Clutter Free by Kathi Lipp

Clutter. We all have it and know we should do something about it. Why don't we?

That is the first topic Lipp covers in this book. She helps us understand the why of clutter. She explores why we are hesitant to get rid of stuff. Reasons include fear, guilt, not wanting to admit defeat – and those are just a few. She also writes about why we buy and the longing we have that cannot be fulfilled by stuff. She helps us when we need to deal with other people's stuff and avoid mistakes.

Her philosophy includes making room for what's really important. She relates our accumulation of clutter to the state of our spirit. Clutter leads to a lack of peace and to stress. She shares the advantages of neighborhood sharing and not owning everything ourselves.

Yes, she does finally give us her strategy for clutter management and the three question test. Her plan is a little different in that it concentrates on what we want to keep. (She has included her three-box, two-bag system from a previous book in an Appendix.) She also includes a clothing strategy on how to get to a minimum yet useful wardrobe. She provides a strategy for paper clutter in an Appendix.

She finally reminds us that the de-cluttering process is not simply to get rid of stuff but to uncover and appreciate the treasures we have, making room for the best things in our life.

The important part of this book is the reasons we have clutter. If we don't address those reasons, even though we de-clutter once, it will be back. Reading this book will hurt but we'll be better for it. Reading the reasons why we buy and why we keep stuff was very insightful.

If you are ready to be intentional about your stuff, read this book. You will not only receive a good strategy to manage clutter, you'll find out why you've accumulated all that stuff in the first place. I highly recommend this book.

Food for thought:

“The easiest time to say no to clutter is at the store.”

“Everything I own must earn the right to be there.”

Kathi Lipp is the author of ten books. She is the host of "So Here's the Thing with Kathi Lipp" and speaks at conferences across the U.S. She and her husband are the parents of four young adults in San Jose, CA. Find out more at www.KathiLipp.com.

Harvest House, 224 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher for the purpose of an independent and honest review.