Author Archives: Claire

About Claire

I’m a writer, declutterer, and lover of fabric, furniture and books (oh, and my laptop!) I especially like to write about decluttering and debt-free living.

What Does a Minimalist Do in Self-Isolation?

By Claire Posted in Clutter Tagged , , ,

I recently saw this comment on a forum: “Being stuck inside for weeks like this makes me so glad I have such a huge yarn stash.”

And it got me thinking: if you’ve achieved a full minimalist state, with no excess clutter lying around anywhere, what are you doing to pass the time in self-isolation?

At first, I decided that someone with no clutter lying around is probably regretting their decision to pare down to almost nothing. But then I realized that just because your yarn stash is gone, doesn’t mean there’s nothing to do:

  • You can read ebooks.
  • You can listen to music you’ve stored on your device.
  • You can exercise.
  • You can cook.
  • You can stay in contact with family and friends online.
  • You can watch movies (streamed, not DVDs).
  • And, of course, you can buy yarn online if you simply must knit or crochet to keep your sanity.

So all is not lost! On the other hand, if you’re awash in clutter, and have supplies for every craft project you ever wanted to make, you’d better dig that stuff out of your piles, dust it off and get cracking, because you’re never going to have this much free time again.

Learning from Living at Home 24/7

By Claire Posted in Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , ,

Now that most of us have been in isolation at home for a while, we may find that we are developing definite opinions about our abodes.

Most people are used to coming and going, spending more waking hours out than in. So staying in the same place for days on end can make that place’s deficits more noticeable than before.

For instance, now that spring is arriving, you may wish you had a porch or balcony if you don’t already have one. If you have multiple people in your household, you may wish your home had one more bathroom. If your place is large, you may be tired of cleaning it. If it’s small, the isolation may make you wish you had a larger place.

Once this pandemic calms down, and self-isolation becomes just another memory, it would do us good to remember what we thought about our homes while we lived in them for more hours a day than we ever have. Then we can make changes so that our home becomes our haven, more than ever.

Adapting to Self-Isolation

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Small-House Living Tagged , , , ,

Thanks to our current self-isolation, our living room redo has been put on hold. Our chosen businesses for buying new furniture and carpeting are still open, though by appointment only. But with all the economic chaos going on, we hate to order expensive items and then wonder if the American factories we’d be ordering them from will be able to make them and ship them in a reasonable amount of time…or at all. It depends on how they weather the current situation, and how long it lasts.

So we’re living with our current furniture, which is no big deal, but I sure was pumped to get new stuff. Every time I sit down in the living room, I note how the chair creaks, or how the finish on the leather loveseat is kind of beat up. Not that they are in bad shape, really. It’s just that I was so ready for new furniture.

But more important things are going on right now, so it will have to wait. In the meantime, there are a few areas in the house that could use a little straightening. I’m sure I can find a few things that we don’t need anymore. I’ll do those things now, because once we can go about freely again, I’m not going to want to stay inside and declutter, that’s for sure!

Take Advantage of Your Self-Isolation

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , , , ,

So you’re stuck at home, thanks to this nasty virus that’s going around the world. You can only binge-watch so many shows and movies before you get tired, and antsy. What to do with your excess energy?

Why not take some of it and go through your drawers and closets, removing things you haven’t used in ages? You always say you’re going to do this once you get the time. Well, now you have the time! It will keep you occupied doing something useful, and you can cross something off your mental list that’s been sitting there for far too long.

While you’re at it, watch for “I Was Gonna” items you always meant to use, and actually use a few of them. Open up that old needlework kit and start stitching, or take the brand new weights out of their dusty box and start lifting them. Doing this will lift your spirits.

Once you’ve gone through your house for things you don’t need anymore, you may not be able to donate all of your stuff right away, but you can put those “donate” boxes in your vehicle, or your garage, or even near the front door. Once the restrictions are lifted, hopefully sooner than later, your local Goodwill will reopen, and you can drop off all your extra clutter. Won’t getting out of the house and making a donation to a worthy cause feel good?