[wisewoman]

tis a gift to be simple. I have had the simplify bug for a long time, 2 years? Want to get rid of anything unessential, want only practical things in my home.

Always amazed at how I manage to collect so much "stuff" So here it is. I had no toys as a child and I have saved the good stuff from my own kids, legos, playmobile, some games and learning stuff. Am I complicating my life?

All of the books and papers hubby has in the basement..... His values are not mine.

I like empty, simple, sparse. Started using big canning jars for large drinks cause no one makes glasses big enough for my hot water with lemon.

I am not all clear on this. I have lived in this home 20 years, we have stuff!!!!! My daughter has a studio where she feels free to make a mess and experiment with her art and music. It is also sparse. comforting.

I have many pets and therefore many pet beds and blankets, toys. Is this clutter?

Just thoughts on simplifying life. No consumerizim. Stop buying. Keep what you need, recycle, Walmart can be so enticing. Glad I hate stores. I do yard sales and used stores.

Simplify, no credit card, no clubs, no mags, just us here with the basics. No t.v.

But as I look at my home I still see "stuff". Are these things I can get rid of, make more room, let go? How do I know?

Less clutter in the home is less clutter in my head.

[Greenleaves]

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Less clutter in the home is less clutter in my head.

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I think that's very true. When our environment gets messy, disorganized and cluttered, so can our thoughts.

I would like to simplify my surroundings too. There's a lot of clutter everywhere. If I had my own place I would buy only the essentials.

Much easier to clean the house that way.

[wisewoman]

what about the clothes you wear 3 times a year? How about the blankets that get used only when you have many extra people in your home? What about things like having three pairs of pajama pants? Which books do you get rid of? The knick nacs people give you, which do you keep? How come I have a million pairs of socks and can never find any?

How does one organize so that they have the essentials readily available?

By the way, little baby rescue golden doodle is ill, again, still. She got bit playing with one of the Katrina puppies but that wasn't what made her ill, she has pneumonia. Poor baby. Vet gave her a shot and she is perking up already though I am supposed to be keeping her quiet. Then my son found fleas on her and I realize she hasn't had her econd dose of revolution as she has been too frail. poor puppy.

My mind feels overwhelmed. I want to have less to think about, less to have in my home. Clutter be gone!!!!!!!!

[LMo]

Wisewoman, I am RIGHT WITH YOU there! I've been going through this over the past few years. Not as successfully as I've wanted to, but I have definitely scaled back quite a bit. I've never been a packrat, but I've moved a few times in the last few years, and realized how ridiculous it was to keep lugging stuff around.

The first thing that went were clothes. I got rid of about 75% of my clothes during the first clean-out, then another round got rid of the remaining. My closet looks great! But now, I have a whole lot of stuff I can't fit into because I was going through a divorce when I scaled back, and I had lost a ton of weight and was really skinny then! But, I'm working on that...

Same with kitchen gadgets. Toast can tell you about my hemming and hawing about buying new kitchen gadgets these days. But I'm doing well.

Cleaning out the junk drawers was absolutely liberating! And the garage!

And while most of the stuff I got rid of went to Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, the Humane Society or other places like that, I have had a LOT of fun selling and bartering on Craigslist. Not only have I gotten rid of stuff and made some money, but I have made some great friends that way. My best friend, in fact, is a woman I sold a gas-powered lawn mower to (in favor of a reel mower, since our lawn is tiny). We ended up talking for such a long time that we decided to meet for drinks, and a year later we went to Peru together. We have been best friends for 3 years now and it's all due to simplifying and Craigslist!

[wisewoman]

Cool LMO. What is Craiglist? Also, how do you know what to get rid of in the kitchen? We have freecycle here and I enjoy it much and have made some good contacts. Brings the world closer together. Junk drawer! Oh my. Yup, gotta go there.

I gave away a ton of clothes and my body has changed since then as my belly seems to think it's pregos, gotta fix that, never had a belly in my life!!! Menopause?

Anyway, it's good to have this conversation for me. I wish I could have you come and help me pile what is really not needed. My garage is okay except for recycling that hasn't happened in a month or two.

What about African art from my in laws trips to Africa? It seems that we should always keep these things but they are not being displayed correctly, they are closeted at the moment.

My real catch is computer junk. I collect such stuff, never know when I might need it. I have been giving a lot of it away. I am losing my enjoyment of rebuilding systems and giving them away.

Anyway, I am rambling. Got advice?

[SeptemberMorn]

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When our environment gets messy, disorganized and cluttered, so can our thoughts.

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I find it to be the other way around. When my mind is disorganized and cluttered, then my house gets that way. It's a reflextion of how I'm living my life.

[wi_fighter]

WW, every so often (but not often enough) I'll get in a frame of mind to go through a room or two and ask myself "If I was moving, would I want to drag this along?" Usually the answer is no.

I tend to hang on to magazines too long. Not a lot of them, but I have about a dozen Mother Earth News on my computer desk bookshelf right now. They're probably 3 years old if not older. I have no plans of building a chicken coop or crafting my own garden hoe, so I don't know why I hold on to them.

We seem to have amassed a large collection of markers, colored pencils, and loose leaf paper too.

I want to get rid of curtains too. They're just giant dust collectors. You can probably relate to that with the pets and their shedding ending up on them.

[LMo]

Hi Wisewoman -- the Freecycle and Craigslist members are largely the same community - all grass-roots and all. http://www.craigslist.org -- on the right side of the screen is a list of cities - pick the one closest to you.

I'd LOVE to help you clean out -- and have you help me as well! I think it's really helpful to have a 'supervisor' and I usually try to get my stepmom to fill that role when she comes to visit.

Definitely keep the art, if it's art you love. Art isn't clutter. Once you have space, then it'll be worth displaying. Or send it to me

The computer junk -- have you tried freegeeks.org? I know what you mean about holding onto that stuff, but it's worth more as a donation than as spare parts. You can always go help them build computers if the mood strikes you.

This is fun - we should start tracking our efforts. I keep a spreadsheet of what I've sold or bartered on Craigslist. I'll pull it out sometime - I do it for sheer entertainment. I have some favorite things I've sold. One that comes to mind is a 5-pack (I drank one) of diet ginger ale. Someone came and bought it for $1. I also gave away a used toilet seat. I actually had 2 or 3 people clamoring for it. What! Well, glad I could make their day. Better than letting it sit in a landfill!

[Lexicon78]

Think of all the things you use on a daily basis. Keep those things. Keep the important papers, pics, albums, etc.

And everything else? Rid yourself of the clutter.

Good luck.