We have all seen advertisements for product that enticed us into believing that "I just can't do without that!" and "I must have one!"Â We have fallen in love with the idea that the advertisement is selling. I say idea because even though the idea is great that doesn't mean that the product is going to live up to the expectation that you have drawn up in your head. The tip today to save you money and wasted space is to get on your computer and look for product reviews for these "must have" items before you rush out to buy them. Granted you can't always believe the reviews either but if there … [Read more...]
Day 82 Those pesky inherited items
I have a part-time job selling furniture and quite often I encounter people who are wanting to buy chairs to go with an old table that great aunt so and so left to them. They are looking for chairs because even though the table is going strong the chairs that go with it are no longer safe to sit on. Now more often than not these people admit that this is a beautiful well crafted piece of furniture that should be appreciated for what it is but the fact of the matter is that they would prefer that is was being appreciated by someone else. They have kept it purely because it is a heirloom and … [Read more...]
Day 78 The gift that just keeps giving???
Rule number one of de-cluttering... Just because you have something that was given to you as a gift doesn't mean you can't get rid of it. A quick story to emphasise this point. When moving house once when I was a teenager we were packing up a clock that had hung on the kitchen wall for as long as I could remember and for just as long it had been 10 minutes fast. One of us said to Mum "Isn't is time we got rid of that stupid clock it has never kept time properly" and my Mum's response was "I can't get rid of it, it was a wedding present". While carrying the box the clock was sitting in … [Read more...]
Day 77 Too much of a good thing
How many of you have all the following cleaning products cluttering up that space in the laundry cupboard, under the kitchen sink or in the garage. Microfibre Cloth & Water • Window Cleaner • Car Wash • Floor Cleaner Toilet Cleaner • Drain Cleaner • Mould Spray • Bleach Cream Cleanser • Metal Cleaner • Stove Top Cleaner All Purpose Spray • Shower Cleaner Carpet Spot Cleaner • Pre-Wash Spray In my experience you only need the four products hi-lighted to do most of the cleaning jobs around the home. Toilet cleaner with bleach will do … [Read more...]
Day 76 Sometimes we need help
Lets face it, we all have clothes in our closet we haven't worn for some time that for one reason or another we are reluctant to part with. Well, today I have a plan to help you sort out your closet and at the same time take away the difficult part of that task, choosing. Pick a friend someone you have known for a least a couple of years who you trust and value their opinion. Ask them to help you go through your closet and decide for you the items that they feel need to go. Since they have known you for a reasonable amount of time they will know what clothes they have never or rarely seen … [Read more...]
Day 73 Downsizing
Sometimes to de-clutter can mean downsizing. Today's item is a set of speakers and a tuner that have been taking up an un-necessary amount of space in our lounge room for some time. Even though we have replaced these items we still have ended up with "Less Things" because we have replaced two speakers and one tuner with one small i-Pod Docking station. This is an example where de-cluttering is costing money, even though we did sell the old items on eBay for $50 it cost $399 for the new item. Taking into account that my husband bought the speakers and tuner before we were married 23 years … [Read more...]
Day 72 Accumulation + Laziness = Loss of Space & Dollars
Sometimes we can end up with multiples of certain things hiding in several places around the house. The Allen Keys that are today's discard are a perfect example. They seem to have bred like rabbits throughout our house, some in the garage, some in the office desk, some in the kitchen drawer and some in that useful tool kit we keep in the laundry. This causes a two part problem, firstly- that there are just too many of them and secondly- that when you do need one you may forget some of the places they are hiding and end up having to buy another because you can't find the size you need. This … [Read more...]