Unclutterer

Posted by melissa - 04/18/2008

I read Unclutterer because I remember how happy I was when I eurailed around when I was a student - also the time I had the fewest possible possessions. I’m now at a time in my life when I have to have a lot of my possessions in boxes while my boyfriend and I are renovating our enormous ex-hotel boat we live in. While building work is going on in the front, we’re living in the small original 1930s captain’s cabin. It’s fine but small for the two of us, but I’m fascinated that a family of four lived back there when it was a working barge (and we have contact with the original owner’s granddaughter to attest to that). I moved from the US to the UK 6 years ago so I had a big purge before the move, so on one hand I know that most everything I own is a recent acquisition, but on the other hand, it’s scary to think that I bought ALL THIS in such a short span of time.

In addition to just normal living accumulation (which I am trying to be better at controlling!) I also sew a whole lot and therefore have all sorts of materials associated with that. There is something of a sick badge of honor amoung sewers for having the largest fabric stash, and so I’m actively trying to sew through what I’ve got before I buy more, or at the very least only buy more fabric when I have a specific use for it in mind. Sewing relaxes me, but I’m happy to have an area just dedicated to sewing so that its tools don’t spread to the rest of our living area.

I think the most helpful portions of Unclutterer for me are the tips, like the recent things to ask new objects coming into your home, or the spring cleaning breakdowns. I also enjoy the workspaces you highlight, and I was especially chuffed to see a sewing room today.

Posted by Julia - 04/18/2008

I’m 37, live in Atlanta with husband and 2.5 yo son. We are constantly trying to find ways to keep the kids stuff organized or pared down. We just did a huge reduction and delivered a carload of stuff to Goodwill. I am a hobbyist (if that’s a word) — I take painting and pottery classes, I do stamping and crochet. Needless to say, things that can organize and minimize the mess there are extremely helpful.

I love the ideas about minimizing areas and easy organizing. The workspaces you feature are great to pick up ideas and how to declutter. LOVE your blog!

Posted by Charity - 04/18/2008

I am a 30 year old happy Chicagoan. I found you all from Slate.com’s recent article. I really love all the general tips about organization and how to help myself get rid of excess stuff. And I have actually used your tips–over that past 10 days, I have carted 4 car loads of stuff to Goodwill! The questios to ask yourself and people’s own stories of the fight against clutter are good too. The humor of Unitasker Wednesdays make me smile.

I’ve got a trip to Italy in May and Thailand and Cambodia next February, my question is how to keep myself from bringing back lots of souvenoirs from trips? And how should I save for trips–airfare is so expensive nowadays. Thanks!

Posted by Celeste - 04/18/2008

Crayons don’t sound like crowns to me–”Dooce” says crowns, though!

46, midwestern mom to a school age child, always trying to balance her inventory of outgrown/used up stuff vs. new stuff. Fascinated with your site because I have always, always lived in tight quarters but have not always coexisted well with my stuff. Always seeking that right amount of stuff, organization, and ways to help me FOCUS on what it is I really want to be doing with my stuff, my space, and my time.

Currently I have a big disconnect with how much labor intensive hobby stuff I have, vs how it fits in my life. I already went through that with the cooking stuff, and regret some of my purges. I say I desire a home with a bigger kitchen and more time for cooking from scratch, but what am I doing to make that happen? Not enough.

I’m good at making a purge happen, but not always good about making the right call on WHAT to purge. I live with people who are not good at purging or picking up, so I feel burdened by their clutter without a good way to handle it.

I adore your ways to deal with or get rid of paper.

Posted by Jarick - 04/18/2008

I’m just a single guy in my mid-20’s who was overly materialistic growing up and now am downsizing and simplifying. I found that getting rid of crap not only made my house cleaner, but it made my life easier and relieved stress!

I read the site because I like the tips of organization and cleaning, and I also like the ideas for clutter-free living. The stuff that really appeals to me is design ideas for simple living since I have no clue what to do. The workplace pictures help, but I’d also like more pictures of kitchens, bedrooms, living spaces, etc.

Posted by Courtney - 04/18/2008

I’m a 26 year old mathematics graduate student with a husband and a cat. I grew up on the East coast, spent my happiest years in Colorado, and now am in Nebraska for the duration of my studies. I would love to let you know what I do in my free time, except I never seem to have any! Like you, my least favorite chore is laundry. We don’t have a dishwasher, which is fine by me–I like washing dishes.

My personal philosophy on simple living is that life is hard enough without having my own stuff making it worse! I love my label maker and have labeled everything in my house, including, in a fit of organizational frenzy, my husband. I enjoyed the recent content about pet clutter, and I would like to read more about going paperless, although I am a strong believer in file cabinets.

My husband and I rent our house, so it would be particularly useful to know what sorts of things we should invest in now (furniture, artwork, etc) versus what sorts of things we should skimp on and wait to really invest in when we own our own home someday (after I’ve got my degree and have a nice, cushy academic job somewhere…).

