Mini Mission Monday ~ Let’s have a roundup

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Something one of my readers mentioned last week got me thinking that our declutter missions doesn’t always have to be about decluttering. Sometimes clutter forms due to poor organising causing you to purchase a duplicate item simply because you can’t find it when it is needed. So this week we are going to do a little organising. To be more specific it is about rounding up like items in your home so they are all corralled in the same place making them easier to find when you need them. Sometimes two places is appropriate but multiple places is a recipe for clutter if ever there was one. So I will name an item category and you can check that these items are all accounted for and only stored in one or at the most two places in your home. Of course you might as well declutter the excess while you are at it. And naturally this exercise is only useful if you and your family commit to putting these items back in there rightful place every time they are used.

Monday – Small tools ~ Most of our tools are kept in the garage with the exception of one small tool kit with holds a few often used items that saves me having to go out to the garage to retrieve them when needed.

Tuesday – Shoes ~ Do you have shoes in the car, shoes in your bedroom, shoes at both the front and back doors? Why not find a simple solution to keep the bulk of them in one area.

Wednesday – Stationery ~ Keep a pen in each room of the house if that makes your life easy but the bulk of your stationary items will be more easily found if they are all stored together. If you don’t have a desk or set of drawers for this task why not use that spare shelf you have cleared in the linen closet during your last towel and sheet declutter.

Thursday – Small kitchen appliances ~ Choose one cupboard or shelf in in the kitchen for all of these appliances. I have done this in my kitchen with the exception of the toaster and kettle which are located on the bench top because they are used very regularly.

Friday – Hair accessories ~ These tend to end up scattered all over the place making them impossible to find when you need them. They end up in school bags, handbags, bathroom drawers, bedside cabinets, in the little nooks and crannies in the car, sports/gym bags, coat pockets and even under the sofa cushions. I own four hair clips but at the moment I only know where two of them are and they aren’t my favourite two.

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

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

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is another item that I usually have rounded up in one area of the house along with spare keys and a few key rings. These two below however miraculously appeared on my donation box one day. The phantom garage decluttering must have been silently at work as I can’t imagine where else they might have come from.

Padlocks

Something I Am Grateful For Today

 Sleeping in followed by a lazy day, a hot chocolate at Estabar and the smell of chicken roasting for dinner.

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

Comments (28)

July 23, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ What readers are decluttering

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This weeks mini missions are made up of items or areas of the home that my readers tell me they have been decluttering lately. See if you have any of these items or areas that need attention. As usual follow my suggestions below if you can and if not make up your own mission for the day.

Monday – Large appliances ~ Like the extra fridge that is wasting electricity, causing you unnecessary expense and taking up precious space Does the average family really need to store that much food that they need two refrigerators or two freezers? I think not.

Tuesday – Corner kitchen cupboards ~ These cupboards can be so hard to access. If you can manage to declutter enough stuff out of your kitchen to empty these it would make your life that little bit easier.

Wednesday – Under the bed ~ One young reader (not mentioning any names) was decluttering under her bed last week due to Moni’s blog post. I don’t need to tell you how much easier it is to keep this area dust and lint free when there is nothing to clean around or move.

Thursday – Papers and the necessities for storing them ~ If you can be realistic about what papers you really need to keep or are even still relevant not only can you get rid of a lot of aspirational and sentimental clutter you can also reduce the space and containers in which they were stored.

Friday – Books ~ I know I mention this one often but it was bought to my attention again this week when I received an email from one of my readers that has been with me form way back. She has managed to declutter one third of her sizeable book collection over the last twelve months. Rachel has been slowing decluttering in preparation for a downsize move. She has finally made the move and is now decluttering more as she settles in to her new home.

Saturday – Kitchen gadgets ~ Moni had an amusing story about possibly decluttering a couple of these last week. My advice is that if you have gadgets that aren’t being use just get rid of them. Nine times out of ten the same task can be performed with a more versatile item in your house should you find the need.

Sunday – Gift wrapping supplies ~ one reader mentioned that they are decluttering the last of their gift wrapping supplies while another was saying how ~ due to 365 example ~ she was now only giving non-cluttering gifts to her friends and family. I had saved a token supply of gift bags when I decluttered the bulk of them two years ago. I have discovered the ones I saved don’t seem to have diminished since then so it is time to declutter them also.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Here is a kitchen gadget that isn’y being used in my house. I actually purchased it for craft purposes but either way it isn’t getting used so out it goes. I am sure it will sell quickly at the thrift store.

