All In A Day - Clutter in a large family

Well, I'm making progress in this area but I still have a long way to go. I'll share with you what I've learned.

Clutter can result from...

1. an improper attitude toward stuff, therefore, accumulation occurs. By improper attitude, I mean an unreasonable attachment. Do you love the things of this world that you cannot take with you into eternity? I'm trying to learn to think of things as belonging to God...and if I'm not using it, I should pass it onto someone else who can use it. In God's economy, He will provide me with what I need at the time I will need it. I can trust Him for that. He hasn't failed me.

Matthew 6:26-34 says,

26Behold the fowls of the air:
for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly
Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27Which of you by
taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28And why take ye
thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil
not, neither do they spin:
29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon
in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30Wherefore, if God
so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into
the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall
we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32(For after all these
things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need
of all these things.
33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34Take
therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the
things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And this passage is also pertinent...

Matthew 6:19-21 says,

19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth
corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
20But lay up for
yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and
where thieves do not break through nor steal:
21For where your treasure
is, there will your heart be also.

2. a bad habit like procrastination. If you postpone putting something where it belongs, eventually you have a mountain of things in the wrong places. You'll spend way too much time looking for things like keys, shoes, and eye glasses. And, in a family with a lot of children, don't count on anything staying where you last laid it.

3. poor time management. If you don't allot enough time for picking up and putting away, you end up with clutter. This is closely related to procrastination but it is slightly different in that you can be doing too many things in your life resulting in a lack of time for the really important things. Are you stretched too thin?

4. having too many things. Even if you have a place for everything and everything in its place, too much of it will still amount to clutter. You can organize clutter but it will still weigh on your mind, you still have to inventory, insure, protect, clean and care for it. And, when you die, your children have to sort through it.

Have you ever stayed in a rental condo or a time-share resort where everything is in your unit...the kitchen, laundry room, living room, etc. You stayed a week, maybe more...and did you notice how easy it was to keep clean?!? That's because you didn't have a houseful of stuff.

People today have extra buildings for storing things. Sheds. Storage units rented on a monthly basis. Garages that aren't holding the vehicles. Basements that are used for stuff rather than living space. I, myself, have a guest bathroom that holds extra paper towels and toilet paper (in the shower because we don't use that space unless we have overnight guests). And, if I have something that is in holding until the next trip to Goodwill, it gets stored in the guest bathroom, temporarily.

So, what can you do to help reduce clutter or get a better handle on it? I'm just going to address a few things here. I'm sure the other ladies who are participating in All In A Day will have some great tips to share on their blogs.

• Paper - I find that the mail can quickly gather into a mountain on my kitchen countertop if I don't get aggressive with it. I used to save everything for my husband to look at, thinking I was being respectful of the fact he might want to see it all. But, then he'd look at it and leave it there, regardless of whether it was junk or not. So, I started throwing out the junk and just giving him the important pieces. Some junk mail can be eliminated by requesting your name be removed from their mailing list. And, to think I used to be a Direct Mail Coordinator for an insurance company...I was responsible for overseeing the production of those mail pieces, the word processing of those letters, the printing of the letters, the inserting, sorting, and final mailing of hundreds of thousands of envelopes.
• Toys - If you can devote a room to toys, that is my preference. You can keep better control of the amount as well as the condition of them if they are all in one space. For some families, just an area of the family room might be enough. I don't like toys in the bedroom because then several rooms become untidy instead of just one (due to toys). Rotating toys is helpful if you don't have a wide range of ages in your children. Children will play more with the few things they have than if they have an overwhelming amount at their disposal.
• Clothes - Again, we have a room devoted to clothes. Just the six girls' clothes. The boys clothes are in their closet and one dresser. I also keep all the "out-of-size" clothing in the clothing room. We don't have "out-of-season" clothes, praise God.
• Crafts - If you really do crafts, then knock yourself out. Just don't hold onto things for "someday."

I like what Andrew J. Mellen says about "someday" in his book "Unstuff Your Life! Kick the Clutter Habit and Completely Organize Your Life for Good"

"someday, that mythical land where time stands still and you're an
avid scrapbooker, baking ten dozen cookes for the church bazaar, sewing your children's clothes, and finally learning to fly-fish on the Colorado River. That day doesn't exist. Even for Martha Stewart. It's useful to remember that she has staff. And since you probably don't, it's time to surrender "someday." "Someday" doesn't exist. But today does. So welcome it. Grab it, seize it, cherish it, and make it your own..."

We recently reduced our scrapbook supplies and we try to use fabric we have before going to the store for more.

If you enjoy the adrenaline rush from running around looking for your keys or your purse, then you aren't desperate enough for a lifestyle change. I'm to the point where I need the change. I have a long way to go, but I'm finally on the right track.

Clutter within a large family is difficult to manage due to the wide range of ages and never being able to get rid of the baby stuff, toys, clothes, etc. The best way to combat it is to not let too much of it come into your house in the first place.

Years ago, I wrote a letter to both my mother and my father (they're divorced). I sincerely pleaded with them not to give so many things to my children, but to consider, instead, giving them experiences. They actually laughed at me and did not understand my desperation nor my seriousness. They tried to comply but I think that lasted about a year and then they were back to giving them things. But, in that time, my children were able to have sleepovers at Grandma's (something she would have never initiated), times of baking together which were all "gifts" for them. I love the list of Clutter-Free Gifts listed on the Flylady website. Making memories are much more valuable than the things that will eventually get broken, fought over, and tossed away.

To help you get a proper perspective on stuff, I would like to give away a book I've recently been reading. It's a different book than the one I mentioned above. "Unstuff - Making Room in Your Life for What Really Matters" by Hayley and Michael DiMarco. It is written from a Christian perspective and helps you determine if anything in your life is coming between you and your relationship with God. If you want a chance to win this book, leave a comment telling me two things...1)What have you tried to do to eliminate clutter? and 2) let me know you want to be entered to win this book. Please don't forget to leave a way to contact you. Giveaway will end on Monday, March 14th at 10:00 pm.EST.

Read about other moms in All in a Day here...

Carrie @ Our Full House

Elizabeth @ Yes They're All Ours

Kristy @ Homemaker's Cottage

Lori @ Happy Busy Mama

Monica @ Natural Mama

Renee @ Bakers Dozen