My neighbor Linda has a total of 6 children: A son from her previous marriage who is in college, and with her husband Tommy of 15 yrs, have 5 girls ranging from 3-11 yrs old. I just don’t know how she does it. It amazes me! I get so overwhelmed with my 7 and 5 yr old that I need to go visit her just to feel like the house is not coming down on me. I went to visit her last night. Linda has been wanting to show me how they’ve converted an extra room (that was basically a storage room full of stuff) into a finished playroom. With all those toys, that was a smart thing to do. When I walked in I started laughing because there was not one single toy in there. It was full of “stuff” that she just can’t bring herself to get rid of. She had a whole wall of garage sale stuff, she had piles and piles of things that “eventually” she plans on putting on Ebay. Then another side had mounds and mounds of girl clothes that she hasn’t had time to sort through. You name it…it’s in there.
As I tipped toed through the piles, I asked her “Where in the world did all this stuff come from?”..She giggled and said “From the garage” What?? I could not believe it. I ran to her garage expecting to see it cleared up and OMGosh…the other half was still in there! We just started cracking up and laughing hysterically! As I walked back though the house, I noticed piles everywhere…laundry and costumes, movies, toys, and bags filled with stuff….well, my eyes captured a lot. Linda told me to pop over at anytime whenever I thought my house was a mess. She is an awesome person and real funny. I told her that I am considering calling TLC and have them come to her house and do a "Clean Sweep!" I’m also guilty of hanging on to stuff, but not as bad as Linda.
Here are my top 4 reasons why I find it hard to give away or throw away things we never use. - Feel free to add to it.
-My major one is— Habit of holding on to things: "It's perfectly good, I can't give that away!" ..."I might need it one day" or “It was handed down.”
-I am so attached to memories– I have never used that gigantic silver fish serving dish that was a wedding present 11 years ago, AND I can't get rid of it! UUrrgghhh!
-I'm afraid of hurting someone's feelings- "Grandma made this blanket!"
-I don't want to make decisions – “I just don't have the time or energy right now.”
God Is Good!
8 comments:
My wife uses that "my mother gave that to us" excuse all the time. I tell her that it isn't a real gift if we can't throw it away. :) My shed looks just like that picture. For some reason, I can never keep it clean. I clean it but it doesn't stay clean.
My "junk" is my security blanket. I'm not a pack rat, but I love being surrounded by the things that make me smile/laugh...and I happen to own a lot of these things. :) Making the mess look good by going to the container store and getting creative with storage is helpful.
I have way to much stuff around here. I have stuff that was my grandma's, like her china and a bowl that she received as a wedding gift. She was in her 90's when she passed and married for 64 years. I would never part with them. But I have other things that are really ugly but can't bear to get rid of them because they were my grandmas. Clearing through the junk has been a project for me for quite sometime, but I never seen to make any progress!
Hey Brooke, I am guilty of keeping 'stuff' too ;) Still, having said that I try to throw away things I don't need anymore otherwise I know my Hubby will have the honour to do that ahhahah..
Have an nice day ;)
Ok, thanks ...I feel better now! LOL
I use all of the same excuses!
Those are my excuses too, justifying junking is what I call it! Over the years I have forced my self to thin out and keep what really has meaning to me and "share the wealth" with others. It truly feels better, plus it makes more room for new stuff!
I like Pat's term for it: "justifying junking." My biggest downfall is fabric. I'm a quilter and my fabric stash is shamefully huge. My excuse for that is that "It has to be properly aged before it can be made into a quilt."
And, like Marla, I have some things of my late mother's and grandmother's that I couldn't bear to part with.
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