Pasta Machine

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Just hubby and I left in the house for a week. That should sure making cooking and cleaning several degrees easier than usual.

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

Comments (46)

July 16, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ The Dreaded Black Hole

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom last week mentioned those dreaded “clutter black holes” that most houses have. These phenomena suck in all sorts of stuff that you mean to do something with or haven’t got a real home for. They lurk in numerous places, most people have at least one but some have many. For this weeks mini missions I will name seven common black hole locations and you can check them all to make sure you don’t have any. Even if you don’t you may find an item or two of clutter has gravitated to these places anyway, so declutter them or find them a home. For those of you who do find the odd black hole use Cindy’s advice to try to eliminate them for good.

Monday – On the kitchen bench or breakfast bar.

Tuesday – In or on any furniture or large appliance near your entry ways.

Wednesday – The third drawer down in any room ~ kitchen, office desk, bathroom cabinet… It is a strange phenomenon that the third drawer is often the receptacle for clutter.

Thursday – By the telephone.

Friday – The bedside table.

Saturday – A desk top.

Sunday – The coffee table.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I no longer have any black holes but I do still have a backlog of craft item photos that I saved to post for while I am convalescing.  Here is an 8 x 8 Scrapbook that was too good of a clearance bargain to resist as 75% off. That was at least five years ago. The 25% I did pay was clearly a waste of money because I never used the scrapbook. The lesson here ~ A bargain isn’t a bargain unless you actually have a use for it.

Scrapbook

Something I Am Grateful For Today

The two lovely vases of flowers I have received from friends in the last week. Not only are they pretty and brighten up the living space but the arrangement I made with one has lead me to the perfect solution for what is the right balance for a decoration on my dining table. I may well get rid of that artificial plant yet.

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

Comments (49)

July 2, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ Keep it Simple

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Today there is no gimmick to the mini missions just plain old simple decluttering. Just find one item to match the  description provided in the daily missions below. It you don’t have such a thing just declutter something else that suits you.

Monday – A home decor item.

Tuesday – A pair of shoes.

Wednesday – A book or two.

Thursday – A worn out or outgrown clothing item.

Friday – A wad of papers ~ out of date bills, tax papers, manuals or warranties…

Saturday – Something from the kitchen

Sunday –  Some kind of hobby or craft item.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

This candle was sitting in a bowl on a chest of drawers in my guest room. I felt it was one too many things adorning the surfaces in that room so off it goes to the thrift shop.

A candle from the guest room

Something I Am Grateful For Today

The joys of maintaining a decluttered home. With less stuff on surfaces and less surfaces in general there is less to dust.

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

Comments (26)

June 25, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ Obligation Clutter

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

I think it is time to take care of some more obligation clutter. That would be those things that you keep not because you want to but because you feel obligated to keep for one reason or another. This is not a good reason to keep anything because these items weigh you down emotionally. I will give you an example of a different kind of obligation clutter each day and you see if you can identify something in your home that matches and declutter it.

Monday – A family heirloom that you don’t appreciate.  Do your best to find someone else in the family to take it on otherwise it may be time to sell or donate it or perhaps loan it to a museum. Just remember heirlooms can be tricky as they may not technically be yours to give away. Do your research first to make sure they don’t actually belong to someone else in the family.

Tuesday – Grown children clutter ~ This is something long ago left behind by your grown child. Your home is not a storage unit, ask them to collect it and let them know you are going to get rid of it otherwise. With a little diplomacy this is possible without alienating them.

Wednesday - 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.

Thursday – An unwanted gift ~ No explanation necessary, sell, donate or regift it.

Friday – Anything that was given to you by someone else. If you no longer want or need it offer it back to the person who gave it to you, sell or donate it. You don’t have to keep things just because they came from someone else. I might seem a little repetitive on this advice but that is because people get very stuck on keeping this kind of stuff.

Saturday – Something you keep for another’s benefit. This often happens with grown children. For example Dad has a bunch of useful tools that he no longer uses but his three sons often come over to borrow them ~ In this case divvy them up between the sons and let them borrow from one another. If they don’t want to do that then feel free to sell them or give them to someone who does want them. Once again your home isn’t a storage unit or a free hiring service.

