Even though my blog is primarily about decluttering there is a very strong element of doing the right thing by the environment. I have a lot to learn in this area but I would like to think I am making a pretty good effort.

I do try to be conservative with the amount of heating and cooling we use in our home. This is made easier because we live in a relatively small home by choice. I try to be conservative with the amount of driving I do but there is plenty of room for improvement in this area also. I am not getting much assistance with the miserable weather we have been having here lately though.

I recycle every little thing I can and even surprise myself at how little actual garbage our family generates. I do have a few issues in this area that I would like to start a discussion about. I am very concerned about the amount of recycling that is generated in my home due to day to day living. I feel inundated sometimes with plastic Juice and milk bottles, cardboard packaging and tin cans. Even though I know these items are going to be recycled I would rather be able to cut down on the quantity. It would be lovely if you could take these containers back and have them refilled like you do with fuel in your car but that just isn’t likely to become a reality.

Not in a million years would I consider dropping even one item of litter but I am concerned about how many of the items I do put in the recycling and garbage bins may end up as litter anyway. I was watching a show on TV involving waste management just this week and was appalled at the amount of trash that was blowing away in the wind from the landfill. Does this also happen at the recycling plants and public trash cans?

I went for a walk with a friend the other day along a boardwalk in a mangrove area near her home. I could not believe the amount of trash washed up among the mangrove trees. My friend said a lot of this garbage washing down the storm drains from the city streets. It truly shocked me. Are people really this careless I would like to think not.

ITEM 245 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Just more clothes. I thought it was females who had the overcrowded closets!

A guest post by – My Husband

During a recent overseas business trip I read about an experiment to choose six clothing items and only use those items for a month. You could have multiple copies of each item, even a different colour counted as a separate item but underwear, sleepwear, shoes and jackets etc did not count. I looked at my standard travel wardrobe, and found two pairs of Columbia pants, four sweat-wicking golf shirts (three colours) and two pairs of shorts. Five items to which I could add a more formal shirt for those dressier occasions, and still meet the Six Items or Less challenge. I lived with these five items for three weeks, and as you read this I am using them again for a month in Italy. No one ever comments on my limited wardrobe, and my daily choices are limited to picking the colour of my shirt for the day. Could I live like this for longer periods, or is six items too few to cover every contingency?

I decided that with some minor modifications, the experiment could be applied to my every day life and significantly reduce the size of my wardrobe. The first adaptation was to allow different colours of the same items so my four golf shirts would become one item. I also allowed myself some latitude items that get regular use in rotation with other similar items. For example, I had many long-sleeve shirts of different brands from which I selected the ones I use regularly and counted them as one item. As these items wear out I will look at following my plan to find an item I like that will replace all the differing brands. Using these adaptations, I have reduced my wardrobe to seven items plus work uniforms that are supplied and required by my employer.

I feel liberated from the fashion cycle, and yet have retained the best of my clothes while ridding myself of clothes that are functional but never made it into my rotation. For most of us, we keep returning to the same old favourites until they fall apart, so why clutter our closets with clothes that are never going to be worn? With a smaller clothing footprint, the clothes are not jammed into the hanging space, come off the hanger ready to wear and I can see my entire wardrobe in one place.

The Six Items or Less challenge looks daunting at first but a worthwhile experiment for anyone seeking to simplify their life. The original experimenters had a variety of experiences, and you can read their stories here. Now it is your turn.

ITEM 242 OF 365 LESS THINGS

The first of the clothes that were decluttered from my hubbies closet

Today I received an email from Barb who had a question about children’s’ art projects. Here is what she wrote…

How have you handled children’s art projects, etc. I have a whole box of them and just not sure what to do!!!!

My response was this…

I have made of point of revisiting my stash several times and been more ruthless with each visit. I am now considering digitising what is left and making a disc for each child. My son was quite prolific with writing “wild” stories when he first started school and they are a classic to read over and over again so I would never part with them but I don’t feel it is really necessary to have the original hard copy. I will ask their opinion on that before I destroy anything though.

This was a simple answer to the question and there is probably a lot more thought that could go into the subject. For instance, with all of the great on-line printing services we have access to these days wouldn’t it be nice to put together a book with their art work and school work samples. Even 3D objects could be photographed and added to the content. You could put it all in chronological order including their school photos from the corresponding years. Maybe even include sports photos and pictures of trophies or awards that they won along the way. You could choose to compile your own scrapbook rather than having it printed on-line if that is a craft you enjoy.

This is starting to sound like fun. If anyone has some more suggestions please send them in through the comments section and we will compile it all in a more comprehensive post for another day.

ITEM 238 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Braiding purchased for a special project that never happened.

