Once upon a time I was a garage-sale-aholic.
Dimes and quarters flew from my fingers as fast as I could dig them from the bottom of my purse.
The only problem One of the problems with my addiction was that I based many of my purchasing decisions on coolness. If it caught my fancy, I’d grab it.
Never stopping to consider whether I needed it, where I would put it, or if in fact any other human being on the planet would see its worth.
I was convinced that if I only had this item . . . I’d be able to find a use for it someday.
Even if someday was weeks/months/years away and the item spent those weeks/months/years as . . . clutter.
I loved that green bottle in the picture above.
It’s cool.
But I had nowhere to put it. So it sat on the edge/ledge of my master bedroom fireplace for years. It was by itself, NOT artfully displayed . . . and looking rather strange in that spot.
When I removed it from the master bedroom during my horrible, terrible, very bad EXTREME master bedroom saga, I felt the pain.
The painful tug at my heart that told me I couldn’t possibly get rid of this green bottle because it’s just so . . . . cool.
Y’know, if you look past the dust. And you imagine it artfully displayed.
Since it was one of the but-I-really-do-love-this-so-I-must-totally-keep-it-for-sure items, it went to the gameroom to await its artful re-entry to the master bedroom.
But when it came time to put things back, the green bottle looked different to me. I saw the dust. And the fingerprints within that dust.
I saw how it didn’t make sense to put it back on the edge/ledge of the fireplace and I could no longer pretend that I’d find the perfect place for it someday.
If there was no perfect place in this Clean Slate Room, it was never going to happen.
Or even if it could happen eventually . . . the dream wasn’t worth it.
Wasn’t worth the frustration of seeing it as clutter for the next who-knows-how-many years.
Clutter isn’t cool.
Wow. You are brutal! I am so proud of you. Cuz that is hardcore decluttering.
My youngest son used to collect “pizza tables” (those white plastic things they put in pizza boxes so the pizza doesn’t get squished) because he thought they were cool. He never caught on that I’d go when he wasn’t looking and throw them out.
(The green bottle is kind of cool to be honest!)
That bottle is cool,but why were you not using it in the kitchen to hold wine or juice.I would have a very hard time giving that one up but I use wine and liquor decanters in my fridge all the time.Anything looks so much better in a pretty decanter than in a cardboard box or plain glass container.
Ditto what Mary S. said. If you aren’t going to keep it, sell it! I paid $4 for 2 bottles like that at Marshall’s b/c they were listed for $6 each at my favorite online store. I sold one to a friend (for what I paid for it) and kept one for myself.:) At least you could make some $$$.:)
It is a good idea to sell or donate anything you don’t use!
AGH! Nony stick to your guns!
I believe that the folks who’ve commented above and genuine and sweet, and well intentioned, and I seriously doubt their slob credentials.
Anyone who has time, and the organizational skills to actually use decanters in their kitchen is fabulous, but I doubt they wind up having to declutter their dressers every 3 months.
My house is slowly being emptied of all those energy draining good intentions-like “it could be fixed” or “somebody could use it” or “I’ll frame it someday”. (They are getting cleared mostly because I think about you then I run into them) Normal folks might have a few things like that around the house, but us slobs can’t walk through our houses without tripping over them. The lure of I could/I should is what got us into this mess. REMEMBER THE BENCH.
As long as we focus on the stuff, not on the homes we want to have, we have mess, clutter and frustration. (AHEM I will get off my soap box now. Just consider that a pep talk I gave myself outloud).
you speak the truth! 🙂
Well said!
Normal folk? If you could see my house you would not say that.There is a good reason why I like Nony’s site,because I can relate.Sorry Nony for saying what I did.You were not using it so therefore should get rid of it.
Oh Mary!
Don’t apologize! And it totally cracks me up that someone would apologize for being called Normal? And believe me, I totally understand all the reasons why I SHOULD keep it, so don’t feel bad. All comments are safe here!
OMG…I can relate so much!!! I have some of the artfully displayed and tons and tons of the soooooo cool I have to have it how can I part with it where on earth will I put it, maybe someday I will have a place for it, though I have no plans to move…but part of me also thinks if I got rid of some of the clutter there would be the room for my cool stuff… When I set up my office from scratch I was able to actually use some of the cool stuff and that is what I have artfully displayed… Where I blew it was that was over a year ago and the overflow has been piled outside the office and I walk around it daily because I haven’t decided what to do with it. You are such an inspiration.
My huband gave me a rule: I am not to buy something unless I know where it is going. ….I usually stick by the rule 🙂
It is hard, but it keeps me from buying (usually) just because it is cool and keeps me from guilt later too.
you’ve come a long way, Baby!
recognizing it, saying it (out loud, I’m thinking), and acting on it – YES!!!
A few years ago I realized my place was being taken over with “cool” and “interesting” stuff, which just ended up sitting around with dust and pet hair all over it. Since then, I have made a concerted effort not to bring extra knick knacks into the house. I still do it on occasion, but only if it’s something I really, really like, and like Holly’s husband’s rule, I know where it will go. Just yesterday, in fact, I fell in love with a beautiful piece of pottery at an art gallery. As much as I loved it, though, I went through every room in my house and could not visualize it anywhere. It’s still in that gallery waiting for someone else’s home.
Getting rid of cool things is so hard! At those times I need a severe talking to. I tell myself: that someone else will love finding that item at the thrift store, that I will never feel guilty about not dusting it again, that another donate bag is getting full, and that I am making progress and only progess.
Still kinda hurts a little bit anyway.
I used to collect colored glass bottles at garage sales, too! They look so cool! My husband would even buy them for me. But finally, I got rid of all of them except the few sentimental ones. The rest had become clutter.
In reference to your slanted-top washer and/or dryer: my dryer has a slanted top, too, and I HATED it, especially after a full bottle of liquid laundry soap – without the top on – slid off of it and made a HUGE mess. I took a bath mat that had mildewed on the bottom and cut off the worst of the stains, then put it on the dryer. I can now set my container of soap or laundry basket on it and they don’t slide off.