Thank you for this wonderful blog. -Courtney

Posted by Ms. Superiority - 04/18/2008

I love Unclutter for great ideas on keep a superior and well-organized home. I love having people over, hosting parties and throwing last minute soirees - however all of this would be impossible if I did not attempt to stay organized and neat, and remove as much clutter as possible from my life. Getting rid of the excess and the negative opens up all sorts of possibilities.

I adore good food, fine wine, and fancy cocktails. And I am obsessed with finding the perfect present for everyone.

Growing up my mother was very domestic and kept a sparkling house, all while working full-time. However, she saves EVERYTHING and her finished, beautiful basement looks a bit like a war zone. So I love reading about the history of clutter and how it slowly trickles down in families (like a C-chromosone).

Thanks for all the great articles!
Ms. Superiority

http://www.superiorhabitat.wordpress.com

Posted by Janet - 04/18/2008

I’m a 26 year old web developer living in the Washington, DC suburbs with a husband and 2 cats. We’ve just bought our first house (woo hoo!) and I can’t wait to incorporate all these ideas. We’ve been living with relatives for about 6 months now and it’s been very frusterating because I would love to have a simple, uncluttered life, but I can’t make it happen because it’s not my house. Hopefully we have less than a month of renovations left until we move in, I AM SO EXCITED! And everything will be beautiful and simple and uncluttered!

Posted by Meg from FruWiki and All About Appearances - 04/18/2008

I’m in my mid-20’s and live in Florida. I’m a professional blogger, so I work a lot from home and tend to manage things here (though my husband probably does more of the actual domestic work). I’ve always liked to organize stuff, though it’s taken me a while to develop the habits to keep things fairly organized between organizing marathons. Having an organized home is important to me because I spend so much time here and I like to have my space. I find it hard to write when the place is a mess and there are too many distractions. And since my husband and I are trying to save money, we’ve also become more conscious of how clutter can be costly. We’ve bought so many things because we couldn’t find what we already had — or forgot that we even had something.

My husband grew up in a large farm house that is still full to the brim with stuff, so uncluttered living is still a bit new to him. And since he’s got a lot of computer parts and tools and paperwork and other stuff to keep a handle on, I’ve spent a lot of time and energy trying to figure out how we can organize the stuff and keep it that way. Fortunately, he’s finally come around to the idea of having an uncluttered home (after 6 years of marriage). He just had to see it in action in a few rooms to appreciate it. We’ve been creating a huge yard sale pile over the past month and now that the taxes are done, we’re planning to finish organizing the office this weekend, then see if we can declutter the other storage areas mercilessly.

Posted by Cat - 04/18/2008

Heya - I’m 33, a newlywed w/ 2 cats living in a small flat near the beach in CA. Having been a “stuff” hoarder in my early years, I’ve done an about face and have whole heartedly embraced being a minimalist. I Japanese decor and the more open space I can create in my home makes me happy and I’m positive it brings in wealth in so many facets. I found your blog thru Leo’s site - and it’s part of my daily morning ritual w/ a fresh cup of strong black coffee. Like a few of your other readers, I tend to sponge the ideas you post and share them with friends and family who have “stuff” issues. The way I apply it in my own life - is moreover affirmation that there are others like me who enjoy everything in it’s spot — and that less is truly more. Your Weds postings crack me up - and I love your writing style. Thanks for blogging.

Posted by Jen - 04/18/2008

Hey Erin … I love this idea of a blog posting. Here’s a little about me: I’m 39 & 6/7 days pregnant and ready to burst, and I fear my “simple lifestyle” will go out the window with a new baby (but I’m going to do everything possible to NOT let that happen!) I would love to get back to helping others simplify once the baby is a little older (I am a simplify-your-life coach & professional organizer). I too believe that “organization” is only one tool towards living a simplified lifestyle.

I have often used ideas in your posts … things I can remember off the top of my head are: the questions/test of “knick-knack” items to see if I really want/need/use them & the spring cleaning list. I often keep links to certain postings that I think my clients might be able to benefit from — I send people to this site often to get self-motivated & get ideas because right now I don’t have much time to write on my own blog (that, and I LOVE your blog!)

More stuff about me: I have 2 messy labs, and although they make a lot of clutter (tons of dog hair, mud prints, dog “stuff” & more), I do have to disagree with you this one time and say that my dogs themselves are definitely NOT clutter & they bring such joy to our family! But I do understand where you’re coming from.

Also ~ I love cereal, going barefoot & wearing flip-flops when it hits 50 degrees in Michigan, Mid-Eastern food (the baby loves it too), cleaning & organizing & donating or “throwing stuff out” (it’s so cleansing) & helping others do much of the same. I love seeing the “light” flick on in others’ eyes when they realize that their stuff doesn’t define them! I also love BBQ sauce, fresh flowers on my kitchen table, “airing out” the house when the weather gets nice & Lifetime drama movies.

Thanks again for your wonderful posts. If you can provide future posts about simplifying with babies & children, that would be awesome! Have a beautiful spring day!

