I have written before about de-cluttering as well as wanting and living with less. This has been a process that has been an on again, off again (but always in the back of my mind) effort for pretty much all of my life...
We have been "on again" since January. Decluttering and purging and on and on. I have learned a few things in the process:
- We had WAY more stuff that I thought. It has been very humbling to realize the vast amount of things we have that we NEVER use... Half my closet, GONE. Half our toys, GONE. Half our lives? Definitely still living... As if we gave up nothing. And the truth is that we haven't.We STILL have SOOO much. It is sickening.
- It never ends. REALLY. Unless I somehow manage to never buy anything ever again, this is going to be a lifelong process. Make decluttering a habit. Perhaps part of your weekly chores. Perhaps one room (or two f you a lot of rooms) a month all year long.
- If we are not sure about a particular thing, I HIDE IT. If we can go a week or a month or however long we deem long enough, we don't need it.
- Buying used can be way cheaper and lower your level of consumerism, but it does not eliminate the growth of clutter. If you don't need it, you don't need it. No matter how cheap it is. Good deals can be tempting. Be ready to walk away if it is something that will only add to your clutter.
- Just because (insert reason here), doesn't mean you have to keep it. If you are like me, you might have a need to create things. I sew and craft, and have a bad habit of wanting to keep everything I make. I mean, if you feel like these things are like your children, that is when you should probably realize you are WAY too attached to THINGS (they ARE just things) and need to break that unhealthy attachment. But since you put some of your heart in it, maybe find someone who would appreciate it and give it as a gift. Gifts are another one of the things people feel like they have to keep. Let me tell you, I am 99% sure that whoever gave you this thing thought you would like it or it would be helpful to you. If it isn't, they probably won't mind if you purge it.
It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. I want my life to be like this picture.
The longer I live, the greater my desire to live simply.
We're doing this too.....I'm a 'purger' by nature, but it's been a while since I've done a really good declutter....with a possible cross-country move in our future, it seems a good time to start! Now, to get my husband working on HIS stuff.....he's the collector in the family!
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Allison
I so agree. It's an awful thing that we have too much when most people in the world don't have enough. I am so tired of clutter, too! I tend to become preoccupied and obsessed with decluttering, but I am realizing that can become mental clutter, too. This morning I looked at the clothes on the floor and just thought, It never ends. I pick everything up and then it's messy again in minutes. And I realized that when my kids are grown, everything will be neat as a pin, but now is when I have my kids, and now is when I want to enjoy them. So I just want to live simply and be content and not gather too much stuff and not worry if there is too much now and then, LOL!
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