Would you like your home to stay clutter free forever? If you struggle with too much clutter you will not want to miss these vintage tips!
Have you ever toured an older home and marveled at the lack of closet space? If you’ve considered buying one of these vintage abodes, it may have even given you pause, or perhaps even have been the reason you ultimately turned away. Where on earth would you keep all your stuff?
Even in newer homes we lament our lack of storage space. Our closets, cupboards, cabinets, attics, basements, and garages are simply bursting at the seams. The idea of ever becoming truly organized sometimes seems hopeless because there is just no place to go.
The problem is not a lack of storage space.
The real problem is too much stuff.
The reason our grandparents and great-grandparents could live with a handful of tiny closets in their modest 1400 square foot homes is that they simply didn’t accumulate the massive quantities of things that we have today. The irony is that all these gadgets and appliances and modern conveniences are supposed to somehow make our lives easier, but instead they just add to the noise, the stress, and the clutter.
The more I work on this in my own home, the more I am realizing that to live a truly organized and orderly life, I have to change my thinking completely. Modern culture has glorified consumption to the point that continually buying more has become the norm. We accumulate more and more and more until we are drowning.
So what’s the solution? I think if we take a step back and take a cue from our grandparents, there are some vintage strategies that can help us change our approach and allow us to live clutter-free forever:
A trip to Target this weekend reminded me just how easy it is to mindlessly fill my cart with things I don’t need. Temptation is everywhere. Even though I had gone in the store for a specific purpose–a needed office supply–I was immediately drawn in to all the pretty, shiny, things. An adorable shirt that would look so cute on my daughter. A pillow that would be perfect on my living room couch. My favorite t-shirt in multiple colors and–look–it’s even on sale! Some darling limited edition note-cards and plastic wine glasses at 50% off–such a good deal!
I almost succumbed, and there was a time where I wouldn’t have thought twice about a single one of those purchases. If I liked it, I would buy it. What did it matter if I didn’t really need it? My desire created the need. Our grandparents didn’t have this same temptation. There were no Targets or Walmarts or malls filled with cheap but pretty things. They simply didn’t have an endless array of choices. Making a purchase was a well-planned event, not an impulse buy.
The first step in living a clutter-free life is to commit to stopping the flow. You have to vigilantly guard against the sheer number of things coming in. For me it has meant avoiding my favorite stores; for others it may mean avoiding the thrift stores or no more garage sale hopping. It means winning the mental battle and convincing yourself that what you have is already enough.
Paring down the number of things you already have is the next phase of the battle. Give yourself permission to only keep the things that are currently useful, despite who gave them to you or how much they cost. This can be really hard, especially at first. That’s where the ruthless part comes in. As you sort through your things, ask yourself these questions:
It is helpful to make 4 categories: 1.) Things to keep in this area, 2.) things to donate, 3.) things to throw away, and 4.) things to put elsewhere (keepsake box, seasonal items, or things that belong in a different room). Once you’ve cleared an area and put away all the items that belong elsewhere, move on to the next area. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
We live in a time of more excess and waste than ever before. We think nothing of a closet full of clothes, where our grandmothers and great-grandmothers only ever had a few dresses and a single pair of shoes to get them by. Holidays and birthdays are accompanied by piles of gifts rather than just one or two, while our kitchens and bathrooms are packed to the gills with gadgets, accessories, and products.
Our grandparents didn’t have to set limits because they were already limited by their finances and by what was available. In an era where everything is available and affordable, we have to be diligent about setting our own limits. One way I did this was in my bedroom closet, where I limited my clothing to what would fit on forty hangers. Compared to the closets of a century ago, forty hangers is probably still a lot, but for me–and for most women today–getting rid of that many clothes was a pretty drastic change.
We also set some pretty strict limits when it comes to our kids and toys. After taking their toys away last year, we have tried to be very careful about the number of toys they have access to. This means limiting Christmas and birthday gifts and, when necessary, swapping out something they no longer play with when they do get something new.
