Welcome to Homemaking Tips Tuesdays where contributing writers share helpful homemaking tips so you can feel more successful caring for your home and family.
Did you know the average 10 year old has over 200 toys, but only plays with about 10 on a daily basis? Many of us love holding on to stuff. I have a daughter (who shall remain nameless) who has a complete hoarder personality. Decluttering is literally painful for her.
Any time I say the kids need to sort through toys she basically goes into a screaming, crying panic attack. The loud crying part makes my skin crawl. I feel like a mean mom when I have to ask the kids to reduce the amount of toys they have, but we have limited space.
I am most definitely NOT a hoarder. Decluttering comes pretty easy to me.
As a military family, we make household moves with kids every 3 years, and occasionally more often than that. Every time we move, the kids are ready to let go of some toys and weed out ones that they no longer enjoy. I explain that when they whine about cleaning up, and find the mess of their toys overwhelming, a simple solution is to reduce how much stuff they have.
It is simple to me, but heart-wrenching for my hoarder child. You’d think I was pulling out her finger nails when it is decluttering time.
I want to teach my children that some things are special, but too many things complicate life. Because, they do.
Over-packed books shelves leave the house looking a mess. When the house looks like a mess, it makes us all feel like a mess.
I don’t want to have any more mess than naturally occurs as a side effect of having children. They create enough mess for me. The rest needs decluttering and organization.
There is some interesting psychology behind hoarding, and also behind those of us who have a decluttering mindset. I found an interesting infopgraphic that spells out why some people hoard. It also shares some really fascinating statistics about the stress level of women as related to how much stuff is in the home.
Did you know, on average, we spend a year looking for lost items? A year! I have spent at least that looking for my daughter’s shoes in the morning. (And, yes, we do have a cubby for them.)
It is no wonder that decluttering leads to less stress. I believe it!
Let’s get focused and get organized!
Why You Should be Decluttering
View the interesting facts about hoarding, how it negatively affects our stress level, and helpful tips for decluttering. Don’t wait until spring cleaning. Start decluttering now to live happier.
More Tips for Decluttering and Getting Organized
Household Organization for Moms
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