Returning to My Post

It's back to blogging! I have moved yet again, this time to our treehouse in the west side of Portland. So I am embarking on creating yet another minimalist home. We are painting, remodeling, and landscaping. So, I will have a lot to write about.

I will also be writing about ways to save time and money.

Upon returning to the land of blogging, I went through all of my favorite blogs that I had listed and was shocked to see how many were no more. Some stated that their space was for sale, some were just not found and some were just replaced by ads.

So I have updated my blog favorites and added some more I think you'll like. So I hope you'll follow me on my latest journey. Cheers!

Primary Storage, Secondary Storage, Long Term Storage

My dear friends just recently moved from a big country house into a rather small city house. They had to move rather quickly though so their things were packed in a hurry and just put down basically anywhere in the new house. So when I walked in there were boxes piled everywhere and with my friend's husband at work, she decided to just try to set up the living room. We did this pretty easily once we go started by just removing what didn't belong. After a rest and a chat, we were motivated to attack the kitchen. Here's where some real decisions had to be made. Since my friend's husband is a professional chef, he has tons of pots and pans, serving platters, and kitchen gadgets - and I mean all of them! Well this is a tiny kitchen.

So we started making decisions using the three storage categories that I am sure every professional organizer knows: primary storage, secondary storage and long term storage.

Primary storage is for the items you use every day and should be stored right where you use them: cutting board on the counter, glassware near the dishwasher, etc.

Secondary storage is for things you use once a week or so. They can be stored in higher cupboards like crock pots, serving platters, etc.

Long term storage is for things you use once or twice a year such as holiday decorations, certain tools. etc. these things can go into the garage or somewhere where it may take time to get them out.

Back to my friend's kitchen - the amount of secondary storage items in this situation would never fit into this kitchen. So I thought where would you store all of this stuff if you were in a big house? A butler's pantry!

So we took a big shelf and put it in the garage which is right off the kitchen and created a place for all of these over sized bean pots, steamers, mixers, etc. There's even an outlet if he wants to plug one in right there to do some slow cooking without taking up space in the pantry.

So he has his butler's pantry. With the two main rooms done, the others are quickly being organized and I know they'll be happy back in their little city house - especially because they're my neighbors!

An Easy Way to Free Up a Kitchen Drawer

Here's what my kitchen utensil drawer used to look like. Lots of junk and with so few drawers in my kitchen I knew I needed to put something up on the counter, even though I have zero tolerance for clutter.

I realized that most of the utensils are stainless steel. Some of them have black handles so I just hid the handles in the bottom of this canister that I already had on the counter. I think it looks great, I have everything I need right at hand and I freed up a crowded drawer!

Still Digging Out!

I am still digging out from this move. Our last renter finally moved all of his stuff out on Friday, but unfortunately we still have lots of extra furniture that won't fit in this smaller house. One would think I'd have everything put away by now, but I of course, consider each thing I have and weather or not I really need it. 

We also decided to repaint in a new light chocolate shade that looks very contemporary. Being as busy as we are right now, my husband spends about an hour a day painting and it's really coming along. 

I've always had the attitude that any big job can be done a bit at a time. So I try to unpack one box each night when I get home from work and do one load of laundry. We'll get there. 

If you're facing a big dig out from clutter or any kind of disorganization, check out the Fly Lady's site. No matter where you are in your process of getting it together she has figured out systems to keep you progressing. Her basic philosophy is the same as mine, and I'm a big fan of hers.

Downsize, Downsize, Downsize...

Well, now that we finally got everything out of the big house and the new renter has moved in, it's time to unpack. Of course, some things will be put right back where they were, but I am taking a fresh look at the house one room at a time. My sister was saying she should move so she would be forced to get rid of stuff. Believe me, that's not the easiest way to do it! However, starting with an empty place, does let you see it afresh.  

Even living out of a suitcase for a week got me focused on what I really need on a daily basis. They say we only wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time. If we could just know which ones we are going to need on a regular basis, imagine how much money and closet space we could save? I am afraid that I'll have to leave that one  left up to the fashion gods, as it will always remain a mystery to me! But when you have to choose the essentials to wear for a week or so, it jumps out at you.

