She did not need much

She did not need much

This quote has been sitting with me for a long time, I remember seeing it pop up in my Pinterest feed early last year, I wrote it down somewhere, and then forgot about it. A couple of weeks ago, it found me again and really struck home. Perhaps it’s the time of year, maybe it’s that I’ve finally had enough of ‘stuff’, but it really got me thinking. A couple of years ago we had a huge declutter and our house wasn’t so full with stuff everywhere but gradually it has all crept back in. Our house isn’t huge, add in five people, three cats and a RIDICULOUS amount of stuff… and well you have a recipe for not much space, and lots of frustration at having to move things to find things, and not being able to find things because there is so much stuff everywhere.

Somehow we’ve started collecting stuff, the kiddos have enough clothes and toys for ten children. I took a huge binbag full of clothes out of Kiki and Baya’s wardrobes last week and still they are overflowing. So now is the time.. Papa is on board, and the kiddos kind of. This week is about decluttering. Getting rid of everything that we don’t use/need/like/is broken. We have a huge box full of DVD’s that we haven’t watched in years, so it’s time for them to go. Likewise the dusty toys pushed under the kiddos beds that never get played with. When we redecorated their bedrooms at the end of last year, after we put the furniture back but not the toys, the girls had so much fun playing simply because there was space. Space that is normally overflowing with things.

We started yesterday in Lola’s room, three bags filled with rubbish and a big pile of stuff to go the charity shop. Shelves that were overflowing are not neat and tidy, with all the junk gone she can actually see and find the things that she does want.

I’m tackling one area at a time, three bags in hand – one for junk, one to donate, and one to sell. I’m hoping that clearing out our house, and seeing the benefits will change our mindset. I don’t want the girls to grow up ‘needing’ to have things, thinking that they will find happiness in objects. Most of all, I don’t want to spend so long tidying up all of the things! I just downloaded this book, hoping that it has some useful tips inside!

10 Comments

  1. Bonnie Rose @ A Compass Rose

    March 25, 2014 at 09:11

    I saw you were decluttering on Instagram. We have been doing that too. I just need to find a charity shop that will agree to come to our house to pick up all the boxes and bags of stuff I need to now get out of our place. I realise from doing this in our house that quote really rings true to me too. Honestly my favourite times of days are in the morning before everyone leaves, in the afternoon when the boys get home from school, and my evenings with my husband when he is home from work. Family time rocks and really what else do you need than that? I love following your blog about home education. It is something I did for a little bit while we ere in transition and wish I could do now. We sorta do our own education on top of what they are doing in school for the mean time. Great quote, and sorry for the rambling comment.

    1. Polly

      March 25, 2014 at 09:13

      yes – I need to find a charity shop to come collect it all too! Family time is the best, I really don’t need much else x

  2. Kay

    March 25, 2014 at 14:16

    I am doing the same thing! The spring cleaning bug has hit. We just filled two bags full of stuffed animals to donate, and I am rapidly clearing the ridiculous amount of stuff on our sunporch. Our goal is to have a huge yardsale and hopefully unload some of it; the rest will be off to donate!

  3. Claire

    March 25, 2014 at 16:47

    I love that quote so true, yet how do we forget?

    I so need to declutter. It’s such aneffort to get rid though isn’t it? I have lots of rubbish broken things in a pile in the garden. I want to pay someone to take it away but I’m not sure who. I will get there! Thanks for the inspiration! x

  4. Fiona

    March 25, 2014 at 19:35

    Very good idea. We are in desperate need of a declutter, so I’m hoping to do that while packing to move house. I can’t cope with the thought of a huge declutter followed shortly by packing everything into boxes, I need to do it all at once. I’m not a fan of sorting through crap. x

  5. Fritha

    March 25, 2014 at 19:56

    my whole childhood my mum was packing up things for the charity shop constantly. It used to drive me crazy as I had no idea why she didn’t want to keep hold of everything *just in case* and I think actually it made me a bit of a hoarder when I left home as I wanted to keep everything. Now though I feel the same! I need to de-clutter! I think it must be having kids that do it! love the quote x

  6. Globalmouse

    March 26, 2014 at 08:46

    That’s such a great quote! We are in desperate need of a declutter. It’s so cathartic and we have such a small space for all of our stuff….I just wish I could wave a magic wand and have it done, it takes SO long!

  7. laura redburn

    March 26, 2014 at 09:19

    what a lovely quote. i’m definitely a bit of a hoarder, but not the kind that keeps EVERYTHING luckily! i love how this time of year just naturally seems to make people want to declutter.

  8. Laura

    March 27, 2014 at 01:25

    Such a beautiful and honest quote – at the end of the day it’s all that we all really need, someone to love :)

    Laura x

  9. Julien Peter Benney

    April 6, 2014 at 00:32

    I have come myself to realise that I need to know what I am buying. For many years, I bought anything (or far, far too much) without knowing its context or value, and after a while I would never even want to read it yet be too attached to discard it. My mother and brother are much worse than that!

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