Those Darned CDs

Remember way back in January when I bought the two cases for our DVDs and CDs? Remember how I organized the DVDs and planned to do the CDs "next weekend"? Well, that never happened.

I still have a bag of them sitting in my dining room waiting to be sorted in alphabetical order and put in the case. I MUST do this, because no one else is going to.

I NEED to do that this weekend. I need to finish my upstairs living space before I can move on to the basement, which I have put off for long enough. I am hoping that when I start on the CDs I will be motivated to completely finish decluttering the dining room. I have two bookshelves to go through. I'll take before and after pictures, because I did promise lots of pics when I started this blog.

My kids will be away for the weekend so it's just my husband and me. We're having some friends over. This is the first time I've entertained in about a year. I don't feel like I have to clean the whole house because things are in pretty good shape as is. And if the weather is nice, then we'll sit outside anyway. But it's been awhile since they've been here, and I want the house to reflect who I've become with regard to decluttering. Not sure if they'll even notice though. And I should be doing this for myself and not anyone else anyway, right? 

Project 333 Part Two

Here in southeastern Pennsylvania, the weather finally seems like it will start acting more like spring than winter. This week we are expecting a few days with temperatures in the 60s, with some sunshine.

As most of you know, April 1 begins a new round of Project 333. While starting in January was fairly easy with regard to the types of clothing I was going to choose, this time will be a bit more challenging. We can go from 50 degree (F) days in April to 90 degrees in mid May and early June. So I will need to carefully consider my choices this time around.

I will definitely be keeping some of the same items of clothing as I used in the last round...things like striped tees that I layered under sweaters and even a few pairs of pants that weren't heavy material. I will be switching out my heavier sweaters with some lighter weight tops, but I'll keep a few lightweight sweaters that can be worn all year round, especially since I work in an air conditioned office.

One of the problems I will have in April is the fact that I need to lose some weight in order for my spring/summer clothes to be truly comfortable. To that end, I joined Weight Watchers in work and lost a few pounds in my first week. If I take off another 5-7 pounds by the end of April, my clothes should fit comfortably. When I lose all of the weight that I'm trying to get rid of, then my clothes will be REALLY comfortable. My motivation is to make sure I reach my goal withing the next 8 weeks or so. In the meantime, I'll continue to wear skirts and hose, which I often find more comfortable than pants anyway.

Today, however, I am going to Old Navy for a few more T-shirts in brighter colors. I don't plan to spend more than $50, and to make sure that I stick to my budget, I will only take that amount in cash. I know one of the benefits of being minimalist is being able to invest in higher quality clothing because you're buying fewer items, but oddly enough, the super cheap T-shirts from Old Navy happen to be my favorites. I bought two striped and one solid shirt in the fall, and they still look great after wearing them frequently in the first round of P333. I'm not sure if that's because I never put them in the dryer, but whatever it is, they have held up well. I can't see spending alot of money for T-shirts when their lifespan is usually pretty short. And O.N. really does have quite a selection.

I will post a little later in the week what my new items will be for round two of P333, so check back.

Have you done P333? If so, let me know how you made out with round one and if you plan to continue.

Oh, and thanks for reading!

Some Answers

Two posts ago I wrote about my son's college situation. Well, we finally have some answers.

My son did not receive an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. He admitted that he didn't hold out much hope because it is REALLY hard to get in, so he wasn't terribly broken up about it. I think I held out more hope than he did, simply because I would love not to have to pay for college, and I wanted a valid reason to visit Annapolis, MD, because it's a beautiful town.

Anyway, he will be going to the junior college in the fall. He received a $13,000/year merit scholarship and also received a scholarship from our state senator for at least $12,000, with the maximum being $17,500. Now, if he joins the band and gets some money for that, then we could possibly be paying less than $10,000/year for a private college. We are still waiting to hear from some private scholarship opportunities, so I'll post the final numbers when they are, well, final.

One of the things that the band does is march in the New Year's Day parade in London every other year. They didn't go last year, so this year (meaning this December/next January) they may go. The band director said they open it up to whoever else in the family wants to attend (we have to pay for it of course) and I definitely want to go. This is when my battle with my husband begins. He has a hard time leaving anything to chance, much less the future, so trying to convince him that this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that is not to be missed will be the challenge. He already said something to the effect, "I'm not sure we'll be going," to which I replied, "I'm going." To me, this is one of the reasons we have savings. Yes, we save for emergencies and possible job loss, but also to do things that add enjoyment to our lives. So I think I can convince him, but it will take some work.

For now, I am grateful that we have a decision and can move forward. My son has already embraced the idea of attending his new school, which fortunately for us, is only 1/2 hour from home. He must live on campus and we won't have any contact with him for six weeks in the beginning, and after that he'll only have certain weekends where he can come home, but we can visit with him on Saturday afternoons and maybe take him to lunch. My office is literally about 10 minutes from the campus, so I could even stalk him at lunchtime if I wanted to. Not that I would, but it's fun to tease him.

We are so proud of him and can't wait to see him all decked out in his uniform.

I'm Still Here and I'm 50

So it's been about two weeks since my last confession. Hah!

