Does your clutter say more about the person you aren’t than the person you are. Or perhaps the person you were, rather than the person you are now.

Lets take “the person you aren’t v. the person you are first.

Do you have outfits in your wardrobe that are the latest fashion but don’t really suit your taste or your body for that matter? Are there also pretty but uncomfortable shoes in there that you avoid using and when you do it is torture. Do you have ingredients in your pantry, shelves of dusty cookbooks or files of unused recipe clippings, and a kitchen full of rarely used utensils, pans and gadgets? Do you have craft supplies for a hobby that you loved the outcome of but have no aptitude to participate in? Do you have pretty, cups, plates and dishes in a china cabinet for fancy dinner parties that you never host?

I could go on and on with other examples but I think you get the idea. Can you see yourself in one of these examples or, after reading them, can come up with other forms of aspiration clutter around your house. If so, ask yourself, “Am I that person or do I only wish I was because it represents someone else’s ideal?” Make a better fist of trying this persona on for size by participating for a while. Long enough to come to a conclusion. Or give it up and be the unique person you really are with your own assets and lovable characteristics.

Question two ~ Does your clutter say more about the person you were rather than the person you are now.

Are there sporting items idle in your home from back in the day when you participated in that sport? Perhaps equipment that you keep telling yourself you might use again someday. Do you have half a closet of clothes that used to fit you and hope will again someday? Do you have old ingredients in your pantry for dishes you can no longer eat because of digestive sensitivities. Do you have a room or closet dedicated to toys and children’s clothes from back in the day when your children weren’t grown and left home. Do you have shelves of books you used to have the time to read once upon a time but now you don’t.

Once again there are more and more examples that I could come up with. I am sure each of us have at least one example of this kind of clutter that we just haven’t got around to disposing of. Then there is the case of not admitting to ourself that we have moved past that phase and are unlikely to ever return.

Take a look around your home and see if you can find examples of these kinds of clutter. I have two drawers full of beading supplies that I doubt I am ever likely to return to. I use the findings to repair broken jewellery for the thrift shop I volunteer at, but aside from that I haven’t actually used any of it for ages. At the very least I need to reduce these supplies, at the most I should let go of nearly all of it except what I really do use. I’ve decided to use some of it for a craft project I have in mind but after that I think I will find an outlet to dispose of what’s left. In fact I have an idea in mind.

Can you be honest with yourself about your aspiration, or past life, clutter? Let us know if you identified any and what you are going to do about it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a tool of some sort. Be it craft, kitchen or garage.

Eco Tip for the Day

Challenge yourself to put every piece of recyclable material in the recycling bin no matter how small.. It is easy to be blasé about small pieces of paper or plastic but so long as they can be recycled they are best kept out of landfill.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Recently my parents put a deposit on a property in a gated retirement community. I have to say I am very proud of them for taking this step. Mind you, it isn’t a fait accompli until the home is built and they have moved in, but being open to the idea and making the first move is a wonderful thing.

The home my parents are currently living in has become far more than people at their stage in life to should have to maintain ~ inside and out. In my opinion, the home itself has become their biggest item of clutter. Too many rooms to keep dusted, vacuumed and fresh, to much yard to mow and gardens to weed. Now they have decided to trade that in for a smaller premises, with added security and with lots of extra amenities thrown it ~ that they don’t have to maintain.

 For many people taking this step can be very difficult, sometimes only taken when fate steps in and deals them a painful blow, so to speak, which forces their hand. Often, once taken, these folks wonder why they were so reluctant because the outcome was far better than they had envisioned. Sadly I have also heard of many cases where the previous dwelling was the actual cause of that painful blow, due to its unsuitability for the persons mobility or reduced capacity to deal with the responsibilities involved.

My husband and I have already made such a move in our middle age. Better sooner than later I say, than wearing oneself out on unnecessary household duties.

