SO. MUCH. STUFF.

Lets talk about stuff, shall we.

I feel our house is always in disarray.  ALWAYS.  

(I should be embarrassed posting these, but it is just the way it is.  

Finding time to clean just always isn’t my priority or always easy to do.  

Granted, I should make time for it, but I don’t always do that when things get busy. This was from this weekend.)

Toys everywhere, dishes always in the sink, goldfish crackers all over the dang house, laundry always needing done, clutter stacking up.   

I sometimes get frustrated/envious when I see other people's homes on FB (who have kids) and their houses look so clean and organized.  HOW?!  That can't be real!!!  Nope. I don't believe your house looks like that...only that small corner where you took the picture.  Well, that is at least what I say to myself so I don't feel so bad about my house :)   

And while I know my house will always be in some sort of disarray because that is my reality, I do feel we have too much stuff which isn’t helping the clutter situation.

Before Henry was born we had lots of stuff and we wanted to have a garage sale to get rid of said stuff.  But we didn’t.  Why? Because putting a garage sale together is annoying and we procrastinated because we thought maybe the garage sale would just plan itself….or at the least little elves would magically get it ready for us.  Stupid elves never showed up.

So then Henry was born and we got even MORE stuff.  Too much stuff.  An amount of stuff we never anticipated.

Stuff in the living room.

Stuff in the dining room.

Stuff on the stairs.

Stuff oozing from the closets.

Stuff under beds, on beds, beside beds.

Stuff in the basement.

Stuff in the storage unit.

Stuff under more stuff that is on top of other stuff.

So much stuff everywhere.  

EVERYWHERE.

And frankly, we are tired of all this stuff.  I am tired of looking at it.  I am tired of rearranging it.  I am tired of storing it and paying to store it.  I am tired of trying to hide it.  I am tired of the fact that we have SO much stuff everywhere you look.

And Folks, it is just STUFF.  Most of it isn’t important or of any value or are things I felt I needed to keep to use “someday”....well "someday" has been here and is long gone.  You know those type of things I am talking about, right?! Boxes of papers/cards kept over the year.  Tons of clothes that either don’t fit (but some day will….right) or are outdated. Knick knacks, paddywhacks*, and other odds and ends just stuffed in boxes over the years.  Gifts that have been given that are just stored away.  Things that I have appreciated getting or felt over the years were worth keeping but are now taking up space.  Duplicate items from when Terry and I moved in together many years ago that were just put away as “back-up” items. 

But now, now they must go.

Why, because there is no room.  Our house is small and made even smaller by the apparent thousand items it takes to raise one child.  Because if we haven’t used them in the past couple years (minus a handful of sentimental items of course) then we don’t need it and it is doing nothing more than taking up space.  Because Terry and I need to declutter and simplify as I think being surrounded by so much stuff sorta brings you down and keeps your mind in a state of “clutter”.  Because even Henry doesn’t know what to play with at times because he has so much stuff and there is no reason for a kid to have more than his parents!

So we are officially planning and preparing for our FIRST garage sale together.  Which means we have eight years of combined stuff since living together and thirteen years of stuff saved as a couple.  Stuff from when I moved here and started college in 1998 through living on my own.  And at least 20 years of stuff since Terry has been living on his own.  Which means, our house is messier now that it has ever been. 

(Bags of clothes in our room waiting for the garage sale.  Yeah, those aren’t in the way at all.)

Stuff starting to pile up in the garage for the sale....want anything?!?! :-)

But to declutter you sometimes have to create a mess…..right?!?!  That is what I keep telling myself.  I will say this, whatever doesn’t sell is up for grabs and/or going to the Goodwill.  WE DON’T WANT IT.

I really think we need to start simplifying what we have in our lives.  We do not need so much stuff.  I admit, T & I are both packrats to a point and I am very sentimental so EVERYTHING has some sort of sentimental attachment….. “oh this is the pen I used to write the first love note to terry.  Or maybe it isn’t, but it could be.”  Really, Jenn.  I need to start choosing what is really worth keeping and say “see ya” to everything else.  Keep it simple and streamlined and organized and maybe the mind I feeling I am losing will become more streamlined and organized :) Well, that is the plan!!

Talk to me…..do you feel you have too much stuff?!  How do you remedy that?  And what about garage sales, do you have one regularly?!

*Read what a paddywhack is here.  Ew.