R E C Y C L E        R E C Y C L E R E C Y C L E The Word for Today is so simple yet so important. If you are not using something then it is just taking up space. There are so many ways to RECYCLE your unwanted goods that very little should go to waste. RECYCLE by giving things you don't want to a charity, friends, family or even a casual acquaintance. RECYCLE by selling your items on through web sites like ebay or advertise in you local newspaper or through you work Intranet. RECYCLE by putting all unwanted items made of cardboard, paper, metal or recyclable plastic in … [Read more...]
Day 160 My thrifty packaging
As you know we have been selling a bit of stuff on ebay since the start of this 365lessthings challenge. I have mentioned before how I hate wasting our ebay earnings on costly packaging so I do my best to recycle otherwise unwanted resources to make my own thrifty packaging. After telling a friend of mine how well I had been doing recently selling snow gear on ebay she asked if I would sell some snow gear for her. During this exercise I took some photos to show you the process of creating my thrifty packaging. I used a box from a piece of furniture from the store I work at. I cut out … [Read more...]
Day 144 Learn to sew
From when I was quite a young child I was responsible for minor repairs to my own clothing even my school uniforms. This included mending tasks such as sewing on buttons and stitching up dropped hems. My mother was a private dress maker who worked from home and I will always be grateful that she taught me to sew. I don't use that skill to make clothes for myself or my family anymore but it is a skill that comes in very handy when an item of clothing needs repair. I read an article this week from a woman who works in a thrift store who was astounded by the amount of clothing that … [Read more...]
Day 140 Google your way to recycling
While going on my morning walk today I was outraged to see some of the stuff people have put out on the street for Bulk Waste Collection Day in our neighbourhood. I would rather not dwell on it at the moment because it put me in a rather negative frame of mind and I am trying to get something positive out of it. I will be sure to explain my outrage in an upcoming post just in case I have tweaked your interest. Rather than be negative I decided to get on my computer and Google subjects to see how much information I could find on charities and recycling opportunies in my local area. It was no … [Read more...]
Day 138 Packaging up your eBay sales
Due to our success on eBay recently you may have noticed that several of my blogs mention a tip or two about selling your clutter this way. I had an interesting question from Carmen which raised a subject I thought was worth mentioning. Carmen asked:- "Do you have any advice on shipping? The part I stress the most about is being able to find packaging (e.g. boxes) for the stuff I want to sell on eBay. Consequently, I haven’t sold much." What I say to this is      RECYCLE   RECYCLE    RECYCLE Buy the time you have sold the item on eBay you have already paid … [Read more...]
Day 137 Methods of disposal
Keeping it simple today I thought I might just compile a list of the methods I have used to dispose of the items that I have decluttered. Donate to charity Give to friends Throw in the trash bin Bulk Waste Collection (Explained Yesterday) Curbside Donation (I will explain this one below) Regift Sell on eBay Re-assign (eg. turning gift wrap into eBay packaging) Use up (like excess toiletries products) Curbside Donation explained: We live on a fairly busy road and I have been known to take large items that I no long require out to the footpath in the hope that someone will … [Read more...]
Day 136 Bulk Waste Collection
In Australia some local councils schedule Bulk Waste Collection days throughout the year so that people can get rid of those larger rubbish items around their homes that won't fit in the garbage bins. This is a free service offered twice a year in each neighbourhood. We receive a flyer in our mailboxes about a month in advance announcing which weekend has been allotted for our neighbourhood to put out our items for collection. This gives us enough time to choose and prepare the items we want to get rid of. Then on our allotted weekend we haul our rubbish out onto the curbbside to be … [Read more...]
Day 130 Reuse and recycle
Think about it for a minute, all the stuff in your home that you thought you needed at one point or another and never used to its potential (AKA Clutter) is likely to become landfill prematurely if you don't pass it on now to a good home where it will no doubt at least fulfill another person's needs for a period of time before either being used to it's true potential or get passed on again until it does. I was so please with all my eBay sales last week not only because they put a little bit of cash back into my pocket but also the items I sold are now being used by someone else. There … [Read more...]
Day 93 Your views on decluttering
Today I just wanted to point out that just below the photo for each days Post there is a tiny word "comments", if you click on that you have the opportunity to leave feedback, share your stories or even mention an area of decluttering you might like help with. I would love to hear from you and appreciate your tips and views. Yesterday I had a comment from Janetta who has been inspired to start decluttering again. She is even reducing by a bag of things some days because they are only small items. As I have said before "Every Little Thing Counts" whether alone or by the … [Read more...]
Day 86 Recycle & Reshuffle
While looking in the linen closet to determine whether there were any old towels I could throw away my attention was drawn to some rolls of gift wrap and a box of gift bags. Which got me thinking about the chest full of other gift wrap paraphernalia in the closet down stairs Now you may think what I am about to suggest is strange but I will explain my thinking as we go along. I rarely buy gifts (This is strange to most people). I live a long way from most of my family, postage costs are ridiculous and they all can pretty much afford to buy anything they would want anyway, as can I. Not to … [Read more...]