Too Much Stuff! What To Do?

I looked around our house the other day and thought to myself, “We have too much stuff!” Our little house is just about to burst at the seams. There are Grampy, myself, a daughter, two grandbabies and a gaggle of pets. We are in a state of transition. Our eldest daughter lives next door but spends tons of time at our house. At the same time, our younger daughter and grandbabies will be staying for a while. I feel like with this many people in here, we need more space.

We are over-stuffed!

Clutter and disorganization cause stress and irritability for me. I feel aggravated when I spend time looking for something I know I have, but I don’t know where it is. And I’m tired of over-stuffed closets, drawers, shelves and sheds. It is time to clear the clutter!

Where am I going to start?

I’m going to really look at the things we have and ask myself when I last used something, and if I haven’t used it lately, will I ever? For example, why do I have a whole little shed devoted to crafting if I’m not doing craft projects any more? For years I was all about the craft shows. However, it feels as though getting ready for them lately has become a chore. And things fall to pieces because I spend so much time making things to sell that I am less diligent about the budget. We eat more convenience food. The house becomes messy. And when I look at the time and money I spend to make things and sell them at craft shows, I’m not coming out ahead. I just don’t want to do that any more.

My interests have changed in the last few years. I’d rather play with the grandbabies, write a blog post, cook a meal from scratch. Many other things besides making cute and craftsy knick-knacks. So I could get rid of most of the craft items. And use that space to store something else. I’ll keep things I can use for grandbabies’ art projects and some items I can use to make things for my home and some gifts. I’m planning to use this list of decluttering questions to help me as I sort through things.

I’m also going to be more intentional about what I bring into my home. I love yard sales, and just because I’m wanting less stuff doesn’t mean I’ll quit going to yard sales. I am going to start going to yard sales with a list. I love things like milk glass vases and pretty floral vintage dishes and beautiful embroidered linens. I just need to be choosy, not buy every one I see and make sure I have an idea of where I will use something.

Hopefully, keeping the things we use and love and getting rid of the excess stuff will make our home more comfortable and relaxing and easier to keep clean and tidy.

I’m going to get to work! I’ll let you know how it goes.