Deb J
Most of us are so used to seeing our homes that we don’t really LOOK at it. We live our days hurrying through life and there are many things we don’t look at but are just in the background. One of the things that will help get our lives back on track is to begin to look at our lives through a stranger’s eyes. What do I mean by this?
Before we go on let me tell you that this will take some time. Depending on your personality and what is going on in your life it could take a lot of time or a little. It all depends on you. The first thing you will need to do is find the time for this exercise. The second thing is to do this either alone or with a second pair of neutral eyes like a friend. Next you need to look at your home or even a room or your life with the eyes of a stranger. Imagine yourself looking at your home like it is the first time you have seen it and it isn’t your home. Sometimes this means you have to close your eyes and take a deep breath before taking that second look. Perspective has a lot to do with how we see things. You don’t want to look with a critical attitude or even the idea of trying to measure up. The idea is to just SEE your home like it was your first time.
You don’t need to write anything down unless it really stands out. You just want to mentally make note of the things you notice. Some may be good things like a particular arrangement of furniture that really makes good use of space and is easy to navigate. Some things may be not so good like a very crowded kitchen counter or a pile of bills and unopened mail scattered around. For now, just make a mental note of what you notice.
Now you want to look for trouble spots. Do you have a garage so full you can’t put the car in it? Your clothes closet is so full you can’t get everything in? What are your challenges? Pick one to be your first challenge to tackle and keep it in mind. Ask yourself why it is bothering you? Why is it there? Several people could have the same issue (a messy dining room table) but may all have different reasons for what is behind the “messâ€â€”no other place to do bills, more room in the dining room to spread out even though you have a proper place where you could do them, the desk you have is unreachable due to too much stored in that room because you also have too much stored elsewhere or you tend to hang onto all paperwork even when it is no longer needed. When you have figured this out you have a line of attack to help you understand how to resolve this challenge. It may not be an immediate resolution. If you have bills and paperwork all over your dining room because too much is stored in your garage so that you are now storing things also in rooms in your home like the office, you will need to take numerous steps to resolve this challenge. What is exciting is you now know why you have this issue and can slowly and carefully make steps to resolve it. One thing I have learned over time is most issues are many times tied to other issues. By digging into the problem we can find not only the immediate issue but related issues and work toward resolving them all.
Today’s Mini Mission
Any items made from light coloured fabric that have been worn against your body at some point can be prone to yellowing from the body acids that aren’t completely washed out during the laundering process. Old wedding dresses are a fine example of this. The acids can even perish the fabrics and weaken them. I also find that old sheets that haven’t been used can get quite a rancid smell about them when not washed regularly. So declutter old clothes that you have worn before but now never use and if you have an over abundance of sheets in your linen closet make sure you rotate them on a regular basis.
Eco Tip for the Day
Set your smart phone on Power Saver. The battery will last longer saving electricity by needing recharging less often.
For a full list of my eco tips so far click here
It matters not how fast I go, I hurry faster when I’m slow
A very good idea–think most of our clutter problems are caused by not having a good place to do different types of work–and there is a tendency to not really “see” what is right before us (and maybe a horror of what we will “see” if we take a good look). I hope to take time soon and do just what is suggested.
Nana, I think that “horror of what we will see” can be a big part of what stumps us. The things that I had to really work on was getting it into my head that I don’t have to do it all right now and it’s okay to take it slow and easy.
Hi Deb J. I have had my house acessed by a friend. It was very hard for me, because she is a minimalist, and she did point some very troublesome areas I asked her about. She was too ruthless for my taste 😀 . Slowly I have been seting areas right, but, sometimes, we don’t really want to solve that problem because all that stuff conforts us. I keep visualising a less cluttered house, with less stuff to take care of and the easy way I shall be able to clean and take care of it.
Why not try taking EVERYTHING out of the room, Andrea, and then just put back what you really want. It may be easier than trying to figure out what you don’t want in the room.
