Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom

Cindy

Last month the family and I went to a monthly event, The City-Wide Garage Sale. Ever since one of my staff members bought a really cool old stove at the sale, I’d been curious. (And since that was literally more than 15 years ago, it seemed like it was about time.)

Wow! Was that eye opening! The garage sale is really an indoor flea market, and you could buy just about anything there – the smaller it was, the more likely they were to have it. The sellers are pickers and traders who endlessly loop throughout the country attending these events. Nothing’s terribly expensive; I don’t know how they actually make money doing this. One friend even suggested that it was just a socially acceptable form of hoarding: The vendors just keep buying and accumulating, selling and accumulating.

Here are some photos I took that day

I was struck by the fact that the vendors didn’t have one of something; they had 100. All alike. One woman had a huge display case of Bakelite bangle bracelets – a whole row of red, a whole row of yellow, a whole row of green, etc. Another man had several hundred little skulls. A pair of sellers must have had four hundred silver native American-style bracelets with a chunk of turquoise in them. The volume was just eye popping. The photos above are all things that people might save for sentimental reasons or to sell in the future. There were dozens of brass letters, hundreds of watches and cufflinks, thousands of baseball cards complete with bubble gum (just $1.50 to $3.50 per pack).

What I took away from this day was this message: Your stuff is a lot less precious and a lot less rare than you think it is. There is virtually nothing that can’t be replaced a dozen times over. Especially if it’s not of a deeply sentimental nature, you don’t need it. And if you do need it again later, it’s out there. In triplicate…or more.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you are keeping “just in case” you eventually find a use for it.

Today’s Declutter Item

This declutter item is related to another I got rid of a little while back. Remember the candle with the pink design on it, it rested on these stones in a glass bowl. I still have the glass bowl but the rocks can go. I barely walked into the thrift store with them when one of the other volunteers said “I’ll have those!”. So as usual one man’s clutter is another man’s clutter, I mean treasure.

Aquarium Stones

“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

Cindy

As I’ve told you (probably countless times), we remodeled our house, and the last of the workmen pulled away two years ago in July. There were a lot of smaller jobs and some very large painting jobs that needed to be completed, but the house itself was done. Two years have passed, and I still have a half dozen paintings, including a couple of pieces of expensively framed limited edition pieces, that have not been hung. About every three months, I get into the closet where they’re stored and vow that today is the day that I’ll finish figuring it out. And every time I end up feeling anxious, itchy, uncertain, overwhelmed, unsure, and I shove it all back in the closet and gratefully slam the door behind me.

What’s behind this great difficulty? It’s hard to say exactly, but I attribute it to several causes:

• Sentimentality, part 1 – I’ve always hung this piece, so I should hang it again.
• Sentimentality, part 2 - Some of it is the children’s art that’s framed and won’t their feelings be hurt if I don’t hang it again (or worse, get rid of it)?
• Gift – A couple of pieces were gifts. (Do not give gifts of art, unless you’re the artist. Even then, it’s questionable.) Will the gift-givers, my in-laws, or my husband be offended or hurt if one of them disappears?
• Expense – Once the cost of framing is included, I probably have a thousand dollars worth of art that’s unhung. I must get my money’s worth by hanging it again.
• Uncertainty about what else to do with it – There some good stuff here and some expensive stuff. How should I sell it / give it away / donate it? I paid good money for it and want someone else to appreciate it.
• Maybe I can make it work – A different frame? A different mat? Maybe I can make it work.
• Certainty that I still like the piece – Self-explanatory, I guess.

But here are my counter-arguments:

