Kathi Lipp - The Clutter-Free Home: Making Room for Your Life

Table of Contents

HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS

EUGENE, OREGON

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Published in association with Books & Such Literary Management, 52 Mission Circle, Suite 122, PMB 170, Santa Rosa, CA 95409-5370, www.booksandsuch.com.

Portions of the chapter Use It Up, Wear It Out, Make It Do, or Do Without appear in Clutter Free 2015 by Kathi Lipp.

The Clutter-Free Home

Copyright 2020 by Kathi Lipp

Published by Harvest House Publishers

Eugene, Oregon 97408

www.harvesthousepublishers.com

ISBN 978-0-7369-7698-5 (pbk.)

ISBN 978-0-7369-7699-2 (eBook)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Lipp, Kathi, author.

Title: The clutter-free home: making room for your life / Kathi Lipp.

Description: Eugene: Harvest House Publishers, 2020.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019032738 (print) | LCCN 2019032739 (ebook) | ISBN 9780736976985 (paperback) | ISBN 9780736976992 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Storage in the home. | Orderliness. | House cleaning.

Classification: LCC TX309 .L55455 2020 (print) | LCC TX309 (ebook) | DDC 648/.8dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019032738

LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019032739

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To Tonya Kubo

You found freedom through Clutter Free ,

and you share hope every day with others

who desperately need freedom.

You have loved our Clutter Free

Academy community well.

You have mercy for those who

are still on the path.

I am so grateful for you and the

life-giving work you do for so many.

CONTENTS

I wanted to just give up.

I was so tired. Tired of living in chaos. Tired of feeling like I needed to remodel the house every time I wanted to clean it.

Making life run with a husband and four kids took so much stuff , and I had no place to put it. I felt helpless, unable to change. So this was the life we were doomed to: controlled and not-so-controlled chaos.

Then I went to my friend Debs house.

Deb was the mom of five kids and lived in a house with even fewer square feet than mine. We were at her house to get ready for a PTA project, and I couldnt believe her place when I walked in. The home wasnt spotless or fussy, but it was totally her.

When our time together wound down, after wed had such a great afternoon, I told her (as I would tell any good friend), Next time, you dont have to clean house for me. That is my ultimate obviously we are going to be amazing friends card.

She said offhandedly, Oh, I didnt. No worries. And after the next few meetings at her home (I wasnt letting her into my house), I soon discovered why.

Deb had no clutter.

It wasnt that the house was perfectthere were dishes in the sink and backpacks on the tableor that the furniture was fancy. In fact, I noticed around visit number three that some of it didnt even match. But there was no clutter: no piles of papers waiting to be sorted, no extra toys waiting to be put away, no collection of plastic cups from local eateries sitting on the counters. Everything had a place and a use.

And thats when my life took a turn. I wanted to grow up to be Deb.

Chances are, if you picked up this book, youve had your own Deb moment. Maybe you doubt you can ever get free of the clutter. Maybe youve tried to declutter before, but your efforts were soon thwarted by more papers, toys, and clothes covering every flat surface. You might have even thought, Why bother? Its a never-ending battle .

Since that first day at Debs house, Ive figured out a way not only to get rid of the clutter (without becoming a minimalist), but to make sure my home stays decluttered. And let me tell you: If I can do it, then you can too. I promise.

This is my wish for you:

I want you to have a home that stays decluttered.

I want you to feel at peace when you walk into your home.

I want you to have a home that nourishes you and the people you love.

THE HABIT OF NO

We tend to think that we are the only ones on our block who are in a battle with clutter. But statistics show that 54 percent of us deal with clutter in a big way in our homes. In other words, most of us ( most! ) feel that clutter is a big stressor on our lives. Thats because our desires and habits are diametrically opposed. We desire simplicity and rest. We desire organized minds and calendars. We desire harmony. But we havent built the daily habits that will make those desires a reality.

I have a few big desiresa few big yeses in my life. I want to have a home that I love and feel completely at ease in. I want to have enough money to travel, to give to causes I believe in, and, eventually, to have a dignified retirement. I want to spend time on work I believe in and causes I care about.

It takes a thousand little nos to get to your one big yes . And in this book, Im going to make suggestions for a thousand nos . Some of these, especially if you are a clutter keeper, are going to seem ridiculous. Use up that shower gel Ive been hanging on to for a year? Its not going to hurt anyone if I keep one bottle . No, it wont. But the problem is, its not just one bottle. There are a thousand decisions like that in each of our homes, and if you want to develop the mind of a clutter flinger, youve got to give yourself some hard-and-fast rules. You have to be diligent to keep the clutter from creeping in.

So as you read through this book, if you are struck by the thought, Oh brother, that small change cant make a difference , know that you are rightbut also realize that a thousand small tweaks combined can make a huge difference.

THE HABITS OF CLUTTER KEEPERS VS. CLUTTER FLINGERS

Clutter Keepers: Ill leave this out in case I want to come back to it later .