Posted by bms2000 - 04/18/2008

What content do you want to read?
Any and all, but especially ideas for dealing with kid/hobby clutter

Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it?
Yes! I believe I read about MeeTimer on the site (or a related site - I forget) and I am planning to attack my bookshelves this weekend

What is your personal philosophy on simple living?
There is enough stress in dealing with 2 growing kids, and a part time job that seems to take 40 hours a week to do. Running around shopping, and acquiring more stuff to clean and take care of, and enrolling my kids in 900 activities that I must schlep them to is not going to make my life simpler. If the Joneses want to look down their nose at me, so be it.

Is there something we’ve discussed that you want us to explore more intensely?
The idea of inherited clutter. I can sense a looming pile of inherited clutter on the horizon (my parents, my in laws, and a close uncle are all major packrats, and it is going to fall on us like a ton of bricks in the future)

Are you just starting out in a place of your own or are you on the verge of downsizing into an active retirement community?
None of the above

What is important to you? What is your story? What do you do in your free time and how can I help you to have less stress?
I’m a 36 yo adjunct professor, with 2 elementary school kids. My husband and I both have flexible jobs, which has allowed us to avoid child care. But these flexible jobs do not allow us to buy every new expensive thing that comes down the pike. So we drive an 11 year old car, we don’t have a TV, we don’t have video games, we do our own yard work and housework. To make this all work, we need simplicity. In our spare time we garden, do woodworking projects, do our own home repairs, and our children create lots of art projects. Now if someone could come up with a way of allowing wild creativity in the kids, while minimizing clutter and piles of completed and half completed projects, I would be much obliged.

Posted by bms2000 - 04/18/2008

Wanted to add: my design style is “anything I like, that the kids don’t have to be unusually careful with, that is comfortable and functional”. This ranges in practice from a loft bed shaped like a boat we built for 1 son, to an antique bedroom set that I inherited, bumps scratches and all, to a tasteful (if cat hair covered) earth tone living room set. Eclectic is I guess the official term. But I don’t want to live in a showroom, I want to live in a house that is comfy (but uncluttered!)

Posted by Janet - 04/18/2008

Janet again - I just wanted to post that I love the image up in your banner of the guy with the vacuum on his face. It’s just so true that we’re brainwashed to think we need tons and tons of stuff - and we DON’T. We need to rid ourselves of all the preconceived notions and open our bleeping eyes! I just get so sick of all the consumerism and advertisements telling me what I need.

I’d rather people just put some conscious thought into what they do and do not need… and how to best organize their environment to suit them, rather than the other way around.

I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to have to go to the other side of the house to get something that you constantly need in your current spot. Why not just store it there? “Because we’ve been storing it on the other side of the house for 20 years now and that’s it’s spot!”

So, consequently, I like articles about items that can serve more than one function, and how to organize task areas - like keeping your ironing board, iron, and sewing kit all in the laundry room so you have a “one stop shop” .

Posted by Andrew - 04/18/2008

I’m 25, engaged, BS Mechanical Engineering, working on an MS in Operations Research. I’m a member of the armed forces; so I know I’ll be moving at least 4 times in the next 16 years; so anything that helps me minimize the “stuff” I carry around will make my life much simpler in the long run.

Posted by Martin - 04/18/2008

Hey there. Don’t usually say anything, but your site’s a fav, and since you asked…:)

37, living commonlaw with my spouse of 10 years. Desired content from your site is more of the same; I find almost everything at least interesting, and much of it very useful. I’d like more about the psychology of clutter. My spouse is a hoarder, mostly due to her emotional attachments to everything from books she’s read to subway tickets she got while travelling in France. The fact she doesn’t subscribe to purging and I do is a significant cause for stress and unhappiness for me. That, and with our limited space, we can’t designate zones for one another.

That said, I’ve implemented your advice when I could. One of the ones that really stuck was the entry about alternative wallets. Not only was my wallet nearly an inch thick, I used to carry it in my back pocet. Since, I went out and got an Umbra Bungee Wallet which is thin enough to fit in my front pocket (my chiropractor loves thanks you too) and forces me to carry only the essentials. I’ve done this ever since I read the entry and I have never once missed all the up until then “essential” items I was carrying. Weirdly, that was the hook that gives me hope for the other, bigger things, like my office space.

My personal philosophy would likely entail having our aprtment burn down and starting from scratch :). But failing that, I want to learn to let go more. I tend toward emotional attachments, too. So, I want to learn to put the value of things into my heart rather than into the object. That’s a good way to go, and the average human heart has more room than you’d imagine.

Thanks for a useful and terrific little blog.

Posted by shawnna - 04/18/2008

I’m a 24 yr old from Massachusetts: small town girl moved to the big city. I’ve moved 15 times since 2001, so I know the value of not lugging around unnecessary items. I fear for my best friend, an organized packrat who will be moving out of her apartment of 6 years this summer. My boyfriend and I just moved in together, and I’ve been teaching him the ways of the unclutterer. As we packed up our apartments, we gave each item significant thought, and donated items we had two of combined or items we hadn’t used or didn’t plan on using. Our new place is huge, and we’ve committed ourselves to not letting ourselves grow into the space. We don’t want to more with more than we brought in. We want to live simply and to not have more than what we need. We get bi-weekly deliveries from Boston Organics, who bring us fresh fruit and veggies, and Crescent Ridge Farms, who bring us our milk in glass bottles. The only reason why we have a bag of trash every week is because we don’t want the cats poop lingering any longer than it has to. My mother was a stay at home mom/clean freak, and because of her I can’t leave to go on vacation without scrubbing my home top to bottom, and I can’t stand more than one appliance on the counter at a time. I have the most precious black Persian cat that keeps life interesting.

