When we purchased our home, it was with the intent in my mind to live in it for a while, fix it up, and then sell it to move on to “bigger and better” things. So, with that in my plan, I wasn’t ever really happy. I didn’t tell myself, “Stacy, you are going to love your home! Bloom where you’re planted!” No, I was always trying to think ahead to the future instead of being happy where God had currently planted me.
I wasn’t happy with my decorations in the house – I felt like nothing actually came together and most of it was crowded. I felt like a wannabe decorator…trying really hard but not succeeding.
What was at the root of my discontent? I’ll tell you – clutter. I felt like I needed something bigger because this space just felt too cramped…this space wasn’t just right for the things I wanted to do. This space wasn’t JUST RIGHT for me.
Dude – that’s stupid. I was being stupid. Like a 5 year old who won’t eat his/her sandwich because it isn’t cut in the right shape.
When I read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up, it was a like a light bulb went off for me…and for Barry too. I don’t need all this stuff to be happy.
You can learn to love your home.
As I threw each thing out, it was like my load got lighter. My step got bouncier. My plate was a little less full…and the joy just continues as we keep on this path of decluttering. I’m decluttering every single day. Every. Single. Day. And you guys are following along with me on Instagram. (Hash tag #clutterclearout)
God has shown me through Marie Kondo (funny how that works, huh?) that my happiness and security doesn’t come from STUFF. My happiness comes from Him…from my family….and NOT from stuff.
That realization has let me be able to let go of so many of our possessions. With glee. I’m pitching stuff with reckless abandon…okay, not really…but close.
“Mommy, are we going to donate that?” is the new mantra around here.
But as things leave – I have realized I CAN make this house how I want it! I can be happy here with no intense desire to move on until we’re ready. I can be happy where I currently am.
Guess what? So can you.
Be content where you are. You can love your home. Make your own home outdoor décor like these house numbers on mailbox here to make it look stunning. Take what God has given you and make it beautiful.
I do not have a knack for decorating. When God was handing that out, I was in the doughnut line. Truth. So, I’ve always struggled in that area.
Most of my house decorations were Pinterest-inspired. But I didn’t love them – and for some reason, they didn’t feel just right. Kinda like letting a 2 year old decorate your house – it just looked…wrong, crooked, cramped and all around ick to my eye. I just couldn’t get it right.
So, my friend Angela from The Grocery Shrink started helping me out – and she has a good eye. She’s self-taught and has encouraged me to join a class from The Nester called The Cozy Minimalist. I put her off because I didn’t think such a class could help me. If someone can teach me to decorate for $29, I think that’s money well spent. So, I was very tickled to pay that.
***The Cozy Minimalist is not currently open, but you can sign up for the waiting list HERE or you can take her new course for moms called The Cozy Minimalist Mom.
So, here are my choices.
- I choose to be happy here.
- I choose to be happy with less…and even less still.
- I choose to decorate my home in a way that brings me intense joy.
Will you join me? It would be so fun to be on this same journey with you guys! For me, I’m choosing to invest $29 in helping my minimalist decorating skills and bringing happiness. For you, maybe it will be to do the same…or maybe just to start decluttering…or maybe just to decide to be happy with where you are TODAY. 🙂
Let’s do this. Let’s be happy with less and turn our house into a home. It’s easier than you think to love your home!
Are you on the journey of minimalism?
I’m happy to say I have some time ago completed my journey of decluttering by reading Marie Kondo’s lovely little books, and there is nothing in our housecthat doesn’t “spark joy.” I have my eye on a couple things I can work on, but it’s nothing that detracts from the simpler lifestyle of having only what you need. One great thing I have discovered through friends are cleaning products by Norwex. These are mostly silver-infused cloths for cleaning with water only, or using dry to dust, but much more including mops, dusting items that really hold into the dust/debris removed until you brush it off. Even body wash cloths, hand and bath towels can be used in the shower WITHOUT SOAP! I have saved so much money by not buying any more chemical-laden wipes, sprays, mops, etc. After use the silver in the microcloth actually self-disinfects after you rinse wet cloths with hot water. Dry dusting mitts or mood can be shaken, swiped or brushed free of dust and debris. Another thing I like is using these products practically eliminates trash. No more throwing away disposable one-time use items, cleaner bottles or other containers. Norwex has really enhanced my KonMari method of clutter-free living.
I use the eCloth equivalent of that. 🙂 And you’re right – it does help!
The video ad on your side bar is killing me. Every 20 seconds or so it refreshes the entire page & flips me back to that section of the page. I’ve even had to come back to this comment TWI, make that THREE TIMES to finish typing. Not going to be reading anything else until the page stops refreshing constantly.
April, I am so sorry. I’m also trying to figure this out and we haven’t been able to capture the link that’s creating the problem…but we are working on it.
