Dear Dana,
I had a Clutter Avoidance conversation! My sister hosted a swimming party at her house and asked us all (I have 6 sisters, plus we have kids) to wear tutus! Yes, it was just as much fun as it sounds. I made mine from my scrap material bin, and each of my 4 daughters already had one. I don’t have to feel guilty about throwing mine away, because it was made from scraps! At the end of the pool party, my sister who hosted the day took her tutu off and handed it to me. Everyone else tutu’s were made from tulle, and she told me she wanted me to have a tutu as well. “I have a tutu!” I told her, but thank you!
She persisted, so I changed tactics. I have been posting how many things I’m getting rid of on our family group page. I’ve been very vocal about my decluttering, so I said, in a playful tone, “You know how hard I’m working on getting things OUT of my house, right?!” Then 2 of my other sisters backed me up in a playful way. I complimented the tutu one last time, and told her I just didn’t need it, but thank you.
I don’t think I could have done this in the past! I would have just taken it, with plans of donating it later, then one of my kids would start playing with it… Thanks to your videos I was ready!
She wasn’t letting me off easily either, “You could play dress up with your girls! this one is big and fluffy!” It was tough!
I am going to call her and make sure she wasn’t offended. She probably wasn’t. This is just the guilt, right? I’m not the only one who feels this way when they say ‘no’ to clutter. She has a very tidy house, and is also not a fan of keeping everything. That’s why she was giving me the tutu.
Signed,
A Girl with One Less Tutu
Watch (or read, but watching is way more fun) all my Clutter Avoidance Conversations here.
Are you looking for a guide for your own decluttering process? Check out my books How to Manage Your Home without Losing Your Mind and Decluttering at The Speed of Life.
She wasn’t too in love with the idea of playing dress up with it or she would have KEPT it. Good job avoiding clutter. You will be able to make/buy another if you really want one in the future!
Yay!!!!! And, um, seriously? A mom tutu? Really, thanks but no thanks! I would vote for not calling the sister to make sure she’s not offended- I’ve spent my whole life worrying about everyone else’s feelings and it’s not healthy. Our feelings matter too, just as much as everyone else’s :).
Love love love it! With six sisters I bet there is a lot of trading and giving going on.
Congrats on your progress