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[KBEANS]

My sister just got a new puppy! I gathered up some of our pups baby toys and clothes that no longer fit her. I also had a brand new leash and collar that we have not used. Tomorrow we will take a drive to her backyard and bring the things to the new pup.  For once, I'm glad I held on to some stuff.

I finally took apart our old computer and discarded it. I also got rid of the computer table it sat on. I bought an artificial tree and stuck it in that corner. It looks great👍 A little at a time I'm updating my living room. My new cushions for our crate couch should be arriving in a couple of weeks. Since January; I've been on a roll trying to declutter and updating. There are days I feel good about what I've done, and others when I feel I've not done enough. Maybe I'm just storing too much instead of purging. A little at a time I guess. Going over to the beauty thread to discuss my beauty purges. Have a great weekend.

[rnmom]

@KBEANS - A little at a time is better than nothing! There are definitely some days that will feel more productive than others, but any progress is still progress. Great job! 

[rnmom]

I was outside on our property for a little bit yesterday and I decided to toss the one lonely solar light that was left outside that barely worked. I have new ones to put out, but it was getting about ready to rain so I will put them out another time. I thought it would look silly to have a dozen lights all the same and one oddball that didn't match anything. 

I also found a couple other small things to toss: a lid to a party pail, a pencil, a small coffee can with a bunch of rusty nails in it. Hubby isn't the best at picking up after himself when he's been outside. 

[queendiva]

@rnmom : with all the snow we had in February, the landscapers did a number on my solar path lights with their snowblower. Tossed the broken and bought replacements at Walmart yesterday.

Today, with Choco Nuvo sale priced at HSN, I reached back in my pantry to check on my supply, which had been languishing. I had some, but ordered more as I am now on a  low cal, low-carb, no sugar diet. The Choco Nuvo is very low sugar and everything else per square, so I can indulge. While loking in the pantry I purged 2 ancient bags of chips and purged a couple of things from the fridge, too.

[AuntG]

Was reading an article advising against having single purpose kitchen gadgets.  What? That's basically the definition of a gadget to me. Well I opened up the drawer and found one thing I could get rid of - an egg separater.  Melon baller, vegetable peeler, cheese slicer....they might only have a single purpose, but they're staying!

[just bee]

I read an article today:

Own Less, Live More: The Cost of Clutter

by Mary Hunt, creators.com Apr 2, 2021  

Clutter in your home carries a cost — from what you initially spent to the cost to store it.

What would you do if you had to use — let alone actually enjoy — everything you own?

Truth be told, most of us will never live long enough to accomplish such an overwhelming requirement. Instead, we pack it, stack it and pile it away — even pay rent to store it. Then we keep right on accumulating, acquiring and attaining even more. More doesn’t add to our joy the way we thought it would. More stuff dilutes the quality of our lives.

Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian economist, “discovered” the “Pareto principle” in 1897 when he observed that 80% of the land in England (and every country he subsequently studied) was owned by 20% of the population. Pareto’s theory of predictable imbalance has been widely proven and applied to almost every aspect of modern life, including the things we own.

So, let’s think this through: If 80% of what we use comes from 20% of what we own, a huge amount of the space in our homes is occupied by stuff we never use; it’s clutter!

It’s difficult to fend off that nauseous feeling when you calculate clutter’s actual cost in hard-earned cash. There is, of course, the original price tag to acquire it. But then there’s the cost to own it.

One woman who finally had it with all her clutter loaded it up (it filled two pickup trucks) and headed for the flea market. Excited that she could possibly net $800 to $1,000 for one weekend of selling, she quickly changed her attitude as she realized her prices were about one-tenth of the price she paid.

Her mind went to the time she’d spent earning the money to buy all this stuff, the time spent shopping, lugging it all home and storing it until moving day. She figured that even if she made $1,000 on this effort, she’d spent at least $10,000 or more purchasing it. That day, she vowed to never buy anything again, unless it was absolutely necessary.

