to put your photos in albums now, you won’t be any more motivated in 14 years.
4. You will wonder why in the world you took certain photos. Did they once mean something to you?
5. You may experience a sharp, sad feeling of regret when you come across a lovely photo of yourself and someone who is no longer a part of your life.
6. Your digital camera takes far better pictures than your film camera ever did.
7. What in the world was the point of getting every photo printed in duplicate?

And the changes I will make in my photographing habits:

1. I will use my delete button much, much more.
2. I will transfer my photos into Picasa and label them when I download them, deleting more as necessary.
3. I will remember that just because I can take photos of every conceivable moment of an event, that doesn’t mean I should.
4. I will leave my camera at home at times so that I can fully appreciate the event with all my senses, not just through the lens of a camera.
5. I will take fewer photos of things and more photos of people.

I hope you have a great holiday season and that you use common sense with your camera. Remember, each photo you take is one that you have to process in some way. If you don’t, instead of preserving memories, you’re just creating clutter.

"The photos still to be sorted and more than 2 pounds of photos that went into the trash. These were mostly duplicates, lousy shots, and photos of people I did not (or did not want) to remember."

Today’s Declutter Item

I had another sweep through our paper files and found more out of date paper clutter. This is a task that requires attention on a regular basis. 

Paper Clutter ~ Decluttered & Recycled

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Last year, as a thank you gift, a friend gave me a blueberry bush. She knows I hate clutter so she gave me something lovely for the garden. Earlier in the season I replanted it into a lovely big pot I had picked up off the side of the road. I am so excited that is has grown so beautifully in its new location and I harvested my first crop this week. So, it was only two blueberries but they were juicy, sweet and delicious and I am expecting greater things from it next year. Thanks Jen for my lovely plant I am really enjoying watching it grow.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Books are a collecting weakness of many people. I know that in my early 20s I dreamed of having a library – ideally one with a rolling ladder. Then I moved every year for four or five years and put that foolish idea behind me. Books are heavy!

Photo credit www.atticmag.com

I’ve been a library user my whole life. I remember when I was a girl going to a particularly library that kept the Nancy Drew novels separate from the rest of the books – heaven! And I have clear memories of Library Period in elementary school. Back then, I read biographies of famous females. Annie Oakley, Mary Todd Lincoln, Abigail Adams, Florence Nightingale, Amelia Earhart, Marie Curry – These were the ladies (along with my mother) who showed me what a smart, determined female could accomplish in this world. I even have a library card for the Wyoming, Iowa library (population: not a lot) where my extended family is based.

Why even buy books, especially new books? I’ve got to tell you, that’s a question that I reflect on frequently, as I am far from the only reader in my circle of friends and acquaintances. I am, however, one of the heaviest library users. I buy books, sometimes new and often used, for my daughters, especially the eldest one, because she is a voracious reader and reads and re-reads whatever is on her shelf. She has several series that she enjoys, and we have the whole sets of these (Ranger’s Apprentice, Gregor the Overlander, Harry Potter, Warrior Cats, Persey Jackson, etc.)

As for myself, the books I own fall into a couple of categories: medical (espeically diabetes), dictionaries and reference books, Spanish and German language books, gardening and the natural world, religion, and novels that I enjoyed enough that I wanted to own then and knew I would reread them. (Almost all of these were first read as library books, and I decided they were so terrific, I had to own them.) Dan has a lot of computer, science, and programming, which are stored in his office. These are tough because most of them cannot be checked out of the library and are fairly expensive because of their low print runs, but their usefulness passes quickly as technology rapidly changes. Dan tries to think hard before he makes a purchase. I think he’s only bought two books this year. (He also subscribes to a number of science magazines. These are passed to a science-minded friend when Dan is done. When the friend has read them, they go to the free magazine exchange shelf at the library.)

Nonetheless, whether you own lots of books or few, you undoubtedly own some, and there are various ways of storing them, which might be more and less useful to you.

Subject

First up is my system. I mentioned the various categories of books that I own above. They are stored, like with like, on the shelves. The left hand book shelf is all non-fiction. The right hand shelf is fiction. The bottom two shelves are the kids’ overflow books, primarily series, the third shelf is my books, and the top one is Dan’s small science fiction and fantasy collection. When I buy a book, it has to fit onto the shelf with its peers. If there isn’t room, then someone’s got to go. My system isn’t necessarily one in, one out, but there has to be room.

