Clutter--are you guilty?

16 years ago

I am

In June Good Housekeeping they list 4 reasons that cause clutter.

Habit--Afraid to let go of items--I might need this some day--or the kids can use this

Habit--Not stepping up to tasks--People (ME TOO) come in the door and put it on the table,

Habit--Procrastination--(oh am I guilty here especially since I retired) Someday,---

Habit--Buying too much--(guess that is why I have 3 of everything! But it was on sale---only 5 for or buy 3 get 1 free

OK now your turn

Marie

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Comments (27)

sheilajoyce_gw
16 years ago
Yup, I guess so. We moved a lot in our early years, and so I ended up cleaning everything out about every 2nd or 3rd year. We have lived here, the largest house ever that we have had with lots of cupboards, for 31 years. Need I say more? And today's kids don't want that much in hand-me-downs when they head out on their own, or they move so far away that paying to send all that stuff to them doesn't make sense. But I am glad I saved their handmade cradle as our grandson has enjoyed using it, or rather his mother.
oldgardener_2009
16 years ago
No, I've always disliked clutter. My husband, however, hangs onto everything for years and years, keeps it all in boxes and hauls it all from one house to the next every time we move. The sight of it all makes me shudder. LOL

I'd rather give unused/unwanted items away rather than keep them stored unused.
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country_sunshine
16 years ago
I was amazed when I went down to help my hubby 'declutter' his Man Cave and work shop. OMGosh !!! We were actually about two trinket shy of getting on "Hoarders" !! But an entire truck load of that stuff went on out of here today.

We want to downsize and tomorrow we are going to look at a place that has more bedrooms but less square footage, which is okay with me. One of the bedrooms is on the smallish side and would make a perfect Pantry / Storage area. We have seen the floor plan already..

I began to declutter the upstairs and now I feel positively liberated ... free from having all that stuff to dust and keep clean. Lord only knows I have enough on my plate without having to dust stuff I really don't need nor really want anymore..
vala55
16 years ago
I really work at keeping clutter to a minimum. The problem spots are my desk, on tables around my easy chair and one section of the kitchen counter. Most of the rest of the house is clutter free. I have really been working at keeping it cleared away and it's looking better. I have always put things away when I finish with them, that helps a lot.
heatherinohio
16 years ago
I can't say that I am. Instead, I would say that I am completely the opposite. I like to throw things away or donate things, it is a huge stress reliever for me. Strange, I know.
petaloid
16 years ago
Anxiety and depression can also be factors in accumulating clutter. OCD and ADD too.

It may surprise you to know that there are Clutterers Anonymous support groups, based on AA principles, in many parts of the country.

The FlyLady.net website has lots of helpful, and even fun, ideas for uncluttering and for keeping things nice when you finish.

In my home we have what FlyLady calls CHAOS, which stands for Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome, but we're working on it!
carol_in_california
16 years ago
I am a clutterer....always have been.
But I am thinking about changing.....maybe next week.
LOL
soxxxx
16 years ago
My house would be much less cluttered if it were not for so many garage sales. Before I get this weekend's bargains put away, it is Friday, and those GARAGE SALE signs just pop up in front of my car on the way to the PO or grocery.
User
16 years ago
I was the same way with auctions. Went every Sat. for 30 years, and I have lived in this house for 28 years. Need I say more?
drewsmaga
16 years ago
Ditto oldgardener! We have boxes of his junk (I kid you not, one box is his class notes from when he got his AS, in 1974!!!!!) He can't part with anything. For years, we've had coffee cans full of rusty nails, inherited from when his Dad died in '84, etc. His Mom & sisters were/are the same way. Sooooooo, now, when he goes out of town for work, I "pare down" his junk. I've been doing that for about 2 yrs., and he hasn't noticed anything missing yet. :-)
nikki_nj
16 years ago
Not me, I hate clutter. Stresses me out.
kayjones
16 years ago
I have 'clutter' in the garage, but not in the house. As soon as my stepson gets into an apartment (in another city), I can ship his 'stuff' to him and then de-clutter my garage.
dotmom
16 years ago
Nope, not me. Clutter drives me nuts. I admit to not being the most deep down clean housekeeper, but at first glance, things look and are, neat and uncluttered. I have no qualms about tossing or giving away something I don't use much.
gemini40
16 years ago
No, thank heavens..even with 6 kids growing up..if anything I am the opposite....if it hangs around for a day or two..it's out of here.
Georgysmom
16 years ago
Oh this describes me to a T! Every year I keep saying I'm going to tackle the attic. This is the year....before I get too old to do it. I was sixty when we moved here and when I tackled my other attic, I had maternity clothes up there. Now what are my chances of getting pregnant at sixty? I'm going to have to be ruthless!
patti43
16 years ago
No clutter here because we don't have room and because I can't think when things are laying around all over the place. Harry however would keep (and has) everything. It's inherited! I had to laugh at drewsmaga because DH had several coffee cans full of rusty parts and I did the same thing--threw things out when he wasn't around. He didn't miss any of them either.

