So many comments about my attic door and table!! 😂 For those who don't know, I am filming in my attic, which I am in the process of decluttering so my "set" is in progress. That door leads to a small storage area and the ottoman isn't usually in front of it - I was moving items around up there and didn't put it back before filming!!
@@tarynmaria_ looks like my living room minus the rug. I don't like having too much furniture to clean or dust. I love the open space. It's so calming.
Now, I have a lot of plants and most are in one room. And everyone who enters my house absolutely loves it ! It’s like a fresh air oasis. If done right, it’s very visually pleasing ! 😊
I used to have 41 plants in a two bedroom apartment. It was beautiful. They were all grouped in one of two places and those rooms were people's favorite places.
I have two pieces of word art on hand-painted driftwood. One reads: "Be not afraid of shadows" (Richard III). The other reads: "DO" in mango-coloured paint. That's for when I'm depressed, to DO something. Anything. Scoop out the litter box, do the dishes. Anything.
I have a mirror with stick on word art. It covers a scratch on it. The words are "The best things in life aren't things". That's my only word art and I like what it says.
I purchased a couple baskets with lids for cable management in my living room. I run the cables through the handle holes. It is such a huge improvement.
Word art lovers: Keep your art if you love it. Be yourself. Decorate with what you love and don't follow trends. Nothing is better than original decorating reflecting you.
Okay, I agree with the word art. Best one I've ever seen is above a doorbell. The sign reads "Ring the bell - Win a dog!". And as you ring the bell her three dogs all start barking. Makes me laugh every time I visit her house!
@Indyexpat Back when I was a scout, my Daddy always bought all my thin mints and peanut butter sandwich cookies. My customers were always so disappointed.
True. It is YOUR home. Decorate how you like, but I also don’t want to “put off” friends and family. Lol. I like less stuff, and just have some random unique pieces where folks who enter say, “oh wow, so cool”. 😊
Re cable management: It's possible to drill a big round hole in the back of a bookcase, cabinet, etc. (Use a large circular drill bit.) You can then place the bookcase or whatever against a wall with an outlet, thread a power strip through the hole, and have a nice, discreet spot to recharge your stuff.
First time watcher here. So many great ideas since I am (slowly) removing clutter - challenging because so many are related to special memories over a 40 year timeframe.
I love your videos. Your voice and demeanor is calming, encouraging. You are spot on with your advice and never come across as judgy. Great job on another great video.
I DEFINITELY appreciate the dangers of a tripping hazard! We love having an area rug, but we have kids and a dog, the rug is washable, and our house would ECHO without it in the living room. (And there is absolutely no way I'm covering up original hardwood with wall-to-wall permanent carpet.)
@@tinywalnut6337 My grand parents got rid of all of theirs as soon as they hit retirement age 👍🏻 And we have none mainly because I have dogs and it’s more things to clean and my 91 year old dad lives with us. Don’t need him tripping
Years ago one of the first things I remember being taught in nursing school was how dangerous small rugs are and how many older people lose their mobility from falling over rugs!!! You don't want a broken hip because of an unnecessary rug.
@@katie7748I found those who have it, aren’t happy at all. Do we really need anymore stimulus? We’re dealing with computers, phones, noise, media, and on and on.
I always despised that one the most. I’ve seen it on tshirts also ! And Hobby Lobby still sells those ! Although, the shelves look full, I don’t think anyone is buying them.
No words!! No words on anything - don't like them. Don't like words on clothing either. or bags. I like things to be solid colours and no breaks with pictures or words!!!
I'm the same. I'm not paying my hard-earned money to be a walking advertisement for a wealthy company. Also, to me it feels like bragging, which I dislike. I like to decant because I don't like packaging trying to convince me to buy it. I've already purchased it. I like peace and simplicity. Signage that screams at you like the all-caps "EAT". Cringy ones like "Live Laugh Love" "Gather" "Family" "Farmhouse". If one needs a constant reminder, something's wrong. Bathroom signs are funny to me. Folks really need daily instructions on what the sink and the toilet are for? I guess lots of people do lol.
@@Jamie-h5b I am the same - signs that say : Love - Live - Laugh and all that crap does not get room in my home. there is nothing more bland than a wooden or MDF sign with a word or words on it - try real art!! EAT - in case you didn't know the dinning room is for eating!! No tacky bathroom signs !!! People do not realise they are paying to ADVERTISE a company !! Plain, simple , classic, smooth, uncluttered, easy on the eye - no embellishments - is the best way to go, in home and clothing, and anything else. That says CLASS more than anything else does.
I'm the same way about words on clothing. The only exception I have is when I might go to a game watching party or tailgate I can wear my team shirt, but otherwise, no words on shirts for me!
Never been a fan of word art especially in a living room, however I do have a small plaque with a comical saying in my kitchen which brings a smile to my face.
I have a painting, handmade, with blue crystals around it. It says; "Do not disturb me when I'm cooking." From Breaking Bad, but every visitor thinks it's cute.
I live in a small (672 ft2) house. It's easy for it to look cluttered! One thing that helped on the open shelving was the canvas storage boxes. They hide the contents and act as a container to organize them. Paper clutter gets me: I'm a teacher, so I have a lot of books, always have papers, and struggle with writing projects. Having a home for the paper is absolutely key. I'm still working on cord clutter. You brought up some good ideas. My house is small and older, so there aren't many outlets in a given room. I'll see if some of your cable management ideas can help me. My goal is to have one of those robotic vacuums.
Science agrees with you. Our brains like order, and constant visual clutter drains our cognitive resources, reducing our ability to focus. Visual distraction/visual clutter also negatively affects our memory. It truly is draining.
@@Jamie-h5b Again, ONLY if your brain identifies what you see as clutter. What I identify as clutter is vastly different from what a minimalist (or for that matter someone with OCD) thinks it is. Period.
Love this video. Just discovered you and subscribed. Truth here. I am a hoarder. Working on my problem. It is something I have to fix at my pace. I am maybe 70% better than 2 years ago. What you said about taking a photo of a room and being able to actually SEE the clutter has really helped me.. When I look back at old photo's I realized how bad it was. Thanks for this video!!!!
And so much perfectly good wide open space in that room. Seems to be perfectly good floor and wall space just to the right of the door where it should fit just fine.
I actually concur with every bit of this. And I loathe dusting. That is my least favorite chore. So much so that I’ve even gotten rid of some of my belongings because I get sick of dusting around and on them.
