With October in full swing and Halloween just around the corner, I am relishing the decor that sits patiently in my hall closet during the rest of the year. And I am pleased to bring it out for the season.
I think that I am pretty organized with my collections, but after reading The House We Grew Up In, (click for review), I felt that niggling tug.
I was reminded of the STUFF in my garage. Yes, neatly crammed into see-through bins (or perhaps not so neatly!), those items have been tugging at me lately. And I know that I must start dealing with them. Here’s the next bin on my stack:
Here are some of the other bins I must go through…sorting and deciding what to toss and what to keep.
It’s the paperwork that plagues me. I can’t just toss everything. I have to sort through and remove for shredding those items with identifying information, account numbers, etc.
I started the task a few weeks ago, and have plugged away at it periodically.
But who am I kidding? Once I’ve dealt with the paperwork, the dolls, bears, and other collectibles must come under scrutiny. Do I need or even want these things? When was the last time that I actually rotated any of these items into the house for display?
And inside my house, if a favorite item continues to reside on my tables and cupboards, am I kidding myself about how much I need or want it?
And then there is my Book Nook, as I fondly call this closet-turned-bookish-mess. Sometimes I gaze upon it as something I enjoy looking at now and then. As if it says something good about me.
I have removed a few of the books…sending them off to bloggers, or putting them into the library collection box.
Next comes the file cabinet. Notice it under the DVDs? I have gone through some of the files and tossed (shredded) a few things. But there is still too much stuff!
Why am I suddenly feeling panicky about it all? Perhaps I should stop reading books about hoarding, since they don’t really apply to me…right?
How did we (I?) come to this place of being controlled by the stuff around me? Is it possible to live a minimalist life?
***
POTPOURRI 
Ok…I felt the exact same way after reading that book…and I did go through some bins…but then stopped in frustration and boredom!
LikeLike
Yes, it is a huge task…everything in my bins has been there since I moved in here seven years ago…but I am happy that I am making some progress. A little bit here and there…baby steps. Thanks for visiting, Patty, and I hate when a book about hoarding makes me wonder about myself…LOL.
LikeLike
Since I’m a quilter, no scrap of fabric ever leaves my house! And with my husband and I both being readers, we have a huge collection of books. Yes, I need to cull through all that stuff and part with as much as I can, but … It’s hard, isn’t it?
Good luck with your organizing. Maybe you’ll inspire me to follow your good example.
LikeLike
Thanks for stopping by, Sandra…I love quilts! I have seen photos of some of yours, so I would not recommend changing anything you are doing.
I do love my stuff, but after reading a book about hoarding, I start to think about how much I have and begin imagining the piles increasing exponentially while I have my back turned. LOL. Mostly I am interested now in cutting down (and out) the obsolete paperwork in those bins! I waited the seven years, as advised by my accountant, and now I am hoping to find space in those bins for other things.
It is hard to part with the lovely collectibles, so I’m thinking that, perhaps, if I put them in the freed up space in the bins, I can keep them there and not actually have to let them go.
LikeLike
Yes – we do tend to get overwhelmed with stuff! I pulled out a couple of boxes this week too. And my DH found several boxes of old travel/RV magazines stored in our motor coach. He did get my okay to toss them but he noted that it would just be extra weight.
LikeLike
Thanks for visiting, Martha…it felt like I accomplished a lot this week, and moving forward should be lighter…
LikeLike