Friday, April 28, 2017

Minimalism And Me - Every Little Thing




Getting into one of my moods of " I have to get it done and Now!" is beginning. I know that every little thing that I get done is getting closer to my goal, so if I clean out only one drawer, its done!

Life has thrown me another curve ball and I am almost at a strike out, so I need to get something in order at the one house, just in case, but if I make that home run then things are just organized and better. Although I will say that keeping two houses clean is not always easy I am doing the best I can at the moment and that is all anyone can do, the best they can.

Friday Check In :

Besides washing clothes, drying, folding and putting them away. Besides cooking and washing the dishes. Besides talking care of the animals. Besides taking care of my patient. Besides taking care of the plants......... Did I do anything else?

I got the microwave cleaned out, it was a mess after a bowl of butter beans "popped" ALL over it.

I went through one small drawer and there was minimal papers to toss but more to just file in the appropriate folder or storage tub.

I did another evening of mowing and cleaning up the lawn.

The buying and getting rid of :

I bought a tortilla press to make fresh tortilla and it came in the mail.

That is it as far as things I really did not need but wanted. As far as taking anything else out, nothing, no stuff has been removed from any house.

I am not sure how my weekend will pan out, I reckon it depends on the weather but I really hope to get something, anything moved out of this house or the shed, given away or donated.

I really need to get super organized, just in case things do not go my way.

Every little thing helps toward the goal.

How was your week so far? Dumping junk or still holding on?

By Andria Perry
Photos by Andria Perry



Tuesday, April 25, 2017

My Minimal Hoarding Life - Minimalism Monday On Tuesday



What is on my mind today :

I really really understand when people say they just do not feel like cleaning house, much less cleaning out a closet or a garage. But we all know it has to be done, sooner or later.

I think back to the estates that I accounted for and the mess that was left for the family to clean up and get rid of. What most people do not know that does not deal with estates is that most of the people were either sick for a long time or elderly and unable to clean the house so its months or years of built up dust and rodent feces and more to deal with.

This brings me to inheritances. I do not care to inherit anymore "things" unless its jewelry,Art, family photos, houses or cars because the rest, no matter how much someone paid for that sofa, is just clutter. I want to keep it because its nice and the person thought a lot of me to leave it to me but then its not my style and I keep it till I finally have to dump it somewhere, or sell it. The point is I don`t want your household stuff.

Another reason I have chose to no longer hoard because I do not want people to have to deal with paperwork that means nothing to them or any of it for that matter, although it is a hard habit to break I do feel I can breathe better without all the stuff and its much more cleaner, even going a week or two without doing the actual deep cleaning and just keeping the house picked up after myself.

The past eight to nine months I have been thinking a lot about who would deal with my junk when I die and there are things I don`t want people to have to do and that is take all their time to sort through my things, so little by little I am getting rid of the junk. I have even sold two houses ( for sale by owner, meaning I receive payments) because its time, its time for me to think about life and what I will leave behind, so from now own if it is not something I use daily or something of value its outta here!

What did I accomplish last week? 

Last week I struggled with life, dealing with the jobs I have to do to make money. Care taker for the sick being the hardest by far and I think I am sick, something is wrong but I won`t allow it to get me down, I will try a few things before I head off to the doctor.

Everyday I did laundry and washed dishes.

Saturday I mowed the fields and part of around the house.

Sunday I vacuumed the whole house and clipped, filed and put the coupons and paper work away.

And Yesterday - Monday I got busy and I got a lot done.

First I wiped down the front door, I have not wiped down the doors this year and they are in need, one down and many more to go.

Washed , dried, folded and put away three loads of laundry.

Dusted the living room and dining room.

Swept and mopped the kitchen, bathroom, laundry room and entry.

Scrubbed both bathrooms.

Took all the recyclables to the car trunk for drop off. 

Washed all the dirty dishes.

I wanted to dust my bedroom but I did not make time so that is left for another day.

I have yet to get to my closet to clean it out for the year, but I am making progress, slowly but surely. Don`t you find it funny how your personal clothing closet gets out of whack so fast?