This is a good idea Spendwisemom. I think also I should have said that you need to get a friend to go through who is more on the line of what you visualize as what you want your house to be.
Taking EVERYTHING out (must not even be a room but maybe a whole cabinet or the whole wardrobe) is GREAT! However, it is not very accessible to many. I think the clean slate approach is pretty impossible if you are still in the stage where you have lots of stuff. In my small place I just don’t have the spare space to empty a whole room. Even emptying one bookshelf completely is challenging spacewise (I had to empty two for moving them to another spot in the room and it was hard to find enough space for stacking the books and moving the shelves around). My parents, who really own too much stuff, have the hardest time finding space in their home to move things around and try something out so most things stay where they are (it’s a vicious circle, really).
If you can’t get everything out then sometimes it helps to just get everything but the furniture out. But that’s only if you have a way to do that. I have moved everything into another room that then looked like a bomb had hit it but it did help. I think this is again one of those area where you have to do what you can for your life.
hi, 2 years ago we bought new bedroom furniture (finally got rid of the waterbed) and had 3 days in between the old going and new coming so it was the perfect time to go through things. We pulled everything from the closet and put in the living room and both of us went through it. I was surprised how much we really didn’t wear or want anymore. All the clothes from the drawers we put on the couch and did the same thing. When the new furniture arrived the stuff didn’t even fill the drawers, I think we could have gotten smaller pieces had we cleaned out before buying new. Lesson learned
Colleen, this is one reason it is so good to take things out. When I did this at S’s it helped us to know what types of storage she really needed.
Sometimes I am that Person Idealism.
I have cleaned out, decluttered and sorted my craftroom/toyroom so many times. Once again I can hardly walk in there let alone get something out.
Before Christmas it gets like this as I make a lot cards to send out and donate finishing close to christmas or at least shopping time. Also I had visitors coming over the holiday period and just shoved everything in the hole that is my craftroom.
I have pulled out EVERYTHING MANY TIMES too but as Colleen has said many times this can distrubt the whole family.
So I am once I have a little more time and am better( have a chest infection at the moment) I will start at the door and continue inwards.
And yes it horrifies me and I look at it through a strangers eyes.
Hey Denise, maybe the message is getting a bit lost, now that Colleen is not posting daily pictures anymore. But “one thing a day” is the best advice I ever got, and I can ever give to others. If you tried “pulling out everything” before, and it didnt work for you, then you might want to look for new ways to get control over that. One thing a day means slow, but steady progress.
So step into your craft room once a day, do 10 minutes of decluttering, and then leave the room, shut the door and I promise you after one week you will already feel so much better about it. you will see and feel the difference and there is no stress, no pressure and no hard work. its your life, its your time, your room. and you should be allowed to enjoy it…
Denise, this is where you have already identified the problem and you just need to do like Lena suggests. And once you get it all cleaned up and decluttered again maybe you can also figure out why it becomes a recurring problem. We will have lots of suggestions when you get to that part.
Thank you Lena & DEb J for your insight and suggestions -I wll certainly work on them
Spendwisemom – I have read about someone who did this but left the rest accessible in the garage for a number of months, just to be sure before sending it to charity. It would be an interest exercise especially with the kitchen, how quickly would we improvise rather than collect an extra item out of the garage?
Moni, on improvising this is like when I bought this big set of knives in my early 20’s because I thought I would need them all when I got a place of my own. I found that I only used 2 of the 14 pieces. They did everything that I needed. So I got rid of it all because Mom had those and we don’t need duplicates. the same works for lots of other things.
I can’t bear to take everything out. The mess is too awful. I had to do this once, as I already told here and it was nightmarish, I felt overwhelmed. I did ask my friend to look, because I can, as Deb J put it, isolate one area and work on that for a while. I did that to my kitchen and I am very pleased at the results. Now I am struggling to move to other places where decluttering and organising will have to work side by side. I have small children and as good and obedient as they are, they will not restrain themselves from walking over or messing with things that are on the floor 😀 . So I agree with Ideealistin, I have to keep my “taking out” to very small areas, so when I am done, what is not being decluttered will go back in again.
