In the casual conversations that Pam and I have several times weekly, we often circle back to a recurring subject — stuff. We joke about how Pam is a “hoarder” of vintage its, bits and woddities and how in some areas I could be a “vintage hoarder in training.” As much as we giggle about it and share our stories of frustration that we have too much and should really pare down a bit, it seems that we continue to collect, amass and pile up all sorts of goodies we find at estate sales, on ebay and at the ReStore. But does all this amazing stuff really bring us happiness — or is it a source of underlying stress that slowly takes bites out of our of our ability to concentrate, our sanity and our free time? What follows is the account of the personal journey I’ve been on regarding stuff, and my thoughts on how to find your own happy place between minimalism and living in a house that resembles a storage shed.
My natural mode: “Tidy packrat”
Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve always enjoyed living in a well-organized, relatively neat space, even though I did have a large collection of toys, books and other knickknacks. Mom rarely had to ask me to clean my room and she actually paid me — on multiple occasions — to organize my little brother’s messy room.
At the same time, I come from a long line of thrifty folks (on both sides of the family) with packrat tendencies, that don’t like to waste resources, no matter how trivial they may seem. Waste not, want not is a great mindset to have — and I give my family a lot of credit for showing me how to create and be content with my modest lifestyle. Even so, I recently realized that the stuff was creeping in and my inner packrat was winning — and my home, which once felt spacious — seemed to be constricting. In my adult life I noticed a pattern in my relationship with stuff had developed. My packrat self would save and acquire things, then my ‘tidy’ self would realize I had too much, purge, then drop off a carload at the thrift store — it was a constant struggle.
My turning point
Then something changed. Last July while my immediate family was visiting, we faced the daunting task of trying to clear out and sort through my grandma’s house so it could be put on the market.
The first morning when we arrived at the grandma’s 1950s ranch, I felt a mix of nostalgia, sadness and hope that we could quickly accomplish the task at hand. However, once inside, the true enormity of the effort was quickly evident: we had to decide the fate of a lifetime of possessions.
Hats off to Great Depression thrift… but…
My grandmother was a child of the Great Depression, which understandably had a huge influence on how she lived her many years afterwards. Surviving this difficult time made her very conscious about not being wasteful and meticulously maintaining her most precious belongings so they would last. I greatly respect grandma for her thrifty values, and practice many of them myself.
The problem with this kind of behavior is in the compounding. Grandma lived in this house for most of her life — probably at least 60 years — and we found all kinds of things that accumulate during a 60+ year stay in one place. Her particular weakness seemed to be an aversion to wasting useful packaging materials and retaining paperwork. It was completely and totally overwhelming.
After four straight days, we were able to reach every corner of the house. It took at least 15 pickup truck loads to the thrift store, the dumpster, and the recycling center before all the stuff was removed. The experience left me with two lessons that I wanted to apply to my own life:
- Hanging on to that much stuff becomes a burden to you and — after you are gone — your loved ones, who must wade through every scrap of your life for days and days and figure out what to do with it all. I do not want to be a burden if I can help it.
- When you save things in an attic or a basement for years and years and never use them, they often deteriorate from dampness or dry heat, making them useless to anyone. We had to throw out an alarming amount of furniture, canned goods and other items — which would have appalled grandma — because they were too damaged from their many years in the basement or attic to be salvaged. If they had been let go all those years ago, someone else could have taken care of and enjoyed them.
My journey begins
After the week spent working tirelessly to clean out grandma’s house, I had a realization about my own relationship with stuff. Much of what I kept and accumulated was unnecessary — and it was stressing me out, whether I realized it or not. I decided it was time to make a change.
One of the main reasons I tend to love midcentury style so much is because of the clean lines, thoughtful design and generally clutter free, clean aesthetic portrayed in midcentury modest homes from catalogs and brochures. Back then things cost more… people simply had less… and people took care of their things with pride. I wanted to reclaim that vintage ideal in my own present day home.
