DOWNSIZING

[bobhenry]

Found this on the net today !

Declutter Tip: You Can’t Outsmart Math ! by Monica Ricci

Share this article

.Math has never been my biggest strength. I admit it — I struggled with fractions (I’m still not sure how to multiply them) and it’s truly a miracle that my 8th grade Algebra teacher, Mr. Simonton, didn’t retire from teaching after having me in his class.
As I got older, I began to realize and appreciate the value of math in everyday life and in my work. As a passionate cook and baker, I constantly use math to reduce and expand recipes. As a Certified Professional Organizer®, every time I make a scale drawing floor plan of a home office, I use math. Every time I measure a closet to create a fabulous new design, I use math. Every basement or garage shelving and storage system I design requires math. Space planning requires the ability to think in three dimensions and that means CUBIC feet and inches. So yes, I suppose I’ve made friends with math after all this time. Have you?

Have you ever heard the expression, “Trying to put ten pounds of stuff into a five-pound bag”? The meaning is pretty clear and at its essence, it’s really just about math. You simply can’t FIT ten pounds of stuff into a bag that only holds five pounds of stuff. It’s not your fault, it’s just the reality of the situation.

The spaces where you live and work are nothing more than huge containers. Just like that five-pound capacity bag, your home and work containers hold a certain volume and no more than that. If you’re like a lot of people, your math isn’t working, because you have more stuff than you have space for and the bad news is that you can’t outsmart math.

Here are some of the most common excuses that can hold you back from organizing your life

1. My house / office is too small.

2. My wife / husband / kids bring in too much stuff.

3. I might need those dishes / clothes / tools / papers someday.

4. I don’t have time to get organized.

5. I love all my stuff.

Here are the answers to those five excuses:

1. You think your house is too small? Your house will never be big enough if you don’t change your mindset and your habits. Clutter expands to fill the space available. The more space you have available, the more clutter you’ll have. I promise you, more space is not the answer.

2. You think someone else in your life brings in too much stuff? Maybe they do, maybe they don’t. Regardless, be an example. Teach them another way. Simple systems such as putting incoming mail into a basket every day, or hanging action items under a refrigerator magnet are quick and easy to teach and provide big value.

3. You think you might need it someday. Sure, you might. But you also might not. And if you haven’t used that thing in a long time, or you forgot you had it, the odds are good you won’t need it someday. So why not err on the side that gives you less clutter, more space, freedom and room to move?

4. You think you don’t have time to get organized? Right now, you have all the time you’ll ever have. There is no secret stash of time lurking in your life just waiting to be pulled out at the right moment. Today is all you have. You can make time to do anything that’s important to you. But will you?

5. You love your stuff? News flash! Math is cold-blooded. Math doesn’t care how much you “love” your stuff. Your stuff doesn’t care how much you love your stuff, and furthermore you can be sure your stuff doesn’t love you back. If you’re out of room, you’re out of room!

Before you catch yourself muttering one of these, stop and think about it. Then organize your time, set a timer, and work for ONLY fifteen minutes on a decluttering project. Once your timer rings, walk away. If you feel compelled to keep working, re-set the timer to fifteen minutes and do a second round. Keep working in small increments and give yourself permission to stop whenever you want. It’s a process not an event. Before you know it, your home and work spaces will be back in balance, there won’t be “stuff overflow” and most importantly you’ll feel strong and powerful in your life again.

On a side note: I was able to sell an antique Walnut curio cabinet and an antique oak Murphy bed this week for a quick $1400.00 So I am on the right track.

[honeask]

I like the article and it is very true. I take stuff to Goodwill about ten times a year, very uplifting. I want to downsize for our last move, smaller house less to clean, right?

[bobhenry]

A little food storage tip I tripped over.........

I am looking in the big fridge and freezer and thinking about downsizing. Well the freezer doesn't scare me a whole lot but I will need to develope better rules for refrigeration in general.

Here is one so damn simple I did the Homer Simpson forehead slap while uttering the now infamous DUH!

I have always pattied out ground beef as soon as it is home and freeze it immediatly. If I need it for spaghetti or such I just use multiple patties. They cook and crumble a bit quicker. Well I just cut my patty making time by better than 1/2.

Place enough ground beef in a gallon freezer bag to roll out to the desired thickness. Then take a ruler or similar item and press indentations where you want the patties to break and you are done. The "sheets" of preformed hamburgers will stack well and take up much less of the tiny freezers precious storage space. Can't believe I never thought of this before now.

[Shadow Catcher]

Every now and again I watch an episode of 'Horders' to inspire me to throw things away.

[Kurt (Indiana)]

A little food storage tip I tripped over.........

I am looking in the big fridge and freezer and thinking about downsizing. Well the freezer doesn't scare me a whole lot but I will need to develope better rules for refrigeration in general.

Here is one so damn simple I did the Homer Simpson forehead slap while uttering the now infamous DUH!

Bob, that is a great idea. It's also a much better way to store the frozen patties. I eat a lot of burgers (93/7) and tend to make them too big when I form them individually. I want to try this on the next batch and see what happens. I can stand to "Down size" a bit myself.
That concept will be really good for camping. They won't get wet in the cooler and can lay flat on the bottom.

Thanks for the tips.

[Wimperdink]

I've actually been doing this for ten years or better. Its a lil bit of work on the front end but on the back end, its soooooo much easier. I havent made the indentions for hamburgers but I've stored my hamburger like this. It stacks nicely in the freezer, very little chance of freezer burn from lack of air in the package, and a pound of meat is dethawed in five minutes under warm water.

[eamarquardt]

I used to lose a bit of Prego sauce due to my not using the big bottles they sell at Costco. I began freezing it in plastic bags and breaking or cutting off what I needed. Problem solved. I have a small scale and make 5 ounce meat patties, wrap em in plastic wrap, freeze em. I also make two large dishes of "Mexican Lasagna" at a time, refrigerate them so they'll cut into individual servings nicely, cut them up, wrap em in plastic wrap, and freeze em.

My personal opinion is that you can't have too many tools, too many spare parts, and too many "raw materials" around. It eventually comes in handy and if you move THEN you can get rid of it. You gotta be reasonable though. It doesn't count if you don't know you have it, don't know where it is, or can't get to it or something else because "it" is in the way. So, the limiting factor is when you violate one of those criteria. I can get to anything by moving only one other thing (a box stacked on top of a box for example). Most of the machines in my garage are on wheels so they're easy to move. In spite of having 15,000# in a 5,000# garage I'm organized and can get to anything w/o much trouble and walk up to any machine, turn it on, and use it. w/o moving anything.

When it comes time to move, most of it can be sold for scrap.

Cheers,

Gus

[Kurt (Indiana)]

A little food storage tip I tripped over.........

I am looking in the big fridge and freezer and thinking about downsizing. Well the freezer doesn't scare me a whole lot but I will need to develope better rules for refrigeration in general.

Here is one so damn simple I did the Homer Simpson forehead slap while uttering the now infamous DUH!

.

I bought 2 lbs of ground beef last night and tried out the "Gallon Bag" storage tip.

This is really great. It's a lot less messy than forming patties individually and is a very easy way to store in the freezer.

I unwrapped the two pound package, seasoned the meat, cut it in half and put it in two different gallon bags.

Today, I'll try it out for real. The frozen burger patties broke apart easily and are thawing as we speak.