Picture Proof

From one of my favourite declutttering websites. 365lessthings

 

Monday – Declutter something from a bedroom. (this is more than one thing technically)

 

Tuesday - Declutter something from your kitchen. (tiny tart pan from my husband's Grandma's kitchen supplies that we inherited 20 years ago)

 

Wednesday - Declutter something from your bathroom.

Thursday - Declutter something from your living room. (2 more books I will likely never miss)

Friday - Declutter something from your dining area. (from the random-pretty-things drawer in my china cabinet - a simple, glass, clip frame that never got hung)

Saturday - Declutter something from your basement, attic or garage. (old camping clothes)

Sunday - Sunday is reserved for contemplating one particular item, of your choice that is proving difficult for you to declutter. (a stunning, daringly styled top that I've held on to since before kids! I always thought I'd make a throw pillow with it, it's time to admit to myself that I won't)

 

 

AND ONE FOR GOOD LUCK.... mittens that no longer fit my kittens.

 

Goal #23 - Storage In Hiding

In the other house we had lots of storage. Easy to access, indoors and part of the living areas. Sure it was convenient, but honestly I hated it in some ways.  It's hard to describe, all the storage was too "in my face".

This house has very little convenient storage, and TONNES of inconvenient storage. If I'm willing to go outside and battle the elements (and the spiders) I have over 1700 sqft of floorspace that I could access in the heated, dry crawlspace. Or if it's taller storage that I need (and temperature isn't important), there are 3 sheds in the yard.

This new storage situation has been fantastic at helping me sort and purge.

I don't want anything in the crawlspace. I can't have anything valuable in the sheds. And this open concept house itself is unforgiving.

So if I don't love it or find it useful it has permission to leave my life forever!

I am very close to my goals for these spaces: GOAL #23
Crawlspace- for Seasonal items (so I only have to go get them and put them away once a year)
Sheds- for Tools and Sports stuff

Once again I am happy with less. I am not buying things for some distant future anymore. I am not keeping things that could still be fun (but not right now). I am trusting that what I have is enough for now, and trusting that I will be able to get what I need in the future as I need it.

Coupon Temptation

Nothing like a 30% off coupon to get the shopping juices flowing.

Today the coupon expires, so I went to the shop. The coupon was for ANYTHING. I thoroughly went through everything. One thing tempted me (but they were out of stock and wouldn't sell the floor model). I started looking for "anything". But in the end -after 3 laps of the store- I gave up.

I overheard a couple talking to a sales clerk about a bed frame. The man was happy with the price and the sale ended today... he was ready to get it after he took his wife out for lunch. As they walked away I asked, "Are you getting it today?".

He said he was and asked if I wanted to get it. I explained that I had a great on-line coupon that I wasn't going to use and asked if they wanted it for their bed. He was so happy that he hugged me!

I felt good leaving the store with nothing to clutter my house and doing a nice thing. It wasn't a waste of a trip after all.

:)

Just because you CAN doesn't mean you SHOULD. Wise words that work for using coupons as well as so many other things.

Paint

Make-up

Some women adore it. Can't leave home without it. And have enough of it to decorate a broadway cast for a whole season.

Other women don't even own a tube of lip gloss.

My make-up relationship has been somewhere in between. I have gone through phases of exploring colours, brands and styles... but my normal going-out-in-public make-up is fairly minimal by my sister's glamourous daily standards. Weekends are even less painted... if at all. Nobody seems to care one way or the other (with one exception: my going-out-for-a-date-with-the-hubby make-up makes my boys frown at heavy application).

Since moving I have LOST most of my make-up selections. What I've been using for almost 3 month fits in the small pouch I left unpacked close to the move-time.

Occassionally, I find myself in the make-up aisle of the drug store, but after the initial flush of excitement at all the pretty colours, I get annoyed at the "more-of-the-same" feeling of it all, and leave without buying a thing.

It turns out I am happy with what I have!

1 Small pot of mousse concealer (which they no longer make so I'm not sure what to do when I run out)
3 eyeshadow colour combo options (subtle, evening & playful)
3 eyeliner options (blue black, brown)
1 highlighter pencil
1 waterproof mascara
1 not waterproof mascara
2 lipgloss (1 clear, one coloured)
1 lipstick (natural tint)

These are colours that are tried and true with my eye and skin tones. I feel comfortable in everything in that make-up pouch.

There is a box of conciderably more choices somewhere. If I find it I will toss them all!

It's simply EASIER to find (and use) my favourites with almost nothing in the drawer.

Ten ways to control Clutter

This post is not mine. In fact I took it from here.
It was just so very true that I had to spread the word!

Every slip of paper, new item of clothing, or book to read takes a precious piece of you—some of your money, time, or energy. Some are worth their cost; but many are not. Be intentional about what you allow into your home and your life, and make sure each one is worthy of its place.
Here are ten ways you can keep clutter from building in your life:

1. Once you reduce your possessions to those you treasure and use, once you restrict your schedule to essential activities, and once you limit your priority list to only the best, enjoy and appreciate what you have. Use your treasures daily, get stuck into your activities, and focus on your priorities. You’ll get joy and satisfaction from making the most of what you have, rather than chasing the endless high of new things.
2. Use quality as a filter. When quality guides your purchases, decisions, and actions, you’ll feel better and you’ll add treasure to your life instead of junk.
3. Restrict entry to your home and schedule. Set up precise entry points: one in tray for paper; one feed reader for blog updates; one diary for appointments. Give each item attention before allowing it to make its way beyond this point.
4. Be a conscious consumer. Consider the true cost of producing an item, and make a statement through what you buy. You’ll naturally buy less this way.
5. Treat op shops [thrift stores], garage sales, gifts, and freebies the same way you do full-priced items from regular stores. If you wouldn’t go out and buy it, nor pay full price for it, don’t add it to your life.
6. Avoid impulsiveness. Spontaneity can be wonderful, but when applied to shopping, it usually ends up tinged with regret. The book you’ve wanted to read for ages is okay; the magazine you picked up on a whim is probably not.
7. Transform unwanted items into value. Sometimes an item in your home is misplaced. The hot-pink satin slip (don’t laugh, I had one) might now be irrelevant in your wardrobe, but becomes a gem in the kids’ dress-up box.
8. Set up a system for moving along temporary items. Have a spot for items to return, decide how often you’ll destroy outdated paperwork, and throw out old newspapers when you receive the latest one.
9. Only sell the most valuable of your clutter. Giving an item to someone else who wants it, or donating it to [thrift stores], is a simple way to keep things flowing out the door. It’s rarely worth your time and effort to list something for sale.
10. Don’t agonise over clutter decisions. Try using the benchmark principle. If you still can’t decide quickly, put it in your undecided box and get it out of the way. If you’re unsure whether to add an activity to your schedule, ask for time to think about it. When you know you have a second chance to make a decision, you give yourself space to view the situation with more clarity and perspective.

What are your favourite clutter-busting tips?

(What I tell ya?! That extra-organized lady knows how it works!)

Goal #22 The BIG goal - unpacking

This last bit of unpacking is very very hard. It's in my office space, and it's driving me crazy.

I guess the hardest part is figuring out what SHOULD be kept out of these supplies, reference materials, cords and cables. Some of it COULD go back into the crawlspace, but I'm trying to avoid that because I won't want to retrieve anything unless it's vital.

There are still SOME boxes in the crawlspace, but not very many!
Oh the power of decluttering! The trek has been great, and it will be an ongoing journey.

• Making a goal
• Setting limits
• Trusting the decisions to let go
• Removing the chosen items quickly
• Trusting that there will always be "enough"

....together, those are the techniques I give credit to.

