I'm finding this helpful (de-cluttering mindset)

[fraidycat]

I've noticed that several on this forum are on a similar journey with me on organizing, decluttering, and trying to make life simpler, all around.

 

Last week DH and I put a deposit down to rent a smaller place. Yay! We're downsizing, so I have an even better excuse to de-junk the house... And only a month in which to do it. You know what, though... It's still HARD to let go of some of our junk. Here I thought I was so "evolved" in this simplifying journey, but it turns out I'm not as far along as I thought I was. It was so much easier when I blamed the junk on the husband and kids. :blush:

 

Anyway, I turned to some of my fave inspirational media for help along the way. Even having read and re-read some of this info, this time it struck me differently. Most notably from Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" book where she identified her different VARIETIES of clutter. Varieties. It turns out clutter is not just clutter. I made a list of the varieties, and carry it with me throughout the house to remind me to weigh each item according to it's own "genre" and why it's still in my house. It is helping SO MUCH that I just had to share.

 

These are the varieties:

Nostalgic clutter - mementos from an earlier life (teen years, dating, early marriage, etc.)

Conservation clutter - useful stuff, but useless to me (this might come in handy....someday - 5 flower vases??)

Bargain clutter - just Had to buy it because it was a good deal

Freebie clutter - gifts, hand-me-downs, giveaways, or if you have a DH like mine- half used hotel toiletries!

Crutch clutter - ratty old clothes or things that used to be wonderful but aren't so much anymore

Aspirational clutter - things we WANT to want to use, but just don't - failed hobby attempts, the fancy dishes, etc. and be realistic here - do you ever plan to actually use this stuff? Put it on the calendar and DO IT, or get rid of it.

Outgrown clutter - things we used to use but don't anymore - more than just clothes think: home furnishings, decorations, books, etc.

Buyer's remorse clutter - hanging on to stuff simply because it cost $x - even if you never use it!

 

Having this list with me is really helping me to get in the right mindset to let go or ask myself the right questions to make the keep or go decision easier.

 

Just wanted to share.

[8circles]

I've noticed that several on this forum are on a similar journey with me on organizing, decluttering, and trying to make life simpler, all around.

 

Last week DH and I put a deposit down to rent a smaller place. Yay! We're downsizing, so I have an even better excuse to de-junk the house... And only a month in which to do it. You know what, though... It's still HARD to let go of some of our junk. Here I thought I was so "evolved" in this simplifying journey, but it turns out I'm not as far along as I thought I was. It was so much easier when I blamed the junk on the husband and kids. :blush:

 

Anyway, I turned to some of my fave inspirational media for help along the way. Even having read and re-read some of this info, this time it struck me differently. Most notably from Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" book where she identified her different VARIETIES of clutter. Varieties. It turns out clutter is not just clutter. I made a list of the varieties, and carry it with me throughout the house to remind me to weigh each item according to it's own "genre" and why it's still in my house. It is helping SO MUCH that I just had to share.

 

These are the varieties:

Nostalgic clutter - mementos from an earlier life (teen years, dating, early marriage, etc.)

Conservation clutter - useful stuff, but useless to me (this might come in handy....someday - 5 flower vases??)

Bargain clutter - just Had to buy it because it was a good deal

Freebie clutter - gifts, hand-me-downs, giveaways, or if you have a DH like mine- half used hotel toiletries!

Crutch clutter - ratty old clothes or things that used to be wonderful but aren't so much anymore

Aspirational clutter - things we WANT to want to use, but just don't - failed hobby attempts, the fancy dishes, etc. and be realistic here - do you ever plan to actually use this stuff? Put it on the calendar and DO IT, or get rid of it.

Outgrown clutter - things we used to use but don't anymore - more than just clothes think: home furnishings, decorations, books, etc.

Buyer's remorse clutter - hanging on to stuff simply because it cost $x - even if you never use it!

 

Having this list with me is really helping me to get in the right mindset to let go or ask myself the right questions to make the keep or go decision easier.

 

Just wanted to share.

Nice breakdown. Thanks!

[Arcadia]

Hubby owns 99% of the bargain and freebie clutter. He saw how annoyed I was in the recent decluttering and is clearing some.

My boys owns most of the nostalgic clutter.

Outgrown clutter of all kinds has been donated :)

I still have decluttering to do before the coming school year starts.

[Tammyla]

Interesting list.  I've always just lumped clutter into one category; this list makes you think.

[Cinder]

Oh, I love the list--helps me understand my clutter a bit better. I think I'll still have trouble letting some of it go but at least now I'll know why. :laugh:

[Ravin]

I think "Aspirational clutter" is my favorite category. I seem to have a lot of this...

