My Minimal Hoarding Life – Stockpiling?!

June 6, 2016

My minimal hoarding life should be just my hoarding life because of stockpiling.

Yes I have stockpiled a few items this past week and one of those items was home canning jars, And I filled most of those jars with food for the winter, Yes I said Winter and its only June 6th.! But this is when some of the vegetables and fruits are producing and I can get them for free.

I did buy and clip coupons this week, I shouldn`t have but I did, I bought my favorite shampoo and conditioner at only one third of the normal price. What makes this a bad deal is that I have around one hundred and eighty bottles of shampoos and conditioners already in the stockpile, But not one bottle of what I bought today.

I added to the wardrobe this week, another pair of shorts and another summer shirt plus two new bras, I have not chosen what will be going because I bought new, I will say it wont be hard to pick a few items because my clothes are worn.

Tony got three new outfits and new underwear but he wears his clothes out so fast there is no need to worry about tossing anything from his closet.

Now what have I taken out of the house?

One shirt to my sister and I sold another pair of shorts on eBay. The eBay tub is getting close to the bottom so I most certainly will be refilling it with my size 2x clothes that are to big for me now.

I have kept up the “taking out” of recycling items, actually I have been dropping those off a couple times a week to the donation bin except for the tin cans and the aluminum that I do collect money for.

I am keeping up the laundry and I have been hanging it out on the clothesline, minus one time that it was raining, for the fresh sun smell and to save money and not heating up the house.

As far as house keeping I do , always, keep things picked up and the house neat. However, I have not dusted, vacuumed or mopped any last week.

I filed all the paperwork and the dining room table is clean.

I cleaned up the big deep freezer and I am thinking about cleaning out the small deep freezer and putting what is in it into the big one now that there is room. Maybe save a few dollars in power per month.

I plan for this week to clean up and to mow the lawn. Take off a truck full of no longer needed outside junk and maybe sell a deep freezer ( I have another that is not used and in the shed). I may see if I can talk Tony into getting rid of the BIG riding mower that is broken down, or send it out to be fixed, as it is now its junk in the way.

That is a week in review of My Minimal Hoarding Life, how was your week past?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

Check In For May – Resolutions 2016

Wow! Another month gone, The fifth month of the year 2016. But I have to say I am not idle and watching the world pass, I am out there in the middle of the mad, mad world surviving with the best of them.

Now lets see how I am doing with the things I want to do for my life this year. I make four resolutions, two easy and two hard. You can see what is hard and what isn`t.

One – Stop shopping so much and use up the stockpile.
I have empty shelves! Yes I have been eating down the pantry, stockpile room and the deep freezer instead of buying more to maintain the stockpile. I have yet to tally up how much we spent for fresh food and the old Pepsi addiction but I know I saved money I did not have this month. 100% Accomplishment this month.

Two – Start a new business.
Well this started off really well when I could stay at home and the plants were still inside and I could love them every day, I had to turn the responsibility over to god so I could go away to work daily, the plants are doing awesome! The houseplants have doubled in size and the produce plants are in the field bearing food. I hope to sell some of that produce, if its Gods will. Accomplishment this month but I cannot put a number on this one.

Three- Replace the old worn out, things and thoughts.
This one is one of the tricky resolutions. I have discarded clothing and replaced with the newer style. I am looking for a sensible car, since I want to get off the grid and save money I would like a …. something that would be energy efficient?If those exist. But I also want my dream car of this decade and that is the Dodge Challenger, I do not care if its used or new, I just want one. Last time I got my dream car it was the PT Cruiser that I am still driving, its fifteen years old and has 311,000 miles on it. I am due a new car, actually I have never had a new car, the PT had one owner before me but it was like new when I got her. As far as replacing stuff, naa I don`t need anything.
Getting rid of bad thinking? Yes, I have worked on this, I tend to ignore the cut downs because I have realized they are cutting me down because they feel like crap about themselves and are jealous of me and how I will not respond to their bull. I will say this one is a 50% accomplishment, cause I ain`t got the car, yet!

