Tag Archives: unclutter

Silk Purse From A Squirrel’s Ear

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Our house went on the market Thursday. There’s no way I can possibly describe to you exactly how much work it was. I’m uncharacteristically speechless.

The biggest surprise? We still have stuff we don’t want or need.

You’re probably thinking – how is that possible Christine? You just got rid of 10,000+ things. You and me both.

We staged.

…right down to the closet shelves.

(These are the only pictures of mine that turned out – I’ll post the listing photos when I get them to prove to you that we do actually have bedrooms and a kitchen.)

It started out innocently enough, but halfway through I started to feel a little cheap about it especially when my son asked me why someone wouldn’t want to buy his room the way it was.

Our realtor had a designer do a walk through and his suggestions were labour intensive and 100% accurate.

The best advice he gave us was “nothing on the floor.” Why is it that the simplest suggestions are the most difficult to execute. It is shocking how much floor space (closet and otherwise), we were using for stuff other than the furniture.

Laundry hampers, duvets, stacks of books, stuffed animals, floor cushions! The list goes on, but the minute I removed it all, the space felt instantly cleaner and more spacious.

Squirrel’s five laundry hampers full of dirty clothes became a bone of contention.

I lie. It was more than a bone of contention. I almost lost the plot when I discovered his quintet of overflowing coffers.

Nothing on the floor? Then where do five laundry bins full of clothes go? I considered stuffing the whole mountain of it into the oven.

But it was obvious what actually needed to be done – ten loads of laundry.

If there was time to get angry about it, I would have. Turns out my only option was to wash, fold, repeat. But while my hands were busy, my mind was too.

How can I make sure this never happens again? Well, if Squirrel only had ten T-shirts (instead of 47), that would pretty much force his laundry hand, no?

I washed folded, labelled, and shelved close to forty T-shirts. The label says: “T-Shirts – Out of Rotation.” It means, I’m going to donate these in six months if you don’t miss them.

Are you wondering what the “silk purse” part of this story is? Well, when the work was done, I realized that I wasn’t mad at Squirrel anymore. That’s unprecedented.

Turns out he just has different priorities. He’s not really trying to ruin my life with a diabolical laundry plot. You’re not, are you Squirrel?

Day 96: There’s Been A Change Of Plans

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9,600 things gone, only 400 to go!

“I thought we were gonna buy some fish. – There’s been a change of plans.”

- Mary Poppins

This scene in Mary Poppins affected me profoundly as a child. One minute Mary and the kids are on their way  to the market to buy fish and the next (on the advice of a dog) they’re off to rescue Uncle Albert from the ceiling.

Abandoning the shopping seemed almost mutinous to a child from a very structured upbringing. In fact, I don’t think I was aware there was a “change of plans” option until Mary brought it to my eight year old attention.

I realized last night that it was time for a change around here. You see, doing inventory has been like going to the market to buy fish when I’d much rather be serving tea on the ceiling – or, at least, doing some uncomplicated decluttering.

I’ll quote myself from my project page:

It had to be something I could do in 30 minutes and it had to be something simple enough to do with one eye open on days that I only got 4 hours of sleep because of a sick child in my bed or an evening with friends that – Oh my gosh, look how late it is! – carried on into the morning.

Squirrel and I spent a good part of the week at the pediatrician’s office with our oldest son whose learning style continues to refuse to be categorized. Bless his complexity. Then I expended the rest of my mental energy alternately worrying and brainstorming about his classroom needs.

It was a relief to blitz the bedroom last night with no other goal than to rid it of one hundred more things. With Squirrel’s dresser to raid, it was a piece of cake. I got rid of magazines, photos (doubles), garbage, buttons, socks, and tickets from various sporting events. On my side of the room, I decluttered picture frames, books, boxes, clothing tags, socks, and underwear.

I lay on my bed this afternoon staring at my uncluttered closet from a new angle and feeling nothing but relief. Thank goodness I no longer have to decide between fifteen pairs of pants and twenty two shirts. I need all the mental energy I can to keep up with my family. I’m sure I’ll revisit inventory eventually, but, for the time being, I’ll be keeping it simple, that is, when I’m not coaxing giddy relatives down from the ceiling.

Day 92: China – What To Sell And What To Keep

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9,200 things gone, only 800 to go

Was it me, who, just a few weeks ago, complained that I was running out of things to declutter? Whose house was I in?

This house, the one I’m taking inventory in, is a different place altogether. Putting a number on things is like turning a light on cockroaches. The clutter comes scuttling out of every crack and corner.

