Every single time I declutter, I regret it afterward. Even if I haven't worn it for a year, I feel that I need one (for example) sequin tank top. Ever time I get rid of my sequin top because I haven't worn it, I just end up buying another. Cooking is always easier when I have the right tools. A Spartan kitchen is not as easy to cook in. And I do like to change my crafting routine without needing to make a special trip and buy everything all over again. (Except Quilting - it's just too hard and I'm not going to try it again.) Oh, and there's that weight fluctuation thing that means having jeans in three different sizes doesn't just make sense, it's necessary. Plus the books - although with my Nook, I now have all the classics that used to take a whole wall of shelves in one little book sized machine. Add all my magazine to it, and the Nook is my kind of decluttering.
So now, I don't declutter. I throw away trash and worn out clothes. I donate the odd gift and give my children items that they covet. I don't buy things I don't want, and if I do slip up, I just return the mistakes. But most importantly, I make a point of having good storage. Thanks, IKEA.
Beryl, you sound like a woman after my own heart, you surely do! I'm finding that the unclutter experts disagree about the one year rule for some items of specialty wear like party clothes. If you use and love everything you have, why would anyone say it was clutter? I'm more plagued by the party tops I can't wear but cling to, the craft stuff I know I won't use (I'm so over cross-stitch), the books I have no intention of reading. I'm thinking that my next big goal is to have a serious clear out. If that means I get to go shopping to replace it all, so be it! I'm never going to be anything near to ruthless, it's just not possible, but I would like to feel a bit less...burdened. It's a new chapter for me, this overloaded feeling, so I'm going slowly...(Ha!) Veerrrry slooowllly.
ReplyDeleteOh Shelley, you have a situation that is a cross between my husband and me. He is an only child of divorced parents who in the last 20 years has inherited the contents of two separate households. And as an only nephew, has a ton of stuff from his only uncle. Most of it very high quality antiques, in addition to being sentimental. So even though he feels (as you say it) overburdened, how does he do a serious clear out? You answered it already - slowly!
ReplyDeleteI agree about being so over a craft - for me it's quilting. I will never quilt again, but cross-stitch is something I take up every 10 years, usually so I can make cute Christmas ornaments.
Decluttering is a constant battle at our house. My husband keeps far more storage than I do and also devotes hours to his organizing and re-organizing. I keep a cardboard box in our bedroom into which I place clothing I think I'm ready to part with and often I catch myself digging stuff back out.
ReplyDeleteWell Terri, here's an idea - get a good looking chest type thing for your donation storage. We inherited just such a thing from my husband's mother but I'll bet they are easy to find.
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