Don't Fall Into the "Junk Trunk" Trap

When my family was relocating a few years ago, we needed to do the prerequisite sprucing-up-and-clearing-out drill before putting our house on the market. At that time, we had a toddler with a lot of toys and baby gear, plus our own snowballing amount of baggage that we'd toted from college to first apartment to next apartment to last apartment to first house. Instead of making the big decisions necessary to clear it out and find new homes for it, we took the quicker route of purchasing eight "junk trunks" of various sizes--big plastic bins that we could stow the stuff in and stack in the basement while the house was on the market.

The junk trunks worked--the house looked remarkably neat and tidy. We had two prospective buyers battling it out, and we sold the house above the asking price after two weeks and a day. (Mind you, this was before the real estate market crashed.) One of the realtors touring the house even took me aside and whispered, "Your closets look like something out of Real Simple magazine--you're the most organized person I've ever seen!"

But in reality, instead of having a clutter-free home, all of that stuff was just tucked away, "out of sight, out of mind." And the junk trunks came with us to our new house, the contents pretty much untouched since. That's the trouble with "deep storage" systems. Once the stuff is in, it rarely comes back out. It becomes a massive undertaking to dig through it all. Also, since you've either forgotten about the stuff or can't easily get to it, you end up buying more of the same stuff to replace it. It's a very slippery slope. So, my advice is to avoid the container stores altogether. Instead of buying more things to contain your stuff (especially big plastic things that take a toll on the environment from cradle to grave), declutter first, and then get off the shopping treadmill.

I read a lot of blog headlines every day, but this recent one from Treehugger has to be my very favorite one ever: "Family Cleans House, Finds Pet Tortoise Missing Since 1982." That's right; for three decades, a family did not deal with their stuff in storage, and one unbelievably resilient tortoise lived to tell about it. We can all collectively shake our heads at the sheer ridiculousness of it, but how many of us also thought (with tiny, nervous voices), "I wonder what's hiding in my closet?"

As I said in My Green Year in Review, this is the year I'm finding new homes for old things. It will be a spring cleaning to end all spring cleanings, with the goal of ending the year with less stuff than I have now. To keep me on track, I'm going back to two of the very best books I've ever read on organizing and decluttering, both by the same author, Cindy Glovinsky (a certified psychotherapist and professional organizer): Making Peace with the Things in Your Life and One Thing at a Time: 100 Simple Ways to Live Clutter-Free Every Day. Although I'm not yet clutterless, Cindy Glovinsky has been a godsend to me, changing the way I view acquiring things and storing them. Probably the most important lesson she taught me was to stop tearing out magazine and newspaper articles, because any of the information I think I'll need someday is available on the internet (just search the publication's online archive). She even cured me of my magazine-buying addiction--I don't subscribe to anything anymore; I get magazines from the library and read newspapers online. This has cut waaaaaay down on papers scattered around the house.

But back to the junk trunks. Glovinsky recommends purging deep storage areas first. Yes, it will be tedious and time-consuming--she even coined the term "Thing Nausea" to describe that feeling you get when you're thoroughly disgusted with all of your stuff--but I will deal with the junk trunks head-on, Thing Nausea and all, and I will conquer them. Because I'm not buying more stuff unless it's essential, and the junk trunks are just a hindrance to being truly clutter-free. I want to have lots of free space...and no hidden tortoises.

What's your Achilles' Heel when it comes to shopping? Shoes? Books? Toys? Can you tame the beast and stop the endless buying cycle? What's your biggest roadblock to getting your house decluttered and organized?

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© 2013 by Joy Sussman/JoyfullyGreen.com. All rights reserved. Photograph (made with XnSketch v.1.00 for iPad) and text digitally fingerprinted. Site licensed by Creative Commons.

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Comments

[Kate]

My husband and I used to joke about having a "mystery box" yard sale. You pay $5 for the box and whatever is in there you keep! Now, we have gone through most of our mystery boxes, and the ones left are his stuff, so right now, imo, are his problem.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Kate

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

That's funny about the mystery boxes, but it's actually not such a bad idea! When I chaired a couple of fundraising auctions, the "mystery prizes" always received the highest number of bids. People are so curious, they will pay for the chance to see what it is!

[Urban Woodswalker]

In my mind I am a minimalist. Back in the 1980s, my loft was on a TV show about hoarders...back before it was recognized. My husband and I were shown in shadows so we could not be recognized. We both contributed to each others problems.

It better now..husband gone so his "stuff" is no longer around, and I live in a smaller place. Yet, I have the same issues, despite having therapy, and reading ...using every tool I can to deal with this problem.

I have been able to contain most of my issues to 2 areas...though 2 areas are huge problems indeed....crafts/art supplies, and books. I simply need more space, and I cannot afford it. Thus, I just am so attached to my possessions in these 2 categories and its very out of control.

Its easy to donate clothes, and other people's possessions..in fact, I am always finding and donating. I am the one in our family to donate unwanted items. Yet, the books...most are not in electronic form to begin with.