Andreia – slow and steady has always been your preferred method, and what works is worth repeating!
Andréia, or you could just visualise that space with one less things and then one more less thing… eventually you will have that less cluttered house, with less stuff to take care of and the easy way I shall be able to clean and take care of it.
I can’t bear to take everything out. The mess is too awful. I had to do this once, as I already told here and it was nightmarish, I felt overwhelmed. I did ask my friend to look, because I can, as Deb J put it, isolate one area and work on that for a while. I did that to my kitchen and I am very pleased at the results. Now I am struggling to move to other places where decluttering and organising will have to work side by side. I have small children and as good and obedient as they are, they will not restrain themselves from walking over or messing with things that are on the floor 😀 . So I agree with Ideealistin, I have to keep my “taking out” to very small areas, so when I am done, what is not being decluttered will go back in again.
Andreia, hang in there. Just take it slow and do the work how best works for you. We all have our individual things that get in the way of our doing things how we want many times. With small children just the fact that you are doing it is something to congratulate yourself on.
I find that when I come home from a trip, I see my house through different eyes. I notice that a room looks bare or that I think I should replace something or that a room needs to be repainted.
Spendwisewoman, that’s a good point. All it takes is a short trip somewhere to appreciate your home more and to also see where it needs some help. Another thing that helps me is when people ask how we keep our house so clean and everything so in place.
Yep, trips are definitely great to get a new perspective on old issues. But I think a nice long day out of the house might already help, too, if there is no vacation or other absence from home planned for a while.
And I also think the house or apartment should be cleaned and brought fairly in order before assessing it. Not made perfect – but I think you should be fair to your home in the same way that your should be fair to yourself and not wear your frumpiest , tattiest clothes when you go shopping but something rather nice. After all you don’t want to be overwhelmed and focus on every little flaw but on the big things and the big themes. It’s so easy to overlook the real problems when you let everything slip into messiness. The overflowing laundry bin isn’t the real problem. It just means: do your laundry more regularly. The laundry that never get’s put away because there is no room for it in the closet, however, that’s the (chain of) problem(s) that needs identifying.
I so agree with you Ideealistin.
I came home once after staying at someone else’s house he has a lot of stuff. I noticed that my house echoed slightly as I walked in . It was like music to my ears.
I have found that the best way to look at your rooms with a “fresh” eye is to photograph them. For some reason, looking at a picture of the room makes the clutter stand out much more, and lets you see better how the room appears to others. Also it’s nice to have “before” pictures of the clutter and “after” pictures with less clutter – then you can really appreciate the difference your work has made.
This is a great idea Megan. I remember taking a picture one day to show my aunt a new furniture item and when I printed it I realized we needed to do some decluttering. One way or another the idea is to find a way to get a new perspective. This is a great way when you don’t have anyone around and you don’t want to just trust eyeing it.
I was going to suggest this too, Megan. It’s amazing what you see in a photograph that your eyes just slide right over in real life.
Actually Megan you don’t even have to take the picture just look at the room through the camera lens. That is enough to get me scurrying. Especially when I am taking photos for the blog.
Hi…..I started what I call “downsizing” a little over a year ago….I did not realize how much more I could do to unclutter until I came across your website…thank you all for your great advice.. today..I gave away an old treadmill that has been in the corner of my office for about 10 years. It got used very seldom…so…I ran an ad in Craigslist and gave it away free to a lady who quit smoking and had gained weight. Hopefully it will get used and for a good purpose. I can see where I need a critical eye to see my home the way it is …..so thanks again.
Hi Connie, I just wanted to say welcome to 365 Less Things. I will leave Deb J with the privilege of answering the rest of your comment.
Congratulations on bring in the process of downsizing. It’s great your like Colleen’s blog. It has been a big help to so many of us. Welcome to our community of fun and helpful people. Don’t you just love it when you can get rid of something so big that is taking space? And Craigslist is such a big help. Have fun as you continue to declutter and we will look forward to more comments from you.
