Giveaway: “Stuff Your Face Or Face Your Stuff” by Dorothy From Hoarders
My New Year’s Resolution for 2013 is “More Money, Less Dusting.” To that end I’m trying to remove 3650 items (a.k.a Get Rid Of 10 Things A Day) from my house by December 31st. As of today, I’m stuck on item #587. 2013 is more than halfway done, and alas, I have yet to achieve one quarter of my downsizing goal.
To kickstart my downsizing efforts for the second half of the year, I’ve decided to start sharing my stuff with the commentariat of this blog in the form of giveaways. Every week I will be giving away free items to lucky readers.
I think it’s only appropriate that the first giveaway is Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff–a book about organizing and decluttering AND weight loss by Dorothy Breininger, the interventionist and professional organizer from the hit tv show Hoarders.
Look how beautiful Dorothy is when she’s not covered in rat poop!
Dorothy “The Organizer” is my friend and occasional employer. I started volunteering to work on hoarding intervention jobs for her about ten years ago. What you see on tv is what you get in real life with Dorothy. She really is that nice. I always get an emotional lift from spending time with her, even if I’m shoveling moldy food out of a refrigerator. She’s one of the people in my life who inspires me to be the best version of myself. Hoarding runs in my family and I know the crazy is in me. The only reason why Dinky Manor is reasonably tidy is that I manage my possessions like some people manage their sobriety. Not only do the clean-up jobs help “scare me straight,” but Dorothy’s super loving manner with hoarder clients has really been a guideline for me when I feel myself getting frustrated with my hoarder relatives. She really gives everyone she works with so much respect.
One of the many odd facts I’ve learned about personal organization from working with Dorothy is that weight is tied to clutter. Hoarding and disordered eating are often symptoms of the same underlying emotional issues. What I’ve seen over and over with Dorothy’s clients is that once they start downsizing their belongings, the extra weight they’ve struggled to lose usually comes off as well! Dorothy applied this lesson to herself and has lost 75 pounds off her five foot frame over the last two years. She totally walks the walk.
But, you don’t have to be chubby to enjoy this book, which is also happens to be a (gripping) memoir. Although the book focuses on losing weight by removing the emotional and physical clutter from your life, it’s full of fantastic tips for everyone on how to organize every space.
To enter to win my signed copy of Stuff Your Face or Face Your Stuff write your favorite decluttering or weight loss tip in the comments section below. I will randomly choose the winner Tuesday, June 18th, at 11:59pm Pacific Standard Time.
Here, I’ll start. Other than Getting Rid Of 10 Things A Day, my favorite tip for downsizing is to get rid of duplicate belongings. How many kitchen knives do I really need? How many pairs of shoes? How many clocks?
Now, it’s your turn! What is your best tip for decluttering or weight loss?
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