The art supplies (I use that term very loosely because I have shown my trash fashions in galleries, and won awards...so "trash" becomes an art "supply" too. It would be so easy if I only worked in one media, and only did one kind of art. but my creativity is all over the place. Tools can be quite expensive...as do the thousands of other supplies. boxing, and organizing is a full time job...and once its done, I can mess it all up in one hour's worth of creativity. Its astonishing...it can take 3 full days to clean up and organize...sometimes even weeks...and in a flash its all like a hurricane went through the rooms. I work everywhere in my 2 bedroom condo. the van is packed, the basement too.

Just wanted to share.. I have been learning about, coping with, getting help for this issue for around 20 plus years now. Nice to keep reading about others success.

Its really like dieting...we live in a very abundant United States. Access to cheap foods, and consumer goods is everywhere. Its brainwashed us 24 /7. Its no wonder we have these problems of over abundance and obesity).

Thanks Joy, for yet another insightful post.

[Janna]

I hate shopping and I always have, so I don't have to worry about buying too much stuff. My problem is the amazing, wonderful, well meaning grandparents who spoil my children with way too many gifts. Both sets of grandparents send packages for every holiday (Valentine's, St Patrick's Day, Easter, etc...) and they go way overboard for Christmas & birthday. I do take stuff to goodwill or hand it down to younger kids on a regular basis, but I still feel like we have way too many toys, art supplies, books and junk for the kids.

[Carli]

I still miss the CDs that have been missing since we moved 6 years ago but am proud to say I've been too stubborn to replace them. Hopefully with cleaning out storage to prepare for moving again they will turn up and we will be reunited!

[Stephanie]

I think my biggest road blocks are nostalgia and price. "Nostalgia" in particular strikes with the kids: can I possibly trash all of their preschool "art" without stealing their rightful access to sweet memories? Answer: yes, you can. They won't even care in a week and might even be embarrassed by the red papier mache dino still on display in the living room in time for their bat mitzvah! "Price" comes with "guilt". It happens when buying an expensive item that only got little play...Were $400 spent on a pair of gold shoes, not even visible from under the evening gown, a really wise investment? Answer: no! But this is when I try to convince myself that SURELY I will have the prefect occasion to wear them again, and thus make them the eternal fixture in my closet when twice yearly I actually make bags of giveaways to charities.

I also have a solution when it comes to the junk boxes. Just like the success of a diet often resides in allowing oneself ONE cheat day, I think that every person in the house having ONE (size according to age) junk box/drawer is fair game. The idea is that you don't give anyone in your house or yourself any grief for that one t-shirt from the-best-summer-camp-ever that you still hang onto in spite of its being past its prime BUT as soon as one person's junk box/drawer is overflowing, said person must make a choice and get rid of something. The fact that there is a cap to the junk madness helps keeping the clutter in check, and at the same time it allows for a little indulgence, which makes it all together less daunting. I also think that apartment living makes it easier to get rid of things because there is less opportunities for hidden “stash”. Maybe one idea for those living in houses it to design basement and attics in a way that they become a part of the “house tour”? It’s crazy what wonders a bit of peer pressure can work on clutter habits…

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

You're very welcome, and thanks for your always interesting commentary. I'm slightly fascinated by the concept of "trash as art."

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Ah yes, I'm well aware of this problem! Aside from well-meaning relatives, there are also the birthday party gifts from friends. I've taken to editing which gifts the kids receive from these parties. The ones that aren't appropriate are exchanged or find their way into a donation bin.

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

I still have LPs!

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Excellent suggestions for putting a cap on the quantity of stuff! And you're absolutely right that kids never miss the art. I edit the contents of their backpacks daily and most of it is recycled.

[Janna]

Joy,
How do you get rid of the gifts from relatives or friends that your children have seen? This used to be easy because my boys were small, but this last Christmas, I took the junkiest toys to goodwill drop off on our way home the grandparents and a few days later my boys asked where something was that they remembered unwrapping that I had gotten rid of! EEECK!!! I told them we left it at Nana & Papa's and we'll have to look for it next time we go there. I'm hoping they forget when we show up for Easter or this could be very awkward...

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

This has happened to me occasionally--the kids remember something I've donated. I usually say something along the lines of "It must be somewhere...wow, look at that cool bird!"

[Rosa]

My son's grandparents started always giving things directly to him when he was about 5, because they didnt' like my editing. So I've just had to work with him on letting go of things he either doesn't have room for or that it turns out he didn't really play with.

He doesn't always decide exactly like I would, but at 7 he gets rid of stuff pretty readily. It's a lot more work than if the grandparents would just respect our wishes, but that's not in my power to make happen.

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Hi Rosa,
Sorry for this late reply to you, but I just wanted to let you know that I read a good post recently at BecomingMinimalist.com about this very issue--parents not being respectful about your desire for less stuff, and how to address it. Here is the link: http://www.becomingminimalist.com/dear-loved-one/

I hope it helps!

Joy

[Betsy (Eco-novice)]

Ha! This reminds me of when I was on the verge of buying cloth napkins, cleaned out a bin in the garage and found cloth diapers that had been given to me as wedding gifts (I registered for them). I'll have to check the library for the books you mention. I could use a regular de-clutter pep talk.

[Betsy (Eco-novice)]

Whoops, I meant cloth napkins not cloth diapers! Guess you can tell what's on this mom of a 1-year-old's mind.

[Joy @ JoyfullyGreen.com]

Yes, it is amazing what turns up when you clean up and clear out! Some good, some bad...