The item for day three is a batch of cleaning rags etc, from my laundry, that don't perform very well. What use is a cleaning rag the doesn't leave you with a perfect finish. So these are going in the bin. I'd donate them but that would only be foisting the problem onto someone else. The items form day four are a selection of greeting cards that I have filled out ready to post for the December birthdays. They may not seem like a declutter item to you but the truth is that I have been so slack at posting birthday cards this year that the stash I have has become like clutter to me as … [Read more...]
Clutter, why?
Clutter isn't about what we have, it is about why we have it. We acquire stuff for many reasons, aesthetics, functionality, sentimental, recreation and entertainment and even societal, just to name a few. In fact those few reasons just about account for most of the excess stuff in our lives. So lets just take a closer look at them. Aesthetics ~ The stuff we enjoy mostly because it is pleasing to the eye such as art and décor items, fashion accessories, jewellery. Functionality ~ These are items we acquire that are useful to us in some way, generally to make our lives simpler or … [Read more...]
It bugs me so I’m over it ~ A post by Peggy W
I have begun to look at a lot of things in my home through a filter of “does it bug meâ€? It’s kind of the opposite of “does it spark joyâ€. Like the embellished sweatshirt that I had loved for years. One day I just realized out of the blue that things about it were bugging me! So I took it off and threw it in the trash bin. There is a pair of slippers that, while wearable and don’t look too ratty, I don’t especially enjoy wearing because they are hard to keep on my feet. So they are in my sights… Recently I found a half empty jar of jam in the fridge. It didn’t … [Read more...]
Silly Season Series ~ Christmas shopping for kids by Andréia
It is that time of the year again. Christmas is approaching and with it comes the shopping season. But I am not getting too deep into that in this post. I want to talk about children and their gifts. I have three young children and a host of well-intentioned extended family. That being said, it means that my children get tons of toys, every single year. I can´t seem to put a hold on my relatives, but I have developed strategies not to be sunk deep in new toys. Mind you, I might seem ungrateful, but one child can have enough toys. And sometimes a interesting and or fun experience, or … [Read more...]
Digitising User Manuals
Today I thought I might bore you all with how to digitise your user manuals rather than allow them to take up space in your home. Feel free to disagree about the sense of digitising if you like, I have no problem with how you choose to use the space in your home. I live in a two bedroom apartment so space is at a premium and not to be wasted. There are so many manuals available online in PDF form that you can download to your computer. Today, as an example, I googled for the PDF of my Brother P-Touch PT65 label maker. It must be at least 12 years old. I found the PDF in one try, downloaded … [Read more...]
Clutter Maintenance
Every time I have moved house I have had a reasonable length of notice. Although, sometimes the definite ~ "Yes we are moving." ~ may have come a little last minute but the maybe had been on the cards for long enough to have me get the preparation ball rolling. Â And by that I don't only mean decluttering but also... ...rounding up of like items throughout the home. ...bagging up tiny like items that might get lost if not secured together. ...cleaning items that may have become soiled either by constant or lack of use. ...running down of consumable items such as, toiletries, food … [Read more...]
The endless to-do list
Isn't it baffling that no matter how much you reduce your belongings and simplify your life, there still seems to always be an endless to-do list. I think it is highly possible, at least in my case, that while I am un-complicating one area of my life I am filling that void with something else. Actually as I write this, I am sure I published a post on this very subject not so long back. Nevertheless I am going to prattle on about it again today. If for no other reason than the fact that I obviously didn't listen to my own advice the last time. Sometimes even the things we enjoy in life … [Read more...]
Transient Stuff
Much of what comes into my home these days is transient. Aside from groceries much of what does come in is free, secondhand, or both. And I have to say it makes it a whole lot easier to pass things on when large sums of money aren't exchanged to acquire it.  This week I have decluttered... 2 books - one free, one 10c, both secondhand and both not used in a reasonable length of time so both were taken to the thrift shop. 3 strips of fabric samples - all free from a friend, but after careful consideration I decided I didn't have a use for them. One went to the thrift shop to sell as … [Read more...]
See space. Fill that space … Not! by Nicole V
By Nicole V We said goodbye to an old friend yesterday. It was a hi-fi system that had served us faithfully for many years. I was with my then-boyfriend (now husband) when he purchased it and – as it was large and really heavy – I remember us taking a cab back to his place and watching him set it up in his room. After we got married, it moved with us to 3 different homes and brought us countless hours of enjoyment and relaxation (thank you, Old Faithful!). After working tirelessly for so long, it finally gave up the ghost and my husband dismantled it and it left our home soon after – … [Read more...]
Consider the cost ~ By Deb J
I have a friend who wants to be a stay-at-home mom. She and her husband have been working to figure out how they can make it possible. My mother has always said she wishes we had another bedroom for the guests that never visit. These are just two examples of how you need to consider the cost. What do I mean by “consider the cost?â€Â It means considering the cost of having what you have and how to afford what you want. In the case of Mom’s wish for another bedroom you have to consider the cost of heating/cooling that room, the cost of additional time to clean it, the cost of a … [Read more...]