Minimalism Monday - I Did What?!

My minimal hoarding life.

 

 

June 27,2016

This past week was filled with doctors appointments but not for me, for the person I am taking care of, but I did manage around the home, somewhat.

 

 

I have actually been slacking with the vacuuming and dusting, not that I don`t want to get it done I just don`t have enough time, I have to tend a vegetable garden as well as work and keep the home up, plus when he is asleep I stay as quiet as possible so he can heal, sleep helps the healing process.

 

 

I have cooked every single meal at home this past week. But I get those dishes washed and put away. Sometimes I leave them in the dish drainer till morning.

I always keep up the laundry, this week I also changed the beds and hung out those sheets to get that fresh sunshine smell.

I went through more magazines to get rid of. I unloaded a car load of recycling at the donation bin. I have all the recycling that I get paid for ready to take to the recycling center today.

 

 

I did buy the coupons this week so I clipped and filed those in the binder, I needed a lot of these this week so its worth the money to get the newspapers.

I filed the paperwork but there was not much of it.

 

 

I did not get around to mowing the grass, its not to bad because of the moderate drought, just patches are tall and seeding, other areas short and barely making it.

Now to the things I added to my stockpile this week, was sixteen cans green beans/ sweet peas  because the deer ate mine out of the garden. I did stock on dog food because it was on sale and I did have coupons to get this really cheap. I have to continue to buy toilet paper no matter what! To stock as cheap as possible but I just bought one twelve pack this time around.

The good part of my past week :

The garage got cleaned out! Everything was gone through, trash with trash, tools put away. Old lawnmowers gone! Scrap pile together to haul off today. Cans ready to sell (recycling). Deep freezer sold and ready to be loaded today and taken to its new home. I now can park my car in the garage! 

 

 

But, I was not happy where I had to put my flower pots but I reckon it`ll do for now, I do need that green house badly.If its Gods will I will have one before winter.

I did not buy anything new for the house, nor an clothing or shoes, no books, nothing. I only bought things to preserve food or was actual food. Good for me!

How was your past week? Have you done a early summer clean up and get rid of yet?

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

Minimalism And Hoarding - Take Merchandise Back

 

 

June 21,2016

There are times in life when we make those impulse buys, we get home and think " why in the world did I buy this stuff!?" and we think we HAVE to keep it. But that is not true, Simply take the merchandise back to the store you bought it and get a refund. That is how minimalism and hoarding bumps heads and a minimalist wins.

Around the first of the month when I was shopping for someone else ,that did need clothing, I made the mistake of going to the ladies department after shopping the mens department for that someone. I picked out four casual shirts, not T shirts and not dressy shirts. When I got home and tried on all the shirts I was disappointed with the way they fit, since I am in between sizes, but intended on keeping them till I lost a few more pounds.

Well after looking at the " NEW " clothes I cannot wear I decided to take them back and get a refund. I did and it felt wonderful. 

Did I need those new shirts? Not really. I think its was an impulse buy. That battle inside that is telling me I need that item when I know I don`t. 

Yesterday I actually pulled out a tank top that was brand new, I had never worn it, So I did have a new shirt to wear and all I had to do was look in my closet.

 

 

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Minimalism Monday

June 21, 2016

I have been working as a caretaker this past week and that means staying at home, for the most part. Although I have been busy waiting on this person hand and foot, plus dealing with the emotional side of this type of work, I did manage to get a little cleaning accomplished.

The laundry and me are best friends :) I can`t seem to stand that stinky dirty, sweaty, soured smell. Laundry doesn`t stand a chance  around here. Yes I have all the laundry washed, dried and put away.

Me and the kitchen. I seem to live in the kitchen, making a mess and cleaning the mess. Regardless if I am just making dinner or canning from the vegetable garden, This place gets cleaned daily. It is rare that I leave dirty dishes.

I cleaned both bathrooms, however, I would have loved to wipe down the walls in both but I could not manage that much time for a room.

I did manage to get the living room and dining room vacuumed without bothering my sick patient. He took a very short walk around the field and I took advantage of that few minutes to get that done.

I did NOT buy any newspapers for the coupons this week, this is another habit I am breaking this year, slowly but surely, and I love my coupons! But I have to make sure I need what is offered before I buy the papers for those coupon inserts.

I did file all the weekly paper work, there is not much of late since the rental houses are all full and things are going smoothly. 

That was my week in review, how was your week past?

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry - Rental house

Minimalism Monday - Roll Out

 

 

June 13,2016

Another week has passed and I have to say that looking back at what I accomplished makes me wonder what I did everyday!

My house is a mess at this moment.

After mopping the floors for the entire house I remember how good they felt under my bare feet and wiping down the kitchen after a canning session. To look at it now you would not have thought it was so clean just a few days ago.

No, I did not file the paperwork for the week, It is sorted but not put away.

I bought a new Rubbermaid tub to store rice in but its still waits on the pantry shelf.

I bought a couple more items of clothing, for myself and Tony. I know I really shouldn`t have.

But the good news is that I have got all the dishes washed up and I keep the laundry clean and put away.

I did get the lawn mowed and there is no stray blown in my yard trash around anymore.

 

 

I did not buy news papers for coupons! Yay for me, I am learning to not buy those when the coupons are not going to be used up soon.

I took the plastic and cardboard and paper to the recycling donation bin so that is taken care of but I still have to take the metal in to the recycling center to get weighed and then get paid.

