Books and tools for the clutterbug!

One of the big issues for clutterbugs when they make the decision to declutter is the change they will experience with shopping.  Most people love to shop and, as more than one clutterbug has said to me, “I know how to find the bargains!”

Well, you don’t need to worry any more.  Buy what you love, but buy CONSCIOUSLY.  Think about what to purchase AND what you can let go of in the process.  And remember, if you bring something INTO your home, donate or give away something else.

For your favorite clutterbug (or you):

Do you save National Geographics because “they might be worth something someday”? Well, don’t.  They’re not worth anything.  In fact, you can get every one ever printed in this lovely DVD collection.  So let go of those that have no meaning.  Go ahead and keep the few you DO love! 

The iSlice was really helpful to me to deal with my paper clutter from articles I’ve cut out of newspapers and magazines.  This device, which I often demonstrate at

programs, helps you make clean “slices” of pages which makes them look neat and easy to organize in page protectors.  And those page protectors can be nicely organized in a three-ring binder (and I KNOW you have a LOT of those!)

The Do It Later! 365 Days of Procrastination Calendar is a hilarious gift for the procrastinator in your life.  Gently whimsical, it is nonetheless helpful.  (I myself want to make my own decluttering calendar ... once I get around to putting it together!) 

Some books worth considering...

These are just some super-fun games!  Bananagrams allows you to create crossword -style Scrabble word puzzles without paper--so now maybe you can let go of all of those pages from the newspaper! 

Digging Out, Buried in Treasures and Stuff are three books that address the serious issues relating to clutter.  I found them illuminating, even if I wasn’t ever as “severe” a case as some of the people profiled in them.  Sink Reflections, on the other hand, is a practical handbook by a reformed clutterbug who says she started her journey of decluttering by simply vowing to scrub her kitchen sink every night. Her message that you are fine just as you are and to keep trying is very inspirational.  I still refer to it.  

It’s All Too Much is a very good decluttering book for the “average” person.  Basically, he says that we mindlessly collect things to make us happier, but the stuff really hurts us and keeps us from doing the things we love with the people we love.  SHED, Organizing from the Inside Out and the version for teens are from Julie Morgenstern, one of the original Oprah organizers.  Her biggest contribution to the decluttering effort is the idea that we need to assign “purpose” to the areas of our home and once we do that, what we should do with our stuff becomes clearer. 

Now for fun and games ...