• Sentimentality, part 1 – Just because I’ve done it before doesn’t mean I have to do it again.
• Sentimentality, part 2 – One child is sentimental; the other one is not at all. Offer it to her for her room, or take it out of the frame, recycle the frame, and keep the art with her other pieces.
• Gift – Often a tricky area. I no longer think my in-laws would notice. Frankly, my husband probably wouldn’t either because he probably doesn’t really notice what’s on the walls. I could ask him. Or not. Something to ponder further.
• Expense – We’ve all had this hang up. We paid a lot of money, and even though we no longer value the item, we hate to waste our money and perversely feel that someone else should value something as much as we no longer do. (That thought is so twisted that it’s hard to write it in a sentence that makes sense.) Personalized art is a lot like a 10 year old computer. It may still be very nice, but it doesn’t have the same value on the open market.
• Uncertainty about what else to do with it – I know all the local resources, but if I feel stuck, I can seek help from others.
• Maybe I can make it work – This is like valuing a broken vacuum cleaner that you just know will be fantastic – and such a bargain – once you fix it up, but you never have. But it’s also like that saying, “Throwing good money after bad.” If I’ve lost my attachment to the art, a costly new frame probably isn’t going to solve the problem.
• Certainty that I still like the piece – Clearly this is self-deception. If I really liked the piece, it would be up on the wall. After all, I have a lot of hanging art. My walls are not bare, and these pieces repeatedly have not made the cut.

So what did I do? I contacted a woman I know who works for a charity that has an annual garage sale – by far the biggest and best garage sale held in the city. There was a tickle in the back of my mind, which she confirmed, that they have a “designer” section, and they’re grateful to know the original purchase price of more unique items. The three most expensive pieces went with her, my mother was interested in two (she just remodeled her house so they may or may not work, but she put them in her mix to try), and three of the more generic (also known as “having wide appeal”) pieces were listed on Craigslist, which come to think about it, is where they came from to begin with. Anything that doesn’t sell on Craigslist will also go to the garage sale charity. Eight pieces finally dealt with. I cannot tell you how good that feels!

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a guilt item ~ Don’t feel obliged to keep something just because you shouldn’t have wasted the money on it in the first place. Try to sell it to recoup some money or just find a way to pass it on. Forgive yourself and move on.

Today’s Declutter Item

I don’t have a guilt item to declutter today in fact I don’t think I have any guilt items left. I hope so anyway. I have however finally decluttered all the cookbooks I am willing to let go of. The only ones left are my self made one with all my mum’s old recipes and the favourites I have discovered over the years and a Jamie Oliver one that has several favourites in it. My daughter bought it for my birthday one year so if I decide to decluttering it I will offer it back to her.

More Cookbooks

Something to be grateful for today

 The third fine day in a row, just when I really needed to get the washing done. Yay!

“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

Cindy

It’s almost “second winter” here in Texas, where the weather is so hot, and typically so dry, that nothing grows any more. It just tries to hold on through the hot months.

Before that happens, it’s time to declutter the garden. Now I know that not all of you have a garden. Do you have potted plants (inside or out)? A front stoop or entry way? Any bit of lawn that you’re responsible for?

The first thing we’re going to do is assess. This is best done from the vantage point of the street or sidewalk looking back at your garden or entry way. Are there toys, tools, boxes, political signs from by-gone elections or other junk that either 1) doesn’t belong or 2) needs to be straightened? Take care of it! Your neighbors will thank you – silently, if not out loud. Sweep the sidewalk and the porch or stoop. That looks better already!

It’s amazing to me how much junk – real junk – people sometimes store in their yards and especially on the side of their houses. Take an honest assessment of your situation. At a very minimum, make sure than anything that’s stored in the side yard isn’t trapping water and giving mosquitoes a place to breed.

However, you’re not going to stop at the very minimum, are you? Next, take a good hard look at what’s stored in your yard. Are these things you need, want, and will use? Should you sell, donate, or trash some (all) of these items? Often yard stuff is bulky, so you might not be able to dispose of it easily. Make a plan on how you will eliminate unnecessary items. Perhaps you’ll need to make a list of what you have to dispose of so if your community has a bulky trash pick up, you’ll know what you need to pull out to the curb.

And let’s not neglect our plants, while we’re in the garden. They will all look fresher if you deadhead them and remove the brown leaves or stalks. In many places, this is not a good time to prune: you don’t want to encourage your plants to grow (by pruning) if you’re going into a dormant season but removing what’s spent won’t hurt. Mulch makes even potted plants looks fresher, and it help to keep precious moisture in.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that comes to mind when you ask this question ~  At what point in my life did this fit/suit me?

Today’s Declutter Item

I can assure you this item never suited me but it kept me warm on the ski fields and that was all that mattered. I think one of my children bought me it as a gift so I suppose it fits two categories for this week’s mini missions. There is a young women I work with at the thrift store who is crazy about baseball who will simply love this. So off it goes to its new home where it will be greatly appreciated.

