Category Archives: Decluttering

Project Streamline – Cardigans

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As promised, here is my review of the next category in my wardrobe – cardigans.  There was a time, not too long ago, when I did not own any cardigans.  However, I have discovered the versatility of this particular item, especially light-weight ones in our mild climate.

2012-06-18 01I bought these 3 identical cardigans at Uniqlo in Japan when we there on holidays in 2009.They are a fine cotton knit which is perfect for trans-seasonal wear and in the airconditioned office during summer.

2012-06-18 02This gold-coloured lacy knit cardigan is perfect for wearing over sleeveless summer tops.

2012-06-18 03Here is a 3/4 sleeve red cardigan which is also useful for trans-seasonal wear.  It goes well with my predominately red/black wardrobe.

2012-06-18 04My only true winter cardigan is this turquoise woollen one.  I bought it in Tasmania several years ago.  It is beautifully soft, warm merino wool which is grown and processed in Oatlands, Tasmania.

I have one other cardigan which is an older black one.  It lives on the back of my chair at work for whenever the airconditioning becomes unreasonably cold.  If it wasn’t for this role it would be in the op shop.

The beige Uniqlo cardigan is the least appealing in terms of colour and does not get worn as much as the others.  The final analysis is that the beige one may go.  All of the others are worn regularly and fit with the main colours of my wardrobe.

Project Streamline – Skirts

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Following on from my earlier posts on trousers, shorts and dress, here is the latest instalment of Project Streamline – skirts.

2012-06-11 01Grey patterned skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, always get positive comments
CONS – slightly too big in the waist, only one top that I can wear with it
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, alter the waistband to improve the fit, consider this skirt when buying more tops

2012-06-11 02Black skirt with lining and ruffle
PROS – I love the style, plenty of options of what to wear with it
CONS – the style is not as obvious in plain black, I have another black skirt which I prefer
DECISION – keep and continue to wear, probably would not replace it as I really don’t need 2 black skirts

2012-06-11 03Black crepe skirt
PROS – length, weight and style
CONS – NIL
DECISION – keep and continue to wear

2012-06-11 04Black and floral skirt
PROS – good fit, nice fabric, pretty
CONS – only suitable to wear with one top, 7 years old and I am just about sick of it, some of the embroidery is starting to catch and unravel small threads
DECISION – will probably be the next thing to go

2012-06-11 05Black and white striped denim skirt
PROS – good fit, comfortable
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing it in the warmer weather

2012-06-11 06Floral skirt
PROS – good fit, get positive comments, I like it
CONS – only have 1 top to wear with it
DECISION – buy/make more tops to wear with it

2012-06-11 07Pink cotton skirt
PROS – bright colour, comfortable
CONS – several years old, won’t last forever
DECISION – keep it and continue to wear

My skirt collection is all about what I wear in public – unlike my trousers!  I have not included a skirt which I put aside when I first started Project 333 back in April as it most likely will not go back in the wardrobe.

Much and all as I have loved the floral embroidered skirt I think it is almost time to let it go.  Other than that the rest will stay for the time being.

Decluttering – How & Why

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Tonight I have copied a piece I wrote and posted on the forum at Simple Savings.

I was intrigued at what seems to be a sudden and exponentially increasing interest in decluttering.  This does not seem to be confined to a particular generation or socio-economic group.  I would love to hear your thoughts and experiences.

I am not sure of the reason but lately there have been many, many posts from people wanting to declutter or who are overwhelmed by their stuff and do not know where to start.

I have written this in order to lay out my thoughts and experiences in a logical manner. I am also happy to answer any questions.

  • I am not a professional organiser
  • I have had a cluttered, messy house in the past

I started my decluttering journey in a very small way about 10 years ago with 2 teenagers still living at home. We have moved house in that time and now there is only The Duke and I at home so our circumstances have changed significantly.

Recently, I have read several books on minimalism and decluttering as well as numerous blogs on the subject. I would strongly recommend that you read at least one. If you have a Kindle, download a book or otherwise borrow it from the library – you don’t want to be bringing more stuff into your home.

Here are a few to get you started.

  • Winning The Clutter War by Sandra Felton
  • The Joy of Less by Francine Jay
  • Simplify by Joshua Becker
  • Basics of Minimalism by Janice Becker

They are all good and have their place but my personal favourite is ‘The Joy of Less’. As well as gentle, practical advice there is a good deal about the psychology of stuff and actually changing your mindset to enable you to let things go. I found this particularly useful.

