My Minimal Hoarding Life - Thinking About Life

June 15,2017

Life. 

Life like usual has been up and down. In the house and then gone for days.

I laid in bed this morning before I got up and I was thinking " what if I had to move into a small house, how would all this furniture fit? The answer is " it would not fit."

Next thoughts were " if I just left all of it and started over in a small house, how would I want it to look? and the answer was minimal and with smaller furniture." 

BUT....

Just because my life is more than full at the moment does not mean that I care less about how I live and what I live in. I am always cleaning something just to keep things going. Always giving something away I no longer want or can use.

Last week I took my sister every cake mix I had except one from the stockpile, I was looking in the stockpile room to see what I have, this usually deters me from buying anymore of anything. 

Last week we went to visit the nursing home and took someone six bottles of shampoo, six bottles of body wash, six bottles of lotion and two bottles of deodorant. Why six? I am thinking that this will last her for several months and I am hoping the staff won`t steal any, if you take to much they will take it.... something we just cannot help.

A couple days ago I tried on a few shirts to discover they are to big, so I have a plastic bag hanging on the closet door knob now, each time I try one on for the day and it does not fit I will put it in that bag, this wont take any time from my day and I will be cleaning as I look for clothes to wear daily. I have discovered I do not like many of my clothes anymore so I am cleaning them out and I have bought a couple new shirts that I tried on at the store before buying and I like them, shouldn`t the closet be a home for clothes you like and wear?

I have magazines by the back door to go next time I leave the house, I only get one now " Better Homes & Gardens" soon I will not have any coming, a habit I am breaking and doing good I use to get 4-6 a month.

I finally got the area around my home mowed and trash picked up but the mowing is due again, its a summer chore that keeps me busy. As well as the little vegetable garden. 

I am in the mood to get rid of more things so that my cleaning life is faster and easier. It takes so much time to clean things that I forget to live and have fun.

Why do I think its important to live minimal?

Over the years I have had the pleasure of being a part of doing estates after people die, sometimes this turns out to be a hoarder. No the hoarders that keep animal feces or had a trail through the house but people who just had SO much stuff. And with stuff comes dust, and with dust comes an asthma attack... its a chain reaction!

So I get to thinking that I do not want to burden anyone with stuff that I really do not need or really for that matter use or want, and do not think you are to young to die, anyone can die at any given moment. Some things that I want to leave a person and I am just saving it till I die, well I am thinking about giving it to them now. 

I know its harder for some than others to get rid of things " they might use" but live now! don`t hoard it up for later because it`ll dry rot or cause bugs ( many different types of bugs thrive in a hoard as well as rats).

I am not perfect and I do still have to much junk and not everything is organized.

BUT....

I have hope of becoming the minimalist I used to be, free and having fun and not allowing things to keep me as a slave to them.

By Andria Perry

Photo By Andria Perry