Doris Puls

What if you went through every room in your house and rid yourself of everything you don’t use, things you just keep because you haven’t taken the time to do anything with them?

We are in the process of redoing several rooms in our home. When I went through the decorations I had in my living room I discovered I didn’t even really like them or have any attachment to them anymore. They were just there because they filled up the given space. They are all in my donation box.

Can you relate?

I was talking with a friend recently who shared how she started clearing out room by room what she doesn’t use and that she hasn’t missed a single thing she’s gotten rid of. One thing she let go of was family photos in frames that she never planned on putting up again. She took them out of the frame and donated them. I often find myself doing this for people I work with when decluttering and organizing. Do you have boxes of these frames you will never use?

Think about your kitchen. A dear relative of mine used to have a good amount of dishes. There was always the perfect serving dish or glass to use. Then she started gathering dishes from friends who were downsizing. Now we have to move several dishes to get to the ones we want to use. Too much of a good thing.

It feels enlightening when we cleanse our home of “stuff” we don’t use. Try it. Disturb those spaces you haven’t touched in a long time. Oh, and with Christmas coming, you might set aside a pile for your family to go through. But don’t be surprised when they don’t want it. What you once thought was special may not be as special as you thought. Donate it all.

Merry Christmas to all of you and may you have a clutter free New Year.

Doris Puls is the owner of D & O Declutter and Organize LLC in Alpena. She welcomes your questions and comments at OrganizeAlpena@gmail.com.