The Irony

So, I wanted to post some pictures but I have no idea where my card-reader is in all the clutter right now. Here I'm having a blog about creating order and eliminating chaos and right now things are very chaotic. I guess it will just help to show the journey that I'm on.

Yesterday one of our friends delivered a whole bunch of furniture, most of which belonged to his grandmother. It's just beautiful. It has made me realize, though, that a space looks much bigger when there's nothing in it. Tomorrow K is going to pick up bunk beds for the girls' room - yay!

Early next week he'll be picking up our belonging from the storage unit. That is when the real fun will begin. We have an attached garage where much of our belongings can go while we're figuring out how to order everything. We're also not using the basement as living space right now. I'm somewhat dreading having all of our stuff come. I know that there are some things that I want. Over the past couple months while it's been in storage I've realized that I can live without so much of it. Fortunately, I know where there are some donation drop boxes and other places to donate things. I knew when we moved that much of it would be donated. One of the issues about where we were living is that there was no place to donate things and I didn't want to just send everything to the dump. It will be interesting to see just what makes the cut.

A New Beginning

It's been a very long time since I've visited this blog but the time has come to start again. We have recently bought our first home and we moved in a little over a week ago. A move right before Christmas wouldn't be too bad if it was a short distance or if the house was move-in ready. We had neither of those condition. However, things worked out well and we all had a great Christmas and we really didn't need all of the things that we used to 'need'.

With the festivities over (well, we still have New Years) we've been busy making the house into our own. Starting with the easy things, we've been painting - a lot. We have been taking before and after shots and the plan is to share them here.

Over time our plan is to paint everything, refinish the hardwood flooring, install a new furnace, install an airtight fireplace insert, move the kitchen, redo the bathroom, re-insulate the exterior walls, finish the basement. (Some work was already started but it looks like it was improperly done. We'll be removing what needs to be removed and starting over.) Of course, I'll be doing gardening too.

It's going to take some time as it will depend on finances and the time we have available to do the work. It will be exciting to see the transformation. I can tell you one thing, I'm so glad I got rid of a lot of my clutter last year. There's still a lot to get rid of but it could be worse.

Good Start

Yesterday was a great start! I got rid of a whole bunch of crafting odds and ends. Most of it just went in the garbage because it wasn't even worth it to donate it. Some of it went into a box for donating.

I also went through the stuff that didn't sell at the yard sale. I have a big bag of stuff to take to the youth group on Thursday to donate to them. It's so nice to have that out of my house.

I had to go out this morning so I didn't get very much done yet today. I did throw out a set of six plastic plates that we haven't used in ages. Only four more items and I will have met my goal of ten for today. I'm hoping to throw out way more than four more items though.

Starting Again

With most of my projects for February out of the way, I feel that it's time to get focused on junk removal again. I was considering waiting until March 1 but I'm ready now and I don't want to put it off. I think that as far as numbers go, I'll be aiming for 10 items per day. I'm sure that I'll exceed this amount on many days but I think it's a reasonable goal.

There are two things that I think will help this time. First is that my older daughter's birthday party is over. I had kept quite a bit of arts and crafts supplies so that her friends could make things while they were here. I'm glad that I kept it because they had a great time making their creations but now that the party is over, I'll be happy to pass it on.

The other thing is that I had my yard sale this past Saturday. I realized that, for the most part, it's just not worth it to keep a lot of the stuff I have to try to sell it. I had done a bunch of baking for the sale as well and I'm so glad that I did. I made about $130 from the baking and only $30 for the yard sale items. I was able to pass on some great winter wear that I'm glad will be getting used but as far as making money goes, it's not worth the effort. Now I'll be going through the stuff that didn't sell and either throwing it out or putting it in a 'donate' box.

So that's where things are at right now. We'll see how it goes and see what things are like on March 22.

Dropped the Ball

Well, it's a good thing I did so well for the first half of the month because I totally dropped the ball for the second half. There are a couple of reasons why.