[hillfarm]

I'm not sure about my clutter. Maybe conservational clutter? My problem is that we have a fairly limited income and live quite a distance from the stores. So I will keep stuff with the thought that, "I have to use up the value here, I can't afford to replace it. Nor can I take a couple of hours to drive into town and buy a replacement whenever I might decide I need more of it." It's almost like the acquisitive part of me tries to play the "stewardship" card. Perhaps I have a dash of aspirational clutter thrown in there?

[shanvan]

I think "Aspirational clutter" is my favorite category. I seem to have a lot of this...

 

Me too.  Some of my curriculum falls into that category..... :blushing: 

[Jeannie in NJ]

the hardest things for me to get rid of are Conservation Clutter.  I really have to tell myself, "you have not needed it in x number of years, GET RID OF IT"

[fraidycat]

Hubby owns 99% of the bargain and freebie clutter. He saw how annoyed I was in the recent decluttering and is clearing some.

My boys owns most of the nostalgic clutter.

Outgrown clutter of all kinds has been donated :)

I still have decluttering to do before the coming school year starts.

 

 

Yes, I have one of those "good deal" husbands, too.

 

Interesting list.  I've always just lumped clutter into one category; this list makes you think.

Me too, that is why I am finding this list so helpful.

 

 

  

I think "Aspirational clutter" is my favorite category. I seem to have a lot of this...

 

 

Uh huh. Scrapbooking, curriculum, tools, paint, clothes. :)

 

 

the hardest things for me to get rid of are Conservation Clutter.  I really have to tell myself, "you have not needed it in x number of years, GET RID OF IT"

I have this conversation with myself and DH. :)

[unsinkable]

I forgot to actually respond to this last night! I apprecitate the list.

 

I've got a paperwork problem and if I look at all the piles, I am so overwhelmed so instead of telling myself, "I can't do all this" I'm telling myself "I can do THIS."

 

"THIS" --- would be a very specific small section of stuff...a stack of bills, a handful of receipts, a little piece of the desk.

[fraidycat]

I forgot to actually respond to this last night! I apprecitate the list.

 

I've got a paperwork problem and if I look at all the piles, I am so overwhelmed so instead of telling myself, "I can't do all this" I'm telling myself "I can do THIS."

 

"THIS" --- would be a very specific small section of stuff...a stack of bills, a handful of receipts, a little piece of the desk.

Paperwork is still my #1 nemesis, absolutely! I think my biggest problem there is just not having hit on the best system for me. I've tried several different filing non-filing systems, but for some reason I haven't hit the jackpot on this yet.

 

As far as the piles go, I tell myself I only have to work for 15 minutes on it. That helps. Progress is progress, and I can sort or shred quite a lot in 15 minutes, actually. :) Until I hit the jackpot system, though, the piles will keep returning!

 

Maybe when the rest of my house is clutter-free and serene, the daily or weekly upkeep of papers won't seem so overwhelming because my housekeeping to-do list will be that much shorter. ;) A girl can dream, right?

[PrairieSong]

Thank you for your list and your thoughts!  I am on a decluttering mission in my storage room and family room.    

 

I have trouble getting rid of kids' old school work...years of it.  I have purged some but have much more to do.  Gulp.  I have one tote where I keep things that I find more valuable...original art work, compositions, funny notes, handmade cards, etc.  But those old workbooks gotta go!

 

I am also strongly considering ditching my high school yearbooks.  I NEVER look at them.  I'm purging other books, too.  Also, my ceramic Christmas village.  I haven't used it the past couple years and it's in good shape so I'm thinking Goodwill can have it.  

 

What are the rest of you purging?  What SHOULD you be purging?  Yeah, that list is quite a bit longer for me.  Off I go...

 

Ooooh, just had a thought.  Wouldn't it be fun to share before/after photos?  Maybe scary though.   :unsure:

 

I've noticed that several on this forum are on a similar journey with me on organizing, decluttering, and trying to make life simpler, all around.

Last week DH and I put a deposit down to rent a smaller place. Yay! We're downsizing, so I have an even better excuse to de-junk the house... And only a month in which to do it. You know what, though... It's still HARD to let go of some of our junk. Here I thought I was so "evolved" in this simplifying journey, but it turns out I'm not as far along as I thought I was. It was so much easier when I blamed the junk on the husband and kids. :blush:

Anyway, I turned to some of my fave inspirational media for help along the way. Even having read and re-read some of this info, this time it struck me differently. Most notably from Gretchen Rubin's "The Happiness Project" book where she identified her different VARIETIES of clutter. Varieties. It turns out clutter is not just clutter. I made a list of the varieties, and carry it with me throughout the house to remind me to weigh each item according to it's own "genre" and why it's still in my house. It is helping SO MUCH that I just had to share.

