Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Perhaps you're rushing about, buying some last minute gifts and stretching your brain to figure out what to purchase. Beware! There are gift buying pitfalls that you should avoid. They're the route to clutter for the recipient and likely a waste of money for you. Read before you buy! Trap One: Here Comes Another One, Just Like the Other One Susie enjoys her subscription to Better Homes and Gardens, so she'd surely enjoy a subscription to Good Housekeeping as well. Leslie has a life-figures drawing book that she really enjoys. Surely she'll enjoy another book and maybe … [Read more...]
Decluttering with a little help from a friend
Back on the 18th Nov Sabine left a comment about how her friend Debbie had helped her with an emotionally difficult declutter job on memorabilia that was cluttering up her garage. I asked her if she would be kind enough to write a blog post to share with us all. She gladly accepted the challenge and the post below is the result of her effort. I am sure you will all enjoy it and feel free to leave comments and questions for Sabine because she would love your feedback. Let me also say thank you to her friend Debbie for being there for her when the going got tough. Decluttering isn't always … [Read more...]
Inspiring Change ~ Lynn Fang
Lynn Fang of Upcycled Love has recently released a new ebook called Inspiring Change. With contributions from over 25 bloggers and readers, including myself, she has compiled a wonderful ebook. Her introduction to Inspiring Change... "You want to make a difference in this world by helping others live more consciously. But how can you make a difference on your own? Your attempts to share your knowledge with others receives an attitude of defense, rather than acceptance. How will you ever make a positive impact on the world? This was the question I asked over and over again, as I began … [Read more...]
See the cup half full side of your clutter
Sometimes when you visualise the declutter task ahead it is easy to focus just on the sheer size of the task. How much there is to move, the logistics involved in disposing of it responsibly and how on earth you are going to find the time to deal with it. These would have been my thoughts too had the brilliant plan of tackling it slowly but surely not popped into my head on the third of January 2010. Admittedly I wasn't overrun with clutter but it was there hiding in every storage space in the house. To begin with, in 2007, when we moved into this house it was stacked two packing cartons high … [Read more...]
I wish you a merry decluttered holiday season
I received this message from one of my readers this week and wondered if anyone could help with this request. I just got rid of about half a dozen strands of greenery and three wreaths and some other Christmas odds and ends. It would be helpful to have a conversation soon about decorating for Christmas and seeing some photos from other people on how they decorate. I keep Googling 'minimal Christmas decorating' or words to that effect, but not coming up with any good results. … [Read more...]
Enlisting help with decision making
Just a quick announcement before we get started I have lost my ADSL connection at home and am throwing this post up quickly at the McDonald's restaurant near my house. I don't much like the insecurity of using these types of networks so this will be the last post I do until my service is restored at home. They promise me this will happen within the next 72 hours. We'll see. Thanks for your patience. While taking a walk Yesterday I stopped to look at the For Sale sign on the house up the street. I notice the shed in the back yard as I walked away or more to the point I noticed the metal … [Read more...]
What holds you back from decluttering
Finding the will to get started on your declutter journey can be far more difficult than finding the excuses not to start. Below I have written a list of excuses that may be holding you back from getting started or continuing on your journey as the case may be. Needing to enlist someone else's help. Not knowing how to responsibly dispose of the items. Can't bare the thought of how big the job is. Are not sure where to begin. Your perfectionist tendencies cause you to give up before you begin. There are not enough hours in the day. You would prefer to tackle the task in peace … [Read more...]
Don’t worry, be happy
Today I am going to keep my post short and simple if it brings up questions for you please feel free to leave a comment and I will attempt to answer it for you but for now I wish to be uncomplicated. I received a comment from Chelle yesterday and the following words were amongst what she wrote:- "This is so overwhelming, but I am slowly going through things and chucking stuff that is just taking up space, donating, and getting rid of. It feels good, but I keep realizing how much I still need to do!" * * * * * * Before I came up my brilliant plan to declutter one thing a day for … [Read more...]
Day 217 Declutter regrets revisited
Back on day 192 I wrote a post on decluttering regrets and today I would like to follow that up with a story about a woman I work with. As you can imagine I hold nothing back when it comes to spreading the word about decluttering whether through my blog, with my friend or anyone who cares to listen really. My work mates are no exception and they often hear my stories and sometimes have a look at my blog. The woman who is the subject of this story recently came to work laughingly complaining to me about how my "worthless advice" had caused her grief. She then informed me of the source of … [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...]