July (Part One)

· I’ve come to halfway through the month and haven’t actually cleaned out anything yet. This is the least motivated I’ve been in the last three months. Work is wearing me out I think, not that I’m really working that hard, but maybe it’s winter – I come home in the cold and dark and am too tired to do anything or get excited about cleaning out cupboards.
· The trend I’ve noticed is that I’m starting to get rid of stuff that isn’t falling apart anymore (I think I’ve cleaned out all of that stuff by now) and getting rid of stuff (clothes) I could still wear but that is daggy. I’m trying to upgrade my image a bit and get nicer clothes. This blog is transforming not only into a de - cluttering list but my transformation from dag to glamour puss (well, hopefully), we’ll have to wait and see…

June clutter

• Books I’m reading this month - ‘The Idiot’s guide to Tantric Sex’, ‘Something So Strong – the Crowded House Story’ Chris Bourke, (still) ‘ Picture of Dorian Gray’ Oscar Wilde, ‘Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde’, ‘The Year of Yes’ Maria Headley, ‘Elegance’ Kathleen Tessaro, ‘Niche and Grow Rich’ Jennifer Sander, ‘Mom Spa’ Jennifer Sander et al, ‘What Not to Wear for all Occasions’ Trinny Woodall & Susannah Constantine.

1st – Material swatches gathered up for outfits for the now defunct ‘Gemstone’ girl group I was a member of for about a week. We were all enthusiastic and ready to take over the world with our stunning harmonies and well coordinated wardrobes and then we never somehow got together for our 2nd meeting.
2nd – Wick for a glass lamp that broke ages ago.
3rd – Old uni bag. It’s still in good enough nick, but I suppose by throwing it out, I’m finally letting go of my ill fated and long suffering BA in Ancient History that I secretly suspected would only be completed when I had one foot in the grave, or finally found that rich husband who would enable me to give up full time slavery, er, work, and concentrate on my mental stimulation. I think I have come to terms with the fact that I never really started the degree with the intention on getting a job out of it, it was merely one of my scanner projects and I loved the learning side of it, I just hated the examination side of it. On the good side, I found 2 really nice black pens that were tucked into the bag and I’d forgotten all about. SCORE!
4th – document case with broken elastic.
5th – a pair of suspender stockings I’ve had for years that are still in their packet unopened – I’ve finally come to terms with the fact that my legs are not built to wear suspenders.
6th – A lantern that Mum gave me “just in case” of a blackout. It’s a huge camping one that I’ve never used and so far we haven’t had that blackout. Besides, I’ve kept it under my bed, so if that blackout did actually happen, I’d have to stumble my way to the bedroom, get down on my knees, slide under the bed and grope around for the lantern. Was never going to happen so it’s going back to Mumsy.
7th – Two sets of lingerie that no longer fit. Oh to have a B cup again, or even a C cup. (Donating)
8th – two pairs of ‘Fat’ shorts, that I whenever I yoyo and get fat again I fit back into – I’m giving them away so hopefully I won’t get big enough for them again. (Wishful thinking)
9th – I finally got a print I’ve had for years framed! I bought it a Byron Bay from a local artist probably five years ago and it’s been in my car for 2 year and under my bed for at least another 2. I picked it up today and hung it up in the lounge room and it looks beautiful! It replaced a painting that my ex boyfriend gave me for Valentine’s Day. Instead of roses (or even a single rose) I got a cutsie-pie painting and hand painted mirror. I loved them both but I was a tad disappointed with the lack of floral arrangements on that most important of days. Anyway, taking it down is a step towards making the ex boyfriend really ex.
10th – Four books I’ve either never read or have no intention of re-reading (donating)
11th – My old Knuckles (not from my hands) that I played with as a kid (and sometimes as a teenager). I was contemplating giving them to a friend with a daughter, but they’re old and she’d probably either have her own knuckles, or buy nice new ones. (Donated)
12th – Two really pale pink lipsticks – God knows why I had them anyway, I’m not blonde with blue eyes. (Only in my dreams)
13th – an old red jumper with lots of moth holes and pilling all over it – ugly you say, yes! But it was one of my old faves and SOOOOO warm and comfy.
14th – Three pairs of old shoes. Giving them to Mum. As an aside, I also polished up 5 pairs of still good shoes and gave them a new lease on life!
15th – Woven leather bag an ex ex ex ex ex Boyfriend gave me years ago. It’s been hanging up in the wardrobe for years ‘just in case’ the perfect matching outfit came along but I really doubt it exists.
16th – Fluoro Pink board shorts (donated)
17th – Used up two balls of wool on a rug for Misty. I was saving the wool for projects and hopefully am able to sell some of it but it was horrible to knit with so good riddance I say…
18th – a tatty old beach bag (donated)
19th – huge crocheted rug I made years ago – giving it to Mum to clutter up her house up with, and have the cat to sleep on…
20th – I cleared my fridge of a bit of clutter – taking off take away menus and price lists of massage places I no longer go to. Hopefully, the removal of the menu from the Indian restaurant down the road will help me to de clutter my hips of the results of too many tikka masalas.
21st – 20 or so cardboard boxes in the boot of my car. I was planning on moving back in April so I saved up cartons from HMV and didn’t end up moving. Seeing as I probably won’t move for ages and I now work in a shoe shop I don’t think I’ll be short of cartons.
22nd – ‘Melrose’ style hair clip (donated)
23rd – 2 pairs of hot pink shoelaces – one pair came with my joggers; Lord knows why I have 2 pairs… (Donated)
24th – A paper Lei I used as a part of a costume in a musical. Jonah Frederick Goeths born today yay! – This has nothing to do with de-cluttering, just thought I’d share!
25th – Kid’s water pistol (donated)
26th – HMV ‘Share Your Passion’ medal!!! How dorky is that, not sure how I ended up with it, but it was duly binned.
27th – Old brown hat and HMV cap. I wasn’t sure whether I should have kept it or not for old time’s sake (but that’s the point of clearing out old crap really isn’t it?), but a girlfriend was over and took them off my hands for me.
28th – A leather shoulder strap for a bag that got thrown out ages ago. I don’t know how I end up with all this stuff some days!
29th – I deleted a whole pile of phone numbers out of the memory of my mobile. It’s just as easy to accumulate clutter of names and numbers, as it is actual clutter you can hold. Some of the people in my phone I haven’t seen in years and seriously doubt I ever will, one of them was an ex boyfriend (no, not THE ex…), and so it was not really healthy to still have all of his numbers in there (THE ex’s numbers still are in there as we still sms every now and then, sometimes… L)
30th – My nails! No, not Chinese torture style removal of them, the last of the acrylic covering them came off today. When I quit HMV I had to give up a few little luxuries, one of which was my nails. Being a tight arse, I didn’t get them professionally soaked off, I’ve let them grow out and have filed them down and picked them off bit by bit. Now although I have a job, I just can’t be bothered with them anymore, so it looks like I’ve gotten rid of them both literally and figuratively.
Tax time!!! I wonder this year if I’ll end up paying Mr Taxman money again? HMV didn’t take out the correct tax, probably because I was getting paid monthly, year after year and I always got slugged with a bill so I hope this year will be different. Yes, I called payroll each year and was promptly told that the correct tax was being taken out! It probably wont be this year, as I’ve only just changed jobs and I got my L/S payout, but I hope at least this year it’s not a bill for $400 L I cleared out my receipt draw today too. It’s not getting included in the de-cluttering log, as it’s something I do every year at tax time, and then start filling it up soon after.

