They need to go.

Originally published on April 25, 2015\

I sat in my living room looking around me.



This came after a week of being frustrated and, I hate to admit it, yelling at my kids.

The house just shouldn't be this dirty. We have this many hands to help, and they DO all help.

But it just isn't enough.

Oh, if I spend two hours in the morning cleaning I can get my bedroom, bath, living room all clean and comfortable.

Or I can get the girl's room clean. (gave up on the older boys years ago)

Or I can get the store room, laundry and kitchen decent.


But I just can't do them all; not and teach my kids too, much less write (and I can't NOT write. God has been very clear about that.)

Then there is the nutritious food thing. That takes time, but our health desperately needs it right now.



While looking at my living room that morning the thought occurred to me "What would I actually need to take with me to survive?

I noticed just how much stuff was in that one room that were keepsakes (things to help me remember things I will never forget anyway, like the framed wedding invitation from our marriage 29 years ago).

...how much stuff was decorations (serve no purpose but to just look at them).

...how much stuff was projects that I/someone will get to someday (but never will, of course).


If I boxed up everything from those three categories and took them to storage, do you know how long it would take me, all by myself, to clean the room with just the things we actually use?

10 minutes.

Maybe.

And truth be told, my 7 year old could do a fair job of it by herself.



So my family is shakled to the house doing housework that never gets done for

• keepsakes
• 
  
• decorations
• 
  
• and projects to make us feel guilty

No more.


Now, I'm not all of a sudden tossing everything out the door.

First I prayed.

Then I surfed for some blogs and articles about minimalism/decluttering and subscribed.

and I am taking one shelf, cupboard, drawer, pile at a time, as the mood strikes me. Nothing systematic or organized.

Yesterday I put half a 15 gallon bag of stuff in the van to go to town (donate to the thrift store that benefits the abused women's shelter in town).

Today I have 5 bags sitting by the door to go out (OK, I cheated. I took all the misshapen pillows that have been serving as backs for the daybed/couch in the living and stuffed them into three of those bags. I only kept those that are still nice looking. There were so many they couldn't be made to look nice and were in the way most of the time anyway.)

Tomorrow I might not take anything out.

Within 2 days I could see a difference and cleaning already went faster.

Each burst of decluttering produces more benefits.

I'm getting projects done, too.


It is time to stop serving things and start serving my family. If that means things need to leave, than they need to leave.

And another thing...

Kind of scary. Suddenly when I clean things are striking me as "I don't need that anymore." and I toss it without a backward glance, even though I know just six months ago I would have had to deliberate for sometime to come to a decision one way or another.

Weird.

Did it to my facebook page too.

Heading to this blogs post list next.

It’s Ok to Stop Doing It All

It’s Ok to Stop Doing It All



Just because you CAN do a thing doesn't mean you SHOULD. Or as Paul said;



"You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is good for
you. You say, "I am allowed to do anything"--but not everything is
beneficial." 1 Corinthians 10:13




As I evaluate more and more of my schedule, the computer keeps loosing out. And its not as fun anymore, anyway, a lot of the time. It's just work and obligations. I have been trimming things down for a few weeks now and will continue to do so.



 What IS important for my time:

1. Hubby. Work is hard at the moment and he needs me to be there for him. (economy picking up is the base cause, which is a good thing, but its exausting)
2. My kids, including teaching them. 
3. The projects I feel God has told me to do. I am still trudging along putting my commentaries onto a blog. I thought I knew why I needed to do this, but I don't think I really do any more. I just know I do. I am also feeling the intense need to study herbal medicine. Why? No clue. Not likely to ever be a practitioner or anything. I once had the dream of being a midwife, but at the moment I don't think that's going to happen. So why learn the herbs? Who knows. But I am enjoying it:-) 
4. My obligations with the church. This is a tricky one, though. How much of what I do, do I do because someone (my Mom) has always done it so when we lost her I just took over? How much of that really needs to be done still? How many of my "obligations" are really just neat things I enjoyed learning to do, but aren't really necessary? But how do you cut down?

Gardening has been on the back burner for sometime now. It's quite discouraging here. Our last frost date is June first and the first is in September, so only the very fastest or cold hardy things will grow.



If the chickens, mice, rabbits, quail, bugs, or mustangs (yes, I said MUSTANGS) don't get the food first. Or the dog dig it all up trying to catch the mice or whatever it is he's hunting out there all the time.



But its good exercise, fresh air, sunshine, and potentially some good veggies, so I may move it to the front burner again.  But I won't hold my breath.

How to teach your child to clean ANY Bedroom in 10 Minutes (Without Using a Blowtorch)

How to teach your child to clean ANY Bedroom in 10 Minutes (Without Using a Blowtorch)



Love it!



I will be trying this method on a couple of kids this afternoon :-)

Being simple

I think I like the term "simplify" better than "declutter." The latter one means "getting rid of stuff, junk that has accumulated." Simplify means "removing everything between me and my picture of what I want my life, home, cupboard or drawer to look like."

