Monday, February 20, 2012

Decluttering the House

I read a couple of blog posts recently on stuff. The first (on Get Rich Slowly) was specifically about making decisions based on the life we lead everyday and not on the life we used to lead, the life we lead a couple of times a year, or the life we hope to lead. Applied to stuff the goal is to purchase and maintain only the stuff that relates to our everyday life. The others (on The Really Good Life) were about decluttering.

All of this got me thinking about my various stashes around the house. I have craft supplies for crafts I don't do anymore and probably won't ever do. So why am I keeping them, especially when I don't have space for my sewing supplies which I do use? I have clothes for special occasions that are going to be very out of date by the time my pregnant body and life are in a place where I might actually have reason to get dressed up. So why am I keeping them? And lastly, I have kitchen tools and gadgets galore. My kitchen storage is very cluttery, and basement storage really is a blessing and a curse in this case. If I don't remember if I still have that fondue pot, why am I keeping it?

I spent the morning tackling the first two categories. These were easy. Clothes went into a pile to go to a thrift shop. Craft supplies went into another pile. I'm going to offer those to friends of mine who work with children.

It's the third category that's really hard for me. I love my kitchen tools. I know I only used that bundt pan once, but if I find the perfect recipe for a bundt cake a year from now and...... You get how the reasoning goes here. So I am going to go through the drawers and cabinets in the kitchen and take out the stuff that I really think I could live without. These are going into the basement in a tub. If in the next couple of months I need something from the tub, it can come and live in the kitchen again. Next fall anything in the tub that still hasn't been touched goes out the door.

 

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