There are a few things that were important for me to consider.

  • I did not throw things out as I consider this wasteful and would rather take my time and use things up and not replace them.
  • I re-homed things that I no longer required – via either the op shop or Freecycle
  • Making money was not important for me but you may choose to list things on E-bay or Gumtree
  • Do not fill up the space that you create with more stuff – this is why it is important to read and understand the psychology of keeping stuff.

The big question is always ‘where or how do I start?’

This really depends on your circumstances and why you want to declutter. Is a particular thing getting you down, such as children’s toys? Or is it years of accumulated papers? Do you have to eat dinner on your lap because the dining room table is covered with piles of clean washing waiting to be folded?

Whatever the reason, you need a 2-pronged approach. As well as decluttering you need to maintain the regular daily chores such as washing dishes, preparing meals and washing clothes. If the clutter is impacting on your ability to do the basics you will need to address that as a priority. Do one small thing first and work from there.

Whatever you decide only tackle an area big enough for you to actually complete. There is no point in emptying out an entire wardrobe only to find that you run out of time or inspiration and you are left with piles all over the floor. It is better to do your underwear drawer and enjoy the feeling of opening it and seeing everything folded and in its place. Then you maintain the order in it and you will find that you want all of the drawers like this so gradually you will work through until it is all done.

Organising goes hand in hand with decluttering but is not a replacement for it. Stashing things into umpteen boxes and crates is not the answer. I understand that it is difficult in some houses with minimal storage space so you will have to come up with some creative solutions, however, best of all is to ask yourself whether it really needs to stay in your home.

There is a lot more I could write, but it is over to you, now.

What is your story?

Project Streamline – Shorts

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I know it is almost winter (and the temperatures definitely reflect that fact) but today I am going to review my selection of shorts.  Perhaps it is easier to be rational about clothes in the opposite season?

SHORTS

Once again, I will catalogue everything that are shorts regardless of the state of them.

2012-05-28 01Good casual shorts – 3 pairs – black, white and khaki in the same style.
PROS – colour, fit
CONS –none
DECISION – they all stay – basis of my summer casual wardrobe

2012-05-28 02Rugby knit shorts x 2 – grey and red
PROS – comfortable, worn at home
CONS – 11 years old, paint-spattered
DECISION – keep wearing until they wear out

2012-05-28 03Refashioned shorts from some hiking pants
PROS – super comfortable and lightweight
CONS – generally worn at home or locally
DECISION – keep wearing them

2012-05-28 04Board shorts
PROS – hardly worn
CONS – not sure how much I will wear these
DECISION – reassess my swimwear/board shorts when it gets closer to summer

Today I heard of someone planning an overseas trip who thought 1 pair travel pants, 3 pairs jeans, 3 pairs cargo pants and a skirt was a reasonable number of ‘bottoms’ to pack.  I don’t even own 3 pairs of jeans!!  When I hear stories like that I know that I do not really have a lot of clothes.

Just Because It’s Free…………

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…………does not mean you have to accept.

When you are given the option of free stuff, whatever the reason, try to fast forward to how you will feel about the item in 6 or 12 months time.

  • Will you love it?
  • Do you really need it?
  • Will it be back in the donation box for the op shop or garage sale?

Today at work someone was handing out giant-sized mugs with corporate branding on them.  After having refused pens that were being offered last week, I was approached with a half-hearted comment about me not wanting their gifts.  I simply assured them that it was nothing personal but that I really did not need a mug.  Suddenly there was a chorus from the rest of the office about how they loved freebies.

If I see a particular use for a freebie I will accept it – otherwise I do not.

Also today, it was interesting to see that one of my colleagues had a new knitting pattern and next thing I knew it had been photocopied numerous times and copies were being handed around to everyone.  While I could appreciate the pattern I have no intention of knitting it so I turned down the offer of a copy.  It is a waste of paper and will clutter up my home and I could even end up feeling guilty that I had not used the pattern.  Much simpler to just say , “No thanks”.

The other freebie was a little more insidious.  A cake recipe sent via email.  This came from another work colleague.  There had been no discussion or request for the recipe – it was just there in my inbox.  It had probably been discussed by 1 or 2 people and when it was sent to them everyone in the department was included – I expect so that nobody felt left out or forgotten.  A nice gesture, I suppose but the recipe is now in the deleted box because I do not need it.

