Tag Archives: decluttering

What Matters to Me

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I read an Instagram post recently which a friend had posted. She was reflecting on what retirement meant to her but I particularly liked the following sentiment – “filling your days with things that matter – people, purpose, memories…..”. This really resonated with me. Despite having been retired from full-time work for nearly 7 years my days are full. Not frantic or struggling to keep my head above water but filled with things that matter. What a perfect phrase. Thank you, Judith, for enunciating this so clearly.

In fact, almost exactly 7 years ago, on 1st March 2019 I wrote this post where I explained that I had decided to do away with telling myself or anyone else that I was busy. I was actually still working full-time at that point although retirement was but a few months away.

My days are very different to what they looked like then. I rarely set an alarm unless we have some specific reason. I am certainly never bored and I feel that there is purpose in what I do.

Purposeful activity can look very different for everybody. Of course, it can vary wildly from week to week.

Travel and holidays are a highlight but the ordinary and mundane also add value.

My major activity, as it has been for the past month, is sorting and decluttering the huge amount of toys, games and puzzles. These have served the Occasional Child Care program at the local Neighbourhood Centre well for over 15 years, however, that program is no longer happening. The idea is to retain a quantity of the best quality items for a future program catering to a small number of children and rehome the rest.

No ‘before’ shots but this is one cupboard which is now sorted and easy to locate the contents.

It is timely as our town has a Town-Wide Garage Sale on the first Saturday in March.

Some of the goodies set aside to sell.

More than a little of my time was taken up in the early part of the week negotiating the wonders of our car insurance and submitting a claim after a relatively minor vehicle accident. Thankfully, it was not much worse.

I made some more reusable carry bags to donate to the Community Pantry. There were 6 made using various combinations of the patterned fabric and co-ordinating plain pieces. The patterned fabric was sourced from my community decluttering efforts so it was used thoughtfully.

Other sewing has been altering some tops for a friend. She wanted some side splits in several tops. This is one that I have completed.

Walking the dog every day serves multiple purposes – exercise for Islay, exercise for us and the opportunity to engage and socialise with numerous folks in our town. It is a rare day when don’t stop and chat with at least one person along the way.

When she is not walking Islay has a pretty easy life. This was when she was being bathed by the housesitters while we were away. She definitely is due for another bath as she enjoys having a dustbath in an empty garden bed.

Maintaining and nurturing friendships is a valuable activity and can occur in many ways. In the past few weeks I have been fortunate to reconnect online with some of my earliest work colleagues. March 1st marks 50 years since we commenced our student nurse training and through the wonders of the internet I have been able to chat with ladies from our group whom I have not seen since we completed our training 47 years ago. Needles to say, there is a get-together planned for May and I am looking forward to catching up in Brisbane.

This photo was taken in 1976 when I first started my student nurse training.

Have you considered what matters and how your life is purposeful?

De…………..

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I have been considering doing a series of posts on decluttering – the how, why and when etc but I think that is going to have to wait until well into January as we are about to head off overseas for 5 weeks so my focus will be my travel blog, Somewhere, Anywhere. Please consider subscribing if you would like to follow along on our adventures.

In the meantime, here is something to get you thinking. I could not have said it better myself.

There will probably be another post or 2 here before we depart on Monday.

Desk Declutter

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Even though we have been in this house just under 2.5 years I have already tidied and decluttered the small office space and desk a couple of times. However, I was a bit more ruthless this time with a few more things gone.

Although I did not take a before photo I found this one from a previous post.

The most noticeable difference is that the speakers are gone as well as the cane basket from the corner of the desk. As we were working through the various bits and pieces, GMan noticed that the speakers were not actually connected to anything and whenever we listen to audio on the computer it comes directly from the speakers in the laptop!! The speakers do not appear to be compatible with the laptop so they are off to the op shop to find another home. The cane basket had become a receptacle for all sorts of electronics odds and ends so we decided that not having it there would force us to put things away properly. I will probably repurpose the basket for storage in my sewing room.

This is the finished view of the desk.

There is a small cupboard on the wall above one end of the desk. This is where we keep the modem as the power point and connection are there.

However, I always felt that this space was under-utilised. So, GMan drilled a hole so that we could feed the cables through and place the modem on the top shelf. This freed up more shelf space to use for other storage, including the lower shelf which is more accessible. I now have some stationery supplies in a couple of very classy ice-cream containers. They were previously on the bottom shelf of the bookcase opposite the desk but it makes more sense to have them here.

Finally, we went through all of the drawers and removed various things that are no longer relevant and rearranged a few items to make better use of the space. The final touch is that I plan to make labels for the drawers so that things are easier to find without opening multiple drawers. That is a task for another day.

Do It Once

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Almost all of what I, and probably most of you, do is repetitive. Some things are repeated daily, weekly or less frequently. Things like meal preparation and washing up can even be multiple times each day.

