I received this comment from Anne last week... I’ve been following your blog since September which was when I started to declutter my apartment. It’s a slow process with lots of decisions. I have several boxes of letters and greeting cards from friends and family dating back to 1970′s and I have no idea if I should keep them or not. Have you made a post of what to do with letters and greeting cards? My reply was... Hi Anne, letters and greeting cards are a tricky thing for some people. The short answer for me is keep the letters but weed through the greeting cards and only keep … [Read more...]
Tolerating your stuff
I received a comment from Willow on Day 365 which really got me thinking. Her comment read... Congratulations, Colleen! Your perseverance has been an inspiration to me. What is the biggest, most important lesson you learned this past year? And my response was... Hi Willow, it is really a combo of all the lessons but I suppose the biggest one was to stop shopping and don't replace the stuff with something else. Hardly a thing has entered my house all year and what has replaced something old and worn, which wasn't included in the 365 things because it was being replaced. Learning to let go … [Read more...]
Day 364 Sentiment v Obligation
I know I have written about this subject before but it is one of those issues that are worth revisiting every now and again. Especially for those struggling with it or who have only recently started reading my blog and don't have the time or inclination to start at the beginning. I know I wouldn't have that sort of time up my sleeve. I think most people who read my blog would have a certain number of true sentimental items in their home. These items are often things like baby ID bands, a child's old teddy, the glasses you toasted with at your wedding, Grandma's engagement ring... We all have … [Read more...]
Day 341 Strangest clutter
I think it is time to play another round of... Who has the weirdest item of clutter? Back on Day 168 I asked - What is the strangest item among your clutter? - and I got some very interesting responses including Dog teeth and a ventriloquist dummy. Well after hearing a story from my Mother-in-law this week I think she may have you all beat before we even begin this round. She has a small bottle containing a birth veil or caul from her grandmother dating back to 1884. According to Wise Geek a caul is a portion of the amniotic sac which clings to an infant as it is being born. As a result, … [Read more...]
Day 313 The trouble with collectables
I love to browse the antique shops just for the nostalgia that it evokes. I often see things there that remind me of my grandmother or things that bring back fond memories from my childhood. The beauty of these occasional visits is that I can enjoy the sensations for free and come home empty handed. I don't need to own the stuff to enjoy it every now and again. How many of us actually bring this stuff home or even make a hobby of it. There are a lot of collectors out there and an endless variety of things that can be collected. Some people do this because they enjoy the novelty/beauty/rarity … [Read more...]
Day 275 Hang-ons from old hobbies
Scrapbooking is a wonderful pastime, and I enjoyed it for many years. The problem is that by its very nature it causes an enormous amount of clutter. Supply clutter, tool clutter, souvenir clutter, photo clutter not to mention time clutter. I have rarely met a scrapbooker who can keep up to date with all the happenings in life that they wish to record thereby causing a backlog of all of the above mentioned items. Remember earlier this week, on day 272, I decluttered an old Rick Steves' travel guide that had been languishing in my bedside cupboard for three years. Close by that guide was also … [Read more...]
Day 243 Memory clutter
There is one thing or actually a big group of things in my home that are looking down the barrel of being decluttered before the 365 days are up. The group in question are my old sports trophies. I have mentioned these before and still haven't done anything about them but the day of reckoning is coming. Trophies come under the same banner as souvenirs and little trinkets that serve no other purpose but to remind you of days gone by. They scream "look what I did", "look where I've been" and maybe even the sad cry of "I'm living in the past". Personally unless your future appears dull and you … [Read more...]
Day 238 Children’s art projects
Today I received an email from Barb who had a question about children's' art projects. Here is what she wrote... How have you handled children's art projects, etc. I have a whole box of them and just not sure what to do!!!! My response was this... I have made of point of revisiting my stash several times and been more ruthless with each visit. I am now considering digitising what is left and making a disc for each child. My son was quite prolific with writing "wild" stories when he first started school and they are a classic to read over and over again so I would never part with them but I … [Read more...]
Dy 235 More on yesterday’s post
In response to yesterdays post I received this comment from Deb J... I don’t recommend white lies and they are still lies and can often come back to bite you. What I have done to take care of this is to say up front with people who are gift givers that I love receiving gifts but I am not sentimental about them. So if some point comes along when I no longer feel they suit my taste or have a purpose I may give them away of sell them. I think that most people who know me now know this about me. I don’t have to worry about being asked about something. I also try to make it clear … [Read more...]
Day 234 Handmade with love
I know this is going to be one of those posts that may evoke some interesting responses but I am going to have a go at it anyway. I think I have actually touched on this subject before and I am not sure exactly where I am going with it but today's give away bought it to mind. Some of the hardest and most guilt ridden things to declutter are items that were handmade with love just for you. Now these items are always given with the best of intentions but with the perceived added obligation of appreciating the time taken to make it for you in the first place. I recently came across one of these … [Read more...]