Stationery is another one of those items I am leaving up to natural progression decluttering. It is a very slow process though. This evening I made a very small dent in our supplies and fulfilled a request from my daughter at the same time.

Last week, she asked me to print her a copy of the family cookbook that I had painstakingly digitised about 10 years ago.  I have added new recipes as I have tested and deemed them good enough to add to the regular rotation.

In printing the recipe book for my little girl I managed to use up…

• 68 pieces of coloured paper
• 34 plastic sleeves
• 13 stick-on divider tabs
• 1  ring binder

…the coloured paper was bought for another project some years ago. The sticky tabs are just spares. I am happy to say that the plastic sleeves and binder are from papers we decluttered a while back so are being reused. That’s only a drop in the bucket when it comes to the using up the abundance of stationary in our house but it’s a start.

ITEM 224 OF 365 LESS THINGS

The cookbook in question. I know it is very 1990’s in layout but that is when I originally digitised it and I am not about to go to the bother of updating. It isn’t quite finished yet but it is close enough to photograph for today’s post.

Last Monday, Day 214, my post was about supply and demand. I promised to keep track of my efforts to avoid being wasteful all week and let you know how I went. The idea is to lower the demand for items therefore lessen the necessity to supply them.

Well here is the result…

• I avoided using throw away utensils and containers when eating out. Luckily at most cafes here in Australia coffee comes in china cups unless you order it to go and they have metal utensils so this wasn’t difficult to achieve.
• As usual I didn’t bag up my fruit and vegetable when at the supermarket so no plastic bags wasted here.
• I also took my own carry bags to the supermarket so once again no plastic bags wasted.
• I walked to work on Thursday and car pooled on Monday saving some gas.
• I mended two items of clothing so they could be worn again instead of being replaced.
• I returned some wire coat hangers to the drycleaners so they could be reused.
• I used Tupperware containers to store some individual chicken breast fillets  in the freezer rather than putting them in plastic freezer bags like I normally would. I will be doing this all the time in future.
• I ate porridge for breakfast all week to use up some oats that were getting a little old in the cupboard. I would have bought a new packet of cereal otherwise.
• We have been eating “end of day” bread all week that was given to my son by a friend who works at a bread shop. This bread would have ended up in a dumpster otherwise and I would have bought fresh bread.
• I oiled and seasoned the vegetables before roasting in a bowl rather than in a plastic bag like I usually would. Once again I will be doing this all the time in future.
• I have been buying my meat at the butcher where even though they still put the cuts in a plastic bag they don’t use Styrofoam trays. Another new habit I will stick with. Actually I might take my own container in future eliminating the plastic bags altogether.
• Aside from groceries and a new lid for my skillet I bought nothing else all week. This has become the norm for me though.

My husband spent the last three weeks in Hawaii and as instructed bought me back no gifts. He does want to buy me a new iPad to replace this laptop that I write my blogs on but this old faithful is going to have to falter more than it already is before I will let him replace it. I am getting used to its little quirks anyway and maybe some times I have to wait a while for it to load things but that is not to bad.

I know all this may not seem like much in the big scheme of things but if everyone made a little more effort to cut back the world would be better for it. I am quite happy with my efforts and I pledge to continue to find more ways to improve.

ITEM 221 OF 365 LESS THINGS

I don’t know how many year it is since my husband used this dart set.

Earlier this week I received a comment from Angelina requesting that I write a post about minimizing kids’ wardrobes. Below is what she wrote…

I love your blog, I read it everyday. I am a stay at home Mom with two kids. I was wondering if you can write about Minimalist Wardrobe for Kids. My kids have so much clothes, I don’t know how to keep up with them. My mother in law buys them clothes all the time, non-stop. The clothes are driving me crazy.

Keep up the great job, I can’t get enough of your blog, I’ve recommend your sites to my family and friends too.

Now first up I would like to say the I would not consider myself a minimalist by any stretch of the imagination although I agree in principle with the minimalist movement. I prefer to think that at best I am only at the start of that journey but like the feel of the trip so far.

That being said I will be happy to give my take on Angelina’s problem. Now I am going to be quite blunt here because I think there is no other way around this and I think in the long run Angelina will agree with what I am about to say. Her own comment/request hinted at the real problem here and I think she just needs a little advice on how to handle it tactfully. I am not always the most tactful person though I must admit but I will give it my best shot.

Angelina’s problem isn’t her children and it isn’t their wardrobe the problem is that her Mother-in-law doesn’t know when enough is enough. She means well I am sure but excess is not only bad for the environment but it is also not a good lesson to teach children. Unfortunately, the only solution to this problem is to make a request of the MIL to cut back on this unnecessary supply of clothing.

