Day 250: Simplifying and Delegating

Simplifying isn't just about getting rid of physical items; it is also clearing out responsibilities so you aren't overwhelmed. Housework is an ongoing task that can be overwhelming at times. Is there any delegating going on to help you?

If you still have children at home, they should be completing tasks. For one, it doesn't all have to be on you, and two, it teaches them responsibility, the satisfaction that comes from work, and HOW to keep things clean. When mine were home, I came up with a chart of jobs for a week, all split up on the days of the week. The kids had to come home from school and complete two jobs each from that day's list. I finished up the rest. It lessened my load and the house stayed consistently clean. Another way it helped is that I didn't feel like I had to dust mop daily as it would be on the chart in three days again. That simplified housework for me. Now that it's just me, the daily lists still help me not "over-clean" and I can rest in the fact that the rest of the chores will come up on other days.

So, continue to get rid of physical items, but also begin to think of what taxes you mentally that you could delegate or at least organize to help clear your head.

Day 249: Simplicity and Cooking

With the Food Network Channel going strong, we get all sorts of tantalizing ideas for our cooking. We stock up on previously unheard-of or at least unused ingredients to attempt to match the chefs on TV. It is unfortunate, but sometimes my family just doesn't care for the new recipe. "But I bought horseradish, dill weed, tabasco sauce, and asiago cheese for this!"

Sometimes we are "stuck" with ingredients that only go with a certain recipe, and they will probably go bad by the time we use them up. There are some thoughts I had on this topic of unintentional wasteful buying of ingredients:

1. Find more recipes that call for those unique ingredients
2. If you are going to try a new recipe, go in on the ingredients with friends so you can use them up just in case the family doesn't ever want that meal again
3. Certainly, if you haven't used those ingredients for a long time and they are cluttering up your cabinets, dump them into the compost pile and at least you'll get some future good out of them (enrich your soil!) Don't feel compelled to store them for years.
4. Otherwise, stick to main ingredients you know will work with many of your other recipes

Day 248: Holy Guitar

There are times when we face true dilemmas about getting rid of our belongings. Others can see the path we should take easily, but we are very torn. My nephew was playing his guitar for me out on the beach last evening. I remembered that he has another guitar that got pierced by a fork lift. For him, it is really hard to get rid of that guitar that holds so many memories, even when he has a new guitar.

As an outsider, it seems like a no-brainer, but we can't make decisions for others. We need to let them come to their own decisions about simplifying or decluttering. Give it time and worry about your own stuff for now!

Day 247: One Per Day

I placed clothing in the give away bin today!

Day 246: Victories

I want to share two victories from a couple co-simplifiers. One was on vacation and still sorted through things to get rid of one-per-day. Another went to the beach and, instead of buying her typical beach souvenirs, she only bought a t-shirt that says "Simplify."

We want to keep building the simplifying habit as clutter continually accumulates. Keep up the strong effort, everyone!

Day 245: Clearing Out

I felt oppressed at work yesterday by all the stuff! Sometimes it appears that school systems feel that if we buy more curriculum, teaching tool kits, flash cards, and games each year, it will help students learn better. Meanwhile, what do we do with all the stuff that was bought the previous ten years? With 24 kids in a room, storage is limited.

Do you ever feel oppressed and suffocated by all your stuff at home or work? It really feels good to just get rid of a lot of it.

I threw away, organized, and decided to give some old items to the students to take home... to study with, of course. :)

Day 244: School Photos

What do you do with expensive school photos that didn't all get signed off to family or BFF's? As a teacher, I get a free pack of myself in all sizes each year. Sometimes they are good and I can update my family. Most of the time I toss them. Although, one of my co-workers had a teacher when she was in elementary school that used hers to pass out to the children and told them to show her photo to any single men they knew. Wow...

What about the cute photos of the kids? After giving to family, save one for yourself and toss them if there are a lot, or be creative and make a collage (repetition is an aspect of art...).