So I'll be paring down as I unpack and will be changing some of my minimalist organization. I hope you'll follow me on my journey!

A Shocking Thing Happened on My Way to Minimalism

So here I am, back in my minimalist's row house but, a shocking thing happened on my way to minimalism.... Apparently, while in the huge flip house we accumulated more stuff! I am shocked at just how much stuff! Much of it is attributed to remodeling left overs and stuff left there by our son and his crew who lived there while they remodeled. I knew it was there and we cleared out a lot but, my mistake was not clearing out enough on a weekly basis. I was so busy keeping the house looking showroom perfect, that I neglected to keep up my minimalist habits! 

Now that I'm unpacking, I'm thinking.... what was I thinking? Why do I have this much stuff? Believe me, it's not because I buy it! My sister loves to send my serving dishes for Christmas for some reason, enough that I could start a catering business! My mother in law likes to send my husband food home with him when he stops in to visit. So, those dishes and Tupperware pile up. We have all of these odd mismatched glasses... remember the gas station glasses? We inherited some of those and remember the Flintstones jelly jars people reused as juice glasses? Well, at least I didn't have any of those!

Luckily, unpacking is a great time to recognize what hasn't been used in the past year and all of those empty boxes make it easy to cart things off to charity too. So with: trash, donate, relocate, and sell boxes at the ready, we unpacked our kitchen last night and purged a good fourth of it!

Our kitchen was second only to the garage mess in sheer bulk that we had to move. Of course, the row house kitchen is about a fourth the size of the flip house kitchen. I guess we really spread out there!

So, it's back to my good habits which are: going through drawers and closets on a regular basis, keeping a box handy for items to go to charity, and going through one kitchen cupboard and one refrigerator shelf a week. If I had done more of this the six months before I moved, it would have been much easier on us!

Thankful to be a minimalist!

I apologize for neglecting this blog but it seems everything has changed rather quickly. In the past month here is how our lives have changed:

1. The substitute teaching job I described in an earlier post turned into a long term position until the end of the school year, (the third week in June.) More on that later in another post.

2. After months of the doldrums, our remodeling company has landed quite a few bids thus, my husband and son have been working their tails off for the last two weeks! Of course, the business picked up right after...

3. my husband took a job as a crisis intervention counselor.

4. We found a renter for our house that isn't selling and decided to move back to our minimalist town house next weekend.

No wonder I'm so tired. And yes I am blogging at 3:00 in the morning....

All of these changes are positive financial changes. However, they all require energy, and the hardest on the list is the move. Luckily, my little family all believes in minimalism. How else could we play musical houses when we need to? Our son will move from the townhouse to another house we own, the renters will move into the flip house and we will move to the townhouse. Here's the plan:

Will I have a garage sale before I move? No.

Will we be donating stuff before we move? You bet ya!

And although I don't really have that much stuff to get rid of, there are always things that no longer serve us. There is no point in saving this stuff because you might need it one day and you don't want to buy it again because most likely, that day will never come. So tomorrow I'll start packing and purging.

I have learned to move anything I cherish in my own car myself i.e. fancy dishes, technology stuff, art supplies, basically, breakable stuff. I have made a list of where I want everything put in the townhouse and will label each piece of furniture and box. My son and crew will likely move us while we are at work, so this is a must! Moving is no easy task no mater how organized we are, so wish me luck! Did I mention we just moved here in September?

Moving in the Future? Start packing now!

Knowing that moving again is in my near future, either because we get this house sold or rent it out, I find myself thinking about what to do to make the move easier. I know the worst thing to do is to jumble things together in hopes of sorting it all out on the other end. I also know that anything that isn't in a container is difficult to move. So, I've decided to tackle packing way in advance by getting things into containers as much as possible and planning which containers to use where. 

1. Clothes: I already got rid of our dressers in exchange for plastic drawers that are stored in our closets. These are so great when moving because they're already packed. I'll need some tall moving boxes for hanging clothes and shoes.  (This is probably a good time to pare down my shoe collection.)

