Have you ever heard the expression ~ Can't see the forest for the trees. Here is an explanation of this expression according to About.com... Definition: overly concerned with detail; not understanding the whole situation Explanation: Used when expressing that a person is focusing too much on specific problems and is missing the point. When it comes to clutter though this expression manifests in reverse. That is, people can't see the trees for the forest. Or explained simply in clutter terms ~ Can't distinguish the individual items of clutter from the sheer bulk of their possessions. Or … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ The Wedding Dress
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom In honor of my cousin Jenny's wedding last Friday evening, I have pulled a post from the archives. I wrote this post after polling my friends about what they had done with their dresses. What did you do with your dress? The unanimous answer – I still have it or once, my parent has it. I have mine, which I still think is beautiful 15 years later. It’s hermetically sealed in a gigantic box and is in the top of one of the closets. This particular shelf is rather hard to reach, so the only things that would ever be placed on it are long-term storage items. I … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Going to the Flea Market
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Last month the family and I went to a monthly event, The City-Wide Garage Sale. Ever since one of my staff members bought a really cool old stove at the sale, I'd been curious. (And since that was literally more than 15 years ago, it seemed like it was about time.) Wow! Was that eye opening! The garage sale is really an indoor flea market, and you could buy just about anything there - the smaller it was, the more likely they were to have it. The sellers are pickers and traders who endlessly loop throughout the country attending these events. Nothing's terribly … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ Just Let It Go
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom As I've told you (probably countless times), we remodeled our house, and the last of the workmen pulled away two years ago in July. There were a lot of smaller jobs and some very large painting jobs that needed to be completed, but the house itself was done. Two years have passed, and I still have a half dozen paintings, including a couple of pieces of expensively framed limited edition pieces, that have not been hung. About every three months, I get into the closet where they're stored and vow that today is the day that I'll finish figuring it out. And every time I … [Read more...]
Family Heirlooms
I received the following email from Jeff a week or so ago which is really what inspired me to focus on obligation clutter again this week. It is amazing the desperation we sometimes feel when faced with the dilemma of "I don't want this thing but it's family history so I really can't declutter it. What am I to do?" Anyway read Jeff's comment, where you will hear that desperation, and we will go from there. I really appreciate your wonderful posts. They, as well as other sites and books, have spurred me on to GET RID OF STUFF! I (we) have been successful in a lot of areas, but the one that … [Read more...]
No rash decision ever need be made
One of the things I love about decluttering slowly but surely is that I am not forced to make rash decision as to what should and shouldn't be decluttered. With my goal of one item a day there is only one decision to be made each day. Some decision are made in advance and eventually the day comes where I think "That will be my declutter item on the day." Some decisions are spur of the moment when I stumble across an item that I had missed before but am in no doubt that it can go. While other things get passed over time and time again and left until I am ready to make the final decision on. … [Read more...]
Curb the keepsakes
A guest post by Julia St. Charles My mother's home is full of "too good to use" items and random objects from babyhood and toddlerhood. I'd love to write an open letter to young parents along the lines of: Dear Young Parents: If you are going to save mementos from your children's early years, please do not save everything. Â Except for handmade or heirloom items, like the baby quilt Grandma made, or the hand-knit layette from Aunt Barbara, give outgrown clothing to Goodwill -- ordinary clothing will be both too physically aged and too far out of style for your imagined future grandchildren … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom ~ It’s Not Yours Anymore
Cindy's Weekly Wisdom Last week, I talked about shopping at the Goodwill, and we all felt a bit of dread: what happens to our stuff when we let it go? I know the definitive answer to this question: It's not yours any more. I came to this perhaps obvious realization last week. For years, I have had a queen size air mattress with a leak that I have never found. I've tried to find it while using it (and slowly, slowly getting closer to the ground), and I tried to find it earlier this year when I blew it up just for the purpose of locating the leak. I was not successful. So last week I … [Read more...]
Plant Clutter
The mini mission for today is plant related clutter. This could be potted plants that have seen better days, potting supplies and tools, gardening equipment, or even wild overgrown garden plants. But the thought behind the inclusion of this post was people receiving potted plants as gifts and not being able to part with them even when they have become straggly and unattractive as potted plants often do over time. This can happen if they are kept in the wrong environment with poor lighting or harsh conditions like in an air-conditioned office. Let me create a scenario for you. Mary works in an … [Read more...]
Cindy’s Weekly Wisdom – Too Good to Use
Do you own anything that's "too good to use"? I bet you do. I started this post by asking my mother. The first thing she said was, "Yes, and do you know what a mistake that was?" What I think is really interesting about this story is that it took my Mom less than a second to think of an answer and that the item in question was given to her as a wedding gift 49 years ago. You'll be surprised what it was. Here's what she said: "Yes, and you know what a mistake that was? When we were first married, we were given a twin blanket that was 'too good to use.' We were sharing a twin bed then and … [Read more...]