After spending time and effort decluttering, I owe it to myself to remain vigilant and stop all sorts of stuff before it gains a foothold.

What have you refused lately?

Project Streamline – Trousers

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It is now the middle of May and halfway through the 3 month period of my participation in Project 333.

I flouted the ‘rules’ on Saturday and wore a plain red knit top, white ¾ trousers and red/white striped overshirt.  None of these were on my original list.  The weather was unseasonably warm and all of these items are on my ‘big picture’ list.

Let me explain.  Ever since I started the challenge of wearing only 33 items for a period of 3 months, I have been mentally working on creating a master list.  This means I will not look at my wardrobe in terms of the next 3 months but rather the whole year encompassing all 4 seasons.  I am identifying what works and what doesn’t and rather than have a major cull it will be a matter of removing things as they wear out and replacing only if required.

The first part of the journey is to catalogue what I really have instead of simply saying that I don’t have many clothes.  Each week I will photograph and discuss one type of article of clothing.  Today is trousers so you can judge for yourself.

TROUSERS

This category includes everything from trousers to wear to work to trackpants that I do not wear outside the boundaries of our property.

2012-05-14 01Charcoal grey work trousers
PROS – colour, weight, style
CONS – too big in the waist, slightly too long, only one pair, about 7 years old
DECISION – wear for the rest of the winter  then send to op shop.  Replace with 2 pairs of well-fitting trousers.

2012-05-14 02Black ¾ trousers
PROS – good fit, nice fabric, suit work and casual wear
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing until they wear out, consider something similar as a replacement

2012-05-14 03Jeans No 1
PROS – perfect fit, op shop jean which I bought and altered to fit
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing them

2012-05-14 04Jeans No 2
PROS – good fit, well-worn
CONS – getting threadbare in places
DECISION – keep wearing till the end of winter, send to op shop, look for another pair to replace them

2012-05-14 05Black Cotton casual 3/4 trousers
PROS – good fit, basic colour
CONS – a few years old, won’t last forever
DECISION – keep them continue to wear

I also have an identical white pair (the ones I wore on Saturday).  Same as above.

2012-05-14 06Striped 3/4 cotton trousers
PROS – there are 7 nice matching buttons that I can salvage
CONS – 6 years old, a bit faded, the top I always wore with them has gone to the op shop, not really my colour, a bit tight
DECISION – remove buttons, send to the op shop

2012-05-14 07Navy 3/4 trousers
PROS – go with most tops I have
CONS – starting to fade a bit, am a bit over navy
DECISION – they get a reprieve at least until next summer.  Op shop if I find that I am not wearing them

2012-05-14 08Navy trackpants x 2
PROS – comfortable
CONS – unflattering
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 09Grey drawstring pants
PROS – comfortable
CONS – unflattering
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 10Cotton 3/4 pants x 3
PROS – comfortable, suitable for home and local activities
CONS – not my colours, starting to wear out
DECISION – keep wearing them at home

2012-05-14 11Sage green lightweight jeans
PROS – good condition, bought from op shop
CONS – not my colour, don’t wear them them much
DECISION – back to the op shop

2012-05-14 12Charcoal travel pants
PROS – comfortable, zip-off legs, love them
CONS – nil
DECISION – keep wearing them and buy another identical pair before we go overseas later in the year.

2012-05-14 13Beige travel pants
PROS – zip-off legs
CONS – not super comfortable, dry more quickly than the other style
DECISION – keep until we go overseas then decide their fate

This has been a cathartic exercise and if you are trying to minimise your wardrobe I would strongly suggest trying to convince someone else either verbally or in writing why you should keep certain items.  It has also been useful to do all of one type of garment together and then you can see just how many you really have and the range of occasions that they cover.

Watch out for more posts on the same theme each Monday for several weeks.  Categories will include skirts, dresses (that will be short as I only own 1 dress), shorts, cardigans and so on.

Now that I have laid bare the inner secrets of the best and worst of my trousers please feel free to comment – the number, quality etc as well as my thoughts and decisions.

Project 333 – More Than Just Clothes

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Project 333 is a minimalist fashion challenge, started by Courtney Carver of Be More With Less.  I am happily managing on 33 items of clothing, including 1 handbag.  Although I excluded jewellery, I am committed to wearing the same pair of earrings for 3 months.  Earrings are the only jewellery I generally wear apart from my wristwatch, wedding and engagement rings.

