The time has come, the wind-up walrus said.  Talking about decluttering and organizing is all well and good, but it has nothing on actually doing it.  One of the most useful general tips I’ve seen was the suggestion that you pick one particular area at a time so as not to get overwhelmed by the magnitude of the task.  I’ve decided to start in the bedroom, and specifically to start with my closet.  I will admit, I’m starting here partly because I’ve done some work on the closet already and have a better feeling for what I need to do.  I’m also starting here because it’s one of the most pressing issues from the make-room-for-the-boy standpoint.  Winter is coming on, and he’s going to need to have space for some bulkier clothing.  Heaven forbid he should freeze to death because I have too many t-shirts.

In some ways, this is also a challenging place to start.  Closet decluttering can be a more emotionally fraught process than cleaning out the kitchen.  For most of us, there’s a certain amount of sentiment and personal image caught up in our clothing, present and past.  You’re clearly never going to get any use out of your high school prom dress ten years later, but throwing it away can feel like you’re leaving part of your life behind.  (I am not personally disturbed by the idea of high school fading into the past, largely unremembered and unregretted, but I know some people are.)  However, if you shop regularly, at some point you have to admit that you can’t possibly keep all that stuff without making your current life way more difficult than it needs to be.

Luckily for me, I am mostly embarrassed by the stuff that I used to think was wearable (ah, the pink glittery top of my dreams — there’s a reason that was on sale), but even so, there were some sentimental items I hated to trash.  I was also helped by the fact that most of my REALLY old clothes were at home with my parents until they moved, when my mother summarily threw it all away.  So much for sentiment.

I read a couple dozen articles about closet organization before I started.  Here are some of the more useful tips:

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I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that you, gentle reader – like me, and like Kai – have too much stuff.

Once you’ve sorted and sifted, perhaps with the help of Kai’s Clutter Chronicles,  you’re probably left with a pile of things – clothes, books, toys, housewares, CDs – that you just don’t need or use anymore.   What do you do with it?

Don’t trash it just yet.  Besides the eco-green factor, there are plenty of non-profit organizations out there that can make great use of your unwanted, but still serviceable, possessions.  And for some of the stuff that’s broken or obsolete (like old iPods, cell phones and computer equipment), there are good ways to recycle it instead of dumping it your garbage can.  And, of course, let’s not forget that your charitable donations can help you reduce your tax bill!

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I'm going to get around to toilet training the cat soon, I swear...

My crusade against clutter begins!  Over the last few days, I’ve been reading organizational advice on the internet.  There is a LOT of it.  Some of it is helpful, some not so much.  (“There should be a place to put away every item.”  Gee, you think?)  I haven’t thrashed my way through all of it yet, but I’m realizing that I’m going to need some specialized solutions in addition to the general advice.

I own the same stuff that everyone owns.  Clothes, pots and pans, glassware, random Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, CDs and DVDs, and so on.  I’m assuming that the same general advice that works for everyone will be just fine for dealing with this stuff.  Then there are my own special clutter issues that the general rules don’t necessarily address.  In the interests of dealing with everything effectively, I’m going to list them here:

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I have a confession.  From being conspicuously single when Femmeiniste launched, I have rapidly progressed to being in a full-blown relationship. You’ve heard about The Man With The Hidden Talents before.  We have been “temporarily” cohabiting since July.  I can now say definitively that he is also The Man With The Hidden Weirdnesses, but as I am the owner of a stuffed Malaysian tapir, I am not in a position to throw stones.

I’ve actually been shocked at how easy and natural it was, and I can’t quite decide if it was easier or should have been harder because we had no actual intention of the living together lasting this long.  I’ve never lived with a guy before, and this is supposed to be a BIG DEAL.  So far?  There’s nothing easier.  It actually makes me a little suspicious. Isn’t this supposed to be hard?  I’m sure it’ll be more challenging if the temporary cohabitation becomes permanent, but for now it’s all hearts and flowers and caramel macchiatos in bed.  (Benefits of a guy who has to settle for street parking.)  I always imagined that moving in with a guy would mean putting up with a lot of annoying personal habits, but possibly I was just assuming that because The Ex had annoying personal habits.  I guess we’ll see.

The fact that a theoretical two weeks has extended into three months has finally brought home to me, however, the need to make room for the boy’s stuff.  Living out of a suitcase was okay for the first few weeks, but it began to seem a little inhospitable by the time we hit September.  I have cleared him two drawers and some closet space, but he owns stuff.  The same kind of stuff I own.  The stuff that is currently all over the place.

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