I am glad that my parents have, through choice,  moved from house to  house throughout their married life making it less difficult to make this next move. but this isn’t the case for many people. Some having lived in, raised their children in and intend to die in the same home for just about their entire adult lives. I can only imagine how difficult it must be for them. And for some it is never necessary to make the move.

Like my parents, my husband and I have also been temporary dwellers in several homes. To us a home is where the heart is and the heart can be very transplantable in our case. Like Marco’s blue polo shirt in the post I linked to yesterday, the difference ii a polo shirt v the polo shirt. We are happy with a home to live in not needing it to be one particular house.

Has your home become your largest item of clutter. And if not, this question sure puts into perspective how trivial all those other smaller items of clutter are. Even if your current home is really quite suitable for you now is a good time to practise not being attached to material things by letting go of those little unimportant items.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter a something you have kept out of obligation but really wanted out of your house for some time. Perhaps an unwanted gift or a family heirloom you wish to hand on the responsibility to someone else in the family.

Eco Tip for the Day

Give consumable gifts. Preferably one from sustainable sources.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

I have never encountered a kitchen that wasn’t designed for clutter. There are nearly always cupboards in them that are too deep or high for practicality. These spaces are designed to store seldom used items. Everyone knows that the things you use all the time are the ones that are in the easy to reach places. In the fronts of the deeper cupboards and in the ones at the most convenient height. So I think it is entirely possible that everything else, at the very least, boarders on clutter and in most cases is clutter.

Yesterday I was doing some reorganising of my craft supplies and tools. Part of my plan was to rehouse some of them to the cupboard below the kitchen bench where I do my crafting. In order to do this said kitchen cupboard also needed rearranging. Most items in this cupboard are used regularly, so needed to be within easy reach. So to accommodate craft supplies I needed to install an extra shelf. In the end I was left with three shelves with most items neatly arranged to the front and nothing much in the back.

This is what got me thinking that kitchen cupboards really are designed for clutter. How much stuff do you have lingering in the far reaches of your kitchen cupboards that are rarely if ever used? How much would it really matter if you decluttered these items? And I mean, really matter. How much, just in case or, I use this only on special occasions or I used to use that, stuff are you hanging on to in your kitchen? Run a really critical eye over the murky depths of those cupboards this week and see if you can find at least a few things that you could happily live without.

To put things into perspective, these shelves are two feet (60cm) deep. The plates on the top shelf take up less than half of the shelf. And I am also considering decluttering some of those plastic containers. Although they all get used, they rarely all get used at once.

Today’s Mini Mission

Inspect the tools stored in your garage or other work space. There are usually a few that are a rarely if ever used. Declutter at least one.

Eco Tip for the Day

Save water and electricity ~think twice about how often you really need to wash your clothes and linens. Underpants and perhaps socks are the only clothing item the really need to be washed after one use. Most other clothing items are usually clean and fresh enough to wear twice unless badly soiled the first time round or if the weather is extremely warm and/or humid. Sheets need only be washed once a week at most while towels can last up to a week provided they are air dried between use.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Since today’s mini mission is to analyse your clutter weakness I thought it would be good if I also made it the subject of the day. Perhaps in the comments you might like to admit your clutter weakness and see if you can get any advice about it.

My clutter weakness would be my craft supplies. It is one of the few areas where I still add items. Mostly cutting dies and embossing folders. However there is more going out than is coming in so I am happy with that. And these items are being used over and over again. I did also bring home fabric and lace from my mother and mother-in-law but I am already making inroads into using that up.

My previous clutter weakness was garage sales. I used to go to them every weekend in the Summer when I lived in Seattle. I love a great bargain. Now I could count on one hand the number of garage sales I have been to in the seven years I have been back in Australia. Lead me not into temptation I guess. I do like the thrift shop though but only for items I am trying to avoid buying new that I have an immediate use for. And the beauty of getting items cheap is I have no qualms about donating them back if they don’t get used within a short length of time.

