Frugality vs decluttering vs environmental responsibility--how do you balance it all?

[melissel]

Or do you not? For example, I'm currently targeting this shelf in the garage that's been bugging me. Most of the stuff on it was easily Freecycled, but I have a HUGE stack of scrap paper. My environmentally minded side says to have the girls use it for scribbling, but I just cannot handle another pile of random paper around here. That's how it ended up in the garage in the first place! I know I could Freecycle or (most likely) recycle it, but there's that little part of my brain that keeps saying, "You should use that paper! You'll just have to buy more in the end if you recycle it anyway!"

 

I'm trying so hard to simplify around here, but often, simplification results in increased costs (e.g., not researching the best deals all the time, but just buying what we need when we need it), or increased environmental repercussions (e.g., using little plastic bags so everything fits in the lunch bag instead of reusable containers that add a ton of bulk).

 

Really, how do you manage? Or do you not manage at all? Do you pick your pet cause and throw the rest to the wind?

 

TIA!

 

(Note: I'd hate for this to become a thread about whether environmental concern is really merited or not, so hopefully we can all take our debate hats off :lol:)

[GSMP]

Ask yourself a few questions......

 

How long as the paper been in the garage and have you had to replace it yet?

 

There are rules on how long you haven't used something...then get rid of it.

 

If you are wanting to really declutter....either recycle it...elsewhere or pass it on to a church or someone else who would use the paper.

 

When I am in decluttering mode.......everything gets tossed. What I will do however is separate everything into bags.

 

Our local repository for trash and recyclables actually has bins for clothing, paper and a section for not good enough to throw away but didn't want it in the house anymore.

 

Do you have any idea how many people I have seen "shopping" at the local dump?

 

The two questions are will you really use it and how badly do you want to get rid of it......

 

I doubt this helped much....but I know how the people in my house are that say they are going to use something they haven't seen for months....I do the cleaning when they are not around......:lol:

[JennifersLost]

Well, I'm blogging about this stuff currently in my Halving it All blog. But until I get home from my vacation I won't be facing the really hard questions.

 

I think mostly it takes time and the dedication to slowing down enough to think things through. You won't get it right every time - especially on the fly, but you can tackle one issue at a time as you get a chance and establish habits that will last, you know?

 

At least you're thinking about it all!

[Shenan]

1. Does it cause frustration for you?

2. Is it impeding your ability to function as a mother?

3. Is it taking your valuable time away from your family and husband to continually 'take care' of said item.

4. Is it costing you money to keep said item?

5. Is it taking up valuable space that can be used for something else more valuable i.e. pics of kids, books, roomier furniture (a problem for some large families in tiny quarters), etc.

 

If I said yes to any of these items I would pitch it, Goodwill or Freecycle it.

 

I ask myself these same questions for anything that comes INTO the house as well.

 

As far as scrap paper goes...We can't keep enough in the house for our littles....:D

[Mom-to-three-sons]

a few other thoughts:

 

a wise woman once told me, if its been in the closet untouched for one year, out it goes.

 

the release you feel from just having it G - O - N - E is AMAZING!

 

You won't miss it. Just don't look back or beat yourself up when you find a use for it one week after it's gone. Just accept that you could not have known.

[melissel]

I doubt this helped much....but I know how the people in my house are that say they are going to use something they haven't seen for months....I do the cleaning when they are not around......:lol:

 

:lol: Yes, this is the reason I covertly Freecycled the damaged, worthless 1910 version of The Call of the Wild and the Scruples and Risk games that DH SWEARS he cannot part with. We've had those things on that same shelf for FIVE YEARS! They're gone, baby.

 

Thanks for the input :D

[snickelfritz]

Something like that, I would give one last chance to get used up.

 

Maybe take the paper and some paints outside and let the kids paint and paint and paint.

 

Or plan a paper mache day and use it.

 

If you can't use it for one last project (all in one and any remaining stuff gotten rid of) and soon (this week?) than I would put it in the recycle.

 

I had some scraps of material that were literally scraps. I had been saving for puppets, or whatever..... I finally did just trash them. I know. 10 lashes with a wet noodle. But, I was cleaning out my junk room and I NEEDED to do something with them NOW. A good amount of the stuff went to Goodwill, but they don't want a bag of tiny scraps like that.

 

Clutter is a delayed decision. (I think that's flylady. Not sure. I would give it proper reference if I could.)

[GSMP]

:lol: Yes, this is the reason I covertly Freecycled the damaged, worthless 1910 version of The Call of the Wild and the Scruples and Risk games that DH SWEARS he cannot part with. We've had those things on that same shelf for FIVE YEARS! They're gone, baby.

