De-Junking = De-Stressing

We all have things laying around the house (or hidden) that are just taking up space.  This stuff is not allowing you a stress free existence.  For instance, let's just say you get a phone call and Aunt Matilda has announced she is coming to dinner and will be there in an hour.  While you are not a dirty house keeper you have clutter laying all about the house.  Laundry on the couch, mail and papers all over the counter, books stacked in corners of the house, the dining room table is being used as a storage area, bags shoes, and jackets piled up by the front door, and well you get the picture (and this is just the visible clutter).  So you have to do the clutter shuffle, move the clothes on the couch to your bed, stuff all the items by your front door in the nearest closet, sweep all the mail and papers into a kitchen drawer, and try and disguise the corner filled with stuff with plants.  Then after Aunt Mitilda leaves all the stuff stays where you stuffed it until one day your looking for it and have to tear the house apart, and by then the next pile of things have taken their places through out the house.

You know your not a dirty person right?  So what happened?  YOU HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF!!!  Because you have too much stuff it isn't easy to put things away, so instead they just get thrown in the most convienent place.  I can tell you life is too short to have too much stuff.  It is more time consuming to be constantly looking for things.  Not to mention having too much stuff is stressful on you.  How you say?  Well, do you worry about unexpected company?  Does it feel good when you come home and your clutter greets you at the front door?  Are you late all the time because you can't find (fill in the blank)?  Do you get tired of moving your clutter from one place to the next?  Do you ever have late bills because you stashed a bill in a drawer with the rest of the papers on the counter?  Have you twisted your ankle walking through your kids room because they have too much stuff?  I really could go on and on about the stress of having too much stuff.

Well where do I start you ask.  Well you start one item at a time.  Then ask yourself these 3 questions about each item...
1.  do i still like this item/does it make me feel good?  A lot of times we keep things in our house out of guilt.  Someone gave that to me so I have to keep it.  Or that was my daughter's first recital tap shoes.  That dress cost me a lot of money so I can't get rid of it.  Unless the item really makes you feel good, don't keep it.  If I gave someone something I would not want them to keep it if it did not bring them joy.  Let go of the guilt and move on.  Also sentimental items can be really hard to get rid of...you have the dance shoes, but do you really need to keep them?  If you have a picture of your precious daughter in the shoes that is all you really need, pass the shoes onto another little girl who could use the shoes.

2.  When is the last time I used this item?  Has it been 5 years since you used that waffle iron?  Is a pain to drag it out to use it?  Will you really use it again?  Never hold on to a bunch of things for just in case.  Life is full of unexpected events.  If you do keep everything just in case, you won't be able to find it because its going to be blocked by all your other items you keeping for just in case.

3.  If I really needed to, could I replace this item easily or inexpensively?  Okay so you've got an item you might need just in case...ask your self this:  could I replace this item?  Trust instincts, most items you can give up and if in say five years you decide you really could use that item after all replace it with a new one, you'll deserve it.  Trust me, most items you disgard you'll never think twice about, but there might be one item you'll have to replace.  But won't it feel good to not have those other items cluttering your house?

Okay now you have a new set of eyes in which to few your things with, now what?  Well its time to set up a little station.  Use 3 boxes, tubs, or plain old trash bags.  On each box or bag place the label toss, donate, or put away.  It's as easy as that.

 Toss items that are useless to anyone else, papers, bills, broken toys, broken small appliances.  As soon as you fill up the toss box or bag take it directly to the outside garbage can.  Get it out of your house! 




Items you have decided you need or love can be donated.  There are people all over our communities in need and we can help those people immensely by offering up items from our own households.  Places to donate to are thrift stores, shelters, churches, and don't forget about your local freecycler program where people can come pick up your unneeded items, but in order to do this you must post your stuff ASAP and stay on top of your posts.  Your donation piles can build up into clutter all over again if you don't stay on top of getting it OUT of your house.

Your put away box or bag must be put away immediately.  This might feel hard to do at first especially when your closets are over flowing and your drawers are crammed full.  Do your absolute best.  If you can't get it into its intended home at first set it next to it.  Please be careful about this.  The more things you keep and don't have an immediate home for the more little piles you might end up all around your house.  You aren't doing a clutter shuffle here, you want to get the clutter out.  Just be absolutely positive that every item that goes into your put away box is an item of absolute need or absolute love.

Okay all the ground rules are laid out.  I think one of the biggest problems many people have is that they really don't know where to start, especially when all the drawers, the closets, and cabinets are so crammed full of stuff.  My next blog will help you to get started on your de-junking to a less stressful life.