We went away last weekend to a cabin in the middle of the state, but had to cut our trip short because of a snowstorm that never materialized. The place was beautiful in a rural location with rolling hills and a great view of the sunset. I didn't realize that there was no TV service, only Netflix. If the weather was warmer and we could have spent more time outside, I'd be fine with that, but it was too cold to go anywhere, so my husband and I watched "House of Cards" (our new favorite) and my kids played pool. It was nice to get away, but it was anticlimatic because it was just so cold.

The cold. The snow. I've been using that as an excuse all winter to sit on my butt and gain weight. I have done nothing further in my basement, and only tonight finally gathered all of the stuff I am giving to charity because the pickup is tomorrow morning. This winter has destroyed my motivation to do just about anything. I really, really tried to be optimistic in January despite the weather, because I know how quickly time passes, but now I'm just out of my mind with it. I desperately want to sit out in my yard in the sunshine and just warm up. 

We are still waiting to hear on several things about college. My son had an interview today for the potential $18,000 grant to the private military junior college near our home. As far as we know, it went well. I don't know when we'll hear but he has to commit to a college by May 1, so all decisions should be made by the beginning of April. Dealing with the unknown with this whole thing has been incredibly frustrating; thank goodness it's almost over.

Anyway, I turned 50 recently. I remember thinking about how I wanted to spend my 50th birthday way back when I was in my early 40s. I wavered between throwing a really nice party and going away with my extended family. Neither of those things happened; in fact, it was rather uneventful. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I couldn't expect people to come out of the woodwork and wish me a happy birthday, because I never do that for anyone else. My boys got me a gift card to the hair salon, which will come in very handy next week when I go. My husband didn't get me anything, because I told him not to. I really didn't want anything. I treated myself to a nice bottle of wine and some good food for dinner, and that was it. This weekend we're going to dinner with my siblings, and that will be fun. I'm treating myself this last time before Weight Watchers starts next week.

I've got a bunch of posts I want to write, but I haven't made the time to do it. And now, I'm pretty busy in work, and I also have to study for a financial licensing exam that is at the end of next month. The book is quite large and the material is difficult. I was supposed to start two weeks ago and I didn't. I don't really NEED this for my job, but the company is paying for it and it'll look good on a resume, so I'm doing it. I just need to buckle down and study.

I must go to bed now, at the late hour of 8:27 p.m. I am devoid of all energy at the moment. Blech.

Thanks for reading, and please come back again. I promise I will post sooner than two weeks. I still have to do my post on Uggs, and as I near the end of first quarter Project 333, I'll be sharing my thoughts on that.

Why I Can't Spend Money

My son is 17 years old and a senior in high school. He graduates in June. I remember back when he was a toddler, and my husband started a few mutual fund accounts for college. It really seemed silly to start saving for college when my son was only 2, but boy am I glad we did. He has applied to several schools, none of which is a state school, which tends to be cheaper. He wants to be a U.S. Marine, preferably a pilot, so in order to do that, we needed to look at military type schools with strong engineering programs.

He has applied to the Naval Academy, which will be free if he gets accepted, but considering it's the third hardest school to get into in the country, we weren't very hopeful. However, he got much further than we thought, and now we're just waiting for the decision to be handed out at the end of March.

In the meantime, he has applied to a few military schools, one of which is a junior college that is 10 minutes from where I work. However, it is a private institution and the tuition is $43,000/ year. Seems like a lot to pay for a junior college, but the class size is about 10-14 students per teacher, and we feel that would be a good fit for him. He has already been accepted there and received a scholarship of $13,000 per year, but that wouldn't be enough for him to go there without taking out a lot of money in loans, and my husband refuses to do that. So my son is applying for a scholarship through our state representative, who can award him up to $18,000/year. Because it is a new program, my son is the only one who applied this way, so he stands a good chance of getting some money. However, if it's not the full $18K, then we're still looking at paying a substantial portion of his tuition.

Because we've been saving for 15 years, we have about $60,000 that we can put toward his college education without having to take any money from our immediate earnings. But as you can see, at $42,000/year ($35,000/year for his third choice school), that might only pay for a year or two without financial aid. After filing the forms for governmental financial aid, we're not going to get much, so I think we'll be on the hook for whatever we can't get directly from the school.

My husband has been worrying about college costs since my boys were babies, and while we seem to have prepared, the cost of college is still ridiculous. We do not want our boys to graduate owing $100,000 in student loans, so we will have to sacrifice for the next 8 years so that we can get them through college and keep them out of debt.

This is where minimalism has been really helpful, but also sometimes kind of frustrating. Helpful in that I really don't want to spend money on clothes or even household items as much as I used to. We are looking to have our bathroom upgraded this summer, but if it doesn't happen, I really don't care. As long as I have hot water, a shower stall, and a working toilet, I'm good.

