Excellent advice for a relaxing home - Page 6

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

@Bird mama wrote:
@feline groovy I'm probably weird, clutter affects my ability to think. It's funny we are getting ready to pilot a remote working arrangement at my employer. I've been watching people pack up years of clutter - blankets, shoe collections, etc. They are purging old paperwork.

I've been at the company 37 years. I have a half filled 3 inch, 3 ring binder and a gray pocket folder that has paper in it.

That's it.

@Bird mama. Haha. In my almost 35 years, I've moved 3 times and had my desk switched more times than I can count. I had "stuff", then one day said no more. I have a slim drawer with important stuff. Like straws, spare pen, cups and plastic utensils. There's a file folder of papers that I haven't been able to part with. The day I leave, I'll toss everything and have my desk ready for the next person in less than 5 minutes. LOL

GCR18 · ‎07-03-2013

I used to keep stuff, but have limited it to pieces that come with memories. I have two McCoy roosters on my mantle. I can picture them on my maternal grandparents fireplace. I have an old table. I can picture it in my paternal grandparents formal living room. I have an old rocking chair. I can picture that in my paternal grandparents formal living room. It was given to my godmother when they passed. She in turn gave it to me before she passed. I have my mother and maternal grandmothers Hummel collection. That's the one I struggle with. It takes up a lot of room, but I can't scale it back just yet.

Bird mama · ‎03-12-2010

@GCR18 If I had genuine Hummels I wouldn't part with them either.

There are times when you must speak, not because you are going to change the opposing side, but because if you do not speak, they have changed you.

CANDLEQUEEN · ‎03-09-2010

My husband and I are both ones for an orderly and neat house. However where we differ is that he loves the television and I sometimes do not. He has left the t.v. on and is not even in the room to watch it. I won't do that. If I am not watching it, it is off. Plus I do not like loud tv's and my husband loves his sports channells loud...We have a tv in both our bedroom and our living room, as we do not have a Family Room.....I do agree with most of the other things in the article though.

After we took down our Christmas decor, we purges some of our things as well, and with having a smaller home, you need to de-clutter often..

I tend to want to hang onto things longer than my husband, so we really have to compromise at times! lol!

SunValley · ‎04-19-2010

I try to minimize storing bits of this and that, but the tendency is to keep whatever is left from a project “just in case.” These odds and ends take up space for three years and then I toss it! It’s also my habit to keep an item of clothing because an occasion may come and I could wear it. Common sense should tell me the item is probably going to look dated or it won’t even fit by the time that “occasion” makes its magical appearance. Ah...the thrifty me just can’t let go. I need to get real more often. And I do like seeing some open space in my storage areas as crammed cupboards are irritating to look at and to get something out of without a disaster.

LonestarBabs · ‎06-26-2011

@Bird mama My mother has a Hummel collection -- 83 pieces -- and we are eagerly trying to get rid of them! There isn't much of a market for them anymore, and their appeal is now regional in nature. For instance, here in Texas people just shrug but folks in the Midwest or East are more familiar with them. Even the collectibles specialty shops or dealers don't really want them. So, it's aggravating looking at all of those things on a daily basis not to mention the big honkin' cabinet required for their display.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@SunValley wrote:
I try to minimize storing bits of this and that, but the tendency is to keep whatever is left from a project “just in case.” These odds and ends take up space for three years and then I toss it! It’s also my habit to keep an item of clothing because an occasion may come and I could wear it. Common sense should tell me the item is probably going to look dated or it won’t even fit by the time that “occasion” makes its magical appearance. Ah...the thrifty me just can’t let go. I need to get real more often. And I do like seeing some open space in my storage areas as crammed cupboards are irritating to look at and to get something out of without a disaster.

THis is my clutter problem to a tee! IT isn't the rooms of my home when you walk in and look around, it is the closets, drawers and cupboards that get so full.

Every one of them is clean, organized and contains only good 'stuff' (no broken or damaged or worn out things), but there is just way too much in them.

It does make it frustrating and time consuming to get things out that are in the back/bottom, so much so, that I often just don't use those things as I don't want to go through the hassle of getting to them.

In all fairness, we have rather limited size closets and cabinets here, nothing walk in, even in the most modest sense. In fact the master bedroom has only about 6 feet of hanging space and the closet is only about three feet deep. So when you share that space with a spouse, it means I have about the length of a yardstick to hang my clothing.

I know I have too much stuff in general, but I think I also have too little storage space!