Survey #178 Response from Ginger
| Name the collections or categories of stuff in your home that are typically most likely to become cluttered. |  We have a handle on most everything (including papers) with a few exceptions.  Front entrance mess. This room is my husband’s domain. And, he likes everything convenient. If he can’t see it - it doesn’t exist. . I police it regularly. I plan to build a “behind the door hanging shallow” cabinet to hold some of his “stuff”. Bug spray, flashlight, fire extinguisher, too many ball caps, etc. His grab & go stuff. He could open the cabinet door and SEE it all. But, it’ll be out of sight. This concept worked in our bathroom linen closet when I put all OTC meds on a corner stadium shelf. I thought of a storage bench but if he has to bend over to look for something - he’ll aggravate his back. I truly wish hubby would agree to break through that wall and build a closet. Fodder for art journals. I have a small hoard of magazines in a container - I want to cut images from them for an art journal. I need to go thru and tear out the pages and recycle the rest. I think I’ll count the magazines and set a goal of going through XX amount every week. My craft supplies are stored in their own closet. I’ve quit acquiring new supplies. I’m in “use it up” mode. Parents’ personal belongings. They passed in Dec. Dad’s papers, photos & keepsakes. Mom lived with us for 15+ years - so I have her clothes, shoes, purses, jewelry, personal care items, books, tchotchkes, photos, sewing machine, fabric, pottery, green ware, molds, etc. I’m still working on settling their estates. Then, I’ll deal with their things with the help of other family members. |
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| Complete the following statement: “My clutter started to become a problem when _____.” | When my mother moved in with us 16 years ago. And, I realized we never got rid of stuff. I’ve been clearing it since 2013 - after retiring. |
| Describe a habit or routine behavior that you would like to cultivate—or eliminate—to help you or other members of your household get a better handle on household clutter. | I will go through my magazine bin and pull the images I want to keep for art projects. Then, I’ll do it monthly. This is a free magazine from our electric coop with great images of all th8ngs Texas. |
| Name one or more of your favorite Clutter Fairy-isms (e.g., “thin the herd”) or decluttering and organizing mnemonic devices (e.g., OHIO—Only Handle It Once). | STOP the FIREHOSE! Which I always thought of as “stop the bleeding”. But, I like “Don’t Shave the Yak!” Introduced to the podcast audience by listener Connie. It refers to engaging in a meaningless task that has no obvious relationship to what's supposed to be worked on but may be necessary to troubleshoot a larger problem. The process of making a simple task unnecessarily complicated may also qualify as yak shaving. |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). | Have you thought of writing a book? You’ve got a vast amount of real life practical experience. I think it would be a best seller. Especially if you can insert some before & after pics and many of your isms. |
| Future topics | Deciding how much is enough. I see this question a lot in my declutter groups. |
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