Monday, September 13, 2010

Clutter & De-cluttering - Part One



Most everyone knows about or has watched the TV show 'Hoarders' where it shows people living in EXTREME gross clutter. IMO some of it I think is made up for TV purposes only but, that's just my opinion.

From what I have seen the majority of people do not live like that, majority of clutterers live with what I call 'Livable Clutter' which means, in your mind it can be lived with or another word would be it's bearable, after all you still can walk from kitchen to living rm without stepping over too many things and you can still shut the bedroom door when company comes over, LOL.

Well as one can guess clutter and the Live - Simple lifestyle do not go together, clutter gets in the way of a natural, free flowing household, workplace, play area...

Clutter uses up space - Space that for the most part as years go by seems to just keep getting bigger and bigger. A multi-billion dollar industry (rental storage units) has grown up just because of people needing more space for their (STUFF) clutter. Another multi - million dollar industry ( 1-800-GOT-JUNK) has blossomed just to get rid of peoples left-over (STUFF) clutter.

Clutter uses up money - How? because for each piece you have that has been laying in the bottom of a closet or 'stored' out in the garage that you haven't seen or touched in 2 years has for the most part cost you hard-earned money. Even worse how about doubling the cost, because you have no room in your house so you rent out a storage unit for it... Oh and if you're storing things that might be "Useful Someday", realise that while you are storing them and hoarding them, THEY AREN'T BEING USEFUL

Clutter uses up the environment - The more bric brac, nick knacks, flower vases, un-used exercise equipment, talking fish plaques, sweaters, shoes, etc., the bigger the houses, the garages, the trucks, etc. The bigger and more of all that, the more resources are used up.

Worse of all clutter uses up time - Time that could be used for yourself and maybe more profitable endeavors or with family, friends and more recreational activities, etc.

Now I know that some people become attached to 'Their Stuff', it makes them feel comfortable having all that stuff around them and some people actually have a physical, mental and emotional hard time parting with things. So I'm not trying to talk anyone out of getting rid of Grandmas wooden Dutch shoes or Aunt Mable's antique diamond ring which is actually cubic zirconium but no one wanted to tell her... lol, but there is a difference between nostalgia and misaligned intentions...

What I am going to try and do in this 4 part series of posts is explain what clutter is and then try and show you how to de-clutter if you so desire to.

What I think clutter is:

When your miscellaneous kitchen junk drawer, desk drawer, laundry room cupboard, bedroom night stand are all jammed with your papers, appliance manuals, recipes, pizza coupons from 2003, menus from the Chinese restaurant that closed in 2006, broken lighters, stub pencils, harden bottles of Elmer's glue, sunglasses without lenses, marbles, a baggie of broken birthday candles, a head from a barbie doll, etc. - YOU HAVE CLUTTER!

When you’re embarrassed to let someone see some part of your home because of the piles of stuff you have stockpiled and you hide it all behind curtains, or dividers or the closet doors won't shut or all of it is seeping out from underneath your bed so you just shut the bedroom door. - YOU HAVE CLUTTER.

When you take 30 minutes digging through junk drawers or looking through piles of magazines, or moving about all the stored "Useful One day" stuff in the garage looking for the one thing in there you actually have any need for, or thought you did. - YOU HAVE CLUTTER.

Or how about all them shelves that are jammed full of videos or DVDs or CDs or books or video games even after you emptied them same shelves 6 months ago and put all of the old ones into a box out in the garage. - YOU HAVE CLUTTER.

In part 2 we'll see how to get started on the de-cluttering process, in mean time put a crock-pot of the following recipe on and go Live - Simple....

VEGETABLE BEEF SOUP -

1 pound ground chuck or stew meat
1 cup chopped onion
1 large (28 oz.) can whole tomatoes (chopped) or the same amount using fresh tomatoes
3 cup diced potatoes
1 (16 oz.) can cut green beans or same amount using fresh green beans
2 teaspoon chili powder
2-3 dashes cayenne pepper sauce
2 (10 1/2 oz.) cans condensed beef bouillon or whatever is equivalent in using the bouillon cubes
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup sliced carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Brown meat with onion and celery; drain off fat. Stir in remaining
ingredients and add 1 or 2 cups water. Cover and cook on low for 8-10
hours.

For you vegetarians you can just leave out the beef

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