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.

Last weeks post ~ Memories are no stuff ~ deserves a little more attention than just one post. So this week I will dedicate the mini mission and another post to the subject. I feel this is important because this kind of clutter is often the sort that most people have trouble detaching themselves from. The power of suggestion is, as the phrase suggests, a powerful thing. One can change their belief system when exposed enough to an opposing logical suggestion. So let me just repeat again that we don’t need stuff to remind us of those we love, what we have achieved or the good times we’ve had. Without further adieu here are some suggestions for things you might find you can happily live without.

Monday – Old birthday cards

Tuesday – A family heirloom you possibly never really liked. Give it to another member of the family.

Wednesday – A souvenir.

Thursday – A childhood or baby item of you or your children.

Friday – A diary or journal.

Saturday – Any memento that is boxed away somewhere where you rarely see it.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Using reusable items rather than throw away is not only good for the environment but can save you money.

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

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 let our feeling help us to declutter. I will name an emotion and you will find something in your home that evokes this feeling. I will of course be focusing on negative emotions because after all who wouldn’t want to get that sort of clutter out of their homes. I will how ever through at least one positive emotion, one neutral one and one undecided. So here goes

Monday – Declutter something that brings you sadness whenever you see it. Perhaps something that reminds you of a lost love.

Tuesday – Declutter something that evokes a feeling of dissatisfaction. Perhaps an item of clothing that never quite suited you.

Wednesday – Declutter something that causes you anger. Perhaps something that you bought but has never worked properly.

Thursday – Declutter something that although it brings you happiness you really would rather the liberated space.

Friday – Declutter something that you feel ambivalent about. Something you have been sitting on the fence about decluttering for a while. Perhaps it is time to let it go.

Saturday – Declutter something that evokes no other feeling except sheer boredom. This could be anything.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

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

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 I have tried to put together six missions involving items that you may not of thought to declutter as yet. They, like last week are items that I don’t mention very often or perhaps, in some cases, not at all. As usual, if you have already decluttered these items or never had them in the first place, perhaps they will jog ideas of similar items you haven’t dealt with yet.

Monday – Declutter any too large suitcases you avoid using because of their bulk. Firstly there is rarely a need to pack so much stuff. Want maybe, but need, not so likely. Secondly, once these cases are packed they are too heavy to manoeuvre.

Tuesday – Declutter any saucepans or frying pans you simply don’t use. These are bulky items that waste a lot of space if they are kept for those just-in-case moments. They are also items that can easily be borrowed from a friend, relative or neighbour in the rare case they are necessary.

Wednesday – Declutter disposable items from your home and your shopping list. For example ~ Cling film, aluminium foil, paper napkins, paper towel, dryer sheets, wet wipes. Utilise other items in your home that can easily take their place. The environment and your bank account will be all the healthier for it. I haven’t eliminated all of these things from my home but I use so little of the ones I do still keep (paper towel and aluminium foil) that I buy them in small quantities and only replace them when they totally run out. And before anyone tells me that these things are cheaper in large quantities, think for a minute about how easy it is to be wasteful with stuff when there is plenty on hand.

Thursday – Declutter parts of sets that aren’t being utilised. It isn’t compulsory to keep sets together. In the past I have sold or donated attachments to kitchen gadgets, a strainer from a pasta pot, saucers from a dinner set…

Friday – Declutter items adorning benches that just make cleaning more of a chore. Kitchen benches and bathroom cabinets are  areas prone to this nuisance clutter. In bathrooms particularly there is not need to keep everything you use, once or at best twice a day, sitting on the bench top. It takes a fraction of a second to open a door or a drawer.

Saturday – Declutter an item that you keep as a backup for something similar. One reader last week said she had a backup electric kettle. If she disliked it so much there is a good chance she isn’t going to revert back to it should the better one stop working. Cell phones are another item that people tend to have several of. One is fine, more than that is just excessive. These are both cases of buying something when the current one was perfectly fine. We are all guilty of this I am sure.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

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

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 for our mini mission I tried to come up with suggestions that I don’t cover very often. Some things like kitchen, linen, stationery and beauty items, knick knacks and clothes appear here often so I thought I would steer away from them this week. I hope you can find an item appropriate to each day’s mission but if you can’t just come up with your own idea. Good luck!

Monday – Declutter some printed photos. Poor quality images, duplicates and images of stuff you care little or nothing about.

Tuesday – Declutter a sports related item. No longer used equipment, uniforms, souvenirs or even trophies.

