I have begun to look at a lot of things in my home through a filter of “does it bug meâ€? It’s kind of the opposite of “does it spark joyâ€. Like the embellished sweatshirt that I had loved for years. One day I just realized out of the blue that things about it were bugging me! So I took it off and threw it in the trash bin. There is a pair of slippers that, while wearable and don’t look too ratty, I don’t especially enjoy wearing because they are hard to keep on my feet. So they are in my sights… Recently I found a half empty jar of jam in the fridge. It didn’t … [Read more...]
How decluttering can improve your finances ~ by deanna ar USA
How decluttering can improve your finances ~ by deanna ar USA With contributions from her husband Randy The last few years hubby and I have noticed an improvement in our finances because we were purchasing less, in order not to add items to our home, when we were in fact working to declutter it. It was easy to see that I had not  shopped Coldwater Creek (my favorite) in a couple of years. In fact I had not been compelled to shop anywhere because so many items were decluttered that we hadn't needed anyway, i.e. household items, hubby's hobby items, tools, etc. About the only place I was … [Read more...]
Holiday Declutter by Deb J
Each of us has a different day when we clean up all the decorations from the holidays. One thing we all do though is repack and stash away everything. This is a great time to declutter. We have a great opportunity to look at each item and decide: Did we use it this time? Does it need repair or a toss into the trash? Do we like it? Do we want to change our style/color? Has our life changed in a way that requires our decorating to change? Now is the time to declutter all of those holiday items you no longer need taking up space in your home. Things like decorations, … [Read more...]
Silly Season Series ~ Consumable Gifts by Moni Gilbert
Looking for some last minute gift ideas? Ideas which won't clutter your friend's and family's home and will be happily received? Here are a few consumable gift ideas from myself, Deb J and Idgy of the North. Moni’s Lemon Honey (also known as Lemon Curd) 3 eggs 1 Teaspoon grated lemon rind 1 Cup Sugar ½ Cup Lemon Juice 50 grams butter  Melt butter in a 2 litre microwave proof container. Add rest of the ingredients and stir. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Allow to cool then pour into hot dry jars. Seal when cool. Note: this recipe won’t work if … [Read more...]
Ringing Out the Old and Welcoming the New ~ By Deb J
How many of you come to the end of the year with a bundle of paper you need to keep to prepare your taxes or because you have to be reimbursed for medical expenses or for who knows what reason? How many of you just find that at the end of the year you have piles of Stuff you can’t remember having a reason to keep? How many start the year with plans to do better and then it all falls apart? Every year I find myself going through a large personal safe of paperwork. I’ve been good about filing it away but I still have way more than I want or need. I also find myself starting a new … [Read more...]
The silly season series ~ Part 1
This blog post is by Moni Gilbert who is coordinating this series of posts. As we enter the Silly Season I would like to kick off a series written by Deb J, Andréia and myself entitled "365-ing The Silly Season". So often women plan their holiday seasons to the nth degree with the goal of the 'perfect' day and while the home might look grand, the menu perfect and all the little details might be delightful, is there a tired, stressed out woman behind it all?  I would like to suggest the gift of going a little easier on yourselves.  Trust me, no one will notice the difference if you … [Read more...]
Clutter you don’t care about
Hi folks, well after reading the heading of this post you are probably wondering what on earth I have written about. So lets get started. My home isn't clutter free. People probably think it is but it isn't. After all I have never professed to be a minimalist and doubt I ever will aspire to that. The bulk of the clutter that I planned to get rid of is gone. And, as you all know, we achieved our goal of moving into a small apartment almost two years ago now. My wardrobe doesn't hold a lot of clothes, my shoe selection is minimal compared to most, we have books but not a lot. We don't have … [Read more...]
A yard sale with a difference
In response to a comment on Monday I mentioned the idea that if there is a lack of ways to donate your stuff in the area where you live then why not have a free garage sale. Yes you read that correctly, a garage sale to give your unwanted stuff away. Or a yard sale if you like. It would be easier than a normal garage sale, because you wouldn't need to agonise over or make the effort to price everything. Just stick all your unwanted stuff out in the garage or lawn and allow those who come along to take what they please. The lawn sale seems like the safer approach because with a garage sale … [Read more...]
Don’t agonise over getting rid of clutter
It has been a busy week for me and I didn't get around to writing a second post. So rather than leave you uninspired for the week I am republishing the following post from the archives. Enjoy! * * * * * * * Don't Agonise Over Getting Rid Of Clutter I had a reader back in the early days of my blog who seemed to have trouble letting go of her clutter. It wasn't that she wanted to keep the stuff, or found it difficult to make the choices as to what to let go however she balked at getting on with the task. To me it was obvious that her problem was that she didn't like seeing anything go to … [Read more...]
Declutter With Friends: Let the games begin!
A guest post by: Nicole V Do you know the word game in which a player begins with a word in a particular category (countries or cities, for instance), with subsequent players taking turns to say a new word that begins with the final letter of the previous word? Once a word has been given, it cannot be repeated and any player who is unable to come up with a word is out of the game. It is usually referred to as the ‘Last and First’, ‘Last Letter Game’ or ‘Last Letter Word Chain’ although I’m sure there must be other names for it. Well, I was thinking that it might be fun for us … [Read more...]