7 Cheats to Help You Clear Clutter - Guest Post

As much as I don't want to be a hoarder, I do tend to accumulate things. Diana has written a great guest post on how to declutter and clear away to give you that organised feeling we crave in the home. Enjoy!

Before you decide to bring something home to keep, ask yourself if you’ll eventually consider it as just another knickknack in your haystack of orphaned stuff. Yes, hoarding can be a rewarding compulsion, but living space is best reserved for the essentials. This is arguable if you have money to burn, but like novelty souvenirs, clutter is often something you can do without. As far as mementos go, a picture can paint a thousand words and will also occupy just a few megabytes of space.

Here are 7 tips to help you declutter your home and reclaim lost territory.

1. Define What Qualifies as Clutter

This is the hardest part, because recognizing something as clutter is accepting it doesn’t belong in your house. Decluttering is like spring cleaning, but often involves items with sentimental value.

You have to think of it as shedding skin--something has to go and make room for better things. If you can group stuff in piles of wants and needs, it can help you visualize how much room you’ll regain in the aftermath. Having clutter is like having an unassembled mess of IKEA furniture--you need to know when it’s time to move on and let it go.

2. Divide and Conquer

Decluttering the entire house can be overwhelming, so it’s best if you sort in sections, such as one cabinet or room at a time. Years of hoarded stuff blur the lines between what’s necessary, trivial, or disposable, and you may not have time to sort everything in one sweep.

3. Make the Most out of Reclaimed Space

Once you’ve regained space to spare, you need to organize things. It’s time to compartmentalize.

You’ll be amazed to see the space you’ll recover with proper storage. If you take pride in cramming stuff into a suitcase, then you can apply the same principle in decluttering. Who would’ve thought there’s plenty of storage space underneath the bed? This is also opportunity to think in terms of shelves and stacking boxes.

4. Have an “Undecided Bin” for Stuff You Might Need

If you’re undecided regarding the usefulness of some items, it’ll help if you dedicate space for these. This will ease the transition.

Don’t let your recycling bin exceed maximum capacity, though. For example, you’ll get around to using that exercise ball, as you can and should exercise. In the meantime, let it sit in limbo while you muster up the courage to get off your bum.

5. Focus on the Task at Hand

When you’re decluttering, it’s best to have an honest assessment of your belongings. But you can’t declutter with a preoccupied mind. It impairs judgment and you may dispose stuff you need.

If a cluttered desk is evidence of a cluttered mind, then decluttering is a task you’ll botch with a distracted mind.

6. Keep the Fire Burning

Give yourself credit if you did great with the task, but realize that clutter will stack up if you’re not deliberate with future acquisitions. It’s a perpetual effort.

Learn from mistakes, and be ruthless when it comes to sorting out your stuff. You didn’t expect to receive two coffeemakers for your birthday? Re-gift one of them, preferably to an astronomically distant relative (re-gifting is a necessary evil when you receive unnecessary gifts).

You should also think things through before making each purchase. Do you want it or need it? Can you afford it?

7. Find Your Middle Ground

In your epic struggle against clutter, it’s possible you’ll end up becoming the hoarder’s worst nightmare: the minimalist. While this is in many ways a good thing, hoarding stuff has its fun side, when it’s done in a controlled and calibrated manner.

You’re justified in buying clothes and shoes for special occasions, in the same way anyone has the right to spend hours watching cat videos online. Just make sure you declutter often, or in the case of watching cat videos, close all those browser tabs when you’re finished.

Staying on top of clutter comes with a learning curve. Give yourself slack whenever you slide back to your hoarding habit. It takes time, but everything you decide to lose will be rewarded with roomier living space and a calmer spirit.

About the writer: Diana is a content writer for Zero Commission, an Australian real estate company that helps homeowners sell their houses while keeping the commission all to themselves. Their customers save on average $14,000. Learn more on their site.

Zero Commission’s blog is filled with how-to guides to help Australian homeowners sell their house fast. Check out articles like 5 Signs Your Home is Overpriced, 5 Feng Shui Tips to Sell Your House and How to Show Your House to Impress Buyers. 

Visit their real estate blog here.

