Reader mail rocks!
Continuing the theme of reader mail today, I’d like to post a message in its entirety that really touched me. It means a lot to us at Unclutterer that we’re having such a positive impact in the lives of our readers. We love the feedback, so keep sending it in, and keep posting your comments. Believe it or not, we reply to all e-mails even if it takes us a while. Also, don’t forget that we’re still taking reader before-and-after photos for our, well, before-and-after series.
So, without further ado, here’s Courtney:
I just wanted to say that I found your site 10 days ago, and it’s already drastically improved my life.
I’m a twenty-something professional, which means that most of my “grown-up” furniture and many, many boxes of worldly possessions are still in my mom’s garage back home. In the last week, I’ve gotten rid of three 20-gallon trash bags of clothes, a bag of shoes, and two bags of miscellaneous crap. It’s been three days since I pitched/donated everything, and I cannot for the life of me even remember any of the items I got rid of — clearly, nothing precious or necessary.
I can’t wait until my next visit back home — it’s always stressed me out having half of my stuff stuck somewhere else. Now that I realize I really don’t need my stuffed animals from childhood, or all the notes my best friend and I passed in high school, I think I’ll be able to simultaneously clean out a lot of junk and take the furniture pieces that are filling Mom’s attic to use in my own home. (I’ve already cleared out an entire dresser!)
I feel kind of ridiculous for being this excited, but it’s just such a huge reduction of stress, to know that I’m finally getting rid of my crappy furniture from college, and that everything in my closet is in good condition and wearable. This clean-out and reorganization is probably the most grown-up thing I’ve ever done, and I definitely would have continued feeling weighed down by my own junk if it wasn’t for this site. Thank you thank you thank you, and keep up the phenomenal work!
Posted by Jerry on Jun 1, 2007 |
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7 comments posted
Posted by Tressa - 06/01/2007
I second this reader’s enthusiasm!
I discovered your site/blog about a month ago, and my, how my life has changed!
I just dropped off THREE 33-gallon trash bags of shoes, clothes that don’t fit or that I just don’t wear to my local Salvation Army. Literally – I just returned from the drop-off!
The peace that comes every morning as I look into my closet (and don’t trip or crawl my way into it) and know that I see everything I own and that everything I own FITS, has been amazing. I would dare say the therapeutic effects of removing so much clutter, just from one little closet, could result in my becoming a MORNING PERSON.
My partner attaches sentimental value to EVERY LAST THING he owns and won’t part with things too easily. But, he’s seen how much happier I am and has vowed to do the same to his closet.
Thank you!
Posted by Doug - 06/01/2007
I discovered your site just a few days ago, and I love it.
Even though I just moved into a new apartment two weeks ago and have just recently gone through a big cleaning/downsizing of posessions, your site inspired me to go back through my closet last night and get rid of even more clothes. Thanks for the inspiration.
Posted by mercurial scribe - 06/01/2007
Can I third that email?
My husband and I are about to make a pretty drastic move in order to get our financial lives in order – we’re moving into a 2-bedroom apartment with my mother! What’s amazing is that my husband is much like Tressa’s significant other… EVERYTHING has sentimental value. Yet, for the first time in the 6 years my husband and I have been together, my husband is showing enthusiasm about purging the unnecessary and organizing what we really want to keep in our lives. He actually made a “cleaning & packing” date with me for tonight!
By reading your blog and modifying your tips to my own style, things have actually started to improve around here! No tripping over piles of books and papers (husband just graduated from university and I’m a writer, so you can imagine). Thank you for offering some sanity to the disorganization that is living with a pack rat. Brava!
Posted by Fabienne - 06/01/2007
I love reading about people getting rid of their stuff!
My husband and I have moved about 10 times in 10 years, (including a few international moves) and it helped us get rid of so much stuff.
Now we’re in a small house, waiting for the new baby to arrive, and since we have almost zero storage we’re going to keep on not saving stuff.
Excellent site!
Posted by adora - 06/02/2007
I discovered this blog from The Happiness Project. Great blog!
Actually, I’m pretty good at organising and purging stuff. But like Monica in “Friends”, I have a secret junk closet. It’s not that I can’t let go of them, I just need motivation.
When I touch the stuff in the junk closet, I create mess in other neat sacred areas. So it’s frustrating and I procrastinate.
Reading this blog help me get fired up to tackle my clutter hot spot! Thanks!
Posted by SpiKe - 06/03/2007
Well I have to jump on the bandwagon and say I came across this site recently and am very impressed. I do a series on my site called Clutter 101 and this site really motivates me.
Posted by Annie - 06/16/2007
I keep a closets company ad on my door, and often laugh at the practically bare shelves and rods with so few items on them in comparison to my closets! But this extreme is what I need for inspiration to be able to (as Tressa says) cull and choose to be able to see the entire wardrobe at once. (I am an archivist, but have trouble extending that discipline to personal stuff!)
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