I thought I would share a condensed version of my story today to explain how and why I became a Minimalist in the Making.
I was raised in a lot of clutter so when grew up and went out on my own I was the opposite - very clean, organized and a minimalist.
Then I married Mr. Clutter, and that's when the trouble all began again.
Mr. Clutter is a pack-rat. He always says he's not a pack-rat, he just doesn't like to get rid of things - no really? ::rolling eyes:: So no matter how much decluttering I have done there were always entire rooms or areas of his junk.
Then my mother passed away last November, she had saved everything - and I mean everything! She had moved beyond being a pack-rat to being a true hoarder. The initial declutter of her home took six weeks working day and night seven days a week. There was a trip to Goodwill with a full load at least once a day, the entire front curb was lined with trash on garbage days, and there was still an entire large room packed wall to wall floor to ceiling with boxes of things I couldn't get rid of for one reason or another the first time around.
Next the renovation began. My mother's home was never properly maintained between there being too much stuff packed up to get to anything and the fact that my mother couldn't accept how expensive repairs are these days. As a result there were roof leaks, tiles falling off the bathroom walls, termites, mold, and tons of other issues. The house had to be almost completely gutted, even many of the walls right down to the studs.
The plan was to do all the work ourselves since Mr. Clutter
is also Mr. Construction, and then we would move into that home which is a larger house and has a pool. Once we moved in the plan was to renovate our house to rent it out as a vacation rental since it's right by the beach.
Fast forward 10 months to today - We are moved in, all the major renovations are done, but still lots of little projects to complete. The large back room is still packed wall to wall floor to ceiling with what's left of my mother's belongings. The garage is packed wall to wall floor to ceiling with Mr. Clutter's construction stuff.
The other house is now a total disaster area. Mr. Clutter was never good about regular maintenance so now that house also needs some major work inside and out. Plus when I packed to move I didn't pack any of his stuff that I considered junk. What that equals out to is about half of the stuff that was in that house while we lived there that was left behind. I have no idea what he's going to do with it all and don't care as long as it doesn't come into the home where we are living now.
During all these renovations Mr. Clutter has collected even more stuff - more tools, more construction materials, and probably just more junk. He hasn't made even the slightest attempt to start going through what was left behind to begin with, just keeps collecting and piling more up. He starts projects, leaves everything laying where he dropped it and then moves onto another project before finishing.
So currently the other house is jam packed with barely a path to get around through the entire house. Add the garage and back room full of stuff where we live now, and the attics at both homes are still full of stuff we haven't even thought about trying to get to yet.
Looking at what's still left after almost a year of constant decluttering and all our hard labor is what has brought me to the point of wanting to return to a life of minimalism. I'm so tired of stuff, stuff, and more stuff!
I will show you the good, bad, and the ugly along the way. I know it's going to be a long, difficult journey but my mind is made up and my goals are set. I hope sharing my story and my journey will help others who may not know where to begin or have trouble letting go.
Were you able to get started on your journey this past week? Please share in the comment section or with a link on TMS Show & Tell on the sidebar. Wishing you a Motivated Monday!