And it's frustrating in that when you read minimalist blogs (not all, but many), these people are selling off everything they own and travelling the world. Well bully for them, but what about those of us with families? Maybe I got into minimalism too late, but I am where I am, and I can't change that. So I need to make it work for me, which means that I still NEED to work at my regular job, and so does my husband, who I desperately wish could retire in the next few years. We need to be able to feed our kids and to put them through college, although I suspect a mimimalist's argument might be that they don't really NEED to go to college. That may be true, but I'm not going to deprive them of that experience because I'm trying to be a minimalist. That's not fair to them. Granted, I am doing my best to teach them that things won't make them happy, and I think they are getting the message, but they still need to eat and have clothes and do activities and be prepared for a carreer, and all of this costs money.

Anyway, all of this to say that it's very difficult because I really want to be able to travel more and do things, but we just can't. Now, if my son does get accepted into the Naval Academy, we may give him some money when he graduates or maybe buy him a car if he needs it, but we'll save the rest for our younger son. Although the tempation would be to spend the $60K on something else, like a great vacation and maybe a new kitchen.

And so I look at my job and my life and try to be content with just today. We can't stop living, so we do allow ourselves the occasional weekend away, but money is always looming in the background. 

So, this is why it's been easier than expected to let go of my spending ways. All I know is, my kids had better be prepared to change my diapers when I'm 80 years old...

Project 333 Update

I believe I gave myself about 48 clothing items for this first round of P333. Here I am 1-1/2 months into it, and I haven’t worn quite a few of those items. I am finding myself wearing the same things over and over but not really repeating outfits. Here’s my roundup:

 

Sweaters:

7 button down – 3 worn only once, 1 of them several times (my trusty black cardigan), and the other 3 not at all. I decided that one of the sweaters was a little too lightweight and therefore it has been moved back to my closet and will come out in the spring. I had a second black sweater and the opportunity to wear it just never materialized. The last one is ¾ sleeves and I just haven’t been inclined to wear it. It’s also quite bright, so I think it will work better in the spring.

4 pullover – I’ve worn all of these several times. Two are lightweight and work well over a blouse and the others are a bit heavier and are worn on their own.

 
1 open front cardigan – worn two or three times. I can wear this with so many things; I just don’t know why I haven’t.

Dresses:

1 black, 1 geometric pattern, 1 wool cowl neck. I wore the cowl neck for the second time yesterday and almost died of heatstroke in the office. Last night I washed it and it is now in the giveaway pile. It was one of those dirt cheap, name brand, final sale bargain buys that I never really loved. The geometric pattern dress has been a staple and has been worn several times. The black dress was worn a few times, but the last time I washed it my husband unknowingly threw it in the dryer. I haven’t tried it on again to see if it still fits. I’m a little afraid.

 

Pants:

1 gray, 1 brown, 3 denim, 2 black – I wore the gray and the brown earlier on. They were also Talbots final sale bargain pants of good quality. I was never happy though with how they fit so decided I could live without them. They’re in the giveaway pile. I’ve worn the denim several times, and the black ones got the most wear.

 

Skirts:

1 black, 1 gray, 1 taupe, 2 multicolored, 1 polka dot – I’ve worn the black, gray and polka dotted several times. The taupe is fairly new so I’ve worn it once. Wore one of the multicolored ones twice and the other one I decided is more spring like so it went back into the closet.

 

Blouses:

2 white button downs, 1 red, 1 animal print, 1 silver – Have not worn the white cotton blouse at all. I’m not entirely sure why; maybe because it’s not a good layering blouse. The other white, the red, and the animal print were new purchases. Red and white are great for layering as they are silky and lightweight. The animal print is kind of long; I wore it once but am having a hard time styling it. It will work into spring though, so I’m holding on to it. Wore the silver blouse a couple of times.

 

Tops:

3 striped tees (black/gray, black/white, white/black), 1 polka dot, 1 solid royal blue, 2 black – have worn all of these (minus the polka dot) several times. They continue to work as great base layers with my sweaters. The polka dot is a new purchase. It’s a bit big but since it’s black and white, it will go with a lot and can transition into spring.

 

Jackets:

3 black, 1 denim – wore 2 black and the denim a few times. The other one is a bit heavy so I’ll end up wearing it more as an outer layer when the weather warms up.

 

*********************************************************************

I did not include outerwear, shoes, purses, scarves or jewelry in my 33-50 items because I did not want to limit myself. However, as to be expected, I ended up wearing the same shoes/jewelry/ outerwear and carrying the same purse all winter.

Shoes:

1 pair rain boots, 1 pair black Uggs, 1 pair black pumps, 1 pair black flats, 1 pair of sneakers, 1 pair black walking shoes, 2 pairs of black leater boots. Clearly many of these won't be on the spring list, but I am not sick of them yet. I've had no desire to purchase another pair of shoes because these have all suited me just fine.

Outerwear:

1 almost knee length black wool coat, 1 black shorter coat, 1 black down coat, 1 shorter ski jacket – wore all of these, but the down coat has seen the most wear because of all the snow. It is functional and warm, but I’m tired of looking like a grizzly bear. I have two more winter coats that I need to just give away as I am unlikely to wear them again. I tried making the argument to myself that they are wool, warm, good quality, and I will wear them next year, but who am I kidding. I haven't worn them in about 5 years, so it's time to pass them on to someone who will use them.  

