Declutter and Be Open To More!

Did you know that according to the LA Times, the average American owns over 300,000 (that is THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND) Items.   

How crazy is that?   

If each item is worth only $1 (and we KNOW it is much more than that), the average family of 4 has over 1 MILLION dollars of STUFF in their homes.  That is staggering. No wonder, as a country, we are drowning in debt!

I have been on a big decluttering kick for the last few months. We are pretty far from:

...But we still have way more than we could ever need or use.

Years ago I heard about the book:

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

Though I did not purchase the book (a feat in itself, you should see my bookshelves!), from what I have read, one of the principles is to hold the item to your heart. If you love it or it speaks to you, keep it, if not, get rid of it! 

Another method I have heard about is to separate items into 3 piles-Keep, Toss, Donate. 

This is closer to what I have done over the last few months.  

MORE PEACE

One day I was doing laundry and there is a shelf next to my washing machine that has bothered me for YEARS (yep, years).  The shelf held old paint supplies, cleaning supplies, even a shoe shine kit that hadn't been used in probably 20 years.   It only took about 15 minutes to clear it all out, toss (mostly), donate, or put in a proper place.   Now when I do laundry, I don't have to be bothered by that silly shelf.  It is much more peaceful and less stressful.  Why did I wait so long?

MORE TIME

Another day, I was rooting through the utensil drawer to find a cooking tool.  I realized that there were about 20 pairs of chopsticks (and we don't even do takeout very often!), multiples of certain tools-(how many wine openers does one need?), plastic packets of knives and forks, and more.  My daughter and I took about 10 minutes, cleared out the entire doublewide drawer, tossed the takeout stuff (we didn't use it when we got it, were we really ever going to use it?), put the extra stuff and unused utensils in the donation pile, and cleaned out everything.  It is so nice to go into that drawer and easily find what I need now.  It is saving time and making working in the kitchen more enjoyable!

MORE MONEY

As I have gone through piles, clothes and toys, I found so much that could be donated to those in need.  I found gifts for Christmas and birthday's, some have already been gifted, some in ONE go-to place, making it easy to find when the time is right.   What I found is that something unexpected happened.  I became more thoughtful with my Christmas gifts, and gifts in general.  I loved passing on things that I no longer need/use or love to someone who will.  I know that the clothes with tags that have been hanging in my closet for "someday", will better serve someone who's someday is today!   I also am finding that I think twice (or more!) before I click the "Order" button on Amazon.  My impulse buys have been cut way back (even at the grocery store) and I even found $262.71 in unused gift cards!  Talk about being in abundance!  

Some people take a weekend (or several) to clear up every space in their home. That thought is too overwhelming for me.  I am choosing to do this as I go along.  I have been pleasantly surprised at how motivated I am to continue this process as each area (big or small) is cleared out.  There are some area that will take a whole family effort (for some reason I don't think my husband will appreciate me randomly throwing out or donating his stuff!)

Decluttering seems to happen most often before putting a home on the market or just prior to moving.  Too many times, it is left to the children of elderly parents to clear through the treasures  of a loved one who has passed.  I encourage you to not wait.  Start today!   

Can't wait to hear what you uncover and what you  get More Of!

 Declutter and Be Open To More!