Clearing Out the Clutter

I bought several new items at the Herb and Craft Sale I wrote about yesterday -- just need to find some good places to display them.  I've been an avid antiquer, vintage-hunter, art and craft buyer for so many years now that I've amassed quite a stash. It also seems that one can have too many pretty things, and too little space to proudly display them!

Frankly, I've been overwhelmed with clutter for too long, and for my own sanity, have started to really  do something about it.  Although I have actually been battling the clutter monster for years, my pace has been far too slow to get ahead of it. As a result, not only is my house cluttered, but now my mind as well. The clutter is particularly affecting how efficient I can be. My hubby is also running out of patience. So, I've resolved to go on the warpath and do a full-scale clean out.

As I assess the sources of the clutter, I find that one area that is particularly overwhelming is paper -- bills, junk mail,  catalogues, etc. -- you know what it's like, I'm sure.

Sometimes the sheer number of items sent by my daughters' school alone boggles my mind -- since both of them are at the same school right now, I usually get two of everything, plus some. I have been known to put many of these papers to the side to read later, and then miss something important. So, along with the cluttered house, cluttered mind, and long-suffering husband and children comes the guilt. Not a good mix.

In any case, clearing out the clutter in my home will be a long process, will take a lot of dedicated effort, and a stalwart heart for me, no doubt.  I do have comfort in knowing that I have at least begun the process.

STEP 1: GETTING RID of the JUNK MAIL

Since paper is one of my biggest challenges, one of the first things I've done is to try to eliminate excess junk mail.  Naturally, I turned to some of my best non-human friends, the Internet and Google, to help find out how to go about this excercise.  One great discovery: Ecocycle.org.  At this site I was able to tackle several mail issues at once. I opted to use the link to the Direct Marketers Association to cancel credit card offers, catalogues and other unwanted offers.

In addition to saving lots of trees, I was able to save even more space at home and in the landfills by cancelling the Verizon Yellow Pages.  No more multiple yellow and white pages landing on my doorstep and filling up my trashcans!  To cancel your Verizon Yellow Pages here is the number to call: 1-888-266-5765.

If you are tackling your own clutter problem, feel free to write back! Either way, I'll keep you posted on how I'm doing with it, step by step.

Images in this posting are from: De-Clutter Mind Map by mindmapinspiration on Flickr