Four – Be more selfish and do more for myself.
Hmm, I can only say that I have gave up on caring as much, which was sucking the life out of me. I am taking days off and I am laying in bed with a good book more than usual. I am going to the doctor with my aches and pains only to find out they are just aches and pains and nothing serious. I have decided to get sleep I have to turn the phones off and cut them on when I get ready to start my day, around nine am. This is a 50% accomplishment.

There, that was the month of May. Not one single fail. I am good!

By Andria Perry
Art by Andria Perry

My Minimal Hoarding Life – May 30, 2016

Last week was a memorable week since I took off the whole week for the most part. But in my minimal hoarding life that can mean working at home or finally just taking a break. I chose to take a break and do minimal cleaning, organizing and removing things from the house.

I rearranged the shelves in the spare bedroom/ stockpile room by setting more of my home canned foods in the places that were emptied from use of the stockpile. I used the boxes for the empty jars and put them in a space of their own on the bottom of the shelf that was cleared when I gave stuff away at the first of May to a tenant with nothing but the clothes on his back.

When I cleaned out the closet last week I took some of those blankets into my huge closet and I will store those on the top shelf that did not have much on it.

I am looking at a huge black trash bag with a nice Ralph Lauren comforter set, it is an inheritance but needs dry cleaning. I have no idea where to put this bag till its cleaned. I may invest in a space bag to store this monster or the one on the bed now when I do make the switch, I have never slept under such a name before 🙂

I did not have much of a mess around the house since I was home daily to pick up after myself and the others.

I did make sure that all the coupons were filed and the old ones tossed out with the recycling.

I filed all the paperwork and the dining room table is clean.

I cleaned my bathroom but I have to mop, I also washed and hung out those throw rugs.

I changed all the bed sheets, washed and line dried those.

Everyone says ” your house looks clean” but I see the dirt they do not.

When I did go into town today I stopped by the recycling donation bin and dropped off a trunk load, the center was closed for Memorial day.

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I think I know what to do with the old home place that has been sitting for years. I am going to make it another place for me to crash when I am to tired to drive all the way home from work. I could even make it a weekend get away from my home, kind of home and take the dogs with me. I cannot count the time I wished I had a place to take a nap and then go back to work but did not. Why? because its dirty and the roof leaks and I have taken down so much of the ceilings that it feels creepy.

I will have a new roof put on and I will redo this house. The top floor is small around 800 square feet, the basement apartment is double in size but I don`t have to redo it till I feel like it. I will take down all the sheet rock and rip up the old rotten flooring, Make a new start, I like modern so I will go that direction.

Being a landlady for so long and redoing the houses over and over, I am sure this one will be a breeze to get cleaned up and the major stuff done, with little cost.

That should take care of what overflow if stuff I have here and make that house a minimal living home also. After all half of what I have now came from the old home place and I think its ready to go back.

How about you? accomplish anything last week?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

My Minimal Hoarding Life

My life learning to be a minimalist, my minimal hoarding life. My crazy messy life!

May 22,2016

Weeks and weeks have passed as I try to juggle working strange hours away from home, only getting a few hours each day to cook dinner, bathe and get to bed for the days and nights just to repeat themselves over and over.

But…..

Then I see a light at the end of that tunnel of darkness and I wake up only to see what was left in the wake of the on going days of being away from my home, my personal space that should be my comfort looks like a deserted war zone.

Dust, and more dust. Where does this stuff come from? If I am not home its not my skin shedding.

Now that I have crawled out of the tunnel of being free as a business owner I am getting back to my place. Me. Loving me more and getting life back before all the paperwork began months ago.

What does loving myself and being clean and minimalist have in common you may ask. If I cannot be comfortable and breath in my own space how can I function properly?

Me and my space aka home have to be one with each other.

So how do I make all this happen?

Good old fashion cleaning!