Purses:

1 light tan satchel with a detachable shoulder strap, 1 small green square bag that fits my laptop perfectly. I’ve gotten compliments on my purse from everyone. I picked it up at a discount store for $50. It’s not real leather, but I really wish it was. The size, shape, and color are perfect, and in the future, I may splurge on one that is real leather. The laptop bag was a super lucky find. I saw it in the same discount store for $20 hidden behind some more expensive bags. It’s colorful and matches nothing, but that is okay because I only bring it home some of the time. It’s the perfect size and I am thrilled with it. 

Jewelry:
I have been either throwing away super cheap jewelry that I never wear or colleting the stuff that is still salvageable to give away. I feel like I have a lot of jewelry, but probably not as much as others. Many of my pieces were gifts from my husband, so they stay. As for the other stuff, well, if it doesn't look classic/timeless, I'm probably going to get rid of it as I go along.

Scarves:
I've gotten rid of a few but I still have a lot more. Because I don't feel that they take up much room, I will keep them for now. However, I have not bought any new scarves at all this winter, nor have I had the desire to do so. 

What I Have Learned:

1. I am not yet tired of any of the clothes that I’ve already worn. I can still come up with a lot of different combinations.

 

2. The number of pieces I wear can probably be reduced next winter because I find that I wear them to work and then come home and change into yoga pants anyway due to the cold weather. I should probably stock up on those instead.

 

3. Many of my clothes will transition over to the next season because it will still be chilly in April. Also, because I work in an office, many articles are all weather pieces.

 

4. I need a new pair of rain/snow boots. I'd like to get a really good pair this spring duruing a sale, but I'm not sure it's in the budget this year,   

 

5. Real Uggs are the most fabulous things in the world. (Will share an interesting story on real vs. fake Uggs in an upcoming post.)

 

6. I will try to include shoes in my next selection. I'm making no promises, but I do think I could limit myself to a few pair and not feel shoe deprived.

 

7. I really need to go through my purses, but I am finding that this is the one thing that I tend to get bored with faster than everything else. I like carrying different purses, but I don't switch them out enough to get sufficient use from them. I need to further examine my feelings on purses as the year progresses.  

Finally, our winter here has been brutal, but I'm not dying to get into spring clothes like I usually am. I'm not even thinking about a "new" wardrobe for spring. Instead, I am really satisfied so far with my clothing choices and how this project has been going. I have become so much more selective about spending money on clothes. On the rare occasion that I have actually been in a store and see something that I might like, I immediately think, “If it’s not EXACTLY what I’m looking for, then I’m not wasting my money on it.” This has carried over to other things as well, such as items for my home. I absolutely refuse to have buyer’s remorse anymore, even if I just spend $10.

The Scrap Corner After

Hi Folks!

It's been awhile since I've posted, but we've been hit with storm after storm after storm here on the East Coast U.S., and I spent the better part of last week shoveling, watching dogs that don't like snow/ice, and keeping the water out of the finished part of the basement. And now they're calling for another storm in a few days which may or may not include ice. It's been a lousy couple of months here weatherwise.

Yesterday I found myself with a few hours to finally tackle the scrapbooking stuff. I did not get rid of as much as I wanted, but I was still able to part with a bunch of stamps and punches, which can take up a lot of space. I also found a couple of small projects that I started and never finished, which I can easily do in the evenings in the kitchen or dining room. The basement is unheated so it can be quite chilly, even though we have a space heater. And my work area gets a cold draft because of the window in the corner.

Anyway, here are the "after" pictures.

The picture above still looks a bit cluttered, but I tried to organize as much as possible. It doesn't leave a whole lot of room to actually scrap, but since I plan to do it upstairs in the winter months, I'm not too concerned.

 

This picture shows under the desk. In the big blue bin on the left are my scrapbooks that are either in the works or just brand new books that I haven't filled yet. The white bag in the back is actually empty. That's what I use to transport my stuff on scrapbooking weekends and I just never bothered to fold it up and put it away. I think I need to do that so I can have some more leg room. The other blue container with the scizzors is holding most of my paper. And I actually have one empty container as well. I think I can use it for some stuff in other parts of the basement, so I'm hanging on to it for now. Also? It disturbs me that I am falling into the trap of organizing stuff instead of getting rid of it, but not everything in the basement belongs to me, so I do have to be careful and not discard everyting.

I am hoping to get into the habit of going through this stuff a few times a year to decide if I still need everything I've saved. Decluttering/minimizing is an ongoing process, no?

Stuff's Gotta Go

I recently got back from a weekend of scrapbooking with a few friends. It is one of my hobbies (with the others being reading, decluttering, and now blogging), and it is not pretty. The finished pages are pretty, but the supplies and the STUFF, well, that's just a plain old mess, is what it is.

This is the rear of my basement:

It's hard to see, but there's sort of a desk in the left corner that is supposed to be my scrapping area. However, stuff has moved from there onto the extra bed and is slowly creeping across the room. (To be fair, not all of this stuff is mine. My husband has a bookcase behind that bed that contains only his stuff. I mean to work on getting him to go through it one of these days.)