2. Cosmetics and toiletries: I haven't gone through this stuff in at least six months. I'll need to do that, and then locate some large zip lock bags to pack it all in. Then it can all go in my suitcase.

3. Office supplies: I think I'll use the zip lock method here as well.

4. Filing: I am unusually behind in this department. This will be my largest task. I need more folders. I hate too keep buying file boxes. I think I'll rubber band and pack up old files in a plastic storage box and set up new ones. It's the loose papers that need to dealt with.

5. Kitchen: This is the worst stuff to pack because it is so breakable. I think this time since I'm moving such a short distance, I'll just take it in my car. Wine boxes with inserts in them are helpful too. I'll ask my local pub owner.

6. Garage: This is by far the worst area to pack. Ours is filled with our construction company's tools. I've decided to leave this to the guys!

Wow! I feel better already. Now that I have a plan, I can tackle one area at a time and then when it''s time to move, I'll be ready to go.

When Minimalism is Really Needed!

We are now trying once again, to sell our flip house that didn't sell last summer. The difference this time is we have moved into it. So, now it is staged with our furniture. Our realtor told us that at our open house people kept saying, "Oh wow, this house has been staged," and he kept telling them, no the owners live here, this is how they live. That is what a life without clutter can do.

I have a zero tollerance for clutter. Instead of decorating with items, I try to see the beauty in a shiny stainless steel fridge or the colors I choose to paint the walls. I chose my lamps as art pieces instead of choosing plain lamps and adding nick-knacks on the tables underneath. Small everyday items can clutter a room too. A decoative box for example, is a great way to hide all of the remotes, reading glasses, etc. that get left out. Another trick is to thread a surge protector through the back of a secertary type desk. Then you can charge your cell phones, cameras, etc. out of site yet, still right at hand.

At any rate, I am happy that my minimalist philosophy is working. Now if we can just sell this house!
Here are some pictures:

It's a New Year! What will you throw away?

So we've had time to adjust to a new year. We now remember to write 2009 on our checks and are looking toward spring. What changes will you make? What will you let go of to make room in your life for new things, thoughts, ideas, people?

An easy way to start is to unburden yourself of things you no longer need. That can be as big an idea as cleaning out a storage space or garage or simply cleaning out your purse or the glove compartment of your car. Space in itself is a gift you can give yourself no matter how small a space you live in. You could actually live in a huge house but have a cluttered night stand or bathroom sink that makes your life a hassle everyday! Clear those spaces and feel the joy of a place to set a cup of tea or a book you're reading, or a candle.

If you need an emotional clean out, try going through your boxes of pictures. You don't have to save every picture of everyone you've ever known. You may find pictures of people you no longer associate with. Why do you need their picture? You were there anyway. Who needs the picture?

Isn't it time to stop beating up on yourself about your weight? Often, once we accept who we are a healthier self will follow. How about your age? Perhaps throwing out clothing that you probably won't fit into again and may be too youngish a style, ( belly shirts,) are something you should let go of. Give yourself a break! Buy something that looks great on you that you can wear today.

Then there's your health. How about a good look into your freezer. Throw out the mystery food and eat something fresh. You deserve it!

Now let go of your limitations! Enter your painting in an art show, go dancing, join a book group, sing Karaoke, whatever! Add something valuable to your life. You won't regret it.

Don't let empty beer bottles get you down!

Now that I am here in this big house that was obviously enjoyed by a great deal of our 24 year old son's friends, it's time to deal with the garbage they left behind. Now you might say why don't you make him do that? If he were twelve I would, but he's 24 with the responsibilities of a much older man running a construction company. I guess in some ways he has an old soul. Anyway, he's working on our row house getting it ready to rent and dealing with the mess we left in the garage, restaining all the decks, overseeing painting etc.

