3 Ways Our Past Can Cause Clutter

A few years ago when I started to become passionate about decluttering our home, I found myself wondering how I got into this predicament in the first place. Why did I feel like our house was so cluttered? I suppose in the grand scheme of life, it really wasn’t that cluttered, but I felt like it was. And that’s what mattered to me.

When my husband and I first got married, we started with a blank slate. A new-to-us home (by all it means a 1950s home isn’t new) that was free for the decorating and filling. The problem was, I didn’t have a clue what I really wanted it to look like in the end because I was still figuring out who I was. I was bringing into the marriage, who I was, and my husband, who he was, and I didn’t have any direction, except that ole wedding registry that was a comprehensive list of what I thought I needed.

Though the more the years went on, I still felt like I was fumbling my way through who I was, who I wanted to be, and what I wanted our home to look like. And the more I contemplated, the more I realized that I was who I was, but how I was raised, can affect even the clutter in my life. I was raised in a simple home. My mom kept our home very neat and tidy; something I still appreciate to this day! She taught me to take care of what I have. So when our home was filled with unnecessary clutter, I felt I couldn’t be a good steward over it all. So back to the drawing board I went.

I know many others did not necessarily grow up in a neat and tidy home. In fact, maybe your home was filled to the brim with numerous unused items. Have you ever asked yourself WHY? Have you ever wondered if one of the causes of clutter in your home is simply how YOU were raised? Our pasts can affect our todays and tomorrows more than we realize. EVEN when it comes to clutter:

Our Parents and Grandparents

When you look at your childhood home, or even your grandparent’s home, what did it look like? Depending on your age, your grandparents may have grown up during the Great Depression. Think about the lifestyle they had to live – EVERYTHING was valuable. Throwing something away was unheard of. Attics filled with items that might be needed later. Closets filled with old clothes never worn again, but the thought of getting rid of them seemed irresponsible. Their homes though, reflected the times that they lived through. How does the clutter in YOUR home compare to that of how you grew up? Do you see any similarities?

There is nothing wrong with keeping items that have sentimental value. But keeping things for the sake of not wanting to throw them away or donate them, only adds to the clutter.

Your Story

Not only does how you were raised affect what you choose your house to look like, so do your own life experiences. Let me continue mine. So after we got married, I was trying to figure out who I was, while still trying to figure out what I wanted our home to look like, my husband and I went through some pretty significant losses. At the time, I was unable to have my own children due to a heart condition I had, so a dear friend offered to carry a baby for us. Well, she became pregnant with TWINS. To make a long story short, the pregnancy ended in a miscarriage of both babies. On that same day, my husband also lost his job, and we couldn’t afford to live in our starter home. So we moved in with my in-laws, and lived out of boxes until we moved to Minnesota, 5 months later.

When we moved to Minnesota, I so desperately wanted a fresh start in life, that I decided to live my life more minimally. I got rid of an INCREDIBLE amount of stuff. After losing two babies, my husbands job, moving out of our home, and moving to a new state, I just wanted a blank slate. And I’m realizing my story, the story I will forever carry with me, is now a reflection of how I live my life now. Not wanting to have too much, knowing one day, it could all be gone.

So let me ask you, what story are you leaving behind for your kids? What story does your life tell? How do you want to write a DIFFERENT story?

Nature vs. Nurture

This whole idea of nature vs. nurture is everywhere, isn’t it? Well, let me join the crowd. Thinking about this idea, how we were raised, our past, and the clutter we may now have, can go right back to this whole idea.

Nature: What type of climate did you grow up in? Living in the north, you may by default, own more clothing because of the changing of seasons. Winter coats, bulky sweatshirts, fleece pants, all these items take up more space. Someone in Florida may not need to own as many of these items as someone living in Michigan or even especially Minnesota, does.

Also, what size home did you grow up in? If you lived in a small home, yet had LOTS of clutter, does your home look like that today? Did you grow up in a large home, with not much to fill it? What about a small home with little to nothing? How does your house compare to the one you grew up in?

Nurture: Organizing and decluttering is a learned skill. Yes, personalities do play an affect on who we are, but organizing is something that is taught. Who taught you to organize? Who set an example for you? Who are YOU setting an example for?

Believe it or not, we CAN help the way our homes look. And these 3 reasons may describe why our homes look the way they do! If you are overwhelmed by the clutter in your life, don’t forget this key cause for that clutter, but also capitalize on your ability to make your home what YOU want it to be.