Besides the clean aesthetics that owning less would provide, I also wanted the simplicity of having fewer things to clean and maintain — freeing up more time for other pursuits.
Once my family visit was over, I hatched a plan to change my ways. In my 32 years — lived during this time of plenty in American history — I had much more than what my grandmother had accumulated by a similar point in her life. My entire past: boxes of childhood toys, art supplies, drawings, notebooks, textbooks and other things from grade school through college were stored throughout my home. More recently I had accumulated vintage goodies from family hand me downs, estate sales, vintage shops, the ReStore, piles of clothing and shoes, mounds of paper, kitchen utensils, dishes, furniture, tools, gardening supplies, and the list goes on. Continuing to accumulate at this rate would surely result in my possessions being at least double that of my grandmother’s at the time of her passing: a realization that horrified me. It was time to make a change.
I started by going through my house and ruthlessly — or so I thought — purging my belongings. I donated seven car loads of excess stuff to the thrift store and ReStore, and tossed and recycled several large bags of paper and other items, which made me feel much better. Then a few short months after I thought my hard work was done, the stuff had started creeping in again — negating my prior progress.
I realized that If I truly wanted to make a change, I had to come up with a better plan — one that not only made me reconsider what I was keeping — but also reassessed the criteria I used to justify bringing new things home. Failure to get to the root of the problem might result in being forever stuck on a hamster wheel between acquiring new things and taking trips to the thrift store. Did I really want to spend my life living between bouts of shopping and purging? Imagine how much extra time I could devote to other pursuits if I cut down the time I spent cleaning and sorting all that stuff each week. This idea of freedom was all the extra motivation I needed to find a permanent solution.
Minimalism — a great idea for some, but not my cup of tea
At first, I began researching the extreme opposite of my packrat ways — minimalism. But could I really adhere to such a strict concept? The thought of minimalism instantly brings to mind visions of sparse, white rooms holding nothing other than the bare necessities. While I loved the idea of a ‘clean slate’ I doubted that I could actually jettison the 80-90% of my worldly possessions that living a minimalist existence would surely dictate. Still, I was in research mode, so I drank up all of the information I could find about minimalism and let those ideas float around in my head. Some of the blogs that I read and enjoyed include:
The Minimalists — Two men in their thirties — Joshua Fields Millburn & Ryan Nicodemus — share their paths from lives of unhealthy excess to their new content lives as minimalists, plus all the life lessons they’ve learned along the way.
Be More With Less — The story of one woman — Courtney Carver’s — road to minimalism and a happier, healthier life that started after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. She also explores creating “capsule wardrobes” — wearing only 33 items for 33 days — and “capsule kitchens” — buying a set number of ingredients to cook all meals for a month — to encourage and challenge herself and others to simplify their lives.
Becoming Minimalist — Joshua Becker had an ‘aha’ moment while spending the weekend trying to clean his garage instead of spending time playing with his son. He shares his road to a simpler, more meaningful life through minimalism.
Zen Habits — Leo Babauta — a father of six — tells his story of how he transformed his life, his body and himself through practicing minimalism. Zen Habits takes a deep look into minimalism in all aspects of life, not just through the amount of possessions you own, with an emphasis on the spiritual aspect.
Once I had thoroughly explored the contents of these four websites, plus several other articles about minimalism, I reached a conclusion: I am a highly visual, artistic, and sentimental person. I can’t get rid of all but the completely necessary items in my life because if I did, I don’t think it would bring me happiness. There is no magic number of sweaters or books or throw pillows that everyone should strive to have. I like the idea of paring down my possessions, but minimalism goes a bit too far for me. Having said this, I do like some parts of the concept of minimalism. These include:
- Not living an overly scheduled life — allowing yourself to have free time for thought, relaxation, meditation and the pursuit of crafts and hobbies
- Not giving in easily to the pangs of consumerism — questioning what you really need and why you want an item before buying it
- Being environmentally friendly — less consumerism leads to less waste, using less of earth’s limited resources
- Having fewer things to take care of and clean — spending less time doing mundane chores around the house and more free time to pursue other interests and live your life
- Simplifying your wardrobe — spending less time trying to decide what to wear each morning
- You already likely have ‘enough’ — be grateful for what you have instead of chasing the next best thing, be content with your possessions
- Things are not important — people and their relationships with each other are important.
