While we certainly can't make our house any larger without considerable money, effort, or and a new set of blueprints, we can make it seem larger by streamlining what we currently have and reducing clutter.
I'm a "keeper" by nature -- I tend to tie my emotional connections and memories to THINGS. Not such a great trait, I suppose, but one that I try to simultaneously embrace/understand and also keep under control.
I saw these questions the other day that really got me thinking.
Here are my biggest challenges: number 3, number 5, number 6, number 8.
The items that I can't seem to just toss like everyone else? Cards and letters. Old (now meaningless) photos. Older home decor that "could" be reused. Magazines (my family members are nodding violently at this one).
Having our old mattresses picked up by the Salvation Army the other day was just so easy. It was a great reminder to me that donating items I don't technically need anymore isn't just a thoughtful thing to do, but it is so darn easy. I literally scheduled a pickup in about thirty seconds on the computer on their website. It was wonderfully easy.
I'd love to know ... is clutter something that you struggle with too?
How do you keep it in check?
And all of you other ladies: what is one of your organizing secrets?
I want to be like you. ;)
I like scanning things - pictures, cards, our son's artwork, etc. That way I have the digital copy but not the clutter. Good luck with everything!
ReplyDeleteOh gosh I don't know what the answer is either. I know that I have to be in the mood to toss or donate, otherwise there is no point in me trying.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip about Salvation Army...I had no idea!
I have so MUCH clutter. It needs to stop- I keep cards, notes, magazines, etc. I also have a ton of clothes I don't wear any more and probably won't wear- think plain t-shirts from Target, Old Navy. I also have tons of skin care/make up samples that I don't use because I "might need" them one day! I can't wait to see if you find a solution!
ReplyDeleteI don't keep cards like I use to and when I do I put them in a scrapbook.
ReplyDeleteI've kept pictures and still print pictures out b/c those are the things that I really truly care about keeping.
Brad's baseball cards from when he was a kid??? That's another story. The 5 bins we have of them need to be put on Ebay or donated.
great tips! i need to go through my closet and donate some stuff. xo jillian - cornflake dreams
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I'm actually pretty good at de-cluttering. My husband and I both are not "stuff" people. For example (prepare to have your mind blown) - my Christmas decorations, not counting the tree itself, are in two large rubbermaids. That's it. Honestly though main reason we can keep it this way is b/c I'm not a shopper :) We also clean out the closets 2-3x a year and use the "Have I worn this in the past year? No? Toss or donate." That REALLY helps
ReplyDeleteGetting rid of "stuff" is hard, but so worth it to be de-cluttered! My husband is a minimalist - me not so much!! But he encourages me to look through all our stuff every three months to keep ourselves in check - donate what we can, sell other things and other things we'll just list for free on the curb!
ReplyDeleteI'm with you on the magazines - but that tends to be an issue of I haven't even read most of them yet because I don't make time for myself to relax, so another beast in itself! But besides that, having my own home now has been my biggest motivator to de-clutter and organize. It's my job to take pride and keep it neat and I have become much better at not tying emotions to material items. Very special things, sure. But if an item doesn't get used or make me truly happy anymore, thinking of who COULD be happy by having it if I donate it makes it much easier to part with. :) Good luck organizing!
ReplyDeleteI like to think I'm pretty good at not keeping too many "things" around, but there are certain items I can't throw away. Photos and cards are my weaknesses. I've started to only keep cards that have personal, handwritten messages inside them (not just "happy birthday") and I save them in a small box in our office. Same for the photos. If I can at least keep them organized, I don't feel so bad.
ReplyDeleteOh, I also just remembered... once in a while I'll walk around our house and go through closets with a reusable bag for items to donate. I've turned it into a little game - let's see what I can donate today!
ReplyDeleteWe seem to have a problem saving things we were given as gifts even though we know we will never use it. So we definitely struggle with keeping things out of obligation.
ReplyDeleteI struggle with this so stinking much! Clothes, I have no problem parting with to donate. But when you get to the things that I've had forever (a stuffed sea lion from a Sea World field trip, an old tie-dyed blanket from Walmart that my mom gave me and has seen me through my move to Boston and the last six years), it's near impossible to do anything but store them away "for safe keeping." When you live in a one bedroom apartment, those safe-keeping spots fill up quickly!
ReplyDeleteWe're buying our first home soon and my resolution is to downsize where I can, so that we're not just moving STUFF that will unnecessarily fill up our new house!
That last quote keeps my feet on the ground.. It's so,so true.
ReplyDeleteOh I feel like you're talking about me! I tie my emotions to everything! I *try* to keep it in check. Whenever I get a new article of clothing, an old one gets tossed. Same with the bigger things I purchase.
ReplyDeleteI AM A HUGE DE-CLUTERRING FREAK!!! I even threw away my high school diploma! It is the best thing to de-clutter before baby!!
ReplyDeleteMy motto is if you haven't used it or fixed it within a year find a new home for it. It could be the trash, a friend, a family member, or goodwill. No point in having it around taking up space. For the sentimental stuff like photos. I keep them in a box and store it in my linen closet.
ReplyDeleteI just printed this and I'm posting it on my closet door! I need to get rid of stuff SOOOOOO bad.. I'm guilty of cards too but I do enjoy looking back at them. But then it's like if it's just a signature is it important.. Maybe if it's from my Nana but from a random I probably don't need it.
ReplyDeleteohh i got rid of a ton of holiday decorations this year! if I didnt use it this year and didn't have an emotional tie to it, then it went to goodwill. I have been revisiting under my bathroom sink about once a month and I am keeping a tight eye on our hoarders collection of tupperware :)
ReplyDeleteO gosh, I am right there with you! I keep WAY too much stuff... the serving plate I broke 5 moves ago and still have yet to fix... the stack of Southern Living's I just can't toss.... the Christmas cards from all our friends in 2011, 2012... 2013. I need some secrets too!
ReplyDeleteIt used to be!!!! And then I moved to NYC. Instantly that problem was solved.
ReplyDeleteI suffer from the SAME problem! I bought the Totally Together Journal a few years ago, and it def. helped me get my act together!
ReplyDeleteI just had a donation truck come last weekend and if I was being honest I would say that I need to call them again! My need to "hold on" to things really took over our family office. But I am working on it! ;)
ReplyDeleteWe had a huge clutter problem at our house and to be honest once the baby came and starting taking up space it made it so much easier for me to toss things because I realized that having space for him to play and grow is so much more important that all crap I had been saving over the years. Plus with all the baby toy clutter it felt good to get rid of stuff and have some space free again.
ReplyDeleteI am terrible and holding on to stuff too! I have endless amounts of random items in boxes that I don't know what to do with but we don't use. I hold on to magazines too, I should just recycle them!
ReplyDeletePerfect timing on this post! We start decluttering our house this weekend to get it ready to list. Not looking forward to it at all, but these questions will come in handy!
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at keeping things I don't need! When I moved from Boone to Charlotte, I tried to downsize and I failed. I was in a small apartment for a couple months then moved in with my fiancé. When we moved, he tried to secretly throw stuff away but we still have stuff in the garage that I have "just in case" but it's been almost 6 months and I haven't touched it... I should really, really work on this!
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