One foot in front of the other

I found another box of shoes in one of the sheds.

Because I wasn't "missing" any shoes (except maybe the cold-season ones) the cull was easy.

My wonderful TOMS have taken over the majority of my warm weather shoe needs. Ergo any shoes that were even remotely loafer style got the axe.... no matter what the quality or country of manufacture -- that was 4 pairs! A pretty (but hard to wear) dressy heel, mules, ballet flats, and mary jane wedges taken out too AND a pair of winter boots and water shoes that my youngest has outgrown. Exciting progress on the shoe front!

full box of purged shoes

ALL the shoes fit in one of 2 places now - hall closet and mud-room. At the other house I had them in the master closet, coat closet, utility closet and laundryroom.... and a few in the garage too.

Solutions

Peter Walsh has a terrific mantra to make more effective decisions about what to keep. He says "SET LIMITS: you only have the space you have"

When it comes to book collections, no truer words were ever spoken. But what if you have the space to get MORE organizing tools (a bigger bookshelf for example)? Well then other choices must be made. Use my example, I could make it a goal to pay a carpenter to make the perfect built in bookshelf like my other house. Or for a quick fix, I could easily embrace the idea of taking the ferry and a road trip to the mainland to buy a close-to-perfect bookcase - in fact that was what I was planning to do before the lightning bolt struck.

The lighting bolt I am speaking of was found in the garage. I have been hanging onto some commercial-strength glass shelves for about a decade. I love the weight of them, the clarity, the perfect bevelled edge... but they never found a home at the other place. I moved them here thinking they might come in handy for the garage. And last week I saw them there leaning against the wall and felt sad that I wasn't using them. "SHAZAAM!"

The solution to my bookcase dilemma was right in front of me. And it was the easiest, fastest (and least expensive) option!  I would be able to us my beloved glass by getting rid of enough books to live with a simpler stacked bookcase!

A brief mission to find the right supports began. Flowerpots were too expensive. Bricks too messy. But some water hyacinth storage baskets with metal frames proved sturdy, clean, grippy for the glass, affordable and reasonably priced. Viola!

under construction

 

Not nearly the capacity of my old shelving wall. But now at least I know what space I have with which to set the realistic limits Peter Walsh is talking about. A dozen or so boxes of books to fit into 16 linear feet of shelving.

Just yesterday I took 3 boxes of books to the Elementary school. It was hard to get rid of some of the old favourites... (I did keep a short stack of the younger-age books) But so many of the classics are easily found at the library (I had to finally admit it, my boys aren't big readers).

And for my own selections, I decided the very best place for my favourite pocket novels and the "yet to be read" collection should be narrowed down to JUST ONE slim, rolling, under-the-bed container (another space that has definable limits). It felt good to accomplish that. They are still easy to access and in a logical place (since I like to read in bed).

More boxes to charity, more purging and prioritizing and sorting... here we are!

I'm pleased with the low height. And tickled pink seeing the glass shelves being utilized too!
Total cost... $53.76 for the baskets. It was so reasonable that I treated myself with the picture rail shelf above... obviously I'm taking that "set limit" to it's maximum capacity. Maybe time to consider the quantity of family photos I like to display?

What do you think?

Why my clothes are 2nd hand

Other than my fashionista sister's hand me downs, about 98% of the remaining clothes in my closet came from my favourite charity thrift shop. It's not that I HAVE to shop second hand, I actually prefer it.... and here is why:

#1 It feels good. The thrill of the hunt is exciting when there is only a 1ft long rack of shirts, and on that rack could be every colour, size and style from the last few decades! The mall just doesn't have that same feeling of victory when the "perfect" shirt shows up, AND the colour is great, AND the fabric is nice quality AND it even fits! The mall's endless stores with endless sizing is depressing to me somehow. I can't put my finger on it, but mall shopping leaves me feeling quite literally sick after a couple hours. Choice burn-out maybe?

#2 It feels good in another way too. By shopping at my favourite charity thrift store I am supporting their cause. It's nice to know my fashion choices are helping local causes.

#3 It feels good (again). That is to say, my "new" top did not use any extra resources to make, and it didn't need to get shipped either. I diverted this chunk of cotton (natural yes, but pesticide intensive to grow) from the landfill, and the more wear an item gets the less impact the original growth of that product equals per wear. I have to honest that I don't think about my cotton clothes' source terrible often, but when I do, I am happy that my thrift store gives me the chance to take my own environmental stance.

#4 My wallet feels good too. Finding that perfect shirt is always fun. Finding it at the thrift shop is always affordable - sometimes ridiculously cheap if there is a "sale" on. Name brands even! My wardrobe gets a lift and my wallet doesn't cry.

#5 I can walk away. Sometimes I DON'T find anything (wrong size, wrong material, bad fit, faded, whatever). And that's just fine. If that one rack doesn't have anything that day. Oh well. Maybe next time. The hunt is over and I didn't waste all day at it.

#6 I know what to expect. One of my pet peeves with buying new garments is that I am afraid what will happen when I wash them. Buying 2nd hand is a preview. Since they have already been washed, I know what the shape really will be. I also know if it will be prone to pilling, whether the buttons will stay on, if the seams are going to stand up and whether the zipper will continue working.

#7 If something happens, it's no big deal. Dog prints... cat claws... food stains... every article faces the risks if I'm wearing them. I do try to prevent these mishaps (because who wants to replace that hard-to-find item!) but when they happen I know I haven't wasted a ton of money on them.

#8 My inner minimalist is satisfied. I rarely get "attached" to the clothes (maybe because they are cheap and used to be someone else's?). Even my wedding dress I bought at a consignment shop (I thought it was romantic that another bride had been wed in it) and I consigned it at that same shop less that 6 months later (again I thought it would be romantic that someone else would have a special day in it). I can give up clothes easily! Those pants that no longer fit, that shirt that I no longer love, the dress that isn't my cup of tea anymore and I feel just fine about it. Bags head off to the same charity thrift shop.

I feel like I make a donation when I buy it and then make another donation when I drop the clothes off. Meanwhile I got the fun perk of having choices in my wardrobe. I can change size, cahnge styles, change favourite colurs and not have environmental (or financial) guilt about it. How cool is that?!

There are probably more subtle reasons to add too. Uniqueness of fashion, against the trend shopping, mall-anxiety avoidance, laziness (the charity thrift shop is by far the closest clothing retailer to where I live and right next to my bank and grocery store)... but those are the top 8 reasons.

Density

Still swamped in boxes - 2 months after the move.

What is in all these carboard space-suckers?!

As I make the hard decisions about what will stay and what will be moving on, I find that the density of my stuff is increasing.

My husband put it perfectly, "The house is getting more homey but less roomy".

There has to be a way that we can keep the homey AND the roomy! With every item that is kept, there is a sacrifice of space and the time it takes to clean and maintain that item.

There is progress being made! Stuff is going out by the boxful every weekend. It just doesn't seem fast enough somehow. As this mighty mountain of boxes indicates.

How much of it is sentimental? Have I attached a moment of my life to the object that I am afraid to lose?

How much of it is habit? Am I keeping it because I've always had it?

How much of it is aspirational? Am I keeping it because I think I will read/play with/use it someday? Or that owning it fulfills some wish I had once?

What is certain is that the density of the stuff is getting too much. The spaces between the spaces is getting smaller with every unpacked box and I don't want that. I REALLY DON'T WANT THAT!

Enough is enough. I am drawing the line in the sand.

