Too Many Choices - Clutter Beware - Part One

I'm tired of clutter and too many choices!  This sentiment flows through my home, my school, just my life, in general, these days!   I'm convinced that when we have "too much", we can't make wise decisions, so I'm setting out to change that, in my own home and life.

Now, don't get me wrong!   I won't be throwing out the TV or paring down the dishes to 4 plates, cups, and bowls, but what I will be doing is getting rid of the over-abundance that we have, in several key areas of our house.......starting with the closets.

My first job was Collin's closet.   This poor boy was bogged down in clothes that he had outgrown last summer!   It was a chore for him to sift through the closet each day, just to find something that actually fit.   His drawers were a disaster; stuffed with "play clothes" that had seen their better days, and he had pj's in there that looked like they were for a six year old (and he's almost 13)!  Needless to say......it was beyond time to tackle his room!

Of course, I tortured him by making him try on clothes while I was pulling them out of the closet, but, we worked well as a team and accomplished the task and here is what he ended up with:

That's it!

Out of a closet-full, this is the little pile that actually fits!  But, you know what?   That's really all he needs!  (This is just one of the MANY bonuses to homeschooling!  You don't have to wear the latest-greatest, every single day).    Now, when I tell him to pick out something "nice", I don't have to worry about what it will be, because everything in his closet fits and is very presentable!

And, here is a sample of what didn't fit, that will be going to a new home:

 See!!   Too many choices and not enough places to go - seriously!

So - job #1 - DONE!

 

Next up was my closet......

Uggg!  Every single day I would cringe going in for something to wear!  We've only had this closet for 2 years, and I had never taken the time to tweak it after the initial set-up.   Therefore, I would go in there daily and groan over all the aspects I didn't like about it; especially the lack of drawers.

When we built this 2nd bath/closet/washroom, we purposely did NOT put any furniture in there.   We minimized the furniture in the bedroom, since it was a small room, and didn't want any bulky dressers in the closet.   

We put some plastic drawer sets on David's side of the closet, which are hidden by the door, but on my side, we put these ugly, blue baskets.

Oh, how I've grown to hate those things!

So, this is my side of the closet - before- the clean-out.

And, this is my side of the closet - after:

Much Better!

I minimized my clothes - getting rid of anything and everything that I absolutely have NOT worn this year.   I had SO many items that I knew I would never wear; that I had bought by suggestion of someone else or just made bad choices when buying.     (I took my big pile of clothes to a consignment shop, with hopes of recovering some of the lost money.)

I now have the minimum amount of clothes (by today's standards), yet, it's still more than enough!  When you don't work outside the home, and you live a casual lifestyle, how much do you REALLY need?

Well, in case you aren't aware, you can actually get a rundown on a "suggested" amount of clothing for each person in the family, at Living On A Dime.   I encourage you to check it out and just for fun, take note of the over-abundance you have.  

So - we've tackled two closets (clothes only - not junk) and we will be moving on to other areas of the house next week.   I have no doubt - this will take me MONTHS to finish, but I am determined to minimize the clutter in our home.

In the next post, I will talk about the WHY behind the "too many choices" title.

See ya then!

Debbie