I’ve been vigorously decluttering for the past couple of months and I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders. I can also think more clearly and make decisions more easily. It’s been great! I also learned more about myself (and my family) along the way. It makes me think about who we really are when I sort through the things we collect.
I seem to have a very strong attachment to first aid kits. As in, I had at least 4 of them….( not counting the extras for camping). I have down sized to 2 kits (one for camping and 1 for the car) and sorted what was useful to be left in my cupboard at home. That may seem odd but the truth is I absolutely love bandaging up booboos and being prepared for any emergency. Yep, I’m the lady who always has a bandaid or cough drop or Tylenol when you need it!
My husband seems to have an envelope fetish. I’m really not sure why any one person needs to have 300 envelopes at any given time but maybe he’s secretly a collector. I asked him about it and he’s not sure either. Its a mystery…. He also owns a LOT of wire. Like big 50-100 lb spools of wire. I know nothing about computers or electricity but he tells me its invaluable for such things and to keep-my-decluttering-mits-off-of-it-thank-you-very-much! *sigh* I guess everything has its limits.
Daughter #1 is as neat and tidy as can be. She keeps all her things in order and regularly purges all her drawers. She also stole all my matching white hangers with the rubber grips…I guess its a price I’m willing to pay for not having to nag at least one of my kids! Yes, she is the middle child and truly falls into her role.
The boy is more or less a train wreck. But an organized one. He is a “piler” and he knows where his things are for the most part but nobody else could possibly make sense of his system. I gave his room a complete overhaul while he was at camp and set up little areas in his room for his various projects. He plays his guitar in a comfy chair and he repairs/builds small r.c. motors at his desk. He reads a bit too. True to form he is a bit scattered in his ways but I think he appreciated that I thought out what his needs/wants were. Each activity was given a zone and appropriate storage. I hope it lasts!
Daughter #2 was a walking disaster. She can destroy a room in nothing flat. I guess its the “baby” syndrome. For her I had to start from the ground up. I gutted her room (there were 6 trash bags of unneeded items!). Then we had to do a whole learning process. I asked her a few questions to find out why she was struggling so much. She just couldn’t reach the hanging bar in the closet very well and was over run with toys! Oh, and blankets…she’s the one with the blanky obsession and being the “baby” she is the snuggler of the 3. Anyhow, we went with the dresser for nearly all of her clothes and greatly reduced her toys and blankets. I did daily reminders for about a week for her to make time to tidy up and… BOOM! She’s got this.
I’m no minimalist. Not even close! But I have learned that less is more. I love cleared surfaces and now if an item is going to have a place in my home its going to have to work hard to keep it! Bye-bye clutter home and cluttered life!
If you are feeling overwhelmed and things just seem to keep piling up clearing out a drawer or 2 is pretty good therapy! And its free! Who knows, if you sell a few things you might even come out ahead!
Have a great Saturday!
Hennekes At Home 