Honestly, revisiting the kitchen feels like I’m decluttering there for the first time.  I found 31 things: candles, drinking glasses, mugs, pens, pencils, old forms etc. in the first few minutes of going through the cupboards.

I only made it as far as the overhead cupboards and the kid’s art cupboard before reaching my daily goal of 100 things and finding myself  in a stalemate with my china.

I have three china patterns, two sets (87 and 36 pieces) and one stack of 8 dinner plates. At the beginning of the project, I planned to sell one set and keep the other but, today, I can’t remember which was which. That should be a clue to just how essential any of it is.

I use several pieces of the 87 piece set at Christmas so I decided to keep it but (a quick search on ebay revealed that) the set I don’t use is more valuable. Then I found that random stack of plates and threw in the towel.

This is where my china is now:

It was humbling putting it back in the cupboard. I’m not planning on keeping it all, I just couldn’t crack the code of what to keep and what to sell.

As usual, writing it down has cleared things up a bit. I really enjoy using a few pieces from each pattern. I think the key to my happiness might be to break up the sets.

“Don’t Do It!” I can hear the china collectors chanting from around the world.

Would you? Could you? Should I, break up a china pattern?

Here’s the kitchen inventory that I’ve completed so far:

China – I could open a store!

8 Royal Albert Moss Rose dinner plates

87 piece set P.T. Bavaria China - that’s right nearly enough to qualify for an entire decluttering day!

3 silver things - I’m not sure what they are, I’ll have to ask my mother

36 piece “blossom time” tea set

1 Royal Albert “Dundee Thistle” plate

Cupboard Above Coffee Maker

1 cleaning kit for the coffee maker

1 coffee maker manual

1 bodum

1 travel mug – I tossed 4 travel mug lids, I have no idea where the mugs went

12 everyday coffee mugs

2 special mugs for tea

Stationery Drawer

7 multi colour Sharpies

2 pencils

1 ball point pen

1 calligraphy pen

1 eraser

7 current school notices

1 clipboard

1 paper stack for notes

Kid’s Art Cupboard

thought I’d save you (and me) some numbers

Dinnerware Cupboard

Pattern #1 – Everyday

5 dinner plates

4 salad plates

4 cereal bowls

4 pasta dishes

Pattern #2 – Everyday

8 dinner plates

7 salad plates

8 pasta dishes

2 serving bowls

5 custard cups

Pattern #3 – Fancy

6 fancy mugs with saucers

4 fancy dessert bowls

4 fancy dessert plates

5 fancy dinner plates

2 tea pots – for entertaining

1 gravy boat

Glasses Cupboard

3 beer glasses

3 beer mugs

2 small wine glasses

2 high ball glasses

1 glass shaker cup – for when I actually take my Greens drink

11 adult water glasses

6 child size drinking glasses

1 mortar and pestle

1 olive oil/balsamic vinegar bottle

1 shot glass full of toothpicks

1 cream

1 sugar

This cupboard makes me happy. To me, this is the perfect ratio of white space to things.

What I tossed today: 63 things from the kids art cupboard, 31 things from the kitchen cupboards. So I’m short a couple of things, I’ll make it up tomorrow with the china!

Day 89: Against My Better Judgement – Clutter I’m Keeping

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8,900 things gone, only 1,100 things to go

Remind me how I chose 100 days again? Oh yeah, I chose it at random. 

On Day 1, I’ll be honest, things were catapulting themselves into the bin. It didn’t seem like a stretch to continue the exercise for 100 days.

On Day 89, I’m realizing that the final days will be a true test of my flexibility.

From now on the question will have to be: What can I live without?

It always amazes me that I can live without spare sheets, excess clothes and an overstocked pantry, but I can’t bring myself to get rid of small pink things.

Against my better judgement, I’m holding onto these:

And these:

Can you guess which one belongs to Squirrel and which one belongs to me?

Oh, and these:

These spears from the Canary Islands set off all my alarm bells. Who was being hunted?

Whose hair is this?

And yet, I’m keeping them.

You guessed right if you guessed that the spears and pickle man belong to Squirrel and that the stuffed mouse, bunny car, piglet pencil topper and worry doll belong to me.

And here’s where I depart from the golden rule of decluttering: If it’s not beautiful or useful, get rid of it!

Mousey – beautiful? Cute maybe.  Ancient weapons – useful? Not unless they accidentally impale super pickle man.