How was your past week? Clean it up or clear it out?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry




Thursday, April 20, 2017

My Minimal Hoarding Life - What and How do I Manage?



I will admit that there are days when I am beat down from working outside the home, the real life jobs that pays the bills and keeps this roof over my head.

But more than not I do make sure I keep my home presentable, if not clean.

When I say presentable I mean I pick up daily, and I clean weekly unless something gets nasty, like the toilet, and needed immediate attention.

How can I do this and work a full time job? 

I make a list. By making a list I cannot say "I forgot." And I have to smile as I write this because "how do you forget to make your bed or take out the stinking kitchen trash?" You get out of that bed after each sleep, you SMELL the trash or its full.

Why we do not get things done in the house nowadays is nothing more than giving our attention to being online, with the computer or the phone, Candy crush or clean the house?! But I won`t say "stop" all of your online fun but I will say that you should make a schedule (list) and allot a time for being online and for cleaning your home.

I am going to share a part of my day so that you`ll understand why I make a list of getting things done, how I  work and have computer time for me. Since I work crazy hours I will explain how I usually work, with the two jobs and manage the house.

Weekday - Morning routine :

1 - Wake around 9 am - Bathroom and make my bed.

2- Turn on the coffee pot and check my blood sugar

3- Cut on the computer. Start my first job- Take my patience blood pressure, blood sugar and oxygen levels, get him something to drink.

4- Put on a load of laundry and feed the cat.

5- Get my coffee and I use the computer one hour, to write or do as I please.

6- Put clothes into the dryer - not hanging them out till pollen season has passed.

7 - Cook and eat breakfast, hand out medications.

Next I clean up something, I sweep a floor or clean a bathroom. I may just wipe off the living room table and put books back on the shelf.

I dress for work and get the dogs a treat.

Now I will go to work, either in the home office or out of the house while I still have my patient with me, most of the time. 

When I am working in the home office I will return phone calls, do the books or make arrangements for repairs.

When I leave the house to go to work I will drive at least 30 miles to the rentals or office. I will look at problems that need to be fixed on a house or I will investigate a complaint made by a neighbor. Some days this can take a couple hours or eight hours, depends on the problem, If I can call someone in or if I have to do it myself.

When I get home:

1-  if its still light out I walk the dogs for 15 to 30 minutes, feed and water them.

2- I cook dinner, If its something that does not require me standing over it I will get online and blog or chat for pennies.

3 - Serve dinner. We usually watch t.v. while we have dinner.

4- Wash dinner dishes.

5 - While my patient takes a bath I change his bed, this is either daily or every other day. I put those in the washer for the next load to be washed.

6. Give out night time medications.

Now if I feel like it I will clean something, if not I will use this time for me to get online, watch a favorite t.v. show or painting or just anything I want to do.

Last I take me a hot bath and head to bed.

As for the weekend I always take one day and turn off the computer and clean house for a couple hours. You will be amazed at how much  cleaning you can do in a couple hours. Just do not take breaks or look at a phone and I promise you will see the results ... FAST. By keeping things picked up during the week, that is one step you will not have to deal with, same for laundry! If you wash daily or every other day it won`t pile up.

So do you think your life is doable and can be kept cleaned up?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry.





Monday, April 17, 2017

Minimalism Monday - Slap - Slap! Snap Out Of It Woman!


Ever wanted to get in the car and just drive away? Leave all that... that junk, that clutter behind? I did once and now I have to deal with it, or what is left of it. 


No! its not at my house I live in but its at the old home place. I have been doing it slowly for 8 years. The first year I went hard and heavy at it, taking what I knew had value and sold it at weekly or monthly yard sales. Last Summer I did another couple of weeks of day after day after day of going through stuff, tossing most of it because lets face it, after a while things dry rot.

Last Monday I mowed the grass and cleaned the property and I went back Wednesday and worked inside I thought I had 2 empty containers but one was craft stuff I just let that go when the rain began because I needed to go through it outside. BUT I did rearrange the living room furniture and I got that roof repaired. And Friday while I was at work in the neighborhood I stopped by and I filled the trash can with a couple trash bags of old curtains and hand me downs that I would not wear, all of it was not worthy of donation.