What Does Your Ideal Life Look Like and Are You Living It?

 Are you living your ideal life? We all imagine what our lives will look like. Notice that I said "Ideal", not perfect .... be realistic. This is not the time to say "No, my prince charming did not come on a horse and swoop me off to his Castle". We are not living in a fairytale! So, when you look at the aspects of your life, right now, would you say that it is ideal?

Your definition of ideal should not involve comparing yourself or your life to others'. Ideal should involve your feelings and what you rate as important for you. An ideal life should be about all the pieces of the puzzle fitting neatly together. Ideal should feel like everything is balanced, because you have worked out what is most important to you and you have let go of things you don't rate. 

If we were to break down the areas of our lives they may include our home, our schedule, our job, our friends, our financial situation, our kids, how we parent, our attitude, our relationships, our fitness, our health, the way we deal with situations, our contribution to our community and the world ... The list could be quite long, but what matters for one may not even appear on someone else's list.

Life moves fast and we don't always have control over the way things go, but we often have choices. As we grow, our ways of looking at things often change, as our idea of ideal can change too. 

That's OK. 

What we think is an ideal life as a child, or teen, or young adult, may be very different to our idea of ideal when we have experienced life and have some knowledge of the world. Definitions change!

When you look at all of the aspects of your life, right now, how does reality compare to your ideal, imagined life?

Which bits are close? 

Which bits are vastly different?

Why are there differences? 

Do you want to reach your ideal?

What do you have to do to make that happen?

Have you sacrificed some areas of your life to build another? 

For me?

           I know that there are some aspects of my life that aren't necessarily ideal, yet they are reasonable. I can cope with the stage they are at. 

          There are a few areas that I have pondered over and toyed with most of my life. Trying to get them to a stage of "reasonable" is a struggle, with the changes within life, myself and the world always tilting the table one way or another. These areas will probably be a work in progress for years to come. 

          There are a couple of areas that have just fallen into place over time, with little effort, and continue to be easy. I dare not mess with these, and ask no questions and count my blessings.

           Mostly, I have a tendency to plod along, being swept down the stream of life and doing the best to not hit my head on the boulders on the way. Occasionally I stand back to look things over, like I am doing right now. I believe that nearly anything can be improved, so of course, there are always a few things that I note are not, in fact, ideal in my life, and that its time to get to work and change them.

I think that having an ideal(not prefect!) image of our lives is healthy. Like dreams, it gives us something to aim for. As long as the the image is realistic and achievable, why should our lives be less than ideal?

Family Dinners - Why The Questions?

I read a lot through the week. Not as in book reading; more along the lines of articles, blogs, newsletters, and emails. I am also prone to the odd questionnaire and competition. I have noticed there is a common factor I have noticed popping up which is confusing the hell out of me. It is to do with how often your family sits together for dinner in your house through the week. My answer is ALWAYS.

Every family is different, and I appreciate that. 

Families are made up of different numbers, different interests and different schedules. Are there really so many families, though who regularly do not have dinners together?

When I was growing up, dinner was on the table at the same time each day, mostly. Unless you were committed to a sport, work, ill or not living at home anymore, you were expected to be home at this set time to join the family for dinner.

Now that I have my own family, the same standards are applied. 

There are times that hubby is called out with SES, or I may not eat until later due an early Netball commitment, but these are not a regular or even, weekly occurrences.

I also understand that our children are still young. Young enough not to have commitments late in the day, work, or heavy social tendencies.  Neither hubby nor I travel for work or work shifts either, so it is easy to say that most weeks are the same.

I wonder, then, about the things that our family benefits from that other families may be missing out on.

Our family talk about our day, the current events, upcoming events, our wants/needs, complaints .... we cover a lot of area here. 

I rely on this time of day, to have my family around me. I like to have that time to have a good look at my children across the table and soak up their stories, assess their happiness levels, gauge their energy levels, and listen. It is also a good time for me to see what they are eating or not eating, as I don't get this chance whilst they are at school or I am at work. 

Lastly, with the sharing of all of the above, it may be the one time in the day that hubby and I get the same information at the same time. There is no need to cross-reference or go through any he said/she said.

