Thursday, January 3, 2013

Master the Mess in a Month: Day 3


Today is the 3rd and last day of the Master Bedroom and my husband's closet was the place to declutter today.  He got rid of 9 things.  Of course, I would have chosen to get rid of more things, but it is his closet and I am just grateful for his willingness to get rid of anything.  When it comes to keeping the house uncluttered, I do most of it.  He appreciates it, but doesn't like to do it.  He enjoys reconciling the checkbook and I enjoy decluttering.  It is a win-win situation if you ask me!


This is a picture of his closet now.  He has about 8 more shirts that are in the laundry or ironing closet.  Guess who hates to iron?  It is not one of my favorite things to do.  Thank heavens my husband is very patient with me and doesn't complain!




You may notice the plaid short sleeved cut off shirt.  That is this year's work shirt.  There are times when it is best just to back off and let things go.  My husband is a fantastic person and doesn't buy much at all, and so keeping a few things that he wants which I may consider clutter is not a big deal. I think he does a great job keeping his closet neat and organized on a regular basis.

For those of you who have a spouse who doesn't want to go through things or get rid of things, here are a few suggestions:

1.  Offer to do 15 minutes of whatever they want you to do for them in return for 15 minutes of decluttering.

2.  Declutter one small area at a time.  For example, one day you can go through ties and nothing else.  Later in the month, go through shoes and nothing else.  For people who hate to declutter, sometimes it is easier to do it in small steps.

3.   Offer to replace something that they are having a hard time getting rid of.  You could also pay them a dollar an item if you are desperate.

4.  Figure out a specific number of shirts, pants, etc. that is a good amount to have.  When one comes in, one goes out.

5.  Turn the hangers the opposite way and in 6 months look at what they have worn.  This may help them to realize that they really don't wear some of the things they think they need.

6.  Have places in the home where they can have their piles and clutter and the rest of the home is a clutter free zone.

7.  Offer to take them out to their favorite restaurant if they are willing to get rid of a certain amount of things or work for a certain amount of time.

8.  Find someone in need for them to focus on giving their things to instead of just getting rid of something.



When all else fails, sit down and write a list of all the things you love about your spouse and hope that they will someday see the benefit of a less cluttered life.

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