Simplify by decluttering

I hope everyone had a wonderful time with family and friends over the holiday weekend. I know that time always goes by so fast for me. That is why I am always looking for ways to cut down on my wasted time and thereby have more time to enjoy with family and friends.

I am hoping some de-cluttering will help with this. Also, de-cluttering will mean getting rid of some things I don't need or don't use any more. Perhaps some of my unused stuff can go to a good home and get used. First, I will try to find friends that can use it. Next, I will try to give it away on freecycle. And finally, I will donate it to Goodwill or the local recycle business. This will help when we start downsizing.

Actually I say start downsizing, but if you think about it, we already started downsizing. We moved closer to our jobs, which downsized our commute. That saves my wife Sandy about an hour a day in driving time. I only save about a half an hour because I sold my car and now ride my bike to work. I really enjoy this time most days. The days that are not so fun are the ones riding into a strong headwind. I don't really even mind the rain or cold (down to about 10 degrees F). I have the proper clothing to keep me dry and warm. After the temperature drops below 10 degrees I take the city bus.

I was looking in my closet for a shirt for a dress shirt and realized there are at least two things I haven't worn in a year or two. By getting rid of these shirts, I will have more space in my closet and be able to find the shirt I am looking for much easier. After thinking about it, I have decided I should take a look at all my clothes and see how much stuff I have that I never wear. I figure this will be an easy place for me to start my de-clutter/downsizing.

There are a couple "extreme" ways of doing this. I will not be doing this, at least not at first. One ways is by the 333 project. Rather than rewrite the information about the 333 project, I am going to put a link up for the 333 project. http://www.theproject333.com/getting-started/

As I said, I am not doing this project at this time. I may do it in the future, but for now I am just getting rid of stuff I haven't worn in a long time. I know that I have an old work coat and vest in the hall closet that haven't been worn since before they were unpacked at this house. We moved into this house over four years ago. I think it's safe to say that I can get rid of those two items from my wardrobe.

Now you may look at those two pictures and say, "He doesn't have that much." But, I also have a dresser full of clothes and a pile of sweat shirts in a bathroom cabinet. I will put a picture of the clothes I am getting rid of in a later post.

I am sure my de-cluttering of clothing will help me in getting started with my downsizing and in the end, save me time and money. Once I have de-cluttered my life and then downsize I will have more time and money to enjoy what is really important, family and friends. I don't really like working to pay a big mortage, car payment and all the bills associated with both. A smaller house means smaller bills if done correctly. Finally, smaller bills means less work and more time for fun!