Cindy's Library

By Color

Colour coordinated book storing system

My friend Corinna has a beautiful and artistically decorated house that includes a shelf of books organized by color. I found this so fascinating that Simple Saturday’s post will be dedicates to what Corinna told me about the whys and hows of a color-coordinated organization system.

Other systems

Alphbatically by author

From most to least liked (This was my eldest daughter’s idea, and she’s sure she could do it on her shelves. I know I could not on mine.)

Chronologically from childhood favorites to books on menopause and carrying for aging parents

Using Library Thing or other on-line software, although this is more geared to helping to keep track of what you own rather than how it is organized on the shelf.

A Kindle Instead?

Do not flame me! I don’t get Kindles. Ok, I know what they’re about (download lots of books, portable, easy to read screens, long battery life, some libraries now have Kindle downloads), but I don’t understand why they’re needed, except possibly by those who travel extensively and for long periods of time. Perhaps it’s because I don’t buy books to begin with, so buying them instantly on the Kindle is no advantage to me.

I wondered if e-readers were more eco-friendly than traditional books. I suspected not. Kindle owners claim that they just bought the Kindle and now they’re buying downloads. Yeah, but do you know how much energy goes into making one of those (and all the electronics we love)? I heard on NPR last week that half the energy involved in the World Wide Web is devoted to the making of the equipment. And I know that people will be replacing their Kindle every few years. Electronics come and go in fashion and utility, and Amazon is certainly invested in making a better Kindle so you’ll want to trade your old one in.

On the other hand, the manufacturing of paper is a dirty business, and books are heavy to ship. Turns out that there is no clear answer to this question, and if you want to read all about it, I recommend you explore the website Eco Libris.

My personal bottom line on a Kindle? Any tool that only does one thing is not as good as a tool that does sevearl things. I’d buy an iPad or similar devise. Tech Crunch outlines your choices.

My personal bottom line? Visit your local library and if you must own it, buy it used at your local book reseller or from Amazon.com.

Today’s Declutter Item

Since we are on the subject of books why not make today’s declutter item this ear mounted reading light. I never wake up in the middle of the night hankering for a good read. Usually it is the bathroom I’m needing and then I just go back to sleep. So I don’t really need this light cluttering up the bedside drawer. Off to the thrift store with you little light.

Ear mounted reading light

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Today I am grateful that my house is clean and tidy and all my other chores are out of the way, even the ironing. Now I can devote the next five days to enjoying my parents visit. 

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Last week Dizzy informed me she was totally committed to Buy Nothing New November, a self imposed challenge as she was not able to comply during October. Not being one to do it the easy way Dizzy has committed to only buying milk and bread while feeding her whole family with just the contents of her Freezer for the whole month.  If I attempted that my family would stave to death due to the minuscule size of my freezer but that is a whole other story.

This is what dizzy wrote in a comment last week…

Great post Cindy and a great post from Colleen, love your Chrissy Preparations, I have not done anything yet, haven’t even been anywhere to find a bargain, op shop or otherwise except for milk and bread. We are happily still making our way through the freezer and so far all I have bought this month is milk and bread. I have pledged to buy nothing in November and so far I haven’t, (except milk and bread) I will admit it was tough to start but it made me get creative in the Kitchen and we’ve had some rather weird dinners hahaha, my hubby loves it cos he’s getting fit and my son gets the chance to help and serve up some rather interesting concoctions! We are still alive though 

I asked Dizzy if she would write a post for me about her freezer decluttering effort and of course in Dizzy’s true enthusiastic style the very next day I received this response.

MY CLEAR OUT THE FREEZER CHALLENGE

Four things have been at the forefront of my self appointed challenge…

1. Sheer stupidity when shopping for food (buying the 2 for 1′s etc.)
2.  Sheer laziness, it was, or seemed easier, to pick up a cooked chook (that’s chicken to non-Aussies) and a bag of pre-pared salad etc rather than cook what I had in the freezer!
3. Realising that I and my family were doing too much apart rather than together! We are all busy but thankfully that is changing!
4.  And (just thought of this now) we bought a bigger freezer back when I used to get Chrisco, my freezer habit went from there! I no longer get Chrisco so the big freezer will be finding a new home.

