As promised, here are the exciting photos of what I extracted from my home during the month of December. As you look at each one, think about the amount of cubic space freed up by the removal of that much stuff. Here’s an ironing board (a 1920s one for midgets, replaced by a taller one); […]
Entries Tagged as 'Excess of Possessions'
Photo essay of junk that went bye-bye
January 3rd, 2013 · 1 Comment · Excess of Possessions, Passing it on, Recycling
Wishing you a Simpler New Year!
January 1st, 2013 · No Comments · Decluttering, Excess of Possessions
New Year’s resolutions!? To that I say “Pah!” Everything is a work in progress. Why load up one poor day with so much weight! Alright, I admit it. I do it too. Make vows of one sort or another. But at least I don’t beat myself with them! That’s not what they’re for. If I […]
Tags:clutter reduction·decluttering·despair·encouragement·goals·inspiration·resolutions·too much stuff·vows
Inching up to the new year
December 28th, 2012 · No Comments · Decluttering, Excess of Possessions, Trash Disposal
……and we all know that means: Time for “Throw out the old year, make way for the new!” In the 70s, in Naples, Italy — a city of three to four storey apartment buildings built up around the ancient villas and castles — throwing out the old year was taken as seriously as throwing that […]
Tags:getting rid of stuff·Italy·Naples·New Year·old furniture·ratty·safety·survival
The junkless Christmas tree
December 25th, 2012 · No Comments · Decluttering, Excess of Possessions, Minimalism
Merry Christmas everyone! Here’s our minimalist earth-friendly tree, in the living room where we hauled it in for its third Christmas with us. Purchased as an infant in 2009 at Portland Nursery, it is now 23 inches tall. We picked a slow-grower on purpose so we’d be able use it for as long as possible. […]
Tags:Christmas·Christmas tree·holiday decorations·minimalist·ornaments·purge·target purge area
Packrat motives
December 22nd, 2012 · 6 Comments · Excess of Possessions, Multiple use, The Packrat Mind
Here’s a perfect example of the kind of thing I save. I mean look at this! It snaps apart and back together. It came on a carrot peeler, holding the merchandise tag onto the product. Does it not look like the most useful thing in the world? It could easily be made into a little […]
Tags:animal testing labs·drugs·hoarding·mice·packrat mentality·packratting·saving stuff
What to do with your used camping equipment
December 17th, 2012 · 2 Comments · Excess of Possessions, Selling your stuff
I just got rid of my camp stove from the 70s. At the time, it was THE camp stove — the lightest and most compact one available. A Svea, made in Sweden. This is an example of something you can’t just toss into the Goodwill bin. Most people wouldn’t know how to use it. Plus […]
Inspirational Tip #1
December 8th, 2012 · No Comments · Decluttering, Excess of Possessions
If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for whoever’s going to get stuck with cleaning out your place after your untimely demise. It could happen. Very few people make it out of here alive.
Tags:clutter reduction·decluttering·encouragement·getting rid of stuff·inspiration·too much stuff
Life’s Important Questions about Junk
December 6th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Decluttering, Excess of Possessions
Nowadays, every item I choose to purge brings up a whole list of complicated questions, such as: How did this item get into my house, why did I keep it, and what shall I do with it now? After a while, getting rid of stuff becomes a tiresome chore, and you begin to ask even more […]
Tags:clutter reduction·decluttering·getting rid of stuff·purging·throwing stuff out·too much stuff
More on Cave Dweller Life
December 4th, 2012 · No Comments · Consumer Issues, Excess of Possessions, Trash Disposal
In Paleolithic times, the nagging household question was “Honey, where’s my club?” That wasn’t a hard one, when you only had three or four possessions. Today the question is “Where’s my this, where’s my that!?” and on and on. A different question every time. Drives Honey crazy. Why can’t we find our stuff? Because, unlike […]
Tags:cave people·finding your things·getting rid of stuff·Paleolithic times·too much stuff