Shelves

Are there shelves in any of your closets?  Pick one today and quickly go through it, seeing if you can declutter that one shelf.

Watch for posts again on August 9.  I'll be with only dial-up Internet for awhile, and won't post most likely.

Wonder Hangers

A friend of ours showed us her closet.  She had purchased "wonder hangers" which let you hang shirts and slacks vertically from a master hanger in the closet.  It can then move horizontally if you want them higher.   Wonder hangers' purpose is to maximize space in a closet.  I was very impressed how neat and orderly her closet was, and how much she fit into it! 

How does your closet look?  Can you pull out clothing easily or are things packed tightly?  First, you may want to get rid of some items; second, try these wonder hangers...

Clutter in Style????

I was looking through a high-end furniture catalog that came in the mail.  Imagine my surprise when many of the displays were shown with clutter!  Bookcases were staged with old books shoved in any which way, stuffed to the gills.  One picture actually had piles of books all over the floor, with magazines and things thrown around, framing the expensive couch, end table, etc.  I wonder if the design artist wanted to grab people's attention in a negative way or was just being artsy.

Living with lots of clutter is stressful and unhealthy.  Keep simplifying your life and home, one item per day.

Cassette Tapes

It is difficult to find cassette tape players anymore.  What do we do with our old tapes?  There are companies that can transfer the music onto CD's, but that is rather costly. Music can usually be downloaded pretty cheaply if you need to repurchase music.  Has anyone tried to sell cassettes on e-bay? Let us know if it was successful.

My advice is to get rid of most of the cassettes, but keep special people's voices.   Perhaps mark a box with "Put on CD" with your most important cassettes in it and save up for the transfer.

Stale and Stale

I threw out two partial boxes of stale cereal.  I know it's not much, but it's amazing how old things can accumulate in your cupboard.  Check out the cabinet...you may find something you don't want anymore.

Schedule Time

It takes time to declutter, though one item a day isn't too bad.  I find that actually getting rid of my items is where it breaks down.  It takes planning to take everything to Goodwill.  It takes sitting down at the computer and listing items on e-bay or Craig's List to get rid of things I want to sell. 

Some ideas for you:
1.  Put the Goodwill bin in your car when it gets full, then as you pass the store while running errands, swing in and drop off your items.

2.  Schedule time in your week to sit at the computer and list what you want to sell.  Even if you are able to list only some of your stuff in a half hour, that will be productive when people begin to buy.  Another idea is to train one of your older children to do it; they are usually even more computer savvy than we are!

3.  Keep up with our mantra of "Simplify:  one per day."  Look for something you can get rid of every day.

Hospitality vs. Entertainment

As we gradually simplify our homes and lives, it's important to remember that people are more important than things.  Our pastor yesterday used an illustration that hit me.  He said "entertaining" is about the host, hospitality is about the guest. 

Even if our homes aren't perfect (yet...), that doesn't matter.  Being willing to have overnight guests, inviting people to dinner and a friendly atmosphere, not worrying about what they think of the house...all that is really important to keep in mind. 

Of course, if we've decluttered, it makes this less stressful.   Keep on practicing hospitality along the way toward your goal.

Words of Wisdom

I was driving around town yesterday and passed a self-storage business.  On their sign I read:
 "Cluttered Homes Don't Sell Well."

Try not to wait until you are selling your home to declutter.   I often feel sad for people on the HGTV shows who have professionals come in to stage their home for sale and it looks TONS better, but they don't get to enjoy it.  Declutter and spruce up your home for yourself to enjoy, not a new owner!

Compacting

There has been a pile in my house for two years.  It's not my stuff and I didn't think there was anything I could do with it.  However, I discovered the art of "compacting."  Looking through the items, I did find things that I knew weren't useful (boxes to devices we no longer used, etc.).  Getting rid of those few things and rearranging everything else resulted in a neat, less cluttered pile.  Sometimes, if you can't get rid of things or store them elsewhere, try compacting everything into a more organized manner.  This could include purchasing a pretty basket or storage ottoman and storing in that. 

