Once upon a time, I was a victim of too much stuff!  Toy stuff, craft stuff, kitchen stuff, clothing stuff, and just plain stuff stuff!  Trying to find the answer to the mess, I began reading through organizing articles and talking to my clutter-free friends. I received the usual “If you haven’t used it in the last year, get rid of it” advice. But, it was so hard to imagine getting rid of things that we might need in the future.  

Then one day, a wise, frugal, clutter free mother of 10 children gave me a piece of sage advice. “If God gave me something once, and if I need it in the future, He’ll give it to me again.”  At that point, the light bulbs all switched on and I recognized my call to do some intense spring cleaning!

I knew this clutter busting maven friend of mine frequently receives hand-me downs from friends. Remarkably, as much stuff as she gets, her house is clutter free! No assortment of storage units or Magee’s closet!  What’s her secret?  Her method is simple.  When she’s gifted with bags of goodies, she sorts them and makes monthly Goodwill runs to bless others with her excess.  How ever much she decides to keep, she gives away at least that many items in return.

With this new found zest, and the windows open to breathe in the fresh spring air, I began purging my closet.  Afterwards I moved on to the kids rooms, the toy area, books and more. Amazingly, this effort produced 5 sizable bags and 2 boxes of things to give  to others. And that was just the beginning!

This dent into the stuff made all of us feel lighter and freer. One added benefit of not having so much stuff is that there’s less to clean!  It’s a win win!

So, whenever you feel the need to buy more storage bins, drawers and closets, just remember that an abundance of stuff doesn’t necessarily add to your home’s atmosphere in a positive way. As you go about your spring cleaning this year, give serious thought to whether or not you really need all that stuff.

When in doubt, don’t throw it out! Give it away!

Check out a wide variety of homeschool products at Rainbow Resource Center!