First, we're fostering a couple of puppies. What has this taught me? I now know that I'm not as much of a dog person as I once thought. I guess it depends on the breed and the age of the dog. We've enjoyed having them here . . . for the most part. One reason I wanted to foster them is so that my children would start to feel more comfortable around dogs. In that regard, they have done the job beautifully so I think it has been worth it.

Another thing is that I've been trying to go to play groups with my daughter who is still at home full days. When we're not at home, junk removal just doesn't happen.

One more thing to note is that, while I haven't posted about what I've thrown out for well over a week, I've still been throwing things out. Of course, now I've forgotten what a lot of it was. I know that I got rid of a lot more paperwork that I didn't need. I also went through my felt (after making a bunch of felt hand puppets) and got rid of the scraps and organized the rest. I also got rid of a lot of old seeds that I had. I know that I won't be doing a lot of gardening this year so there was no point in keeping a lot of the seeds I had. I've kept the heirloom seeds and some herb seeds but that's about it.

I still have a ways to go in getting the garbage out and reclaiming our house as a real home but a good start has been made. February will be busy for us. I'm not sure how much I'll get done garbage-wise. I'm having a yard-sale though. Some friends and I have booked a local hall so I'll be getting 2 tables there. In the past, I've had so much stuff piled on the tables that it's been hard for people to even see what I had. This time, I've been more ruthless with things and I threw out the stuff that I figured nobody would buy anyway. It should make for a better sale overall. Plus, it will leave more room for baked goods - that's where you make the real money.

It's About Time

Okay, I'll admit it, laziness has crept in. The weekends seem to be the hardest for getting stuff out. With working Saturday mornings and my sewing circle in the evenings, I just want to relax during the afternoon. Sunday wasn't really any better this past weekend.

Yesterday I got back on track. One of the things that I used to do was to put things in boxes with the intention of having a yard sale. I've learned that even when I do have a yard sale, a lot of the stuff doesn't go anyway so I'm still stuck with it. I've decided to break that cycle. While I still keep a few things for yard sales, the majority of it has just been going in the trash. I need it out of the house, not just rearranged. With the youth group meeting again I'm also filling at least 1 or 2 boxes each week to take and donate. This Thursday I'll be taking a box of books and a whole bunch of children's clothes.

So, back to what I've accomplished. On Monday I went through some of the boxes that we had filled with yard sale stuff. I threw out the stuff that wasn't worth selling and put most of the rest of it in boxes to donate to the youth group.

Today I got rid of a bunch of old workbooks, you know, the ones that you used way back in public school but didn't fill the whole thing before the end of the year. Of course, I couldn't let all that paper go to waste, which is why I held onto them for over 20 years - and still didn't used the unfilled pages. I figure, if I didn't use the unfilled pages in the past 20 years, I probably won't use them in the next 6 months either. Also, today I had DH take some fun foam craft stuff into the school for the art club. I've got so much craft stuff, I feel sort of bad pawning it off on other people but I think that this will at least be useful for the younger kids. If they throw it out at the school, no big deal, it would have gone in the garbage here anyway.

Donation for the Nation

Up until now most of the things I've gotten rid of have just gone in the trash. Honestly, a lot of it was trash. However, one issue I'm faced with here is simply a lack of places to donate gently used items. There are no thrift stores here, the closest one would involve taking the goods on a 5 hour train ride - just not going to happen. Fortunately, I volunteer with a youth group that occasionally accepts donations. They can't accept everything from everyone otherwise they'd be overwhelmed but since I have an 'in' I was able to take a lot of my things there, which I did last night. This is a great time to take things there too because with the winter road in operation they're able to send a lot of excess items to a community that's more isolated than we are. It feels so good to send things to a place where they can be used rather than just the dump.

Squeaking By

I had a bunch of stuff to do today so I just barely made my 25 item goal. I baked this morning and watched a friend's children this afternoon. This evening we had two puppies dropped off at our house. They're just staying here for a week or so but it took some time to get them settled in.

Finally, after the kids were in bed and I had a bit of down time I threw some stuff out. This was the first time I feel like I cheated a little. I counted each screw and bead that went into the garbage as a single item. Once I got to 25 I stopped and just relaxed. While the stuff I threw out today didn't make a dramatic difference in the state of our home, it was good to have the sense of accomplishment that came from fulfilling my goal.

