Cindy's Weekly Wisdom I've started stocking up for Christmas. I'm not entirely sure this is a good idea. In the past, when my children were younger, I'd sometimes see something six months before Christmas that I thought would make a good gift. By the time Christmas came 'round, I'd realized that my child was too old / too young / no longer interested in X, so now my gift needed to be re-gifted. (Do you call it re-gifting when it's never even been gifted once?) My caution about stocking up is compounded by my once good idea that went bad on me: Having a gift box full of a choice of generic … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom – One Person’s Trash Is Another Person’s Treasure
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom One person's trash is another person's treasure. That's a saying we've all heard and probably have said. I first truly appreciated the saying at the first garage sale I ever held as an adult. As we raised the garage door at 8:00 am, shoppers began ducking under the rising door, eager to be the first inside. The very first thing that sold was a men's electric razor for $5. The next thing to sell was a rusted kitchen knife for 10 cents. That's when I first came to believe that you really can sell anything. But, of course, decluttering doesn't have to be about selling, … [Read more...]
From the archives ~ Key #4 to simple decluttering in 100 words or less
Key #4 Don’t reclutter while you declutter Decluttering is a complete waste of time if there is as much stuff entering your house as there is going out. Limit your purchases to the things you really have put a lot of thought into whether you will get good use out of them or if they really suits your needs. Don’t wonder aimlessly through the stores looking for stuff you didn’t know you wanted. And try to convince your friends and family not to buy you gifts unless they are consumable in some way.- Fresh flowers, chocolates, beauty treatments and the like. Today's Mini Mission Recycle … [Read more...]
Choosing quality clothing
Last week we got onto the subject of how to ensure you are buying quality clothing. I scanned the internet for information and didn't find anything I didn't already know so that had me feeling confident that I knew what I was talking about. I also asked my mother, who was a private professional dressmaker, and my mother-in-law who is a crafter who also sewed and repaired clothes for herself, her husband, her children and even my children for many years, for any advice they had to offer. Below you will find our collective advice and I sincerely hope you find it useful when clothes shopping in … [Read more...]
Why full price is sometimes the best price
I have had this post in the pipeline for a while and after Tuesdays post on freebies I thought this would be as good a time as any to complete and publish it. It was inspired by Moni some time back when she left this comment in response to my post Mad if you don't ~ Mad if you do. Here is what Moni had to say... "My daughters shop in JayJays a lot and they often do a deal which is 2 t-shirts at a discounted price pretty close to the price of 1, and you rationalise, oh well its only an extra t-shirt, it will get used. Last night, Courtney asked me to help her sort out her t-shirts as there … [Read more...]
Clothing???
On Saturday Jane requested for me to write a post based on "Clothing. Buying (and only keeping) clothing for the person /lifestyle I aspire to be verses the person/lifestyle I really am/have. I am intrigued with this suggestion, especially since she used the word aspire in it. I would always advise clothes shopping to stay within the guidelines of a style the person is comfortable with unless they are ready for a change. And even then I think I would ease myself into that change an outfit at a time. I would think it is a risk to step outside of ones comfort zone too hastily or you could end … [Read more...]
Mad if you don’t ~ Mad if you do?
Clutter is often the result of buying now rather than wisely. This can apply to all sorts of products for various reasons. Here are two common reasons for purchasing this way. The first being that the item has bargain price you'd would be mad to pass it up. And second, the item may not be available later so you would be mad not to grab it now while you have the chance, avoiding future regret. Sound familiar? Here are some examples... Scenario ~ Sally was at the thrift store and saw a microwave oven plate that exactly matched the one for her oven and it was only $2. She had recently broken … [Read more...]
Simple Saturday – Buying a Little Happiness
According to the January/February 2012 issue of Money magazine, you'll be happier if you "Spend a Little a Lot of the Time "The Reason: Frequent small indulgences give you greater happiness than occasional splurges, according to a growing body of research covering everything from the pleasures of chocolate-chip cookies and massage chairs to lottery tickets and good grades. "The Resolution: Skip big-ticket purchases in favor of smaller ones you can spread out. Instead of splurging on dinner and a show, eat out one weekend and go to the theater the next. Rather than a designer dress you might … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Assess Before You Add
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom I bet I'm not the only one who has had conversations like this: Doing laundry, husband says: "Look at these socks. I think I need to throw them away. In fact, I think I need to get rid a lot of my socks." Me: "Looks like it." "When you go to the mall, can you get me some new socks?" "What colors do you need?" "Oh, IÂ don't know. Just get some blue, black, tan, and brown. I'll get rid of the ones that are getting holey later." Not said: Hold it right there buddy! You'll declutter after I buy new? Said instead: "Most of the socks are in the laundry. I can … [Read more...]
Improvise don’t compromise
We received the following comment from Snosie in response to one of Cindy's archived posts I republished over the Christmas break. This post gave great advice about thinking twice before buying. Snosie has just bought her first home and is in the process of moving out of her parent's house. She now has the task of furnishing and equipping her new home with the things she needs. A daunting task in which one could really get carried away but not Snosie she has it all worked out. Here is her comment... Great post Cindy – and a lot of what I’m saying to myself (without even realizing). I … [Read more...]