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...]
Avoiding internet shopping
So, it is 10:09am and I have just sat down to have my midmorning coffee. And as per usual I'm comfy on the sofa with my laptop in front of me about to open Facebook and have a game of Cookie Jam. Yes I know, "What a waste of time!". However downtime is downtime and we are all entitled to that. A little mindless activity to while away your relaxation time is totally acceptable in my book. The other thing I do during my downtime is browse Pinterest for craft ideas. Oh, how I can waste hours on that. But it more often than not inspires me to jump up and get creating soon enough. All that being … [Read more...]
Kids and clutter ~ A guest post by Andréia
I am a mother. I have two small children and, as all mothers will agree, I have been constantly aware how much our kids are brainwashed to want stuff. It is hard that even in school they do that. Recently there was a book fair at my son’s school. At the present moment we are really short of cash for extras so there is no money for spares. And I am a big FAN of books so I don’t usually question buying a book! Anyway, along comes my 4 year old son (who can’t read) with two little slips of paper saying that he wants two books, for the “lovely†bargain of US$50. Just so you have an … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ You Don’t Have to Have One Too
Every time you see something fun, intriguing, clever, imaginative, or functional at a friend's house, are you tempted to buy one for yourself too? When your child loves a toy that he or she has played with at a friend's house, school, or the doctor's office, do you think he or she must surely want one for your house as well? This is a trap. Don't fall for it. In my experience, parents and grandparents are the first and worst to fall into this trap. If junior loves a toy elsewhere, he/she will surely love one at home too. Not necessarily. Instead, by buying a duplicate, you've removed the … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Souvenirs
I messed up my posting this week. Sorry! So I'm trying again on Saturday / Sunday as a surprise. As you know, I just got back from a 2 week family vacation in Colorado, and I've been thinking about souvenirs, possibly the most unnecessary yet expensive part of many people's vacations, both in terms of money and the time spent seeking the objects. What motivates us to spend hours combing often tacky, crowded gift stores looking at mass produced and likely Made in China shot glasses, key chains, and t-shirts for something to take home, either for ourselves or as a gift for someone who did … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Resistance Is NOT Futile
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Any fan of Star Trek or American pop culture has heard the phrase "Resistance is futile." It was popularized on the TV show Star Trek when the Borg (human-machine hybrids) were about to assimilate (i.e., suck in, take over, and destroy) a new race of beings. This phrase popped into my mind yesterday when I was perusing the sales flier for the big box discount store Costco. Costco and its competitor Sam's sell items in bulk - big bulk - in a warehouse setting and at discounted prices, often significantly discounted. Not only can you buy food in bulk, more than … [Read more...]
From the Archives ~ Day 328 Black Friday
Written by:- Cindy Bogard If you're in a big hurry, just read this: Resist! If you're not in such a hurry, feel free to read on. In the United States, Black Friday is the day after Thanksgiving, which was on Thursday this week. Sadly, the website Answers.com defines Black Friday as "an unofficial American holiday". Sad, not because the rest of you are missing out; sad because a day of shopping insanity has somehow become "an unofficial American holiday". So what is Black Friday? As I said, it's the day after Thanksgiving and the official start to what's called the holiday … [Read more...]
Clutter doubts and counter arguments
I really enjoyed Cecily's post from Tuesday. I very much agreed with her that we need to be honest with ourselves in order to convince ourselves to let go of the things that have really just become a burden to us. Some of the things I used to find hard to let go of earlier in my declutter journey were... Storage containers once they became empty of clutter. The inner dialogue that would creep in at the point of letting go was ~Â But they are so useful what if I find I need them later on. And my honest response was ~ I don't plan on cluttering up my house again so I will make sure I … [Read more...]
Baby Clutter
My post on Tuesday regarding clutter foisted on you from other well intentioned people inspired one readers to send me an email. I am so excited for this reader, even though she sees a potential problem looming I am thrilled for her. Not only because of her happy situation but because she has already discovered the joys of living with less before starting a family. What a great opportunity to for getting it right. My children were 18 & 20 went I embarked on my more minimalist lifestyle and although I am sure they will tell you I was a miser there were a lot of things I could have done … [Read more...]
Awkward clutter
People give things to friends and family members for all sorts of reasons and three of those reasons are 1. Gifts  2. Trying to be helpful and  3. Offloading things they no longer have a love of or need for. And each of these reason have their own sub-categories some of which crossover through all three titles. I will set out some examples below. Gifts They have one themselves and love it and wanted to share the joy. The intention is good but it may not contain the same joy for you. They know you have a collection of something and think you would be happy to receive another … [Read more...]