Please Don't Give Me Any More FREE Stuff

I’m the last to buy a book on organizing and decluttering, because I think “this will add to the stuff in my house and then I’ve got to find a place for it.”  But this book on “tidying” I thought was interesting - The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up. I read an article about the book and this magical plan for tidying your house, with promises that if you follow this method, it will stay organized and clutter-free forever. Okay, well we’ll see about that.

How to go about "tidying" for a lifetime of decluttered & organized living

While I’m reading, I’m going through areas of my house and trying to get rid of some stuff. So let me clarify – it’s not like they could shoot an episode of Hoarders or anything around here, and it is a very civilized home, I just have lots of stuff.  And what I’ve discovered is that all this stuff is not really my fault. It’s all those corporate and event giveaways.  If places would stop giving away FREE stuff, then I wouldn’t have so much stuff. Like what, you might be wondering?

Reusable shopping bags. They are so popular now and you get them everywhere – conventions, meetings, organizations. And then you buy some cute ones at the store or the functional ones at the grocery store. I’ve got about a 247 of them, and not one is in the trunk of my car when I go back to the grocery store. So what do I have to do? Either pay a nickel for a plastic bag (yes, I live in one of those counties that has a bag tax, you know, to encourage you to bring your own bag instead of using the plastic ones) or pay $1 for a new reusable bag, feeling like surely you will use it 20 times and make your money back. They pile up in the laundry room and garage, with the intention of getting them back to the car.

Water bottles. I’m not even sure when these became the big rage, but every sports activity gives you a free water bottle. Sounds great, until I have a collection of 115 water bottles, in every hue with all kinds of team and corporate sponsor logos. I try and I can’t even lose these things! They pile up in the cabinet.

Ink Pens. Okay, keep giving me the free pens, but only the ones with good ink that don’t skip or the stylus for my phone and are kinda cute or fun. But for the count, I have about 395.

T-shirts. Like water bottles, there’s a t-shirt for every sporting event. And school event. And group/club/class/thing you or your child will get involved in. And although I donate most of our old clothes, I try to think “would someone want this?” before I put it in the bag.  And every time I pick up the kids’ team t-shirt with their teammates scribbled names on the back, I think “no.” Because if you are a kid whose mom is getting hand-me-down clothes, it’s really not helping your self-esteem to be walking around in a shirt for a team you never played on. So these pile up in the closet.

Notebooks and notepads. Some are cool – they’re a good size, they fit in your purse, they have a nice clean cover. But others – they just don’t fit what I need in a notebook – they’re too small, flimsy, some color I don’t like. And they have the conference name or corporate logo emblazoned on the front. I have 22 of these on a shelf in my office because it feels like a waste of paper and trees to get rid of them.

But I’m tidying and I’m going to find a new home for these things. A new home that is not my home.  And the key – I’m going to do it soon.  The t-shirt, I might just have to throw out, there’s only so many cotton rags I need. The notepads and water bottles, I think I can take to my neighborhood collection agency for household goods. And I’m going to put them all in some of those shopping bags. Then – no more FREE stuff!

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Currently… Thinking I Need a Wife

I have said a multitude of times, that I need a wife. Someone to clean up after me, make me hot tea when I’ve got a cold, keep up with my laundry, make sure my annual gyn and mammogram appointments are made, and since I like to cook, she would only have to wash the dishes.  If I had a wife, that’s what she would do.  But one thing she wouldn’t be is… me. Because I’ve already got me and things don’t always work out so well.  I fall asleep before making tea, put off housecleaning to read a book, and am months behind on all doctor’s appointments.  So it’s with interest that I read this article about the woman who recently married herself.  And based on a bunch of other articles that popped up about others who have done the same thing, I guess this is a new thing.  (I haven’t seen any mention of guys doing the same, so I guess none has decided he needs a husband.)

I get self-love and being committed to your own happiness.  I’m not so sure I understand the point of the ceremony.  And I do wonder, if taking yourself for your own bride might be blocking some energy of someone else who may wish to take you as their bride.  I mean, do you tell people you are married to yourself? Would it be disloyal to yourself if Mr. Right does come along and you decide to marry him? Many questions come to mind.  But I do know this: if I was to marry myself, it would be on a beach in the Caribbean or South Pacific and I’d stay for the honeymoon. I think I deserve a great honeymoon.

Other than contemplating marriage, here’s what else I’m currently up to.

Currently... Establishing Priorities & Slowing Down

It’s the second week of January.  And while we're usually thinking about how to do more and more, I've started thinking about how to focus on my priorities and maybe slow down while doing so.  Just a little bit.  For now, I’m getting the week started on this rainy, freezing rain, school two-hour delay (again) being a little more mindful.

