#NaBloPoMo
De-cluttering my life has been on my plate since past few months. The idea being take out everything in the house that I haven’t used for few months; be it clothes, linen, shoes, bags, utensils, crockery, etc. Basically anything that has the feel of hoarded up without a utility is going to be tossed out unceremoniously.
The main reason behind doing this is of course to lighten my house, to decrease the clutter and most importantly to reduce the burden of packing all this stuff when I move house. I have been carting around useless items from one house to another without a clear plan of it ever being used.
There is another motive behind this de-clutter which has come about after I have visited an old age home and seen some community request on Facebook from such NGO /organisations which work with the underprivileged and villages and collects resources like household goods, clothes, etc for them. Why not get rid of all this stuff (which is lying useless in my home) which can be effectively used by those who have none?
How often it happens that we start hoarding with the intention to lose 5 kg and then slip back into this dress -never happens but the pile of such clothes keeps increasing!
My problem is that I over shop even if I don’t need something, the moment I see an item in the shops I feel a compulsion to buy it. Ss basically without having a utility or need for it, I end up spending money on an item which I bring home and the old item that is already being used either get shunted to the back shelf of the cupboard never to be used again or get stored in a box with goes up in the attic and never looked at again.
This realisation has made me a better declutter and I have now started looking at things in my house with a checklist of questions:
1) How old is this item?
2) When is the last time that I used it?
3) Am I going at use it in next 10 days ?
4) Is it the only item in that category or do I have multiple versions of it ?
I have found that when I answer these questions 9/10 times I ended tossing the item. And tossing it means, it goes into one of these three piles:
A) My household help can use it,
B) An NGO can benefit from it,
3) Close friends/family would love to re-use it.
So instead of blindly throwing out stuff, I am actually making sure that it is upcycled and re-used.
The decluttering is a slow process but I am looking to be a lot lighter in terms of materials and people in my life too. Yes I said people!!!! I have also started applying this funda of decluttering to relationships which have become meaningless or for people who only add stress and mayhem to my life rather than anything constructive. Plus the time/effort that I was wasting on these relationships; I am now utilising it to positive avenues such as investing in a hobby, reading books, going for a walk, doing meditation, cooking something for myself or just simply talking on the phone to someone who matters to me and more importantly to whom I matter a lot.
Do you declutter or are you a hoarder? Are you possessed by your possessions?
November 2016 is my month to participate in the NaBloPoMo with Blogher
I am also participating in Blogbuddy 3.0 with Blogchatter and my team is called Inkmagic
To follow what I read and write and share, follow my unique hashtag #shalzmojosays
So nicely expressed. Yes, it also creates a sense of humility in one and the feeling of spreading love. 🙂
Thanks Ashwini – its so good to see you as a regular visitor on my blog. I agree with the humility that one feels by sharing.
I think the same too.A cluttered outer world. Reflects cluttered inner world. Declittering helps both ways
Thats great to hear Amrita – you seem to come across as a very calm and loving persona. I am betting your life is ce-culttered inside out! Cheers to you!
I declutter in spurts. I have a long way to go. The really sad thing is when you have to downsize an elderly relative so he or she can move from a large house to a small apartment, or to the child’s home, and you find no one wants their stuff. This happens a lot in the American society, and the decluttering just becomes a burden to the children.
I know what you mean Alana. I had been doing that too or rather most of us go through it.
Yes I agree its sad in the case of an elderly relative, esp parents. Its not just part of the American soceity, I feel here in India too this happens. Its part of life I feel- parents give their children the best education , children get busy with great jobs, move away and then life settles into that routine till its time to realise that parents are old and alone and need to be taken care of.
This move become a burden if or rather when the parent-child relationship hasnt been that great. I feel my parents generation were not the most expressive or communicative one with their kids- they hardly made the effort to bond with their children. Mostly it was about the child being disciplined, well behaved, good in school, etc while hurts, love, hugs – not a concept in my household at all.
I think the time when this de-clutter becomes aburden is when one breaks up in a relationship or when the person dies – then clearing out the spaces not just in the house but in the mind too, becomes very painful!
You said right Shalz. Decluttering gives peace of mind for me. When we moved recently to a new place, we gave all old clothes and toys to our house help and an NGO called Goonj. Felt very happy.
Hey Ramz thats so good to hear. Yeah Goonj is doing an amazing job with their initiatives. I have recently been dumping stuff in my car which I will go and deposit at their centre soonest.
What a wonderful idea this is. It’s something we must all take up. I don’t usually buy stuff unless I really need it but then things get piled up nevertheless. The store room(s) and attic are overflowing with things we never use but still can be used. Decluttering will take quite a long time, but it definitely has to be done.
I know what you mean Dashy. I wish you all the luck to declutter soonest and get some breathing space in your surrounds 🙂
I now realise sadly that I am a hoarder. I end up decluttering my wardrobe every two months or so, but and maybe that is why I end using most of the things I own. It has to be said that I hate having too much unwanted stuff in my life and that it makes me irked.
Nice post. I loved the quotes too 🙂
How wonderful to read so much praise Maliny- thanks a lot! These cards are just sensational. I hope you are able to find your centre soon and declutter ASAP to organise it all into a meanigful clutter 😉
You know I have this silly thumb rule.. If you havent used anything for 5 years.. then you probably would never use it.. Time to get it out !!1 I hate clutter around.
Hi Ramya- how right you are. We humans tend to hoard so much with the longsight of using it “someday” though that day never arrives 😉