7 Tips About Clutter

I've written and published SlingWords since 2005. I've consistently posted new content, rarely missing 2 days in a row—until the last few months.

Several reasons explain the lapse in posting new content, but the one most to blame is moving.

Moving Sucks

One of my goals this year was to sell our 2-story house and buy a 1-story. I'm really tired of my office being upstairs.

Then COVID happened which derailed a big landscaping project we'd already started because our landscaper had COVID in the family. Fortunately, he and his family came through okay, but we had to wait months before he could finish the project.

Same story with some minor "sprucing up" we wanted done. We're still waiting for those to be completed, but 6 weeks ago we decided to de-personalize and de-clutter the house in the hope of moving forward toward our goal.

We rented a storage space to hold all the things we needed to remove from the house. The decisions we made are the inspiration for today's post.

We Did It Wrong

Most of the clutter that clogged up our closets and cupboards were possessions that had belonged to our parents and grandparents.

We did it all wrong. Instead of taking the time to think about what we were doing, we just started packing boxes and carting them to the storage unit.

Do It Right

1. Think before you pack. Sit down with your spouse and calmly discuss all the things you've accumulated through the years from purchases and inheritances. Chances are the things that mean the most to you are on display and are used frequently. It's all the other stuff that has to be intelligently dealt with.

2. Make an inventory list of all the items that you plan to pack away and store.

3. For each item, ask yourself if you've used it within the last 12 months. If not, don't spend the energy needed to pack it and move it to storage, not to mention the money to pay for a storage space.

4. Make an inventory list of all these items. If  that's too work intensive, take cell phone photos.

5. Think about each item and think about who in your family or circle of friends would appreciate receiving the item as a gift. Contact them and ask if they'd like it.

6. If you can identify no particular person, then have a family meeting or Zoom meeting with everyone and ask who would like Aunt Harriet's gravy boat or whatever.

If no one wants it, then it goes to a charity thrift store or to eBay. Immediately remove it from your home.

If more than 1 person wants the item, then immediately throw the names into a hat and draw the winner. Immediately send the item to the recipient.

7. If you find yourself weakening and thinking about all the Christmas dinners when Aunt Harriet served gravy in that piece of china—which you've never used and never will use—take a picture of it and pair it with a picture of Aunt Harriet. Frame that collage. You'll enjoy the memory of her and the holiday far more than a serving dish tucked away in a china hutch.

8. My thanks to Kay, who left a great comment below. I've added her comment as #8 on my list. "Give yourself time. Don't hurry through the process. Some things are easier to get rid of than others." She's so right. Don't rush. Be thorough and think it through.

Takeaway Truth

Be firm with yourself. Clutter does more than take up space in your home. It's a burden on your emotions. Free yourself and the storage capacity of your cupboards and closets.