Simplifying Life

mary43

What a brilliant idea..............wish someone had bought me that!
I did start a book when I first started family history -think my Mum got it through Yours magazine. The idea was to write down your very first memory and work from that. I was surprised at things that came into my head and went on to write about my childhood/schooling/boyfriends etc. How I felt when my first son was born and later died etc. All things I probably wouldn't actually talk about to my kids but they might be interested to know just that bit more about their Mum. I carried it on and it became almost like a diary recording life changes, house moves, why I moved etc. There's chunks missing now.........couldn't bring myself to do any more when mum had her stroke..........my life seemed to go on hold for a bit and a lot of things were 'shelved'.Maybe its time to get it out and bring it up to date.
Thanks for prompting me with this:T Another thing on my 'to do' list

I think your thread appeared while I was typing this one keth...........lol
All very good tips there. I downloaded the PAf from Family Search and it suits my needs very well. I've got it on computer and printed out in folders. Bit old fashioned but I like reading through it now and then and I've done a 'front page' for each family section and stuck images on linked to their occupations -one section were shoemakers so I found a lot of images about that. It's also interesting to research the places they lived and their life styles. Sometimes we don't appreciate the hardships they went through.

dND

BallandChain wrote: »

My OH is more ruthless than me when it comes to decluttering and he bought a scanner to upload his family photos onto computer, then he wanted to throw the photos. I managed to retrieve them from him so it's ended up with my clutter! I know the photos are on computer and backed up but I feel guilty if I were to throw the photos.

You're right to hang onto the originals BallandChain. Electronic media is prone to failure, the long term storage of the media is not guaranteed (think of any old cassette/video tapes you may have, they will have degraded over time) and then there is the obsolescence of the media too. Do you still have a floppy drive on your computer? Even if you have a floppy drive I bet you don't have the 5 and a bit inch drive that preceded it. Many museums and archives are worrying about the accessibility of todays storage for future generations.

ppolly

I'm enjoying this thread - as we have a very small house we always try to keep clutter to a minimum - not always very sucessfully - there is always a charity shop bag being filled up somewhere.
I would second the advice about hanging on to your original photos - the originals will eventually degrade, but correctly stored they will last longer than anything on electonic media - no one knows how long anything burnt onto cd will really last. If you want to write on the back of your photos - and its a really good idea to identify people and places for future generations - then a soft pencil is best.(I'm an archivist!)

rosieben

thanks for the info and the link, keth, I'll have a look in a little while.

and thanks ppolly for the tip about the soft pencil; I'm a bit paranoid about this as - someone with a very heavy hand has written on the back of a few of mine and you can read the writing on the front too!

lilmisskitkat

bails wrote: »

As for the Feng Shui take on it, I have M.E./CFS... - the question is, which came first, the clutter or the illness?
Anyhoo, good luck with simplifying everyone; I think this is going to be a wonderful process!
Oh, and as I really do have so much to simplify (and limited energy) I'm making a list of lots of ickle jobs on small pieces of paper, then I'm going to pull one out of the hat each day to do. I'm hoping this will stop me talking myself out of decluttering by being indecisive about where to start! If you can help me get somewhere with all of this, my boyfriend will seriously love you forever!

That sounds like a great idea! I have Fibromyalgia and struggle to get much done beyond the daily essentials and some days even thats a struggle. And now with being pregnant, which is having a negative effect on my FM i really feel the need to get organised before it all gets too much and i have to go on bed rest again how boring, am dreading it!

So i'm going to copy your idea and do one little thing each day. DP and DD will help with things but i'm like many other women - if you want it done properly, do it yourself lol!

As soon as i'm better this time (v.low blood pressure, keep going dizzy and blacking out so am to have lots of rest at the moment - thank god for the internet!) i'm going to sort out all the xmas packaging for recycling etc (we just chucked it in the shed on xmas day lol)

What a fab thread!!

Kate xxx

lilac_lady

It's january 1st and I've started my declutter of at least 3 items per day in 2008. My neighbour's son is moving into a flat so I'm giving him
5 dinner plates
8 glasses
3 bowls
4 towels
1 duvet
1 duvet cover
1 pair of sheets
1 set of bistro cutlery (never used)
2 cushions

That's all I've looked out so far. If I carry on his flat will be better furnished than my house but I'll feel renewed, won't I????

I've added 2 candles, 4 pillow cases and a pair of curtains . I'll need to hire a van if I keep going!

meanmarie

One person's clutter is another's treasure...I have hundreds of photographs without identification, and lots of family information which is mainly stored in my head...have made a few attempts to get it onto disc or paper but never seem to organise myself enough to finish one small task! This is the year when I am starting to write my memory journal somebody mentioned giving to their parents when they were 60...will try to get OH to do one also but his family history will have to be done by someone on his side as if I ever manage to do my own I reckon that I will be doing well!

I haven't yet been able to let my parents 'go'...they died within eight weeks of each other in 1994, neither death really expected up to the last minute and I couldn't even change the paint colour on the walls of their house where I now live for several years...I do at last regard the house as mine, but its still hard to part with 'their' stuff...maybe this year I can make a start on that too.

Marie

Charis

ceridwen wrote: »

- darn, I've accidentally thrown the receipt for something thats still under guarantee (hope it doesnt go wrong on me now)

Staple or stick the receipt to the inside front of the instruction book as soon as you unpack each new item. I put the date of purchase on the front cover too, so when something does go wrong I know if it's still under guarantee without having to burrow too far. Sadly my new water heating system is two months outside the guarantee period and packed up last Sunday.

Ches

mary43 wrote: »

I can't yet let go of my Dad..............he died 8 years ago and I've got scraps of paper he wrote on, boxes of pen knives (why did he have so many), cig lighters that dont work, the wallet he carried all around italy in the war, manuscripts he wrote for musical arrangement, an old 78 jazz record (must have meant something to him), his old drum sticks that ended up being used by him as plant supports...........and this is the worst...........when the wooden cross that first went on his grave started to rot away I got another one made. After Mum went into a care home and the house had to be cleared my brother put it with all the 'stuff' for me in the garage. Mum had kept it and I just couldnt leave it behind so I've now got it in our garage waiting for OH to pop in the ground in the wild life part of our garden...........since then mums paid for a headstone so don't know what happened to the cross I had re-done.
One day I'll be able to 'let go' of parts of him, but not yet.............it just wouldn't feel comfortable for me.

Oh and also got his old kit bag and bits of leather that were in it, his dog tag from the war, old battered brown suitcase that he took with him when he got his first job with an orchestra in Jersey...........got his initials on it..........how could I throw it away ?

Although I am the furthest thing from a hoarder you will ever meet I am loving this thread as there is always room for improvement and I like the idea of a simple life. But there are some things I would never throw out and these things of your Dads are so important to keep. In the suitcase I would pack the things that really tell his story, such as the kit bag,dog tag, music etc and then write out what you remembered of him and his life. Then label it up, pop in a few photos etc and leave it to the person in the next generation who you think would be interested.

Aril

Another quote for you- this time relevant to those of you who are looking at and possibly reassessing relationships with friends-
" A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out" Walter Witchell
Off for my morning cuppa and then to get ready for work.
Aril