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S/O what is your reason... - Page 2

post #21 of 37
7/19/08 at 4:51pm
5 years ago or so I did really good with decluttering. I got rid of lots of stuff and tried to take care of the things I did keep. The last two years however, adding at third person to the house had made the things I did keep much more obviously clutter. I have to make the hard decisions.
All those language books - Why keep those. I'm not likely at this point in my life to become the scholar I'd hoped to be. And if I were I would probably use the internet for vocab and grammar.
And yet an entire shelf of language books remain (latin, German, Spanish, French, Gaelic, and Old English.)

As for decluttering the infant things - I live in hope that I'll need them again. I really really doubt I will but there is still a bit of hope. Sometimes I'll wonder if I'll be 50 and still have a bouncy seat in the cabinet.
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post #22 of 37
7/20/08 at 6:53pm
My main problem is selective blindness. I grew up in a cluttered home and just got used to not seeing the junk. Now I can let papers, DVDs, clothes and 'stuff' just pile up and simply not see it's there. DH says, every couple of weeks, 'LOOK at this desk!' and I always think 'Hey, it's covered in stuff... whodathunkit'. Poor DH.

Unfinished projects are another biggie... also things I mean to sell online but haven't gotten around to... also things of DH's I keep meaning to ask him about and then don't. Oh, and laziness. :

Well hey, I think I've just figured out my goal for the day!
post #23 of 37
7/21/08 at 9:03am
I probably have a unique response but when I was 9 my family moved from Mexico to the US after my dad lost his corporate job and he had a difficult time getting back on track to a new career. But my parents didn't explain it to us kids because I think they didn't want us to tip off immigration when we crossed over the border because we just had visitor's visas and not work visas. I don't know how long my parents intended for us to stay but 24 years later I now call the US my home. When we left Mexico my parents only allowed us kids to take 1-2 toys and a few summer outfits. We left our nice home, friends, family and everything else behind. I think that traumatized me for life in many areas.

The weird thing is that now I'm doing a 180 and have become ruthless at decluttering. Maybe I"m just sick of all the useless crap I've been hoarding all these years.
post #24 of 37
7/21/08 at 12:24pm
I think it's important to not assume that since someone has a lot of stuff, that doesn't necessarily mean they have a problem. My mom and my grandmother both have a lot of stuff. *But*, their houses are nice, neat, and clean. They have the stuff because they derive enjoyment out of the stuff. I think if you are getting enjoyment out of what you have, then you don't have a problem at all. If it's bothering you, then you need to start thinking about decluttering. I wonder what I'll be like when my kids get older, I think a lot of my decluttering urges really just come from the fact that the kids pull everything I own out it seems.
post #25 of 37
7/21/08 at 8:29pm
Thread Starter 
Susannah-I agree. My mom has enormous amounts of antiques and furniture, however, her house is as neat as a pin and she loves it. As the OP I more meant for people who want to declutter/downsize but can't. However, I will say I worry about how much my mom has invested and if it will hold value over the years. Supposedly antiques aren't wanted by younger generations and aren't gaining equity. I hate all that stuff but it would make me sick to know she paid 800$ for a very old biscuit jar and 30 yrs later no one gives a whip and its worth 100$. I'd hate to think she wasted her hard earned money and I'd be practically giving it away...cause it isn't coming to my house lol.
post #26 of 37
7/22/08 at 3:15pm
As we speak, I'm sitting on my couch which is covered with VHS tapes that I'm DYING to post on craigslist for FREE.

In a word? DH. He's a clutter freak. He has old license plates from when he lived in Kansas. Gear from when he umpired. He used to recruit for his alma mater and still has freakin' forms and maps from then. Old W-2s, old pictures of a golf course. Old t-shirts that SAY "2004" on them. And not just one... 6 duplicates of the same stupid, faded, ugly shirt.

He's the one who hinders me from throwing things away and decluttering. And it's just gotten worse since DS has been around. The toys take up space, DH takes up space, my stuff takes up space...
post #27 of 37
7/22/08 at 5:13pm
I am slowly working towards decluttering.

I came from one of those families that always saved it in case they needed later; you know the type – keeps 3 sets worth of crap utensils in the drawer and another three boxes in the attic.

Take two sets of depression era grandparents, a father (not bio.) that was a WWII refugee (who truly had nothing for a very long time), a mother that is still using the bath towels from her first marriage 38 years ago and it is a battle for me to declutter.

So what is keeping me for decluttering? In no particular order:

1.Family baggage. What if the next great depression hits tomorrow and I really do need that 6th extra blanket? (irrational, I know)

2.A big house, the more room you have, the easier it is to ignore things hiding in spare closets, drawers, attic, etc.

3.Related to #1, buying too much of “a good deal” At the moment, I have three duvet covers purchased for a ridiculously low price. I don’t need three yet it is hard for me to give them away. I have made great strides in this area and have lived by a “one thing in, one thing out” rule for over a year.