Red Sox Beanie

Something to be grateful for today

A little bit of sunshine and a little bit of rain. Both come in handy for survival.

“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

Yesterday’s mini mission got me thinking that it has been a while since I wrote a post on the subject of freebies and it’s about time I did.

Who can’t resist a freebie? It isn’t everyday that someone offers you something for nothing and it’s like getting a gift right? Well unfortunately like many gifts the freebie is often something you don’t really need and it soon becomes clutter. One advantage a freebie has over a gift though is that it isn’t usually given to you by a loved one so refusing it isn’t going to hurt anyones feelings. That being so, I would suggest doing just that, politely refuse the offer unless it is something you have a use for or is something you can sell on immediately for a profit. Of course if it is instantly consumable like chocolate or a latte or it is a pampering freebie like a massage or manicure, go for it.

Here are some examples of freebies that normally ought to be refused if you don’t need them or already have of enough of them.

• Those reusable shopping bags. If you already have enough of them you don’t need excess.
• A free razor handle with new replacement cartridges. Those handles rarely if ever wear out so you don’t need more.
• Toiletries bags on long-haul flights. Bring you own minimal amount of toiletries in your hand luggage. Wth any luck the airline will reuse the untouched samples. I hope so anyway because the amount of waste involved in those freebies does my head in.
• Sample bags from trade conferences. Usually 90% of what is in those bags are useless to you ~ pamphlets you can access on-line, stress balls, keychains etc. Perhaps these companies will respond to supply and demand ~ that is if people keep refusing them they will adjust how many to supply in response, saving the planet from all that waste.
• Plastic shopping bags are usually free when you purchase something but those bags are just pollution. Their manufacturing causes pollution and the bag itself becomes pollution once its purpose is achieved ~ usually the minute you get it home. Take your own bag it really isn’t that hard or inconvenient. I don’t know many women who don’t take a handbag when they go shopping. A little reusable fold up shopping bag will fit easily into most handbags.
• Those little bottles of shampoo, conditioner and body lotion and small soaps that are supplied at motels. I have no qualms about using the soap because a cake of soap is messy and bulky to carry. But the other items are more pollution than they are product and usually not good product. By all means use them if you find them suitable but don’t be tempted to bring the unused ones home, once again adding to supply and demand and cluttering up your bathroom cabinet.
• Free newspaper or magazine subscriptions. If you don’t already read these publications it is unlikely you are going to find them any more interesting just because they are free. Not to mention the fact that many of these offers don’t automatically cancel and if you forget to cancel them before the free offer expires you will then find yourself paying for them.
• The freebie box at garage sales. If the stuff in this box was worth selling it would have a price on it so the chances are it is just clutter about to happen.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something you received as a gift but have never used.

Today’s Declutter Item

These handkerchiefs are pretty and the lady who gave them to me is a beautiful soul but the fact is I don’t use handkerchiefs so there isn’t any point in keeping them. Although it is better for the environment to use these rather than tissues I find fabric to be harsh on my skin.

Pretty Handkerchiefs

Something I Am Grateful For Today

“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

When I asked readers to write in about topics they wanted me to discuss here at 365 Less Things Shirls sent in this request…

What to do with the dozens of body lotions and shower creams people keep giving me as gifts or that I’ve bought myself. My skin has become super sensitive in my old age and these products irritate rather than soothe. Trouble is, having opened them I can’t regift them or donate to the charity shop. Yet tossing them seems such a waste.

