Category Archives: Organising

The Power of One

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This morning I opened  a drawer in the sideboard – it was empty.

Empty drawer
Surprised?  I was about to put away the things that I store in it – the vinyl cloth for the outdoor table and the net food cover.  The drawer was empty because I had been using these items and I only have one of each of them.

Tablecloth & food cover
This started me thinking about other things of which I only have one.  Do I need more than one of them?  Are there things that  could be reduced to a single item?

Here are some things that I own a single item whereas I know many people have multiples.

Dress
Washing basket
Pillow per spare bed
Television
Sheet set for for single bed and trundle bed
Camera
Mascara

I have also managed to just have 1 bottle each of conditioner and shampoo.  We both use the same and have no need for an array of fancy specialist products.

I am working towards having 1 bottle of body lotion and 1 lipstick (have 2 at the moment) but that will take time as I prefer to use things up rather than just toss them for the sake of it.

We are not so good with other things, such as:

2 laptops as well as a desktop computer
2 sets of good tablemats
2 mops
3 hammers (all the same size)
I could go on but this just gives you an idea of some of how easily we can acquire (and keep) multiples of various items.

What is limited/streamlined at your place and what seems to multiply?

Doubled-Up No More

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We have been given a large number of titles for our Kindles so on the weekend I decided to check if some were double-ups of hard copies that we already owned.  Sure enough, there were over 80 books that we already had on our bookshelves.

2013-01-15 01Here are some of the books which we will be letting go.  It will mean less to store, dust etc.  We will even have some empty shelf space.

2013-01-15 02I have listed some of the books to give away on a couple of sites including Freecycle but have not had any luck.

If any of my Australian readers have suggestions as to where I can give them away where they will be appreciated that would be great.  In fact, if you are interested in any and live in south-east Queensland or are prepared to pay postage please let me know and I can send you a list of the available titles.

Clear The Clutter

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I have spent several years gradually decluttering in an effort to simplify my life.  I am not sure what the end point of this journey looks like, or even whether there is a destination.  Since I have most areas in my house fairly clear and streamlined,  I am certainly at the point where it is easy to recognise potential clutter before it becomes entrenched.

It is important to identify things before they become clutter.  An example is a plastic water jug that was in our refrigerator.  It had obviously developed a hairline crack because I discovered a pool of water on the shelf where it was standing.  Until yesterday this was a perfectly functional item in our kitchen, today it will not hold water which is what I use it for.  So, I have thrown it in the garbage.  Some people would suggest that it could be used to store/display non-liquid items or be refashioned into something else.  I am all for minimising the amount of stuff that goes to landfill, however, I do not need this jug for any other purpose other than holding water, so out it goes.

Do I need another plastic water jug?  I am trying to use more glass and less plastic in the kitchen so my plan is to look for a suitable glass jug.  It is not desperately urgent so I may check out the op shops when I have time.

My sewing room is one area where I still have quite a bit of ‘stuff’.  I am gradually working through it so tonight I did a little more.  Just before Christmas it was a bit of a mad flurry to get the sewing table (folding) cleared so that I could fit bedding for 4 children in this room.  I have previously resisted stashing things away without sorting them properly but as time was limited I carefully folded the remaining fabric and half-finished projects into 2 lidded boxes.  I put the boxes in the wardrobe but as soon as Christmas was over and the table re-instated I brought the boxes out and placed them on the table as a reminder to me that I had to sort through the contents.

2013-01-06 01There are several garments which I had bought from the op shop last year with a view to using the fabric for my patchwork.  I had begun unpicking this blouse which was in the box so I decided to finish that job.

2013-01-06 02Here is the material that I have for use in my patchwork project.

2013-01-06 03The buttons have been salvaged and are now in my button collection.

2013-01-06 04The scraps of fabric have been discarded.

2013-01-06 05I now have 1 less thing in my ‘to do’ pile.  Here are another couple of garments which are the next things I plan to deconstruct and use for patchwork.

2013-01-06 06By having the things confined in a box I can easily see that I am making progress in clearing them out.

Do you have a particular room or type of items that present a decluttering challenge to you?

Project 333 – A New Dress For Christmas

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Do you remember the excitement of getting a new dress for Christmas or your birthday?  It was really exciting because it was a rare occurrence.  Now it is relatively cheap and easy to buy a new outfit whenever you please and I feel that this detracts from the excitement.  Is it the fact that we are trying to recreate that excitement that sends people back to the shops to buy more and more clothes and shoes?

Black dress with white spotsActually, I did not get a new dress for Christmas, in fact I did not receive any gifts of clothing nor did I buy any clothes during the Christmas season.  This is the only dress I currently own.  It is about 3 years old and I wear it at least once a week for about 8 months of the year.