_______________________

Finding my feet

Moving has been a challenge. Staging, packing, selling, more packing, moving, NOT unpacking because of renovating! But this delay in unpacking has been a blessing in disguise. It has been more than 2 months now since we got possession of this house. And many more months since decluttering for staging of the old house. That extended time without so much of my stuff has given me lots of time to reflect on my priorities. So much of what I am clinging to in these countless boxes adds no really value to my day to day life. In fact it is a distraction from what I truly love! With that in mind, my culling efforts have really picked up steam. The things that were crammed mercilessly into the old house do not belong in this home we are putting together here. Out of every box I am unpacking this last little while, about 1/2 is going straight into the "donate" pile. I have taken many more boxes to charity and bags of clothes too. (When I got here I was giddy about the walk in closet until it got too full to slide the hangers around... now they move freely, and giving each garment spece, shows more respect for the things I chose to keep. I have not won the war yet, but I feel like each battle brings me closer to success. At this rate I will be able to get a much smaller bookcase than I first thought I needed... and more importantly, my neat freak husband may actually be able to find peace in the living room soon!

Always a learning experience.

Moving is hard.

At least it is when there are 4 creative, active people that are attached to all their cool stuff!

We have been in our new home for more than a month and there have been speedbumps, potholes and fire-breathing dragons hindering our settling in (renovating hiccups and health stuff). There are still loads of boxes that are not unpacked! In my defense there are still areas of the home that aren't "done". Plumbing that needs moving, trim that needs adding, closets needing doors, so I can't put everything away yet and it's driving me nuts. Especially when I KNOW if I had less stuff it wouldn't be this hard so it's very much self inflicted!

I love this house and I want to stay here a very long time.
This is great news for decluttering, because I love the house more than anyof the stuff in it! So it's less difficult to make decisions... if it doesn't fit  then it must be removed.

"When in doubt, cut it out!"
My mom says this used to be the policy for surgery in the 70's but I think it translates wonderfully for this situation.

There are many decorative items that I still like very much that went wonderfully in the old place, but just don't work here... I have already pared down quite a few with no regrets. If something pretty doesn't look pretty in the space then it just isn't doing it's job now is it?!

Primary Problem Areas: TOYS + BOOKS
(not all the toys are the kids, and not all the books are mine)

Books: without bookshelves I'm not sure I want to open those boxes. But if I can live over a month without these books... can I take the plunge and NOT open the boxes? Just let them go?
Toys: are just plain out of control. It will take extreme measures to hack at that mess, but then again I don't want to be insensitive to the amount of stress the move put on the kids already without stripping them of their things too. I will stage the rest of the home to the clutterless level I want and hopefully they will want to follow... with gentle encouragement and the tools they need.

buh-bye

 

The new fridge came last week so this one has been languishing.

My mom tried to talk me into keeping it as a overflow fridge in the garage!

Nope mom. I'm not keeping a gigantic, empty, hydro-sucking container "just in case".

 

Not a bad fridge really. Probably the best appliance that came with the house.

I put the ad on-line and within hours I had several request for views. The first person that showed up bought it and now it's out of my house! Victory!

 

 

One Month Anniversary

It has been over a month since we bought this house.

Renovating Progress Report:

• Walls painted (and some trim)
• Most switches and plugs are replaced
• Half the light fixtures are replaced
• Floors are 100% redone
• Furniture is now in the proper rooms
• Kitchen is still not in, but at least most of the cabinets are assembled!
• Hotwater tank died rather quickly emergency plumbing was required

(It seemed reasonable to me that 2 weeks was enough time to paint and replace flooring. I thought with that nice 2 weeks we'd have a place to put furniture before we had to give up the other house. Defective flooring botched that plan. And delayed every other step)

What has been learned in the last month:

• Renovating takes lots and lots and then MORE money
• Never under-estimate the pervasive, destructive power of nicotine staining
• Anything that can be delayed will be delayed
• Just because something is new and expensive does not guarantee that it will be complete or without defects.
• It will take so very much longer than you imagined.
• Kitchen sinks are the single most under appreciated element of a kitchen.
• I don't need nearly as much gear as I thought to cook*
• Living out of a suitcase of clothes doesn't work when the weather changes
• Things you need are never in the first box you look in

* It turns out that very little equipment is needed to make hearty meals every day. Sure I can't use the same spectrum of recipes I usually do, but I am getting by with one burner  and the grille on the BBQ, a hose for water, a table as the prep surface (not ideal), 4 pots, and the trailer's sink for washing up (we were washing up outside but it was too hot). There is a plastic tote of necessities like cutting board, knife, can opener, grater, etc... and a cup, plate, bowl, and utensils for 4 people. Basic camping kitchen really. And I've been cooking that way now for 3 weeks. Sure we've ordered in a few times, but mostly it's all here.

It's amazing to me that anybody would want to do this renovating thing more than once.

+++++++++++++++++

Decluttering progress:

I called the "ReStore" (an non profit charity store that takes used building materials) and they hauled away a huge amount of the old kitchen! I also bribed them to come with the old washing machine, dryer and gas range (all in working order). I suppose we could have sold them, but that money would have easily been eaten up in the tipping fees at the dump getting rid of the other kitchen materials.

My brother in law took the dishwasher home with him

Large box of misc items no longer loved as I unpacked clothes into my new closet.

(I still have to find a bookshelf so I can unpack/cull the books)

We are in!

What a mess.... we are "in" the new house, but one delay after another has us still as squatters in the backyard.

Kitchen (but there is the BBQ and a hose outside)

Working complete bathroom (today the toilets go in, so we will have one bathroom that is 100% usable! ONE DOWN, TWO TO GO!)

Floors (the worst part because we can't really use the house until the floors happen. We HAD a couple pallets of bamboo strand, it was supposed to be installed last Monday, but it was defective in the clic part. THEN we had some maple, but they sent 2 different manufactureres that weren't compatable. As I type this a third attempt is being delivered.... if this doesn't work, I will be at my wit's end. On the bright side, finally as of this morning we have vinyl in the washrooms, and the cork in the bedrooms went down fast and easy.Moving the beds into the house was a real treat. Yay for floors!)

Window trim and baseboards (no foreseeable timeline for the finishing work.... oh well)

As for decluttering, I have been living as an extreme minimalist since the 25th.

Outside kitchen... kind of fun for the summer, I have to admit. In fact, I am tempted to cook like this every summer. A couple boxes of vital kitchen stuff, BBQ, microwave, kettle, hose and fridge. Hey, that' pretty civilized really!

Clothing is still the stuff in the suitcases that I packed the day before we moved. Like travelling, it's a hand-wash-then-hang situation until the washer and dryer get hooked up.

OH WAIT! Now the 20 year old hot water tank is leaking! Surprise! I guess that is another thing to add to the list.

Books. Sorry, they are all packed.

TV. Nope, it's not plugged in, I think it's in the garage, but not totally sure. Strangely, I'm not missing it thanks to the laptop and internet connection.

This experience has been valuable for identifying the difference between a want and a need.

Not quite the plan, but not bad either

I have been decluttering in a way I didn't expect. One of the big sheds out in the new backyard was crammed FULL of boxes that didn't belong to us. That is an 8x10x6 foot storage shed!

While the painters were slaving away inside the house, I made it my job to clear out that shed.

It seems the person who filled the shed had a crafting "problem". It looks like she may have been in the Christmas craft fair circuit because she had bins and bins of new, still-in-the-package notions and beeds and glittery things and glue guns/sticks.... many pounds of them! Since I have no desire to start up these hobbies, I got to emptying the bins into sturdy boxes to take to charity. Along with many boxes of books and clothing and other season craft supplies, I took THREE truck loads of donations to charity!

There is also a box full of family photos that I will be delivering to the seller's realtor.

Unfortunately there is at least 3 full-sized garbage cans of undonatable trash too.... I feel bad about the ruined books most of all.

