A Minimalist - What The Heck?

Since I am opening up a new business I needed to get into the shed to find the things I know I can use, being a warm day I decided to do that today.

I opened the door and stopped dead still, mouth hanging open, thinking " what the heck happened in there?!"

You went no further. Open the door and BAM! its in your face.

I stood staring at all that stuff and I seen a pattern. None of it was mine. Once again he opened the door and did the " sit it down" till it was at the door.

I took a deep breath and dug in. I began to bring everything that was in the walking path out and sat it in the yard. When I got to the back and to where my stuff was I thought about how I can put all his stuff back in but still be able to walk to the back if need be.

I started with the very first thing I took out, it would not be used till the Summer so it went first, to the back. Next was the tiller and after that the push mower. the rest was small junk but he uses it so I found a place for it, just not in the floor.

After I finally got all the stuff out I needed and all the stuff back inside the shed, I was tired and it was getting dark. No work on the business for me today.

I will draw the line by saying " if its not a tool for working, it has to go."

This is the year! I am getting rid of over half of that stuff, its not anything that is worth much but I would like to load it all on a truck and go to trade day, sell what I can and leave the rest with a sign that reads " free." 

Is your shed overflowing?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Organizing - Tubs Or Not

I used to call myself " Queen of the tubs" because I lived in a small house with a hoarder that did not have any closets and a full size basement. To keep it clean from falling dust I " tubbed it." 

Seems like a good way, right?

Wrong. I began to forget what was in those tubs even though I had each marked and I started buying another of what I did not know I had. I was becoming a hoarder, by the tub fulls.

I have to say that we know that the day after Christmas is the day all the commercials and the sales ad begin to have massive sales on the organizing stuff. All the magazines showing us how to organize and what containers to use.

Thats not a bad thing but its also not a good thing either.

It has became the new life of buying and keeping also known as hoarding, buy new and use it but keep the old and not use it but put it away in a tub. 

Why?!

I am aware that some things need to be replaced every so often due to not being energy efficient anymore or that its simply dry rotted. The problem is keeping the old one, stored into another item to stack back, collect dust and take up space.

I am not saying not to buy tubs because they are very useful. I use all sizes of tubs to keep my things nice and clean, for instance my dress shoes. I do not wear all of them that often but I want them clean when I reach for a pair.

 

 

I have my music CD`s in a small shoe box tub, labeled and I can see through it, I know what is inside.

I have my old paper photo`s in a large clear tub. I can see what is inside when I want to go down memory lane.

What I am saying is, if you already have a replacement for what you are about to poke away in that tub, don`t. If you needed a replacement there must have been a flaw in the first place. You are worth more than to keep an old flawed item when you have a wonderful new item, use the space to walk and breathe.

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Hoarding Thoughts

Understanding the actions of some people can be a waste of time. I was told this past weekend " everyone is responsible for their own emotions. "  While those few words may not have had a big impact on some they did on me.

We let people get into our heads and allow them to fool around with our thinking process, this lead us to being hoarders of a different kind. 

I am not perfect and I have never claimed to be, besides joking around with family and close friends, I will not say those words.

Sometimes people don`t understand what words do to some people and never affects others at all. For the most part I have a hard outside and when people call me names or talk about me it just slides off and I go about my business. After all I don`t expect everyone to like me nor do I expect to like everyone.

But how we act in the moment matters most. 

For instance; I found something out and I was disappointed, then I began to think, Did they do that because of me? I immediately wanted to run and ask this person , why? did I do something? But I didn`t.

About a week later the person talked with me and told me they had did this thing and asked me to use another venue to mail something to them, no I did not find out why but by that answer I knew it had nothing to do with me. The fear that I was the reason disappeared because I allowed it to.

With hoarding there is not just one place to hoard, sometimes it not even material things but thoughts that need to be cleared out.

If people are feeling guilty about some thing they did in the past, I recommend praying and asking for forgiveness. 

If someone is in deep grief over a lost loved one, know they are with God, happy and whole, and they would never want us to be sad. 

If you are carrying hatred in your heart for someone who did you wrong in the past, forgive. Don`t allow that person to control you anymore.

Now , what did this  " everyone is responsible for their own emotions " mean to me? I was allowing a person to have control over me by making me cry because of their rage at their own  past that they had not yet dealt with.

When I realized what I was doing I let that go, asked everyone else to do so and now I have my joy back and that person has no control anymore.

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Was I sick?!

January 12,2016

I am not one to get sick, I mean I may get a headache or earache but nothing serious like a puking virus or the flu < got all my shots >. And I seriously do not like to complain because lets face it , no one wants to know.

For a few days I have felt exhausted and I just wanted to sleep, but I fought sleep only to do nothing productive. Today I talk with my sister and found out she has a piking virus! Now I know why I feel/ felt bad.

So I pulled my act together and did what? The laundry AGAIN! two loads of colors and one white, I do not know how we mess things up. I know its been wet and we get mud on us but there are only two people in this house.

Next I made it to the coupons, I got those filed into the coupon binder and the coupons I don`t use are in the labeled pencil boxes, if someone may need or want any, I will toss them out in thirty days anyway, thats how long most of them last.

I am noticed something again, one of those old hoards coming back again. The magazine hoard. Seems I get sucked into subscriptions all the time. I always ask myself after I get them delivered " why?" but I can`t answer :(  I can read the magazine in one setting. Lately I have been passing them to my sister.

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January 13,2016

Yes I did think I was sickly because today I feel back like me again.

I have not accomplished much as yet but I did toss out an old friend, soft and with air flow. :) That is her in the picture and she ain`t pretty anymore. My lawn mowing and painting a house shirt.

