Monthly Archives: November 2019

Oh, Marie….

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Simpler Living Tagged , ,

Decluttering guru Marie Kondo became so famous for promoting decluttering that she ended up posing on the red carpet at this year’s Oscars. But the woman known for her decluttering books and Netflix show just made a huge mistake: she opened up an online shop so she can sell high-priced clutter.

Of course, capitalizing on your fame by coming up with a related product line is an American tradition. Just think of how much money people like Martha Stewart, Ree Drummond and Paula Deen have made by turning their fame into additional fortune.

But here’s the thing: they weren’t decluttering gurus. They became popular for other talents, and parlayed those talents into stuff they can sell to their fans for a big payback. But when your whole shtick is getting rid of stuff, how do you justify selling stuff back to your fans, and high-priced stuff at that?

You can’t. There is no justification. Ms. Kondo is going against everything she has promoted in her books and Netflix show. I suspect she will regret this move.

Let’s Pretend We’re Moving

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Simpler Living Tagged ,

As you might have read in the top right corner of this blog, we moved three times in four years. That was eight years ago, but the memories are still fresh….ugh! It makes me tired just thinking about it.

But there was something good to come out of it. When you move, you’re forced to go through all of your things and get rid of anything you don’t use anymore in order to reduce the number of things you’re going to have to pack, move and unpack. So you end up in new decluttered digs, and it feels good!

That said, the converse is also true. When you don’t move for a long time, it’s very easy to let the number of your belongings increase, slowly and quietly, until you start tripping on things, or you run out of room in closets, or you just start to feel kind of cramped in your home. That’s how you know it’s time to move again.

Of course, you probably like where you live and don’t want to move. No worries! What I’m talking about is pretending that you have to move. What would you take with? What would you get rid of?

Once you really get into this act of imagination, you’ll start to realize how much stuff has been building up around your home. Use the insight created by your pretend move to give up items you don’t use anymore. Then enjoy the extra space that’s created in your home.

Do this every year or so, and if or when you do actually move again, it will be a much easier experience than what we went through years ago. Just the mere memory of those days revs up my declutter meter and I start assembling boxes to donate to Goodwill.

Giving Up Clothes That Still Fit

By Claire Posted in Clutter, downsizing, Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , ,

Being a frugal sort, I never get rid of a piece of clothing unless it no longer fits or can’t be repaired. But being a sewist, I can usually repair things. So I haven’t been in the habit of giving up clothes that I can still wear.

That said, I decided this year that I was going to up my game, clothes-wise. I’ve been sewing, splurging on really nice fabric and making myself some pretty things. As a result, I now have more clothes than I need, so I have to give some up.

Why? Because I promised myself I would limit myself to two boxes of clothes in out-of-season storage. Living in my little house requires me to keep a lid on my propensity to collect things, including clothes. Being strict about that two-box limit is key.

I also want to keep my closet from becoming overcrowded again. See what happened last time I let it get out of control? Let’s not go there again!

This type of decluttering is a lot easier than most, because my old clothes don’t look so good compared to my new clothes. So all I’ve had to do is give up the same number of tops and dresses as I’ve made. Now that’s easy!

Gifts for the Grands

By Claire Posted in Clutter, Personal, Simpler Living, Small-House Living Tagged , , , ,

It’s that time of year when many of us begin shopping for Christmas gifts for friends and family. But it’s not as simple as it used to be. Not everyone wants a physical gift anymore.

This is particularly true of some of my adult kids. I’m sure their children like opening gifts, but they don’t want more clutter in their homes. One of them suggested that I buy experiences instead of physical gifts for my grandchildren.

Of course, my mind immediately went back to when I was a child, and how much I loved finding my gifts under the Christmas tree. And it also brought back memories of how much my children enjoyed opening their many gifts each year on Christmas morning.

But my kids were at home all day and had plenty of time to play with all of their toys. Some of my grandchildren spend long days in daycare or school and afterschool care, and come home in time to have dinner and go to bed again. They have plenty of toys and no time to play with them.

The days of a child having only one or two treasured toys are long gone. Kids today have more toys than they know what to do with; sometimes they’re so busy playing games and watching movies on their parents’ phones that they don’t even think about their toys.

This is hard for me to accept but I think it’s a fact: it would be wiser for me to give them experiences instead of stuff. Their parents would prefer it, and they might actually get some enjoyment out of museum passes, zoo passes, show tickets or something similar. Their folks don’t have a money tree, so providing a gift like this for the kids is also a gift for their parents. They can enjoy a fun outing with their children without having to pay for it.

So I’ve begun to research this concept. If you have grandchildren or young nieces and nephews or all of the above, you might also want to think about doing this. Here are some examples to get you started:

Play passes

Movie passes

Museum passes (some offer the bonus benefit of getting into other museums for discounted or free admission)

Zoo and aquarium passes

Farm visits

YMCA or gym memberships

Kid-friendly restaurant gift certificates