So why all the crazy? Squirrel gave up golf clubs without much fuss and I donated a perfume collection that once meant a lot to me.

Squirrel says we just form attachments to things for no real reason but I have a different theory. There’s a perfectly good reason behind each of these seemingly random things and they’re reasons we’re comfortable keeping – on a shelf in the garage.

As long as we keep the lid on, we should be alright.

Are you hanging onto anything that isn’t beautiful or useful? I love pictures, you can send them to me at: christine@100things100days.com

What I tossed today: Lego, ski clothing, kid’s clothing, tv box and remote, folders, paper towel holder, plastic hockey sticks, The Club (remember The Club – why did we all stop using it?)

Day 87: Inspired By A Reader!

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8,700 things gone, only 1,300 to go

Just when I was needing some inspiration (three days have passed and I’ve only completed one day of decluttering), a reader sent me their decluttering tally:

I got a bit inspired today (thanks to you) and did some decluttering.

What I recycled:

14 unused toothbrushes

1 electric razor

1 knife in holster

What I tossed:

7 used toothbrushes

7 mini toothpastes (dried up)

2 dried up deodorant sticks

2 airline headphones

1 brush

1 comb

9 assorted sprays and creams

(all accumulated over years of airline travel)

What I recycled a few weeks ago: 50 books, novels, texts, self-help etc.

Talk about talking my language! Even better, they sent me their pictures:

 

You would think that with 13 days left (and such inspiring readers) my decluttering would be in high gear. Foolishly, I saved the hardest stuff for last. I’m frantically listing stuff on craigslist, laundering things, even doing a little spray painting to spruce things up for sale.

Life has intervened a bit and I’ve had a wee one home with food poisoning (a very mild case, but still….). So, it is with pride that I present the 100 things I cobbled together tonight. This one’s for you Bob!  Thanks so much for sharing!

Have you decluttered anything particularly gratifying lately? Do share!

What I tossed today: See above. Not pictured: 3 pairs of skis listed on craigslist.

Day 85: Lost Nuts

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8,500 things gone, only 1,500 things to go

These rollerblades are just as uncomfortable as they were in 1989.

Here it is. The real reason I need to declutter.
I lose stuff.
Big stuff.
I’m talking birth certificates, cell phones, health records, jewellery, wallets and keys.
I even lost a child once in Hawaii - near the ocean!!! Of course, he wasn’t really lost, just playing in the shower near the park while I (fearing the worst) ran frantically up and down the beach. It was heart stopping panic as any parent who has “looked away for just a second” will attest to.
I’m sure I ruined the aloha of more than a few vacationers. And it certainly eclipsed the drama of the lost keys.
My point is, people vary greatly in their capacity to function amidst clutter. Squirrel, for instance, can handle a stash in every bowl, basket, drawer and cupboard in every room. He’s also the quickest draw of important things I’ve ever met.
Passport?  Chik! chik!  File cabinet.
Health Cards? Chik! chik! Kitchen drawer.
Cell phone? Chik! chik! Front hall table.
TV remote? Chik! Chik! Couch cushion.
Car Keys? Chik! Chik! Coat Pocket.
It’s impressive to watch especially for someone who is driven mad by the sight of a box full of magazines, foodstuffs, toys, bike parts and ceiling paint. To me, that’s an afternoon of sorting, tossing and wondering. To Squirrel, it’s just a box of crap where he keeps his adjustable seat post.
Irrelevant things don’t phase him the way they phase me. He’s got it all (even my stuff) mapped out in the old noggin. There was a brief phase when he tried to wean me off his grey matter by answering all location questions with the very frustrating:
It’s where you put it last.
That lasted about as long as my attempt to teach him to store his things in half reasonable combinations.
Decluttering has become a hot topic around here so much so that our kids have joined the conversation. The other morning our oldest son asked:
If Daddy’s a Squirrel, what kind of animal is Mom if she loses everything?
Being inquisitive, I googled – forgetful animal. Popular legend has it that fish take the top honours. Remember Dory in Finding Nemo: “Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming. Just keep swimming, swimming, swimming.”
So, if you’re using your grey matter for something other than memorizing the location of your passport, it’s okay. Just keep decluttering. Just keep decluttering. Just keep decluttering, decluttering, decluttering. 
It was Dory, after all, who found Nemo. Not bad for a fish with short term memory loss.
What I tossed today: game parts, TV, door bell, electrical face plates, hockey sticks, cloth shopping bags, posters, tent pegs, garden stakes, baby proofing supplies.

