Colleen hasn’t said anything about her vacation, but she is in the United States.  In fact, she’s in Austin, and we had dinner last night and are out doing “girl things” today. So exciting! This is the first time we’ve met. Anyway, I am vetting the choices for the next few Friday Favorites. Let’s see how I do! -Cindy
Favourite Comments. Enjoy!
GreyQueen’s comments about making sure one is prepared for death may have been better than the post that inspired them. http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=2464#comment-20734
Spendwise Mom definitely knows how a well-organized kitchen should be managed. http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=2420#comment-20726
Spendwise Mom (again!) sums up the need to declutter beautifully and simply. http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=2327#comment-20724
Brenda really toots Colleen’s horn in this comment, which is why I liked it. http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=2329&cpage=1#comment-20806
Lynn asked about how many “dainties” a gal really needs. I think my answer is worth a read. I wonder what your take on underclothes is. http://www.365lessthings.com/?p=2329&cpage=1#comment-20806
Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading!
This is a fascinating article by a woman who is obsessed with decluttering. Way beyond what is healthy and normal, in my opinion. See what happens when the opposite extreme rears its ugly head and tell me what you think.
A virtual store in Korea – no goods, no clerks. You just tell your smart phone what you want, and it will be delivered to your home or office. Interesting but a bit eerie.
Decluttering the refrigerator was the theme of this week. Ugly House Photos is always good for a laugh, and it won’t take you but a minute to see why you really should clear the front of your refrigerator. . . and everything else in your house.
Today’s Mini Mission
Today is the day to declutter the inside of the freezer. Maybe it would be a good idea to plan tonight’s meal around using up bits and pieces in there.
Today’s Declutter Item
The shirts these ties match are long gone but the ties themselves remain. Well no longer.
Ties that match shirts no longer owned
The link to Brenda’s comment is leading to the advice on undies, too.
About the compulsive decluttering:
I think, there’s nothing wrong with living in a bare home, if you like it that way. However, I dislike the way she isn’t allowing her kids to decorate their own rooms the way they want. It’s important to learn to live with other people’s “clutter” (or rather: things).
that article about the compulsive declutterer is really scary. I can understand her need for bare walls and empty surfaces. But she turned the exact same way as her mother, just with a different object. I really feel for the kids. Imagine you have a mother who never keeps things. no stability in the house (I dont want to call it a home if there is nothing extra but necessities), you can never trust her to respect your belongings. I bet they hide their possessions at their friends place or something.
I think thats actually creepier than a hoarder.
I almost forgot: I am happy for you two to actually meet – that is very exciting. I wish you a lovely time together!
I lean towards minimalism now but I used to be a major packrat. The main living spaces in my home and my bedroom are my domain because I’m the person who takes care of them. They’re used by the entire family but I do all the maintenance of each room. However, the kids bedrooms I’ve declared off-limits to me. They have way more stuff than I would want, for myself or for them, but each person needs to have their own space that they’re comfortable in. My husbands spaces are the basement and shed. All of their stuff is off-limits to me, too. It’s sometimes hard to respect their stuff when it seems like junk, but I have to.
I completely understand how the woman in the article feels (I never invited people over because there was no way to avoid opening closet doors. My mom thinks if the door can close, if it can fit at all, then it isn’t cluttered. My idea of uncluttered = being able to reach anything and everything without fear of something else falling down on top of you). I however, will not be having kids, so the only person affected by my desire for clean surfaces is me 🙂 And perhaps a mate, but I enjoy decorating and rearranging so I don’t think it will get quite so extreme as to not allow a single picture on the desk!
I’m pleasantly surprised at how supportive the comments are on that article.
I just checked the comments. True. not a lot of people who said she needed psychological help. I also think that if you dont have any physical issues, or health problems caused by hoarding or whatever, you can live like you want to. But as soon as other people are involved, this is not valid anymore. children have to have their privacy and their room to make their own decisions.
my ideal decluttered home looks similar to yours. I wasnt aware of that, but when I read your comment I realized that I HATE if I have to use two hands to grab something. so, if I look around, I can truly say, I can basically operate single handed in my home, except the kitchen, the way the cabinets and shelves are arranged is just super stupid. but I prefer adapting to this than planning a new kitchen for several reasons.
Oooohhh, I’ve made the Friday’s Favourites and it’s still only 8.40 pm on Thursday here in the UK. So proud I could burst…..thank you. 🙂
My Mum was always very careful of our things when we were children, aware that a child’s dearest treasures could look like absolute trash to an adult. She’d had the experience of having her little treasures thrown away whilst she was in hospital as a small child and was determined not to inflict that on us.