The final missing piece in the puzzle of my relationship to stuff
While I worked to sort through and pare down my belongings little by little, I discovered a book about tidying up that was getting lots of good press and was on the bestseller list. I read several articles reviewing the book and its ideas — and in each one the author claimed reading it had given them a whole new perspective on tidying. I was curious, but after all of my research on minimalism, organizing and its effect on happiness, could this book really have anything more to offer? Deciding to take a chance anyway, I ordered myself a copy.
Upon receiving The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing (affiliate link) by Marie Kondo, I instantly devoured it. Kondo’s book was the missing piece of information that I needed to complete my journey.
Yes, you can buy it from Amazon — or, don’t “consume” it — get it from your library!
Kondo works as an expert in tidying, decluttering and organizing in Japan and has been interested in the subject since she was a small girl. She has done loads of research and personally tried many methods of tidying up. Her conclusion: The method — described in her book — is the only way to tidy with any sort of long lasting effect.
I’m about half way through the Kondo tidying process and already, I am noticing a huge difference in how I feel about my home and my possessions on a daily basis. I think this feeling is compounded by the fact that I live and work at home, so I spend a great deal of my daily life within the four walls of my Retro Ranch. Since I started my journey, these are some of the positive effects the process of tidying up has had on my daily life:
- I spend far less time cleaning than ever before and have a cleaner house on a daily basis.
- I make my bed every day.
- I have very little desire to shop for new things (besides weekly grocery trips), which is saving me money and time.
- I have read two books that I’ve been wanting to read forever, but never felt I had the time to do.
- I’ve started making art again.
- I listen to more music instead of just turning on the TV and plopping down on the couch.
- I cook more from scratch — including the gumbo I made recently, which took five hours and turned out fantastic — and I make my own sandwich bread once a week on Sundays. I also no longer use pasta sauce from a jar and rely on very few convenience foods, which are expensive and not as good tasting or good for you as home cooking.
- I spend more quality time with my husband and my dog, which is something that truly makes me happy.
- I’ve finished some big projects that I’ve been putting off — namely, reupholstering my great grandmother’s sofas.
- I’ve greatly reduced the amount of clothing and shoes I own to what I wear on a regular basis, plus a few ‘nice’ outfits for special occasions. It is much easier to get dressed in the morning, put clothing away after laundry and see what I own.
- Getting rid of items I’ve held onto for a long time for no good reason helps me let go of the past and live in the present.
- I feel lighter, happier, less stressed and less agitated overall.
- It is easier for me to focus on the task at hand (Pam benefits from this too!)
- I have realized what my priorities are, what makes me happiest and what I want to accomplish.
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up has helped me to achieve all of this because it explains a clear order in which to tidy your possessions to achieve maximum results with the least amount of effort. Kondo gives her readers only one guideline to use when deciding whether or not to keep something — Does it spark joy? Now, some people might have issues with mundane objects like socks ‘sparking joy’, but if you gathered all of the socks you own into a big pile and picked your favorite ones of the bunch — the ones you reach for first — those would be the ones that spark joy in your heart. If you use this criteria for deciding what to keep, you will be left surrounded with only your favorite things, and that really does spark joy.
