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.

These days I nearly always sit on my bed to write my blog posts. I really like it in my bedroom. I like it’s contrast of white and dark, I like the art on the walls and I like my comfiness of my bed with its fluffy blanket and no duvet. But there are still things in this room that make it a little full for my liking. Todays missions will reflect that and maybe they will help you to make your bedroom a more serene place to relax.

Monday – Declutter excess bedding items.

Tuesday РDeclutter a d̩cor item that is collecting dust. That might be a rarely used lamp, things on your dressing table or perhaps an old teddy on a chair.

Wednesday – Declutter a piece of furniture that is weighing the room down. I have two tub chairs in my bedroom and that is one too many. It is about time I discussed this with my husband I think.

Thursday – Declutter some clothing items if they are too tightly packed into your closet or drawers.

Friday – Declutter unnecessary items in or on your bedside tables if you have them.

Saturday – Declutter anything cluttering up under your bed or in the bottom of your wardrobe.

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

Don’t use throw away cleaning wipes. They have them for cleaning wood, kitchen spills, television screens, make-up removal etc etc. They are usually made from manmade fibres, soaked in chemicals and sold in plastic containers, all of which are bad for the environment. You can do all these jobs with a little water and a microfibre cloth that can be washed and used over and over again.

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

A box without hinges, key, or lid, yet golden treasure inside is hid. ~ JRR Tolkien

I have a box. Just. One. It contains no treasure but there is something hiding in it. It’s a plastic storage box measuring 60 by 35 by 42cm, which has helped me preserve my sanity, well, sort of preserve my sanity. It lives in the storeroom, sitting to the left of the entrance, looking harmless and, well, um, just like a plastic storage box. What it contains, however, is a Hydra of paper clutter and just like the creature in Greek mythology that grew two heads each time one was chopped off, this monster, I could almost swear, breeds and gives birth to multiple sheets of paper, in an act of defiant revenge, each time I process a batch.

So, how did this creature come to life? Echidna and Typhon played no part in its creation; I did it all by myself and I have been waging war against this paper serpent ever since. You could say that this is the Achilles’ heel in my decluttering battle. After decluttering a good deal of other stuff, I had paper clutter left to weed out. I found it annoying to have stacks of paper lounging around nonchalantly in an otherwise relatively uncluttered home and I corralled these stacks and dumped them unceremoniously into the box, and placed it in the storeroom. It was out of the way and yet in plain sight so that I could not forget its existence. The plan was to process a handful each time, to be filed, shredded or recycled, till the box was empty. But, what often looks good on (sigh!) paper doesn’t always turn out the way you want it to, in reality.

I’m pretty good in handling current incoming paper (I ensure that any junk mail, for instance, has a shorter lifespan than that of an adult mayfly and I try to file necessary papers as soon as I possibly can), it’s the paper from my pre-filing cabinet days that I’m still going through. Having it contained in the box allows me to tackle it a little at a time and if even that gets a bit too much, to take a breather and ignore it for a while, before coming back to it. And as I only remove papers from the box and do not add any, it should only be a matter of time before every single piece of paper is either rehoused or gone for good, right? Yeah, that’s what I used to think … I’m not so sure any more.

I have come across useful information regarding handling and reducing paper clutter, on this blog and elsewhere, and I employ the techniques that I’ve learnt in my ongoing battle. And I know that persistence, will, eventually pay off. And so, with Henry V’s battle cry of ‘Once more unto the breach, … once more;’ ringing in my ears, I will keep going till I finally defeat this monstrosity.

Do you have a clutter nemesis? Is it paper or something else? Do you have a battle plan for fighting it?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter excess furniture or stuff on your veranda, balcony or patio. Wind blows in leaves and dust which is harder to clear away when stuff needs moving to get at it.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Eco Tip for the Day

Don’t leave your car idling for unnecessary periods of time such as when you pull over to use your cell phone. 10 seconds of idling uses more fuel than restarting your car.  http://www.consumerenergycenter.org/myths/idling.html

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

Níriel jokingly suggested that to complete last Friday’s mission she should eat all the ice cream in her house. It sounded like a good idea to me but then it got me thinking. Along with stuff decluttering one thing most people, in today’s Western culture, could stand to do is declutter their food choices. I know I have written about this before, and annoyed at least one person in the process, but it is worth repeating.

