Marie Scott - Decluttering

Decluttering:

How to Declutter Your Home

More Minimalism, Fewer Books

By: Marie Scott

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER 1: WHY WE DO IT TO OURSELVES

A recent phenomenon

So, why?

CHAPTER 2: BOOKS AND KEEPSAKES

Joy and purpose

Divide and conquer

Choosing wisely

Where to get rid of books

Dividing and conquering keepsakes

Digitize your memories

Sorting memory from clutter

Is it worth donating?

CHAPTER 3: AN EMBARASSMENT OF CLOTHING, LINENS AND TOOLS

Why we love clothes

What to get rid of now

The rest of it

Your new closet

For folded clothes

Your new habits

Linens

What do you need?

Tools

Cleaning it up

CHAPTER 4: KITCHEN CHAOS NO MORE

How messy is it?

Get your counters under control

Kill cupboard disorder

China, cutlery, cups and glasses

What do you need?

Small appliances

Tupperware

The fridge

A communal space

Old magazines and newspapers

Anything broken?

The overstuffed living room

Stuff that doesnt belong there

CHAPTER 6: THE HORROR. THE BATHROOM

Shampoos and conditioners

Hotel grooming products

The rest of it

Medicine cabinet

CHAPTER 7: THE HALLWAY NOT A DUMPING GROUND

Ground rules

Footwear

School backpacks and shopping bags

Outerwear

In transit items

CHAPTER 8: A PLACE OF REST

Ive been looking for that!

The dresser

The bed

Clean it up

CHAPTER 9: GETTING THE TEAM ON BOARD

Follow the leader

The reluctant spouse

Make your spouse your ally

Decluttering Progress Board

The Decluttering Challenge

Getting teens on board

CHAPTER 10: KEEPING IT REAL (AND CLUTTER-FREE)

Garage sales and secondhand stores

One in, one out

Donations

Tidy as a lifestyle

Decluttering days

Reward yourself

Life is for living

CHAPTER 11: OTHER AREAS TO CLEAN UP

Your schedule

Declutter your budget

Better uses for time and money

Declutter your friendships

Toxic friends

Energy leeches

Decluttering your electronics

CHAPTER 12: SCIENCE SAYS, TAKE A BOW!

Chaos is destructive

Chaos is distracting

Chaos robs you of sleep

Chaos makes you cranky

CONCLUSION

INTRODUCTION

W hether you live in a house, a condominium or a sprawling estate, youve got stuff.

Lots of stuff.

Stuff creeps into your domicile, almost magically appearing and then disappearing. Sometimes it appears years later. And sometimes, like the mythical sock that gets lost in the dryer, it is never again seen.

And the longer we stay wherever it is we live, the more stuff we seem to accumulate. Sometimes the process is gradual. Like many people, we continually vow that well change our stuff-accumulating ways.

This pledge usually coincides with a move.

And we usually keep our pledge until were again tempted by more stuff:

That sad-eyed velvet clown painting at the garage sale.

The electric drill to replace the one, which has disappeared (but which is really in the basement just not in the toolbox).

Those fabulous shoes in that super special color that will perfectly match that dress.

And all that conserved tinfoil, wrapping paper and bubble wrap youre going to use one day sits in a drawer or cupboard. But, like the ball of rubber bands, its most likely you will never do any such thing.

But its stuff and its yours - even that pair of shorts with the hole in the butt.

The things we accumulate and fill our homes with may have no reason to be there. But accumulating things we dont need is not rational. Theres something else at work there like the underlying sense of security being surrounded by stuff gives us. This is the reason people experiencing homelessness travel with often nonsensical items, like broken radios. Its their stuff.

But youre not experiencing homelessness. You live in a home with too much stuff in it and you know youre doing this thing the wrong way. If youre ready to do it right, then youve come to the right place. This book is about decluttering or more specifically how to declutter your home more Minimalism, fewer books.

Less stuff. Yes. We have included books because youre probably not going to read them again. Well, maybe a few but were not talking about those. In this book, youre going to learn some solid tips for decluttering your home, based on solid advice and experience on getting to where you need to go. Lets not waste any more time. Lets get decluttering!

CHAPTER 1: WHY WE DO IT TO OURSELVES

I hinted at this the introduction you just read. When we settle, we begin to fill our homes with all manner of stuff. Its easy to explain the phenomenon away by saying its a consequence of consumer society. While that may be partially true, this reasoning does nothing to explain the emotions we attach to our stuff.

Ive seen some very interesting examples of the accumulation of what amounts to clutter. In one instance, I found a stash of half-used jars of Vaseline. There must have been a dozen of them in that dark corner of my aunts bedroom. I was a kid, so I didnt mind asking her about the weird find. She told me it was for her feet. She didnt tell me why she never finished a jar before starting another one, or why she had repeated this act of oddness on what appeared to be about a dozen occasions.

But thats only one of the weird, inexplicable examples of stuff accumulation. Collectors have a genuine problem with stuff accumulation, being physically unable to pass a secondhand or curio store without having convulsions. The promise of a stray vintage button is just too enticing and it would go so well with the other thousand at home, right?

A recent phenomenon

The Industrial Revolution is where Id be willing to bet the genesis of having way too much stuff began. With this historic turning point came a new prosperity and that meant people had disposable income. Some call it play money or mad money. Honey, moneys money. Its an asset. You worked hard to make it. Why on Earth would you blow it on junk? But a lot of people do.

While the phrase disposable income may rankle some (me, for one), disposable income is what people began to have, as the Industrial Revolution attracted people to urban centers and away from an agrarian lifestyle and subsistence living. For once, there was money in their pockets after the rent, food, clothing and other necessaries were paid for. Suddenly, people had money to spend on decorative items, more clothing, things for the kitchen and other items. The homes of Western Civilization began to fill with stuff.