June (Part One)

· I’m starting to feel guilty about the amount of stuff I’m throwing out and my contribution to Landfill around the Greater Brisbane area. I understand that it’s better not to hang on to things that are no longer useful, but it’s a fine line between not wanting to get rid of something that has essentially outlived its usefulness and chucking stuff out randomly. I’m hoping that the good Feng Shui that I’m getting and the positive flow of Chi (or something) will somehow cosmically balance the bad Chi in the landfill.

· It’s been hard to get to clear stuff most days now that I’m working again, but I tend to go hard on the weekends and days off. I tend to collapse in a screaming heap in the evenings after work and stare blandly at the idiot box until it’s bed time then go to bed and do it all over again the next day. Until the weekend, then I get all energiser bunny and go nuts…

May clutter list

• This has been a great opportunity to just DO something. I've had so much time off recently and even though I have been keeping really busy I can't honestly say that I've achieved anything other than cleaning out the kitchen cupboards! I really enjoy having a project and hope that this one lasts a bit longer than my average ones.
• I have noticed something over the last month. I'm looking at the things around me in a new way. I look at stuff around me as to whether it has a use and it I'm going to actually use it any time soon - that has to be a good thing right? Anyway, here's the list for May - enjoy.
  
  1st – Old Christmas gift-wrapping kept from last year so not to waste it…
  
  2nd – Old bathroom scales gathering dust
  
  3rd – Old epilady (ouch) I've had for years and can't bring myself to use
  
  4th – Brown suede calf high boots that haven't fitted for some years due to the ever-increasing size of my calves (and other parts of my body as well). Still not up to parting with my Black knee-high FMB's (you know what they are ;)) as they are a reminder of my formerly skinny self when I had the calf size and confidence to actually fit into and wear the little buggers! (Donating)
  
  5th – Red shoelaces for my White Boot roller skates I've had for decades. Why I thought I needed an extra pair of (red no less) laces I'll never know. (Donating)
  
  6th – Bath oils and salts etc – I don't have a bath!
  
