Clutter Free: A Life Changing Book

I’m an organizer, I read a lot of organizing books.  I want to make sure I can tell my clients which ones are worth reading, worth the cost and worth the space in their homes.  Well, I can say with 100% certainty that Clutter Free by Kathi Lipp is worth it.

This book isn’t just a tutorial on how to clear the clutter.  It gets to the heart of why we have things and how we can change our lives to stop revolving around stuff.

Clutter Free examines some of the roots of shopping and procuring.  While they are different for all of us, we can usually break it down to fear that we will need it, guilt that we spent money on it or shame that we want to become someone better than who we already are.

Kathi talks about the tiny house movement, which I’m also obsessed with.  It’s a movement going in right now where people are CHOOSING to live in homes as small as 100 square feet.  Why would they do this? Because is more.  Less stuff means less cleaning, less insurance, less worry, less organizing and smaller mortgage payments.  All of this LESS means MORE time, more disposable income and more enjoyment.

What we don’t think about is that our stuff costs us money.  Not only does everything have a purchase price, but you then need to organize that item, store it and clean it.  Eventually you’ll need to dispose of it, which also costs you time and money.  Everything has a price and it’s much higher than the price you pay at the checkout.

The book goes on to talk about how you stop this process.  The first step is to determine why you’re acquiring.  For example, you are buying something because you want to “become the person who…”.  If I buy this yoga tank, I’ll become one of those yogis on Pinterest who can balance on one hand.  Stuff doesn’t make up a better person, no matter how hard we try.

As you progress through the chapters you’ll find ideas for 50 things you can get rid of today as well as ways to stop the clutter from coming in.  There’s even a suggested packing list.

This book is a great motivational tool and long term resource for your organizational goals.  I will be keeping it on my desk 🙂