Day 243: Is Clutter Married to Frugality?

Do you have to have clutter to be frugal? One of the tenants of frugality is saving items you might use later on to "make do" when creating a child's costume, a jean purse, etc. I would say that you do need to keep some items on hand, but have a specific place for them. If the bin or storage place begins to overflow, sort through your items. On the other hand, if you have stashed things "I might need later" for more than five years, there is a good possibility that you could get rid of those treasures.

Day 242: Does Everything Fit?

Periodically, we need to evaluate our homes, garages, sheds, etc. with the question, "Does everything fit?" If the answer is no, some items need to be rearranged or disposed of. Look in the desk drawer: is everything in a certain place? In the family room, can the room fit more people than the stuff that is taking up floor space? Kitchen cabinets: are there multiples of spices/boxed items you could simplify? Could you store some extras in an under-the-bed container to free up space?

Think about your home and if everything fits.

Day 241: Clothing (again)

It may be time to revisit a clothing closet or storage bin. As a new season dawns, you might get rid of some summer garments you rarely used for whatever reason. I have a couple of skirts I haven't used all summer and they have served their time.

Day 239: Expired

We have discussed this before, but have you checked your medicine cabinet recently? I am visiting with my sister-in-law who often travels from the West Coast to the East to visit. She keeps a stash of toiletries at her mother's so she doesn't have to bring so much. This morning she found several over-the-counter medications that had expired, so she threw them out for her "simplify: one per day" commitment.

On that topic, I saw an article about prescription medication expiring. When a doctor is trying to find the right medication, you may have to purchase multiple bottles before the right one is found. This person said that the drug store will sell a few pills intead of a whole bottle if you aren't sure; that way you don't waste the money or have to store/throw out medication you'll never use.

Day 238: Minimalist

I realize I'm in the "send them off to college" mode lately, but that has been my life. I will get past this, but the experiences of sending two off this year has given me room for thought about simplifying.

A friend of mine recently sent her son off to college. She said she had to force him to get another pair of jeans because he is such a minimalist. She sneaked a box of tissues into his stuff, but he wasn't happy to see she'd packed snacks and so she had to take them home.

I lived on the island of Haiti for a summer for a missions project. We were allowed one duffle bag and it could only weigh a certain amount. We had three pair of pants, two dresses, work boots, underclothes, three shirts, any lightweight toiletries, a Bible, a basin to hand wash our few clothes, and that was it for the entire summer. The leaders were not being mean, we just had to carry all our tools and food to the island and weight on the plane was an issue. The planners also knew we'd be busy working and wouldn't need lots of stuff. You know, it really wasn't a hardship having so little. It was actually freeing. And, when you saw the conditions the Haitians lived in, you realized how blessed you were to have clothing that wasn't covered in rips and holes like some of the Haitian children.

Think about if you need to be more of a minimalist by getting rid of excess.

Day 237: Hiding Places

In theory, having lots of small drawers, shoe racks, hanging closet organizers, organizing bins, etc. are good things. However, with a busy lifestyle, they are also catch-alls for junk we don't need to keep. Someone I know has seven small drawers in addition to her dresser drawers in the bedroom. In her closet was a tubular hanging organizer. Well, when this person got ready for college and cleaned out drawers, bag after bag of trash was collected from those.

Sometimes I think it's better to not have so many hiding places. If clutter is in plain sight, we tend to notice it and purge.

Day 236: Triggers

A trigger is something that can jumpstart our memories. It can be a photo, an object, an odor, etc. Much of the clutter we have trouble parting with could be categorized as "triggers." We don't want to get rid of this mug because it reminds us of Great Aunt Sue. We can't let the old rag blanket go because it was our child's blankie. Thinking logically, we really don't like those objects, they don't enhance our lives....we keep them to preserve the memory.

There is something freeing about forgetting, but we fight so hard to remember everything. We surround ourselves with lots of clutter to remember. When you think historically, you realize they had diaries or journals, maybe, to pass on. Perhaps a few objects such as furniture. No photos, a few had paintings, no nicknacks. In school, they memorized so much in their heads, their memories were sharper than ours today where we can just access information any time and have not much need for memorizing.

Back to triggers. Is it really so bad to risk forgetting whatever that object represents to you? Can you trust your amazing brain to recall the important stuff? As you sort clutter, think about whether what you are keeping is just a trigger to help you remember and whether it's really necessary in your life.

Day 235: Pitch Without Examining??

