My Progress on
Decluttering
A few weeks ago
I posted that I wanted to declutter my house once and for all. I’ve managed to
get my bedroom mostly the way I want it except for three large boxes of
pictures and frames I don’t know what to do with. And therein, I realized, was
most of my dilemma with clutter. To get rid of it and maintain a decluttered
space you need a plan of attack and defense against future stuff coming into
your space.
I’ve seen the
magazine articles of course and talk-show segments on how to keep shoes,
clothes, toys, and other flotsam contained to bins and organized closets.
Unfortunately I do not have the floor space or closet space for bins. My house
has a minimum of square feet and is decidedly lacking in storage options—no garage
and no attic, just a crawl space where the insulation shows through, no floor.
What little I have of closet floor space is primarily taken up by boxes of
mementos and collectibles I’m not yet ready to let go.
So, I’m working
on what I can get rid of—holiday stuff I no longer use, extra cookware that
rarely sees the light of day, paperwork that has expired past its usefulness,
and, yes, those clothes held for the time when I might fit into them. Really
good for me, I’ve actually started giving away books. I forget plots easily so
can reread things after a certain amount of time goes by, but why bother if it
wasn’t that good in the first place.
Three Steps to
Decluttering
First—I take one
room at a time and go through every storage area—cupboards, drawers, closets.
The keep-or-give-away criteria touted by every expert—if you haven’t used it in
the last year get rid of it. I needed to be more ruthless in culling out
belongings. Yes, I may use an item once a year, give or take, but often have
something I use more frequently that works nearly as well. I am getting rid of
anything I don’t use regularly.
All those
childhood mementos we save for our kids, whether theirs from school or their
baby days or family memorabilia from past generations—if we don’t want to
display them and they’re sitting in boxes collecting dust, chances are the kids
won’t want them either. If they’re old enough, ask them and either purge the
items or hand them over now for the kid to take care of if he or she wants
them.
Second—you still
need a plan for a specific place to dispose of your unneeded items and then to
get them to that place sooner rather than later before the giveaway bags and
boxes just add to your clutter. Some charities like the Salvation Army have
bins in public places that take only clothes. Organizations such as Big
Brother/Big Sister take clothes, small kitchen appliances (think toasters),
dishes, and knickknacks, which they sell to make money for their mentoring
programs and will pick them up for you.
Habitat for
Humanity took furniture, big appliances, and everything else I managed to get
past my mother when I helped her get ready to sell her house and move into a
smaller apartment. They even sent a truck for the stuff. This was in Georgia. I
don’t know how they work in other states. Many places also have local charities
and churches that need items for their fundraising sales, though you will have
to transport the items to them.
Third—don’t
refill the clutter. Stop renewing subscriptions to magazines or periodicals
that tower next to your chair and rarely get read. Find another way to relieve
stress besides shopping. Bypass tag sales and store bargains unless you need a
specific item. Refuse to buy other items just because they have tempting price
tags. Refuse free things you don’t need. This is the one that inundated me with
a good chunk of my clutter problem.
My mother didn’t
mind getting rid of her decades’ worth of stuff if she could give it to
family—even with the truckload to Habitat for Humanity, all three of us kids
managed to wind up with boxes upon boxes—family pictures, kitchenware our kids
could use when they move out, knickknacks with specific memories, etc., etc.,
etc.
Do yourself a
favor and the person who will have to deal with all your things when you’re
gone and learn to say no. I’m getting there.