I love your videos! We recently moved into a house about 3x larger than our last and I’m trying to declutter what I do have before I add more. The house looks a little empty right now but I’d rather have an empty home than let my “stuff” overrun me
I do admit I love busy patterns. Usually because of how loud they are they make me get rid of even more items around them. This way they look gorgeous and I don’t need nothing else to distract attention. My living room with white walls looked cleaned but incredibly boring. Nothing seemed soft, bright or inviting even with comfortable chairs and sofas. Now with yellow walls everything always looks energized, warm, comfy with literally everything being the exact same.
Your yellow walls sound beautiful! I too love pattern and color, but I have an art and design background and know how to coordinate everything harmoniously. I think her advice is decent for the average person though because they can accidentally create a jarring or disjointed space when they buy patterned things at random.
You are so right in so many ways. But think outside of North America if you could, and realize that some countries do not build closets into homes. The only place we have for our vacuum cleaner, toilet paper, grocery bags, mop, soda crates, and recycling is in our stairway. Thankfully we don't use our stairway often, but it's stuffed. When the chimney sweep comes (by law every 6 months) I have to move a bunch of soda and water crates out of the way for him to get upstairs. Why don't older European homes have closets? No idea. However we don't have the problem of a big metal fridge with magnets and papers - our fridges are mostly built into the cupboards so no magnet will stick to them anyway *lol*
People who don't travel have no idea how different homes are designed in other countries . You have to know something to begin with to "consider" it. She's probably just not aware of it at all. Traditional European homes don't have built in closets because they had wardrobes/armoires, etc and people can buy cabinets for other items as well. You don't have to spend your life looking at your shoes and vacuum cleaner because you don't live in North America.
People who don't travel have no idea how different homes are designed in other countries . You have to know something to begin with to "consider" it. She's probably just not aware of it at all. Traditional European homes don't have built in closets because they had wardrobes/armoires, etc and people can buy cabinets for other items as well. You don't have to spend your life looking at your vacuum cleaner because you don't live in North America. Those stair baskets look like clutter and they're dangerous. Stairs are only designed for walking, not for storage.
True, although most European homes have built in cupboards, which I love, for storage! Even in the U.S., a lot of older homes (like mine) don’t have closets. We had to build a pantry and we added cupboards for our vacuum and cleaning items.
I have word art...always gives visitors a chuckle😅 Front porch...."Please remove your choos".......that refers Jimmy Choo(shoes) Flip-flops welcome!.....( I live in them) Kitchen...."The only reason i have a kitchen is because it came with the house " ( I only cook because i have to!) Utility room...." What if the hokey cokey really is what its all about?" "I may not have lost all my marbles yet,but there's a small hole in the bag somewhere" And if i find any more that amuse me...I'm buying😅
I love it! I love going to someone’s house and reading the funny or encouraging messages all over the house. My grandma used to post. Newspaper clippings of funny or encouraging things on the wall of her bathroom! lol 😂 it made the go so much more enjoyable back before smart phones! 😂
Quick note on flipflops, if your heel starts to hurt you need to stop wearing them. They don't offer foot support and can cause foot spurs which is very painful. I loved flipflops, still have several brand new ones stored away but feet pain became unbearable. Swapped for crocs which offer cushioning and support, not pretty but definitely comfortable.
My tip for issue #1 (cable management/clutter)... if you have the ability, either with a new home build or remodel, is to add twice as many power outlets/receptacles as required by code. Too often, builders put in the bare minimum and spacing is terrible because of it. Not having to stretch power cords to farther outlets down a wall will reduce the look of cables and the clutter they produce. I *think* most code requires 12 foot spacing on outlets on a wall (and no more than 6 feet from a corner), so perhaps go for 8 or even 6 feet between them. Maybe even less for walls you know are going to have lots of electronics. It also eliminates some reliance on power strips because you run out of receptacles and gives you far more options on device placement. (I'm adding twice the number of receptacles to each room I remodel as I go thru my house, just for that reason)
Such a great tip! My home is over 100 years old and we hardly have any outlets - we've paid to add a few more but it's a big pain when dealing with cords!
@@tarynmaria_ Another thing is to look at quad box receptacles in place of standard duplex for areas that have more then two devices needing power. Relatively simple upgrade and reduces need for power strips.
I so agree about the word art with all the sayings love live life. It rubs me wrong like there’s no tomorrow papers on the fridge. rub me wrong too many pillows on a couch. Rub me wrong because you can’t sit down. You gotta put them on the floor decorate in threes and fives odd numbers, OK I got this off my chest. It feels better thank you.😜
I hate fitted carpet so I have hard floors, but I do have a rug under the sofas. It defines the area and feels cozy and it can be sent away for washing if necessary.
We've got machine washable area rugs for bedrooms, the living room, and our bedroom hallway. I canNOT stand rugs or carpets otherwise, they just get disgusting.
Something I'm so glad I bought, though not a major item - my shredder. Bought it to create packing material for a move, but the minute I'm done with a piece of paper I'm never going to want again, I shred it. It never exists anywhere again. (And the shred-bag goes in recycle when full.)
On word art, I realized I had a large number of "Love" signs all over in different places. I gathered them all up and put them all on one shelf above my kitchen cabinets. It looks great and it's not all spread out all over. Combining them in one space made them feel less cluttery. Great ideas!!
I hate the way your background is arranged, myself. Now, I agree about all the cordage - anything that organizes them is great. I file in my home the exact way I use to in my office. Place for everything. SOME of us like lots of color & patterns! My house is very what is termed ‘cottagecore’ or as I put it, vintage hippy (like me). Also love my throw rugs - I rent & they cover the awful rug. Not going to get rid of my books - I did downside from 3000 to 1000, in order to have a place for my dolls. I must cover my fridge in magnets, etc. Doesn’t bring MY kitchen down! QUIT calling these things MISTAKES!!!! What looks like clutter to you is NOT for all of us!!!!
These are really great tips - you mention a bunch of areas I already knew about, but others I hadn’t thought of (like groups of plants). Looking forward to working on some of these in my home!
I agree with everything you suggested!! I also do not like things in corners! I recently got a robot vacuum cleaner and that solved the 'putting things on the floor'!!
New sub here. I love how personable you are. I learned a couple of new things here! A couple more that I did recently (coz it felt right) and now I understand why.
