Trouble brewing! Mrs. 1500 is my proofreader. Not this week though because today’s rant is directed at her. Mrs. 1500 has not seen this post before it went live. Should make for an interesting day in the 1500 household. Before I get into all of that, some good quotes from Fight Club:
“The things you own end up owning you. It’s only after you lose everything that you’re free to do anything.”
“If you don’t know what you want,” the doorman said, “you end up with a lot you don’t.”
“Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes. working jobs we hate, so we can buy s*** we don’t need.”
Have you ever seen Fight Club? It came out when I was a teenager and I remember seeing the ads. They showed a bunch of bare chested dudes beating the daylights out of each other. It didn’t look my cup of Cap’n Crunch, so I avoided it.
One day, I couldn’t find anything else to watch, so I plucked it from the VHS rental store shelf. It blew my mind! While the story was marketed as a bunch of testosterone infused violence, that was actually a small part of the movie. It’s actually a rant against materialism.
The movie struck a chord with me. I’m not as minimalist as I’d like to be, but I just don’t like having a lot of stuff around. I can take everything I need for a 7 day vacation in a backpack. I like to buy multiple copies of the same clothes. For example, I don’t buy shirts often, but when I do, I like to get 3 or 4 copies of the same thing (I was known as the “Black Shirt Guy” at one job). The bottom line is that I like simplicity. Not having to think about stuff just makes life easier.
Mrs. 1500, on the other hand, is a mini-hoarder. I say “mini” because the word “hoarder” these days stirs up images from those TV shows; a house that you can barely walk through because there are mountains of junk everywhere and 50+ cats. Mrs. 1500 is nothing like that, but she likes her stuff.
Some examples:
- Our children have at least 40 pairs of shoes between them. Most of them were hand-me-downs from friends, but no kids need this amount of shoes.
- We have boxes and boxes of old magazines and newspaper clippings (I’ll use this recipe someday!).
- Our children have enough toys to stock a pre-school or three or four. Again, mostly hand-me-downs, but it is overwhelming.
- OK, I’m not completely innocent either
None of this was ever an issue in the past because we lived in big homes. However, last week we downsized from a 4200 square foot home to one with 1400. Our 4200 square foot home was filled. Every room was furnished with furniture. The basement and garage were used to store a bunch of stuff. So, you’re probably thinking we got rid of a bunch of stuff before we moved. Wrong.
I could see the trouble brewing when we were packing. I’d come across stuff like wrapping paper and suggest to Mrs. 1500 that we donate it. Almost every time, the suggestion was rejected: “I have a plan for that!” We were on a tight schedule and I was pretty worn down the entire time, so I gave up after a while. We ended up donating a 32″ tube TV, a couch and three Honda Element loads of stuff. It was a drop in the bucket.
Moving day(s) came and we rented a 17′ truck (only one they had available). Despite packing it pretty well, we ended up making three trips and filling up a 20′ and a 25′ storage locker. Our moving date coincided with temperatures in the high 90s. It. Was. Miserable. Uggggh.
As you can see from the pictures, all of this stuff junk ended up in my new, beloved garage. See, I’m a tinkerer and the garage is my playground. I like to build things and work on the cars in this space. Not now though; the garage is the dumping ground. I used to laugh at the neighbors whose garages were so filled up with junk that they couldn’t even fit one of their cars in it. Now, we are those people.
What I really can’t stand about clutter though is how it robs us of our time. Instead of playing at the park with our children, they sit in front of the TV while we go through boxes. Instead of adding the bathroom and bedroom that I have planned, we go through boxes. Our stuff owns us.
This situation drives me nuts. I will not let it continue and there is only one way to resolve it. I have to step up and take action. Mrs. 1500 just isn’t able to part with her stuff. For example, 4 houses ago, she promised to get rid of her magazine collection. Where does it sit now? You guessed it; in the garage. Will it be missed when it suddenly disappears one week?
One of Mrs. 1500 siblings IS like those people you see on TV. There are piles of junk everywhere in his home. They even store stuff on top of picture frames! It is fascinating and terrible all at the same time. So, maybe Mrs. 1500 has a genetic disposition to this kind of behavior. I’m not sure, but it’s about to change.