Wednesday – Declutter a music related item. Old records, cassettes or CD’s you no longer listen to. When I occasionally feel like listening to something that isn’t among my usual selection I just go to YouTube. There is no need to keep once-in-a-while music on hand these days.

Thursday – Declutter excess cushions and throw rugs. The ones you sit or drape on furniture as a decor item. They are a pain when you want to sit down and are just in your way. Perhaps a few of those six cushions/pillows on your bed that you pull off and put back on every night and morning.

Friday – Declutter a few excess picnic items that you keep for those rare occasions when you actually do eat outdoors. Or ones that are completely unnecessary even if you do picnic often.

Saturday – Declutter one or two storage containers that you have eliminated the need for through you decluttering efforts. Having these items hanging around gives you permission to fall off the decluttering wagon. You don’t want to do that now do you?

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy 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 all about bringing your attention to items that have a tendency to unnecessarily build up, be decluttered and build up again. I made that sound like this happens without our being responsible for it but we all know that we are. We succumb to the temptation to replace perfectly serviceable items with something new whether we need it or not. Lets see how many of these items you can find to declutter in your home. But more than that, become aware that you are doing this and consider a change in this behaviour from here on.

I am not going to mention clothing or shoes in this list because that would be the most obvious choice for this category. However give some thought to your habits in this area and consider what you might do to improve on your initial choices that might help help avert this happening in the future.

Monday – Declutter a decor item that has been stashed away out of sight. ~ Do you find yourself refreshing your decor with an endless parade of decorator items. I would suggest displaying meaningful/sentimental items rather than hiding them away in a closet somewhere. You will be less inclined to dismiss and replace them so easily.

Tuesday – Declutter any pet toys that are overabundant in your home.  ~ Do you buy a new toy to amuse you pet with on a regular basis when their old toys are still in reasonable condition. Slowly they build up and then you find yourself throwing away the oldest or less loved items whether they are worn out or not. Think of the money you could save.

Wednesday – Declutter excess bath towels and in future only replace them when they wear out ~ Judging from many of the linen closets I encounter, during visiting friends and relatives, I would say the people generally replace towels on a far too regular basis. Not because they are no longer capable of the task of drying but simply because they are considered decor items that are to be replaced when tired of.

Thursday – Declutter any kitchen utensils or gadgets that you don’t use often enough to warrant keeping. ~ Who isn’t on the lookout for something that can make our workload lighter. When it comes to the home the kitchen is a major source of this focus. The problem is that many of the gadgets on the market don’t live up to their promise to lighten that load. The utensils drawer ends up with three different styles of peelers, can openers, potato mashers etc and the shelves are packed with all manner of electric gadgets. I must say that some credit has to be given to anyone who still believes on home cooking rather than caving into buying, not always healthy, prepared meals, but be sceptical about the usefulness or such gadgets.

Friday – Declutter any stationery items that are overstocked in your home. Especially if they were purchased for their novelty factor. Cute pens, pencils, erasers, notebooks, thumb tacks, paperclips etc. ~ You may think this is an odd thing to suggest but you might be surprised at how often inexpensive items such as these are purchased when they aren’t needed.

Saturday – Declutter any children’s toys that are neglected, broken or perhaps never were enjoyed.~ Children don’t need more and more toys they need to be left to use their imaginations with a smaller selection. And they aren’t a substitute for quality time spent with parents and friends. If you find it necessary to allocate a room in your home just to store toys then you most likely have too many.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Reduce the number it items you buy just for the novelty factor, be they for you or as a gift for someone else.

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

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’s mini missions are all about getting rid of things that were acquired out of choice not necessity. Items that, if you are trying to reduce your belongings to just the things you really like or need, should be quite easy to part with. Unless of course you love all the items in these categories that is. If that is the case then these items aren’t clutter, right? 😉

Monday РDeclutter a d̩cor item.

Tuesday – Declutter a souvenir.

Wednesday – Declutter a fashion accessory.

Thursday – Declutter a piece of jewellery.

Friday – Declutter a book.

Saturday – Declutter a rarely used kitchen gadget.

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. Whether that be for sentimental reasons, practical reasons, because the task is laborious or simply unpleasant, or because the items removal requires the cooperation of another person. That last category may mean that the item belongs to someone else who has to give their approval, it could also mean there is a joint decision to be made or it could mean that the task of removing it requires assistance from someone else. There is no need to act on this contemplation immediately, it is more about formulating a plan to act upon or simply making a decision one way or another.