Since I have this glorious day off and all to myself I conquered that living room first. Vacuuming and dusting. Tossing old magazines and coupons into the recycling bin. Ahhh, that fresh smell of clean!

To the dining room, a room not used for eating unless I have company, the table seems to be my “agenda for the week” table. I lay out what I have to get done, prepare mail to go out. A place to write letters to those in places that don`t have access to the internet. Empty medicine bottles so I can call those in for refills, a list with appointments that have to be kept. Receipts to be filed for the next tax season. Conquered! And defeat smells so good.

How about the kitchen? I mean I have to cook and clean up everyday so why does it need a cleaning? One word ” microwave.” That had to be one of the funkiest I have ever owned! No one but me ever wipes this thing out. Cleaned! Next I need to mop the floor, that has been a skip many days when I was not home and away at work. Conquered! And I feel better with those microwave germs gone and my white socks staying white.

Okay! So minimalist are clean and organized, right? Well only if you have nothing. I have stuff.

I chose to clean out another closet and reorganize what has been …. hmm, how to say this… what has been used and not put back properly, yes in the closet but not in the right container. I also am doing a ” I don`t use anymore go donate pile” and I have already taken some of it out of the house and used it at work. No I will not ask for it back. I need to rethink about how I use bed coverings because I am thinking I have no many blankets and throws.

Now how am I doing with no shopping and using up the products I have stockpiled :

When I feel the need to shop or go use coupons to buy more stuff for my home I just get to work cleaning what I have and I will automatic turn into the NOOOO, I cannot deal with anymore stuff right now.

I can see whole shelves empty now in the pantry so I am moving the over flow that is in the spare bedroom to put in that space, I am reclaiming that as a spare bedroom.

One deep freezer is half full as I have used and shared food. Tonight will be a “from the freezer dinner” I plan to have fried okra, cabbage and beans, maybe cook some type of meat for Tony.

Now, lets hear what you have accomplished in you life? Have to got rid of things you no longer use? Do you stock food for later?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

Minimalism Monday

May 16,2016

Last week by so fast that I barely remember anything, or I am just getting old 🙂

Since I am living off the stockpile and not buying much of anything I can see more room beginning to show.

I am staging the rental house to rent and since the last three rental houses rented better after I put up curtains, and left them up, I decided to do this last one the same way. I was really surprised that I am out of curtains! I had enough to do three rooms and I needed more. I am not sure why but it seems that all the rentals want to keep up the curtains that I provided. I am good with that.

While looking for the curtains I am in the middle of cleaning out the closet and I will be giving more stuff away that I have not used in a while.

I got my clothesline so when I did laundry this morning they got hung out and sun dried, they smell wonderful! But I have yet to fold those since I just got home from work.

I filed all my paper work from last week and I have NOT clipped coupons yet.

I cleaned the kitchen all the way once again this week.

I cleaned the small guest full bath this weekend and I changed the shower curtain and bath rug, I do have a couple of each so when I wash one I can hang another and its a nice change up.

I did not get to dust or vacuum again this past week and I know I have to soon, I can see dust!

I mowed the backyard for the dogs, I make sure they have a clean place to run, play and live.

That is about all I did do this weekend. I sort of rested more than usual, slept I should say.

How did you do this past week in your home?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

Minimalism Monday

May 9,2016

I have to say that last week was in and out of this house, life was crazy and always is the first week of each month.

BUT…

I did unload some stuff, junk of you will call it that. I met someone that needed stuff so I begin to hive things away without a problem of thinking twice. On Tuesday I will do it again.

I did not get much done in the house as far as Spring cleaning but I did manage to get ALL the laundry done and put away, yes put away! I got the kitchen wiped down and all the dishes put away in their cabinet and I swept the floor. No mopping 🙁 as I did not have time.

I got all the paper work filed and all the coupons put away, no I did not buy any this week.

I started wiping down the spare bedroom and/ or stockpile room. Since I moved the plants outside I feel I have so much more room and that feels nice.