I see a dumpster in our future.
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Ha! My mother is a horder…very close to the TV types. She’d vehemently deny it and disown me if she saw this post, but it’s true. I have said in the past that when she passes, I’ll just order the largest dumpster and toss it all in.
You know, I think that has kept her alive all these years despite having had cancer, diabetes, COPD, the list goes on. She’s terrified I’ll order the dumpster and trash her treasures!
Great post, Mr. 1500 🙂
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OK, I meant to be first to read this and comment, but the little 1500’s had to have cut up strawberries in their yogurt this morning, and our new lovely home is infested with ants, so I spent a few minutes sucking them up in the vacuum… Any other remedies would be welcomed.
I have already admitted I have a problem with stuff. I am committed to removing it from my life, but it is difficult, because I think I can do something with it. I don’t like to waste money (which Mr. 1500 would say I have already wasted by purchasing something I will not use, and he is right) so I don’t want to just trash this stuff, or donate it when I could do something with it. But I don’t do anything with it, and I don’t want it around anymore.
Baby steps, Mr. 1500. I already have one garbage bag full of clothes to donate, clothes that are perfectly good, but that I will not wear. I know of more clothes that I will donate, once I find the box they are in.
I do think the images in this post are a tad unfair. Yes, Mr. 1500 has those 2 things in the garage, but there are also tons of tools already in the house. And many of those boxes in the garage hold things like towels, dishes, pots and pans (which are mine because I do the cooking, but they aren’t junk) and children’s clothes/shoes/toys. It isn’t ALL mine.
He is right about the magazines, though. I started collecting Threads magazine a while ago, and have almost every issue, including the coveted first issue. Threads magazine came out with a DVD that has every single issue on it, so I no longer need the actual magazines, but I don’t want to throw them out or donate them because I think I could sell them on eBay. I just have to catalogue them to see which issues I am missing. A chore that I will do before the end of July. Does anyone want to buy them?
As for the ants – have you guys tried Terro yet? Google homemade terro recipe, and you’ll find it’s really easy to make your own and cheaper if you need a lot. I like terro because its safe to leave out for pets and kids, and the ants love it. It takes a few days or a week, but works wonders.
Mrs PoP @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…Get Fit and Get Rich
Terro was my first line of defense. They didn’t leave, I am getting serious about them now. I like Terro, but I think it is best when there are just a few ants, unlike our current situation.
It did eventually work for us… took about a week to really get rid of the first batch, then another week for a second batch. But these were little ants… I know we have a lot of different ants than you guys do out west!
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Use Dawn dish soap on the ants. Just take the sponge from your sink, and squeeze soapy water all along the trail they’re following in and out. Once they’re all dead (gross, sorry), wipe it up. I don’t know if this works with other brands, but Dawn solved my ant problem in an hour flat.
Cool! We will try. There are soooooo many of them. Even grosser, they have found a way to infiltrate the dishwasher. That is the last straw. I declare all-out war on their asses.
Like Ree, my mom is a bit of a hoarder… So it’s something that I’m kindof hyper aware of. I don’t always like to get rid of things, but I do because I don’t like to live weighed down either.
I think of the way I grew up – where the dining room was converted to storage space (think full of shelving units and rubber maids – my parents even gave up the facade that it was a space for family meals and threw out the dining room table eventually), so even if we wanted to eat a meal as a family there was nowhere to do so. And I think of the gas my mom must have wasted by driving around with a trunk full of books for years because she couldn’t take the final step of bringing them to the used book store. I loved riding in friends’ cars because you could use the trunk! It sounds silly I know, but it’s these memories of just feeling crowded out in my own home snd embarrassed to have friends over that I rely on to help me purge when needed.
Have you ever read the book Throw Out 50 Things? I have it on audio book and for me it’s a good one to listen to if I’m going to spend an afternoon organizing and purging.
Oh and Mr 1500 – did you ever read fight club? Even better than the movie, and a lot of palahniuk’s other stuff is great, too!
Mrs PoP @ Planting Our Pennies recently posted…Get Fit and Get Rich
This is a very timely post! Herb and I were just talking about doing another purge in our home, inspired by a thread over on the MMM forums.
