Now is a great time to start thinking about a consumable gift list. Customize and personalize something for each person on your list, that doesn’t have to be stored.
See: Mindful Gift Giving Blog
Calculating Clutter
My favourite clutter clearing book ‘Clear Your Clutter with Feng Shui’ written by Karen Kingston, has inspired the following:
What is your clutter costing you?!
Try this. Go into each room and estimate the percentage of space that is taken up by your clutter; things you rarely of never use. Be truthful with yourself; include everything you don’t unquestionably love. Count the things you haven’t used for at least a year. Remember to include space on book shelves where unread or once read books are, the back of closets, under the bed, the shed, the garage, everything!
Make a list:
1 bedroom 1 25%
2 bedroom 2 40%
3 bedroom 3 50%
4 hallway 15%
5 dining room 30%
6 kitchen 25%
7 bathroom 20%
8 basement 55%
9 office 25%
10 shed 85%
Total the list 370%
Calculate 370% divided by 10 (the number of areas) = average 37% clutter per room!!
In this example storing your stuff is costing 37% of your rent or mortgage!
Mindful Gift Giving
As the holiday season approaches, consider minimizing the amount of stuff we give each other. Be the first to suggest drawing names, a least among the adults. Kids too can prepare for the new gifts they will receive by making space in advance and donating gently used toys for kids with less.
Get Creative with consumable gifts: Plan a family vacation, a gift to open on Christmas day giving everyone something to look forward to. Some other consumable gift ideas are: wine, chocolates or food, gift certificates for: spa, massage, hair salon, movies, plays, restaurant, skiing, personal trainer, night of babysitting, aquarium, swimming, skating, go carts, text minutes, just to name a few.
It isn’t the size of the gift that matters, but the size of the heart that gives it….. The Angels’ Little Instruction Book – Eileen Elias Freeman