What did I get for my efforts?

a very nice large lead crystal vase.
12 (now empty) gigantic heavy duty totes (they will come in handy for the move)
some of the cuter craft supplies for my neices (limited to one box)
some good quality christmas items that I actually like
2 evening dresses that are going to be fun as halloween costumes
a pair of cowboy boots that are AWESOME, unique and fit great
a pair of dress shoes that have a special something-something and fit great.
a big bag of rags for the garage

I could have kept more stuff that had potential... but I wanted to be brutal and I was!

Now the shed is ready to be used as a transtion space for my family's belongings while we wait for our house to be done. After that, it will be my oldest boy's workshop!

Goal #21 More stuff that I can let go

I just realized something!
This house that we are moving to (being one level) will need less of the supplies that our current multi-level house does!
For 13 years I have required nail clippers, a brush, scissors, hammer, screwdrivers, tape, and miscellanous other hardware and personal grooming supplies on each floor. Sheer laziness on my part but effective at preventing procrastination by having these things on-hand.
How liberating it will be to only have ONE place for these things!

Goal #21 Let go of redundant items

I will need to go through the junk drawers and baskets to gather the handy tools together and choose only the BEST to take with me to the new house.

It's REALLY happening!

We have SOLD the house!

Now we have exactly 24 days to pack up and move out.

LET THE CRITCAL PURGING BEGIN!!!!!

I am determined NOT to move anything that won't fit in the new place.

I vow to NOT bring anything I have outgrown literally or figuritively.

I will NOT to move anything that I do not find useful or beautiful.

(the other family members may have a different plan, but I will lead by example here)

Put Your Mind to It

I felt inspired this weekend to re-find my decluttering mo-jo.

The results speak for themselves....

12 pairs of socks - removed from the sock drawer
3 wheelbarrow loads of trimmings and weeds - taken off the property

And for serious progress... I was driving along and saw a bunch of furniture with a FREE sign on the side of a rural road. I had to check it out. Ugly coffee table, particle board dresser, a country style side board (pine maybe) and 2 FREE solid oak chest of drawers. They had tremendous potential - a little water damage and someone had shortened the legs but the style was pleasing and the brass keyholes and dovetail joining made me weak. Yes I stopped and considered them carefully, but  -  I left by the side of the road... so that counts as preemptive-strike decluttering!

I put my mind to it and got results. Hoorah!

Out the Window

Goals, decluttering... all that good stuff is out the window right now.

There is no room for it with the trying to sell our house.

Okay that's not TOTALLY honest. I have moved out about 10 pounds of books to donate to the elementary school library and a couple bags of clothes that I no longer love or the kids have outgrown.

So the one and only goal is SELL THE HOUSE.

I feel hog tied with this goal though... the house is prepped, primped and priced to sell.... but I can force no one to view or make an offer or give me their money. Strangely the market has suddenly been FLOODED with listings driving the prices waaaaay down compared to even last year. My poor sister is feeling like a sucker for buying a home just 12 months ago (similar to mine) for $50G MORE than it would be worth today. But hey the pickings were really slim 12 months ago in this neighbourhood and she does LOVE her house, so it's no use having regrets about something so out of her control.

Out of control.... yes that's exactly what it is and it's a feeling I'm not comfortable with.

After all, this house is staged, it's bright, a great neighbourhood, quite new and has all the storage one could want in a family home. The inability to make people come see is devistating to my sense of self somehow.

But I digress.

This blog is about finding a minimalism that fits for me.

I will look again at my closet and remove the tattered, ill fitting and ugly.

I will look again at my books and decide which ones I can live without, or that can easily be put on my e-reader instead of taking up physical space.

I will find more DVDs to cull, I have the library to get them from now anyways.

I will go through the "just in case" supplies and remove the ones that only go with this house that we are living anyways.

I will streamline my digital photos to a better quality standard.

And that will have to do for now.

Until I move.

A 1000 Mile Journey

A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. -by Confucius

If listing my home was the first step... the rest is surely a thousand mile journey.

Showing after showing... teasing us with repeat viewings and promises of wanting to buy (when they sell their own place).

Good news, the house is very clean and perfectly balanced with belongings (aka clutterless).
Bad news is that I am so stressed out about what we are committed to (and still no offers).

There is still time I have to repeat over and over, "there is still time" to keep from panicking.

So universe, hear my call: "One safe, bright, friendly home needs a new family to enjoy it, ASAP."

And once this call has been answered I can focus on the next leg of my journey, renovating.

Packing Perils

There is an interesting development around this packing thing.... As I pack I am deciding if an item is worth bringing along... completely predictable. Very similar to all the other times when I am decluttering (asking if it's worth the space it takes up) only a bit deeper because it involves the physical effort of finding a home for it in the new location.

The unexpected twist is that as I am wrapping things to put in boxes I am wondering... "If this breaks during the move will I want to replace it?"

huh?

You'd think because I want to bring it with me that it would be valuable enough to want to replace, but strangely there is very little that I would shed tears over if it broke! Maybe a temporary pang of waste, but not real remorse.

Wow. I've come a LOOOOONG way in my relationship with my stuff!

Goal #20 No shopping

Decluttering isn't just about getting rid of the stuff you have, it's also about resisting the temptation to bring more home.

Goal #20 No shopping for the rest of this month (except immediately usable consumables)

I have enough "stuff" to last me a while. Shoes, Clothes, Kitchen items, Linens. I have enough drygoods and freezer foods to last a while too. So this goal should be easy.

Shifting to High Gear

Be careful what you wish for.

Now that the moving idea is a solid, undeniable reality I am scared.

After obsessive decluttering and scrubbling, our house echos in it's clean, clutter-free staging -- that part is really nice, SO easy to sweep, dust and mop!

But we know with each echo of this pretty sun-filled home, that it MUST sell, and not soon enough!

We are moving.

Goal #19 One Day at a Time

"What a difference a day makes, 24 little hours..." I love that song

Goal #19 is to take a step back from the stress.

 Calm, center and count my blessings.

Background: With the excitement of putting an offer on that other house and listing mine, I have been literally run off my feet (they are so sore right now) gathering boxes, filling boxes, moving boxes to storage (oh how I abore the need for storage). Up the stairs, down the stairs, down the driveway, into the truck, drive the truck, unload the truck .... repeat. And yet the house still looks turned upside down!!! I've been flustered all day and it isn't helping anything.

So I need this goal to declutter my emotions.

Process: Breathe in breathe out, take a decadently looooong shower and eat a bit of chocolate while sipping some red wine. Sit quietly with the kids and the hubby and just talk about sweet nothings (ignoring the boxes). Tomorrow will be another hectic day: the home stager - compliments of my realtor - will be showing up in the morning, and the afternoon is reserved for a client meeting.

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Verdict: I feel soooo much better equipped to handle this now. Whether you are moving or just finding your to-do list is never getting caught up, I recommend everyone make a version of this goal very very soon. :)

Imagination exercise

New development!

We put an offer on another house - for real!

It's a great floor plan with a nice yard and a shop... but of course with all those perks there are compromises... Specifically the house hasn't seen paint or decor since 1984 and has been smoked in all that time. (can you say "stinky"?). I think they may have been trying to reduce the overwhelming nicotine smell when they ripped out the carpets in most of the rooms... but it just left it looking shabby and still smelly.

The other compromise is the location. It's not terrible, it is still our preferred neighborhood and backs onto a park but the road is noisy-busy. (We really thought we wouldn't move unless it was to a rural spot. The thing is rural with a decent house and shop is WAAAAAAY over budget for us.)

So the imagination exercise is back! I will be decluttering to list our house immediately and preparing to move (if our offer is accepted of course). I will be trying to actually purge the extra stuff intead of storing it. Not sure if that's possible with the personal stuff (family pictures for example), but I'll try.