Another part of Kondo’s teachings that I found very helpful was how to deal with some of the guilt that makes us keep things that don’t spark joy in our hearts — such as that shirt that you bought and then never wore or those old threadbare pajamas that are ‘still good’. Kondo tells us to touch each item as we make our decision about whether or not to keep it. If it doesn’t spark joy then we need to thank it as we discard it. Tell the shirt that you bought and never wore, “thank you for teaching me that this style and color doesn’t suit me” … and tell the threadbare pajamas, “thank you for your many years of service.”
Even if you are not ready to take stock of your entire worldly possessions, reading Kondo’s book is worth it solely because of her section on folding and organizing clothes. Of the parts of the tidying process that I’ve completed thus far, tidying my clothing, has had the biggest happy effect on my overall day to day life. I can now open a drawer — in my lovely Broyhill Brasilia dresser — and see with one glance all of the sweaters I own at once as I am making my daily wardrobe selection. My dresser drawers are really a thing of beauty now, and my closet — it is clean and clear with space between the hangers making clothing easy to remove and rehang.
Kondo advises that you only tidy your own things and not force others to follow your ways. She suggests that once they see and feel a difference in the parts of the house that have been tidied, they will want to join in. This has been true for my husband. At first, he was glad to see my enthusiasm and happiness increasing as I completed reading the book and started the process of tidying, but he had no interest in doing any tidying himself. Then as we were trying to pack him for a week long business trip, I asked him if I could tidy his sock drawer, since we had issues finding matched pairs. He agreed and was so pleased with the results that he has since taken the initiative to pare down his massive book collection by 1/3 — a task that would have been out of the question before. I also think he likes benefitting from my newfound happiness — especially if that means he gets homemade bread and gumbo on a regular basis.
Above: see that large bookshelf? We don’t need it anymore.
Above: The freestanding bookshelf is gone, sold on Craigslist to make room for a small art desk.
After sorting through our books and downsizing our collection quite a bit, we found we no longer needed the freestanding bookshelf in our den. The remaining books easily fit into our built-in bookshelf, my husband’s enclosed nightstand and a small bookcase we have in the bedroom. Getting rid of the bookshelf cleared an entire corner that will soon be the home of a small tilt-top art desk. Having an easy-to-use area for drawing is part of my plan to set up my home for the way I want to live my life now — spending less time cleaning piles of stuff and more time making art. Getting rid of old novels that we didn’t plan to reread or textbooks we hadn’t touched since graduating college 10 years ago, clears out the clutter of the past so we can focus on the present.
The verdict
If you’ve made it this far in this epic post about my journey with stuff — give yourself a pat on the back. If you are thinking that maybe you’d like to start a similar journey, here’s my verdict:
In order to be successful in a huge, life-changing way you need to really be ready and want to reduce the amount of things you own. It is a difficult task, but the rewards are indeed life-changing. The process isn’t just about things, but all of the feelings and emotions attached them and the reasons you haven’t let them go. In dealing with the accumulations of your past, you make room — both in your home and life — so that you can live in the present. If your journey is similar to mine — you’ll feel as if a thousand pounds have been lifted off your shoulders.
Now does all this mean that I’m not buying any more retro goodies? Of course not. I’m still collecting certain things for my future Tiki bar and if I see something that really ‘sparks joy’ then I wouldn’t hesitate to bring it home, but I plan to do so with more intention and restraint than I have in the past. It is fun to go shopping, but I don’t need to bring home everything I find, and that is ok.
This isn’t our first time at the stuff rodeo, check out Pam’s post about stuff:
Sabrina says
Kate: I love your post, and find it so motivating to help me with continuing on my own life-simplification journey. When we moved I was traumitzed by all the heaps of boxes piled in our living room. I don’t want to haul boxes of useless stuff that doesn’t give me joy or relate to who I am.
I have not read Ms. Kondo’s book but would like to pick it up from the library. The eye-opening resource for me was Mark and Lisa Scandrette’s book, “Free: Spending Your Time and Money on What Matters Most.” (Intervarsity Press)
Here are seven great questions from that book:
“1. Name what matters most to you. Ask, “Who am I and what do I want to be about?”
