The PackRat Queen
Thank you for “Clean Sweep”, the TLC program about clearing out the clutter in your home. You see, I was a packrat. No, not just a packrat, but I was the queen. I had descended from a long line of packrats and then married into a family of them for good measure.
When my husband and I finally got a home of our own, I’m quite sure that most of their stuff ended up in our house. While this might not be too much of a problem for the average citizen, you have to keep in mind that I am Queen of Packratsville. To keep it interesting, we bought a SMALL house (only 1200 sq. ft, two closets in the whole house, and no built-in shelves, and a space I refer to as an attic, but my husband calls a death trap).
Overcome the Struggles of a Packrat
I remember what a feeling I got looking around at all the stuff in my house after I got my first taste of this show that teaches people how to de-clutter and reorganize their homes and their lives. I quickly spotted fellow packrats and was amazed to see them letting go. The organizers in the show didn’t just make them get rid of stuff, they helped the pack rats understand why it was okay to let go. I felt their release.
And release I did. I used their tools to work their magic in my house.
I “clean sweeped” my whole house. If it didn’t have a place, if it didn’t fit, or if it hadn’t been used or missed, it was gone. My children learned to put things away. If I found it just around, I was likely to get rid of it. If you wanted to keep it, it was your job to find it a place to live and make sure it stayed there. Wanderers would be permanently relocated.
I had a real yard sale that was as much a giveaway as anything. Nothing was coming back. But not much was sold either. We donated all the leftovers to charity. In all, we hauled away about 20 boxes of knick-knacks, 10 boxes of toys, and about 15 garbage bags overflowing with clothes.
In a society where most people are about getting more stuff, I’m about losing what I’ve got. Less is more if you ask me. Nothing comes into this house (including Christmas, birthdays, and clothes shopping) without something leaving in order to make room.
Thank you, TLC, for making my world a less cluttered place.
How has television inspired your batter choices?