Drinking coffee from a bowl instead of a mug. Last week, the kids and I treated ourselves to Max Brenner’s Chocolate Bar. They had s’mores and the 80’s chocolate milkshakes, I had a Mexican Hot Chocolate. It’s spiced up with chili, cinnamon, nutmeg and pepper - plus the obvious fact that it’s also hot, it amps up the spiciness. I like spicy, but I felt like I needed some cake or something to go along with it to balance the spiciness.

Chocolate treats from Max Brenner's Chocolate Bar

Anyway – it was served in a funky little tear-drop shaped bowl, their Hug Mug.  To imagine it – cup your hands together like you’re holding water – that’s the shape of the mug.  It felt so cozy. Since then, I’ve been drinking my coffee at home in a bowl, too. In addition to being warm, another thing I discovered – it makes you slow down. I usually scroll through emails, Twitter and Facebook with coffee mug in one hand. Can’t do that with a bowl. It makes you slow down and not multi-task everything.

My coffee bowl and cranberry cornbread from a recipe I found while decluttering.

Still decluttering.  I’ve made a good dent in my cooking magazines and found some good recipes along the way. Last week I made a delicious cranberry cornbread on the snow day.  And the empty organizing containers are piling up in my office. Empty because I was holding onto so much stuff, when I finally went through it, I realized I didn’t really need all that stuff.  It’s a process, but I'm definitely starting to feel a little lighter.

Planning our menu for the week – starting with the freezer.  Somehow my freezer is packed but each day I’m wondering what we’re going to have for dinner. When I can see some more light in there again, I’ll go shopping again.  Until then, I’ll be defrosting and cooking.  And probably throwing out some food that has been in there way too long.  Cleaning out the freezer is a good way to start out the year. Planning meals is a good way to stick to a a healthy eating plan.

Making time for my workout.  My husband is good with his schedule – everyday he works out. Me? I get the kids off to school then decide – workout or check email and Facebook?  The fit of my jeans is a tattletale on which I generally choose. So, I’m trying to get better at putting my workout – and me – first as a priority. As a sniggling reminder, I get dressed in my workout clothes so that eventually I either will go run and exercise or admit that I did not.  I’ve got my sneakers sitting right next to me as I write.

Making time to read.  I’m squeezing it into my waiting time, as well as allowing myself the downtime to read, rather than completing other stuff or flipping through social media doing nothing. I make sure I’ve got my book in my purse when I leave the house, read a page here and there while waiting. Right now, I’m trying to finish Americanah which I’ve been carrying around for an embarrassing long time, even if it is a long book.

1st book of the new year - finishing up "Americanah"

And of course, I’m still just piddlin’.

Have a good week!

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Currently… Finishing Christmas Shopping

It’s three days before Christmas and I’m still finishing my shopping. Okay, well, to be a bit more honest, I’m really just starting.  And this time, it’s not my normal procrastination. Well, maybe a little bit.

As I mentioned last week, I’ve been in a decluttering mode.  So I’ve been piling up, donating, upcycling, recycling, throwing out clothes, books, address labels, cooking magazines, t-shirts, toys, old paperwork.  It’s a lot of work. You can understand why I don’t want to fill up those almost empty, uncluttered spaces again, can’t you?

Also, my purging has also revealed to me another thing: my kids have a lot of stuff.  The amount of laundry that I do a week is a big tell-tale sign of how much clothes they have.  And I can hardly think of stuff they “need.” Well, my son does need a new pair of shoes and the girls could use some tights.  But that’s about it on the “need” list. “Want?”  Eh, there’s a few things but aren’t there always?

So then, I have to wonder, as the good mom I inspire to be: what lesson am I teaching my kids by getting them more stuff they don’t need and hardly even know that they want to celebrate the birth of Jesus?  See, that could be confusing, confounding the message of the virgin birth and the greatest gift to the world.  How does a new pair of sports socks and a video game cartridge and a(nother) Barbie fit into that?

But then we put up our beautiful tree, with its sparkly lights and ornaments we’ve collected over the years. We sang Christmas songs at church and enjoyed our friends at our cookie exchange party.  And I can’t imagine my kids not waking up early early Christmas morning, reading the story of the birth of Jesus, and then not opening anything.  Not enjoying the anticipation of something new or the excitement of something picked out just for them.

Perhaps they will translate the message of birth into one of all things new, the promises yet unveiled, and a love unconditional.  Perhaps they will be oh so happy for a new case for their phone or a new box of Legos.  I guess it’s our job as their parents to make sure that they get the blessing of both.

In the meantime, I’m off to have a chat with Santa.

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#DIY Upcycling: Sweaters

Continuing on in my decluttering and reducing efforts, I'm moving on to sweaters.  Kid sweaters, my sweaters (I don't really mess with hubby's clothes, but there's probably a few that I could get rid of on his side of the closet, too.)

