Clutter

I once heard Al Roker (the meteorologist & morning host) express disbelief, upon returning home as an adult, that his parents had raised him & his siblings in their small house. How had they done it, he mused. When he and his siblings visited now, everyone was all over each other!

I think I know. As a mother of six, living in a three bedroom, 2000 sq. ft house, I find that we don't need a bigger house for the people, just the stuff!

When I compare the average house from now-a-days to a house from 1960, I have to note that people 50 years ago did not have two TVs (or any DVRs/VCRs/gaming systems). They didn't have a radio in every room. They didn't have every kitchen gadget known to man. They didn't have any computers, let alone multiple computers.

Most people had three or four pairs of shoes; work shoes, church shoes, galoshes, and house slippers (and THAT was a reflection of wealth compared to Laura Ingalls' time when one had ONE pair of shoes...if you were fortunate). They didn't have, as I do, 6 prs of flats, 3 or 4 heels, and about six pairs of sandals. I look at my closet & realize that I have, though modest to some, about four times as much clothes as I actually wear! I brought four outfits on a recent ten day trip and only wore three (cleaned regularly, of course).

What does this clutter cost us financially? Will it necessitate a larger house payment? More furniture to store it all? A pod in my driveway? Not only did this clutter cost me when I bought it, it is costing me to store it, and will cost me to dispose of it.

I must have at one time wanted this clutter. What need was I trying to fill when I purchased said clutter. Was there a memory I was trying to preserve? Why do we do that, as if we can preserve our memories in a THING? Was the item a supposed "time saver"? It's certainly not saving me time as I wash/dust/organize said clutter! Was I trying to bolster my emotions at a low time? I am now aggravated at having to navigate around all this clutter, frustrated at trying to find a place for it!

What does this clutter cost me in peace of mind? After six months of house-hunting, countless hours sorting and purging, I'm finding the costs of all this clutter isn't worth the memories, time-saving, and fleeting emotions. After looking for the perfect house for our family for half a year, I'm thinking that we may already live in the perfect house for our family. It isn't necessarily the house that needs to change, it might just be the STUFF.

So, although I've been purging in earnest for six month now, I feel a new wave coming on. Who knows, if we do decide to move, we'll have a lot less to move!