Attacking the Clutter Monster Part 1
"In a future post would you consider going over your clutter reducing techniques? I don’t know about you, but it is very inspiring to me to read about how other women keep their homes organized and clutter free. -Trixie"
There's so much I could say on this subject, Trixie. I honestly don't know where to start. I grew up in a very well-ordered, clean home, so I this definitely has affected the way we live now. My mom never wanted to have more than we needed and it was a constant joke that she was always purging our home of excess to give away to our local DAV (it seemed we almost had a monthly pick up date where they would bring their truck and cart off all of our extra stuff to the thrift store!). I learned to love the look of a clean, clutter-free home, so that is what I am always working to have now that I have my own home to keep.
I love pretty things and color, but most of all I love the color white--- white walls, white tile, and light colored carpet (not at all practical with a lot of young children, I know!). I just love the look of spacious, open, unpiled, clutter-free areas. I'm not saying my home is always that way, but it's my goal!
I am constantly trying to improve in this area, but here are some things which have helped me:
-A place for everything and everything in its place (or at least that's the goal). I know you've heard this so many times, but do you have a place for everything in your home? Where do your shoes go when you take them off? Where does your purse go when you get home? And so on. If there isn't a place for something, find a place for it, or get rid of it. This also saves you a lot of time you would otherwise spend looking for lost items.
-When in doubt, throw it out. :) Don't hang on to something you think you might use in the future, just throw it out or find someone else who can use it. Bless other people with your stuff you are not using. If I don't have a use for something, I'd rather see it be put to use in someone else's home, than taking up space in my own home!
-Eliminate and concentrate. Eliminate that which distracts you so that you can concentrate on what God has called you to.
-Keep it Simple. Don't have more than you need. Examine your belongings: How many pairs of shoes do you need? (You can easily get by with three or less.) How many everyday clothes (You can easily get by with 5 outfits or less)? How many dressier clothes (You can easily get by with 2-3 outfits or less)? How many toys do your children need (Probably none, because most children prefer to play with "non-toy items" anyway!)?
This is just a very small start on some basic principles I try to follow (not perfectly, mind you! I have a lot left to learn!). I hope to write a Part 2 (and maybe even Part 3 or more) with some practical ideas that have been helpful. I'd love to have everyone else chime in and share how they reduce clutter in their own home. Also, what books or websites have been helpful to you in this endeavor?
There's so much I could say on this subject, Trixie. I honestly don't know where to start. I grew up in a very well-ordered, clean home, so I this definitely has affected the way we live now. My mom never wanted to have more than we needed and it was a constant joke that she was always purging our home of excess to give away to our local DAV (it seemed we almost had a monthly pick up date where they would bring their truck and cart off all of our extra stuff to the thrift store!). I learned to love the look of a clean, clutter-free home, so that is what I am always working to have now that I have my own home to keep.
I love pretty things and color, but most of all I love the color white--- white walls, white tile, and light colored carpet (not at all practical with a lot of young children, I know!). I just love the look of spacious, open, unpiled, clutter-free areas. I'm not saying my home is always that way, but it's my goal!
I am constantly trying to improve in this area, but here are some things which have helped me:
-A place for everything and everything in its place (or at least that's the goal). I know you've heard this so many times, but do you have a place for everything in your home? Where do your shoes go when you take them off? Where does your purse go when you get home? And so on. If there isn't a place for something, find a place for it, or get rid of it. This also saves you a lot of time you would otherwise spend looking for lost items.
-When in doubt, throw it out. :) Don't hang on to something you think you might use in the future, just throw it out or find someone else who can use it. Bless other people with your stuff you are not using. If I don't have a use for something, I'd rather see it be put to use in someone else's home, than taking up space in my own home!
-Eliminate and concentrate. Eliminate that which distracts you so that you can concentrate on what God has called you to.
-Keep it Simple. Don't have more than you need. Examine your belongings: How many pairs of shoes do you need? (You can easily get by with three or less.) How many everyday clothes (You can easily get by with 5 outfits or less)? How many dressier clothes (You can easily get by with 2-3 outfits or less)? How many toys do your children need (Probably none, because most children prefer to play with "non-toy items" anyway!)?
This is just a very small start on some basic principles I try to follow (not perfectly, mind you! I have a lot left to learn!). I hope to write a Part 2 (and maybe even Part 3 or more) with some practical ideas that have been helpful. I'd love to have everyone else chime in and share how they reduce clutter in their own home. Also, what books or websites have been helpful to you in this endeavor?
posted by Crystal Paine at 8:10 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Crytal, here is a link to my home making binder! :)
http://dawnemichelle.blogspot.com/2005/08/my-keeper-at-home-management-notebook.html
God bless.
I have the same cleaning philosophy as you but my husband is a clutter monster. You can't even walk in his office because of the clutter. Our house is also under construction so our storage space is limited. Though I was lucky my husband already had a house when we got married, he was already settled into it. I feel uncomfortable about changing a lot of things and throwing his stuff out. Sometimes I wish we had first lived in a little apartment so that we could've started out fresh together with just a little bit of stuff. When my parents married at 19 all they had was a $200 and a Honda Civic. I definately have a clutter problem. Am looking forward to your ideas.
-Zan
When in doubt, throw it out
Yep! This isn't just good advice for every day clutter, the magazines and "stuff" that seems to breed in closets and on tables, but for clothes, too. My seasonal wardrobe switch (from summer to winter and vice versa) includes my "sort and toss." After everything is washed but before I pack it all away, I make a pile of all the clothes I didn't wear that season, and get rid of them! I offer them first to my friends, and everything else goes to Goodwill. I'm actually looking forward to this year's purge-- it's going to be a doozy!
Zan, my fiance is the same way! I let him have his office, clutter and all; he appreciates that the rest of the house is orderly, but can retreat to his packrat's heaven whenever he likes. I figure, I can only control those things that are under my authority-- he and his office aren't in that category, so I just stopped getting upset about it. He'll only stop being such a packrat if he wants, not if I force the issue. Hope that helps a bit?
:)Alice
I have given up on his office, but we are so limited on storage space due to our construction which is going sooo slow because we are doing everything ourselves. It is very frustrating because his office has a huge closet that is full of junk that he never uses.Living in an old New Englander, we have just a few very small closets.
Thanx anyway,
-Zan
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