52 Week challenge - Week 26 – Everything has a home

Woo hoo

Finally a week where I’m on top of it, finally a week where I can go "yep I do that."
But hang on a minute do I really do it, am I sure that I can’t do this better.

Well let’s have a look at things.  LOML is a very anal man. His favourite saying is “everything in its place and a place for everything”.   After 28 years of marriage some of his habits have worn off and yes we do have a place for everything my biggest problem is that I have too many things.

From the early days we have always put things in the same place – being in the Air force and moving around a lot it was very important to keep things easy to find.  No matter where the house was or the different floor plan we always knew where things were. Over the years we have kept things the same – 2^nd draw in the kitchen, keys in the same place, Tupperware cupboard, linen press etc. Yes to some it is boring but to us it is organised.  
Don’t get me wrong there have been a few times when things can’t be found – but let me tell you it has been very rare and I usually the things we are looking for is for Merman.  Not so much now a  days, as a 15 year old he is really good.  Untidy yes, leaves things lying around yes but he knows where he leaves things.  We taught him for an early age that he had to be organised and well it has paid off.

Going a bit off track I’d like to share a story……

When Merman was in year 3 he was in a play – he was Mayor Humpty Dumpty and he sang a song “you’ve got to be organised” sung in Harry Belafonte style.

It was many years ago but the song went something like this:

                “When I was a little egg ,

                  Big Ideas they filled my head,

                For one so young I was so wise,

                All you got to do is organise.

               Get organised, everybody get organised."

My Mayor Humpty Dumpty

Not only are we organised but our child sings about it.  Ha ha.

Back to the business at hand.  Being organised has never been an issue it is just that I have too much stuff and the decluttering is helping with that.  Still need to complete some rooms but it is happening. A work in progress.  I am really looking forward to having a few days off to tackle all the rooms. More importantly I have a plan to make sure I don’t  reclutter.

Thanks Deb (http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/home-routines-and-systems/ ) for reminding me about the good things my family does and how I can build on them to continue our decluttering journey.  

52 Week Challenge

Yes I am still here and loving it!

Deb (http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/household-management-everything-has-a-home/  ) 25 weeks into this amazing journey and I would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart.  25 weeks into this journey and my life is so much better!

I’ve learnt so much about myself by completing these challenges, it has been fun and I am loving every moment of this journey.  Even the hard challenges!

I haven’t completed everything I want to but I’ve started and made some plans to declutter not only my home but my life.

The people I’ve met on this journey are amazing, I love reading the other blogs and finding out how they are progressing on their journey.

I think the most important thing I’ve learnt is about myself and my core values, what makes me happy and what goals we have as a family.  It’s not about anybody else its about us and what we want. No doing things because it looks good or because others want us to. 

Another thing I really enjoy is the opportunity to look back to see how far my family has come in these few short weeks. We are a different family and have decluttered our lives, this is a work in progress and as they say in the classics “it won’t happen overnight but it will happen”.

Our home is happier, healthier and less stressed. 

Yes our lives have started to be simplified!

52 Week challenge - Week 24

I love a good plan -what is even better is when a plan comes together……

I’ve been decluttering, still some way to go to get rid of all the clutter in my life but the SYL challenge this week is “What can I do from today to prevent clutter?”

Going, Going - Gone!

First things first I have to work out what is my clutter? Identifying clutter in my life and understanding the difference between useful items is the first step for me.

What is the clutter in my life? Ok I’ve said it before and no doubt I will say it again  and again – I don’t like housework. So why do I have so much clutter making more housework for myself. Simple isn’t it.  Get rid of the clutter reduce the housework.

With that in mind I started to think about clutter and what is my clutter?

The dictionary says that clutter is “A confused or disordered state or collection; a jumble”. So I need to get rid of the confusion and put a bit of order in to my collection of stuff.

Another thing to remember is that what is my clutter may not be somebody else’s clutter and that my “ordered collection” of stuff could be seen to be clutter by others. No matter what I do or how I do it – it has to be for me and my family. Nobody else just us! My mum used to say “it’s only a weed if you think it is a weed”. This is how I will approach this challenge.

