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10/29/2019

As most of you know, I adopted a minimalist approach to "stuff" several years ago. While I still have a long way to go, over the last several years, I have significantly pared down the amount of books, CDs, kitchen gadgets, linens and collectibles that I own. I go through my closet and drawers 2 or 3 times a year, and though I'm not buying a lot of new clothing, I can always fill a bag or two with clothes and shoes that I no longer wear. I subscribe to several minimalist blogs and today a quote by Joshua Fields Millburn resonated with me. The quote is "If everything is precious, then nothing is precious.” I need these constant reminders that not everything I've ever acquired or been given is precious. . . and the more I pare down, the more the remaining items mean to me because they have survived many purges and in my new, sparser surroundings, they stand out. Last year, when I decorated for Christmas, I decided that anything that didn't end up on my tree or on display was going to be donated. It feels so good to know that I don't have to decide which boxes to bring down when I decorate because the only things I have now are the ones I love and want to display every year.

I did it!!! Over 500 items donated or given away and a few trashed that weren't donatable. This was a hard exercise, p...
08/01/2019

I did it!!! Over 500 items donated or given away and a few trashed that weren't donatable. This was a hard exercise, particularly in the last 7 days, but I can safely say that I still have enough of everything. . . enough clothes, enough dishes, enough artwork, enough linens. . . .and I could still do more decluttering, just not using a structured approach like the daily challenge I just completed. I now have ONE set of dishes, ONE set of pots and pans, ONE matching set of wine glasses, ONE bookcase 3/4 full. I have NO artwork stashed away in closets or in my garage. I still have too much stuff but most of it will take more time to go through . . . things like duplicate photographs, excess office supplies, paper files. . . I will continue to chip away at those things. Seeing these piles of "stuff" going out the door gave me a good feeling, especially knowing that other people need and want it.

07/24/2019

Week 3 was definitely harder. . . but I did it. For week 3, I started going through things like linens, make-up and kitchen equipment. In addition, I looked through my tool box for duplicates. I pulled out more books and CDs. A few more clothes. I have 7 more days but the number of items per day has increased substantially. I'm keeping a spreadsheet to keep myself honest, but I am absolutely committed to making it to the 31st!

07/15/2019

This is my 3rd attempt to write this post, but I hope this time will work. Sallee Justis and I both made it to the end of week 2 of our 31 day purge/declutter challenge. The first week was 28 items, this week was 77. I gave away dishes, cloth grocery bags, cook books, kitchen towels, wooden spoons, games, puzzles, framed wall art that I no longer have a place for, books, a calculator, a backpack, some beauty items and some clothing. I am committed to continuing on. . . .I have found that the hardest things for me are CDs (I listen to music almost exclusively on Spotify and I don't have a CD player in my car, so I'm not sure why this is so hard for me but it is); dressy clothing (because I guess I think I'm going to get invited to some fancy event and need that sequined top or that fancy dress); and costume jewelry. The jewelry is the most puzzling to me because these are items I haven't worn in 5 - 10 years. I put them all in a shoe box several months ago, but every time I look in it, I think "but that's so pretty" . . . and yet, I don't ever wear any of it. Whether you are doing the challenge or not, please comment on what is hardest for you to cull. . . .and also, if you have any thoughts that might help with my "hard to let go" items, I'd like to hear them.

07/08/2019

I made it to the end of my first week of the minimalist challenge. .. . .1 item on the 1st, 2 items on the 2nd, 3 items on the 3rd. . I did give away a few BIG items this week. . . a window air conditioner that we were no longer using; a printer; a personal blender; a wine opener; a heavy duty hole punch; outdoor flag; jello molds; wine carriers; a wine aerator; wine glasses; a set of pasta bowls; some vases. . .28 items in total. I've made some progress on week 2 but I can clearly see that the last 2 weeks are going to be very hard when I have to come up with lots more items each day. I know this week was some low hanging fruit, and some things that had been sitting around for a while. That said, I'm sticking with it until I just can't go further. I have heard from one person, Sallee Justis, who made it through this week with me. Anyone else?

06/24/2019

Minimalist Challenge - As many of you know, I am actively pushing myself to become more of a minimalist - to not have an excess of anything. . . .from clothes to books to pictures . . . .basically to just have less of everything. I've made some great strides over the last couple of years, but I just saw a challenge posted by The Minimalists that I'm going to accept. Starting on July 1, I'm going to try to give away or donate items every day. The challenge is that for 31 days, I need to give away more each day. . . .so on the 1st, 1 item; on the 2nd, 2 items; on the 3rd, 3 items. . . .as you can see, it will become increasingly harder as the month goes on. But. . . .it is surprisingly easy to cull your "stuff" when you really think about whether you need or want it or whether it's just something you've had for a long while. If anyone is inclined to join me in this exercise, please do. I'll be honest and admit when/if I hit a wall and cannot continue. I have one more week to prepare and think about it and then the challenge starts.