However, I had many a tussle with Mum as I was growing up and ready to move on from a certain level of toys and she didn’t want to part from them. As a result, a doll I’d thought long gone turned up in a box in the attic where Mum had secreted her about 25 years earlier! We laughed about it. I freshened the dolly by giving her a bath and hairwash, Mum re-laundered the outfits she’d knitted for the doll and we donated them all to the thrift store where they went on to make a young girl’s day.
Hahaha Bless your Mum, what a Star! My Mum did the same thing with us girls and when I became a Mum I found I did the odd saving of something getting thrown, only to donate later. Sometimes I think it’s a cycle you just have to ride, with a little laughter thrown in! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Excuse me while I drive to Austin. Be there in 3 hours!
No, not really…too hard with a newbie. I think it’s great you two are meeting up though!
Hey, have a wonderful time together!
I’ll catch up rpopery on Friday favorites tomorrow (when it will actually be Friday here 🙂
I’m so happy for you two meeting up! If you get to LA, let me know 🙂
How great that you and Colleen got to meet. I enjoyed the Friday’s Favorites. The obsessive declutterer is a little overboard as far as her kids but I can understand the wish to have less. Like Aurelia and Lena I like to be able to grab and go. I also don’t like things falling on my head. At 5 feet tall I don’t like to have to reach high for things either. I can’t see a reason for having an entire set of knives when you only use two or three glass 9X11 baking dishes when you only use one at a time. So I’m a big advocate for decluttering. All of those Ugly Houses were in the area where I live. I’ve seen them. We recently thought we were going to have to move. By the time we had looked about about 15 places we decided to forget it for now. the descriptions said, Move in ready.” Ha. NOT!! I wouldn’t move a snake into one and I hate snakes. The subway virtual shopping was pretty cool. I could get into it in a way. If I never had to go shopping again I would be happy. If I could do it all online and not have to go anywhere and it be delivered for a small fee I’d go for it. Quickly!
I love Ugly House Photos, it’s got everything, I stumbled on it through the internet via a home staging article, as I was in the middle of getting the house ready for sale, I thought it might be a good idea to get some expert pointers. Believe me I learnt more through Ugly House Photos. com than any of the other ‘experts’! Mind you if I could I would love to go to the USA and buy a house at your prices in Arizona I could buy 2. It’s sad to see all the homes that need TLC but I just hope that their next owners love them. 🙂 🙂 🙂
As much as I like hearing musical echoes, I don’t want SPARTAN to the eighth degree and I don’t want to be sneaking into my hubby’s or son’s things to get rid of them. I love photos so they will always be around me, I don’t need 98% empty rooms either. I like my STUFF and care for my STUFF and I kinda found myself getting creeped out by that lady, good for her but I got the impression that her boys might have to eat really fast incase she de-clutters their plates mid-meal!!! Titch too extreme for me but different strokes for different folks! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi Colleen and Cindy,
Hope you are having fun!
🙂 🙂 🙂
Hi again,
Just wanted to know if many of you have Stainless Steel Fridges/Freezers and if any of you do, can you tell me how you keep them clean of prints, I feel I’ll be up for a new fridge judging by the noises this one has been making for the last few months. If and when I need too I wondered about getting the stainless steel. 🙂 🙂 🙂
My fridge isn’t stainless steel, but the best way to keep things clean of prints in my opinion is a spray bottle full of water and a microfiber cloth. I’m doing everything that way: glass table tops, mirrors, kitchen cabinets, doors, door handles etc. It’s fast and easy. Great for in-between cleaning.
We have a stainless steel one but it is “brushed” so doesn’t take the prints as bad. We just take the wet dishcloth every time we do the dishes and give it a quick swipe.
Cindy and Colleen! I’m happy for you to meet.
I hope you get to like each other “for real”. 😉
Hi Dizzy,
I don’t have stainless steel “whitegoods” yet, but my husband actually sells stainless steel to fabricators here in Queensland. He has some special stuff which he sells to keep it sparkling, however, I have seen a big hotel use a very light coating of baby oil on a rag to get smear marks off their stainless steel lift interior. It seemed to really work.
When you think about it, with a light coating of oil on the steel, those grubby little finger marks would only be there temporarily. Perhaps you could give it a go on something else as a trial go ??!! I’m sure it’s worth a try. Others may have other clues, too. Best of luck with it…Sue D 🙂
Cool, thanks for that, I was starting to feel that the only way around ‘Steel’ was those wipes they advertise. I have heard there is ‘brushed stainless steel’ I will have to really research it when the time comes, which I really think is gonna be real soon! Dagnabit!!
Thanks everyone 🙂 🙂 🙂
Sadly, the woman who compulsively declutters is nearly as bad as the a compulsive hoarder. Both seemed obsessed upon one goal — either collect items or remove most items from the home. Seems to me a healthy goal would be somewhere in the middle.