Five comment I wanted to share with you this week

Rachel K on Day 331 – Your messages have been a great inspiration to me… Read more

Ornela on Day 333 – Yet another wonderful, insightful post. It hurts how much you’re right… Read more

Deb J on Day 333 – When I was growing up we didn’t always have the latest and greatest… Read more

Deb J on Day 335 – Cindy & Colleen, I have realized how much decluttering has changed me… Read more

Rachel on Day 335 – Colleen, recently you posted about *Take 5*… Read more

Five post I wanted to share with you this week

Be More With Less – The drip method a minimalist guide to success

Raptitude – Where is your mind right now

Minimalist Woman – Green gift Monday I really wanted to get involved in this myself but I didn’t hear about it until the last minute and didn’t have time write a blog. So please take a look.

Marc and Angel Hack Life – 75 ways to stay unhappy forever

Minimalist Freak – No chores on the weekend

Item 337 of 365 less things

I feel a little guilty getting rid of the calendar holder because my dad made it for me but it didn’t really work well for me. It has been collecting dust in the garage for three years.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Days that go to plan.
2. Clothes that are easy and comfortable to wear.
3. My hubby’s operation went well today.
4. Being comfortable making the more difficult decluttering decisions.
5. A gas station appearing just when you need it.
   

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

Even though I enjoy all the comments I receive here at 365lessthings something about these five spoke to me this week.

Willow on Day 324 – I mop my floors on hands and knees… Read more

Cathryn on Day 327 – Balance is a good way to think about clutter… Read more

Deb J on Day 328 – …Black Friday is such a horror… Read more

Isabella on Day 325 – A friend at work, who’s partner is a psychologist… Read more

Isabella on Day 326– Its surprising the effect your decluttering has on others… Read more

Here are five posts I read this week that I thought had really good messages.

Art of Minimalism – Why we’re bored and how to fix it

Becoming Minimalist – The freedom of less

Zinger – Black Friday is coming hoarders beware

Be More With Less – Love more deeply mini mission

Art of Minimalism – The un-productivity manifesto

Item 230 0f 365 less things

yes we are getting rid of more storage containers. Don’t need them now and don’t want to ever need them again in the future.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Art – Some pieces suit my taste better than others but it’s good to have variety.
2. Affogato – What more could you need dessert and coffee all in one serve.
3. Smiles – There was an ad on TV just now with a smiling chimpanzee, it made me smile too.
4. Loyalty rewards for items you have to buy – Liam needed some art supplies today and due to how much we have spent at the store since Liam started art in high school we received $50 worth of free product. The bonus is that it isn’t clutter because it was all replacing used up supplies and these will get used up in turn soon enough.
5. Accents – The Scottish accent in particular. When I moved to America I thought that being surrounded by another accent I would actually hear that I sounded different and I was disappointed when I couldn’t. All the Americans loved it though and I must confess that I liked all the attention I received because of it. When I came back to Australia I was even more disappointed to be just like everyone else and not “special” any more.
   

The 5 thought filled comments I wanted to bring to your attention this week in case you missed them the first time around.

Eve on Day 317 – I do have an opinion on this, which is… Read more

Isabella on day 317 – You could just “white knuckle it” as Dr Phil would say… Read more

Calico Ginger on Day 317 – For me it’s about connections. Some stuff I’m not “connected” to… Read more

Bridget on Day 318– After spending two weeks at mom’s house…  Read more

Anna on Day 321 – Just from where I am sitting now I can see… Read more Make sure you scroll down in that link to check if Anna did manage to do her list in 5 minutes.

The 5 posts I wanted to share with you this week

Mothering – Nurturing creators not collectors

The Minimalist Path – Mirror

Sanity in Simplicity – How minimalism can help you find and follow your passion this is an older post but I thought it was a good example of how minimalism can change your life and help you achieve your dreams.

The Halfway Point – The politics of communication avoiding the trap of relationship partisanship

Collaborative Consumption – This one isn’t actually a post but the online hub for Collaborative Consumption.

Item 323 of 365 less things

Our daughter is a Yankees fan so we palmed off this piece of memorabilia to her when she was here last week

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Liam is home.

2. Businesses that still give good customer service – The story behind this is too long to recount but it is nice when as a regular customer we were treated with respect.
3. Getting a few repairs done around the house today – new silicone in the shower. gotta love that.
4. Spring – It is a beautiful to see all the blooming Jacaranda trees lining the streets.
5. My bed – I looking forward to my head hitting the pillow tonight.

Five comments I didn’t want anyone to miss this week

Di on Day 310 – Thanks, Cindy, for a great post. In the 14 months that I have been decluttering…  Read more

Jo on Day 310 – Yes, yes, YES! This is why I love “a-thing-a-day” decluttering too!… Read more

Crystal on Day 312 – …A couple of sayings that have helped me immensely… Read more

Meg on Day 314 – Clean out your purse either right before shopping or right after… Read more

Cat’s meow on Day 314 – I know what you mean. During the past year I’ve read… Read more

Five post I enjoyed reading this week

Art of Minimalism – Brainwashed how businesses get their dirty hands inside your head

The Minimalist Path – Heirlooms and the near death experience

Elegant Simple Life – Minimalism and the paradox of choice

The Simpler Life – Living midst mistakes

Raptitude – You must go do the next thing This is a little off my usual topic but it spoke to me so I wanted to share it with you.