Tell me I am not alone in valuing this time together at the table? Tell me there are many of you still doing the same. If not, then help me see it from another point of view.

Family Fun and Recharging The Batteries

As a working Mum, it is really important for me to take my annual leave and use it wisely. This usually means spending quality time with the children, catching up on projects around the home and recharging my batteries to get me through to my next holiday.

The last two weeks have been great.
I had a little break over Christmas, but really needed those couple of weeks to get into holiday mode and relax.

It has been a busy two weeks, starting with my mother-in-law's birthday party, Australia Day, a full week at our beautiful holiday spot by the beach, blogging, many days of fishing and family fun, viewing the aftermath of The Tasmanian Fires, cleaning our carpets, a road trip to Launceston(more about this to come), reading, catching up with friends, a zoo, a museum, a couple of barbeques, a little shopping, some swimming, and a lot of sleeping. PHEW!

Unfortunately, we also saw the passing of a dear friend. We will all miss her.

Relaxing at the beach

A few squid

The remains of a house in Dunalley

A Koala at The Tasmania Zoo

My sons Australia Day hat

Wordless Wednesday - Full Deck

It started with an idea.

And some careful preparation

Instant NEW deck

I think the kids love it!

Joining in with

Catch My Words
From pdx with love
Heartbeat Magazine Blog
Taylor Joelle Designs
Crafty spices

A Natural Sour Hit for a Healthy Me

Whilst I am feeling a little under the weather with the sniffles, I am thinking of you.
What is my Bright Side Up gift to my readers today?
Even while I take some more Paracetamol, I count my blessings and think of the many things around me that brighten my life.
These things I want to share with you.

So today, it is only natural that I share the joy of the first plant we purchased, what seems so many moons ago, to celebrate the purchase of our first home. We brought it and kept it in a pot whilst we renovated the house we had purchased, to make it into our home. When we were able to focus on the garden, my beloved Lemon Tree was the first to be planted.

Being a mega sweet-tooth, it seemed quite odd, as I was growing up, that I enjoyed many a Lemon. Squeezing the juices and eating the flesh, like many would eat Oranges. As an adult, I eat them less, but still indulge in the occasional sour burst straight from a Lemon.

Today, just like so many times before when feeling a little under the weather, I head to my Lemon Tree, and pick it's lush fruits that will give my body that instant shot of Vitamin C, as I take a little time out to nurse my throbbing head, raspy throat and blocked nose.

Lemons would have to be my favourite fruit, not only for flavour, but also the health benefits. Lemons are high in Vitamin C, a good source of Vitamin B, loaded with anti-oxidants, rich in dietary fibre, and low in calories.

I leave you with a picture of Lemons picked fresh from our own tree.
Even before cutting into a Lemon, I am sure that the bright Yellow makes me feel a little better.
Is that possible?

Do you like a food others cringe at? Do you like it purely for taste, or does it have other benefits?

What a girl has to do for flowers

Are there things that you value that your family just does not see as important? Have you ever got sick of waiting for someone to do something, so you have just done it yourself? I can see you nodding - freaky huh?

This is my situation of late. So I did what any self respecting wife and mother should do, but quite often doesn't.
I said "Enough - I'll take care of this." I took myself along the road to the lady that has a lovely stall by the roadside, and chose for myself a lovely bunch.

Flowers ... bunch of flowers.

I appreciate the sight of freshly cut flowers on my dining room table, and obviously it was not on anyone else's list in my house. I enjoy buying them with a few tight buds that I can watch as they magically open. I love the sweet fragrance as I walk in the room.

I have now taken it upon myself to periodically purchase a lovely bunch of flowers, for me to enjoy.
Thus I added it to my 2012 TO DO LIST.

I have been, and would continue to, wait quite some time for a certain husband to walk through the door with a bunch!
Are flowers on your list of things you like, for you?

How old will you be?

When I was young, I remember many things just seemed an eternity away. Things like going to High School, turning 18, moving out and having babies. I guess children's concepts of these things happening is really out of proportion.

I had a lovely chat with Master 4 today.

It went:

Master 4: "Will Miss 8 have babies?
Me: "She might do... What about you?
Master 4: "Only girls can have babies."

