Clutter Bug

Are you a clutter bug? If you have stacks of magazines or lots of knickknacks in your living room, you might be a clutter bug. If you have a pile of clothes and not enough room for all your shoes, you might be a clutter bug. If your garage is so stuffed that you can’t park in it, you might be a clutter bug. Granted, it’s no tragedy if you are. It’s certainly a first world problem.

Those of us living in the first world, though, are becoming increasingly overwhelmed with clutter. I’m not talking about hoarders, who are a special case and need professional help, just ordinary people who have too much stuff. It’s so easy to acquire more and more stuff! You may have a partner with too much stuff. Kids come with even more stuff. Before you know it, the stuff intrudes into everyone’s lives. In the case STUFF v. THE PEOPLE, the stuff is winning.

I didn’t have many superfluous possessions growing up. A move back and forth across the Atlantic as an adult forced me to prioritize and reduce what I had acquired in my 20s. Later, my then husband and I lived in a small student housing apartment with two little kids and a lot of little kid clutter. When we went our separate ways, we divided up the kids’ stuff and swore we’d never let it get to that level again. You can probably guess what happened. It took only a year for the kids to have just as much stuff at each parent’s house for a total of double the stuff.

As the kids grew, so did the collection of stuff. This continued on an upward spiral pretty much until they left home. One day I woke up to the overwhelming clutter of family life surrounding me and began to downscale. Then I went through a house fire that destroyed much of the interior of the house. That certainly helped me declutter (everything has a silver lining).

After the fire, I moved to a smaller house, and I’ve made a few moves since then, halfway across the country and back. I decluttered each time. You would think I’d have nothing left to declutter, but you would be wrong.

People who know my home would not say that it is cluttered. Nevertheless, in my renewed interest in simplifying my life and minimalizing my home environment, I’m finding a surprising amount of clutter to remove. I’ve been reading the books by The Minimalists (aka Joshua Fields Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus) and others to inspire me along the way.

I purchased Joshua Becker’s The More of Less, and because I had pre-ordered it, I got to enroll in his online class “Uncluttered” for free. I figured I had nothing to lose, and perhaps I’d gain some tips and inspiration. The course had a private group on Facebook to go along with it and that was a revelation. People all over the world joined with the goal of decluttering their lives (literally and metaphorically). They post photos, suggestions, and sometimes pleas for help, all of which inspired me even more.

Even today, years later, I find myself re-evaluating the clutter in my life. So how do I declutter? Where do I begin?

• The bedroom: I usually start with my bedroom and find some clothes, shoes, or purses that I no longer want.
• The bathroom(s): I check medicines for expiration dates. I look through my hair accessories and other grooming stuff. Do I really need them? Do I use them? Do I still like them? If not, out they go.
• The kitchen: Then into the kitchen I go to search the drawers and cupboards for extra stuff. Why did I have three spaghetti forks?! Oh right, I kept replacing the one lost in the fire but would forget and buy yet another one when I was at the store. I look at any small appliances I still have and ask myself how often I use them. After all, I live by myself, so unless I have my kids or friends over, I don’t cook that much. I also check the quality or function of each utensil. Out go the tongs that never work quite right. I don’t always find something to declutter, but it’s worth a check. After all, the kitchen has so much stuff in it.
• The other rooms: As I wander through the rooms, I begin to see everything from a different perspective. What do I love (or what “sparks joy” as Marie Kondo asks in her bestseller, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up)? Maybe I loved those cushion covers three years ago, but they are no longer my style or preference, so into the donation box they go. The other rooms don’t have nearly the amount of stuff that my bedroom or kitchen does, so this step goes quickly.
• Decorations: I take another look at my decorative odds and ends. Perhaps at one time, they had sentimental value, but years later, I no longer feel the same about them. I have other mementos from my travels that mean more to me, at least for now. I decide that I don’t have to keep everything forever, and someone else may get some joy out of them.

These are just the basics, of course. I don’t tackle the garage with its tools, bins of children’s items, leftover paint, and more. Certain items like books and clothing are ongoing, and I re-evaluate them periodically. By mid-life, I’ve managed to collect quite a lot of stuff despite my preference for simplicity.

I feel happy knowing that I have decluttered so much before my kids come to visit. Surely I won’t need to make another donation run for months. I begin to tidy up in preparation, and then I notice some books I don’t want anymore. And do I really listen to all of the CDs in my collection? Which DVDs do I actually watch? Decluttering has become almost addictive, I find. I decide to restrain myself and wait until after my kids return to their homes. Then I will begin the next donation pile.

RESOURCES

After the Fire: Rebuilding House and Life after a Fire

Getting Started

Becker, Joshua The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own 

Kondo. Marie The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing 

Millburn, Joshua Fields and Ryan Nicodemus Essential: Essays by The Minimalists

Everything That Remains: A Memoir by The Minimalists

Minimalism: Live a Meaningful Life

The Minimalists (website, blog)

For more resources, go to this page: Resources

Related Blog Posts

Oh, the Memories: Suggestions for Decluttering the Sentimental Stuff

Deep Decluttering: Dressers and Closets and Garages, Oh My!

Confessions of a Bookworm Minimalist

Decluttering for Death: Why We All Need To Practice the Swedish Art of Death Cleaning

Looking Back To Move Forwards