04/16/2019

I was just reading an article by Joshua Becker, the author of The More of Less. He listed 21 reasons to be a minimalist . . . .things like less stress, easier to clean, etc. However, the one that caught my attention was "Money is only as valuable as what you choose to spend it on. Support other causes (instead of buying more stuff)." This really resonated with me as I am a big believer in supporting charitable causes and giving to others less fortunate. As I declutter/donate, my primary motivator is knowing that someone else will benefit from my donations AND that I am giving away things I don't use. . . . not that they aren't of value, just that they will be more useful or beneficial to someone who needs them more than I do. But I've never given that much thought to spending less money and giving more of that money to charity. I will ponder this as I try to consume/own less.

Thoughts?

02/13/2019

Today, I'm going to share something that is not related to organizing but which I think is important for us as we get older. In my meditation today, Deepak Chopra shared the results of a study about people who age well. There were 7 contributing factors, which are: 1)meditation; 2) a good social support system of friends, family & community; 3) close emotional relationships and friendships; 4) a daily multivitamin/mineral supplement; 5) good sleep and daily activity; 6) lifelong curiosity and 7) willingness to undertake new challenges. People who do not age well showed the following traits in common: 1) sedentary lifestyle; 2) isolation from others; 3) a set routine; 4) negative beliefs; 5) poor sleep habits; 6) poor eating habits and 7) no interest in new things. These findings are not unusual or unexpected, but it is important to see that the factors contributing to aging well are within reach for all of us and don't require major changes, hours of work in the gym or anything that is daunting. Wondering what others think.

09/11/2018

I worked with a new client yesterday. . . we spent 4 hours sorting books, clothes and other items into keep, donate & trash. As we were working, I asked her if I could take a couple of pieces of clothing and a pair of boots to give to a caregiver who works at our house 4 days a week helping Gary. She said absolutely yes, that she would rather know that the items went to a specific person rather than just donating them to an organization. When I got home and gave those clothes to this young lady, she was so happy. It was like Christmas for her. This is just one of many reasons that I believe in clearing the clutter and donating what you don't need/aren't using. Something that is hanging idly in your closet may make a huge difference in someone else's life and what better reward than knowing that you made another person so happy?

08/14/2018

In the last 8 months, I made a major change in 3 of my rooms, getting rid of all electronics (TV, stereo, CD player, etc.) and creating a very simple living room, sitting room and dining room. I got rid of quite a few decorative items, books, and other things that had accummulated over the years. When the project was done, I had a peaceful place to sit with guests or to sit and read or relax. When I walk into that area of my house, my blood pressure lowers and I feel a sense of peace that I've never felt. I attribute it to having only what I need, love and want in that space and getting rid of all the clutter. I am determined to do the same with the bedrooms, my office and the kitchen, because I can't believe how good it feels to have this simpler (more sparse?) space. It's very beautiful but very uncluttered.

In the process of doing this, I discovered so many new sites on FB and Next Door for selling or giving away your stuff. Several things I just posted and people came and picked them up. Interested in other people's opinions about this and also about their experiences with the new apps/sites for selling or giving away stuff. Have you tried them and what have your experiences been?

04/17/2018

New topic - electronics! I have boxes and boxes of electronic equipment in my garage. . . cords, connections, power strips, etc. So . . . .my question to you is . . .how much electronic "stuff" do you feel you need to keep? My husband kept cords and plugs for computers, servers, phones, etc. But . . . .I'm not sure that when we had a need, he didn't go out and buy all new cables and connections. So now I'm trying to decide if I need to keep any of this stuff. Also, having a really hard time with donating several types of items...electronic equipment as mentioned in this post . . .and new, never used things like office phones, phone cards, etc. What has been your experience with keeping and/or needing this stuff?

03/26/2018

I haven't posted on here in a while but today I want to talk about something. . . in August of 2015, my husband suffered a massive heart attack, and while he was in the hospital, I had to figure out how to accommodate a caregiver when he came home. . . so I rented a storage unit and moved everything from his old office into it so that I could make a room for a caregiver. . . My husband came home and the room worked out great. Then in November of that year, he had a traumatic brain injury, which he is still recovering from 2 1/2 years later. During this time, he has been in the hospital, a skilled nursing facility and now a board and care. All this time, that storage unit still had all of the furniture, papers and such in it. When I first rented it, I thought it would be for a few months only and that I would bring the stuff back home a little at a time and go through it.

Long story short, today, I finally gave away the last large item that was in the storage and brought home the last few boxes of "stuff" that I need to go through . . . and I relinquished the storage unit. There was nothing of significant value in the unit and most of the papers just needed to be shredded. BUT . . . .over the last 30 months, I have spent $6000 to store a bunch of stuff that is insignificant.

This experience has led me to redouble my efforts to pare down, de-clutter and donate. . . because it is really not ok with me to spend that much money to store belongings. I only want to keep what I can fit in my house and my garage (and I still want my car in the garage, so I'm not advocating filling the garage with boxes either). I don't ever want to be in the position again where I have to rent a storage unit because I can't fit all my "stuff" in my house.

I'll be posting more about my de-cluttering efforts in the next few months.

Please comment if you've had a similar experience or if you have some sage advice.

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