Tell me if this sounds familiar. On Saturday I had people over. My living room, dining room and kitchen looked decent. My bedroom and basement were suddenly bombarded with “stuff”.
I’m a wee bit of a hoarder. Not in the hardcore, 20 years of unread newspapers stacked in my living room kind of way, but when I see things on sale that I really like or really want, I stock up. I don’t even shop that often, but I’m really good at finding sales when I do. I’ve always been of the more is more sensibility when it comes to things like craft supplies, toiletries, and canned goods, but in the last few years I’ve actually cut back. You probably wouldn’t notice if you saw my house, but honestly, I’m better than I was.
When my dad died most of his 1400sq ft condo ended up in my 1400sq ft house and I already had my own crap. I became further buried in treasures that I didn’t really want, but I didn’t have the heart to get rid of including clothing, records, hand tools and literature from his work. Some days I wonder if I keep it just in case he might need it. . .
Right now my main floor is clear and clean and I feel calm when I walk through. Then I go to bed and stumble through the laundry baskets, the papers, the books, the exercise equipment and the various bits and bobs that have collected there over the years and I feel defeated. I have clothes that fit, but I don’t wear, I have books that I want to read, but haven’t, I have my bed and a guest bed, and without exaggeration I have 20 sets of sheets and then there are the towels. I love buying towels. Last year I was on a quest to find a giant beach towel that would go around me when I’m at the gym. I found some nice ones in Florida, so I bought 4 of them. Then I found some here at Walmart so I bought two more. I also have pairs of standard bath towels in almost every colour and a few extra to boot. And I can’t get rid of them – they are “good” towels after all!
I dabble as an organizer and with other people’s stuff I can see the problems, find unique solutions and help them purge the stuff that was weighing them down, but with my own stuff it’s just not that easy. In the last couple of years I have actually gotten rid of a lot of stuff. I held a media swap and invited friends to bring CD’s, books and DVD’s to trade and whatever wasn’t taken I donated. I have taken carloads of stuff to the Goodwill, I have shredded old bills and yet there are days when I just can’t see the difference.
I’m starting to pack my house to move and so whether I like it or not a lot of stuff is on it’s way out and not into my next home. I really want to live in a minimalist home. Not in a crazy one pair of pants and a Murphy bed kind of way, but definitely surrounded by less stuff that I have to think about, worry about and maintain.
Clutter causes stress, stress causes weight gain end of discussion. (http://weightloss.about.com/od/eatsmart/a/aa060806a.htm)
– the Goddess
The Goddess Weighs In 