Now to the house I live in :

I have managed to keep all the laundry up, since I have a 24/7 cancer patient living in the house. I do have to wash a load of laundry a day, I even have to wash the pillows every week.

I have been cooking just about all meals at home and I can say I am tired of the kitchen, I hate to wash dishes nowadays. I have been allowing them to stack up daily and do them once each night, may be the hard way but I can at least live in other parts of the house. I hand wash the dishes too.

I went through a massive amount of papers, There is no sense in having receipt from back in 2000, nor any bank statement from a bank that is not even around anymore all of this got burned, aint nobodies business! 

I got a ton of coupons put up and I am so addicted to using coupons that I need to get back off of them like I did last year, just chill for a while, it was hard to go cold turkey but..... I know I have said it before but maybe its time for me to just order the few coupons I use a month, I can get 2, 4 or 10 if I want and no more coupon clutter. I really only need toilet paper and paper products and animal feed. 

I took the loaned car back home so one car gone and two more to go, one need to be sold and the other I am giving to my sister. Get rid the junk yard look :)

The house has stayed picked up and neat, Although I do need to vacuum and dust but that is just normal weekly cleaning. 

The one thing I want to do this week is clean out the garage and the shed, I need to get rid of stuff before snakes get all under it. Living in the woods I have more than my share of snakes, rats and all other unwanted critters, its a constant battle. 

I also have the grass to mow and I need to put up another fence. 

We shall see how much I accomplish while working a regular job. 


How was your past week? Get anything major accomplished?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry





Wednesday, April 12, 2017

My Minimal hoarding life - To Ponder



I will admit that I want to get so much done that I tend to "bounce" someday`s. Bouncing is working a little here and there all over but not really getting anything finished. That is why I am a list maker, so I can focus on what needs to be done first, and what can wait or would just mess up the progress I already made. That is also why I will do just one area at a time.

Read more about my progress this year here : Minimalism and organizing  and "The closet " 

                                    Photo : Bathroom floor before tile removal.


Last week I laid the bathroom floor tile, I felt it was time for a change, the other tiles were seven years old and had a couple cracks starting, when a cracked tile is in the bathroom its not good, water can get under that tile and rot the floor. Luckily I did not have anything rotten.

                                   Photo : Bathroom floor with new tiles.

Time if flying and its already mid April and I have not gotten into the shed to do anything, I did plan it for this week but once again work got in the way, gotta pay the bills first!

As far as keeping the house clean I am managing, since I have more laundry to do weekly because of work its always one in the wash awaiting and one in the dryer awaiting folding and just using again.

I did manage to get the riding mower going and I got the fields mowed for the first time of the year, the hardest time. And it is time for the backyard to be mow again, the dogs area, but I think I am going to reduce the dog pen area, since they walk me daily I think I can eliminate one half so its not such a mess each time I mow it.

I have to say, that is about it. I have not done any major cleaning anywhere else in the house and it is time to dust more!

How was your last week? Do a major cleaning or toss anything out?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

Tuesday, April 4, 2017

My Minimal hoarding life - Getting Beyond The Kitchen



Some days I cannot believe how the kitchen gets in such a way, I know we have to eat but dang! I can`t seems to get out of that room. Anyone that knows me knows I have to have a clean kitchen but its not really clean? Since I have not wiped down the white cabinets or cleaned the oven I can see where there is room for improvement in my "need to deep clean." But .... I have a whole house to clean and I cannot live in the kitchen. I had to go beyond the kitchen, get things done that have been neglected due to always being in the kitchen, So I cook and stack the dirty dishes till the end of the day. I have now put scrub the cabinets on "my to do list."

 

However, I did get an upgrade to the kitchen although it was unexpected. I had to buy a new water facet because the old one had began to leak internally causing water to get under the sink into the cabinet and run to the floor. I must say it was a relief to get that replaced and all the cleaning stuff back into that cabinet.



