365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

Friday’s favourite five 18MAR2011

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This week I have decided to feature five recent comments from five readers that are new to commenting here at 365lessthings

Virginia in response to Natural Progression Decluttering~ I try to use everything until its gone… Read more

Katie in response to Moving Fantasies ~ I think it depends with furniture as willow pointed out … Read more

Holly in response to Day 273 Why am I still clinging ~ I’ve only just recently found your blog… Read more

Debra F in response to Moving Fantasies ~ I love this post. We just moved 7 weeks ago… Read more

Happy Clam in response to Don’t let it linger-Donate ~ I had a second adidas running jacket that I bought… Read more

This is my five favourite links for this week.

Not Easy To Be Green – Can-good-intentions-save-the-planet

The Cat’s Meow – Room-for-living

Elegant Simple Life – Breathe-in-beauty

Realsimple – How to recycle or reuse anything

Becoming Minimalist – The-domino-effect-of-simple-living

Today’s Declutter Item

This binder is one of those rare object that went in the garbage bin. What I don’t understand is why I kept using it when I had several other perfectly good binders sitting unused in a drawer.

Things that made me happy, made me laugh, made me feel grateful, fascinated me or I thought were just plain awesome.

  • Avocado on toast for lunch with a cup of tea. The simple things in life are often the best.
  • A pleasantly cool overcast day.
  • When walking along the shore of Lake Burley Griffin on Tuesday I spotted no less than 18 different bird varieties – Black Swans, Galahs, Sulphur Crested Cockatoos, Wood Ducks, Magpies, Pee Wees, Willie Wagtails, Crested (top knot) Pigeon, Superb Fairy-wrens, Rosellas , Plovers, just to name a few.
  • Ignoring my desire to avoid an unpleasant task and just getting it over and done with. I am talking about the ironing.
  • That my country is not on the edge of a tectonic plate and we have only one nuclear reactor (Used for medical science).

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


Comments

  1. Colleen, thank you so much for including me! Your posts have been inspiring me to make a declutter pile of stuff to donate (don’t worry, it’s a very temporary sort of pile!), and I love your list of things that made you happy. I know I don’t spend enough time thinking about what makes me happy! Hmm…let me try. The smell of bread baking in the oven, the way the cat ambushes me for her morning tummy rub when I get up each morning, the feel of a perfectly centered cylinder of clay on the wheel, the fact that I am still in my pajamas as I type this, and a terrific brie and cranberry apple compote grilled cheese sandwich I made for dinner yesterday.

    • Hi Jennifer,
      the pleasure is all mine that you bothered to comment in the first place. When I first started my blog I was talking to myself for a couple of weeks but now I have lots of company it that is nice.
      I love your list, everything on it sounds great to me but I would particularly like to try that grilled cheese sandwich.

  2. “a terrific brie and cranberry apple compote grilled cheese sandwich I made for dinner yesterday” Wow. That sounds devine!

  3. The RealSimple link looks promising – especially for those of us who hate to declutter some things because we don’t know how to keep them out of the landfill.

    • Hi Jo,
      Recycling is a very important part of decluttering I think, although it does concern me sometimes that people can get so intent on zero waste that they end up paralysing their attempts to declutter. There is always going to be some things that there is no other destination for except landfill unfortunately. With great lists like this one from RealSimple we certainly have no excuse to do the best we can though.

  4. Hi all, I am just back from edge of one tectonic plate (Christchurch, NZ) and I want to report on something promising. I thought I would be devastated to see the centre of my childhood city lying in ruins and it WAS sad, but the people are mostly coping well and showing a lot of initiative in caring for themselves and others. Now a very robust debate on future directions for the rebuilt city is beginning, mostly centred on safety and sustainability and how to become a leading edge green city. I realised that all the lovely old buildings are not what made my city “home” anymore than the stuff we have in our houses makes them “home” – it is the spirit of the people there and that remains intact. I hope and pray that the people of Japan can also rebuild and recover from their disaster.

    • Hi Calico ginger,
      that is wonderful and I look forward to hearing more about this in the future. My I do hope they build a shining example to prove that cities can be green and highly functional. As you say the spirit of the people is what it is all about though and it is a beautiful thing when they work together to make each others lives the best they can be and in turn create a beautiful world to live in. I am sure the people of Japan also have the strength to face up to their challenges as well.

      I hope your mother is doing well and that there are wonderful people around her to keep her safe and strong.

  5. Thanks so much for including me in the links! I am excited to find this decluttering progress spilling into everything in my life. I knew I’d be more joyful and at peace and all that, but I didn’t think of coming to point where I would find myself grown out of a desire to “get a bigger place”, or a big house.. I think that last move wasn’t in vain after all, it made me see lots of things in a different way. Now I actually think we have quite a lot of space. If we ever do want a house, I really only want a tiny one!
    And to have a secure home where I can spend time with my family.. not everyone has that much.

    • Hi Cat’sMeow,
      I think you have it all figured out. I enjoy the lack of envy for other peoples houses and stuff since I discovered the joy of living with less. Like you I will be happy in a small home for the rest of my life.

  6. Colleen,
    I love the FAV FIVE on Fridays!!! Just love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Danke! Gracias! Thank you!