Clutter Assassin: Living with Less Stuff

Check out the latest issue of The Free Weekly!

The cover story on Seeds that Feed is fantastic, and there are many Ripples’ readers and supporters featured in the article and in the cover photo! Way to go Care Croppers! You can also read Ripples’ latest column on recycling old junk and creating intentional rooms here.

Clutter-kicking tips from Ripples readers:

Lisa says: I started at FlyLady.com. I didn’t stay with that because she feeds my OCD tendencies, but it was a good place to start.

Rachel says:

The desk at our old apartment where Ripples began one year ago, post de-cluttering! 🙂

I de-cluttered my room at my parent’s house which was a combined catastrophe of all my college apartment boxes and everything from my childhood. The former being largely useful for when I move back to America the later being really sentimental.

I finally started asking “Would I have noticed this was gone? If I hadn’t just now found it, would I have ever gone looking for it?” That cut the sentimental objects WAY down. Lots of things I LOVED once I saw them and remembered the joy they brought me at a time, but I knew that had my parents thrown them out when I wasn’t looking it would’ve gone unnoticed. I took photos of some things I wanted to remember but didn’t need to keep.

With clothes I had to ask: do I wear it? Not will I, because I always think I will and rationalize the pleasant look and seasonal uses of whatever it is. But so many things I could SEE myself wearing I knew I just didn’t wear.

I also tried to give spaces a purpose to avoid my favorite habit- stuffing things in drawers/boxes to turn into masterpieces of souvenir art later. Now I have one souvenir junk box and all my drawers have a purpose- office supplies, pictures, etc.

I love what you said about empty space. That’s going to be something for me to keep in mind when I have a space to decorate again. I tend to want to put lots of things everywhere and then it’s just a lot of stuff (and a lot of dust) and as you said, it doesn’t necessarily give me the right happy vibe it should.

Check out Unorganized Mommy for more tips! Thanks Rachel!