Good luck and happy decluttering

Eco Tip for the Day

Be very selective about what you buy so that you are so satisfied with the product that you will use it until it wears out and not trade it in for something else soon after.

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

A hideous photo of me ready for my last trip with my uncluttered backpack and day bag.

As promised a while back here is the post about how I pack for travelling ~ the uncluttered way of course. I have a couple of golden rules that are the basis to how I pack.

Rule 1 ~ If you don’t need it don’t bring it.

Rule 2 ~ If you don’t need it don’t bring it.

Rule 3 ~ If you can’t stick to rule 1 & 2 then limit the unnecessary items to only those you “can’t live without”.

With those rules in mind I have made a list below of what I would typically pack keeping in mind that we usually prefer to travel in Spring or Fall. This list is also typical whether we are away for one week or two months or more.

Clothing

In addition to the clothes I am wearing when I leave which for me is ~ Long lightweight comfortable pants, a T-shirt (long or short sleeve depending on the weather at destination), my lightweight travel jacket, bra, panties, a pair of socks and comfortable walking shoes ~ this is typical of what I bring…

• Enough clothes for five days ~ I mix this up a bit with one dress, a skirt, 2 pair of pants, a cardigan or  light sweater (depending on weather expected) 5 tops of various types.
• Enough underwear for a week ~ For me that is 1 extra bra, 8 pair of panties,
• Footwear ~ 2 pair of socks (only 1 if warmer climate) and maybe a pair of sandals.

We scout each location or make sure we know ahead of time where we will have access to laundering so we can wash every five days.

Pack clothes that mix and match and can be layered to suit the weather. This way your are never left out in the cold and no matter how few clean clothes you have left they will match and you will stay looking sharp.

Toiletries

• Deodorant ~ Stick or roll-on (my hubby and I will share a unisex fragrance)
• Toothbrush, floss and a small tube of toothpaste (once again sharing the floss and toothpaste)
• Minimal make-up ~ Powder foundation, a small tube moisturiser, brow pencil, mascara, lipstick.
• Shampoo (maybe) depending on where we are going. Shampoo is usually easily enough acquired on arrival and left behind on departure and sometimes it is supplied so we often don’t bother to bring our own.
• Sunscreen *~ travel size.
• Nail clippers
• Razor

Medications

• Any prescribed medications ~ enough for the entire trip (for us this doesn’t amount to much). I sometimes carry a script for antibiotics due to a recurring issue but there is no guarantee that foreign countries will fill these.
• Pain killers *~ Just what I would normally carry in my handbag. More is easily acquired if necessary in the places we usually travel to.

Other

• Cell phone and charger *~ we acquire a sim card at destination.
• Coin purse *~ for cash and debit/credit card* and drivers licence.*
• Passport
• A written list of emergency phone numbers ~ just in case cell phone dies or is stollen.
• 1 microfibre cloth* in a small Snaplock bag for easy clean up.
• 2 medium vacuum seal bags for dirty laundry.
• A small puzzle book and a pen~ for entertainment on flights and during down time.
• Day bag ~ We have a lightweight Rick Steves Shoulder Bag which we carry while sightseeing most days that contains the items with an * mentioned above.
• A tiny sewing kit ~ You would be surprised that we have made use of this on nearly every trip.

My husband carries a similar amount for clothing plus the following

• Camera gear ~ Camera, lenses, battery charger and spare memory card and batteries.
• iPad and charger
• iPod with all our travel details

That is pretty much the total of what we take on vacation. On our last trip to the USA for three weeks my Rick Steves Backpack weighed a mere 5.5kg or 12lb. My day bag with everything in for the flight weighed 680g or 1.5 lb. As you can appreciate this takes very little effort to lug around. We have no problems fitting the backpacks into the overhead lockers in the plane. Therefore we never check our baggage, so no waiting at  baggage carousels at the other end, we just walk off the plane and head straight to our accommodation.

So there you have it. No wheeling heavy suitcases along ancient cobble stoned streets. No struggling up the aisles of crowded trains. No problems if our accommodation is up three flights of stairs. No chance that we have left something in our checked baggage that we needed on the plane. No lost baggage.

Today’s Mini Mission

Take a load of items you have decluttered to the thrift store. I do this once a week when I go to my thrift store to do my volunteer shift. I haven’t been able to drive there for the last four weeks so there was a bit of a backlog.