I always rotated the food so I haven’t had to throw anything out. However this situation gave me the kick in the pants I needed to come to the realisation that the shops are open nearly all the time so until I need something the shops can store it for me.

My storage habits are changing because I’m planning ahead better and I’m more organised when it comes to meals. My spending has changed dramatically because (apart from this month being self appointed) I am organising myself more therefore everything around me is becoming more organised. My money is happily gathering dust in my purse. 🙂

From now on shopping will become easier because I will have a list and only get what is on the list!! Since I started this ‘Buy Nothing New in November’ it has made me think twice about everything I am doing and so far it has worked. Clarity is there now, I actually find myself saying that I don’t ‘need’ it or what I have is ‘enough’. When whatever it is at the time breaks, falls apart or otherwise becomes redundant then and only then will I replace it with a new one or 2nd hand if available.

Whilst I have been whittling away at the food side of things I have also realised that I don’t need half of the storage containers I have for the freezer so they will be finding new homes too!

I will be shopping today for fresh fruit (I have used up all the frozen berries and tinned fruit) and I will buy only fresh, it’s spring/summer now so there is an abundance of great fresh produce available.

Out of this whole excercise I am learning that a full freezer is not only taking up space and wasting electricity, it is requiring constant vigilance, the thought of it breaking down sits in my brain screaming at me. Imagine having to clean that mess up, the waste and the insurance run around etc, I do not want to travel that road. Now it all matters not a jot if the freezer blew up tomorrow because there will be very little to lose.

Right now I have what I NEED and I WANT what I already have!

Today’s Declutter Item

More of the Snoopy collection sold on eBay. A little more cash in my son’s bank account and a little less clutter in the garage.

More Snoopy items sold on ebay

Something I Am Grateful For Today

After Sunday’s 39Ëšc I am grateful that the temperature has dropped back down the the mid 20s. It might be raining but I am perfectly OK with that.

“In daily life we must see that it is not happiness that makes us grateful, but gratefulness that makes us happy.” Brother David Steindl-Rast

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

When Colleen wrote Have Storage Will Clutter, I assumed it would be about storage units, which exist all over the US, some row after row of garages, and others (literally) high rise buildings with full heating and air conditioning services. Some people’s junk in the US lives better than many citizens.

Recently I was  at a class with my eldest daughter and was telling one of the fathers about the blog. He immediately told me that his chore for that day was cleaning out the garage. The coach then approached and asked if we were talking about cleaning out a storage unit. The man said, “No, but we have one of those that needs to be emptied too.” Then the coach shared that she has three storage units. She is going on a trip to Europe soon and noted that the units cost about a European trip per year. She claimed that she intends to clean out one unit when she returns (although I have to say, her commitment to this seemed very half baked, like one of those things that you just get used to saying like “I’m going to start exercising”). I challenged her to empty all three units. Bizarrely, she then said, “Oh no, I’m a minimalist” but had to return to coaching before I could find out how in the world having three storage units and being a minimalist could possibly be related. (Ok, truthfully, I was too busy trying not to snort loudly and rudely to find out more.)

I asked the father why he had a storage unit. He said that they intend to turn half of their garage into an exercise room. In order to work toward this goal, they’d cleaned out part of the garage and put it in storage. At least some of the stuff in the storage unit are items that will be in the exercise room. He told me that the unit was about a cheap as they come at $110 per month (about the same AUD, 81 Euro) and that he’d spent over $1000 (741 Euro) on the unit so far. One thousand dollars and no exercise room yet. The gym closest to my house is $70 a month for a family membership. They could have been working out for the past 14 months for the money that’s gone into this storage unit.

