This Time Last Year………….

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Posted on October 10, 2014

……….well almost. It was actually 15th October 2013 that I published this post which was the beginning of a series based on Francine Jay’s book, “The Joy of Less”.

I re-discovered it recently when I was working on adding back the photos to my earlier blog posts. The series is now complete with photos and I would encourage you to take the time to read all of the posts. I think there are about a dozen of them. Even though I wrote them, there were some revelations which have inspired me to keep going on my journey to let go of more ‘stuff’.

The original catalyst for the series was the purchase of a new refrigerator and the fact that it required me to open the door of the overhead cupboard every time I needed to access the refrigerator. We did have the doors re-modelled and this is what it looks like now.

A Different Giveaway

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Posted on July 24, 2014

This is not a regular blog giveaway. This is a personal advertisement to any reader who may be interested. If you are interested please contact me either via the comments or email listed the ‘About Me’ page.

Details: Handmade christening gown and petticoat. I made this from the fabric offcuts of my wedding dress and it was worn by both my daughters and granddaughter but no longer required. Perfect condition. Fits baby approximately 3kg – 7kg (newborn to 6 months).

Pick-Up: I can post this anywhere worldwide. Postage is payable by the recipient.

Clutter-Free – Start Small

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Posted on April 9, 2014

I often talk about decluttering various spaces and having less but today I want to focus my attention on having clear spaces. I am not advocating jamming your cupboard full of stuff, however, the benefit of clear surfaces cannot be underestimated. It is a task that is unlikely to be achieved in one go and can be enormously overwhelming. That is why I focused my energy on one room – the bathroom. It is the smallest room in the house and is designed for a specific purpose, therefore logically should be the easiest to minimise the ‘stuff’.

I have had the benefit of a renovated bathroom which has an inherently streamlined design. I love the fact that there is no plug lying around on the side of the sink. There are only 2 items on the bench – a ceramic shell dish which holds a small bar of soap and a repurposed vase (The Duke drilled a hole in the base of it) which holds our toothbrushes. It is a quick and easy task to keep this area clean and tidy.

As this is quite a compact area we chose not to have a bath – just an easy to access shower area. I had seen this type of recessed shelf in motel bathrooms and asked the builder to create one when we remodelled the room. I love the idea because it is simple and streamlined to the eye, nothing to rust or gather soap scum and there is no encroachment to bump into when you are showering. From left to right there is shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, facewash and a nail brush – everything required when showering.

The floor is another place where clutter can gather. I found these fittings which attach to the wall – a holder for extra rolls of toilet paper and the toilet brush holder are both clear of the floor and do not need to be moved when sweeping or mopping the floor.

The only 2 things on the floor of the bathroom are a set of scales and the waste paper basket.

My whole house does not look this clear but it is lovely to have achieved it in at least one room.

The vanity unit has a 2 door cupboard and 4 drawers. Tomorrow I will reveal exactly what is lurking in there.

Cable Chaos – A Solution

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Posted on March 31, 2014

Some of you will remember my earlier post about the mess of some the cables here and the follow-up post.

I finally got around to testing out my design using some plywood and a jigsaw.

I also used a wooden presentation box from a premium bottle of wine that has been drunk and enjoyed some time ago. Once the plywood pieces were slotted together and inserted in the box it looked like this.

It is not fastened in any way but is totally self-supporting.

Here is the result with the cables separated into their own spaces. There are a couple of double-ups but they are the same or similar cables. It definitely makes locating the correct cable much easier.

I am thinking of making labels to go on the edges to identify exactly where each cable belongs.

The other good thing about this system is that it imposes limits. I will need to regularly review what cables we have and whether they are still required as I would not be keen on having a larger storage box.

What do you think?

Two Heads Are Better Than One

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Posted on March 18, 2014

So the saying goes………….. This is definitely true when it comes to decluttering. Trying to justify why you want to keep something to another person is more of a challenge than just doing it yourself.