We just moved at the beginning of May, and I’m STILL trying to get boxes unloaded and put away…somewhere. We are a family of 4 and have enough stuff to film the next Annie movie here. :/ I bought the book and I’m about 4 pages in. Really desperate to get a grip on the clutter! Seems like I just get one area cleared and another area has been filled while I had my back turned to it. Some of this junk has GOT TO GO! 😀
You got this – you’re making the first step. YOU CAN DO IT!
Stacy, are you a part of the class or doing the Cozy Minimalist solo? I signed up and it’s a self-guided thing. I’m wondering if I made a mistake and signed up for the wrong thing. Oops!
No, the class I’m doing is self guided. I’m also reading her book, The Nesting Place. 🙂
Thank you, Stacy, for the link to the Cozy Minimalist class! We are currently in the middle of a remodel and addition to nearly everything is boxed up sitting in storage. I’ve noticed that we have needed very little around here while we are living now in only 1 bedroom and 1 living room! While we begin to paint the walls and sort out the new spaces this class will really help me through what is a very overwhelming process right now. I’m not a designer and painting the wall in 6 new spaces has proven to be very stressful. I’m pleased to join you in this class!
Don’t start your art until your drapes are hung correctly! LOL 🙂
LOL. Just got to that week!!
I have one lesson left, and I’ve been too busy to watch! SOB!
Through the years, I’ve never been known for my decorating tips and tricks. I’ve always wanted to learn how to decorate, but I figured a person had to be born with those skills. Now I’ve joined the class and I’m gonna “be born with the skills to decorate”!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!! Let’s do it! 🙂
Just finished the book and am starting the process tomorrow. One thing the book doesn’t really talk a lot about is how to handle family members items. I have 7 children ( 5 still at home ) how do I handle their things? I’m sure if I asked them they would tell me that all their stuff brings them joy. How do I handle my husbands things? He has very little that is his but he does have lots of books and papers! How do I get him to let go of stuff when he feels there is very little of him in the house to begin with .
She does address it a little bit – she says not to do anyone else’s items. But she says that once she started, that her family saw her joy and her sister jumped on the bandwagon with her. I’ve seen that happen with two of my close friends. Our family made this decision together – for a life more about us and less about stuff…and Annie mostly was excited there was going to be less to clean up. LOL 🙂
Yes … Now I remember that part! My kids are excited about the big yard sale! I can’t believe how much I have to sell and I would not consider myself a person who had a lot of clutter! Love your blog!
I didn’t consider myself that type of person either! Boy – I was WRONG.
This was good to read! I’ve had way too much clutter even though I “flutter” with the Flylady. 🙂 We are moving across the country so we decluttered to sell the house. Love the openness! I just finished bringing all the boxes back from storage (we had 3 days to put our house on the market so we just boxed a lot up but did have a garage sale too) and I am wondering if it is all stuff I really need! My husband and I loved the clean house for the 3 weeks of multiple showings. 🙂 I so need help for decorating! My houses have always been so bare. I’ll have to bookmark this and come back to it when we get a house in PA!
SueAnn, it’s only open through midnight tonight. But maybe it will open back up again. 🙂
I’m so glad you’re sharing this journey…it’s definitely providing food for thought. I haven’t jumped on board yet, though. 😉 Actually, after spending the first nine years of marriage living in teeny apartments, we’ve kind of been moving in the opposite direction now as far as possessions (bought a home two years ago). Maybe I should rethink it! Ha! But for example, we always wanted an artificial Christmas tree but new we had no place to store it, so bought real trees when we rented. Now we have an artificial one! Likewise now we shop in bulk, have a deep freeze, etc. because we have space to store it! I feel like we can finally exhale a bit…but I don’t want to be in a place in five years where I feel buried under stuff…like I said, good food for thought!
One question is kid’s clothes. We have four boys so we have saved their clothes. It’s all very organized in bins down in the basement by size and even season…but it does take up maybe 15 good size bins…and my oldest is only 8, though wearing size large. It’s a big space taker for sure…though useful. Would this get konmari-ed?
One thing you’ve mentioned that I love is realizing that if you do need something in the future – you can get it then! And we’ve done that…gotten rid of extra blankets and then realized 5 or so years later that a few more blankets would be useful. It wasn’t a big deal!
You’re doing a great job with your blog! I love it and only wish you posted twice a day. 😉
See – I’m hung up on that too. My friend Suburban Granola over on Instagram says I shouldn’t keep them. But I have been. :-/ I’ve kept everything since Annie was born and it’s taking up about HALF of the attic. So far I haven’t been able to part with it. Andy and Eli are so close in age that I’m keeping those clothes and using them…but some of Annie’s are 6 years old now and I’m wondering if I should just get rid of most of them. Even if I got pregnant tomorrow, there isn’t a lack of clothing around – especially used…and I know I would buy LESS this time. Much less.
