STUFF

I've got too much of it.  Do you??? 

I organize my stuff and make it look all nice and neat, and before long, it is in disarray again.  I'm finally realizing that if I had LESS stuff, it would be easier to keep it organized.  I mean, who needs 3 packs of floss, 30 pens (some out of ink), lead pencils with no lead, the bell that fell off of the dog's collar (three years ago!) 5 lighters, 2 books of matches, socks with holes in them?  Unpacked boxes in the garage from when you moved into your house almost 4 years ago.  I could go on and on.  

I think we've been conditioned to save things and be "resourceful" and "frugal".  Maybe at some point in time, we had to do without things because of finances.  Maybe we don't want to be wasteful.  Maybe a repeated pattern in our life has been that as soon as we let go of something, we NEED it.  All three of these things are reasons why I have too much stuff.

It's great to be frugal and all, but really, what's the point of saving something if you never use it?  Why not let someone else give it a go.  You're being wasteful by hanging on to it.  You're wasting space and you're wasting mental energy by being stressed out from all of the clutter.

I'm reading a book that I picked up on clearance called  SORTED!  The author mentions the Pareto principle which says that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.  She gives these examples to relate this principle to "stuff":

• 20% of your clothes will be worn 80% of the time.
• 20% of the stationery you own will be used 80% of the time.
• 20% of your kitchen tools and gadgets are used 80% of the time.

You know what?  She's right!!  Think about it.  How many pairs of jeans do you own?  Now, don't you always go for your favorite pair?  I do!  I know that I've got at least 5 pair of jeans that I don't wear.  I never get rid of them because I WILL wear them one day.  Yeah right.

My main New Year's resolution is to become clutter free.  I'm going to go through every room, every cabinet, every closet and ever drawer and literally clean house.  And you're coming with me.  That's right my bloggy peeps, I'm going to show you just how much stuff I have and then show you how I purged and then organized everything.  You're going to see the good, the bad and the UGLY.  I'm going to be brutally honest with the photos I share because I really want to inspire others like me who just have too much stuff, to feel good about letting it go.

Because I don't like a post with no photos, I'm going to go ahead and share with you some photos from my first target, my bedroom closet. 

 I'd love it if anyone else in interested in doing this along with me.  Maybe we could designate a day each week to post on this subject.  We could come up with a name and a cute button for it.  Let me know if this is something you're interested in.  You can leave a comment or just email me.


Linking to:
All Things Merry & Bright @ All Things Heart & Home