I would say the #1 issue that I had/have in my space is I have too much stuff. And it’s not just because I’ve been buying like crazy, in fact, I would say that when I had kids, aside from the usual baby spending, my shopping habits considerably died off.
I used to buy clothes and accessories for work, odds and ends for the house and so on. But choosing to become a stay at home mom meant a few habits had to change. So random spending on stuff heavily slowed down over the years. (Don’t confuse this with me not spending at all, I still buy what I need or what I want for my home, but within boundaries).
However, my ‘stuff’ that had been piling in my home wasn’t only a collection of purchased goods, but items that I had been moving from apartment to apartment, room to room. I have a box that I moved out of my parents’ house with, filled with my childhood. Clipping from papers, year books, small toys.
I had another box of Beenie Babies from when I was younger, and a collection of Disney Robin Hood characters that were actually worth something on Ebay. I’m never going to sell them, so I finally unpacked them and gave them to the kids.
I have other boxes filled with, well, boxes. Seriously. They are boxes from figurines or collectibles so I’ve kept them.
When we were forced to purge the main floor to renovated/decorate, I was forced to make some decisions. The 4 vases I had weren’t being used so I reduced those. I had boxes and boxes of ‘stuff’ – extra casserole dishes and so on – that I was able to get rid of.
Because we reduced the amount of furniture in the dining room (no more china cabinet and buffet, although I would consider a console table again eventually), we find that we aren’t leaving as much stuff around.
My other problem is I get emotionally attached. If it was a gift, or from somewhere special, I tend to hold on to it. Which is nice, but I can’t do that for everything. I have to get smarter!
So what are some tips for a packrat like myself to use to start getting rid of stuff? (and then, in other posts we’ll talk about better ways to organize the stuff, like I had posted about in the kitchen) Here are some tips:
- Stop bringing more stuff home. Don’t buy new items until you’ve taken stock of what you already have.
- Consignment! I found a home consignment store in Orleans (Snazzy Seconds) and when I realized I could make money from my duplicate vases and so on, it suddenly was a lot easier to let go of them!
- Donate your items: There are many organizations that will accept your items and either distribute them (for furniture I’ve used Helping With Furniture, an excellent organization) or sell your items to make additional funds for themselves.
- Ask your friends and family. My siblings have been the benefactors of my extra casserole dishes or items over the years that I don’t need but are in perfectly good condition. Ask around!
- Keep what you love. Don’t get rid of everything. I have a small, glass container at my front door table that was my grandmother’s. It has a chip in it, but I refuse to get rid of it. Select those special items and find a nice place for them.
What surprises me most is that I love the cleaner space. I love not feeling like I’m drowning in stuff (let’s ignore the papers all over the place for now) and now I am really particular about what I do bring into the house.
Have you been organizing and purging in your home? How do you let go?
I love getting rid of stuff. i need very empty space around me to feel comfy
Funny thing is, my 6yo is totally the opposite. She wants to save everything and tell me “all her clothes have memories in them” so i can’t give them away.
i am trying to respect her space and let her keep all her stuff, as long as its in her room…
I stress about getting rid of stuff, but do enjoy the results. I look around to some of the rooms we’ve purged and feel so much free-er!
I’m looking at purging almost everything! Holy anxiety. But, at the same time, I’m have a sense it is going to be incredibly freeing. And I’m talking everything – even furniture and such. My boyfriend/partner/no-good-word-for-our-relationship and I have decided to merge houses. My kids and I will move into his house. A house already complete with house stuff. So, most of my stuff is unnecessary. And I’m ok with that. Obviously the important stuff will come with me, but by-and-large, my stuff will be leaving my possession. This is going to be a huge change! Excited, anxious…. Good luck with your continued purging!
How’s the purging going Jacki? it IS such a change, especially for those of us whole hold onto things, all things. And in your case, it signifies more than just decluttering the closet. Good luck with everything!!
Yay for you. I love getting rid of stuff. Only problem is… I’m also a pack-rat, so there’s a bit of an ongoing tug both ways.
I did get rid of some Christmas stuff this year, which was great, and thanks to the tree falling (I mean crashing) over three times, other things were eliminated as well. So that was good. Kind of.
We decided to get a real tree this year and give our old tree to my sister. We now don’t have to store it (storage space is an issue) and we loved having a real tree!
I have been going through this process as well – so freeing! And the extra space & extra found money from selling some of the items that can be sold isn’t too bad either 🙂
My problem is that I have lived in the same house for over 36 years. Every time I have ever cleaned out a cupboard and find extra stuff, that I think I might someday use, I take it to the basement. My basement is now full of stored stuff. There is no room for a car in the two car garage either. It’s time to sort though stuff in the living area again, and already I’m overwhelmed. I never thought of myself as a packrat, but there is apparently something to be said for the Canadian average of moving every five years!