WinterSown Posted January 7, 2018 Report Share Posted January 7, 2018 I am tired of taking care of stuff I no longer use. A lot I've held onto for sentimental reasons but I just can't put the energy into this anymore. I think it's a visual trigger as well because of sensory overload. For guidance I bought a book called Swedish Death Cleaning and think it makes sense. I am only halfway through the book and I haven't tossed a thing yet but I now have a plan on how to downsize my possessions over the next year. It's not going to be a weekend purge but a gentle excavation room by room. I'm using up my energy to take care of all this stuff and need to downsize so I less things have to take care of and keep more spoons for the things I need. What is 'Swedish death cleaning' and should you be doing it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dancer65 Posted January 12, 2018 Report Share Posted January 12, 2018 Hi winters snow We moved 5 years ago and downsized to a much smaller house it was hard work getting rid of stuff but we bought a house that needed total renovation and we would be living in whilst we did the work ourselves, so space would be difficult and we put a lot of stuff into storage. When we took our belongings out of storage I realised how I hadn't missed so many things so I did anther huge purge, thank goodness I did most of this before my pots incapacitated me for 2 years ! Inside is now done lots of storage, clear surfaces in living areas apart from a couple of beloveded items, most of furniture was chosen to be built in or off the floor so I could vacume underneath it . I do not miss any of the stuff I threw out and cleaning is so easy ! My kitchen counter tops are clear which makes a huge difference to cleaning and meal prep , very different to my last place which had a lack of storage and permantly moving stuff out of the way! It's hard work but defiantly worth the effort in the long term .My family at last have given up trying to off load their unwanted items on me! The house feels restful and is my sanctuary Good luck with the project ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mistri_The_Squirrel Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 I have been thinking a lot about this lately. Today I threw out a couple of old concert t-shirts that have holes in them. It was unpleasant to do that, as I was feeling very nostalgic about them. But I've told myself that it's time to get rid of some of the excess. I can't take care of it all...I can barely take care of myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lildia Posted October 3, 2018 Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 Clutter is my biggest problem, especially with pots. Growing up, my mom’s hoarding coincided with a lot of trauma in our lives. Unfortunately, it seems I’ve inherited the coping mechanism. Did the book help? I’m really tired of not being able to let go of things I know are just for sentimental value. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterSown Posted October 3, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 Yes it has. I've been slowly purging the things I no longer use, I donate anything that I think I would buy in a thrift shop and trash the rest. I've recently reorganized my books and kept the ones I use or love, some have been donated though some did go up in the attic until I know what to do with them. Now that the weather is cooler I can get back up into the attic. I seriously don't need half a dozen sets of mismatched old threadworn sheets--some I've had since I was married decades back. I'd put them away thinking I'd tear them for rags in the garden but that never happened. My fall project is to 'reclaim' my clothes closet--it has to be emptied and half of it won't go back. Sometimes, when I am cleaning the house and am just so foggy it seems overwhelming. I put on the timer on the stove for fifteen or twenty minutes and say 'that's the limit'. I find I can do more with the timer than without. It seems to keep me more focused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pistol Posted October 3, 2018 Report Share Posted October 3, 2018 I use the same principle I use with my daughter: if you do not have room for new things then you need to get rid of old ones before you get new stuff. In our house we go through closets and cupboards every spring and fall and discard anything we have not used or no longer want. That way we make room for new things. This applies also to spice racks/freezers/closets/sheds/attic …. there are always things we no longer need to keep. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WinterSown Posted October 4, 2018 Author Report Share Posted October 4, 2018 This is a good time of year to go through the coat closet. A lot of dry cleaners accept donations of coats which they freely dry clean for charities to distribute to those in need. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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