No need to be a tyrant to your family about it, but having things kept in their place does help one to live a simple life. While I have written in the past about my learning to NOT get wrapped up in a few things being out of place here and there, knowing where your belongings are surely simplifies things around your home. How many times have you known that you owned something, only to find yourself at the store buying a new one because you couldn’t find the one you already own? I am sure many times – we all have. That’s why it is so important to have a place for everything and to have everything in it’s place…how else could you possibly live in a 392 square-foot house? (Yea, I couldn’t either.) But really, there is a lesson to learn from people who do choose to live in homes that small, in that they know where everything they own is and they do not keep and store anything that they do not need. That is certainly an example of having order in your life!
Too many people buy bigger houses just to keep their stuff or they pay for storage because they cannot bear to get rid of anything. This is not a healthy way to live, as I believe that having that much extra “stuff” only clutters your mind as well as your closet space. How can you concentrate on anything important when you are feeling so closed-in by your belongings? I know I couldn’t, and I am still in the process of slimming down my belongings even further. While I know where 99% of my stuff is in the house, I do know that I have too much – and I am taking steps to whittle it down to the essentials only. The more items we own, the more time we have to invest in taking on the storage, cleaning, maintenance, and the more hide-and-seek we have to play just to use said items. No thanks! I want to have just the things I need to live the kind of life I want to live, and anything more than that is just clutter. Having order in your home, your head, and amongst your belongings definitely helps simplify things!
I just want to know where everything is at any moment – time wasted looking for things is time I could be spending on a hobby or for myself. And when you have too much stuff, that can never be possible. Which brings me to you – are you organized and orderly at home? Do you have too much stuff that you are in the process of eliminating in order to be more organized? Or can you live a simple life surrounded by your “stuff” and clutter? Let’s hear about your experience in the comments!
See the movie UP if you haven’t already. There’s a scene where the grumpy dude literally dumps all his belongings out of his flying house in order to get airborne again to rescue another character. Even the chairs he and his deceased wife sat in every day…
I know it’s an animated movie, but that scene has a lot of significance for me right now…They’re only possessions, what’s important in life are the people in it, and how you spend it – not how many toys you have.
Will do, thanks for sharing!
We recently combined 3 homes into one. talk about stuff! we were overwhelmed, to say the least. I have gone through every room with a fine tooth comb and ruthlessly whittled everything down to what we use/need.
if it is still sitting in a box from the move, then obviously we dont use it. honestly, it never occurred to me before that 2 people do NOT need a closet full of towels. a few will work just fine. and the kitchen…there was so much stuff we couldnt use it or find anything.
Now i know where everything in my house is located. It is a wonderful feeling to have only the things you want and need. I am planning on editing again next year just to be sure i am still on top of my stuff and my stuff isnt on top of me.
That’s great Misty! I agree with you on the “stuff in the garage” – there are a few boxes I have not touched since I moved in. I wonder what is in them!
Great post! Even though I don’t have a crazy amount of stuff, I still feel like so much time is spend cleaning, organizing, etc. It’s a constant process to evaluate things and try to make my home more organized and efficient so more time can be spent actually enjoying the stuff I really, really like.
I know what you mean about having everything in its and when you can’t find it there you are at the store buying another one.
Just a couple of weeks ago I decided fire up the BBQ for the 1st time after a long winter. I know I had brought a 3 pack of safety lighters last year. I also thought I had my place for one. In our mail shelf on the wall as you go out the back door.
I was timing dinner to be ready when my wife got home with the kids. As I went out back to light the BBQ guess what I couldn’t find. Yup the lighter. I thought another one would be in the knife draw, nope. perhaps in the garage neh,neh.
I had to call my wife to pick one up one the way home. That put dinner back almost an hour. By then the kids were extra grumpy. It made what would have been a pleasant dinner and evening into a difficult night at best.
Well now there is one in the mail shelves and last week when I decided to fire up the BBQ again we had a great evening.
Having things in there place saves you time, money and aggravation.
We’re constantly getting rid of stuff, and striving not to replace it with more stuff. Last year my pressure washer died (exploded is more accurate), and I decided not to replace it. I’m going to rent one for the one weekend a year that I need it. This will save both space and money.
Great idea Enrique. I am a big believer in renting the things we rarely need instead of buying and storing them!
Seconding Jesse’s recommendation if you haven’t seen it by now David. They also manage to tell a better love story in about five minutes than Twilight does in three books/movies.