Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Last month the family and I went to a monthly event, The City-Wide Garage Sale. Ever since one of my staff members bought a really cool old stove at the sale, I'd been curious. (And since that was literally more than 15 years ago, it seemed like it was about time.) Wow! Was that eye opening! The garage sale is really an indoor flea market, and you could buy just about anything there - the smaller it was, the more likely they were to have it. The sellers are pickers and traders who endlessly loop throughout the country attending these events. Nothing's terribly … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Just Let It Go
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom As I've told you (probably countless times), we remodeled our house, and the last of the workmen pulled away two years ago in July. There were a lot of smaller jobs and some very large painting jobs that needed to be completed, but the house itself was done. Two years have passed, and I still have a half dozen paintings, including a couple of pieces of expensively framed limited edition pieces, that have not been hung. About every three months, I get into the closet where they're stored and vow that today is the day that I'll finish figuring it out. And every time I … [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...]
Freebies often equal clutter
Yesterday's mini mission got me thinking that it has been a while since I wrote a post on the subject of freebies and it's about time I did. Who can't resist a freebie? It isn't everyday that someone offers you something for nothing and it's like getting a gift right? Well unfortunately like many gifts the freebie is often something you don't really need and it soon becomes clutter. One advantage a freebie has over a gift though is that it isn't usually given to you by a loved one so refusing it isn't going to hurt anyones feelings. That being so, I would suggest doing just that, politely … [Read more...]
Toiletries ~ My solution
My Bathroom Cabinet. You will notice two tubes of toothpaste ~ I am not sure how that happened. There are two deodorants for me but that is because one is almost empty. When I asked readers to write in about topics they wanted me to discuss here at 365 Less Things Shirls sent in this request... What to do with the dozens of body lotions and shower creams people keep giving me as gifts or that I’ve bought myself. My skin has become super sensitive in my old age and these products irritate rather than soothe. Trouble is, having opened them I can’t regift them or donate to the charity shop. … [Read more...]
Curb the keepsakes
A guest post by Julia St. Charles My mother's home is full of "too good to use" items and random objects from babyhood and toddlerhood. I'd love to write an open letter to young parents along the lines of: Dear Young Parents: If you are going to save mementos from your children's early years, please do not save everything. Â Except for handmade or heirloom items, like the baby quilt Grandma made, or the hand-knit layette from Aunt Barbara, give outgrown clothing to Goodwill -- ordinary clothing will be both too physically aged and too far out of style for your imagined future grandchildren … [Read more...]
My Linen Supplies
Read this comment from Sue D as it was the catalyst for today's post. I find it interesting that linen is Sue D's nemesis when it comes to decluttering yet I am not surprised. The thing with items such as linen is that eventually you are going to need some of them and that makes them hard to part with. Although I have decluttered my linen storage spaces on more than one occasion over the last two years, and am satisfied with its current state, there are still more things in there than are really necessary. I have... 5 sets of queen bed sheets for two queen beds in the house. Three … [Read more...]
Simple Saturday – Buying a Little Happiness
According to the January/February 2012 issue of Money magazine, you'll be happier if you "Spend a Little a Lot of the Time "The Reason: Frequent small indulgences give you greater happiness than occasional splurges, according to a growing body of research covering everything from the pleasures of chocolate-chip cookies and massage chairs to lottery tickets and good grades. "The Resolution: Skip big-ticket purchases in favor of smaller ones you can spread out. Instead of splurging on dinner and a show, eat out one weekend and go to the theater the next. Rather than a designer dress you might … [Read more...]
Musings on Moving: Decluttering wakeup calls
A guest post by Josh Martin of Josh Martin Ink I’ve bounced around a lot in my youth, moving from one place to the next. While each move comes with its share of challenges, they are also great reminders of how much stuff we’ve accumulated and a wakeup call to the need to purge and declutter. I’m planning on moving again in the not too distant future. I just know I’m going to be shocked at how much stuff I own once I start emptying the closets and drawers. I remember my first real move on my own. I left my family home and moved into residence as a first-year student at Wilfrid Laurier … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Are You Hanging on to Too Many Papers?
According to a survey I saw recently, 67% of people said that paper clutter is their hardest area to deal with. Who knows if this is truly accurate, but I'm going to assume that it means that a lot of people, possibly including you, are having trouble dealing with paper. I think there are a couple of fundamental mistakes that people make regarding paper: Believing that every piece of paper is important or has the potential to be important Believing that if a piece of paper was important at one time, it's important forever Not intentionally minimizing the amount of paper that … [Read more...]