Handmade Items

On a teacher learning excursion to help us understand American Indians, one activity we did was to make a clay pinch pot.  It wasn't easy and I was proud of how mine developed.  If I want to fire it for use, however, I'd need a kiln or an ongoing campfire.  It's nice, but impractical at this time:  just sitting around. 

Even though I worked hard on it, it's not anything I need for home or my work, so it's being thrown away. 

If you have something you've been loath to part with because you made it by hand, but it's not in style or is not as precious anymore, get rid of it.  Times change and you will create other worthy items again.

Music

I was literally digging through my music cabinet over the weekend (sheet music, books) and realized it needs simplifying in a BIG way as I couldn't find what I was looking for.  Immediately, I found 3 songbooks I put in the Goodwill bin.  It is on my hit list for later this summer.

Collecting Owls

Over the weekend we visited the new apartment of a 23 year old friend.  She had decorated it equal to designs on HGTV by shopping Craig's List.   As she showed us favorite pieces, a couple were owl themed:  a planter and salt & pepper shakers.  Immediately, my mind went to "Owl things would make good gifts for her!"  She quickly read my mind and said she'd made a pact with herself to have only one owl item per room so as not to clutter her apartment with knick-knacks.

I thought her mindset was a good one.  Once we announce we are collecting something, we get an influx from well-meaning friends and family.  Keep it simple.  A few favorite pieces are enough.

Laundry Space

On Sundays, I direct you to a place to simplify.  Look at your laundry room or space.  Anything you can declutter?

Keeping it Clean

When I began working full time, my children were 10 and 12.  Up to that point, other than flexible part-time work while they were at school, I was a stay-at-home mother.  Suddenly, 8-9 hours were gone from my day.  I needed to have a plan to keep the housework under control. 

Somewhere along the way, I came up with a "Two After School" plan.  Each day of the week, I assigned four to six chores, and typed a master chart I could print out.  The kids had to each choose two to complete, then I would finish the rest.   Putting clean dishes away out of the dishwasher was a daily given (each child had one of the two racks).  By Thursday, everything was done and there weren't specific chores over the weekend.  It kept the house in a constant state of acceptability.  If visitors dropped in, I didn't worry. 

Even though it all falls on me again, now that the kids are gone, I still have that chore rotation schedule in my head and generally can keep up on the housework.  It hit me last evening that this is a simplifying way to live.  One of my son's friends popped in unexpectedly;  I was gone for the evening.  When I returned and found that she'd been there, I didn't panic, because I knew everything was pretty well neat and clean.  (I know, I know...it's about the people and not how the house looks...but it still matters to me.)

If you feel like you can't keep your head above water with the housework, this method simplified housework for me.

Organizing the Organizers

Wonderful organizing tools have been created in the past decade to help Americans deal with all their possessions.  I've seen organizers for socks, desk tops, desk drawers, sweaters, kitchens, cabinets, etc.  Of course, plastic bins are prolific. 

Be aware that even within organizers, there may be a need to simplify.  I found unneeded items in a couple of bins and a drawer organizer recently and threw them away. 

Every so often, look at your "organized" areas for extra clutter and simplify that spot.

Bedrooms...Again

This really will be it for bedroom comments for awhile.  I realize I've been rather severe on bedroom uses.  I know a couple family members who have wonderful spaces in their bedrooms for  working stations that don't detract at all from the restfulness of the room.  The main point is to keep out the clutter from any space!  I'm all for dual function rooms as long as they aren't full of unnecessary stuff. 

If you are feeling discouraged about your bedroom, perhaps it's looked the same for years, just rearrange what you already have.  Move the pictures and the bed.  It gives the room a whole new look and you don't have to spend any money!

Sorting

When figuring out how to organize items, try sorting them into "like" sections.  In the bathroom, nail care together, skin care together, hair care together, etc.  In the kitchen, baking items together, serving dishes together, etc.  It helps us simplify the area by streamlining the rush of finding something we need. 

Thanks again to http://www.clutterdiet.com/ for this helpful hint!

