attack of the stuff

Last year seemed to be The Year of Acquiring for La Famiglia B. I don't know what it was, but we bought and bought and bought. Of course, the stuff (I'm not talking essentials here, I'm really just talking stuff) we bought was mainly from the thrift stores we frequent, so we weren't spending too much money at any one time (although, duh, spending a little bit of money very often adds up).

In addition to our purchases, we have a rampant case of Paperwork Overflow! (It's like The Blob!)

So, now our little home is bursting at its little seams, full of stuff. I'm thinking this year should be The Year of Decluttering. This won't be the same as my decluttering project of a few months ago, though. We always have a bag or two of "give-away," but the clutter I'm mainly worried about is the paperwork. Completely unnecessary paperwork. Bills, magazines, junk mail. Oh so much stuff. (Oh so many incomplete sentences!)

We plan on living in our new residence for several years, which actually worries me when it comes to the clutter. I've found we are like goldfish: we expand to fit our surroundings. I'm seeing all of these spaces here, spaces that are asking to be filled with bookcases and books (really, they are).* Before I can begin filling the empty spaces, though, I feel that I need to empty, or at least pare down, some of the mountains of stuff.

Also, back to the point of buying too much stuff last year: we'll just try to buy less this year. Simple, yes? I really am getting better at letting one thing go for every one thing that I bring in. I recently found myself some new walking shoes and I got rid of two (!) pairs of other shoes. I know that I won't be diligent when it comes to books, though. I've given myself permission to collect books. They're my thing.

My main concern right now is Pic's vast amount of clutter. We've finally gotten good about telling her she could choose a book or a movie instead of a toy when we go to the thrift stores. She's like me, and her Auntie L, in that it's hard for her to visit a thrift shop and leave without a book. I wholly support this habit. But, really, she just has too many toys (thanks to Mamma and Papi, I know). She might not find it overwhelming, but I do, and I certainly don't want to collect any more because we don't have room for everything she owns right now. I can see it now: twenty years down the road, she'll be unpacking boxes full of My Little Ponies (that will then be about forty years old) and wondering what she's going to do with them. This is a feeling I know well.

Anyhow, my fingers are starting to freeze (it's cold in here but I can't very well type with my gloves on), so I'll go. Pic and I are going to get outside for a bit today, despite the cold, which really isn't that bad here. When we get back in, it's more unpacking and decluttering for us. I'm not sure if I want to whoop or groan in response to that, so I'll just quietly forge my way through the mess.

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*La Casa B is both cluttered and full of spaces at the same time. In unpacking the kitchen, I realized that I like things to be handy (as in, very close at hand) if not visible. This is why we have empty spaces in our cupboards, but piles and piles of stuff on every surface. Ah, well.