Month: January 2023

Decluttering Sentimental Items

/ rachelgoes262 / Leave a comment

Decluttering sentimental items is the most difficult and challenging aspect of minimalism. It is advanced minimalism, and should be undertaken last. Before attempting to declutter sentimental items, you should have experience in exercising your decluttering muscles. Downsizing categories such as clothing, the kitchen and the bathroom should be categories you have addressed well before sentimental items. 

Leaving sentimental items until last allows you to build your minimalist muscle. If you attempt to declutter sentimental items too early, you set yourself up for failure. Not only do you fail to declutter the items, but you experience all the feelings involved that make the items sentimental from the beginning. It can cause you a setback in your decluttering journey.

I have finally reached the stage where I am ready to declutter sentimental items. I have tried to declutter this category before and I failed. That’s okay. My initial sweep through the sentimental category, I downsized sentimental items from three storage bins to one storage bin. Sometimes you have to take baby steps.

If you are just starting with the sentimental item category, I do recommend taking it in steps. First, gather all of your sentimental items together. Second, try to curate your collection. I found that downsizing from three storage bins to one storage bin was a challenging, yet doable goal.

The other tip that was helpful for me was that once I downsized from three storage bins to one storage bin, I took the two storage bins that were going to be “leaving” and left them in a closet for a year. After that year, I was completely okay with the two storage bins leaving and just having the one bin of mementos. In fact, after the year, I had completely forgotten what was inside the other two bins. You can’t miss what you don’t remember, can you?

This was a few years ago that I undertook the three bins to one bin exercise. I am finally at a point in my decluttering journey where I am able to address the one bin that is left. Granted, the one bin is about 90% full of items from my childhood. I’m sure your sentimental bin may look different.

Here are reasons why I am now finding it easier to get rid of the remaining bin of sentimental items. 

  1. I had a horrible childhood. Why do I want to keep items that remind me of the most traumatic time period of my life? Did I enjoy playing with those toys? No, I did not. I lived in a state of abuse and perpetual fear. The toys in the bin were given to me by someone else in the family, who had absolutely no idea of my favorite toys as a child. They had just set aside toys that they liked or thought I would have wanted. I don’t want them. Now, some of these items are worth money. I have a pair of pristine Sonny and Cher Barbies as well as one of the original preemie Cabbage Patch dolls that came in a plain cardboard box from Sears before they started putting them in shiny, colorful packaging with a plastic “window” to see inside. I still don’t want them. They do not invoke any happy memories.
  2. I have no children. Some people keep a set of their most loved toys to pass down to their own children. I have no children to give these toys to. They are just sitting in a box, not being used, played with or loved. They are taking up space. Toys are intended to bring joy. I’m sure there are children out there who would find joy in playing with them.
  3. They are not benefitting my life. The toys are sitting in a box taking up space. I am decluttering my house in anticipation of an international move. I refuse to pay international shipping to take those items with me. What’s going to happen to them when I move again? They are going to sit in a box in the closet same as they are now. Why pay time, money and energy to move something from place to place that is going to sit unused.
  4. Swedish Death Cleaning. What will happen to this box of toys when I die? They will either be thrown out or donated. Why not get rid of them now so they have the opportunity to bring joy to some child. 
  5. Is this difficult? Yes, it is. While none of these items evoke happy memories, it is still difficult to get rid of them. Yet when I sit down and think about it, I cannot think of one good reason to keep them. Do they bring me joy? No, they do not. It is still difficult, emotional and sad to get rid of them. Don’t ask me how. Emotions are complicated that way. You know those times when you feel all the feelings. Even though they evoke negative emotions, I also have negative emotions about getting rid of pieces of my childhood even if it was bad.

In addition to the one bin of childhood toys, I have other sentimental items that will be leaving this year. My entire jewelry collection will be leaving. The only piece of jewelry I am keeping is my mother’s necklace that has Jude, Simon and Jolene’s names on a heart with their birth stones. Why do I need jewelry? It does not bring me joy. No one sees me. My mother’s necklace brings me joy. I am keeping that. 