AND the biggie happened! Two dead riding mowers went to the shop today, if they cannot be fixed we are NOT bringing them back home, that means half of the garage is empty and it will be totally up to me to replace the stray working tools to their home. Anyone can tell when we got finished working the car or truck got unloaded at the door of the garage BUT I will defend those actions with " everyday they got used" up until a couple weeks ago when I finished the last house.

I still have a deep freezer to sell that was a gift from a friend when he moved a couple hours down south, One lady wanted it but I need to make sure before its loaded and them hauled all the way to her place, but it would be wonderful to park my car in that space again.

 

 

That was a week in the life of Angie, how was your week past?

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry

6 Tips To Stop Hoarding

As many of us know but do not admit, we are hoarders in one fashion or another. I am sure that it is human nature to store things for later use but I am not so sure that it is necessary, after all things dry rot and fall apart.

So how do we break this...... this addiction? 

I can only share what has worked for me for the past seven years and it was not an overnight "minimal household."

 

 

Number one : When the impulse comes to go shopping, I walk into my closet and I clean it. Sometimes trying on all my clothes, what does not fit I put in ... anything I have, a box, or a grocery bag to a trash bag. Usually when I am finished I am to tired to go shopping or the realization comes that I already have plenty and I can use that money elsewhere.

 

 

Since I am a book lover I tend to want to read the new best sellers or the newest release from my favorite author. Instead of heading off to Books a Million I stop by the local library, If the book I am interesting in is checked out I simply as the person at the desk to put it on reserve for me. Then I check out this huge room of nothing but books! I am always sure to find one I want to read. This is free so no clutter coming in to hoard up. Plus I have learned that for the most part I won`t read most books more than once. Now I have that money to spend elsewhere.

Number Two : The yard sale - thrift store - its cheap and I love other peoples stuff that is still in such good shape kind of person. 

I am sure that I inherited my mothers strong genes for the love of antiques, but I did not inherit any money to buy them. My mother used to buy and resell antiques. She also resold or traded all the nice clothing we grew out of so fast, So I am no stranger to having yard sales or going to yard sales. 

Thrift store shopping use to be a past time, I would go and look around for hours, sometimes buying and something seeing nothing I wanted.

Then one day it hit me, I have enough stuff to furnish several houses! So I made a goal for myself, I "needed" a new T.V. (the old one was getting a darker and darker picture and all the new were the flat screens) I decided I would pay for this new T.V. by selling everything I did not need at my own yard sales. 

I made my signs and I had yard sale number one and I made pretty good but not enough for a t.v. so a couple weeks later I had another one but with the new knowledge of what people were buying in the area I lived at the time.

Within six weeks and three yard sales I had my new T.V. and I had gotten rid of so much stuff I was not even using!

Number Three : Have a dinner party! 

That is right, you sit down and pick out people to come to your house for a dinner party. If for one second you had a dread come over you about what the house looks like, with all the clutter, then its time for you to get your place in shape so that all these people will leave and only have good words to speak over you about how you are not a slave to your stuff and how wonderful your living space is.

 

  

Number Four :  Blame it on the children.

I know I have used this excuse before," Look over this mess, you know how messy kids are."

I hate to break this news but its not the kids fault, its yours! 

Children tend to mimic there parents. When a child watches their mother take care of her things, so will the child. 

When I used to babysit I would let the kids be kids, dump the toy box and play. But when it was getting time for them to be picked up I would also ask them to clean up their toy mess, sometimes they would ask for help and I would but not once did I ever allow them to leave the mess for me. 

Once I was tested by this strong willed little boy, I warned him with " Anything in the floor when you leave will be put into the trash." He left that day with a very messy play room. I simply put all that was on the floor into a clean trash bag and put it outside by the trash can. The next day he came and began to play but was missing " those" toys so he asked " what happened to so and so?" I told him they were left in the floor so they are in the trash can. He ran outside and seen them, came back inside and asked " Can I have them back? I promise to pick them up!" I gave him the okay and he never left those toys in the floor anymore.

Number Five : Just Say No!

Don`t be anyones dump! For years I had people say, here I got something for you, and for the most part it was what they were going to toss in the trash but was to much or to big to put in the trash can. I always seen a crack or a chip and was told " ahh, just tape that or use a magic marker will take care of this."

I remember once this one lady gave me a computer, I did not know anything about computers but had always wanted one so I took it home and ordered internet, dial up back them was all that was available, and come to find out it did not even have a modem! I was stuck with a piece of junk to haul off and I had wasted money getting internet.

Just say no to others junk, if they are pushing it on you just ask yourself, if its that wonderful why dont they keep it?

Not wanting to hurt a few old peoples feelings I took stuff I did not want and I dropped it off on the way home at a donation box.

Number Six : Watch a marathon of " Hoarders buried alive" 

I must say this show is an eye opener. Who knew that people hoarded in so many different ways. 

As for me I was not qualified to be on the show, but I was getting closer and closer by the day as being one of the "new things" hoarders. I kept the house clean, I just did not know how to organize my things so I would not buy a new one because I could not find the one I had. 

If you need help with hoarding don`t hesitate to call and ask the show for help. Now only will they help you clean it up but also help you deal with why you hoard in the first place. 

As for me and my home I will abide by these tips and live clutter free.

1 - Calm those impulse shopping trips

2 - Don`t shop yard sales/ Thrift stores

3-  Invite people over.

4- Don`t blame the children

5- Don`t take peoples trash

6- Get motivated with a marathon of hoarders the show

By Andria Perry

Photo`s by Andria Perry