A Minimalist - Giving And Saving

I had to work today at the empty rental house . I had all the inherited stuff there because I was storing and selling it from this house . I have sold most of it and I am down to just a couple pieces of furniture and glassware .

I have half of the glassware away today to one of my tenants and a box of crystal to a cousin`s wife .

Tomorrow I plan to give away sheets , towels and bedspreads . 

I did a full days work in a house without any a/c , not even a fan . It was very hot but I have to finish the house because I have it rented .

This morning before work I did a little on line work as well , I posted many paintings in my Etsy store . Tonight I will post more clothing on eBay .

Finally I am trying to make money back and get rid of all this clutter ! I may even list a cheaper price on some face book groups " for sale " .

Did you accomplish anything today ?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - A Time To Give

Yesterday I did not have time to write because I was working outside of the office with limited time .

As I walked through the place I have / had my inherited furniture and the swapped out furniture , looking at what was left and thinking what I was going to do with it , I decided to give most of it away .

After all if you are not into the seventies and eighties era then its not for you . The brass and glass . 

I have two big items left , a bed and a antique chaise lounge . I did update the Craig`s list post but I am not sure these will move out the door , only if they are free . I will wait a little longer on those . 

But the glassware , I have several people in mind that I will give this stuff to . I am sure they can use it or will enjoy looking at it . I wanted to get rid of a big part yesterday but they were not home.

Its been three months since I brought this into my life and I can say that it has been an experience that I will never forget . Not so sure I would do it again but who knows I do live a good challenge .

Today I plan to just be and see what I can accomplish .

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Last Week

Half of last week was part of  my main week to work each month . I manage rental property and the first week of each month is when most people pay their bill , plus its all under lease to be that way . But since there was a holiday smack in the middle it may be an extra couple of days work for me.

Since being down sick and recovering I have made a small dent in the minimal life.  And then I had a relapse but it was no where as powerful as the first time so I worked through it this time , only slower . 

The grown up yard was my main place to make sure it got cleaned up . This year I have seen more snakes out and about and its a good idea to keep th grass mowed . The lawn got mowed as well as the fields . I did get help but I made sure I was the one with the push mower so I could get the details around the house .

Trash And Recycling - Its always there ! There is always some form of trash , whether its food peelings or food wrappers . I gathered up all the Aluminum cans and cardboard ( food and can coke boxes ) , newspaper and I have them ready to go TODAY to the recycling plant . As for the food peelings  I will put those down in the compost pile . Now all I am left with is a tiny bag of non recyclables to dispose .

I also got all the bed sheets washed dried and back on the beds . I added washing a quilt this week . 

I did dust the living room and I cleaned out Tony`s corner that he always puts his " junk " and put it back where it belongs .

I changed the air filter to the a/c unit . I make a habit of doing this on or around the first of each month . It keeps the unit running better . Better to maintain that to replace  !

I am finding it hard to get caught up but I know I will . I was just saying yesterday that before I had a week of sickness I would clean the entire house , mow the lawn , do all the laundry , cook  all the meals and work outside the home . I think I am getting my mojo back :)

How did you do last week ?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Cleaning Day

I know most of you who will read this will say " NO its the fourth of July , no cleaning " .

I agree if I was still throwing holiday parties but this year I`m not so I am cleaning a little .

I have the bathroom to clean and I decided to wash all the bed sheets , they are in the washer as I write this  .

If the sun dries things up I am sure I will be outside mowing the lawn because its in serious need of mowing . I could not believe how much grass can grow in a week till I walked the dogs and some seed are knee high to hip high to me. I reckon those little rain showers do more than I thought .

If I have any time I do plan to work but its on line . I finally set up an eBay account to sell my stuff . I have one tub of new clothing that I will be listing and Glassware . I also need to work on the Etsy store that I created a week or so ago . 

By doing a little cleaning each day that I can I keep ahead of the clutter  , the hoard and try better for minimal and clean .

Got plans for the fourth ?

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - The Journey - 7-3-15

July 3 , 2015 - Journal 

Usually I wait till the weeks end to file paper work but I did it last night as I piled it up on the dining room table , The first of the month is when I have more receipts that pertain to business than any other time of the month .

I did a good pick up of the stray things laying around the house and washed a load of colored clothes .

I had planned to do yard work today but I was awaken by the pouring rain so I will use all my saved up energy to clean and organize inside .

I am not planning to have anything at my house for the 4th . and I most certainly do not want to cook out using meat , maybe I will go fishing .

Something good ? I sold and moved two more big piece`s of the furniture I inherited . Both are on a payment plan but thats okay , people with less to live on want nice things too .

I may get started on eBay this weekend , get rid of more unwanted things .

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - That Refrigerator !

Now come on people ! This is not a closet , this holds items that GO into your body and is not a place to even consider not keeping clean .

It has often amazed me at how some people are still living when I see inside that fridge . 

Molding food , rotten meat and jars that have been in there since the last " end of the world is coming freak out ! " . Why ? Why keep that in a place that feeds you ? 

Cleaning a refrigerator is not hard at all . I would rather wipe the fridge down than dust the furniture . But I reckon I have a system in place that makes it easier for me so I will share my how to with you along with how I organize for easy cleaning .

First bring in a cooler for the " must stay cold " stuff like Milk , eggs and meats , put those in the cooler till you are finished .

Next simply take everything out and set it on the counter top , even the drawers  . I then fill a vessel with water and a dash of dish washing liquid , I wipe down the entire inside of the refrigerator . Next I pour out the dirty soapy water and fill the vessel with clean water and wipe it down again to remove the soap . Last I take a dry cloth and wipe off any water that was left behind . 

Wash out the drawers in the sink and dry them .

Now lets put it back together . Check each jar to make sure its still in date and there is no mold growing inside . Discard what is no good to eat . 

Start with the refrigerator door .Wipe each jar off before putting it back inside , especially the bottoms because it may have been sitting in something that was leaking before . I like to put the salad dressings , Ketchup , Mayo and mustard in the door . Along with any other sauce . It keeps them neat and at hand for a quick grab . I also store the pickles in the door area .

Close the fridge and let it get cold while you put the vegetables back into the drawers / crisper . I like to put vegetables in one and fruits in the other . And I always lay a paper towel in the bottom first in case one goes bad before you use it . I also have a top small drawer and I use it for cheese and sandwich meats .

Now I just put the filled drawers back in along with the meat , milk and eggs . I do keep my eggs and meat on the bottom shelf .Big jar items on top and milk ( all drinks ) in the middle .

I find this easiest way to keep the refrigerator clean .

Do you have a system better than mine ? Is so share I would love to know.

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Answer

Yesterday I did have one person ask or state this " hoard or recycle ? " to a post about hoarding trash to reuse or to recycle .

I am sure most everyone has seen the shows on television about hoarding . How recycling  gets out of hand and things pile up and it used to be there as " I can make this with the trash " . Most trash is 100% recyclable , just check on the bottom or side of the item . 

I have seen people who hoarded old plastic milk jugs to magazines . The milk jugs for future tea making and the magazines for art . In the end all of it had to be thrown out because you do not need fifty milk jugs for a gallon of tea and one hundred magazines to clip up for art . Most have good intentions but life gets in the way of creating art for the most part because we have to work to make a living .

If you have to haul your recycling like I do and you see it piling up into a massive hoard , don`t do that ! You throw it in the trash because it has became trash. There is no need to pile anything up , even with good intentions . When you do you are inviting rats and more into your home and thats a health hazard .

By Andria Perry