Me: "So will you marry a girl and have babies together?"
Master 4: "Well, I have 2 girlfriends..."

Me: "So which one do you think you might marry?"
Master 4: "Hmmmm ...... maybe __________?" (name has been withheld, let's say it starts with a letter between L and Z)

Me: "Right. "So how old do you think you'll be when you get married?"
Master 4:"Well .... maybe 6?"

Me:"And how old will you be when you and ______ have babies?"
Master 4:"About 11 I think"

I was digesting this news of my future grandmother hood and Master 4 was analysing the finer details.

Master 4:"Do you I have to live somewhere else when I get older though Mum?
Me: "You can stay here if you want to, but we might need to get a bigger house. Where will you all sleep?"
Master 4: "I could just put another bed beside mine in my room?"
Me: "Or maybe some bunks to save room?"
Master 4: "Yeah, let's get bunks. That would be cool."

Me: "Will you sleep on the top bunk or will _____ sleep on the top?"
Master 4: "No. I think me and ______ will sleep on the top one and the babies can sleep down the bottom."

Righto! All settled then!

Do you/have you had some great chats with children lately?

Silence is golden, and not offensive

I was going about my business this morning, folding laundry, tidying, cleaning up the kitchen. All the while the TV was chatting away in the background. Every now and then, the TV caught my attention, and it made me wonder how some people get through day after day at home.

Signs that would work in my home

Signs around the home are becoming very popular. So i thought I might put up a few that have caught my eye, and would work really well in my home.

Do you have signs in your home? I would love to know what they are.

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Blog hopping and linking up with

The Seven-Year Engagement

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The Seven Years between hubby and I becoming engaged and getting married could be classed as a romantic comedy. Alas, we did not think of making a film about it. 

We were not in a rush to set a wedding date. We wanted certain things to happen first. Unlike The Five-Year Engagement, the delay was not so much setting up our careers, as setting up our future.

We both had similar ideas about how we wanted our lives together to "pan out".

We wanted to enjoy each others company and get to know each other. We wanted to be a couple and make lasting memories together. And we did just that. We love looking back at photos with the children and telling them the stories behind each adventure.

Neither of us wanted to rush into a relationship that might fade or change over time either. So for the whole time of the engagement we lived together. We lived in several houses, and even with hubby's parents for some time. We played house, payed bills, nurtured pets, changed jobs and had a few disasters we can now laugh about. We had different experiences shared with different friends and family. We holidayed together and spent time apart enjoying our hobbies. We saw the good and the bad, learned ours strengths and weaknesses, and held each other up when it was needed. We gave the relationship every chance to change and grow along as we did, and by the wedding, we certainly knew each other inside out.

We wanted children, but wanted to set ourselves up first. If that sounds a little sterile and too organised to be romantic, then I can tell you we have our impulsive moments, but the big decisions were important and we liked the sense of control. We saved for our first home, which we renovated together (we could have done a comedy movie just around that). We then wanted to have a little money behind us before our family began, so we worked toward this. We worked on our ideals and discussed things about our future in detail. There was a lot of dreaming, but mostly we were ensuring we were on the same page. Of course, our opinions do sometimes differ, and we have had our disagreements, but we had the time to work through them.

Maybe this communication, and growing together is why we celebrated our Ten-Year Anniversary this year, and hope to keep adding the decades to our tally. We have watched as some of our friends have struggled through terrible relationships, and some have ended badly. We are so glad that we took the time to set the strong foundation for ours.

We hope ours will be a happily-ever-after tale. It has been so far.

Scratching your back

In our household, we work with "I'll scratch your back, you scratch mine". It has worked well for us ever since hubby and I got together. We used it to renovate our home, build a family and shape our lives. We encourage it with our children to work together to get something done. It works well in the community too, so I wonder .... why some people can't see beyond themselves to support others and build their own support network?

It is common knowledge that despite being very skilled and competent, there are some things you just can't do yourself. And some things are achieved easier and faster with help. I'm sure the pioneers of every community around the world have used this system successfully, otherwise the barter system would never have been used. To share your skills, knowledge and material objects with others, who in turn can offer you something you need is invaluable. Even in this modern day, the barter system is used as much as ever to get things done, to save money and to make life easier.

It saddens me when there are people with skills that have a selfish attitude about helping others. Sure, you might have worked hard to obtain those skills, but what is the point if nobody gets benefit from that hard work? Some people need more help than others, and that's OK too. I'm a huge believer of "what comes around, goes around", in both the good and the bad sense. In the end, even if the only reward you get is seeing somebody happier, then isn't it worth it?

Just as bad as those who find it hard to give, are those who are takers. There seems to be many of these around. They are absent or conveniently too busy if someone needs a hand, but are too happy to ask for help, and many actually expect it on a regular basis. I'm sorry but this can only go on for so long before you put someones nose out of joint.

We have often been in the situation of "it's not what you know, it's who you know". We have some amazing friends and contacts that we have called on over the years to get a good deal on a product, to do a particular job at mates' rates or offer advice. We like to think that these friends will call on us in return, and many of them have.

So have a look around you. What do you have to offer? Do you have the need for some expertise in exchange for something you have to offer? Are you a giver, a taker, or doing a great job at both? Do you work on this system?

Stay-At-Home-Dad .... where are you?

The house is a shambles.
    I need a roster to tell me what to do.
       I keep looking for back-up, when there is none.
          I am over Master 4 letting the dog out to roam the neighbourhood.
              Tomorrow is technically only day 3 of my week in the twilight zone.

My hubby (aka Stay-at-home-dad) is missing from the house this week. BOO HOO! Come back Daddy!

No it's not that bad. I have been taking note, though, of how different it is at home without him here. And bloody hell, have I noticed how much he does around the house! I knew, of course, but I am really noticing.
I sound like such a typical working parent.

He has been leaving early and getting home about the same time as I usually do. So the first thing I noticed was the empty space in the bed next to me. Nothing to cuddle after I hit the snooze button!
I then had to run around like a mad woman getting the kids here and there, and make sure I wasn't going to work in my pj's with muesli around my face.
I have to keep reminding myself of what happens at what time, lest I forget something important ... like school drop-off.

Tomorrow is officially my day off. I will be home for a full day. Alone!

Well ... actually Master 4 has a bike-a-thon tomorrow at school, so I'm thinking that will take up some of my day. The rest will be gone with the blink of an eye.

I miss Stay-at-home Dad!

Tread lightly ... there are toys underfoot

I need help Mum. I can't do this by myself. This will take forever.

Oh, the arguments my daughter and I have had about cleaning her room! And she's only 8!
I know, I know .... there are many more to come.

I seriously feel we come from two different planets.  Or maybe I'm speaking a language that she can not understand.  Either way we are not on the same wave-length.

image source

I am not a neat freak by any means. I like my home to look lived in. I like it when friends come over and they automatically feel comfortable tucking their socked feet under them on our lounge. When you walk into our house, there are not always clean, empty benches and tables. We are a busy family ... and we live here. That is how I like it.

I do like things to have a home. Toys need a toy-box, books need a bookcase, clothes need a wardrobe. You put things away as you finish with them.  Do you get my drift? Admittedly, we have a small home, and there is never enough storage, ever. I have worked with my daughter in finding solutions for this, when it comes to her room.  I also like to be able to walk into her room, or around her bed without treading on things. I don't think that is too much to ask.

I have stripped her room bare a few times, pulling everything into the hallway, spare the bed, and bedside drawers. The wardrobe is a good sized built-in, with lots of shelving and hanging space. I see these 3 items as essentials for the room, everything else is optional.
We then go through her possessions. We slowly, and painfully add things back to the room in order of importance, and find homes for things as we go. I don't see it as rocket science.

I also set up a reward system for my daughter, where she is paid to clean her room once a week. If it is not done, then she has to pay me the same amount to do it for her. She liked this idea. It works to a certain degree. Not without the whinging and moaning, every single time.

Finally, this weekend, after the dreaded job was completed for the week my daughter came up with a great solution to her problem.

"Mum, if I don't mess up my room, then it won't take so long to clean".

She stood in front of me, I could see the glow from the light-bulb hovering above her head.

In my head, the crickets sounded really loud.  Why didn't I think of that!