When we first walked through our home at the showing, it was rough. I mean, really rough. When someone has lived in a home for 15+ years and is aging, there are a lot of little things that build up over time. Thankfully, I am trained as an architect (Thanks, Judson University!) and my hubby has a good eye for the vision. We needed this vision to be able to see beyond the western artwork hanging on literally every possible spot throughout the home (even the rafters).
Here are a few “before” pictures to see how much clutter we had to look past. Of course, if you can see past the clutter and see the potential, you’re in for a real treat!
Now that we’ve been in the home for a few years, there are a few things we do regularly to help keep the house clutter free.
- One in; One Out. This rule doesn’t always come into the equation, but it’s something we keep in the back of our minds as we go throughout our day. I just bought new slippers and threw out the old ones the same day.
Use it up. Wear it out. Make it do. Or do without. I’ve
heard this phrase before and it’s something that my great-grandparents would have lived by, but
when you live on land (or really anywhere) there are so many things you can do to bring new life to things. Also, when we don’t have an HOA laying the hammer down, you can really let some things live out their full potential, even if they don’t look nearly as ‘picture perfect’ as some people might like.- Regular clean outs. We used to clean out our stuff regularly
because we moved more often. In the ten years we’ve been married, we’ve moved probably six or seven times. When you move, you naturally give away or throw out stuff that you really shouldn’t be keeping
anyway. However, if you’re more settled, it’s easy to let stuff pile up. Just yesterday, I rearranged the basement and found a bunch of stuff that we really don’t need. - Give to Salvation Army frequently. We never have more than a couple boxes of giveaway stuff in our home at one time. If we know we don’t want it, an item is given away within months (or weeks) of making that decision. We don’t run garage sales, so there’s no reason to let this stuff build up for one big load.
- Don’t bring junk in. This is a big one! Yes, you may have the storage space, and let me tell you, we discovered we had a lot when we first moved in. However, just because you have the space, this doesn’t mean that you need to fill it.
- Focus on the horizontal surfaces. Horizontal surfaces are a tough spot because it’s easy to set things down and let them stay. I always try to keep these open and clear, so that when that clutter accumulates, it’s easy to see that it’s out of place.
- Purpose. Whenever I break the “one in, one out” rule, I always am thinking about the purpose that that item will bring to our homestead. Naturally, when you’re dealing with a homestead, you find that there are plenty of things that can or will be useful to you. But, let’s face it…in our gut we all know if we’re being honest with ourselves about the purpose something can bring to our lives.
We have a constant battle with clutter. If you live in a place that has good storage, or room to grow, it’s easy to say “yes” to bringing new things into your life. Moving out to have a simpler life doesn’t feel simple when you’re bogged down by a lot of clutter.