decluttering is a thing

I have a messy house. I have a house full of crap. I have a busy, chaotic house. I have a lot of stuff that we actually use.

So now what? 3 of the kids have moved out. I have lived in this house for 23 years. Every once in a while I have a clear out. But we always have the same problems. We don't have the right storage or organisation for the stuff we want to keep. Often stuff is just out and about because it doesn't have a place to live. Putting stuff away is impossible if it doesn't have a home. And we have too much.

But of course, having another child meant that a lot of the stuff that we were on the verge of getting rid of has been kept for her. And is being used.

I supposed this project has already begun. It began when the Boy moved out last August and I wanted to start sorting the house. We bought lots o IKEA furniture for the Babe's bedroom and that is looking better. Even when it is untidy. Because all you have to do is put stuff away. Although there is a LOT of stuff. Most of it is stuffed.

Then we redid the Boy's old bedroom, which was our old bedroom, to be our bedroom again. We actually paid decorators. Which was a good investment even though there are very well painted cupboards that we can barely open and close now. :) Still have some things to sort out in there like curtains and lovely bedding, but I am still working on it.

And then I started on the Living Room. Al and I have wanted things like to knock through into the back room, or to have a wood burning stove put in, and to do up the kitchen for decades. It feels like I have finally realized that rather than waiting for those things to happen, I have to actually do them. So I am starting on decluttering and giving it a go long term in order to maybe get some changes to the house done in a couple of years.

It is all overwhelming. There is just so much I don't really know where to start. And I need time! I have so little of it!  ButI have made a start in the living room. After starting I took some photos.

But really it looked pretty much the same before hand. Although I have got rid of the VHS player and the video tapes. Phew. Really hard. The Wee One would still watch them, but we usually don't. So away they go.

And I went out with Ruby to buy some frames for photos that have just been cluttered up on the shelves. I have made a nice shelf with photos. It is to prevent other stuff from being piled on it. And to have something to focus on to tell me I have actually started and have actually accomplished something. Fingers crossed I keep going.

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