Even if the deal falls through (and they do tend to do that with us), I want to make the house list-ready as an exercise in clutter-discipline. It's so easy to get complacent with clutter and let the "lived-in" look expand into the "can't have anyone over because it's messy" look.

I have to face facts, though my home is cozy and can be pretty, our family hobbies are not suited to a steep driveway, in-house garage or loads of stairs. The hobbies look like they are hear to stay (and that's wonderful) so it's not an unreasonable thing to want a property that can make the hobbies easier. Not to mention all the stairs are brutal on my mother-in-law (her M.S. has her subjected to being CARRIED up the stairs when she wants to visit us). A rancher would be much more friendly to her as well as us.

Of course I am scared of the work of moving, change is never easy. It will strain my husband terribly (he is very sensitive to change more than most) and it's not a move-in ready house so the short term (if the deal goes through) will be costly and difficult. But I wouldn't risk all this upheaval on a whim. I truly think the other property could suit us into old age like it did with the previous owner.... if we can live with the road noise.

Wish us luck!!!!

PS the house is no bigger than the one we have now, but it has less rooms so each room is bigger, I think that will be nice (if the deal goes through)

Goal #18 Fashion Slave

Process: Pull everything out of the closet and pack away Winter favourites, and bring out the Spring hopefuls. A great time to cull the worn out, out of fashion, wrong size, and the pieces that were ignored to be donated to charity or turned to rags.

Goal #18: Put away heavy winter clothes for the season

FUN TIMES!
I was really into it this time, and ruthless about both the winter stuff I chose to store AND about the spring stuff I put back into circulation. Honesty is such a help when doing this chore. Super comfy, sure, but yikes it's faded (rags). So very very cute but I didn't wear it all season (donate). It used to fit very nicely, but is getting unflatteringly snug (this is where honesty hurts the most - donate so I don't feel guilty about it anymore).

Verdict: Over fifteen articles of clothing outta here! So easy!

With all the recent purge items I was able to fill the trunk and head to the charity thrift shop. They were happy and I can't change my mind about any of it. Win Win.

Goal #17 Making my Bed

Time to tackle to bedspreads.


There was a time when I needed more bedspreads, sheets and pillowcases (and mattress protectors too). But that phase is thankfully behind us in this household, so it is time to see what can go!

The beds look best with clean, simple coverings: these rooms aren't big enough to pull off the luxury look of layers and tonnes of pillows.

GOAL #17 per Bed: 1 lightweight cover for Summer, 1 fluffy, warm one for Winter plus two sheet sets per bed is more than enough really (even when we have company).

Starting Point:
6 Twin fitted sheets
4 Twin flat sheets
6 Twin Comforters/blankets
8 Pillows
17 Pillowcases
3 Queen sheet sets (flat, fitted and 2 pillowcases)
5 Decorative Throw Pillows
1 Queen Feather Duvet
1 Queen Duvet Cover
4 Queen Bedspreads
9 Throw blankets (for couches)

Less is Better: Now....
I kept the best quality ones to meet the goal.

4 Twin fitted sheets (-2)
2 Twin flat sheets (-2)
4 Twin Comforters/blankets (-2)
6 Pillows (-2)
8 Pillowcases (-7)
2 Queen sheet sets (-1)
3 Decorative Throw Pillows (-2)
1 Queen Feather Duvet
1 Queen Duvet Cover
2 Queen Bedspreads (-2)
6 Throw blankets (for couches) (-3)

Don't Need It - Don't Want It

When we listed our house last summer, I decluttered, depersonalized and freshened up some paint, etc... Lots of things were tucked into my sister's garage only to come home again after the listing ended and we decided to stay put at least until the next house catches my attention ( LOL).

Part of the process included unplugging the small wall hanging TV in our bedroom so the ugly cables wouldn't be dangling.

The thing is we haven't found a reason to plug it back in -- since LAST SUMMER!

With my husband going to bed so early we NEVER get a chance to watch TV in bed.

It's not pretty and it's proven unneeded so why is it hanging around? Literally hanging around on the wall by my bed? I think I will give it to my sister (though I don't think she watches TV from bed either....?

One thing is it is attached to a VCR to DVD recorder and we still have loads of VHS family videos to put onto DVD before we get rid of that machine. Maybe I can get my talented husband to hook it into the entertainment system downstairs or something.... BTW we still have the video camera that records onto those half-sized VCR tapes! I suppose that should be culled too.

At least I recognize that these gadgets aren't adding anything to my life right now. And knowing is the first step to getting them out of my life for good.

Dig dig dig dig dig

Figuratively and literally today!

The weather was spectacular all day. I celebrated by turning over my little garden plot. Dig dig dig.

Also, I opened all the windows and doors and gave the house a much-needed airing out.

Unfortunately I burned something very very badly in the kitchen last night (damn you laundry distraction!). Even after freezing us with all the windows open until bedtime, fans running full blast, scrubbing the stove top, washing the range hood screens, even taking apart the fan to clean -- even after ALL THAT WORK the inside of the cupboards even stink like smoke. I am genuinely afraid I may need to paint to seal in that burnt stench. I'll give it a few more days or even weeks (I am so glad spring is here so there is better air flow through the place).

Back to the digging.

While waiting for the "eco" shower cleaner to sink in, I pulled out everything in the linen closet and put it back in an orderly way (I love doing this BTW) and took a small pile of rags to my husband's rag bin in the garage (made him happy). A good warm up for decluttering!

Then I called my youngest into his room and told him he had to make sense of his catastrophe of a room. This didn't come out of the blue, even he has been complaining that it's too messy lately, so today was the day.

I sat with him in the middle of his room and picked up each thing to ask where it SHOULD go (not where does it FIT- that's how it got so disorganized in the first place). I know each category of toy has it's own bin.... lego, hotwheels, models, stuffies, even a miscellaneous doomahicky bin... so I got him to get out the bins so that he could easily toss each thing into the best bin for finding it next time he wants it! Revolutionary concept, I know!

At the end of it all, we found a few items that he decided weren't "worth" finding a home for, so off they went to the charity shop box. And there was a grocery bag of broken bits and paper scraps to get rid of too! Wow. Does his room ever look better now, and it didn't take nearly as long as it could have.

I felt so inspired by that success that I visited my dining linen and sorted, purged, and neatly put away in a logical order the table clothes, placemats and napkins. (I host the big family dinners, so these things are used at least 4 times a year.). In the process I found 8 placemats I no longer find "my style" and some cloth napkins that don't really go with my favourite placemats. ta-da! 20 less things in the drawers!

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It happened again. The shower curtain was getting a bit stiff (and maybe whiffy too?) so I went to hang up the "spare" shower curtain to put the primary one in the wash basket... but I couldn't find the back-up! Where could it be? I looked in all the logical places. And didn't find it. I must have purged it already. And guess what? The world did not end! After the initial twinge of disapointment at the inconvenience of not having the spare.... I simply washed the primary one right away with a load of other stuff (there is ALWAYS other stuff with an active family of 4). Voila! clean shower curtain no fuss, and no chance for procrastination!!!!

Goal #15 Pantry Accounting

It's good to visit the pantry regularly to take stock, and check rotation to keep on top of expiry dates.

Goal #15 KNOW what's in my pantry right now!

Game plan: Take all the dry goods out of the pantry. Sort from oldest to newest of like items, make a note of anything that is running low and put it away with the most urgently dated items at the front!

Verdict: This is an exercise that always makes me feel very wealthy and secure! In about one hour --while waiting for a reply email -- it was all done. Now I know what I currently have ample amounts of, and what I still haven't touched from my last pantry audit (and therefore leave off future shopping lists!)

