Clothing: How Old is Too Old?

When my children were little and went through outfits every few months, the non-stained clothing could go to a resale clothing shop where I could recoup some of my investment.  They were quite particular about what they would accept.  Places like Goodwill, however, don't seem to mind the somewhat outdated clothing.  In fact, my daughter and I have shopped there expressly at times to purchase costumes or one time, gulp, get an outfit for 80's day.  (That shouldn't be a costume decade...I lived part of my adult life in that time period!)  To finish the story, we actually found a flowered dress with HUGE shoulder pads and a large lace collar to represent that decade.  Add permed big hair, and she was back in 1985!

So, unless your clothing is stained, dirty, missing buttons, or terribly torn, take it to donate. Otherwise, throw it out. 

Registries

Some may find bridal or baby registries to be cold, but I think they are a great invention!  Unless you know the bride/groom or mother-to-be really well to know their tastes, choosing something not on the registry may lead to your item being decluttered sooner than later.  To choose something on their list is freeing!  There is no wondering if they will use it since they picked it out.  Within the registry, you can be creative and buy the practical trash can, place setting, or some of the more whimsical decor on their list.  With Internet shopping, buying off the registry is even easier.  Take advantage (early) of this wonderful leap in simplified gift buying.

Garage or Car Port

If you have a garage or car port, go check it out today and see if you can find one item to give or throw away.

Adding Can Be Simplifying

I have an often used set of Tupperware containers.  Somewhere along the way a lid was lost.  When I grab the last square round to fill it with leftovers, I always forget its lid is missing.  This brings a groan and an ineffective layer of plastic wrap over the top.  For me, buying a replacement lid will simplify my life.

Days Flying By

We all mark our lives in chunks.  Teachers mark the school year; accountants have tax season;  CEO's mark the fiscal year.  College kids hold on to summer or the countdown to going back with their friends.  Certain times of our years fly by.  It's in those rapidly rushing days that getting rid of just one thing per day keeps us feeling good about decluttering.  Watch out for a quick impulse toss in the trash in those busy times.  You may just want to set your items aside in a bin when you're rushing around grabbing something to simplify lest you not give the item enough thought.  When busy times slow down, go through the bin.

Clothes

More clothes went into the Goodwill bin today.  When the drawers are stuffed, it's a great signal to simplify!

Old Bibles

What do you do with a worn out Bible?  It seems sacrelegious to throw it away.  My mother-in-law has a great plan.  For each of her grandchildren, she saved an older Bible of hers or someone else in the family to give them on their 18th birthday.  This has been a very special rite of passage for each one.  They love seeing the first owner's notes in the margins, underlining, etc. 

At youth camps, sometimes craft people have used pages from an old Bible to make decopage plaques or cards,  burning the edges and all.

A great story on this topic:  My father is a builder, and recently he was tearing apart a cabin that had once belonged to his parents.  Between the floor boards, he found an old Bible of my grandfather's, who had been a Baptist minister all his life.  It has no cover, some of the pages have ripped off in Genesis or Revelation, the pages are fragile and yellowed, but it is a treasure to my family seeing his handwriting in the margins, underlining, etc.  I suggested to my parents to get a shadow box to put it in, open, to hang on the wall. 

Hope this gives you some ideas!

Thankful for Attics

Attics are the greatest!  If you ever need to store something for a long period of time, put it in the attic and get it out of your living space.  If you don't know for sure if you can get rid of an item or even a bin of nostalgic items, put them in the attic for a year, then revisit.  Often, you'll realize that the stuff has lost some of its emotional value.  One warning:  do keep revisiting the attic and clear out items from time to time.

A Full House

One big change I discovered when we became empty nesters last fall was how little things changed when I was out of the house.  I didn't find books piled here or there, a purse with keys spilling out on the table, shoes kicked off in random places.  It was kind of depressing.  Now the college kids are coming back and I see life when I get home from work! 