Posted by Karen - 04/18/2008

I’m 37, and currently live in PA in a small apartment. (However it seems big to me compared to the teeny tiny NY apartment I lived in for 9 years.) Clutter isn’t really my problem, but I’m always interested in finding ways to optimize my space. The less space you have, the more important it is to keep it clutter-free. (On the other hand, I love my “stuff” so complete zen-like simplicity wouldn’t work for me!) Saving money is also a factor, since I’m trying to save for an uncluttered house of my own.

I’ve tried other organizing blogs, but this is the only one I read regularly. I find it the most useful.

Posted by Sean McCoy - 04/18/2008

I’m a 21 year old filmmaker living in Austin, TX. I’m mostly concerned with getting the clutter out of my home office so I can focus on writing, planning, and managing my teams into our various film projects. I love to read about cleaning, organizing, and workspace as these are the most inspirational to me. I’m living in a small studio apartment and have to make the most of my space.

Posted by Bethany - 04/18/2008

I’m 21 years old, about to start in the “real world”, and about to move into a townhouse with my boyfriend and a friend. Rather than uncluttering, I’m hoping not to have clutter at all in my new house.

I love any articles about cable clutter. I love electronics so cable clutter can be a big problem for me.

Posted by Jenna - 04/18/2008

Hi - I’m 23 years old and I am a Masters student living in a large house with her mom. I plan to downsize to a small condo soon yet I have millions of possessions that I am constantly trying to manage and also to maintain so I can easily transfer them to a new home/life. I like to read anything that might aid in this process. I would describe my style as ecclectic slanting towards mid-century minimalism. I am also a hard-surface specifier.

Posted by Jared Spurbeck - 04/18/2008

I want to see more pictures of uncluttered workspaces. So much inspiration! And not even because of the computer hardware; because I love seeing things organized, and thinking about what would be right for me.

Posted by Earth Girl - 04/18/2008

I am a 52-y.o. single mom with a 15-y.o. son at home. I found your site while searching the net for ways to unclutter my life and my home. I’m at the end of very long grieving process brought on by the deaths of my parents several other extreme and difficult life changes that all happened in less than a year’s time. From your site I’ve found so many resources that are helping me move on! I’ve spent many years (and more money than I care to calculate) storing things that had a lot of emotional significance but didn’t fit my lifestyle or needs. My home has been over-filled with these things because they reminded me of my loved ones who were no longer around. It’s been a long journey to this point. By reading books and occasional counseling, I’m finally ready to let go of most of “the stuff”. I’ve assigned a certain amount of space in my garage for a few things I plan to keep, and the rest has been sold in garage sales, donated to charity or given to friends and neighbors. A book called “End the Chaos” has taught me how to purge and organize so that I can sort out what I need and what can go. I plan to read Peter Walsh’s “It’s All Too Much” next. All the tips, comments and links on your blog have been a great help to me. Keep up the good work!

Posted by T - 04/18/2008

I read uncluttered because I like to live with less stuff *and* in a smaller space than the average American. This is for economic, environmental and cultural reasons. Currently, I live in a small 2 bedroom condo with my husband and another adult friend who’s rented the second bedroom since before my marriage.

The content I like the best is focused on having less stuff and on making sure that the stuff you do have has a positive rather than negative impact on your well being (ie, doesn’t overwhelm you and you can find things when you need them!).

Some content strikes me as funny, though - particularly things that focus on optimizing for a visual minimalist aesthetic at the cost of function (e.g., comments about not storing things under a dresser or the couches because ‘that’s not where stuff is supposed to go’: seriously? you try fitting three adults into a 600 sq foot living space without such tricks! Why buy and heat and maintain more house just to avoid something like this?).

The thing I find the weirdest are how many posts focus on buying (the first weird part - sometimes this feels like a shopping blog!) gadgets that do lots of things at once (the second weird part - I’m generally not a fan of things that try to do multiple disparate functions - particularly at the cost of function, or if it means that every time a single element breaks, the whole thing has to be replaced). It rarely strikes me as either environmentally or economically responsible.

I think the feeling of creeping commercialism / constant product suggestions is the part that bothers me the most, actually. It feels actually counter to what my goals in reading these pieces are. Overall, though, I enjoy the blog quite a bit - keep up the good work!