However, there are some jobs which can be done once and once only. Many fall under the broader category of decluttering which in itself can seem like an endless task.

I recently cleaned up the desk in our small office which is a built-in desk in the walkway through to the laundry. Keeping this space free from clutter is an ongoing project and I completely understand that.

There were 6 small plastic boxes sitting one one corner of the desk. These had previously held photographic slides that belonged to my father. The slides have all been scanned and saved so I had disposed of the originals. The boxes were covered with adhesive labels and notations in permanent marker and I had been undecided as to whether I could repurpose the boxes. I possibly could but the question really is, ‘do I need them?’

After several months of seeing these boxes multiple times each day I decided that they could be used by someone else. So, the first step was to remove the labels and clean them up.

No before photo but here they are, ready to go. I plan to take them to the Bendigo Share and Repair Shed as I feel that someone will be able to use them.

I am sure that they will be perfect storage for someone’s small treasures.

Just because you don’t want to send something to landfill does not mean that you are obliged to keep it or even to find a way of using a particular item.

Reset in the Sewing Room

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I finished sewing the patchwork blocks together a few days ago and yesterday I delivered all of the components – patchwork, batting and backing – to a friend who is going to quilt it on her long arm machine.

The horizon is clear as far as sewing projects go so I decided that it was time to make a serious effort to clean up and sort out the fabrics, patterns etc. Many of these are gifted, thrifted, hand-me-downs or scraps.

I probably should have started with the bits and pieces on top but I dived straight in to the contents of the cube shelving. The top two rows are rearranged although the cupboards are currently empty while I decide on what to put in them.

The shelving units were repurposed from our walk-in wardrobe and the spare bedroom. Most but not all of the contents came with us when we moved from Queensland just over 2 years ago. While everything was unpacked and stashed in the various cubes there was not a great deal of thought as to how it was arranged.

I am determined that I am going to assess everything before putting it away. There is no point in hanging onto things for which I have no possible future use. Additionally, I am setting aside the UFO’s (unfinished objects) to work through. However, the first priority is to have the sewing machine serviced. Apart from needing a general overhaul the thread cutter is blunt, the needle threader is broken and the clutch on the bobbin winder is slipping.

In the interest of full disclosure this is a view of the tables covered with piles of fabric which I have hauled out of some of the lower cubes.

It is going to take some time but I am likely to be without my machine for a couple of weeks after I drop it off on Tuesday so I will focus on the sorting without being distracted and tempted to sew something.

They’re Back

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A couple of weeks ago I wrote this post about the ‘new to me’ boots I had purchased.

Well, I did take the old ones to a cobbler in Melbourne to see if they might be able to be repaired. He assured me that he could and that the cost would be $60. This seemed like a very reasonable price to restore an unwearable pair of boots that had seen 6 years of constant winter wear.

Today we were on another jaunt to Melbourne and I picked them up. They are as good as new so I am looking forward to several more years of wear out of these favourites. While buying secondhand is a sustainable option, it is important not to forget about taking care of what you have to ensure that it lasts as well as considering repairing items where possible.

I was also able to drop off the donation of towels which I mentioned the other day. They were very gratefully received and I am pleased that they will be put to good use. I also gave them the two carry bags which I had made as I am sure that someone will appreciate those, too.

After lunch we headed over the river to The Sumner theatre to see ‘Mother Play’. It was both funny and tragic but most all, very moving and certainly not one for the faint-hearted. I enjoy live theatre and this was no exception and it was particularly exciting to witness Sigrid Thornton’s superb talent on stage.

Thoughtful Decluttering

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Last month I wrote this post about rearranging the linen. Once I consolidated the towels that were in a couple of different spaces I ended up with a plastic tub full of ‘spare towels’.

Fast forward to today when I read a Facebook post from a friend about a charity in central Melbourne who provide hot showers and laundry facilities for those who are sleeping rough. They are asking for donations of towels and also washing powder/liquid.

I was immediately sure that the tub of towels in the top of my linen cupboard could be put to better use. I will take them to donate when I go to Melbourne on Wednesday.

Most of these towels came from my mother’s home after she died a little over 4 years ago. They were too good to use as rags or even for animal bedding but I was not sure what to do with them. I have enough and someone else will be able to benefit from them so I am happy with the outcome.

This is the top of the linen cupboard now. There are 2 beach towels.

I am not a fan of decluttering that involves throwing excess stuff in a bin when with a little time and thought things can be moved along to be of benefit to someone who can really use them.

Art For Art’s Sake

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Decluttering and minimalism are all about eschewing ‘stuff’ and some people seem to think that life is bland and missing something without possessions.

Now, I am not suggesting for one moment that I do not have stuff or that I am even a minimalist although I certainly do have less possessions than many people.

Experiences are valuable and mean much more to me than a house filled with possessions. Travel is always high on my list of experiences. Sometimes we travel specifically for art experiences and at other times we find cultural experiences along the way.

