Decluttering toys for a brand new year

After Christmas is the perfect time to make the New Year's Resolution of decluttering the toys. In our house, we have birthdays early in the New Year - even more motivation to make room for the new favourites.

Since I do regular toy audits, I don't have large dump piles. But my my youngest is now school-age, so there are quite a few toys that will not be missed much.

What's gone

Mr Potato Head and a puzzle or two went to a friend (always my first choice). My favourite charity shop also benefited from my constant search and seizure of tiny unloved treasures. It never stops. I try to remember my own advice on toy decluttering and the Top 10 Toys List.

A small building set went on Trademe - it's a quality set but we got lots more Lego and Brainbox for Christmas, and those are what we'll build on.

A shallow storage tray, reclaimed from wooden puzzles, became the Lego tray - much more accessible and stored under the couch.

Other bulky items on their way to another home...



The biggest win for the big picture was selling the kids' art tables.

My sister had these made and they are great. But kids grow.

It wasn't a large cash payout, but it was like the right move in those sliding number puzzles.

The student desks came downstairs into the office space with us...

The dollhouse moved into the toyroom.

Now the lounge looks one grade clearer and two grades more grownup.

Who am I kidding? I've just cleared space for bigger Lego projects!

What are your New Year decluttering goals?

Taking Decluttering Public - Group Clutter

It's no surprise that 1/4 of these 8 Habits of Organised People involve decluttering. And even though I've been far too quiet lately, the decluttering has continued...and it's grown!

With the goal of decluttering professionally, I have decluttered at my sister's house (hopefully more on this later.) I am also decluttering for an entire club.

As the new president of Explorers, I have a serious job on my hands. The previous long-serving and super hard working president is also a confirmed packrat, who doesn't think we should get rid of anything if we've spent money on it.

No prizes for guessing what the club storage cupboard looks like.

Along with the overstuffed shelves of activity resources, we have three library carts of books and games. Rather, we had about five carts' worth stacked onto three carts.

Making the Decluttering Case

In home decluttering, you will encounter resistance from those attached to the stuff. At an organisation level, it will be worse. You will hear all the usual enemy whispers, this time on behalf of the organisation.

We have a treasure trove of super cool stuff in the cupboard. Here is why the club agreed to declutter:

Dependence

The storage cupboard was so full that things only fit tightly packed in a few ways. Only one person really knew where to find things and where to put them away again so we could slam the door closed at the end of the day. Nobody else was sure of navigating the cupboard, and nobody wanted to.

This is a dangerous state for a club to be in!

Wasted Time and Energy

Every activity day needed a major extra commitment simply to take out materials and put them away again. Often we would still be setting up and in a rushed mess as people arrived.

Because only one person knew the right way to pack up (but often other people had to put stuff away anyway), the storage cupboard needed regular reorganisations (at least once a year) where many people stayed for hours to take everything from the cupboard and put it all away again.

People aren't too keen about this. Constantly shifting and sorting stuff is not a rewarding volunteer job.

Damage

Overstuffed storage damages the stored material.

For example, on our library carts, we had books in every crevice. Books stacked on top of each row of books plus piles on top. It was too heavy for one person to move. There were so many games that they spilled off the sides.

And when we moved them in and out of the cupboard, stuff on the edges got crushed against everything in our way. Of course, we had to pile other boxes on top of the books and games carts to get the cupboard door closed.


Access and Utility

The usual clutter complaints also apply

• People could hardly browse the library carts for fear of starting an avalanche. Small children certainly couldn't do it. There was always a mess to clean up simply from people trying to get things out.
• We often rebought materials because we didn't know we already owned them - or suspected we might but couldn't find them in time.

Decluttering Process

We've had two decluttering marathons already - the library carts and the general cupboard shelves.

Library

Our librarian defined a purpose for our library. This meant when we looked at a book or game, we could see it in the context of its use for our club, not just how cool it was.

We also took into account how easy it is for Aucklanders to get books from our public library.

The games and books now fit on their carts.