Hi Deb J. Love this post and the idea of looking at your home as if you are a first time visitor. I have done this recently as we have put our house up for sale (we are downsizing!) and although I’ve been doing a slow and steady declutter for a while it was still easy to see what else could be eliminated. BTW, I’m Megan from Sydney, Australia not the Megan who wrote the previous wonderful comment about using a photograph to get a fresh view of your home. Where are you from other Megan?
I’m from Chemainus, BC (Canada). Always nice to meet another Megan!
Yes and especially one who is like-minded! I’ll call myself Megan S now to avoid confusion and I look forward to reading other comments you would like to share. Colleen, along with Cindy and Deb J, have all made this site a most wonderful place for sharing good advice for living a simpler, happier life.
Megan from Sydney, congrats on downsizing. One of the things about moving is that you have to go through things to pack them up. If you don’t have to do it in a hurry it gives you the time to declutter. I have a friend who thought she was going to move because of her job and did all the packing and decluttering. Then she found out she didn’t have to move. She called it the moving game and said that she thinks she will play it every couple of years just to help her keep things in order. Grin.
Yes Deb J your friend has discovered another way of dealing with clutter buil-up and it reminds me of a friend who always said “If you don’t move every seven years you should pretend you are and have a declutter”. This was based on the fact that our circumstances of family or work or both have often changed after a seven year period. Personally I’ve found Colleen’s slow and steady way to be best method for me but in reality it’s whatever it takes to get rid of the clutter 🙂
Megan S, I know what you mean. Slow and easy is so much better. If you have to do it fast then okay but when you can do it slow that’s good. One thing I do though is once a year sort of re-evaluate and see what I might have missed or where there is a black hole. Then I make sure to add that to my list of things to do. At least, that keeps me from getting in a rut or passing over things I have gotten used to seeing. My office/craft room will always be an issue until I stop doing some crafts. I refuse to put something away when I am working on it every day. I am good at putting everything away as I use it though.
I’ve been making progress decluttering, but it is a little scary when I realize that I just took a trunkload of stuff to the thrift store and it was less than 1% of my stuff. If I do end up moving this year, it will be a huge endeavor. So I really like the approach of chipping away at it on a daily basis, delving into one declutter project at a time, and going after containers/shelves so I have to deal with the things inside.
As we’ve decluttered, I’ve noticed that I’m developing lower visual tolerance for clutter. But most of what we have is tucked away in drawers and closets now, where it doesn’t generate visual clutter. I guess the next strategy is to designate more things as closet dwellers, which forces the current closet dwellers to exit the residence.
Rebecca, slow and easy is good. I know what you mean about the things that are hidden away. That’s why I like Colleen’s mini-missions. If she says “Today declutter your underwear drawer” it’s pretty easy to take care of one area. If I look at it all, I just say “no way.” One step at a time will get you there. It just helps to look around and really see what needs to be done if you look with fresh eyes. I remember when we had a guest room. I went in and looked at it as if I was going to be staying there for a week. It didn’t take long to realize that there was a lot of stuff in there that would make that hard. Once we started going through it we were amazed at what we had “stored” in there. Things we had forgotten we had. Since I was working back then, we had to make a plan and then slowly implement it in steps in order to get it done.
Moving did used to help me to a certain extent because I always did a declutter beforehand. The problem was I only ever decluttered the obvious stuff. Our moves are paid for and we don’t have to do the packing so I never really physically went through everything ourselves or pay for the move for that matter. I did however always go through the little stuff to make sure it was all packed securely ahead of the movers arrival so little bits and pieces didn’t go missing. Zip Lock bags came in really handy back in the day but now I don’t know that I will even need any next time. With so much less stuff and no more kids toys to deal with the little bits have decreased in number significantly.