I HATE CORDS! Everything should be cordless. Or why do they put a black or brown cord on a beautiful lamp with brass? Why not a gold cord and gold plug? Im sure it’s more costly. I do not like dusting, as well. Whoever invented the swifter duster is a genius, in my opinion. And the long one for high areas? Awesome. I finally put my papers, etc. on the side of the frig, also. Great idea. Love your videos!
Only reinforces what I’ve known for most of my life…I’m an AMAZING decorator! I have always detested crap hanging off refrigerators, I have an $8,00O dollar Sub Zero that I had cabinetry added , can’t put a magnet on it even if I wanted to!
I read somewhere that things on the floor cause stress because our primal instinct reacts as if it´s dangerous. I guess because when people lived in nature, you had to be aware of things on the ground.
Oh I agree with you so much, but I will never have an uncluttered home because my husband refuses to unclutter his stuff; it’s everywhere. It stresses me out so much, but all I can do is try to keep the clutter down to a bearable (barely) level because it will not get better. I will try and figure out how to get my husband to try some of these ideas.
wow, I am totally guilty of everything you mentioned, I looked back at old photos of past places and currant and I would say, I am definitely a clutter magnet, LOL
My walls are pretty empty but I like it- and idc I love my ‘Stay Awhile’ sign just have it & a large clock in the livingroom otherwise there would be nothing on our walls. It feels welcoming I think
Put a plain curtain on a springrod to cover a bookcase. You can keep out dust, hide baskets of items including incoming mail basket and have a tidy living room even without a closet.
Mail comes in. Junk mail goes into paper recycling box which is kept outside. I'm weeding out some of the excess colors. I have a grey sofa with grey throws. I got rid of two throw rugs and replaced them with one. Only a few open shelves in my house. Pictures do show clutter.
I agree with you about not putting things on the floor. My mantra is nothing on the floor except furniture legs, also trash cans because you can’t really keep those up off the floor.
I always say decorate how you like. If you enjoy the space, then it really doesn’t matter how it’s decorated. I personally hate the “all beige” look that everyone seems to love. I don’t like bright colors, but I do like color. I love mismatched furniture pieces. I love organised clutter, like lots of books on a shelf, etc.
I love the beige look, have had to move so many times I have to have pieces that can move around in different situations…but I have the whole range of brown to beige…Christmas decor looks fantastic in my home. I need visually calming scenarios, beige to brown calms me. When my daughter was a teen she insisted i paint the walls different colors…i never realized how much i disliked it until i had to return the house to beige tones to sell it….it was a calm house again.
@@Kate98755Fair point. I can see how it may be calming for some, just not me 🤣🤣. As long as your space is how you love it, then that’s all that matters.
So, what can be done about lamp cords? I have some furniture where the legs or base do nothing to hide the cord, and there's a bit of a distance to the outlet. It really spoils an otherwise uncluttered space.
I have set up a noticeboard inside the boiler cabinet door in my kitchen. I used self adhesive cork tiles and pins. The front of the boiler is metal so I use a magnetic hook to hang our calendar. I have a pen pot with a magnet on the back which lives there too. Under the boiler we have room for a shoe storage system. We live in a cottage where the front door opens straight into the kitchen and there is no hallway.
As a senior, I hate “throw” rugs with a passion! A nice way to have rich texture is to put a small handwoven piece on the wall - or buy a lovely scarf!
It is possible that the reason your husband tosses things on the floor all of the time is the fact that you are picking it up all of the time… my ex- husband did this as well…I too believed for a long time that this was some kind of personality or gender difference. You know some people are this way and some other people are this other way. Not so, in my experience people who toss things on the floor do so because somebody is constantly picking that stuff up… and they like it tidy.. they just don’t like tidying. Once I realized that I was heavily contributing to this behavior I exited that relationship. Now I have a much more considerate male partner who actually cares about me.
I don't think it's possible in our case as I'm not picking the things up myself and they eventually get taken care of. I think people have different thresholds for mess - but that's ok! It keeps the world interesting!
@@tarynmaria_ ok, in my case I definitely have a very law threshold for clutter… especially floor clutter … as it prevents me from walking freely among other things… my ex would sometimes take care of the stuff on the floor but by that time days or weeks would have passed by… most of the time I would have picked stuff up so I could breathe. Now that I know this about myself I no longer inhabit living spaces with people who have a very high threshold for clutter or who show too little consideration for people who have a very law clutter threshold I am glad you are able to make it work 👍
@@Lilly-xg5xw my husband and I was the exact opposite. I'm fussy about my house being clean but my bedroom was a different story. My entire life ive thrown dirty clothes on the floor. One day after a few months of living with my husband, I was going to do laundry so I went around the bedroom picking up dirty laundry. That's how it's been done since I was a small child. Well I noticed I was picking up HIS clothes. That pissed me off. He shouldn't leave his clothes laying around for me to pick up! My brain said but you leave your clothes on the floor. But I pick them up I replied to my commonsense side of my brain. Commonsense brain said yes but he has to look at the mess until you do....OHHHH lightbuld turns on. I started using a hamper. It took about a month to make it a habit but now even the bedroom stays clean.
There are many men (and women, too) who live alone and throw their clothes on the floor. They don't have anyone else to pick up after them, that's just how they are.
Visual clutter tips! Visual clutter is ruining your home. Here are 10 common mistakes that are making your home look cluttered. And of course, how to easily fix it! #declutteringandorganizing #minimalism #decluttering Click here for a clean & tidy home!  / @tarynmaria_ Items mentioned: Cable management box: amzn.to/3YGnbEK (similar to mine) Cord hider kit: amzn.to/4cn0LeA Join my mailing list for emails that will make your life easier! eepurl.com/iB2aE2
@lobstermash • Same here, especially the stuff on stairs. I have mobilty problems, and I hate to visit one of my friends because of the shoes on almost every step, or the laundry hamper needing to go upstairs. I'm genuinely terrified of tripping and falling.
Not only the stairs please. But make sure you have a clutter free path from upstairs to downstair at all rooms and from front to back of your house. Keep the floors clutter free if you have vision and or mobility problems.
Agree with the word art, so over that. Im also sooo over labels. Everyone labels everything with fancy or chalk labels, and everything is decanted. Im waiting for this fad to be over…
Just moved into a smaller place where the word art wall stickers were in every room. When we went to remove them the drywall came with it in some places. UGH.... This did me in for the word art.