It's easy to ignore this area. I haven't scrapped in a year and I don't go into this area of the basement that much. My boys play video games down there, but they don't care what it looks like. And it's not heated, so it's cold. But I don't want it to be another year before I scrap again, so I must fix this mess.

My goal for this area is twofold: 1) I need to reduce the amount of scrapbooking stuff that I have because I NEVER USE IT, and 2) I want to make the corner desk area workable again.

I plan to start working on this as my next project. I need to schedule with a local charity to make a pickup because if I don't, then it may stay that way until the spring thaw.

I'd Rather Live Like the Servants

Throughout my life, the concept of minimalism would grasp my interest and I would, for lack of a better word, fantasize about what it would be like to live like an extreme minimalist. For example, when I was around 11, I read a book about Saint Therese and how she lived in a cloister. The idea of living in a very spare room, with only one pair of shoes and one nun's habit/uniform (but maybe two sets of undies), without noise, TV, or even music seemed ideal. Maybe it's because I lived in a very small house with four brothers, one sister, two parents and a dog; I can't be sure. There was very little peace in my house and nowhere to escape.

I was also fascinated when I read books that took place a hundred or more years ago because people just didn't have that much. I loved stories where the main character lived in a small apartment or a room in a boarding house and had few posessions.

I love period TV shows and am a big fan of Downton Abbey, and well, anything British that takes place before the 1970s. I am fascinated by the European way of life both decades ago and even now, but mostly in times past. As an aside: I have noticed that in Downton Abbey, the Crawley women repeat dresses/outfits, so props to the producers for keeping it real.

But I love that the servants live simply. They have the necessities and somehow make it work. Maybe it's not realistic, and maybe I am glamourizing it, but it appeals. Realistically, I could never live like a cloistered nun or a Downton Abbey servant -- at least not in the forseeable future -- but I can try to get as close to that as is comfortable for me and my family. I don't need a giant house in which to live; a three or even two-bedroom cottage would do nicely. In the meantime, I'll just keep going along, clearing the clutter one room at a time.

The Rest of the Living Room

I am still extremely pleased with the state of my living room after rearranging. It has been very cozy of late, especially with all of the cold weather we've been having. Here are some pictures of the other side of the room. This is the couch and the loveseat/ottoman that are directly across from the fireplace.
 

 This is the TV corner to the right of the fireplace.

 

 

I know alot of people put their TV over the fireplace, but I really don't like to mix the two. I don't feel that the TV can be a substitute for a nice picture or a pretty mirror.

 

I am getting used to the emptier spaces. For example, on the bookcase above with just the lamp, in the past I would have been compelled to put something else there...maybe a picture or a statue of some sort. Now I'm getting used to the clear, flat surface. I suspect that putting something there now might actually bother me.



Hitting the Reset Button

I found a link on another blog to this post about "resetting to zero." The author talks about cleaning the house, cleaning out his inbox, and checking off his to do list so he can basically start from scratch again.

It was an inspiring post. I often clean the house after I finish dogsitting, which entails a good vacuum, washing the sheets that the dogs lay on, wiping wet nose smudges from door windows, putting the extra dog paraphernalia away, and cleaning up the area in the kitchen where they eat/drink. That way, I can start fresh when the next dog comes.

When my boys were little and they'd visit their grandmother for an overnight, I'd reset by tidying up the house and cleaning the bathroom, because it made my husband and I feel human again, even if it was only for a night. (And no, I am not ashamed to say that I lived for those weekends. Having kids is HARD and we took all of the breaks we could get.)

We also reset to zero before we go on vacation. We change the bed sheets, make sure all of the laundry is done, the dishes are clean and put away, and the bathrooms are scrubbed clean so that when we get home, all we have to do is unpack. It can be a real pain to clean the house while you're trying to pack and get out the door, but the payoff is HUGE when we get back home.

Flylady calls it the "Weekly Home Blessing Hour," wherein you give the house a good once over each week to start off fresh. I prefer to do this on the weekends, although my husband and I disagree on the laundry. He thinks it should be done a load a day whereas I prefer to do it all on the weekend because I get in a groove and get it all done. But he does it often, so who am I to complain.

I think no one would argue that having a "reset" house is a wonderful feeling. And like the author of the post says, being a minimalist only makes resetting much easier to do. Maybe that's why spring cleaning is so popular?

The Million Dollar Day

One of the items I decided was all wrong for me when I started clearing my closet for Project 333 was a long-sleeved gold sweater that I had purchased from Talbots in fall of 2012 during one of their online final sales. It probably didn't cost me more than $20. When I got it, it wasn't quite what I expected, but since it was on final clearance, I couldn't return it. I did alot of that with Talbots -- bought final clearence items for dirt cheap because of the name brand -- and most of my purchases ened up sitting in my closet because they were all wrong for me. In fact, I'm not sure I have more than 2 pairs of pants at most that I actually kept after one of my clearance frenzies. 

Anyway, I wore the sweater in December 2012 to one of my company's holiday parties, then put it away for the winter, and took it out again this past December for yet another holiday party. A coworker came up and told me how much she loved it, but after wearing it that day, I ended up hating it. It was too big on me, too hot, and just...too much. Since I knew I was never going to wear it again, I took it into the office and asked her if she wanted it. She didn't know what to say. She offered to pay me, but I told her absolutely not.

