Why Do We Have So Much Stuff?

Late last summer, I decided to deploy "Operation: Clean Out My Life". I don't know if my brain was starting to be affected from all the radiation treatments for my cancer, but I thought I'd take on a HUGE project of cleaning out every nook and cranny in my house. Who cares if I didn't have the energy to really do it. I was on a mission, and I would not let that get in the way of becoming clutter-free. By-the-way, this picture is not from my house, but it might as well been.

Have you ever really noticed how much stuff we acquire throughout our lives? As I was cleaning out closets, drawers and cabinets I found stuff that surprised me. I mean, when did we get all this stuff and why did we get it in the first place? I had to dust off so much of it. Obviously we did not even need most of it. We hardly used it. Why do the closets and cabinets have those deep, dark crevices? That's where it all ended up! Did I really like making my own bread with that clunker of a bread-machine? And that enormous fryer that took at least an hour to heat up! Snowboards that got used once, maybe twice! It all sounded fun to have at first, but now...not so much. Stacks of hundreds of CD's! Who needs those now when you have itunes? I can be rid of those for good!

We have a crawl-space in our house where we hide all the junk we don't want anymore. It was packed with bags of clothes, furniture that was never going to be antique, boxes of toys that barely got played with. Stuff, stuff and more stuff. I can't even tell what else was in there because it was just piled up high! So, we decided to clean it out, donate some of it and have a yard sale. It was nice to have some extra money at that time, but the best thing was getting rid of things we no longer had a need for in our lives.

I couldn't believe how decluttering took a weight off my shoulders. Our crawl-space is actually pretty big. I never realized it until you can see from one side to the other. It has so much room in there now. It was so nice to be able to get out the Christmas decorations without manuevering around piles of junk. There's nothing like having things organized.

Since I have a hard time using my hands, I have been trying to find things that can help me out, especially in the kitchen. I love my crock-pot! What a life-saver and time-saver it is!! I got a griddler for Christmas, which takes the place of my george foreman. (I can place that in the next yard sale box!) I love it. It can do so much more, and way easier to clean up. Today, I got my new rotisserie oven shipped to me. I can't wait to cook all sorts of things with it! I'm hoping that in a few years I don't look back on it wondering, "Why did I get this?" Well, I guess we always need some stuff.