Now I don’t know how close their relationship is but, no matter what, she cannot idly stand by and let this continue. We often make the mistake of sacrificing our own needs for the needs of others but when the other person’s actions are having a negative effect on more than just ourselves (although that really is enough in some cases) then it  is time to stand up for what you believe in.

There clearly needs to be a conversation between Angelina and her MIL and perhaps it should go like this.

1. Lead in with a compliment…“‘MIL you provide such lovely clothes for the children, they are always so neatly dressed and I can see you love them dearly”….
2. Continue with a little gratitude…“and I am grateful to you for your generosity”…
3. Then comes the BUT… “but the quantity of clothes you provide for the kids is just too much. There is no way they will ever get the full value out of each item when there are so many to choose from and it is such a waste. This excess is not a good lesson to teach the children and not good for the environment either”. You may want to add something here about your goal to cut down on clutter in your home.
4. Now is when the request comes in with a little lacing of more gratitude for sweetener…“It is not my intention to upset you but I really would prefer that you cut back on the quantity of clothing you have been buying for them. I do appreciate your generosity but it is just too much. Do you think you could do that for me?”

At no point in this conversation have any demands been made. There is a good balance of gratitude and a clear explanation of the concerns both for Angelina’s thoughts on the waste involved and the feelings of the MIL. I think this formula can be adapted to fit with a number of situations to request people to cut back on the excess they provide you against your personal requirements.

I have made a page of this called Request Formula in case you would like to reference it for future issues. I am always open to suggestion on improvement so if you think I need to add something to it please feel free to let me know.

Well Angelina, I hope this was helpful to you and I look forward to hearing how things went for you with your mother-in-law.

ITEM 219 OF 365 LESS THINGS

We bought this set of snorkel gear when on vacation once. We should have left them at the beach for someone else to take as they have never been used since. I gave them to the son of a friend because they go to the beach all the time.

Yesterday I received an email from Denise which raised some interesting decluttering questions. I have edited and reworded the email as I did not have time to contact Denise to get her approval to quote it verbatim but I am sure she will know it was her and this is what she asked… (more or less)

What happens when you have gone through the house once and think you have decluttered significantly. I am sure I could do better but I wish I could see items around the house with “new eyes”. If you reach an impasse, do you try again or try another project and come back to decluttering in a few days? Does leaving the house help?

I have never really “gone through the house”. I am very much in tune to what is in my home probably due to the fact that I have moved so many times over the years. Since the last move I have added very little  but removed a lot therefore I know what is where and what I really don’t need/want/use.

Most days either my husband or I think of something that needs to go. Some days we do put aside more than one thing while on others we may be dealing with the removal of one item or another either selling, dismantling for recycling, putting in the garage for the next donation drop off not to mention photographing for the blog. We have even been trying to get ahead a little because we have a vacation planned soon. (Stay tuned for more info on that)

In the end there is an average on one item a day to be decluttered and added to the blog.

As for seeing things with new eyes, that happens all the time. The more I write and read on the subject of decluttering and minimalism the more ruthless I become about the “useless to me” items around my home. I would never call these items totally useless as they have potential to be useful to someone else. That is why so many things have either been donated or sold. I may pass over an area time and time again and find something else I realise doesn’t mean that much to me after all. That is the beauty of 365lessthings I learn and change as I go. There are so many things that at the start of this journey I would have had difficulty parting with but my attitude and belief systems have matured as time has passed.

That is not to say that I never have burn out days. They are usually days where other things are getting me down which can cause my enthusiasm to become a bit stagnant. Life goes on outside of my decluttering and blogging world that can stress me out and make me want to curl up in a ball just like anyone else. I wouldn’t want to let my readers down so a drag my sorry butt to my computer and troll though other sites to give me inspiration. Sometimes a comment from my wonderful readers will get me inspired. I know there are so many things still in my home that need to go so I just shake off my doldrums and get to it and I usually feel better for the effort.

Denise asked if getting out of the house helps. I like to take a long walk each day which isn’t always possible but a walk sure does raise the spirits and gives me time to think about what I am willing to tackle that day. Unfortunately lately the lousy weather we have been having and the extra hours I have been putting in at work have certainly put a damper on my mood and restrictions on my time. Denise works from home so I can imagine getting out would be essential to put her in a better frame of mind to see things with a fresh eye.

Who knows maybe Denise has done all that needs doing for now. Everyone’s journey is different. We all have different needs and are at varying stages in our lives. One persons idea of being decluttered may be vastly different to another. I suggest take a second look at your feelings and not so much at the items themselves. I find it is a natural progression and I really just make it up as I go along. If I felt like I was done now I would stop.

So good luck Denise, I hope this was helpful to you and to my other readers as well.

ITEM 215 OF 365 LESS THINGS

Another item just like yesterday’s only this one made more money, $36.00 in fact.

