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

Reclaim Your Closet

Clothes should flow in and out of our lives and change as we do. Have you stood in front of you bulging closet claiming to have nothing to wear?! How we dress says so much about us.  Sure clothes don’t make the person, but they can boost confidence and a leave lasting first impression.

Try some of these tips to simplify your clothing and spruce up your look.

Let go of anything that doesn’t fit.  Likely, by the time it fits again, it won’t be in style anyway. Donate or consign your unwanted clothes. Organize remaining clothes by colour; what colour do you wear most?  Try a new hue!

Place your hangers in backwards. After you wear something, hang it back up the correct direction. Factor in the seasons; then take a look at what is still hanging backwards. Let it go.

What looks best on you?  Hire an image consultant or go shopping with a friend who has a good eye for fashion who will tell you the truth.

Only keep what you feel good in.  If you don’t like the shape, texture, pattern or anything else about it, let it go.  You should feel good in everything you put on, right down to your underwear!

Clothes make the man. Naked people have little or no influence on society….  Mark Twain