Working towards simplicity & frugality is humbling

[Shoshana]

I'll admit it. I've been a spendthrift for years. Shop therapy is a favorite pasttime. I've also spent the last decades of my life trying to organize the various piles of clutter that consume my space and prevent me from finding what I need when I need it.

I quit.

I'm trying to change my thinking, attitude, behaviors so that the life I am living IS simple and organized (so that I can quit spending marathon "organizing sessions") -- and I'm trying to gain control of my budget at the same time. I've been on this path full-time since May.

Dang, it's hard.

I was planning to have a rummage sale which I'd already named "The Pack Rat's Cure." Summer is running out tho', and the increasingly disorganized tornado that used to be my basement (when the "stuff" was hiding out in drawers and closets and under beds) is no closer to becoming organized into a rummage sale than when I started. Even though the thought of the $$ from a sale was very appealing, the hours and time were just too much. Change of plans.

This week, I've delivered two hatchback car loads of "stuff" to my synagogue for their rummage sale. I'm EMBARRASSED. Embarrassed when I look at how much "stuff" I have. How many pair of corduroy slacks in how many different sizes? How many plastic food containers? How many toddler videos, paint brushes, markers, and boxes of crayons? How many pairs of nearly new but not comfortable shoes? It will probably take four more car trips, plus one small pick up for the larger items. When I think of the $$ that all of this stuff cost when it was new, I want to cry.

Is it even possible for an almost-pack-rat spendthrift who has never really cared about money to adopt a simple and frugal lifestyle?

Thanks for listening to the whine... I thought I would have made more progress by this point in the summer... (I start back to work mid-August).

[Momof3girls]

I have been simplifying my life for the past few years. I inherited a lot of stuff from various relatives, but I also bought a lot of stuff when dh and I were DINKS ( dual income no kids)
I don't know what I was thinking, but suddenly I started realizing the energy it was taking me to attempt to be organized and on top of all the stuff. I started slowly purging and gained momentum and yes I was mightly embarassed at all I was getting rid of.
Finally I told myself, that I could be embarassed WITH all my crap or embarassed without. I chose without.
I still have a ways to go, but I bet we downsized by 40% or so. It feels SO much better.

Here are a couple thoughts for you.
Just keep at it. I have a few bags I keep going each month, books for donation to the library, another bag for donation to charity and a third bag with children's clothing to pass along. When a bag is full, I donate it. Until it is, I don't sweat it.
As for your rummage sale, have you thought about simplifying it?

What about creating tables and putting signs on each, $1, $2 etc...
If you felt so inclined, you could even get those colored sticky dots from the store and put a dot on each item and then have a color key
$1 for red, .50 cents for blue.

Another thought is to not do the hugest sale now. Just do a small one with the stuff you can handle, do it this weekend and get it done.

Here is the most radical idea of all. If the donation amount is about the same as the amount you make on the items; what about donating it all in one fell swoop and getting that charitable deduction.How would it feel to just have all that stuff gone?

[tervsforme]

Is it even possible for an almost-pack-rat spendthrift who has never really cared about money to adopt a simple and frugal lifestyle?

I sure hope so! I'm trying to do the same thing! I had a garage sale last weekend with my mom, it was a lot of work, but I made about $160 and so did my mom, so it was worth it. My basement is still disorganized, but I sold/got rid of 2 station wagon's full of stuff.

Just keep plugging away, it will take some time, but as long as you keep moving forward, it's all good!

[larabelle]

I congratulate each of you because my mother is a class "A" pack rat and shopping is her hobby. For example as we were talking on the phone this past weekend she told me that she had some fabric in her basement which she purchased when I was one year old....so she has had it for #44 years. Do you think she was thinking of selling it or giving it away...oh no...she is keeping it. Just Craziness

[savvymom]

My dh and I are both pack rats, in every possible sense of the word. We are also downsizing our stuff. It's hard, but sort of therapeutic too. KWIM?

[freebs]

good luck. im starting to pack to move so im gonna be downsizing also!

[pip]

Being a pack-rat is overwhelming when you want to change! I'm sure I'm not the worst pack-rat there is (although my dh might disagree, but he is a bit OCD, ) but I really do want to get rid of stuff in a major way, and it's just plain hard. So, let's just keep trying!

[MomK]

I think we are all on the right track by reading the forums and supporting each other! I agree with Momof3girls...I'd just get rid of the stuff now and take the tax receipt.

Good luck! You'll find lots of support right here!

[cottageliving]

you are on the right track, just keep plugging away little by little and by this time next year you'll be amazed at how much more space you have in your home. I am going thru the same process and it is MUCH slower than I expected. Was also planning to hold a yard sale but haven't -- you have convinced me to just do it! If I only make $50 and sell only a few items, I'm ahead of where I am today.

