Kindred Homemakers Needed...

The days following Christmas invigorate me. There is a fresh enthusiasm for purging, cleaning, organizing, and eliminating (treats, of course) and an overall feeling of starting anew. With a certain excitement I began decluttering today, which inevitably led to twirling. Does anyone else twirl when they clean? I found myself bouncing from one area to another, from one pile to another pile. Frustration quickly grew and the excitement escalated to irritation.

My parents were born post-depression and with that came a gift of...collecting...or saving...or hoarding...or just plain PACKRAT-like behavior. I know that during the 1960's in the early years of their marriage, it probably kept them alive. In the 1970's recession, it kept us clothed and fed with a roof over our heads, and by the 1980's we had absorbed two additional households due to inheritance, and though we didn't need to continue to save for the inevitable-yet-unforseen (ever) future need, by then it was an inescapable habit.

Fast forward to my life as a homemaker, and I face a dilemna: what is responsible frugality? Though I swore against it, I confess, with shame, that I have accumulated and held on to far more than I ought to own. There is one source of my frustation. I have gadgits and widgits and chotchkies that I look at, decide I don't need or haven't touched/used in "forever", then in that split second of hesitation, I default to "Kath, the frugal homemaker...trying to be fiscally responsible and help with the finances". I begin to imagine that I could be saving money if someday I need this particular item. IF seems to be key, but it feels almost like a sickness...some disease gone crazy! Truth is, I apparently don't need much, because I save at a faster rate than I seem to use!I hate the indecision of accumulating clutter because I just can't decide what to get rid of, or if I should save for a potential need.

I need help! I'm looking for other kindred homemakers given to the ideas of frugality, repurposing, reusing, etc., who also have an understanding of simplicity and orderliness to help free me from the bondage of over-accumulation. I love the idea of making our home lovely and welcoming without filling it with clutter (besides, I'm living in a farmhouse with no storage space). So I'm looking for ideas to bring balance...beauty without bondage...simplicity without surplus.

Be brutally honest with me...I can handle it.

Notes on Simplifying...

The first time I posted about simplifying , I over-estimated my abilities (again?). So I wasn't able to declutter an area weekly, but the end of the summer report is that several large black bags of clothes and a few boxes of random toys were eliminated. That felt very good. We are not finished by any means, but at least some is gone, and some reorganizing took place. Another positive thing I did...a dear friend is in the process of moving and de-junking/de-cluttering, and I have been the "lucky" recipient of several boxes!!! Oh my! I finally decided to be honest instead of gracious :) and explain that I am trying desperately to simplify over here too. I think I handled it with grace and kindness, and I think that might be the last box.

A big hug to you friend, if you are reading this post!

Laundry Soap - Take 2

I've modified my laundry soap recipe. There are many to choose from online, but this one is so simple to make, and very inexpensive.

4c. hot water

1 bar of soap (goats' milk, or Kirk's castille-coconut based)

1c. washing soda (I used Arm & Hammer)

1/2c. Borax

Grate bar of soap into pan with 4c. water. Stir on low/medium heat until soap melts. Fill a five gallon bucket 1/2 full with water. Add melted soap, soda and Borax, stirring until all is dissolved. Fill bucket to the top with more hot water, stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken. Add essential oil to the cooled gel. I used one teaspoon of lavender.

The original recipe: After the gel cools, fill a used laundry dispenser 1/2 full with the liquid soap the fill the rest with more water. I think that is too much water. By not diluting the gel again, I know I reduce the total savings, but I really didn't think I was cleaning the clothes well enough.

Simplify!

How did you do last week with simplifying? Did you find any way to make your life or lifestyle more simple? We retrieved the wooden clothes rack in an effort to save on electricity. There is a certain charm mixed with a decided look of clutter :) as I have it in our kitchen/great room. Another problem...we wash faster than the clothes dry!