Reducing Unloved, Unneeded Stuff
I like to think of the end of November and start of December as a calm time. These days are filled with anticipation and joy for the coming season. They’re also the least busy. There are no parties, holiday programs, or other commitments in comparison to what comes. Most of our busy-ness comes from our own wishes. (Like decorating a tree! Yippee!)
(A Christmas tree stand coming together in Germany 2009)
Take some time to look at some of the clutter that has slipped into your home, and see if you can tackle some of it. I know we have a non-functioning hot pot that’s been sitting in the kitchen for a couple of months. Now feels like a good time to stop walking by that hot pot and do something. (I mean something besides dusting off the top of it!)
Ask yourself these questions about some of the things in your home:
- Is it broken? What steps do you need to fix it? – If it needs to be taken to a shop to be repaired, make a plan to do that. Get out the glue and tools you need. Set a time one evening or over the weekend to fix it. Or get rid of it.
- What am I keeping it for? Do I have nice stuff that I never want to use? – Maybe stationery, favorite china, or body product? Make a habit of using it just a little. Yes you run the risk of breaking a dish. You might run out of that item. But if you can’t enjoy these things now, when can you?
- Do I actually like this? – Just because someone gives you something or you inherited something, it doesn’t mean you have to use it and love it. And just because you have something or just because you used to love something but don’t any more, it doesn’t mean you need to keep it now.
- Can I make this pile smaller? – Hello huge piles of paperwork, closets, and junk drawers. Let’s have a little chat.
See how many things you can part with or start using with just these four questions. While writing to you, I’ve already thought of about 10 things that fit into these categories at our house. I’m rolling up my sleeves.
The rule was when I was a kid: Santa doesn’t come unless your bedroom is clean. Do you suppose that’s still the case… but now for our entire homes? Hmmm!
How about you? Anything you need to go and tackle? Any non-functioning hot pots-like-items at your house?
December 1st, 2010 at 6:47 am
We have totally been decluttering and giving away and it feels SO good! I can’t wait to get a tree and decorate it! The rest of the house is already christmas-ified and I’m LOVING it!
December 1st, 2010 at 6:49 am
Sigh. A few nights ago I slipped on the stairs and broke two of my four soup bowls. I have them saved to glue back together because they are really expensive stoneware…and quite pretty. I thought I’d use them as a cute decorative bowl…but maybe not. I should probably trash them.
I’m saving my biggest projects for after the holidays, because the months of Jan-Feb-March seem to drag on, so cold and dreary.
December 1st, 2010 at 7:41 am
We just put our house on the market (yikes!), so spent the entire past weekend clearing out clutter and getting rid of everything we could. The house feels great…so much lighter somehow. I don’t think we realized just how much all of the stuff was sucking the life out of the place! Thanks for continuing to share with us through your blog…I love it and check it out daily :o)
December 1st, 2010 at 7:49 am
Katie, we must be in sync today because that’s why I got up early to tackle
an eyesore of clutter in the office. Now that it’s gone, I can appreciate the
cleaned desktop.
December 1st, 2010 at 4:10 pm
I have a giant bag of mending to tackle, and a cast-iron griddle that has needed reseasoning for about a year (if not longer)! You’re right — got to face up to these things soon and figure out why I’m hanging on to them. :)
December 2nd, 2010 at 10:26 am
I love the posts when you remind us of decluttering! It kind of slips to the back burner after one round. I thought I was doing pretty good, but now you are making me realize that I do have some problem areas starting up again. It is really noticeable when you pull out the Christmas decorations. And I do want Santa to visit so I’d better get busy!
Wouldn’t you know – on a previous declutter project in the kitchen I got rid of a lot of the “single purpose” utensils – including an apple corer I had not used in years. Not realizing that I have a fabulous apple tree that provided us with abundant delicious apples this year (not so the first two years we lived here). Made six apple pies (for us and for friends) and kind of thought that the apple corer would have been very useful as I was cutting, peeling and slicing all those apples. But I did fine without it actually! And that is truly the first time I have even halfway missed anything I have gotten rid of.