You know when sweaters are done. They get all pill-y; and sure, you could shave and pick off all those little bits of worn yarn, but at some point, it's just too much.  They get too small, either lengthwise, widthwise, or you washed or dried it in too hot a temperature.  You get tired of that same old sweater that you've had for 5 years.  Your kid never really liked it anyway, but you did and its still a really good sweater.  All sweaters come to an end. Or at least their end as that original sweater.

Now with my pile of sweaters, I came up with a few ideas to re-use, up-cycle, and of course, donate.  These are simple, not a lot of sewing, no pattern necessary type stuff, because really who has time for all of that?  You can get really fancy, but if you're like me, anything too intensive will end up in the "to do one day" pile, further adding to your clutter.  These can all probably be done in less than a half hour while you're watching TV, then you'll happily say "ta-da!" and can go enjoy your new thing.

Make a cool new cowl.  For that sweater that you love the color or the stitch design, but just have fallen out of love with it as a sweater.  My such sweater was a cozy fuchsia, which I've had a couple winters.  It was getting pill-y, and I was in denial, only to be reminded every time I put it on.  Before reconsidering again, I cut off the bottom, ran a quick hem around the cut edge so it wouldn't unravel, and ta-da - a cozy new cowl in a great color.

Very little sewing - cut off the bottom of a sweater for a new cowl.

Make cozies for your coffee cup.  Save the environment, have a cool little coffee cup, save yourself the $5 these things cost in the trendy boutiques.  Cut off a sweater sleeve, about 3-5" in length.  Hem it so it doesn't unravel, embellish if you wish.  Ta-da. The envy of all your coffee-drinking friends.

Cut the sleeve off an old sweater for a cute coffee cup cozy.

Embellish and make it new again.  Being the practical mom, I bought my daughters basic, good quality cardigans from Lands End. Being the stylish, cool girls, they thought the sweaters looked like school uniforms and shoved them in the back of the closet, but then complained that they didn't have any sweaters.

I found a dress in their closet that one had outgrown and the other would by the time it came in season again with pretty little ruffles on it.  So I carefully cut off the ruffles, then sewed them onto the hem and sleeves of the sweater.  Ta-da! Cute new, ruffly sweater!

Find embellishments from other too-small clothes to dress up a plain sweater.

This requires the most sewing of all these projects.  I did it on a machine, but you could easily do it by hand while sitting at [whatever] practice waiting on the kids.  You could also add flowers or bows or other pretty things, also from other worn out or too-small clothes.  There's a belt on the dress that I think would be cute worn with the sweater, too in that Michelle Obama belt & sweater look that I can't quite pull off, but my daughter probably could.

Of course, there are many other ideas out there on Pinterest. Check out my favorites on my Reuse * Recycle *Upcycle *DIY board.

What are some of your best ideas for re-using a sweater?

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Currently... Decluttering Everything. Clothes. Books. Stuff

By now, you've probably seen, Material World, a photography collection of people around the world with their earthly possessions, published years ago by Peter Menzel.  To see some of the photos from countries other than the U.S., we realize the embarrassment of riches that we have.

I've been thinking about those photos lately, as I've been feeling quite crowded and cluttered in my own house.  I don't even feel justified in buying one other thing because - where would I put it?  I'm not saying that I'm going to get rid of everything, dwindling our belongings down to a blanket and a water bucket, but I could get rid of a lot and still have plenty.  So I'm trying to slim down a significant bit before the end of the year. Yes, this is my December, end of the year, push.

Some of the stuff is actually useful, if I could just remember I had it or had an efficient way to get to it. Some stuff is useless, to anybody.  Some can be repurposed and reused, in ways I mentioned in a previous post about reusing old clothes, or donated for various purposes.  I'm sorting through it all, one thing at a time, to figure that out.

So what have I got? On the top of the list:

• Toys. I'm always sure that we are going to find that 1 missing puzzle piece and the rest of the games cards. And I keep picking up those little battleship pegs.  It's a process, but I'm admitting that none of that is going to happen, so it's time to let it go.  (Are you going to be singing Frozen all day now?)
• Socks. All those 1-socks, particularly the ones that don't even fit anybody anymore.  I'm losing hope that the matches will ever resurface. But I do let my kids, the youngest especially, wear mis-matching socks of the same style.  Do you know that you an actually buy mis-matched packs of socks? What brilliant mom (I'm sure it was a mom tired of matching socks) came up with this marketing genius? I wish it was me. Then I'd be writing this post from a sunny beach somewhere.
• Magazines.  I don't really read digital magazines, so that's not my replacement. I just need to admit that I'm actually not going back to that Real Simple article from June of 2010.  It was enjoyable then, it kept me occupied at the pool, now it's time to fill the recycling bin to make some new paper bags or newspapers or something.

Also - cookbooks, kids' clothes, sweaters, books to start.  I'll get into more details as I work through the piles, so come on back for all that.

What have you got that's piling up in your house that you need to get rid of?

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