2. Value and align your time. Time is not an infinite resource; be deliberate about how you are going to spend it.
3. Practice gratitude and trust. Be grateful for what you have, and believe that God is able and willing to give you what you need.
4. Believe you have enough. Be content, in spite of the many messages you receive every day telling you not to be.
5. Create a spending plan. Like time, money is not an infinite resource. Decide in advance how you are going to spend it, and don’t spend more than you have.
6. Maximize your resources. Reduce costs wherever you can. Practice frugality. Ask, “Do I really need this?”
7. Live generously and spend wisely. If you live out the first six steps, chances are that at some point in your life you will have more money than you need, and you will have freedom to choose how to spend your time. Be generous with both.”
Stuff is more than “stuff”. There is a spirtual component to it. It weighs in our minds and says something about who we are and how we relate…I agree, the only way to get to the bottom of stuff is to see how it relates to the greater vision you have for your life. Great quote from the Scandrettes: “Those who are clear about their purpose are able to rest and live deliberately, free of hurry and striving.”
Here’s another thought: People living in the 1950s/60s were children of the depression and it led them to care for what they had but it seems the rise of the modern consumer culture we live in now exploded in the 1950s-60s. And now, it’s so easy to cram your life with cheap junk without even thinking!
We’re buying clothes that aren’t made to last and owning flimsy stuff. How much good stuff will last for the next generation? I fear they’ll have to throw away a lot!
It took my mom and aunt a year to clean out my Nana’s condo. She was neat, but had stuff tucked everywhere! My grandfather was neat to the point of throwing away boxes never-opened vases and bowls that had been stored in the basement for years. His reason–he didn’t want to lug it if they moved out of state.
My mom is very organized and hates clutter. My dad hates getting rid of things. I’m somewhere in between…I know my mom would hate to burden my family with the unloading of her stuff so how good to take care if it now. Thank you again!
Ronda says
In the last few years I have had the same problem. Buying more stuff then purging out stuff only to buy more stuff. It was like a horrible roller coaster ride, These past few weeks my shopping has been out of control. I just didn’t know how to get off the ride. Thanks for this post. 🙂
Michael says
So strange! I JUST finished reading this book last night! Somehow while reading it I was reminded of your website. I first stumbled upon it a year ago, and I had meant to bookmark it and come back regularly, but for some reason I forgot.
Anyway, immediately after closing the book, I sat down at my desk, came to your website, and the first thing I saw was this article, with a big picture of the book staring right back at me!
Obviously I have no choice now but to bookmark your website AND get my house in order. 🙂
Kate says
Wow, what a coincidence Michael — thanks for remembering us — and good luck on your tidying journey too!
Sydney says
I just downloaded the book last night, and am over halfway through it. I’ve been going through tidying stages over the past year, organizing and paring down some, but it never really seemed to fix anything. I love the author’s recommendation to tidy things according to category and not by the room/area. I will finally get my clothes under control! Having a Kindle has been great for lessening the book madness, though.
I think the best advice is the aspect of things bringing joy or not. It’s something I’ve been feeling intuitively for a long time, but this puts it perfectly into words and offers a concrete way to accomplish it. Thanks so much for your post and showing that you’re in the same boat 🙂
pam kueber says
Yay! I ordered the book on Amazon — when I’m done with it, I will pass it along to a friend — or to my library!
Dietz123 says
I love this post. As a mid-westerner with a large family, we’ve seen this time and again. The children, grieving, now have to deal with homes and barns full of things ‘saved’ and in reality ruined in the keeping.
I’ve tossed out all but 1 small shelf of reference books, preferring instead that the library store, organize, and dust them.
