Do you have Clutter?

Ok, I am pumping myself up to get rid of the clutter in my house. :clap

It drives me crazy. Here's my deal. When my husband and I started dating we each had our own houses, almost the exact square footage too. So when we got together, I moved most of my stuff into his house, which was already furnished. I sold some of my stuff and have some at my parents house and some at BIL house, but still have a lot here. Anyways, point of the story is two furnished houses, turned into one and I feel like there is crap everywhere.

I'd love a bigger house, I'm a realtor, so I'm always looking... but we're not ready yet. And I'm sure if I had a bigger house, I'd have bigger clutter.

So I need some help getting rid of clutter. I feel like it's an addiction, I need help breaking it.

I have a garage sale pile, I've watched a show on Oprah on clutter and she said ask yourself 3 questions. Do I need it, does it make me money or do I want it.

Well I can figure out how to answer "yes" to all 3 questions.

My question to you is, do you have clutter, how do you deal with it, what can I do to help minimize it?

I don't want my child to inherite the clutter bug from me ( I inherited it from my mom).

Thanks!:thumbup

I hate clutter! I used to be a bit more of a pack rat years ago (I inherited it also), but have really turned into a bit of a minimalist. Well as minimal as I can be with 4 kids! Anyway, I am constantly cleaning things out. The de-cluttering mood usually hits me every couple of weeks. I start going through things and I immediately take them to donate (or throw them away), so I can't have second thoughts later. I pretty much hate having garage sales so I almost always donate. If it is something "big", I usually give it away. I have a ton of stuff in my garage right now that I am taking to a local shelter tomorrow (7 bags of clothes). The 3 questions are a good start. We started out like you guys (2 houses into 1) and my dh hangs onto everything! So it has taken me 6 years but I am almost there! Good luck!

Oh honey, I'm the queen of clutter but mine is organized clutter. my house doesn't look like those compulsive hoarders on Dr. Phil. I hide mine well but it's still a horrible "disorder" passed down two generations.

It amazes me how something like this is so inheritable. How is that?

Well now I'm probably going to answer my own question. My mom has letter her grandma wrote her. Her grandma, my great grandma, has been dead for over 20 years. SO I have this guilt trip to save everything, my mom pulls out clothes my brother and I wore for my son to wear. As much as I love it, it drives me crazy. I feel the need to save everything and I just don't want to. I have every wedding card that was given to me... but am I ever going to look at them again, probably not. So WHY do I keep them. And then sometimes I'll get rid of stuff and regret it and I hate that too.

I envy those people who have a dresser with a candle and a picture frame on it. How do they not have jewerly, coaster, water bottle, pens and all that stuff on it too?

It's truly an addiction.

I'm constantly trying to get rid of things. I usually donate, but am going to try and have a garage sell soon. I feel like it's going to be a waste of time, but we'll see. Anyway, no matter how much I get rid of, there's still so much more. I need a weekend with no kids and my husband. Maybe then I could really get down and dirty.

It amazes me how something like this is so inheritable. How is that?

Well now I'm probably going to answer my own question. My mom has letter her grandma wrote her. Her grandma, my great grandma, has been dead for over 20 years. SO I have this guilt trip to save everything, my mom pulls out clothes my brother and I wore for my son to wear. As much as I love it, it drives me crazy. I feel the need to save everything and I just don't want to. I have every wedding card that was given to me... but am I ever going to look at them again, probably not. So WHY do I keep them. And then sometimes I'll get rid of stuff and regret it and I hate that too.

I envy those people who have a dresser with a candle and a picture frame on it. How do they not have jewerly, coaster, water bottle, pens and all that stuff on it too?

It's truly an addiction.

this is me! and my mom...

I don't know how it is passed down either but my grandfather (mother's side) and my father both had/have it and now I do too. It really is a horrible almost crippling "disease". I hate it but truly can't do anything about it.
Someone did a show, maybe it was Dr. Phil about compulisve hoarders and they took a woman and put her in a cat scan and watched her brain as they shredded her stuff and her brain showed the exact same pattern as someone that was being punished! Pretty amazing.

