I received a comment from Jill which inspired this post. It will probably sound like a confession as well but so be it. Here is Jills comment and I will write my thoughts after it. "I have been a collector of “stuff†my whole life. Had a major life changing operation last October and since then have been getting rid of lots of stuff. For the past 10+ years, I had been stock piling items for use after retirement (this November). Using “poverty thinking†(after retirement not having enough money to buy craft items, books to read, clothing, i.e…), my small home was piled high! After … [Read more...]
Experiment with going without
Sometimes, when it comes to the stuff around our homes, we continue to own things just because we always have. To have them has literally become a habit. Fortunately any habit that has been created can also be broken. There are two ways that you can experiment with breaking the ownership habit. The first, which we have spoken of in the past, is to have a trial separation from a selection of your stuff. Choose things that you are on the fence about decluttering, then put them away somewhere out of sight for a selected period of time. If you haven't had the need for these objects during the … [Read more...]
Life doesn’t have to be boring with less stuff.
So today I was out and about with Wendy F and we had a wonderful time shopping and checking out the stuff on the sidewalks ready for bulk waste pickup. And yes I know what you are thinking ~ "What is someone, who writes about decluttering and being environmentally friendly, doing shopping and picking up junk off the sidewalks?" First of all let me tell you that I bought nothing new and of course the stuff on the sidewalk wasn't new either. So that is the environmentally friendly side taken care of. The items I purchased at the thrift shop were two reels of thread for a friend, some wooden … [Read more...]
Storage is often not a solution by Deb J
We have all seen the magazine articles, books and TV programs on organizing. They tell us that if  we buy these particular products or use these particular items we will go from a cluttered mess to everything organized in a snap. The problem is that out of sight doesn’t mean it’s out of mind or make clutter any less clutter. Making it pretty doesn’t make it go away. Over and over many of us have bought and used multiple storage solutions trying to make things look like those magazine pictures. Unfortunately, these solutions are only as good as how good everyone is at putting … [Read more...]
Declutter item of the day ~ Fear
I received the following comment from creativeme on Wednesday and thought it would be a shame if anyone missed it so had to make a post of it. Also I wanted to add my 10c worth, of course! It was meant to publish yesterday but it wasn't finished and I was sick. So here it is, better late than never. "I’m getting better at this. Especially with the food! I have found that I go through this journey of letting go of stuff, what I am really letting go of is FEAR. I think I was afraid that I might not have enough in the future or it would never go on sale again or that I might not be able to … [Read more...]
Overflow
I have experienced examples lately on how clutter can lead to disorganisation which in turn causes more clutter. Actually, in the cases I am thinking of, the clutter is useful and used stuff but in such abundance that it ends up scattered making items hard to find. This can then lead to acquiring more of the same because of the mistaken idea that things have run out. Of course this isn't something new to me, I have written about it more than once already. However it is worth a repeat mention on a regular basis. My own craft supplies can get like this at times. Usually due to the fact that I … [Read more...]
Excess combined with neglect
I felt the need to write this post because I am continually confronted with examples of what I am about to write here. And that is homes crammed with abundance while suffering from neglect. It saddens me that such situations can cause so much stress to those involved. And, even more sadly, the cure people turn to alleviate this stress is to treat themselves to yet more stuff. Sometimes the neglect comes in the form of money being spend indulging in some sort of abundance, often causing clutter,  while other more important regular financial necessities are barely if at all budgeted for. … [Read more...]
Money v Time ~ A guest post by Andréia
I have always had a funny relationship with money: I never have it! (just kidding! A little light humour there!) Money is the centre of our society these days. All we do and have revolve around how much money we make and how much work we put towards having that money, so we can buy and have more stuff and do more things. But what is it really we need to buy and do? As a mother of 2 children I have seen enough to tell you some of the things we don’t need to do. Back when my older child was born I was concerned because someone told me I should put him in music class as soon as he was 8 … [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...]
Avoiding a cluttered wardrobe
I'll be the first to admit that I am no fashion expert. So I am not going to give you any advice on what clothes to shop for. However, what I am going to share with you today are tips that I think will help you to avoid a wardrobe cluttered with clothes that you don't wear. So without further adieu I will give you my opinions on ways to avoid adding clothing clutter. Don't insist on keeping up with the trends. Trends are all about changing whats "in fashion" in a  ploy to keep you buying whether you need new clothes or not. So don't be a sucker to consumerism and only buy clothes when … [Read more...]