A guest post by - My Husband During a recent overseas business trip I read about an experiment to choose six clothing items and only use those items for a month. You could have multiple copies of each item, even a different colour counted as a separate item but underwear, sleepwear, shoes and jackets etc did not count. I looked at my standard travel wardrobe, and found two pairs of Columbia pants, four sweat-wicking golf shirts (three colours) and two pairs of shorts. Five items to which I could add a more formal shirt for those dressier occasions, and still meet the Six Items or Less … [Read more...]
Day 231 The paint finally dried
In case you are wondering what I am talking about perhaps you should first read Day 227 - Have you ever watched paint dry... Now that we are on the same page you will know what I mean by "the paint finally dried" yes it really happened my son finally went through his clothes and we have eliminated several items. I wheeled the portable clothes hanger into his room last night asked him nicely to make his choices. I could hear a lot of groaning as I left him to it for about an hour. He is nineteen so these things don't just happen instantly it's prudent to make a hasty retreat and hope for … [Read more...]
Day 222 Declutter or not to declutter…
...that is the question. Well actually it isn't a question any more because I made a decision. I am talking about my sock drawer, not earth shattering, high drama stuff I know but just one more area to consider. So I emptied it out, matched up the odd socks that had escaped from their partners, stretched a few pair of nylons (stockings or whatever you like to call them) to make sure they weren't perished beyond usefulness and pondered over the many pairs of socks that I have to admit haven't been worn for some time. I took into account that this was my sock drawer so half empty or full it … [Read more...]
Day 220 Kid’s Wardrobe Declutter Part 2
I wanted to do follow up on yesterday's post with some practical advice on children's wardrobes. I would like you to keep in mind that my children are 21 & 19 now and it has been a while since I had control over what they wear. When my children were small, well actually they are still small but we will come to that soon, I was very lucky that I really didn't need to buy much for them in the way of clothing. Both my mother and mother-in-law are very good at sewing and made most of the clothes they needed. My MIL would buy good second-hand clothing and shoes for them on occasion as well. I … [Read more...]
Day 181 Listening to your inner voice
I don't know if I am interpreting "Inner Voice" the wrong way but I don't happen to agree that you should always listen to it like people often advise. I think of "Inner Voice" as that niggling little feeling inside that makes you feel cautious when faced with certain situations that you aren't to sure about. In my experience that little voice often tells lies and undermines your common sense. I have suffered from depression on and off during my life and I can tell you for sure that that little voice hasn't helped during those periods. It has come right to the forefront causing me a whole lot … [Read more...]
Day 153 The winter woolies are starting to make an appearance
Well the seasons are a changin' now and the days are getting cooler here in the land down under. The winter woolies (clothing) have started to make an appearance and some of them are just not living up to expectation. I pulled a sweater out of the drawer today and within ten minutes I had had enough of the scratchiness of it so I took it off and put it in the donation box. Winter can be uncomfortable enough especially when it is wet as well as cool like it has been here for the last two weeks so the last thing I need is to be made more irritated by clothes that don't feel nice or are just … [Read more...]
Day 127 Snow gear eBay sale
Previously I mentioned how a change of location and or lifestyle can have an impact on the necessity for certain items around your home. Our move from Seattle in the USA back to Australia has rendered our ski gear mostly useless to us as we are now 700km from the closest ski fields. Sure we might like to take a winter holiday to the snow some time but in Australia you can hire both ski clothes and equipment should that ever happen. We also have some items that no longer fit our children anyway. So I decided to sell it all on eBay. Now I did my homework first and checked similar … [Read more...]
Day 122 Novel clothing declutter Story
While having coffee with a friend- lets call this friend Amber - she told me about a conversation she had had with one of her friends who had an interesting method she was intending to deploy in order to declutter her wardrobe. As I have mentioned before I live in Australia, Amber's friend -lets call her Leanne- is about to go on a vacation to the United States where the shopping is great. I haven't talked to Leanne personally about this situation but I believe her intention is to only pack clothes that she no longer likes or are starting to wear out and when she get to the USA she will … [Read more...]
Day 76 Sometimes we need help
Lets face it, we all have clothes in our closet we haven't worn for some time that for one reason or another we are reluctant to part with. Well, today I have a plan to help you sort out your closet and at the same time take away the difficult part of that task, choosing. Pick a friend someone you have known for a least a couple of years who you trust and value their opinion. Ask them to help you go through your closet and decide for you the items that they feel need to go. Since they have known you for a reasonable amount of time they will know what clothes they have never or rarely seen … [Read more...]