Some great tips here, but I have to ask about the mail. I see it in every decluttering video and wonder if it's an American thing? I find things in my mailbox once, maybe twice a week, and it's only flippers trying to buy every living space possible and Kaufland - the only store that still brings leaflets (other stores luckily stopped doing that). I throw them out right away. All the bills and bank stuff are sent by e-mail. And that's it. What do you get by mail in the US that it's so much paper clutter? Genuine question.
It's 100% a US thing. It's all junk mail! I've even paid to take my name off lists and it's barely made a dent :( It's not like that in other countries for sure.
@@tarynmaria_ Oh wow, that's horrible. Thank you for your answer. I'd go insane sorting through such junk mail all the time trying to see if there's anything important. Poor trees :(
I live in a small town in Canada. Even with that, I have gone to my mail box (which is 15"x6"x6") after only one week and it was so jammed full of mail, mostly newspaper size pages of ads or large card size. Sometimes from stores not even in our community, just addressed to "occupant". Honestly, only one or two actual pieces of mail addressed to me. No garbage can there so have to haul it home to put in paper recycling and take to recycling center later. I don't even look at them. Such a waste of my time not to mention trees lost, and waste produced .
So many comments about my attic door and table!! 😂 For those who don't know, I am filming in my attic, which I am in the process of decluttering so my "set" is in progress. That door leads to a small storage area and the ottoman isn't usually in front of it - I was moving items around up there and didn't put it back before filming!!
@@tarynmaria_ a nice attic!
@@SHA-3210 She's just testing us...
@@tarynmaria_ looks like my living room minus the rug. I don't like having too much furniture to clean or dust. I love the open space. It's so calming.
Lol, I’m glad you explained that. The whole time I was watching your video I couldn’t take my eyes off of the furniture in front of that door.
lol I didn’t comment but I thought about it! 😂
Now, I have a lot of plants and most are in one room. And everyone who enters my house absolutely loves it ! It’s like a fresh air oasis. If done right, it’s very visually pleasing ! 😊
Thank you for sharing!
I used to have 41 plants in a two bedroom apartment. It was beautiful. They were all grouped in one of two places and those rooms were people's favorite places.
As per NASA there are specific plants that clean the air.
Yes, something about combining them into one space makes a big difference! And I think the plants like to be together :-)
I have two pieces of word art on hand-painted driftwood. One reads: "Be not afraid of shadows" (Richard III). The other reads: "DO" in mango-coloured paint. That's for when I'm depressed, to DO something. Anything. Scoop out the litter box, do the dishes. Anything.
Awesome!
I think inspiration is ok, it’s the awful obvious signs like labeling a kitchen “kitchen”. I have never liked those
Inspiration for therapy is different from the inundated words for everything in every room.
@@Ninjanimegamer Of course. And hand-made is different from mass-produced.
I have a mirror with stick on word art. It covers a scratch on it. The words are "The best things in life aren't things". That's my only word art and I like what it says.
I purchased a couple baskets with lids for cable management in my living room. I run the cables through the handle holes. It is such a huge improvement.
Great idea!
Word art lovers: Keep your art if you love it. Be yourself. Decorate with what you love and don't follow trends. Nothing is better than original decorating reflecting you.
Okay, I agree with the word art. Best one I've ever seen is above a doorbell. The sign reads "Ring the bell - Win a dog!". And as you ring the bell her three dogs all start barking. Makes me laugh every time I visit her house!
Ha, too funny!
Actually, we do have one very good useful and humorous piece of word art on the front door, it says " No soliciting unless you're selling thin mints!"
@Indyexpat Back when I was a scout, my Daddy always bought all my thin mints and peanut butter sandwich cookies. My customers were always so disappointed.
I love it!! I'd immediately start laughing!!😂😂😂
Lol! Thanks for the laugh! 😊
So agree with all your tips. The floor is lava, keep things off the floor 😊
Thank you Kathleen! 😊
Again, great advice! So many of these mistakes go unnoticed in everyday life. Must be the clutter-blindness… 😅
My husband treats the floor as the biggest shelf in the house, and that clutter quickly becomes lava, taking over huge sections! 😮
Decorate your home with things you enjoy and love.
Word art in walls or wild colors doesn't matter keep it to how you like it
True. It is YOUR home. Decorate how you like, but I also don’t want to “put off” friends and family. Lol. I like less stuff, and just have some random unique pieces where folks who enter say, “oh wow, so cool”. 😊
Your real friends and family don’t care, they visit to see you not your stuff. 😊
My home is my sanctuary and it is full of things I love. I’m fine with it and if visitors don’t like my art, or throw blankets, don’t visit🤷🏼♀️
OMGoodness! How did you know about my bookshelves, shoe explosion, cord mess and paper clutter?? Thank you so much for the much appreciated advice!❤️
You are so welcome! ☺❤
Re cable management: It's possible to drill a big round hole in the back of a bookcase, cabinet, etc. (Use a large circular drill bit.) You can then place the bookcase or whatever against a wall with an outlet, thread a power strip through the hole, and have a nice, discreet spot to recharge your stuff.
Love that, thank you for sharing that idea!
First time watcher here. So many great ideas since I am (slowly) removing clutter - challenging because so many are related to special memories over a 40 year timeframe.
I know what you mean! Thank you so much for watching and wishing you lots of luck in decluttering!
Yes .. just moved ..
Less room .. but storage out blogs..
Very hard to.. decide
My my .. overwhelming
Out Bldgs
I love your videos. Your voice and demeanor is calming, encouraging. You are spot on with your advice and never come across as judgy. Great job on another great video.
Thank you so much Angella!! 😊
I agree, rugs are trip hazards! I’m 74 and don’t need them!😊
Thank you! :)
I DEFINITELY appreciate the dangers of a tripping hazard! We love having an area rug, but we have kids and a dog, the rug is washable, and our house would ECHO without it in the living room. (And there is absolutely no way I'm covering up original hardwood with wall-to-wall permanent carpet.)
I've been trying to get my mom to get rid of hers. They've nearly killed me multiple times, and I'm just waiting for that phone call...
@@tinywalnut6337
My grand parents got rid of all of theirs as soon as they hit retirement age 👍🏻
And we have none mainly because I have dogs and it’s more things to clean and my 91 year old dad lives with us. Don’t need him tripping
Years ago one of the first things I remember being taught in nursing school was how dangerous small rugs are and how many older people lose their mobility from falling over rugs!!! You don't want a broken hip because of an unnecessary rug.
Agree with it ALL! But especially the live laugh love- never got that sign. Drove me crazy! I just can't.
I absolutely HATE that saying too
I thought it was so cute (at first)! It became too overdone!