More Bedroom Tips

A bedroom is for sleeping and storing clothing.  From http://www.clutterdiet.com/, I got these tips on keeping a bedroom a good place for sleeping:

1.  Keep reading material organized with a bookshelf, a caddy next to the bed, or an organized nightstand.
2.  Do you have enough room for the clothing stored in the bedroom?  If not, consider buying under-the-bed storage containers for the overflow.  A favorite option is also to just simplify your wardrobe!
3.  If you have a TV in the bedroom, is everything associated with it organized?  This would be CD's, DVD's, games, etc.  Do you really need a TV in there?  If the answer is yes, then make sure the surrounding accessories are organized in neat ways to keep the room relaxing.
4.   If you keep hobbies in the bedroom, are they able to be put away when not in use?  Is there a better place for them?
5.  If your bedroom has a working area, computer, etc. consider putting a screen between that area and the bed to keep the sleeping area peaceful and uncluttered. 

Bedrooms

When I was young, it seemed that most of the adult bedrooms (well, kids' rooms too!) I glanced into at friends' homes or even my parents' sometimes, were the messiest in the house.  (Even back then I had an aversion to clutter!)  All the stuff that had no place to go was stashed in the master bedroom.  I remember thinking to myself that I wasn't going to let that happen, if at all possible.

How does yours look?  Is it the catch all because it's not a room open to the public?  Try to keep it neat and an oasis, rather than a storage room.  Think about what items are being stored that you could move somewhere else.  Take today and tomorrow to move some clutter out of the bedroom.

Exercise Equipment

My son works in the summers selling sports and exercise equipment.  His opinion is that while people buy with the best intentions, most exercise equipment goes unused.  Where is your exercise equipment?  Is it in your bedroom with clothes hanging on it?  Is it in the basement with boxes stacked on top and around?  Be aware of clutter from unused exercise machines.  Perhaps you would be more inclined to go for neighborhood walks and get rid of the large item.

Boxes and Bears

My daughter asked me yesterday, "What have you been putting on your blog lately?"  I told her I was running out of fresh ideas and not being very faithful to it.  She had been eyeing her many stuffed bears, realizing she didn't really want all of them.  She asked me if I'd talked about stuffed animals.  I have, but will bring it up again for any new readers.  Goodwill will take them.  It's really OK to throw them away; they don't have feelings.  You can do the old "put it in the attic" until you no longer care about them.  Sometimes churches or schools will take them to wash as prizes for carnivals. 

She has some in a bag for Goodwill.  I also have sorted out some old boxes we don't need to keep; the point is, I'm still simplifying, but sometimes it's just more of the same.  Don't give up.  Keep going through places in your home.

Other People's Paper

One of the banes in my quest for simplifiying is other people's paper:  mail, school papers, work papers, receipts, etc.   I have been instructed not to throw it away, but it sits around and drives me nuts.  A furtive, stealthy approach I've taken is to leave it for a few days, then put it in a bag or pile somewhere inconspicuous.  I haven't thrown it away, but it is in a pergatory of sorts...if the person wants it, I can direct him/her to it.  If it goes unneeded for months, perhaps it can go in the trash. 

Living with others keeps us balanced; we just need to be creative in our simplifying and organizing.

Organizers

Sometimes, in order to simplify our lives, we really do need to buy some organizing contraptions.  Some I can think of that have made my home more orderly and simplified are:

1.  Silverware drawer dividers
2.  Stoneware crock for holding cooking utensils (spatulas, rubber scrapers, etc.)
3.  Extra shelves put in closets
4.  Bins on those shelves for organizing mittens, scarves, etc.
5.  Lazy Susan Tupperware spice rack/small containers

I visited my sister-in-law this week and saw a wonderful shelved hanging divider that she has placed in each closet for visitors to unpack into if they desire.  It could also organize sweaters, shoes, etc.  On TV we also saw a dandy device for organizing lots of spice/herb bottles in a cupboard that didn't take up much space. 

As you visit stores, glance in the organizing section.  They have so many helps for organizing areas of your home.  Once you have gotten rid of unnecessary items, go ahead and purchase an organizer that will help simplify the area of need!