  7th – A box of crockery and stuff Mum gave me, which I haven't even unwrapped in a year! (Giving back to Mum)
  
  8th – A Black belt that doesn't fit anymore (no, not the karate kind. As if...) - still keeping the brown belt I bought in Florence that doesn't fit but I haven't got the heart just yet to get rid of it – who knows, maybe I'll fit into it soon when I shed a few more kilos. (Donating)
  
  9th – Imitation Masseur innersoles with magnets (bought for $2 at Crazy Clarks – They don't work!
  
  10th – Some old bottles of cleansers and face masques that haven't been used or even opened in months.
  
  11th – My last HMV work shirt I just couldn't part with, so I cut out the logo and have put it on my corkboard as a bit of nostalgia and threw out the t-shirt
  
  12th – 3 bras that needed repairing or just throwing out – threw 1 out and repaired the other 2!
  
  13th – A papier-mache vase that I've had for years and have painted over many times but have never actually used for anything (in the recycle bin)
  
  14th – Two very faded cardigans that I haven't worn in ages – really, who wears cardis these days? (Donated)
  
  15th – Black leather shoes that make my legs look fat – no really, they're totally wrong for my body type and shorten my feet and legs, and it's taken me years to face up to that fact (Donated)
  
  16th – A tonne of files in my decaying red filing cabinet. Old uni lecture notes and course material that I doubt I'll ever really use. I intend to ditch the cabinet itself the next time there's a council cleanup.
  
  17th – A second tonne out of my filing cabinet. Old letters from pen pals long past and associated photos of their dogs and/or children. Ahhh the memories…
  
  18th – I unsubscribed myself from the emailing list of a few 'it seemed like a good idea at the time' websites thus de cluttering my inbox a little bit.
  
  19th – A pile of old food colourings and condiments like poppy seeds and useless stuff like that. I am so not a cook…
  
  20th – A pile of old photos that were doubled up and I cleaned out 2 old photo albums and saved the photos in it from dying along with the no longer sticky pages of the album. I'd bet you a dollar that the albums were not acid free and that I was doing the photos a favour by releasing them from their acidic prison. I can't believe how many photos I have of the same things, and not all of them are double prints (although many of those got thrown out today – oh the money I spent on saying 'yes' to a double set of prints for no apparent reason…)
  
  21st – Old calculators and electronic organisers I've had for years (the calculator since High School!) and since my phone has both a calculator and an organiser I think I can safely donate both to a higher cause
  
  22nd – My taps (for tap shoes) from when I was a little 'un and got sent off to tap-dancing classes. I've been keeping them because I'm dying to take it up again, but I've come to realise they're too small for my shoes, and I'd have to end up buying adult taps anyway. (Donated)
  
  23rd – Juggling balls – don't ask!
  
  24th – Unopened hand lotion I've had for a couple of years
  
  25th – t-shirt and singlet top from Sth Pacific cruise in 2000
  
  26th – Hairspray and Hair goop, which makes my hair, well, goopy!
  
  27th – Soap dish – never used but very grotty.
  
  28th – My 'Easter Live' commemorative poster. I was involved with it way back in 1998 I do believe, and had fun. It led me on to another theatre company and a wonderful role so I'm so glad I took part, but realistically, I don't keep in touch with any of the cast and can't even remember their names, so what's the point of having it around?
  
  29th – The vine leaves wrapped around my cast iron bed. It was my mediaeval romantic fantasy to have ivy wrapped around my bed and candelabra, but after 2 years, the leaves have mostly dropped off and all I had left was a bald vine with hundreds of dropped leaves gathering dust under my bed. It was time to lose the vine but I've kept the stray leaves, maybe I can use them on a painting or a box one day.
  
  30th – a broken necklace I keep trying to repair and keep failing…
  
  31st – I've given up on HMV! I know I quit about 2 months ago, but I had kept hoping that things might have been better within my (ex) particular shop. They're not. Things are going waaaaay down hill – and it's not because I'm not there anymore. I am very glad I got out when I did. Also, when I looked closely at my long service and holiday payout, it was slightly less than it should have been by my calculations. The old me would have been straight on the phone, having a whinge about how I've been underpaid $30 or less, but it's water under the bridge, and I honestly think that it's just not worth the agro. I must be growing as a person. What a nice way to end the month! :)