Many people have tuned in to watch TLC’s “Hoarding: Buried Alive.” We watch the show in complete astonishment at the clutter people live in. We watch the show all high and mighty, as if we have never held onto something a little longer than necessary. What is that saying about shaming the sliver in someones eye when a plank sticks out of your own?
The reality is, it has become nearly impossible to completely reject a life of consumerism when we are socialized to be materialistic beings. All of us have gone through periods where we have had way too much stuff. Whether you should be on “Hoarding: Buried Alive,” or you have subscribed to a life of minimalism, everyone has things that they don’t need. Some of us have things that we don’t even want.
What can we do? Declutter.
The notion of decluttering your home may be overwhelming, but we have broken down the task into one easy step that has three parts: keep, sell/donate, toss. This is a formula that is simple and effective. Create three piles in an empty or large room, or even in your backyard if possible. Then start organizing everything!
One pile is for everything you want to keep. Don’t drag out your couch and TV, but anything that isn’t enormous needs to be sorted. Throw guilt, sentimentality, and caution out the window! The keep pile is not for things you feel obligated to keep, such as your grandmothers collection of glass teddy bear figurines. Keep your favourite one, but get rid of the rest. Only keep things that you want for the long run!
The second pile is for everything you want to sell/donate. This should be a pile for anything that has value. A coffee table would make a great addition, your old shag rug… not so much. The reality is, if you are not willing to put in the work of finding a buyer for your item, you should just donate it.
The last pile is your toss pile! Throw away whatever you don’t want and isn’t worth donating or selling. Be ruthless! When you’re done going through your home room by room, take your discard pile and drop off the junk at the Bowness Clean Up Event! They will haul your junk to the dump for free, and you can get a free coffee while you’re there! For more details, check out our last blog post. We will also be posting a reminder about it this friday!
Remember: keep, donate/sell, discard. Be smart, be ruthless, and you will be left with a home that is significantly less cluttered. Don’t make us call TLC!
Posted by Ken Richter on
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