So, I am dealing with the barrels of garbage that is mixed in with beer bottles and cigarettes, tile, drywall etc. The garbage pickup was yesterday and I was so happy to see some of it go. My main thing is I want as much of it to be recycled as possible. So I picked out two containers worth of bottles and filled the giant recycling bin with cardboard and cans and away it went. Today I will go through more of it and I suspect that after a few weeks I will have gotten rid of it all and then I will change to a once a month pick up because I find that if I recycle and compost that's all the garbage we make. Tomorrow I need to scope out a good spot for a compost pile as well. I left my compost bin for the renters of our row house and I hope they'll use it.

So my message today is don't let the empty beer bottles get you down. We can always recycle them and rock on!

I'm Here! The Minimalist's Move

Well, I'm here in my new house and in spite of my best efforts to avoid it, I have been stressed out. After all, I thought I was a minimalist! The idea was that I should be able to pick up and move at any time since we are real estate investors and need to be flexible especially in this market! But the new house is beautiful and we're basically moved in. It's a different feeling to be in such a larger house. Ironically, this house is bigger than the one I downsized from when we moved into our row house. However, I am for now resisting the temptation to buy more furniture to fill it up. I just put the wicker garden furniture in the living room for now.

From this move I learned an important lesson. I learned that that moving things into the garage isn't really minimalism! It was the garage that really made the move harder because it was filled with tools, left over paint, and everything that I had pitched from the house to make it minimal.  To make matters worse, I have moved into a house with a garage filled with the remnants of various people's belongings who lived here while our son renovated the house, as well as building materials and tools. But I'm not going to freak out. I'm just going to take it one bite at a time and get rid of as much as I can. 

Freecycle is a great resource for getting rid of things. It's a Yahoo group where people post things they are looking for or looking to get rid of. Of course, this isn't a money maker. But why should we think we should make money on things that are no longer useful to us? Did we think about their resale value when we bought them? Of course not. We bought them to use or just because we wanted them. Be it a painting or a paint brush, most things unfortunately end up in the land fill. The only way not to participate in this travesty is not to buy the stuff in the first place. But for now, I'll just lighten my load by passing it on to someone else.

Am I Moving? A Minimalist's Move

Well, you all know how unpredictable this economy is right now. As a result I may have to move! You see we've had a beautiful property on the market all summer and it's time to stop the hemoraging of cash flow. We have one more person to look at it today and if she doesn't buy it we're moving in to keep it on the market while we live in it and renting out our downsized Minimalistic Lifestyle townhouse. The big house is on 1/2 an acre and has 2400 square feet.

Not to panic  though because it's only 1.5 miles away! That's how Portland is, country in the city. I'm not looking forward to packing but because I have decluttered on a regular basis there aren't that many loose items except for the kitchen of course. That's really the key to a together house and easy move, having things in containers. The worst parts are disconnecting mounted TVs and things like that. Really glad I use a laptop now!

What happens if  it sells in a month? We'll put our furniture into storage and rent a one bedroom apartment for awhile until the lease on the townhouse is up, then move back here. Phew! I couldn't even have thought about such things if I hadn't minimized our belongings. 

You might think for a minute and ask yourself. What if I had to move suddenly due to a transfer, illness, or other unforeseen event? What would that look like?

Minimalistic Stress Reduction

Most of us are pretty organized at work. We walk in, check over our emails, create a list of things we need to get accomplished, enter deadlines into our planners, etc. As we all know, if we fail to do these things, we will certainly hear about it. (Oh, sorry I forgot about that meeting doesn't cut it at work.) Yet, it is all too easy to feel like we've had enough of this ultra organization by the time we get home and just want to relax, as if our personal lives would just flow along without any organization at all.

But we can use the same tools we use at work at home without over organizing our lives. Take email for example; we can set up many bills to come to us as emails and then pay them with on line banking which gives us a record of when they were paid. This is a huge time saver and cuts down on paper mail which helps me to be a better tree hugger!

