Yesterday I received an email from Denise which raised some interesting decluttering questions. I have edited and reworded the email as I did not have time to contact Denise to get her approval to quote it verbatim but I am sure she will know it was her and this is what she asked... (more or less) What happens when you have gone through the house once and think you have decluttered significantly. I am sure I could do better but I wish I could see items around the house with "new eyes". If you reach an impasse, do you try again or try another project and come back to decluttering in a few … [Read more...]
Day 211 When decluttering is not decluttering
My little girl (who is 21) is changing direction in her life and is deferring her studies to go into full time work. She is also planning on moving out into her own apartment for the first time. With this in mind I have decided to put a few items aside for her so there will be less for her to buy when all this takes place. So instead of actual decluttering they are just being moved into a holding pattern in a box in the garage for when she needs them. I don't really consider this decluttered until they have actually left my house but at least they aren't staring at me unused from the shelf … [Read more...]
Day 205 Back to the phone book issue
Well who'd have thought that my little rant on Day 203 would get such a reaction. Luckily that means we have had some very helpful readers comment with some useful information on how we can combat the waste of unwanted phone books. Some had the details we need to cancel delivery so we avoid receiving them in the future and others had some novel approaches on other uses for them. Di in particular was being very resourceful and cheeky at the same time. I know quite of lot of my readers also read the comments so have probably already read this information but I know I don't always follow through … [Read more...]
Day 201 Helping hands
On Day 186 I asked for your help with examples of friends helping friends declutter. I received several emails from some very helpful people how had some wonderful experiences to share with you all. Here is what our friends had to say... Cindy I have quite a bit of experience with this. My friend Holly and I have done it five times, in segments of about three hours each. The first time, the kids were playing together and I did not want to just sit around, so I asked if there was anything she needed help doing, and we went through her whole wardrobe. She tried on, and I "yeahed" and "nayed", … [Read more...]
Day 199 Alternatives to clutter gifts
Below I have listed some alternatives to clutter gifts. By clutter gifts I mean anything that is not consumable or an act of service that will remain in your home after it is has been used. Edible Treats Chocolate/Candy Cake (provide a cake for someones happy occasion) Fruit basket (what could be more colorful or healthy than that) Bottle of wine / 6 pack of Boutique Beer... A home cooked meal is always a treat for a special occasion A cookie basket Take them out to dinner/lunch/ breakfast etc Gift Certificate Dining Out Hardware Groceries Spa … [Read more...]
Day 198 Home Contents Insurance
I was on my way to the thrift store with yet another load of donations yesterday and I was naturally thinking about the amount of stuff that has left my home over the last three years. I have lost count of the number of times I have loaded up my car with the same crates full of odds and ends and driven across town to the Lifeline shop on Hubbard Street. During the drive I got to wondering what it will be like the next time we pack up our household to move to a new location. Due to the nature of our removal contract we have to do a complete inventory of our belongings for insurance reasons … [Read more...]
Day 191 One area of doom half sorted
I think I mentioned some time back that one of the areas of doom when it comes to decluttering my house is my daughters bedroom. It is mostly awkward because for now she is living elsewhere while going to university so that adds a degree of difficulty I didn't really want to deal with. It is not for me to decide what she wants to keep and I cannot be bothered sending long convoluted emails or wasting precious phone minutes to have her decide long distance. Luckily for me she came to visit the week before last and I warned her ahead of time that she was going to have to help me do some … [Read more...]
Day 185 Unexpected decluttering
Imagine my surprise today when I went to put some clean laundry away in my son's room and discovered he had decluttered one of his drawers. There was a big wad of shoe laces and other items in his trash can. I retrieved it of course and sorted it into donate and throw away piles but WOW! If that isn't amazing enough you will be surprised to know he had done this once before. I had just mentioned it today in a reply to a comment Loretta left on my Half way there post. At the end of high school last year he decluttered all the old school papers he no longer needed. There was no prompting from … [Read more...]
Day 180 Sentimental clutter
The item that is being donated today is a sentimental item that is kind of sad to see go. As you know our mission at the moment is to declutter any items in our home that are not being used and are unlikely to be used in the future. The fact that this item has been unused and hidden away in my camphor wood chest for several years deems it clutter. It is the last hand crocheted item left in our home that was made by my husbands grandma. Our linen closet used to overflow with all the crocheted hand towels and face clothes that she made for us throughout our married life. She has been gone … [Read more...]
Day 178 Considerate
Today's word is... C O N S I D E R A T E Show respect for yourself, your fellow human beings and the environment... Be CONSIDERATE when shopping Constantly buying items you do not need puts a strain on the world's resources. Be CONSIDERATE to the environment To process resources to produce the items we buy puts a strain on the environment. Also the more we own the more space we need to store these items the bigger the footprint we leave on this planet. Be CONSIDERATE to family In order to purchase un-necessary items requires money that has to be earned. The more you … [Read more...]