He also can't stand to see a table or countertop without something on it. So his glasses are one place, billfold another, watch someplace else--all the way to the bedroom at night. I told him he was like a dog marking his territory! LOL!
paula_pa
16 years ago
Yes but I'm not about to be on Hoarders Buried Alive anytime soon. My clutter moves - old clutter leaves, new clutter comes. My kids have lots of toys but guess what - they play with them! I like stuff and I'm not going to apologize for it. I'm glad I never got rid of Nick's stuff since I've used it all for Dan. And just after DH took Dan's stuff to Goodwill he realized he could have given it to his nephew. I'm still mad about that LOL. I did give some of it to a neighbor.

I try to get most of my things from yard sales and Goodwill. A lot of my clothes were hand-me-downs from my sister.

The worst clutter I have is paper - mail, kids art work, etc since I procrastinate dealing with that since it requires mental energy and it piles up.
alisande
16 years ago
I'm a natural creator of clutter, but for the past several years I've been improving. The Organizing the Home forum helped a lot when I first started. I agree about emotions affecting this......I've often said that the condition of my house reflects the state of my mind.

It doesn't help that this very old house has no built-in storage and almost no closets.

I was doing rather well at keeping the place reasonably neat until my son and I started clearing out the barn this spring. We moved a lot of stuff into the house to sort through and sell or give away. Then the gardening season started up, and the stuff is still sitting here, along with new clutter I've added to mix (while I've been gardening). :-)

Georgysmom, "ruthless" is my mantra when I attack clutter or go though clothing or books. I mutter it under my breath (or nice and loud) many times!
murraysmom Zone 6a OH
16 years ago
Like carol in california said......LOL
marilyn_c
16 years ago
Yes and no. It doesn't bother me to give or throw things away. I hardly ever save a magazine, and I would never re-use
aluminum foil, baggies, margarine tubs (don't eat it anyway) or stuff like that. I never bring the mail into the house...it goes in the trash or dealt with first in the case of bills. But, I like stuff...and the stuff I like is multiples of the stuff I already have. Kitchen utensils for example. I collect old ones and I have cajillions of them, and I still hunt for and buy more every chance I get.

I am not attached to my clothes. I have been known to throw almost all of it away and replace it...the things I wear, I can get a whole new wardrobe for less than $50. However, at one time I had over 80 towels...but not because I bought them. I get them given to me for the wildlife and they are usually better than the ones I have...since I've given my daughter my best ones when she went away to college and then when she moved into an apartment. And I have a nutty compulsion for cupboards. At last count, I had around 20, and I still look for them every time I go to flea markets and junk shops. But, I have two houses here, so I can use them for storage for my other compulsion....dishes.
oldgardener_2009
16 years ago
Drewsmaga, yes, coffee cans!! My husband still has every coffee can he has ever used in the last 30 years, and each can is full of bits and pieces of stuff.

It has never occurred to me to pare it down when he's not around, maybe I'll give that a try. ;)
cynic
16 years ago
Yes I'm guilty but getting better.
trishaw
16 years ago
Guilty. And it is because I am just lazy about it. I need to get it loaded into the truck and taken to the Goodwill. I did manage to get two HUGE boxes of my youngest sons clothes out to his car. He knows of a family with 8 boys that could use them. The mother does a lot of consignment type stuff so I gave her all of my dresses and my MIL's dresses to sell. I still have no idea why I was holding onto MIL's stuff. It's not like I could ever wear them! I am slowly working my way through the house.

Trish
hgl_gaylemarie
16 years ago
LOL! 2 1/2 car garage loaded to the ceiling with shelves on all sides. One car in the garage with 4 cats to retrieve from the weather and scary noises like machinery, OK, so you can't walk in my Guest BR does that count as "hoarding"? Now, I have to mention I have a 5' x 10' Laundry Room with shelves of stuff too. I have a 1/2 Bath I've thought about converting to a closet with shelves. I've really been working on it and have had a garage sale and another scheduled for September.

Come shop...I've got good stuff!
jannie
16 years ago
Yes I'm a clutterer. Always have been. Went from one living space to another, one room studio to three room apartment with husband, now in a three bedroom house with hubby 2 kids cat and dog. All space is crammed with stuff, including attic, garage, all closets, outdoor sHed and even a rented storage space where I keep my Christmas tree (fake, in three pieces) and ornaments.
des_arc_ya_ya
16 years ago
Guilty as charged, your Honor. (I'm not a hoarder but I Am a bit of a "collector"! LOL)
joyfulguy
16 years ago
There's a path available to most rooms.

And there's a couple of sheds ... and a barn.

o j

Clutter--are you guilty?

Comments (27)

sheilajoyce_gw

oldgardener_2009

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