On a related topic, Wendy F and I went picking through the bulk waste pick up piles on the side of the road yesterday. We had a wonderful time. I was searching for some organising items for the art space where I sell my cards, which I found. I also brought home a free standing hand towel rail for one of our bathrooms. My husband and I had had a discussion about this just the other day. For some weird reason they never fitted hand towel holders in our apartment when it was built. If this rail doesn’t work out I will either be use to hang my potted plants on or be donated to the thrift shop. I also brought home a handful of suction cups from an old desk. We are in need of these as replacements for ones the removal company lost from my dinning table during our recent move. I tried them out but they aren’t quite right so they will go in the bin. It was the try though.

During this outing Wendy and I also collected up a car load of items to be donated to the thrift shop. I suppose you could say that one of my weakness is that I just can’t bare to see perfectly good stuff go to waste. It angers me to see this stuff dumped on the side of the road when it could have been easily boxed up and taken to a thrift shop. Why are people so lazy and frivolous?

Recognising a weakness is the first step to overcoming it. So what is your clutter weakness and do you have it under control?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter an item of your choice and spend 10 minutes thinking about what your particular clutter weakness is. Knowing this will help you avoid it in the future.

Eco Tip for the Day

If you see something going to waste, rescue it and donate it to someone in need or to a charity of your choice.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

I wanted to share two comments from yesterday because they are both good examples of rationalising ones belongings. So here they are along with my own thoughts on the subject.

From Claire

I have been working on Monday’s Mission, glass, for a few weeks now! We moved across country about a year ago and even though I had given away probably half of what we owned we still moved way too much stuff – we had over 80 boxes for 2 people, yikes! I found that kitchen items were at least 1/3 of those boxes. And also that everything glass took up twice the space in boxes because it had to be wrapped and padded. We are in an apartment that we will probably move from in a year, so I want to get our belongings down before we move again. I just added 8 Christmas glasses to the give away. They are wine glasses, we don’t drink, and they have Christmas flowers all over them. Only good once a year. I also added 8 soup bowls/crocks. They are really nice for soup but nothing else. I haven’t made soup in over a year now and don’t have plans to. If I did, I can just use regular bowls. I got rid of about 10 decorative dishes that don’t suit us anymore. They were made to hang on the wall but have been in a cupboard for years. I have 4 glass pitchers, rarely used, so I am parting with one. I still have way too many breakables/glass items for two people! I’m going to keep working on it for sure.

Claire’s rationalising is a good example of realising that items designed for a single use are often just clutter and we don’t really need them. This is especially so when we have more versatile substitutes already on hand. There is also no need to stock your home with items that you don’t use on a regular basis, such as wine glasses when you don’t drink wine. Sure someone may visit with a bottle one day but they can easily drink the wine from an ordinary drinking glass. Feeling that we need to cater to the enth degree to the occasional guest is a recipe for a cluttered home. This includes food items. I recently visited my in-laws in another state. My mother-in-law uses margarine, whereas I use butter (I don’t like margarine) and I love mint sauce with my lamb roast but she doesn’t stock it in her pantry. My toast was was quite edible with the margarine and my lamb roast was still delicious without the mint sauce. Had she bought these items they would have languished in her fridge and pantry for months.

From Vicki K

Ooooh – I am ready for Tuesday. I’ve been making my way through your archives, Colleen, and found a post about gift wrap. Really, I enjoy wrapping gifts but there are some wraps that I’ve had forever because I don’t like them well enough to use! While I was at it, I cleared out all the mashed bows, unusable tissue paper, tags, ribbons, one-purpose dispensers and left only the items I know I will use. Now it is all contained in one small bin – but I will use ALL of it.

And I am going to be disciplined about using up what I have before acquiring more. This part is key in a lot of areas!

Vicki’s example of rationalising is about downsizing a collection of items without compromising on enjoying it. As she says, she “..really enjoy’s wrapping gifts…” but doesn’t need to keep the materials she doesn’t like so much. She also realises that she can still enjoy it with less variety on hand.