So looking at my home, really looking at my home I did a clutter audit – very similar to the home audit from a couple of weeks ago but focused on what I think is clutter.  I looked in cupboards and found all sorts of things I had forgotten about and some things I wish I could forget about. It was hard looking at things without emotion and this is how I approached this daunting task:

Room	What is it	When did I last use it	Will I use it again	Solution
Lounge	DVDs	All the time	Definitely	Find a better storage system
Front Room	Miniatures	Dust collectors	No	Memories Folder and Vinnies

It is tough to do and my list is quite long. It means changing many things and things my two fellas may not want to change. But it can be done and it will be done.

As I wandered around our home I found so much confusion and jumble that was filled with so many memories and emotions that it was difficult to remember why I was doing this:

Simplifying my life, less housework, remembering how hard it was to pack up my parents unit

 and Mum didn’t have a lot of clutter, getting rid of the confusion put a bit of order in to

 my collection of stuff.

Now that I know what my clutter is and have started decluttering how will I prevent clutter happening again?

Before I buy something this will be my new mantra “Need it badly love it madly or don’t buy it.”

Another area I need to concentrate on is to stop surrounding myself with emotional things. This will be my toughest challenge by far.  I love having reminders around me and I’ve kept many gifts not because of the item but because the person who gave it to me.  I have a strategy for this and I am working through it but it is really hard for me and it will take time (alot of time).  I know that I can do it but I also know I have to be kind to myself and take my time with it. I’ve started my Memories folder.

Why the memories folder?

Too many memories, too many things cluttering up my life.  I need to declutter but where to start, what do I do with all the memories?  I don’t want to loose things, I don’t want to get rid of things from my life forever.

So what do I do? Leave them all sitting around collecting dust, getting broken or do I pack them away and nobody gets to see them.  What to do, what to do!

I was thinking about how I could solve this small dilemma. I’ve decided to create a memories folder.

So how will this work – it’s like scrapbooking but with words and saved to the computer, maybe I will print it out and give it to my son but who knows……

I think I need to have some categories – everything needs some categories:

Gifts – things I’ve received, loved but no longer have a need for (Miniature’s)

Things I’ve made – things I’ve made but don’t want to keep anymore. (Ceramics, Handcrafts)

Family – Gifts from the family that I love because the family gave it to me but are just dust collectors

This will take time and whilst I have started it, it is a slow process but a good one for me. I will find the time and I will do it.

Keeping up with the Joneses – this isn’t so much of an issue for us but LOML does like gadgets and he does use them so not really an issue. Of course Merman does have all the modern gadgets too but it does make our lives simple.

DVDs we have 1500 (if not more) and this won’t change is what we like so yes it takes up space, so instead of not buying them let’s find a way of storing/displaying them better. Just in case you were wondering - yes they are all in alphabetical order and in a database.

Being brought up by parents that did it tough during WW2 – has a twofold effect. Hoarding everything that one day might come in handy and buying things because you can afford them.  Need to break the cycle. Need to pass on good habits to Merman.

If it is broke, throw it out and replace it don’t keep the broken one.

Limiting clutter gifts – Thanks Deb I really like this one.  It’s something we have been doing within the family for a while now – we only give gifts to the kids and for the teenage ones we give money. For the little ones we give clothes and a toy (after checking with the parents to see what they need). For close friends we go out for dinner or spend time together and no gifts.  I also like the idea of buying a lottery ticket pack.  The thought of giving somebody a chance to win big bucks makes me smile.

Finding my simple – I actually think I am doing this now. We live in a modest 3 bedroom home just right for us, we don’t get caught up in bigger is better.  I don’t do things because others do them I do them because I want to do them. So yes I have found my simple and I will continue living my simple life.

There is one thing that I have to remember:

If something makes my life simpler ~ it is not clutter!

Thanks Deb ( http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/simplify-your-life-week-25-catch-up-week/) from today I have a plan to prevent clutter.