Posted by Kate - 04/18/2008

What content do you want to read?
Keep up the good work. If its not interesting to me, I’ll skip it and enjoy the next blog entry

Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it?
Yes

What is your personal philosophy on simple living?
I’m trying to detach the emotion of “stuff” and live on less

Are you just starting out in a place of your own…?
DH and I are in year 2 of marriage and we’ve been in our home for 13 months so I think we are still starting out

What is important to you?
family, friends, fun, giving back, being conscious of what I do as a consumer and person on this planet

What is your story?
I found this blog via real simple

Married, thirty something living in Florida. Trying to rid myself of pack-rat like tendencies I had as a teen. Looking to keep things manageable in the house and not outgrow our 3/2 before we have kids!

Posted by Harris - 04/18/2008

I check in everyday for your latest declutter/simplify info. I am trying to rid my life of excess, meaningless items, paper, etc. After both my parents passed away, I have had the tough task of sorting through 60 years of “stuff” and deciding what to keep and how to let go of the rest. Not easy.
My husband, chihuahua and I live in a 1700 sq. ft. home and my plan is to be completely organized this year! We are, with your help, doing great. I sort everything into three piles, keep, toss or take to Goodwill and maybe. The maybe keeps me from having regrets. Eventually most of it goes.
It is so freeing to have room to breathe, know where everything is and love the things we choose to live with.
Keep the good ideas coming….any thoughts about attics?

Posted by JW - 04/18/2008

What is your story?
I’m 33, living w/ my partner of 10+ years (also 33) and 3 cats in Brooklyn. I’m about a year away from finishing my PhD, and starting to think about getting a “real” job (not a fellowship or adjunct work). We’re both born and raised in the Midwest, where there’s a lot more space, but we’ve made the transition pretty well. For NY, our place–a ~850 sq ft loft apt–is pretty big, anyway. Since we have no walls (except those surrounding the bathroom and single closet) we’ve had to make all the living spaces work together, and it has made us better about keeping things tidy. When we combined households years ago, we had 2 of everything, and we’ve gotten rid of almost all of that–any overlap is in the kitchen. Partner is not naturally organized and likes to make piles but I’m slowly rubbing off on him.

What content do you want to read?
I’d be interested in more discussion of re-use of items–green things up a bit ’round here. I’d also like more great ideas on giving “uncluttery” gifts that go beyond edibles and spa certificates.

Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it?
I have. Most notably, I’ve started selling unloved books online and made about $250 so far, and you got me to read It’s All Too Much!, which I’m passing on to my pack-ratty mom.

What is your personal philosophy on simple living?
“You probably don’t need it.”

Are you just starting out in a place of your own…?
We’ve been here for about 5.5 years now. Renting; we can’t afford to buy here, anyway, and I’m going on the job market soon (I hope), so we may be moving in the next year or so–it’s all up in the air. I know I don’t want a big place though.

What is important to you?
Living mindfully, enjoying my family, not feeling rushed.

Posted by HistoricStitcher - 04/18/2008

I’m a recovering packrat.

A single mom of an 8-yr-old boy, we have 3 cats, and far too much “stuff”. When I divorced a few years ago, I ended up with a truckload (literally) of things we had accumulated during our marriage. I couldn’t deal with it for the longest time, and I have been quite focused on removing all unneccesary things from our lives.

Simplification is a challenge for me, as I have a lifelong tendency to not throw things away. I love reading about anything to keep me inspired! I love lists and articles with suggestions - I often find something on the list to get me going, and once I’m going, I don’t stop for a while.

I would love to see more suggestions for parting with “sentimental” things that we keep around for the memories. Those are my worst offenders, by far! (Followed closely by PAPER!)

Thanks so much for the website! You’ve provided a fabulous resource!

Posted by Jeannine - 04/18/2008

I am a 26 year old women who loves to shop, and so living a simple life is really a challenge I’ve put before myself to not give into a consumerist society and remember things like nature, people, God and relationships. In this day and age, when we see spoiled children and families in huge debt, I have a hard time reconciling that with my practical farm upbringing. However, there was a lot of waste and over-consuming going on in the house I grew up in. After seeing my mother struggle with clutter for years (affecting our life so much that she hesitated to let us invite friends over because the house was messy — i.e. cluttered).

I think our generation grew up with parents and grandparents who learned to be pack-rats because they had so little. Today, we have so much, so I think this new idea of de-cluttering your life is essential. I don’t want the pendulum to swing the other way too far, but I do desire a simple, efficient and fuss-free home for my family.

I am also newly-engaged and have moved into my fiance’s house. I’m determined not to get caught up in the bridal registering and decorating a new house too much so we end up with a house full of stuff we don’t want, use or need. I utilize Craigslist and eBay a lot to get rid of old stuff and my fiance and I set that money aside for “new” purchases we use to decorate the house. Consequently, all the re-decorating I’ve done has been fully funded by getting rid of clutter! My fiance jokes that I am a bulemic shopper - I love to buy and I love to purge. I don’t think I’m that bad, though. I’m trying harder and harder to be a smart consumer, and only buy what I love and will use, and keep, for years to come. And I want to get rid of not-so-smart purchases that I don’t use or love.

Also, this is the first blog I’ve ever logged onto on a daily basis. I love it!!! It’s become part of my routine.

