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Space Invaders - a deeper look

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Here in Australia, there's a new TV show -- Space Invaders. The expert team visits ordinary families and help them declutter their home and improve their lives.

Just one episode in and it's already a must-watch for me.


Meet the Team

"Declutter Guru" Peter Walsh is accompanied by renovation expert Cherie Barber and treasure hunter Lucas Callaghan. Their mission is to help households remove clutter, renovate the decluttered space and maybe find some treasures along the way.

Episode one

Empty-nesters Julie and Pete were in need of help. Julie's birthday presents lived on the dining table as there was nowhere for them to go.

The spare room had barely enough floor space to walk in. The main bedroom was not much better. Pete's clothes were stored in the living room.

Julie herself admitted "each thing I recognise and love - but as a whole it's just become a bit of a mess".

So what did they lose?

Julie's nine racks of clothes were reduced to three. The 110 boxes of stuff were reduced to 11 boxes. Julie admits, that she "couldn't tell you what was missing".

I resonate with that. My wife and I have sold more than 530 items. Yet if we had to list what they were, it would take me all day to think of 50 (if I'm lucky).

It's odd that we cling to so much because we think it's valuable to us. But when it's gone we don't even remember it.

Like a holiday house

Julie's described her new-look bedroom as "like a holiday house" because it looked so relaxing. Not because of the decorating (though that helped) but because the clutter had (unknowingly) caused so much stress. Without it, home seemed like a holiday. 

I've sometimes thought this when on holiday. The accommodation often has a relaxed vibe - even if there's no ocean view. I've wondered how much just comes down to the absence of clutter.

Tips from the experts

Peter Walsh has three rules that a piece of clothing must have. It must be something (1) you love, (2) that fits you now, and (3) people say you look great in it.

He also says that "memory clutter" is the hardest to deal with. We fear that "if we let go of the object we'll lose the memory".

Coincidentally, I've just finished reading a book on memories (making them and keeping them). That'll be an article coming up soon. Suffice to say that there's heaps of ways to keep memories that don't involve hanging onto a house full of clutter.

Getting rid of the excess

So the other 99 boxes ended up going to "donation". Lucas estimated it was worth about $11,000 and mentioned that they could have made that money if they could be bothered selling their items.

Whilst he praised them for effectively making such a donation to charity, it's questionable whether the charity has enough room to store it all. Or if the charity shop has enough customers to sell it all before the next load of donations arrives.

Fortunately, he did also praise them for donating quality, good-condition items, saying that donating is "like you were giving it to a family member or friend". That is to say, don't give them junk. (See my article Don't dump on charities).

Lost gold

In sorting through the piles clutter, Lucas also found a 24-carat gold bracelet ($300 - $500 worth) and some silver also worth $500.

Whether it's financial value or emotional value, it's surprising the valuable items that we have - but are like needles in a haystack. What's the point of having them if we can never find them?

The change

It seemed that Julie and Pete's lives were much improved by this visit from the space invaders. Their bedroom was now a joy to be in, their living room featured a small number of key sentimental items, there is enough space for the adult kids to come and have a meal together, and the spare room is perfect for the granddaughter to sleep over.

It's amazing that all that can come from reducing the amount of stuff we don't even need.

The future

This is just the first episode of this show. I'm sure I'll have something to say about future episodes. To hear about that, or be notified when I review the memories book, sign up to my monthly email update.

Find out more about the Space Invaders.

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