Hello minimalist friends. It's been more than a month since I wrote about my
decluttering goals for 2014 so time for a quick update for both myself and you. I thought I wasn't making much progress but when I look back at my original goals I can see that there is some progress and plans are developing to make further progress.So how am I doing in each area?
Declutter our loft space (this has now become our 'spare room' aka our dumping ground). No, this will have to wait until we have some warmer weather (but not too warm) as for now it's too cold to spend any length of time up there.
Declutter our bedroom (nothing stashed under the bed, more clear surfaces). No, but I have been dreaming of a new look for this room, possibly a coastal theme.
Declutter our paperwork (my least favorite job). Yes, I've done quite well with this one and have edited out quite a lot of unnecessary paperwork. I've also spent time looking into our personal finances and have found ways to save money by cancelling unnecessary policies.
Have a serious attempt at decluterring my laptop. No.
Continue editing my wardrobe. No, but I have decided to donate my unwanted clothes to charity as selling on Ebay and at car boot sales is so time consuming. I think I get more pleasure from donating to charity than making a few pounds.
Create a wish-list to move my wardrobe nearer to a fully co-ordinating capsule wardrobe. Yes I now have a wish list that I am working from and my wardrobe is moving closer to a capsule wardrobe. Realising I had too many color combinations in my wardrobe has been a breakthrough. I'll post about my wardrobe again soon.
Redesign our small lawned garden into a low maintenance courtyard garden. No due to the time of year and weather. I'm really hoping this will happen sometime in spring though. Roll on sitting al fresco.
Minimalise time wasted to allow more time for personal and health goals. Yes, with less work pressures I'm finding it much easier to use my time productively and approach life positively. I have been doing some paid work but it is not all consuming and has allowed me plenty of time for domestic tasks and personal time too. Since January I've been able to spend much more time on favorite activities like reading, baking and spending time with my family and friends. I'm much more content too.
Minimalise money wasted by following a strict grocery budget to allow for a few new experiences and treats throughout the year. Yes, good progress with this goal so far. This has been my main focus since the start of the year and I'm really pleased with how much money I've saved on food with negligible negative effects.
So overall 4/9 for the year's goals which isn't too bad for starters. Reviewing my goals has been useful and has made me realize the importance not just of wanting to simplify but of having systems in place to make these changes happen. Now I've created a system for saving money on grocery shopping the weekly grocery bill is staying consistently low. And hopefully, now I've decided to donate my unwanted clothes rather than sell them they should be gone out of the house quicker than I can say, “To Ebay, or not to Ebay...”
How about you? Any decluttering or simplifying news to share? I need all the inspiration I can get!
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