I also found this to be the case with my craft supplies. I am enjoying my craft as much as ever these days with a whole lot less stuff on hand. I have a limited amount of space to store it and intend for the collection to remain within those confines. I did the same with my kitchen items, my Christmas decorations, my linen, my clothes and many other groups of things in my home. In fact their are a few areas of my new home that I think could still do with a little rationalising on now that we live in a smaller space.

Is there in area in your home that you need to rationalise in order to reach your declutter goal.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some paper items ~ Paper is one of the materials that can be really difficult for many people to deal with. Items made from this are either usually loved or hated. Books, magazines, letters and photos can be numerous and cherished, while paperwork is a pain to sort through and deal with. You only need to spend 10 minutes on this so make the most of it.

Eco Tip for the Day

Use only the amount of product required. This could be, hair products, cleaners, paper towel, toilet paper, deodorant and other toiletries etc etc. Using too much doesn’t do a better job it just causes waste.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Deb J

 Herbs and spices!  How many do you have?  Do you use them often?  How old are they?  As you can see we have way more than we need.  The majority of these are seldom used and some never used.  They have been around way too long in my book.  It drives me nuts but this is another place where Mom has her ideas and she isn’t going to change.  I’ve tried.  Some of these moved with us 5 years ago.  Yes, that’s right!  Five years ago!!  I wish it would all disappear.

I think we would be much better off if we tossed it all and just bought things as we use them and then in small amounts.  We are blessed to live where we have these stores with spices you can buy according to weight.  If you need a tablespoon of something you have never used before you can go there and buy it.  I like that.  You don’t have a bunch of something it turns out you don’t like.

My spice collection

If you only use it once or twice a year for some special recipe you don’t have to have it sitting around getting old.

I’m on a campaign to lessen the amount of spices we have and the age of them.  Wish me luck.

Today’s Mini Mission

This one may be more than a mini mission but that would depend entirely on how out of control you allow this area to become. The area for today is the desk top.

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.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

I thought this was a good comment from Sanna last week regarding how being decluttered makes life simpler.

Sanna wrote ~ “I’d add that it’s simpler to have a “cleaning day” as well. My home still gets messy, especially when bf and I are both very busy at work. Dishes and laundry still tend to pile, I have to admit. However, a few years back it would take hours – or even days – to get everything back into shape after some busy weeks and even then there would be piles left, stuffed in cupboards, under sofas or in the bedroom, just because we would be too exhausted to manage getting through all at once. Now, the mess is just superficial, which means that even if we feel we drown in chaos, we usually can achieve a tidy and clean home in just about two hours (including laundry and dishes), without hidden clutter left.”

Part of my response was this… “By the way I am curious. I often wonder how, when people are busy at work, they still manage to get their homes in a mess. It always seems to me that they aren’t there most of the time so why does the mess happen. You prove that having too much of everything could be a big part of the problem because when the excess is eliminated suddenly the biggest part of the mess is eliminated as well.”

I have found that, when you have a limited amount of things that you use regularly, you have to stay on top of the cleaning in order to have what you need when you need it. Therefore the laundry needs to stay up to date as does cleaning the dishes…

Many people resort to buying more items when keeping up isn’t working, but they are generally only digging themselves into a deeper hole. Avoiding work doesn’t make it go away it just makes it pile up so it gets even harder to deal with later. Not only that, things get lost in the mess which wastes even more time. And then there is the constant misery of knowing the mess is there waiting for you to deal with.

There is also the panic in the early morning because you can’t find that shirt you need for work, you then discover it crushed on the floor, unwearable. Hanging clothes when they can be worn again makes them easy to find and keeps them wearable. And arranging what you are going to wear the next day prior to going to bed makes for a less stressful start to the day. Have you ever noticed how when the day starts out bad it usually follows along in the same vein. So any wonder when you get home you are completely drained and just want to flop down and do nothing. Then dinner needs to be cooked you can barely move in the kitchen for dirty dishes piled up all over the place.

Just thinking about it makes me frustrated.

