Use It Or Lose It
Sep 10th, 2008 by Lauri
Many moons ago, when my husband and I were getting married and merging households, I was the one who hesitated when it came time to clean things out and get rid of stuff: 
Old birthday cards, handbags, and books were kept instead of being sold, tossed or donated. Not Joe. His philosophy was, and is, “when in doubt, throw it out.” (His mom is like that, too, so I know where he gets it from.) But, not me. I’d ponder every piece: Should I or shouldn’t I? Will I or won’t I use it? But, thanks to hubby, over the years I’ve reformed and now that it’s fall and time to jump in and clear out clothing, shoes, paperwork, and even a few pieces of furniture, I have a much better attitude about living with less.
Two other occurrences strongly influenced my inclination to let go of things: 1) Seeing some of my clients’ homes that had unbelievable clutter - like the people you’ve seen on Oprah who have stuff that goes from floor to ceiling, with a narrow path across the room - jeepers! 2) Working with so many people who downsized and then I, literally, wrote the book, Downsizing Your Home With Style: Living Well In A Smaller Space. How could I possibly be a hypocrite and not take my own advice? Plus, it is very bad Feng Shui to have a lot of clutter, and who wants that?
So, I am actually looking forward to cleaning out, then donating, selling and giving away the things that I haven’t been using, over the next few weeks. It will feel great and, hopefully, other people will enjoy and make good use of the stuff. But they are not getting my old birthday cards.
Hi Lauri,
Your books have revolutionized my home decor. We hope to downsize and move closer to our kids in Toronto. I don’t have pictures of my living room before but I do have ones afterwards. Would you like to see a few?
Sincerely,
Carolyn
What does moderation mean?
Carolyn
Hi Carolyn Carkner,
It’s wonderful to hear that you and your home have benefited from reading my books - thank you! I would be happy to see a few photos of what you’ve done (please, briefly, explain what the room(s) looked like before).
As for the meaning of moderation, I suppose the interpretation is quite subjective. To me, it means nothing excessive.
I just stumbled upon your website while I was googling my own product. Seems we have a lot in common. One thing most people do have, is a friend who loves to organize. With that one friend and my book, It’s Not SCRAP Anymore: most people can create the space they were envisioning without spending a dime!
Each book is a one-of-a-kind and is printed on recycled paper and bound with remnant fabrics and threads. Check it out at http://www.restored.etsy.com