@@janetjones935 Ditto, from the very first time I saw it!
@@katie7748I found those who have it, aren’t happy at all. Do we really need anymore stimulus? We’re dealing with computers, phones, noise, media, and on and on.
I always despised that one the most. I’ve seen it on tshirts also ! And Hobby Lobby still sells those ! Although, the shelves look full, I don’t think anyone is buying them.
No words!! No words on anything - don't like them. Don't like words on clothing either. or bags. I like things to be solid colours and no breaks with pictures or words!!!
So true! I used to like words on clothing but for some reason not anymore!
No words on bags well now let me get my knife and get rid of the michael kors letters pronto 😂
I'm the same. I'm not paying my hard-earned money to be a walking advertisement for a wealthy company. Also, to me it feels like bragging, which I dislike.
I like to decant because I don't like packaging trying to convince me to buy it. I've already purchased it. I like peace and simplicity.
Signage that screams at you like the all-caps "EAT".
Cringy ones like "Live Laugh Love" "Gather" "Family" "Farmhouse". If one needs a constant reminder, something's wrong.
Bathroom signs are funny to me. Folks really need daily instructions on what the sink and the toilet are for? I guess lots of people do lol.
@@Jamie-h5b I am the same - signs that say : Love - Live - Laugh and all that crap does not get room in my home. there is nothing more bland than a wooden or MDF sign with a word or words on it - try real art!! EAT - in case you didn't know the dinning room is for eating!! No tacky bathroom signs !!! People do not realise they are paying to ADVERTISE a company !! Plain, simple , classic, smooth, uncluttered, easy on the eye - no embellishments - is the best way to go, in home and clothing, and anything else. That says CLASS more than anything else does.
I'm the same way about words on clothing. The only exception I have is when I might go to a game watching party or tailgate I can wear my team shirt, but otherwise, no words on shirts for me!
Never been a fan of word art especially in a living room, however I do have a small plaque with a comical saying in my kitchen which brings a smile to my face.
Awesome!
I have a painting, handmade, with blue crystals around it. It says; "Do not disturb me when I'm cooking."
From Breaking Bad, but every visitor thinks it's cute.
@@Widdekuu91 My FAVORITE TV show ever!
What’s the saying ? 😂
@@Widdekuu91awesome ! Too funny !
I hate clutter! I use many of your suggestions. Keeps my home clutter free! ❤
Love it! ❤️
I live in a small (672 ft2) house. It's easy for it to look cluttered! One thing that helped on the open shelving was the canvas storage boxes. They hide the contents and act as a container to organize them. Paper clutter gets me: I'm a teacher, so I have a lot of books, always have papers, and struggle with writing projects. Having a home for the paper is absolutely key.
I'm still working on cord clutter. You brought up some good ideas. My house is small and older, so there aren't many outlets in a given room. I'll see if some of your cable management ideas can help me. My goal is to have one of those robotic vacuums.
Awesome, thank you so much for sharing!
It is also clutter and a trip hazard!
Thanks for the motivation. I got busy and now I don't recognize my living room 😅! The difference is Amazing 😊!
Thanks Again ❤.
Oh wow love this so much!! 😊❤️
Visual clutter is draining.
Only if YOU think it’s clutter.
Science agrees with you.
Our brains like order, and constant visual clutter drains our cognitive resources, reducing our ability to focus.
Visual distraction/visual clutter also negatively affects our memory.
It truly is draining.
@@Jamie-h5b Again, ONLY if your brain identifies what you see as clutter. What I identify as clutter is vastly different from what a minimalist (or for that matter someone with OCD) thinks it is.
Period.
Realtors and home stagers: please stop putting up word art in homes for sale. PLEASE ... it is awful!
You are so right, they always use word art!
I wonder if they use word art to distract the eye from problems, kind of like baking cookies to mask a bad odor.
@@mytws ~ That's probably right - nail pops, a stain ... Plus, we can all figure out where to "Gather" without signage!
😂@@FanOblues51
@NisseMasexactly. I like word art. Everyone is different. No one has the authority on what is attractive. Not even Real estate agents!
Love this video. Just discovered you and subscribed. Truth here. I am a hoarder. Working on my problem. It is something I have to fix at my pace. I am maybe 70% better than 2 years ago. What you said about taking a photo of a room and being able to actually SEE the clutter has really helped me.. When I look back at old photo's I realized how bad it was. Thanks for this video!!!!
You are so welcome and I’m so so glad you’re here! It sounds like you are doing a great job!!
I also take pictures of things I need to get rid of so I’ll have it like my kids stuff. This way I give it away but still have the memories
Me too
Sorry, but that table with the plant on it behind you, in front of that door, drove my to distraction during this whole video....anyone else!
That door bothered me. What is that a hobbit door! it is not a full sized door. It's weird!
Especially that it's placed in front of a door. 🤔
She’s talking about making sure nothing is in the doorway-and then there’s a table with a plant in the doorway!!!
Yes
And so much perfectly good wide open space in that room. Seems to be perfectly good floor and wall space just to the right of the door where it should fit just fine.
I like the idea of setting up a command center for all that clutter on fridge, maybe set it up in laundry room. I personally use a yearly planner.
Thank you!
I actually concur with every bit of this. And I loathe dusting. That is my least favorite chore. So much so that I’ve even gotten rid of some of my belongings because I get sick of dusting around and on them.
Agree - dusting is the worst!
I am guilty of having things in my hallways and doorways, but I agree with you!
I get it - it's so easy to do!
Very informative. The core of minimalism in a brief clip
Thank you!
Little Free Library needs your books!
I love your videos! We recently moved into a house about 3x larger than our last and I’m trying to declutter what I do have before I add more. The house looks a little empty right now but I’d rather have an empty home than let my “stuff” overrun me
Thank you so much! Wishing you luck with your decluttering 😊
I do admit I love busy patterns. Usually because of how loud they are they make me get rid of even more items around them. This way they look gorgeous and I don’t need nothing else to distract attention. My living room with white walls looked cleaned but incredibly boring. Nothing seemed soft, bright or inviting even with comfortable chairs and sofas. Now with yellow walls everything always looks energized, warm, comfy with literally everything being the exact same.
Thank you for sharing!
Your yellow walls sound beautiful! I too love pattern and color, but I have an art and design background and know how to coordinate everything harmoniously. I think her advice is decent for the average person though because they can accidentally create a jarring or disjointed space when they buy patterned things at random.
