Christina

Loved reading your bio, add another 20 years and we are almost identical, yes I am outspoken too!

My de cluttering occurred because we have lived in this home for 35 years and unlike friends and family have had no need to declutter due to moving house. I decided I didn’t want to leave unnecessary “stuff” for my 2 adult children to declutter when the time eventually comes ( we are determined to live until we are at least 90!) So I am religiously following your de cluttering advice on a daily basis, with a few extras of my own.

This last week I decided to attack my sewing /craft room, as our two granddaughters are now 8 and 10 they no longer want to do as much craft as previously so that was the first box to be de cluttered , old dried up paints were binned,some paints in little pots were washed out and the pots used for the beads which I was able to consolidate from the different cupboards and drawers. Next was my material/ lace stash, I rang a school teaching friend and she was thrilled with my offer of a huge box of very usable material, she has her students make clothes for a children’s charity as an assignment.

I regularly take a box of usable stuff to my local Salvos and they are always very appreciative, so what my friend couldn’t use will go to them.

My only dilemma has been decuttering the box of greetings cards, some from my childhood are 60 years old. Advice here please? I have collected a box of some of the cards from my children, they didn’t want them! To be donated to the local kindy for craft. What about the letters from and to my boyfriend, now my husband (of 47 years), they are the poignant writings of 18 year olds! I have followed your advice and photographed many documents and transferred to my computer. If we dispose of all of this memorabilia, will future generations not have anything nostalgic to reflect upon?

Thank you for reading this and for your weekly decluttering advice.Today’s Mini Mission

From Delores

Here is a reflection from my crazy day yesterday (names changed of course):

Yesterday I experienced an amazing contrast.  A friend, Jill, was moving out of town.  Another friend, Rocky, is contemplating a move shortly.

Over the course of several days, Jill sorted and boxed.  She was travelling by ferry and could only take what she could carry.  That meant a lot of paring down and choices as to what was important.  I helped find outlets so her castoffs would not end up in the dumpster.  The last day, I arrived to load her give-aways into my vehicle, not sure how many trips I might need to make.  We filled my vehicle, once.  There were still a lot of boxes in her apartment.

The next thing she said stunned me.  She decided to keep her 40 suits, figuring she would never have to buy another suit.  I was speechless.  I am 61 and I don’t think I have owned 40 suits over my lifetime much less all at once.  She boxed them up and was willing to carry the extra baggage.  Later she texted me that instead of a taxi she had needed a ten passenger van to take her to the terminal.

That same afternoon I met Rocky and some friends for coffee and conversation.  He is retiring soon and hopes to spend time in another country for an extended period.   We quizzed him about visas, insurance, and travel plans.  Someone asked what he was taking.  One suitcase for clothes and a briefcase with his laptop. Period. All he needs.

I am somewhere between those two extremes in my life but the contrast of those two persons on the same day will stick with me for some time.

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

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

I received a comment from Jill which inspired this post. It will probably sound like a confession as well but so be it. Here is Jills comment and I will write my thoughts after it.

“I have been a collector of “stuff” my whole life. Had a major life changing operation last October and since then have been getting rid of lots of stuff. For the past 10+ years, I had been stock piling items for use after retirement (this November). Using “poverty thinking” (after retirement not having enough money to buy craft items, books to read, clothing, i.e…), my small home was piled high! After many trips to Goodwill with bags and bags of items, one or two bags of books donated to our local library for their book sales, I am starting to see the light! Major clean out of old financial papers, sentimental papers, etc… (on the 11th clothes basket for the burner). I feel so different. God has continued to provide anything that I truly need.”

So here is what I thought when I read this, inspired by Jill’s mention of craft supplies but mostly by the last sentence. As you know I wrote a post just recently about the universe providing. Also, as you well know, I have been decluttering craft supplies for the whole five plus years of my declutter mission, and particularly over the last year since having a selling outlet for my craft. However, on a regular basis over the last twelve months I have also stumbled across many opportunities of acquiring craft supplies for free or next to no cost. A temptation, that at times, I didn’t try to resist given how quickly the supplies can end up going back out the door. Yet still I sometimes wonder if I really have less craft stuff now than I did a year ago.

