A Minimalist - Out It Went

As the weeks pass I am back to making better decisions about life in general. It is strange how we lose our way and then notice we are wandering around in life without meaning and just the daily grid of work and home, over and over.

I am like most people and I do not know how things got put here and put over there but I took time to put it in the car and put it in the donation box or to another appropriate place that it will be used for its intended purpose. It was a truck load.

For the rental houses Tony had rooted a few shrubs and those were delivered and put into the ground.

The frames were put at the old home place because I have decided what to do with that place, double duty as an office and a place to frame the art. I may even start up my Craig`s list selling and do it from this house.

Next was dropping off around fifty canned goods, mostly Progresso soup. I am restocking some soups and giving away the older stock. I gave all of it to the homeless guy that will be renting a house from me soon.

That much I got taken off last Friday. The office is still clean and NO clutter. 

Tomorrow I plan to drop off a lamp, I did not want it broken in the back of the truck so I am driving the car next time I go to the old home place and I can drop it out then.

I managed to get all the laundry clean and put away today, I have my recyclables by the back door to drop off. The trash is out of the house, some taken off, some burned.

I have not done the paper work or filed the coupons.

The kitchen is clean but I need to mop that floor.

Seems I have so much to do and not enough time to get it all done. That means I need to ask for a little help, from who I am not sure but I will find someone to help me get caught up, whether I hire them for work or my home.

How are you doing managing life?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Took It Back!

After months and months of life it seems I have gotten off my path of minimalism and feng shui. But the past few days I have taken it back, my life that is. When a friend told me she had read my cleaning plan and it was the only planned that worked for her she inspired me to write again AND get my somewhat messy life back on track.

Moving the few house plants that I kept inside for the three Winter months made me feel cramped especially since I kept a few things from the inheritance so it was time for a massive clean out.

The office once again became the dumping grounds for this stuff, Yes I liked her stuff and I reckon because I was grieving her death I kept things. But its time to pass those things on for someone else to use, those things are not her. I have them at the back door ready to leave tomorrow.

Another problem was more picture frames for the art, me and Tony paint and one day will have a show so I have frames. I have figured out a place to put them, I am making a studio in the basement of the old home place. It is a separate entrance than the main house so when it is rented I can still use this area.

Over the past few days I was off work so I went to work on myself, meditation and cleaning. I am now sitting in my CLEAN office without any clutter. This is the way it was before and will be from now on.

I also cleaned my bedroom and Tony`s room although neither was as bad as my office had gotten.

I did sell a lot of clothes and books on eBay, I will put the "new" summer clothing in space bags and suck the air out, I will leave the few books on the shelf till they sell or I make a trip to the nursing home.

Since I am doing more home canning I must rearrange the stockpile / spare bedroom so that its neat and organized. I am giving jams and jellies for Christmas so some will be leaving anyways.

How have you been dealing with clutter lately?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Practice What I Peach

I am a hoarder, this I know but not to the degree that people see on t.v. on the show hoarders buried alive. Actually its that I just have to much and I am doing another clearing. Becoming a Minimalist , working and working can be hard at times.

After getting an inheritance of "stuff" this year I can say that my world has been turned upside down.

With stuff all over I cannot clean like I need to clean and therefore I am sneezing and having allergy problems. I do not have a problem with tossing what " I thought I wanted" back out into the world for someone else who wants it. 

I have a piece of furniture that I spoke up and said " this has to go its just to cramped in this room". Tony said " put it in another room" I replied with " what room and where?". He could not answer that question because there is no place for it. I am taking to my old home place. Why? Because I am repairing this house to rent out as a furnished house, that is what I will do with all the stuff I do not want. I want to rent this place short term and even weekly to people who may travel the area for a couple days on business. Problem solved as far as I am concerned because Tony can keep it , just not here. Minimalist with furnished rental houses? Sure it`ll work.

For weeks and weeks I have been working many miles from home, I have been growing food and preserving it. I have not attended to my home in a proper manner and its just plain dirty.That means that today I am cleaning. Not just cleaning but really cleaning. Sure I have picked things up and kept it neat but its still dirty.

I had to bring in the house plants that I did not give away and in the room I keep them I took down the curtains and washed them and rehung. I wiped down all the cob webs and vacuumed the floor. Next I took a small pot I don`t use to cook in, filled it with warm water and lemon Lysol and I wiped down everything! I used a clean dry cloth to wipe any water left behind away.

Next is my bedroom, although it has less stuff than any room it does need a good dusting.

In a life of becoming minimal I am sure that from time to time life gets in the way and the home is the last place thought about when it comes to work or cleaning house.

I have to go back to my own words and  " Practice what I preach" I am a Minimalist . 

By Andria Perry