You are so right in so many ways. But think outside of North America if you could, and realize that some countries do not build closets into homes. The only place we have for our vacuum cleaner, toilet paper, grocery bags, mop, soda crates, and recycling is in our stairway. Thankfully we don't use our stairway often, but it's stuffed. When the chimney sweep comes (by law every 6 months) I have to move a bunch of soda and water crates out of the way for him to get upstairs. Why don't older European homes have closets? No idea. However we don't have the problem of a big metal fridge with magnets and papers - our fridges are mostly built into the cupboards so no magnet will stick to them anyway *lol*
People who don't travel have no idea how different homes are designed in other countries .
You have to know something to begin with to "consider" it. She's probably just not aware of it at all.
Traditional European homes don't have built in closets because they had wardrobes/armoires, etc and people can buy cabinets for other items as well.
You don't have to spend your life looking at your shoes and vacuum cleaner because you don't live in North America.
People who don't travel have no idea how different homes are designed in other countries .
You have to know something to begin with to "consider" it. She's probably just not aware of it at all.
Traditional European homes don't have built in closets because they had wardrobes/armoires, etc and people can buy cabinets for other items as well.
You don't have to spend your life looking at your vacuum cleaner because you don't live in North America. Those stair baskets look like clutter and they're dangerous. Stairs are only designed for walking, not for storage.
True, although most European homes have built in cupboards, which I love, for storage! Even in the U.S., a lot of older homes (like mine) don’t have closets. We had to build a pantry and we added cupboards for our vacuum and cleaning items.
You realize that nobody can give advice that's pertinent to the whole world? That's an unreasonable expectation.
Older European home didn't have closets because houses were taxed by the number of rooms and a closet counted as a room
I have word art...always gives visitors a chuckle😅
Front porch...."Please remove your choos".......that refers Jimmy Choo(shoes)
Flip-flops welcome!.....( I live in them)
Kitchen...."The only reason i have a kitchen is because it came with the house "
( I only cook because i have to!)
Utility room...." What if the hokey cokey really is what its all about?"
"I may not have lost all my marbles yet,but there's a small hole in the bag somewhere"
And if i find any more that amuse me...I'm buying😅
Cute! Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely agree, I love a good chuckle
I love it! I love going to someone’s house and reading the funny or encouraging messages all over the house. My grandma used to post. Newspaper clippings of funny or encouraging things on the wall of her bathroom! lol 😂 it made the go so much more enjoyable back before smart phones! 😂
Quick note on flipflops, if your heel starts to hurt you need to stop wearing them. They don't offer foot support and can cause foot spurs which is very painful. I loved flipflops, still have several brand new ones stored away but feet pain became unbearable. Swapped for crocs which offer cushioning and support, not pretty but definitely comfortable.
I agree, I love word art and have a few myself. ❤
Great advice! You covered points that many others don't think about. I, too, am sensitive to clutter. I appreciate your work!
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this video content, especially as my husband & I become home sellers in the near future. 😊❤️
You are so welcome! ❤
My tip for issue #1 (cable management/clutter)... if you have the ability, either with a new home build or remodel, is to add twice as many power outlets/receptacles as required by code. Too often, builders put in the bare minimum and spacing is terrible because of it. Not having to stretch power cords to farther outlets down a wall will reduce the look of cables and the clutter they produce.
I *think* most code requires 12 foot spacing on outlets on a wall (and no more than 6 feet from a corner), so perhaps go for 8 or even 6 feet between them. Maybe even less for walls you know are going to have lots of electronics. It also eliminates some reliance on power strips because you run out of receptacles and gives you far more options on device placement.
(I'm adding twice the number of receptacles to each room I remodel as I go thru my house, just for that reason)
Such a great tip! My home is over 100 years old and we hardly have any outlets - we've paid to add a few more but it's a big pain when dealing with cords!
@@tarynmaria_ Another thing is to look at quad box receptacles in place of standard duplex for areas that have more then two devices needing power. Relatively simple upgrade and reduces need for power strips.
I so agree about the word art with all the sayings love live life. It rubs me wrong like there’s no tomorrow papers on the fridge. rub me wrong too many pillows on a couch. Rub me wrong because you can’t sit down. You gotta put them on the floor decorate in threes and fives odd numbers, OK I got this off my chest. It feels better thank you.😜
Haha thank you for sharing!
Some of the best advice I've ever recieved is to declutter and downsize before you have to. (From my elderly population in an aging in place facility)
I so agree, thank you for sharing!
Great advice!!!! I totally agree with everything you said.
Thank you so much!!
Man, people get so mad when I say that I hate rugs. lol
They're dirt collectors, trip hazards, and I get so annoyed by them.
I hate rugs too
That’s how I feel about curtains. I live rurally (farm), so I have no window coverings. How do ppl get around the dust window coverings cause?
I hate fitted carpet so I have hard floors, but I do have a rug under the sofas. It defines the area and feels cozy and it can be sent away for washing if necessary.
@@kamidsjournee • Dusters or vacuum cleaners. It's not rocket science. 😊
We've got machine washable area rugs for bedrooms, the living room, and our bedroom hallway. I canNOT stand rugs or carpets otherwise, they just get disgusting.
Great tips, Taryn! I can tell they'll make such a difference.
Awesome, I'm so glad!
Very practical and informative presentation.
Thank you!
Very useful video with easy and practical advices Thank you to share your so good ideas 👍
Thank you so much!!
I agree. My clutter blindness is very cloudy and dusty!
Something I'm so glad I bought, though not a major item - my shredder. Bought it to create packing material for a move, but the minute I'm done with a piece of paper I'm never going to want again, I shred it. It never exists anywhere again. (And the shred-bag goes in recycle when full.)
Amen to everything! I avoid word art and labeling where things go because the written word is very noisy in our heads. I have experienced it.
Thank you for sharing!
On word art, I realized I had a large number of "Love" signs all over in different places. I gathered them all up and put them all on one shelf above my kitchen cabinets. It looks great and it's not all spread out all over. Combining them in one space made them feel less cluttery. Great ideas!!
Thanks for sharing!!😊
I hate the way your background is arranged, myself.
Now, I agree about all the cordage - anything that organizes them is great.
I file in my home the exact way I use to in my office. Place for everything.
SOME of us like lots of color & patterns! My house is very what is termed ‘cottagecore’ or as I put it, vintage hippy (like me). Also love my throw rugs - I rent & they cover the awful rug.
