This does not mean you have to go through all the rooms in your house to find a bunch of stuff to donate or sell. We’re going for big impact with little effort. I’m always impressed by how much space I get back when I can finally get rid of something big. If you sell it, that means someone is paying you to improve your home!

The motto for this is, “Remove to improve!”

My job this week is to sell my old TV stand. I sold the TV and the speakers long ago, so right now the stand is sitting in the garage, and we don’t need the storage.

You might have:

• an old couch or chair
• unused exercise equipment
• an old appliance or TV
• baby gear such as a swing or exersaucer

If you don’t want to go through the hassle of selling, some charities will come to your house with a truck to pick up furniture or appliances.

If your stuff is not in good-enough condition to donate to charity, put it on the curb with a “free” sign, or find what day the city will do a bulk-trash pickup.

I only sell something when I can get at least $20 for it. I donate most household items and clothes, but I do like to sell the big stuff.

Tips to Sell Your Stuff on Craigslist

Price: I generally price things at 40% of what it costs to buy it new, assuming it’s in good condition and something I bought in recent years. (I only sell things that would cost at least $50 new since I have a $20 resale minimum.) It makes me laugh when I see listings for “Custom drapes, gorgeous!” when they’re clearly from the 1980s. “Custom” means it suited the owner’s preference, but to me they’re just old drapes. Price accordingly. Check other listings to compare and estimate a good price.

Photo: Include a big, clear photo on your ad. Craigslist makes your photos look small with low resolution, so overcome that by following the instructions in this post: Craigslist Photo Tip: How to Show Big, Clear Photos So Your Stuff Sells.

Detail: Be descriptive in your title by naming it something like, “Sage Green Loveseat from Pottery Barn,” not “Couch.” Preempt questions by listing measurements and flaws. Also list your terms, such as, “Pick-up only, no delivery. Price is firm. Located near ___. Available evenings and weekends.”

See the comments for this post: Clear the Clutter: Sell or Donate One Big Thing

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

I change my hair products regularly, but I am devoted to my skin care products, forever and ever, amen.

My favorite cleanser is Kiss My Face Pure Olive Oil soap. This is the best store-bought soap you can buy for the best price, hands down. I use it to wash my face, I use it in the shower, I use it on the kids, and I wash my hands with it at least a dozen times a day. This unattractive green bar has simplified my beauty routine completely.

I love having one single bar of soap in the bathtub instead of a bunch of little plastic bottles. It travels well for flights because it’s not a liquid. It has minimal packaging, and it lasts a long time. It’s an amazing value for a couple of bucks.

I used to make my own soap because I wanted it to be good quality, but then life got busy, I had to delegate, and it was time for someone else to make the soap. The Kiss My Face soap has a perfect score on the Skin Deep Cosmetics Database since it is made from saponified olive oil. I order it from Vitacost which is where I get most of my skin and hair products.

If you grew up thinking that soap was bad, as I did, it’s because of the commercials you hear about cleansers and shower gels that “won’t dry your face like soap.” The usual soap that comes in an 8-pack for a few dollars at the drug store is not good, truthfully, but good soap–well-made, high quality, and with all the moisturizing ingredients still in tact–that kind of soap is good and gentle for your skin.

I don’t dry out my skin with shower gels, so I don’t use body lotion very often, but sometimes I use these ingredients if my skin feels like it needs something extra:

• Baking soda makes a highly-effective exfoliating powder on damp skin.

• Coconut oil moisturizes and soothes itchy skin.

• Lanolin heals chapped lips. (I learned this from Simple Mom.) If you aren’t familiar with lanolin, you can find it in the baby and nursing mothers aisle at Target under the brand name Lansinoh. It works better than Aquaphor or other products.

• Apricot kernel oil is a soothing, light (non-greasy) oil to use as a face serum or for dry hands and legs. You can even layer it over a lotion for more moisture care.

One time I was sitting at the Bobbi Brown makeup counter in a store, and the makeup artist suggested that I try the new Face Oil. “It’s got a blend of sesame, sweet almond, olive, and jojoba oils in it!” she exclaimed. I like having that healthy, dewy glow, but at $60 an ounce I knew I could run over to the health food store and make my own blend for a few bucks. I already had most of the ingredients at home.

My favorite face moisturizing cream is Jason Vitamin E Age Renewal Moisturizing Crème. It’s quite the beauty bargain.

