A Minimalist- I Can Breathe!

January 4, 2016

Just what did I do on Sunday the 3rd.?

I woke to the beeping clock at 8:30 am. As many times as I have said it before, I will say it again. I am addicted to using coupons for any type of shopping so I went out for the Sunday Newspaper. I know I made a resolution to stopping shopping and use the stockpile but I have to say that I do not have a large stock of toilet paper, dog food and cleaning supplies. However, I do have plenty of food and hair and body products. So I will trade coupons with my friends, they can have the food coupons and I will take the non food coupons.

After cooking breakfast and Church with Joel Osteen, I got busy. 

I first washed all the dirty dishes.

Next was the living room. Since I brought all the houseplants inside some of the big plants dropped many leaves and it was time to move all the big plants and clean up the mess. I got up all the leaves and vacuumed before I put them back in place.

The Window I have them near needed to have more sunlight so I took the curtain down and draped it over the rod and secured this with the tasseled tie backs, its pretty.

Then I vacuumed the rest of the room and dusted it, did I mention I have a huge loving room?

Next was the dining room, it really was not dirty it just needed a good vacuum and I dusted it.

Last was my bedroom, I have to say that no matter how messy the rest of the house gets, my bedroom does not. It just needed a quick dusting and vacuumed.

I called it quits for the day and clipped all the coupons and filed most of them.

I did not get to the kitchen mopped. Nor did I get to rearranging the pantry, as I said before the toilet paper stock is low and I need to straighten that section.

I reckon I will catch those two on my next day off, Tuesday.

Cant you just breathe better in a clean house?

So how did you do on your Sunday evening?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Jack Happy

January 3,2016

What I did on Saturday January 2nd.

Finally a break through. I don`t know what had gotten into me and made me slack all that time. But I am back doing what I do.

Today I had no plans but to stay at home and I just walked into the spare bedroom/ stockpile room and I began to organize and clean this room, plus I cleaned off the old cedar chest that is by the window so that I can sit the new baby plant on top where the sunshine will shine bright on them this Winter. This room is dusted and vacuumed.

I changed my bedsheets and put a load of whites on to wash.

Next I tackled the "everyone" bathroom. I reckon I have not cleaned it since before Christmas so it was really due a cleaning. As I looked under the sink its practically empty under there so I am thinking " how can I use this space?" I still have no idea what I can store under there. 

When the washer stopped I put the whites into the dryer and put on a load of colored clothing.

While those were drying and another load washing, I vacuumed the office and then dusted , its not cluttered at all since the last time I did a major clear out before Christmas.

I got all the laundry clean and dried. Folded and put away.

The kitchen has been easy to keep clean. I just wash whatever I use after I am finished with it, plus we have not been eating big meals, just small stuff for the morning and lunch. Dinner is when I cook the main meal. But I DO plan to clean the kitchen on Sunday January 3rd.

The clothes. The I did not go into the Winter tubs today clothes. BUT I did toss a work shirt. Its bad, I mean it had holes and paint and its trash held together with safety pins! No kidding :)

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - The Beginning

January 2,2016

I began my new year with doing just about nothing, resting for a change. But then I remembered a resolution I made and I was actually doing this, unconsciously.

I made this my number one resolution, stop buying and use up the stockpile.

For dinner I use canned Blackeyed peas from the stock of canned goods, I had ham from the deep freezer and greens from the garden that I grew myself. Nothing bought recently. 

Next While I was outside walking the dogs I reached under the deck and got what small flower pots I had saved under there, Hoarded I should say, I began working on my new adventure, the new business, I have not named it yet. I will think about a name.

Then I went into my closet and looked at all my Winter clothes still in the Winter clothing tub and thought " I need to try those on to see if they still fit, toss what don`t." I do plan that for the weekend.

Cleaning is what has really been on my mind and not just the house but my car. I loaned my sister my shop vac and she has had it for eight months, While she had it I was either paying a machine and vacuuming my car or just letting it go. She got a new vacuum for Christmas so its at home, waiting for me to suck the trash out of the carpet.

Since Tony has hoarded a little bit of lumber around here from different projects I think I will get outside and pile it together, since its here and there and see what else I will need to make a building, dirt floor will be okay. Its cold outside but I need to get things going, sitting on my butt complaining about the cold will not get anything accomplished. Anyways if you get up and move you warm up right? :) I will put a hat on and several layers of clothing, I will probably sweat :)

What do you have planned for this second day of 2016?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - The Old - The New

January 1, 2016

Today is a brand new day of a brand new year. I have read that many people do not do resolutions because they will just fail, but what if they did make them and succeeded? 

Why not make today the first day to something positive. Whether it be cleaning up you home life or just having fun for a change.

Let this be a year that you have an open mind and will listen to what others have to teach. After all if you don`t like the subject being taught you have the right to just walk away. But you never know what you can learn if you stay closed up, and there is no such things as to old to learn, I am proof of that.

This year I plan to rediscover peace and quiet, To open a new business and let the calmness of this new adventure take away all the stress from any other jobs I may have.

While you maybe thinking that I will be adding more to my already hoarded life, I am but the reasoning is that I cannot quit one job unless I have another new job to replace the old one. After all money only grows on tree`s :)

I have given changing jobs much thought and I have voiced it many times of late. So either I keep waiting for things to get better or I just go for it, make the first move and see where it takes me.