There's one avenue of simplifying that makes me cringe, and my son employed it in his final hours before leaving for college. It's the "Pitch Without Examining" method. I had asked him to be sure to clear the clutter off the corkboard hanging in his room before he left. There were items like awards, letters, from three years ago just tacked up everywhere. He decluttered it quickly and told me he just pitched everything into the trash. Gulp...I hope he doesn't regret it. If you are feeling brave, you could ask someone else to clean out an area and then adopt a "don't ask, don't tell" attitude...just be happy the area is neat. That's a big step of faith, but may help when you are feeling overwhelmed!

Day 234: Use It Up

We've talked about using up things we already have as a method of simplifying. I have used two pieces of fabric, sewing dresses for my neice. These fabrics have been with me a long time...

Day 233: Closets

We have been simplifying for 233 days. Many of us have purged our living spaces of more than one thing per day; some of you even have kept count! Let me ask this: how do all your closets look? Are there any you haven't simplified and organized? They collect more stuff than most other places because they can hide it. That was my college son's argument at first, "Mom, why do you look in my closet when I'm gone?" He had a point, but I'm on a mission to declutter!

If, by chance, you are running out of places to simplify, choose another closet to tackle. My son was able to get rid of loads out of his closet (with just a little pressure from me!)

Day 232: The Dress

I have a dress I've liked...nine years? My husband has made minor negative comments about it on occasion, but it was still in style and good shape. Recently I wore it again and got, "You're wearing THAT to this event?" I would consider this a major negative comment. So, I figure I've gotten my money's worth and it's time to let let the dress go to Goodwill.

Is there anything you have in your wardrobe that you have an inkling family members dislike? It may be time for it to go.

Day 231: Stationery, Cards

I keep all my stationery, thank you cards, etc. in a small bin. As I reached into it the other day, I found quite a bit that was worthless. I had envelopes from Christmas cards received that needed the addresses written into my address book. There were old bill statements and magazine articles I had cut out to send to someone. I quickly looked through it to see what I had in the way of supplies and threw away unnecessary items.

Day 230: Family Members

If you can ask family members to clear out just one area, it helps simplify. Children and their closets, spouses and their offices, etc. My son got rid of a good amount of outgrown clothing that we were able to take to Goodwill.

Day 229: Trash

Of course we take out the stinky kitchen trash and dump the small trashcans throughout the house. What about the clutter that really is trash, too? Outdated magazines, newspapers, stained/ripped clothing, broken furniture or appliances...all that can just be tossed and make a big difference somewhere in your home. If you've had broken things for more than a year or two, don't kid yourself that you are going to get around to fixing it. Just get rid of it.

By sorting through our attic, I, ashamedly, gathered four bags of trash to go to the dump.

Day 228: How Is It Looking Around the House?

As mentioned yesterday, cleaning has become easier. Storage space has been freed up so I have a place for many more items I need. My attic is organized and mostly simplified. There are so many advantages to living without clutter.

How is your house looking? I have heard from various followers about their successes. If you have time, would love to hear some comments on your progress!

Day 227: Clean or Clean Around?

After some time away from the house, I was cleaning. It came to me that cleaning is so much easier when you don't have to maneuver around clutter! Wiping down bare counters, dust mopping or vacuuming floors that only have furniture on them, wiping bathroom sinks with no toiletries piled...it's worth simplifying for the ease and speed in which you can clean your house.

Day 226: Sewing Patterns

I found a couple more sewing patterns to give away. I don't know if they take them, but I'll try. My philosophy about Goodwill, Salvation Army, etc. is to just give anything usable (within reason...no gross or dirty items, ripped/stained clothing, trash) to them and they can discard unwanted items.

Day 225: Keep Looking

We've been simplifying since January. Some areas of our homes may need to be revisited. Items you couldn't part with in February may not seem as dear now. I found a CD of a local group that, after listening to it once more, I was able to place in the give-away bin.

Day 224: Time-saver Devices

We were in a store yesterday that had every kitchen time-saving device known to man. There was a melon slicer, "Slice your melon half in one easy step!", a pineapple corer, a strawberry huller, and so much more. All of those items would be great except they take up a lot of space in the kitchen, and how often are they really used? I was thinking that I could take care of all those tasks with one knife.

Look through your kitchen with a critical eye. Do you have convenience devices you rarely use? How often do we core a fresh pineapple? Would a simple tool such as a knife take care of many tasks? Can you get rid of some of those time-savers that take up precious drawer space, or, horrors, have to be left on the counter because you have no place for them?

Day 223: Check that Make-up Bag

Have you done a critical look into your make-up supply lately? We talked about it earlier this year, but today I looked more closely and realized I could simplify. In my little make-up bag was an eye-liner pencil sharpener. I haven't had an eye liner that needed sharpening for a long time. Now they twist like a mechanical pencil. "But what if I need to buy one that needs sharpening?" The logical side came back and reminded me that most likely, that won't happen, so...I threw away the sharpener, thus decluttering a little bit more.

