I was woken last night by fireworks going off so assumed it was midnight and didn't look out. The cats were as far as I was aware asleep downstairs and would probably not stir. Being disturbed at midnight I then slept through to 8.35am.
I am continuing to dispose of my belongings which has been on-going for many months, either giving away or charity shop or dustbin. I gave some art books to a young girl I met at the embroidery session in case you wonder what I mean by 'giving away'.
I do not want a stranger going through my belongings when I die so I am doing it myself whilst living and able to do it. This will also help if I move into a retirement apartment, no point in carrying unwanted things from one place to another. There are many things that I have hung on to for no reason other than sentimentality and I am now able to shed these and not feel the need to keep them. I am slowly getting through vases, jugs and books and delivering to charity whenever I can. Private things like photos and diaries I am dealing with at home on my own. My feelings are strong and my mind made up that I do not need them anymore and now is the time to let them go. I had diaries from the 1980s to 2010 which I put on a bonfire when I moved here and I now have the next 15 years which I no longer feel the need for. I have not kept diaries as such for years and I have generally written notes to myself in notebooks and kept them. They are now disposed of. Today I went through some shredding. I am happy with it and feel nothing but freedom at the end.
I have very few clothes and generally wear the same things day in and day out and now that I am not working I do not have a "work wardobe" and a "casual wardrobe". Now everything is casual. So clothing that has not been touched or worn for 10 years is being laundered and taken to charity. This is also the second time I have done this, I had a clear out when I moved here and as with my old diaries I do not feel anything for the clothing and there is very little left of any consequence over and above my daily needs.
I have never had many belongings and I do not have a garage full of rubbish. My garage is for my car and for my wood supplies. People that I know tell me they have a garage full of rubbish, it seems to be the place to put things out of the way to deal with "another day".
And on that note I wish you again a Happy New Year.
I am also in favor of minimalism, and try not to accumulate unnecessary things, although I still have quite a few of them and I plan to get rid of some of them.
ReplyDeleteOn the other hand, my parents and my grandmothers did not give up certificates, papers, documents and letters, and moved with them from place to place during their wanderings around the world. And so I was able to reconstruct the family history in recent years and even recently gained German citizenship, for me and my children, just because they did not know how to throw anything away.
Yes, I know that those type of documents need to be kept. We have a filing cabinet full of family documents and history which is kept by my brother. He will pass this to the next generation.
DeleteI like to use my things for a long time, be it clothes, kitchen utensils, mobile devices, furniture or anything else. For instance, some of my furniture was bought by my grandparents when they got married in the 1930s, and I use their plates every day in my kitchen. The kindle I read on during my frequent train trips is still the first one I was given as a Christmas gift in 2012. The knitted wool dress I am wearing today I bought well over ten years ago.
ReplyDeleteWhenever possible, I make do with what I have and do not want to fill my flat with more and more things; one thing I find hard to resist though is books. I will soon give some away to charity, along with a small pile of clothes that I have not worn in a long time but that aren‘t threadbare either.
Your practical approach is very sensible.
It is a personal thing when we reach the point of doing what I am doing and there is no one size fits all. It is practical for me because I am likely to move from here one day into a much smaller place so it makes sense to do it while I am in the mood.
DeleteI am constantly decluttering and every time I go back through my things, I find more that I can let go of. I have so many books that I have been saving cardboard boxes for. I haven't faced it as it will not be a small endeavor. One day, or it might actually take a few days to complete, but I'll get there. I have a basket of filing sitting next to my chair that needs to be dealt with and while I do that, I will gather what is needed for tax filing next. (I am a huge procrastinator of getting our tax stuff together, as well as with filing things in general. I think part of that may come from several years of office work and filing.) Sounds like you are getting a lot accomplished. I always feel good when I have several boxes of things that can be donated. I feel a bit lighter for a while.
ReplyDeleteI may have said this earlier, but I don't think it hurts to repeat this so, Happy New Year, Rachel. I hope it will be a better one for all of us. Ranee
I feel that lightness that comes from this kind of housekeeping and with it a feeling of freedom. I keep tax papers in one drawer and with most documents coming on-line these days there is less and less paper for me to store. I think if I had to look things up it would be easier for me with paper documents but that is the way of the world now, electronic. Thank you for your new year wishes, and I wish you a Happy New Year too. Rachel xx
DeleteI found the hardest things to part with were the books, but there did seem to be a right time. I have saved a few very favorites but otherwise use the library or charity shop these days. I also have quite a few pictures all of which seem to have a sentimental value, often bought the when on holidays! Clutter is attracted to me!!
ReplyDeleteVases and jugs were always attracted to me!
DeleteI had many philosophy books that I had collected over the years and thought I could never part with and suddenly a few weeks ago I decided I could let them go. I don't know why it took me so long for this release to come.
When we moved house, four years ago now, I did a major declutter and got rid of piles of stuff accumulated over the decades. It felt liberating. Unfortunately I now seem to be acquiring a new set of clutter.
ReplyDeleteYes, I foresee this could happen to me too! However, I am conscious now that the next move for me is likely to be to a small apartment and I think that will control any whimsical buying!
DeleteI have been disposing of things from the loft but otherwise I live with what I have and just try not to acquire new things that I only 'want' but do not need.
ReplyDeleteThat is a solid pathway to take. When I see the adverts for more and more kitchen gadgets for coffee making and ice cream making and drink dispensing and food preparation I wonder just how many more of these things people actually need. As the adverts for them ramped up around Christmas I can only think they provided present ideas for those with plenty of money but were not really needed at all. Thanks for dropping by Graham. Rachel x
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