August 10, 2012
This week excited me…. I couldn't wait to get stuck into decluttering the house. There were many ways I could have approached this challenge, but I decided to do it in a pretty unstructured way.
Firstly, I decided to take photos of all the things I could sell that I no longer wanted/needed. I then uploaded some things onto eBay and then the rest onto Facebook. I figured whilst the stuff was selling online for a few days I would then go through and declutter each room. I started with my wardrobe. This was super fun! Getting rid of things that no longer fit, things that I didn't like and so on and so on. The way it ended up meant that my husband now has more clothes than I do.
This challenge was inspired by a show I watched on Foxtel called Consumed! It was about hoarders and people who couldn't throw things out and just kept bringing ‘stuff’ into their homes. I felt claustrophobic just from watching the show. I was driven to stop requiring stuff! It was almost an automatic adjustment to my way of thinking. Less is more, and it can feel freeing and amazing.
I was never a person who really got attached to ‘stuff’, but I do find that I go through stages of buying things I don't need. I don't know why or what brings these little splurges on, but I guess I'm lucky they aren't big expensive shopping sprees. I like second hand stuff, and cheap clothes.
I don't really buy much for Liam, well at least as much as I thought I would. We were lucky to be given soo many hand me downs that we haven't needed to, and after learning how fast they grow, I am hesitant to buy anything he doesn't NEED.
After a week of decluttering, I feel lighter and less stressed. However one thing I have learned is that decluttering or ‘editing’ as I like to call it, is a continual task, and when thinking of bringing something home I have to think, do I need it? Do we have a use for it at home? Do I want it just because I like it? etc etc.
Its been a mental shift which Im liking, and I look forward to continuing the editing journey… Have a go, its super life changing.