Colleen, I know what you mean. I think moving for us would be much easier than it was the last time. It could be even easier if I can get some things removed that Mom tends to hang onto. All in good time. I spent this week very busy with making cards from all the bits and pieces I have. I also have a bag of things to give away. I cleaned out 6 drawers of scrapbook supplies. I’m working on decluttering some more. I have to do it slowly as Mom gets horrified at “the money going out the door.”
Colleen – the last time we shifted, we only shifted 1km so we did it ourselves with our 9 best friends. I actually was (wrongly) proud of comments like “wow you have a lot of stuff” and “how did you fit all this into your little (previous) house?” – I can remember filling up my 7 seater car with just our clothes. Now I’d easily grab the suitcases from upstairs and it each of us could fit our own individual stuff into a suitcase each easily, heck, I could probably fit my shoes in too.
Great post today, Deb J. Certainly, you have given us a lot to think about and to do. I think that having a fresh, honest look at your home is a great idea. Having someone look at it, “as is”, without any preparation beforehand, (especially from someone who does not suffer from clutteritis), would be very helpful. When I have someone visit my home for the first time, seeing what their reaction is (the type of compliment you receive or lack of comment on your home) may be a good indication of the state of your home, too. Of course, we all at some point, become good at hiding everything so that the obvious problem areas are out of sight. I am finding, however, that as time goes by and I am letting go of more and more stuff, I don’t have as much stuff to hide and what you see is what you get. Now that I have let go of many “easy” items, I can see clearly the one type of clutter that is my biggest culprit. Knowing what clutter weakness I have helps me to concentrate daily on improving in that area. I do understand that for some people, it may be more than one clutter issue, so that can be more difficult to tackle. Having an unbiased eye take a fresh look at our home, not only will they likely be able to spot our dumping grounds, but they may be able to offer helpful suggestions too.
How nice it would be if we can remember what our reactions were when we first were selecting our homes to purchase them? What was it that drew us to buy it in the first place? I am sure that many of us forgot what that blank canvas looked like prior to us filling it up with stuff.
Thanks, Jen. I’m glad you liked the post. My friend, S, finally came to the point where she can no longer hide things when people come because she has run out of places to hide things in. That seems to have gotten her attention and she is doing something about it. I think it helps to have this “friendly inspection” once a year.
I have a friend who takes pictures of any new home she moves to before they move anything in. She also measures the rooms and makes a floor plan. She uses this to help her make decisions about decorating, redecorating, etc. It is amazing how much it has helped her to do things faster and easier because she can picture the rooms with things changed.
I know it takes time, but I am so glad that your friend S is pressing on with the decluttering mission. I remember when I packed up my last home, prior to putting it on the market, I thought about how big it was in it’s emptiness. I did not feel like that when my stuff was in it. It gave me a different perspective. When there is no room left in your house to put stuff, you have to take on a different perspective, and we know a bigger house is not the answer. We have to deal with the issues straight on. It can be done!
Jen, I know what you mean. When we moved the last time our place looked so much bigger empty. S has a good sized house and only the two of them. The 3 guest rooms are seldom used and I have to admit that I had to work on not getting frustrated with all the junk that is stashed in those extra rooms. When you have to do a major overhaul just to have company come and stay for a week it should tell you that you need to make some changes. But each person is unique and that means we have to give people the room to be themselves. You are right that we have to deal with issues straight on. Unfortunately, not everyone sees that as easily as others. I’m finding that even the differences with S and I have caused me to become more tolerant and more accepting of differences. I have such a great time with this blog because it shows me how different we all are and we can find ways of helping each other. I am proud of S because she is breaking some really potent lifetime habits and ideas in order to do what she is doing. I think we should all be giving ourselves points because we are doing some hard things.
Jen – how often when we are house shopping do we mentally map out on the first or second viewing, what would go where. Then we shift in and add extra stuff! Crazy!
Oh, I agree, it is such craziness!
Also sometimes it actually helps to take a close look at someone else’s house when you are visiting. Quite often it is easier to see the faults there and then make a metal reminder to check out the same areas in yours when you get home.
