This is a picture of my mad Aunt Mary’s home. It was literally stuffed to the brim with precious items. Each item was so precious that she was unable to care for any of them. Her precious antique Japanese kimonos molded. The antiques were fraught with termites.?
Her house so totally freaked me out, that this lentan season, I made the commitment to clear my home, my body, my mind and my life of clutter.?
Now, you should know that we aren’t shoppers. In fact, our home is fairly spartan. We don’t buy a lot of stuff that sits around. Thus, the clutter I’m referring to isn’t extra objects or junk that lays around.?In fact, most of the clutter clearing has involved intense usage of the shredder and scanner.
For our spartan ways, we have relatives who love to buy us… things.?
My buddy, and organizational coach, Tommie tells me that I do not have to live with someone else’s junk gifts. And, as always, she’s right.
But, what do you do with that precious vase from Guatemala? Or the approximately one billion old photos of people who may or may not be related to you? How about that gorgeous oil painting that I happen to hate?
Do kind people have to just live among the detritis of other people choices? How does a kind person unload the ‘precious’?
Only questions this week. Lemme know what you think!
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That’s a good question. I know I always feel better when I give something to Goodwill or to someone else who needs it. The clutter drives me nuts and it’s hard because my husband is the worlds biggest pack rat!
I am always reluctant to throw away gifts, no matter how much I hate them, but sometimes it must be done. Earlier this year, the cable guy broke a hideous plate our neighbor bought for us in Italy. I was so happy I wouldn’t have to look at that thing anymore!
I need to take charge like you and start decluttering myself. XOXO
The general rule is “keep what is beautiful, useful, and sentimental” and toss/donate/gift/sell the remainder. Share extra with interested family members. Maybe http://www.craigslist or ebay or a local auction company to sell? Consider keeping a representative sample of the treasures (one or two items from each category of stuff). Take pictures or a narrated video of the rest for family history/memory purposes. As for unlabeled photos, if no one can identify them, see if there is a museum/historical organization that would be interested. Otherwise, best to let them go and learn from the mistake of unlabeled photos for future photography.
Claudia, I’m dealing with this right now. I keep all the old pictures, everything else is debatable. I noticed, in some of the old pictures, how uncluttered the house was back in the day. Then, as my parents aged, and my brother and I had more money, the gifts became bigger (all sorts of electronics and the furniture to hold them) until the house became too full. Now? In the living room, there’s a loveseat, one chair, a tv and an antique round table. And it looks so nice! Next up, the dining room, after that the bedroom, and so on.
I do collect things, but I try to keep things to a minimum. My hubby keeps everything…it is a struggle. His parents have a double garage full of stuff. no cars….just stuff….why they have so much stuff that they don’t use is beyond me….their shelves are full of knick knacks that hold no meaning to me..but they will be moving soon and I know there won’t be any room for all of their stuff….oh I pray they will allow us to have garage sale after garage sale….
I think I fall somewhere in the middle. I’m not a big shopper, but I often pick up something when I travel. I try to get things I can use rather than knick knacks. But I am also not afraid to get rid of things. I take loads of stuff to an agency that is a Goodwill-like organization, but local.
I am a big fan of Freecycle….but once they start not showing up or worse: selling it at the swap meet…I start donating it to the local shelter or Goodwill.
I have TOTALLY gotten over that I have to keep something, no matter what it cost, because I will hurt someone’s feelings if I don’t prominently display it in our home. If I don’t absolutely love it, look amazing in it, or use it, I do “bless” someone else with it.
Thanks for shout out! If I am anything, I am organized and don’t mind sharing this wealth of knowledge with people.
This is something that has been on my mind as well. You have to do something, it has been happening to me for a long time and after trying to dust this week I realise I may be at the point where I can’t manage to keep what I have.
I used to visit Declutter Support a yahoo group. Also watch TV programs or go to the sorted site.
http://www.sorted.net.au/
Letting go is so hard.
If you care keep…If you have no feeling then discard. The present is not required to hold the past in the palm of its hand.
You make me laugh. Been there, are there, will always be there.
These days I ask myself if it was given with love and if it is useful. If it meets both critera, it stays. If it meets one or the other, it gets passed on to a friend or stranger. If it meets neither, it goes in the bin with all its bad karma.
I had a KIND post on Monday.
We have limited space, but basically, everyone does when it comes to finding a place for useless objects. If the giver is someone close to you who visits your home, it’s hard to get rid of it, but otherwise, there is the Goodwill. Of course if the gift is huge, you might have to explain lovingly that while you are most appreciative, you simply have no room for it. And then find it a home with someone who loves it, if possible the one who gave it to you.