Simple Creativity

I am so amazed looking around at my house to see how much "stuff" has accumulated over the last 9 months (when we moved in). We will most likely be moving again in a few months and I am psyching myself up for some major decluttering. There is a possibility that we will be moving a few states away or even more (depending on certain current job possibilities) and I refuse to move all of this clutter.

Having a daughter who is almost two, we are constantly fighting the build up of toys. During Christmas we specifically asked grandparents not to get her stuffed animals or dolls because of the ridiculous amount she already has and she still received around 8. That really adds up for every special occasion. I hate getting rid of things that were given to my daughter as gifts, but there comes a time when I have no choice. My new plan for holidays is to get Faith a very minimal amount of stuff and instead take her somewhere fun like the zoo or kids museum. That way she has a ton of fun and I don't end up with more stuff, a win-win situation!

So getting back to my decluttering talk, I think my plan for the next few weeks is to do a massive overhaul in each room of our house. Then before we move, I think we are getting rid of some of our furniture and large electronics because they are just not worth moving (they were hand me downs when we were living the college life).

Talking about this always makes me think of my sister who got rid of practically everything she owned when she moved to Albany, NY for grad school. She was the queen of stuff before that, so it was an insane amount that she got rid of. Everything she kept fit into her tiny Saturn (and a few things in a room at my parents house, like photo albums). She is now living in a small apartment with her boyfriend in the Bronx and still living by her no clutter rules.

I feel like I've really said a mouthful, but this is a subject I am very passionate about. I am constantly trying to cut down on the "stuff" that I buy and bring home. Well wish me luck, I think I am going to start this afternoon!