Goal #16 Framed

This goal is a bit different.

Residue from when we listed our house briefy last year... a few boxes of "personal" decor that were removed to neutralize the house for showings. Of those boxes, the hardest one to deal with after the house was un-listed is the one with framed family phots. They are great photos in carefully selected frames.

BUT the problem is I like my walls better with    l e s s    on them... and therefore putting the photos back up would be clutter.

What could the solution be?

I love the photos - they make me happy and connected to family that has passed, and my boy's younger cute-ness.

I am seriously concidering taking the pictures out of the frames, scanning them and putting the originals in a plain photo album. The idea makes me sad that they won't be displayed, but less sad than the idea of putting the pictures back up. Is that crazy?

So my goal is to find a respectful and wonderful way to honor the pictures in a place I can visit often enough (like when they were on the wall). I can't put them back up, I like the space better clearer.

Any ideas would be appreciated.

(PS a digital frame is not an option because I loathe cables dangling down the wall)

Clutter Creep

I had an opportunity to do something different with my life the last couple weeks, and with hesitation I went for it. The result was that I was working away from my desk (and even away from my town) for 3 days and coming home in the evening.

You would think with no one home for all day the house couldn't possibly get messy, right?

WRONG!

Somehow only having time to cook, eat, do dishes and prepare for the next day made the little messes that the family makes in the evening accumulate. Clutter had creeped onto every surface and into every nook. Lego, remote controls, homeworks sheets, half folded laundry, computer accesories, novels, etc, etc... the result was chaos that looked like a grittier version of the after Christmas morning mess. And in every room of the house too!

Thankfully I was able to spend the morning tidying. Then the afternoon cleaning. Hubby worked on the yard.... a winter of neglect had to be acknowledged out there.

It was an eye-opening experience. Apparently I do more tidying throughout the day than I give myself credit for!

The adventure that was my out of town contract is over for now, but apparently I did a good job and they do want me back... and that's good, because now I will be better prepared.

Goal #14 Paper Monster

One thing that fills me with dread is the thought of throwing away papers that I am supposed to keep. And likewise keeping too many papers for too long can be a real threat to my clutter anxiety.That is where GOAL #14 comes from... slaying the dreaded paper monster one sheet at a time!

Step one: Pull out the giant box of "old papers" to a place that I may actually feel good about sitting for an hour or so.

Step two: Pull the papershredder and recycling pags to the same place.

Step three: decide on what year will be my cut off for bank statements, bills, etc. And decide what items I will want to keep no matter what year thery were from (employment letters, receipts for cars I still have, etc)

Step four: pour myself a tall glass of water and grab a snack, then DIVE IN!

Verdict: I made the cut-off 10 years for most of it (I'm sure any time before that nobody cares about but me.) The still relevant stuff from before then (house improvements, car repairs, major life events) went into a special envelope called "PRE-2002". Some papers were so boring that they could be tossed right into recycling without any identity compromises, but MOST of it needs to be shredded. That hungry machine worked hard for me today and the kids had fun feeding it! I ended up with a FULL bag one of (those large clear ones) of shred that will go to the curb with my next recycling pick up day.

My ugly box of "old papers" was practically empty, so I moved some papers from my file cabinet to the box... then I actually put it away before it languished in my livingroom for too long! (Huge step for me!)

My mom says she keeps envelopes that say "SHRED AFTER XX-XX-20XX" so that she doesn't even have to sort later. I may adopt that technique.

Imagination exercise revisited

The moving plan I posed on the 13th of last month isn't going quite as planned.

It's not that I don't have boxes lying around... Unfortunately I do. There is a 4 cubic foot assortment of "stuff" that is homeless right now wandering from room to room.

It's crap (I mean precious belongings) that came from my office when it was bad that made its way to the laundry room of doom that then got moved to the family room when the renovations started in there! It got moved back to the office and had to get shuffled back to the laundry room when the office had to be tidy for a meeting... And back to the family room when it was time to hang the ceiling in the LR... It's waiting there now, making the family room too messy to be relaxing.

I'm frustrated by this seemingly endless cycle!

Back to the "moving plan"... Only a few items have left the house since my grand packing idea. Some progress is better than none I suppose. If I think about it in space savings - not much yet.

The goal I've been setting are successful in measurable ways, so I'm not being too tough on myself about the moving exercise slowness. Part of the thing that is hanging me up is the boxes chaos that the packing would cause. Part of it is that work has picked up (yay) to the point of needed a lot of my time. More importantly the pretty, sentimental things that are essentially useless are the things I find the hardest to part with (at least mostly). This has been a good way to handle it though, because I have to really LOOK at each item (pretending to pack it) and re evaluate whether I still feel attached to it or whether the item is something that has blended into the background of it's place in the house.

Whenever my honest reaction leans towards ambivalence I get to expel it! (after taking a picture if there are nice memories associated) Slow and steady. Maybe the "moving" day can just be bumped a while, after all it's not a complete loss as an exercise.

Putting a number on Minimalism

A lot of minimalists like to have number limits on belongings.
Project 333, 100 things challenge, etc. I love these blogs and projects for motivating me, but honestly a number limit doesn't quite work for me. The milder versions have less constraints, but of course even the "you don't need more than 8 of anything" rule feels too restrictive.
Let me explain
I don't need more than 8 shirts..... ? Or is that no more than 8 long sleeved shirts? Or is that no more than 8 long sleeved button up shirts? Where do I draw the line at the classification of each thing? 8 pants? Or 8 jeans, plus 8 cords and 8 pairs of slacks? See the problem?

One thing is for sure, even with 8 of EVERY category, my fashionista sister would never understand any limit but the constraints of how much she can CRAM into her large closet and 3 dressers (and of course the off season closet and the formal wear wardrobe too). 
My preference is a compromise. The limits are not numerical absolutes, and they aren't maximum capacity space constraints either... I figure if I can easily find what I need within the closet (or drawer)and everything in there is what I can wear NOW (the right size, and in good repair and a style I like) then that should be the perfect amount!
With this special density, the one-in-one-out rule is completely necessary. Otherwise things can very quickly slip into an over-crowded chaos.

Just ask my pantry... it is over the comfortable-access-capacity on a regular basis!

Goal #13 The Junk Drawer

Be afraid, be very afraid! The junk drawer is a common fixture for most families. It's the place to find a screwdriver, tape, the spare batteries and everything else that was left on the counter that didn't have a kitchen task to do.

Goal #13 Clean Out the Junk Drawer

Background: I have a confession. There is more than ONE junk drawer in this house. There is the standard kitchen one, one in the living room, one in the diningroom and even one in my office.

Challenge: One drawer at a time, clean out what shouldn't be there and re-assess what should.

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Process: With each location, get some materials set out ahead of time. Prepare a large flat surface to sort on, 4 baskets (toss, keep, put away, donate) and cleaning supplies for wiping out the drawer once it's emptied. Next empty the drawer ALL THE WAY EMPTY onto the flat surface. Then take a moment to enjoy the cleared space.... ah, doesn't that feel good? Now you can look at what you were storing in there.... the garbage should be obvious the broken bits and dead batteries (I have them, you do too right?) The stuff that found it's way to the drawer instead of "home" should also be obvious. DON'T GET DISTRACTED HERE: put the items in the "put away" basket for now. Take the time to focus on what's in the "keep" basket. Is it a duplicate? Does it belong in the drawer? Any wires can now be labelled and tied up tidy, a small container might be handy for keeping the screwdriver bits together, etc etc. Now you get to put the "keep" stuff back. You can see if a divider, or small baskets would help out (not until after the purge though). Back to the "put away" basket.... Why was it in the drawer? Is it's home in the right place? Easy to find and there when you need it? Is it a duplicate?