Simplify gives me a goal, an end point.

Declutter is just too vague.

Viewpoint: How life in a caravan set us free - BBC News

Viewpoint: How life in a caravan set us free - BBC News



"Well, we believe that the real measure of modern success is nothing to
do with your bank balance or the size of your house, but instead, the
amount of free time you have at your disposal. We think disposable time,
as a resource to strive for and spend, counts for much more than
disposable income."



I love this.



Everyone gets 24 hours in their day, no matter their age, income, social status, race, etc.



How do you use that time?



In the past, if we didn't work every minute possible we starved. So throughout history humans have always worked every minute possible.



But that isn't true here in modern America.



Now we work every possible minute not to survive, but to accumulate more STUFF.



All the while, our children grow up without us. Our parents grow old alone. Our own lives trickle away. And for what? So we can have a bigger house than any of our ancestors ever had? Why? What good is it to work 50 hours a week to support a house no one is actually using because we are all working 50 hours a week?



The choice to work fewer hours, maybe in less prosperous but more fulfilling (fun, even?) jobs is simply logical.







And the thought occurs to me, what are these mobile-living people doing for church? Many express a belief in God in their posts I've been reading, but a "normal" church simply wouldn't understand them (too materialistic? ouch).

The Cloud Generation: No Longer Buys All The Things - The Vocal

The Cloud Generation: No Longer Buys All The Things - The Vocal



Materialism is out.



Experiences are in.

This Season's Must Haves

This Season's Must Haves

How to Get Rid of Clutter You Care About - Be More with Less

How to Get Rid of Clutter You Care About - Be More with Less



Wise advise.



I own 400 Breyer horses and animals. This is a collection I began when I was 9 and have continued and enjoyed all my life.



But I find myself looking at them less and less all the time, even though they are directly across the living room from where I sit. Often, they are just something that needs dusting.



I have thought seriously about packing them up-  ALL of them- and seeing what it is like to live without them. It will be the first time in my life, except the brief time we lived in a camp trailer (and even then, I kept one out).



I also have some pretty blue vases sitting as decorations in my dining room. When I have cut flowers, I use a mason jar (matches my dishes and we use them as glasses. That's a post in itself!) So those blue vases just sit there gathering dust. Maybe it's time to try them in the storage, too.

The Greatest Secret to Productivity That No One is Talking About - Be More with Less

The Greatest Secret to Productivity That No One is Talking About - Be More with Less



I can see it

The Simple Life

This post is for a dear friend of mine, but I thought others might be a bit interested too :-)

You said, Sis, you didn't even know where to start. You feel SOOO overwhelmed with STUFF!

I know what you mean! BTDT!

Things are better around here, but I have a long way to go yet. I've decided we don't need a bigger house; we need less stuff!



Since you mentioned your dishes, I would advise you to start there. Now, I have decluttered in the past in a systematic method, starting in one room and working my way around the house and property in an orderly fashion.

I'm not doing that this time.

I might do something in the kitchen today, my bedroom tomorrow, and outside the next day. I'm kind of letting the ADD lead. Use it. Work it. :-D

Take all your plates out of your your dish cupboard. Wipe the cupboard clean. Then stop a minute and think;

How many plates do you really need?

As a single woman living alone, you could concevably need, maybe, two plates? Make it 4-5 in case you have company. I need at least 12, but I'm in a different place in life (Hubby, me and 9 kid-o's living at home takes a lot of plates!)

Now, look at your cupboard. What do you want your cupboard to look like? What "look" would make your soul sing everytime you opened the door?

Look at you stack of plates. Pick out the ones you know absolutly for certain you want to keep.

Bet it's more than 5 :-)

Put those back in the cupboard.

Take the rest to your car to donate to the charity thrift store.

THERE IS NO REASON TO BURDEN YOURSELF BY KEEPING THEM!

And  someone else does NEED them! They can't use them if they are hiding in your cupboard.


You DON'T need them and they are standing between you and the life you want to have.



Here's some articles that might help (bookmark this page and read one or two a day. No more):

http://zenhabits.net/pare/

http://theproject333.com/getting-started/  Because the closet is actually easy and gives a great kick start.

http://theproject333.com/live/

http://mashable.com/2014/11/17/mark-zuckerberg-and-other-insanely-successful-people-wear-the-same-thing-every-day-and-for-good-reason/  Think about what you want to look like, what you want people to remember/notice, the impression you want to make. Aim for that in your wardrobe.

http://www.harpersbazaar.com/culture/features/a10441/why-i-wear-the-same-thing-to-work-everday/

http://www.theminimalists.com/sentimental/  The Keepsakes that keep you bound.

http://www.theminimalists.com/in-case/  Just in case you need it....