We should start a therapy group!! I too have all the wedding cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We should start a therapy group!! I too have all the wedding cards!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:yeah
We need our own forum group!

I am trying to get rid of all of our clutter too. Its so hard to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. We need time away from the kids to get it done too. It seems like we can never get caught up. We plan to try to focus on one are of the house each weekend until its done. The attic is what I dread..there is so much crap up there. ...

Especially with sentimental stuff (like you mention wedding cards)...that's SO easy to built up more & more & more....i try to go through those boxes...and challenge myself to recall a story or memory related to each thing in there. If I can't...well, then what the h*ll am I keeping it for?

We live in a lot of clutter, but I can't seem to find the time to get rid of any of it. My dh makes comments every day that there is just stuff everywhere. UGH....I know, I know. It is impossible to clean it up when you both work full time and it just builds and builds.

We just pick a time on the weekend when we first get up and declutter, then I list it on Recycle and it is gone. I can't stand clutter so we just make the time to do it.

I am the exact opposite, which is also not a good trait. I tend to throw away/get rid of everything. So I tend to not have a lot of little mementos that people keep (pictures made by the kids or whatever).
I birthed a hoarder though. He inherited it from his dad's side of the family and when he moves out in a couple of weeks I will be doing some INTENSE decluttering in his room (since he has been unable to do it himself at my request for the last two months).

I'm a total clutter bug!! I hate that I am, but like many of you, I just can't get rid of it. I have a ton of things for crafts type project that I know I'm never going to get to, but I think "Maybe?". I have told my DH that if he wants it gone, then he'll just need to go through and dump it. Honestly, if I haven't asked about it, I don't need it. I know he's thrown out things that he knows I don't need.

We have tons and tons and tons of clutter! One day, we will go through it all and get rid of stuff...maybe!

My grandma, great aunt and one uncle are hoarders to the extreme. It's actually kinda creepy since it seems they just can't help it. My gramms used to have a stack of newspapers behind one chair for years and years. Some of them were yellowing! Thank goodness she decided to get the carpet cleaned and had to move them. My great aunt had her fridge packed with all the little mini things like butter and ketchup. My uncle even has a warehouse downtown full of crap. Including a freakin' firetruck!!

I have trouble with saving some stuff too and know I need to be careful since this is something you can inherit. My craft stuff is the worst. I usually can't find it because it's stuck somewhere and then have to buy new. After many times of doing that I end up with so much stuff.

It takes me forever to declutter since I end up looking through every single thing and I make more of a mess thanI started with!

I dont know. If I dont need it, it gets donated or put away. There is limited "put away" space so if it doesnt all fit it goes.

And Im pretty good at that rule - if its been a year or more & I havent worn it - it goes. Exceptions being formal wear!

Finally, I just try not to buy as much stuff. That really helps. How much will I REALLY use this? Can I borrow or get something more universal?

It amazes me how something like this is so inheritable. How is that?

I dont know - but it is. My mom is NOT a clutter-er and neither am I. My wedding dress is in a closet in a spare bedroom at their home. I think its the ONLY think hanging in that closet (ie its not a space issue) & my mom occasionally asks me - what do you want to do with your wedding dress & I respond - just donate it. She would feel better if I did the donating since it IS a momento rather than her do it - in case I change my mind. But niether of us actually wants to KEEP it. :lol I just need to remember next time Im just there to donate it for her so Im not storing it HERE thats for sure :giggle

MIL & dh on the other hand are KEEPERS. Its a constant battle between me & dh (tho we have fun with it). Sometimes we get rid of things & then much later down the road we want it & dh says - see, if we had kept it we would have it now & my response always is - if we had kept it we wouldnt find it cuz it would be amid a million other things we kept but didnt need. The attic is dhs space - he can do what he wants with it & as long as it all fits. And the garage - he can add any many shelves as he wants & keep it there.

I tend to throw away/get rid of everything. So I tend to not have a lot of little mementos that people keep (pictures made by the kids or whatever).

I dont get rid of everything but there are probably some more things I could keep that I dont.