This week as I transitioned my home from holiday decor back to my normal decor, I took my time and did some decluttering along the way.
I packed up our children's childhood Christmas ornaments and will give them to each when we see them next. It was a bit bittersweet, but it's time. Decluttering is a big item on my goals list for this year ... I mean deep decluttering. The things we've been holding on to, that no longer work with the season of life we're in, need to be rehomed, donated, sold or maybe even trashed. To help me stay on track and not rush through the process wearing myself out, I've set a goal of dealing with at least 5 items per day for the month of January. At the end of January, I'll reassess and determine if I need to continue on into February. So far, I'm on target and have successfully met my goal for the first 3 days of January.
I also did some repurposing this week. My hubby was given 9 huge black bags of clothing. Every single piece was in good or great condition, but alas it was more than he needed or could use so we went through every piece, kept about 30 items and passed the rest onto another family to do the same.
We kept this shirt, not because my husband could wear it but because I wanted the fabric from it ...
Here it is deconstructed! I kept the folded fabric and buttons and trashed the pile of scraps. We kept 5 other shirts to do the same with ...
We also kept several t-shirts, hubby couldn't wear them, but I knew what I could do with them ...
I took each t-shirt and cut it into 1-inch strips ...
I started rolling them into string balls for the purpose of tying plants to trellis' and or cages during gardening seasoning ...
I have 4 more piles, each pile represents a t-shirt, to wrap into a ball.
I love repurposing something we can't use into something we can. Another one of my goals for this year is to be more mindful of repurposing opportunities.
Every little thing that we can do and every way we can save will help bring us closer to our 'hunkering down' financial goals for 2025. We had a good Christmas so we're going into 2025 feeling ready to 'hunker down' again for the second year in a row. What will that look like for 2025? We'll follow the same plan as we did in 2024, stay within or below our budget and use any unused or extra monies to apply towards our remaining debt.
I have two more goals to share that I've set for myself for 2025, and it has to do with two things that are near and dear to my heart ... reading and sewing.
My reading goal is to make it a priority to read from my home library. I have so many good books in my library that I've collected over the years with the intention of reading them someday, 2025 is that 'someday!'
My sewing goal is to stay out of the fabric stores as much as possible and use from my stash. Exception: there are a couple of times a year when I go to a fabric store, but this is planned, purposed and saved for ... other than those planned trips, any fabric added to my stash will come from repurposing, like the above-mentioned shirts.
I hope you've enjoyed reading about some of my 2025 goals, I have a few more that I'll share as we go along.
As the quiet from the end of day settles in around us tonight, I find myself ready to bring this post to a close as I want to make another 'string' ball from the above-mentioned t-shirts. The wind is blowing steady outside, and I can hear our windchime singing. Working with my hands and listening to the music of our windchime is a really good combination to unwind from a busy day.
I'll be back next Friday with another from my home to yours post. Other than our Circling the Wagons class, and as another way to focus more on my home and less on the world, I'll be posting only once a week. I know you'll understand, it does no good to say 'I'm going to focus more on my home' if I don't take steps to make that happen.
The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty. Proverbs 21:5 NKJV
Are you setting goals and then breaking those goals down into action steps in order to achieve them? I'd love to hear your thoughts on my 'ramblings' today!
New slate with a new year - the sky is the limit.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to all.
Cheryl, this year, we're bring the slate home, and I am excited to give myself permission to focus more intently on my home saying 'no' to things that would pull me away.
DeleteI think your plans are well thought out and excellent! I especially like the goal of reading your own home library—I need to set the same goal! For right now, I need to focus on going through my homeschool books, since my homeschool days of 25 years are now over. There are a few treasures I will keep, but most I truly need to let go to other families. I made a start last summer, but need to get back on the job.
ReplyDeleteFriend, I was a homeschool mom for many years so I understand holding on to those homeschooling books, but alas, there does come a time when that space can be better served with something that is more relatable to the season of life, we're in at the moment!
DeleteOnce again, we are on the same page, Patsi. I have been doing a lot of decluttering. Lately it has been in my craft room, as I’m trying to be realistic about what I actually want to make and what I want to spend my time on. I heard (or read) something very helpful in regards to decluttering and that is: something is only useful if we actually USE it. It is hard to let go of craft supplies because each thing contains potential, but I have things I have never used, and if I haven’t yet, I likely never will. Clearing out the excess and only keeping my tried-and-true favorites has me excited about crafting again, and my space is once more a creative space instead of a catch-all space, as it should be! Decluttering in general really helps me refocus and prioritize. Time and energy are limited, so I want to be very intentional with both.