Rebecca B.A.R sent in this very good and helpful suggestion…

I would ask friends/family if they wanted them. If not, I would see if any of the local homeless shelters or the domestic violence office would want them to give to their clients.

~~~~~~~~~~

I would also say that just because the toiletries you have are open doesn’t mean you can’t donate them to a charity shop. They are not going to be eaten so I don’t see that they can’t be sold to someone who might want them. Just drop them off personally so you can check to make sure they are accepted.

If you are a member of a craft or social group why not take them along to your next get together and offer them to your fellow members with the explanation that you have become allergic to them. Don’t even worry if some of these product may have been given to you by the members of this group. They will understand when there are allergies involved and won’t make the same mistake of gifting you any in the future. In fact to avoid receiving any more toiletries as gifts in the furture would let all your friend loved ones know about this allergy problem.

In general I have a few suggestions when it comes to toiletries.

• Only buy one type of product at a time. One shampoo, one conditioner, one lotion, one sunscreen, one deoderant… Multiples just clutter up your space and add decision making time to your routine. (You may need a set for each bathroom)
• Do not buy a replacement until the current one is just about used up.
• Be a responsible consumer. If the product isn’t quite what you like persevere until it is all gone anyway. So long as you aren’t allergic to it or it has the opposite effect to what you expected it won’t harm you and you will know better next time.
• If the product does cause a reaction or does not perform as advertised I would suggest taking it back and attempt to extract a refund from the retailer.
• Before trying new products see if you can acquire a trial sample to test. Some shops and department stores are better for this than others. If you care to investigate on line, you will find that some manufacturers will send you product sample.

Here are some alternate uses for toiletries if you really can’t tolerate using ones you already own for their intended use~

• Shampoo can be used as hand soap or body wash (Check this Link for more ideas)
• Mouthwash as drain cleaner or toothbrush soaker (Check this Link for more ideas)
• I use body lotion to shave my leg (Check out this Link for more ideas)
• I have been known to use toothpaste to clean silver jewellery (Check out this Link for more ideas)

For more great ideas for alternate use for toiletries just google ~ Alternate use for (Insert the the name of the products) (eg alternate use for shaving cream). The computer is an invaluable tool when it come to decluttering.

Good luck and happy ablutions.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a fashion accessory or obscure clothing item that no longer matches anything you wear or your personality for that matter.

Today’s Declutter Item

This faux fur collar belongs to my favourite leather jacket. I think I have probably worn it on the Jacket twice in the eleven years I have owned it. Heaven knows why it hasn’t been decluttered before now.

Faux Fur Collar

Something to be grateful for today

I have to go in for day surgery tomorrow and I have got the 8am slot. That is like the jackpot of time slots. I only have to fast in my sleep and surgery couldn’t possibly be running very late at that time. Yay!!!

“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

A guest post by Julia St. Charles

My mother’s home is full of “too good to use” items and random objects from babyhood and toddlerhood.

I’d love to write an open letter to young parents along the lines of:

Dear Young Parents:

If you are going to save mementos from your children’s early years, please do not save everything.  Except for handmade or heirloom items, like the baby quilt Grandma made, or the hand-knit layette from Aunt Barbara, give outgrown clothing to Goodwill — ordinary clothing will be both too physically aged and too far out of style for your imagined future grandchildren to use.  When you do pack away the hand-knit layette and handmade quilt, get storage advice from a professional so they are not opened 25 years later for the first grandchild, only to find they have been destroyed by moths.

Your children will let you know which favorite items they want to hang onto: that special Dr. Seuss book, that favorite Teddy bear.  You won’t have to ask. Please do not save each and every toy, birthday gift or other belonging “in case they want to take a walk down memory lane one day.”  Forty years from now your daughter will not want that card from her third birthday, whether the giver can be identified or not.  Keep only a few “milestone” birthday and Christmas cards if you wish, and try to limit those to people who are deceased, as that may be all you have left from them.

Another thing your child will not want is old schoolwork assignments.  Really, they won’t want those fifth grade math tests and report cards, no mater how many A’s they got.

Keep photos and very few “things.”  99% photos.  Your middle aged daughter will not want to inherit an attic jam packed with broken Barbies, musty toddler clothes and tattered holiday cards “for a special three-year-old!”   Think ahead: “will I be leaving an inheritance or a burden?”

Love,

Anykid

Today’s Mini Mission