Sadly, we spend less waking hours at home than at work,  so our to do lists for home should be much shorter, say two items. This may not sound like a lot, but after a week, you will have crossed off 14 items that you may have been putting off for months! It may be sending a thank you note, making an appointment, or making a phone call, etc. You may have to make a call during business hours and thus accomplish this on your lunch break. You still get credit for this though, because if you assign yourself too many of these things to do you will get even more stressed out. As you clear these types of items off of your list you may want to add items that help organize your home such as go through one drawer, organize your wallet or purse, or list an item on eBay, Craigslist or Freesell.

Just as you use a planner at work to make sure you are where you should be when, you can use a home calendar in the same way. Just like at work, when you make an appointment you write it down. You can go one step further and write a detail that gives you a record of what that appointment was about. You can note phone calls as well, giving you a record which may come in handy in the future.

I challenge you all to try my two item personal life "to do" list for one week and see if you can declutter 14 items from your stress list. Good Luck!

Minimal Daily Routine

I just found a great site by a Texan called The Fly Lady. She is really encouraging. She starts from the idea that if you're reading her site, you're probably feeling overwhelmed by all of your obligations, and your house my have become cluttered and dirty. That is not where I am, but I am always looking for new ways to give myself more time. She suggests baby steps that build into a routine over a month. If followed, by the end of the month one's house should have improved dramatically. I 'm not going to go into complete detail because you should really check this lady out, but here's my routine. (Bear in mind I keep house for a 79 lb boxer and fluffy cat as well as for my husband and myself.)
Morning Routine:
Make Bed, Wipe down upstairs sink and toilet
Shower, Get dressed
Take down glasses and one garbage pail
Put in a laundry load and empty either garbage, recycling, or compost bucket
water backyard and scoop poop
Clean Kitchen & Sweep floor

Afternoon Routine:
Wipe down guest bathroom, dust living room, wash hardwood floors
Fold and put away one laundry load
Hit a hot spot for 15 minutes

Possible hot spots: ( Anywhere clutter accumulates or places you rarely get to)
Shower
Downstairs
My closet and chair
Brian’s closet
Bathroom drawers
Bedroom end tables
Hall closets
Bookshelves
Spider webs, vacuuming
washing walls and windows

Feeling a bit broke? Start cleaning your house!

If the price of gas has got you down, here are some hidden resources you already have that you can tap into:

1. Get out the vacuum and vacuum your house from top to bottom. Get rid of the spider webs, vacuum our curtains, vacuum under the beds and the mattresses, under the couch cushions and inside your closets. Now open up all the doors and windows to air your house out. You have just improved your air quality greatly without spending a dine except for the electricity. You will undoubtedly find a lot of change along the way. Put that aside for now.

2. Take everything out of your closets and see what's in there. We have a way of not appreciating what we have. I know right now I have clothes in my closet that I bought without trying on but never returned for whatever reason that still have the tags on them! They are perfect for a consignment store. Whenever I go through my closet I always find clothes that I have forgotten about too.

3. Take out and dust all of your books. Are there any you don't really care about? If so, you can sell them back to a used book store or trade them for a new one. Now you have a book to read that didn't cost you a dime!

4. Take out and dust and alphabetize all of your DVDs and CDs. This really gets you in touch with what you have. You can resell these either on line or at a used record store. Or give them away to friends - hey free gifts!

5. Go through your kitchen cupboards and see what's in there. Wipe them all down. Check for expiration dates on cans. Challenge yourself to come up with dishes that you have everything for. Invite a friend to dinner and watch a DVD you haven't seen in awhile. hey- free entertainment!

6. Remove all non essential items from your bedroom, wash all the dirty clothes and sheets and bedding. Make up your bed as if it were in a luxury hotel. Pick some flowers from your garden and put them in a vase on the dresser. Now snuggle up in bed with your new book or favorite snuggler. You get the idea!

7. Here's the best part! go through all of your drawers, coat pockets, and anywhere else that change can be found. Add it to the change you found in step one. Take it to the bank and have them spin it for you. Now you have money in your pocket and are no longer broke!

Why do I have to do all that cleaning? Why can't I just look for change and stuff to sell? you may ask. We live in a time where we are practically ordered to consume more and more. We feel broke if we can't buy something new. It's all too easy to forget about what we already have. If your house is a mess, then you're not taking care of what you have already spent your hard earned money on. Dusting books and alphabetizing DVDs puts us in touch with the disorder that too many posessions cause. And lastly, creating a peaceful, serene environment is the best way to feel rich.

