Keeping Things- When It Is Time to Purge

I've made two posts that have been about Keeping Things and What Should I Keep? and I think now it's time to talk about when it is time to purge.

One of the most important reasons that I personally can think of to get rid of the material possessions we have is because they have become an obsession. By obsession I do not mean that we constantly think about them or that we are creepily protective of them. I mean that they take the time we are to devote to others- especially to God. When we have to work extra hours to get that newest gadget (when we've already got one- or two- of the same but older, 'out-dated' models that still work fine) or the latest fashion (when we've got a closet full of clothes and half we do not wear). Then it is time to purge ourselves of our excess. It could be more than a material possession purge we need at that point, but that is a different topic for a different time.

How do you know when it is time to purge? Here are some physical signs that it's time to get rid of some of the material possessions in your life:

• There is no longer a place for things. When you get to the point that you need to rearrange what you currently have in order to fit in a new to you item, it's definitely gone too far. This may seem like it is obvious put the pack-rats among us will understand that often we do not realize it has gone this far until it is too late! An example here would be when you have three shelves and four items so you squeeze them together on the shelf because you just can't part with one of them.
• Things are no longer being used and are put away to make room for something else. This sounds a bit like the first sign but there is more to it. I would say this is more along the lines of tucking away a pair of pants that you used to wear so that you can fit your new jeans in the drawer. If it's not being used, it should be donated, sold, gotten rid of.
• Items sit and aren't used. Much like the first two signs, this one can be simply for the sake of collecting the items. Think of a set of 16 dishes that are on a top shelf just in case there is extra company. While there is nothing wrong with having extras, if they aren't being used, they could be given away. And realistically, if you've never entertained more than a few extra people at a time, what is the likelihood of entertaining sixteen more? 
• It takes a longer and longer time to clean. This of itself does not necessarily mean that you have too much stuff but generally, the more you have (knick-knacks, clothing, toys) the longer it will take to get things organized when cleaning. The longer it will take to dust because more items have to be moved and put back; more loads of laundry must be washed and dried, folded and put away; toys have to be picked up (and sorted?) before the floor can be swept and/or vacuumed.
• It is difficult to find what you need when you need it. Okay, that may seem like simply a lack of organizational skills but really if you have too much, what you are looking for will be harder to locate. In our house we have 7 bookshelves (ahem, yep) and if they are not organized well we cannot find the book we are looking for very easily. If we only had 3 bookshelves, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't take much to find the particular book.

When we declutter our material possessions (give away, sell, donate, throw out) it allows us more freedom. We have more room in our homes, vehicles, and/or yards. One of the absolute biggest and best benefits of decluttering, purging our excesses, is that we have the time for what we need to again. Our minds can focus on what is important.

There have been many who have posted about clutter in their lives lately and how they deal with it. You can read some at Our Worldwide Classroom, Jimmie's Collage (about mental clutter), The Midlife Housewife, and Mountaineer Country.

A few good posts to help with the organizational aspect of purging and decluttering:

Confessions of An Organized Homeschooler (Decluttering for Dummies)

MomGrind (Clutter Free Home)

Heart at Home (Top 20 Organizing and Decluttering Tips)

*I must say that I am by no means even close to an expert on this subject. In my first post of Keeping Things I confessed that I am a pack-rat. I am trying to use these posts as a way to help myself (and perhaps someone else) along to purge my house and self of things that I no longer need and that are simply sitting, collecting dust.*

This has been submitted to The Christian Home weekly blog carnival, under Homekeeping. Click here read the latest edition at Legacy of Home.