I will say that since I broke the vacuum clearer belt I have not been able to vacuum, yep I do not like that. I have to make time to take it apart and put another on.

On a good note I feel the house is less clutter with stuff and although I know it needs the floors done and the dusting it still looks and feels cleaner since the plants are out and some more stuff is gone.

I worked for the most part outside, the lawn was grown up and I worked an hour to two hours per day mowing with the push mower. I know I have one acre mowed and I like around one more till its clean enough for me to walk around without fear of stepping on snakes.

I also managed to take off the recyclables today and donate those, however, I still have the cans to take in and sell. But I will take those one day this week because I have two large garbage bags of tin cans( it took a while to gather this many) and two of aluminum can.

I am sure things will calm down at work and I will soon be home to clean up after the cold closed up Winter and allow clean fresh everything to Welcome Summer!

How did you do last week? keep it all or donate it all?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

Minimal Hoarding Life – Give It To The Needy

I will back track and let people know why I talk about becoming a minimalist and being a hoarder.

For most of my life I have been a minimalist but then I settled down into one home for over twenty years, I loved with someone that was taught to save things for later, if not for work it was just in case they did not have money, and this was not a good idea but it was a force I could not stop.

I moved seven years ago and I did not take all that stuff, I took what I needed, and I just began to sell the stuff that was MINE and soon the rest was gone after he realized that it was just junk, nothing that he could not live without.

Now back to 2016.

I recently leased a house to a man that left his life behind and is starting over new.

In this rental the last tenant left behind a couch, chair, desk and a twin bed,outside two small straight back chairs. Another tenant had left a small round table, that I had put in this house with the rest, I had intended to have a yard sale to make some money because they had left owing me.

So there that was a perfect start with furniture! I also had a fridge in this house with a microwave, left at another house by a previous tenant, so there was a kitchen set up.

I went into the yard sale stuff that is at the old home place and gathered sheets and towels.

Then here at home I gathered up plastic bowls that you can use to keep food fresh in the fridge and a plate and a glass bowl, not much but a start till I have more time to get things up.

I also took a small t.v. that I had bought at a yard sale back in 2009 for $5.00. It has the built in VHS tape in the bottom that is how old it is but it still works, I only used it to watch as I made DVD`s for the band I used to promote and I have not done that in years so it was time for it to go, I also had a converter for digital so that he can pick up free local t.v., back a few years ago they gave these away and I had two.

If I have time today I will get food up and take that with me for him to, although he gets food stamps he does not have much till the 22nd. of May when they will be available again.

There was no pain in giving any of this away. When you let things go to help someone, regardless if it turns out good or bad, you are clearing out your space and no longer hoarding what you really did not need.

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

My Minimal Hoarding Life – Rainy Sunday

Parts of my resolutions for 2016 are somewhat contradictory, with one using what I already have and another that I will replace old with new.

But life is life and things just do not last a lifetime. People need new clothing and shoes. As a minimalist I have not been a serious clothing hoarder since 2009, when I have several yard sales and have away what I did not sell.

My clothing is old and some with holes from washing and work. This weekend I bought myself two new pairs of shorts and two casual blouses, notice I did not say T-shirts, A package of new panties and new sneakers.

What went out? Well I tossed the old undies and a couple of work shirts, the shorts I can still wear I will just have to wear a belt to keep them up. The old shoes I will keep till they have holes because I use the old ones to mow the grass and work in the dirt. I am sure by the end of summer I will toss those in the trash as well.

As far as working in the home I have successfully filed all the paper work and I am going through the expired coupons tonight as I file the new one that I did end up buying today, newspapers.

I have washed, dried and folded two loads of clothes.

I got the last three house plants out, I removed the citrus trees from the partial shade into full sun on the deck, rain today, and put the others in their spot so not to sunburn the leaves off.

I rotated the home canned goods and I put the empty jars aside to refill soon.

That is about all I plan to do in the home today because I have been working so much out of the home at a full time job that I want to rest this one day.