We both have family members that are semi-hoarder types (never get rid of ANYTHING) and it absolutely drives me crazy.
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Funny, I just posted about helping my parents declutter before their move. My dad loves to hold onto things because they become sentimental to him, and I he also thinks he will use things that have been collecting dust for a while. Meanwhile my mom wants to take everything in the garage and toss it, so I can identify with both views.
I definitely have some stuff that isn’t needed and wouldn’t miss it if I got rid of it, so I plan to go through things this weekend. I don’t want the hassle of having to pack it all again. My boyfriend is proud of the fact he only needed four boxes to move + bags of clothes; he had me beat by quite a bit, but he dormed for college and didn’t acquire much because there wasn’t any room for it. I think I need that mentality.
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Great post with nice timing. Probably my favorite rant thus far. I think my wife and I have an interesting relationship with stuff. We moved into a nice little 395 sf condo and we had to get rid of a lot of junk so it wouldn’t feel crazy cluttered! We moved our family into a much larger house last year and I am impressed with how much the ‘house stuff’ has grown! I do find it strange that I tend to be the minimalist/cleanser/buyer/keeper of most of our junk. I like to buy stuff to fix up and sell but often it ends up being clutter before it turns into a Craigslist sale. I’m working to adhere to a new rule of ‘list for sale’ within 1 week of purchase. And if I could just get rid of that Justin Case fellow we’d be set. And I’ll watch fight club tonight just for fun.
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One thing that helped me with “Justin Case” is asking myself if keeping the item would require me to spend more money down the line. Sure, the item I have now is “free”, but is it costing me in other ways?
I started getting rid of things I kept for future crafting projects when I realized how much I would have to spend to actually do said project. If I didn’t love it and didn’t intend on making it, it was okay to give it up! Ditto with clothes. There’s no point in keeping something I never wear if it requires me to purchase further wardrobe items or accessories to wear it.
I agree about the money, but take it one step further. The most precious thing to me is time. Not even Warren Buffett can buy any more of that. Anything that consumes my time is the enemy.
1500!!! A stand up and toss my coffee into the air, in the coffee shop, without a care where it lands or who screams at me. Awesome post, man. “Not having to think about stuff just makes life easier.” That’s me. That’s automation. I am addicted and it’s only gonna get worse with age. I love my uniform of a t-shirt and shorts that I use for everything including work.
I don’t wanna deliberate over my damn t-shirt or what brand of chick peas to purchase. I wanna think about loftier things like 1500 posts. You know?
@Ree, that is a hysterical comment about the dumpster and your mom.
And, of course, my well wishes and condolences to Mrs. 1500. I have no doubt you two will resolve with the utmost panache and perhaps even make a stellar post depicting it!!!
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This post made me laugh! Not easy when it’s a touchy subject in my family.
I’m not a minimalist per se, but I hate having things around that I don’t use or enjoy. It feels like a debt somehow.
I have to tell you, misery loves company and I’m so glad I’m not alone in my quest to get rid of stuff aka junk. We have some of the same issues tho and it’s tiresome and frustrating.
We’ve been
We are in this together! Repeat after me: “When in doubt, throw it out! When in doubt, throw it out!!”
My mom has a ton of books and magazines that she’s collected. Books are ok, but the magazines are ridiculous. Make a list of your recipes and google them when it’s time to make a new item. Her place is lovely though, but I hate that magazine pile it freaked me out the last time I noticed it. Too much clutter!
My mom was pretty ruthless about ripping recipes out of magazines and keeping them in a file. She never tried most of them — most of her favourite recipes came from family and friends.
I use Pinterest to “collect” recipes, but, like my mom, my favourite recipes came from someone I know.
Electronic storage is a great idea. I encourage Mrs. 1500 to take pictures of recipes and store them online via Google Docs.
A lot of my recipes are in electronic storage already because someone emailed them to me 🙂
Books are one of my weaknesses. How could anyone not like books? Magazines though, they have to go! Especially since most are available online now.
I let the library handle that for me 😉 I do keep my favourite reference guides and novels, though. I just don’t have the space to store a lot of books so I end up donating or giving away items.
I think it helps that in most cases I’m not attached to the physical object. Rather, I think of myself as paying for an experience rather than a “thing” when I buy a book. When the experience is over, it’s good to share it.
