Category Archives: Decluttering

No Frills Friday

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This is not a new series of posts but simply the best title I could come up with.

The power was interrupted briefly yesterday evening so I reset the clock radio alarm for 5am before I went to bed.

2013-03-08 01The Duke usually takes care of this but he was out of town.  I re-checked that I had set it correctly then hopped into bed.  It was actually much earlier than 12.38.  That is the only picture I could find.

I am not sure whether it was the cool night, the bed to myself or just sheer exhaustion but I slept soundly and the first thing I knew was it was 5.23am.  The music was playing but the volume was quite low.

We generally leave between 5.36am and 5.40am to catch a train at 5.53am and drive almost 8km to get to the station.  I had 30 minutes to achieve the impossible!

Out of bed and showered
Teeth cleaned, medication taken
Dressed, hair brushed, face moisturised
Grab prepared breakfast and lunch
Grab my bag
Let dog out
Lock door
In the car at 5.38am and standing on the station platform at 5.48am – exactly 25 minutes from when I opened my eyes.

I am a no-frills kind of girl at the best of times so I really managed to do everything I would normally achieve in my morning routine – just at super speed.  Being organised certainly helped as I had already decided on my outfit and did  not have to trawl through a cluttered wardrobe wondering what I might wear.

I have one handbag which contains the essentials and it is ready to go.  My essentials for going to work are – rail pass, access pass for office, purse and car keys.  There are other things in the bag but that is what I need to easily navigate the day.

What is your routine?  Can you pare it down further if the need arises?

Project 333 – Goodbye Summer

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We are now into March and it is officially autumn here in the Southern Hemisphere.

I was reading this post over at Extra Organised where Kim posed the question, “Have you worn all of your summer clothes yet?  If not, why not?”

This was just the reminder I needed.  My wardrobe is now sufficiently streamlined, that when I read this I could confidently answer to myself that everything had been worn except one item.

These board shorts.

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I had previously identified that they probably would not survive as a long-term addition to my wardrobe but the thing that finally prompted me to move them to the op shop bag is the fact that they are much too big for me now.  So, out they go.

My summer collection will continue to be curated and upgraded but it is a good feeling to know that the number and type of clothes that I have suits my current lifestyle.

I wonder if I will be able to say the same about my winter clothes at the beginning of spring?

Slow Living – February

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This is my second month of joining in the monthly round-up at Slow Living Essentials and already I seem to be struggling with what to write.  A couple of things seems to have conspired against me – it is a short month – is it really the end of the month already? and the weather!  Since the dry spell broke on the Australia Day weekend (26th January) it has rained almost constantly which limits our activities somewhat

Here are the Slow Living categories:

{Nourish}  With the onset of some cooler weather with the rain it was an ideal time to pull out the slow cooker.

2011-08-10 02

I made a batch of pumpkin soup and and beef casserole.

Dinner

{Prepare}  We had an excellent crop of figs.

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As well as eating lots of them fresh from the tree, I was able to dry some.  This was very successful so I am hoping to have enough to do again next year.

 

{Reduce}  This is always a hard one as we do this each and every day.  I turned a singlet of mine that was too short into one for Miss O.

2013-03-03 05{Green}  The weather has brought out the mould but I am keeping things clean and smelling fresh with the use of clove oil.  You can read a previous post here.

Clove oil

{Grow}  The warm, dry beginning to the summer meant that we had about 8 mangoes on our small tree.  We planted it about 4 years ago and this is the first time it has fruited.  I suspect that it is generally too cool for them here but this year’s crop has made it worthwhile.  They are some of the best mangoes I have tasted and the flesh is as smooth as anything with no sign of stringiness.

Last weekend we had a rare fine day so we bought and planted some vegetable seedlings.  They have more than doubled in size in a week.

2013-03-03 07{Create}  Since my sewing machine has returned from being serviced I have got quite a bit of sewing done.  I am working through my stash of fabric as well as some pieces I have been given.  Here are some of the results.

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Winter and summer pyjama bottoms.

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A new lining in my skirt.

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{Discover}  I don’t think I have read anything this month but in a different vein I did discover some fabric to be used when I was sorting out my stash.

{Enhance}  We gave away the used fencing wire via Freecycle.  I also shared some of the many self-sown cucumber seedlings with neighbours, work colleagues, blogging friends and also on Freecycle.

It is a shame that I did not take some photos of them.  Not so much for the seedlings but the innovative packaging.  I used some excess egg cartons that I had been given and each seedling and its soil was packed in a space in the carton.

