Jane Higgins - Decluttering Made Easy: A Simple Step By Step Guide

DECLUTTERING MADE EASY

A Simple Step-by-Step Guide

Jane Higgins

ARTHUR H. STOCKWELL LTD

Torrs Park, Ilfracombe, Devon, EX34 8BA

Established 1898

www.ahstockwell.co.uk

Jane Higgins, 2018

First published in Great Britain, 2018

The moral rights of the author have been asserted.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright holder.

2020 digital version converted and distributed by

Andrews UK Limited

www.andrewsuk.com

Dedication

I would like to dedicate this, my first book, to several very important people in my life.

First and foremost, to my wonderful family: my husband, Rob, and our children, Nicole and Matthew. For their constant love, care, support and encouragement, especially during the very difficult times of huge emotional upheaval; for keeping me grounded and sane, by taking me out to the moors and countryside, which helped me to see the bigger picture, giving me a more positive perspective when everything looked bleak.

To my brother, David Greeves, for giving me the impetus I needed to start sorting things out, instead of just moving them from place to place! Also, for reallocating and selling almost all of the furniture; for his love, support, patience and understanding during what was a horrendous time for us both after our mums death.

To our late mums best friend, Carole Bedford, who helped us to sort, clear and empty our mums house after her death. She stayed with us, and kept us calm from beginning to end; showed us how to make each task a little easier by breaking it down into smaller chunks; always worked very hard without complaint; and reduced the immense, extremely intense emotional stress by using sensible advice and good memories.

To our late mums neighbour, Hilary Greene, for helping to care for our mum and for always being there when she was needed by her. As well as for her help, support, reassurance and advice during our struggle to clear Mums house, and for her wonderful friendship since.

To all of our late mums friends for all their years of friendship to her, and to us after her death. Also, for their support, advice and encouragement, which was much appreciated.

To our friends and neighbours, Mr and Mrs Mayman, for their help, support and understanding during this very lengthy process; and not forgetting their huge contribution towards the redistribution and relocation of 1,000-plus books!

To Mr and Mrs Rowles for all their lifts, advice and encouragement.

Also, to all the wonderful people I have met during this prolonged and painful process, all of whom have been encouraging, supportive and helpful. From Saltash town councillors, Saltash Heritage and St Lukes Charity Shop in Saltash, to shopkeepers on the Barbican, Plymouth, to various army addresses and archives, and to Bedford Council, Bedford Records Office and its archivist, plus the fabulous St Agnes playgroup girls.

Thank you so much to all of you: I couldnt have done it without you.

Last, but not least, to our late mum, Hazel Greeves, for her love and care over the years for us, her children, and for her enduring loyalty to many different local organisations in Saltash, which gave her so much pleasure throughout her life. Also for inadvertently turning me into a declutterer, by keeping everything!

Prologue

This is my first ever book, which I wrote as a result of my personal experience, after having completed decluttering and emptying my late mums home. I did this with the invaluable help of my brother, David Greeves; our Mums best friend, Carole Bedford; plus Mums neighbour, Hilary Greene.

Our mums home was packed to the rafters, and beyond, with everything kept from early married days, our babyhood, childhood and more recently! As a result, it was a totally overwhelming task for us to sort through in time required, on-site and at our own homes, sorting what we had brought back with us, as well as being both physically and emotionally draining.

We all found it extremely stressful, which was worsened by not being able to find any evidence of her funeral having been arranged or paid for. It took us nine months to clear the house!

The house looked so different and spacious once it was completed. It was such a shame that Mum hadnt allowed us to help her to declutter when she was alive and well, as it would have had a hugely beneficial impact on her life, especially as it would have made her home environment much safer than it had been. I also feel that she would probably have liked the new, decluttered look, but possibly felt too ashamed to ask for help and found the enormous task far too difficult and painful to undertake or contemplate.

Through this very difficult process, I felt that I had learnt an incredible amount about our mum and myself. I also learnt about the necessity and importance of decluttering, as well as various methods of doing so.

I felt that this knowledge was much too important to keep to myself, and by sharing it through the medium of a handy-sized paperback book, I might be able to encourage others to welcome the process of decluttering into their lives.

Although this book is more probably aimed at those of the fifty-plus age group, it would be helpful to the younger generation too. For example, in supporting their parents through the often very painful process of downsizing to a smaller home; for a general moving-home aid; and to encourage the younger generation to reuse, upcycle and recycle unwanted belongings, especially when leaving their childhood home or setting up their own home; also in illustrating the importance of considering the future, even though it might not seem very relevant at the moment.

I wrote this book prior to doing any research about whether there were any similar books available on the market, as I didnt want my writing style to be influenced in any way, and felt that it was best to write from the heart.

I hope that you all enjoy both reading this book and using the book to its full potential. Happy decluttering!

Introduction

Is the place that you live somewhere that you are proud of and pleased with, so that you could happily receive an unannounced visitor at any time? Or is it somewhere that fills you with dread, as you feel too ashamed to invite anyone at all?

If the latter is the case, then this book could be very useful to you, as a simple step-by-step guide for learning how to declutter.

Learning to declutter, and becoming an ardent activist for the need to declutter, has literally changed my life. I would like to pass these lessons on to you, and to inspire you to do the same.

So, instead of looking at your mess and feeling overwhelmed, disheartened and depressed, you will see it as a challenge and something to be overcome. It will be difficult to do, and actually starting to do it is the worst part, but decluttering will result in a very positive outcome for you, as you will feel much happier and more content to spend time in your own home. This will also be something which your family and friends will greatly appreciate too, as they will feel more welcome and more able to relax in your home as well.

You will also find that you feel much happier in yourself, as you will be able to relax more and enjoy life, rather than constantly worrying about, and being held back by, your own clutter. You need to declutter to feel free! So, are you ready? Lets get going and set to work.

Chapter One

What Is Clutter?

Clutter is defined as things lying around untidily. However, I would also define it as anything which you no longer need in your everyday life.