Simplifying Life

ceridwen

groatie_queen wrote: »

I'm pleased to report there are now NO books in my eaves - I guess as ceridwen said, putting them out of sight was part of a very long process of seeing which ones were important.

!

Congrats on that - sounds like a major step forward.

rosieben

Ellidee wrote: »

Hi do it today ! maybe you have inadvertenly feng shue'd your room so that is why it feels different ?

Welcome back El!! :j :j :j hope you had a lovely holiday

Ellidee

Hi Rosie yes thanks we had a fab holiday but I am feeling rather sorry for myself as I have come home with a stinkling cold. Hope you are OK and house move plans coming along nicely ?

boredofbeingathome

jannyannie wrote: »

Hi

all this talk about de-cluttering is giving me itchy fingers, can't do much though until I finish studying in July. OH and I have completely different views on this. He doesn't care if all his stuff spreads everywhere, he never de-clutters and has 60 shirts:eek: . Not to mention the shorts, trousers ect. I'm used to living in a small space and it drives me nuts. We have a 1950's ex-council house in a cul-de-sac. Have no intentions of leaving here, we can't even hear our neighbours teenage sons when they crank the music up. Plus I know all my neighbours and our Son can play out. A rare thing these days.

Jan x

I am exactly the same- although a different part of the country. We are in a house in which i grew up in-very well established community with the greatest neighbours on this planet. My Grandparents moved here when the estate first opened and the children as they have been growing up have had the extended warmth of family in the neighbourhood. Yes there are some rough folk, but kind hearted and caring- wouldn't be without any one of them.

mary43

Hello all

zippy - my ex had the idea of having socks all the same colour so that no matter what went in and out of the wash he could always be certain of a 'matching pair'...............lol One of his few good ideas.

As for houses............I'm sitting here feeling somewhat guilty about the ''stuff' that surrounds me and it reminds me why I bought it............it's only an end terrace but with extentions added and we viewed it and loved the feeling of space - mainly because we wanted to fill it with all our 'stuff'.........bits and pieces from grans and other old furniture that we both love. I've a wall full of bread boards I've collected..........OH's got a space where all his old corkscrews hang.............all well and good, it's 'stuff' but it's organised...............but bit by bit the rest of the house........every corner and crevice has been filled................empty corner ? Dear me no, can't have that ! As a result I'm half drowning in the stuff !! The advantage with a smaller place -when we eventually do decide to 'downsize' would be getting rid of what we've got -apart from real family treasures - and starting all over again. We certainly couldn't have the amount of 'stuff' we've got now.

viv - your utility room is a palace compared to my room that leads off the kitchen............gas boiler, fridge freezer, freezer, two cupboards housing tools, paint etc., clothes airer.............and just 'stuff'...........only way to describe it. OH says when it's spring and the weather's warmer he'll have a good set to on it...................I wait with baited breath...................lol

Now............need some ideas - I've got a plant trough about three foot long with black legs (first hubby made it for mum and dad in the 1960's )........cleared mums house and couldn't part with it as I have so few things that were connected to first hubby but at the minute it gets filled with any old thing that I don't know what to do with............it currently is home to three brollies, some tea lights, couple of magazines etc. No good trying to use it for plants as I've nowhere to put it where it would get enough light...........so suggestions anyone please ?

ceridwen

:rotfl: :rotfl: oh boy mary....now what was that comment of yours a few posts back about you would be trying to hang onto stuff/whilst I was trying to chuck it?:rotfl: :rotfl: I just have that little teensy feeling that sounds about right. I'm not so good at "throwing" in my own place - but everywhere else I'm ace at it......the phrase is "set ceridwen onto it....you'll be lucky if you have anything much left by the time shes through chucking"!!!! Correct - if I cant get rid of at least half the stuff pronto I'll be very surprised.:D - and so would everyone else who has ever encountered the ceridwen brand of decluttering! I think the phrase is "Nail it down - or you'll find shes chucked it!". I've been set loose 4 times to date on a cluttered area - and I dont think they've forgotten in a hurry just how bare a place can suddenly look!!!

boredofbeingathome

I can be a bit like that as well- chucking other folks stuff!! But with my own-only if it's books- but i do have good hidey holes for them. I have also been buying more but only two.

mary43

ceridwen - well I can't get rid of something my first hubby made can I........he put a lot of himself into it and made it especially for my mum and dad. There has to be some kind of use for it...............or shall I just stuff it full of artificial greenery ?............

