Decluttering

Can I use the same title as my last post?  A little busy.  Last month included a baby blessing (read, lots of family coming into town), husband taking his Step 3 the two days after the blessing, and I performed in a concert the day before (meaning extra rehearsal the day before the concert as well). So the weekend was a bit much and needless to say, I didn't write a post.

This week, just a bit better.  And by a bit, I mean much.  Not a whole lot happening this week, outside the normal, scheduled excitement.  But speaking of lots of stuff...

I had to rewrite this post.  It was becoming too cluttered.  I'm not joking.  Here's the scoop, straight and simple.  I recently have turned my attention to decluttering.  It came to the forefront of my mind when I watched some videos about tiny house living and minimalist living.  I realized how much time and energy and money was being wasted living in the house we're in right now.  It's larger than we need because it was the cheapest rent we could find last minute.  I dislike cleaning it, it takes a long time, we have to spend more heating it, getting rugs for the wood floors (which I love, but they're cold in winter).  We have space and we fill it (though we haven't bought much, more like we allow ourselves to keep more).  We are very thrifty when it comes to stuff we do need to fill it, like the rugs and such, many of the pictures and art on the wall were gifts, the rest I made or bought at a discount.  But I feel overwhelmed.

Add into that the fact that we just had our first child, so we just have more stuff (cloth diapers, diaper bag, blankets, burp cloths, nursing pillow, carriers, bassinet, stroller and car seat all joining our things on the first floor alone).  In watching more videos on tiny house living and minimalistic living (neither of which I will ever do in full, but are great guides), I have taken it to heart to get rid of stuff, to help clear up our house and ease our minds.  I feel guilty every time I look in my closet and don't wear a certain shirt that I paid for or a scarf that someone gave me.  I got rid of them so I wouldn't feel that guilt anymore.  I got rid of stockings that I had only worn once and it was for a costume.  I got rid of jackets that were super cute but not what I naturally gravitate to and so they had been unworn for long periods of time.  I realized I didn't need 3 peacoat style jackets.  Yes, most of the things let go have been clothes, so far.  But the kitchen is on my mind - getting rid of 4 of the 6 wooden spoons we have (because I prefer the wooden spatulas), getting rid of the old set of silverware my husband had before we got married.  Little things that make the space feel so much nicer.  

I'm also decluttering my email - unsubscribing from companies I never use, deleting old emails that are unnecessary, sorting emails better so I know where to look for something and am not overwhelmed in my inbox.  I also want to contact the annoying paper mail that comes, all the ads, again for businesses we don't ever use.  It's a waste of paper and it goes straight into the recycling.  We wont be renewing our subscription to the Ensign because we read it online and we have a giant stack of them that I feel bad throwing out (it's like throwing out scriptures.  OK, not that bad, but it's sort of hard for me).  

Life is crazy hectic sometimes as a resident wife.  The schedule is ever-changing, and when my husband is home with me I want to be home, with him.  Not cleaning or sorting or getting frustrated jamming stuff away because it doesn't fit.  I'm trying to take away that hard part of life so I can focus my attention on the important things and people.  Trying to improve my quality of life, which is not found in objects, which I think is actually diminished by too much stuff.  Maybe it's personal opinion.  But it's working for me so far.  Good luck to each of you in figuring out what you have in your life that might be better off gone.  (Right now it's this stomach ache I have, but that's a little different.)

-Rachel C