Too Much Stuff

I have spent the last couple of years slowly decluttering my house. It is amazing to me how much stuff we really have. We live in a 1300 square foot home with a full basement. We also have a small shed and attic space. When I sort through things I find things that I didn't even know or remember that I had. I have come to the conclusion though that if I didn't remember I had it that I probably don't need it. I feel that this stuff is not doing anyone any good if it is just sitting in my basement, shed or attic.

I tell you this because yesterday, we gathered things for our church's yard sale. Each year the youth host the sale as one of their big fundraisers for their annual mission trip. We are a smaller church and keep thinking that we will not be able to collect enough stuff. Each year though we fill the fellowship, entryway and hallway to overflowing.

Yesterday, I did not think we had a lot to give but yet I filled the back end of our Aztec as well as the backseat to overflowing with our donations. This was with not even going through everything. We only looked around to find this "extra" stuff. We also had three bags of things that we will be giving to other people. Our house is slowly getting decluttered as we get rid of things and are careful of new purchases. All that I can say is we still have too much stuff and it is freeing as we get rid of all of the extras.

Decluttering

I have spent the last several years decluttering our house. We have come a long way but still have lots of room for improvement. It is amazing to me how much "stuff" we have acquired throughout the years. I have spent the last month going through things again. Our church youth group has an annual yard sale each year to support their mission trip. This year they will be traveling to Norfolk, VA where they will be helping military families. The garage sale is usually one of their biggest money making events.

As I have gone through the house, I try to really take a look at things. Do I really need this? Have I used it in the last year? Then if the answer is no then I get rid of it. It is surprising to me how much easier it is to keep the house clean as we get rid of things.

I would challenge you to go through your things. Do you really need it? If not, find another home for it. I may give it to another family who can use it or I give it to Goodwill or similar organization. Better yet, if there is a lot of stuff, hold a garage sale and donate the money made to a worthy organization.