Perhaps a Problem?

Iinspired by Mrs. Bee’s post on Weddingbee Pro about organization, I have seriously been thinking about how to reduce the clutter at home. I have a confession to make. Although we moved over a year ago, Mr. Canary and I still have a room (meant to be our office) that is stacked to the brim with stuff that we keep shifting around the apartment because we, a) don’t know what to do with it, b) too tired to deal with it, or c) started to work on but never finished. The room is at the point where in order to get something, we have to move about three boxes and then climb over a few other items. There is no room to work. Ultimately, we deal with it by shutting the door and ignoring it until it starts to bother us again and we attempt to organize it some more, but never manage to get the job done.

Despite having very specific interests, we accumulate A LOT in keeping up with our collections. My vices include, Etsy finds, paper/stationery, shoes (I own over 60 pairs!), and books. I realize a lot of this has to do with me and less so with Mr. Canary who only has a few dear possessions (CDs and books) and is very nice and never scolds me on my purchases. When I am overwhelmed and try to organize, I tend to see it as an opportunity to go nuts at the Container Store and purchase more junk to hide the stuff I should be getting rid of. It’s a vicious cycle!

And it’s not about being clean or messy. Mr. Canary and I are super clean. We even caved and hired a house cleaner who visits every two weeks, but that didn’t help the office situation much. The bottom line is although we have a clean home, we just never make the time to really tackle the "stuff" we don't need or want.

Over the weekend, I picked up a book, Secrets of Simplicity, by Mary Carlomagno, who is actually a professional organizer in the NY/NJ area. It was calling to me at the book store (and I totally see the irony of purchasing a book to simplify your life, but it was definitely a great buy). It’s very well written and easy to read. I’m almost halfway done and I started it yesterday. There are worksheets and serious tips, mostly about changing your mindset and habits, about living a more simple and stress-free life. The introduction talks about a culture of consumerism and how we often end up with more stuff than we need or can handle. I like the questionnaires in the book that ask about things that take up space and time and give you suggestions on refocusing. One of my favorite tips in the book: if you buy something new keep the tags on it. If you haven’t used it within two weeks of purchasing, return it.

Also the book categorizes different types of shoppers and how your shopping behaviors affect your lifestyle:

- Hoarders: accumulate possessions in quantity and hide them away with the intention of using them in the future

- Cryer Buyer: someone who shops to change his or her mood, gain comfort, receive consolation... basically emotional shopping

- Stalker: someone who not only shops in quantity, but spends time researching, obsessing, and pondering his or her purchases. This type of shopper often visits his or her planned purchases several times before actually buying

- Upgrader: someone who has to have the best, newest, latest, and coolest, even if what he or she currently owns is perfectly functional.

I realize I am a little bit of each of these personalities and the amount of stuff I've accumulated since beginning my wedding planning is frankly... frightful! For example, for the wedding we had to set up a registry and we ended up filling it with a lot of housewares we never thought we'd want or needed before, but we did it anyway because that's what you do when you get married! It's also the influence of Etsy and the beautiful things I see on blogs every day. It's so easy to hit click and voila, the item is in your home in a matter of days. After all these purchases arrive, then you have the problem of where to store them. In New York, closet space is precious! I have become such a sucker for beautiful things that I really need to learn to step back and admire from afar and knowing that having appreciation for something doesn’t necessarily mean I have to possess it.

So as a goal this month, I plan on finishing the book and applying its mantras to my home and life. First, I will attempt to purge all the unnecessary things from the apartment and finally get our office into shape! And maybe if it gets too overwhelming, I may just have to call Mary for a house visit to kick my butt into shape. It’d be like getting a personal trainer for the apartment. And second, this month, I plan not to buy anything aside that adds clutter to my life. No goodies from Etsy or eBay. No online or in-person shopping, I will attempt to shop my own closet!

What kind of shopper are you? Have you noticed a change in your shopping habits since you started planning your wedding? What are some of your organization/simplification solutions for your home and life?