Today’s Declutter Item

This is one of the things I took to the thrift store last week for decluttering. Over time it had been emptied of its contents and is no longer needed. My plan is to have nothing under beds eventually so I have sent this on its way tout suite so the temptation to use it again is futile.

Iris Split Lid Under Bed Storage Box

Something I Am Grateful For Today

A wonderful lunch celebrating a friends birthday. She was so grateful just to have friends who would want to  celebrate with her. It brought home to me once again what the important things are in life.

“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

I think I deserve a break during the holiday season and if I don’t I am having one anyway. So for your entertainment, I have set up five posts for this week with articles from the archives. That is I am going to share with you some old post that you may not have seen for some time that you might find interesting and helpful all over again while I take my break.

I received some unexpected help this week with choosing which articles to use from Lena who has been reading through the archives since she discovered my blog not so long ago. Got to love her dedication, especially since it has assisted me to be lazy for a week. Thanks Lena your timing was perfect.

One more thing. I may or may not be replying to comments it just depends on whether I have the time. A break is meant to be a break after all. I am sure though that I will not be able to resist checking what you folks are up to while I am not looking. Please feel free to chat among yourselves if I am not here. Equally please take a break from me and my incessant declutter nagger for the week yourselves. I will not feel deserted if you don’t drop by. So without further adieu here is the first of this weeks archive posts…

Day 250 ~ Reducing your Travel Clutter

A guest post by my husband

You’ll never meet a traveller who, after five trips, brags: “Every year I pack heavier.” ~ Rick Steves – Travel Writer

These words echo in my head every time I pack for trip, whether business or pleasure, reducing the amount of stuff I carry always makes for a more enjoyable time. Whenever I travel with colleagues, they are amazed by my small bag and unable to imagine how they could do it. Packing light is easier than they think and anyone can reduce their luggage to a manageable size with some planning and preparation.

Colleen and I are committed to only take as much stuff as can be carried onto the flight; a 9″ x 22″ x 14″ bag weighing no more than 7 Kilos (15 lbs) plus a smaller bag for personal items like a camera. We use a convertible backpack/suitcase with zip-away shoulder straps that is lighter than your average roller bag, and easy to tote across town to our hotel. How do we do it? Well, my bag contains the following items:

• 

  Rick Steves ~ Classic Back Door Bag

  2 collared shirts

• 2 t-shirts
• 1 pair of pants
• 1 pair of shorts/swimmers
• 4 sets of underwear
• 4 pair of socks
• 1 jacket
• Vibram Five Fingers
• small toiletries kit
• first aid kit
• 1 small towel
• journal/pens
• sewing kit
• guide book/maps
• phrase book (if needed)

In my camera bag:

• DSLR plus 28-135mm zoom
• 50mm lens
• iPod Touch
• battery charger
• spare battery/compact flash drives
• Archos 604WIFI (used for photo storage and charging the iPod)

I used to carry a laptop but an iPod touch provides me all the computing power I need except for an ability to upload photos from my camera so I carry the Archos 604 *. Despite carrying two devices, I still save more than half the weight of your average 12-13 inch laptop or netbook.

The main advantage of this small uncluttered travel bag is mobility. While most people are waiting for their bags, we are heading to the hotel. We can easily change planes, trains or buses when a delay occurs because everything is with us. Sure we have to do some washing along the way but it is often no more expensive to use a fluff and fold service than to do the laundry yourself. We also use lightweight wash and wear clothes that can be washed in a sink if necessary, and air dried over night.

Virtually nothing in our bag is there because we might need it, we will use every item continuously throughout our travels and when those one-off occasions arise we just buy what we need at that time. Plan for the best and be prepared to spend a little money if needed, why ruin a vacation lugging a huge bag of stuff you never use to save a few dollars. Travelling light is an awakening that can open your eyes to how little you need in your life, try it on your next vacation.

For those who cannot imagine travelling with one small bag, check out Rolf Potts’ No Baggage trip.

* We no longer carry the Archos 604 as we now have two 8gig Compact Flash cards which hold and awful lot of photos, so there is no need to upload photos as we go.

Today’s Declutter Item

Somethings accumulate and because you use them all the time you don’t think to deduce the number you have. These two trays are just that sort of clutter item. Yes they get used but while they are used two others remain idle. They can’t all fit in the oven at once so there is no need to keep them all. One was so old and worn that I sent it to the recycling while the other is off to the thrift shop.

