Sentimental Clutter: Keep or Release?
Decluttering, shopping bans, and other ways to make this the “The Year of Less.”
Photo @caitflanders
I’m not super big into New Year’s resolutions, but at the beginning of this year, I made a promise to myself that I would cut way back on my social media.
The first thing I did was set a limit on my phone (no more than 30 minutes a day). But then I ran into a different problem: What was I supposed to do with all that extra time? I’m not a fan of being idle, especially when confined to the house, so I decided that books were a great alternative.
I have the Libby App for the Public Library so I took a look to see what audio book I could sink my teeth into. I came across the non-fiction book “The Year of Less” by Canadian blogger Cait Flanders and it seemed right up my decluttering alley…so I dove in.
It’s read by the author whose voice, honestly, is a bit dry, but the ideas were interesting so I followed it through to the end. Here’s the basic premise: Cait decides to put herself on a one-year shopping ban. It starts with decluttering 50% of the items in her home (eventually she will purge over 70% of her belongings). She then does a full inventory so she has a clear idea of what she already owns. From there, she creates a list of rules and guidelines for the next year of what she’s allowed to buy (like food and toiletries) and what she isn’t (like take-out coffee, books and clothes).
Bright Idea
One of my favourite lines came when she was getting rid of a box of old CD’s and movies. Most of the box was an easy decision, but there was 1 old CD - the first she’d ever bought - and 2 old movies that were favourites growing up. These were tougher to get rid of. They brought back such special memories. But then she told herself this: “If these memories were truly special, they’d likely cross paths again.” That gave her the push she needed to add them to the rest of the donations and let them go.
I love this idea: If memories are truly special, you will indeed cross paths with them again.
You’ll hear a song on the radio, you’ll see an old movie on Netflix, or maybe you’ll just be reminiscing with friends about the things that you loved growing up and you can let that memory wash over you again. Memories are rarely in our things. They’re in our hearts and minds and when they show up unexpectedly, that’s when we can hold them close and be grateful they exist.
I found this book inspirational, so that’s why I’m sharing it with all of you. It gave me some motivation to declutter some things from our place. And I’m seriously considering doing a 3 month shopping ban. I love a good challenge and a fun experiment. Would you ever consider it?
