The beginning of the year is always a good time for a post about the benefits of owning and wanting less stuff. By wanting less stuff I mean not wanting for stuff, being free from the desire to acquire. That combined with the benefits of having less stuff to care for and accommodate is reason enough for learning to let go. Also at the beginning of the year is when new readers arrive at a blog like mine looking for help with the process of decluttering. So a post pointing out the advantages of letting go is always a good way to encourage a person to jump in feet first and get on with the … [Read more...]
How less is more
When we talk about decluttering our goal is to end up with less stuff cluttering up our homes and lives. But after living for so long having and always wanting more the word less sounds like something negative, not a good thing. It exudes a vibe of going without, lack and life being not so pleasurable. But in reality the opposite is true. So instead of dwelling on the idea that less is a negative thing why not focus on the positive. How does less equal more. Less stuff to take care of = More time to spend doing the things you enjoy. More time to spend with the people you love. Less … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ The New Messy
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Dan and I were sitting in the living room recently. He looked around with great satisfaction and said, “This is the new messy.†I wasn’t sure what he meant. I looked around too. There were a couple of things on the coffee table that didn’t belong, a stray pair of shoes, the dog beds were sort of tossed to the side, and a project of mine that I had basically abandoned but not put away was sitting on the floor. I said, “It is kind of messy in here. What do you mean?†He replied, “I mean, if we have company, we could have this room completely together in an … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Open Houses
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Recently I spent Sunday looking at open houses. All of the houses were clean and nicely presented, and all of the garages were full of stuff. In some houses, the stuff in the garage was unpacked; in others, it was already in boxes. Boy, oh boy, did all these folks have a lot of stuff. I asked each of the real estate agents why the owners were selling. There was a divorce, a job loss, an unexpected opportunity to buy a nicer house in the same neighborhood, and a new business starting in a different part of the country. For the most part, the need to move took these … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Intersection of Ideas
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Back on April 13, Jennifer made this comment: I am often surprised by the intersections between different movements — minimalism, homesteading, and green, just to name a few. I’ve made a few of the same switches you have, but for environmental rather than declutter reasons. Being concerned about the impact of what I use has been pretty effective in getting me to cut down. I think Jennifer's really onto something here. Isn't what truly motivates us usually a mixture of factors? Exercising comes first to my mind. Sure we do it for our health, for the adrenaline … [Read more...]
Why bother?
Why bother to declutter? What is it really going to do for me? How is it going to make my life better? I am sure these are the first questions people ask when they begin on the journey of decluttering and/or minimalism. I know we have discussed this topic many times before but we can always do with a refresher course especially if we have lost momentum. So today I will share with you this chapter from my free ebook as it covers some great benefits of living a decluttered life. The Joys Of Clutter Reduction I would like to point out the joy that can be found in reducing the clutter in … [Read more...]