I agree with the idea of getting the tax deduction for the big carloads of stuff.

Good luck, and keep us posted.

[shoiji]

I have to agree with the plugging along. I have been doing that for a year now. I have letting go problems. Anyway since I will be moving I went to go throw out clothes and realized I really didn't need to since I already went through them. But I will take one more look before packing.

[cheapskate 49]

I am on a mission to de-clutter this year,my problem is my hobbies,so I have a house full of fabric,yarn,crafts and all the "stuff" that goes with them.I sorted through my knitting needles OMG some sizes I had 4!!!! pairs.I weeded them down to one set of each size somtimes 2 depending on the size, next the knitting patterns I had about 500 books!!! I figured I could knit 2 sweaters a year for the next 20 years so I kept only those patterns I would probably use and I gave the rest away on freecycle or to a knitting guild.Boy did it feel good,now I am working on my quilting stuff I have already weeded out lots of magazines and they're going to the quilting guild next month.I WILL have a decluttered house by the end of the year

[redhead68]

Isn't it true that collecting stuff is so much easier than letting it go? Sometimes I think the clutter happens not because I want the stuff, but because I have no idea how to get rid of it.

I second (third, fourth?) the suggestion to do it in one big sweep with a donation. Some organizations send around trucks to collect. ARC comes to mind. In my case, it's easier because the idea of a garage sale overwhelms me!

Congratulations on the progress you've made so far. I'll be keeping you in my thoughts as you tackle the rest. Keep us up-dated.

[Shoshana]

Yeah, I'm still plugging away. Sounds like most of you have already learned that the process of decluttering is a long one!

I took two car loads (small station wagon) stuffed to the roof with donations, and I probably have at least one more full load of the smaller stuff. I'm donating everything to my synagogue for their yearly rummage sale -- it's a very small congregation so they can definitely use they $$. They're going to send two strong men with a pickup truck when it's time to move the larger items.

I've been reading books about decluttering -- sounds silly, but I'm ready for a big change and what I've been doing hasn't been working. One of the books is entitled "It's hard to make a difference when you can't find your keys." I figured it was written with me in mind!

It's not difficult for me to part with things, it's just time consuming. If I spend every weekend "organizing" and "cleaning" there isn't anytime for anything else -- hence the change. Anyway, I'm hopeful!

Hey cheapskate -- one of the books had a section devoted to decluttering from crafts! Sounds like it was written with you in mind! I know what you mean about having duplicates of things -- see, becoming organized will save me $$!

Finally -- I spent the night at my sister's last night and I was SO glad I'd begun this process. Just about every square inch of her house is occupied with something, combined with too much furniture, it all felt a bit overwhelming!

Let me know how you all are doing!

[Quadcam]

we downsized...pretty much out of necessity, we bought a home that was smaller then the place we were renting so we had to get rid of alot of stuff we didnt need anyway.

heres some decluttering tips
Declutter for 15 minutes every day.

Don’t allow things into the house in the first place, stop bringing in new stuff

Donate stuff

Use the “one in, two out” rule, whenever you bring in an item, you have to throw away two other items.

If you haven’t worn an item in 6 months, sell or donate it

Take all your items that you unsure about getting rid of, put them in a box, seal it and date it for 1 year in the future. When the date comes, and you still didn’t need to open it to get anything, donate the box WITHOUT OPENING IT. You probably won’t even remember what there was in the box.

Do one room at a time

Keep a list labeled“Don’t Need It - Don’t Want It.”When you’re out shopping and run across some kind of gadget or other item you crave, note it down on the list. This will slow you down long enough to reconsider. Also, seeing the other things on the list that you nearly bought on impulse really helps.

Have someone else (who you trust!) help you go through things. They don’t have the (sometime’s irrational) emotional attachment that you might have, but can still recognize if something should be kept.

What to declutter? 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 the item?

this list should help too
Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life
http://zenhabits.net/2007/09/simple-...ify-your-life/

[mira]

Oh my gosh can I relate. We are moving...to a smaller house. We have been wanting to downsize for years and are finally doing it. The sad thing is that we have so much stuff to get rid of. I am embarrassed to admit that I had a tag sale, got rid of a TON of stuff, gave away a TON of stuff, dumped a TON of stuff and filling the pods we are realizing that we will probably have to get rid of more stuff on the other end. I am trying to hold on to my feelings regarding this to help me not accumulate anymore. I feel fortunate that we can afford what we have but guilty that we have accumulated way beyond our needs.