She wore it yesterday, and came over to my desk at 9 a.m. to tell me that four people had already stopped her to tell her they loved her sweater. And rightfully so, as she did it the justice that I never could. It looked like a different sweater on her and she looked beautiful. She thanked me again and said "I feel like a million bucks today." Which made me feel like a million bucks.

I can't even express what a wonderful feeling it was to have that happen. It will go down in history as one of my all-time greatest moments.

As I go through my clothes with P333, if there is something that I am wearing and I end up not loving it, I am getting rid of it. And if someone in work admires it, or if I think it might fit their personality, then it's theirs. Aside from giving away the sweater, I gave two scarves to another coworker who wears alot of navy. Considering I own only one thing in navy that I recently ate my way out of, I knew I'd never wear those scarves. She loves them and has since worn both of them.

This is really fun. I may very well end up giving someone the shirt off my back one day. Good thing I have a spare sweater in work to put on just in case...

Aaahhhh, Symmetry

Let's recap. Here is my fireplace wall right after Christmas but before I added the second bookcase and decluttered the DVDs, which were in the large cabinet on the right side.

Here is the final version.

The DVD/CD cabinet is now in the basement housing my boys' video games (still in their original plastic containers -- I can't even go there yet). I also removed the big candle lanterns on each side of the mantle because I wasn't feeling it; it was too much. I moved the lamp to the right because that's a dark corner, and while I would love to have identical lamps, I'm not going to buy another one, mostly because I got this lamp many years ago and they probably don't make it anymore. I won't buy matching lamps because that would be the opposite of what I'm trying to do. The square candle lantern on the left is about the same size and satisfies my need for symmetry, so I'll keep it like this. 

I know many of the home decor magazines turn their interior design noses up at symmetry, but I NEED it. I think it may have something to do with being a Pisces, or maybe not. Either way, I don't feel the need to be trendy when it comes to my home decor, and I think it's important to do what makes you happy. And this makes me happy. 

Finally, were twinkle lights always called "fairy" lights? And if so, how could I not know that?!?!   



DVD Containers, Be Gone!

I FINALLY went through all of our DVDs and removed them from their cases and into a portable case. This is the result: 

 

 

One-and-a-half full-size recycling containers with all of the discarded cases. I sure hope they are recyclable. I looked at this mess and just couldn't believe how much plastic and paper is used for DVD packaging. I know that making these things is someone's (or probably a lot of someones) job, but I just wonder if things couldn't have been, you know, a little smaller.

 

All of that now snugly fits into this:





Yes, I know those are war-ish videos, but I live with 2-1/2 men. Don't judge.  











My lovely DVD suitcase fits nicely inside the second bookcase that I brought up from the basement. There is one for DVDs and one for CDs, but I haven't gone through those yet. I will get to them this weekend.  




It took me four hours to sort and transfer all of our DVDs into the case. We got rid of about 8 kid movies and about 10 grown-up movies. (I almost said "adult" but that just sounds kinky.)

 

As I was getting rid of all of the original cases, I had the stupid, fleeting thought, "What if we want to sell these someday? Won't they be worthless without the original case?" You know, like toys will only sell to collectors if they are in their original packaging. But then I got ahold of myself and realized that I wouldn't go through the hassle of trying to sell any of this stuff anyway, so what am I worried about.

 

I believe that I finally have my living room the way I want it, even though I didn't know I wanted it this way until I started minimalizing. Pictures of the final result will be in the next post.

 

 



Project 350 (or Less) Items

Because I don't actually have space at the moment to store the clothes that didn't make the cut, I moved them from my bedroom closet to the hall closet. I also took the T-shirts and sweaters that I chose and moved them to one dresser drawer. So while the clothes I'm not planning to wear aren't exactly stored away, they are out of sight. I can't believe what a tremendous feeling this is. Starting today, I didn't have to look at those clothes that I haven't worn in a year or so and feel guilty for not choosing them each morning. What a relief! I am closer to 50 items although some of these may go to the donate pile as I make my way through the next three months.

Behold my closet:

It contains the following items:

6 skirts (only 5 shown)
2 vests (one of them may go after I wear it; I haven't gotten that far yet)
6 basic T-shirts for layering under sweaters
4 blouses
13 sweaters (at least 9 of these are lightweight and I wear them more as shirts than sweaters)
4 jackets (for wearing over T-shirts; two not shown)
5 pants (includes 2 pairs of jeans not shown)
3 dresses (1 not shown)
Total number of items = 43.

Per the rules, NOT included are loungewear/workout clothes. I still have too many of those too, and I expect to cull them this winter.

Breaking the rules: I did not include in my items outerwear, shoes, and accessories. I am still experimenting with those items this winter. I want to see how many times I wear (or don't wear) a certain coat or pair of shoes before giving them away.

In years past, I wouldn't really think about whether I wore something; I was keeping it because I spent good money and I might need it at some point in the future. This year, I am much more mindful when I'm actually wearing something and taking note of how I feel in it. If I am even unsure about it, out it goes. The simple act of mindfulness when I wear my clothes is a great feeling.

