Goodbye, clutter!

It's confession time! Yours truly is a pack rat. Yep, I'm one of those people who saves every little slip of paper, every toy (even broken ones!) and every appliance that just doesn't work anymore or that is no longer any good, for "just in case."

Just in case I need it someday.

Just in case it can actually be fixed and used again.

Just in case somebody wants/needs it.

Just in case I end up housing people who are stranded and they need clothes, old magazines to read or old shoes to wear.

Just in case I want to be that person who has everything for everyone for every single kind of situation.

Well, guess what? Justin Case doesn't live here anymore! And that person is not going to be me! I don't want my home to be some kind of "one size fits all" depot where everyone can find everything. I mean, seriously, what kind of future value will a broken toaster even have??

So I have decided to shed my pack-rat ways. This includes all of the paper clutter, too. I have to admit, I have had stacks of papers in certain places, stacks of books and assorted items stacked up in my bedroom and closets. No more of that, though. I'm getting rid of the clutter. I am going to go minimalist!

If you are a loyal blog-reader, you may be aware that I tried to do this ages ago. But I wasn't able to keep that up for very long. I am hoping that THIS time, I will be able to keep up with it.

I got a lot of the work done yesterday and already I am breathing easier. There really is a physical benefit in getting rid of clutter! I feel more "free" and less bogged down. I feel more organized and it's really easier for me to just "breathe" in my bedroom. We're doing the same for Jennifer's room today and I know she, too, will have the same physical benefits. A clutter-free room has a more positive atmosphere. There's no muck reminding of the past or stress in taking care of a huge pile of "things" that are "in the way" of having more room for activity. And holding on to old things has some kind of psychological effect on a person, because the person will end up holding on to old grievances, old regrets, old pains from the past. (It's all bad stuff, because that excess is "bad" so the things held onto from the past are often "bad" things, too.) And literally getting rid of the "old" is just like making room for the "new." Once the old stuff is gone, new stuff can come in! (Well, except for new clutter. Clutter is just BAD! No matter where you hide it or what you call it.)

I am doing this without any giuidance from books or web sites, but I definitely welcome any advice on living clutter-free. I am open to any tips and tricks on how to save things without causing more clutter. (I'm thinking of putting A LOT of stuff on the computer and back-up CDs, instead of relying on paper so much. I'm also getting a file cabinet and folders to keep my writing files more organized and JUST in one place. I'm also using a bulletin board and I'll be picking up a shoe rack to keep my shoes in just one place, too.) Also, as far as my children's art and school stuff is concerned, I am only saving the MOST IMPORTANT stuff.

Some stuff I can't part with, though, are things like family photos, books (you can NEVER have too many books!), mementos from people no longer here and just little mementos like a signed CD, autographed photo and unusual items we have found (old/foreign coins, unique rocks, etc.). But, for the most part, we're tossing whatever we can safely part with. It's definitely hard, because I'm so used to being a "clutter queen," but I'm shedding those clutter ways and making room for a more organized and tidy approach to living.

For the longest time, I have wanted to do this. Get everything organized and get rid of the clutter. But I didn't know how. I'd often raise my hands in the air and cry out, "How am I going to tackle this clutter?" Well, I am tackling it now. It's not going to happen overnight but it's definitely happening. I just hope I will be able to make sure I can keep it happening.