Verdict: It's not called a junk drawer for nothing! I think gremlins are putting weird crap in there. Used napkin in the livingroom drawer anyone? Busted plastic battery cover for a lost toy in the kitchen? On the bright side I found a DVD series that I borrowed last summer that I can now return (how embarassing). The drawers are now easier to open, close and find stuff in -- I love my clean drawers! Of course I know that this challenge needs to be visited regularly and often.

Goal #12: Spring must be coming

The seasonal "sport" of gardening accumulates a lot of stuff, even for a casual participant like me.

Goal #12: Gardening Paraphernalia: Part 1

Background: Because I garden on impulse pretty much exclusively, I have too many impulse purchases tucked away in various areas of the house and yard. A practical aspirational clutter, because I WANT to grow more than I do, but rarely follow through. I'm quite sure I have duplicates, duds and expired stuff in the mix.

Challenge: Keep only the things that work best, that are relevant to my current garden and are still viable.

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Process: In part 1 of this challenge, focus on the gardening materials that are kept indoors.
Start by pulling all the gardening things together to really see what there is. Set out a large, easy-clean area to make the inventory... then get searching. That means going into the darkest recesses of the garage, laundryroom, under the sinks, etc. ... you know where you hide this stuff. Ask the tough questions: Is it broken? Why did I buy this? Do I use it? Do I need it? Is this still relevant to the plants I have now? Has it expired?

Verdict: I found duplicates of fertilizer in almost every cupboard. I guess I think I use it more than I really do. I also found seeds that I had bought for my last house (I have lived here for 12 years!) I think if I haven't planted them by now, I won't be -- and that's provided they are even still alive. I know now with certainty where the supplies are and what I have BEFORE the impulse Spring planting season arrives here!

Goal #11 Growing Growing GONE

As kids grow, they out-grow clothes, boots and jackets, mittens, hats, etc... timing is everything.

Goal #11 -  Kid's Clothing

Background: Both kids being boys means that one gets the hand-me downs of the other. That has worked well up until recently when their very different bodyshapes and clothing tastes showed differences that made hand-me-downs not so wonderful.

Challenge: Go through the kid's clothes and reduce the items that don't fit, aren't favourites or are in bad shape. And maybe even set LIMITS to how many of each kind of garment they each own (fit comfortably in the space provided even when everything is clean - or a number limit).

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Process: Pull out the clothes that are in current circulation and ask the kids about each piece: Does this still fit? Why don't you wear this? Wear is the match to this sock/glove/PJ set? An enlightening set of questions for some of it!

Verdict: It took a while... a whole weekend with many many interruptions. I won't deny it. There were tears. Apparently the reason why some of these items are in such bad shape is because they are FAVOURITES and not willingly relinquished. I let them keep a couple outfits as "grub" clothes because I have some grub clothes in my closet too for dirty chores.... but with the warning that if I saw them worn to school then they might just lose them! Some things were hard for me to let go- stuff I thought was quite flattering or good quality but they didn't want -- since it will be on their bodies, I let it go.

I'm sure some parent trying to put clothes on their kids will appreciate what I have donated, and the messed over ones have beefed up my husband's rag supply.

Goal #10 Scrub a Dub Duds

How many sweet smelling bodywash gels does one person need?

Goal #10
Reduce perfumes, lotions & soaps

Background: I know I must be hard to buy for, because I get a lot of pretty "spa" sets for gift occassions. While I appreciate the scent-iment, I can't possibly use all of any one set before the next one comes along. Then there is the trouble of the moisturizing lotions... I really prefer an unscented moisturizer.

Challenge: Reduce the lotions, soaps and perfumes to the ones that are most loved and used regularly... and not expired.

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Process: Pull everything scented from the livingroom, office, & bathrooms (you never know when the urge to smell pretty may come along) Beware of lotions that have been there for YEARS... if they haven't been used by now, SHOULD THEY BE?!

Verdict: So many pretty smells!  It was hard to get rid of some of these because they were given with love and I genuinely liked the scents. BUT like I said above I prefer an unscented moisturizer.... so I kept one favourite for summer legs and got rid of the rest. I consolodated two half used hair spray bottles to one and binned several scrubs and bubble baths that I haven't reached for in 5 years. The unopened lotions are in the donate box now. So my bathroom drawers are roomier and there are none but my very favourite to reach for now.

Uh-Oh

Decluttering is a beautiful thing.
The process that liberates the space is like fresh air coming into my lungs!

But...

That thing that isn't supposed to happen keeps happening -- I find myself "missing" things I have purged!

My niece was over playing with my old toys, and I found myself regretting not having my blond Barbie anymore for her to play with -- she is blond, so she likes blond dolls. And my Barbie clothes are VERY limited now. Then again for something that gets played with maybe once a year, it's quite probably enough! In the end she had fun with the Latina one (I kept the Korean, Japanese and Spanish) and still found enough outfits to have a great little plot going.

And I did get my hair cut. SHORT. Short hair needs product, but I'd already decluttered my short hair goos. I now have 1 mousse and 1 light hold hairspray to work with. At first I resented "losing" the stuff, but you know what? I figured it out WITHOUT buying anything new!

Sometimes I find myself looking for a book, trying to find an obscure serving dish or a bagged-out sweater that have already been let go. There is a pang of disappointment, doubt and maybe even regret. But it's just a pang, and I always seem to be able to find away around the lack without serious consequences.

I guess that means I didn't really NEED it after all, right?

I still have a LOOOOONG way to go in this decluttering process. More dragons to slay more hang ups to get over, more crap to wade through before I will truly feel successful at this.  But I am moving forward and every step feels lighter letting me know this is the right path for me.

Goal #9 Variety is not always the spice of Life

Keeping a spice "just in case" seems like a good idea when you love to cook as much as I do, but in truth if the lid hasn't been opened in 5 years, it's probably not worth using even if the perfect recipe presents itself tomorrow!


Goal #9 
Clear out the spice drawer (and cupboards too)

Background: I LOVE cooking! The flavours from around the world excite me... so as a result I have amassed an enviable selection of spices and herbs. There needs to be a time limit to this culinary collection (there are recommended time lines, but I'm too frugal to rotate them THAT often).

Challenge: Time to get realistic about what has expired, and what is not going to be used again. This will leave room to more easily find what is regularly used and what is loved in the spice drawer! Gather all the bottle spices from the spice drawer, bin of spice bags, and economy size spice jars from around the kitchen and purge the ignored, expired and "not my taste" flavours from these locale.

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Verdict: Under 1/2 hour of time to do.... and now the spice drawer is so much easier to use! And the overflow to other cupboards is no longer a problem! 7 glass bottles, 4 small plastic shakers, 2 ziploc bags and a large jar (consolidated down to a small bottle) of spices/herbs removed from my kitchen.

Process: The kitchen smelled amazing as I dumped the old spices and herbs to recycle the glass bottles. I sneezed, and maybe even felt a little regret at "wasting" this resources.... but truthfully it was a long overdue chore.

Goal #8 Sewing Notions

I haven't dragged my sewing machine out in years... I still want to use it someday, so it's not going anywhere, but what about all the bits and bobs that are in that sewing box?

Goal #8
Donate all outdated materials that aren't being useful RIGHT NOW and can be easily replaced when I take up sewing again.

Background: I really enjoyed sewing. Oddly, I did it a lot more before I had kids. I inherited a large quantity of fabrics, laces and bindings from the various elders in my family... and what do you know.... I don't use them!

