How I Lost 50 Pounds in Two Weeks and Gained a New Living Room!
by Pamela Cole Harris

Description: One person's journey to a clutter-free living room!

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OK...I was spilling over, outgrowing everything, the beautiful bits hidden under mounds of muddle and it was time – past time – to lose it! I thought about using dynamite to blast it away, but that was too messy and probably illegal! I thought of calling a small third world county and telling them I had more than enough if they could use some extra – but that would probably cause an international crisis. So I decided to do it the hard way – one step at a time. Yes, it was time to de-clutter my living room! And lest you think this a small task, let me tell you that we are talking clutter with a capital "C!"

I began by sorting through my stacks of books until I came to a book on "How to De-Clutter Your Home," which had been hidden under a book on streamlining your life and another on losing 5 pounds overnight. Armed with the book's list of suggested steps, I sat on a stack of magazines and began to read.

1. Start with three boxes – one labeled "keep," one labeled "trash," and another labeled "give away."

- Now right away we have a problem. If I could put all my stuff into these three little boxes, I wouldn't HAVE a clutter problem! So I got out my industrial-sized box of trash bags, skipped the labels and with applause from my husband ( who immediately ducked to miss the flying copy of "How to Declutter Your Home" and fled a hasty retreat), I began to stuff.

2. If possible, move everything out of the room. Move back in only the items you want to keep.

- When I called my husband to help, pointing to the next item on the list from "How to Declutter Your Home," he dissolved into gales of laughter and said, "You want to put what, WHERE?" I muttered something about "where the sun don't shine," handed him a hankie to wipe his eyes, picked up the nearest pile and began to move.

3. If you are unsure about whether or not to keep items, put them in a box for 6 months. If you still haven't opened the box after six months, take it directly to a thrift store.

- Now THIS made sense - box up all my junk and put it in my husband's space and let HIM deal with it! When my husband realized - on my third trip to the garage – that I was moving all my possessions, lock, stock, and silk flower arrangments to live amongst the tools, "valuable stuff," and "they don't make 'em like that anymore" treasure in his space, he – well, let's put it in a less explosive term – "freaked!" My copy of "How to Declutter Your Home" landed in my neighbor's yard amongst the begonias, scaring the cat and causing every dog in the neighborhood to begin a new game of "My bark is louder than your bark!"

It took two weeks, 10 trash bags, 9 boxes, two extra-large pepperoni pizzas for my husband and the dogged determination of yours truly, but I got a new, uncluttered and streamlined living room. And the 50 pounds? More than 50 pounds of "irreplaceable treasure" went to the thrift store or trash bin in the two weeks of decluttering! So I am back to my old svelte self! Now, if only I could get up enough courage to open that hall closet, I might lose another 20!

Pamela Cole Harris has been a writer and decor recycler for over 30 years (Yikes! Has it been that long?) - and as for food experience - she has eaten every single day for over 50 years! Visit her website: http://www.homeandgardenmakeover.com

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