Shelves

I didn't know what was on the shelves, but my purpose was at least to

• remove any damaged or outdated material
• reduce duplication
• consider the value of all materials for the club's future

This is still a work in progress. We only got through about half the shelves, and we took out lots and lots of stuff.


What happened to the stuff?

After library clearout, before Open Day Sale

It's at my house. Good thing I'm an expert declutterer.

We sold some for about $400 at our annual Open Day, and a few large items sold on TradeMe. We are donating the rest.

Beneficiaries have been:

• NZAGC (our national org)
• Franklin Discoverers
• Playcentre
• Gifted Education Centre
• Montessori

After Open Day Sale and after cupboard clearout

Today, after many donations.

Someday very soon, I will post a photo of a clear floor. If this had been an easy task, someone else would have done it long ago.

The lesson?

Groups need to be even more careful than individuals with their decisions about stuff. With shared responsibility comes avoided responsibility.

Has anyone else encountered group clutter in your organisation?

The punchline?

The cupboard is still full.

Decluttering Books!

I love to report decluttering success and this is a biggie - one of my "after" shots (from before) is now a "before"!

Really, this is already pretty good.

But as mentioned in before post, books are a continual clutter problem for us.  The rest of our kids' books are piled in gleaned drawers under the bed.  And we have too many.  We are very lucky to get so many great books, and the great book dump is no longer working.  So, out they come...

The drawers, small shelf, plus books to be released!

And, thanks to my own personal book decluttering and DH's handiness with his toolbox, here is a bookshelf reclaimed for the kids:

Not too big, not too small...just right!

Spreading the good word to annoying doorknockers

I finally got to put my brilliant plan into action!

Late last year, I stopped passively accepting unsolicited visitors wasting my time with their agendas.  I've agendas of my own to spare.  So I prepared myself with my own favourite causes' pamphlets near the door.
Just like the watched pot or toaster, unsolicited botherers stayed away in droves for months.  I can't complain about that.

Success at last!
I finally got my first pair of Jehovah's Witnesses inviting me to a special event.  While it was gratifying to watch them wander around our front garden until discovering we don't have a front door, it was even more fun to accept their pamphlet and hand them mine in return.

"For me?" said one, puzzled.  But they took them.  I enjoyed the irony, even if they didn't.

This was far more satisfying than keeping my hands to my sides and repeating "Not interested!" until they look ready to have the door closed on them.

And unlike me, they probably don't have anywhere quick to deposit the unwanted pamphlet.  They might even read it while awaiting their next victim.

But wait, there's more
I could do the same thing with unsolicited phone calls!  How long do you think even the most persistent would last if I started asking for donations from them to my favourite organisations?

Remember, it's all for a worthy cause...

The truth about cats and dogs (why not buy?)

Meet the new cat family and examine the pet industry over on VegSource!

Minimalist....birthday parties? 5 easy steps

Fun and minimalism
Of course it can work.  And it can work for your kid's birthday party too.

I've just endured... I mean organised two large home birthday parties in quick succession for my children.  Nadia turned 3 in late January and Alex turned 6 last week.  Both parties were declared a major success, both with quite a reasonable budget.

Here are a few tips:

Invitations
While my kids love getting party invitations in the mail, I have not returned the favour for our parties.  Same as my Christmas greetings, I use either e-cards or a carefully-crafted email.
Benefits:

• my convenience (no shopping, multiple invites sent all at once, late invites sent easily)
• low cost
• low environmental impact
• recipient's convenience in replying, scheduling and storing the information

And there are some very cute e-cards out there.  Care2 is free and supports the environment.

Presents
My last several party invitations have included:  

XXX has lots of toys - instead of a present, please consider making a small donation to your favourite charity and/or bring a gold coin to contribute to his special gift from the family.

I'd much rather some charity benefited than a chain store.  With the Christchurch earthquake, this was particularly appropriate.

