Decluttering thread!

[Chaos Coordinator]

Fiiiiiinally done with this two day clothing organization project. Insane. I did not expect it to be so time consuming. I got one bag filled for donation, dropped off a bag with a friend, packed a bag to send to dh's cousin, and have a bag ready to be picked up by someone this afternoon. Then the older two have a next box ready to go, and the baby has three giant bags of stuff....I thought I could get it pared down more, but then I remembered that twenty pairs of pull on shorts is actually pretty appropriate for a potty training toddler

[rjy9343]

I got rid of all of Ivy's too small shoes. I also consolidated my donations, so they will go into the van tonight while Ivy sleeps and to Goodwill in the morning.

[blondie]

Pulled 2 shirts and a pair of shoes from my closet and i listed some random stuff on the local rummage page. . Baby steps. Ive fallen off the decluttering wagon.

[Blue-EyedLady]

I went through all the maternity clothes and outgrown baby clothes, put together the sets and sorted them into boxes. Then I took them to the local consignment place and got $35 worth of credit (that I spent on cloth diapers ). I still have 3 totes left, full of clothes that they didn't take. I need to take some pictures and get them up for sale on FB.

[Chaos Coordinator]

Is "spark joy" the magic KonMari script?

I estimate that I've gotten rid of probably 20 bags/boxes in the last ten days or so. That's good progress! I want to use the KonMari method as I continue and as I pack to move.

[blondie]

4 dvd cases and my old worn out slippers hit the trash tonight. Baby steps! Ima miss those slippers.

[Blue-EyedLady]

Bought2 new insulated cooler bags and tossed3 old worn out ones. Bought2 new pairs of sandals and tossed 3 worn out pairs.

Helped the kids go through books last night to pick out some to give to a refugee family. Purged a few toys for the family, too. Funny - it's easier to give stuff away to actual people than to the thrift store.

[lenswyf]

My decluttering right now is emptying boxes from our move to this house 7 years ago. Some things might have been relevant then, but they aren't now. I'm using Facebook to gift as much of it as I can before donating or tossing.

[FarmMama]

I'm super feeling this right now. SO far each week I have been able to get rid of a few big 32 gallon trash bags worth of STUFF. I am so confused...because I just did this last year when we moved. Where does it all come from? I guess though I am being less lenient on what makes the cut. I did look into the KoniMari method (I am a little out of the loop as this is the first i am hearing about it), and some of the things are applicable, but some aren't (just because we have a larger family with little funds, so yes, that fear of the future thing absolutely does have me hang on to things like winter jackets, blankets, etc).

Hoping to clear out more today. A good friend of mine was nice enough to haul things away. A lot of this weeks bags were old broken not played with toys. And no, I do not go through them with the kids. I know what they play with and what they don't and what they treasure. But still, if they see a one-armed transformer that hasn't been played with in a year go into a bag, it seems an attachment will form immediately, especially with my DD1. In this week's bags were also donations given to us from a friend around last Christmas that have remained in the garage. I didn't even want the kids to see them, just wanted them gone!

[Blue-EyedLady]

I sold some books to the used bookstore, then donated what they didn't take. I also sold all the outgrown infant clothes, and most of my maternity clothes. I'm working on the playroom next. I found cabinets on clearance at Target and I'm going to put most of the toys behind childproof locks. We're going to start putting away toys before getting something new out. And since I'm pretty sure the toys won't all fit in the cabinet s, some purging is going to happen.

[Leslie]

Originally Posted by believer

I am now reading a book called "Stuffocation" which is very interesting. It claims that our materialism and the obesity epidemic are somewhat related and that as a society, we have become too materialistic, which is resulting in some of us realizing that and shunning the material and eschewing experiences instead. I think we see that in the tiny house movement and minimalism trend.

I've been fascinated and drawn to the tiny house movement and minimalism trend, so I've been slowly decluttering the last couple of years, but more so the last month or so.

I've been reading The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, and I really like her perspective -- about being deliberately mindful of what you keep, and consciously thankful for what you have (or have had) and the benefit those things have provided. It really puts a whole new spin on "stuff."

Originally Posted by Soliloquy

I think it's important to examine why you are hanging on to things that make your home more difficult to clean and less pleasant to be in.

Yes, I'm really hearing that loud and clear after reading the KonMari book. As I part with stuff I hung onto for years, I'm understanding how this can be life changing. I think it changes your relationship with "stuff" and, if you set aside some of the personification of things (like socks!) in the book, it can help to release us from materialism and live a more faith-based life. And, in a weird sense, I've heard (from DYT and other places) about the right thing finding you when the time is right, and, although I don't put much stock in the energy-drawing aspect of stuff finding me, I'm sort of seeing how that works. As I release things I've held onto out of fear, it frees me, and I've already seen how, even after I let one thing go, when I need a perfectly-sized item to hold a specific item, it has just turned up like magic. Sometimes in the bin I was taking to Goodwill.

The thing I'm having a hard time with is the years and years of paperwork from my kids -- their first toddler drawings, written school work with cute little doodles, shopping lists with adorable spelling, stories they wrote. Four kids times 18 years of work adds up, and I'm not sure I can part with it. Any of it. All I've managed to do is condense it by stacking it neater, and then wrap it tightly in plastic and stick it in the basement. Some day I'm going to have to deal with it.

What I'd really like to do is declutter, and then try to do a year without buying anything (except food and toiletries).

[silverlining]

I finally convinced DH to get rid of his dresser, which is too small and has a broken drawer. Unfortunately, I got no takers on Freecycle, and I really hate the thought of trying to load it up and take it somewhere. There are a couple of charities here that pick up, but they make a point of saying they only take furniture in very good condition, and I don't think this qualifies.

[believer]

Originally Posted by silverlining

I finally convinced DH to get rid of his dresser, which is too small and has a broken drawer. Unfortunately, I got no takers on Freecycle, and I really hate the thought of trying to load it up and take it somewhere. There are a couple of charities here that pick up, but they make a point of saying they only take furniture in very good condition, and I don't think this qualifies.

You could also list it for free on Craiglist. And, if that does not work, check and see if your neighborhood does bulk trash pick up. If they do, you can put it outside on bulk trash day and often it will be taken before the trash truck gets there.

[silverlining]

Originally Posted by believer

You could also list it for free on Craiglist. And, if that does not work, check and see if your neighborhood does bulk trash pick up. If they do, you can put it outside on bulk trash day and often it will be taken before the trash truck gets there.

I was a nice day here yesterday, so DH and I dragged it out to the curb, and within an hour someone stopped to ask for it, so it is gone. Of course, now the bedroom is full of bins and baskets of clothing until we get a new dresser in there.

[Carini]

I'm back. I read Life Changing Magic...and it has really spurred me on. I love her concept.

I also did this in my closet and Dh has too. Talk about life changing!!! I am in love with this concept and its working so well!

http://theproject333.com/getting-started/


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