Progress

I have not wanted to jinx things by talking too much about it, but I have been doing fairly well with my re-commitment to the original tenants of Stuff Fast, namely - buying less stuff, using what I have, and getting rid of things I don't need or use.  I've listed a ton of my purses for sale and have traded in a bunch of stuff to Amazon, and have made countless donations to Goodwill.  I have a very long way to go, but I finally feel like I am on the right track.   


One surprisingly useful tool in the war on stuff has been Mint.com.   I was very wary of this site at first but now I wish I had joined years ago.  At a glace I can see my spending to income ratio as well as get a all in one place summary of my spending.  Having it spelled out in black and white (actually lots of color charts) has been really helpful.  Also helpful, unsubscribing to all emails from my favorite stores, throwing away any catalogs before I can look at them (mr. deathstar actually takes care of this for me), and avoiding shopping during my lunch hour.  


These shoes represent one recent exception to my shopping ban.  I fell in love with the color and shape and once I found out how comfortable they are, I was hooked.   To make room for them, I donated five other pairs of shoes to Goodwill.  I have another pair of yellow patent shoes, that I have nearly worn out so I suspect that these will be worth every penny.


Dress: Tucker by Target
Sweater: Old Navy
Shoes: Aerosoles "plum tree" wedge in yellow patent

Uncluttering Report Part Two: DVDs, Electronics, and Games

I spent a portion of yesterday drooling over the new iPad and wondering whether it was time to upgrade my first generation iPad (if not the most prized, certainly the most used item in my home).  This lead me to investigate outlets for selling my current iPad which in turn reminded me that Amazon.com has a trade in program where you can trade your unused electronics, video games and DVDs for an Amazon Gift Card.   


The trade in prices are far less than you might get if you sold your stuff on eBay or craigslist, but it is far quicker and easier.  Just by going through one drawer in my house I found DVDs and games that will bring me $60.  Plus they are willing to give me $44 for Henry my very old iPod classic.   


So for a few minutes of my time I've made $104 in gift certificates which will fund my coffee and book habit for at least a month.  


If only they took purses!  

Project Unclutter - Paper edition

I started this blog with the intention of documenting my efforts to decrease the stuff in my life. Like most things I endeavor to do, the project took many strange and paradoxical turns along the way and it seemed I was adding more stuff to my life rather than reducing it. Today, I am happy to report that I am finally making some progress.

This week's project: reduce the paper in my life.

Although I do not cook, I am always collecting recipes and cookbooks. I like to think that someday I might learn to cook and when that happens, it will be critical for me to have a recipe for caramel apple cake from the October 1998 issue of Cooking Light.

The same thing with magazines. I harbor some odd paranoia that in a few years I will want to buy a pair of boots that I saw in Lucky Magazine in 2008 so I keep the magazine (or more often a clipping) for reference.

For months piles of these clippings have been building up all over the house and totally draining my mental energy.

The solution was simple, but it took me a long time to implement it.

I started by picking up a Fujitsu scanner (I realize the sad irony of buying more stuff to have less stuff). If my documents were just black and white (and I was unethical person who did personal work on company time*) I could have used my scanner at work but many of my documents are color so I went with the Fujitsu).

The I started the process of scanning the piles. The recipe files I've placed in DropBox or Evernote. Magazine inspirations I've been posting over on my Pintrest board.

I'm only 1/4 of the way in but already I feel lighter. I've even thrown away a few things without scanning them!

My progress so far!

* technically I may have brought my scanner to work today to work on this for a bit, but I've done lots of work stuff too - I swear.