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.
Today’s Declutter Item
Rubber Stamps
How about getting the men folk on board with this week’s mini missions. Or if you are a man reading this, and I do hope there are at least a few of you out there, then finally you get a set of mini missions tailored just for you. However in this modern age these missions really are somewhat unisex so if you are reading this and have no man about the house I think you will find them easy to follow yourself.
Monday – Declutter a tool that never gets used.
Tuesday – Declutter an electronic gadget or parts there of.
Wednesday – Declutter a book.
Thursday – Declutter a shirt, pair of trousers or jacket that you no longer fit or like to wear.
Friday – Declutter something leisure related. Perhaps some sporting equipment, fishing gear or hobby supply that are no longer used.
Saturday – Declutter something toiletries related. That old aftershave that stings your face, old shaver handles that are excess to your needs or that extra toiletries bag you received on your last long haul business trip.
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
Find ways to reduce cooking time and save energy. When boiling dried pasta, bring to the boil then turn the temperature down to low and once settled put a lid on. It will boil quicker and at a lower temperature this way thus saving electricity. When you think it is almost done turn off the heat and allow the residual heat to complete the cooking process.
I go even one step further with the Eco Tip of the Day – Once the pasta has been added and the water is boiling again, I turn off the burner, wait for the boiling to subside, immediately put the lid on again, and start the timer. For medium sized pasta, it takes about eight minutes to cook to perfect tenderness. I have heavy pots, and maybe this won’t work with thinner ones, but it is worth a try.
Great set of mini-missions. I like the flip to the man’s point of view. It helps me help my husband!
Hi Jo H, I am certainly going to give your pasta boiling tip a try. Nothing ventured nothing gained I say. Did you know that there is some king of cooking pot available from campings stores that claims to work just like this. Bring whatever you are cooking to temperature and then turn it off leave it on the bench and come back later for a perfectly cooking meal. I really must investigate this. In the meantime I will try your tip.
Glad you liked the mini missions. Let’s hope your husband will comply.
My parents own a whole set of those, and love them. I have one pot from them, and it works AMAZINGLY well. For rice and pasta, I just boil water in an electric heater (they save energy over the stove, and even a microwave) pour it in the pot, and leave it. Rice takes about 15 minutes for me if I “rush” it by using the stove, but will cook in 20-25 without ever turning the stove on (and never overcooks, it always comes out fluffy and nice). It’s actually the same brand as the salad shooter I’m hoping to get for Christmas from my family. Expensive items, but VERY worth it. I’ve definitely seen other things done at demos (pan fried chicken with no oil, baked potatoes, and carrots all cooked in one pot with no water and just a dash of pepper – delicious), but here rice based and pasta based dishes are the norm, so I haven’t used my pot for much else. I’ve also NEVER burned anything to it, even the one time I accidentally left the burner on for 3 hours (only happened once, and it was on low). The brand is Kitchen Craft, but I don’t know if they are available elsewhere.
*Kitchen Craft is apparently also a UK based brand. http://www.kitchencraftcookware.ca/index.php/reviews.html Is the one that I have. I fully recommend them to anyone who can afford them, or (like me) could use one REALLY good pot that will handle anything you throw at it.
Yes that is a great idea and I have been using it. Thank you and keep them coming please.
The tip by Jo H also works for boiling eggs. just bring the water to boil and then turn off, wait approx 3 to 4 minutes for soft eggs, 6 to 8 for hard eggs, depending on the size of your egg.
For rice: soak the rice in water in advance and it will rehydrate before cooking, lessening cooking time.