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Tidying Hack: Invite Guests Over

May 9th, 2010

Have you ever started cleaning your house only to find yourself exhausted hours later with little to show for your efforts? The biggest problem I had with cleaning is that to do a good cleaning job takes a really long time and it isn’t appreciated. When you have guests over do you think they’ll notice if you dusted underneath the plant on the shelf? Or if they’ll check to see if you vacuumed underneath the couch? Unless they’re slightly crazy they won’t care and my guess is that 99% of the time you won’t either. So the question that comes to mind is why bother?

Trim n' Tidy Cleaners Sign
Photo by Pixeljones’

Spending a full day a week cleaning is pointless when a couple hours tidying will do

Instead of cleaning like a maniac every so often, why not tidy a bit more frequently? The idea is good in theory but unless you like to clean its not fun! We spend way too much time in our attempt to clean when tidying would be much faster. Just so that we’re clear what I mean by spending too much time is devoting 4 hours to get your place say 90% clean when a single hour got you to 80%. That extra 10% of cleanliness for 3 times the effort is what drains us from wanting to clean (or tidy in the first place). A tidy house isn’t necessarily spotless and clean everywhere, it is clean and neat without clutter and crap all over the place. The reality is that most of us would be quite happy with a tidy house.

The ultimate Tidying Hack!

What is the one thing that you inevitably do when you have company over? You tidy the house a bit so they don’t have to kick your dirty socks off the couch to sit on it. You don’t spend countless hours cleaning but you make an effort so that the place isn’t a disaster area. It provides the necessary motivation for you to get the proverbial pig sty in order. The best part is you’ve got a time limit! Once you add in the inevitable procrastination you’re probably left with only a couple hours to get the place in order (if you’re lucky). If you hate cleaning but want to get your place somewhat tidy, have some guests over. It’ll get you into gear and force you to get a simple surface cleaning in and getting stuff out of the way.

While not a solution to getting organized it does make your place look better and at least tidy, the net result is that you feel better about it (at least for a bit). I actually found that by having guests over once in a while we managed to get the place tidy fast without going overboard trying to make everything perfect. Inviting guests over is a great way to get your place tidy fast without going overboard.

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De-cluttering one room at a time

May 1st, 2010

One of the biggest problems I find to keeping our house neat and tidy is clutter. Small items that just seem to pile up. At first they are cute little trinkets but then they get forgotten and become evil clutter. We rarely use the all of the things we own yet we still hang onto the stuff that we bought even if its broken (just in case). I had a perfect example of this in a laptop that I bought years ago when they were still very expensive; I hung onto this computer for dear life even though I no longer used it and it was out-dated. I held onto this because I paid a lot of money for it and admitting defeat and throwing it out felt like a waste. What was really a waste is how much energy I put into this dusty old computer that I didn’t use. It felt good to finally be rid of it and de-cluttering can have that effect.

Photo by yorkshirepuddin

Getting rid of all of the stuff that we keep but don’t use can be both challenging and rewarding. What we don’t realize is how much mental baggage we have when it comes to our clutter. Getting rid of it not only makes your house cleaner and neater it can help improve your mental well being. The real challenge is acknowledging we don’t need something and getting rid of it.

De-clutter one room at a time!
If you are about to start de-cluttering I would suggest doing this one room or even one part of a room at a time. The reason for this is that simply seeing the sheer volume of stuff that we need to go through to de-clutter can be daunting and you don’t want to be stopped dead in your tracks by the scariness of the task. It breaks the task of getting rid of the things you don’t need into more manageable chunks.

The process of really de-cluttering can take a while especially if you’ve never done it before. If you don’t need something or don’t use it then its probably a good candidate to be gotten rid of. Some items will be easy to figure out where to keep them or to get rid of them, but I find that most items fall into that grey area where there is logic to keep the item as well as to get rid of it. For those items one of the best suggestions I’ve heard of (and used) is to put everything into a bag or a box and set it aside; if you haven’t looked for any of the items in that bag or box just throw the whole thing out!

Don’t allow clutter back in
After you’ve gone through the effort of de-cluttering the biggest difficulty will be to keep new clutter out. Question any new item you’re bringing in, if you don’t really need it then don’t keep it. Or if the item is a replacement for an old item then get rid of the old item. Keeping clutter out will make it infinitely easier to keep the house neat and tidy (however neat and tidy you like it).

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Throwing out Presents

November 2nd, 2009

We’ve all seen it before the hideous gift that you received from a relative and kept for years on end because you wanted them to see that you kept it and cherished it when in reality you wanted to do nothing more than pitch the damned thing. It doesn’t matter if this was some ugly ornament or a toy or even a clothing item. Sometimes when it comes to gifts that you’ve received you have to show some tact in what you do with them, at times you need to keep the ugly vase to keep the family piece.

Unfortunately that only covers a small portion of the picture, how many times have we kept a gift when we thought it might hurt the other person’s feelings if we threw it out, even though the item has been in storage for years. The sad reality is that from what I’ve seen and experienced myself we all keep too many gifts that are simply pointless and of no value yet we clutter our lives with them. Do not be afraid to throw out a gift that is totally pointless and brings you no value.