When I go back to work Tuesday I plan to take one of my new tenants a goody bag from my stockpile to get him started up since life has not been good to him lately.

I also plan to take the Aluminum and Tin cans to recycle for money and donate the paper in Monday.

How have you managed in your home those past week?

By Andria Perry
Photos By Andria Perry

Only Two Days?!

Last night I came home so tired I could barely drag my feet, I cooked dinner and wrote only one article, that was it! I could not do anything else but bathe and go to sleep.

When I looked at the house after coming out of my room, I almost wanted to run back in and lock the door and never come out. My room is not cluttered or dirty 🙂

This is what I seen :

The dining room table filled with paperwork. All of this is my doing.

Tony`s dump it here room, also known as the living room, ashtray full and diet Pepsi cans all over the table. How many pairs pf shoes does he wear? Dirty socks. Paper from whatever all over the coffee table.

The kitchen looks like the cabinet blew up with the same time as th fridge with dirty dishes scattered about waiting for my hands to wash them, dry them and put them back so I it can be done over and over.

The breakfast nook has seed packets scattered about, I am wondering if I will ever get the corn in the ground. Pretty flowers? I would love some of those too!

The laundry room has one basket filled with dirty clothes. More shoes everywhere.

So what is a minimalist to do? Wait let me state that a different way, What is a minimalist to do that works two full time jobs?

I cant toss out all the paper work, that is what I have to have to show where I spend my money when the IRS comes around again next year and asks. I must cook and eat, right? And I most certainly have to wash clothing because I am not the stinky girl.

Yesterday I did hear a couple words that sounded so good to my ears. I may do a little work on getting rid of one of the full time jobs, make it a part time for a while or for good.

I cant help myself at home unless I help myself out in the world first.

But today I do both. I will wash those dishes and clothes, start filing paperwork and then I will go to work second shift, again.

How do you manage your home and working full time out of the home?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry

My Crazy Messy Life

Peeking into my life for a moment.

The last few months of my life has been like this :

If I kept a list I am sure that I could not get everything marked off of what I need to be getting done in one day to keep my household as clean and organized as I want it to be, so I tossed that idea out the window months ago when my part time job as a landlady went into full time with over time most days, Writing part time for money and then having a full time care takers job. PLUS I have decided to open another business so that one day I can close one and have the new one up and going for my income.

You may ask ” how can I work two full time jobs?” I will tell you that it is not easy! But I make it work because he lives in the same house as I do and he will go to work with me, not able to work himself but will chat with the neighbors so I can get work done, or he goes to his cousins house that also lives in the neighborhood of my rental houses.

There are days when he is not feeling good or that I have to take him into the doctors office and wait on him, I call this time rest for me and I take a book and I get to read, drift off into another world while waiting.

Now where does house work come into this crazy messy life of mine?

Anytime I can squeeze in a bathroom cleaning or a room of dusting. But I have to say that I try my best to take pride in my home and its cleanliness, the kitchen is the most cleaned room of the house. If I clean up after myself as I go it wont pile up on me.

My days have to be flexible when I have houses up for rent because I have to show the houses but of late I have done something I never have before, put up a poster in the window with the price and requirements, this saved me tons of money, gas money, and time.

So when I get up in the morning if there is dirty laundry I will wash and dry a load while I am writing a blog.

Then I will fix breakfast while I write, read or comment on blogs.

I check on the plants and see if they need water and I feed the dogs.

I go to work as a landlady, some days all day, some days only one hour.

I come home and cook dinner, wash up all the days dirty dishes and pick a room to clean up a little. Now if I mow grass at a rental I will skip the house cleaning because I am usually zapped of energy.

If I have daylight left after dinner I will walk the dogs.

Some people say ” you do to much” but I call this life and its the way things have been so far this year, never a boring moment and I am always busy. I have noticed how time just goes by so fast that the first quarter of the year was a blur.

Now how often do you clean your house? Is your house organized?
Do you work a paying job and work at home?

By Andria Perry
Photo By Andria Perry