Adelaide's Downsizing and Estate Clearance Specialists
Source: http://www.design-decor-staging.com
Back due to popular request is the Clear Space Christmas Countdown Planner. Download it here: Clear Space 2012 Christmas countdown calendar
It’s a simple “one task a day” planner that isn’t fancy or complicated. It doesn’t promote perfectionism, nor does it have unrealistic expectations of you.
It’s just a no-frills, get-it-done kind of thing!
Enjoy!
The Not Ours spot (or box, or basket…). If you don’t have a home for things that don’t belong to you, you need one of these!
Create a home (it needs to be fairly accessible if frequent-access things like library books will be stored there) and use a basket or tub to contain the items.
Every time you have a visitor, check your box to see if they have anything in there that belongs to them. Likewise if you visit someone – check the box first so you can return their items to them.
Report back when you have created your “home away from home” spot. Feel free to post pics of it so we can celebrate with you!
Everyone has different ideas of what a modest life entails, but for me it’s not being dragged into the whole consumerism, materialistic way of life to a point that it has you living outside your means or being extravagant.
It means you don’t go into debt for a big-screen TV or a luxury car, you don’t spend thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery and shoes each year. You don’t buy designer clothes, or borrow money for extravagant holidays.
It means you live within your means, disregarding what this does to the way people see you.
So many people complain about not having enough money, yet they drink excessive amounts of alcohol, have Foxtel and a big-screen TV and drive a brand new car that they have borrowed money for, and spend a fortune on takeaway and junk food. They sell their house and upgrade to a bigger home with a bigger mortgage so they can fit all their stuff in that they found one sale somewhere sometime but never use. They put their immediate comfort and their ‘facade’ in front of long-term benefits such as being debt-free.
People have forgotten what a real need is. They have forgotten that in the 1960s a family of five quite happily fit into a house with 3 bedrooms and one living area. They forget that a car that is over 10 years old can still drive them from A to B. They forget that they live a quite privileged life compared to many and that they are so much luckier than they think they are.
They still look around them and want what everyone else has whether or not they can afford it, need it, or have room for it.
I get really frustrated when I hear how “tough” people are doing it, when I know very well many of these people are in debt because they lived beyond their means. They did it because they couldn’t tell the difference between a need and a want. They didn’t ‘save for a rainy day’ and instead told themselves “I deserve this”.
People who lead modest lives are happier than those that don’t. They are more financially stable. They are self-sufficient and live within their means. They are leaders, not followers. They accept their life as it is and don’t strive for excess. They give freely of themselves. They aren’t overly concerned with what others think of them, and are therefore more uninhibited and self-assured.
How does one live a modest life?
There is nothing to be ashamed of in living a modest life, but so very much to be proud of.
On a personal note:
I am not infallible nor am I a monk – sometimes I don’t live a modest life, despite generally trying to. When I bought myself an iPad (I tried to tell myself I ‘needed’ it for work but to be honest, I mostly play and read on it), I was being more extravagant than I normally would, even though I could afford it and did pay cash, because I didn’t really need it. Sometimes I yearn for a bigger wardrobe, more shoes or a guest room in my house(or a bigger house), or a flash new sofa because I’m tired of the old one. And I was very keen to upgrade our car earlier this year – to the point of nagging!
But most of all, I live within my means and without extravagance, as does the rest of my family. We’re not overly frugal but we’re not careless either.
Our family is debt-free (and we worked hard to get that way – it wasn’t handed to us on a platter) and we save as much as we can, whilst still enjoying our life. Our home is not large or fancy, but it’s nice and we all fit just fine and we resist the urge to spend our savings on upgrading. When we last bought a new car (we had had our other one for almost 12 years) we spent around 10% of what we could actually afford to spend in cash and it was still a nice, shiny new (less than one year old) car and I still love it to pieces. The rest of the money is earning interest for us while the small investment is driving me around!
3-tier trolley
I’ve decided to add product features to my blog, and I hope it helps you in your quest to get more organised. Many of my clients buy an organising product without thinking about its intended purpose so I thought if I help you do the thinking first, you won’t have to buy anything unnecessary!
The first product is rather exciting – I couldn’t wait to try it out!
The narrow trolley (pictured is the 3-tier version – it also comes in 4-tier) is a clever way to gain storage in an otherwise unusable spot. It’s on wheels, so it can be moved in and out of spaces easily – this means you can even put heavier items in it without having to strain to pull them out.
Some possible uses for it:
What I wouldn’t use it for (feel free to try anything though!)
Other stuff to know about it:
You can get this particular one online at Lifespace – no need to even leave your comfy chair!
Here is ours in use:
Hidden away in the laundry ...
... and voila! There's all our stuff when we need it.
Going back to school after the summer holidays brings mixed feelings. Personally, I’m sad to see the holiday feeling leave us – I love the holidays. However, many kids are ready to get back into routine, and quite often their parents are more than keen for that, too!
Here are some tips for kicking off the year in an organised manner.
What are your own tips for making Back-to-school time organised and stress-free?
HAPPY NEW YEAR!
