Clutter Free Living

I don't know that I've shared before in this forum one other fact about my urban life that surprises most people outside of the Boston area: that the place in which Mr. L and I currently live is, in total, 450 square feet. No, that is not a typo, that is the actual square footage of our condo give or take about 8 feet (we've never been able to tell if that bathroom is part of the calculation).  I just wanted to throw this out there in case any of you ever find yourself in a very TINY living situation for a very LONG time (a submarine, prison, Manhattan, for instance) so you will know where to turn for help.

Over the years, Mr. L and I have worked hard to cultivate a lifestyle that we have labeled, "Clutter Free Living." Let me be clear, this is not some values-based idealism ("Oh, we just decided to free ourselves from the constraints of our stuff!" or "You know, we can feel fulfilled by other means and don't feel the need to accumulate material possessions.") No. That's not it at all. It's just that there is literally NO room for clutter, unless we decide to get rid of our dog or, say, all our clothes. In fact, I'm always keeping in the back of my mind a list of material possessions that I will accrue the minute there is more space to be had to put them (1. Couch, 2. Toaster, 3. Cat, etc. etc.) But for now, clutter-free we are and clutter-free we will be.

In case you are interested, some of the policies associated with this lifestyle are the following:
1) Throw away (or recycle more likely, if you care about the earth) ANYTHING that you will not read, or use, or look at again until the next time you move or clean our your closet. This includes old birthday cards or other cards (unless they are filled with lengthy, meaningful and UNIQUE proclamations of love or friendship that you think will be meaningful to read in the future), owners manuals (you must learn to admit early-on that you will never read these or consult them ever again), other benign documentation (this is the paper your new credit-card came glued to in the mail, receipts of any kind and notices of marriages, baby's births, etc.), pet toys your pet has lost interest in and chargers for devices you no longer own.CAST THEM OUT.
2) Throw away (or recycle if possible) anything that is BROKEN. This sounds silly, right? Who would keep things that are broken? You would. And so would I. Because it always starts off so innocently: "I'll get around to fixing that." or "Maybe it can still be useful somehow." No. You won't. And it won't. You'll simply banish said broken item to a distant closet to be consumed in dust and your guilt until you move five years from now and throw it away. Why not do it now?* This includes old computers, sporting equipment, and ceramic products that have not been glued back together within six weeks of being broken. Seriously.
3) BANISH all trinkets. The ceramic alligator you got in the Everglades? The really cute little cardboard box you got at your friend's wedding that was full of candy? The bandana they gave you at that road race that you'll never wear but that you fondly remember? OUT LIKE TROUT. A very limited number of trinkets (think 2-3) may be displayed on book cases or other flat surfaces. But any trinkets that need to be stored away need to be thrown away.**
4) Buy one, set one free. Whenever you buy something, get rid of something else. This way, you will always maintain approximately the same amount of stuff, instead of creeping toward a cluttered life with every nook and cranny full to the brim. (Note: this does not apply to handbags or kitchen gadgets...at least not in our house.)
5) Review your wardrobe every season in search of: items you didn't wear at all this year (why do you think you'll wear them next year if you didn't find cause to this year?), stained items (if it hasn't come out by now, I hate to break it to you, but it ain't comin' out), ripped items (if you didn't sew it up yet, you probably don't care that much), and items that no longer fit you (though some small spectrum of fat to skinny fit items is appropriate for seasonal changes in physical make-up, extreme storage of clothing reminiscent of another body is not a great way to live without clutter....and regret).
6)  Limit nostalgia. Nostalgia for stuff usually only comes when you keep it. So unless an item has some great personal meaning to you (it was your grandmother's broken falafel maker, which she bequeathed to you, we just CAN'T give it away), snap a photo if you must and say sayonara. Once it's gone, you'll forget it anyway and move on.

In addition to these helpful guidelines, here are a few indicators you are falling off the bandwagon:
1) You are storing things in the trunk of your car large enough that you must remove them in order to put other things in there. (Guilty.)
2) You are attempting to justify to your partner purchasing some huge item for which there is no room. (Guilty).
3) You are considering moving to a bigger place in order to get a toaster. (Guilty. That's just a really expensive toaster.)



*I should be clear that I AM for fixing things, if they can be fixed. Someday I'll tell you about the wild goose chase I had to go on to get my lamp fixed, one that involved 14 phone calls and a visit to the fairly sketchy apartment of a man named Brian. But seriously if you don't have a real, concrete plan and timeline to fix something (one that includes either hand tools or the cell phone number of a skilled handy-man), axe it. (NOTE: SB and WEB3, if you are reading this, should you ever decide to live in a tiny place, you will be EXEMPT from this category, mostly because you had that broken jukebox in your LIVING ROOM for like 20 years and then fixed it which makes you awesome and probably able to actually fix anything in the world.)
**One helpful thing to do to make this easier is to shift your souvenir buying habits. Instead of trinkets, collect something else on your adventures: Christmas ornaments, place mats, something that will help you remember but also be useful.