Being in the business I am in, rental property owner, I tend to let my home go and do the repairs on the business houses, after all that is my income, but at this point I am doing good with the business so its time for me to take that $20 and apply it to home. You may think $20 is nothing but with a $20 I can do something to improve my home. I plan to update my small bathroom. I bought new tile for the bathroom! I stopped by the local Fred`s store and I bought 2 boxes of tiles, its the thick peel and stick tile that looks just like hardwood, walnut was the color of wood choice. I know many people will think I am cheap but ya know what? I have used these peel and stick in all the rental houses and it lasts longer than any other tiles I have used. When I get this bathroom finished I will do the before and after photographs.

Last Month I replaced blinds, new mini blinds make the windows look so much better.

Read more about that here : One in One out 

Since I have cleaned up much of the house I am ready to paint and to get things cleared out. I have an open rental house, that is still under repair, and I am seriously thinking about a yard sale and when I am done with it just giving what is left away. Most of the junk I still have in the shed is part of the inheritance anyways.

Besides doing the bathroom floor, I am planning to begin the cycle again of vacuuming and dusting, starting with the living room. I reckon house cleaning as well as laundry is a never ending cycle, unless you have room service :)

How is your week coming along?

Did you miss last week? Read more here : Just make it happen 

By Andria Perry
Photos By Andria Perry

Saturday, April 1, 2017

The 2017 Resolutions - Check In - Another Month Passed



April Fools day. Spring is here and th days are flying by.

Although life is weird for me right now and I am actually living for others more than myself I am still trying my best to fulfill my own goals for the year. Finding balance is the hardest thing to do in life, I can only wish life was not as complicated as it is but God gives me what I can handle so I will keep on going.

This year I also picked a word for my year, what I wish to accomplish. My word for the year is : Satisfaction. I picked this word because I want to feel satisfied with everything I do in the year 2017.

Okay lets get started with March accomplishments and failures :

My 2017 resolutions are :

1 - Buy Solar Panels and the accessories - Get off the grid.

Baby steps, right? That is how I should do this solar power thing. For those who do not know a solar power system can cost a pretty penny so before I invest I need to do a small project to see how this will work for me here, so I ordered a few motion detector lights for the house, I have wanted motion detection lights installed anyways so this will just nip that electrician bill in the bud and its a plus because I have to get up and turn on the flood lights when I hear something outside or the digs are going crazy barking at something. Next will be the solar light for the shed.

100% doing this! 
2- Write more- Finish the book and write another. Blog more for money.

I am writing more, however, I am not blogging for money. I can`t seem to find a site that lasts longer than 5 to 6 months before its belly up, well Niume does pay and I have just got my pay but I cannot continues to say that its blogging for money because I do not see how I could cash out again (for $10) since the upgrade blocked the organic traffic.

I plan to do better with my own blogs and try to set up some type of ads to pay me. But once again baby steps because this old dogs is learning new tricks.

The books : I did find the photos that will go with a couple of the chapters and I did pick it up but no I have not made time to add to either.

Fail? No. I did make money last month.

3 - Lose 25 pounds and get back on a vegetarian diet.

Three months into the year and I did lose weight, I dropped from 157 down to 149 and the last week of March the weigh in showed I had gained a pound. BUT wait a minute, have we not all heard muscle weighs more than fat?  The passed couple of weeks I have been working and building more muscle but I think that is just a cop out so I will say I gained a pound of fat and try to do better this month, I plan to walk 500 miles today mowing grass with a push mower.

The veggie diet, that is a fail, seems I am enjoying chicken and fish way to much!

Fail? Naa but I can do better.


4 - Learn to ask people for help.

Sometimes asking people for help is like I am ripping their soul right out with a pitch fork.

Its hard for me to trust people because history shows they will just use me.

So I will just learn to ask people for help when it comes to the professional side of my life and hire people for things I have to have repaired and be on the job to make sure its right.

This one is a fail because I just cant ask and expect the truth.


That is how my life is shaping up, my resolutions /Goals for the year 2017. How about yours? 

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry