She's the dreamer. He's the doer. Together, with their five amazing children, they are enjoying a minimalist lifestyle in their simple, custom designed home - Arrow Hill Cottage.
@@ArrowHillCottage It's a good list! It's nice to know that others have the same issues with certain things, even the things I thought were weird to keep around. :)
I spent two weeks decluttering my kitchen by reorganizing it. If it didn't have a home, it was unloaded. Yes I have too many rags. Gross ones need to go. I tossed a lot of plastic ware. I got better hangers. Im switching hangers. This means I'm going through my clothes. The clothes and the hangers are being donated. Last week I donated 5 boxes to the homeless shelter. Friday I'm filling the car again.
My hubby and I went garage saling one weekend and honest to god, EVERY sale had a box of allan wrenches. Not just one wrench, a box of them! This was a good list! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent list, many I hadn’t thought of - will attack more sewing notions, lightbulbs (tough one as they were SO expensive) and drapes (for the same reason). Great blueprint to follow and the courage to do so). Thank you 😊
I think once I started, it felt so good that I wondered how I was gonna get my kicks after I went through every nook and cranny. 😅😅 But then I do find that it will be time to review all of it soon enough once again. Lol. Right now I guess I would say that I’ve let the burn barrel stuff pile up for too long and procrastinating on the bag of dead batteries, as idk where to take them (or as it goes, I know I could go find an answer and deal with it, but things like that just constantly get put on the back burner lol). Just went on another trip to look at houses (supposed to be just a day trip and I was running late) so I found out really fast what is extra necessary and what isn’t as I had to get a hotel room for one night with zero provisions. 😂😂 Interesting and never done that before. (I’m usually packing a lot of little extras Bcuz I like a number of things to be like they are at home…my little coffee pot and all coffee supplies, things to do with crazy hair management, hot flash fan and fave pillow with silk pillowcase…mostly lol). Well anyways. I was a bit cranky and I think what I missed the most was the fan and my personal coffee. Things I had to buy: pajama pants, next day shirt, phone charger cube, snacks/beverages, $1 toothbrush/toothpaste kit, cheap foundation makeup and prob ate out more than I should have. 😅😅 Crazy tho Bcuz getting ready in the morning only took me like 20 minutes and that was Bcuz I had to at least rinse off my hair and redo it. Lol. (Didn’t have conditioner so didn’t want to frizz it up with cheap shampoo. Turned out pretty well lol). Having all kinds of adventures tho. Running all over driving the crazy Tennessee mountains and you would not believe the number of homes I’ve looked at that always seem to be dipped down under or up on some cliff and the roads to get to them are about as challenging to drive as they come. 😂😂 How did I never know this? (Lol. We went as kids a lot but of course we never were really driving ha ha). One house description was “on completely flat land” lol. And now I know exactly why they put that on there. Lol.
Oh that’s interesting! Kind of like a forced mega minimalist moment! Perhaps you will find that some other things can be eliminated from your morning routine OR you might really appreciate what you have on a regular basis! And yes, we live in a flat area too and I’m not sure I could handle curvy mountain roads! “On completely flat land” sounds good to me! Happy to hear that your house hunting continues on and that you are enjoying the process! The little maple tree I transplanted around the time you were thinking of making a move is still alive and well! ❤️
@@ArrowHillCottage Aww. Thanks! Appreciate that as it’s such a rollercoaster of emotions. This whole house hunting thing. 😂😂 For real tho. My female getting ready routines and my bathroom are really like the top of my Mt Everest. Esp with the mid range OCD stuff I tend to get stuck in and the perfectionism around what I think is “acceptable enough” to be seen or smelt in public. And then dealing with psoriasis issues also. (Both appearance and things like itching and what all you need to do to not itch to death lol). 😂😂 All the things I think I “have to have” to somehow not be shunned in public as ugly or lazy or grosie Josie. 😂😂 Def a great reality check on self esteem around appearance and not basing my worth or how I feel about myself on any extreme level of kempt or unkempt…according to what “other people” think about such things. Lol. I don’t like to put it out there much ya know Bcuz if I admit my level of “lack of hygiene” or struggles with it…or feeling like I have sooo much work to do to catch up to being “presentable” that it takes me forever to get ready to “go out.” I feel like all it’s going to do is invite extra shame and criticism. You got people telling you that you’re too prissy and taking too long and on the other side they’re telling you you’re gross. So right? You just can’t win so just do what you want for you. It has been a problem for me for ages really but I am very good at hiding it bcuz I hate catching flack for it. (On either end). It’s kind of a hush hush topic tho Bcuz you can’t hardly talk about it online without arguing or put downs and criticisms. So then the solution gets sort of buried or delayed Bcuz open, rational discussions on it are not so often very productive. I DO tend to think that van life guy was right tho. Showers are a luxury, not a necessity but in America most people believe they’re a necessity. For me tho? Water and a rag worked quite nicely and when you’re pressed for time or resources or lack products, warm water and a rag is a Godsend. 😅😅 And yes. I even found a way to soothe my flaming itchy skin with it. Just water and a rag and the travel size lotion I threw in my purse. Brilliant. Lol. But mountains. Omg you’ve never seen such awe inspiring beauty but also it’s not exactly easy or practical either and you develop extra respect for the challenges Mother Nature doles out to us humans. lol. You’re sort of amazed and terrified at the same time. But at least you know you’re alive. Lol. Then add large lakes driving downhill for miles looking over the 2000 ft Cliff drop 20 feet away from you. Terrifying and exhilarating. And sometimes on only a gravel road that is very narrow with 90 degree turns and no railing. Places you can’t back out of or turn s car around if you made a wrong turn. Steep gravel driveways that your car may not be able to get up or get back up from or be able to turn around in. (Aka having to drive backwards). Lol. Wowza. And I didn’t even go camping or hiking. Just driving around in the car and stopping and looking at stuff. Still it’s quite the adventure just doing that.
I admit letting go of misc., mystery keys is an area I struggle with. I don't know what that's all about. But I have managed to pair it down quite a bit. I helped declutter a house that had dozens of moving boxes from U-Haul that had been stored for many years. On the side of the box it had, "Do Not Discard. Intended for Re-use." I guess they took that seriously.
I have been evolving as I go. Finally reached that stage of "just get rid of it!" I had thrown away knick knacks on my porch that (I thought) were conversation pieces. Well, I never had a conversation about them in the last five years. After grouping, rearranging, and dusting them off every other day.... I got rid of six pieces, and do I miss them? I can't even recall what I threw out , less one.
I liked it when you talked about cheap pencils...😂i've got so many of them including coloured pencils... I am definitely going to get rid of at least half of them
One of the best videos and so much I hadn't considered. The big takeaway was old journals. I cracked up at your reaction to peeking in an old journal--me too! I cringe, I wince, I shudder. I hate even seeing them, filled with my eighties' teenager angst and pining over old crushes. I guess I felt I had to keep them, all handwritten and capturing the times (they do keep me from romanticizing the '80s like many of my contemporaries). But yeah, I don't want my kids reading them or for my legacy--they gotta go!
I loved this video. We are pretty clutter free or so I thought until this video... you mentioned 18 things that I have "missed" so I now have a fall project or two. Great video❤
Cracked up over “the good box” 😂 Former teacher of 3-6 yo, and we all chased after those “perfect” boxes to store and entertain ❤ I am proud to say that I’m 2 years free from storing my addiction, but oh the temptation still remains 😅
Lol, we're both retired and the alarm clock is still set. For 6am. Every day! Can I just say, I used to cut up old towels, clothes etc for rags and would wash them after use. The resultant threads wrapped themselves around the washing machine element and burnt it out (had only had the machine for a year!) The cost of replacing the element wasn't cheap either. Now I throw the rags after one use, but more often use either kitchen paper or washable minky cloths. I suppose an organza type bag would be a good way to wash the cloths and retain any bits, but really, who wants to be bothered with that?
The only luxury I engage in, is acquiring a quality wardrobe. For years when younger, I didn't earn much money and couldn't afford barely anything. Now I work for the District Attorney, I enjoy buying clothes for my personal style, not for work only. I could afford a new car if I wanted, but I don't get spending that much money for something will lose value so fast. Besides, I love my 8 year old Jeep and here in Los Angeles, I can take the bus or subway to get around when I don't feel like driving or parking is insane somewhere. I love your view on what you purchases and letting go.
Thanks for this list. We do grocery pickup so get grocery bags. The ones we get are very nice so I collect them and every few months donate them to the food bank. They are always thrilled to get them.
I keep my plastic bags all stuffed together so when it is getting out of hand, I take it with me next time I go to Walmart and they have a special recycling bin for plastics. I dunno if it really gets recycled but...one can hope.
@@cellgrrlI keep plastic bags (with no holes) for lining my smaller trash cans in some cube tissue boxes. The rest I put in my car’s trunk to grab when I am going into a store that recycles them. Yeah, I don’t know if they really do as well, but like you said, “One can hope”.
A great list! I am going through the memory boxes, haven't really thought about that. But what was once special doesn't always stay special. And I want it to fit in one box per person, so if something goes in something else has to go. Thanks!
It’s amazing how I feel like everyone else now! I have gotten rid of some of these things but it seems like you have a crystal ball and can see my things that I’ve hung on to 😮 The curtains I’ve stored are just one of the many things you listed that are being decluttered 😮😂
👋 Good morning Angela ☀️ I look forward to your weekly videos and appreciate your knowledge and encouragement 😊 we’ve got a disabled family member needing to move in with us so here’s more motivation to see what else I can declutter. I just bought a new coffee maker (it does stay out on a dedicated coffee cart) that will be replacing a Keurig and a separate small coffee pot. The new coffee maker is a duo/combo so I’ll have one unit. Now I have to figure out how to use it and get it going. Also im newly diagnosed diabetic so im revamping my diet, this the food in the kitchen cupboards 😅 I’m already looking forward to next week’s video ❤
Haha I enjoyed the secret journal and other b-roll. That was an impressive list in less than 15 minutes! I'll never throw out a clean rag... it will have to do one last dirty job before that happens.
Yeah that’s true! It just seems in our house that I keep re-washing even the really dirty ones because I hate throwing them out. Then they pile up and pile up! ❤️
Thank you for the inspiration. You reminded me to pick the zenias to bring in and enjoy. I also tried my favorite quilt on the back of the loveseat. Beautiful.❤