Posted by T in CA - 04/18/2008

I’m a twenty-something Californian. Born and raised here, and loving every minute of it. I’m an accountant, a girly-girl, a passionate bulldog owner. A divorcee enjoying my second chance at life. A lover of living in small spaces. New to having a roommate, and negotiating how to live and decorate with another person. 950 square feet (plus yard) between the two of us, my 65 lb dog, and each of our significant kitchen collections.

I have a family history of pack rats, so have wanted to stop that cycle. I’ve been way better things to inspriring people like you. It’s made me a happier and more fullfilled person. This weekend I donated 5 bags of clothing to goodwill, and that freeing feeling is becoming addictive. I’ve donated like half my “stuff” in the past year and a half. And I still feel like there’s too much “stuff.” Learning to remove emotions from possessions has been key for me. And learning to buy/consume less we alllll need to do!

I love your practical suggestions here. I love pictures of ways to organize. I love insprirational stuff like that. The psychology behind hoarding is wayyy fascinating.

Posted by winkleperi - 04/18/2008

I’m a 34-year-old graduate student living in the Madison, WI. Until recently, I thought I loved living with lots of stuff, but I’ve realized lately how unproductive clutter is. I’ve noticed, too, that my dog, much less my roommate and I, can barely maneuver around all of my (and her) stuff. I’ve always taken on too many jobs and projects, which makes it impossible to keep things neat and clean. Or, rather, I always choose to be outside (even in below twenty degree weather) than indoors organizing and cleaning. Spring is my enemy.

I have used advice from the site; in fact, I have begun paring down objects I’ll take with me in my next move. I’ve kept your recent article on paring down in mind every time I question myself about why I have an object. My goal is to get rid of close to half my stuff in my next garage sale and subsequent move.

The only thing I’ve seen on this site that I haven’t liked is what I take to be an obvious Amazon ad (see my recent comment after your toilet paper post if you want to see what I mean). I’d be willing to bet that the person who wrote that post is an ad man, and I was very upset by how not environmentally and economically friendly that post was. I’d rather just see a continual Amazon ad on your site.

What I like are practical posts that give us things to think about (such as the meaning of objects in our lives) and specific ways to reduce clutter/change our environments. In particular, I enjoyed that you included photos/descriptions of the objects you chose to keep. I like the research-driven articles posted on the site, too.

Posted by Sue - 04/18/2008

I’m changing my lifestyle. I am scatterbrained, disorganized, prone to losing things and a pack rat. This is not how I want to live or how I want to raise my boys to live. The RSS feed of Unclutter lives in a prominent spot on my homepage (right beside Zen Habits) and I read it daily.

I like to see practical content that I can apply to my goals. My favorites recently were “Saying Farewell to a Hobby” and “Bringing Your Bookshelves Back to Order.” The spring cleaning tips were fabulous. And I’ve made good use of ideas from “Staying Organized with Binder Clips.” Thank you!

Posted by Smokey - 04/18/2008

Hi,

I enjoy your blog because I live in a very small house. I do not care about cord clutter!

I like to think of ways I and my friends can arrange our living spaces to be comfortable and naturally usable.

I think one component that’s missing from your blog is an environmental ethic, and I’m NOT talking about “green” products and changing out lightbulbs. I’m talking about inventorying our lives, and running our households in a way that is unstressful, unwasteful, and yes, frugal. I think cooking from scratch, composting, city-scale waste diversion programs, car-free living or bicycling, reducing driving, using public transit, to name a few things, could all be taken up here. They reduce our impact on the earth, reduce your number of posessions, reduce stress, and hlep us make time to do other things (like reading on the bus, combining exercise with your commute, making family time while cooking meals, etc).

I also wish that the phrase “throwing things away” could be changed to something like “finding new homes” - something that suggests recycling, re-gifting, re-using. I hate to think of perfectly good products going to the dump and that may be the main reason I refuse to accumulate things I might not use!

I **really** like your gift guides - bravo!

Finally, please unclutter your description of the unitasker Wednesday. You don’t need to “humorously poke fun at” something. It’s either humorous or you’re poking fun at it. If it’s funny, you don’t need to say so.

Nice blog, keep up the good work.

Posted by Beverly - 04/18/2008

Oh my, I must be your oldest reader! I’m 59, almost 60, a Nurse Practitioner in Florida. I love your blog and read it every day. I am interested in ways to keep organized, which to me means keeping things accessable as well as stored. Visual clutter makes me overstimulated so I’m always looking for ways to battle that, although I don’t like things too bare either, I’m not a minimalist. I live in a typical 3/2 home with pool but no basement or attic (read: minimal storage). My husband created a home office out of the powder room. My office is in the 3rd bedroom (one of our kids is still at home)and my sewing is there too. Our biggest challenge is books, we buy way too many and hate to get rid of them, it’s an emotional attachment. We’re working on it.

Posted by MamaBird/SurelyYouNest - 04/18/2008

What content do you want to read?

I love pretty much everything you write and I am not even a huge panderer.

Have you ever taken any of the advice and used it?

