You and the clutter continuum.

Where do you fall in the clutter continuum?

In the blogosphere and in life, I’ve observed about five distinct clutter cultures (although sub cultures certainly abound).  Some have the need or desire to clear things out, while others may want to avoid decluttering.  I suspect we have a rather diverse community here at the Simple Life in France . . . but you never know until you ask!   Do you fall under any of these categories?

1.  strict minimalists:

you may live in tiny spaces (RV’s), paint your dwellings white and eschew window dressings.  You have clutter beat and are now working on more advanced projects.

2.  simplicity seekers:

You may have recently pared down your affairs, maybe due to a move or a sudden change of heart.  Less cluttered than most, you are still not satisfied and are still pruning away.

3.  recently awakened clutter fighters:

At some point in the not so distant past, you woke up and said, “Huh?  where the heck did all this stuff come from?”  You’re wondering why you even have some of these things.  In fact, you’re pretty sure you have stuff in your home that you have entirely forgotten about waiting to be discovered . . .as in an archeological dig.  You’re ready and determined to purge!  Eventually.  In the meantime, you still may find yourself struggling not to add more stuff to the mix.

4.  cozy clutter bugs:

You like your stuff.  It makes you happy to be able to see the things you own–your book collection, your  childhood toys. . .in fact, there’s more where that came from in storage someplace.   When you find you can’t put things away, you go out and buy some new shelves or closet organizers.  Your closets, in fact, resemble that old video game: tetris, where everything has to fit just so or the game is over!

5.  health hazard:

Some of my readers will think I’m kidding, but I’m not!  In high school, visiting a friend’s home, I realized that I could not distinguish from the ‘trash’ and the rest of the kitchen counter.  In my parent’s house, sitting on the sofa (near the laundry room) often means having a pile of my dad’s (clean–thankfully!) underwear cascade onto your head.  If this isn’t hazardous to your physical health, it can at least leave you emotionally scarred!

Alright–that’s enough of me being nosy for one day.  If you find the above describes you, fire away.  If I haven’t covered your category, feel free to add one. I’ll put my own response in the comment section–for full disclosure purposes.