Reducing Plastic Bags: Why it's worth it!

Once again I feel I need to write about garbage. 

I am quite opposed to the use of plastic grocery bags. It looks like there will soon be  a charge for them here in Portland if our wonderful new mayor, Sam Adams has his way. I backed him on this before he was elected and perhaps now we will start living up to our green reputation!

Here's something that happened to me in a local supermarket just yesterday. I was in line and when the checker asked me if plastic was okay, I said, "Oh no, I have my own bag."

The woman in front of me turned as she was leaving and said, " Now I suppose the green police are going to get me."

Taken aback, I replied, " Oh, I just don't like them accumulating in my cupboards."

Ignoring me, she turned back to the checker and said, " No, I really mean it."

So here I am, trying to sell this woman on using her own bags, (which is in my nature,) instead of being insulted by her accusatory remark about me, a perfect stranger. Heaven forbid, she think I am the green police! 

So,  for any of my readers that are into minimalism, but not going green, here are some reasons why reducing your use of plastic bags is worth it.

1. They junk up our cupboards.

2. They can carry bacteria from whatever food, such as produce was in them.

3. They fill up your garbage can, costing you money.

4. They litter our highways (which is ugly), because they don't break down as fast as paper would.

5. They harm wild animals. You're in favor of animals right? Like the Animal Planet, right?

Here is one reason why the "Green Police" would like you to curtail your use of this vile product. It is a quote from Chrissie Hynde,

" It's ruining the Earth so knock it off, you're screwing it up for the rest of us!"

I hope you'll all check out two of my favorite anti-plastic sites by two great authors:

Life Less Plastic and Fake Plastic Fish

A Simple Cleaning Solution

Got a messy house? You can painlessly clean it over time by doing it during commercials. Here's how: When you're watching TV in the evening just get up during the commercials and do one thing or part of one thing at a time. Here are some examples: load the dishwasher, wash pots and pans, vacuum a room, dust a room, put in a load of laundry, etc. If you do this every night, you'll see your house start to turn around. While you watch TV you can fold laundry or clean out a drawer. Of course, If you get your family members to help your house will be cleaner sooner!

Minimalist House Cleaning: Company's Coming Triage

When company's coming, it's an emergency clean up you'll need. You may not have time to do the greatest job on the whole house but here are some tricks. First, contain your guests to the main floor of your house. This may not work if they've never been to your house because they may want a tour. If that is the case, they at least won't be looking into your closets. This is triage....ready?
Start at the top of the house with a laundry basket - no you're not going to do laundry because you don't have time. Shove the laundry into the closet and close the door along with any other clutter you find. Then dust, vacuum, put the garbage and snack dishes into the laundry basket and move to the next room. When you reach the kitchen load the dishwasher, wash the floor and take out the trash. Go to the store and get some flowers and easy food. You can get some ideas on my earlier post Minimalist Entertaining: Horsdeorves.

Of course, this sort of clean won't last long so hopefully your guests' visit won't either! My next post will be about painless ways to keep your house together on a daily basis.

Why do we keep stuff?

I am amazed when I see what some other people feel are their "treasures:" Little League baseball trophies, childhood games and toys, tools they never use, broken things they'll never fix, a breadbox? Anyone using a breadbox hasn't read my blog about how valuable counter space is!
I helped a friend move recently and he put as much stuff into the garage as he did the house!

I do have a few good ideas why people keep such things. I think they tie them to someone who gave them to them or someone they were with when they bought them somewhere in their past. Of course, many people hoard out of fear they'll have nothing one day, or they might need that useless thing one day. But the truth is: we need to get over this stuff! There's always more stuff in our future - the Good Will is full of other people's stuff they wasted their time, money, and our planet's resources on. You won't be young again, and your kids don't want your old toys. Oh, and your old girlfriend's not coming back, so make some room for a new one!