Take a quick look in the bathroom and find something to declutter. It’s that simple. Don’t fuss don’t hesitate just find that one thing and get it our of there.

Today’s Declutter Item

Talking of children’s keepsakes… this is the last of my son’s Snoopy Collection. I gave it to a friend some time ago but misplaced the photo. So this will absolutely be the last photo of Snoopy stuff. Liam I am glad to say is very good at letting go of stuff.

The absolute last of my son's Snoopy Collection

“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

Read this comment from Sue D as it was the catalyst for today’s post.

I find it interesting that linen is Sue D’s nemesis when it comes to decluttering yet I am not surprised. The thing with items such as linen is that eventually you are going to need some of them and that makes them hard to part with. Although I have decluttered my linen storage spaces on more than one occasion over the last two years, and am satisfied with its current state, there are still more things in there than are really necessary.

I have…

• 5 sets of queen bed sheets for two queen beds in the house. Three sets should be enough considering one bed is the guest bed that doesn’t even have sheets on most of the time. One set is still in the package I bought them in. I won’t be decluttering any of these for now.
• 6 sets of bath towels (12 total) with matching hand towels for only two adults and the occasional guests. I stocked up when living in America because they were so much cheaper to buy there. But really towels last a very long time and 4 sets would be more than enough.
• 4 beach towels. I have to admit these are rarely ever all required at once. Even though we have beautiful beaches here in Newcastle I am not a sun worshiper and usually only go to the beach for the view not for swimming or playing in the sand. Liam uses the these towels occasionally though.
• There are a couple of ratty old towels as well for spills or messy jobs I wouldn’t like to use my good towels for.
• 1 spare queen duvet cover. Not necessary as both queen beds have a cover and the spare is a dark aubergine colour which makes our now smaller bedroom feel even smaller and dark. And managing without a cover isn’t a problem should one not make it off the clothes line  in time.
• 2 sets of double bed sheet for my son’s bed. This is fine. But I just realised there are also two extra double bed fitted sheets so they can go.
• Another 8 towels in the downstairs bathroom. These were purchased when I  had a teenage girl at home so 8 really wasn’t too many then. They don’t take up much space so I will declutter these as they become shabby and or send some of them off with my son if/when he leaves home. There are also 4 hand towels and 6 face washers.
• 1 table cloth which has only rarely ever been used and on reflection is a bit silly keeping it because it is a huge oblong and we now have a small round table. Perhaps I could cut it down to fit. I don’t even like table clothes really so why bother. We don’t stand on ceremony when it comes to dining, in our house it is all very casual and that’s the way I like it. So I think the thrift shop will be receiving a nice maroon table cloth this week.
• There are a few spare pillow slips but some of them can go as the spares from the extra sheet sets will suffice should we suddenly end up with lots of guests. And even that is unlikely.
• In the camphor wood chest there is a spare queen and a spare single duvet (doona) also in case we get extra guests. Those guest would have to be young people who don’t care where they sleep because we only have the three beds.

You will be able to see from the photos below that although the list above seems long and more than adequate the items themselves don’t take up all that much space. Granted one set of queen bed sheets are on the spare bed while my daughter is staying and she is using two towels out of the cupboard under the bathroom basin. But even if those items are put back the space taken up is still minimal. So I  think that most of the stuff will be staying except the items I pointed out which are now out of the closet and photographed as my declutter item for the day.

Up Stairs Linen Closet

The Down Stairs Linen Supplies

To some it up, when it comes to linen one needs to carry spares but there is not need to have excess beyond the spares. Does it make sense to declutter perfectly good items that will one day become necessary due to natural progression? That depends on whether you are prepared to house them and for how long. Some up your space situation, your tastes and preferences and the actual necessity for items that are rarely used and make your decisions based on that information.

Even as I end this post I am thinking do I care if I end up at the beach one day with a bath towel and the answer is no. So I suppose two of those beach towels could probably go after all.

Today’s Declutter Item

The linen that didn't make the cut. 1 Duvet cover, 1 large table cloth, 2 double bed fitted sheets and 2 pillow slips.

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I had fun with the kids. B and I hired a bike each while Liam used his and we rode down the Fernleigh Track to Whitebridge and back again.

“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

Photo Credit ~ Spaghetti Gazette

According to the January/February 2012 issue of Money magazine, you’ll be happier if you

“Spend a Little a Lot of the Time

