Inspiration for a good decluttering session can come from many places, personally just recently while I have been forced to take things easy ... so bloody easy ... I have been plonking myself in front of the television and watching YouTube videos from all over the world.
I grab a snack, as seen here a pitta bread pizza, or a big mug of coffee and tumble down a rabbit warren of many twists and turns.
I paid for and watched this particular film a few years ago and then last week found it again on YouTube. It's something I would loved to have done if I had been able to when I moved into my new place ... not the naked bit though 😄 I think I would have started with just ten items and then added things over the course of six months. It's fascinating to watch though and there was a Channel Four series that was based on this guys idea a few years ago, but I can't find any of that online.
Next I found this guy who set himself a challenge based on the My Stuff Video, equally as fascinating.
And then of course there are the original Minimalist guys and their Less is Now and other documentaries on Netflix.
And of course things shift and change as you move through life, but these days I think most us would agree that we own far too much 'stuff'. More than we need and more than our children or family will want to be left with once we are gone. How easy life would be ... and here speaks someone who has just moved from a caravan, back to a house, into a flat and then into a lodge all in less than a year. If I ever move again it WILL be with even less for sure.
Now I'm off to tumble down yet another rabbit hole, who knows what I will stumble across this time.
Have a great weekend.
Sue xx
I am constantly "micro-decluttering" by which I mean every week a couple of 'somethings' get relocated. My benchmark for whether something stays or goes is often "Dog forbid there was a fire, would I replace this".
ReplyDeleteYouTube rabbit hole - live feed of the La Palma volcano. Channel is Afar TV which has more than one stream. This one includes info on bottom of screen about SO2, ash, etc. There is sound too . . .
https://youtu.be/XLeYZY6VVAw
Typical - I post a link and an hour later the feed has gone down (there is still "a" feed, but it's from a different angle). Which is a concern for La Palma because overnight another massive vent seems to have opened up and the volcano looked to be even more active.
DeleteGosh that's worrying, and I haven't even heard about this on the news!!
DeleteI know I have WAY too much clutter but I'm no minimalist so much of it remains, despite knowing it's not necessary.
ReplyDeleteOh, dear! :-)
You are a shining example. xx
Haha ... I wouldn't go that far. My shine has definintely dimmed this past year!!
DeleteI too have been watching a lot of Youtube lately for various resons and one of my favourites is The Scandish Home. It's located in America and the creator is Hungarian but it is based on Scandinavian minimalism and design which I love.
ReplyDeleteI love Scandi style, those lovely pale hues and blonde woods.
DeleteWhilst I will happily agree that I have far too much stuff (difficult not to now we have downsized to a far smaller property and I am not prepared to chuck good things away). That said, some of my/our "things" give me so much pleasure. Owning just what a stood up in and a change of pants, and a pot to cook in would make my life hardly worth living. So I carry on getting rid of a few things here and there and some Ebay listings are long overdue.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't dream of chucking good things away, even bad things get thoroughly assessed and very little goes into the bin. If I have something that is surplus and I know that someone will be able to make good use of it either for a small price or free I would rather it was in use with them than stored in a cupboard that I just don't have.
DeleteI like watching videos where they build a tiny home, or live in a converted van. How they manage with very little stuff, and everything has it's place.
ReplyDeleteIt is fascinating isn't it, and I subscribe to lots of tiny homes channels and log cabin style houses on little plots of land. Ironic ... and perhaps inevitable then ... that I should first live in a caravan and then in an even tinier home. With all this bad weather at the moment I'm just glad I'm not on wheels!!
DeleteThere are some really interesting Youtube videos too by the monk Nick Keomahavong - this link is the one on minimalism https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h71kUZBoD2s
ReplyDeleteI like the box idea the monks are given as new trainees and the talk about how just maintaining our hair comes with a lot of clutter! I agree with him also that the more stuff we have then the more problems that come with it.
I am of the mindset now that it is not constant decluttering that we need to do but it is the 'not buying it' in the first place that we need to control. The quest to have more and more is leading us down a path that is not particular helpful for us in many ways including the environment in the making and disposal of all this stuff and lets face it the shops are bursting with some absolute crap and what is worse is that so often we are buying it and buying it because it is cheap so we think it does not matter if we don't want it further down the line it just goes out again in the next declutter as it did not cost us anything much so that makes it OK. Just look at anyone's basket in the queues at places like the Poundshop or the trollies in IKEA.
I for one felt an enormous relief during the lockdowns that I couldn't be tempted when out shopping and my house was much better for it. I am slowly learning to reuse and relove things I have already bought or have been passed on to me rather than buy more. It is so much harder not to buy than it is to declutter but I do want to challenge myself to not buying next year. With Christmas upon us I know I am already itching to go to look around John lewis at their Christmas displays and see what bits I might pick up at Hobbycraft - the temptation is so great.
