Comments on: Why are you here?

By: Carol

Carol — Wed, 08 Aug 2007 14:11:07 +0000

I was an unclutterer by circumstances- I used to move around a lot as a kid, i think the record was seven times in a year. And this meant that I had to be able to uproot quick and easy. And because my family wasn’t particularly well off, so it wasn’t like there was a lot of stuff to uproot.

Lately I’ve been in the same house for the last three years and its gotten way too easy to build up. I used to have seven sets of clothes while I was still in uni. One for each day of the week. Work doubled it. Shopping for fun quadrupled it. And the books that were not clutter have become that since I haven’t read them in two years and are collecting dust. So I’m now trying to become an unclutterer by choice.

By: Alishia

Alishia — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 16:48:13 +0000

I live in a relatively small house with a (relatively) messy husband and two small children. I don’t like having too much stuff and I want the stuff that we have to be taken care of. Due to the nature of my household, we are often disordered, so I find that uncluttering things and getting rid of excess makes the clutter more manageable

By: GoVegan

GoVegan — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:23:56 +0000

I have OCD but unlike many OCD victims who are hoarders, I am obsessed with living a severely minimalist lifestyle. Most of my time online is spent looking for other related websites on how to declutter, simplify, or live minimally. I can fit all of my belongings into one car, along with 6 dogs (small, of course). I admit – I am an extremist and don’t think many people are as severe as I am when it comes to minimalizing possessions. I edit daily. I constantly look for things to chuck. Living an uncluttered life makes me feel in somewhat control of things.

By: pinkpillsanity

pinkpillsanity — Wed, 01 Aug 2007 00:12:35 +0000

Because my family is a long line of packrats and I am trying to get my life together after it basically up-ended itself.

By: michelle

michelle — Fri, 13 Jul 2007 03:57:43 +0000

uncluttered=clean=pretty. I move around a lot, “ownership is bondage,” I adore good design, and hate dusting.

By: Lisa S.

Lisa S. — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:46:42 +0000

I come here because I am a declutterer by nature, and an organizer, and I like to see if there’s an approach that I can use. So far, not so much — as someone else wrote: “I like reading about ways to solve clutter issues (even if I frequently disagree with your solutions).”

But seeing how to arrive at your solutions is always a learning experience. And I have found that the commenters here often have very good ideas.

By: Chris

Chris — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 23:03:54 +0000

I love this blog – found it (I think) through core77.
Why I love it:
1) My best friend trained me early that everything you own should fit in the back of a Volvo 242DL wagon. If it doesn’t fit, sell it.
2) More stuff = more stuff to keep clean.
3) My dad is an ebay pack rat. I’ve threatened to sheetrock up his basement door, and sell his house as built on a slab. I’m terrified of becoming him.
4) Stuff gives me a headache. Simplicity relaxes me.
5) I’d rather spend money on experiences, not accumulation.

By: cara

cara — Mon, 09 Jul 2007 06:57:43 +0000

I used to be a packrat but then I went to college 12 hours from home. This meant every year I lugged a ton of crap to and from college. Each year, I took less and less stuff to college and then realized if I lived all year without this stuff, I probably didn’t need it. I eventually just told my parents they could trash all the stuff I left at home. I never missed it.

By: Nat

Nat — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 20:38:14 +0000

I came to this site by way of ApartmentTherapy.com too. Even before, I was interested in decluttering and some aspects of Feng Shui (ie. creating better flow in the room, mindfulness, etc.)
11 years ago I inherited all of my mother’s possessions. Unfortunately she was a hoarder. At first, I got rid of all the obviously useless stuff. However, it wasn’t until I let go of the unused baby grand piano that took up half the living room that really got me started on thinking about what I really want or need in my home.
I have very basic rules for my decluttering: no stuff falling on my head, no tripping over stuff, no spending money on organizing something that isn’t worth it, and no collections unless I’m willing to invest the time and money to do it right. I still have a lot of stuff, but I’m very aware of when too much is making me feel claustrophobic.
What I really like about the info I’m finding in this blog is that this is a process that can be done in smaller steps as you evaluate a particular object or group of objects rather than trying to do everything at once.