“The Reason: Frequent small indulgences give you greater happiness than occasional splurges, according to a growing body of research covering everything from the pleasures of chocolate-chip cookies and massage chairs to lottery tickets and good grades.

“The Resolution: Skip big-ticket purchases in favor of smaller ones you can spread out. Instead of splurging on dinner and a show, eat out one weekend and go to the theater the next. Rather than a designer dress you might rarely wear, treat yourself to monthly pedicures.”

I read this, and it immediately occurred to me how this information could easily lead to the accumulation of clutter. Buying something feels good, and it’s fun, so we do it again. And again.

For those of you for whom shopping really is the weak link in your decluttering efforts, how can you take this information and use it in a way that is beneficial rather than destructive? Some of my ideas are

• Coffee out or purchasing very nice coffee or tea to have at home
• Getting a pedicure (Painted toes give me a real thrill.)
• Taking a weekly class on a topic you’ve been interested in for some time.
• What else? Shopping isn’t much of a vice to me, but I know for those of you who enjoy shopping, the advice “talk a walk in the evenings” probably isn’t going to replace the thrill of shopping. What ideas do you have for buying happiness without buying stuff?

 

A guest post by Josh Martin of Josh Martin Ink

I’ve bounced around a lot in my youth, moving from one place to the next. While each move comes with its share of challenges, they are also great reminders of how much stuff we’ve accumulated and a wakeup call to the need to purge and declutter. I’m planning on moving again in the not too distant future. I just know I’m going to be shocked at how much stuff I own once I start emptying the closets and drawers.

I remember my first real move on my own. I left my family home and moved into residence as a first-year student at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario. That move required no more than the hatchback and back seat of my Mom’s tiny, bright yellow Geo Metro. My clothes, a few personal effects and a plant for my room in Willison Hall.

My next move was in second year when I moved out of residence and into a house with five other roommates. A bit more involved this time. My clothes, more of my personal effects now that I had a bit more space, a bed and a desk. My plant, owing to the fact that I don’t have any semblance of a green thumb, was long dead by this point.

The year after that I moved down the street to another house. I had to beg the help of a couple friends but even so we were able to move all my stuff without a van. Besides a few odd looks I got as I marched down Marshall Street carrying my mattress on my head, the move went smoothly.

After graduation I went to Taiwan to teach English. It was a great opportunity to declutter since I wasn’t going to bring furniture and the such with me to Asia. I was down to a backpack and it felt great.

Returning to Canada the following year, I moved into an apartment and my possessions slowly crept up on me. I moved to my next place – still in the same neighbourhood – with the help of a few shopping carts. The move after that I needed to borrow my friend’s truck. And the one after that I needed to rent a cargo van.

Getting my first well-paying job in Toronto, I found myself a nice, big apartment. And with the big apartment came the “need” to fill it with furniture. By the time I moved again I needed a giant U-Haul. It took two trips and I even managed to crash it into a display of windshield washer fluid when I tried to gas it up.

Naturally, the more stuff I had, the harder and more expensive the moves became. How did I go from a shopping cart to needing a 20 foot U-Haul? And when I reflect on it, am I any happier now in my large, 2-bedroom apartment than I was living in my cramped room in University? I may not have had much, but I also never laughed so hard or had so much fun as I did in those days.

So if you’re planning a move soon, take some time to really wrestle with the clutter question. Plan ahead and see it as a great opportunity to declutter. Reconsider buying that big house, knowing that it will mean filling it with more stuff you don’t need. And see your new home as a fresh start to be disciplined about stemming the flow of accumulation.

As my next move approaches (and I know, I do move a lot), I’m looking forward to getting back in touch with my 22-year-old self and his trusty shopping cart.

Josh Martin is a humourist and blogger about simple living and making the most out of life. You can find more of his work at www.joshmartinink.com.

Today’s Declutter Item

Finally I think this is the last of the Snoopy Collection. Now if only I could say that about the baseball souvenirs and the craft supplies, but I am working on that.

The Last of the Snoopy Collection

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A lovely sunny day but not too hot.

“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

According to a survey I saw recently, 67% of people said that paper clutter is their hardest area to deal with. Who knows if this is truly accurate, but I’m going to assume that it means that a lot of people, possibly including you, are having trouble dealing with paper.

I think there are a couple of fundamental mistakes that people make regarding paper:

1. Believing that every piece of paper is important or has the potential to be important