It’s New Year’s Day, a time that many of us decide we will make some resolutions to change for the better, and that 2012 is going to be better than 2011.
More money, more friends, less stress, less fat, more fat, more joy, more holidays, less travelling, more clothes, less clothes, more stuff, less stuff, new car, new house, new partner …*takes deep breath*… new friends, no more new friends, more muscles, less crying, better parenting, better job, no job, see family more, see family less, help more people, get help more often, quit smoking, drink less, eat more meat, eat less meat … the list goes on!
Most people want to improve themselves or their lives to some degree; we’re all alike in that way.
Most New Year’s Resolutions fail (I won’t go into detail, but there are stats supporting that sweeping statement!). So I recommend that you just don’t make any. But no, you cry, how will I improve if I don’t make a resolution to? Easy – you take action. A resolution is just a decision to do something, and decisions don’t get you anywhere. To change, you need a goal, some determination and action. Action is what gets you over the line!
Here’s a few tips:
Share your theme for the year with us – what are you focusing on? (In case you were wondering, mine is “Acceptance” – rolling with the punches, flowing with the current and being grateful for all I have).
Source: http://www.design-decor-staging.com
The decorations have been in the stores a while now (it won’t be long before they’re in before July, I’m sure!) and we can sense impending festivities. Are you excited? Or terrified? Or a bit of both?
Download the 2011 Clear Space Christmas Countdown Calendar and you’ll be able to approach the holiday season without freaking out too much. It gives you one task a day to focus on in order to get organised well ahead of time so that Christmas is relaxing. You won’t feel rushed, and you will be able to enjoy the fun things about Christmas instead of all the stress that it usually brings!
Enjoy!
There are many reasons why people keep too many things; I hear them every day. Some are valid (ie, they need, use or love the item) but other excuses need to be challenged if people want to move forward with a simpler, less cluttered life.
Here are some of my favourite counter-arguments and challenges in response to some common excuses:
1. I might use it one day
This is the most common. I always remind people that for every item you keep for this reason, you are adding to your ‘To Do’ list. After all, if you do actually use it, it’s something to do, isn’t it? Do you really need MORE stuff to do? And if you’re keeping it out of obligation (“I really should finish that project”) then it’s not even going to be an enjoyable activity! Why do that to yourself?
When exactly WILL you use it? How long have you been ‘meaning to’ use it? How is it affecting your life right now? If you’re pretty sure you will use it, give yourself a deadline. If it’s not used by then, it is a negative effect on your life and it needs to go.
I also ask clients to ask themselves “What’s the worst that could happen if I get rid of this item?”. In most cases, you’ll just need to borrow one off someone else, or buy it again. And that’s the worst case! You can live with that, can’t you? You’ve certainly been through worse. Most likely, you’ll forget it existed and be grateful for the peace of mind.
2. I plan to fit into it again
Okay, so you have a few items of clothing that you love that don’t quite fit – fair enough. However, you need limits on how many you keep. After all, you will most likely want to go shopping again if you lose weight, won’t you?
And the tough question – how likely are you to actually lose weight? How long have you been that size? It does get less likely as time goes on. I always encourage my clients to focus efforts and space in their wardrobe on clothes that they can use, and that make them feel fabulous in the size they are, instead of resenting their size. If skinny clothes could talk, all they would do is call you fat anyway. You wouldn’t keep a friend that called you fat!
3. I spent a lot of money on it
The money is gone – it’s not coming back. If you wasted the money, it’s already wasted; what you do with the item will make little difference to that. Accept the loss and move on. If you don’t use it, you’re wasting both money, space AND sanity. Why not consider selling it or donating it to someone who will get a lot of use out of it?
4. Someone gave it to me
Your affection for someone should not be directed towards items, it should be directed towards the person. Love the person; get rid of the monstrosity that stresses you.
5. It’s a waste if I get rid of it
It’s far more of a waste to keep it and not use it! Donate it to someone who will appreciate it and get use out of it.
6. We’ve always kept that type of paperwork
Just because you’ve always done it does not mean it’s appropriate anymore. Challenge your habits and rationalise your decisions with some logic. Do you need it? Can you reproduce it if you really do find you need it one day? If it’s available anywhere else, get rid of it and simplify your life. Less paperwork = more smiles!
What excuses do you think you need to remove from your decluttering experience?
My daughter loves reading the Faraway Tree books. In it is a character called Dame Washalot, who spends all of her time doing laundry. Today, sitting on the floor in the laundry, sorting my own pile of washing, it occurred to me that most women (sorry guys, but usually the women do the majority of the clothes washing tasks!) spend far too much time keeping their family in clean clothes. Unlike Dame Washalot, however, they don’t really enjoy it!
I go into people’s homes just about every day. One of the most common causes of clutter that I see is clothes. Clean or dirty (or of unknown status!), they overtake the house! I see it time and time again – and it really bothers people but they don’t know how to deal with it.
Here are a few tips I implemented at home, and recommend to clients, to reduce the task a bit:
Do you have any tips or tricks of your own to help keep on top of the washing? Do tell!