If you miss the old days of grandma's kitchen or your own mother's old fashioned cozy home, you can reconnect here and get a flavor for all things vintage, warm, cozy, special, and memorable!

Monday, September 17, 2012

The Blessings of Decluttering the Closets

How much room do you have in your closets, basement, garage and attic these days?  Have you accumulated more than you can actually store?  Are your spaces bulging at the seams with no room for even a set of salt and pepper shakers? 
A lovely Victorian wicker chair
I rescued from the trash!
 It amazes me how much stuff I have accumulated over the years.  When I moved into my house originally in 1992, I was amazed at all the closets, attic spaces, room in the garage and other storage spaces in my house.  I thought I went to storage heaven!  Without a basement, I had to be certain that I could live comfortably in my home and never have the main living spaces too cluttered. Well since then, I have had to re-evaluate my life style and take stock of what really matters when it comes to ownership of "stuff".  I suddenly found myself realizing that I had too much clutter and it has been said that a cluttered house leads to a cluttered mind..and I was cluttered. When the economy tanked in 2008, it didn't take long for me to realize that I needed to purge. I found my self in a protracted job search and scrambling for income and having to make hard choices about what I could sell to help pay bills.  What was more important anyway...my stuff or my family?  And finally, why should have have this accumulation when there were so many less fortunate that were having the same struggles meeting bills like I was, but have absolutely nothing near the stuff I owned? 
This reminds me of a small one that
my grandmother had hanging on her
LR wall all those years ago.
 With that, I began to sell things on EBay, donate to the Salvation Army and list on local Craigs List.  It became a game and fun too.  Even though I had to give up my actual things, I had my memories in photographs and the fact that I did enjoy many of the things I was parting with for at least a while..now I was moving on.  I cannot live with my surroundings being the same forever so changing it up and de-cluttering gave me a fresh new outlook on things. At least, too, I knew that when it came time to say goodbye to my home, there would be less to pack away and haul out to the moving truck. 
 
I discovered six of these in the
side lot of an antique store
that begged me to  take them or the
garbage man would!
A lit bit of money trickled in. I found myself packing up thing to mail to Ebay buyers, making trips to the post office and kissing goodbye some quaint china pieces that I loved. This became an easier task as I came to understand that there were others out there that loved my things as much as I loved them.  On Craigs list, I met people who had dreams and plans for the stuff I was selling. Like the woman who bought my slipper chair and planned to reupholster it in a lovely cabbage rose chintz material and give it to her daughter for Christmas with a refurbished art deco vanity she bought from another seller.  I think over the years I only made one grave error in selling,..and that was selling my Calphalon pots and pans ..all 6 pieces with lids for only $20!  Today, I could kick myself. I had two sets of pots and pans and this one was the heaviest and hard to take care of.  Oh well, someone wanting to emulate a fine chef is happier for my mistake!  Gotta find the silver lining in everything!

My point in all of this is to set aside some of your free time to prioritize your life. Are you hanging onto things you no longer need or love as much?  Do you want to help others by donating but do not have real cash to do so?  Do you think you could use a few bucks in your pockets?  Sell, donate, and redirect that extra space to remain empty.  Your home will feel cleaner, you mind less cluttered and feel good knowing that organizations like the Salvation Army are doing good work with the money they will make from your donation.  They are, in fact, the most trusted charity around and love to sort through your things.

A beloved Bessie Pease Gutman
print that I am selling now.

Maybe it is time to change up your decor and become the minimalist that you should be. Ask yourself, if you died tomorrow, would your family care about your things as much as you?  Would they really take the time to catalog your stuff or would they throw it on the curb or have it all towed off by 1-800-GOT-JUNK?  Have you ever seen families that enjoyed doing all the work associated with handling everything you left behind? Let's face it..all family wants from their loved ones when they pass is a clean break and a few bucks. It may be harsh to say it, but hey, it is the truth.

The moral to this post is to start cleaning out your closets now.  Ask for help from your family so that while you are alive you will know what they are comfortable with.  Maybe they want something of yours now that you feel comfortable to give them today instead of making them wait. Surround yourself with the least of "things" and work towards streamlining your life.  Things will change in other places in your life because of it. The changes will be noticeable and gratifying. I promise...you will see!

Cleaning House

How much room do you have in your closets, basement, garage, and attic these days?  Have you accumulated more than you can actually keep?  Are your spaces bulging at the seams with no room for even a set of salt and pepper shakers? 


I found six of these also in the trash at an
antique store in my hometown! Mint!

It amazes me that when I moved into my house back in 1992, there was so much extra closet space. I have come to learn that the more space we are given, the more stuff we find to fill it.  Even in a 4 bedroom house with a library and garage and double wide closets in the bedrooms, there is more stuff in there than any one person should be allowed to have. It used to be fun before to bring home a new find and stash the old stuff away for "future use" or "safe keeping" but now I ask my self, what am I keeping it for?  What is my payoff?

My Victorian Wicker Rocker
found in the trash!

After having to actually take stock in all that I have saved (with good intentions in mind) for later, the economy took a dive and I find myself re-evaluating my priorities:  When there are so many with absolutely nothing like what I have been blessed to own over the years, why should I have so much stuff just occupying all the airspace?  I began to take stock and purge my closets and spaces and made a few trips to the Salvation Army.  The things that I did not donate, I listed on Craigslist with some great results.  The more expensive collectibles, I immediately listed on Ebay.  You know what? Not only did I make a few dollars to keep my family in the house and with bills paid, food on the table, but I also was able to know that the items I donated were not useless junk even to me, and the good work of that organization would be able to move forward between my donation and that of many others who believe in what they do.


They let me have this for $9.00 at a
local thrift store!

I want to share photos of some of the stuff I have listed on the various sites.  I thought it might be fun for you to see the kind of stuff I buy or find on the curb, and then just allow to sit around taking up space before I actually do something with it. You can tell I love old things...for some reason their vintage appeal resonates with me and brings me memories of the past that connect me to my grandma and a traditional lifestyle that appeals to me. 


My point in all of this is...realize what is important in life. Must one really accumulate to no end?  If you died tomorrow, God forbid, where would all of your collections of stuff move to?  Is anyone in the family appreciating your things right now?  Would they want to have to sort through all of it?  It just comes to a point where we realize what is important in life and learn that "stuff" just isn't important to anyone...but you.
Out with the old and and don't buy new...live with what you actually need. Become a minimalist. You will find that you like the end to the clutter and having to take care of so many things, and equally gratifying, you will be glad to know that between donating and selling, your things were put to their best use.  Til next time......  


This Bessie Pease Gutman
print just appealed to me
at $7.



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