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Top 10 Clutter Traps

By
Services for Real Estate Pros with Aim 4 Order LLC

Over the years, I've noticed a pattern in clients with the most clutter. Anything hit home?

  1. Holding on to outdated information - expired insurance policies, old electric bills, junk mail offers, catalogs

  2. Putting ALL ‘immediate attention’ items in purses/bulletin boards/piles 

  3. Saving ALL birthday cards, notes, invitations and souvenirs

  4. Saving multiple copies of things

  5. Printing emails and articles of interest from the internet

  6. Avoiding returns and other errands and letting them accumulate

  7. Overshopping

  8. Clipping coupons and forgetting to bring them with you

  9. Holding on to old magazines and newspapers because you still intend to read them.

  10. Not taking inventory of the items in your home (food, clothes, shoes) and buying doubles and triples.

 

Comments(9)

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John Pusa
Glendale, CA

 Cindy Bernstein very good list of clutter traps to avoid.   

Dec 30, 2019 05:42 PM
Cindy Bernstein

Thanks, John!

Jan 01, 2020 07:32 AM
Kathy Streib
Cypress, TX
Retired Home Stager/Redesign

Hi Cindy- a good list of clutter traps. Years ago I went digital with magazines and have tried getting rid of any paper coming into the house. 

Dec 30, 2019 06:49 PM
Cindy Bernstein

Impressive, Kathy! Great job!!

Jan 01, 2020 07:33 AM
Wayne Martin
Wayne M Martin - Oswego, IL
Real Estate Broker - Retired

Good morning Cindy. The art of living small has forced the wife and I to purge, purge, purge. And, it is a good thing! Happy new year. Enjoy your day!

Dec 31, 2019 05:02 AM
Cindy Bernstein

 Congrats, Wayne! And happy New Year to you and your wife!

Jan 01, 2020 07:34 AM
Michael Jacobs
Pasadena, CA
Pasadena And Southern California 818.516.4393

Hello Cindy --- Paper.  Paper.  And still more Paper.  Combine that with lots of "things" and even more stuff.  

Dec 31, 2019 05:44 AM
Cindy Bernstein

Ah yes......paper. I surveyed my email newsletter list a few years back and PAPER was the #1 issue for people. The gift that keeps on giving.

Jan 01, 2020 07:36 AM
Nina Hollander, Broker
Coldwell Banker Realty - Charlotte, NC
Your Greater Charlotte Real Estate Broker

Good morning, Cindy... a terrific list. Happy to say I don't do any of those... we've moved so often since 1989, I've learned how to streamline my life. And as for coupons... they are always in an envelope in my handbag... and I use them alot! However, I will admit to a tiny transgression... I noticed the other day that I had two tins of black ground pepper... how did that happen? 

Dec 31, 2019 05:55 AM
Cindy Bernstein

Wow, Nina - mighty impressive...if 2 tins of black ground pepper are your worst offense, that is pretty incredible. Happy New Year!

Jan 01, 2020 07:37 AM
Sharon Tara
Sharon Tara Transformations - Portsmouth, NH
Retired New Hampshire Home Stager

I helped a client declutter years ago. We filled many bags to be donated. I found out weeks later that the stuff was still in the back seat of her car. Her clutter just changed location! 

Jan 01, 2020 09:06 AM
Cindy Bernstein

So common, Sharon.....people who have trouble 'letting go' sometimes have trouble completing the final 'drop.' I love scheduling the online pickups at Purple Heart and other places so they come right to the door.

Jan 02, 2020 06:08 AM
Patricia Feager
Appraisal Review Board, Denton County, TX - Flower Mound, TX
Licensed to April 2027

Cindy - I was one of those people. And then it happened,

I had a house fire. All those papers burned. To this day, I never discovered anything I needed was missing. And I'm smarter today than 1994.

Jan 01, 2020 09:51 AM
Cindy Bernstein

Wow, Patricia Feager, MBA, CRS, GRI,MRP - that's learning the hard way. Most paperwork, as you learned firsthand, is either not needed for easily replaced....and of course there are exceptions to every rule.....Glad you're ok!

Jan 02, 2020 06:09 AM
Roy Kelley
Retired - Gaithersburg, MD

We are among those who need to get rid of a lot of stuff.

Image result for happy new year 2020 images

Jan 01, 2020 10:14 AM
Cindy Bernstein

Well, Roy - no time like the present! Happy 2020 to you and yours. I appreciate all the likes and comments you bring to my blogging.

Jan 02, 2020 06:10 AM
Kat Palmiotti
Kalispell, MT
Retired from real estate; active in life!

Oh my, #8 is ME! I stopped clipping them!

Jan 01, 2020 12:17 PM
Cindy Bernstein

Me, Too! The only coupons I keep now are Bed Bath and Beyond because they never expire!

Jan 02, 2020 06:11 AM