I consider paying to re buy something I got ride of months or years ago as the rent for the store to hold it for me out of my way. WELL worth the few bucks.

http://bemorewithless.com/about/

I subscribe to these blogs and read an article or two every day or so to keep my motivation up.

One blog I read (don't remember where) the author made a New Year's Resolution to get rid of 1 item a day for the year. That's it!

3 years later, she is still going!

Simple is better.

Elegant even.

Less is more.

"Picture the life, (home, closet, schedule, etc,) you want and get rid of everything standing between you and it!"

Edit Your Life, Part 1: Commitments : zen habits

Edit Your Life, Part 1: Commitments : zen habits



Very wise advise!



Many, Many Americans need to do this. What is the point of running ourselves ragged and then regretting that we did on our death bed.

Is too much ‘stuff’ affecting our ability to be contented?

Is too much ‘stuff’ affecting our ability to be contented?



The REAL cost of raising kids.





It's not what you think.

Uniforms and Peace

Becoming Minimalist



A very good article detailing why many, many people are now going to "uniforms," a wardrobe consisting of about 30 peaces (per season, they switch it out when the weather changes), or one that contains only a few simple items (such as black slacks and white silk blouses, or my Hubby's black jeans with black "work shirt").



I can't even begin to do as good a job of explaining (though I have posted on it recently) it as the minimalists do, so go read there.



I will be going to the local thrift store to look for black skirts (and some clothes for the kids since this is their monthly "$5 a basket" sale), so, ironically, I need to spend money to cut down :-D Actually, with this particular sale, We usually need to buy two baskets to accommodate my adult-sized sons' "new" pants anyway, so essentially the rest of our clothes are free:-) Not a bad deal at all!



I won't be going to "uniform" shirts. I like the variety there. But cutting back from the waist down will be very nice.









Been studying herbs and blood pressure. Turns out celery is good for something after all!

Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule

Maker's Schedule, Manager's Schedule



Yes! this is exactly it!



I do function on a manager's schedule, sort of, at home, but it acts more like a makers schedule. If something interrupts our normal routine (doctor appointments, business, out of town company at my mom's) then the whole day, sometimes even the week! is blown. It has made me very selective of anything like field trips, play dates, etc. They have to be good enough to justify losing a whole day of school.

Be Your Own Brand Ambassador, Not Someone Else's - Frugaling

Be Your Own Brand Ambassador, Not Someone Else's - Frugaling





Exactly!



This is why I have seldom dressed my kids in Barbie or Disney clothes!

4 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Homemaking – Tell Friends, Earn Rewards

4 Simple Steps to Stress-Free Homemaking – Tell Friends, Earn Rewards)





Step 1- Start a load of laundry first thing every morning. Don't do a second load at all during the day. Just wash, dry, fold and put up the one load (note this doesn't work for those of us who have more than 7 loads a week. We must schedule in a second time during the day to laundry. But the principle is the same.)



Step 2-  No job/meal is done until all the clean up is finished, which means supper isn't over until the dishwasher is loaded, counters and table washed, and floor swept. The last person to bed runs the washer and the first one up empties it. (Again, this doesn't apply to my family. We have more than two loads per meal! But the principle applies. We wash, dry and put up all the dishes, clean the kitchen and dinning room after every meal.



Steps 3-4 coming soon!

Why I Wear The Exact Same Thing to Work Every Day

Why I Wear The Exact Same Thing to Work Every Day



Hubby worked for a company that required a uniform for three years. It was great! So great, when he changed jobs to a company that doesn't really care what you wear as long it will take the abuse of physical labor (i.e. no suits or dress shirts), He went to Wally world and bought his own uniform; black shirts and black jeans.



So how do I, a homemaker, take advantage of the benefits of a uniform?



Let's see, If I bought about three black denim skirts, I could have one or two shirts/blouses in each color. I would always be well coordinated and neat looking and still reduce my wardrobe by 50% (currently I have about a dozen flowered skirts and so have to limit my shirts to solid colors. It's hard to find nice shirts to match all those different skirts, many of which, to be honest, don't really fit right.)



For church, I already have a couple of dressy shirts to wear over a dressy black skirt or my nice gray wool skirt.



Yes, I think I hear amazon's skirt section calling me.

Simplify—It's Not Just a Nice Idea - Q Ideas

Simplify—It's Not Just a Nice Idea - Q Ideas



Well, I've been accused of being an Amish wanna be before....

Stuff it: Millennials nix their parents’ treasures - The Washington Post

Stuff it: Millennials nix their parents’ treasures - The Washington Post



I certainly understand this. I am moving from collector to minimalist myself, as is my mom.



On an unrelated point, this article talks about the kids (born 1980 or later) of Boomers (born 1946-1964) rejecting the collector mentality.



What about those of us born between 1965 and 1980? Once again, an entire generation (the "Xers" or "The forgotten generation") is ignored. Sigh.



and you wonder why those my age tend to be bitter and cynical.