4.Emotional attachment to some items, mostly for my grandparents’ items as well as ds’s baby items

5.Laziness/lack of time. I could get up earlier in the morning and force myself to work an hour or two at a time but I don’t, it is too easy to cuddle in bed.

6.DH – It isn’t that he hinders me, he simply doesn’t care about things he can’t see. In his mind, why worry about 15 year old clothing, shoes, etc when the stuff is shoved in a closet?

7.Disposal, I could easily fill a trash can with just paper from my office, then I wouldn’t have room for regular trash, and on and on…..
post #28 of 37
7/22/08 at 9:05pm
1. DH. If I declutter while he's around, my decisions are questioned: "(Gasp!) You're getting rid of that?!"

2. Stupidly enough, guilt. I fight those guilty voices all the time: "But she gave that to you!" "What if she comes over and asks where it is?"

3. The classic obsessive-compulsive thought uttered by PPs: "But, but . . . what if I need it some day?"
post #29 of 37
7/22/08 at 11:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by deuxceleste View Post
In a word? DH. He's a clutter freak. He has old license plates from when he lived in Kansas. Gear from when he umpired. He used to recruit for his alma mater and still has freakin' forms and maps from then. Old W-2s, old pictures of a golf course. Old t-shirts that SAY "2004" on them. And not just one... 6 duplicates of the same stupid, faded, ugly shirt.
you're killing me here! I lived in KS most of my life, and I have t-shirts older than 2004 (but I don't think they have the date anywhere on them) :
post #30 of 37
7/23/08 at 10:10am
I definately have t-shirts older than 10 years! My t-shirt pile haunts me. I only wear them around the house so I don't need 25 yet I can't get rid of them. I don't have a t-shirt body so I don't even like wearing them yet.....
post #31 of 37
7/24/08 at 1:32am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Turquesa View Post
The classic obsessive-compulsive thought uttered by PPs: "But, but . . . what if I need it some day?"
I so relate to this, and DH does, too. And now we've compounded the problem with "what if dd needs it, or baby#2 needs it"...

Ideas on how to overcome this problem specifically??
post #32 of 37
7/28/08 at 2:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nascarbebe View Post
you're killing me here! I lived in KS most of my life, and I have t-shirts older than 2004 (but I don't think they have the date anywhere on them) :
Acceptable!

Duplicates?
post #33 of 37
7/28/08 at 2:58pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by nascarbebe View Post
you're killing me here! I lived in KS most of my life, and I have t-shirts older than 2004 (but I don't think they have the date anywhere on them) :
Furthermore, I'm about 90% sure that your t-shirts have sleeves. That they're not ripped off at the sleevey-seams.
post #34 of 37
7/28/08 at 3:23pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by mommaof3boz View Post
If you are comfortable sharing...what is your reason?
Mine is usually because I dont have time to do so without distraction. If I really hunker down to declutter - my daughter will inevitably get into something she shouldn't or the dogs will come in and start hauling off with crap. Its annoying.
But I have been decluttering for about 6mths now - and my house is pretty damned decluttered now - all thanks to my having hubby take the kiddo out to jump on her trampoline or go to the lake etc while I stay home and work on it.
Now I just need to tame the clothing beast in her room (dresser over stuffed with clothes on top as well and the closet - seriously a 4yr old should NOT have this many articals of clothing!) and weed out the toys to prepare for Christmas this year. Thought this year I think we are going to ask for room decor or something. NOT TOYS!!
post #35 of 37
7/28/08 at 9:44pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by xochimama View Post
I so relate to this, and DH does, too. And now we've compounded the problem with "what if dd needs it, or baby#2 needs it"...

Ideas on how to overcome this problem specifically??
I'm finally getting past it with a tip that I learned in one of my many how-to-organize books. You have to ask yourself what is the worst thing that could happen if you get rid of an item.

Would you have to buy a new or used one? Rent it? Check it out from the library? Borrow it from somebody? Ask friends for hand-me-downs? Use something in its place? Simply live without it and move on with your life? Usually the "worst" doesn't seem so bad once you think it over. After looking at the decision in that light, only rarely have I felt compelled to hold on to something.
post #36 of 37
7/29/08 at 4:27am
Quote:
Originally Posted by OkiMom View Post
I see something and think of how much I paid for it and it seems wasteful to get rid of it and "waste" the money.
This is it! That's my main problem. Like somehow the money is wasted if I get rid of it, but if I keep it, I still might use it "someday" and make it worth the money I paid. How likely is this? Not so much.
post #37 of 37
7/29/08 at 11:36am
With the baby/kid stuff, one thing that has helped me is that I will sell it on craigslist, and I figure if I need it again I can buy it used for about the same price I sold it for.