It isn’t aimed towards the idea that everyone ought to be thin, it is about having a healthy diet and an uncluttered pantry and fridge. And the best way I know of to avoid unhealthy foods is to not have stockpiles of it in your home. That isn’t to say you can’t have a little of it to indulge occasionally, but a weeks supply of chocolate bars, a fridge full of soda and a family sized packet of crisps to be gorged on everyday isn’t good for either the waistline, your body health or an efficient use of your pantry and fridge space. And, from experience, the older you get the more one should adhere to this line of thinking.

Ingredients like rice, pasta, potatoes, highly processed cereals, white flours, sugars, syrups… are all best used in moderation unless you are highly active people. Ingredients like this used to take up two shelves in a largish pantry in my home, now they take up one small drawer. Since a whole cake or a batch of cookies, for two people over fifty, should take longer to eat than the shelf life allows, I don’t bother to bake much these days. Therefore, when I do bake, I just purchase the ingredients I need, use them up and carry on as usual.

I know what sort of foods we particularly like and grocery shop for those kinds of ingredients. This doesn’t mean that I don’t experiment with recipes every now and again, it just means that I don’t go nuts buying all sorts of exotic ingredients that end up going out of date in my cupboard. If I do buy an ingredient that is a little different to usual, I will just buy what I need for the meal I am making or creatively use up any excess in another recipe soon after.

The kitchen is one of those areas in my home where I have boundaries for things, and what I stock must be contained within those boundaries. Having limits really does help one think twice about what to buy and what to leave on the shelf.

So what things do you have in the way of ingredients and or junk food in you home that you would be better not to stock or eat?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something from under a piece of furniture. Stuff on floors make them difficult to vacuum or sweep.

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.

Ok, this weeks lets do some mini missions that will help keep your house tidy. Decluttering that eliminates a few things that make cleaning house more difficult than it need be.

Monday – Declutter an item from the kitchen countertop. Kitchens can be messy places and the less stuff you have on your countertops the less things are going to get messed up, and the easier it is to clean the countertops themselves.

Tuesday – Declutter a dust collecting knickknack.

Wednesday – Declutter something from under a piece of furniture. Stuff on floors make them difficult to vacuum or sweep.

Thursday – Declutter any unnecessary stuff cluttering around your bath or shower. Even though these are wet areas they can also get dusty. Also mildew/mould can build up under items that water pools under.

Friday – Declutter excess furniture or stuff on your veranda, balcony or patio. Wind blows in leaves and dust which is harder to clear away when stuff needs moving to get at it.

Saturday – Declutter excess decorative cushions from your bed. Making beds can be a pain at the best of times, but having to pile off and on those cushions all the time make it that much more of a pain. And lets face it, the rest of the time they are collecting dust and if you suffer from nasal allergies then you will know that the less things collection dust the better it is from keeping a clear nose.

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

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

I have a friend who wants to be a stay-at-home mom.  She and her husband have been working to figure out how they can make it possible.  My mother has always said she wishes we had another bedroom for the guests that never visit.  These are just two examples of how you need to consider the cost.

What do I mean by “consider the cost?”  It means considering the cost of having what you have and how to afford what you want.  In the case of Mom’s wish for another bedroom you have to consider the cost of heating/cooling that room, the cost of additional time to clean it, the cost of a larger payment for the home, the cost of the increased taxes, and numerous other costs.  Is having that extra room worth the cost?

Consider my friend’s dilemma.  What can they do to make it possible for her to stay home with their children?  We all know that owning a home (even paying a mortgage) is cheaper than renting.  At least that is the case here in the US right now.  Like in the case above there are many costs to maintaining a home.  We know that the bigger it is the more costly it is to own and run. Along with the cost we have mentioned in the first example there are also the costs to owning and maintaining items like cars, lawn mowers, and other items.  They all have maintenance and replacement costs.  If you add up these costs and divide the total by your hourly pay (including taxes) you will come up with the number of hours you have to work to pay for these items. 

