Cindy's Weekly Wisdom I've been decluttering at work recently. We transformed a short hallway that went nowhere into a storage closet, and I started working my magic on it. I told Colleen, and she said, "They must be really grateful." I'm not so sure. I work for two attorneys, whom I am going to call HE and SHE. They are very different. HE doesn't seem to think much about his surroundings, and SHE could become a decorator. SHE loves moving the furniture and paintings, putting out pretty boxes for functional items like paper clips, and SHE like a somewhat crowded decorating style. SHE also … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom – Does Your Garden Need Decluttering?
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom It's almost "second winter" here in Texas, where the weather is so hot, and typically so dry, that nothing grows any more. It just tries to hold on through the hot months. Before that happens, it's time to declutter the garden. Now I know that not all of you have a garden. Do you have potted plants (inside or out)? A front stoop or entry way? Any bit of lawn that you're responsible for? The first thing we're going to do is assess. This is best done from the vantage point of the street or sidewalk looking back at your garden or entry way. Are there toys, tools, boxes, … [Read more...]
Why Your Pantry Needs Decluttering
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom My mother is more tidy and more decluttered than I am, by far. Yet one day when she saw me tidying my pantry, she kind of laughed at me and said, "Are you straightening up in there again?" Well, yes, as a matter of fact, I am. And you should too. Why does your pantry need decluttering? Two main reasons Unless you live alone, it gets rummaged through more than any other cupboard or drawer in your entire house and There's surely something (probably more than one something) lurking in there that needs to be eaten, thrown away, or shared. The pantry is the … [Read more...]
Decluttering Your Office – The Danger of the Paper Trail
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Offices seem to be the center of the vortex of flotsam in a house, particularly paperwork. If you work outside the home, your office probably still has files that were set up by the previous holder of your job - files you haven't looked at the entire time you've had the job. My desk and filing cabinet had "current" files that were five years old and notes that said "to file" on documents dating back to when the law firm was started. Why do we do this? Do the phrases "paper trail" or "for our records" ring any bells with you? Try to think how far back you really need … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom – Why 365 Less Things?
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom - A Review of the Basics Why 365 Less Things? Let’s get the grammatical question out of the way first and promptly. Yes, we know it’s supposed to be 365 Fewer Things, but it’s not. That’s all there is to it. (Can you believe that Colleen regularly gets comments from readers telling her she’s named the blog wrong? Do they think they’re the first to notice? Declutter this worry from your mind: You're not the first.) Now on to the meat of the matter: Why does 365 Less Things exist, and how can it help you? I truly don’t know the origins of the 365 Thing … [Read more...]
Friday’s Favourites ~ Apr 27
On Fridays at 365 Less Things I share my favourite web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did. We've discussed minimalism in decorating, but not everyone here is a minimalist. Here are two decorators' take on the style. This post about a family of four camping out of a Prius really spoke to me. We camp several times a year, and I've insisted that our van is a necessary component to success. Maybe not. Zen Habits has 15 tips for decluttering that are great. On the front page of her blog, Gretchen Rubin has written 5 Tips for Resisting Impulse Shopping. Sounds … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Follow Through
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Recently I was so pleased with myself. I had done a great job tidying my desk, and I had sorted through all of Clara's clothes, culling those that were to be saved for her younger sister and those that could go to the thrift shop. I did a great job and was pleased with myself, that is, until I looked at what I had left behind. Oh a big slap on the forehead! Yes, I had processed bills, permission slips, etc. And yes, I had sorted and folded a big ol' stack of clothes, but that's where I stopped. The clothes were still sitting in Clara's room, and … [Read more...]
Friday’s Favourites
It's Friday at 365 Less Things, and since Colleen is still in the U.S. (Seattle, Washington now) I'm sharing with you my favourite comments from our wonderful and chatty readers and my best web finds of the week. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I did. -Cindy Favourite Comments. Enjoy! Dizzy made short work of the process of decluttering here. Wendy gives hope to those to those who live with reluctant declutterers. Faith made us all laugh with her bold retort to givers of unwanted gifts. Favourite Web Finds. Happy reading! I've always enjoyed the Minimalist Packrat, although … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Gifts with Strings
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom  First of all, and most importantly, Colleen and I had a fantastic time. Steve was super, and we all had a good time getting to know each other. Now to our regularly scheduled blog... Have you ever been told, "If you don't want this, be sure to give it back?" How about, "(Deceased relative) wanted you to have this. Be sure to take really good care of it." Or, "You so admired mine, that I bought you one too." A variation of this one is, "I really admired this item, so I bought it for you." Or, the most dreaded of all, "Where's that (fill in the item of your … [Read more...]
Friday’s Favourites
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 … [Read more...]