Along with eliminating a lot of “stuff,” I’m also trying to find patterns, simplify routines so that the necessary clean up happens and uses as little time/effort as possible. This too is part of our pre-retirement preparations. Physically, things get harder to do all the time. I don’t want the house requiring the use of a standard vacuum every 3 days say, if I can get a roomba and do it once a month instead.
I also have no interest in acquiring every new whiz-bang tool out there to do something that requires next to no effort.
So — the roomba is one idea, but I won’t test that until after we move downstairs. For one thing, in the meantime, the floor will be littered with the sorted, half sorted and boxed “stuff,” and that would be a pain to deal with alongside a moving machine — no.
Another is vinyl floor cloths instead of rugs. I found a place that has many patterns and I can buy samples. I may buy one when the entry is changed. Otherwise, like the roomba, this requires that the furniture, counters, rooms are all in their permanent location. The place where I’ll buy the floor cloths is piperclassics, here. https://www.piperclassics.com/?post-type=product&s=floor+cloth
There’s something they have on sale I’ve put off ordering for some time, I probably will buy it and order a few floor cloth samples too… Especially for the kitchen, the wide-plank pine floor needs something cleanable. Otherwise, food gets between the planks and is a pain to get out. If I order a floor cloth before we’re done moving things around, it likely will be for the kitchen, because of the mess and hard to clean floor.
I have some ugly but eco roll flooring in the attic. If/when the attic is empty, the plan is to use most of it there. It will make the attic a bit more critter proof and “finished”. But again, that’s way down the road.
So, right now? What I’m doing is trying to establish cooking, and cleaning, maintenance work patterns, surfaces, and tools to use for the last 20 years or so of my life. Mostly, still, it involves culling a great many things first, but we’re getting there!
I took 4 lots to auction last week, they all sold. I need to get into the attic and grab the next pieces. I have one bigger item which came out of the antique booth that will go, but I need to add to that. Also, I have some things for the booth, but not enough to replace everything that’s there. I put mostly books in it this week. They’ll be pulled next week.
My job today? Go work in the attic. If the attic is cleared I can: move the items from storage to the house and close the storage, I hope. Use up the eco roll flooring and move the big rug into the attic. Remove the last of the cabinets which are being taken from the attic and get them to the dump. Cull the stored “kitchen stuff” in the attic by putting it up for sale at the antique store, an auction, or donation. Mostly done. 8/2021. All done 9/2021.
Later:
I didn’t get as much done in the attic as I’d hoped, although I did work in there some more. What I pulled wasn’t enough for 3 lots, our “minimum” to take to auction. The auction house is 45 minutes away. The minimum the lots sell for is $10 and of course we get less than that. So, to make it worth our while, there has to be at least 3 lots worth of stuff or I don’t go. I should be able to find 3 lots worth by the end of this week and I’ll take them up there either Saturday (if we buy something in this week’s auction) or Monday (if we don’t).
Got a new roasting pan/grill. The old one is in the dishwasher after it’s clean it will go to auction. There are 3 bottom sheets displayed on the already made bed. DH was asked to pick ONE to keep. The extras will again go to auction… away, somewhere.
See a pattern here?
6/26/21
More work on the simplification: get rid of the powered lawnmower and use the push mower we just got for the edges instead. Slowly use up the disposable pens/pencils we’ve got and use the 3 sets of better pens/pencils we have planned: cartridge pens and mechanical pencils. Will eliminate a drawer’s worth of supplies and a “pencil cup” in the kitchen. Remove the mugs/cake racks from painted cabinet and move them to either the island (racks) or china cabinet (mugs).
Move painted cabinet, to attic, to the porch or sell it. Going to auction 8/2021. It sold!
teacupofwater.wordpress.com