I experienced the closest thing to a skin-care epiphany, if there is such a thing, one day while sitting in a makeup artist’s chair at the department store. I wanted to buy some new makeup; she asked me what skin type I had.

“Oily,” I said, thinking about my breakouts and what my skin was like as a teenager.

She tried some makeup on me, looked at me, and wrinkled her forehead. “I don’t think you have oily skin,” she replied.

Suddenly I knew it, too. I didn’t have oily skin, I had dry skin, and all the products I was using to dry out my so-called problem were only making it worse. My skin was overcompensating because what it needed most was more moisture.

I went home and ditched the cleansers and creams my dermatologist had recommended for oily skin that always made my skin red and irritated. My skin never gets oily now because I use a lot of moisturizer and gentle soap.

In all the search for beauty products and solutions, there is no substitute for water. All of the other products will help, but water is the most important. We know it already, but we don’t do what we know, and we look for a substitute instead.

I can always tell when I’m not drinking enough water because my skin is the first to show it. I get chapped lips and breakouts. When I get a pimple I reach for Neutrogena On-the-Spot Treatment, but drinking water is the true solution.

See the comments for this post: Simplified Skin Care

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

If you will be celebrating Christmas with small children this year, but you don’t want to place too big of an emphasis on the gifts, might I suggest something?

Don’t pile up the gifts too early under the tree for your little ones to gaze at all Christmas season.

What’s easy for an adult to ignore, a child will notice all the time. I want them to enjoy a sense of wonder this holiday, but not always wondering about what’s under that wrapping paper and bow?

I didn’t want it to be bare underneath the tree, so I arranged some blankets and books for them to curl up and read. We’ll bring the gifts out when it’s time to open them because I love giving gifts to my children, but I know if they saw them every day it’s all they would think about.

One of the Christmas books for children that I’m enjoying is Who Is Coming to Our House? The animals get ready for Mary and Joseph to arrive, and they tidy up the barn. I think about it when I’m tidying up the house for the holidays.

See the comments for this post: Under the Tree

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

A reader’s question:

Yes, I always recommend decluttering first, no matter who you are or what season you’re in, because that makes everything easier. It gives you the freedom of flexibility when you don’t have to carry a ton of stuff with you.

I just moved into a house for the first time after living in apartments with my family for many years.

The most important thing to think about when shopping for apartments is what your family currently needs. One time a few years ago we looked for a new apartment, and we found one in a popular part of town with bars, shops, and restaurants. It was an address we would have been proud of, and the building had high style. But before we signed the lease, we realized: it would have been perfect for us a few years before, but it didn’t fit our current life. We were about to add a new baby to our family. We weren’t going to be going out to bars at night. We ended up finding a different apartment with parks for our little ones to run around.

Since you have kids, I would place a huge priority on the kitchen. Sometimes apartment kitchens are designed for one or two people to eat dinner there a couple of nights a week and go out to eat the rest of the time. With little kids, your kitchen receives a lot of use, and you need a decent amount of pantry space. Can you make do with a small kitchen? Of course you can make it work, but a functional space will go a long way to helping you feel satisfied in your new place.

Storage is also important, but you might be surprised to find that modern apartments have more closet space than older houses. Shelves make the most efficient use of space if you need to add storage. We have the kind of metro restaurant-style shelves that can be adjusted and don’t need to be mounted to the wall, and I can’t believe how much stuff it holds. When we need to move it can be disassembled for easy transport.

Of course there is more advice. Continue reading:

What to Expect When You’re Expecting and You Still Live in an Apartment

See the comments for this post: Advice for Downsizing the Family Home

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

I helped to host a baby shower this weekend, and someone came up with a great idea that I wanted to pass along.

We asked guests if they could bring “a gently-used children’s book in lieu of a card” to help our friend start the book collection for her first child. Guests wrote notes inside the front covers, and this way she’ll have the beginning of a rich library with sweet sentiments she’ll read over and over instead of cards on a shelf in the closet.

See the comments for this post: Baby Shower Idea: Books Instead of Cards

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

A recent question from a reader:

Movies, good question. Let’s take a trip down memory lane and remember what prompted us to acquire a movie collection in the first place.

The early 70′s: The only choices were the television or the theater. Did you miss seeing a movie? Too bad, you had to wait until it came back to theaters.

