simplify my life

It’s a little porcelaine clock with an opening in the back to put things in. The bells on the clock say “rings things”. It’s been next to my sink and I never used it for rings and I don’t handwash dishes anymore anyway. It’s all chipped up and dusty. This is an item for the garbage.

I could start a new goal for this, but I’ll keep it here since it’s part of simplifying. Somewhere on this site I saw someone mentioning getting rid of 100 things. That sounded like a lot, but I’m starting to think that even after all of the clearing out I’ve done, this is actually possible! Today I finished filling up a bag of clothes that’s been sitting around for a couple months. In it were a few articles of clothing. Then I decided to put in a winter coat I’ve had for several years now. The cuffs are frayed and the lining is starting to tear. Then I added two pairs of nice, leather gloves. I’ve had them since high school because they really are nice, but I haven’t worn them for maybe 10-12 years and I’m not sure I ever will! So gone they are! Then I noticed this really childish keyring in my key dish that doesn’t even have a key attached to it! Good-bye keyring! Then there were the sunglasses that have been sitting on the window sill in my bathroom for God knows how long! I won’t be using them, so maybe someone else could!
Then I opened up my refrigerator and found a jar with only a little bit of pasta sauce in the bottom and mold growing under the lid and a jar of mayonnaise that wouldn’t be enough for a sandwich. Cleaned out and in recycling they went! Oh, and here’s a real space hog: the 11 inch black and white TV with big bunny rabbit antennas on my kitchen table that’s so old it can’t even hook up to a digital cable box! I’ll miss you old TV, but it’s time to retire! Oh, and how about the disgusting old scraps of carpet covering parts of the cellar floor. They need to go. They are so dirt-ridden and old, they are not worth the effort of cleaning. Bye-bye! So my point is, there are plenty of things to get rid of, I just need to be more conscious of them and make a point to get rid of them.

Bring my hairdryer to work. Today it rained so hard, even my umbrella didn’t keep me dry. My pants got soaked and clung to my legs. I was still damp by the end of the day. I looked at the forecast and it’s supposed to rain all week. I rarely dry my hair, so I won’t miss my hairdryer by keeping it at work. Besides, I might have two of them anyway. Okay, I wrote this down so I will remember. Now I need to remember!

• I have continued to create a more comfortable, easier space to live in. I now have a fully functional dining room and art studio and no spare bedroom. The spare bedroom was almost useless, because I only have overnight guests a few times a year for no more than a couple of nights. I have a sofa bed in my living room, so guests can sleep there.

• I have adopted simple solutions for saving time cooking and eating right. I make some meals using my crockpot, which take less time than a lot of other things that could be made. I freeze portions of what I make so I’m not eating the same things all week. My freezer was recently so full, I couldn’t fit anything else in it, so I started eating my pre-made meals and haven’t had to cook for 2 weeks.

• I continue to get rid of things I don’t need as I identify them.

• I’m still in the process of organizing things I’m keeping including files and papers.

• I almost never wear clothes that need to be dry cleaned. I rarely iron anymore either.

• I’m no longer in contact with some toxic people.

My life is simpler than it was, but I want to simplify more. Let me think of the ways, let me count the ways…

I feel like I need to simplify so much that I might have a really short list of goals. I need to focus on a just a few things and I don’t want enjoyable things to become tasks or burdens.

and get rid of cardboard shoeboxes. I asked my mom to get me some transparent, stackable, shoebox sized storage so I could eliminate cardboard boxes, get organized and still be able to find what I’m looking for. So my mom actually found these Neat Containers made specifically for what I was looking for. They are stackable and don’t collapse when you take one out from underneath the other. I put all my shoes and some purses in them, all in one dust-free spot.

But it works! In order to be more efficient, I rearranged my bedroom furniture. I now have more continuous floor space and less clutter. I removed three bedside tables (one was actually in front of my window for plants). Now I have one much more compact table as a nightstand. The surface is large enough for my alarm clock and a glass of water. I put a plant stand in place of the plant table and the rest of the plants on the windowsill. The foot of my bed now faces the window, which faces the east, where previously the side of my bed was facing the window. I like this setup for the sunbeam. I removed some wall hangings and will keep others. Now that I have more space, I decided to put the ironing board in my bedroom. I know it doesn’t sound too visually appealing, but I wanted to get it out of the living room, and it makes more sense to have it in the room where all my clothes are. When I’m picking out clothes I can iron them conveniently instead of running up and down the stairs.
Through this whole process I also vacuumed up a lot of dirt and dust.
I’m really happy with my new set-up!

While it was a nice little hobby, I no longer want to devote whatever little free time I have to it. If I ever want to sell anything on Ebay again, I’ll put it up for auction.

I just sold four items on Ebay. Looks like maybe the Christmas season is kicking in. I need to start listing more items and move it on out!! This will help me clear more space AND make money!!

I think my life will be considered simplified once I achieve a lot of the goals off my list. There are also smaller things like organizing my home that will contribute to simplifying.
I have a lot of junk in my closets that could either be sold, thrown out or stored in my cellar. I would rather use my closet space for my stuff that I actually want organized access to. The other day I cleared out an entire closet of junk I don’t use or even care to see. It’s now an art closet for my old paintings. I previously had them leaning up against my studio wall. I also have blankets on the top shelf of that closet for lack of any other place to put them. I would really like for it to be an art closet only. Additionally, have a lot of unused hangers in all of my closets, so in order to make more room for actual clothes I threw out every single wire hanger and kept the good hangers. I’ve also weeded out clothes I’ll never wear again to donate to the Salvation Army.