After reading Deb j’s write-up in yesterday’s post Hiring a Professional Organizer I got to thinking about the useless spaces that are in many homes. It makes a whole lot more sense to think outside the box and start utilizing these spaces for something more practical that suits our individual lives.

So often we conform with the norm and furnish our homes according to the original framework intended by the designer. When in actual fact it would be far more practical to turn a barely used room like a formal dining room into an area more suited to our own lifestyle like a craft room, an office, a playroom for the kids or even a gym. I knew a couple once that turned their formal lounge and dining rooms into an entertainment area. They included a 6 x 3 pool table and a digital movie projector with a big white screen and a couple of comfy sofas. What had just been an area of their home collecting dust was transformed into a place for pure enjoyment that was shared with friends and family.

Use the space you have wisely or if you don’t need the space downsize to a dwelling that leaves a smaller footprint on the planet. Something that emits less pollution to keep warm in winter and cool in summer. Something that best suits your lifestyle and personality not just a status symbol that is fundamentally impractical. Having not long done just this I am very pleased with the result and would never consider reversing this trend for our family.

ITEM 207 OF 365 LESS THINGS

More items my daughter no longer needs I gave them to a friends granddaughter.

I happened to see 5 minutes of an old Bewitched rerun this morning on television before I went to work. It struck me as amusing that this episode started out with a magazine subscription seller coming to Samantha’s door. Bewitched was filmed between 1964 and 1972 and even back then subscription sellers were harassing people to buy their wears.

I lived in Seattle between 2000 and 2007 and I remember how sad it was that these companies ripped these poor people away from their families to locations thousands of miles away in the vain hope that if they sell enough they will climb to the next rung of the ladder and maybe just maybe get somewhere in life. Purhaps these companies are legit and really are helping these people but I couldn’t help but think they were just being exploited.

Now that I have had my rant about that I’ll get back to the subject that I meant to talk about in the first place, sharing publications.

For no other reason than the reduction of polution caused by producing the paper and printing magazines and newspapers  we need to start either sharing publications or opting for online alternatives rather than buying hardcopies. Sadly even recycling these publication can be a sourse of polution according to a Wikipedia entry I have read on the subject.

Here are some ideas on how you can share publications…

• Share with friends, family, neighbours and work colleges.
• Borrow them from the library
• Read on-line
• Buy from second hand book stores you may not get the lastest edition of  magazines here but unless it is up to date news stories you are seeking this shouldn’t be a problem.
• Pass on the publications you do buy to school groups, craft groups, clubs or even your doctor’s surgery could use them in their waiting room.

I personally have stopped buying magazines and newspapers. The magazines I used to buy I can either subscribe to on-line or get the information I require from other on-line sourses. Like most clutter, out of sight out of mind,  if I don’t take the time to look at them on the newspaper stand I don’t know what I am missing.

ITEM 200 0F 365 LESS THINGS

I think these old golf magazines were sold on ebay but my husband isn’t home tonight to ask.

You are probably wondering where on earth I am going with this post today and what decluttering has to do with public toilets. Well I am fairly sure you are going to think I have lost the plot when you are done reading this post but I just don’t care. I have a pet peeve which has inspired me to start my own mini revolution here and you can either join me or not but it is something I hope catches on.

I hate hand driers they take too long to dry your hands. Couple that with the fact that half the time they either aren’t working properly or don’t work at all it can be very annoying. Not to mention a little late to find out when your hands are dripping wet. So I would much rather that there are paper towels provided in all restrooms. Unfortunately, this also causes another problem due to laziness and lack of common sense.

How many times have you been in a public restroom and have just finished drying your hands but there is no where to dispose of your paper towel because the trash receptacle is full to overflowing. You might immediately jump to the conclusion that the maintenance company ought to be more diligent at keeping the restrooms clean and tidy but in fact unthinking people are the problem here.

There is a very simple solution to this problem. Just follow the three steps below whenever you dry your hands…

1. Limit your towel usage by only choosing one piece of paper towel.
2. Dry your hand in the usual way.
3. And this last step is the key to the solution and yet so little effort is involved…

Roll the piece of paper towel into a tight ball in your hands before throwing it into the bin

Now how hard was that. If you think one piece of paper towel isn’t enough you will be pleasantly surprised to find the ball rolling step will actually prove to dry your hands that little bit more while being executed.

Just think of how many less environmentally unfriendly plastic bin liners will be required using this simple method. I would guarantee that the bins will need emptying at least five times less just by this one small effort. If the towel is made of recycled paper that is all the better.

So how many of you are with me on this. I don’t care if you think I am crazy or not just give it a go.

ITEM 193 OF 365 LESS THINGS

These magazine have been saved from recycling for now because someone was happy to pay $8.50 for them on ebay