Two Baking Pans

On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share with you my five favourite comments from my wonderful readers and my five favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did.

Fave Five Comments. Enjoy!

Ideealistin makes a good point here in a follow up comment to a question posted by Lynn who had asked for some helpful ideas on toy storage.

Everyone congratulate Felicity on a job well done. She shares her garage sale success story in this comment from Saturday.

Here is a great refuse, reduce, reuse, recycle story shared by Ann in this comment. Well done Ann you have certainly undergone a full reform from your cluttering days.

This comment from Carol certainly brings home the impact “hoarding” stuff can have on your children. The good news is it is never too late to turn this situation around.

I really enjoyed this comment from Becky about her minimal Christmas.

Fave Five Web Finds. Happy reading!

Like everything else this week, today’s five will have a holiday season theme.

www.statesman.com ~ Make this the year kids are really thankful

Thank you to Stacia for this link about pet safe holiday decorating. www.aspca.org ~ Pet care tips/Holiday safety 

Talk about breaking with tradition check out these groovy trees. www.work-killer.com ~ Creative christmas tree designs 

I think I have found my new Christmas tree or I will if I scour the neighbourhood and beg some one to let me cut a branch off their tree. Check this out www.apartmenttherapy.com ~ The modern minimalists christmas tree 

And last but by no means least I stumbled upon this link while trying to find minimalist Christmas post for you and what a gem this is. When we’re at home ~ Minimalist Christmas

Today’s Declutter Item

In keeping with today’s mini mission here are my recycled and/or handmade Christmas cards for the year. How is this decluttering you ask? I use the fronts of last years cards and a stash of card samples and craft supply that are cluttering up my craft room/office to construct this years cards. Once they are mailed that will be another small fraction of the overabundant craft supplies gone from my home for good.

Christmas cards sent = Less craft clutter

Something I Am Grateful For Today

My new organic Christmas tree (pictures for you tomorrow), lunch with a good friend, more rain and getting a head start on next weeks posts so I have more time to spend with my parents while they are visiting. Thanks Dizzy for your contribution.

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

Day 327 Not too many not too few ~ 23 Nov 2010

Each person’s goal when it come to minimalism is very individual. I, for one, cannot ever see myself living with only 100 things as some minimalists suggest. In fact at this point in my journey I have no idea how many more items will leave my home before I am satisfied with the end result. It may be that as time goes by my embrace on this lifestyle could strengthen and I may detach myself  from even more of my belongings than I ever considered when I started. Who knows?

Being comfortable in the here and now with what is too many and what is too few is all I concern myself with. I want to keep working on weeding out the things in the too many category while not getting carried away and ending up with too few for my needs.

Find you own balance

Just as we may have ended up with too much stuff while trying to keep up with the “Have all” Joneses. We could now take it to the opposite extreme by trying to outdo the minimalist Joneses. My advice is to gather all the wisdom you can from all the sources you subscribe to on the subject of  minimalism, simplicity and decluttering but keep true to yourself. Don’t look at it as some kind of competition or feel obliged to get rid of your treasured possessions. Just learn as you go and evolve naturally to the level you are comfortable with. No one is keeping score.

* * * * * * *

A year and a half has gome by since I started my declutter mission and seven months since I wrote the above post and yet every word written there stays true for me. I still am by no means what you would consider a minimalist but I sure am enjoying my much decluttered home and am still not to a point where I am satisfied that my home is as decluttered as I would like. I don’t think either that I have moved the goal posts because really there never were any. My intension was to learn as I go and declutter certain items when I was ready to let go and that is still happening. It is not only happening for me but also for my family members which makes this job even easier and more satisfying.

I still have some areas of my home that have been on my radar right from the start that I either need to revisit or I haven’t even touched yet. I am quite content with that because it has been a continuous effort and I will get to them or back to them when I am good and ready. The changes in my home have been wonderful and I will continue to enjoy the process and the progress.

Today’s Declutter Item

The only time I ever use this electric knife is at Christmas when we buy a leg of ham. I am sure we could manage the task with an ordinary carving knife that doesn’t take up this much room. Off to the thrift store with you old faithful once a year clutter.

Electric Knife

Something To Be Grateful For

When decluttering your home never look back. Be grateful that you had the means by which to accumulate all the clutter you have, think how much money you will save in the future by adopting better spending habits and be happy with each items that leaves your home. Guilt and sadness are of no use to you except maybe to remind you to be more selective in the future, just be grateful of the new beginning.

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