Less is More, More or Less - Simple Tips from Someone Who Has Way Too Much

I never think of myself as a pack rat. Maybe the lover of much. Maybe too much? But there are times when I look around the house and I can’t find the dog or I delve into drawers and come up empty handed or I find myself crawling around closet floors in search of a runaway shoe. I end up feeling just awful that I have the makings of becoming a canaille rongeur. It sounds so much nicer when the French say it, doesn’t it?

Letting go of our stuff does have the potential to give us room for more. I am not saying room for more stuff, but how does having a few less things to worry about sound? Less time wasted shoveling things into inappropriate spaces (Nothing says clutter more than pocketbooks in an oven and one of my city girlfriends resorted to that. Needless to say, she ordered in quite a bit) and more time to do things you really care about.

Every year I make the vow and I take action. And for a while the world looks bigger and brighter because I can see out my windows again. And then the New Year comes and I make the same vow again.

Here are a couple of ways to psyche yourself up for introducing the “Less is More” way of life into your lives.

1) Release. I had to sit myself down and figure out what I could release from my life. I think using the word “release” feels better than “getting rid of.” I don’t want to get rid of my treasures. I would like to release them to the universe and see what happens. I also had to deal with the reality that my one bedroom apt. in Manhattan morphed into a 3 bedroom house on LI with goodies in every nook and cranny…and then some. I had some major releasing to do.

2) Give your stuff a good home. I looked around at where my possessions would fare well and I started to make some phone calls. The organizations that resonated with me and my beliefs were on the receiving end of things I finally realized were clogging up my brain and testing my sanity. I went thru my closets one day and ended up with six garage bags of clothes. They now clothe people who needed them more than I did. It felt liberating and my remaining clothes have a bit more breathing space and so did I.

3) Have a garage or tag sale. I know there is really no difference between the two words when it comes to a sale. I think people use “tag sale” when they think their stuff is worth a lot of money. I use “garage sale” myself. I am a realist on occasion.

Look around at our world. We are in a recession and money is getting tight for a lot of people. Craig’s List reported that garage sale postings have gone up 100% since last year. People are looking for kids clothes, household items, furniture and even jewelry, but now they are willing to get up early on Friday and Saturday mornings and drive all over for the chance of finding that right item at a very good price.

This is a great way…probably one of this best ways to recycle. Be bold and brutal and start going thru each room and pick out things to sell. Place an ad or 2 (Craig’s list is free) make some signs (use large type so we can read it) and put on enough sun screen. At the end of the day, complete strangers go home with their new treasures and you get to count your loot. Put it in the bank and save for a trip or a great meal. Make memories and not mounds of stuff you don’t need.