When I work with families, I often hear overwhelmed moms say things like…

“I just want it gone”

“I’m so sick of all this stuff”

“Where does it all come from?”

“Burn it all”

“So and so doesn’t listen to my request for less”

“I don’t know where to even start”

As a mom of 3, I empathize. Even now I still have a rage fueled moment here and there where I dump all the miscellaneous crap on every surface in a bag and either throw it away or stuff it in the attic (yes, probably not the best place, but my attempt at not operating out of anger).

The thing is, my kids have some of their own money now and they buy things they want, even after conversations about living with less.
They bring home trinkets and treasures from school and birthday parties.
They are blessed by family members.
They are creative and make all manner of items out of the recycling.
Hubs and I get tempted by the online ads, or some sale, even as we strive for intentionality. We aren’t perfect and sometimes we do feel the consquences of those impulse buys.

Understanding my threshold for clutter has been helpful as I try to consider what I have control over bringing into our home. I know that full surfaces (counters, tables, furniture, shelves) make me lose focus as all the piles catch me eye. Said piles are DISTRACTING. I find myself trying to sort through, “who needs to clean that up? Is there some action I need to take? Is that trash?” etc etc.

Minimizing the opportunities for this by having fewer surfaces, a home for everything and involving the whole family in clean-up and chore routines has made a difference. In our gift giving we focus mostly on consumables and experiences. We view the tangible items that come in as temporary and have built decluttering maintenance into our seasonal rhythm.

So, are you clear on what YOUR threshold is? If you’ve reached it, what can you do to shift back beneath that threshold?