Ask yourself a series of questions to determine what stays and what goes:

Does It Work? So much of the clutter in our homes is made up of broken things we plan to fix someday and clothes that don’t fit anymore but we hope someday might.

Do I Really Need It? The answer will be clear as you imagine the impact of this item disappearing from your life.

Do I Enjoy It? If this item brings beauty and joy to your life, it is not clutter. Sentimental belongings should be treated with great care and respect — not forgotten in the attic.

Am I Using It Now? If it doesn’t fall into the 20% of things you use on a regular basis, it is a definite suspect.

Once you’ve earmarked the stuff that needs to go, gather your courage and determination to move it out. Sell it; give it away; or throw it out. Of course, one of the best solutions for “good stuff” is to donate it to someone who really wants or needs it.

The best resource I have come across to let go of things you don’t really want is the book “The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up” by Marie Kondo. The KonMari Method (named after the book’s author) is a systematic method to help you de-clutter your home to keep things you really love, not just move things to a new location.

De-cluttering will calm your spirit and clear your mind. It will increase your ability to enjoy your current situation, your family and your relationships. You’ll love owning less.

Mary Hunt’s weekly column, “Everyday Cheapskate,” can be found at creators.com.

[Twins Mom]

@just bee 

Getting my heart and my brain to collaborate is the problem I need to deal with.  Marie Condo over simplifies the process IMO.

[just bee]

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@Twins Mom wrote:

@just bee 

Getting my heart and my brain to collaborate is the problem I need to deal with.  Marie Condo over simplifies the process IMO.

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@Twins Mom 

Had the same problem until my house burned in 2019.  The fire destroyed everything in the garage, including an antique mahogany chest that held photos of family and my past pets.

The rest of the house was damaged by smoke/soot/water.  We had to part with items that couldn't be restored and then I had to go into the house every day for a month to sort through items that mostly ended up in landfill.

I had to make a lot of decisions and make them quickly.  That's where the Kondo method worked.  I always attached sentimental value to every object and had trouble parting with things.  But now I had to decide what to keep and what to let go.

Some of my decisions still surprise me.  I ended up holding things and looking at them.  Some items sparked joy, some did not.

When you see and smell your treasures after a fire, some are easy to part with.  Others are not.  But they had to go.

I mostly chose to keep items that I wanted in a new and different life.

[Oznell]

Those are such good questions to ask ourselves, @just bee ,  thank you for that.   And I do think your harrowing fire experience is the kind of thing that focuses one's attention so acutely on what's really important.

Dana K. White ("Decluttering at the Speed of Life" is her book) has helped focus mine, partly b/c she's NOT a minimalist-- but she (a previously messy-- and very funny person) has become, against her own natural self, a purger and organizer. 

She said something in a video that really helped me-- she said, everyone must find his or her "clutter threshold",  and it will be different for every person. She said she can only have so many possessions that she can keep, and still be able to manage her household easily.

Now that it's warmer, I'm beginning my attic raids again.  Found a horrible old crusty vinyl satchel up there, stuffed with paint chips and brochures-- tossed it.  We had comforters and sheets up there that won't fit in our linen closet--  I washed them in order to figure out which I'm donating and which sending to animal shelters, and which I'm tossing, whew.

Doesn't sound like much, but you have to winnow through a lot of things up there just to figure out what to bring down and make decisions on, sigh.  It's too bad that we have a big attic-- it was only too easy to stash stuff.  Now comes the slow, sometimes painful "de-accessioning"!

[Snicks1]

I was out in the shed/shop for a bit today, sorting through some decorative yard objects, when I discovered some parts of an old, really old, planter that I would have sworn I trashed years ago. I did toss some parts of it, but I guess the rest had gotten buried under "other stuff" and got neglected. It is now in the garbage to be picked up in the morning. I need to rummage around more out there, I know I can find other things to dispose of, easily.