Sunday – An item you keep out of tradition that you never care to use. This might be the usual stuff like the good china and crystal but it could be like my old BBQ ~ It is almost an Aussie tradition to cook lots of BBQ meals but if you don’t you don’t need to have a BBQ just because everyone else in the neighbourhood does. This also goes for a collection of tools when you really aren’t much of an handyman or a sewing machine when you send all your clothes out to be altered or mended. (Personally, judging from the price my friend was recently quoted to have the hem sewn up on an apron, I would suggest you learn to use it and save your money but that is just my opinion.) Some of these items actually seem to double up as aspiration clutter.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I don’t have any heirloom clutter that I can think of to add here today. Letting go of obligation clutter was one of the first lessons I learned way back at the beginning of my mission. Every now and again something surfaces but not too often these days. So I will document this craft decluttered item that I recently eliminated during the big craft room reshuffle.

Craft Clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I love it when the sun is shining and streams into the living spaces at the back of my home all afternoon, warming it up. I saves me having to put on the heater and therefore saves electricity.

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

Comments (36)

June 18, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ Habit Clutter

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

I suppose you are wondering what I mean by habit clutter and of course I am going to tell you. Habit clutter is any clutter that you either keep out of habit, you collected out of habit in the first place, items relating to former bad habits, or a habit of not putting things away causing mess or causing you to have trouble finding them. So lets see if you can find something to declutter from each of the following scenarios.

Monday – A collection of something you lost interest long ago but keep out of habit.

Tuesday – Do you keep stocking a certain item in your pantry because you always have even though you find it rarely gets use these day. Like I have white sugar and caster (bakers) sugar even though I use low GI or raw sugar in my tea these days therefore I don’t need to keep two kinds of white sugar.

Wednesday – Storing enough towels or sheets or blankets or whatever to accommodate a family of six even though there are only the two of you living there these days.

Thursday – Same goes for pots, pans, trays, baking dishes etc that were necessary for that family of six mentioned above that have long since flown the coop.

Friday – What about the remnants of a unhealthy habit you once had like smoking ~ you have kept a couple of ashtrays just in case a smoker comes to visit. Why not make you home a smoke free zone it is your right to after all.

Saturday – How about decluttering an existing bad habit like eating too much sugary food. Get the last of it out of there (preferably not by eating it) so that you can start a fresh without the temptation sitting right under your nose.

Sunday – Do you have a habit of not putting things away after you use them. This can lead to a mess and/or an inability to find the things when you need them. Work on changing that bad habit into a good one. It might be putting your car keys on a hook whenever you walk in the door so you know where they are the next time you are rushing out the doore. Or perhaps putting your cell phone in a certain pocket in you handbag when you are out so when it rings you can find it before the call cuts out.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Here are a collection of old badges that my husband was keeping out of habit. He kept passing over them while decluttering the keepsake box. I think he finally realised he didn’t need them to remind him of his early travels.

Collection of badges

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Two friends joining me for my usual Sunday roast dinner. I wouldn’t have bothered were I left to cook it just for myself (Liam doesn’t like roast dinner). Instead I had some wonderful company.

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

Comments (26)

June 11, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ Multiples

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This week we are going to concentrate our mini missions on things we have multiples of. Particularly things we have more of than we really need. I have three sets of tongs in my kitchen but even though that sounds a lot quite often there are two in the dishwasher and one in use so that isn’t too many for me. However you may have noticed I have decluttered bowls on more than one occasion recently, now that is something I had too many of and probably still do. Do you have too many of any of the categories below? If so now is the time to weed out a few.

Monday – Souvenirs ~ Travel, vacation, sport, events…

Tuesday – Glass items ~ Vases, plates, bowls, drinking glasses…

Wednesday – Stationery items ~ Folders, papers, pens, clips, staplers…

Thursday – Accessories ~ Belts, bags, scarves, hats, hair adornments…

Friday – Publications ~ Novels, magazines, cookbooks, newspapers, non-fiction books…

Saturday – Gadgets ~ Kitchen gadgets, grooming gadgets, garage gadgets, electronics…

Sunday – Digital media ~ Cd’s, DVD’s, computer games, downloads…

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

These cuff links are just not being used so out they go.

