Decluttering Your Life
Everyone feels they have a cluttered home. Stuff just seems to appear, even if you aren’t a big shopper.
Going through my Grandma’s house after her death reminded me of this. Not because she had so much stuff (although she did), but because I thought to limit myself because I have too much stuff in my home.
My husband and I have been talking about decluttering for a while. Both our stuff and the kids’. There’s stuff sitting in boxes in the garage that have been boxed since before we married. I’m pretty sure at this point that most of it could go and not be missed. There are a few exceptions, where the only thing keeping them boxed is a lack of space, but for the most part….
And of course at least half the toys the kids have need to go. Do toys reproduce or something? It seems as though there’s always a huge excess of them.
We’re going to have to make the time for the big declutter soon. My own theory goes along with the usual one that if you haven’t used it within a certain period of time, you can probably get rid of it, unless there’s something genuinely sentimental to it.
My husband is big on souveniers; me, not so much. He has old t-shirts with holes and that don’t fit. I won’t make him get rid of them, even though I wouldn’t keep them myself. That part drives his mother nuts. She gave up a few years ago on asking me to clean his stuff out for him. I think the idea that I won’t make him get rid of things he’s really attached to finally did sink in for her.
But you really do have to decide what is worth keeping. This won’t be the same for everyone.
Think as you declutter about how much simpler your life will be. Less to keep clean. Less stuff to look through when you’re trying to find something.
Depending on what you like to do with these things, you can sell it on eBay
, hold a garage sale or donate it to charity. There are plenty of options to get rid of clutter depending on its condition, your time availability and financial needs.
Getting your home decluttered means that you can keep your home more the way you would like it to look. You’ll probably feel good about it too. I know I will when we get done.
[tags]decluttering,clutter,cleaning,organizing[/tags]
You’re right deluttering makes me feel much more relaxed… it’s like clearing your mind at the same time. I’m great at decluttering my closet – at least at the beginning of each season clean out clothes I haven’t worn in more than 2 years. I’m terrible at decluttering my desk, though! I get rid of trash (receipts, junk mail) as I go, but magazines and “to-do’s” just pile up. Plus I get distracted from cleaning… I’d rather be blogging or watching You Tube. LOL.
I´m a bit of a pack rat, myself. However, five years ago, I decided to leave Canada and travel, with the idea of settling somewhere else in the world. I packed a box of photo albums in my parents´ attic, and got rid of everything else that I couldn´t fit in my backpack. It was HARD.
I came down to Guatemala with just two changes of clothes, an envelope of photos of my family, a hammock, camera and my toothbrush. That was about it. Talk about uncluttering!
Unfortunately, I´ve now settled here and have two kids and the clutter has built up again. Every time I´m tempted to keep something useless, though, I just remember that I can survive with a backpack of items. 😀