When we had the kitchen renovated about 4 years ago we chose to have mostly drawers rather than cupboards and I am really pleased with that decision.

On Sunday I cleaned out 5 drawers plus 1 small cupboard in the kitchen. I actually removed the drawers from their runners, emptied the contents and completely cleaned the surrounding area as well as the drawer.

The large drawer below the microwave holds baking tins and trays. The Duke and I went through each item and have rehomed several trays and tins that are no longer used for one reason or another. Mostly it was because we simply no longer (or never did) bake those items. It meant that I was able to consolidate the extra tins that were in the top cupboard into the same drawer as the rest of the baking trays.

Here is the end result.

One of the other drawers that got the treatment was what some people would call a junk drawer but I refuse to give it that name as it is not junk. Everything in here has a use and is used regularly. I have decluttered it severa times over the past few years and each time I manage to reduce a bit more and I am pretty happy with it now. This time I have finally let go of the remnants of rolls of clingwrap and plastic for separating items in the freezer. I have not used either for many years so it was time to move them along.

What have you decluttered lately?

Project 333 – A Gent’s Perspective

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Posted on March 9, 2014

When I first met The Duke, he owned 6 shirts – one for each day of the week plus one for going out. His weekend tasks included washing and ironing the shirts ready for the coming week. Since then the shirt collection has grown substantially and I wash and iron the shirts. In fact, I managed to score the task of ironing from quite early in our relationship.

Last weekend the ironing did not get done so by the end of the second week his business shirt collection was pretty well exhausted. Seeing the shirts that The Duke chose not to wear, even when there was almost no choice, helped to confirm that they were shirts that he was not happy with. In the end these 3 have been earmarked for the op shop.

These 2 that were in the wash are also going because, to quote The Duke, “they have seen better days”.

We are now back to just 5 business shirts plus perhaps 2 others that could do double-duty as casual /business attire. I think 2 or 3 more business shirts might be in order, if for no other reason than to take the pressure off me having to get the ironing done every weekend.

That is one aspect of retirement that is quite appealing – not ironing business shirts.

A minimalist wardrobe certainly helps to see exactly what you wear and what stays on the hanger from season to season without being worn.

Bare Necessities

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Posted on February 19, 2014

I am constantly astounded by the size of the handbags which many women carry. On one hand, I read about travelling overseas with only carry-on luggage, yet in real life I see handbags that look as though they could be used to travel – at least for a weekend.

I often ponder about what they carry in those huge bags. Have we been conned by yet another bizarre fashion trend which dictates that we carry these bags? What is so important that it has to go everywhere with us?

My bag bucks the general trend entirely. I bought it recently in an attempt to consciously downsize what I carry. I even went so far as to buy a smaller purse/wallet that would take up less space in the bag.

The bag has a single strap which I have at its longest length so that I can wear it across my body. Everything that is in the bag has a purpose and is used regularly and mostly every day.

Contents:

Main compartment – wallet, eco shopping bag, sunglasses in case, pen, handkerchief

Secondary compartment – small notebook, extra loyalty cards

Inside pocket 1 – car keys
Inside pocket 2 – mobile phone, railpass and access pass (work)
Inside compartment (zippered) – internet stick, USB drive, other essential keys, lipstick, migraine medication

Outside compartment (zippered) – iPod and USB charger, USB phone charger

That is it. I have made a conscious decision to only carry exactly what I need. Each item has a specific place so I easily know that I have everything that I need.

This is the bag I use every day. The only exception is a small evening bag which I use a couple of times per year.

What is in your bag? Do you have a large bag?

My Life Laid Bare

Too Hot to Declutter?