Day 80: Clutter Crisis or Hoarding? How To Tell The Difference.

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8,000 things gone, only 2,000 to go

Recently, the subject of hoarding has garnered a lot of attention in the media. So, when you find yourself in a bit of a clutter crisis like I did, it’s hard not to wonder where your problem rates on the grand scale of clutter.

my worst area of clutter

80 days and 8,000 things ago, if you asked me if I was a hoarder, I would have unequivocally said: “No,” and promptly pointed the finger at my husband, Squirrel.

So I was shocked to discover that while I lack the compulsion to excessively acquire things that is characteristic of hoarding, I have a number of traits that psychology professor,Randy Frost, describes as causing hoarding problems. What’s more is that I seem to have unconsciously tailored my 100 things 100 days project to circumvent these habits.

I am a visual spatial organizer.

- I have to see something to remember it. Reducing my possessions via 100 things 100 days means I can spread things out in my closets and drawers where I can see them. Knowing where everything is “in space” really helps me remember where stuff is when I need it. That leaves me few things to organize categorically like bills, health records, travel documents, insurance papers etc. I should tell you that Squirrel took over the care of  important papers around about the time I lost the kids health cards.

I have trouble categorizing objects.

- I purposely left organizing and categorizing out of the project. Keeping focussed on the goal of moving unwanted or unneeded things out of my home helped me from getting lost in a myriad of organizing dilemmas. The best part is that only keeping things I use regularly means that they practically organize themselves. I keep everything close to where I use it the most. Easy!

I exhibit perfectionism.

- I used to delay throwing things out because I didn’t want to toss anything that can be recycled or vice versa. Yes, I want to do garbage perfectly. A few google searches was all it took to compile a list of resources that answered most of my recycling questions. Now I do my best to find a good home for my stuff and, failing that, I toss it. I’d rather take the guilt hit myself than donating something that charities have to spend their time and resources disposing of. And 100 things is just 100 things, it’s neither good nor bad.

I have difficulty concentrating on (and sticking to tasks) that require decision making.

When I started the project, I knew I had not stuck to anything long enough to solve my clutter problem. All those decisions were exhausting! So, I pared down the questions that used to plague my organizing sessions (Where does it belong? What other things go with it? How should I store it?  Will someone’s feelings be hurt if I donate it? Where did we get it? Don’t we have another one just like this? Could we use this somewhere else? etc. etc. etc.) to two:

1) Do we want it or need it?

2) Where can I recycle/dispose of it?

And when deciding whether I want something I ask myself one more thing: Do I want to dust, launder, fluff, move, find, fix, clean or otherwise maintain this? It has to add a lot of value to my life to inspire me to dust!

A year ago, I felt so defeated by my stuff that I was ready to hire someone to deal with it. Now, I’m glad I didn’t. Having all 8,000 things actually pass through my hands gave me invaluable insight into my purchasing and cluttering habits.

What’s the greatest gift of the project so far? It’s realigned my priorities. I have an active family and we spend a lot of our weekends away mountain biking or skiing. As much as we all like our stuff, none of us would trade any of our freedom to stay home and maintain it.

If you’re as fascinated with your habits as I am, this video by hoarding expert Randy Frost is required viewing.

And if you wonder where your clutter falls in the grand scheme of things, you can view Frost’s clutter rating scale here.

Good luck and let me know how it’s going – whatever your number.

What I tossed today: A circus worthy assortment of stuff from Squirrel’s garage which was so random that it will undoubtedly be the subject of my next post!

Day 79: What Will You Do With Your Space After You Declutter

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7,900 things gone, only 2,100 to go

Ok, so maybe not everyone celebrates the 3/4 mark of their decluttering with a nerf war, but I like to include the kids and they weren’t interested in champagne and chèvre .

Just so you know every one of these kids got up and walked away after they finished playing dead for my photo shoot. Actually, they continued to stage their own deaths long after I put the camera down.

Despite the pretend casualties, this was the safest nerf gun fight we’ve ever had! Look on the floor – nothing to trip on! And the baseboards – no mould! And the window sill – nothing to shatter!

I’m not sure you remember but my play room used to look like this:

(My friend and her son helping me declutter)

You can’t tell from these pictures but I am actually conflicted about the whole gun thing. I am the Mom who disarmed the playmobil policemen before giving them to my little ones. That was until I had a conversation with a friend that went like this:

Me: I am never going to buy my kids guns.