I think sometimes we have become so accustomed to the steady flow of cheaply-made junk that we forget that quality really does matter. Being incredibly selective, but then spending a little more to buy something that will stand the test of time is not only more frugal, but it is the way things simply used to be. At some point our standards lowered so much that we no longer think twice when a motor stops working after a year, or when our t-shirt gets a hole after just a few washings, or when another toy breaks after only being played with for a week.
When you do find yourself in need of something new, commit actively seeking out things that are well made from quality materials. Take the time to read reviews or to find things that are made locally rather than overseas. Choose long term value over short term savings.
In this day and age it really does take a lot of intentionality to live a little simpler. It means going against the grain of today’s consumer-driven mentality in favor of an organized home, one that is free of excess stuff and that allows us to breathe a little easier. I don’t know about you, but I think the promise of a clutter-free life is definitely worth the effort.
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Thank you for sharing your tips! I really related to accumulating more and more things without thinking about it. It really is so easy to fill up our carts at the store, especially when it's on sale. I loved the question "could someone else use it more". I tend to hold sentimental value to many things, but knowing that I could help someone else makes me think twice about holding on to my things I don't really need.
Starting Auction Your Possessions Today, an online auction company, with my brother has been crazy fun, exciting, time and energy consuming. I have always been a messie pack squirrel The stuff from my mother, my daughter and other things we don't need. I have been trapped by the lie that I might need it or use it someday. I want to thank you for your book and website. So looking forward to doing whatever it takes to get to the place where we are living well and spending less.
Good great tips ! I was actually looking for low cost budget tips for remodeling my bathroom and I went through this article. I really found it good as I do have a problem with giving up unused and unwanted things and hence have a clutter at home. Thanks for the tips!!!
Clutter is not needed in a home at all! Has anyone considered using storage beds - they are a great way to maximise storage potential without taking up any more space.
Hah! Well, my great grandparents were the opposite of this :) Coming from the depression era, they saved everything. We just went through their house two weeks ago. They had brand new appliances in duplicates. They saved every bread tie and margarine container. We filled 4 huge dumpsters and several trailers full of junk. They were very frugal. If something was on sale, they bought in bulk. But holy cow, they had more stuff packed into every outbuilding, basement, bedroom, cupboard, and closet than should be humanly possible. And their daughter had a bit of hoarder in her too. Craft stuff is my downfall. If I think I can use it, I stash it away. And I usually do use it since I do children's ministry decor and VBS at church, I can usually find a way to utilize the stuff. But I would like to get better at not keeping things and keeping the house organized. :) Keeping stuff is in my genes apparently ;)
Its my experience that people always grow into their house. You could have a one bedroom apartment of a 5000 square foot mansion - you're going to fill it with stuff!
I used to be one who just "had to have" new things, especially kitchen small appliances; I would fall for nearly every ad I saw on TV, and would either order the items online, or go to the nearest big-box store that I knew would carry it. My parents were packrats, so I didn't really think much of my own bad habits--until late summer 2006. My wonderful parents died only 13 days apart, and then my brother, sister and I had the horrendous task of clearing out their house and trying to figure out what to do with all that STUFF!!! JUNK, just totally, outright, unusable JUNK! It took us over a year to get it all sorted out--some we managed to sell, but not a lot--and once that was done, my sister and I both purged our homes.
Long story shortened a lot, after being homeless for eight months in 2013, then moving into a boarding house (I'm the only female renter, but the homeowner is a female) with only a few things, I realized I just don't need tons of stuff anymore. I have bought three new frying pans, and will yet get two saucepans, but other than those items, I haven't bought anything. The cookware in the kitchen is so horribly battered and scratched, I will not use it, so the new cookware is for my own safety and use--the men do NOT get to even touch it!
I'm not glad of how all this happened, but I'm glad the terrible, life-wasting habit of shopping for no more reason than to be greedy is out of my life!
Stay away from stores without a list in hand. Have you noticed how many things exist that we didn't know we needed? WE DON'T NEED THAT STUFF!!!
Good day! I could have sworn I've been to this site before but after checking through some of
the post I realized it's new to me. Nonetheless, I'm definitely glad I found it and
I'll be book-marking and checking back often!
I signed up for the Clutter Free Challange, and it's now October 3rd, and I never received an email on the 2nd.