Keeping a simple house means you have to be a bit ruthless with the unnecessary items that come into our lives. So if you’ve gotten DVDs for Christmas every year for the last decade you can probably part ways with a few, if not most, of them without anyone being upset. Remember the idea of the gift is what matters and people sometimes buy lousy gifts. Personally I’m hard to buy for, even I have trouble buying myself a treat sometimes, I would not hesitate in getting rid of something hideous that came as a gift (though for the sake of your relationships do keep in mind of there might not be some type of significance attached to a gift).

With the Christmas season coming up you might do yourself a favour, come up with a list of things that you want to recieve as gifts. Because I know I’m a hard person to buy gifts for I’ve already started thinking about this. I want to be able to give my family and loved ones a list of things I would like. This won’t be a list of just random things but things that I either need or would really like and I’ll be letting people know about the items. The whole idea isn’t to take away the idea behind the gift giving but to let people buy me something I want to keep rather than something I’m going to put in a box for a couple years till I throw it out. People want to buy you the gift, let them, but make sure its not wasted.

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House Vs Condo

October 26th, 2009

Depending on where you live to tell someone that you’re a homeowner brings images of a physical building and some property to mind. What this means to you will probably depend on where you live. In some parts of the country this translates to a house with a nice big yard, a driveway and a garage. This is a very nice image and there have been a couple times where I too wished I had a garage. But this isn’t the end of what home ownership can mean, if you live in a large city like New York or Miami then owning a Condominium maybe the first thing that pops to mind when you think about owning your own place.

Now for me, personally there is a physical building with property, what the details of that are will change over time. I am a home owner and the home I own is a small house with a bit of land but because I live in a large city its not the same as what it would be in the suburbs. I like my house but I have also lived in a condo and after living in both for a couple years I have to say that there are some tradeoffs and benefits to both. For example there is a lot less maintenance that needs to be done with a condo, I never once had to clean the gutters, shovel the snow or worry about the garbage when I lived in a condo. But I also had to live with hearing people in the hallway and not having as much space as I would like.

For me personally the stage I’m in, in my life a house is the way to go. I am fairly young and I can take care of the maintenance work without any problems. I’ve got more space and the privacy that I wanted. When I’m older then a condo might end up being the way to go because of the maintenance items (though we’ll see about that). When you’re looking to purchase a house keep in mind what it is exactly that you’re looking for. Condos have a lot of benefits if you really don’t want to bother with having to worry about the house or do anything about it. While houses take more effort they appreciate in value more, the property itself has value and you get more space and privacy.

If you’re really not sure which one is best for you come up with a list of things that you’d like in your home, sit down with your real estate agent and walk them through it between your budget and the list of things you’d like they’ll have an idea what is realistic. Then when you see the places you’ll have a better idea if you’re more of a house person or a condo person (or like me a bit of both).

Posted in Misc/News, Tips and Hacks | No Comments

House projects done – Time to start blogging

April 21st, 2009

It has been quite a while since I’ve written on this site and I considering all of the stuff happening around the house I thought now would be a good time to get back to writing again. We bought our house last June and I have to say it has been a rollercoaster ride getting feeling like a home. We’ve had work done and a few unexpected issues and now we’re starting to change it to really make it our home.

One of the biggest things we’ve got coming up is a massive kitchen renovation that I have already learned a lot from and I am sure I will continue to learn a lot from the experience. Along with the massive job its been an effort getting the house to be our home and at the same time a simple house. In addition to the house we’ve had a lot to learn when it came to the yard.

I may have started this blog with the intention of cataloging all of the effort that it was going to take to get the house in order but when the little one arrived all spare time went out the window. I think that now with some house experience added under my belt I am more ready to get this blog moving again. Are you a new home owner trying to get a grip on all of the things around a new house? Got ideas for topics you’d like to cover – send me an email at matt@mysimplehouse.com or leave me a comment.

Posted in Misc/News | 1 Comment

Preparing Your House for Winter

November 11th, 2008

Now that fall is upon us there are a bunch of things that you should consider around your house to prepare for the winter months. Unless you happen to live in a warm climate there’s a good chance that you’ll need to ensure your house is ready for winter.

Items to check for:

  • Eaves
  • Cleaning up leaves
  • Check your windows and doors
  • Do you have the supplies you’ll need?(salt, shovels)

Why do it?

By maintaining your house you increase the longevity of the outside items – over time it’ll save you money on repairs and help maintain the value of your house.

Posted in Organizing, Tips and Hacks | No Comments

Keeping Trash

October 2nd, 2008

One of the most absurd things that you can do is to keep trash yet this is exactly what most of us end up doing. The first thing most people will do is deny the fact they keep trash but they do, I know I do from time to time. Now before I go any further I should quantify what I mean by keeping trash, I’m not refering to actual garbage that ends up in the dump (though some of it should). What I’m referring to are items that are no longer useful; they’re broken and should be taken out with the trash.

What kind of trash people keep around?

