I have been at my parents house in CT for a week now. My mom passed away 6 months ago and to say she was an organized hoarder is an understatement. OH MY!! I am trying to clean and every time I turn around, I knock into something or knock something down.
This has really motivated me for when I get back home to Texas to simplify even more and start looking at smaller homes. It's our ultimate goal to find a small house near the beach and move there permanently within the next 10 years. Seeing the state of my parents condo is VERY motivating right now.
What I find sad is that my mom never could enjoy herself, especially on vacation or trips because she was always worried about her stuff. She always over packed and never used 1/3 of what she had. And she had to shop no matter where she was- gas station, road side stand, yard sale, restaurant- she had to buy something.
I have come to realize this behavior is why I am the way I am. I can remember the turning point for me. I was a Junior in high school and my mom told me we had no money for back to school. I was able to get one pair of jeans and 3 shirts and a pair of shoes BUT the following weekend, she spent $400 on yard sales and junk stores (This was 1990, so you can imagine the amount of stuff she got for $400).
I started working a year later and from there on out, paid for my own stuff. It was hard but it motivated me to honor the value of a dollar. I have made a lot of mistakes but I will never forget that feeling of someone valuing some material item over a person and meeting the needs of someone.