Oh, Mr. and Mrs. 1500! I love you both! This is too hysterical – the post and then Mrs. 1500’s response. Delightful! I have to come to her defense because she has commented about this wish to get rid of things before, and I believe her. I know you do too, Mr.
Mrs., your comment about the pictures being unfair was top notch! I am so glad I hadn’t any beverage in my mouth at the time of this reading! Too much fun.
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Yes, I am an optimist and I know Mrs. 1500 can do it. I hope she doesn’t get tired of my persistent, but almost gently nudging. If so though, do you have a guest bedroom or perhaps some floor space in the garage? I hear Houston is lovely this time of year*!
*sarcastic Mr. 1500 comment! I love your neck of the woods, just not the summer humidity. Please take no offense!
We do have a spare bedroom and no garage. She is always welcome, as are you!
It’s only 100 today. Downright chilly. No offense taken! We keep telling ourselves we’ll have nice skin when we’re old.
Tammy R recently posted…Brilliance in Nonsense
Oh man, I hope I can ditch 50% of the things in my home before it’s move time! Since my split I have gotten stuck with all of the belongings from the home in CO. I hope this weekend, when I fly back, I can get rid of 50% as a goal, so I don’t have to worry about the clutter and unpacking later.
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Uggg, I feel your pain! Sorry to hear you left Colorado by the way!
I’ve never understood people who store a bunch of stuff in the garage. For most people their car is the second most expensive thing they own (behind their house), why would you want to keep it in the drive way?
Of course I’m spoiled by my insanely large 1950’s era garage where I can keep my tool chest, my motorcycle, my lawnmower, my snowblower and two cars. All this and I still have space to store other misc garden tools and a couple of ladders.
Nice! Cars and motorcycle must go in the garage if you have one. No exception.
I love insanely large garages. My dream home would be about 1800 square feet with a 1000 square foot garage.
Ha ha, I LOVE this! We’re dealing with similar issue in our house. I have been busy this summer cleaning out our garage as it looks like a hoarder’s playground. The problem is the mother-in-law. She is a huge Home Shopping Network nut and is always buying crap from there and sending it to us. We have nowhere to put it, so my wife throws it in the garage. Just last week I spent several hours in the garage and cleaned out roughly 2-3 dozen boxes of crap she has sent us this year alone. After much convincing on my part, my wife told her mom that we’ll start returning to junk to the sender because she will not listen to reason. We have enough junk of our own without someone else adding to it all the time…Ok, I feel better now 😉
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Hilarious! My grandmother was also a HSN nut and we had the same issue. I never watch it, but based on the sample of stuff she bought us, it is all junk. Battery operated can opener. Check. Battery operated sweater lint removed. Check.
Hmmm, I’m tempted to edit your comment to this:
“I
don’tadvocate this with Mrs. 1500″Then, I can dispose of it and point the finger Southwest. 🙂
I really got a kick out of this article! We’ve spent the better part of the last year completely decluttering our house. My wife comes from a family of low-grade hoarders and she had a bit of the tendencies in her as well.
I persistently kept at her with gentle reminders and then I finally just started cleaning out entire closets by myself. I’d throw out 80%+ of the items in each closet as we would never use them, and even though it pained her, the result was wonderful for both of us. No more psychological baggage having all that ‘stuff’ around!
(the post I recently wrote and is linked below touches on this topic quite a bit…)
I just moved Fight Club to the top of my Netflix list — can’t wait to watch it again…
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“Will it be missed when it suddenly disappears one week?”
My wife does this to me! I’m not a hoarder but do like to have more “stuff” around then she does. To manage it she takes things I haven’t touched I’m a while and puts it away. If I don’t notice its gone within a certain time period then it gets donated or sold on Craigslist.
I always look through the stuff before it goes, but at that point I must admit that it’s probably not important, so most of the stuff goes.
It’s a good way to manage it.
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I have two guesses on the subject your next article: Planning a garage sale OR finding divorce attorney.
Good luck either way!
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I read the Fight Club novel before seeing the movie and it really blew me away.
It feels like it has the power to be so trans-formative, but really, that was just in my head, like Durden.
You just can’t stop people from shopping!
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