Day 222: If Someone Else Can Use It

In my continuing forage through our attic, I found a birthday hat we used for our dog. While it is a fond memory, we no longer have him with us, so hopefully someone else can use it if they get it from Goodwill.

I know that giving to places that resell our clutter helps others. One of my kids found a college tie at Goodwill that is in great shape for $1. I wonder if the person giving that away agonized over it like I have with some items. They would be pleased that it made my child happy to find it and that it will be used again!

Day 221: Souvenir Gifts

Getting rid of souvenirs friends bring to you from other places can be difficult. It's cool thinking, "This box came from Russia!" or "This stuffed giant frog is from Mexico!" (You smile, but my parents had that from a missionary friend. I loved showing it off as a kid.) Once again, you value the giver, but there is also a kind of mystique surrounding something from afar.

Ideas would be rotating some in a display as you store others. Another idea is to actually use them, such as a cedar box from Canada could be a jewelry box. My daughter collects snow globes, my son has playing card decks, so people pick those up for them on trips and they display their collections. Giving people a "theme" might help you avoid items you're not sure what to do with. However, if you only store them unseen, it's probably time to get rid of them.

Day 220: One Per Day

As in the vein of clearing off refrigerators, my daughter cleared off her hanging cork board of old memorabilia, leaving it neater and uncluttered. Even things like that simplify a room.

Day 219: Sage Advice

While shopping for college dormroom items yesterday, my daughter lamented the fact that she was told not to buy/bring any storage containers until move in, just in case they are too crowded (she's in a triple). Perhaps too flippantly, I answered, "If you don't take too much stuff, you won't need extra storage!"

That is true for us. House feeling cramped? Most likely it is "stuff" like clutter or too much furniture that causes claustrophobia, not the people living there. Today, try gathering into a bin or bag everything in one of your rooms that doesn't have a certain place (the floor doesn't count...leave nothing on the floor.) See the difference it will make!

Day 218: Bargains

I got this quote from another blog: www.organizedlife.blogspot.com The author, Emily Wilska, said:

"So when is a bargain not a bargain? When it's something we buy not because we truly need it, will use it, or absolutely love it, but because it's on sale."

This weekend is the tax-free school supplies weekend in our state. It is tempting to go overboard at the good deals and no tax. Yardsales are also notorious for tempting us to add to our clutter. Keep the quote above in mind before you spend, and I would recommend reading her section on this if you struggle with buying because things are on sale.

I exchanged a new muffin pan for an old, beat-up one today.

Day 217: Gifts from the Heart

Gifts are a difficult area to simplify. Wedding gifts, Christmas gifts, work-related gifts, gifts from children...all are difficult to get rid of because of the value we place on the giver. My practice has been to use each gift in some way for a time:
all the apple or handmade Christmas ornaments go on the tree at least one Christmas
display the pink antique glass for a few months on a shelf
bring out the silver tea set on special occasions the first year

After that, I feel better about giving the item away, or if it's a family heirloom passed down, storing it with other such treasures in a bin in the attic until I can make up my mind. Today I put a bunny ceramic planter in the give away bin after using it for some time after receiving it for Easter.

Long post short...just because someone gave something to you as a gift, you're under no obligation to keep it long term.

Day 213: Quite a Story

I am currently visiting family in the remote Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Our Internet access is quite "simplified" here, so please bear with me for a few days if I can't post.

I heard a wonderful true account yesterday of a family who went through a lot to simplify. If they can do it, we certainly can. An older couple years back had built a "cabin" over top an Airstream travel trailer. They were close to 90 and, after not visiting the cabin for three years, decided to sell it for a song. The family who bought it went in to find three year old food in the unplugged refrigerator, stacks of books under the beds, furniture, and on shelves, mice nests throughout the bedding, mouse droppings 1/2 inch high and rotted insulation in the rafters along with this lady's yarn mice had dragged into the attic, etc., etc. Old mattresses were stored in the basement and were rotting and moldy. It turned my stomach to hear of it.

They rolled up their sleeves and got to work hauling the clutter and trash out. At $60 per ton to deposit bulk trash in the area dump, the man paid $600! That's how much he hauled out. They took apart the metal trailer, disposed of that, and then my builder dad helped finish up the inside.

It is lovely now. I doubt that any of us have a situation like that in our homes. If those people can clean out four foot high stacks of clothing, use a shop vac to vacuum up mice droppings, and haul out moldy mattresses, can't we clean out an attic or closet? I was very motivated hearing their story!