Sort of. I am a horribly messy person (I think it’s a genetic disposition) but I am pretty good at freecycling and I am taking your structural advice, ie trying to set up systems to help me instead of just reacting to the clutter. In other words, resigning myself to the fact that my workspace *is* my living room loveseat.

What is your personal philosophy on simple living?

Live simply so that others may simply live. Stuff is just stuff.

Is there something we’ve discussed that you want us to explore more intensely?

Systems, like I said. Spell out how your organized brain works so that I can figure out how to organize my life. I love creativity but also believe that in organization and simplicity lie beauty and freedom. Like my dad the mathematician would say, fractals are beautiful. Anyhoo, I was a teacher. Phonics, grammar, spelling, these explicit rules helped the kids who didn’t intuitively grasp language arts. Spell out organization in that way for me plz.

Are you just starting out in a place of your own or are you on the verge of downsizing into an active retirement community?

Have lived in the same rowhouse in DC (neighbors!) for 8 years except for a 6 month stint in which we packed everything into the attic and lived in California. Good decluttering exercise, btw.

Posted by Allison - 04/18/2008

I’m a 28-year-old Canadian. I’ve lived all over Canada, but now I call Montreal home. My preferred design style is vintage cottage (but no busy florals or knick-knacky clutter). As for chores, I love hanging laundry out on the line (but I’m not so good about the folding it and putting it away). I love baking/cooking, reading, and art… all of which create clutter. I work from home (a small flat) doing some technical writing/editing, but now I’m focusing on my artistic pursuits and making greeting cards. Because of the latter, I’m interested in good craft/workspace organization solutions (but I love looking at pretty kitchen pictures too).

I have used some of your advice for reducing the number of books that I own… books are the hardest thing for me to part with. I also remember some helpful wardrobe planning articles back when you first started.

Posted by boxofbirds - 04/18/2008

I’m a 28 year old artist and designer living in Seattle. I recently moved in to a somewhat minimalist modern townhouse with my partner. I love to purge and sort and having limited storage certainly helps us get rid of stuff and declutter, but I still feel like there is more I could be doing.

My current clutter problems are my mountains of art supplies and other items in my closet that don’t necessarily fit neatly into boxes, canvases, large sheets of paper, printmaking tools, framing supplies, etc. They’re odd sizes make it difficult to fit everything properly in the closet in an accessible way.

I’ve used a few tips on this site and am currently making my way through the archives. Even if I don’t use the tips it is nice to read about others who share the urge to live a simple, relatively stuff-free lifestyle. Thanks!

Posted by Megan - 04/18/2008

I’m a 27 year old mother of an almost 1 year old, who doesn’t get a lot of time to organize and clean, but would really love to. I’m living vicariously through this blog and others like it. DH and I are renting a very small townhouse while between houses. We just sold a medium sized house, and are shopping for a bigger one (with more bedrooms for our growing family, but hopefully not for all of our junk), but the process of moving, as well as living in this tiny place has made me really think about all of the stuff we have accumulated and don’t need or use. I don’t want that to happen again in our next house.

I am also motivated to become more organized from becoming a parent. I grew up in a very cluttered home, and never learned to be organized. I don’t want that for my son, so I need to start learning now and set a good example for him as he grows up.

Posted by M.R. - 04/18/2008

I am a 34 year old female living in an apartment in Atlanta with a male roommate. I also have a boyfriend who pretty much stays over all the time…so I have him around too (but not his stuff, thank you, Sweet Lord, because he collects action figures and comic books and his place looks like a hard drive grave yard. It is to the point where it stresses me out to go over there.) Anyway, I came to your site looking for ways to help him. But since the only person I can change is myself, I use your tips a lot.

My place is just big enough, but we have very little storage. I try not to gather too many things, but I wish I had a someplace other than my bedroom closet to keep things like my fold-up chair and my hula hoop. Truthfully, when I buy a place of my own this year, it will probably be about the same size as I have now. Since free-standing homes inside the Perimeter in Atlanta are outrageously expensive, I will probably never have a garage…which might be better in the long run anyway.

I have used several of the the tips, like just rounding up all the do-dads, tchotchkis and knick knacks and getting rid of the ones that “don’t represent me anymore.” I try to recycle, FreeCycle, and eBay everything I think I can live without. I don’t typically ready the posts about electronics because I refuse to own a computer since I am on one all day at work. You would not believe how much this unclutters my TIME.

My real problem is shoes, purses, hats and jewelry. If you could post about that, I would love you for it.

As I had mentioned in a earlier comment, I ask friends to give me consumable or non tangible gifts if they are dying to give me a gift for some reason. This has really cut down on “stuff in the apartment” as a whole.

My clutter weaknesses are photo albums(at least they’re organized!)and my ‘Strohblumen-Muster’ dishes from Germany. I don’t want to get rid of them because I just adore them…and I think that’s some stuff I can live with.

Keep up the great work!

Posted by Barbara - 04/18/2008

Sure rang a lot of bells, dintja? I love this blog, need constant gentle prodding.