Some invitees love this and some don't.  Alex very much enjoyed the haul he got this time regardless of this note, and I don't begrudge him that.  But the predictable happened:

1. he didn't even see all the presents to open
2. he hasn't even played with all of them yet
3. I haven't managed to find a new home for them yet 
4. He is having severe attacks of the gimmes from the mini catalogs that come with some of the toys

Remember when present opening was part of the party entertainment?  It's now so complicated and overwhelming that most parents skip it until later.

Food
Serve some real food.  Serve it before the sweets appear.  OK, not celery sticks and raw broccoli, but active kids will not ignore crackers, nuts, fresh and dried fruits, etc.  Make it special - splurge on grapes, melon, cherries and blueberries.

If your guests party on with a table loaded with junk food, by the time the cake is cut, tummies are bloated and teeth sugar coated and the most beautiful and delicious cake is left in uneaten chunks on plates.

Remember when the cake was the finale and special treat of the party?

Entertainment
Nadia's party occurred during a flooding downpour and the weather was iffy for Alex's party as well.  
Nadia's guests were happy enough with our selection of toys but I needed to be more savvy for Alex's older guests.

We set up zones in our house for Face Painting (thanks Mom! and remember that you don't need an artist like my mom to paint a flower or zigzag on a cheek) and LegoLand.  Kids zipped out to the bouncy castle (hired) and trampoline (ours) and back in again when they needed food or quiet play or a break from the light showers and cold winds.

Having experienced serial party games, here's why they don't work for me:

• Hard work for me!
• Winners and losers - some kids (like mine) take this really to heart
• Regimented - groups of kids find their own entertainment.  Calling them away from their own activities to play a formal game can be disruptive
• Prizes - kids can be very disappointed to miss out on prizes.  And the prizes are usually more candy or cheap toys... leading on to....

To take home...
I don't know who invented the party bag, but they didn't do anybody any party favours!

Embarrassingly, my children now expect and ask for party bags when they attend parties.  When my kids have spent a few hours loading up on sugar and excitement, the last thing I want is a plastic bag containing more sweets and plastic toys.  Enough already!

I did the party bag thing once.  Once.  What hard work!  At the last party, I let each child pick a lollipop and a balloon to take home (no plastic bag needed), and parents and kids alike were very pleased.

Lighten up, it's a party!

Of course.  But let's celebrate the birthday and fun and not the availability of cheap food and toys.

What was the best party you've ever given or attended?

Generosity - for emergency use only?

All of New Zealand is pulling together to help Christchurch out - yesterday was a massive aftershock from the quake they suffered in September, but much shallower and closer to the city, plus during the day.  They are still not sure how many of the missing people are trapped or dead, but 75 bodies are already reported.  A national emergency has been declared.

More than 8000 people have joined the Facebook page Student Volunteer Army.

Even here in Auckland, many miles away, we are being asked to help in many ways - even open our homes to people who have been suffering aftershocks for months and now have only tents to live in. 

This is, to say the least, uplifting.

Ironically, the government is also today discussing a major review of welfare policy that would force beneficiaries who have health problems or small children to compete in an employment market where the fit and well are going jobless.  This is to address a perceived problem of growing dependency on benefits.

If only generosity were not so carefully saved for emergencies.

Great minds think alike - giving royally

What I have in common with Will and Kate:
(never thought I'd be posting that sentence!)

Charity gifts

Yes, Will and Kate may be asking for donations to charity instead of gravy boats and tablecloths for themselves.  That is so admirable I have to rave about it.

Cheers to Will and Kate for recognising that they have everything and then some and can buy the rest.  Given the likely invitee list to their wedding, there will be a lot of disposable income available.  And between a show of conspicuous consumption or some hefty donations to the needy?   No prizes for guessing which gets my thumbs up.

Tomorrow we're holding the birthday party for DD, who is 3 now, and we have a similar deal with our invitees.  We encourage them to make a small donation in our name, or just bring a very small contribution to the special family present.  I've done this for the last several birthday parties for my kids and I love the results:

1. No present overload
2. Fewer but higher quality presents to be appreciated
3. Less clutter
4. Charities benefit instead of chain stores
5. One less task for busy parents - saving fuel, wrapping paper, etc.