By: TallDave

TallDave — Sun, 08 Jul 2007 09:32:45 +0000

I unclutter in order to free my mind.

I have found a secret which has been *extremely* helpful. My goal is not necessarily to get rid of the stuff, but to get rid of whatever is holding the stuff. Shelves, junk drawers, boxes, etc. An empty shelf is nice, but removing a shelf from a room is even nicer.

By: carolyn

carolyn — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 23:41:00 +0000

I come from a family of clutter-bugs. I am not exaggerating when I say EVERYONE in my family ( 3 sisters, one mother, one father) lives in clutter and does nothing about it. Being the ex-wife of a neat freak has rubbed off on me, and now I seek to unclutter my space and keep it that way.

By: elysa

elysa — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 17:58:40 +0000

I found this site through Lifehacker. The container store has been one of my favorite places since I was a small child. I love organizing. I grew up with an extreme minimalist (my mom) so when I moved out I found myself hoarding, now I am learning to find a balance of keeping the things that I love and passing along the things I don’t.

By: Andamom

Andamom — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 16:12:17 +0000

I am one of those people who likes to streamline, organize, and remove obstacles. And based on the number of times I comment (despite my chaotic life) points out that I do truly adore unclutterer…and suggest it to tons of people.

By: Lori

Lori — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 15:00:25 +0000

I’m a lifelong collector of books, mementos, and things that might be useful someday. I recently married and sold my house, so I’m trying to integrate my things into a new place with my husband’s things. He’s less of a collector than I, but there is still not enough room for everything.

I’m slowly learning to let go of things and pass them along to someone who can really use them. I’m working on journaling the memories that the things trigger so that I can let the things themselves go free. Last week, I sold or gave away half my books; I’d like to get rid of half again.

Sites such as this one have really helped me focus on what is truly important, and it isn’t dragging around boxes of stuff I never use.

By: Baly

Baly — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 05:27:24 +0000

I probably came to this site through Apartment Therapy, and have struggled all my life with a desire for minimalism and a taste for shiny.

By: Erin

Erin — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:59:27 +0000

Karen -- People with compulsive hoarding issues should seek professional help. This website is for people who are looking for inspiration and ideas to bring a sense of order to their homes. The American Psychological Association exists to help people with serious disorders. They can be found online at http://apahelpcenter.org/

By: Monica Ricci

Monica Ricci — Fri, 06 Jul 2007 00:55:20 +0000

I have to live uncluttered or I just can’t think straight and when I can’t think straight, I’m paralyzed. Over the past nine years, I’ve managed to turn this need for order into quite a fulfilling career that I love and nothing gets me fired up like knowing I’ve helped create positive change in someone else’s life.
~Monica

By: Brendan

Brendan — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 23:42:24 +0000

I am a total minimalist. My wife a horder. It has been a issue in our marriage… growing more over time as the piles continue (unfair statement from my perspective). Recently due to overwhlem at work we got into GTD, via 43 Folders (then a hop, skip and jump to you). We work together and I discovered she was hording her e-mails, hence GTD.

Together we discovered that our home was a clutter. This was made more apparent to us as we are converting our attic to a masterbed and our house is upside down.

Thank you for the great information. We started “freeing” ourselves from clutter on July 4th.

By: Karen

Karen — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:57:05 +0000

I like to read your site. But I’m not sure if your writers have the kinds of organizational problems that many of us have. That stem maybe from attention or obsessiveness. And I suspect that the kind of help you can give is limited if you don’t really understand the root of the problem. There are books out there that really do address some of the underlying issues better.

By: KAJ

KAJ — Thu, 05 Jul 2007 22:10:51 +0000

Short-term, because I’m about to move 1500 miles and need to get rid of the mountains of crap I’ve accumulated in the 17 years since I last moved. Longer-term, I want to permanently reduce the amount of crap I hang on to, and strive for a more open, serene, clean-lined living environment