declutterbug

I may have posted this here before, but it cracks me up every time I see it:

Whatever kind of future
could ever require this
many paper bags

;)

Here are some guidelines! Use at your own risk!

Bank records, tax stuff etc.

Pretty much everything.

Here's a link to one decluttering/organizing/cleaning/relaxing thing to do each day in August.

I was craving a trip to the library tonight, and that's tonight's task. I haven't gone in ages because Ki had a $9.50 fine on my card and I didn't want to be faced with paying it off. That's pretty silly, so perhaps I'll go down there in a few minutes.

What if I just let go of all my excess? What if I tossed out, gave away, sold all those things I don't really use regularly?

How would that feel?

I vascillate. Obviously, if I don't think I'll use it, I get rid of it. But I often stop short of getting rid of EVERYTHING I don't wear or use regularly.

I don't always trust that I could replace whatever it is if I suddenly needed it. I also like a lot of variety and such in clothing, and I'm always thinking I shouldn't buy any more clothing. So I feel like if I get rid of a bunch of okay-but-not-stellar clothing, I'll be without a lot of choices in the clothing department, and I won't really have the money to replace it. (And I'm super hard to fit, so there's the time and frustration factor, too.)

But there's also the part of me that would love to have a clutterfree closet.

Another part thinks, "well, what about the other stuff I enjoy less but have to keep (silly things like staplers, financial records, dental floss and such)?" And really, how do you decide what to keep? If you only need a few tee shirts, what ones do you keep if you like them all? It gets too confusing, and I end up with a pile of yeses and a pile of nos and a BIG HUGE pile of "not sures." Then, of course, I leave the "not sures" there so I can decide. And then the nos join the pile of things for Goodwill, which also sits.

It'd be nice to sell some of my things so I could have a bit of extra cash. It would certainly come in handy! But that means setting aside time and figuring out a space for a garage sale (my place is not condusive to having one, as it has no lawn or driveway).

Ultimately, I end up not doing a 100% all-holds-barred "thing makeover" because I want to make the "right" decision, the decision that would maximize my money, space and time.

Ack.

Time to put the laundry in the dryer!

Sometimes I crosspost from my other blog. This is one of those times.

Evening Update

I have a ton to do, but I don't have to BE anywhere tonight, which is huge. Typically, my evenings are extremely busy. Add to that the fact that I usually work late and you have one very, very busy and tired wen.

Tonight I have that weird sense of possibility--I can do whatever I please, really. Except that I have this huge superego that chants "clean, write, sort the filing, do the laundry" so loudly that I can't really concentrate on having fun, per se.

When I got home from work today--I left within an hour of quitting time, which is big for me--I took this pre-filing accordian folder (well, it's more like a 10-inch wide file "box") and went through the entire contents. This was one of the things that was on "my" pile to haul away from the old house. Alas, I figured it wasn't all my stuff, but really, resistance is futile.

I put Ki's stuff on one pile, mine on another and tossed everything I didn't need. I threw out old UCSC pay stubs, fellowship letters etc. I sure hope these aren't the types of things one needs to keep indefinitely. Hmmm. I also have a "do I need to keep it?" pile with old AAA statements, the odd paid off credit card bill etc. Does anyone know how long one must hang on to these things? Is 2 years enough?

I journaled for a few moments--gasp, I pen and papered it, rather than blogging!!--and found that 1) the pen did not write smoothly, which I hate and 2) I was writing about all the work I should be doing.

So, I stopped and threw in a load of laundry. I love having a w/d right in the house, but due to my living situation, I need to dry my hanging clothes in my room. This makes an already crowded space much worse. Even though I have the "over the door" hanger thingees, I end up needing more space than that for a load of laundry. (NB: I'm not big on the dryer because I'm so tall that my clothes barely cover my wrists and ankles as it is. Any shrinkage renders my duds entirely unwearable unless I am going for the uber nerd my-mom-didn't-bother-to-buy-me-new-school-clothes-and-my-how-I've-grown-over-the-summer look, which I am not.

I was thinking (based on some comments here and on other blogs I read) that it might be fun to open this blog up and make it a "group think." If you like this idea and want to participate, let me know.

So far, the only rule I propose is: be nice to each other.

I couldn't have said it better.

For example:

2. My two favorite deal with decluttering and using a timer. Seriously. You need to declutter. We all have too much stuff, unless you are poor in which case, I apologize. I try to declutter by moving across the country using just my car. Anything that doesn't fit, doesn't go. This might not work for you however. So for you, I offer this suggestion.

a. Pick up an item.
b. Do you know what the hell it is? If not, toss it.
c. Does it smell bad? If so, toss it.
d. Ask yourself "Would I rather take care of this item or blog?" If the answer is blog, toss it.
NOTE: Do not toss your husband, wife, children, all the food in you fridge, your pets or your neighbors pets.

Please go read it. And laugh.

Clearing away the excess in our lives, be they things or old emotions, paves the way for blessings.