Here’s what I need help with: Heirlooms. Usually, these pieces are large and/or replaced in modern life. That’s why they’ve survived long enough to be passed to me, one of thirty plus descendants of my grandparents. We want a spare, modern space, not one stuffed with ‘heirlooms.’ But are we cheating our descendents of their heritage as my mom seems to think?
pam kueber says
My emerging view on this: You are doing no honor to your grandparents, etc., by holding on to things that are not useful to you or worse, which cause you grief in the holding. Better to get them to a new generation — a happy new home — who can use them — and really love them.
Kate says
Yes, I agree. Your ancestors are not their stuff and they would not want to be a burden to you. Also, just because your mom loves some of these things, it doesn’t mean you have to if they don’t bring you joy. Since you mentioned having a large family, perhaps you could ask other family members if they are interested in the heirlooms that you end up inheriting before you sell or donate them? That way anyone upset with the idea has a chance to save a specific piece that would bring them joy…
Dietz123 says
I agree with you both, in principle. My kids are small (5, 7), and I could be holding onto these things for 15+ years before they have the space and maturity to accept them.
My mother wants these things passed down in my line, or I’d gift them to one of my many cousins. Writing this, I probably need to just politely refuse more ‘heirlooms.’
Laurie says
I’m the oldest of six kids with 80 yr old parents. On the last visit home we all gathered for dinner at the folk’s place. After dinner my parents nodded at each other, my mom got up and started to pass out small. notepads and pens. I’m not too sharp on the uptake some days and I said oh are we going to play a game? In a way, was my Mom’s response. “Everybody go through the house snd write down whatever furniture, dishes, odds and ends that you want. And there’s a bunch of pictures to go through too.” Its all part of my parents downsizing plan to be implemented before they die and not after. My mom has all the lists we made,shouldn’t be any arguing when the time comes. I’m looking at possessions in a totally different way now.
Nancy says
Hi Laurie —
My parents did the very same thing along with paring down along the way and after they were gone, dealing with their house was as drama and stress-free as it could have been. It was a real gift to us siblings and grandchildren.
Kate says
My Mom’s mother (Nana) did that at her house. For items that were not super small, she’d take a small piece of masking tape, write the person’s name on it, and stick it to the underside of furniture, decorative objects, artwork, etc. so that when the time came, there was no question who was supposed to take certain items. She even put my name on one thing — the little yellow ice cream chair (http://retroranchrevamp.com/2012/06/13/cool-retro-stuff-mom-gave-me-little-yellow-ice-cream-chair/) 🙂
Pat says
My mother did the exact same thing years ago. By the time she died, she had passed on many of the things from her lists as Christmas and birthday presents, knowing what we liked and wanted to have. It was fun for all of us to receive things we had used as a family and remembered for one reason or another. She downsized several times before she died and the things that remained were things she really loved and wanted to live with. At that point she stuck masking tape on the backs of some things and had a little book for others on who got what. We were all older by that point and paring down ourselves (she was 98) so it was not terrible sorting through her remaining things, knowing how she wanted them distributed. We all said multiple times how lucky we thought we were to have such a thoughtful mom. BUT – she had done it the way she did because she lived through sorting her parents and her aunt’s things, which was insane and took major time and effort. Do we have to live through it to change our ways? I reserved the Hondo book at my library, too…
Kate: this was an excellent post! You definitely struck a chord with a lot of people!
Kate says
Hi Pat —
Yes, I wonder: would I be on this journey right now if it wasn’t for having to clean out grandma’s house? I think, even before that experience, I knew I needed to make a change in my relationship with stuff, but I wasn’t sure how and I wasn’t overly motivated.
Andi says
I was so shocked to see Marie Kondo’s book on the front page of RetroRenovation! I literally just finished the book, and am truly hoping that it has the profound impact you describe, Kate, and that Marie promises it will have.
I was prompted to buy this book because of a life-long battle with clutter and “stuff” in general—and also because I learned a month ago that we are moving to Japan for two years. My husband’s new teaching job in Tokyo begins August 1. Our house MUST be put in order completely before we leave it for that long (and maybe even rent it).
