Things I've found while de-cluttering

After applying my de-cluttering Rules of Engagement, my husband and I took to the various portals of junk around the house with bin-bags and boxes. It was quite an exercise. Remember Mary Poppin's bag, that can hold anything? Turns out my wardrobe was kind of like that. Who knew?

The process of decluttering went like this: Stage one - this is fun! Stage two - this is boring and dusty, can I stop now? No I can't, because the house is a mess. Must ... keep ... going .... Stage three - all done. Yay!

I love how less cluttered our house is now*. We sent over a car full of stuff to a charity shop, and filled three bin bags with rubbish. I also found some very odd things and totally useless things in the process. Here's a sample:

1. Four broken handbags. Why I kept them I do not know; they were all too broken to use. Note to self: do not hoard broken handbags in future. Second note to self: look into buying better quality handbags so first note to self can be ignored. 

2. A ticket to the Great Wall of China, kept from a visit I took there in 2010. This was hard to get rid of, but it's not like I need a ticket to remember how totally amazing the Great Wall was.

3. A giant umbrella someone gave me 5 years ago that was still in its plastic. Hard to throw out, as the inner hoarder whispered: "But what if you neeeed it?" Be silent, inner hoarder, I thought. If I decide I need an umbrella (unlikely, Wellington is far too windy for those), I can always buy one.

4. My son's first shoes. So little, so cute! I am totally keeping those. How could I not?

5. A onesey my son wore a few times, although I can't actually conjure up a specific memory of him in it as it was during the Foggy Time of Newborn-ness. One for the charity shop.

6. Some cooking oil two years past its expiry. Sigh. Third note to self: use foodstuffs that I buy.

7. My dad's hand written speech that he delivered at his sister's funeral. One for a wee cry, then keeping in the forever box.

8. A self-published novel written by someone I don't know about a topic I have no interest in. Another one for the charity shop, although based on the quality of writing on the blurb I don't expect it to fly off the shelf.

9. Four containers of unused moisturizer or the like, all gifts from people I don't know well. Fourth note to self: probe into why they all think I need nice smelling things and try not to get paranoid.

10. The back of my wardrobe. Yay!

Now my house is less cluttered (almost)*. What I need to do now is think about how best to use the wardrobe that is like Mary Poppin's bag for good rather than (cluttered) evil. And think about note to self number five: never, ever let it get so cluttered again.


*Except for one cupboard of cluttered doom. That can wait for another day. 

De-cluttering your home: Rules of Engagement

Have you decided to start the New Year with a cleaner home?

One of my New Year's Resolutions is to de-clutter my house. Get rid of junk. Actually have some spare cupboard space and be able to find things that are A) what I am looking for at the time, and B) not covered in dust at the point of retrieval. Or even worse, mold. Or mushed up food. Or some other substance that I dare not give the sniff test.

I'm ready to de-clutter.  Rubbish bags? Check. Fabulous plastic containers from the Warehouse that are both see-through and stack perfectly? Check. Dozens of Huggie Nappy Boxes, AKA the only good thing about having had a child in nappies for the past 4.5 years? Check. Corner of the garage earmarked for things to go to the Salvation Army? Check.  Motivation? Um .....

First, I need some rules of engagement. Terms of Reference for de-cluttering. A criteria that I set to enable me to make tough decisions about what to keep, and what to move on. Otherwise, I'll end up keeping an entire box of bubble-wrap just in case I might need it one day. Otherwise, I'll never throw out that manky stained t-shirt that someone gave me as a gift in the late 1990s.

So, I've decided on the following Rules of Engagement:

1. The 6-month rule

Have I used the item in the last 6 months? Can I, right now, think of a specific time I will use it in the next 6 months? If the answer is no, get rid of it.

2. The soppy rule

Does this have sentimental value? If so, is it unique? If it is a manky old t-shirt, would a photograph of it suffice to tick the 'awwww I remember that' box? If it has no sentimental value or a photograph would do, get rid of it.

3. The tragic demise rule

If I were to die and someone in my extended family were to be sorting my stuff, am I embarrassed about the idea of them finding this object? If the answer is 'yes' - and it's not something that you actually use - get rid of it. The tragic demise rule is also useful for helping decide where to de-clutter first - which part of my house would I be the most embarrassed about?

4. The when-my-kids-are-old-enough rule 

Is it an expensive item that you really do hope to use one day once the kids are older? If yes, keep it. This rule covers all of those items of my footloose and fancy free days like tents, backpacks and bedrolls for hiking, One day, I tell myself. One day ...

5. The affordability rule

If I get rid of this thing I never use now and I decide in a year I did want it, can I afford another? If yes, and the object doesn't meet any of the other criteria, get rid of it. Adios, massive unused umbrella and the rest of your ilk.

6. The storage rule

If you were to move to the other side of the world, and all of your stuff had to go into storage, would you want to store this item for 5 years? If not, get rid of it. I wish I had used this rule when I did move to the other side of the world, and came home to a storage box filled with yucky old towels and old clothes that I will never wear again.

7. The memory rule

When you stumble upon an object, do you think:

A: "I'd wondered where you were"; or
B:  "I'd forgotten about you."

If it is B, get rid of it.

8. The manky rule. 

Even fabulous things with massive sentimental value go manky sometimes. If it's gone manky, get rid of it. Take a photo, then say your fond farewells. I know, this is hard to do. One of my favourite dolls from my childhood now looks like she has caught a face-eating infection while in storage. Sob. But, there is no point in keeping her, not really, sad as it is.

So, there are the Rules of Engagement. Now, time to get started ...