When an appliance like a toaster stops working as well as we would like it too or worse still breaks we get a new one to replace it. A lot of the time that appliance or item gets put into the basement or tucked away somewhere just in case. This stuff is now junk that clutters up our lives and it doesn’t just include toasters but pretty much everything. For years I kept an old printer around that still worked but I never used it because it wasn’t very good. I had gotten a replacement and was using that.

Take a good look at your stuff and pick out the trash

Next time you’re in the process of cleaning out your garage or basement look at all the stuff you’ve kept just in case. When a new piece of furniture comes into the house the old one gets kept for emergencies that never come up. Granted some of the trash we keep has potential value but for the most part these items are nothing more than trash.

Trash forces us to buy bigger homes.

My wife and  I recently moved into a larger home and I’m starting to notice a lot of items are being kept around even though they have no real purpose anymore. These items are trash or they will be soon enough. Once our house becomes overly cluttered we’ll start thinking we need a bigger home when in reality we need to get rid of stuff.

Getting rid of the trash

We become attached to our possessions for some reason and we have difficulty throwing them out. How many people keep their old cell phones just because there’s a ring tone we used to have on it or a phone number we’ll never call? You have to be ruthless with your trash, if there is no reason to keep an item get rid of it; don’t let it clutter up your life.

Photo by Mugley

Posted in Decluttering, Misc/News, Organizing | 1 Comment

DIY vs Contractors

September 19th, 2008

Some projects can be done by anyone with some effort and practice and some should be done by pros. I would even go so far as to say that most projects can be done by yourself as long as you’re somewhat handy. With that said some just can’t be; Not Made of Money posted a great article where they point out 5 repairs that should be done by a professional.

This got me thinking – really when do you call a contractor to come in and do a project? Well there are a few times that come to mind:

  • If the work involved requires specialized skills and knowledge
  • When you’re not sure how to start or finish the project
  • If there are a lot of unknowns
  • Its a large job

Not Made of Money’s list is a great starting point for trying to figure if you should bring in a contractor or not. Choosing a contractor can be a daunting task at times but starting a project to find out you can’t complete it can be worse. You can save yourself a lot of money if you’re capable of doing the project yourself but if you don’t know what you’re doing you might end up costing yourself even more. When unsure ask questions, research and get advice before starting.

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Hacks | No Comments

How to Hire a Contractor

September 15th, 2008

Hard Hat Photo by rob7812

Knowing that you need a contractor to do a job is one thing now comes the hard part: you need to find this contractor. Contractors come in all shapes and sizes from the really good ones to the ones that shouldn’t be handling tools. Personally I’ve been fairly lucky in my dealings with contractors, I’ve never had to fire one for incompetence nor have I had to fight with one over money or work done. Needless to say if you’re not careful hiring the wrong contractor can really make your life miserable.

Getting a professional to come in and do work in your house can really increase the value of your home and your enjoyment of it. Simplifying and updating a kitchen are things that most people would have difficulty completing themselves. Here are some ideas on how to find and hire a contractor:

Family and Friends – Ask your family and friends if they’ve ever used a contractor that they liked. They’ll be able to tell you their experiences right away. This can save you a lot of looking around not to mention the contractor is likely to want to do a good job so they can get more referrals

Real Estate Agents – I’ve had more quality contractors referred to me by my real estate agent than anyone else. First off it’s in their best interest to help you out and they’ll have heard if the contractor is good or not.

Sites and Shows – There are a ton of reality shows about house construction or upgrades. These shows often use contractors to help them out and they will say who helped them. You’re not guaranteed a good contractor but chances are pretty decent.

Phone Book – I’d go to this resource last mostly because you’re shooting in the dark. But when all else fails there will be people to help you out here.

Now that you’ve contacted a contractor and they’re quoting the job there are two things that you really need to remember to make sure you’re protected.

Check References – If you don’t know the contractor ask for their references and check them. If they give you a short list or ask why warning flags should be going up. If the person does good work they would want their previous customers to vouch for their work.

Get the quote in writing – Construction or upgrade projects are filled with unknowns and some contractors see this as an opportunity to take advantage of people. Make sure you get the quote in writing before any work begins. Again this is to cover yourself especially if you’re not familiar with the type of work the person is doing.

Good Luck with your project!

Posted in Home Improvement, Tips and Hacks | 1 Comment

Destroying Magazines to Declutter

September 10th, 2008

photo by iamhannah

Magazines and newspapers can take up a great deal of space if you let them. There was a great post over at Productivity 501 where they suggested destroying your magazines. Personally I think this is a great idea – keep only the stories that you need and just get rid of everything else. I know this doesn’t work for everyone since people sometimes share magazines or want to keep them, but in general the practice can really help keep down the clutter of magazines.

When you get a new magazine go through it and tear out the stories that you want to read then get rid of the rest. Once you’ve read the stories you can decide if you want to keep them or get rid of them. Most of the time the information can be found online so you’re safe getting rid of the magazine. Keeping a few magazines isn’t a bad thing but when you have dozens of them littering your house you end up with clutter.

Posted in Decluttering, Organizing, Tips and Hacks | 1 Comment

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