As I walked around my home last week, closing all of the windows that I left open most of the summer, I gave my house a thorough once-over to see what maintenance projects I need to get done before winter arrives. During the course of my inspection, I discovered a few nooks, crannies, surfaces, drawers, cabinets, and closets that have become quite cluttered. It then occurred to me that I had not held my annual “Everything-Must-Go-That-Hasn’t-Been-Used-All-Year” Summer Yard Sale this year.
As the parents of twins, we were diligent about preventing the child-clutter (that so insidiously accumulates) from taking over our household. I never wanted my house to look like a Toys-R-Us and I also observed that the more toys my kids had, the fewer they played with and the less they appreciated any of them.
In preparation for the influx of toys, clothes, and electronic gadgets that were sure to arrive from family and friends on the twins’ birthday in October and a few months later for Christmas, we always told them, “We have to get rid of the old to make room for the new.” In addition to making a few bucks, this motto is the driving force behind every yard sale I have. Whatever we don’t sell is bagged up at the end of the day and dropped off at the local Salvation Army or Goodwill donation center. Our annual summer yard sale has always been a great way to clear the clutter and at the same time teach our kids a lesson about giving to others less fortunate than us.
As my twins have become teenagers, this part Feng shui, part Golden Rule philosophy has become less effective. Now I use simple economics and tell my kids, “You can keep all of the money you make on the sale of any of your toys and other knick knacks.” It’s amazing how enthusiastically they go through their rooms and clear the clutter. Sometimes they find a few treasures that they had forgotten they had, but most of the time, they have bags and boxes full of things to sell.
If you have ever had a yard sale, you know how time-consuming it is to prepare and how exhausting it is to haul everything outside and set it up. But few things compare to the satisfaction of clearing my house of unwanted items, making a few dollars in the process, and helping someone in need. I’ll never forget the time I had a moving sale and sold some furniture to a woman who was just getting back on her feet after fleeing an abusive relationship. She told me she never would have been able to afford something new and was so grateful to purchase the used sofa and love seat that I had tired of. I still remember the smile on her face as she drove off with her “new” furniture in the back of her friend’s pick up truck.
Why not do something different this month and clear your clutter? You can obtain practical strategies for getting organized and clearing your clutter by hiring a personal organizer, watching HGTV, searching the internet, or visiting your local library. In addition to those strategies, here are some important principles to keep in mind when clearing your clutter:
Examine the motives behind your clutter
We sometimes use shopping to satisfy a deeper, psychological void. You might shop to fill your emptiness or use material items to feel better about yourself. Buying to satisfy emotional needs seldom works and never lasts. You’ll often end up feeling worse than when you started. If you want to maintain a clutter-free lifestyle, you must examine your motives for collecting clutter. Once you uncover the underlying reasons for your piles and stacks, establish a practice of buying only what you need or really love.
Use the money you make from a yard sale on something special
If you decide to have a yard sale to clear your clutter, use your profits to do something you wouldn’t ordinarily do. Go out for a night on the town or if you are more conservative, put the money you make into a special savings account or CD. Psychologists call this principle positive reinforcement. You are more likely to perform, sustain, and repeat a behavior (like clearing your clutter) that is followed by a desirable consequence. Depending on what you are selling, you could make several hundred dollars.
Clear your mental clutter
Unplug the TV, computer, cell phone, and video games for a week and observe what happens. Clearing your physical clutter will give you a sense of peace, calm, and clarity and will also improve your mood, reduce lethargy, and increase productivity. Clearing your mental clutter will produce the same results.
What would happen if you took a media fast, in other words, eliminated TV viewing, internet surfing, and cell phone use for a week or longer? I don’t think television or other technologies are inherently evil. But doing a media fast helps you to readjust your threshold for mental clutter. You can cut back on activities that are not adding anything positive to your life or beliefs about yourself and those around you.
Let go of regrets
In my quest to be clutter-free, have I ever gotten rid of something I regretted? Yes! One thing that comes to mind is my hot air popcorn popper that I sold at a yard sale almost 10 years ago. About four months ago, for some reason, I started craving popcorn and concluded that I should have never sold my popcorn popper. Without really thinking about it, I ran out and purchased a new popcorn popper. I used it twice the first week, and haven’t used it again since. There’s a reason why I sold it the first time. I’ll go ahead and keep the new popcorn popper for now just in case my popcorn craving returns. But don’t be surprised if you find a barely used popcorn popper at my yard sale next summer!
Persevere!
© 2009 Peggy Mitchell Norwood • All Rights Reserved
