Decluttering Continues: Maybe I am More of a Hoarder Than I Thought

I haven't stopped decluttering since last November when I did my concentrated thirty-one day declutter.  I still look around and see stuff everywhere.  It is not in boxes and does not cover floors (except and area about 5 feet by 12 feet in the basement, that has boxes of supplies from my former career) but it is tucked in everywhere.  The dressers, bookshelves, cabinets, and closets have too much stuff in them. Most flat surfaces have stuff on them that shouldn't be there. 

I have continued to add things to a give-a-way pile/bags and weed out stuff as I come across it in daily life and also through a focused effort on a particular area.  One bag turns into two, turns into four and then to six and so the donation pile grows.  Thinking back, I have taken 3-4 large yard sized black trash bags full of stuff and then some additional items that were not bagable, at least once a month for the last year.  Still I see too much stuff in many areas of my house.  Maybe I'm more of a hoarder than I thought.

I wouldn't be labeled a hoarder clinically as every room functions as it should, we have no problems navigating any part of the house (okay, my craft room is a little iffy), and we have guests over frequently.  Still, I can definitely say that we still have too much stuff and many items are not used or needed and some things I have too much of (eye shadow comes to mind).  I can do better.

This is the pile that we took to the donation center this past Saturday.  Six brown grocery sacks full and a box with breakable items.  There were some books, clothes, knickknacks, jewelry, stuffed toys, and miscellaneous most from the master bedroom except for a boogie board and inflatable from the swimming bag.

 I still have a rolling drawer unit with beading supplies and misc. to go through in the M.B.  After that, the remainder belongs to my D.H. and I'm not touching it.  It is best to let each person make decisions about their own stuff.   

I would think after taking all of this stuff out of the M.B., there would be nothing left in view.  There is.  Don't get me wrong; it looks so much better.  I still have a few stuffed toys that belonged to my children when they were little that I am not ready to let go of but I did get rid of at least a half dozen.  Isn't it funny, but I couldn't make a list for you if I wanted to.  Out of sight, out of mind.  I have a lot of costume jewelry to go through and I have kept several framed pictures of original art (I knew the artist) that were hung in my children's' rooms when they were small.  I have quite a few pillows, some decorative, some bed pillows that I need to do something with.  I have a lot as I keep trying to find the perfect one or combination.

Once I have decluttered the basement, the toys and pictures may go down there if I decide to hang onto them at that time.  Until then, I really am enjoying the openness and relaxed feeling of spaciousness in the M.B.  I am also limiting myself to just my Bible and two other books in the rack by my bed rather than the enormous stack of reading material that I had there.  Some of it was donated but most was put back in the areas they belong.  Interesting how things migrate throughout a house.  

I would encourage you to also add a few things each day to your donation pile.  It didn't arrive in your house all in one day so it is reasonable that it depart a little at a time also.  Everyday do something, no matter how small, to move toward your goal.  The time will pass no matter what so it is best we keeping inching toward our best life.

A Place and a Space

I have been continuing on the journey toward minimalism and moving stuff out of the house.  I've gotten rid of at least 6 more black yard waste bags full of stuff.  I've given away another 10 books to a friend.  I've used some of my craft supplies to make kits for a class I'm teaching.  I've taken another large black bag of clothes to a high school clothes closet.  My son decluttered them from his closet here.  I have a new brown grocery sack started with some sidewalk chalk and bubble blowing supplies I removed from a coat closet.

Those brown grocery sacks are key to ongoing decluttering.  I keep one in an inconspicuous place in the living room.  I add to it as I come across things.  When it gets full I add another and when I have three full ones, I put them in one of the large black bags.  Having somewhere to put things as I come across them makes decluttering part of every day life.  Every member of the family knows the its location and its use.

I have slowed a bit this month and have been feeling quite lazy.  The main entertaining rooms are almost complete not counting shelves, drawers, and walls.  Almost all of the stuff in boxes, bags, etc. on the floor has been gone through and decluttered.  Those things staying have been put away.  This means that with a quick sweep/vacuum, I am ready for company.  That is a great feeling but I'm not done yet.

My goal is to have every room cleared.  Every surface decluttered: floors, walls, shelves, drawers, and closets.  The visual space is calming to my mind and it seems to satisfy something deep in my soul.  Space is good.

At this moment, I have gathered the extra supplies I had out on the dining room table and am getting ready to put them away in the craft room in their designated places.  When I walked in that room this morning, there was a moment of feeling overwhelmed.  That is how clutter always makes me feel.overwhelmed.  I realized it would just take five minutes or so to get the things organized and ready to go downstairs.  Five minutes later, they are.

Having a place to put your things makes a difference.  When I have things I don't need or more than I need, it is overwhelming as I have no where to put the stuff.  I notice it is the same for laundry.  After the big closet clean-out a couple years ago, ongoing purging has meant made putting away my laundry a five minute job.  Things have a place and space to go.

Keeping up what I have done so far is very doable.  However, I notice when I buy anything new, if I am not replacing a used up item, it takes a minute to figure out where the new item is going to go.  This is a part of my thought process whenever I buy new things now.

Recently, I purchased a countertop water filter.  We drink a lot of water and having purified water is important to me. However, I did not know where I was going to put it before it arrived.  First, I couldn't picture the exact size of the item and second, I wasn't sure how far the spout was from the bottom of the container.  I didn't know if I would need to purchase and additional stand.

The packaged arrived and it sat for several hours as I delayed unpacking it while I figured out where I would put it.  I determined that if it would fit under the upper cabinets, it could go one place, if not but it was not too wide, it could go in another.  If neither would work, it would have to stay on the island until I could purchase a floor stand.

Well it has found its home and we have been using it for two weeks.  I had to move an item somewhere else before I could place it.  Since I had been decluttering that pantry, there was room for the other item in there and all worked out.  I may still decide on a floor stand but for now, its place works.

I do find myself asking, "Where will I put this when I get it home?" whenever I am shopping.  I like that I am more mindful of my space and a thing's place before it comes into my home.  Still a ways to go but the progress I have made is noticeable and  appreciated each day.