My Minimal Hoarding Life - Thinking About Life

June 15,2017

Life. 

Life like usual has been up and down. In the house and then gone for days.

I laid in bed this morning before I got up and I was thinking " what if I had to move into a small house, how would all this furniture fit? The answer is " it would not fit."

Next thoughts were " if I just left all of it and started over in a small house, how would I want it to look? and the answer was minimal and with smaller furniture." 

BUT....

Just because my life is more than full at the moment does not mean that I care less about how I live and what I live in. I am always cleaning something just to keep things going. Always giving something away I no longer want or can use.

Last week I took my sister every cake mix I had except one from the stockpile, I was looking in the stockpile room to see what I have, this usually deters me from buying anymore of anything. 

Last week we went to visit the nursing home and took someone six bottles of shampoo, six bottles of body wash, six bottles of lotion and two bottles of deodorant. Why six? I am thinking that this will last her for several months and I am hoping the staff won`t steal any, if you take to much they will take it.... something we just cannot help.

A couple days ago I tried on a few shirts to discover they are to big, so I have a plastic bag hanging on the closet door knob now, each time I try one on for the day and it does not fit I will put it in that bag, this wont take any time from my day and I will be cleaning as I look for clothes to wear daily. I have discovered I do not like many of my clothes anymore so I am cleaning them out and I have bought a couple new shirts that I tried on at the store before buying and I like them, shouldn`t the closet be a home for clothes you like and wear?

I have magazines by the back door to go next time I leave the house, I only get one now " Better Homes & Gardens" soon I will not have any coming, a habit I am breaking and doing good I use to get 4-6 a month.

I finally got the area around my home mowed and trash picked up but the mowing is due again, its a summer chore that keeps me busy. As well as the little vegetable garden. 

I am in the mood to get rid of more things so that my cleaning life is faster and easier. It takes so much time to clean things that I forget to live and have fun.

Why do I think its important to live minimal?

Over the years I have had the pleasure of being a part of doing estates after people die, sometimes this turns out to be a hoarder. No the hoarders that keep animal feces or had a trail through the house but people who just had SO much stuff. And with stuff comes dust, and with dust comes an asthma attack... its a chain reaction!

So I get to thinking that I do not want to burden anyone with stuff that I really do not need or really for that matter use or want, and do not think you are to young to die, anyone can die at any given moment. Some things that I want to leave a person and I am just saving it till I die, well I am thinking about giving it to them now. 

I know its harder for some than others to get rid of things " they might use" but live now! don`t hoard it up for later because it`ll dry rot or cause bugs ( many different types of bugs thrive in a hoard as well as rats).

I am not perfect and I do still have to much junk and not everything is organized.

BUT....

I have hope of becoming the minimalist I used to be, free and having fun and not allowing things to keep me as a slave to them.

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

Minimalism Monday - New Month New Goals

June 5, 2017

The goals for May went right out the door because of work and more work. When I work at home as a caregiver I can make a little time to do things here but when I work away from home and be a caregiver I barely have time to breathe.

Last month I wanted to finish painting the kitchen and clean out my walk in closet, I did not get the kitchen  but I did get half of the closet accomplished, the part I dreaded. 

What`s new goals do I have for June?

I am not sure I need to make any goals and just let things happen. I know I will get something accomplished, life is uncertain at the moment so plans can or will be broken, save myself the disappointment of not getting to what I had my heart set on doing.

My Must Do List :

No matter what,  I will do my "chores" at home. What you call chores and what I call chores may be the same or not. 

Laundry is something I absolutely hate to pile up, not just the smell but it`ll mildew and be ruined. Whether I wash and toss them on the bed for folding later, the linens and clothes get cleaned. 

Dirty dishes is another thing I hate to let pile up, if I cannot get them done each night I soak them in the sink and wash them first thing in the morning, its rare but at times I do have to let them go till morning. FYI - I hand wash my dishes I do not have a dish washer.

Another thing is the living room, where the mess can get out of control fast, I have to stay on top of that mess. 

The past week I have kept all the paper work filed and put away.

I have also managed to keep the recycling together and taken to the donation bin. Each week I make two drops at the office trash can for the things that cannot be recycled. 

This last week I made sure to change all the bed sheets in the house, clean beds are as important to me and clean clothes on my back.

I am slacking on the dusting and vacuuming because I need to be quiet more sine I have someone sick and resting in the house for two weeks.

What I need to work on :

My main problem is the outsides, it has rained everyday, if not all day then only when I get off of work and head outside. I need to mow the lawn, the fields and the garden. I need to load the ruck with stuff and haul it to the dump, I just do not know where or how things " just show up" and need to be gone. 

How was your past week? Get anything done on your cleaning or clearing list?

By Andria Perry

Photo by Andria Perry

The 2017 Resolutions - Life In The Fast Lane

I can say that the month of May went by fast, sometimes that is a good thing at other times I wished I had more hours in the day, at least we are in daylights savings time and I have more daylight.

Now lets take a look back at May and see just what I did get done toward my resolutions for the year, remember I make two easy and two hard each year, sometimes I make them all but more than likely its three out of four.

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.

My 2017 resolutions are :

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

This resolution is always on my mind, why? Every time I see a power bill, water bill or grocery bill.

I have bought motion lights for the outdoors, I have them charged and ready to hang but work has taken all my time and I have yet to hang them. 

This one is a fail for May.

2- Write more- Finish the book and write another. Blog more for money

Another bloging site is not paying so I am laying low for a while on signing up for the newest penny pop up site. Off line work took all my time for the month of May but I still have been writing a couple blogs a week, with a little help from my friends I will began to make a little money with those, hopefully in the month of June.

The book is still awaiting my attention but is not far from the back of my mind, I am adding to it daily, even in my head.

This one is a fail for May.

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

Seems I am not losing any more weight. I lost 8 pounds and I am at a stand still, I will admit I have not been trying, but I have not gained anything back so that part is good.

The good news is that my A1C is falling so I am on half the amount of medication for diabetes and the cholesterol is normal again so I am off that  medication.

Eating healthy is always a fight of the good and evil within, especially with diabetics, we crave sweets and carbs. I have just about gotten rid of the red meat from my diet, I am still eating chicken and fish, I do eat more meals that are all vegetables than I do with any any meat.

This one is a 75% success for the month of May 

4 - Learn to ask people for help

This one is the hard one for me because usually I have to pay people to help me, the month of May was no different. However I did ask a favor of my sister and her boyfriend and they did go beyond what I had asked and did a great job but I did pay them.

But as far as asking people to just help me out of the goodness of their heart, No. I am not even sure people still do that anymore, when someone see`s I own my own business they assume I do not need help, or I hear " they can afford to hire help!" Which sometimes in not true.

The Bible teaches us to love one another and helping your fellow man, or woman, out without pay. This is slowly disappearing and I will say I still continue to help people and I will not stop no matter how rich or poor.

This one is a fail for May.

That is how my life is shaping up, my resolutions /Goals for the year 2017, now that the sixth month of the year is here and most things with work have slowed down, maybe I can make a few more of these yearly resolutions  happen but one out of four is better than nothing.

Always room for improvement in everyone`s life.

How about yours? 

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry