Taking a Look Back: Emptying Out to Prepare for Our Trip - Our RV Journey - Summer Trip - Day 27

At the end of last summer, we decided we would like to stay for the season for 2015. We’d pay the rate for the season and stay from May 1^st until the end of August. We discussed it as a family and made the commitment.  The kids were aware we would be winding up activities in April and not signing up for anything in May or beyond. Over the holidays, we confirmed our plan and put our down our deposit.  In January when the kids enrolled in activities, we announced at the start that it would be through April. After May, we’d be unavailable. Several months later, my daughter’s dance studio began asking why she wouldn’t be at the recital in June. They asked her to ask us if she could be in the recital. I was a little annoyed at first as this put her in an awkward situation and we had been very up front with them, even before enrolling. However, hubby took it all in stride and responded, “tell them (the dance studio) that you can be in the recital; the recital just needs to be moved to the end of April.” My daughter and I both responded to that.  =D   She also took it in stride and shared with her fellow dancers and teacher. She felt stronger about our choice. I don’t think we missed anything by ending our activities in April.

One month before our trip, we started making serious preparations. We went through the items in our pantry and decluttered. We let go of some of the items that we will no longer use. We prioritized items and marked one shelf with items that needed to either be used or brought with us. We began using those items. We did the same with the freezer and refrigerator. We created meals from what we already had in the freezer or fridge. We started working our way through using items in the fridge and freezer for meals and only buying the minimal amount that month for immediate use.

The result? The items in the pantry, fridge and freezer began to dwindle. Slowly at first, then building momentum. By the time our trip arrived, we had a small amount to bring with us. We had emptied the fridge and freezer and unplugged it for our time away! It was a liberating experience. Using what we had then adding minimal purchases to get us through the month. When you make it fun or a game, you get creative, have a positive experience and enjoy the process. Upon reflection, it could have been a dreadful experience if we hadn’t planned ahead and suddenly started looking through the pantry, fridge and freezer the day or so before the trip!

~ Happy Camper

Too Much Stuff?

I've been decluttering this past week. I like to declutter, organize, purge and donate. It is a cleansing and liberating feeling for me. I recently read an article and one line jumped out at me:

"Cap possessions by number (five pairs of jeans), size (one basketful of toiletries), or time (unread books will be donated after three months)."

Wow, okay I'm way beyond that. Do I declutter more? Food for thought. The areas listed in the quote are not areas I'm concentrating on.

I finally decluttered my pantry again! Looks nice, clean and organized again. I notice I write "again" and wonder why I can't create a system that works. I think I had one and life got in the way. Let's see if I can do better this year.

So where does my stuff go? I actually decluttered the pantry and linen closet. Linen closet? Yes, it's not too often that I declutter in there, but I stumbled upon it and found myself going through it.

1. I throw away things that are unusable, damaged or broken. Hopefully I'm not finding too many of those items in the house. I'm usually pretty good about them. I did have to put something out and call for a bulk pick up in my area. Check. Now what can I add to the pick up? He, he. =)

2. If I can find a new home for it, I do. I offer items on a loop of friends that live local to me. That's always my first pick. Or I offer the items to neighbors, other friends and church. I also use Freecycle and Goodwill.

3. Is it under warranty or can it be repaired? We do have one item - a Nerf gun - that continues to jam. I contacted Hasboro to see if this has been an issue. They helped me problem solve but to no avail. I learned something new. Hasboro offers a one year warranty on their Nerf guns! I had no idea. They offered to send me a postage paid label to return the item and then they will replace it. In decluttering, I actually found the original Nerf box too! Ha, ha! So unusual for me to keep a box, however we had an issue with Nerf gun in the past, so I kept the box.

Look Out: Hubby is Declutterring!

Out of the blue, my hubby went through all of his beloved VCR tapes. Woohoo! He doesn't mind clutter and he doesn't like going through his things to eliminate anything. So I was quite surprised at this new development. He started locating the DVD version of his favorite movies. I do not know what brought this on. He made it through all of the tapes. I'm thrilled to be left with a huge pile of VCR tapes for which to find new homes. I pulled out some family friendly ones to go to a local hospital.

I'm not sure what to do with the rest. Any ideas or feedback? I posted them on Craig's List for sale $1 each or make an offer on the entire lot. If there are no replies, I will most likely take them to Goodwill or offer them on Freecycle.

Holiday Shopping - Planning Ahead by Decluttering Now!

One of the things I like to do in early December is declutter the kids current toys. I go through their toys to determine which they no longer play with anymore or they've outgrown. I take them either to Goodwill or offer them to a friend. After all, where are you going to put the new things? Make room for them ahead of time. This also gives you an opportunity to declutter. You can also apply this to the kid's clothes if you haven't already gone through them with the change of seasons.

I go through the kids' clothes with each change of seasons. That way I know what they may need for holiday shopping. Then I add those items to a list of potential gifts.

For our family, in keeping these simple, we have choosen to give 3 gifts to each child. It really does keep things simple. We have done this since the beginning so that is what they know. =) When they ask for a lot of things, I ask is this item one of their 3 gifts? I find they are really able to prioritize! What a great skill to teach them now!

Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated. ~Confucius

Inspiration: Eliminate 40% of the Housework!

I have to add this quote from Jean Chatzky’s book Make Money Not Excuses.

"Getting rid of excess clutter could eliminate 40 percent of the housework in the average American household."

Now that is reason enough to motivate me to declutter and organize! I'd love the extra time to spend with my family! Her book, got me into action mode (anything that inspires me into action is a wonderful thing). I wrote a recent entry about organizing my paperwork after reading her book. After I completed decluttering my paperwork and revamping my system as well as reorganizing it, I reread her book to see what I missed! =) I noticed the above quote at the second reading and wanted to share with you.

Take Action - Declutter!

Here is another article on action based principles for decluttering your home! Thought you might enjoy it!

click here

I like combining the 1st and 2nd ideas - assessing each room as IF you were moving. If you were moving, what would you get rid of? For example Sally is 3 years old now, she's outgrown her baby toys. Can they be given to someone else or Good Will, sold at a yard sale or on ebay?

What are some other things that you would not take with you.....if you have more than several of one item....things that you don't use, or have NEVER used....bless others with those items or sell them!

Decluttering Help - Action Based Strategies

I just stumbled on this article on CNN.com thought you might find it informative. It's action based for decluttering your home.

click here