In my unending quest to keep my home clutter free, I have observed that when I have more people living here, I need to be even more diligent to put things away where they belong.  That gives more space for people which is what I want.  I know it's the same for when we have overnight guests. 

Sock Drawer

You may go into this drawer every day; look today for anything you don't need that is stashed there.

Someone Else on Board

My daughter came home from college.  While unpacking, she went through her clothing and got rid of things she didn't want anymore, simplifying her closet.  It's great when other family members get on board and sort their clutter! 

If you are an example with your simplifying, some in your family will get the idea.

Old Shoes

I put someone's old tennis shoes, still relatively clean and usable, into the Goodwill bin today.  They were hidden in the depths of the coat closet, perhaps for years.

Stack of Papers

Do you have a stack sitting around of random papers, perhaps on a desk waiting to be filed, mail that needs sorting, assorted things you don't even remember?  Take the stack and a trash can with you as you watch TV.  During commercial breaks, sort and toss.  Make a file pile, a "deal with this now" pile, and of course, the trash pile.  If your stack of papers has been sitting around for a long time, you will find that much of it is unneeded, or that you have already taken care of the reason for which it was kept.

A Dream

I had a dream last night that everything we owned was boxed up in a field, and the boxes covered the field!  Not sure where all that came from.  Anyway, giving away or throwing away one thing per day will help keep the possessions manageable!  I gave away a pair of capris today I've had for at least six  years and have never liked that well.

Declutter/refurbish

An adirondack chair that has been carted from my classroom, to our screened in porch, and then to the basement is going to be refurbished.  Five years ago my 5th grade class surprised me with this chair, brightly painted with their signatures on the arms.  It was really special and I kept it in my classroom as a much coveted reading spot for future students.  As my class sizes grew, I no longer had room for it at school. 

Anyway, I have other memories of all those great kids.  I'm going to keep the chair, just repaint it and put it in the garden.  It declutters my porch and makes good use in a different area.  My challenge for you is to look at a piece of furniture that might be one too many somewhere in your house and see if you can move it elsewhere (no upholstered furniture on the porch, please) to decrease clutter and still make good use of the piece.

Necessities?

Over the weekend, we went to a mall that sells specialty items.  One of the stores there is Brookstone.  I like walking through because of the ingenius gadgets they sell.  They displayed a wrap around back massager for "hard to reach places."  A free standing cylinder was a towel warmer.  A foot spa was another luxurious option for purchase.  All of these sound amazing, but, in my simplify-geared mind I thought, "Where would you keep these big items when not using them?"  If you truly like use-once-in-awhile gadgets, by all means, get them.  If they will sit around and take up space, making you feel claustrophobic, it might be best to leave them at the store.  If you have received something like this as a gift, don't feel guilty passing it on.  There's some tense construction worker out there who could use the massager daily!

A Place to Look

Look under a bed today.  Is it a storage space?  Things can be easily forgotten.  You may be able to declutter there.

Freezers

I am trying to use up what is in the freezer.  Inspired by my grandmother who would save two leftover greenbeans in a plastic container in the fridge or put half a cookie in a baggie, I often put extra pancakes or  leftover portions of a main dish in the freezer for later.  It saves preparation time and helps out in a time crunch.  However, it's easy to forget those well-laid plans.  Every once in awhile when I can't find things in the freezer, I get it this "use-it-up" mode.  I plan my weekly meals around what is in the freezer already.  That makes a big dent in the stock.  Take a hard look in the freezer and start using up what you already have.

Sudden Swell

Any of us who have college students know the sudden swell of "stuff" inside your home when they return.  It's so wonderful having them home.  Encourage them to sort through things as they unpack and get rid of anything unused or unwanted.  Another idea is to have them keep running lists of what they want to take back (you may be thinking, "Take EVERYTHING!") so it makes packing easier in August.

