book review

I wanted to tell you that over the break I read It's All Too Much: An Easy Plan for Living a Richer Life with Less Stuff by Peter Walsh. He's the guy who does the show Clean Sweep on TLC (I think?) where he goes into people's houses and helps them totally declutter and get organized. Basically, it's about people whose STUFF takes over their houses and their lives. He's been on Oprah a bunch too (but she only shows you the extreme pack rat people who can't even use their basements or spare rooms anymore because they're filled with boxes of surplus canned beans from Sam's Club, or whatever. I love those episodes.). Anyway, I love him, and my mom apparently does too because she had this book and I read it when I stayed at home last week.

It's completely inspiring. Even though I hate how my apartment looks when it's cluttered, I get too overwhelmed to do anything about it. This book shows you how to do deal with it all, step by step. I always feel guilty for throwing things out that I have barely used (but probably never will) or things that were gifts or things from my childhood/high school/college that I JUST DON'T NEED, and he totally makes you feel okay about it.

Our apartment is a two-bedroom, and right now we don't use the spare room except as a sort of dumping ground for my tons of books and papers, and Seth's work clothes. It's totally wasted space right now and as a result, the living room is slowly starting to fill up with overflow clutter, too. I had planned on using Spring Break to clean out a bunch of things I don't use, but went home instead. And I'm glad I did because I read this book (not to mention the scads of home makeover and decorating shows that Mom had on) and now I want to knock it out. Starting today.

Seriously, when I moved here, I didn't have ANYTHING, and it's less than two years later and now I already have too much stuff. Some stuff I NEED (like pots and forks and umbrellas) but some stuff I just simply don't (empty boxes my new stuff came in? clothes I had shipped that I thought I would use this winter, but just haven't worn? magazines??). So I'm reclaiming my space, and eventually rewarding myself with something cute (and functional) from IKEA (I still need a bookshelf but at this point don't even have room for one). RIDICULOUS. Now that my master's exam is for-real happening, I need a real place to work. And if I post about it here, maybe I'll actually do it.

Anyway, I'm getting rid of stuff and might post a few things here in case you want any of it. The rest is going to Goodwill, or eBay. BUT YOU CAN ONLY CLAIM IT IF YOU REALLY NEED IT.