Peaking

"Where did all this CRAP come from!", my internal dialogue is raging right now.

I know very well where it all came from, each and every piece of debris, garbage and outdated thing.

Packaging is a major culprit for most of western society, I think. Too much all the time and never ending!

Built-in obsolescence is another infuriating offender! Why oh why can't they build things to last anymore! Nothing makes me more angry than spending good money on a new item to find out that it was built to last a season or two. The last few hundred dollars I have spent on my son's shoes, they FELL APART before he got a chance to outgrow them, not cheap knock-off brands either! Total garbage in a few short months. Electronics and small appliances are a source of frustration in this category as well. Toasters and kettles in particular. I want to spend the money on a GOOD one and use it for decades please!

The nitty gritty of my endless rage is  - gritty.

Dirt dirt dirt dirt dirt. Dog, cat, kid, yard, dust, fluff, food, MESS!

Never ending, hard to keep even remotely ahead of.

I have "peaked" again with my tolerance threshold...

((((yoga breaths))))

I guess I better get back to war with it.

GOAL#34 - Office/Den

This is a two week goal... the sheer volume of little things is DAUNTING!

Starting Point.... my office/den is by far the most tragic space in my home for homeless clutter and "one day I might need it" clutter... a lot of sentimental clutter resides there too. Oh ya and the box of things that are heading out of the house usually ends up beside the bookshelf too.

 

 

 

See what I mean?!

 

I anticipate this goal will be CHALLENGING. But not impossible. Some containers are working... I know what's in them and can find what I'm looking for. OTHERS are mysterious containers of unknown flotsam and jetsam. Those are the ones I will be focusing on.

 

Some of the more interesting items found in and around my desk area:

• MORE bits and bobs that belong in my hardware bin,
• tape measures,
• sewing items,
• about 20 gluesticks,
• outdated business cards,
• old kids projects that never got finished,
• magazines,
• lipbalms,
• nail trimmers (I have SIX apparently!),
• lotions and
• hair accessories.

 

Obviously having my office downstairs at the other house made me keep some items "conveniently close" instead of "properly away". In this house, being one level, EVERYTHING is conveniently close even when it IS away, so hopefully that is the end of that habit.

 

Also: cables for obsolete electronics, software discs for computers I no longer own and other gadget junk. The weird thing is that I thought I already went through these gadget-bins last year! I swear they breed on their own.

 

The biggest SINGLE item I removed is a monitor that I used as my "toolbar" monitor in tandem with my main monitor. It started acting up a few months ago and now it won't turm on. Buh-Bye! My desk looks so much brighter without it!

 

 

 More yet to slog through.... I'll post the final results next week.

GOAL #33 - Living room Storage

Not nearly as intimidating as the bedroom containers!

 

 

What lurks inside?

 

Decluttered from one bin (now for sale online) an old gaming system and the games:

 

 

The other containers were okay. One "theme" per container, I can live with that for now.

Electronic Streamlining

We gave away this perfectly functioning behemoth to family friends who's TV is failing fast and they needed something sturdy enough to hold it too so they got the cabinet by default. (I bribed them to accept my offer with turkey dinner)

 

 

Not sure if I can include this in as"decluttering" since the cabinet and TV are being replaced -- then again the new ones are to be more modern and streamlined.

 

Now if only I could streamline my movie collection - in the dresser on the right of the picture. I really enjoy re-watching movies, and it seems my faves aren't on Netflix (at least the Canadian version).

GOAL#28 cont... the Pantry Keeps on Giving!

My freezer and pantry aren't even close to sparse yet, and I'm liking the breathing room that has begun in there, (I have room for an ice cube tray now!). So.... the January challenge is being extended!!! (But I will be getting more organic ground beef very soon).

This week's menu:

• Tuna Hashbrown Casserole
• Soft tacos
• Sweet Italian Sausage and Rigatoni in tomato sauce
• Buffalo Chicken Strips w/ fresh Yam Fries
• Hot Dogs w/ Saurkraut (I cheated and bought fresh dogs and buns for this)
• Butter Chicken w/ Palak Paneer
• Turkey Dinner (invited friends over for this one)

Shopping:
Fruit Veg, Dairy, Eggs, Bread, Hotdogs, Cereal, Juice, Coffee

The grocery bill has been much lower than usual this month. Of course that can't be sustained much longer, but it's a nice break after cash-heavy December expenses.

GOAL #32 - Master Bedroom Containment

STRATEGY: Pull them out, look inside, dump them clean and only put back what I know to be useful or beautiful.

Here they are... the ones lying around the room (not including the closet containers). There is also a roll-out container under the bed that has novels in it.

Ties: Why so many for people that don't wear suits?

Tights: Why so many for a woman that rarely wears skirts except in the heat of summer?
(oh and I found some in a drawer and another basket in my closet!)

 

the Bu-bye ties:

 

the Bu-bye tights:

Hey! these suitcases are already empty! (and 2 of the round containers were too)

 

 

The small one is now re purposed as my "travel souvenir space" consolidating the items from my trips that are all around the house to a single, finite space that I can reminisce from whenever I want.

 

The big antique suitcase sold online in less than 24 hours! YAY CASH!

 

As for the other containers, some are redundant... I had one full of sewing bits and pieces and hardware! That was handy when the main sewing kit and hardware bins were in a hard-to-reach area of our old basement laundryroom. But in this house, they are easily accessible a few feet from my bedroom in tidy bins at the bottom of the linen closet. Now that hatbox is empty because everything went to the more logical home.

 

Slippers: I love them almost as much as cardigans! They make more sense in the clothes closet instead of a container on the floor (threw out a holey pair while I was at it)

 

 

And the now-empty baskets/boxes will be donated to my favourite thrift shop. That is harder than I'd like to admit. After all, these are pretty containers that I selected and purchased on purpose because of their looks and functionality.

 

 

 

Miscellaneous Success

Nice items that I wasn't using... off they go to someone that may appreciate them more!

(and a few cookbooks too)