So what has this achieved?  I do all of the ironing each week as I need the items to wear the following week.  This means I do not end up with a huge pile of ironing.  I know what I am going to wear the next day as there are enough choices but not too many.

Realising that I can function quite adequately with a relatively small number of clothes made me consider the rest of my wardrobe and I have sent a few more things to the op shop.

I can also see exactly what I need to buy or make for the coming seasons so I am working on that.  I have 2 summer tops partly made and they are in colours that will work with my existing pieces.  I have a list of things to look for when we are overseas.

Although it is still well over 3 months before we go on holidays I have planned almost my entire travel wardrobe and bought a fleece jacket that I needed for the trip.

All of these things have flowed from the fact that having a basic selection of clothes has given me the space and time to really consider my wardrobe and hopefully continue to make wise choices.

By having the minimum of clothes to care for and maintain I have more time to do other things.  I also find myself applying the concept of ‘enough’ to many other facets of my life and possessions.

This evening I was knitting a dishcloth and it occurred to me that I have a box full of knitting needles despite the fact that I do not do a lot of knitting these days.  I will sort through the needles and take out any that I have more than one set of the same size.  I can only use 1 pair of needles at a time so any excess will be given away (Freecycle or op shop) so that someone else can have the benefit of using them.  It will not take up any less space as I will still have the box and I will have enough so that is all I need.

What things could you apply the concept of ‘enough’ to?  Love to hear your stories.

Progress Report

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Tonight I do not have a single story to tell but updates on several ongoing projects.

Dishcloths – I am knitting these from a pattern in Rhonda Hetzel’s book, “Down to Earth”.  I have done 2 and a half so far.  My plan is to use all the cotton I have which will probably make 6 cloths.  Here is one that is finished and I just need to sew the ends in.

2012-04-26 01Dehydrating – the onion tops dehydrated beautifully and were then ground in the spice grinder and this is the result.

2012-04-26 02I made another batch of pumpkin soup but I have now finished the onions I grew last winter so I put a tablespoon of this into the mix instead and it worked perfectly.

We have been working on the itinerary for our USA trip.  We now have return flights booked, accommodation organised in Washington, Philadelphia, New York and Boston.  We have found a suitable car hire company (thanks, Joanna) and have also booked our train tickets from Philadelphia to New York.  We booked this first as it is a Sunday and seems to be selling out on some trips.

I am currently reviewing and revising our itinerary for the driving part of our holiday.  I hope to finalise most of that this weekend.

Decluttering – The bags of clothes and hangers have gone to the op shop.

Now I need to go and reply to the comments from the last few days.

Also, just in case you are wondering where Friday Favourites went, it will be back tomorrow with a yummy dessert.  I decided that I had to be true to the description and post only tried and true family favourites under this heading – not something I had made once, so this feature will only appear when I have something really worth sharing.

Decluttering Day

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This afternoon The Duke and I decluttered our wardrobes.  I did not have a lot to go as I had gone through my clothes when I decided to join in Project 333.  However, there were a couple of things which had survived the previous cull.

The Duke sorted through shirts which had seen better days as well as a few other things.

Here is the bag to go to the op shop.

2012-04-25 01All of our clothes are in one large wardrobe (half each) apart from 2 parkas each, The Duke’s suit and good jacket plus my winter coat.  They are hanging in the wardrobe in the guest bedroom.

I also sorted out the hangers.  We now have everything on the same type of hangers (plastic-coated) except for The Duke’s trousers which are on special trouser hangers that we bought from Howard’s Storage World some time ago and clip hangers for my skirts.  We have a lot of excess hangers (we must have had more clothes at some time) so this pile are going to the op shop.

2012-04-25 02I have kept about 16 plain wooden hangers which I intend to cover and give to Belle for the children’s clothes as they are fast outgrowing the child-sized hangers they currently use.

I have kept the spare plastic and trouser hangers that match the ones in use.

We have also made a list of the clothes we need to buy.  The Duke will need 4 more business shirts and 2 pairs of trousers.  I would like 1 or 2 pairs of trousers for work.  I also need to buy an outfit for a wedding we will be going to next year.  None of these are necessary right now as we have enough to get by so we will look until we find the right clothes at a good price.  We are considering waiting until we are in the US later in the year.

It was useful to regularly review exactly what clothes we have and consider what else we want to buy.