It also takes time to buy clothes. But it takes time to store clothes in an organized manner as well. I will save very little for sentimental reasons once we are done with having children. I’m curious what other moms save who are still very much in the “child bearing” years. hehe
Well, Suburban Granola is pregnant right now with her 8th child I believe…and she still isn’t keeping it. 🙂
I am less than two months away from the arrival of baby #6, and I have been keeping very little. Our first 5 babies came every 2 years, and I kept everything! Our attic was about half full of Rubbermaid tubs. I got sick of it. So now, as our 4-year-old girl outgrows hand-me-downs from our 10-year-old, I donate them. On the rare occasion that our 6-year-old boy DOESNT wear through something, I do still save a few nicer items for the 2-year-old. But for the next baby, I’m not saving anything. I keep one tub of unisex baby stuff for 0-24 months, and I’ll supplement a few gender-specific items for going out once baby #6 gets here. I’ve also allowed myself ONE tub of special keepsake items. We will soon be 8 people living in a <1200 sq.ft. house, so there truly is not much space. Tubs upon tubs of clothes do not bring me joy.
What great tips! We’re on the journey to minimize our whole family wardrobe.
I am keeping just the clothes I REALLY love and limiting the space I’m dedicating to keeping them in so that I can’t be tempted to keep more than I actually need. For me, it just makes sense. I spent $8.99 each purchasing four 16.5 gallon totes on sale. In each tote, I can store $200 worth of kids clothes. I saved myself $191.01 per tote, or $764.04 total. Even if I calculate resale value as half that, I’ve still saved nearly $400 on something I’d have to repurchase later. It’s worth it to me to save that.
Hi @disqus_QA3llSbWDp:disqus,
I work with Myquillyn (The Nester)- can you update your link to cozyminimalist.com/friends for the code to work? Thanks!
Ha ha! I am so sorry – I fixed it this morning. 🙂 Thanks!
Stacy, I read your post last week about “the life changing magic of tidying up” and was hooked. Bought the book yesterday and am just now finishing up reading it. My house has been smothering me with all the clutter and I cannot take it another second. Tomorrow, July 1, is our first day in discarding. I have never been so excited thinking about throwing stuff out!
Oh yay!!!!! I hope you’ll keep me posted! 🙂
I definitely will. I have to tell ya, I’m a visual person and didn’t understand her folding. Looked her up on YouTube and watched her fold clothes in an underwear drawer. Coolest.thing.ever…no joke! 🙂
Yup – spent a loooooooong time watching all those videos. 🙂 And then I folded everything in the house. No joke.
Well, except for the kids’ socks because they stay in a cubby.
I love this – it’s so helpful. Ha, and I especially love the line about when God was handing this out, I was in the doughnut line. Too funny. Hope it’s ok, I am linking to this article in my post tomorrow (wednesday).
I’d be honored! 🙂
Since we moved to a bigger place, I am realizing this too I’ve thrown out a bunch of stuff lately.
Me tooooooooooooooo.
sooooo much better with the clutter gone. We were drowning. I definitely like my house more now. I too need help decorating!
Take it with me! Take it with me! It’s only open till Wednesday!
oh man …. not sure I have $29 lol but it sounds amazing!
Do it. Sell something.
I went to sign up but there’s nowhere to put her as a referral to get the $10 off.
Oops! I used the wrong link! Here it is: http://cozyminimalist.com/friends
I bought the book after reading your post last week and I really liked a lot of what she had to say (although there were some kooky parts!) and her perspective on clutter. We are anticipating a move in the near future and my husband and I already decided we are taking less than half of what we currently own. My only problem is finding the time with two small children (2 and 9 months) they rarely sleep simultaneously for naps and when they do I’m trying to be quiet! I know you have 3 kids so do have any tips on how you were able to apply her methods and focus in the midst of all the craziness life with littles brings?
I just had them playing around me while I worked. 🙂 I tried to keep them busy – it’s summer time here, so they played outside a lot on the porch. Sometimes I worked at night after they went to bed.
Wow, Stacy! Thanks for the share on that. The class CHANGED my life. I felt like nothing I ever did turned out right and after the class I can look at any room and know instantly how to start and where to go with it. I never thought that would happen for me and I’m over the moon excited about it.
And you bullied me into it. 😉
Stacy! You have no idea how much I NEEDED to read this! THANK YOU! We have 6 of us in 1091sqft home. I keep thinking the same thing. Our intention with this place was never to stay. Well going on 10 years later I think it is time to live in this house .. Make it a home and stop itching for something “bigger and better” … Out with the old “aka clutter” in with the new way of living.
Such a wonderful blog … Thank you.
We can do this! 🙂