Not going to get rid of my books - I did downside from 3000 to 1000, in order to have a place for my dolls.
I must cover my fridge in magnets, etc. Doesn’t bring MY kitchen down!
QUIT calling these things MISTAKES!!!! What looks like clutter to you is NOT for all of us!!!!
These are really great tips - you mention a bunch of areas I already knew about, but others I hadn’t thought of (like groups of plants). Looking forward to working on some of these in my home!
So glad it was helpful!
I agree with everything you suggested!! I also do not like things in corners! I recently got a robot vacuum cleaner and that solved the 'putting things on the floor'!!
Love it!
New sub here. I love how personable you are. I learned a couple of new things here! A couple more that I did recently (coz it felt right) and now I understand why.
That is great! I’m so glad you’re here!
I HATE CORDS! Everything should be cordless. Or why do they put a black or brown cord on a beautiful lamp with brass? Why not a gold cord and gold plug? Im sure it’s more costly. I do not like dusting, as well. Whoever invented the swifter duster is a genius, in my opinion. And the long one for high areas? Awesome. I finally put my papers, etc. on the side of the frig, also. Great idea. Love your videos!
Thank you so much! And I agree - WHY do they put black or brown cords on things that aren't brown and black!
I'm guilty of this. It's so easy to do. I enjoyed this video. 😊❤
I’m so glad!! ❤️
Never been a fan of mixed fabrics, it's doesn't look good to me. Open cabinets/shelves..ugh! 😫
Only reinforces what I’ve known for most of my life…I’m an AMAZING decorator! I have always detested crap hanging off refrigerators, I have an $8,00O dollar Sub Zero that I had cabinetry added , can’t put a magnet on it even if I wanted to!
Thank you for sharing!
I have nothing on my refrigerator…i am amazed when i see refrigerators full….I can’t see anything but a mash of papers.
@@tarynmaria_😂😂😂
My word art is a sign that I inherited from my mother. It says, "My house is clean enough to be healthy and dirty enough to be happy."
Cute!
My mum had that same sign in the kitchen.
@@shellymacchi1900 😎
I read somewhere that things on the floor cause stress because our primal instinct reacts as if it´s dangerous. I guess because when people lived in nature, you had to be aware of things on the ground.
Yes! I read that too!!
I pay attention when walking around. So many people are ignorant of their surroundings.
Oh I agree with you so much, but I will never have an uncluttered home because my husband refuses to unclutter his stuff; it’s everywhere. It stresses me out so much, but all I can do is try to keep the clutter down to a bearable (barely) level because it will not get better. I will try and figure out how to get my husband to try some of these ideas.
Wishing you luck!!
wow, I am totally guilty of everything you mentioned, I looked back at old photos of past places and currant and I would say, I am definitely a clutter magnet, LOL
It's so easy to do!
Me too,😮 I definitely need help with clutter!
I have to tell you. You have beautiful hair; and the color is gorgeous!
@@donnabeach1250 aww thank you so much Donna!
Great video chic❤
Thank you! 🤗
Brilliant!
Thank you! :)
My walls are pretty empty but I like it- and idc I love my ‘Stay Awhile’ sign just have it & a large clock in the livingroom otherwise there would be nothing on our walls. It feels welcoming I think
Awesome, thank you for sharing!
Put a plain curtain on a springrod to cover a bookcase. You can keep out dust, hide baskets of items including incoming mail basket and have a tidy living room even without a closet.
Thank you!
This algorithm is telling me to clean
Ha, too funny!
Mail comes in. Junk mail goes into paper recycling box which is kept outside. I'm weeding out some of the excess colors. I have a grey sofa with grey throws. I got rid of two throw rugs and replaced them with one. Only a few open shelves in my house. Pictures do show clutter.
Thank you for sharing!
I really love your beautiful advice ❤🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠🌠
Thank you so much!
As a Paramedic I will 100% agree small rugs are a big cause of falls! Especially for the elderly.
Thank you!!
No things on the floor… everything you say is correct!
Thank you!
First time viewer here. The floor is hot lava!!
Love it! :)
Love your videos.❤
Thank you so much!! ❤
Great video❣️
Thank you!!❤
Good input. Thank you.
You are so welcome!
I agree with you about not putting things on the floor. My mantra is nothing on the floor except furniture legs, also trash cans because you can’t really keep those up off the floor.
Love it!
I also hate dusting. Ice gotten rid of a lot of things I don't need and I don't take anything someone else wants to give me
I always say decorate how you like. If you enjoy the space, then it really doesn’t matter how it’s decorated. I personally hate the “all beige” look that everyone seems to love. I don’t like bright colors, but I do like color. I love mismatched furniture pieces. I love organised clutter, like lots of books on a shelf, etc.
Thank you for sharing! :)
I love the beige look, have had to move so many times I have to have pieces that can move around in different situations…but I have the whole range of brown to beige…Christmas decor looks fantastic in my home. I need visually calming scenarios, beige to brown calms me. When my daughter was a teen she insisted i paint the walls different colors…i never realized how much i disliked it until i had to return the house to beige tones to sell it….it was a calm house again.
@@Kate98755Fair point. I can see how it may be calming for some, just not me 🤣🤣. As long as your space is how you love it, then that’s all that matters.
So, what can be done about lamp cords? I have some furniture where the legs or base do nothing to hide the cord, and there's a bit of a distance to the outlet. It really spoils an otherwise uncluttered space.
Thanks for uploading 😊
You are so welcome!
Live laugh love 😂😂😂😂
Pasta jars that say pasta
Jeez I have never had any of these
Subscribed as you girl are what I live laugh love about hones 😂❤
Love it!!! Welcome and I’m so glad you’re here! 😊❤️
Great suggestions
Thank you!
I have set up a noticeboard inside the boiler cabinet door in my kitchen. I used self adhesive cork tiles and pins. The front of the boiler is metal so I use a magnetic hook to hang our calendar. I have a pen pot with a magnet on the back which lives there too. Under the boiler we have room for a shoe storage system. We live in a cottage where the front door opens straight into the kitchen and there is no hallway.
What a great idea!!
Be careful! All the paper in one place creates a HUGE pile which easily gets so overwhelming... Ask me how I know...
As a senior, I hate “throw” rugs with a passion! A nice way to have rich texture is to put a small handwoven piece on the wall - or buy a lovely scarf!
Yes! I have a handmade rug on our bedroom wall, you are so right!