What's not to love?  It's a much happer birthday all around...

Five ways to maximise your holidays!

Christmas ALREADY? NOOOOOOOO!!!!
The stores already have their Christmas (pardon me, holiday) displays out, and the Santa Parade flags festoon Tamaki Drive as you cruise the waterfront.  I bet we're not the only ones.

So it's not too early to prepare for the festivities - the stores know what they're doing and your holiday success depends on this too.

My earlier post discussed the commercialism of the holidays, and how you can choose celebration in a different style.

1.  Focus on people, not stuff
Your gift shopping doesn't have to be the biggest part of your journey.  Spend some time (not money) thinking about what your most important people would enjoy the most from you.  Odds are, you won't be able to buy it at the mall.

Kids love to see, anticipate, and unwrap presents - I don't suggest denying them that!  But the more presents, the less memorable each one is.  And quite young children get simply overwhelmed once their nose disappears under a sea of wrapping paper.

2.  Plan for healthy holiday food (I'm drooling already).
If you think that holiday feasts must mean compromising your healthy, earth-friendly, budget-conscious goals, click that link up there.

• If you like vegetarian food, or always secretly liked the stuffing better than anything else, you're in luck!
• If you eat meat, there are better choices out there.  Make no mistake, cheap meat means cheap and nasty.  Buy quality instead of quantity.

A traditional Christmas meal doesn't have to be a heartstopper.  And if (like me) you have a summer Christmas, what about changing the tradition and sharing a seasonal light but lavish banquet with lots of fruits and salads instead of roasting yourself with ovens and boiling pots?

Everyone will feel better for your efforts once the holidays are over!


3.  Enjoy your decorations - but maybe don't deck the halls?
Holiday decorations add a lot to the feeling of celebration.  Keep this in perspective, though!  If decorating with everything you've got has become a chore, have a think about using only your favourites in special spots like entryways and family rooms.  With the first festive impression, your visitors won't notice that every corner isn't full of holly.

4.  It really is the thought that counts
Nobody wins when present-giving goes bad.  Having a dollar value placed on the love you feel is a dangerous step.  Most of us can't afford to exchange expensive gifts, even when we care deeply about another person.  If you feel pressure to spend more than you can manage because you expect to receive a costly gift, perhaps now is the time to open a discussion with the person involved.

The discussion might be a bit awkward if you have to suggest a big change to your habits, but less so than a post-holiday credit hangover or hurt feelings when expectations are not met.

5.  Remember the truly needy
For a real holiday buzz, do a lot of giving to people who really need more.  You know which charities you wish you'd donated to during the year - they could use your help a lot more than anybody on your list needs more stuff.  And some people on your list would enjoy choosing their favourite charity for you.

If you have time, spend that time volunteering for those organisations!

Yo-yo day success!

I've been quiet for longer than I meant to.  Sometimes life just gets so darned exciting that it's hard to sit down and write it all down.  But along with

1. surviving school holidays
2. editing the next issue of La Leche League New Zealand's magazine
3. attending the La Leche League New Zealand Conference (and hopefully getting the T-shirt)
4. organising the La Leche League New Zealand photo competition

 ...I have kept on minimising my life's burdens. 

Now you see it....
Today I got rid of a yo-yo before even posting about it - how good am I?

This little bouquet was a gift from DH's work when DS Alex was born.  

Hmmmm, I must have decluttered the photo, too.  Onward and upward!

It was a cunning blue arrangement of fabric flowers and rolled up baby washcloths and onesies.  I obviously  valued it because it was a true yo-yo - I can't count how many times I looked at it and then put it down again.  Until recently, I hadn't even removed all the baby items from the arrangement, and that meant that instead of using some of the onesies (like, 5 years ago when they would have fit), they are now in my gifting box!

But I have today passed the remains along to my favourite charity shop, and hopefully some crafty soul will breathe new life into it.

But wait, there's more!
I also donated the crossbars of a baby gym  - because I've lost faith that we are ever going to find the fabric part of it.  I mean, we lost a digital camera in that move, so I'm sure we could have lost a piece of fabric not much bigger than a pillowcase.   And those crossbars got used as weapons just once too often.