Marie’s insight into the effects of the clutter in our lives, filtered through the lens of her life and upbringing in Japan, was exactly what I needed.
Unlike your grandmother, my mother—also a child of the Depression—lived by the mantra, “pitch it out.” If she got a new ANYthing, the old one got “pitched.” Nothing was ever out of place in her house. Marie Kondo would have loved her! ☺
Not sure if my pack-rat tendencies are a reaction to that or not, but in my house, almost nothing is ever IN its place—and I have always had trouble pitching anything out.
I am constantly losing things, have a basement full of boxes of who-knows-what, can’t open the door for anyone unless I have a day’s notice—you get the picture.
So I am looking forward to getting the ball rolling on this huge project. Your post today—complete with photos of the neatly stored clothing in drawers and your closet arranged by clothing size—is such an inspiration. The timing is almost scary…like a gentle tap on the shoulder with someone saying, “See, it can be done. So do it!”
Like you, I can’t happily contemplate a home devoid of anything lovely to look at. And Marie’s book allows for that. The “spark of joy” she believes in will save anything you find beautiful.
Thank you so much for addressing this apparently widespread problem! Your post was amazingly thoughtful and thorough, and the comments have made me feel better—like I’ll have a lot of company in facing down all this STUFF!
Kate says
Good luck on your journey Andi! You can do it! 🙂
Karin says
This is life changing. There is much to be learned here. My sister and I recently went through cleaning out my late mother’s bungalow, which was heart-breaking and exhausting. I completely agree with the point that stuff stored in basements becomes unusable. I read something recently about how one’s heirs will not be pleased with dealing with the amount of stuff accumulated in a lifetime. We joke about it, but it is difficult to face for most of us. An older lady I knew started giving away her things. I’d say that was one of the bravest and clear eyed things I’ve ever seen. Obviously, we can start the process while we’re still healthy and relatively young.
tammyCA says
This post is very timely. I’ve been feeling “the weight” of too much stuff & it’s stressing me more. I’ll never be a minimalist but I sure can decide between what brings joy and all the other stuff. It sure is hard ‘tho when the dh and kids are worse pack rats…and we are huge book lovers (at least, I can part with some but dh never!)
I am in the process of clearing out stuff ’cause frankly it’s more work trying to find something buried in closets & drawers.
I’m weeding out crafting stuff that I’ve decided I’ll just never do & sticking to the things I really, really love. DVDs that Never get watched again.
There’s just SO much product in the world, we don’t need every darn thing that comes out (the ice cream machine I’ve used once!)..I want to simplify. I do cook & bake more now in the last year..baking bread is therapeutic for me & tastes so much better & is better for ya. I can make ice cream with 3 ingredients & no machine. It won’t be easy but I’ve got to thin out my collections or else it’s not going to be enjoyable. And, argh on papers to go through!
David says
Great article. Read your January 2012 article also. The old adage of you never know how much you have til you move is so true. Our attic in our one level ranch that we moved from could fit in the whole first floor of our new ranch. Even though we have a basement to put “more” stuff in it came the time to purge the stuff that we had accumulated. I cannot stand messes because my mom had alot of stuff. I had to clean that house out when she passed away and it was overwhelming unless you pace yourself doing a little at a time. When we bought our larger ranch from the first owner it was sold as is with many things still in the house. It was fun coming across old stuff, drafting plans of the house, pictures. But there were lots of “why did they keep this” stuff. One way I limit my vintage finds is for the most part my wife loves everything I get. There are those times of “no that really does not go with anything” so I get rid of it or sell it on Craigslist. Usually I try not to get any projects and try to trade up getting something better and getting rid of the worse stuff. But if you get rid of stuff you got for next to nothing you really do not loose out. On a side note I do have a lot of clocks and lamps. I believe each room should have a clock or two. We also had 4 sets of dishware three of which stayed in tubs til that ‘special occasion’. Now we just rotate the sets every few months.