I’m a poor but poverty-stricken widow, artist, moved recently from huge house in southern city to average 100 yr old fixer in teeny town in IL. Made the move in middle of clinical depression - no choice there on timing - had lived in previous home 35 years raising 6 kids and thought I had got rid of what needed to go before move. Way wrong. Brought far more of my past and present along than is needed. Depression is gone - for which I should thank decluttering sites and advice taken a wee bit at a time. Not finished but well along.

Getting rid of stuff and organizing what remains is freeing. Facing the fact that it may take me 2 more years to get the house under control - repairs and patching and prepping and painting are underway, I do a bit most days. I’ll stop with a quote I ran across somewhere recently that I love:

Life is 5% joy, 5% grief, and 90% maintenance.

Pretty much sums it up!

Posted by infmom - 04/18/2008

I found your site through a link on Lifehacker and subscribed to the feed first thing. While I don’t necessarily use every bit of advice, I have certainly found the philosophy appealing. You speak my language.

I’m 57 and married to a 61-year-old pack rat. He has real issues with getting rid of paper. Magazines, documents, check stubs, books, you name it. I’m no organizational queen by any means, but at least I go through stuff a few times a year and get rid of as much of the extraneous junk as I can. The Salvation Army and the public library give me nice tax deductions every year.

We plan to move from the Los Angeles area to a nice small town somewhere else in a few years. Both of us grew up in small towns, and while we have been very happy in California the past 25 years we both feel like it’s time to start planning to move on. The process will, of course, involve dealing with a lifetime of Stuff. We have a garage and outside storage room full of boxes and miscellaneous items. Some of it belonged to my late mother. Some of it belongs to our adult children. It all needs to be dealt with. One of the things I like most about this site is the practical ideas for dealing with Too Much Stuff.

A couple years ago I was on an extended leave-of-absence from work and discovered that I really enjoyed the process of going through everything in the storage room, box by box, and dealing with the contents, really dealing with them, for the first time ever. There were some boxes that hadn’t been touched since our first move as a couple in 1974! I felt really good when it had all been dealt with (a process that took weeks). Once I was back to work, clutter started accumulating out there again. I ended up taking early retirement from that job and now I have time to start the process all over again.

What I need most is inspiration!

Posted by Sarah - 04/18/2008

I am mostly naturally a clutter free type; loathing nick knacks, packratting, and unitaskers. But I still struggle to find what a reasonable number of items to keep might be. How many jackets, cookie sheets, blankets, etc. do I really need? Some, but not too many.

For example, I cleaned out my linen closet and had 12 raggedy spare towels. I know I need at least ONE for messy tasks such as wiping dirty dog paws. Yet, I am sure 12 towels was more than I needed. So, how many to get rid of? In the end I settled on keeping 4, but I wish I had a better decision process than picking a random number.

Posted by Catherine - 04/18/2008

I’m 35 and live with my hsuband and two cats outside of Philadelphia. The main reason I started reading Unclutterer is because we are moving to France in September of this year and I will be getting rid of the majority of my stuff - stuff that’s followed me around for many years. The main inspiration I get from this site is the knowledge of how to reduce my emotional attachment to things, and subsequently the most helpful post I’ve read is a recent one, the one with the questions you ask yourself when figuring out if you should keep something. My stakes are somewhat higher - I’m trying to figure out which items are worth paying to ship across the ocean! Anyway, thanks for a great site and I will keep reading.

Posted by Nancy - 04/18/2008

I’m a 38 year old mom, student and full-time worker. I work as a manager of a popular bookstore. I’m graduating in June with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management. Over the past few years while in school and working full-time and now caring for my son, my apartment has become a horrible, unorganized mess. I found Unclutterer while searching for help and tips online. I added you to my Google Reader and read you everyday. I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration from here and some great tips. My fiance, my son and I live in a small one bedroom apartment in the San Francisco area. We both are artists and crafters and have way too much stuff. I’m currently chronicling my uncluttering process on my blog, but my blog was lost today during a Wordpress upgrade. I’m hopeful I will get it back up soon. Thanks for sharing your tips on simple living and uncluttering!

Posted by drkimme - 04/18/2008

I’m a 32 year old Neuroscientist living in Vancouver, Canada. I’m not from anywhere as my dad was in the army. I’ve moved >15 times in my life, and went to 8 different schools growing up, not including all the post-secondary institutions i’ve attended. For many years, I lived with the idea that everything I owned had to be ‘out on display’. I loved ‘things’. After moving around so much during my undergrad and grad studies (including a move for 2 years to the UK to do a post-doc), I started to limit my belongings, purging with every move. One of my close friends, when I was considering what to bring to England, pointed to my head and said “all you need is right here.” Now, I truly believe that an uncluttered life is crucial for an uncluttered mind (I guess that’s my personal philosophy on living simply). I try to limit my possessions, and I also LOVE organizing things. If I had to do my career all over again, I’d help ppl organize their lives: interior and exterior.
k.

Posted by supersocco - 04/18/2008

Also, all my friends know that any gifts must be consumable. Either I can eat it, or drink it. And I hate cards. Don’t waste time on a card as it will be recycled within a week.