I think this is a great idea. Even looking at magazines and seeing what rooms look like in articles can help. The idea is to get a fresh perspective in some way. When my friend came to visit from Indianapolis at Thanksgiving I asked her what she noticed. It was a great help. It is so easy to get used to the way something looks.
Great topic Deb J!
I was watching a tv programme the Tuesday night, it was a restaurant getting a do-over, and the show’s host asked the proprietor to take a minute to look at the place thru fresh eyes, and if she was being taken there on a first date, what would she think of the decor of the restaurant or the guy she was with. Suddenly the blinkers were off her eyes and she could see what the host meant. She said she wouldn’t be very impressed with her date if he took her to this place (which she owned) and it isn’t the kind of place she would enjoy dining out. But up until that moment, she’d been hotly defending her establishment.
So I had a fresh look around our lounge while I was sitting there and realised our sofas had faded to an awful colour and the cats constantly use them as scratching posts. The coffee table doesn’t go with anything in the house, it is the left over from our first houselot. It didn’t matter when the room was cluttered and the sofas always had a basket of laundry to fold sitting on it etc, but now the room is clear and spacious, they look really dated. Obviously I can’t run out and buy new furniture today, but when my son leaves home I can give it to him and buy myself something nice, or I can get a price for re-upholstering.
My husband was sitting there thinking about his workshop and how it hasn’t been redecorated in years and a lot of the sample work on display was done by staff who’d since moved on. So he’s been busy paint
I have scrubbed many a restaurant off my list because of the look or vibe of the place. I can tell you that there are homes I don’t like to go to for the very same reason. Doesn’t it really give you a shock when you look at your home with fresh eyes? Taking the “blinders of indifference” off (due to being used to it) really helps.
Hi Moni
I’m so with you on this one. Not until the great unveiling (removing all the extras!!!!) did I notice how tired my sofa looked and how weird the furniture looked when I cleared it of all extras. It didn’t take long to realise that yes I did want a new sofa but we actually needed a new one. After moving furniture around I found the right combination. So far it has served us well but I feel that with my next move I may upgrade a few things to more hard wearing fabrics and sturdier construction. With the lessons I have learned I feel ready for anything.
Oh and may I ask what your hubby does?
Hi Dizzy – Adrian owns a sign making business. He’s just about completely re-painted the interior and removed all sample work done by employees who we no longer have as the work was looking dated and time to stop with living in the past (no matter how much we liked those people) and keep things looking fresh and up to date.
Hey Moni,
How cool!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Great post Deb J!
Now where in Newcastle could I find a friend to come and provide this sort of help mmm? 😉
Only if you are game my friend, only if you are game. 😉
Should come to my house…But Colleen will probably complain I live too far away 😉 . What’s in an ocean of a distance, I ask you? 😀 😀 😀
Ha Ha!! Shout out to Colleen here.
That’s a great reminder and I’ll try that very soon.
Somehow with the days getting longer again, I’m really in the mood to clean out. I’m getting rid of all the “maybe”s and “to sells” of last year. So I think, I’m ready for a new set of eyes and about to identify a few more problem areas.
Sanna, you have been doing a good job. Isn’t it nice to be able to get rid of those “to sells” and maybes?” I hope your identifying of new areas goes well and you find it easier this time because you have all this experience behind you.
I think this post brings up a really good point about the space in the house. Many people don’t really realize what they’re working with or what they have in their home. Sometimes it’s best to really take stock of your space and what you have.
Great post Deb J, thank you. It is very timely too – I’m needing the proverbial steel toe cap applied- I’ve now got empty furniture and I’m procrastinating over getting rid of it, cos I can’t quite decide if I’ve chosen the right pieces to go.. The good thing is , my sister is coming to visit in a few weeks and I’m planning on asking her to be my fresh eyes, so either I will make some decisions before she arrives and tidy up before she gets here or she will help me make them. Even if I manage to get the furniture out the door I’m still going to ask her to be my eyes.