2013-03-03 11An internet friend sent me some fabric and I used some of it to make a dress suitable for an 18 month old.  I will send it to her for her granddaughter who was born last week.

{Enjoy}  We travelled to Melbourne and spent a weekend with our daughter who moved there recently.  We saw her new home, sampled food at some local establishments and shopped.

2013-03-03 12I bought this dress to wear to a wedding in a few weeks.  I just need to finalise accessories.

The slow living this month has been heavily weighted towards sewing and I guess that is not entirely unexpected with being stuck indoors due to the weather.

Now I am off to check out some of the slow living blogs.

Til next month………..

Project 333 – How Many Can You Make?

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While I don’t adhere precisely to the concept of 33 items for 3 months, I have been working on streamlining my wardrobe.  I make sure that everything in there is something that I truly love and wear.  It also needs to be capable of being worn in several different ways.

Today I want to show you how versatile a few pieces can be so I selected a total of 13 items.

2013-02-27 012 skirts

2013-02-27 02A pair of 3/4 trousers

2013-02-27 03Dark blue jeans

2013-02-27 04That is a total of 4 ‘bottoms’.  Then I added 4 tops.

2013-02-27 05Three are the same style and the white one is slightly different.

A jacket with 3/4 sleeves which is very practical for our climate and also air-conditioned offices.

2013-02-27 06A cardigan

2013-02-27 07Finally, some footwear.

2013-02-27 08Look carefully and you will see that almost any combination will work.

In reality there are a few things I would not do.

Wear sandals with jeans
Wear sandals when wearing jacket or cardigan
Wear white top with spotted skirt (cream) or with the white trousers (too much white)
Wear red top and red jacket together
Wear black top and black cardigan together
Wear blue top and black cardigan with checked skirt or jeans (too many different dark colours together)

By applying the ‘rules’ I set above I have calculated that I could create 72 different outfits by adding/deleting a jacket/cardigan or changing the shoes.

How versatile are the clothes in your wardrobe?

Use It, Don’t Store It

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The rain continues to pour down here with more flooding predicted.  This is our third round in less than 4 weeks so I think the only ones enjoying the weather are the ducks.  Extreme weather events make life a bit more challenging so we just manage the bare basics.  The systems and organisation that I have in place make it reasonably easy to get by but there is no denying that I do long for a bit of fine weather.

Our lake

In the meantime, I wanted to share something small with you.  We do not have a toothbrush holder as a permanent fixture.  At one stage we would put them on a shallow tray in the cupboard but I decided that it would be easier to have them accessible on the bench so I cast around for a suitable container.  I wanted something stylish but did not see the need to rush out and buy one so I re-purposed this vase.

2013-02-26 02It is the right size and shape as well as being stable and quite heavy so is unlikely to be knocked over.

I was involved in an online discussion recently regarding how many vases people had and where they stored them.  I found that I had 5, including this re-purposed one.  None of them are stored as such.

This one which came from my mother is a piece which I love and it is the centrepiece on my dining table.

Two of the others live on the sideboard and are essentially decorative, although they can be used for holding flowers as required.

The final tiny vase which I was given for my 21st birthday is an ornament on my dressing table.

Do you have vases and how do you store them?

And The Winner Is…………

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Thanks to everyone who took the time to follow my blog and comment on the Fabulous 500 post in order to be in the running.  The draw has been done and I am pleased to announce that the winner is SarahN.

Although the actual comment had no bearing on the outcome, I would like to post Sarah’s comment (in part) here.

“500 posts – that’s inspirational! I’m curious about this mystery give away business – only cause I’m committed to being uncluttered – so I’m always assessing things to see if they suit my life etc.”

That is so ironic because it is the very reason that I am wary about lots of giveaways!  However, I am sure that the gift will fit with Sarah’s goals (and mine) of an uncluttered home.

Sarah, could you please contact me with a postal address so that I can arrange delivery?

When Sarah has received her gift I will reveal it here on the blog as well.

Once again, I would like to thank you all for participating and I look forward to your thoughtful and engaging comments as I head towards the next 500 posts.

 

Minimalism and Multipurpose

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While the nature of some tasks require a specific tool or space to complete the job, many things do not.

The first thing that comes to mind are the plethora of single-task appliances which seem to take up residence in many kitchens.  You know the ones – waffle makers, ice-cream makers, popcorn makers, juicers, breadmakers and so on.  I admit to having a breadmaker – The Duke makes all of our bread and has done for many years, although he is playing with the idea of artisan-style bread baked in the oven and successfully made a loaf the other day.  We also have a juicer which could be used more.

