One of my resolutions last month was to de-clutter the house as a whole but the garage in particular. The house we're currently renting is a tad bit smaller than our previous house (okay more than a tad) so many of our possessions have remained in the garage as we just don't have any other place for them. What made it in from the garage are mainly essentials and decorating wasn't a priority since we didn't know how long we'd be renting here. This left many, many articles stored in boxes heaped haphazardly against the walls of the garage; needful, obsolete, aspirational and outgrown clutter alike. I like to categorize things into these four groups because then I know what I'm dealing with.
Needful clutter - This is anything we've been looking for since we moved in but hadn't had the patience to search for extensively. Like the remote to my stereo. I did a dance of joy when I finally came across that.
Obsolete clutter - That which we've lived without for almost a year and haven't really missed or replaced already. We got rid of 4 industrial sized garbage bags of things for donation and were able to condense so much we had 12 extra moving boxes left over.
Aspirational clutter - Things I own but only aspire to use, have never used or only use occasionally. This includes anything crafts related such as the glue gun and scrapbooking stuff or never used like my hiking boots. Remind me to tell you of the time I was airlifted to the hospital 7.5 miles into a 15 mile hike and then you'll know why I don't hike anymore.
Outgrown clutter - These are items I no longer use but can't bear to part with such as my Disney collectibles or baby things we'll need if we ever get around to having another one. So we have bins of baby clothes and toys that hopefully will be put to use again but for now are stored. If the time comes and they don't get used, they'll be donated like the other obsolete clutter.
With all this clutter, the task was daunting but we took it one box at a time. There's still a lot left out there but now I know that what's left is at least needful or useful.
Jason and I also made an organizational trip to The Container Store. I didn't end up buying much, just some odds and ends, but we did add to our wishlist. The ever-growing list of decorative boxes and bags that I want will have to wait until there's room for everything in the house that's currently in the garage. For now it's just fun to look and plan.
And hopefully the next place we move to will have more room so I can finally feel like we've moved here completely. Living out of boxes 7 months after the fact makes it hard to feel settled. At least after the scouring of the garage I feel a little more permanent but I probably won't feel completely at home until the last box is empty. So here's to aiming for total unpacking-ness. Yeah, that's a word.
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