A Newsletter all about Living with Abundance, Ditching Debt and Collecting Cash.
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Cabinets, Closets and Drawers...Oh My!
My family and I are in the process of moving to Colorado. Not only do I cringe at all the little spots around my home that are harboring dust bunnies in rampant run away populations, but I also see just how much stuff has accumulated in cupboards, on top of book cases and inside closets. Oh My!Aside from the obvious dust, there is the sudden realization that during the past six month since my last decluttering episode, my family was busy packing away stuff into nooks and crannies that were all cleared out last fall. Sigh. It is the semi-annual battle. My own version of the battle of the bulge! I bring this topic up not only because I am in the middle of a Clear-the-House-We-Are-Moving phase, but I have noticed in the lives of my clients that the amount of stuff one has in the home seems to have an indirect relationship to the amount of money they have in their savings account. It is an amazing bit of math, but it holds true.
In my travels I have seen that the wealthier a person was the less “stuff” was in their home, office and properties. I was amazed that they always seemed to have really good quality “stuff,” but they didn’t have an over abundance like I saw in my grandparents and other friends’ houses.
Then I stumbled on a book called, “Clutter’s Last Stand” by Don Aslett. The King of Clutter. After reading that book and realizing my home was stuffed, I resolved to clear clutter from my life. At the time of this experience I lived in Southern California in a 1,500 square foot town house with 3 bedrooms and two baths and four children. I decided that I was going to do away with everything that did not serve me. If I didn’t like it or if we hadn’t used it in several years, I got rid of it. What amazed me was after spending every day for 2 weeks going through each room, drawer, closet and cupboard; I had 42 large diaper boxes of stuff that I was donating to the local thrift store. I was dumbfounded that I had that much stuff!
Some embarrassing things that I found in my campaign on clutter were:
3 hot water bottles/heating pads for muscle pain
4 thermometers for taking a human’s temperature
8 pairs of scissors
8 bread pans (I only made 2 loaves of bread at any one time)
1 tent without poles
1 broken coffee pot (why didn’t I just throw it out?)
This list demonstrated to me that I had to stay constantly vigilant against clutter. Before you launch into your own clutter campaign, might I recommend a few tips in preparation?
Do Not throw out anything that doesn’t belong specifically to you. I can think of no better way to court disaster than to start working on a mess that is your spouse’s. Right now we are taking care of your clutter. So, stick with that. Even if your spouse has the “Packrat of the Year” award, I hear this all the time from my clients; the point is, keep your fingers off their stuff and worry only with your stuff.
Start small and do one area a day. When I first mention decluttering the home the first thing clients tell me is, “Great we clear the garage this weekend!” This is foolhardy because you are attacking a mess that has been around so long roots have formed in the lower regions of the foundation. Start with small things first like, your wallet, your purse or backpack and then move on to the bathroom. Even better work on the medicine chest. How many medications are expired? When was the last time you needed a glass thermometer? Have you ever used that travel shampoo? Get rid of it!
After you’ve cleared out your bathrooms then work on the hallway closet or entry way closet. Do you really need 5 jackets for every member of your family? How many t-shirts do you actually wear? I had one client who owned 21 pairs of jeans. She was able to cut her wardrobe by two-thirds over a weekend just by getting rid of clothes. She told me she felt like she had lost 200 pounds that weekend because she could actually find stuff in her closet and drawers.
Only after you have gone through every area of your house would I ever recommend that you lay siege to your garage. Plan a weekend for that project and make sure you have lots and lots of garbage bags and boxes to cart stuff away. If you have storage units that are costing you money to keep, then go clean those out next. How much stuff are you keeping for other people? Have them come by and pick it up. It is time for you to start living your life not storing a “would-be” life.
By ridding yourself of all the things that do not serve you, you will find that you actually feel lighter. Decluttering becomes addictive after awhile. You see how good you feel without so many material things draining your time, money and space that you actively screen items coming into your home.
Have a great time this summer cleaning out all those areas of your home that have become dark and dank with “too much.” Lighten your load emotionally and physically by getting rid of items that don’t serve you. Now, if you will excuse me, I'm off to take my own advice and finish cleaning out the basement as I prepare to move our household across the continental divide.
SmartCents, Inc. is a company dedicated to bringing the systems of debt-free living to as many people as possible. We wish our students to go out and make their communities stronger by building financial security within their personal lives first and then demonstrating the conserver lifestyle to others.
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