Since the pandemic has started, life has become a story of survival. With no end to the pandemic in sight, why would I need items like jewelry? They are unnecessary baubles. They are not essential for survival. I am downsizing all my items to only those that are necessary or that bring me joy. The other jewelry pieces do not bring me joy. I would not want to take the other jewelry pieces with me on an international move.

I can only wear one necklace at a time. Ok, ok, I’m sure you can wear two or three necklaces at a time. However, that just makes me think of some cheesy 80s rapper concerned with their bling. I personally prefer to wear one necklace at a time. My mother’s necklace is the only one that is meaningful and brings me joy, so it stays. Every other piece of jewelry I have is not irrelevant. 

When life is reduced to survival, you really take stock of what is important in life.

There are some sentimental items that are still in the gradual reduction process. There are some items that are too difficult emotionally to leave. I have put those in a box for a year. We will see how I feel at the end of the year. Will I pull items out of the box because I want to look at them or keep them? Will I even remember what is in the box at the end of the year.

To clarify, I do not have a life devoid of meaning. I do have sentimental items I have kept such as my mother’s necklace. I have curated a photo album of my greatest hits / best memories which I take out often and look through fondly. I have some sentimental items that are either in use or on display in my home. I’m not saying to life a life without meaning or sentiment. I am saying to curate what you have. If you love it, display it. Leaving toys in a box for 30 years and shuttling them around from place to place – those are the types of items you really need to question about leaving. 

What tips do you have for decluttering sentimental items? 

American Glassware

/ rachelgoes262 / 2 Comments

My most favorite thing in America is our glassware. Specifically, I love Ball mason jars and Homer & Shakespeare Laughlin’s Fiesta ware. Both companies are over 100 years old and showcase the best America has to offer.

Previously, I had been all rah-rah USA. I was in support of our troops, our country, and had many American flag themed items. Before the pandemic, I was very patriotic. That all ended on January 6, 2021. As some of my neighbors participated in the insurrection and are currently serving jail terms, I can now say that every single time I see an America flag, the only thing I feel is fear. (You should have seen the parades they had just before and right after the insurrection.)

I am ashamed to be an American these past four years when we are living through a genocide perpetuated by a government that wrongly declares covid to be “over.” With millions of Americans being deliberately killed by a known biohazard, I cannot wait to leave this country of such hate and murder. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think that America would let its own citizens die in a pandemic because it’s too hard to instate a mask mandate and improve ventilation.

When thinking of leaving America, I would have to say that the only thing I will miss about this country is our glassware. Yes, I’m sure that the glassware in other countries is spectacular as well. However, I will genuinely miss mason jars and fiesta ware when I leave the USA.

While most mason jars are clear, I do have some of the 100-year anniversary jars that are blue color. When Ball first started making mason jars over 100 years ago, the glass had a natural blue tint due to the weather conditions where the jars were made. I love how mason jars are standard sizes with gradations. While originally used for canning food, mason jars are versatile in their uses. Nothing works quite as hard in the American kitchen as the mason jar.

As an adult, I am also privileged to have been able to invest in a set of fiesta ware. Fiesta ware is guaranteed to be lead-free, which is a hard found luxury in the USA. They are made with different colors with whimsical names. Each year, a new color is introduced while an existing color is retired. Some people will have a color theme in their house. Others just mix and match.

Fiesta ware is delightful in its colors. The quality of the glassware is high. It is long lasting, often handed down from generations. Some families have fiesta ware passed down from grandparents. The glassware is durable and difficult to chip or break. 