2012-12-03 01I did not feel any need to rush out and buy something new for a special occasion.  I have enough clothes at the moment to cover my needs which are the same as they were a few months ago.  I did make this skirt before Christmas and wore it to a Christmas lunch with my work colleagues as well as on Christmas Day with my family.

One of my sewing projects is to make a new lining for a skirt so that I can wear the skirt to a wedding in March.  The wedding is in Canberra so it could be quite cool so I want to make a jacket, probably black velvet and my sister has offered to lend me her black pashmina as well.

Although I am not strictly participating in Project 333 at the moment, I am constantly reviewing the clothes I own and deciding what may be the next thing to go and whether or not it needs to be replaced.  Even though we still have the hottest part of the summer ahead of us, I am already considering what I will need for winter.  I have lost weight in the last 6 months and I am managing to continue to wear most of my existing clothes but one of the first casualties was the one pair of grey trousers which I wore to work.  I had been wearing them for several seasons and they were looking a little past their prime.  I sent them to the op shop when I discovered that I could pull them down over my hips without undoing the fly.  I must admit that they were always a little on the large side.

Shopping is definitely not a pastime for me but I will have to make a concerted effort to find some nice fitting trousers.  I would like 2 pairs, perhaps a charcoal grey and a lighter grey.

I like good quality clothes that are a flattering cut and colour for me but I do not feel the need to have a bulging wardrobe.  I am getting closer to my goal of only having items that I wear regularly and being able to mix and match most, if not all of the pieces.

If you haven’t heard of Project 333 then here might be the place to start.  You can also check out some of my earlier posts on the subject by typing 333 into the search function on the right-hand side of the page.

Do you have any hints or suggestions for minimising the contents of your wardrobe?

Back to the Bathroom

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I know the old adage about housework being a never-ending job but I am pretty sure that decluttering falls into the same category.

Even though it does not seem that long since I went through the cupboard and drawers in the bathroom vanity I have just done it again.  The catalyst was a small bottle of rosehip oil that the rubber top of the dropper had perished and stuck to the side of the drawer.  I noticed this before Christmas but didn’t have time to deal with it properly then.  I also discovered that the last of my blush compact had crumbled and spilled into the perspex container so I took everything out, cleaned, sorted and tossed before returning everything to their rightful homes.

When I went to refill my tablet dispenser I noticed how grotty it was so I took it apart and washed it.

2013-01-02 01I knew these were in the drawer but when I saw them I decided to make the effort and actually use the foot soak and cream – feels good!

2013-01-02 02But first, I soaked my feet in my home-made remedy.  It is ground rolled oats and safflower oil.  I make it in the food processor  – grind the oats and then add the oil until it is a paste-like consistency.  Store in the refrigerator and add a tablespoon to some warm water and soak feet in it for 10 – 20 minutes.

2013-01-02 03This was originally given to me as a remedy for my daughter’s eczema – use in the bath instead of soap.  BEWARE – it makes the bath slippery and also needs cleaning very frequently.  However, it is worth it as I needed no nasty chemical lotions and potions.  I found that it healed my cracked, dry hands simply in the few minutes I had my hands in it when I was bathing my daughter.

Revamped for the New Year

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I started this blog in March 2011 after a couple of false starts over the previous couple of years.  This time I have generally been successful in maintaining regular posts – mostly daily, however, my efforts at responding to your comments have been less than stellar.  I will try to improve in that department this year but please be assured that I read each and every comment and I really do appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think.

I have finally updated the blogroll on the right-hand side so please take the time to check out some of the other wonderful blogs which inspire me.  This list is not yet complete and I will also endeavour to make sure that the blogs listed here are all active.  When I get time I will also update the ‘Blogs of Interest’ to include all of the blogroll.  ‘Blogs of Interest’ may also include some inactive blogs.

I would love to hear of any blogs that you may have found of particular interest.  Please leave a comment or email me directly (see ‘About Me’ for the email address).

To my dear readers, thank you all so very very for your interest and comments over the past year and I look forward to continuing the journey.  May 2013 bring you health and happiness.

 

A Year in Review

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Here we are, almost at the end of another year and as usual I try to take time to think about what I have done and my plans for the new year.

I was looking back at some of my posts from around 12 moths ago and although I have achieved a lot this year, some of my lofty ideals did not come to fruition.  You can check out my goals here.  The photo project was an epic failure but everything else (and much besides was done).

The organising for Christmas also fell by the wayside but it was all achieved before 25th December.  My goal is to do better in 2013.

The important thing when you find that the achievement did not measure up to the goal you set is to simply pick yourself up, dust off and try again.  That is what I love about a new year – it is a clean slate.

