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I’m sick of stuff
By Meg | March 29, 2008
Warning, a bit of a weekend rant.
I’m really sick of stuff right now. My husband and I are in the midst of a whole lot of spring decluttering and we decided to do a thorough job of it and go through pretty much every item. Being frequent donors to Goodwill and Freecyle, I can’t believe how much stuff we still have left. Yet we’ve managed to create yet another big pile to yardsale or donate. And we still have plenty of stuff to go through. While I’m looking forward to getting stuff out of the house, going through it all is a pain and I’m starting to admire those people who really do live simply without so much stuff to tie them down. Though my husband and I have moved several times, I can’t fathom having to pack all this stuff up right now.
For a while there, I worried that I might go the other way and hold on to things too much. We’ve been a lot more conscious of what we throw away, and so we’ve been keeping some things to reuse in difference ways. However, it seems that the more garbage looks useful the more some of the things we bought looks useless (not that we’ve started hoarding garbage, but I am reusing some containers). And in the end, the most pocket-friendly thing we can do with most stuff is sell it and use this experience as a reminder to buy less.
A few things other things brought this decluttering about. First, we’ve been trying for years to get a handle on things, and have been progressing slowly but surely. Now, though, it looks like we can finally make real progress, especially since we’ve dramatically slowed our intake of stuff. While it can be hard to part with things, it gets easier as you realize — like we have — that you really won’t miss the clutter and will be happier without it. As I’ve learned, having stuff isn’t just about filling space. Stuff takes time and energy. We have a to-do list dedicated just to “Stuff Management”: stuff to clean, stuff to repair, stuff to move, etc. Plus, the real gems are less appreciated when they’re surrounded by mediocre things. I probably cleaned out half of my jewelry, but now I can see all the stuff that I really want to wear but haven’t been. I dare say, it feels better than getting new stuff.
If that wasn’t reason enough, we are between roommates right now and have decided that now is the perfect time to declutter before adding someone else’s stuff to the mix (which may very well happen in a few months). If and when our future roommate moves in, I don’t doubt that quite a few more things will be added to the pile from both sides.
But don’t imagine that I’ve become a complete minimalist with a chair, a table, and a bed. No, I still have more shoes than most people will wear in a lifetime. And no doubt, I’ll find plenty of things to get rid of between now and next spring — especially if I start reading more of the books that I’ve kept for years.
However, I’m already making a list of things that I would like to buy/replace. No, this is not going to be another purge and splurge cycle. The list is small and mostly consists of storage items that will be more in line with our present style. I’m considering each piece very carefully, to be sure. Now that we’ve cleaned out so much stuff, it shouldn’t take a lot to make a big difference in the look of the house, just a few key pieces which I should be able to find at one or two of my favorite discount stores. That’s the plan, at least.
Tags: De-stressing, Giving, Green Living, Home & Garden, Organization & Decluttering, Priorities, Productivity, Saving Money, Saving Time, Spending Money
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March 29th, 2008 at 6:03 pm
I’m sick of stuff too
Sounds like you’re making REAL progress which is really good… I’m slowly making progress myself, but I still feel like 50% of my stuff could just.. GO.
*has to get on calling the bookstores about my books*
March 30th, 2008 at 3:49 am
Thanks, FB! Sounds like we’re in the same boat. Here’s to progress!
March 30th, 2008 at 4:14 pm
I’m there now too; I’ve been purging for 3 years, and still have tonnes of clutter & and entirely untouched & unusable basement room.
But a tight budget & conscious shopping like you’re talking about have helped a lot. I try to consider everything really carefully before I buy, so I appreciate the hell out of it.
April 1st, 2008 at 11:48 am
Hi QuiteLight,
I wish we had a basement here sometimes, but if we did, it would probably have ended up being a clutter catcher, too.
And yes, I definitely appreciate stuff more now than I did when I bought more stuff. I think it’s sort of like a kid at Christmas who gets toy overload. Give them too much stuff and they so get tired from opening things that they don’t really get around to playing with the toys.
We did go out Sunday and buy a lot of home stuff on our list, but we still appreciate it a lot more since we were picky about what we got and made sure that it was really our style and not just anything that would do the job.