Declutter Refresh

It’s been a couple of years since I’ve written a blog post and even longer since I’ve decluttered my own life. The world has been a bit crazy with COVID and politics and mother nature acting out. It’s the perfect time to pause, see where I am at and where I want to go with my life. When in doubt, start small! So today I am going to declutter my books.

I LOVE books! Yes, that’s love with all caps kind of love. So let’s see where my collection of cookbooks and other books is…and do a quick refresh!

I have a “One In, One Out” rule when it comes to books. But what happens when you just live your life and forget your own rules?

Not bad, I mostly did “One In, One Out” rule, but jammed a few on top vs figuring out which one to release. Oh well! I like this rule as it makes my purchases more conscious…knowing I will need to let go of an item to make room for the new. I’ve also had a rule to check out books from the library vs buying them, but COVID sort of messed that one up for a while. Most libraries are now lending again, so good to revisit this one!

To declutter I begin with a Marie Kondo method of removing all like things, cleaning out the space, then asking if I am using each item and if it brings me joy. I know for some this is challenging to do or a bit too “woo woo!” Another way of asking this question is does it make you smile and feel love inside? If it doesn’t, why are you keeping it? And if you’re not using it, can it be useful to someone else?

In the two years I’ve been away from blogging, I helped declutter my Mom’s home of 54 years and helped a dear friend declutter her home and an entire business that her partner left her. There is NOTHING like seeing how much $h*t one can collect to realize I sure don’t want to leave a mess behind. Any editing I can do now, will not only make my own life easier, but it will also help anyone left behind to clean up after I am gone.

One thing I’ve come to learn about myself is that I love cookbooks more for inspiration than exact recipes. It’s about how they make me feel. That feeling is powerful and I have come to peace with the fact I may not use all of them to make these amazing recipes to which I invite all my friends to!

I choose the “One In, One Out” rule as a way to contain what I collect. So one cupboard is my space for cookbooks and this shelf area is my comfort level with books. I like having all the items in these two place versus all over the house. You can look at my collection and quickly see what matters most to me…health, plants, travel, minimalism, organization, zero waste, gardening, nutrition, spirituality and personal growth.

Your space for books might be a lot less or much more! No one else can determine that sweet spot for you. I sometimes dream of living in a smaller home, but for now I am going to enjoy the home I have and use the space I have, while not feeling the need to fill it to the brim. That is my sweet spot!

I will be offering the books I no longer want to friends, my local Buy Nothing group or the library.

Do you love books too? What is your sweet spot for how many books to keep? Anyone go totally digital on books?