 

Thanks for the input :D

 

Oh that is so not right....I think my husband got your husbands games....:lol:

 

JK....he has several games hiding in the closet. I am not supposed to touch them. Some things he gets to keep...as long as it doesn't invade MY side of the closet......:lol:

[melissel]

Oh that is so not right....I think my husband got your husbands games....:lol:

 

JK....he has several games hiding in the closet. I am not supposed to touch them. Some things he gets to keep...as long as it doesn't invade MY side of the closet......:lol:

 

:lol: Well, I figure it this way. DD5 won't be old enough to play the game for another few years at least, so then we can put it on her birthday or Christmas list. The maps will be updated by then anyway, LOL!

[melissel]

Clutter is a delayed decision. (I think that's flylady. Not sure. I would give it proper reference if I could.)

 

Wow, that just describes my whole life. I'm really trying to conquer that.

 

I'll also admit, in the interest of full disclosure, that I hate scrap paper. The kids don't care at all, of course. But I hate knowing there's writing on the other side! That's part of what's making me lean toward keeping. How wasteful would it be to dump it all because it's only blank ON ONE SIDE *gasp*? I'm wrestling with it, I really am :D

[Mom to Aly]

Take it from someone who is about to go through a houseful of clutter--I have a three bedroom house, with a fourth that is unfinished. I live here alone with my 9yo dd. We have so much stuff it cannot take another thing. We are about to go through all of it--I have been saying for two years, we have to sell it, then we have to give it away, now I am at the point of, I just want it all thrown out--this has kept us here, in a house we can't afford, paying a mortgage we can't afford, in a place we hate, because we have TOO MUCH STUFF!!! We don't use most of it, can't get to most of it, and I kept it all because "one day" I was sure we would need it--there is no way we will ever need any of it. My dd has all the toys she loves and plays with in one box, all the rest is going to be free cycled, even though we are so short of money, because I don't have the time or energy to do anything else. And that feels so good!

 

You can buy paper so cheap as you need it--you won't even notice the expense. Why not get rid of it now, lose the headache, give it to someone who really needs it, and free yourself from the time and worry, which is worth so much more than the paper itself?

[mamato4]

so forgive me if I'm repeating something.

 

If you have no room for it and it's something that's been in the garage or unused for a year, just recycle or donate it. I've been decluttering my house a little at a time and it feels so good!

 

Blessings,

Anna

[Kimm in WA]

At the recommendation of someone on this board, I checked out this book from the library. It helped me really get motivated to pitch stuff!

 

HTH,

Kimm in WA

[Adrianne]

a few other thoughts:

 

a wise woman once told me, if its been in the closet untouched for one year, out it goes.

 

 

I use this rule too. The only thing that escapes this rule is curriculum and hand me downs for the younger kids. Sometimes I might go 2 years if there is a special circumstance.

 

Good luck!

 

(BTW - I personally would keep the paper. We use doubles sides for unimportant printing jobs)

[Sharon H in IL]

Dump it, baby!

[keptwoman]

I'm going through the same right now. And with my stuff I'm absolutely ruthless, I throw throw throw, I just don't keep anything I don't love or need.

 

But with the kids stuff, now that's another matter. I have Cs Buzz Lightyear and J's toy garage from when he was 3. No one plays with them but I don't know what to do with them! I can't see people on Freecycle driving to collect them, I'm not sure whether Goodwill type stores will take them. i really don't like throwing out things with play value/use still in them, it feels so wasteful. And don't even get me started on the soft toy collection UG!!

 

However, we move in a month and I am going to be ruthless, I am, I am, I am (trying to convince myself here!)

[hypermusicmom]

My husband and I were just talking about this. I made a statement that I needed to throw away some shoes, they are trash, but I did not want them to end up in a landfill. He says that places like Goodwill, Salvation Army, take the donations and know how to recycle them. I don't know, but many of the thoughts are the same as mine. Not wanting to waste, especially.

[Aubrey]

Ok, let's say you freecycle the paper or donate it to a church or school or something. Then you end up buying new paper.

 

Your goals were to

 

1. Declutter: accomplished.

 

2. Be environmentally responsible: accomplished--after all, the paper got *used*--just not by you.

 

3. I forget the 3rd one--was it to spend less $?--you missed on this one, but maybe not as bad as you think. There's often hidden economic savings in activities like decluttering. Maybe you *found* something you'd forgotten about & didn't repurchase it. Maybe the peace of mind you gained from decluttering made you better able to plan future purchases wisely. I don't know. I consider the cost of decluttering (to a point) to be simply a built-in cost of living.

 

And environmental responsibility? Sometimes it saves you $; sometimes it costs.

 

Fwiw, I had the same issue a while back. Somebody gave us REAMS of paper, still in the pkg. It was legal sized, & they thought the dc would enjoy drawing on it. It was also great for timelines. But I"m talking about 2 boxes FULL of it.

