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Everyone knows there’s one really great way to declutter: MOVE. Moving forces you to go through all your stuff and evaluate whether or not each item is worth bringing to your next space. But moving is major. Nobody does it just to declutter.
Once, after a move many years ago, I developed a “policy” with my clothes and shoes. (We lived in a tiny antique house and my closet was from colonial times.) If I bought something new, I made sure to get rid of something I didn’t wear anymore. Something in, something out. It kept things in equilibrium. It also helped me see my clothes more clearly and put together outfits that I never would’ve thought of when everything was packed so tight. Eventually, I extended my policy to other things, like books and toys.
When we moved to a bigger house, I largely kept the policy. It helps keep clutter down. I have a large shelf in my closet, which I like to think of as “purgatory.” It’s where I put things I plan to get rid of. Things typically sit in purgatory for six months or so — retrievable, if I change my mind — before I donate them to Big Brother/Big Sister or to my church’s “trash and treasure” sale.
My son’s huge collection of worn out sneakers has largely been kept under control by the policy. (If he wants new sneakers, he’s got to agree to toss some old ones.) I even do it with my jewelry. If I’m tempted to buy new earrings, I’ll get rid of a pair I never wear. (They go to purgatory initially, in case I miss them and want them back, and then to the jewelry donation box at my church.)
Occasionally, I get rid of something and regret it later. For example, my son wanted to play tennis out of the blue last summer, but I had donated all our rackets to the Boy Scouts because nobody had used them in 5+ years. They were in the garage, which really needs a full “move-like” decluttering. We need to pretend we’re moving and take every single thing out of the garage, clean it, and then only put back the stuff we use.
That’s a job for the spring.
50 Happens 