On the simplifying side of life............well today has not gone so well. Bit of retail therapy this morning - fine - no clutter for me.....honest - just bits for christmas and birthday baskets.
OH is the one causing the problem.......well not him, our wretched DVD player. OH bought himself a new DVD on Monday as a treat, went to play it and it showed 'bad disc' - he tried others they said the same. So, today he got a cleaning disc (as recommended by technie board), did that, tried his new DVD.............nothing.......in fact it got stuck somehow. He managed to wiggle it about and get it out, popped in a really boring cricket dvd and that played no problem. So, in goes new one again.............gets stuck ! OH by now is beside himself and much muttering is going on. I phone one of the lads who used to live with us........being the younger generation he just might know. Well, he was as confused as OH was (I tried to keep well out of it !).
Tried about four discs and now none of them will play at all ...........so I think a new dvd player is going to get bought tomorrow -only cheap one from woolworths but I can imagine the muttering and blue air there will be when the spagetti junction of wires is disassembled and re-assembled ! I just hope that when he's been through all this the wretched DVD plays and he can get the pleasure he was expecting yesterday.
Why us ? I begin to wonder.............we only wanted a bit of time of off for ourselves, catch up with a few jobs etc. and at this rate tomorrow will be day three of the DVD saga !!! But come what may, I'm painting my little cupboard as I promised myself I would..........cotton wool may be stuffed in my ears so I can't hear OH carrying on when something goes not quite right.
Really I feel for him............he doesn't want much out of life, just likes his music and can't have it........well not what he wants for now anyway. I keep telling him he's got it to look forward to (fingers crossed as I say it!) but he's looking so sorry for himself poor soul.
Now, if the little men in white coats never invented the DVD's there would be no machines to go wrong would there ................bet they're laughing up their sleeves at the confusion folk like us face along with many others I'm sure. If I had my way I'd just have my little tele and portable radio/cd/cassette player..............now that would be easy to manage.
But no............we have to have tele,freeview,dvd/video recorder - hi-fi, mini disc player and then of course the old faithful turntable, bless it...........I can just about manage that...........no remote controls to fiddle with...........easy listening....................lol
Right, todays winge over.....................................if you got this far without falling asleep thanks......................lol:j

Now................this plant trough of mine..................

ceridwen

Even in the ceridwen School of Decluttering Mary - sentimental value is included in....so the trough, of course, stays....should have made myself clear here....apologies:o

But you should see me let loose on general clutter and paperwork!!!:D - it aint no breeze you can feel folks its just the speed at which things are flying through the air and out the door! LOL

Rowan9

hello peeps
Another bag went to charity shop today - a massive heavy Argos bag. So much has been leaving this house and I feel a skip in my step and so much more light hearted. Goodness - we are so trapped and smothered by our stuff!! What good does it all do us? I should make that 'some of us' - I know that lots of people can live quite happily with many items but I;m finding that I'm not one of them - finally finding out who I am!! I have been able to let go of 'precious treasures' which belonged to my mum and dad who both died over 12 years ago now. And I feel like...yippee!!! They would have been the first to say 'why are you keeping this?'. I am finally realising that memories are important and do not have to be tied with, for example, an ornament or something which belonged to a much loved person. But....I also realise that, while this is right for me just now, it isn't for everyone. Some people will hold on to other people's possessions for ever, some just long enough to be able to let them go. I have found that i am one of those people. I always thought I would have to keep, say, 3 china teasets because I had been given one as a wedding present (first marriage) and of the others, one was my mum's wedding presnt from her bridesmaid and the other was my aunty's wedding teaset bought by my mum, her bridesmaid (actually the one I have which was a present for my wedding was bought by my bridesmaid, my aunty's daughter - are you still with me?) So......I have discovered that it is just possible that I can actually go out and choose my own!! Now, I haven't done that yet but can see it happening, so that's good. I love china for drinking tea.
Ok, what else? I enjoy having less clutter about these days as it takes much, much less time to clean a room and I have the added bonus of really enjoying the space I can see. It gives me a feeling of calmness - I think that clutter must kind of make me tense.
I'm really enjoying this simplifying business

oooh ...finally....thanks again, I think ceridwen, for the zenhabits link - I look at it every day now and love it - I HIGHLY recommend today's one - I'm going to write it out.
w