I have never been very sentimental toward things. I have had a few collections over the years and they kept mostly because I didn’t want to hurt the feelings of those who had given them to me. I found myself attaching to people. I never wanted to let go of anyone once they had been in my life. I wrote letters for years to many of the people who had come and gone in my life. When email came along I switched to emailing them and then later to Facebook (FB) if they had an account. In mid May someone made a comment on 365 Less Things that set me to thinking. I wish I could remember who and could Continue reading
Thursdays with Deb J ~ The Problem With Books
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I know we have talked about the subject of books many times. I told you before how one time I sold enough books to pay for a year’s tuition at college. I have told you about how we have given away book after book until I am down to only books by my three favorite authors. So why am I bringing this subject up again? How many of you have some type of eReader? I have a Kindle. Did you know that there are many places where you can obtain free books for eReaders? Did you know there are three email lists you can receive each day listing free and low cost books for these devices? Well I found that Continue reading
Thursdays with Deb J ~ Leaving My Comfort Zone
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All of us have varying comfort zones. There are just some items, people, ideas, and/or places that mean home to us. That doesn’t mean that home can’t be moved but when that happens there are certain accoutrements to making up “home.” This is our comfort zone. The things we fight to not change. If this is going to happen then this has to happen too. We tend to set those Comfort Zone (CZ) items in concrete. Unfortunately, many times this hinders us rather than helping us. In fact, it tends to keep us rooted in the past. Along comes change. Someone/something wants to take us out of our CZ. We Continue reading
Fourth Thursdays with Deb J ~ Someone Else’s Clutter
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We moved here to Arizona 5 years ago. We had very benevolent former owners. They just knew we could use a number of things so left them here for us. Along with a yard containing 6 fruit trees, two rosemary bushes, two grapevines, a jasmine, a honey suckle, 5 Texas Sage bushes, 3 western petunias, 8 rose bushes and a bougainvillea. They also left a couch, two garden chairs, a metal patio sink, and bunches of “construction/building” materials. Now, mind you, they had done a wonderful job of updating the house. The kitchen was “to die for” and the pantry and laundry area were very handy. They had Continue reading
Fourth Thursdays with Deb J ~ Your Input
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So you are ready to declutter but you have some issues. There are problems with decluttering some things in your home. What would you do in the following cases? You have over one hundred rolls or pieces of ribbon. They are black, white, reds, yellow, greens, blues, pinks, purples, gold and silver. They are of various types but all are for sewing or crafts. They hang on the wall in a well made, wood cassette tape holder with room for 100 tapes. You haven’t used any of this ribbon in almost a year. Much of it has never been opened. You want to get rid of it. Someone in the family doesn’t want Continue reading
Fourth Thursdays with Deb J ~ Get your affairs in order
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It has been almost 5 years since we moved to Arizona. I have been putting off the hassle of updating all the legal paperwork like the wills, etc. I know I should have done it sooner but can admit that what we have would work in a pinch. I also have to admit that it would be more of a hassle for those left to deal with it if I had left things as they were. I have been updating everything and creating a set of instructions for those who will be our executors if both of us go together or at such time as the other is gone when one dies. It’s much more of a hassle than any of us want to deal with Continue reading
Fourth Thursdays with Deb J ~ Sorting
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You have decided to declutter and then get organized so living life is easier. You then ask, “Help, how am I supposed to go about this? “ Sorting is the answer. Sorting by how you use something, how often you use it, and whether you use it at all. So many times we start with a jumble of items in a drawer or on a shelf. How often does this jumble have no rhyme nor reason? It’s just stuff that has been thrown there as we are hurrying through life. How can we know if we have enough or too much if we have no organization of what we have? The mother of a friend of mine was not very organized so Continue reading
Fourth Thursdays with Deb J ~ Does Your Home Match Your Lifestyle
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How do you live your life? Are you a person like me who used to have an active, busy life with work and other outside interests but now you spend the majority of your time at home? Do you have children at home or did you recently become an “empty nester”? What is your life like today? It took my mother and me awhile to realize that our home no longer matched our lifestyle. I think it took longer for Mom than it did me but it was true. We had changed. Our lives had changed. Mom was always a very active person who entertained people in her home, was very involved in activities at our church, Continue reading
