Decluttering on a Major Scale

For me it was FLYlady, then I was given the book "It's All Too Much". Finally I am able to feel like I've gained control over the clutter that had grown around us. (My husband, who gave me the book,"It's All Too Much," says from now on he'll only buy me joke books because he had to make so many trips to the dump and recycling center! True story!)

The hardest items to let go were the things I would never use that I'd been given by people I love, some of whom have passed on. To get rid of them seemed wrong, somehow. Some were from 10-20 years ago, but I still felt I had to hold on to them. In the book "It's All Too Much" I read that we don't need "things" to keep memories alive, and that helped me to release a lot of items to go to new homes where they'll be honored and appreciated. I still treasure the people and memories I have, but let's face it: we all have limited display and storage space.

I sorted items into three boxes: keep, donate, and trash. I used the "one year" rule. If we hadn't used an item in a year then it went into the "toss" or "donate" piles. I couldn't believe the things I came across that we hadn't used in several years!

It turns out that the more things I let go the easier it got. Out of all the things I let go, I only needed to replace one kitchen item. It felt so good after it was over. Our house is much easier to clean after that and has a more peaceful air. The space that is left is very calming. I love looking at a room after I've decluttered it and straightened it up!

 No Whining

With all the conserving of energy and money that we're doing at our house you might wonder about our attitudes. I'm very proud to say that we are a "no whining" family.

Not all the changes we've made are easy or fun, but I'm taking it as a personal challenge to see how low I can get our spending. Luckily, the whole family is on the same page. We are all excited to see our spending go down, down, down. It's already making a difference. Of course, if gas and groceries weren't so high, it would be making much more of a difference!

A few years ago, the current economy would have seen me throwing a huge pity party. With the knowledge that I have now, I know that I still have many choices and it doesn't seem like we're doing without anything. I think the word "choice" is the key.

The kids don't feel as if they are doing without either. They are still getting things they like from the sales we see.

My husband is glad we are saving more money. I hated that we were spending all or more than he made. It was unnerving, knowing that we were just a payday or so from being in real financial trouble. Our savings is going up at a good pace, and that makes us all feel SO much better!

It's the time of year for home school resource fairs and early curriculum planning, so we still must spend on that. Yes, it's possible to home school on a shoestring budget, but with a high school student I want to make sure she gets a great education. I've been tracking down good, used curriculum as well as offering some of our used curriculum for sale so that has helped.

The point I'm getting at is that we are still able to supply our material needs less expensively so that no one is "feeling poor." Wealth is truly a state of mind.