The last example of Have Storage, Will Clutter is a couple I know. Their adult children live in Texas. The parents thought that they would move from California, more than 1000 miles away, to Texas. When one of the children got a long-term overseas assignment, the parents packed up their belongings, sold their condominium, and move into their son’s house. Because the son’s house was fully furnished, they kept some of their personal items, and the rest of their belongings went into storage. This makes sense to me. Having their items in storage was cheaper than continuing to pay for a whole condominium for them, and they knew that their living arrangements were temporary. Eighteen months later, their son returned, and the parents moved back to California, leaving their stored items behind. For a while it was unclear what would happen next, but now more than five years have passed. The parents definitely aren’t moving to Texas, and their belongings are still here, still in storage. They don’t seem to have any intention of repossessing their items, which include furniture, clothing, household items, and collectibles, nor do they seem to have any intention of paying to have these items moved to California. Every year when they visit Austin for two or three days, they visit the storage unit – presumably to get something out of it, but I really don’t know. (Maybe to put something in!!) If the average unit is $100 a month, five years of storage comes to $6600 (4890 Euros). In the meantime, they’ve purchased replacement furniture and electronics for their home in California. My estimate is that this folly has cost them at least $10,000. I don’t really know what to say about this story. It truly mystifies me, but I do know that if storage units weren’t so convenient, something else would have been done with these belongings, rather than just having them sit in climate-controlled comfort year after year.

If you have a storage unit, my first advice to you is to leave the house alone and declutter the storage. You’re throwing money away when what you need to do is make some hard choices and probably many easy choices and live within the space you have available to you. All those “valuable” items you may find hard to part with because “they cost good money” are getting more and more costly each day that you pay to store them. Have storage, will clutter, indeed!

Today’s Declutter Item

I bought this carry file about 15 years ago when working as a teacher’s aide in my children’s first school. That was seven schools ago and it has hardly been used for its intended purpose since. I think it is well past time I let it go.

I

File Folder Bag

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I had a wonderful day today giving a friend a belated birthday treat. We had a coffee, went to the Hunter Valley Gardens (first time for both of us) and had our favour Tom Yum soup for lunch. Everything was perfect including the weather. See photos below.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

I received an email last weekend which I will share with you now along with what was going to be my response but which turned into a post.

Hi Colleen, I’ve been going back over the archives and couldn’t find anything about the little notices you get at funeral homes. I have the one from when my mom died, but I also have several more I just don’t know what to do with. I notice that sometimes when I leave the funeral some people just leave them on the chair but I feel bad so I just take mine. I thought maybe you would have a good idea what to do with them. Right now I just throw them in the box with my yearbooks and other things my family can throw out when I’m gone. Any ideas would be great. Thanks.

My quick response to the emailer: My quick answer to this question is that you wouldn’t be asking if you really wanted to keep them so save the ones that really mean something to you (your mother’s for example) and recycle the rest. I sounds from your email that you are only keeping the others out of respect and obligation. Throwing away a piece of paper does not lessen your respect so don’t feel obliged to keep them.

I have found that my initial response to this question was becoming so long that I might as well make a post about it. Would you mind if I use your email in the body of this post?

Now for the post that resulted from this email

My advice to you is to only keep the ones you feel compelled to keep. By all means accept the ones offered on the occasion out of respect but feel free to dispose of them when you return home. Once someone is gone there is no forgetting they are gone and I am sure we don’t need reminding of that. If you do however feel compelled to keep all of these items I would suggest storing them as you would your photos, in an acid free environment. You could if you prefer scan the items and save them digitally. This takes up less physical space but can still be viewed if desired. I think though that if you find you are never unearthing these items to view but only stubble upon them periodically when adding to the collection you really need to ask yourself, how much do they really matter.

Last week I was asked, during a radio gig I did, what do I do with birthdays cards after the event. I said I leave them on display for that month (sometimes less) and then throw them in the recycling bin. I see no practical purpose in saving these things. Greeting cards are intended to show that someone cares for you once we are reminded of that do we really need to save them for future reference. I don’t think anyone is expecting you to save their cards year in year out. Think about when someone phones you on your birthday, they wish you a happy birthday, share that bit of time to show they care for you and then hang up, you can’t hold on the call forever but you can hold on to the memory. You can do the same with cards, enjoy them for what they are at the time and then let them go.