The 80′s: You could record Cosby or Family Ties on your VCR. Blockbuster first opened its doors in 1985. Families everywhere are amazed at the wonder of fast-forwarding.

The 90′s: Going to the store to rent a VHS movie was what you and your friends did on the weekend. You hoped they had the latest release you wanted to see on the shelf, otherwise you’d end up renting Overboard again. Know someone who works at the movie store part-time? Score! Maybe they can get you some free movie rental coupons.

The 2000′s: Who wants to rewind? Let’s start a DVD collection instead. We’re so current with our new technology and flip cell phones. Movie purchases are more affordable; buying a DVD is about the same cost as renting a movie a couple of times, without the late fees and wondering if they have what you want in stock. Plus you can loan it to your friends. Win!

The 2010′s: Movies are plentiful now. Here we are with streaming internet, $1 movie rentals at Redbox, free content on YouTube, cheap Netflix subscriptions, and more choices than we could ever watch. As technology changes, I think the concept of the home movie library will change, and DVDs will go the way of the cassette tape.

So no, I don’t think it is wasteful to give away old DVDs. The money has already been spent. Any media or technology has current value, not intrinsic value. They aren’t investments for the future.

Are you thinking of selling your movies? Don’t wait too long — your collection of DVDs probably has more value now than it will a year from now.

And that being said, I do keep the movies on DVDs that you see above, our favorites and kid flicks from when we traveled overseas and other times we couldn’t rely on the internet, but I don’t need to buy more because there are so many other options.

See the comments for this post: Reader’s Question: What to do about all those DVDs?

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

The photos here are the ones I took when I was cleaning the lens and testing my camera settings. I couldn’t help but find them amusing when I found them this morning on my computer. Seems more real than carefully-constructed shots.

Can we talk about Christmas? I am always reluctant to bring it up before Thanksgiving. I don’t want anyone to groan.

I was thinking about it because lately I have been stretched so thin. It’s all good stuff, but with deadlines and projects, I wondered how I could fit Christmas hoopla into the mix.

There was the one Christmas when I decided I didn’t want to do a bunch of preparing, I just wanted to show up for it, and I did. (I didn’t know I was pregnant until two days before Christmas, and then it all made sense.)

Other Christmases I made some of the gifts, but the idea of having that much time now seems so foreign, it might as well be another planet.

The way things are this year, I thought about, “What is the one thing I can do now to make Christmas easier, to enjoy it instead of feeling the pressure of deadlines?”

I decided that one thing this year is to get the presents bought and wrapped early. That will relieve some of the pressure so I can feel free to enjoy the festivities and traditions. My goal is to have all the gifts taken care of and wrapped before Thanksgiving. I’m declaring it here, so that means I have to do it.

Shopping early is better than shopping late, and even though it’s mildly annoying to see Christmas signs so early in the stores, that can help me reach my goal. It will be better than shopping with the crowds and crowded parking lots. If I can’t buy my gifts within the next couple of weeks before Thanksgiving, then I’m probably making it harder than it should be. And I want them to be wrapped as well because that means the gift is ready and I won’t do any second-guessing.

In other news, I made soup. Soup in a mug is my go-to lunch. (When you find something that works, stick to it.) One pot of soup made on the weekend is enough to reheat for lunches all week long.

See the comments for this post: Thinking Ahead for the Holiday Season

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

Too many ideas without taking action is like eating a whole bag of Fritos but not getting off the couch.

Symptoms include:

• frustration

• lack of energy

• spending money on supplies to feel like you accomplished something

• insecurity

Pinterest is the best source for quickly finding inspiring ideas. I love to use it. It helps me when I want to take a break and also during this home renovation when I want to show my husband Doug examples of a countertop or curtain color I’m considering. Total time invested: 2-5 minutes max. Pinterest with all of its pretty pictures is like Fritos with a 7-layer dip. It’s even better, but that doesn’t mean you should consume the whole bowl.

Just because you have a good idea, it doesn’t mean you have to do it. Read “How to Protect Your Time from Too Many Good Ideas.”

But if you do nothing, if you just sit there, then what is the point? It’s better to take one idea and bring it to fruition than to continue to collect more ideas.

Taking action makes you feel:

• motivated

• energetic

• confident

See the comments for this post: Do You Have Inspiration Overload?

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

I’m cleaning out my closet again.

The ideal time to clean out stuff is before and after a move. I know most people don’t expect to clean out their stuff after moving to a new place. Didn’t they just purge a bunch of stuff before moving?