What does this have to do with decluttering you ask?  Consider the cost–the cost of maintaining the room, the maintenance and the necessity of everything you have.  I’m sure that Colleen can tell you that the home they have now costs much less than their previous home.  Society has lulled us into thinking we need much more that we really do in order to “get a life.”  Does your family really need the size of your present home?  Do you need that extra bedroom, that office, that bonus room, that third garage bay, etc?   Do you need those 4 TV’s, that extra car, that room full of craft supplies, that garage full of “toys” (or junk), those skis when you only get used twice a year, etc?  Life is always in flux and needs change. 

Let’s go back to my friend’s dilemma.  How did they resolve it?  They downsized.  Here in this area of Arizona the eco-friendly landscape is one that has rock, cactus and a few other low-moisture plants/trees.  It means minimal maintenance.  So they downsized to a home just the size for their family with an eco-friendly landscape.  They traded his truck for an economy model.  The huge kitchen was traded for one that contained just what they needed and used.  For everything they had they considered the cost and over half of what they owned made the cut. 

Are you considering the cost of everything you own?  How can that help you make decisions that will make things easier and less costly for you?

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something cold to the touch.

Eco Tip for the Day

Deb post today is a good example of thinking about the cost of things. The more you save on things you don’t need is of benefit to the environment as well. Everything we consume has some sort of effect on the environment. So don’t think about what you are giving up for the sake of the environment, instead think what both you and the environment have to gain.

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

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.

Well, I figured everyone enjoyed the set of mini missions with colour as the theme so this week I thought I’d do something similar. Instead of a visual cue we are going tactile. So this weeks decluttering is all about texture. Let’s see how we go.

Monday – Declutter something furry or fluffy.

Tuesday – Declutter something soft or spongy.

Wednesday – Declutter something smooth or shiny.

Thursday – Declutter something rough or gritty.

Friday – Declutter something cold to the thouch.

Saturday – Declutter something moist.

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

It you most use heating or cooling in your home, make sure your air-conditioning unit is service regularly and the filters kept clean so they run as efficiently as possible.

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.

Monday is here again, where do the weeks go? And as time flies the seasons change and that is a good time for decluttering. It has got decidedly cooler here at my end of the world and that means pack away the Summer clothes and out with the clothes for cooler climate. And time to let go of the clothes and things that at seasons end are looking a little shabby or weren’t used enough to warrant keeping. So lets see if I can come up with some good end of season mini missions.

Monday – Declutter those clothing items that didn’t get used through the closing season and aren’t useful for the next.

Tuesday – Declutter any clothes from the closing season that have gotten to shabby to wear.

Wednesday – Declutter any season specific shoes that didn’t get used last season or aren’t likely to be used for the next or when the closing season returns next year.

Thursday – Identify and start a use it up challenge on ingredients that are less likely to be used during the next season.

Friday – Declutter some toys, sporting or recreation equipment that is unlikely to be used again next season or when the closing season returns.

Saturday – Do a quick perusal of your outdoor area and declutter a few things that won’t be used again after this season comes to a close.

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

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.

Now what can we declutter this week. I have mostly been decluttering craft materials but not everyone would be into that. So I’ll have to come up with something else. I know, we’ll have a verb loaded decluttering week. Each mission will be about what you do with stuff. Confused? Well you’ll soon figure it out.

Monday – Declutter something you eat from.

Tuesday – Declutter something that is played with.

Wednesday – Declutter something you wear.

Thursday – Declutter something the decorates your home.

Friday – Declutter something used for entertaining. Books, CDs, DVDs…

Saturday – Declutter something for grooming.

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 economical with your grooming products. Using more than necessary doesn’t give a better result. Any wastefulness is not good for the environment.

