The transition from cluttered and chaos to decluttered and organized is unique for everyone. It could take just a little while for someone with paper clutter only, or it could take a whole year for someone going through the process solo. It could take years, if someone has decades of mementos to go through. Here is where I think I am:
- We have lived in this house for almost 8 years, enough time to accumulate crap.
- Most of the stuff belongs to either myself or the kids; my husband saves very little.
- We have had cleaning ladies coming to our house twice a month for the last five years. Hence, we have done the "stash and dash" every other Tuesday night in order to 'clean for the cleaning ladies'. This process has made my home WORSE.
- I would love the help of my husband, or anyone else, but I have also learned that someone hovering over me to make decisions overwhelms me and I get less done. This will be a process that I have to do myself.
- I honestly am not sure where exactly I should start, but I started with doing 15 minutes in the downstairs extra bedroom. No one lives in this room and it is the victim of the stash and dash. There was so much in that room that didn't belong in there.
- I am a member of Clutter Diet.com. I am following their weekly plan of where ever they tell me I need to clean. I figure I'll hit everything eventually. For instance, I have now cleaned out my side of my closet and I just cleaned out the master bathroom this weekend. The bedroom downstairs is just a bonus!
- I have some projects that I want completed before I have house guests in May, and they will be staying in the bedroom downstairs. So it is time to get started.
I started with the bedroom downstairs. It was so bad, I could shut the door, nor could I open it all the way. And I had to wrap the Christmas presents in the hallway. There was no walking room. You couldn't sit on the bed, and I'm pretty sure the cats couldn't get under the bed. There were two dressers, a full size bed and a treadmill in a teeny tiny room. Plus there were boxes of stuff that I had to go through. Here is what I discovered while decluttering, and you can probably see where I got angry:
- Four (4) of the straight edge tools for cutting wrapping paper. They resemble a pen and replace scissors. Apparently I bought one whenever I couldn't find the previous. Cost me about $20 total.
- Four (4) Christmas China plates which I bought on clearance after Christmas 2008. Very cute. I had stashed them in one of the dressers.
- One Book of Useless Information. That's the title. I bought it for my husband for a stocking stuffer. Then shoved it in the closet and forgot about it.
- One board game for my youngest for Christmas 2009-Snorta. It is now going to be his birthday present.
- Two of those weird desktop puzzles, like for executives. Bought for stocking stuffers.
- Four boxes of Jelly Bellys for Christmas 2009.
- Four Boxes of Christmas Tic Tacs for Christmas 2009.
- Two giant suckers.
- Several unused picture frames, still wrapped in plastic.
- A framed picture of my husband and I on our wedding day, which I believe I meant to give to his grandmother. We've now been married for nearly 13 years.
- One roll of scotch tape. I'm always losing scotch tape.
- Two unopened Crayola Creations. I bought for my niece for Christmas 2008, and then her list did not include it at all. I meant to donate to Toys for Tots and it never happened. Then in a stash and dash they ended up in the dresser. Out of Sight, out of mind.
I don't think I have a problem letting go of things. I got rid of so much, including things I had held onto since we moved in. The problem I have is making the decisions. The room is much better. Although the bed still has items on it, the dressers are almost completely empty, and you can open and close the door! The treadmill is clear and I used it during the rainstorms.
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