With a new job I can also have time to thin out this life because I would spend more time at home because this is where I will work 75% of the time. 

Home is where my calm is, where I am comfortable and not stressed out, so it makes perfect sense to work from home ALL the time.

So I will let the old go and I will embrace all the new coming my way in this new Year.

Have a very Happy New Year!

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - The New Year

What can I say about last year? What accomplishments did I make in my life as a whole? Did I accomplish anything I wanted as far as my home life and hoarding or lack of hoarding?

At the end of each year I do ask myself many questions like those above, why? I want to see where I can better myself and what I do not need to worry about anymore since I have stopped certain behavior, also known as hoarding. 

What did I add to life and what did I take away?

I did in the month of April inherit a whole house full of .... everything! Actually it was three houses packed into one huge house. I got one quarter, gave one quarter away and two others got their part of one quarter each. BUT I did not keep all that stuff. I ended up with a very expensive bedroom suit, A nice dining table I am using in the kitchen nook with a china cabinet, A couch. A few nice or antique accessories . The rest I sold and recovered my travel and moving expenses, And I made a little money to boot.

I also got rid of old worn out kitchen gadgets and bought new ones that would benefit me in the long run. A vacuum sealer, a pressure canner and a meat grinder. If something new came in, something old went out.

Clothing, I must say I have tossed many old and worn items, I sold many of the new things I decided I did not want or was to little on eBay.  I haven`t really bought much of anything, a couple of blouses and some socks, that is it for a whole year.

I still have a huge stockpile and that will be a new year resolution for the coming year, to use it and not add to, unless its dog food or toilet paper because those two are always in need and used very fast in this household.

I have slacked in the cleaning department somewhat. I have not been on the ball about weekly cleaning, dusting and vacuuming. That will change also in the new year. 

Because if the type of business I am in, rental property, the stress is at most times the max, I am planning on making myself another home based business, and slowly sell off the old business, but everything will be built and in a new separate building from my home. Right now its still on the drawing board but the potential is there to make myself a living and not have as much stress.

Being a minimalist, owning your own business and doing everything alone is not easy. However anything worth something is never easy. I will stay for the fight and I will not stand down :)

How are you doing in your minimal hoarding life?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Tired Of Slacking- Off My Butt

I have done this before so its nothing new, minimalism.

 

But for some odd reason that I cannot come up with an excuse except pure laziness I have been slacking. Making those " I am to tired" excuses.

Just a couple months ago I was working, on line and out in the world. Gardening and traveling and I still keep the house clean and organized.

Yes I got that inheritance and I think thats when I began to get bogged down and was overwhelmed with all this stuff. Yes I loved it and yes it took me months to figure out that I loved it at her house and not in mine.

Today I made every EXCUSE not to leave home and it worked. 

So how have I spent the day? Well I did work online , that is something I can`t seem to give up. But I have cleaned!

I organized the eBay stuff and I have it in one tub and I stacked that into the closet. I arranged the stock room closet and put the huge Ralph Loren ( is that how you spell his name?) Comforter in there till I can afford to have it cleaned and then I will use it, that came with the inheritance.

I then swept and mopped the kitchen, the breakfast nook and the entry way. I still have to sweep and mop the laundry room and pantry. While I was doing the floors I had a load of clothes washing and one in the dryer. While I was waiting for the floors to dry I folded a load of whites and put them away. I managed to file some coupons but I am thinking about shoe boxing them, IF I go shopping I can look for what I need but I am not planning on shopping with coupons the rest of this year is possible.

I have the recyclables out in the can and the plastic in the car to take to the donation bin.

All the trash took out and the food peels in the compost pile.

I have two more elderly people to bake for and then all the gift containers can be put away.

I do feel accomplished.

Did I mention that I have not took time to pull out not one Christmas decoration? No tree, nothing. I do want to put up a tree but at this late date I may not.

How are you dealing with life lately? Getting it done or slacking like I was?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Wake The ____ Up!

Okay, so what?  I cuss and I know its not ladylike but I am not that ladylike tonight. I am living through the tough journey of minimalism. When it was there and good and healthy it was good but is slowly disappearing. 

No, it has not been one year and I seen it coming when I seen it coming into my home. The home I was so proud of to be neat and clean, well organized, well... semi organized. This past week I did the wake up and smell the freakin coffee thing. I looked at those nice lamps that I do plan to use be loaded into the car and took to the old home place TILL I have time to paint them because I am not so much into brass as I was twenty years ago. Did I need that microwave muffin maker? No! did I need another electric knife when I don`t even use the one I have, Tony claims he does BUT ya know how that is.No I didn`t. 

Somehow my painting materials, canvas boards and poster boards got mixed up with junk. I am separating those now. 

Recipes? Why do I feel the need to keep those torn out of magazine recipes? Because I do cook that stuff, just not right now. Wait, maybe never again. Grrr.

In less than two weeks I will have guess over for a nice but small Christmas dinner and I swear it seems like the more I clean the more there is messed up.

I think I am stuck half way in one world and going into another, a more simple world, the world I crave and have for years.

Imagine a clean house with no junk around, sitting on the front porch sipping sweet tea, dog at your feet and picking the banjo with not a worry in the world.

Oh and no phones whatsoever. Heaven :)

By Andria Perry