PS  A week on since I wrote this post and I've put my mantra to good use - working in the city I often go shopping during my lunch break.  I really enjoy looking at shops, often I'd just buy something because I liked the look of it but this week it was different I went looking but I didn't buy. There was nothing I needed badly or loved madly so I just didn't buy anything.

52 Week Challenge – Declutter your wardrobe

Putting a long weekend to good use........

Here it is the weekend and although I’ve had two days off this week I haven’t started delcuttering my wardrobe yet, just as well it’s a long weekend. I have been decluttering other places in the house though and working through my home audit so its not been an idle week. Just not enough hours in the day to everything done.

It has also been a tough week, it’s the 6th anniversary of my Mum’s passing and I am sooky. No other words for it, I’m feeling sad and sorry for myself. But that’s ok because I am being kind to myself and understanding that it is ok to miss my mum. I am not beating myself about it or wanting to change it but I understand it is just the way it is. It is what makes me the person I am. Actually I hope it never goes away, I love the closeness I feel to my mum at this time. I love the memories and the feel of love and if I concentrate hard enough I can still feel her hugs, her loving arms wrapped around me providing a safe harbour from the world.

Ok the self-indulgence is over and back to the task at hand…. Decluttering my wardrobe.

You may recall I made some really great purchases last week – really great bargains that I love but the very best buy was a pair of boots that I really love and I am modelling my winter wardrobe around them.

There I go wandering again….. what I want to say is that I need a plan to go through my wardrobe yes I am sure there is a list just waiting to be written.

Each season I pack away clothes and revamp my wardrobe because wardrobe space in this house is at a premium and there really isn’t any space at all – it is only a 3 bedroom house but there I go making excuses again.  The truth is we have too much stuff and there is no way I could possible wear everything I have and I need to get rid of some things. So this weekend I will go through my clothes. 

I so wanted to write that I will throw away clothes I don’t wear but I just couldn’t do it.  I know I wouldn’t do it and I didn’t want to lie to you.

Yep I suppose this is a big failure in the decluttering space but being overweight I have this silly belief that when I see clothes that fit me at a reasonable price I need to buy them because when I need something I can never find it and I have to keep everything.

So my wardrobe is bulging.

Of course when you throw in the fact that my weight fluctuates because I loose it and then put it back on I think I need to keep the clothes. What I should be doing is reducing the weight for ever and throwing out the big sizes and getting new clothes.  Yep that’s what I will do.

I’ve already started on this plan but it is taking longer than I thought but it is happening.

In the interim I will go through my wardrobe using Deb’s 5 steps to declutting your wardrobe and put together some work and casual outfits (not too many) and divide the rest of the clothes into the following:

   Don’t want it any more (bin or Vinnies)

                              Doesn’t fit, don’t like it, won’t wear it again
                     Seasonal hibernation
                        Pack it away for another day
                     Maybes
                               Maybe I want it, maybe I’ll wear it again,
                                  maybe I    love it     and      I just can’t   part with it.

Thank goodness there is a public holiday on Monday because it looks like I have a lot of work ahead of me…….
One more thing I need to mention just in case you didn’t realise it, is that I love shopping and more specifically I love a bargain and I’ve been known to buy something just because it’s a bargain, not even knowing if I will ever wear it. So as part of my decluttering I also need to relook at when and why I buy clothes.

So from now on I either love it madly or need it badly or I just don’t buy it.  Wish me luck because I am going to need it.
Thanks Deb (http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/) for helping me to declutter another area in my life.

PS – Something amazing happened, I started clearing out my wardrobe and I couldn’t stop, I was like a women possessed and I sorted so much out. I also sorted out my underwear draw and my hubby’s wardrobe.  Look out - don’t stand still or you just might be relocated to vinnies…….

PSS  it feels so good and I found clothes I had forgotten about and now have more options…….. yeah. Not to mention I am achieving some goals and my vision board is turning into a "yep I've done that" board.

Thanks Deb.

52 Week Challenge – week 22

Declutter your stuff

A long overdue course of action and one I really need to get my head around.  I have a few days off this week so it is a good time to start the declutter.

I’ve read the information provided by Deb (http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/simplify-your-life-week-23-declutter-your-wardrobes/ ) and then read it again.  I know I have to do this especially because I don’t like housework. I have so many nick nacks that take a lot of cleaning (when I do it).

It’s a funny thing isn’t it, I always go on about not wanting to do housework but I keep buying things. I talk about simplifying my life but I keep buying things. As recent as two days ago where I bought 7 new bits of clothes….. well Autograph is closing down in Civic and there are some really good bargains over $400 worth of clothes for $37.  Clothes I will wear.  Ok enough of the justification it happened so I need to build a bridge and get over it. What I need to do is clean out my clothes and get rid of some of the old stuff to make way for the new stuff.

I have a few other keys areas I want to clean up, I don’t think my nearly 16 year old son still needs some of the his toys… yes toys.  I really need to get rid of them or pack them away. The beads that I purchased 6 years ago that have been just sitting there waiting for me to make necklaces need to be cleared out too.  Not to mention the Tupperware draw (LOML will be really happy if I clean that one out). The list goes on and on. Taking another leaf out of Deb’s book I will make a list, or should I say I will conduct an audit of each room and decide what goes and what stays.

Many years ago I started collecting pencil sharpeners in miniature shapes – sounds weird but it was little cannons, radios and the like.  Actually my Mother in law bought me some and the collection just grew and grew. Now it is just a dust collection.  So as much as I loved the gifts from my mother in law out they go……

This is a pretty big step for me, I do hoard things especially things that have an emotional attachment.  I need to separate the two.

One of the things that I have been doing lately is not buying gifts for people. I used to think that buying gifts was a sign of love, respect and just the right thing to do but as I’ve gotten older (and wiser) I’ve changed and send money now and only for close family for the kids.  My friends and I go out for dinner instead. No presents, actually that’s not true, in our time poor world the best gift you can give is the gift of your time. 

So changes have been made and my life is being simplified.

52 Week Challenge - week 21

52 week challenge – week 21

Home audit

Here it is Sunday morning and I’ve only just read the challenge for the week.  I checked it out on Monday and the put it aside.  Procrastination – maybe but well it has been a tough week, work is a bit crazy at the moment and most days I’ve been working 12 hours so it is what it is.

Thanks to Deb (http://www.homelifesimplified.com.au/declutter-your-stuff/)  I’ve not been beating myself up, I’ve taken it in my stride and I accept that during the tough weeks that not everything gets done when it should. I’ve learnt to simplify my life and understand that I am enough and that if I prioritise, set goals, make my lists I will get through everything.  If I stop thinking about it and just get on with it everything will be done.

So here it is Sunday morning, muffins baked, apricot bites setting in the fridge, soccer emails sent and its time to look at the home audit.

I like the idea of changing what I can.  After living in our home for 15 years of course there are things that I would like to change, but more importantly there is clutter.  We were in the Air Force and we moved every six years – this was great because we would have a big clean up every time we moved – we decluttered instead of packing.  It was a good way to keep the home in order but now that we have left the Air Force and set roots into the Canberra Community I’ve found that my house is bursting at the seams.  We have too much stuff!

I’ve been far too sentimental and kept too much and this is one thing I am looking at seriously – I want to keep things from our past, I want to have my memories surrounding me. As I write this a thought has just occurred to me. Keeping memories is very important to me but does it have to clutter the house. Instead of the way I do things I could change it.  I could put a bit of order into the memories, get a few big containers and file them away (in an easy way to recover them when I want). Maybe instead of keeping items I could write about them and add photos – sort of scrapbooking with more words. Yes this does sound simple and for heavens sake why didn’t I think of this before.  I love writing and well scrapbooking is ok too.  MMM I will have to put my thinking cap on and see what I can come up with.

Thanks Deb for setting another Challenge that has hit the mark.