That does sound like a confession, but in fact I am using it as an example of how what you need does usually materialise for you when you need it. Granted I do find myself socialising in circles of people with similar interests, and I do volunteer at a thrift shop and then there is my friend Wendy (my partner in crime) who, like me and with me, loves to check out the piles of stuff left on the sidewalk on bulk waste pickup days. But nevertheless it is proof that one doesn’t need to stockpile stuff for when times are hard.

Books especially don’t need to be stockpiled because one can always borrow them from the library for free. And it is amazing what great craft projects one can do by upcycling “trash”. Clothing might be a little trickier, but then again by just wearing them out, rather than replacing them just because the novelty has worn off, will help get better value out of them. And secondhand clothing is a cheaper option and there is no shame in accepting friends’ cast offs. I have items in my closet that used to belong to Wendy’s daughter.

And lets face it, for most of us, we will never find ourselves in a position where we won’t have at least some luxuries and/or non-necessities in our lives. Another friend Carole, when we find ourselves complaining about the trivial, laughs and says “First world problems”. This is so true, we have had it so good for so long that we don’t realise how spoiled we are and what we could manage to live without.

So long as we have a roof over out heads, food and our bellies and people who love us, then we will be just fine.

Today Mini Mission

Declutter something rough or gritty.

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

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

I received the following comment from Peggy on Friday and wanted to share it here so people, who don’t read the comments, might see it. It is comments like this that inspire me to keep on blogging. I am just lucky that I get them on a regular basis. So thank you Peggy and all those 365ers who write in to tell us similar stories. So without further adieu her is Peggy’s comment…

“When I think about the things I have managed to pass along or repurpose, I am amazed!  The dollhouse (sold), an unused medical test kit (returned to lab), unused Sephora gift bags (returned to store), foam roller, unused toiletries, and clothing to Goodwill, old eye glasses & unused Restasis to eye doctor office, organizing containers to work, old sheets, blankets, & towels to veterinarian, and lots more gone! Toiletries and cleaning supplies used up and not replaced.  Books donated to library and favorite coffee shop.  My husband has joined in little by little, parting with some old magazines, a cheap pocketknife, etc.  He “shopped” our elder daughters mountain of boxes for her old laptop.  Our younger daughter then fixed the old laptop up for him so that he can use the internet (win win).  He is going to “shop” these boxes again for an earphone cable, even though he could buy new for about $7… I suggested this, to avoid possible duplication.

These things are just remembered examples of the many things out the door and not replaced, or repurposed instead of purchasing new.  So many little pockets of space cleared!  It is much easier to see what IS needed because there is less excess.  We are in no way “finished” with our decluttering journey.  However, I am so grateful to be this far along and to have changed my thought processes with regard to stuff… I wonder all the time what our home must have looked like and how it functioned before I started to understand what you are teaching here.  I know that our home functions better the more we rid ourselves of the unused and unloved items.   🙂

Today’s Mini Mission

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.

“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

Just follow Peggy’s example, on how to pass things on instead of throwing them in the trash, and that will be helpful to the state of 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

I was talking to Wendy F the other day about breaking old habits. Smoking, I believe, is a very difficult habit to break, as is overeating, chewing your nails etc. I have a theory about this.

I think that just trying to stop a habit is difficult. The ultimate reward can seem a long way off and hard to achieve. In this case the whole focus is on trying not to do something that, in some cases, you have spent a very long time doing and enjoying.

While replacing an old bad habit with new better behaviour has immediate rewards even if they are only small. An immediate reward is far more enticing and stimulating that a long term objective of finally eliminating the cravings of a hard fort battle against bad habits.

When I was in high school I had a PE teacher who lined us up after class one day and inspected our nails. Those of us who clearly chewed our nails were told that if our nails were showing no growth by the next PE lesson we would have to stay back after school. Naturally I didn’t want to spend any more time at school than I absolutely had to so, I quit chewing my nails then and there. The almost immediate reward was that I didn’t have to worry about being kept in after school. Had I decided to stop biting my nails without such a reward I would probably have failed.

So what has that got to do with decluttering you might ask. Well one of the problems that gets us into a cluttered mess is recreational shopping. If we could replace that with the reward of achieving the simple task of finding one thing to declutter each day then we have our immediate reward. If we focused only on being fully uncluttered sometime in the distant future we might lose faith and give up. It is surprising how rewarding finding that item to declutter can be.

Today’s Mini Mission

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.

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