The decluttering saga

In all the talk about peak oil and sustainable living, there's a lot of talk of things that we should have on hand. I'm totally on board with this perspective, and am working on my own list of things that should probably be making their way into my life. But one of the things that has me worried here is where I'm going to put it all. While I think it's hugely important to think about the things that we're likely to need, I think it's equally important to think about where we're going to put it all.

So, one of the things I've been working on recently is decluttering my apartment. While a concern for storing more things is in there, there are a really a few reasons for this. First, I've just been feeling like I have too much stuff - it's been getting a bit claustrphobic around here. At the same time, I also have it in my head that someday I'd like to own my own tiny house, and the amount of stuff that I have will just never, ever fit. Finally, I've also been feeling like I don't have enough room for things that are most important, both in terms of activities and things. It's hard sometimes, especially when everything is both cluttered and untidy, to find room for yoga, or to get my guitar out, or even to have friends over if I haven't cleaned.
In addition, with all of this stuff around, I don't have as much room for the things that are becoming more important, like extra food, cast iron pots, or the grain mill that I want to buy.

So, I've decided that, in terms of my stuff, I want to clean out a bunch of things, and then want to replace some (just some!) of the somewhat frivilous with that which is truly necessary. I've already pulled together one large pile of things - large enough to fill the back of my folk's small SUV this weekend, with seats folded down, when dad was visiting - that has already made its way to the local Goodwill donation centre. In this load, I gave away clothes that just won't ever be worn by me (which came from the thrift store in the first place, so I don't feel so very bad about sending them back), impractical books, dishes that are also too impractical to use (tiny juice classes and baby sugar spoons come to mind), and a whole lot of other things that are just taking up space that could be better used by me and possibly a few things to make my life a bit more sustainable.

Admittedly, with the pile gone things already feel a lot better. A three by five foot pile of boxes and garbage bags in the middle of the floor takes up a lot of space, which didn't really add to my feelings about the state of my living space. But theres a bit more room now, and a few less things out now that there's space to put them away. I managed to clear enough room in my closets that I no longer need a freestanding unit to house all of my sheets, and enough books made their way out the door that the remaining ones all fit on my shelves properly.

I know that I still have a lot left to do - there are more books that should be out the door, as well as kitchen things (exploding pyrex, anyone?), odd and unworn clothing, and goodness knows what lurking in the corners of my apartment. But this feels like a good start. I'm looking forward to spending more time in my home, and in hopefully having people over for pot lucks, hearty dinners, and low-energy activities like board games and cards. And once I have more space, I'm looking forward to figuring out a few carefully researched and well made goods to bring into my home to help me live the life that I want to lead. I have a few ideas here, but I'm thinking that that wish list should be an upcoming post.