Monday, June 23, 2008

Tally Tuesday – June 24

LOTS of decluttering happening again this week!

* Uncomfortable shorts

* Bunny ears

* 2 more shirts my son chose to give away

* 2 shirts my daughter chose to give away (sweatshirt & sweater)

* Hat my daughter chose to give away

* Toy camera my daughter chose to give away

* Princess kitty that my daughter chose to give away

* 2 pair of my daughter’s pants

* Husband’s jacket
(He threw it in the coat closet on top of the Donation Station rather than hanging it—I thought he wanted to FINALLY get rid of it—He caught the mistake before it went to the charity but, thankfully, agreed to let it go)

* 3 promotional t-shirts my husband got from the dealership when he bought his work truck


Almost forgot the decluttering my husband has been doing in the garage and back yard. Here is his list:
- Desk
- Boat motor
- Rototiller
- Aqua Glass 34" Round Corner Shower Kit

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Focus Challenge - Month 4

Where did my weekend go? Anyways, I apologize for forgetting our Anniversary yesterday and not posting our Focus Challenge. It is a short & simple one this time.

What is the weirdest/craziest/silliest item that you have already looked at once during your 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge and thought it was clutter AND KEPT? Have you progressed on your lighter & brighter journey to a new life and would consider flinging it now?

For me, it is a pair of shorts. They are the most uncomfortable thing I have ever worn and have been since I bought them last summer. I love the color and the design but oh.my.goodness are they cut so, so wrong for my body. They are jean shorts and I guess I've hoped that repeated wearing & washing would loosen them up. Or maybe I hoped I'd lose weight in just the right spot to make them fit.

I can't remember how many times that I have worn them, cursed at myself over & over while wearing them for picking them to wear that day, washed them AND HUNG THEM RIGHT BACK UP IN THE CLOSET. Why? I have no idea...because I am seriously not into torturing myself.

Well, what made this last wearing so different? This time, as I ended another long & miserable time of wearing them and thinking, yet again, that I really should get rid of them, I was doing so with a different perspective on my life and the things I choose to be in it. I have decluttered enough items now to realize fully and completely that I DESERVE to be surrounded with only what I use, love, want and need.

How about you? What is the most memorable item that you have considered decluttering along the way and just didn't bring yourself to do it? Are you ready to do it now? See what others have decluttered in their Focus Challenge.

Your 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge is to rid yourself of 365 unwanted, unloved, unneeded and unused items in your life. Join me in releasing it and affirming to yourself that YOU DESERVE to be surrounded with only what you use, love, want and need!

I'd love it if you'd add a comment here to share your feeling of victory over your clutter with your fellow 365 Challengers. You will definitely be an inspiration and motivation to us all!

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Friday, June 20, 2008

Going Paperless

My nemesis is paper clutter. During my 365 Days of Decluttering journey I have realized that I need to go paperless, electronic or any other way that inhibits paper clutter.

We have went to online banking, pay our bills online and receive any statement that allows it online. Now I am looking into budgeting. So, of course, I am paying attention to useful online methods.

The Pear Budget has caught my eye and I now see that Simple Mom is giving away a lifetime subscription to Pear Budget! As I am still learning about the pros & cons to each system, I can't speak for this particular system. However, free is wonderful, so I must share it with you all.

Entries must be received by Wednesday, June 25 at Midnight (PST). If you're even remotely interested in this great giveaway, don't procrastinate--go enter now!

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Monday, June 16, 2008

Tally Tuesday – June 17

Grandma “Mrs. Claus” that my son won as a raffle prize (last weekend, LOL!)

4 computer game disks

Remaining bag & half of clothes and shoes given to me by my sister

2 princess toys from Easter basket

2 toys my son didn’t want and chose to give away

2 shirts my son didn’t want and chose to give away

2 of my daughter’s outgrown capri pants

Picture I’ve been wanting to hang for a year


Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Tally Tuesday – June 10

8 kids meal toys

2 dress shirts

Real Simple magazine (I finally read it; left it in break room at work)

Paper clutter (my nemesis ~ yay me!) for my Mary Kay business

Gave away 8 foundations to MK friend (free to me but I can’t use)

Box found in closet for Yahtzee game that lives in our camping trailer

From clothes given to me by my sister: 3 tops, 1 jacket/skirt set


Sunday, June 8, 2008

Congratulations Challengers!

While reading an article on Time.com titled Ask the Experts: 5 Steps to Clutter-Free Living, I read the following:

If that seems too daunting, there's the 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge, which has people promising to donate, sell or toss one unused item from their homes everyday for — you guessed it — a year.

CONGRATULATIONS to all of you "people" who have accepted your own 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge by way of the FlyLadies & More forum, through this blog or by way of someone else's challenge!!

You have been noticed and recognized for your commitment! Keep going, you're doing terrific!

I am new to the blogging world and am just noticing the use of badges to signify participation in an event. I've created one for us to use too! If you'd like one personalized with your start date, just let me know. I hope you enjoy my present to you. :-)

Badge is no longer available as of 12/31/17.

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

Tally Tuesday – June 3

There was a lot this week...

Silver tea set (tea pot, tray, sugar bowl, creamer)

Picture frame

Girls knit hat

Zeiss Ikon Contina camera
(my grandpa's - I think he actually bought it in Europe in the 1950's)

Watch

3 piggy banks

2 decorative ceramic boxes

Lead crystal candy dish

Old traincase

Seashell shaped bowl

Baby doll that is bigger than my daughter
(she doesn’t like anything bigger than her)

Tiny baby doll

Framed art (seascape)…it's so “last house” ;-)

2 kitchen décor items (from closet to above-cabinet display area)

Monday, June 2, 2008

Wants vs Needs

The topic of "Wants vs Needs" came up yesterday in a conversation with my 6 year old son. I told him that we will always give him everything he needs, but he may not get everything he wants. What he wanted, and was trying to get across to us through his unhappy frustration, was more money to play video games in the restaurant.

Today, I read Journeyer's post on Wants vs Needs. I could feel her words on her past decisions as if I'd wrote them myself.

In my home, we have been working on the "Wants vs Needs" realization for the past few months. Like others, my husband's layoff (and decision to go into business for himself) last November reduced us to a single-income family. As we had always had enough for the extra wants, it is difficult for us to be at the point of saying "I'm sorry, we can't" to financial requests from our children. And, that has included having to say "I'm sorry, we can't" to the requests from our inner child too.

I am very proud of our efforts to tame our wants quite a lot. I'm just getting used to this being our new "norm". I won't lie and say that when the finances improve we will continue with this frugality, though I do believe it has reinforced the idea of "Wants vs Needs" for our family.

It has also had a huge impact on my decluttering. Rather than buying my way through a rough day, I've had to look for other sources of relief that we could actually afford. I have turned to journal writing for the times when I want to feel introspective and have rediscovered the stress relief of using my body (cleaning with fury, doing exercise, etc.) for times when I don't want to be still.

This has had a two-fold effect. I don't buy clutter that I will later have to deal with and have used my "free time" to look inward...both at myself and my home. Doing so is what prompted me to commit myself to decluttering one item each day for 365 days.

It has also allowed me to go shopping in my own home. We are on the tail-end of a major remodel and, as we lost space, stuff from one room was shoved into closets of another. While looking through my home for my "declutter item of the day", I have rediscovered these lost treasures. I admit, I've also found some of my impulse buys from my stress shopping.

Thankfully, I know that guilt over the lost money and such isn't worth it. I pass them on and know that both the physical and mental clutter they were in my life is now gone.

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