ReplyDelete“Yes” to using more of what we have! As I mentioned a few days ago, I deleted a lot of media and shopping apps from my phone. I have plenty of books I’m looking forward to reading, and now that I have only my favorite craft supplies, I have a list of things I’m looking forward to making and sewing. Bonus: we’ll avoid a lot of unnecessary spending! It’s a recipe for contentment and success, I’m sure!
Kelsey, yes! Being an older woman, I am coming to terms with the fact that I will never be able to do all the things I've purchased to do over the years. It's time to be realistic and let some of it go. I'm finding, as I travel this decluttering journey, that it is freeing ... mentally and space wise! And that bonus you mentioned of it helping us avoid unnecessary spending ... we have a plan for what we don't spend too ... it's going toward our remaining debt! For us this is a win that extends into several areas!
DeleteI remember when the last of our children's Christmas ornaments went home with them.. Sometimes I still miss them being on our tree. We had a fit of nostalgia and bought new lights for the tree for next year. I saw the big colored bulbs in LED for 90% off and we bought enough to do the tree next year like it was when we were children. But, these bulbs will not be hot!
ReplyDeleteThose plant ties will be so nice to have ready come summer. I always save buttons too. We bought some tins of butter cookies at the grocery store over Christmas and the cashier commented that I was buying a sewing kit and I told her those tins were always button boxes in our family. She gave me a blank look so I guess her family did not save buttons. Some of the buttons that I have came from long gone relatives.
We have a goal to save $800 for a big purchase so my goal is to fund that by selling items that we do not use anymore. I sold two 6 foot banquet tables and a propane fire ring before Christmas so that was a good start.
We got our little bit of SS raise and I passed it out to budget categories that needed help and resituated a few dollars here and there to serve us better this year. We were given a $50 Sam's gift card after I took a survey asking how I felt about Sam's and related how my husband had been treated at the service desk on the previous visit. I got an email asking him to come in and show the manager the email. We were really surprised and blessed to receive such nice compensation.
Here's to a productive and blessed New Year!
Lana, I remember those big colored bulbs, that's what we had on our trees as well growing up, but we had to be careful that we didn't keep them on so long that they got hot and caught the tree on fire! I have noticed that they are making a comeback, this time though with much less chance of fire hazards! You got an amazing deal on them!
DeleteYou have such good luck selling things! At the rate you're going you'll have your $800 sooner rather than later!
A clarification on the Christmas lights. One string on the tree this year was particularly burned out so I was so glad to get such a great deal!
ReplyDeleteFriends have been driving cross country all this week and the one thing they have noticed is poverty all the way across. I had no idea . I am more thankful than ever for being so blessed here.
Lana, we are blessed as well, it's really sad to realize so many are hurting and that it's such a widespread situation.
DeleteThat is a fantastic idea for old t-shirts! I will have to go through my give away box to see if have any in there. Reading more is on my list. My mother-in-law just passed along a box of books. That with what I have on hand should set me up for the year. I love hand me downs!
ReplyDeleteWendi, I love hand-me-downs too and recycling and repurposing. The amount of money we can save is amazing if we are willing to do the work.
DeleteI like to recycle as much fabric as I can and my ragbag has often saved the day when a repair has to be made. I wouldn't have thought of using old t-shirt fabric to make plant ties though. I have used old socks that way, but thicker ones get used as dusters.
ReplyDeleteI usually give up using the internet (apart from checking emails) for Lent, but this year I have decided that I will no longer read blogs that promote negativity and fear all year round. There are a few blogs that I regularly read that have changed over recent years and I suddenly realised over the Christmas period that they now annoy me/make me anxious and I was just reading them out of habit. I will carry on reading those (yours, GDonna, Rhonda etc) that are practical, encouraging and life-affirming. Hopefully the time I gain will be put to good use doing things I actually enjoy doing.
Tracy, I am honored that I made your cut. Thank you! I too have been pulling away from blogs/sites that promote fear and anxiety. (It makes for a more peaceful heart and home.) I do believe in being sensible and practical about living prepared, but that's as far as I go.
DeleteWe have been declutterring too and it does make me happy. I noticed our Walmart has removed all fabric on bolts and only offers precut yardage. Yarn selection is smaller too.
ReplyDeleteDiana, that makes me sad. They did that once before in our area and then the next thing they did was remove the fabric section all together ... then they brought the fabric section back. The last time I was in our local Walmart, they still had the fabric section, but it was really messy, unkept looking and unattended. It really is sad.
DeleteI am really excited for these posts to start, as I thoroughly enjoyed the hunkering down series last year. It provides me with much needed inspiration.
ReplyDeleteApril, thank you. I hope they continue to inspire you.
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