If you can't make it better you can laugh at it. ~Erma Bombeck

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday, August 24, 2009

Damama's Use it or Lose it Advice on: Living with a Clutterbug

My latest question over at my advice column, Damama's Way in the ezine DeKalbRamblings.com, is something that hits way too close to home. It's definitely one of those "she who can't do, teaches" type of things. Amazingly (to me anyway) in typing the response to a reader's question I actually realized that I haven't been giving my husband nearly enough credit for all he puts up with. Here, in part, is what brought about this miraculous epiphany:

...

Dear Clutter Bug's Wife,

You and my hubby should really get together sometime and commiserate! I am
also a clutter-bug or as we say around here, a junker. (Hubby actually calls my
treasures, junk. Sadly, in lots of regards he's right. BUT IT'S MY JUNK,
dangit!!). Aw, honey. I'm sorry if I just ruined your image of me, but it's
true! It has taken me years to be able to start letting go of some things. Let
me share a little of what I've learned on my personal dejunking journey...

For most of us junkers our stuff falls in three categories:

  • Memories
  • Possibly Useful Sometime - Definitely useful 3 days after I get rid of
    it.
  • SOME DAY THIS WILL BE PRICELESS!

Let's break it down:

...

Now here is where you get to decide if you really want to be challenged to rethink your junkatude or not. If you're interested in the rest of the story, jump on over to DeKalb Ramblings and check out the letter from Clutter Bug's Wife. (Note: If you're reading this more than two weeks after the date of this post, the letter may have been moved to the Advice Archives.) Then, please, please come back here and let me know if you agree or disagree and why. After a lifetime of trying to learn how to be a no-junker I'm really interested in better ways of living a simpler life.

As always, Peace, Blessings, and Hurry back!

8 comments:

  1. Well howdy yourself ma'am! I'm not sure about category 2. In my experience I find I need "it" the day after the bin gets emptied. NEVER throw things away - you'll regret it!!!

    Right, now I'm off to have breakfast, then I'll come back and read your advice.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Back again.
    That's good, kind, sensible advice you offer. Oh, it's so hard to let go of stuff! And now I have grandkids I can finally find a use for some of the "just in case" things!!!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband and I both are clutterbugs. But he keeps everything. He is of the kind, use it up, wear it out, eat it all. But one of our weaknesses is glassware. It is every where. Shed out back full, attic and house. But my dream was to one day have a shop but all my friends say I wouldn't sell it even if I did have one. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. I'm a memory and Hubby is a "worth money some day"! Your advice was great! :) I wish I coulda done the album thing with my stuff before a cat gave birth inside the box & put fleas all over everything. We had to toss it all (didn't know exactly which box she gave birth inside).

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good advice. I'll have to put some of it into practice.

    I've been thinking about you lately.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Packin' and unpackin' through a move sure makes ya think hard about being a clutterbug. Me and my clutterbug got rid of tons of what we THOUGHT were our treasures.

    Also having a doc say to you, "Whoa, this is kinda scary" and "I was a scared we were going to lose you" make you really thing about what or who are the real treasures in your life.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You're my hero. :) I would say I love you but I don't want you to get the wrong idea. ;)

    ReplyDelete
  8. Kudos for trying to simplify your life! I'm in a downsizing mood, also.

    ReplyDelete

WELL HOWDY!! Thanks so much for popping in to leave a note. PLEASE be sure to check the box by "E-mail follow-up comments to..." so that you'll get my response to your comment. I almost always respond personally And sorry for making you do the Word jumble mambo. I wish there weren't A***ole spammers running rampant in the blogverse!

LinkWithin

Related Posts with Thumbnails