Challenge: Be realistic about what I will use. If I haven't found a need for it in this last decade, why do I still think I may need it someday? Donate the excess now and enjoy the space it frees up!

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Verdict: Better than expected! I gave a box of great-granny's laces and bindings to a niece that loves making small figures (she loved it). I also gave her a jar of buttons and most of my threads and ribbons.

Process: All of these things were already together so it wasn't a hard challenge. 15 minutes from dusting off and opening the bin to closing it back up again. It was easy once the decision was made... I did feel a little catch in my throat when I came upon my grandma's hand-crocheted lace. I kept that. Just one roll. It's just too pretty and sentimental (and not replaceable).

Imagination Exercise

Since my sister won't "rob" me like I was hoping, I have to find a new way to shake up this blind addiction to my everyday stuff. 

A kind of shock therapy could be helpful.

How about pretending I am moving?

Even better, pretending I am DOWNSIZING!

Or I could get crazy here and pretend I am downsizing and moving to a different continent! ooooh.... that may be a better challenge farther down the road... for now I will stick to the idea of just moving.

Moving means sorting, purging, prioritizing and really weighing if something is worth the time and effort of taking it along.... sounds like a great decluttering exercise!

I am no stranger to moving. At last count I have called 48 locations "home" in my lifetime (and I've lived in this house for nearly 12 years!), my parents did not live together and they both had the itch to move very regularly - hence the stupidly high number. Those itchy feet have passed down to me and the only things that have stopped me from continuing the trend forever was: A) Money and B) My Husband (and kids). I have "settled" here in that the offers on the other houses have fallen through over the years one way or another and we aren't desperate to take a hit to leave this place. Our house is pretty good actually. Cheap enough to maintain small enough that it can be maintained and has evolved over the years to accommodate our changing needs. The location is on the edge of rural enough for my country-boy-husband while central enough for work-at-home me -- and the school only a short walk away has been a unifying part of my kids' academic and social life so far.

Moving involves a pulling-out of EVERYTHING. Every single item needs to be prioritised as it is packed: occassionally used stuff gets packed first, decorative items and other non-essentials go into boxes next, then the everyday items need to be weighed as to how badly they will be missed when they are packed... until finally you are down to the bare minimum that fits in one tote for the morning of the move. It's an exhilarating process! (or is that just me?)

Then there are the dregs .... Everything that is trash or unloved or isn't important enough to come-with  -- in short everything you don't want to pack -- is either tossed or sold.... or if you are a lazy mover, hucked into a miscellaneous box to be sorted (and loathed) on the other side.

If this mindul, evaluative, methodical process can be used on each room of my current house, I will surely end up with less than I have now and really know what it is that I have chosen to move on with. If while taking this action, I pretend to be moving into a home with LESS STORAGE it will be even better!

So many of the places I have thought to live in over the years actually do have less storage than this place... this house really has obscene amounts of shelving for a home this size! It may open up new opportunities to have less storable crap. More opportunities, and less stuff, that sounds good to me.

Let's pretend....

Parameters: It's conceivable that a future house could easily be 100 sqft smaller with 1 less kitchen cupboard, 1/2 the pantry, and a storage space a fraction of the size we have now!

Timeframe: 8 weeks is realistic. Countdown to April 9th as the theoretical moving day!

My boys are growing

As the kids grow there are eras that are outgrown. The ample amounts of baby gear and strollers have long since been passed down to neighbours and friends. In the past are the chunky primary coloured toddler toys and sandbox gear. Replaced with tiny bits of lego, hotwheels, skateboards, bikes and electronic gadgets. Now that they are older, they make many of their own decisions regarding toys.

Let it be said here... older brother is not very good at passing down his toys... even if he doesn't want them anymore, he doesn't like "giving" them to his brother. It's been a stress-point since the beginning. I try not to get in the middle of the battles, but I do have to mediate from time to time to keep either from collecting too much broken or worn out items or paying too much or trying to take back items after a deal has been reached, etc etc... and I will sometimes pre-empt the transaction by selling or donating the item to prevent younger from having too much (failing miserably with that BTW).

Up until very recently, I have kept my older boy's clothing after he's outgrown to be hand-me-down to the younger (elastic waist bands are forgiving for different shapes) it takes between 2-4 years depending on the timing of their growth spurts. There is a place in the storage closet for these things and totes marked and rotated.

Suddenly a new era has appeared.

Young boy is heftier than the slim older one... and there aren't a lot of adjustable waist bands on the pre-teen sizing. Not much CAN be passed down I realised last size switch. Out of 12 pairs of pants he could only wear 5! The rest went to charity after storing for so long... kind of annoying really.

Here is the dilemma... do I keep the totes for the years in between ages "just in case" the clothes will fit and be appealing to the younger one? Or do I let the skinny jeans go now and just accept that more money will be spent when the time comes for the younger to need new pants?

Goal #7 Cables and Cords

Got a Gadget? It most likely comes with a cable or 2....

Goal #7
Reduce, organize the cables/cords to what is used/needed.

Background: Adapters, charges, connectors all over the place....my junk drawer is full of them.... what are they all for anyways?!

Challenge: Find the gadget that the cable/cord goes to and label the cord. Edit duplicates and redundant items.

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Verdict: Mixed results. There were some charger cables that I just had no clue what they went to (and I'm afraid to throw them out in case the thingy show up needing a charge! BUT I did find a handful of USB cables that were identical, so I picked 3 favourites of varying lengths (one for each computer) for the many items they can be used with and donated the rest.

Process: Junk Drawer, office drawer, laundry room bin, bedroom side table, coffee table drawer... they all had cables! I pulled them all into one place and sorted the redundant from the good. (I really don't think I need 75 ft of phone cables anymore with all the cordless phones in the house). With the wireless router working so reliably these days, 4 different ethernet wires are redundant now too. Unfortunately it was a huge challenge finding the gadgets to go with the charger cables. The ones I found, I did label. the ones I did not find are now living in a clear plastic shoe box in my storage space. I'm not sure this goal is "done" exactly. But so far, it's taken a couple hours.... yes I'm that disorganized and had that many cables!

Snapshots of L E S S

Here are some pictures of recently released items... (I must make a habit of taking pictures more often.)

Goal #6 Pretty Little Things

All that glitters is not gold. Earrings, bracelets, necklaces, broaches, watches, hair accessories all have a way of coming into the home but never leaving (they don't take up much room). I think NOW is the time to admit that some of these pretty things have overstayed their usefulness (or fashion era!).


Goal #6
Keep only the Beauty Accessories that are flattering, that I love or have real sentimental value.

Background: I don't really have a problem in this area.... or at least I didn't think I did until I dragged it all out onto my bed! Little boxes and baskets housed an amazing quantity of sparkly bits!
Challenge: Be ruthless! Cull all jewelry down to the most beloved. Cull all but the best quality hair accessories. Bin the broken, soiled or odds, bag the rest for charitable thrift donation.

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Verdict: From 6 bins and baskets down to one jewelry box (and a small hair accessories basket) in less than an hour. I now know where every piece is, and I know every bit works properly)

Process: Put each box, basket and bin onto my bed in front of the full length mirror. Got a big tray out for safe sorting. Asked the questions of each item: Does this work the way it's supposed to? Do I have all the pieces? Do I still like it (this is where the mirror comes in handy)? Is it comfortable to wear? Does it have any cash value (I don't have much in the way of "real" jewelry so not much fits this category for me)? Some choices were really easy.... bold patterned scrunchies?! broken earrings?!

BONUS! During this cull process, many empty baskets and pretty boxes presented themsleves. Some I repurposed (replacing uglier ones) and left overs went off to my favorite thrift shop as donations. Not an easy thing for me to do... I find small storage boxes almost as appealling as what in them.