Clothes

It is finally spring here:  cool mornings and warm afternoons.  In going through my stored spring/summer clothing, I sorted out items I don't want anymore to slim down my closet.  An old pair of jean shorts went into the give away bin.

Necessary Storage

Many of us have clutter we have to store:  college kids' things they leave for the school years, Christmas items used only once a year, summer decor we store during the winter, a box of toys for future grandchildren, etc.  I pulled down six boxes of costumes and a totem pole used once a year for a school play last evening.  The attic looked so much neater, but, you know, who cares?  The costumes bring a lot of joy to the students/parents, and...it's an attic!! 

We needn't be concerned with the necessary clutter, just the dispensible clutter.

Look With New Eyes

My eyes aren't what they used to be, particularly with reading and with pollen in the air.  However, I'm trying to train myself to look with new eyes at the rooms in my home.  What has been there a long time that I really don't need or use?  It's amazing what we overlook.  I put a Southern Living Home vase in the give away box.  It's been sitting on the screened porch for four years and has been used a few times.  I kept it because it was a gift and I knew it must have been expensive.  However, someone else can enjoy it more.

Screened Porch or Deck

Is there anything in these spots that is past its prime?

Random Items

As you are searching in cupboards or closets for one item, you may come across something random you realize you don't need.  Pull it out, right then and there, and put it in your give-away bin.  If I haven't mentioned it lately, you should have some designated bin or box for items to be taken to Goodwill, Salvation Army, or another charitable organization.  I found a plug-in candle that melts scented wax squares.  It smells OK (my husband didn't complain too much), but after the melted wax got spilled a couple times by someone bumping the device, it got put away.  Now someone else can enjoy it, as I'm giving it away to Goodwill.

Waxed Paper

We had to leave on our trip before my daughter went back to college.  She was great and cleaned so that, upon arriving home, everything was nice and ready to go!  As I opened the cupboard door, there was a note:  "Why do you have all this waxed paper in the cupboard?"  or something like that.  Truth be told, I save the linings of cereal boxes to use when waxed paper is needed.  I could buy a roll, but I use it so seldom, that this method seems economical from my tight-wad background.  Looking at the cupboard through her eyes, though, there were too many.  I've downsized my cereal box linings, and they are better hidden!

Clutter in the Refrigerator

Right before my daughter came home recently for her Easter break, I panicked a little.  What items have been sitting open, but unused in the refrigerator or cupboards since she last came in February?  She has an uncanny knack for commenting, such as, "Oh, you still have this?  This was here when I was home last."  Sigh.  I threw out some outdated items to declutter!  Is there anything there for you that needs to be tossed?

Newspapers

A relative of mine, as he aged, began to keep all his newspapers.  I remember going down into his basement and one entire wall was stacked with columns of newspapers, almost as tall as I was.  We never knew why he kept them.  That's a lot of newspapers to start fires in the fireplace!

I can't believe how quickly newspapers add up and contribute to clutter.  I've begun keeping maybe two or three for putting under craft projects or painting, then weekly putting the rest into recycling.  It seems such a waste.  Consider reading newspapers on-line:  no clutter, no waste.

Clothes Sizes

We got rid of some clothes that don't fit anymore.  When a family member loses weight, sometimes you wonder if you should keep those "still good" clothes in case he/she goes back to that size.  However, weight loss people recommend not doing that as it gives the mind "permission" to get back into those larger clothes.  It's best to get them out of the house.

Simplicity

I just returned from visiting England.  Though we didn't stay in homes, I was struck by the simplicity of their lifestyles.  Other than castles, many of the townspeople live in dwellings much smaller than we do.  They sit outside at cafe's, talking with people.  They walk many places or take trains, buses, or the Tube (subway.)  On the public transportation, you can read, rest, or just think.

What do we have that keeps us from a more simple, easier lifestyle?  Is it too many responsibilities?  Too much stuff to take care of?  I'll be thinking on that in the coming weeks (but also getting rid of one thing per day!)  I promise not to get too philosophical...