Other Mom: I thought the same thing until my son started playing with a child who isn’t allowed guns. He spends every minute at our house shooting us with sticks, hairbrushes, shoes, the hose – anything he can get his hands on. And if he can’t find anything, he just uses his fingers. It’s really annoying.

Me: I might have to rethink my gun position.

I rethought my position and drew my line in the sand allowing my kids anything that was clearly a toy that no one would ever mistake for a real gun.

Then, I bought my son this.

Yes, it’s the first toy I’ve bought since I started my toy reduction challenge on Day 68. And yes, it bears a resemblance to the “real thing” albeit in plastic.

In my defence, he bought the gun with his birthday money and I chipped in for the bullet chain when he couldn’t cover the tax. Yes, I am a wibbly wobbly jellyfish.

But perhaps I’ve crossed the line? I sometimes feel like a (jelly)fish out of water when it comes to raising boys. So I’m going to throw this out to Cosmic Dad. He thinks about things like this regularly on his blog. And, he was the also the guy who bought my son his first (and loudest) nerf gun. What about it Kevin? How much is too much when it comes to kids and guns? Maybe he’ll visit us in the comments now that I’ve outed him. Anyone else want to share their thoughts on my dilemma?

What I Tossed Today: 40+ dried out pens, a four year old box of recycling, more staplers, screws and bolts, tooth floss, business cards, drawer garbage – all from Squirrel’s office.

Day 74: Office In A Box – Or – A Box Full Of Clutter

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7,300 things gone, only 2,700 things to go

For one terrifying month in February of 2007, Squirrel and I owned two properties. We closed the deal on our current home before the first one sold. It was a dark, dark day for the accountant when we applied for bridge financing. I dealt with the stress by culling and cleaning. Squirrel hid out in the office of the old house working.

And working, and working, and working. In fact, the day before the new owners moved in, Squirrel was still in there working. No one could figure out how he houdinied himself out at the very last minute.

Today, I found out.

It’s a mystery to me how he’s been productive these past few years without his five tape dispensers.

It kind of makes you wonder if he ever sits around in his new office and wonders: “What ever happened to my hand shaped button?”

Or:  ”I know I packed that rock somewhere.”

One thing is bugging me about those tape dispensers. I used them frequently and remember loving them. But I hardly ever use tape anymore. In fact, I donated all five dispensers. Has anyone else’s tape habits changed in the past 5-10 years? What the heck were we all taping back then?

And, does anyone care to hazard a guess what someone tells themselves when they pack a box like this? Don’t hold back. Squirrel has a pretty good sense of humour about his habits.

What I tossed today: I called this whole box 100 things, but I swear there were about a hundred dried up pens alone in there. Since it had been in storage for close to five years, it was easy to determine what we could live without. I kept one ruler, one stapler, a few pens, a box of envelopes and some labels. The rest I donated, recycled or tossed – with the rock.

Day 72: Staying Motivated To Declutter: A Speed Purge, A Nap, And A Box Of Chocolates

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7,200 things gone, only 2,800 to go

On day 1, I wrote a post called Minimalism On Bad Days. It was all about finding a way to carry on decluttering when you don’t feel like carrying on at all.

For the past few days, I’ve been feeling like I’m swimming upstream underwater. While it’s no fun living in slow motion, the worst part by far is trying to figure out why I’m feeling so rotten.

Is it my thyroid? Am I low on iron? Seasonal depression? Allergies? Is living with a Squirrel the problem? I can go on like this for hours and I’ve found that if you search the internet for long enough you will always find an answer. Hypothyroidism, anemia, low serotonin, rodent co-dependence. Over the years I’ve self-diagnosed every one of them.

The trouble is that googling “mould poisoning” just doesn’t get the decluttering done, so I decided that the next logical step to internet self diagnosing is diagnosing straight from the imagination.

I put my computer away and decided that finding mould in Vancouver in the month of September has got to be its own kind of sickness. Then I invented the cure –  a short daily nap and one or two Thomas Haas chocolates.

With the time I saved diagnosing, I tried a speed purge.

I started in the basement.

(1-30)

(30-35)

(35-50)

Then moved up to the bathroom and my bedroom.

(50-62)

(62-67)

(67-71)

And ended at the laundry room.

(71-100)

I’m heading for a kip now clutching my box of chocolates. I hope I get my strength back soon, but not too soon, I wouldn’t want to rush my recovery.

Am I alone in this, or do you sometimes, inexplicably, feel rotten?