Simplifying Life

moanymoany

ceridwen wrote: »

...okay I promise thats me done for the day with one last little contribution from my googling:

www.whywork.org/action/lifestyle/simplicity.html

JoJoB - think this one will appeal to you.

Hi Ceridwen, This looks a very worthwhile site and I've saved up for the newsletter. One thing I envy the Americans is the yard sale concept. Car boot sales don't seem to be the same thing round our way.

Happy New Year - one more towards the big retirement day!

moanymoany

liloandstitch wrote: »

Have just found this thread, and read it through over the last couple of days. I wanted to thank you all for sharing your thoughts with us, as I found it inspirational. Like most of you, I am drowning in STUFF, which I need to deal with to simplify my life - I have been looking for an Ikea receipt since before Christmas, I have finally found it. Says a lot for my filing systems.!!!!!!!!!!! On the subject of deaths, and inheriting contents of houses, both my parents died in 2006, and although they had husbands/wives, for various reasons we were still given all their personal stuff. I too am finding it hard to sort, until I started to think about all this STUFF and its effect on me. I am now determined that I will not leave this problem for my children when I die. I KNOW that a lot of the stuff I have was not loved or valued by my parents, and yet I still have problems dealing with it. So I have decided that over the next year, I am going to radically declutter, and only keep the things I love and use - william morris style so that when I go, at least they will have a lot less to deal with (but hopefully not yet I am only 38!!!!!!)

I can understand why stuff that belonged to someone you love who has died is difficult to dispose of even if it wasn't important to them. My mil and fil were devoted to each other. When fil died mil cleared all of his clothes and similar sorts of things within weeks. The only thing she kept was his jacket which was hanging in the hall and that she gave to my sil after a couple of months.

I wasn't able to talk to her about how and why she did it, I'm not sure I could. However, these possessions are not the person - even so. In my heart of hearts I think she was right to do it and give herself the clean slate to move on.

SammyD_2

ceridwen wrote: »

:rotfl: Thats an "old" head on that ones shoulders :rotfl:

And I am quite sure it will be a different story when Christmas rolls around again...!

moanymoany

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 ?

Mary43, your post brought tears to my eyes, if I was you I wouldn't get rid of these things. I envy everyone who has or had a loving dad, these things you have are part of you as well as him. Decluttering is getting rid of stuff that is of no real importance to you, kept, usually in my case, in case it comes in handy at some time in the future! The things you have don't come into that category.

bails

Morning everyone! Lovely to read the things you have all been doing, and inspiring. I have been overwhelmed with trying to sort money things in the last couple of days (mainly how on earth I can possibly do the 4k challenge!) so coming on here feels like a breath of fresh air. Decluttering is as much about the mind for me, and mine has been chocca with figures (so much so I haven't slept :rolleyes:).
Just trying to think of any decluttering I have managed... took down the Christmas decorations, sorted through the ones I no longer want to Freecycle and only have one v small bag. Still picking up odd things and finding places for them. Hmm, that's all that comes to mind, really have been preoccupied with sorting other things/reworking budget etc. Oh, I did a freezer and storecupboards inventory, only had to throw one thing away and have lots of meals planned with what I had (helping me save some pennies for the GC ). Also been batch cooking so can have no cook days too, which'll really help.
Pretty poorly at the mo so will be taking it easy and trying to get some sleep (hardly any since NY, and I didn't even go out!) and will see what little jobs I can manage along the way. We may be moving this summer so I'd really like to have simplified a decent chunk by then. Good luck all and keep it simple (must follow own advice ).

JoJoB

That website is great ceridwen!

Here's another with good links/forums for those devoted to freeing themselves from wage slavery: http://idler.co.uk/

System

Dont forget your banking too. When i first took stock of my banking online, i was suprised to see how many direct debits had mounted up on my account. Some of them hadnt been drawn on for years (mainly utilities that i had swapped over from but scarily they were still active!). Some of them i didnt even recognise but that was probably because when they were set up, my bank account was originally MrJudis bank account (long story!). Anyway, i was able to delete them with one click of the mouse.

I am now in a better position to control what goes out of my account.

mary43

Mary43, your post brought tears to my eyes, if I was you I wouldn't get rid of these things. I envy everyone who has or had a loving dad, these things you have are part of you as well as him. Decluttering is getting rid of stuff that is of no real importance to you, kept, usually in my case, in case it comes in handy at some time in the future! The things you have don't come into that category.

Oh dear, moanymoany..........didn't mean to make you feel tearful.
I have thought of a way of thinning out some of the stuff of Dads.......when my sons have a birthday and christmas among their presents I can slip in either one of his pen knives, cigarette lighters or something that was a personal item. I did give them both a set of his drumsticks plus a few other pieces when he died and they were thrilled to have something of their Gramps. It might mean I can gradually 'let go' even though obviously there are some things of his I just couldn't part with. He was a great hoarder my Dad so I blame my love of clutter on him...........lol Mum was just the opposite and after he died she gave me stuff that she saw as 'rubbish' but she knew I'd cherish it.
So..........my kids better look out..........they're in for a few surprises -and on the money saving side it means they're getting a 'freebie' pressie..........lol
So.........'thanks Dad'

teacup_2

Thanks greenshieldstamp ! I just have the rest of my year to get through!
Ceridwen thanks for those great links you included they are great and loved the article on why work about posession addiction!. Going back to read them some more:T

mary43

I really thought I'd get no de-cluttering/organising done, lacked motivation etc. especially after one of the cats brough what was left of a bird into the kitchen via the cat flap and have you tried sweeping up feathers ? They go everywhere !
But.........I then got my head together, cleared a bin bag of rubbish from upstairs, took up some pressies I'd bought to the spare room, then sat and sifted through my family history papers while listening to Martin on Radio 2, followed my the allotment chappie.
Have chucked a load of papers out that I must have printed out twice, sorted the rest into family names and put them all into a folder (they're all 'don't knows' so can;t go into the main history file .............yet) So, although they're back in my drawer they're organised with a label on. Still have some photos to go through yet but they're in a folder too so at least I can find them all now.
Advertised two sets of stereo speakers on freecycle (OH had them given to him and thought they'd be better than the ones he'd got and they're not!) Chap says he'll phone today about arranging time for collection.
So,I'm feeling more positive about today............even emptied my waste bin...........lol:T

Oh no............can't believe it....just noticed.......there's still one more pressie I bought that needs to go to the spare room...............lol