Cuff Links

Something I Am Grateful For Today

I stumbled upon this TED talk and I thought it was so amazing I wanted to share it with you. Enjoy!

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

Comments (40)

June 4, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ What…

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

This comment from Kimberley last week inspired this week’s mini missions. You will have to use your imagination with these missions though. Just read the questions ~ they are more like exclamations really ~ and see what you can find to match them in your home. Even after all this time I am sure I will still be able to find some matches. Have fun with it. I am looking forward to hearing about your finds and the funny stories behind them.

Monday -  “What was I thinking when I purchased this?”

Tuesday - What was the person thinking when they gifted me this?

Wednesday – At what point in my live did this fit/suit me?

Thursday –This drawer is going to explode if I don’t get rid of some of what is in here.

Friday – At what point did I find this attractive? (Spouses are exempt from this mission)

Saturday – What makes me think I need so many of these?

Sunday – What is this thing even used for?

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

I know what I was thinking when I purchased this. I was thinking “Wouldn’t this be handy to take lasagne or something to a pot luck dinner and it is at a clearance price so why not buy it?” I’ll tell you why I shouldn’t have, because I have never used it in 5+ years. I did consider ditching one of my old well seasoned pans and keeping this one but the lid is useless to me and takes up so much space and just throwing it in the garbage seemed such a waste. I decided that my old pans work perfectly well and someone might find this one (in tact) more useful than I did. It didn’t even make it to the shelf at the thrift store before one of the staff purchased it.

Covered Baking Dish

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Just feeling content. Contentment is highly underrated. It is kind of the lesser relation of excitement, achievement or success but I happen to think that you don’t need those other things to be content and I am happy with that.

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

Comments (39)

May 28, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ Follow along with me

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

Once again this week I have chosen mission that reflect things I am decluttering and the reasons they are being decluttered. So follow along with me and see what you have lurking in your home that match the description. It will be interesting to see how different your things are to mine.

Monday – Declutter something that was a freebie that you didn’t really need.

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

Wednesday – Declutter something your children no longer want saved for them.

Thursday – Declutter a storage container that you not longer need because you never plan to reclutter.

Friday – Declutter something that you just have too many off.

Saturday – Declutter something that used to fit with your previous lifestyle but no longer does.

Sunday – Declutter an unused craft, hobby or sports item.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

Freebies can be a curse, they can be hard to say no to because they are free and then get kept because they could come in useful. These items have all entered our household that way but have never been used. We have learned our lesson about freebies and aren’t so quick to accept anymore.

Toiletries Bag & Bit & Bobs

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Internal plumbing. I can’t imagine a time where people couldn’t have a hot shower on a cool day. I am grateful I didn’t live in those times. Although I am sure they had other advantages back then that many of us yearn for in this day and age.

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

Comments (24)

May 21, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

Mini Mission Monday ~ I Spy

Mini Mission Monday is about finding ten minutes a day to declutter. To make it easy for you, each Monday I set seven declutter missions, one for each day of the week for you to follow. It takes the guess work out of decluttering and makes it easy and “fun” for you to achieve some quick decluttering.

While at the thrift shop last week a man came in and donated some children’s books and board games. One of the board games was called Eye Spy which I found intriguing so I took a look. It contained game pieces a board and a pack of cards. The cards had instruction as to what to spy such as ~ Something red, Something small, Something flat ~ and I thought what fun. Then I thought I could use this idea in my mini missions so here goes. Have fun with it.

Monday – Spy and declutter something that smells.

Tuesday –  Spy and declutter something small.

Wednesday –  Spy and declutter something electric.

Thursday –  Spy and declutter something shiny.

Friday –  Spy and declutter something metallic.

Saturday –  Spy and declutter something soft.

Sunday –  Spy and declutter something made of fabric.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Today’s Declutter Item

All marking pens have a smell but that isn’t the reason I am getting rid of these. They are washable poster pens which I don’t need. I only use markers for addressing packages I am sending due to ebay sales. For that job I don’t need a marker that will smudge should the package somehow get wet. It is probably unlikely but better to be safe than sorry.

Marking Pens

Something I Am Grateful For Today

Enjoying the art at local galleries. The high school student show ArtExpress is on again and there are some very talented young people out there that is for sure.

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

Comments (41)

May 14, 2012 · Filed under 365 Less Things

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