My husband and I both try not to be packrats, but sometimes it happens. I am definitely guilty of the "stuff that in a closet and we can deal with it later" syndrome. Our method is to occasionally go through the house and see what we have and why we have it. Is it because we use it all the time? Is it because it is beautiful and adds beauty to our home? Or are we keeping it because somebody may use it someday? I think it is noble and honorable to keep things because you know it may be used someday, but I also think that this excuse is used too much. It would be very easy to junk up your basement keeping things because it may be useful to some mysterious somebody, sometime. We do not keep things for a nameless somebody. True, somebody may someday want our old dishes, but why not bless somebody who needs them *now* by giving them to Goodwill or Freecycle?
My mother kept most of my grandmother's furniture in the attic, thinking that somebody may want it sometime. When they moved a few years ago, they found that the wood had warped beyond repair, and they had to get rid of it. Would'nt that furniture have been better used in the home of somebody who could have bought it at Goodwill? On the other hand, the china hutch I now use was kept in an area we used, and was used to keep some of my mother's things in it until I was ready to set up my own household. It was not warping in the hot attic, unused. I'm decluttering this weekend, so that the things I am not being blessed with can go and bless somebody else. Ask yourself why you are keeping things that you do not use or do not like, and let those things go. As William Morris once said, "Have nothing if your houses that you do not know to be useful or believe to be beautiful "
So how is decluttering frugal? If you live in a packed house, you won't be able to find the things you need. By taking up space with stuff you may or may not need in the future, you do not have room to store the things you *do* need and *do* use. If your house is packed to the gills, it may not be comfortable to be in. When my kitchen is a wreck and the dishes not done, I am more likely to head for the drive through. I just don't want to be there. If your house is packed with clutter, you won't want to be there, and will be more likely to go pay money to do things out of the house. By making your home a peaceful retreat, full of useful things that you cherish and find beautiful, your desire to be there will raise. Your desire to leave the house and spend money will go down. And as a bonus- it's so much easier to keep clean.
Have a happy and safe holiday weekend, everybody!
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