Our apartment is definitely not tidy. It isn't dirty, but it is very cluttered. Part of it is because it is too small (like 99% of the apartments in this country, so I can't use that as an excuse), and part of it is because we both have too much stuff.
With the new year coming up, I am going to try to do something about this! I won't get the whole apartment done today, but I am determined to make a dent. I found this great list at the flylady.net site:
Things to ask yourself as you get rid of your clutter:
- Do I love this item?
- Have I used it in the past year?
- Is it really garbage?
- Do I have another one that is better?
- Should I really keep two?
- Does it have sentimental value that causes me to love it?
- Or does it give me guilt and make me sad when I see this item?
Wish me luck!!!
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Decluttering madness!!!!
Posted by deenster at 12/20/2008
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4 comments:
Good luck to you my friend! You know this week, I seriously decluttered the heck out of my house too. I like that end of the year cleaning that they have here in Japan a lot. My upstairs is now 100% done. My downstairs is 95% done.
I would like to windex/wash my windows this coming week. Declutter the shoe closet (now this is a mess : ( Ha ha ha) And widdle out some magazines. And then that's it.
My problem is the shoes....I find I can't throw any away. Many I haven't worn in a year, some 2 years time. And when I read your good awesome list off Flylady, I like that it says...haven't used it in a year. I think that good reasoning, has given me the push I need. And this week I will finally throw out some shoes. Probably about 15 pairs.
Another thing that bugs me is....in the US, growing up our family always gave to Goodwill. Twice a year *at least*, we would either call up Goodwill and they'd pick up from our home. Or we'd drop of at the Goodwill center ourselves. We always felt good giving stuff there. Because they offer jobs to the handicap (our neighbor's daughter worked there) and it just felt good to donate clothes there. Like it provides jobs, etc, not to mention the affordable clothes that for many people really needed, so giving there always made our hearts feel good. And then of course we would have a once a summer yard sale too. But in Japan, there is no Goodwill we can easily and readily give stuff too. Yard sales are just not really happening here either. And lot's of our friends have the same clutter problem and don't need our stuff. We ask people if they want it first, but more often then not, we take them to the burn center. And I honestly tell ya, to watch things we once loved get burnt to a crisp is very disheartening. Makes me very sad honestly. But again, what's a person to do. It's just not easy getting rid of stuff here. : ( Sigh. : ) Anyway, not wanting to watch my shoes burn. I let them pile up. But now...I think I need to just get rid of them. And it's hard when my mom sends me 2 pair of shoes or my dad ships me 2 pair. Etc, they do pile up.
On the bright side, knowing that things are so hard to get rid of, this all on it's own,makes our family want to waste less. And not overbuy. So I guess that's the positive spin.
Anyway good luck with the declutter you are doing today! : )
Gina, thanks for your comment! I will respond again later, but in the meantime I wanted to tell you that I COMPLETELY understand about the Goodwill thing...it is so much easier to get rid of things when you know they are going to a good cause! I finally found a Salvation Army here that accepts donations:
http://www.geocities.co.jp/HeartLand-Cosmos/7477/salvo/donatione.html
Of course you have to pay to ship stuff there, but if you have some small stuff you can throw in a box sometimes it feels better to spend 1500 yen on shipping than to throw it away.
I hear you on the shoes! I have such a hard time getting rid of them because I fear that I won't be able to find shoes to replace them. As a result I have a bunch of shoes that hurt and that I will never wear again sitting in my closet...gotta do something about that! By the way, the Salvation Army does take shoes...
OK, back to decluttering! You are awesome that you only have 5% of your downstairs left! Unfortunately I have about 90% of our tiny apartment left...I am so slow!
I didn't know that! I would *love* to send to that place and I wouldn't mind paying to ship there at all. Would certainly make me feel a lot better...a lot lot better. : ) Thank you for helping with that. And I hear ya on the shoes. My feet being size 9, I debate about throwing them out so much. Sigh. ha ha ha.
Have a good night. And at least you are starting on yours. A start is still a step in the right direction, I'd say, so yay for that! Positive support from me as always!
Have a good night, oyasumi nasai~
Plus you work hard, you have good reason for a bit of clutter, I'd say too. : ) Okay good night this time for sures! : )
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