#37 of 100 Simple Suggestions... Reduce knick-knacks and unnecessary clutter

As a newly-wed, I was invited to a candle party. You know, like a Tupperware party, only pretty scented candles in all sorts of lovely glass and ceramic holders. In those days, I was crazy about candles and often had at least one burning.

Then I had children. When my eldest learned to crawl, the first thing she went for was the shelf where the pretty candles sat, and they soon found their way into a box which is still stored under the stairs. Life without candles soon became life without knick knack clutter. A lot of statuettes, souvenirs, and other gifts from well-meaning friends who felt they had to buy something to mark some occasion or other have been donated to charity sales after a suitable interval. Most of my friends and family know me well enough now that they don't buy me presents that have to be dusted or stored. Instead, I get consumables like chocolate or homemade preserves, or a ticket to a show, or a perennial for my garden, or useful things - like these pretty rubber boots my sisters gave me for my birthday last year.

Even with my youngest at the non-candle-breaking age of eleven, I can't bring myself to unpack those candles, mainly because I have come to prefer free space over clutter. Don't fence me in with stuff, and don't ask me to dust around fancy little knick knacks. There are a thousand things I'd rather do. So candles and candle holders remain under the stairs, and if I'm not mistaken, there's still one more box of knick knacks down there somewhere, too. Eventually I'll get around to giving them away. Any takers? Life is full enough without them.

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

#31... Give extra possessions to people who need them

Not long after I first heard about Voluntary Simplicity, the art of living with less in order to live more abundantly, I decided it was time to take a serious look at what was in my crowded kitchen cupboards. I discovered that somehow, I owned eight sets of salt and pepper shakers. Somehow, I also had three more coffee makers than I could use, and quite a few too many coffee cups. Fortunately for me, I work as a Volunteer with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which provides necessities for new immigrants, the homeless, and people down on their luck. I put together three boxes of kitchen ware, took it to SSVP, and it found new homes with people who could really use it.

Most North Americans have too much stuff. I'll admit that I do, too. But more and more, the extra things in my home are going to where they are needed, and it feels good to know that they are being used and appreciated by other people rather than rarely seeing the light of day in my cupboards. Why keep things that I don't use? In the next few weeks, I plan to get into some closets and corners that haven't been looked into for a while, to see if any gently used items are hiding in places I've forgotten. It's time to clear some clutter, free up some mental and emotional space, and share a little wealth with people who need it more than my closets do!

Who can you share with in your community?

P.S. Looking for more Simple Suggestions? Try here.

Making space for Christmas

Recently, my youngest daughter came to me saying, "Mom, you know what I'd like for Christmas? I'd like you to help me clean up my room."

Julia "cleans up" her room on a semi-regular basis, but it often takes her an entire day because she gets caught up in the stuff on her desk and ends up doing art projects or reading forgotten books or playing with little toys she hasn't seen in a while. I was the same way when I was young... but my room wasn't as big, and I don't think I had quite so much stuff.

Usually I leave Julia to fend for herself when it comes to tidying her space. But today is the day WE are going to dejunk, clutter-bust, and clean Julia's room. Here's what we'll need to do it:

1. a garbage bag
2. a bag for recyclable materials
3. a charity box (Julia doesn't mind giving stuff to the Society of St. Vincent de Paul because she knows other children might like the things she's outgrown)
4. a box for items Julia is unwilling to part with, and
5. a box for items which she isn't sure how to categorize.

It then becomes a fairly simple matter to decide where items belong. The only trick is to get the work done rather than playing, reading, or doing arts and crafts for someone's Christmas gift! When the room is clean, we toss the garbage, put the recycling out in our blue bag, take the charity box to SSVP, put away the items Julia is keeping, and the stuff that is in the last box gets put on a shelf in the basement for a year. If Julia "needs" anything from that box, she can retrieve it, and in a year's time, we'll give whatever is in it away.

Since reading Mark A. Burch's little book, De-Junking: A Tool for Clutter-Busting (2007, Simplicity Practice and Resource Centre, ISBN 978-0-9784528-3-4) -- see the sidebar -- this is how I go about cleaning house when I'm in serious dejunking mode. It's a simple plan, and it increases everyone's free time and space. Julia is happier when her desk is clear and she has space to work, and I'm happier when I don't have to nag her about her mess. Part of Christmas preparation is making sure there's "room at the inn," and now's the time to do it!