Retail Therapy

             I am working in Los Angeles, just blocks from the famous Rodeo Drive. There is nothing better than a nice walk on a beautiful day, and taking in some window shopping. I like to look more than buy, and I try not to indulge in retail therapy too often. When I buy things, I have a FIFO system, “For one IN, Find one to move OUT.” I never want to accumulate more than I can manage, and I am very careful to avoid clutter and waste (and debt!).

After the sadness, I cleaned out my Grandparents and my Dad’s homes and inherited a lot of stuff. I had a lot of closet space and, rather than deal with decisions to part with things, I just jammed them into the closets. If you came to my home, it never looked cluttered per se, but there definitely was a lot of furniture, a hodge-podge of chairs and tables, with no rhyme or reason to the decorating, and I told myself it was okay because it looked eclectic. If you opened the closet, it revealed the true procrastination of addressing the decisions that must be made – to get rid of their stuff.

With the help of an earth angel in the form of my handyman, Gus, I renovated a rental property. It came out so well, people started to make comments that I should leave my home and move into the rental because it was nicer than my home. This is when I realized drastic changes were necessary. With a lot of encouragement from Gus, I made the decision to get rid of the excess and renovate my home.

I did a lot of reading on organization and anti-clutter suggestions. Going minimalist had great appeal, and while I wouldn’t dare suggest that I am in that league, I am proud of the simplicity of my home. Before the renovation, I was okay with the way I was living, but I knew my home did not reflect who I was – I had outgrown it. Now, I am proud of the way my home looks, and feel it is more “age appropriate” and representative of where I am in life. It’s a great feeling.

While I think my grandparents and my Dad would be shocked at how much stuff I gave away, donated, and even threw away, they would be happy for me with the end result. It’s clean, clear, and simple – just the way I live my life.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, maybe you need to move your loved one into your home and get rid of their existing place or clear it out for a rental property, or even clear it out to sell it, you will be tempted to do just what I did – move in their things and keep it all. It becomes even more difficult if they passed away, because you will feel you need to hold onto the memory. I want to warn you not to go there. Try to be discerning with what you keep and take into your home, and do not feel you have to keep it all. Make the decisions on the first pass, rather than spend the energy to find storage, and move your own stuff around to make room, because months or years later you will realize you just delayed the inevitable decision to get rid of stuff.