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Posted on February 16, 2014

It is easy to make excuses as to why you should not do things. After not achieving much last weekend, we were keen to make some inroads this weekend. It was hot yesterday and we managed to fritter most of the day away until late in the afternoon when we did a few jobs in the garden. I will show you that in another post. Today was actually predicted to be hotter with a forecast maximum of 36C so we adjourned to the coolest part of the house. We call this area a cellar although it is not in the true sense of the word. It is the space underneath the internal staircase, is partially below ground level and 2 walls are concrete block. All all these things work together to keep the space reasonably cool.

The Duke removed everything from this space so I don’t actually have a before photo. We dismantled the low shelving which we had placed there when we first moved here. It was 3 planks of wood and several concrete blocks. It was the concrete blocks that were the catalyst for this flurry of activity. We will need them for building more of the low retaining walls under the verandah. You can see the first one we built here. The others will not be as high, no will they have the screening on top of the bocks. More about that another day.

Once everything was out of the cellar we swept it thoroughly and then decided what would actually go back in. We replaced the dismantled shelving with the shelf unit we built from old explosives boxes. Next, we repositioned the wine rack from one wall to the other. This entailed removing all of the bottles so it was a good opportunity to reassess what we have and replace the bottles in a logical order.

Finally, there are a few things stacked under the very low part of the stairs. Card table, boogie board, folding chairs etc. We did get rid of/move a few things that had been on the old shelving. We still have plenty of space on the shelf unit to store other things that we find in the workshop that would be better located here.

In the meantime, we are very happy that the cellar is clean and tidy. It was great to be able to finish this job on a day when it was really too hot to tackle much else.

Do you struggle with getting things done if it is too hot or too cold? Is it a form of procrastination to blame the weather?

You Must Remember This…..

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Posted on February 4, 2014

Remembering, memories and shared experiences all combine to be part of what we are today.

The past helps to shape the future.

For many people, our memories seem to be inextricably linked to things from the past. It may be the souvenir trinkets you bought on holiday last week, your college sweater from 30 years ago or great-grandma’s fur wrap.

What would happen if you removed all of this stuff from your life? Would the memories disappear? The memories will remain because the human brain is so smart that we do not need physical reminders of events and people from our past.

Let us take the college sweater as an example. Does it add value to your life by being stashed in a box in the attic. Perhaps it is sharing a box with some old text books or the corsage from your debutante ball and the suit you wore to your first job interview? If you got rid of the sweater, corsage and suit would that mean that you did not attend college or your debutante ball and the job interview didn’t happen? No, of course not. Moving items such as this along will not destroy the memories which you have kept alive, despite having no day-to-day physical connection to the item.

The holiday souvenirs are insidious. The Eiffel Tower keyring, leprechaun fridge magnet and so on – are these the ‘real’ memories of your visit? Did you need a keyring or fridge magnet? Will you forget that you visited France and Ireland if these things are no longer stashed in a shoebox in the top of your wardrobe? Time to move them on and remind yourself not to be sucked in to buying these knickknacks in the future. Save your time and money for things that really count and add value.

Then there are the family heirlooms such as that fur wrap. Do you wear it? Can it be refashioned into something you will use? If the answer to both these questions is no, then perhaps you could ask other family members but if no-one wants it perhaps it is time to let it go so that someone can gain some benefit from it. Think of the alternative – the wrap sits in that box in the attic, gathering dust and probably deteriorating until you depart this earth and someone has to go through your possessions. It will be tossed out without a second thought.

If you are struggling with decluttering stuff, stop and put yourself in the shoes of your children (or others) who are sorting through your stuff when you are gone. Ask yourself, “What would they do with this?” Better still, ask them if they would like the item now. If they don’t, you can be rest assured that they will not want it in 10, 20 or 50 years time when you are gone.

I am not saying that you need to get rid of all of your possessions but rather, we need to evaluate what we have and keep that which is useful, we truly love and which adds value to our lives. Anything that has been stashed in a box or cupboard for more than a year needs a careful re-assessment. Depending on what it is, put it on display, use it everydayor refashion it so that it fits with your current needs. If none of these actions are right, move it along to someone who will love and use it.