Bad About Posting

I've gone longer than planned since last posting so I better get my butt in gear. I seemed to have gotten back in my groove since the weekend. Realizing that I do my best work in the morning was very helpful. Monday I went through a couple of boxes of stuff that I had been storing for a friend. I had finished cleaning out her apartment after she had to move suddenly. I've delivered most of the important things that she had left behind and put the rest in a couple of boxes. I finally went through the stuff that I had kept and tossed about half of it so now I can fit it into one smallish box and if she wants it, I'll mail it to her. If she doesn't want it, I'll do with it what I think is best.

Tuesday I cleared out some of the things from our front closet so, while it still has too much stuff in it, the door now closes fairly easily. Again, I also got rid of quite a bit more of my paper clutter.

I still find it somewhat depressing just how much stuff I've held onto that I don't even need or care about. I think about how it has affected my life - not being able to find things when I need them, unusable space in our home, etc. I've also spoken with DH about how the clutter has affected my emotional state. At times I would feel inadequate as a homemaker because our home really wasn't all that comfortable due to the clutter, especially since DH can't 'tune it out' like I can. Of course, there are other ways in which I'm an excellent homemaker so I try to keep things in perspective but I know that our lives would be much more stress-free in a more orderly environment. At least I'm taking the opportunity now to set things right. I feel like by the end of this school year I'll be able to start keeping house with a clean slate. I won't have junk in my home and I won't bring more junk into my home. It's quite an exciting prospect.

When Life Won't Wait

The past three days have been the hardest so far in the challenge. I have learned some things about myself though. First is that I think I'm a morning person. On Friday I took DD(3) to a play group. We had a great time but I never did get around to getting rid of 25 things at home. Usually I get going on throwing things out when the older kids head off to school. Then for the rest of the day I toss random things and sometimes do another 'throw away session'. I was really surprised to find out how much going out Friday morning threw me off for the rest of the day. I do think it's important to do activities with my children so it's not like I'll cut out play groups but it was an eye opener for me. I need to be able to balance going out and doing things with my children while still doing the things I need to do at home.

Saturday was even worse in the 'get the garbage out' department. I'm sure I threw some things out but I can't think of anything. I threw a lot of things out at work but when you work as a waitress, there's lots of stuff to throw out when customers leave. When I got home I was tired from being on my feet most of the day. I helped tidy up and fold clothes but I just didn't have it in me to find things to throw away. I guess lesson two is learning to balance work and home organization.

Today I haven't really kept track of what I've thrown away. I was able to get rid of a lot of old paperwork that I don't need. It was so funny this morning. DH was going to throw something out that was on the dining room table. When I saw him I said, "Wait, can I throw those out?" He though it was quite hilarious. With the amount of paperwork I threw out plus some of the other stuff, I'm confident that I met my 25 item goal today - yay!

Tomorrow I'll be getting back on track. It truly is amazing. Already, I'm finding it easier to tidy up. It's easier to put things where they belong because the things that are left are starting to have a place to go. I still have a very long way to go until things are completely organized but each day gives me more and more hope.

Save the Trees

It seems that today has been paper day. Paper is one of my downfalls. I have this thing with wanting to collect all kinds of information and when a paper gets thrown out, so does the information on it. The thing is, there's important information to keep and there's stuff that just isn't needed. It was great to get rid of the things that we no longer need, like how long does one really need to keep a phone bill?

A few years ago, at the end of each calendar year I would take all the bills/statements from that year and put them in a file with the date on it. In six years, it could be discarded (burned). I did my end of year filing yesterday . . . and found that most of the bills that were in the file were from 2007/2008 and all of my 2009 bills were folded in a pile on our bookshelf beside the computer - oops. I paid them but just didn't file them as I should have. Now I have that cleaned up and in the process was able to get rid of a lot of papers that don't need to be kept for six years.

Just for a bit of reading pleasure, here is some information from the Canada Revenue Agency on keeping records. I've come across some other sites with good information on keeping records. I'll try to post them later . . . but right now I need to get throwing things out!

