How to Get Rid of Too Much Stuff


One Christmas we were given so much stuff I almost cried.

Not tears of joy. Tears of frustration.

That year we had seven children under the age of ten living in a 900 square foot standard three bedroom townhouse.  As a homeschooling big family stay at home mom I already had my work cut out for me managing the day to day necessities like clothing, homeschool supplies and toys.

That Christmas felt like a dump truck backed up to our house and..well..dumped.  It was enough to make any big family mom cry.  To make matters worse, it was from a very close relative who seemed to KNOW when I got rid of anything from them.

Ugh. Double whammy pressure. Physical and emotional.

I had a choice. Live with it. Or do something constructive. So close, to midnight on the 25th of December I made a choice. Here’s what I did.

First, I was honest with my husband about my feelings. Without dumping everything on him to fix, I asked for his help to find a solution that would work.

He understood my stress and how much work I put in every day managing our big family home so it is a little taste of heaven rather than a little taste of hell.  He knew the emotional risk we were taking if we got rid of most of that stuff. That man, God bless him, rose to the occasion and said he would take the heat if it came.  My sanity was more important than his comfort.

Next we chose the best of the best. The things we knew each child would appreciate and would work well in our home.  That only filled about 2 of the laundry basket sized 6 boxes filling our dining room table. The rest we donated to a local Christmas charity for families going through a rough time.

I felt such a release from the burden of keeping it all for the wrong reasons. The gifts were well meant and I truly appreciate the generosity. However, on a practical level it was just too much.  We are blessed with more than we need. Letting it go freed me from a burden in my home and in my heart.

Since then I have found it easier to let other things go. In fact, I’ve made decluttering part of my annual Christmas preparation routine. Out with the old, in with the new! That way I avoid dreading the dump truck of generosity that is multiplied by having more than average the number of children. I enter more easily into the true spirit of Christmas and why we give gifts at all.

This has become a simple, low stress and sustainable approach that I shared with other moms struggling with too much stuff to in my private Big Family Moms facebook group. I called it the Declutter for Christmas Challenge and it helped many women prepare their hearts and home for the holidays with more peace and less stressful clutter.  Feel free to jump in the group HERE and grab that free training so that you can look forward to the holiday season this year with anticipation rather than dread!

I’m expecting baby eleven five days before Christmas this year via csection number 10.  I have already done a round of decluttering in anticipation of the holidays and the newborn season for a few months. I love that my heart and home are ready.  By God’s grace and with some practical steps receiving gifts at Christmas is a time of joy rather than enough to make a girl cry.

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If this blog blessed you feel free to join my Big Family Moms community where I have lots more resources and encouragement for moms like you overcoming struggles and growing in grace. Here's the LINK if you like.

 

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