Like Sanna, have you noticed it has become easier to keep your home in order because you now have less stuff? Tell us about it.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that you aren’t using that could be helpful to someone else. Old eye glasses to be used for charity, children’s and baby clothes, a pair of runners, craft supplies to your local school or perhaps a tool or two to a Men’s Shed in your community.

Eco Tip for the Day

This eco tip was sent in my Cheryl. I’ve been trying to have less in my freezer so to fill up the space and save energy I’ve been filling milk jugs with water (not to full) and putting on the bottom and putting some boards on top. Fills up the air space and also makes it easier to get things out of the freezer.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Yesterday I received the following comment from Stephanie ~

“I just finished a use-it-up project on some leftover baby yarns that my late mum used part of, to do test work on a “masterpiece” crochet blanket for my son when he was born (he is 32!) 

My blanket, which used 23 asst small balls/ball ends, is a non-masterpiece giant granny square LOL. It will be given away tomorrow, and I have started on a second use-it-up blanket. Pretty sure there will end up being 4 use-it-up blankets by the time that box is empty. 

This is a good mindless TV project for me, and far better for me than snacking.”

What a fine example of tripling the pleasure of decluttering. First Stephanie has an outlet for her much enjoyed craft of crocheting, second she gets to use up a stash of wool that is otherwise cluttering up her home and third the finished product is donated to someone in need. How wonderful is that.

Like Stephanie I also love to do crafts. However one needs to have an outlet to move the craft on once it is completed, because there is only so much use and space for it in ones home. I recently saw a sign in a local art space window asking for volunteers to do shifts manning the space in return for having the opportunity to display ones art or craft for sale in the space. I jumped at the chance and now each Thursday I will be doing a four hour shift in return for displaying and hopefully selling my handmade cards. I get to enjoy my craft, possibly make a little money on the side, help out other artist by manning the space and decluttering some of my craft supplies that have featured so many time here at the blog.

What collateral pleasure to you receive from your decluttering efforts.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter some items left behind from a previous relationship. Items you can remember the good time without or that only serve to remind you of the bad times.

Eco Tip for the Day

Be familiar with all of the recycling possibilities in your area. Local government websites usually have lots of information on this. Also word of mouth your computer are other good ways of gaining this information.

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Deb J

We have a plethora of pots and pans as you can see by the picture (see below). This is an area I feel needs to be decluttered. Does anyone need this many cooking pots? Maybe a gourmet cook, which we are not. There are 3-4 of these we use on a regular basis. We make a lot of soups in the stock pot. We water sauté veggies a lot in the big skillet. We use the medium pot for steaming and the smaller one for cooking individual veggies. So why in the world do we have all the rest? Because Mom says we might need them. Mind you, we also have a microwave we use with a couple of covered glass dishes for cooking. Most of the things we usedf to do with the medium and small pot we now do in the microwave. This is one of the holdover areas for Mom. I’m still struggling on this one with her. I’m thinking a move to an independent living life care unit is on the horizon. They provide at least one meal. Maybe that will be the trigger that gets much of this decluttered.

How are you doing in this area of your kitchen.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter  something that has wiring in it. An old lamp, excess cables, jewellery, computer gear, a small appliance…

Eco Tip for the Day

Investigate mopping with microfibre. All I have used for the last 10 years at least is a microfibre mop and a little water (not a bucket full and no detergent).

For a full list of my eco tips so far click here

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

Hi there. Just a quick post today to say welcome to any new readers scouring the internet for suggestions of New Years resolutions.

I have one for you ~ Resolve to declutter one thing a day for a whole year. It isn’t hard but it sure is effective if your house is currently cluttered.

For those of you who have been decluttering for a while set a decluttering resolution that suits where you are at with your mission to unclutter.

My resolution this year is to get rid of anything that doesn’t fit comfortably into my lovely new little two bedroom apartment. I am loving it here and the only thing that will make it better is to trim down my stuff a little further. Join me on my journey and be inspired to let go what you don’t use or love.

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