But after moving is when you can really see what you have and how your stuff works in your space.

It’s been a while since I’ve looked through all my clothes, so I had more confidence in giving away the remaining things I won’t use. This time I thought about how clothes are meant to be useful. For each item, I tried it on and asked myself, “Will I use this?”

I’ve been in the process of reducing my number of clothes over the last few years. I used to feel like I needed more variety, and so I chose quantity over quality. I have a fraction of the clothes I owned seven years ago. I like my clothes so much better now.

I will never get over the amazement of how when you give away the clothes that you won’t wear, you like the clothes you keep so much more, almost like you just went and bought a new wardrobe.

I used to do the big switcheroo every summer and winter to put away the clothes from last season and make room for the next. It made me feel organized.

It was a big pain.

Now everything fits on the same bar–summer clothes to the left and winter on the right. I’m storing the maternity clothes separately. I think this is the right amount of clothes for me now. I need to replace a couple of things that I wore out last winter.

I didn’t even use the bar on the other side.

Another thing that I’ve been able to get rid of lately? Boxes.

I used to save cardboard boxes because since I lived in a small space, if I stored things in boxes then I could put everything away in closets like a game of Tetris.

I was always getting ready for the next move, but this time I’m unpacking it all. I don’t need to keep old curtains in a box in case I’ll use them at the next apartment.

I used to wonder if going through my stuff was really helping me to save time and simplify. It can take so much time; wouldn’t it be simpler not to deal with it at all?

But this. This is one reason why I clean out my junk–so other people won’t have to do it for me.

Jules at Pancakes and French Fries is doing 31 Days of William Morris to help her home reflect the quote, “Have nothing in your house that you do not know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful.” Let’s root for her.

Megan at Declutter Daily is getting rid of something every day so she can make a way in her garage.

When Doug and I got married, one of our early promises to each other was that if we ever had a garage, we would always be able to park our car in it. Right now the garage is staging the move and renovation, so we’re not quite there.

See the comments for this post: It Is So Much Easier to Simplify Than Organize

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)

This is our first house, but not our first home.

When money is flowing through our fingers like water for this renovation, we’ve called the plumber three times, Doug put in the new floor, and everything is freshly painted white, it’s kind of hard to believe that this is really for us.

We saved up our money for it so we were prepared, but I still have thoughts like, “Is it okay to spend that much money on something trivial like shelf liners?” “Will this choice be timeless or outdated in ten years?” “Is this the best quality and value for the money so we only have to buy it once?”

In college I knew too many children who didn’t have socks, and I knew them so well that when I started earning more money, it was hard to spend it on things like expensive home furnishings. Every dollar represented money that could have been used to buy a pair of socks for a disadvantaged child, so I had to be responsible with my choices about spending money, not out of guilt, but just from knowing.

One time I mentioned that to someone, and she looked horrified as she said, “I could never live like that!” so I don’t really talk about it much anymore.

I spend money more easily for the household now because it’s not just for me, and I’ve seen how buying quality can save money in the long run. That’s why I was so glad to find a home that hadn’t been renovated yet. The counters, the floors, and everything had served a single family for forty years, so we carefully made updates that might last another forty. Will we live here for that long or only a few years? Only time will tell.

We brought in our furnishings from our storage unit where they have waited in boxes for nine months.

For the kids it was like Christmas, no, like five Christmases when they saw their old toys again. They stayed in their rooms to play again with their toys, and we didn’t see them for two whole days.

Indeed it was kind of like Christmas because I boxed everything in the days after last year’s Christmas, so our things were packed in the remnants of old wrapping paper and the newspapers from that week, our dishes secured with green ribbon and cushioned by crumpled-up red and silver shiny paper.

Our things look good in our new house. They seem to fit, and yes, I know I’m teasing you by not showing more pictures yet, but we’ve been so busy doing that there was not much time for telling about it. Soon, I promise.

*****************

Also, the online workshop for Simple Blogging is on Wednesday. Registration is still open. We’ll be talking about using a long-term perspective for blogging and time management so that you can position yourself to realize your goals, avoid blogging burnout, and spend less time overall at the computer. There will be plenty of time for Q&A as well. Sign up for it here.

See the comments for this post: And Now It’s Ours: Our First House

© SmallNotebook.org (all rights reserved)