That being said I do save some birthday cards, usually only the ones my children give me that I feel are that bit special, due to the written personal sentiment. Though I must admit I rarely retrieve them from their hiding place and gaze upon them with loving eyes. To be quite honest I seem to have an unusally amazing memory for when my children say lovely things to or about me. I just keep the cards as proof just in case I have to use them as evidence against them ~ Just Kidding about that last bit!

I do much the same with Christmas cards, I leave them on display until the new year and then recycle them. I cut out the pictures on the front to use in producing my handmade cards for next year and put the remainder in the recycling bin. It is probably time I got to making this years cards as the holiday season will be here before we know it.

As usual with decluttering if you love all the greeting cards you receive and can’t bring yourself to part with any of them that is what is right for you. If however you have been keeping them out of obligation or tradition it really is OK not to. Try it with the next occasion, enjoy them for what they are at the time, a reminder that someone loves you, display them for a week or two and then let them go.

Today’s Declutter Item

The bag that is today’s clutter was used to carry home an item my mother-in-law kindly gave me some time back. I was please to receive a steam mop from her that she had received as a freebee when she bought a new vacuum cleaner. I have tiled floor and I thought it would be good for giving the grout a good once over every now and again. It proved to be pretty much ineffective so it went to the thrift store. The bag gto shuffled to the bottom of my daughters closet where I found it last week. I figured I would never remember to return it to my MIL so I sent it to the thrift store with a load of other stuff.

Hidden Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Every night that I hear my son’s motorbike roll up to the garage door after his late night work shifts I feel relieved and grateful that he is home safe and sound. I don’t mind that I am roused at 2:30 or 4:30 am I sleep more soundly in the knowledge that he is home.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Last week, I discussed methods for cleaning and decluttering your refrigerator and freezer; this week we’re onto what is usually a larger repository of items that should have moved along long ago, the pantry. Because things in the pantry don’t usually spoil, they can sometimes hang around long enough to become honorary members of your household.

It will probably be helpful to have a pen and paper with you when you start excavating your pantry, especially if you know it’s… let’s politely call it “a goldmine of uneaten potential.”

What do you have, how many do you have, how long has it been in there? Check dates. Put like with like. Anything you have duplicates of may be excessive. I have a dozen little cans of olives, and I use them once a week, so a dozen is a reasonable supply, not an excess. But two cans of garbanzo beans (chick peas) is definitely an excess for me; frankly, one can probably is. Either make a list of what you have that needs to be used up, or put all the extras and duplicates on one shelf, and start using things without replacing them. Alternatively, you can choose to give the extras to the food pantry, rather than consume them yourself.

Some people buy a lot of groceries because they feel uncomfortable about the possibility of running out of food. But remember, it doesn’t all have to be stored at your house; allow the shops to store it for you. Then you can visit your “pantry” whenever you need for whatever you need.

If you live in an area where you might be cut off without access to shopping, for example, in an area that floods or where you get snowed in, I’m sure you need an emergency pantry. I don’t live in that environment, but I would think that having it completely separate from your regular food pantry, or in a specific area of your pantry, and rotating it once a year would be a safe policy. Mark the rotation date on your calendar so you don’t forget. Think carefully and logically about what you really need it in. Just having a bunch of extra canned goods on hand without true consideration to what they are isn’t going to be as helpful as a thought-out plan.

I think cleaning the pantry is a good time to think about healthy eating. Long ago, I talked about decluttering the pantry after my daughter was diagnosed with diabetes. We changed our family’s eating habits literally overnight. Everything that wasn’t part of her healthy, low-carbohydrate diet went directly out the door. I sometimes hear, “Oh I could never do what you do, that must be so hard.” I always say, “It is hard, and you would do it to give someone you love the healthiest and longest life-span possible.”

Don’t we love ourselves? Aren’t we responsible for making sure that we are living the healthiest and longest life-span possible? Then why do you have unhealthy food in your pantry? Get rid of it and don’t buy more. Unhealthy food is just another kind of clutter that you can live without.

How does unhealthy food enter your house? Probably in a grocery sack carried by your own hands. The purchasing of food needs to be a conscious decision like everything else you buy. Shop with a list; don’t vary from it; only buy what furthers your goal of a healthy lifestyle. If you feel you “must” have a treat, buy the smallest container possible (even though that’s likely to be less economical) and don’t buy more until your next shopping trip … or even later than that. Do you spend too much money on alcohol? Again, buy less and don’t buy more until your next shopping trip. For me, beer in the house turns into a beer a day then two beers a day and a couple of pounds a month. It works better for me to only have the occasional beer at a party, not keeping it on hand, is a better choice.

A decluttered pantry will let you have easier access to the foods that you want and will use, without it being cluttered by past mistake purchases, bad-for-you choices, and so much volume that things get lost in a sea of cans and jars.

Next week’s post “Your Second Favorite” addresses using up things that don’t really like … at least not that much.

Today’s Declutter Item

This jar of beads were another craft decluttering effort. The beauty is that I donated them to the thrift store and was there on the day to sell them to a lady for $5. She was happy with her purchase and I was happy to see the charity making money out of my donation.

A jar of beads

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I know that volunteering your time usually evoke gratitude from the organisation that you are giving up your time and energy for. But I am grateful for the opportunity to do my part for the community in which I live. There are a lot of people out there worse off than me and I feel good about helping to provide support for them.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

It has been some time since I dedicated a post to consumerism and how that affects our clutter situations. The generation of items that become redundant in our home is near to unavoidable especially if you have a growing family. Children outgrow everything, clothes, shoes, beds, toys, books… even us parents eventually, ‘hopefully”. Therefore so long as there are kids around there will always be maintenance decluttering to keep up with the things they grow out of.

As for us adults, all going well, we will wear our clothes out rather than grow out of them. Other things we use will also become old and need replacing like shoes, furnishings, grooming tools, eye-glasses, linen… There are also items that due to the advances in technology will also become redundant such as, computers, televisions, phones, cameras… Then there are the things that get used up like make-up, toiletries, food, stationary, cleaners and once again the list goes on.

Needless to say there is a lot of natural progression decluttering that goes on in a lifetime. Things need replacing simply because they are outgrown, worn out or don’t work efficiently any more. The key is to keep up with the decluttering as these things become redundant that way they don’t build up over time.

And then there is consumerism where we buy things, replace things and update things whether we need them or not. Don’t get me wrong I am not a complete kill joy but I am sure we can all admit to getting somewhat carried away in the past when it comes to recreational shopping. I also don’t begrudge anyone from treating themselves every now and again to a something totally indulgent but to just buy for the sake of buying on a constant basis is what causes a home to become weighed down with clutter.

I am not going to go into specifics here we all know what I am talking about, spoiling the children with a treat every time you hit the mall, buying more clothes than you could ever wear out in a lifetime, getting a new cell phone every time a new model comes onto the market. This kind of constant indulgence, in a lot of cases, is cause for serious credit card debt, the supply and demand ramification are destroying the environment and the guilt, obligation and aspiration clutter it generates is not good for your mental health.

So how do we resist the temptation to continue buying what we don’t need?

• First of all stop looking. If you don’t know what is out there you don’t know what you are missing. Don’t read the sales catalogues, don’t pay attention to advertisements on TV, in magazine or newspapers, or on the radio. These ad campaigns are designed to make you think you can’t live without whatever it is they are selling.
• My second suggestion is to stay away from the shops for the same reason as above. There are so many other things you can be doing other than shopping for entertainment. There is a list of alternatives to shopping back on Day 157.
• Don’t kill time browsing internet stores either, they are even more insidious than the shopping mall because they are right in your home.
• Make it a fun challenge to see how long you can make something last and only replace it when it is worn out or used up. Don’t just replace things because you see something, bigger, brighter, faster, newer, prettier… No sooner will you get it home but there will be something else on sales that is bigger, brighter, faster, newer, prettier… than the one you just bought. It is kind of like fighting a loosing battle.
• Cut back by treating yourself once a month rather than once and week or once a week rather than every day whatever the case my be for you. Keep cutting back until you are living a more sustainable lifestyle.
• Stop trying to keep up with the Jones’s they are probably miserable anyway, bogged down in credit card debt and having to move into bigger homes to hold all the stuff they own and still they want more. Sounds like a sad way to live to me.
• Don’t be lured in by low prices. Remember that bargains, freebies, two for one deals and secondhand stuff might be cheep but are still potential clutter items if you don’t really need them.

