Author Archives: Claire

About Claire

I’m a writer, declutterer, and lover of fabric, furniture and books (oh, and my laptop!) I especially like to write about decluttering and debt-free living.

My Book is Here!

By Claire Posted in Clutter, downsizing, Good News, My Books, Personal, Simpler Living Tagged , , , , , ,
My first print book is now available for purchase!

The Sentimental Person’s Guide to Decluttering just came out in print for $14.95, and it’s already selling. This is so exciting for me! What a great feeling to hold my own book in my hands. Many thanks to those of you who bought the ebook; its sales numbers made my publishers decide to bring it out in print.

You can find it at Barnes & Noble, Books a Million and anywhere else books are sold. It’s also available from Amazon, though they’re charging more than retail price.

Speaking of Amazon, a reviewer there liked it, but wishes I would have addressed how to declutter when you have little children. Unfortunately, I’m not qualified to give advice on that subject. I tried decluttering many times when my kids were small, but all of my efforts ended quickly and in failure because I was just so busy dealing with everything else: the kids, the house, meals, etc. That’s how I ended up with a basement full of stuff that eventually filled two storage units. I just couldn’t find time to go through it all until I was forced to when we sold our house. By then, my kids were teens and young adults.

So you won’t find that information in my book, because I found it too hard to declutter with several children underfoot. But if, like me, you find yourself living with way too much clutter, I can show you how to get rid of most of it while keeping only your most treasured possessions. Just read my new book 🙂

The Freedom of RV Life with Kids Has Its Limits

By Claire Posted in downsizing, Simpler Living Tagged , ,

(Continuing the theme from last week’s post….) A family of six decides to give up the modern life of the big house full of toys and furniture and take their family life on the road. We’re seeing more and more stories about this and it fascinates some of us and appalls others.

As someone who raised a large family in a big house for many years, I can understand the appeal of this kind of lifestyle. Reducing your possessions so that you can fit everyone into a trailer (even if it is a relatively roomy Airstream) forces the kids to entertain themselves and to enjoy being out in nature. That’s much better for kids than being cooped up inside all the time and constantly being given toys, games and electronic devices to keep them occupied.

So I’m on the side of those who think this is a lovely idea, and that they’re making oodles of awesome family memories. That said, their kids are still young. I can guarantee that once the eldest child passes puberty, if not sooner, Mom and Dad will begin dreaming of a home where there are doors. When you live with teens, doors are a must so that parents can have some peace and teens can have some privacy.

But for now, it’s a wonderful lifestyle. If they’re smart, once they decide to settle down again, they’ll find a home that isn’t so large that it requires a lot of time and money to manage. Having a large family is plenty of work on its own; adding in the responsibilities involved in maintaining a huge house is what often pushes parents into “overwhelmed” territory.

 

The Ultimate Small House: Downsizing to an RV

By Claire Posted in Clutter, downsizing, Simpler Living Tagged , ,

Starting off your retirement by buying an RV and traveling the country is an old concept; I think that’s where I first began seeing those “We’re Spending Our Kids’ Inheritance” bumper stickers, many years ago. But today, more people (and not just retired people) are actually living in RVs.

While some are forced to do so because of financial problems, an increasing number of people are choosing to live in RVs in order to escape the rat race, the cubicle farm lifestyle, the burden of working to pay for a huge mortgage and/or property tax payment, or for some other reason related to freedom. This article explains this current trend.

Of course, all the principles involved in downsizing to a smaller home apply even more so to moving into an RV. With minimal storage and living space, you’ll have to whittle down your possessions to the bare minimum.

I love living in a small house, though at some point down the road, I might be ready for a small condo. But I don’t think I could live in an RV full-time. There are too many things I like to do that require some space in my house, and I also love having a garden to work in.

But for many people, this is the alternative to spending years of your life commuting to a job you hate in order to pay for housing, clothes, furniture and cars to impress your family and friends, some of whom you may not even like. In fact, while it may be an overreaction to a lifestyle they’re rejecting, it could prove to be the smartest decision they ever made.

In either case, they’re going to learn to pare down their belongings, and that’s a very good skill to have. Not everyone is willing to do it, but it is worth the effort, whether you’re moving to an RV, or just finding a way to make your home feel much bigger.

 

My Book in Print!

By Claire Posted in Clutter, downsizing, Good News, My Books, Personal, Simpler Living, Writing Tagged ,

The Sentimental Person’s Guide to Decluttering will soon be available in print! I’m so excited 🙂 E-books are great, but now I know how it feels to hold your actual, physical book in your hands and it’s wonderful!

You can hold a copy in your hands, too, just as soon as the book comes out on January 2, 2019. You can even pre-order it from Amazon, I’m told. In any case, many thanks to all of you who bought the book in eBook form; the eBook sales convinced the publisher that a print edition was needed.