I gained a lot of inspiration from a video by my friend Shannon, at
Free Spirit Knits. In the video she talked about de cluttering your home and how wonderful it can be. I am huge on giving clothes away that we don't wear anymore, but I had never gone any deeper than that nor had I ever thought about the benefits of de cluttering.
We have been in our home for almost 6 years and the things have piled up...when you have a space, you tend to fill it don't you? A couple of years ago my parents were moving into a smaller home and had some furniture to give away. I gladly took as much of it as I could to fill my home...my home is filled with furniture, decorations, kids toys, and so many other things. A lot of the things in my home give me joy, make me smile, and serve a purpose....but I would be willing to bet that I could get rid of 50% off the stuff in my home and not even miss it.
Now, how does de cluttering tie into One Small Change? How does it fit the eco friendly aspect of this challenge? Well, the most obvious (for me) eco friendly part of giving things away is that other people can benefit from what I give away without having to purchase new. If I have 2 coats and someone has 0 coats, wouldn't it make sense for each of us to have 1 coat. The person with 0 coats can now have a coat without having to purchase a brand new coat.
Another thought I have on the matter is that freeing up space in my home allows me more time to focus on projects such as One Small Change. You may have to think a bit deeper on this one, but if I am not constantly picking things up or organizing things or spending time looking for lost items, I have more free time, right? If my home is filled with the basic minimums and a few joyful items, I should know where everything is, I should feel more at peace, and I should have more time on my hands. With more peace in my heart and time on my hands I have more time to gather around the table with friends to talk about gardening, more time to create eco friendly changes at my daughter's school, more time to bake and cook from scratch, etc, etc, etc.
Now, for my last, thought on de cluttering...I feel like de cluttering is going to help me fulfill a very large dream I have had for a very long time! This dream I created several years ago, and am still slowly plugging away at the logistics, is to move to a smaller home with a lot of land. My dream is to live a more sustainable life by using the land around me for most of what I need. To use less energy in a smaller home and to be surrounded by nature's beauty. This dream is very much in the making, but it is also something that will not come in to fruition for a few years...but one of the steps to getting where we want to get is to realize that we can live with less. If we move to a smaller home, we may need some practice on living with less furniture, toys, dishes, etc. before we get there. So, yes it may be a stretch..but I do believe that taking this step now, is actually getting us 1 step closer to living our sustainable dream!
I started my change last weekend by clearing out my daughter's closets. I filled 3 bags worth of clothes and am happy with the start. My next step is to walk through the house and select at least 10 items that aren't serving me any purpose to give away.
I hope your change is going well this month so far! If you would like to share your change on our blog, please email me
suzy@hipmountainmama.com. We would love to hear from you!!
Suzy's Change: De Cluttering
Posts
you know what.... I never even questioned the idea that this was not an eco-change. It is living with the simple things in life, finding contentment in what we have- and in not needing/wanting more..... some people never see this as a problem, which for you to tackle it- is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteLove it Tif! So true!
ReplyDeleteSo true. Make sure you're giving it to charities that genuinely want the items and you'll be serving an even greater purpose! New books should go to libraries and used books should go to schools. Most thrift stores have too many of them and oftentimes they get damaged in the sorting process and ultimately thrown away.
ReplyDeleteOver the past 6 months I've given away nearly 70% of my things. http://riotousliving.com/2011/01/02/one-small-change/
It feels amazing!
Very interesting. Ever since free cycling my bad cleaners, I've been finding new things to freecycle. I like that they are gone and being used...feel much better about freecycle than, say, giving to Goodwill, where something may still end up in the dump. Now I've got two changes to record for March. :-)
ReplyDeleteI love decluttering. I will never have a minimal home due to the fact that I love colorful ephemera, but I am on a constant journey to limit my possessions to things I use and love :)
ReplyDeleteBe careful - it's addicting! Almost 9 yrs ago we moved from a 2400sqft house in a very small town to a 1400sqft house on 20 acres 20min outside a larger but still small town. And in the years to come we plan to downsize to a 1000sqft home sharing 5 acres with my parents.
ReplyDeleteWe did MAJOR decluttering with the 1st move, and we are still doing it now in prep for our next move even tho' it probably won't happen for several years. I'm addicted to it. Part of my push is that I don't like housework. lol. So if I'm not using it it needs to go so I don't have to vacuum around it/dust it/ect. lol. We still have a ways to go but good luck! {It's easier when your kids are grown and gone from the house lol}
My Feng Chui book claims that clutter blocks creative energy.
ReplyDeleteIf clutter isn't a sign of a task undone, or something that isn't needed now but didn't make it to long term storage - it at least distracts you. Items in clutter jump out, triggering thoughts of what you did to deposit an object in a temporary place, or what you intended to use it for - or even a reminder that you haven't straightened up.
If everything is well ordered, all tools and supplies in a proper storage place, then any project you consider is simpler - you already know where every tool and supply is.
Luck!