2. Believing that if a piece of paper was important at one time, it’s important forever
3. Not intentionally minimizing the amount of paper that enters your life, and
4. Leaving paper for another day

Let’s deal with these one by one.

1. Every piece of paper is not important. You do not have to read sale ads for shops where you do not shop. You don’t even have to read the sale ads for where you do shop. Bills, once paid, do not need to be kept. Magazine that have been sitting by your chair for six months are clutter, not a treasure. Newspapers more than one or two days old are recycling. Another one is coming today, I promise.

2. Just because a piece of paper was once important doesn’t mean that it continues to be important. I’ll confess, sometimes my desk backs up, just like everyone else’s. It amazes me how many of those once important papers are no longer important once I get around to sorting them: coupons are now invalid, a new bill has come to supplant this one, a receipt for a shirt you thought you might return but have now worn twice, an announcement for a talent show that occurred last month: none of these are important any more. Even papers related to buying a house can be shredded once you’ve refinanced the loan or purchased another house. Your tax papers only need to be kept for 7 years, at the longest. (You can get more specifics at the IRS website.) Every year, you can shred one more year’s worth of tax forms (in the U.S. only; I don’t know about other countries).

3. I’m sure there are more junk mail and more school papers floating around now than there were a dozen years ago. You need to do your very best to stem the tide before it reaches your home.

1. Aggressively take your name off mailing lists for catalogs and other regular mailings that you do not care to get. All catalogs contain an 800 number; call them. You will not hurt the feelings of the operator for asking to have your name taken off their mailing list.
2. You can return a charity solicitation in the envelope they send you after you write “please take my name off your mailing list” on the solicitation form. If you feel bad about doing this, put your own stamp on the envelope. I donate annually to two charities through my church. I will donate to them every year, and I know that I will not donate to them at any other time. Every year when I write my check, I write “Please do not add my name to your mailing list.” Why should they waste their time soliciting me when I know I’m not going to give? This helps both of us.
3. Stop receiving pre-approved credit card offers by using this free service, which was established under the Fair Credit Reporting Act (U.S. only).
4. The Direct Marketing Association’s (DMA) Mail Preference Service (MPS) lets you opt out of receiving unsolicited commercial mail from many national companies for five years (U.S. only).
5. This  privacy website has more information on more specialized cases, such a the ValPak you may be getting weekly (Again, U.S. only).
6. To get off the mailing list of small local companies, like the real estate agent you met last week, you’ll have to email or snail mail them directly. Clip the label off the mailing and include it if you contact them by snail mail. Extra postcards you own are good for this type of correspondence.
7. Politely refuse business cards, fliers, and appointment cards that are offered to you. Write important information directly into your appointment book, address book, or smart phone, and bypass the paper all together.
8. Enter the relevant information for important announcements for work or school directly into the same locations (appointment book, smart phone, etc.) so you’re never searching your desk for a vital piece of information on an un-vital piece of paper.
9. Switch as many bills as possible over to email delivery. There’s no need for you to receive paper bills any more, and they’re easier to track on your computer anyway.
10. Really consider the mailings you willing let in your home. Do you want the newsletter from the national branch of your church even if you’re a faithful church attendee? How many magazines should you subscribe to? Is there an on-line version instead? If you never manage to read the newspaper, stop your subscription. You may love to shop at Ikea, but do you really need to get their monthly catalog? You know how to find them on-line if you want to see what they have.

4. The last mistake people make is leaving their papers to another day. When you bring in a stack of papers from the car or the mailbox, you should deal with it promptly. At a minimum, junk goes right into the recycling bin. (Yes, even after you do the above steps, there will still be some junk.) Bills are opened and appropriate reminders to pay noted. Personal letters are opened. Envelopes go into the recycling. There’s a place for everything and everything in it’s place, and that place is not a big heap on your entry table, kitchen counter or desk.

Paper is a tool for relaying information; manage it wisely, so it doesn’t manage you.

Today’s Declutter Item

Lena will be pleased to see I have found another craft item to declutter. There are still plenty of craft items to go but they are going, one day at a time.

Another crafting tool

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My husband and children. We may no always conform to the conventional family mould but that is what makes life fun for us. We are anything but boring.

“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