I and Cindy have written many blogs in the past about this subject which I have listed some below or you can click on Retail Assault or Resist in the Tag Cloud to find many more

Do you shop to fill a void

Recreational Shopping

Day 214 – Supply and Demand

Day 328 – Black Friday

Day 135 – Resistance is not futile against retail assault

So how we are all doing with resisting shopping temptations. Send in your comments and let us now how you have evolved in this aspect of your declutter mission. Let us know if you are still having trouble resisting and maybe we can help encourage you to be more with less.

Today’s Declutter Item

These little drawers came in mighty handy in my craft room for years but now that I have decluttered my supplies I no longer need them. They were a freebie at a garage sale I went to once in Seattle. I must say I did get good use out of them and now my friends son-in-law is finding them useful. Now that is what I call reuse and recycle.

Storage System

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me laugh ~ My children and their love affair with their father’s moustache.
• Something Awesome ~ Honeycomb Crush TimTams
• Something to be grateful for ~ A free bus ride. I didn’t have the exact change so the driver let me ride for free.
• Something that made me happy ~ Getting to the bottom of my to-do list again today and hopefully I won’t have one for tomorrow.
• Something I found enjoyable ~ Sunshine ~ We have had nothing but rain all week but today there were breaks in the clouds to let the sunshine in. It was lovely.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

We bring all this stuff into our lives little by little, bit by bit. It all seemed like a good idea at the time but then you need somewhere to keep it, some of it may require regular maintenance and most of it will require cleaning at least occasionally. Seasons come and seasons go, life changes and the next thing you know those things you once “couldn’t live without” are just wasting space or worse still perishing from lack of use.

It may seem like that stuff is doing you no harm and, you never know, you might need it someday. But someday never seems to come unlike now which is ever-present. Now everything you own is a responsibility whether big or small, used or unused, add all your stuff together and you have one big burden weighing down on you whether you recognise it for what it is is not.

There is the burden of guilt for spending money on the now unused stuff.  There can be a burden of obligation to keep things you don’t want just because someone gave it to you or there are memories attached. There is the financial burden, if your dwelling has expanded in size over time in order to house this excess of stuff or maybe you have rented a storage unit to house your stuff or maybe you are still paying off the credit card debt. There is the burden of waste when knowing perfectly good items are being neglected and possibly wasting away unused. And although these are just objects there can be a burden of loyalty to the object simply because it served you well at some time. And lets not forget the burden of disorganisation due to things being crammed into every nook and cranny. There are many more subtle burdens that almost go unnoticed but they are still there lurking.

Whether you have just started to minimise your possessions or have been at it a while, take a close look at everything you own because there are a lot of potential burdens hidden among your possessions that you are better off without.

Today’s Declutter Item

This is another one my procrastination clutter items that I have finally gotten around to getting rid of. They don’t fit anymore although I only weigh 3kg heavier than I did when they used to fit. I kid myself that the leather shrunk but I don’t kid myself that I am ever going to weigh 54kg again.Bob who came with Brian to pick up the hutch yesterday also took these motorcycle leather for his wife.

Motorcycle Leathers

My Gratitude List

• Something that made me laugh ~ When the icy cold water trickled under my bear foot when I got into the bath tub to clean it today. It tickled. (It is a large corner bath, hence why I have to climb in to clean it.
• Something Awesome ~ When you remembered to press the save button on your computer just before the weather takes the power out.
• Something to be grateful for ~ Getting all of my outside work done before the rain set in.
• Something that made me happy ~ Knowing that tomorrow I can finally take it easy for the day. It has been a busy week.
• Something I found fascinating ~ How after months of hip pain I finally get a referral from my doctor to get an xray tomorrow and this week my hip hasn’t given me any trouble.

It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow

No matter how organised I am the good old handbag always ends up with bits and pieces, mostly receipts, building up to outrageous proportions. This week it was time for a clean out and here is the result. There wasn’t that much removed aside from those receipts I mentioned, but a good tidy up certainly put things back into order

Handbag contents BEFORE

Handbag Contents AFTER

The items decluttered