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I've had a lot of stuff, lost it and am rebuilding the important stuff. I need to build more bookshelves for hardbacks, since some of the good ones are still in a box. I like my books boxed or on shelves so their conditon remains as good as when I got them.
I do lots of crafts, and save the little bits which remain useful. My aim is to use the 'spare bedroom/storage for that. It's organized. If I want blue yarn I need to be able to get at the blue yarn. I save the ends of pieces of elastic and such too, since often all you need is a small piece. And I toss clothes which are unusable into a bin and reuse the fabric.
Some would have all this 'clutter' cleared out. But it is what it is to you. If I have an idea, I like that I can scrounge most of the stuff without spending a penny. My aim is the books look nice, the dvd's set up on their shelves, and the other 'stuff' in storage boxes.
I had clutter problems, and a husband who was worse. I don't want just 'stuff' piled everwhere and am sorting the good stuff which has been moved about while working on floors. I hate not being able to find stuff.
I intend to have more books. Have I read them? Some, but most I use for research. No, you can't find 'everything' on the internet. I will also arrainge a home for them as I value them should my son not want them. And my craft stuff when I can't use it will go to someone who wants it.
I hate when people who are 'minimulists' look at book shelves and collections and the like and denounce them as 'clutter' just because they don't have daily use. No, I don't watch my dvd's every day but I like that I CAN. I enjoy my hobbies. If someone doesn't have them and never accumulates anything which might lead to a hobby then its fine for them. If others have a bunch of stuff they desire and enjoy, which they might use a few times a year, then its fine for them. We are all different. We have the right to be different even if we're not under fifty.
As for family stuff, I lost all mine. I would love to have my walls covered wity them, and would and would hold them as a treasure. All I can do is make something reminiscent. Never EVER dismiss some small thing you grandmother loved as useless. Someone will love it and some day you too may discover that once you don't live in the moment, it is a great loss.
I spent the entire day today "cleaning out" old writings that just never went anywhere or were just plain not good. I was keeping all these sheafs for sentimental reasons, but I came to the conclusion that letting go of what's not working allows space and imagination for the new. My wood stove will be chugging along. I know someone will say I'll be sorry for doing this, but I don't think so. It feels liberating. I'm keeping the better stuff on my hard drive and will deal with it from there.
When one of my best friends died recently she left behind boxes and boxes of writing (she was a well published children's book author and poet) that her kids wanted me to sort through and organize. It pained me to have to decline; I have enough of my own to deal with. Somewhere in all the rubble are manuscripts (for magazine articles) that I never managed to send out along with four or five kids' stories. I'll salvage what's salvageable and feed my stove with the rest, staples and all.
I plan to spend the rest of 2013 on this specific project. Starting January 1, I'm taking one box of photos at at time from upstairs and deliberately going through it. I'll scan all the best photos for a family book and then give the kid the photos that pertain to them in small boxes, they can deal with these as they see fit.
At least now I feel I've got a plan, and the organization feels good. My new car now has only two small tubs of emergency stuff, not six, so I'm getting better, lol.
That sounds like a good plan. You're inspiring me to go through the drawers of the file cabinet but I'm not doing that until after the first of the year. It used to be an annual New Year's Day task but it hasn't been done in a long time.
Two tubs of emergency stuff in the car seems acceptable. I have to get a few more things back into mine. I always keep my cell phone plugged into the car charger, I've added a blanket back in, should add some granola bars for the glove compartment. I used to carry water but it was always frozen!
Two tubs of emergency stuff in the car seems acceptable. I have to get a few more things back into mine. I always keep my cell phone plugged into the car charger, I've added a blanket back in, should add some granola bars for the glove compartment. I used to carry water but it was always frozen!
I think two tubs instead of six is progress.
Once in winter I kept several chocolate bars in the glove compartment for real emergencies and forgot to take them out as spring and summer came on. You can imagine what I found.
its not so much having stuff if you lie it;its organization ;IMO. Actually having finances/valuables in order is much more important and legal work done; plus discussing wishes. Cleaning out a typical home is easy in comparison.Heck after a once thru you can easily hire estate agent to do the heavy work.
Got to share my one LITTLE bit of de cluttering now that I'm home and working on my own house instead of a relative's.
For years, since married, over 36 years, I have saved the front of Christmas cards thinking someday I would use them for a craft project. I would tear them off, put a rubber band around them and add them to my Christmas boxes. Enough! I know that " someday" will never come, so I pulled them all out. Went through and pulled out any that had writing on them . That by itself was a trip down memory lane, especially when the name wasn't there and I was trying to guess who it was. I then put them on Freecycle and had two takers. They are now being used to decorate a hospital room for a mother-in-law and the majority of them went to a director of a psych unit at a hospital for patients to use to make cards for family. I am thrilled they found new homes!
Got to share my one LITTLE bit of de cluttering now that I'm home and working on my own house instead of a relative's.
For years, since married, over 36 years, I have saved the front of Christmas cards thinking someday I would use them for a craft project. I would tear them off, put a rubber band around them and add them to my Christmas boxes. Enough! I know that " someday" will never come, so I pulled them all out. Went through and pulled out any that had writing on them . That by itself was a trip down memory lane, especially when the name wasn't there and I was trying to guess who it was. I then put them on Freecycle and had two takers. They are now being used to decorate a hospital room for a mother-in-law and the majority of them went to a director of a psych unit at a hospital for patients to use to make cards for family. I am thrilled they found new homes!
Now THAT is a heartwarming story. So many things you want to save thinking someday you'll use them. It's a shame to finally throw them away but in this case they went to good causes. Hooray!
u mean carry everybody on my back most of my life and when its time to check out be sure i dont leave a mess?
LOL.
I agree. I LOVE my stuff and plan to keep it until I move or die or whatever. Whatever brother and sisters remain at my death, well, since THEY inherit, let them earn it by dealing with all my stuff. If I got rid of my stuff what would I look at, play with, reorganize????????
I do keep a nice clean, organized home and donate things a couple times of year so at least my clothes, small appliances, etc are up to date.
My problem now is all my very old friends are down sizing and giving me THEIR stuff! This week, I scored a rice maker and a hooka pipe. You figure.
I think that if folks have been packrats and kept everything their entire lives, when they are nearing the end they are unlikely to change and start getting rid of stuff. If they wanted to do that they would have been
doing it all along. Most don't really care what happens to it all when they are gone. Most but not all. Also if you bring up the subject they will ignore you!
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