However, today I want to take the concept of multipurpose away from appliances.  When we had our kitchen re-modelled a few years ago we created a large amount of bench space, including this breakfast bar.

2013-02-20 01We use this space for eating meals, serving food and general food preparation so it does not always look like this.  Once I have finished using the bench, it is cleared and we try not to use it as a ‘dumping ground’.

By having a clean, clear bench I am able to use it for other purposes.

2013-02-20 02I can pull the chairs back out of the way and I have a cutting table and workbench for when I am sewing.  It is the perfect height and totally stable.  I am also able to access it from almost any direction.  My sewing machine is in the closest bedroom (a few steps along the hallway) but this is the perfect solution for me.

So, which comes first minimalism or multipurposing?  If I had more stuff the bench would probably not be clear to use.  If I could not use the bench would I acquire a suitable table and contribute to more stuff?

This is a winning solution whichever way I look at it.

Making Way

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As many of you would be aware, I have been streamlining my wardrobe for nearly 12 months.  My goal is to have a modest selection of good quality clothes that I love and are flattering to wear.

The Duke generally keeps his selection of shirts under control but after our  shopping spree in Melbourne a couple of weeks ago it became obvious that he had too many pairs of trousers that he rarely wore.  So, this evening we went through them and culled 3 pairs of trousers as well as the suit he had replaced.  I have also put 3 skirts into the op shop bag.  I am planning on refashioning 2 other skirts but the these do not fit with the clothes I need and love.  All of the items we are letting go of are good quality and in excellent condition so I hope someone can use them.

2013-02-18 01In the back of my mind I keep thinking of the money that we have spent on these (and clothes) over the years but I know that I cannot use that as a reason to hang onto them for ever.  That is no way to recoup the money spent. However, it is a timely reminder to be very thoughtful about what you spend you money on, whether it be clothes or something else entirely.

It is far better to someone else the opportunity to gain some use from the items that are no longer wanted or required.

Finally, a warm welcome to all of the new readers and followers.  I hope you find something of interest in my blog and thank you for joining in.

Stop the Sabotage

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It occurred to me recently that many people are constantly sabotaging their own decluttering efforts.

Clutter

They are hauling garbags of ‘stuff’ to the op shop, filling the rubbish bin each week and trying to find time list items on eBay in a vain attempt to claw back some of the money they have spent on unwanted items.  Yet, these same people are often using every strategy possible to score a good deal on clothes, shoes, bedding, magazines, cosmetics and anything else that comes their way.  It is only a bargain if you truly need it.

Overflowing wardrobe

I feel that cheap or bargain-priced items are the nemesis of decluttering and minimalism.  If you need to outlay a significant amount of money on an item you are more likely to stop and think twice about whether it is really worthy of a place in your home.

Utensil drawer

So, how do you resist the plethora of bargains?

Top drawer

  • Unsubscribe from all of the emails from shops and shopping sites – this is a continuous process and you need to be vigilant
  • Make sure you have a ‘No Junk Mail’ sticker on your letterbox
  • Do not buy magazines
  • Do not buy newspapers
  • Limit viewing of commercial television
  • Deactivate your eBay account
  • Set financial goals that require you to limit your discretionary spending in order to achieve them
  • Remember that shopping malls are not entertainment venues
  • Take things to the op shop – do not bring more stuff home
  • Shop with a list (and stick to it)
  • Send someone else to do your essential shopping
  • Buy 1 or 2 good quality items instead of 10 cheap versions – t-shirts are a perfect example

Op shops

Do you have any other ideas for keeping the clutter at bay and the money in the wallet?

 

Project 333 – Clothes Shopping

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One of the things I did while I was in Melbourne was to buy some new clothes.  I bought 3 skirts, 2 dresses and a jacket but they were not just random pieces.  Each had to earn its place in my wardrobe and be able to be worn in a variety of ways.

Here is one of the skirts.

2013-02-11 01I wore it to work today with an existing black top.

2013-02-11 02These are the dresses I bought.  They are the same style and can both be worn with the red jacket I bought.  I also have a black cardigan and a pink cardigan as well as a black jacket so there will be several options.

2013-02-11 03I will show you some of the other items another day.

On the weekend, I hope to have time to go through my wardrobe and decide what I need move out.  I am definitely getting closer to having a selection of clothes that I love, fit me well and can be worn in a variety of ways.  I prefer to have a small number of quality pieces than a cupboard bursting at the seams with ‘bargains’.