Our color theme for fiesta ware in my household consists of:

Daffodil (a yellow color)

Shamrock (a green that was recently retired)

Lemongrass (a light green)

Lapis (a blue)

Peony (a pink that was recently introduced, although we have one peony item – a mug)

  • We do not consider peony to be part of our “original” color theme

All of our human dishes and all of our cat dishes are fiesta ware. I believe in giving my cats the very best. I actually upgraded all my cat food and cat water dishes to fiesta ware before my human dishes. The cats’ lives are shorter than human lives. They deserve to live the good life.  After all, the greatest gift they bring to our lives is unconditional love and joy. 

In preparing to leave the USA and move to some other country, I am downsizing my house. No, I am not getting rid of any of my mason jars or fiesta ware. My mason jars and fiesta ware are all being used and bring us joy. However, when the time comes to actually make the move out of country, the mason jars and fiesta ware will be leaving. I am not going to attempt to transport glassware with me internationally. I plan to only immigrate with the basics. 

Mason jars and fiesta ware will be the only American items I will miss when I leave this country. Everything else I can do without. The glassware I use every day brings me such joy. It is hard to think of going to another country and starting over with different glassware. 

There was a story on the news recently about people who immigrated to the USA. They were asked about the one item that they brought with them from their home country that reminded them of home. For me, it would be a mason jar and fiesta ware. 

What would you miss the most if you were to leave the USA or your home country? 

The Tale of Tom Part 2

/ rachelgoes262 / Leave a comment

To read the first installment of the Tale of Tom, please click here.

The first fall I was in the house, I noticed muddy paw prints on my car in the garage. I bought the house at the end of August. It did not take long for me to realize that there were stray cats using my garage as a place of refuge. 

That winter, I noticed that the strays were still outside, even in temperatures below zero. It was obvious the cats were homeless! Who in their right mind would let or leave their pet outside in temperatures below freezing? I quickly purchased a bin from the store and made the outside cats a shelter, complete with insulation. 

Fast forward to current times. We have been in this house for almost four and a half years. There are now a total of four insulated outside cat shelters and two feeding stations. There were three strays that I call my originals – those were the ones that I saw that first fall and winter of being in the house. 

Then, last January, two kittens were thrown out of a truck. I am a permanent remote worker, so I saw the whole thing happen while working. No, I do not spend my entire work day looking out the window. However, when an unknown vehicle drives erratically into the area and does something as outrageous as throwing not one, but two helpless animals out of a moving vehicle, you kind of take notice. 

That means that as of January 2022, there were 5 outside cats under my care. There were the three originals and the two kittens thrown from a truck. 

On top of all this, there is a dog fighting ring in the area that is using the outside stray cats as bait. They are often spray-painted various colors. The SPCA refuses to shut down the dog fighting ring. They said that it brings in too much money. When I asked “what about the cats being used as bait?” Their exact response was, and I quote, “they will adapt.”

They won’t adapt. They will/are being maimed and murdered. 

I reached out to a different non-profit animal rescue in our area that is run 100% by volunteers and donations. With their help, I was able to trap two cats last winter and get them into shelter. They have both already been adopted into loving homes. One of the kittens and one of my “originals” that had been spray painted a very bright green by the dog fighting ring.

That means that as of March 2022, I was left caring for three outside cats – one of the kittens thrown from a truck and two of my “originals.” The rescue knows that I am working with these cats. I am providing them with food, water, insulated shelters, and a safe place of refuge. They know there is a dog fighting ring in the area and that I am trying to trap the cats and get them into the rescue to be adopted.

The rescues have been full. Americans are cruelly dumping their pets for no legitimate reason. Every few months, I reach out to see if there is space to take one of the cats. All through the spring, summer, and fall they have said they are full.

Last week, there was a space available. I had reached out because it looked like one of the outside cats (Tom) had an injury and needed medical care. I asked the rescue if they could take one in, as he looked in need of help. They said yes.

Tom was my third cat trapped and taken to shelter. He was the most difficult. With the first two cats, I was able to get them transported to the rescue within a few hours of being trapped. The rescue just came and got the trap with the cat in it and away they went to safety.

