Astrid (47) is, together with Irene, the founder of Flow Magazine. Every Tuesday she writes about the sense and nonsense of decluttering.
Maybe you’re thinking that, because I’m writing a blog about decluttering, I have a wonderful, minimalist house. Well, let me tell you now: nothing could be farther from the truth. I collect glass and postcards depicting reading women; I have a dresser full of French Blue bowls, piles of books that still need to be read, and far too many (unworn) clothes. I trip over shoes in the hallway, struggle with all the junk in the attic, and ignore the drawer in the bedroom that’s filled with out-of-date beauty products. I am not your shining example, your know-it-all guru. And that’s precisely why I look—with envious eyes—at the Tiny House blogs, or those clean, clutter-free living rooms on the pages of a magazine: I. Want. That. Too!
Somewhere on the horizon, that tidy home beckons; that kitchen with the sideboard that isn’t hidden under all the groceries. And another thing that beckons is the time I would have to myself if I wasn’t having to spend a week searching for the shed key.
My new (slight) obsession with this topic started a while ago when I read Tammy Strobel’s book about decluttering, called You Can Buy Happiness (and it’s Cheap) (more about that later). There are people the world over writing books and blogs about the joy of less, and there are even people who get rid of almost all their stuff, and go and live in Tiny Houses. These little wooden abodes look so cute and the people living in them always look so happy, because they don’t have to deal with mess any more and they no longer have to think, “I need a new sofa,” because it wouldn’t fit anyway. I even considered a tiny house myself. For a moment, that is. But, funnily enough, I seemed to be the only one in my household who thought it a good idea. Nevertheless, I still find it fun to read about “things” and what they do to you. So, for the next 52 weeks, I’m going to write about decluttering. Because there is so much great info to share about how we deal with belongings in our lives. And how things could also be otherwise.Translation: “Decluttering in 52 weeks”
