Clothing Redux - Update (June 2015)

Remember my grand plans of returning in early June with a newly-organized closet and a capsule wardrobe? Well, vacation and having fun took precedence, but I wanted to share a few thoughts and some of the clothing that may not make the cut.

Using What You Have - Multiple Uses

No matter if you are becoming a minimalist, just de-cluttering a bit, or attempting to get your spending and/or shopping under control, I am willing to bet that you will unearth multiples of the following:

• food (pantry items)
• paper products (kitchen and bath)
• bath & beauty products

I am willing to wager because I was guilty of this in the past.

If you're hesitant to donate your excess, here are some ideas for using up bath & beauty products.

1. Soap can double as shampoo and as detergent for hand-laundering bras, tights, etc.
2. Shampoo can double as shaving cream and as detergent for hand-laundering bras, tights, etc.
3. Conditioner can double as shaving cream and as cleaning agent for your sink and shower (in-between deep cleans, of course)
4. Body lotion can double as a leave in conditioner

What are you double duty ideas?

Simplifying & De-Cluttering - Getting Started

Start Small

I am fully invested in The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, but if the idea of gathering ALL of your clothing and sorting it in one go is too daunting, start with your socks. 

Perfection Paralysis

Sometimes, it isn't feeling overwhelmed that stops us in our tracks, but perfectionism. Do not allow the desire for perfection to paralyze you and to keep you from starting the process. Seeking perfection is an exercise in frustration, and it immobilizes you. It keeps you from trying something new or from starting on a new path.

Crush Compromise

While you don't want to be a perfectionist, you don't want to abandon your ideals and desires completely.If you have a very specific idea of the type of bookshelf that you want to buy, wait for it. The books can remain boxed up for another month or two. Just don't let those boxes hang around forever.

Stop Storage

How many areas of your home serve as a storage unit? Attic? Garage? Basement? 

Do you know or need what is in those boxes? What binds you to the contents? If it's guilt or fear that you'll need it someday, forget it. I've been donating and de-cluttering for 20 years, and in that time, I've regretted purging ONE item. One.

Is your house a home, or is it a storage unit for you, your kids, or your friends? If so, give them the incentive to remove their possessions: a deadline to retrieve or an invoice. Assuming that it is wanted, saving grandma's vintage vanity until your child finds her/his first home is fine, but storing 15,000 albums for a child is another story.

Double Duty

Recently, I read Skin Cleanse, and it made me re-think my relatively streamlined skin care regime. Why not use extra virgin olive oil to remove my mascara? One product, two uses! Think about secondary and tertiary uses for products that you already own. Use an expired lip balm to soften your cuticles and to polish leather shoes and handbags.

House Tour - 2nd floor

In January, John and I downsized from a three-bedroom, 1.5-bath townhouse in a county north of the city to a smaller place in the city. Our current place is a 986 sf (91.6024 sm) townhouse with two bedrooms and one bathroom. It was built in 1944, and is perfect for us!

We love city living, and we love simple living. Because we have so diligently streamlined our possessions, what you see is the second floor "as-is." I did not tidy or hide things prior to filming.

Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up - Electronics (Komono)

I plunged into The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up as a way to really streamline my possessions before moving house. Since moving, I have done a bit of tidying up (aka de-cluttering) in the komono categories. I even broke the rules and tidied me mementos before finishing all of the komono because I knew it would be a quick win.

However, it has been far too long since I focused my attention on tidying, so I pushed myself to tackle my electronics today. Thankfully, I am not a big geek when it comes to electronics and gadgetry, and it was stored (except for my Kindle) in a small/medium paper shopping bag.

Tidying Up | eSubsciptions (komono)

John and I have been living in our new house for a little over one month, but we have been living without furniture -- living room and dining room furniture. We spent several weeks considering the options, but our loveseat and dining room set arrive this week!

Between furniture shopping and attempting to sell the items from tidying up my knitting and crafting, my attention was shifted away from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Also, the weekend weather was more Spring than Winter, and I do not like to waste such days indoors.

I needed something simple. I did not want Close Encounters of the Third Kind in my home.

I decided to KM (short of KonMari Method) my eSubscriptions:

• email adverts
• blog subscriptions
• YouTube channel subscriptions

It was an easier tasks than sorting other categories, it was more time-consuming than I had anticipated. At least the clutter was not visible to anyone but me!

Tidying Up - Knitting Needles

After a weekend of purging knitting books, magazines, yarn, and other notions, I was dragging my feet over diving back in and purging my knitting needles. I forced myself to do it, and a two-hour session (maybe less) yielded great results.

Additionally, I decided to purge my yarn winder, yarn swift, and... my entire yarn stash!

Tidying Up - Craft Items & Stationery

John and I are settling into our new house and the changes moving has brought -- new routines, new commutes, etc. For the past two weeks, we focused on unpacking and space planning. We still need living room and dining room furniture, but with the President's Day sales looming, we decided to wait.

Moving kicked my arse, and my desire to pursue The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up wilted. I knew I needed to get back to it, so this week, I committed to a small category of komono: the craft items and stationery lurking in and around my desk.

The entire affair took less than an hour, and it yielded good results. I still have a small abundance of Sharpies and pens, but progress was made!

 

Moving Update #1

It's been a little over a week since we officially moved into the new house, and we are slowly settling in and setting up. We are making our house a home, and this is a brief update.

Everything we own is at the house, but we need to buy living room and dining room furniture. We are evaluating what we need and how pieces will fit into the house for maximum flow.

While the moving is over, the purging is not! There is more Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up to be done.

After tackling my clothing, my books, and my papers, I tackled what the author calls komono (miscellany). Before the move, I sorted, donated, and sold CDs and DVDs. I also sorted through my bath & beauty products. In the final weeks of packing and moving, I abandoned tidying up. This week, I will start fresh: craft komono.

Moving House

John and I moved house this month. In spite of our lifestyle and efforts to reduce our possessions, the process was still difficult. For some, parting with possessions and/or moving is emotionally trying, but for me, these processes are physically difficult.

We had sold our dining room set and other items in anticipation of an aborted move last March.
We packed a three-bedroom townhouse ourselves.
We moved over the course of 2-3 days, using our cars and a 10' moving truck.
We needed three car trips and two van trips to move everything.