365 Less Things

Reducing our stuff one day at a time.

How little we really need

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Every time I go on a long vacation I am reminded of how little one really needs to live a comfortable and functional lifestyle. My husband and I often stay in Airbnb places when on vacation. These small apartments usually come supplied with a minimal, and varying, amount of crockery, cutlery, pots, pans, utensils etc to prepare and eat meals. They also have minimal linen, towels, bedding, furniture and appliances for you comfort and needs. And sometimes there are some extra items such as books, games, stationary and cooking ingredients etc.  As an example, we stayed in one Airbnb place in … [Read more...]

Getting the stuff out of your home

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It has come to my attention, both through comments on my blog and through real life experience, that one of the issues people have with their clutter, once they finally decide to be rid of it, is getting it out of their homes. Clutter gets rounded up then put aside in the corner of a room or storage space and they build up and hang out there for, what seems like, forever. One reason is a lack of time, another a lack of knowing exactly what to do with it, while a lack of transport to get it to a thrift shop can also be a deterrent. Some folks spend too much time trying to find the perfect new … [Read more...]

You just never know.

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Firstly I would just like to apologise for my recent extended absence from the blog this month. Unfortunately my mother took ill and I rushed off interstate to visit her in hospital and to take care of my dad while she couldn't. After she returned home from hospital it took a while for her to sufficiently recover enough for me to feel comfortable about leaving for home. Add that to the three week vacation immediately after Christmas and I have spent only about two weeks in my own home so far this year. With an eight week trip to New Zealand planned for not too far in the future I suppose I … [Read more...]

Cascade Cleaning

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I made a mistake in my sudoku while having my morning cup of tea and needed my correction pen. One thing led to another resulting in a tidy bedside table and kitchen bench among other small achievements. Here is what transpired... I went to the bedroom to get the correction pen from my bedside table. There I found I'd left the floss last night, so I put it away. On the bedside table there was also last night's completed torn out page from my sudoku magazine. There was also a used tissue, and a white gel pen. So I took all four items to the kitchen where I put the trash in the bin … [Read more...]

Home again and on with the decluttering.

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Hi folks, well all good things must come to and end and my vacation is one of those things. We had a lovely time in Japan but it is always nice to be home again. And now it is back to the decluttering. We arrived in Japan not long after Christmas and departed in mid January, and what a crazy time it is over there at that time of year. There are lots of New Year celebrations that, among other traditions, seem to involve the purchasing and, I assume, consumption of sweets. I have witnessed the shopping frenzy that goes on in Australia and the USA at this time of year but nothing compares to … [Read more...]

Happy Holidays to all!

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Wishing all my lovely readers all the very best for the holiday season.  It is such a busy time of year to be spent with friends and or family and also a good time to take a break from work and other commitments. That being said, as of today I will be taking a one month break from the blog to prepare for my Christmas celebrations and then I am off on a three week vacation. I will be back in the new year, around the end of January, until then I hope you all have a happy and safe holiday season and return with great enthusiasm to declutter in 2017. Cheers from Colleen “If we do not feel … [Read more...]

A thing a day ~ Days 15,16 & 17

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Hi again folks. The days keep slipping away from me while I have been spending them mostly not at home. This week should be different so I'll hopefully have time to play catch up and maybe even post more often. Last week I managed to declutter a few things. Actually, as you can probably tell from the mini missions this week, I decluttered a lot of things, however they weren't from my house. So I have been very busy decluttering one way or another. I certainly have inspired my daughter-in-law. She got so into declutterin in her daughter's room that I though the poor kids was going to have to … [Read more...]

A thing a day ~ Day 12, 13 & 14

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Actually I am not even sure what day I am up to with the Thing A Day mission. I have been so busy with grandparenting this week that I don't know if I'm coming or going. So lets call it 12, 13 and 14 and I'll go back and do the count when I get a spare minute.  Here are the three items for those days and then I want to talk just a little about a non related subject to my items. Now on that non related topic. The kitchen and all it's clutter. So while grandparenting I have taken it upon myself to do some decluttering at my son and daughter-in-law's house. And being that the baby is asleep … [Read more...]