 

 

Have a good day, see ya tomorrow.

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- On Sunday/ How Minimal?

January 10, 2016

I know most people do not like to work on Sunday because of the Sabbath, but it really depends on when the Sabbath is depending on your religion of lack of.

I feel that Its okay to work if need be, and it needs to be done today.

Today I will be cleaning as much of the house as I possibly can because next week is up in the air with appointments and work so I must be flexible, meaning get it done today!

I will start in my bedroom by vacuuming and dusting and then move to the living room since it will be vacant this evening.

Next is to clean off the dining room table, I do have paperwork scattered about since I am prepping for the taxes, and giving that room a quick vacuum and dusting.

Next of the kitchen, another good wipe down and a damp mopping, seems this room is used more than any other in the house so its always in need of refreshing.

The laundry room will get swept and a damp mop too! But I do not think I have enough dirty clothes for more than one load and I may do those since its going to be well below freezing the next couple a nights.

If I have time I will try to get to the bathrooms but just as the spare bedroom/ stockpile room and this office, they are not in serious need of cleaning and all are neat and organized.

Now how minimal was I last week? Did I fail big time or an I still on the wagon?

I did fantastic! 

I went shopping very little for food so there was no more serious stock up, just soup and crackers. 

I took  my sister shopping on Friday night and that is when I did take advantage of getting All washing liquid for $1.99 a bottle. I did buy five bottles to add to the stockpile. What I did was buy the  six 12 packs of diet Pepsi and got $5.00 back in ECB at CVS, Tony drinks those daily so I would have bought those anyways. Next I bought the All washing detergent on sale for $2.99 and I had a $1.00 manufacturer coupon for each, making them $1.99 each AND I had the $5.00 in ECB`s. With tax included I paid $6.48 after all the coupons, And then my sister gave me back $2.00 and took one for herself. So I ended up paying $4.48 for four bottles of washing detergent or another four months supply.

I did not try out the new comforter set but I will today, if I don`t like I pass it on next week.

I think I am improving as a minimalist. How about you?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Skip days

January 7, 2016

Yesterday January 6th. was a total flop day. I did not do anything at home and for the most part I was not even at home. I left early and did not get back till around eight pm.

Since I got the tetanus shot and antibiotic for the ears I have been extra tired but I wont use that as an excuse because excuses makes us lazy and then the clutter and dirt pile up, right?!

While I usually always wash clothes on Sunday evening and Wednesdays , I did skip yesterday and I am doing the washing right now but that is okay because I prefer to wash with the loads being full to save water and electricity. I have washed a load of colors, dried, folded and put those away, I have a load of whites ( towels and wash cloths) in the dryer and I am washing a quilt now.

I also have to clean the kitchen again, mopping floors this time making it a complete cleaned kitchen.

While I always do most of the serious housecleaning on the weekends, today I will concentrate on getting my paper work tallied up and preparing it for the CPA to file my taxes. That in its self is a total messy situation because I have to spread the papers EVERYWHERE. Maybe, just maybe one day I will find a better filing system but for now this one I can deal with. Especially since this is just once a year thing to do.

Last Tuesday I was called to help move an elderly man and this did take time from my plans for the home but things happen and you have to deal and move on. This elderly man gave us an upright deep freezer, we need it and we don`t need it. Meaning I could use it to store meat in for Tony but I have one already and I will make do. So we decided to put it in one of the rental houses. And he gave me a very nice and expensive comforter set. I have yet to put it on the bed to " see" if I like it or not. If I don`t I will pass it to my sister. I think I will do that today.

So how is your day going?

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

A Minimalist- Those Working Days - How to cope

January 5, 2016

Yesterday, Monday January 4th. was a working day for me and a lot of work had piled up since the holiday of last Friday. So how do I do anything as a minimalist when I have to work and be on the road all day?

Resist temptation.

Is it that simple?

This time of the year we see all those pretty things, especially Christmas decorations, on sale for 50%  and 75% off and we are tempted to buy MORE because it is that cheap.

Yesterday I had to go into a walmart store and I did see all those pretties but I walked out of walmart not buying anything because they did not have the two things I wanted, long envelops and a small cooler for the car.

Was it hard to walk away? Yes. And I did take a quick look but the thoughts came to me " where would I put this? I have so much already." And I walked away.

Plus making the new year resolution to stop shopping so much and use what I have is still fresh in my head.

Then I had to go into Publix! This is the place that will be the hardest for me to resist because I can coupon there like nobodies business! I knew I went in for free medication and that was it. 

Then I seen the coupons in my purse and looked. Oh my goodness I should not have looked.

I seen the Progresso soup buy one get one free and I had coupons, not just soup coupons but $2.00 off premium crackers when you buy the soup! 

I caved! 

I gave in and bought nine cans and got three boxes of the good crackers two boxes were. 77 each and the other one I got for .39. Now I have nine meals and Tony has his crackers because he won`t eat soup but he likes them with vegetable salad and tuna salad.

Now I wont say that its a complete failure by giving in and buying because I had a can of soup for dinner last night and a can for lunch today. My doctor just told me to get back on the 1600 calorie a day diet, my vegan/ vegetarian soups are 180 and 200 calories per can, I just eat the whole can and call it a meal because I don`t eat bread or crackers with the soup. So I bought healthy no meat meals for me.

And to just justify buying and not using the stockpile, well I did not have nothing but cream of chicken soup and its for recipes and not a meal for me.

I am not perfect and I know I will have my days when I will say to myself when I get home " Why did you buy that?"

How would you have handled my day?

By Andria Perry