ITEM 316 OF 365 LESS THINGS

I have my doubts about the value of rechargeable batteries. They cost so much more than ordinary batteries but they seem to only have a fairly short life before they don’t hold a charge properly. Is it just me or do others agree?

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. Cheap rail fares – I know I have said this before but I went to Sydney for $7.80 again today and I just love the value for money.
2. A day for myself – I went to a bloggers festival.
3. My hubby and daughter having some quality time together while I was away for the day.
4. Good documentaries.
   
5. Feeling good – Regardless of everything that has gone on lately I feel pretty good at he moment and I am truly grateful for that.

Five comments from my readers I didn’t want you to miss

Sally on Day 302 – Love your blog. It got me to start decluttering and also chronicle my progress… Read more

Janet on Day 306 – That seals it, Cindy. We ARE the same person… Read More

Bronwyn on Day 306 – Yes, yes, yes… this is how many days seem to pan out for me… Read more I particularly liked the bit about defragging.

Sally on Day 307 – What an amazing post. I’ve been thinking the same thing lately… Read more

Cat’s meow on Day 308 – I’ve done it -hiding my head in the sand because I am completely overwhelmed… Read More

Five posts that really spoke to me this week

Sustainably Creative – The importance of chocolate spread It is important to keep that carrot dangling on the end of the stick at times to encourage you to keep at it.

The Minimalist Path – How I Gave Up Books I liked this post because I know it is a struggle that a lot of declutterers deal with.

Becoming Minimalist – Your life is too valuable to waste chasing possessions

Minimalist Woman – Tale from the cluttered crypt 13 realizations This post tells the story that once we acknowledge clutter for what it is the next step of getting rid of it is easy.

Tiny Buddha – Tiny wisdom on choosing

ITEM 309 OF 365 LESS THINGS

I don’t think this dirty old camp mat has been used for 20 years and I don’t think anyone else would want it either.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. All the wonderful staff at the hospital who looked after Liam for the last two weeks.
2. Liam was moved to rehab today which was sooner than we expected.
3. Success with making black sticky rice for dessert tonight.
4. Keeping up with my decluttering
   
5. Waking up everyday to the wonderful support from my wonderful readers. You have all helped keep me going over the last couple of weeks. Your prayers and positive thoughts have been a blessing to Liam and our family. We have a long road ahead of us yet but I am feeling positive and I am sure your good wishes have a lot to do with that. Thank you all.

Five Favourite comments for this week – Once again it was hard to choose because there were so many and of course I loved all the ones wishing my boy well and I thank you all for that.

Ornela on Day 299 -Isn’t it beautiful to look at the world through the eyes of a child? – Read More

Imogen on Day 299 – Things I am grateful for… Read More

Bobbi on Day 298 – Great post, inspiring for many I am sure… Read More

Jo & Di on Day 298 – Jo – Cindy, they are not too long at all in my opinion… Read More Di – Cindy, you are always offering such useful information… Read More Thank you again Cindy for doing such an incredible job for we this week. Keep them coming and I will hopefully continue to find the inspiration to add more of my own. Maybe you could stick around and write at least one a week for me once I am fully back in the game. How about it?

Jo on Day – I’ve been thinking about one other thing that we often get offered at store events… Read More

Blog/posts I have read this week that I wish to share with you.

Om Freely – Dark DARK place

Fake Plastic Fish – A web site dedicated to finding ways to live with less plastic

Minimalist Woman – Simplest way is giving away

Miss Minimalist – Real life minimalists – Jennifer

Momentum Gathering – Are you gathering womentum

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ITEM 302 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Some old flip flops that I keep putting out for my daughter every time she visits but she keeps leaving behind. She is here at the moment so I took the opportunity to ask if she wanted them and she didn’t.

5 Things I am grateful today

1. A good friend coming to visit and build up my belief that everything will be OK.
2. Finding the will power to do the ironing.
3. Enough sunshine to get the sheets dry.
4. Liam ate more today and did it all himself. Not an easy task when you have your jaw stabilised with tight rubber bands.
5. Some alone time with my boy on a day when he seemed a lot more settled.

My favourite five comments for this week

Once again there were so many great comments this week that I had a hard time choosing but here are the five I had to restrict myself to. To everyone who isn’t in the five this week I thank you all for the great input that you contributed to make my post more informative. Check out Sunday’s post you may find yourself there.

Bronwyn on Day 283 – I love the way you look at things…!!! And the way you have given me permission to let go… Read more

Isabella on Day 284 – I have another benefit – a clearer mind… Read more.

Karin on Day 285 – I still have a looong way to go, but I love the rewards… Read more.

Willow on Day 285 – Choices: I joined Project 333 and am limiting my clothing… Read more.

Becky on Day 286 – As a former “recreational shopper” who’s been reformed for a long time now… Read more

Five post I enjoyed reading from other blogger this week

Finding me in France – You get what you pay for.

So Much More Life – www.gipplaster.com-decaffeinate your mind

Becoming Minimalist – Keeping words plain and simple (I know I can stand you use a little bit of this advice)

Step 1 Minimalist – Kaizen

The Art of Minimalism – How to increase consciousness and improve your quality of life

ITEM 288 OF 365 LESS THINGS

With the amount of hours my husband spent playing this game I feel reasonably confident that if the pilot and co-pilot on our next flight were both rendered unable to fly that my husband could step in a save the day. Let’s hope it never comes to that!

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. It is the last shift at my current job – I managed to pin point the main reason for leaving  and that is that I have never felt more undervalued in a job in all my life and that is hard to take. Sounds like a bit of a negative spin on gratitude I know but it makes me all the more grateful that I have made a stand.
2. Life’s Lessons – although I am finally moving on to a new phase I realise that the last three years have taught me some valuable lessons in life and I am grateful for that and hope I never forget what I have learned.
3. See the bright side – I prefer to be a cup half full kind of person.
4. Being in a position to choose – I realise that I am fortunate to be in a position where I can choose to move on without have to worry about financial burdens. Some of my friends aren’t so lucky.
5. My friend Liz – She and I have such philosophical conversations together more so than any friend I have had before and I love her for that.
   

Use this button to link to Day 287 The future of 365lessthings and have your say on what direction you would like my blog to go in once the 365 days are up. Don’t be shy, I really would like your input. Once you are there just leave a comment. Thanks!

I have had the inevitable question posed to me a few times of late; what will happen to 365lessthings once the year is up? All I can say at this point is – you are not getting rid of me that easily. You will have to hit the unsubscribe button if you want to do that.

I really haven’t had much time to think about it but there are only 78 days left so I suppose now is a good to time start making plans. As you all know I have quit my day job and as of Thursday at 7pm I will have a lot more time on my hands to ponder the issue.

I will continue to post next year but not everyday that is the one thing I am fairly sure about. It is a harder task than you can imagine flying solo with this and trying to come up with a new post 7 days a week. I sometimes feel I am overloading you all anyway and I am sure there are days where you just wish I would give you a break.

What I would like to do at this point is ask you – my wonderful and loyal readers – what you would like to see here. Is there something you would like included or excluded? Maybe you would like days dedicated to this that or the other topic. Perhaps you would like me to focus on specific clutter items every now and again. Or even a forum where you can pose your own questions to the other readers. I would love to hear your thoughts so please leave a comment. I will paste a link to this page everyday for a while to make it easy to come back here to add your ideas.

ITEM 287 OF 365 LESS THINGS

My cell phone does everything this old PDA does so into the donation box it goes.

5 Things I am grateful for today

1. A clean House – I know it didn’t get that way by itself but I still enjoy the end result even if I worked hard at it with a cracking headache.
2. My Dishwasher – There is no better way to clean the filters from the kitchen range hood.
3. Old friends – You know the ones that no matter how far apart you live or how infrequent you contact each other you happily just take up your friendship right where you left off.
4. My Parents – They did a great job of teaching me how to do things and I am often reminded of what a treasure that is.
5. Microplane graters – They just perform perfectly the task they are designed for.
   

I must apologise if I haven’t managed to get to fill the comments section of this page while on vacation. Things will be back to normal on the 26th of September.

Five great link to the archives of great bloggers

• Tiny Buddha – On Letting Go
• Renouncement – Sometimes you just get what you need
• Less is fabulous – On Borrowed Time
• Far Beyond The Stars – The true purpose of simplicity
• Miss Minimalist – Minimalist beauty- 11 ways to look gorgeous without chemicals

ITEM 267 OF 365 LESS THINGS

More of the clothes from my son’s closet

The day before going on vacation I read a post from Gip @ So Much More Life about another blogger turning of comment to his blog. Here is a link to that post – Comments matter…

This is the comment I left in response to Gip’s post and I mean it from the bottom of my heart

Hi Gip,
I’m with you. I know my regular commenters feel that they are part of a community at my blog and I like it that way. When I welcome a new commenter I always refer to the welcome coming from US and how WE appreciate their input. It is only me writing my blog but the WE & US are a reference to my readers and I as a community.
I even have a favourite five comments each week because there is so much useful information that can be found among the comments which give me and my readers a more rounded view of the topic of my posts. I fact if I didn’t get the great comments and questions I get from my readers some days I wouldn’t have anything to write about. They give me so much fodder for post topics and since I write every day I would run out of things to write without their help.
Ah well! We are just the little guys I suppose who still think our readers have something to contribute.

Thank you to all of you who leave comments whether regularly or just every now and again. Thank you also the those that just read and don’t feel inclined to comment. I appreciate you all for taking the time to show and interest in my blog. I hope I have been a help to you all in some way.

Please forgive me if it seems I have been neglecting you all while I have been away but my access to the Internet has been sporadic at best and I look forward to getting back to normal when I get home.

ITEM 265 OF 365 LESS THINGS

A couple more craft tools that don’t get used are off to the thrift shop