I've Got the Declutter Bug
The garden work has slowed down for the time being. It has been way to hot to work outside anyway. Our highs have been hovering around 100. It is humid, and isn't cooling off much at night even. Lows have been in the 70's. All that to say I'm in the mood for inside projects.
The bug started when I was getting the kids' winter clothing together for the consignment sale. There is something that just feels good about getting rid of piles of stuff. It feels even better when you are going to make a little money from it.
Then the next project to tackle was our school closet. If we were going to start school, then I had to be able to find the books in there. A nice big bags of used work books and other trash were removed. It looks so nice and neat. The kids can actually find their work without a pile of stuff falling out.
Then across from the school shelf I noticed my bookshelf was overflowing. A quick glance at the books, and I realized there were many that I hadn't touched since they were placed there two years ago. A few keystrokes and they are now available on eBay's Half.com. I pulled a box of infant diaper supplies out of the girls' closet. Those will be on eBay shortly. Everywhere I look there are closets, dressers and rooms needing decluttered, and I am in the mood to tackle them.
Getting rid of things you don't need is part of living simply. Decluttering is frugal. By decluttering you are using the space you have wisely. You won't have to go buy another bookshelf, storage bin or in the worst case, a storage unit. It is easier to keep track of what you do have. How many times have you purchased an item at the store, only to realize later that you already had it in the cabinet, but hadn't noticed because it was lost in the clutter? You may be able to earn a little money on the items you no longer need, or give them to someone who needs them through Freecycle or Goodwill.
It is good to declutter. I needed to catch the declutter bug as my house is certainly in need of good purge and organization. How long will it last? Probably not long enough to get it all done. It will probably last until the weather eases, and I can get outside, or until the apples are ready. Then I will be too busy making sauce to care about the clutter in the house. Maybe I can catch the declutter bug again this winter.
5 comments:
Wow, we are totally on the same wavelength this week. I just talked about organizing and frugality going hand in hand.
I need your decluttering bug to make a pit stop over here :) Enjoy all that free space in your house!
I told Mike the other day that I feel like I'm nesting or something. I've just been jumping up and cleaning things 'right now'. The only reason I can see for it is that I'll be working at the school everyday now and I want to get some of those tasks out of the way so they aren't looming over my head. I feel like if I get all of that done now, it will keep my to do list as short as possible for at least a couple of weeks into the school year... till I get my bearings back.
The school closet looks great!
I wish my husband would catch this bug! I've got a stack of boxes in the garage a mile high! I'm a purger and he's a pack rat. The man has every magazine he's ever purchased since 1975. I say it's a fire hazaard and I've been pictching them (don't tell! shhh!) I also tell him he values "stuff" too much. I value simplicity and space. God sense of humor is really apparent when he made opposites attract.
We've had a week of chilly rain here so I was up in the attic sorting clothes too. I took five bags of size 18 and 24 months clothes to the thrift store. I am sorting baby toys and trying to decide if I should give them to the church nursery, daycare, thrift store, or sell them at a resale shop or ebay. I'd like to get some money for them but giving them away is faster and easier.
I've tried selling on ebay last summer and didn't get a good return on my time. The things that sold went for too little to make it seem worth while. Maybe I need to learn from you.
Crystal,
I'm with you, though Tim has gotten a lot better. Ask him about his Ninetendo power magazines.
Cloudscome,
My husband has done most of our ebaying and it has been larger items that we had little or nothing in. I have not tried clothes or toys on ebay yet because I have a good outlet for that here. There is a definite time investment though.
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