Just 12 months ago we went to Hobart for the express purpose of going to an exhibition titled ‘Lands of Light’ by Lloyd Rees at the Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery.

We discovered a very different but equally interesting exhibition in the adjacent gallery.

The next few months are filled with various artistic and cultural events. Some are very local, such as the Maldon Portrait Prize which celebrates local artists. We plan to view the entries at a local gallery sometime in the next week. Other planned trips include Bendigo to see the Frida Kahlo exhibition and well as going to the National Gallery of Victoria in Melbourne to see ‘French Impressionism’ from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. We are also going further afield over the next couple of months to Gippsland Art Gallery in Sale to see ‘Turner and Australia’ which explores the influence of JMW Turner on the Australian art scene and the Art Gallery of South Australia for an exhibition titled, ‘Dangerously Modern: Australian Women Artists in Europe 1890 – 1940’.

Of course, art encompasses some many other mediums and we have tickets to several performances over the next few months beginning with our younger daughter’s dance concert tomorrow afternoon. Two live theatre productions round out our adventures for July. Live theatre is one of my great loves and I am looking forward to seeing Justine Clarke in a one-woman play, ‘Julia’ about Julia Gillard, Australia’s first (and so far, only female Prime Minister). The other is called Mother Play which premiered on Broadway in 2024. This version stars on of my favourite Australian actresses, Sigrid Thornton.

The opportunity to experience such diverse cultural experiences is worth more to me than a cupboard full of things.

What about you?

Fresh Eyes

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We arrived home yesterday and I am working my way through the washing.

We had housesitters staying here while we were away so naturally I left the house clean and tidy for them and they did likewise for our return. Nevertheless, it is really interesting to come home and look around the house after having been away.

It is 2 years since we moved here and it is mostly set up the way we want it. Our home is definitely not cluttered but there are still some spaces that have too much stuff or are not adequately organised for my liking. Other spaces tend to become a bit of a dumping-ground so I need to be more vigilant about leaving things where they should not be. I have returned with renewed enthusiasm to sort out some things. As always, one thing tends to lead to another and can turn into a bigger project than planned. A quick tidy up can become a major rearrangement of storage options but that is OK because it usually has a better long-term result.

Here are a few photos of some things I want to tackle. I will share how I do it and the results in future posts.

The guest bedroom. There is nothing desperately wrong with it. The bed needs to be remade and I really need to sort out what bed linen is required at the moment for both this bed and ours. I find this time of the year difficult as the overnight temperatures vary widely. The other thing that is bothering me about this room is the bed. We chose to buy it from the previous owners and while it is a good bed in excellent condition, I can honestly say that I hate it. The storage drawers are useful but not having any space underneath increases the difficulty of making the bed. The wide timber surround is also unhelpful. So, I am determined to search for a more user-friendly bed secondhand. The trade-off will be the loss of the underbed storage but although I do have some linen in the drawers it is definitely not essential.

The 3rd bedroom which is still trying to work out what it is but otherwise known as a junk room. It tends to be a collection of things that I am certain do not belong elsewhere. The wardrobe in this room is wine storage, suitcase storage and some items belonging to a community group where we volunteer. I do intend to set up the exercise equipment better so that it can be used more readily.

Our walk-in wardrobe. This is not a massive space since we purloined half of it to extend the pantry. We only recently added the shelves and hanging space and it is more than adequate for our needs. The box on the floor is administrative stuff for our volunteer work which I put here while we were away. That is overdue for sorting and rearranging and it needs to find a permanent home in the 3rd bedroom. I also want to look for a small seat which would be useful when putting on shoes and socks.

Chest of drawers. We do not have a dressing table as such as I use the large mirror in the adjacent ensuite bathroom. This large chest of drawers is shared by GMan and me. Our folded clothes are in the drawers and the top is a shared dressing table although it can be a bit of a dumping ground. Time for a clean up and decide what belongs here or not.

These jobs will take some time but I will share my progress of each space in upcoming posts.

No Visible Change

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I have spent most of today decluttering but I have very little to show for my efforts.

This is the view of the storage in our office and it looks exactly the same as when I started.

The reason is because I sorted out some of the paperwork which lives in one of these drawers. Some might say that it is not clutter if it fits neatly in a drawer. However, these are papers that are no longer required for a variety of reasons so I shredded them.

The drawer now looks like this. There are now 6 cardboard folders for different categories – 2 were discarded as the contents were all obsolete. It is hard to believe that we once had a 4 drawer filing cabinet.

I ended up with half a bag of shredded paper.

So, why bother doing this when I have plenty or space to store it? The documents I shredded are entirely obsolete and/or I have digital copies. They included tax returns and bank statements more than 5 years old and the like. I generally clear these things out every year or so. By having less it make the important things easier to locate when required.