Fruitcake, one of the things that we all can remember is that we don’t have to do something right away. If you give yourself some time you will come to realize which furniture seems to work the best for what you want. Having your sister use her fresh eyes will help but it always comes down to what works the best for your needs. I know you will make the right decision and will be happy once you have it all out of the house.
An example of how we used this just in the last week. About a year ago we bought some office type chairs at 2 for $15 from a second hand office furniture place. We wanted chairs on wheels for our at our dining table and new office chairs for the office/craft room. We thought they were comfortable and would work. After a year we not only are not happy with the way they sit but have found that we don’t like the way they look in the dining area. What helped us come to this conclusion was that we moved in a new recliner (used) and that made us really look at the living/dining room. I think we had known for a good bit of time that we weren’t too happy with them but kept putting off doing anything. At least it was something to use. Today I created a sign and put it on the bulletin board in our clubhouse.
I remember when you commented about getting the chairs back then. I’m sorry to hear they didn’t work out so well after all. Sometimes it’s really not that easy to find the right things.
Yes, Sanna, it is hard sometimes to find something. These are okay for short term sitting but when you sit for very long you find they aren’t. It is mostly because Mom and I are short (a bit under 5 feet) and we both have back and hip issues. So finding something for us is hard when it comes to any seating type furniture.
Hi Deb J,
Thanks for a great post. I find that after reading my Bible ‘Clearing your Clutter with Feng Shui’ and my Peter Walsh books, one of the things that jumps out straight away is that all clearers/organisers, advise you to look at your home through anothers eyes. When we were getting our house ready for sale, I would always open the door pretending to be a prospective buyer and it was amazing what i noticed needed doing, moving, clearing off, slight re-arrangement or just plain get the damn thing out the door!!!
One thing I have noticed over the last few years is how quickly I get overwhelmed in other homes that could do with a little purging. Not to judge but I am glad that I prefer not to have things piled up around me. Although at the moment I am sorting out a few boxes of things to go and I have still got some re-packing to do before our next move, I can honestly say what I have I am happy to have around me and maintain it etc. I am not happy about the fact that I have somehow managed to acquire several bottles of sauces, salad dressings and jams. I really don’t remember buying them, and although I do enjoy using them, it will take a while to get through them. Maybe I did steal them from somewhere else whilst I was sleepwalking!!! Once gone I shall endevour to buy only one jar or bottle of whatever it is I really need. I just don’t use it all enough to warrant having so many at one time. AAArrrrGGGGhhhhh!!!!! 🙂 🙂 🙂
Dizzy, glad you enjoyed the post. Yes, I think everyone who says anything about organizing/decluttering will agree that it just helps to use “new eyes” to look at your home. Your “prospective buyer” look at your home is a good way to do it. It is amazing what it can do for your perspective.
I’m like you about the overwhelmed feeling when visiting someone whose home is in a cluttered way from my perspective. I find that I do avoid those homes as much as I can just because of how unsettled I feel. I don’t think you were sleepwalking when those items appeared. Probably you had a specific reason to buy them and then something came along to prevent you from whatever use you had planned for them and in the normal shuffle of life they got pushed back out of sight. Out of sight, out of mind. I know that after your move you will be happily able to keep things like that from happening again.
Dizzy – good to hear from you again
Hey Moni,
Oh I do miss the 365ers’ you all manage to make my day in one way or another. I have been busy though getting through everything on a daily basis and wouldn’t you know it Life just happens! I mean, come on, all I want is to sit around and watch the grass grow, but NOOOO!!! washing to do, errands to run, oh and pesky children that want food, and food, and food!!!! Hahahaha roll on school starting!! Awful to say but I’m kinda over visitors for a bit. Love them all dearly BUT!!! heehee I think I need a ‘Drink” 🙂 🙂 🙂
I am sure all homemakers can relate to what you are saying Dizzy. I sure can.