Tips for a simple easy life

[emerald226]

Your tips please

Wear dresses. It's a complete outfit in one choice.

Dresses need ironing though.

Rescue as soon as the machine’s finished, shake and then hang (and arrange so it is shaped and hanging nicely while it dries) - “stone age ironing” is what my mum calls it

It wouldn’t work for every dress, but I don’t iron. And I do wear dresses :)

Agree!

Stay single as less hassle and can do when and as you please.

You wouldn’t believe how many times I thrown something away after not being used or needed for a long time, only to need it a week later! 😫

Me too! To the point of needing to buy the exact same thing I ditched a few months prior…

This is the big fear, oh but I might need it later - and it does happen, that's absolutely true. But it's well worth placing that against the need for space and calm in your home right now.

If you could pay someone to come and instantly make your home neat and tidy and clutter free, you probably would, right? So see re-buying these useful items as that fee that you're paying for your house to be nicer to live in and easier to take care of. It's probably much cheaper than you'd imagine. It is annoying to have those moments, but you're probably building it way up in your head and not really weighing it properly against the benefits of less clutter. That is because we tend to value what we already have (even if it's something very cheap and useless) way, way higher than something that we could only potentially have (the space and an easier time cleaning) - I'd guess that is even more true for something we haven't had before.

I quite like Dana White's motto - she says ask yourself would I ever think that I had this item - if not, then don't keep it, because you would have ended up buying a new one anyway. If you would think to go looking for that item, take it to where you would look, and if the drawer/shelf/box is overflowing, take out the least useful or least liked things and get rid of those.

@BertieBotts such a useful post ,thank you .

I’ve also been known to rebuy things I do have - either because I dithered about getting rid and forgot that I actually decided to keep it, or because I need something and know it would take me hours to find it (tech cables are the worst for this). My problem is that although I am naturally tidy and organised and love to declutter, I lack the time to keep on top of it and the space to store things accessibly. I’d love a big storage cupboard/box room with everything neatly stashed out of the way in labelled boxes, I’d have a tidy home and find the stored things easily. Instead everything I want out of the way is jammed under beds and on high shelves in multiple locations. Some is even stored in the car boot. We have one small cupboard but it’s packed full so it’s a nightmare trying to get one thing out. And that’s after getting rid of everything I can.

for this reason, I would like a bigger home with more space, but that’s not very consistent with trying to keep things minimal and downsized.

I would like a bigger home with more space I'm not sure you do .I have a large rambling flat and I've stuffed all the cupboards and spaces .

My ideal would be to have a room with shelving racks where I could store everything in easy to see and reach boxes .

Buy a house with views, you never know when you might get stuck in it and far reaching views are good for the soul. If you have kids then halve the household work and e.g both work part-time and enjoy them, they're gone in a flash. Don't go anywhere in the school holidays - it's awful! Everywhere! Go in term time and don't queue, don't get bustled, have the flexibility to do what suits your family best all of the time. Don't get hung up on 'stuff' it's only going to give you more work. Follow your interests straight away - don't put them off, you never know when your ability to do them ever again will be taken from you. Don't get into a serious relationship with someone that doesn't share your sense of humour. Don't compare.