I hope I still feel this way come the middle of March!

Oh Those Clothes...

The clothing dilemma. It haunts me. I am not doing well in this department, despite the fact that it was the impetus for my minimalizing.

About four years ago I got heavily into fashion, and as a result, spent more money on clothes than I ever had before. I wanted to be stylish and up to date in what I wore. Call it a midlife crisis. Also, as my kids got older and cost less money (no more daycare, etc.), I had more disposable income. So I started buying from higher end retailers like Talbots and Macy's (yes, that is high end to me), and I would order with abandon when Talbots had one of its outlet clearance sales. I got many pieces of clothing for under $20. My argument was that you couldn't really be picky, but hey, you got quality and a name brand, right? Never mind the fact that they were final sale, and many of the items I got just never fit me properly or were too bulky or whatever. They were Talbots and they were cheap.

Even when I started my new job 1-1/2 years ago, I felt even more justified in my spending because I was now working in a "corporate" environment. I felt important. Women wore skirts and nice pants and even suits. The guys all wore ties. I HAD to keep up. Also, I work with a blithering idiot, so I rewarded myself to lunchtime trips to TJ Maxx (right across the street from the office) two or three times a week because "I deserved it."

Fast forward a year and we're looking at college costs for my son. He's applied to mostly private schools (or out-of-state state schools) which may cost $40,000-$50,000 per year. I'll write more about that in another post, but suffice to say that I could no longer spend like I was. In August, my husband and I had a serious conversation about reigning all of our spending, and by that time, I had given enough thought to minimalism that I was up for the challenge.

I won't say that I haven't spent money on clothes. I have. But I have been filling gaps in my closet and bought things that were only white, black, or gray to get me through the winter. Those are the colors that EVERYBODY wears at work and they are easy. I didn't have enough in my closet, so I limited myself to classic pieces that would go with everything.

This endeavor has been successful, but I kind of fell off the wagon this past weekend. I am a big fan of the Jockey Person to Person line because their clothes are crazy high quality and made for women. Their blouses and pants are cut for the regular woman's body and I love them. However, I won't buy them full price, because that's just a bit out of my price range. So I buy a few pieces during their semiannual sale, and on Sunday, I went to my rep's house to try something on for size and to place an order for three items that I very carefully selected, after much thought and consideration. Still, I ended up buying four additional pieces of her sample items too. Granted, they are deeply discounted because a bunch of women like myself have tried them on countless times, but I don't really need any of them.

And yet, and yet, I WANT them. They are basic pieces that will go with everything I have and they will last me for years. I treat all of my clothes with kid gloves now, and I can get three or four seasons out of an Old Navy t-shirt that cost me $2.99.

I need to give myself a little credit here though. The way I've purchased my clothes has changed -- I only pay in cash, try everyting on, make sure it all goes with everything else, and are higher in quality. I no longer buy clothes because they were a good deal. Because we all know that if you don't need them, then they're no deal at all.

Anyway, today I wore another three pieces from my selection for Project333, so even though they aren't catalogued yet as such, they are still part of the experiment. When I finally move things around in my closet, I'll post a picture.

What is your philosophy on clothing purchases? If you changed your spending habits, how long did it take before you stopped really wanting to buy, buy, buy?

3Rs: Rearranging, Reusing, Rejoicing

I'm sure you've all heard of the new 3Rs: reduce, reuse, recycle. Mine involve reusing, but what makes it fun is rearraning, which leads to rejoicing.

Behold, my fireplace wall:

Okay, so it's not completely finished, but I've made progress. The bookshelf on the left is from the basement. Down there, it held books, scrapbooks, and magazines. Now it is in my living room and holds scrapbooks and a lamp. I have actually put a basket thingy in the second shelf and moved two bulldog figurines to the first shelf. In the center of my mantle, I put a statue and two small votive candles. The cabinet to the right of the fireplace will eventually be replaced with the matching bookcase from the basement, but until I get my CD/DVD storage books, I can't do anything just yet. Hopefully this weekend.

One of the things I need to get used to as I declutter are the empty flat surfaces. In the past, I was excited when I had a flat surface because then I could clutter it up with figurines, pictures and candles. But having gotten rid of quite a few books, I now have more surface area, especially in the bookshelves, and I don't have much to put there. I am not one for putting photos up all over the place; I'd rather scrapbook them instead. So that leaves knickknacks and candles. I am thinking that it's entirely possible that I may whittle down our possessions to the point where I can actually get rid of a bookcase or two. Perhaps in a few years.  

I'm thinking a matching lamp would look nice when I put the bookcase on the other side, but then that would mean actually buying a matching lamp. I don't know that I have a need for that at the moment; I am undecided as to whether we have enough light in the living room as it is. However, I like symmetry, so I may just spend the $20 to get another lamp.

On the bottom shelf are vacation scrapbooks. They are probably the most important things to me and I have put countless hours into them, so why not have them in easy reach when I want to walk down memory lane?

Scrapbooking...that's one area I really need to work on.

