Decluttering for Homesteaders and low energy meal prepping

Understanding the Homesteading Treasure Pile

Decluttering is not as popular a homesteading topic as others. I, like many homesteaders, have a treasure pile that may be mistaken for a junk pile, of scraps and not currently used items. Inside my house there may not be junk piles but there are definitely a few items "just in case". That being said, I'm not very nostalgic (unlike my husband) so I part fairly easily with anything I don't think will be useful. The hard part is deciding what we might use again and if it's worth hanging onto until then. Well, the hardest part is actually convincing other family members we don't need to hold onto everything... which is why the pic I choose is of my sons' car collection (a portion of it anyway), which is much cuter looking than our outdoor pile of wood, chicken wire, rusty tools, etc.

The Struggle of Letting Go

Once I've chosen to get rid of something, my next struggle is deciding what to do with it. Do i try to sell it (letting it sit in the closer for an unknown amount of time and having to deal with messages that lead to nowhere, but ends up giving me some money to spend on other homestead projects)? Give it away (then have to figure out to who or what organization or post on buy nothing and again have to deal with messages). Throw it away? gasp.

My bottom line is, there are too many decisions. Both in buying something and in getting rid of things. I only have so much decision making capacity in the day before mentally fatiguing (and possibly physically fatiguing when on a decluttering rampage).

Overall, I'm finding a decluttering podcast helpful for how to frame those decisions and solve some of the issues that go along with junk.... I mean, stuff.

I want to be a good steward of my resources.

This podcast, by Kathi Lipp, an experienced homesteader who focuses on decluttering ("Less Clutter, More Life"), is called Kathi Lipp's Clutter Free Academy podcast. I especially appreciated some of her most recent, on low energy / low cost meals, as this is one my daily struggles on a good day but especially at 8 months pregnant with three young children and 50 ish animals.... I'm tired, but also don't want to go out to eat often or use prepackaged foods often (for health and cost). That series starts on #633.

Decluttering Is a Journey

Ultimately, decluttering may not always be a hot topic among homesteaders, but it’s vital. If you're like me, you're into lots of projects, from gardening and livestock to cooking to baking, food preservation, possibly sewing, etc. Most of these require some sort of equipment and it all adds up quickly. Clutter can take away from being functional, especially if you're easily distracted or tend to be disorganized, or have mobility issues (since getting around and over stuff, and picking it up, can be laborious).

So, if clutter is a problem area in your life too, I hope you check out her free podcast. If meal planning with fatigue is thing for you, definitely check out her latest series.