I would think a scarf may be more of a tripping hazard than a throw rug
Clutter is ruining not just your home but people mental health. I grew up in a huse with hording tendencies. Not fun. Lot's of anixiety.
Thank you for sharing ❤
The paper clutter is so interesting to me as we get no post as everything and every bill is emailed or online.
It is possible that the reason your husband tosses things on the floor all of the time is the fact that you are picking it up all of the time… my ex- husband did this as well…I too believed for a long time that this was some kind of personality or gender difference. You know some people are this way and some other people are this other way. Not so, in my experience people who toss things on the floor do so because somebody is constantly picking that stuff up… and they like it tidy.. they just don’t like tidying. Once I realized that I was heavily contributing to this behavior I exited that relationship.
Now I have a much more considerate male partner who actually cares about me.
I don't think it's possible in our case as I'm not picking the things up myself and they eventually get taken care of. I think people have different thresholds for mess - but that's ok! It keeps the world interesting!
@@tarynmaria_ ok, in my case I definitely have a very law threshold for clutter… especially floor clutter … as it prevents me from walking freely among other things… my ex would sometimes take care of the stuff on the floor but by that time days or weeks would have passed by… most of the time I would have picked stuff up so I could breathe.
Now that I know this about myself I no longer inhabit living spaces with people who have a very high threshold for clutter or who show too little consideration for people who have a very law clutter threshold
I am glad you are able to make it work 👍
@@Lilly-xg5xw my husband and I was the exact opposite. I'm fussy about my house being clean but my bedroom was a different story. My entire life ive thrown dirty clothes on the floor. One day after a few months of living with my husband, I was going to do laundry so I went around the bedroom picking up dirty laundry. That's how it's been done since I was a small child. Well I noticed I was picking up HIS clothes. That pissed me off. He shouldn't leave his clothes laying around for me to pick up! My brain said but you leave your clothes on the floor. But I pick them up I replied to my commonsense side of my brain. Commonsense brain said yes but he has to look at the mess until you do....OHHHH lightbuld turns on. I started using a hamper. It took about a month to make it a habit but now even the bedroom stays clean.
There are many men (and women, too) who live alone and throw their clothes on the floor.
They don't have anyone else to pick up after them, that's just how they are.
If you are going to give advice on decorating, you should sit somewhere that is properly decorated. I seems as if you are sitting in your garage.
Wish my garage looked like that.
Yes it looks like prison. All of that junk along the bad ledge is a great example of visual clutter.
@@marciamakoviecki3295 but what she says makes sense!
Its declutteri g she is giving advice on, not decorating. Her advice makes sense to me
Visual clutter tips! Visual clutter is ruining your home. Here are 10 common mistakes that are making your home look cluttered. And of course, how to easily fix it! #declutteringandorganizing #minimalism #decluttering
Click here for a clean & tidy home!  / @tarynmaria_
Items mentioned:
Cable management box: amzn.to/3YGnbEK (similar to mine)
Cord hider kit: amzn.to/4cn0LeA
Join my mailing list for emails that will make your life easier! eepurl.com/iB2aE2
Very well-considered. Thanks!
@@marlabrunker738 you are so welcome!
Now if we could get local supermarkets to stop cluttering up their aisles.
Yes!!!! Ugh!
People in the comments be salty and the full moon isn't until the 19th, although it is a supermoon so maybe it has superpowers?
Salty indeed! 😂
Stuff on the stairs or blocking the hallway raises my safety hackles - fire hazard! Never block the exits!
@lobstermash • Same here, especially the stuff on stairs. I have mobilty problems, and I hate to visit one of my friends because of the shoes on almost every step, or the laundry hamper needing to go upstairs. I'm genuinely terrified of tripping and falling.
Thank you for sharing!
Not only the stairs please. But make sure you have a clutter free path from upstairs to downstair at all rooms and from front to back of your house. Keep the floors clutter free if you have vision and or mobility problems.
Agree with the word art, so over that. Im also sooo over labels. Everyone labels everything with fancy or chalk labels, and everything is decanted. Im waiting for this fad to be over…
Why do you have that large round table with the plant in front of a door?
7:40
Agree-my eyes keep looking at that and I’m thinking that is so wrong😂
Maybe she has kids and don't want them to go into that storage place.
I'm going to pin a comment explaining this - you are not alone in wondering this 😂
I put a shelf from hobby lobby over my cords. It looks great on the floor and hides everything.
Great idea!
Taking a photo is very effective. If you flip the photo on the x-axis it's even better (try using a mirror).
great idea!
Another one is TVs high up above a fireplace. They really dominate a space, are uncomfortable to watch, and if the cables are hanging then even worse.
What if I don't have space on either side of ny fridge to move the papers etc. To due to cabinets and a wall?
Word art is horrific.
I'm going to go with"Word Art is overdone"
Certainly you can't have mottos on every wall 😂
Never like the word-art!!!!
Ha! I’m ok in small doses but it’s definitely gotten to be too much!
Just moved into a smaller place where the word art wall stickers were in every room. When we went to remove them the drywall came with it in some places. UGH.... This did me in for the word art.
I heard you can take a picture of a space and then look at it and you'll notice immediately all the stuff there!
For sure!
Some great tips here, but I have to ask about the mail. I see it in every decluttering video and wonder if it's an American thing? I find things in my mailbox once, maybe twice a week, and it's only flippers trying to buy every living space possible and Kaufland - the only store that still brings leaflets (other stores luckily stopped doing that). I throw them out right away. All the bills and bank stuff are sent by e-mail. And that's it. What do you get by mail in the US that it's so much paper clutter? Genuine question.
It's 100% a US thing. It's all junk mail! I've even paid to take my name off lists and it's barely made a dent :( It's not like that in other countries for sure.
@@tarynmaria_ Oh wow, that's horrible. Thank you for your answer. I'd go insane sorting through such junk mail all the time trying to see if there's anything important. Poor trees :(
@@belleshamharoth5559 I agree, so wasteful! :(
@@tarynmaria_it's also a thing in Canada. Drives me crazy..and holidays are the absolute worst!
I live in a small town in Canada. Even with that, I have gone to my mail box (which is 15"x6"x6") after only one week and it was so jammed full of mail, mostly newspaper size pages of ads or large card size. Sometimes from stores not even in our community, just addressed to "occupant". Honestly, only one or two actual pieces of mail addressed to me. No garbage can there so have to haul it home to put in paper recycling and take to recycling center later. I don't even look at them. Such a waste of my time not to mention trees lost, and waste produced .