Most people who live with a lot of clutter have one characteristic in
common. They have difficulty purging. You see this frequently with the
elderly. Perhaps it's because many of them lived through the Great
Depression. But no matter the reason, one truth cannot be avoided and that
is if you want to successfully rid your home of clutter once and for all,
you must become a better purger.
Businesses have a name for things they own that are not used regularly.
They're called non-performing assets. And successful companies either turn
non-performing assets into performing assets or they are sold, given away
or thrown out.
Homes have non-performing assets too and some of them can be turned
into performing assets. They are typically items such as the following:
Collectibles. If you enjoy collectibles don't hide them away in
boxes or cupboards. Display them. Build or purchase shelves, hang the
shelves on the wall and place your collectibles on them. Or come up with
ways to hang collectibles directly on the wall. I know one vintage golf
club collector who pounded nails into the wall and gently placed his golf
clubs horizontally on the nails. He's got 6 or 7 golf clubs displayed
parallel to each other. It's great decorative "art" and it allows him to
enjoy his collection every day. Similarly I know a saxophonist who has
done virtually the same thing.
Crystal: If you have crystal wine or water glasses that you rarely
use because you keep them for "company" stop saving them. Get them out and
use them. What good are they if they're only used once or twice a year?
Enjoy them everyday. So what if you break one or two. You don't use them
anyway! If you have children or teenagers, keep the crystal off limits to
them or if you have your great grandmother's crystal you may not want to
use it (then you should display it) but other than that, use and enjoy!
Baby Clothes/Baby Furniture: My mother saved many of my baby
clothes and furniture for me. But by the time I had children clothing and
furniture had come a long way and I didn't want to use items that were 30+
years old. The point is, if you're saving baby clothes and furniture for
your children----don't. If you're saving them for other reasons--display
them somehow. Frame baby clothing that holds some significance and hang it
on the wall. Repurpose a changing table as a dresser. Take apart a crib,
decorate the headboard and hang it. Get creative and use what you want to
keep.
Books: Books are some of the easiest non-performing assets to turn
around. If you have books that you're probably not going to read again and
that you cannot seem to part with, decorate with them. Turn them on their
sides in a bookshelf, stack a couple together and display something on top
of the stack. Make a coffee table or an end table out of them by stacking
them up and putting a top on them. (You may want to glue the stacks
together first). Stack them for a plant stand. Lay a couple of nicer books
or significant books on a coffee table for decoration. Hang a cluster of
books up on the wall as wall art.
Quilts: Quilting made a resurgence a few years ago and as a result
many women are quilting today. If you have a quilt you don't use for
warmth, fold it in a rectangle and place it horizontally on the bottom
portion of a bed for added color, depth and décor. Hang it on a wall using
a drapery rod. Place over a small round table to create an end table or a
corner table. Have a piece of glass cut to fit the top and protect it.
The point is to use items you cannot part with, decorate with or
repurpose. Think outside the box. In the end, if you truly cannot use
something, consider selling it. Focus on the extra money it will bring
into the house and think about what you can do with that! Toys, video
games, computer games, DVD's, CD's, outgrown children's clothing and
furniture are perfect for Ebay or Craigslist.
Turning excess "stuff" into cash is another GREAT way to make
non-performing assets perform again.
Finally, if you've decorated, repurposed and sold and you still have
too much leftover, it's time to donate or destroy.
Remember---your home is VALUABLE REAL ESTATE, both inside and out. As
such you should treat it as the investment it is. Get rid of the clutter
and you and your family will more fully enjoy the largest of all the
assets you own!
This article was written by Jackie McLaughlin. She is the editor
of Organizing TipZ.com (http://www.organizingtipz.com) a website dedicated
to helping you get organized by using the same strategies successful
businesses use.