Thanks for the video links - they look interesting and I will be having a look at them - it is always good to listen to the ideas of the more extremists before deciding just where your own boundaries lie - I know mine would not be quite so extreme but there are always useful ideas you can take on board. Keep on inspiring us Sue.
Ooops another essay....another award!!
2nd Gold medal awarded ;-)
DeleteI agree entirely and I'm hoping that now I have settled into my new home next year can be THE year that I do not buy anything ... either for the lodge or for myself. I have more than enough clothes and shoes to be able to set myself the Challenge of four rounds of P333 and that way the things I have will be work seasonally and hopefully wear out naturally rather then be dug out each and every year for a few wears etc.
I have more than enough books, DVDs and things recorded to watch to keep me busy all year and enough food in store to see me be able to eat well with only regular spending on fresh foods for at least the first few months of the year.
We'll see how it goes.
This is my attempt at the longest answer to the longest comment ......
That wasn't actually as long as it felt .... boo hoo :-(
DeleteThe Minimalist who resonates most with me is Joshua Becker https://www.becomingminimalist.com/
ReplyDeleteYes, he's another one who makes a lot of sense, and Courtney Carver https://bemorewithless.com/about/
DeleteI am almost at a happy medium when it comes to "stuff". I will never be a Scandi style minimalist but I have what I need, and it is tidy and well organized in my small apt. Things like my books bring me comfort and joy and they won't be going - but - I now use the library a LOT more, swap books with friends, and only buy certain ones that I really want and will keep.
ReplyDeleteI already have what might be called a "uniform" style of dressing and I hope to not buy anything more than perhaps some new undies, socks & a couple of shirts for the next year. Truly - any kind of shopping, other than for necessities, has lost all appeal.
I have a well stocked pantry and freezer so I want to be sure to use these things and concentrate on fresh food moving forward. I am also looking to reduce my meat consumption and incorporate more vegetarian dishes into my diet. Partly a concern for the environment and partly due to cost increases. I will never be vegan but I can at least do my bit.
I follow many of the bloggers/vloggers that others have mentioned but I would like to recommend a very interesting book called "The Day the World Stops Shopping" by J.B. Mackinnon. He had already started this book before the pandemic hit but the abrupt change to all our shopping habits made for an additional dynamic that he incorporates into this study. It is well written and raises a lot of interesting points that I found very though provoking. I think you would enjoy it.
Margie from Toronto
You follow a good middle ground and that is something that I aim for. My bursts of decluttering help to keep me in check but always leave me with enough of what I love left around me. The book sounds really good, I'll have a look at it on Amazon ... I wish the world would stop shopping, except for the essentials!!
DeleteI live on the west coast of the United States and will eventually be moving to my daughter's location on the east coast. My mantra is "Would I pay to have this moved 2,500 miles?" If the answer is No, out it goes. Well, except for the books right now. They won't all make the trip but for now we'll cohabitate.
ReplyDeleteIt's a good time to have a clear out isn't it, really focusing your mind on what is worth shipping. I had hoped to do more of this before we moved from Wales, but then Alan did most of the packing and things that should have been sold came with us.
DeleteYou are an inspiration to me when it comes to decluttering. I have way too much stuff. I do understand about those rabbit holes too! I hope you are having a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteIt was a good weekend, a wet one, but good. We went to visit my son in Cumbria.
DeleteToday I actually got my husband to go through his hats and get rid of a few that he never wears anymore.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Men and their hats eh!! Alan managed to get rid of a few of his before we moved, you can get away with a cowboy hat on a smallholding but not so much walking around town ;-)
DeleteThere was a really good series on about 5 years ago called "life stripped bare", there are clips on YouTube. One girl had the genius idea of getting a bolt of fabric instead of an item of clothing at a time, and made all her clothing from it.
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S the one I was trying to think of, thanks 😀
DeleteThanks for the links, I will take some time to watch them over the coming weeks. I have so much stuff, especially craft based, it really can be stiffling.
ReplyDeleteI felt so much relief the day I sold all my craft stuff, even the works in progress went to other people.
DeleteHope you feel better soon, Sue. And yes, minimalism is such a wonderful goal to strive for. It's said that Mother Teresa of Calcutta owned two things and two things only... her sauri (her nun's habit) and a bucket to wash her sauri in. Maybe that's why she's a saint today, eh?! :) ~Andrea xoxoxo
ReplyDeleteThank you. Suffering a bit today after a few hours travelling yesterday, but I'll be okay. Mother Teresa was a remarkable woman.
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