Yo-yo day again...plus an update

Today's yo-yo is another keepsake from my grandmother:

It's very wee - about the size of a man's thumb tip, so you can see the detail is lovely.  Doesn't take up much room.

The tough thing is, although beautiful and sentimental it is not particularly useful or (as far as I know) valuable.  I can't think of anything really small I want to keep in it.

I wonder if one of my nieces would enjoy it...not that either of them need more clutter!

Suggestions welcome...  Do you have a limit on the number of sentimental items you keep?


Yo-yo updates

• Potpourri jar - donated
• Dragon - repair failed and a bit too prickly for the garden so headed for happy hunting grounds
• Cup and saucers - having a go on TradeMe
• Camera #2 - still a yo-yo!

I'm making more progress than before, so I claim success, just not 100%.

Yo-yo day again!

 The last yo-yo is ready for donation and I'm brainstorming ideas for actually using the matched cup and saucer set...

You know the drill - vote on what I should do with this next yo-yo...

This feisty dragon lady was a gift from my mother.  In her previous home on a windowsill she fell victim to my underestimation of my son's climbing abilities.

She's missing a head spike and her tail needs reattaching.  She has a great expression, but I can't decide whether I want to display a broken piece.


It's up to you....

1. Fix and keep
2. Fix and donate
3. Send to dragon happy hunting ground...
4. ?

I also have some really good news!

Look!  Isn't it beautiful?  Sigh....

What do you mean?  Can't you see?  There's no cube shelf there anymore!  Hooray!

And many thanks to DH for his assistance in both phases of this operation.  Mwah, mwah!

Brand new reality blog - it's Yoyo Day and YOU get to vote!

I have too many yoyos in my house.

What is a yoyo?  
This isn't like my marble collection - I bet you have yoyos in your house too.

Something catches my eye. I pick it up, turn it over in my hands, think "should I keep this?" can't really decide either way or a good way to get rid of it, and then whoops!  Down it goes.  Again.  Bingo, a yoyo!

I need your help!
Each week, on Yoyo Day, I will post a photo and history of a classic yoyo.   And you get to vote on what I should do with it.

Today's Yoyo

This is a really tough one for me.  This china was my grandmother's - it is vintage Royal Albert circa 1930 in OK condition and is probably worth something but I don't know what.  My mother shed it from her cupboards into mine and I have no china collection.  I have struggled with the choices:

1. Post pic and sell on Trademe
2. Donate and let worthy charity pick up whatever bonanza is in store
3. Keep because it is pretty and does have sentimental value

It's in your hands - vote now!

Baby steps

It's time to do before and after shots!  I can see I'm going to have to plan these better, because I've had to search hard for a decent before shot, and the comparison isn't as easy as I'd hoped. 

Clearly, tidying would make the after shot look even better, but that wouldn't be authentic. Cropping is quicker. 

Our lounge, after we accepted some wonderful furniture from my sister.  I couldn't let go of all our old furniture.  Because it's nice to have all that seating, right? And it fit, sort of.    And now?

The big tub chair is gone (from the house, not just from that room).    My display cabinet is much less cluttered.  Fewer knickknacks and cookbooks, and one of those 3 drawers is EMPTY!   I still have my eye on you though, cabinet...

The big speakers are gone.  The plant is on a TV stand rescued from its unused TV.  The TV stand tidies some toys away.

Net lost seating?  Absolutely zero.  That extra seat was always cluttered.


Pan to the TV corner of what seems like just yesterday.  Oh my god....  well, the kids looked good.
Note:  toy libraries are a great idea.  If you don't already have too many toys.  Let's move on quickly.

Yay, gigantic speakers GONE!  Baby guards GONE!  Kids GONE...oh wait, they were the cute part.
I can open the door, I can open the blinds.... whenever I want.  Can you feel the excitement?
I hope you enjoyed that as much as I do.

And here's a photo of our "out basket."

Yes, it's all gotta go...I'm so proud of us!