Bagged clutter is still clutter — toss it

Clutter has invaded the sacred peace of your home, tearing you and your family apart. When are you going to get fed up and toss it out?

I know you have been decluttering and bagging up stuff for weeks, but have you gotten it out of your home for good? What is the sense in bagging it up if you have to continue to look at the bags of stuff piled up in the hallway or against a wall?

When you just bag it up and move it from one place to another, you are not dealing with the problem. Do you know what happens when it continues to stay in your home? The bags find a way to open and the contents make their way back into the mainstream of the clutter and chaos that you are trying to get rid of. Why do we do this?

This happens because we procrastinate. We put off until tomorrow and that day never comes. Right away is the easy way. Get the bags out of the house.

Have you noticed that with the 27-Fling Boogie, you are required to take that bag or box to the car right then? Your home is not a dumping ground. Toss this stuff out one grocery bag at a time. It is so easy if you will just be consistent.

Some people have found great joy in decluttering by ordering a dumpster of their very own for a week or even a month. Just tell the neighbors you are renovating your home. After all, you are making major changes. When you get this clutter out of your home, it is going to feel like you have moved into a new place.

If you can't afford to get a dumpster, rent a trailer for a few bucks. Fill it up and take it to the landfill or thrift shop. You have to get it out of your home so you can move.

So quit tripping over your bagged-up clutter and toss it out. This is the only way you are going to find the peace that you have been searching for. You cannot organize clutter. It has to be evicted.

When I first started decluttering, I gathered up one bag a day and took it to the car. Every time I was out, I would drop it off at the thrift store. Then last summer when we remodeled, we ordered a train car-size dumpster and filled it three times. Most of what went into it was debris from the construction, but Robert and I did purge several tons from our basement, too. I almost hated to see the dumpster taken away.

You have to get your mind ready to declutter. This excess stuff is weighing you down. Stuff is something that undermines family fun.

You can't find things in all the mess.

You feel guilty because of the mess.

You snap at your family when things are messy.