These are the varieties:
Nostalgic clutter - mementos from an earlier life (teen years, dating, early marriage, etc.)
Conservation clutter - useful stuff, but useless to me (this might come in handy....someday - 5 flower vases??)
Bargain clutter - just Had to buy it because it was a good deal
Freebie clutter - gifts, hand-me-downs, giveaways, or if you have a DH like mine- half used hotel toiletries!
Crutch clutter - ratty old clothes or things that used to be wonderful but aren't so much anymore
Aspirational clutter - things we WANT to want to use, but just don't - failed hobby attempts, the fancy dishes, etc. and be realistic here - do you ever plan to actually use this stuff? Put it on the calendar and DO IT, or get rid of it.
Outgrown clutter - things we used to use but don't anymore - more than just clothes think: home furnishings, decorations, books, etc.
Buyer's remorse clutter - hanging on to stuff simply because it cost $x - even if you never use it!

Having this list with me is really helping me to get in the right mindset to let go or ask myself the right questions to make the keep or go decision easier.

Just wanted to share.

 

[fraidycat]

Thank you for your list and your thoughts! I am on a decluttering mission in my storage room and family room.

 

I have trouble getting rid of kids' old school work...years of it. I have purged some but have much more to do. Gulp. I have one tote where I keep things that I find more valuable...original art work, compositions, funny notes, handmade cards, etc. But those old workbooks gotta go!

 

I am also strongly considering ditching my high school yearbooks. I NEVER look at them. I'm purging other books, too. Also, my ceramic Christmas village. I haven't used it the past couple years and it's in good shape so I'm thinking Goodwill can have it.

 

What are the rest of you purging? What SHOULD you be purging? Yeah, that list is quite a bit longer for me. Off I go...

 

Ooooh, just had a thought. Wouldn't it be fun to share before/after photos? Maybe scary though. :unsure:

I didn't think to do before photos. Good idea, though! Maybe others can share, and I'm sure I have some random photos from around here that show just how cluttered we started out at.

 

As for school work or any other things I "saved" for the kids, I put myself in the position as the child. IF my Mom had saved any of that stuff for me, would my life be any better than it is now? Am I any worse off because I don't have all my old schoolwork, christening gown, baby clothes, etc. She did save report cards and one or two things from each year - special ones- funny writing, or really awesome artwork or the like. I am very grateful that I DON'T have to cart around all that other stuff. My DH has even less - as in nothing from his childhood, and he survives just fine without it. The last thing I want to do is saddle my kids with excess clutter that they have to deal with, so I only keep the truly precious or hilarious stuff.

[Jeannie in NJ]

when Storm Sandy wiped out our detached garage and destroyed everything in it, that included all of my dc's school work except for the current year. Also lost was my high school and college yearbooks among lots of other stuff and you know what, none of it was stuff that I would have probably gotten rid of on my own but actually it is not that big of a deal that it was lost.  At least their baby memory books and all photos were in the house and we still have them.  Most stuff is just stuff, it is not that important.  I now like my very sparse house and what clutter I still have it is not that hard to get rid of.  Makes it much easier to get rid of the stuff that we have not used in years.

[*Michelle*]

We're getting ready to do a local move this month, then an out-of-state move in the fall.  Two moves so close together are making me completely ruthless.  We've never had too much clutter, but we've lived in this house for almost 8 years, so stuff accumulates.

 

My criteria right now is, "would I replace this (if possible) if the house burned down?"  If it's no, it's gone.  Gone, gone, gone!

[Stacia]

I like this list I recently found:

http://www.marthastewart.com/271892/100-reasons-to-get-rid-of-it

[PrairieSong]

I didn't think to do before photos. Good idea, though! Maybe others can share, and I'm sure I have some random photos from around here that show just how cluttered we started out at.

 

As for school work or any other things I "saved" for the kids, I put myself in the position as the child. IF my Mom had saved any of that stuff for me, would my life be any better than it is now? Am I any worse off because I don't have all my old schoolwork, christening gown, baby clothes, etc. She did save report cards and one or two things from each year - special ones- funny writing, or really awesome artwork or the like. I am very grateful that I DON'T have to cart around all that other stuff. My DH has even less - as in nothing from his childhood, and he survives just fine without it. The last thing I want to do is saddle my kids with excess clutter that they have to deal with, so I only keep the truly precious or hilarious stuff.

 

Thank you for sharing that.  I don't have much school work from my childhood, but I have some photos and a few other things.  I wouldn't want my old schoolwork, to be honest.

 

As for the photos...I have a VERY cluttered room because I pulled a bunch of stuff into it...it looks like a hoarder's room.  I'm afraid to take a photo to share because it's one of those "you have to make a mess first" kind of things.  Ah well.  Going off to work on it again.