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

I thought I would give you links to some interesting websites. Most of these sites help digitally organise your life without need for clutter. In fact in some cases they can eliminate some paper clutter at the very least.

The first one is actually to an article on a funding site by a 19-year old woman who learned early from her mom about decluttering and living minimally.  This link is to one of her first posts as she tells about her philosophy and reasons for living this way.  Click on www.gofundme.com/dkzs18 then scroll down to Update #1.

www.Mint.com  This is an app for those who want an accounting/checkbook type program on their phone or tablet.  It is by Intuit the company that produces the Quicken program for computers.  Moni told me about this one and I am planning to put it on my tablet once I find the time.

www.dropbox.com  A cloud based storage site for documents, spreadsheets, photos, etc.  I use this and have had no problems with it.  I wanted more storage than they offer free so I pay a small monthly fee for more space. 

www.flickr.com   A place to create albums of photos that you can keep private, share with a few or open to the public.  One of many such websites.

www.Snapfish.com  and   www.shutterfly.com    Two of many websites where you can create a digital scrapbook of memories that can then be printed. 

www.igrocerypal.com   lets you digitally create your grocery list and it will automatically organize your selections by the type of food and aisle. The app also syncs up with local stores to help you find the best deals while making your list and shopping. 

www.mealboard.com   MealBoard combines recipe management, meal planning, groceries and pantry management into a single app. It is fully customizable. You can manage your recipes, ingredients, food categories, meal types, stores, store aisles, grocery items and many more with its clean, uncluttered interface.

www.shoeboxed.com  Lets you scan & organize receipts and business cards, create expense reports, track mileage and more.

www.clothapp.com   an app for iPhone that makes it easy to save, categorize, and share your favorite outfits. The app also uses real-time weather data to help you pick your best outfits for current conditions. If you have iOS 8, you can even wake up to an alert with the weather, and your best looks for the day.

Some of these I have used.  Some I have just read about and scanned their website.  I’m sure some of you may have other apps you like that you find enhance your productivity and provide you with more time to do things you prefer rather than keeping track of various aspects of your life.   Please share those.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something that is located on the floor.

“If we do not feel grateful for what we already have, what makes us think we’d be happy with more?” — Unknown

Sometimes, when it comes to the stuff around our homes, we continue to own things just because we always have. To have them has literally become a habit. Fortunately any habit that has been created can also be broken.

There are two ways that you can experiment with breaking the ownership habit. The first, which we have spoken of in the past, is to have a trial separation from a selection of your stuff. Choose things that you are on the fence about decluttering, then put them away somewhere out of sight for a selected period of time. If you haven’t had the need for these objects during the trial period, or perhaps learned to improvise in order not to need them, then you are safe to send them permanently on their way, if you so choose.

The other way is more suited to less permanent objects, items that come, are used up and then usually replaced. Products like toiletries, cleaners, paper products, cooking ingredients, wrapping materials etc. You’d be surprised how many of these items inhabit your home, and how much you really don’t need many of them.

The experiment to declutter such items is to use up your current supply and choose a trial period of time during which you do not replace it. If, at the end of that period, you have happily survived without said product you just don’t ever replace it. If living without it was unpleasant then you have lost nothing and can go back to purchasing it again.

There are many of the second example above that I have decluttered over my years of slowing purging my home of unneeded stuff. Plastic wrap, cleaners, makeup items, stationery items, craft supplies, cooking ingredients, toiletries… Some I have gone without altogether while others I just keep less variety of. Either way I am wasting a lot less space storing them. And I dare say I am also having less impact on the environment.

I am still slowly eliminating more and more of these products as time goes on, and I feel better for it. I am continually discovering that there are so many things, that are of little value to me, that I can happily live without.

What items in your home have you experimented with doing without? Please share your stories with us. They are all successes whether you decided you could or couldn’t live without them, because at least you were brave enough to give it a go.

Today’s Mini Mission

Declutter something from outside.

Eco Tip for the Day

Eliminate as many chemicals as you can from your home. There are many natural products that can perform the same tasks with a lot less impact on the environment.

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