Finding the Balance Between Collecting and Having a (Almost) Clutter-Free Life

how do we "collect" and still be free of a clutter nightmare?

We all love to collect things, whether it is our silk scarves from places that we have visited, shells picked up at the shore, or antique collectible teacups. And some of our collections are not so clearly defined as a “collection”. For instance all those Victorian Home magazines or old tools from your grandfather are items that have emotional attachment or that you just can’t bear to part with. But what is an organized or attempting-to-be-organized person to do?
Most people don’t realize this, but our stuff takes up space, time and energy. We need to understand this very vital fact. For instance, anyone who is a fashion maven (i.e., “collects” clothes) knows how much time and money is required to keep, clean and maintain all her clothing. She will spend money on washing, dry cleaning, buying storage items, investing in high-end closets and possibly hiring a professional organizer to sort and maintain order with all her clothing. The hours spent switching wardrobes when seasons change can really add up and take away time from other endeavors. This is just one example of how our stuff takes up so much of our resources and our precious time.
As much as we love our stuff, how can we keep our stuff yet still have an organized and (almost) clutter-free life? The best way to evaluate the right balance is to take regular inventory of our possessions. Sometimes it is time to let things go. This does not mean that one has to throw things out in the trash. Many times people bemoan the fact that extraneous items in their home still have value. This is true. How about letting someone else have these “valuable” items?
The latest trend is to refer to recycling things as to “repurposing” them. That black Anne Klein miniskirt that you wore so chicly just a few years ago would look dynamite on some one else. Those 20 extra mugs and plates could make some college kid happy that he is not eating off of paper plates.

There are so many organizations and regular folks that could benefit from having your stuff. And landfills would become less full. This pertains to everyday household items as well as clothing. There are numerous ways in which to recycle or repurpose. You could have a tag sale, a fashion swap, donate to charity or offer items on freecycle.org. If you have a large collection of books, you might want to ask yourself if you are really ever going to have the time to reread books given the long list of books that you still want to read. There is the great website for donating books called gotbooks.com. Another great charity is Dressed for Success, an organization dedicated to helping women re-enter the work force. You could donate your gently used professional clothing that you no longer need or want so that other women have a good start in their new life.

When you let some of your items go back out into the world for some one else to use, you allow space to free up in your home. You could fill that space with other items that you want to collect or you could enjoy the zen moment of having a little less stuff for the time being.

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