I can't  wait to get the other shelf up this weekend. I'll post pics of the final reveal. I'll also post pictures of the other side of the living room, which basically contains the ginormous couch. It's a comfy couch though, so it will stay for now.

Thanks for reading!

Project 350 (or less)

So I’m breaking the rules a bit when it comes to Project333. The essence of the project is to choose 33 items (every three months, or season) that fall into the following categories:

What: 33 items including clothing, accessories, jewelry, outerwear and shoes.

What not: these items are not counted as part of the 33 items – wedding ring or another sentimental piece of jewelry that you never take off, underwear, sleepwear, in-home lounge wear, and workout clothing (you can only wear your workout clothing to work out)

 

I say “essence” because I believe that Courtney Carver would still want me to downsize my wardrobe, even if it included 50 items instead of 33. That’s only 17 more items anyway, right?

 

Because I love fashion and clothes, I am taking a few liberties with this project so as not to set myself up for failure. If I am too limited, I will give up completely and not even bother making the effort. Therefore, instead of including jewelry, outwear and shoes in the 50 items (or less), I am keeping them out of the equation. It’s possible I will ultimately include them in my total selection, but that is yet to be seen.

 

I haven’t yet actually picked out my items, although that was supposed to be done this past weekend. Instead I got hung up on putting away holiday decorations and having a little me time.

 

But today is the day that I had planned to start, and in a way, I did. I wore a dress and a sweater that will definitely be part of my 50 items (or less). Over the course of this week, I will move the clothes that don’t make the cut into my hall closet and gather my wearable collection in my bedroom closet. I am not ready to actually get rid of some clothes that don’t fit because I do need to lose about 10 pounds, and I want those clothes waiting for me next winter.

 

Having to lose weight has actually been a big motivator in my doing this project. I have clothes that I love but are too tight; they will fit me next winter though. Unless I don’t lose the weight, in which case, they will be given away then. But for now, I am just wearing the clothes that fit me that I’ve been “unofficially” wearing for the past few months. Make sense?

I’ll post my choice of clothes by the weekend. Who knows, maybe I will be able to limit myself to 33 items.

 

Here’s to dressing with less in 2014!

Doing Better

I have always gotten caught up in the process of making New Year’s resolutions, but mostly just for the fun of it. I never actually stuck to them, because why would I? Nobody’s life would change whether I stuck to my resolutions or not. Not even mine.

But in reality, my life would have changed. Had I stuck to all of the resolutions I have made in the past, I’d be 20 pounds thinner and able to run a marathon. I might even be a vegetarian, and I certainly wouldn’t be drinking any alcohol. Overall, I’d be healthier and feeling great. This year, instead of making “resolutions,” I’m aiming for just “doing better.” Doing better with what I eat, what I do with my time, what I do with my brain, how I spend money, and how I dress, to name a few. All of these will undoubtedly improve my life and contribute to my overall level of happiness.

Doing better means eating healthy as much as I can without overcomplicating my life. I don’t want to cook elaborate meals or go on a strict diet; I really just want to eat more simply which, to me, means eating foods that are closer to their natural state (less preservatives, etc.) and to stick to a regimen of eating mostly the same things each day. That way, if I don’t have to think about it, I stand a better chance of sticking to it and hopefully losing some weight.

Doing better with my time means decluttering and getting rid of the useless stuff in my house.

Doing better with my brain is divorcing myself from all of those stupid reality TV shows and mindless movies (I’m talking to you Anchorman 2). I want to watch things that actually make me THINK.

Doing better with spending money means keeping track of my spending, thinking carefully about every purchase, and saving more.

Doing better with how I dress will start on Jan. 6 when I begin Project 333.

And since I need to get exercise, doing better means doing something, which is more than I do now.

Hopefully by the end of 2014, I'll have done better.

Project Basement

I like to read, but I haven't read a book cover to cover in a few years. I got away from it after I discovered blogs, because they were just easier...short snippets about whatever I was interested in, with pretty pictures to boot.

But I always had great aspirations to read and would take books from the giveaway shelves at work. I never read them though. Now I've got about four bookcases at least partially filled with books that I've never read, and it's time to get rid of them. I could use the space on these shelves for other things, like my precious scrapbooks. 

Behold, my Ikea bookshelves that I haven't touched in years.

 

To the left of the clunky computer is a larger bookshelf that holds some of my scrapbooks but also hardbound volumes of classics like Ibsen, Poe, etc. We bought them at a yard sale right after we moved into our house almost 20 years ago. Why, I don't even know. Perhaps because I was an English major in college and I felt that I should have these classics in my home. Aside from moving them from shelf to shelf and room to room, I have never opened them.

On the far right is a bookshelf that held a bunch of scrapbooking magazines that I have since tossed, and several paperback books "borrowed" from the work library. There are one or two books from my favorite author that I am keeping, but the rest will go.

I've got great plans for at least one of those bookcases. I'll post a picture when it's in its new home, which should be this weekend.

As for the computer, I kept it because my sons had some games on it, but I'm thinking I need to accept the fact that they haven't turned it on in over a year. It will go the way of the scrap yard during the next electronic recycling event in my town.

I've got so many ideas for my basement...I can't wait to get started! Check back regularly for updates.