Decluttering

Summer Clothes to Fall Clothes

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I live in an area with different seasons. That means I need clothes that will work for a variety of temperatures.  Since I don’t have unlimited closet space, my closet gets pretty stuffed if I keep all my clothes in there. Therefore, it’s a lot easier to find what I want wear when out of season clothes are stored elsewhere.

Earlier this summer I started a clothes closet experiment and wrote about in a blog post. I took all of the fall/winter tops off of one rack and left only the summer ones.  I put them in spare closet. Then I marked my calendar to start going through those tops in September.

Well, it’s on my calendar today! It’s good timing because this weekend will have temperatures cooler than the high 80’s or 90’s for the first time in months. It will be easier to go through fall/winter clothes when it actually feels a little like fall. So I’ve put it on my weekend list.

One surprising thing I found about this experiment is how easy it’s been for me to recognize which summer tops I no longer wear.  I believe this is because with fewer clothes in the closet and only the ones that are suitable for that particular season it’s been easier to see what I wore and what I didn’t.

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying that we wear 20% of our clothes 80% of the time.  A good goal would be to wear 80% of our clothes 80% of the time.  Only 20% will be left for those special occasions.

So now is a good time to start going through the fall clothes and packing away the summer ones.  If it’s possible, try to pack away all out of season clothes. Under-the-bed storage boxes work well for this. Think about the 20/80 rule above when deciding what to keep or not keep.

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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Has Your Clutter Earned the Right to Live in Your Home?

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A couple of years ago I wrote a post about how things can be freeloaders in our homes.  Many times we have such an emotional attachment to our things that we lose sight of what’s of value to our lives and what isn’t.

I looked up the definition of “clutter” in my Webster’s New World College Dictionary.  Granted this book was the 1997 version and some definitions may have change. Anyway, it says that clutter is a number of things scattered in disorder or a jumble.  It doesn’t say that any of the things are junk, just that they are “scattered in disorder”.

Maybe this definition is part of the problem with understanding if our things are just cluttered or if they are freeloaders.  To understand how I defined what is a freeloader and what isn’t with regards to our things, please check out this blog post.

“Things” Can Be Freeloaders

Our lives are busy and sometimes we just don’t have time to keep everything organized.  But at some point it will become more than just a little mess.  This blog post explains what the difference is.

Is It Clutter or Just a Little Mess?

The more we educate ourselves on what is just a mess, what is clutter, what is a freeloader, and even what is junk and what is treasure, the easier it will be to emotionally detach ourselves from our things. Without our emotions clouding our logical thinking we will be able to decide which things have earned the right to live in our home and which should be kicked to the curb.

This article asks 12 questions that can help you think clearly as to whether your things are junk or treasure.

Is it Junk or Treasure?

Please let me know in the comment section what kind of “freeloaders” you have found living in your home.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

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One Easy Way to Prevent Clutter

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If clutter and organization are a problem for you (most likely since you’re reading this blog) then I’m sure you’re always looking for an easy way to solve that problem. Even if you take the time and effort to clear out the clutter it’s so hard to keep it from coming back. After all, we have to buy food, clothes, and household items on a regular basis.  Then there is the incoming mail, school papers, gifts, etc.

We can’t prevent everything from coming into our homes nor would we want to. But we do have the power to control many things that might become clutter if we take a little time to plan ahead.

One of the easiest and simplest ways is to use a shopping list. Yes, I said a shopping list. I know that sounds boring and ruins the fun of shopping. But, most of the items that become clutter are purchased on impulse and without planning.

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Creating a habit of making a shopping list every time you go to a store will help reduce the chance of bringing clutter into your home now and in the future. This really is an easy habit to create if you have the right tools always available. I use a white board on my refrigerator for grocery and other household items I’ve run out of or want to buy. I also make sure I have pen and paper to transfer that list to take with me. I know a lot of people are using their smart phones to make the list. It doesn’t matter what you use as long as you make that list before going to the store.

Think about it. How often have you stopped at the grocery store without a list and bought items you thought you needed. When you got home you found there were several cans/packages of that item already on the shelf or in the freezer. If you use it up before the expiration date then that’s great. But if you don’t get around to using the item (because you have too many) before it’s expired then you’ve not only created clutter you’ve also wasted money.

The same thing holds true for clothes shopping, back to school shopping, or any other kind of household shopping. If you make a list before you go to the store you’ll know exactly what you need or want. No guessing involved! That will reduce the times you purchase something that ends up as clutter. Therefore you’re preventing clutter from entering your home to begin with.

Remember, a bargain isn’t a bargain if it ends up as clutter!

So make that list. Check it twice. Then you’ll find it so much easier to keep your home nice.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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An Experiment in Clothes Closet Clutter

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I was reading a blog post from “Be More With Less” where she talked about doing experiments on how to live with fewer things.  She said to look at these experiments as temporary.

This seemed to hit a cord with me.  The definition of experiment is: a test, trial, or an act or procedure for the purpose of discovering something unknown.

The unknown can be learning to live without clutter.  Of course everyone’s definition of clutter is different.  Most of the time it’s the fear of having nothing left after we clear out the clutter keeps us from taking actions. A temporary experiment with decluttering might just be the way to discover those fears are unfounded.

Experiment – Step 1

I decided to give it a try.  Somehow my clothes closet has grown smaller over the past several years. I figured that is a good place to set up an experiment. Tackling one section at a time should help to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I started by taking everything off the 3 foot rod where most of my tops are hanging.

When I piled them on the bed I separated them by winter, summer, and all those T-shirts that have accumulated from special events or vacations.

 

I packed away the winter clothes in under-the-bed boxes. Since it’s summer, I’ll deal with those clothes this fall.

After all the extra hangers were put in another closet, I hung the summer clothes back in my closet. I easily got rid of six summer tops, but I know I need to declutter more.

After putting the summer tops back in the closet I realized I had 13 more clean tops hanging in the laundry room. They are not in the photo above so needless to say my closet will still be crowded.

Experiment – Step 2

In this step comes the real “experiment”.  All the vacation/event T-shirts (the ones laying on the bed in the above picture) were hung up in a closet in another room. I always think I’ll wear them to work out in the yard but I never do.

The next thing is to mark a calendar or desk planner for a date in September. Summer will be winding down so that will be a good time to make a decision on whether to keep those T-shirts or not. Maybe by then I’ll discover I can live without them and give them away.

Summer is the time we naturally “lighten up”. Take advantage of this time to experiment with different areas that are cluttered in your home.  Pack away books, trinkets, and other items on your shelves. Live with the uncluttered summer cottage look for several months. Then decide if you miss all those things.

Remember, the experiments are temporary. You’re preforming the experiment to see if you can live without many things that clutter up your home. You don’t have to get rid of anything just yet.

Of course if there are things you’re ready to let go of now, then go for it! That will be less to deal with later.

If you’ve preformed an experiment like I described above I would love to hear about it.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

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