 

We used this paper for about 3 yrs, me annoyed most of the time that it wouldn't fit in folders. Then we came here, to seminary housing, where junk wouldn't fit. I donated all but a ream or 2. The last bit of paper sat on the shelf, taking up space, taunting me.

 

Finally, I got rid of it. And guess what? Not only have I not missed it, I haven't had to buy any more yet, either. It's been nearly a yr. The kids have finally gotten to use the construction paper leftover from when I was a kid (lol!).

 

GL w/ your decluttering. Get rid of the paper--you won't regret it! (And if you do, I'm sure there's more to be had on Freecycle!) :D

[Nicole M]

I have a small box of paper that has one blank side so I can use it in the printer for recipes. "small" being the operative word.

 

I try always to print on two sides so I don't end up with a big pile of scrap paper. do you have a system in place so you can avoid accumulating another big pile of scrap paper?

 

do you have a paper shredder? a compost bin? if so, shred the paper, then throw it in the compost. the worms will thank you. and your kids will have so much fun shredding.

 

the balancing gets easier over time, and you start to think outside the box. you are absolutely asking the right questions.

[Stacia]

Agreeing w/ a lot that has been posted already.

 

I've been slowly decluttering for over a year now.

 

I can't even count how much we've tossed or donated.

 

Now that it's mostly under control, my mental energy (and peace from all the serenity, lol) can be put to use finding ways to be a better/more-educated consumer (consume less to begin with, reuse more, etc...).

 

So, for me, it was a progression of steps. Clear out. Then, change our habits for the better (to maintain all the work done in the clearing out stages).

[Parrothead]

My environmentally minded side says to have the girls use it for scribbling, but I just cannot handle another pile of random paper around here. That's how it ended up in the garage in the first place!

Throw it away and don't look back. If you feel you must give back because of a percieved waste, plant a tree in your yard or send a donation to Rainforest Rescue.

[runningirl71]

I LOVE to declutter! I grew up moving every two years and my Mom was THE mistress of throwing away! Not just paper, but things like furniture!

 

My rule is: I hold onto something I think I might use for 6 months. If I don't use it, I donate it to someone or an organization that will. My dd is a keeper, she keeps EVERYTHING and I have to go through her room quarterly. She is at Grandma's right now, so I went through her room! :) I don't give away/throw away anything special. These are things that meet my rule: she hasn't played with it/needed it for 6 months.

 

Yes, it does feel good to declutter and have a tidy house. I love it. It really is amazing how we can get along with a little. We feel guilty if we don't hold onto something-that we are being wasteful. That is why I like to donate instead of just trash things.

 

Also, freecycle is a great organization and can help declutter bigger items!

[Crissy]

I would mentally review my priorities.

 

First and most important: Get it out of my house.:D

Second, if it's still usable, give it to someone who needs it. In the case of extra paper, I would offer it first to a local, in-home day care or preschool (we did this with backyard play equipment that our boys outgrew).

 

Don't let the your idea of an item's insignificance keep you from offering something on Freecycle. You never know what other people are looking for.

[Dayle in Guatemala]

I put things into rubbermaid containers, one for throwing, one for passing along to someone else, and one to donate. Whenever I come across something that needs to go, I put it into one of those containers on the shelf in my laundry room. When that container gets full (not overflowing!), I take care of it right then.

 

I try to use as little of things like ziplocs and paper towels as possible. We don't use sponges for washing dishes or doing housework, we use rags. We don't buy newspapers, we read them online. We are in the process of replacing all our lightbulbs with flourescent because they use less power and last longer.

 

These are things we do because it saves us money, it helps the environment a little, and, in the case of using rags, it's actually healthier here because you can wash the rags in bleach and kill the bacteria and amoebas that a sponge traps in. I just try to keep the environment in mind when I can make a choice about something. There are times, it's out of my control here. But, I do what I can!

[Sara R]

Other questions to ask before just pitching:

 

Are you likely to move before you will use it? (If so, donate or freecycle it.)

 

Can you create an organizational system in your home that will make you more likely to use this paper in the future? I have a file folder in my kitchen desk for various kinds of paper we use around the house (scratch paper for the kids to draw on, lined, plain white, cardstock, etc.). Because it's organized and in a handy place, we use it. Dh's Depression-era grandma cuts scratch paper up into squares with a paper cutter, puts it in a neat little box by the phone and they use it for messages.

[Rebecca in GA]

Now that it's mostly under control, my mental energy (and peace from all the serenity, lol) can be put to use finding ways to be a better/more-educated consumer (consume less to begin with, reuse more, etc...).

 

So, for me, it was a progression of steps. Clear out. Then, change our habits for the better (to maintain all the work done in the clearing out stages).

 

:iagree: