stuff Archives - Kat Kuan

I have been on a rampage of decluttering. I have a lot of stuff. And I don’t really have a cleaning routine, so it just piles up, until I get so frustrated with staring at something on the floor or in the middle of the walkway that I finally decide to do something about it.

I had an ant problem a few months ago and had to clear everything out in the kitchen into the bedrooms and it made me literally see all the stuff I have. My boyfriend says that I don’t have a lot of things, so I guess this is subjective, but in my mind, it feels like I have way too much stuff. Because I feel like I only use a fraction of it. And I realized that this stuff I don’t use is actually weighing me down. It’s taking up space, I often have to look at it every day, and I feel guilty about throwing it away.

But not anymore! I’m either donating or throwing stuff away, and I’m not feeling guilty about it. I donate anything that is in good condition and usable by others. I throw away things like makeup from 10 years ago, worn-out shoes that I’ll never wear again, or empty product boxes that have been sitting in my closet.

Some things I’m donating:

Couch covers. I had them when I first got my beige couches to protect them, but they’re ill-fitting and make it look like these couches are covered for painting the room or something. I made the bold move of taking off the covers and using the couches as-is and for the most part, they’ve stayed clean-ish. Probably because I don’t have kids lol. I also use the trick of turning over the pillow and hiding the stain underneath. 😉
Books. I seem to have an endless amount of books, so as I find them, I’m donating most of them.
DVDS. I used to love reality TV and especially The Newlyweds with Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey. But they’ve been divorced for ages AND remarried AND with kids. So maybe it’s time for ME to move on as well, LoL. I’m getting rid of most of my DVDs (because that stuff is becoming ancient like VHS tapes), except for a few select favorites.

Old t-shirts. Some of these are from college (Society of Women Engineers club) or from events or from past jobs. Do donation places even accept shirts with random logos on them?
Certain things that people gave me. Okay, this is a hard one, but sometimes people give you stuff because they think you may need it or may like it. But because someone else gives it to you, it isn’t something necessarily you would buy yourself. Sometimes it’s extremely useful and you use it every day. Sometimes it just sits and collect dust, along with your guilt for not using it. Express appreciation for those items and the person who was so thoughtful to give it to you. Then it’s time to let go of the guilt and let go of the items.
Carnival game stuffed animals. There was great memories from going to the Alameda County Fair from a couple years ago with my friends. I was so excited when my boyfriend won this giraffe and a little turtle for me, but I guess my excitement wears off. Sorry babe, lol! And these things just sit around and collect dust. I think someone else would get more joy from it. But I still have the pictures and memories to cherish!

Bike helmet from Google. At one point, Google gave out bike helmets for everyone at work, to encourage more biking to work, but I lived 45 minutes away by car, so there was no way I could bike (given my biking skills). Hence I never used it, and it’s still in the same plastic wrap it came in. Donating this.

More stuffed animals. These are two little Victoria Secret dogs that I got from a workshop in college (over 10 years ago!), and I’ve put it on display for a long time, but I think it’s time to let these things go and find a new home. They still have their tags on them. -_-

Supplies I bought for my storytime events that I don’t need. I bought decorative items for my storytime events but I never used them, so instead of hanging onto them and waiting to use them one day, I’m going to let them go. I couldn’t return them to the store anymore. Trust me, I tried.
Nightlights. I used to be afraid of the dark LOL. Not anymore, thankfully!
Old bedsheets. I switched from a full size mattress to a queen size mattress, so I don’t need the old bedsheets anymore. And even a bedskirt. Good bye.

I also need to figure out a place to recycle old electronics. I have an old router that I need to get rid of.

OBSERVATIONS

*Deep breath* Whew. That makes me feel so much better. Even writing it out makes me feel like I’m releasing it from my life. I think it’s easy to forget how many things we own – especially when they’re tucked away in drawers or closets.

One pattern I realized is that I get tired of decorative items, so maybe clear counters and spaces would be better for me.

I also realized that my preferences have changed. I used to love love love stuffed animals (well into adulthood haha) and especially winning them at carnivals. But now I don’t feel the need to have all of these in my possession.

I’m realizing that it’s necessary to let go of the past of who we were and what we liked, to make space for our present selves and allow for growth.

A CLEAR HEAD

My goal is that by clearing my physical space and creating order, I can have a clearer mental state. Because every time I see or walk past clutter, it makes me feel heavy or burdened knowing that I need to take care of that pile at some point. But clearing that surface makes me feel lighter. Also it’s nice to see the counter or the floor of a closet or an empty shelf.

Anyways, I still have a lot of decluttering to do, but that’s my progress so far! What do you need to get rid of?

In a world that is driven by more money, more achievements, more prestige, I loved the refreshing perspective offered in the Netflix special called “Minimalism: A Documentary About the Important Things.”

DOCUMENTARY

I watched it last year and again this year. I think this documentary brings us back to our roots, reminds us that our time is short, and that materialistic things are fleeting. It also brings me great relief and peace because it reminds me that a happy, content life is achievable and simple – that it actually involves having less and being less crazy busy.

The documentary follows the journey of 2 guys, who call themselves the Minimalists. They have a blog here: https://www.theminimalists.com/ They had 6-figure incomes and successful careers, but they yearned for a more fulfilling life. And so they left most of it behind to pursue minimalism, and to travel the world teaching others about it.

MINIMALISM

The concept of minimalism is to boil your life down to the essentials that you need to be happy. And to not get wrapped up in all the fancy, elaborate things that you think will make you happy, but end up just adding clutter and burden to your life.

They emphasize that being minimalistic doesn’t mean being cheap or depriving yourself. You can still buy nice quality items, if they truly bring you joy. There’s just no need to buy an excess amount of them. It means spending your resources and time on things that actually matter to you. For example, one of the guys sold his house and now he has less stuff to maintain about his house. The documentary also showed the concept of tiny houses. And without the burden of taking care of a big house, these people had more time for quality time with loved ones.

BEING INTENTIONAL

Another way to put it is that minimalism is about living a very intentional life. For every expense you have, you question whether it’s worth it. You become more careful about resources and energy, and start to make room for the important things in life according to your values.

WHERE I’M AT

I tried minimalism for awhile, and I don’t think I’m quite a minimalist. I do like simplicity because I get overwhelmed easily. But there’s also lots of things that I have that make me happy, that I’m not quite ready to give up yet, ha! I guess it’s just about finding the right balance for myself.

I had a recent incident of ants in my kitchen, and had to fumigate it to get rid of them. That involved moving a bunch of my stuff into the bedroom and covering it with plastic so the fumes wouldn’t get onto it. In the process of moving all my items, I realized how much stuff I have that I don’t use.

For example, I have SO many books I don’t read. That prompted me to donate a huge amount to the library – 58 books in fact! It was bags and bags of books – I had to make 4 trips back and forth to the car. Afterwards, I felt like a huge weight lifted off me. I don’t think I want to buy anymore physical books, if possible. I’m going to go with digital books or library books, so I don’t end up with too many books sitting and collecting dust.

That donation gave me some momentum to declutter, so I’m going to start getting rid of more things. There’s no point in keeping things I will never use. Sometimes it’s the guilt of getting rid of them, but you just have to hold it in your hand, thank the item for being part of your life and for the role it played (i.e. if someone gave it to you), and then donate or toss it. (Marie Kondo advice) Clearing physical spaces clears our mental spaces, and makes room for new things – new ideas, new beginnings! And I want more of the latter!

stuff

Decluttering