I frequently offer my decluttering services to friends for free – but the offer comes with a disclaimer. I am not fun to declutter with. I will straight up tell you ninety percent of the time that you don’t need whatever item you’re trying to hold onto.
The last time I offered my assistance, and thus shared the disclaimer, to a friend, she asked a question I had never heard in response.
“Well, then what would you say I do need?”
So after much thought, here’s the things I think you need…or at least I won’t encourage you to get rid of them:
-Seating for your village. I don’t care if it’s an oversized comfy couch, a huge dining set, or twenty outdoor chairs, if they’re used to support having your village over, they stay.
-Dishes, cups, and silverware for the same reason as above.
-A few group & solo analog activities. A couple puzzles, a few board or card games, a book of crosswords. Whatever you and your village like to do together. Hobby and craft stuff only counts if you actually use it.
-Clear counters. This seems counter intuitive – in order to get what you need you’ll likely have to get rid of a lot of stuff. Having clear space to work in the kitchen outweighs any benefit a kitchen gadget could possibly provide.
-Three to five open ended toy options. It’s enough to provide fun without stifling their imaginations. Our categories are hot wheels, beanie babies, magnatiles, little people, and play scarves.
-Art or photos that make you smile or remember fond times. Not everywhere, just in a few places where they’ll really be noticed.
-Enough clothes to last each person in your family for two laundry cycles. You all just wear & wash your favorites on repeat anyways, I promise.
-Comfortable bedding. If it takes eight throw pillows strategically placed around you for a good night’s sleep, they stay. If they are purely for throwing on the floor every evening, they gotta go. Going to bed shouldn’t be a chore.
That’s my basic list of must-haves. You don’t need trendy matching holiday decor, even if it is really, really fun to shop for. You don’t need to keep ever book you’ll never reread, or every kitchen gadget you bought but then hated. You don’t need a playroom bursting with toys or a thousand knick-knacks to make a happy home. Your home should support you and your village. It should meet your needs, not create more of them.
Disclaimer/Reality Check: I personally struggle with the analog activities category. My closet, kitchen, kids rooms, and toys are all very, very minimal and it works for us. My game closet and coffee table drawers with card games is….another story. One that I would need a minimalist friend come encourage me to address. This column will be about motherhood, parenting, and homemaking for the most part. Most importantly, I don’t ever want this column to make another mama think she’s not doing enough. If you’re reading this, I want you to know that you are, you’re doing great, keep it up. Sing it with me: no-one is doing it allllll!
