Are Americans Overstuffed? - [REPOST]

Are Americans Overstuffed? Check In Your Closets and Garages To Find the Answer (edit/delete)

Great advice for those of us that have trouble with the excess in our lives!
Via Pat Fenn (Marketing Specialist for Cindy Jones RE/MAX Allegiance):


No this isn't a commentary on waist lines but instead on the amount of stuff we seem to accumulate. Over the last few years I have become acutely aware of the clean up and throw out process. It started when I began downsizing myself. Along the way I became friends with the folks at the Fairfax County Dump, Salvation Army, 1-800-Junk, PODS and more My new routine is if I haven't used it in a year then I can live without it forever.

Within shouting distance of my home are at least three self storage facilities. Every time I drive down another industrial road I see at least another two. So where has the need come for all of us to hoard so much stuff?

In today's "throw away" society it seems a bit odd that there should be so much of a need for storage facilities. What is lurking behind all of those locked containers? Is it stuff we really need or is it easier just to tuck it away instead of dealing with it? How much money is being spent every year to store things that really should be headed to the dump or donated to a favorite charity? Could you have a vacation with the money instead?

Need some help getting started on the de-cluttering? It is over-whelming I can admit it! So here are a few ideas that helped get me started on the stuff purging:


•Pick a room-doesn't matter where you start
•Set a timeframe-only work on the room a couple of hours at a time
•Sort through it-look at it once and decide if it is a keep, toss or donate
•Don't reminisce-high school is long over, the faded corsages have got to go
•Keep the space organized-have trash bags and plastic bins handy so that you aren't surrounded by piles
•Repeat the process on the next room-move on the next day or next weekend to another space.
•Reward yourself-trust me after you have made a run to the dump you want a reward
So take a look around and decide what you really need and what is ready to go. You might be surprised how good it feels to not have all of the stuff cluttering up your life. And don't try to pass it off on your kids. It will only come back to you when they decide to move!