To The Dump

Today has been great for getting the garbage out. There were a few things that I had set aside because they didn't fit in a garbage bag so I couldn't put them in the bin with the rest of the trash. Yesterday one of our friends called to let us know that he would be going to the dump and he could take our stuff if needed. I didn't have a lot of things to send with him but since they were fairly big things it's made a big difference to have them gone. I've also almost filled another garbage bag since yesterday. In some ways it's embarrassing/depressing to think about how much crap I've held on to but each day more and more weight is lifted and things get better and better.

The Holidays are Over

School started up again today. I really enjoy having my family home for the holidays, it's a little sad when it's time for them to go back to school. Having the routine of school helps me have a bit more of a routine at home though.

I was quite pleased that I got another garbage bag full today. Most of what I discarded was old papers, especially from my time in Girl Guides. This isn't getting rid of things but I did take the opportunity to get our bedroom in better order. It still needs some work, it got woefully neglected during the holidays. Every day our home feels better and better. I just love the changes that are happening and I'm a little sad that it has taken me this long to get to this point. There's still a lot of work to be done but it will be so worth it.

My Bin Runneth Over

Yesterday was garbage day which was a good thing. Garbage wasn't collected last week and with my "get the garbage out" mode our bin was overflowing. The garbage is gone now so I have a nice empty bin to fill this coming week.

I've been finding that the hardest thing to throw away are the things that my children have given me. DD1 gave me a pair of flip-flops last spring. She bought them at a yard sale (brand new though) so at least they were cheap but it was still hard to get rid of something that she gave me. The thing is, they hurt my feet when I wore them, they definitely weren't the best flip-flops in the world. I talked to DD1 about it. She said that while she was disappointed that I was getting rid of them, she understood - oh the guilt!

It's been pretty easy to get rid of a lot of the things I have around "just because it might come in handy someday". With those items it's easy to toss them because I can always replace them again if I really need it. With items given out of love, there's no replacement once they're gone. I have to remind myself that the love is still there whether the item is or not. Love is more than possessions.

A Day of Rest - Ha!

Well, with it being Sunday today I was contemplating about whether throwing out 25 things counted as work or not. The thing is, I feel so good when I get rid of the clutter that I figured that I really didn't want to take the day off. I feel so productive and it really does a lot for improving the peaceful feeling in our home.

So, today I got rid of a partially deflated ball, a bunch of junky craft stuff, the rest of the Christmas decorations that I no longer want and some (a lot of) papers that I no longer need - actually, I don't think I ever needed them and was shocked to find them. Again, that list is just a sampling of what I got rid of today, I've definitely met and surpassed my 25 item goal and it feels great!

Done . . whew

Today was the hardest day so far to throw things out. I think one of the main reasons is because I worked from 8:30 till 2 then I wanted to relax a bit before we went to a friend's house for dinner. I met my 25 item goal. I got rid of some cheap stuffed animals and catalogues mostly. I also got rid of some old scrap fabric.

I think that as the month goes on I will find it harder to find 25 things each day that I want to part with. This goal will really help me stretch. I'm so excited to see what things will be like in a month.

The New Year

Yesterday we took down our Christmas tree. I decided that this was the year to go through our ornaments and keep only the ones that we really liked or that were sentimental. We threw out the rest which felt so good. We also got rid of our Christmas lights that were not LED. And of course, we got rid of the tree - well it's in our back yard waiting to be burned but at least it's out of the house.

I haven't done anything today. I worked at the restaurant from 8:30 - 2 and I threw out a lot of things at work but nothing at home. Now I'm resting my feet but this evening I'll have to get some stuff in the trash.

Day 3

I slowed down a bit yesterday, I only got 1 garbage bag half full. It was mostly miscellaneous hardware - old screws, washers, etc. It's feeling so good to have that junk gone. I can hardly wait to see what our house looks like in a month.

The question I posed yesterday is that if I got rid of a box of 8 puzzles (with 5500 pieces total) would that count as 1 thing, 8 things or 5500 things? And to think, I have 2 of them.