Tom was trapped on Thursday afternoon. The rescue said they would not have space to take him until Friday morning. They had some adoptions on Thursday that would clear up space, plus they wanted to prepare. 

I could not leave Tom in the trap for 18 hours outside when it was supposed to get below freezing that night. That would be dangerous and cruel.

I brought Tom inside into my basement. I had to keep him separate from my inside house cats so he would not spread any diseases. Tom was one of my originals I had been caring for 4.5 years. He was an intact male. Who knows what fleas/ticks/diseases he had.

So I brought the cat trap into the basement where he would be heated and not freeze in the trap overnight. I felt bad about him being in a little trap for so long, so I transferred him to a dog cage complete with blankets, cat pan, food and water. I thought he would be more comfortable that way for the 18 hour wait until the rescue was able to take him in.

The rescue saga completely fell apart Friday morning when I was unable to transfer Tom from the dog cage to a cat carrier. He escaped me.

To make a long story short, he spent the entire day (over 12 hours) in my basement hiding. I had to reset the trap to trap him again in the basement. I honestly did not think I would be able to trap him a second time. Tom is smart and Tom is hardy to have survived life outside for as long as he did through many winters of below zero weather. 

Surprisingly, I did trap Tom a second time. I was not stupid enough to try any more transfers. I left him in the trap. He was in the trap for over 12 hours before he was taken into rescue. That is the exact situation I was trying to avoid from the beginning, but I learned the hard way, that situation was unavoidable.

The rescue worker came to help me get him out of the basement, as he was too strong for me. We almost lost him a second time trying to get him into the car to take to rescue.

I am happy to report that Tom is at the rescue. He has heat, food, water, love and medical care for the rest of his life. He has been seen by the veterinarian. They estimate he is over 10 years old (a senior). He has dental issues and is indeed an intact male. He has injuries which are most likely from the dog fighting ring. 

Whether he is adopted into a living home or not, the rescue has assured me that he has a space there as one of their “forever residents” if need be. Never again will Tom be outside when it is 30 degrees below zero outside. He will get the medical and dental care he needs. He will be neutered.

Rescuing Tom was heartbreaking as he was one of my “originals.” I had provided care for him as a stray for 4.5 years. But honestly, what Tom needs is a loving home. I am so glad he was taken into rescue where he will receive the care he so desperately needs and deserves.

This means that right now I am left caring for two outside cats.

There is Kenny, who I am guessing to be about 1-2 years old. Kenny is one of the kittens that was thrown out of a truck last winter. Kenny pretty much lives in my garage. He sleeps in one of the insulated shelters. I have a snuggle safe heat disc I use to help him through the winter. I see him every morning when I take food outside. He then goes about his day. I see him every night when I bring the food dishes inside and reheat his heat disc. He sleeps in the insulated shelter.

I can tell Kenny misses Tom. They would both be there for breakfast in the morning. I would see Kenny and Tom playing together and grooming each other. It was almost as if “grandpa” Tom had taken kitten Kenny under his wing.

The second outdoor cat still left is one of my originals. Flower is very elusive. She was thrown out of the house next door. The people in that house have since moved and new people live there. Flower is the cat I saw last winter with a broken leg. She is the first one I tried to trap to be able to get her to medical care. I was not able to trap her. I have a feeling that Flower may be the last cat trapped. She is the most skittish of all the outside cats. 

Even Tom was able to get on a feeding schedule after about four years. Flower truly comes and goes as she pleases. She is scared of other cats and all humans. I sometimes go days without seeing Flower. 

My goal is to get Kenny and Flower into the shelter also. It’s hard because the shelters are so full. I’m really hoping I can get them both into the shelter for medical care and adoption within the next two years. We will see. It all depends on when the rescue has room to take more.

For now, the Tale of Tom has a happy ending. Tom is right where he needs to be. He is receiving medical care, food, water, heat and love from all of the dedicated volunteers who take care of the cats twice daily.

Good luck on this next part of your journey, Tom. I love you and I miss you.