I have my 2013 diary and have resolved to use it properly this year instead of cluttering my brain with 1001 things I have to remember.  An Excel spreadsheet is set up to record our spending so that we can see where the money goes.  The emails are sorted/deleted/archived/actioned/unsubscribed as required and I will keep this up-to-date each week.

Our holiday in March is planned and booked.

How was your 2012?  What do you plan to achieve or do differently next year?

How Green Was My Christmas?

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Well, Christmas is over for another year and I hope it was a good one for you and your families.

One of my goals was to reduce our overall environmental impact from the festivities so it is probably time to review what I did and whether it made a difference.

Cards – I only sent 11 Christmas cards by post this year.  This is a significant reduction over the years.  There was a time when I posted between 50 and 60 cards each year.  I sent ecards and emails with our family newsletter.  These are generally well-received, save time and money for me, reduce clutter for the recipient.  I will continue to do this.

Gift-wrapping – this year I made fabric gift bags to use which seems to have been successful in making a significant reduction in the amount of wrapping paper which ended up in the recycling bin.  There was still some from gifts we received but that may change in time, who knows?  Perhaps I will make some for Belle to use next year as well.

Gifts – I made a few hand-made gifts and also a couple of experience gifts and some Oxfam Unwrapped gifts which seemed to please the recipients.  I need to plan my handmade items a bit further in advance next year.  I received a couple of practical and requested gifts so I was very happy.  A bathmat, colander, air mattress, gluten-free sauce and dressing and a Kathmandu voucher as well as a promise of dinner when we are next in Melbourne.  We do not want to be overwhelmed by ‘stuff’ and my family understand that. Yay!!

Food – we made a conscious effort not to over-cater and were mostly successful.  I have fruit cake leftover as well as a little smoked salmon and some cold, grilled chicken.  All of this will be stored appropriately and used to avoid any waste.  We had a special meal with close family but did not over-indulge.  Next year I would like to try to be more organised with my garden and be able to use more home-grown produce.

I am pretty happy with our achievements and will continue to  work on improving each year.

I would love to hear about your celebrations – what worked and what didn’t?

Made to Measure

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There are all sorts of things that you can make to measure.  Clothes are just one of them.

2012-12-09 01Today I modified a game so that is more suitable for our granddaughters.  Miss O is keen to play a game of ‘Animal Memory’ which we have had since our children were small.  There are 36 pairs of matching cards which feature adult and baby animals which need to be matched up.  She manages quite well, however, tends to lose interest after a while so I have decided to modify it slightly.

2012-12-09 02I sorted the cards and selected 18 pairs for each  set and placed them in ziplock bags.  We now have 2 smaller versions of the game.  These can be combined later on if we choose.

2012-12-09 03This also means that we can play 2 games concurrently.

Have you got any tips for making games or activities more age appropriate?

A Christmas List

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I have started to get my Christmas list which was in my head, down on paper.  It is not a list of what I want but a list of Christmas related activities and tasks.  I need to check that nothing gets forgotten.

Over the last few years it has become an unwritten rule that nothing overtly Christmassy happens until after 3rd December.  The significance of this is that it is Miss O’s birthday and I think that it is important to be able to focus on her special day and not let it become overwhelmed in the lead-up to Christmas.  Our darling turned 5 yesterday so has the adventure of starting Prep and the whole new world of school next year.

But back to the list…………

Plan menu for Christmas lunch
Put up Christmas tree
Finish Christmas letter
Write Christmas cards and post
Finish hand-made gifts
Check gifts complete for immediate family
Take granddaughters to see Christmas lights
Check for carol service appropriate for granddaughters

I am sure there will be other things to add to the list but that is the main focus for us.

Christmas lunch will be for 4 adults and 4 children (aged 6, 5, 5 and 3).  It will be gluten-free/ grain-free (in line with my eating plan).  I will write more about this in another post.

The Christmas tree will go up on Saturday afternoon when Miss O and Izz are here.

I need to get serious about finishing the Christmas letter which is half-written.  Many of our Christmas greeting are sent via email but I would like to get the cards in the mail by the middle of next week.

The gifts are an ongoing project which is coming along nicely.  I think I have planned gifts for everyone – just need to check the box in the spare room again.  Nothing is wrapped yet.  In fact, I will not be wrapping gifts this year as I have made re-useable gift bags in assorted sizes from Christmas fabric.  I won’t miss the piles of ripped wrapping paper all over the floor on Christmas morning.

We will be going the see the Christmas lights on Saturday evening when our granddaughters come to stay.  Once I find the time and date of the carol service I will organise to go with Miss O and Izz.

Writing everything down helps to clarify exactly what I need to do and when.  We have a fairly simple, low-key Christmas which is naturally focused on enjoying it with the children.

Over the next week or so I will post about each of the things on my list in more detail.

When do you start your Christmas preparations?  How are you going?  Please share your plans.