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...]
The Tea Chest Challenge ~ A guest post by Moni Gilbert
I love games that use imagination, so let’s play a game.  A friend of a friend, six times removed had the opportunity to move to an island on a two year volunteer construction project a few years ago, but there was a catch…..apart from their checked baggage and their carry-on luggage, they were only allowed one tea chest of belongings to be shipped in advance. They were given accommodation which included a table and chairs, a double bed and one set of drawers, a two seater sofa and a 14 inch tv, no DVD player.  The kitchen would have a stove/oven, basic toaster and electric jug, 2 … [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...]
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...]
Less choice = Less competition
I got some great responses on Tuesday to my post on having more respect for one's diminished possessions. There were several comments that really stood out but these words from Ideealistin related well to something I had put in the donation box just the day before. Here are Ideealistins words - Using your stuff gives it great value. But I think it is amazing how not storing the stuff you use next to unused stuff, throwing your mind into constant competition mode, adds almost even more value. Now for how this relates to my decluttered item. I had two pair of white shorts in my drawer. One … [Read more...]
Are You a Cook or a Cookbook Collector?
You may love to cook or you may hate it. No matter how you feel about cooking, I bet you have at least 6 cookbooks, and I'm certain that someone reading this blog today has at least sixty cookbooks. They're fun to look at, fun to collect, fun to page through and dream with. But let's be realistic: they're also expensive, easy to ignore, and hard to declutter. Prior to December 2009, I probably had two dozen cookbooks, and I don't think I'd ever gotten rid of one that I owned. I just added to the pile; I loved them. When we remodeled our kitchen, I had a special bookshelf made just for … [Read more...]
Digging in the archives ~ Day 244 Recluttering ~ A guest post by Cindy Bogard
This little gem was written by Cindy before she had even started writing her weekly post. Any wonder I asked her to join me. She has come a long way with her own decluttering as well. Recluttering A Guest Post by Cindy Bogard It’s bound to happen sometime; you’re going to have to break down and buy something. Before you do, consider these factors: Do I need it? Do I want it? Did I come into the store looking for this item, or did it just catch my eye? Would I be criticized if my spouse or family members knew that I had purchased this? Can I afford it? If I cannot pay for it … [Read more...]
Donna Smallin of Unclutter.com on The Law of Attraction
I have been subscribed to the monthly newsletter from unclutter.com (not to be confused with unclutterer.com) since back in 2010 before I even began to blog about decluttering myself. I always find Donna Smallin's advice very useful and inspiring. I found an article from her latest newsletter particularly thought provoking and wanted to share it with you all. I emailed Donna for permission to use the article on my blog and her response was so friendly and welcoming and of course she said yes. So without further adieu, here it is... "Many of us have a tendency to hold on to things long after … [Read more...]
Simple Saturday ~ Book Review – The Overspent American
The Overspent American: Upscaling, Downshifting, and the New Consumer by Juliet B. Schor was published in 1998, but the information seems as relevant today as it did more than a decade ago. The book is geared toward middle and upper-income families, who seem to be caught up in a never-ending cycle of keeping up with the Joneses, no matter who the Joneses are. "The Joneses" are our first error, according to Dr. Schor. In the past, our Joneses (or reference group) would be our neighbors, who all lived in houses about like ours, drove cars similar to ours, and likely had two adults and only one … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Don’t Be Fooled into Buying for Charity
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom What do all these things have in common? Buy (Red): 10 to 50% of the proceeds of which go to eliminating AIDS in Africa. Book Sale: 20% proceeds go to your child's school! Would you like to buy some wrapping paper to support our band trip? How about a beautiful $200 beaded bracelets that supports JDRF? An undisclosed portion of the proceeds are donated to the organization. Rubber bracelets for sale for every cause possible. Typically $1 each. Obviously, these are all ways of coaxing a donation out of you; that is, providing a rationalization for a … [Read more...]