Decluttering thread!

[Aerynne]

We had our carpets cleaned yesterday and moved everything that was on carpet, including furniture, to the back deck (it is warm enough to do that here). Now we're going to be very intentional about what we put back, decluttering a lot as we go. I already have a huge box of bedding we don't want (so far we have only put back beds and bedding). Tomorrow is a holiday so we will have time to put more back.

I read the Lifechanging Magic of Tidying Up this weekend in preparation for that. I really liked it. I wrote some about this in a different thread, but she talks about holding onto the past and fear of the future as two reasons we keep stuff. I think I'm going to get a box and label it "holding onto the past" and label one "fear of the future". I also need one labeled "Things I don't actually want that other people will want me to keep" I think putting it into those boxes will help me keep it in perspective and have the courage to dump it.

I also bought Clutterfree Kids for Kindle and while most of the advice was pretty standard and not all that groundbreaking, and more of it than I would have thought was about minimalism in general and not kids, toward the end there was a lot of good stuff. My favorite quote "Generosity always leads to contentment with far greater efficiency than contentment leads to generosity."

[believer]

Yesterday, I took a lot of boxes and bags of things to my friend's house that they plan to use as a rental for college students. I had cleaned things out of my kitchen - plates, bowls, mugs, some pots and pans and also some that had belonged to my oldest dd - and some ministry books and a lamp and a lot of things that they will be able to use in the house once they finish fixing it up. I am glad that I was able to get rid of things that I did not need and that other people will be able to make good use of them.

[Blue-EyedLady]

I threw away 3 pairs of old shoes that had gotten too shabby for work. However, I bought 2 new pairs to replace them.

[blondie]

I have a stack of kids clothes to sell on the local bst page. Theyve been sitting for a long time. Ugh. Gotta get on that. Part of me dreads having a stranger come get them and the other part feels like i should get rid of more clothes...i just need to get these sold. The money will be nice and i can always dig out more to sell.

[knitlove]

We cat sat for our neighbors over the weekend. And I left them the babygates we took off. There little one is about to start crawling. They asked how mych money I wanted and I replied that I just wanted them out.

The house feels so much bigger with the gates not on the stairs.

[Aerynne]

Originally Posted by knitlove

We cat sat for our neighbors over the weekend. And I left them the babygates we took off. There little one is about to start crawling. They asked how mych money I wanted and I replied that I just wanted them out.

The house feels so much bigger with the gates not on the stairs.

I love getting to take down the gates!

[nursesarah]

Jumping into this thread! I'm trying to pare down on all our possessions cause we just have so much stuff! I have a pile of kitchen things sitting by the door waiting for my brother to pick up, as well as some books, glassware and odds and end going to goodwill. And yet there's still so much...it's never ending! Hoping to get some inspiration from you ladies!


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[easygoinmomma]

Got rid of a sewing machine and desk with week along with a bag receiving blankets.

[rjy9343]

I cleaned out my bedroom. I threw out papers that needed to be tossed. I cleared out a stack of clothes that comes up to my chest while sitting on the floor. I can see the tops of the dressers and the floor.
I cleaned out my kitchen. I threw out three bags of things that have expired, gone bad or were unusable for the food pantry. I have a bag to take to the food pantry and have plans for what I do have.
I cleared my living room and it is not embarrassing to have people come into the front of my house anymore.
Now for the bathrooms.

[Blue-EyedLady]

I helped dh clean his office. Got rid of so much paperwork he was afraid to trash. He also decluttered a few clothes.

[blondie]

I slowed way down. Lost my momentum. I did declutter my big girl's room. Threw out a stack of paper and junky toys. And their nasty, old rug. I also did the living room shelves, I guess. Not much, but it's still progress.

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And I threw away two pairs of yoga pants that were so old they wouldn't stay up anymore.

[ShepherdsWife]

I am trying to declutter, but it takes so much time to do. I have managed so far this year though to reorganize the file cabinets for the business and throw away quite a bit of useless paperwork...discovered that DS(2 1/2) had done quite a bit of work for me and so I fixed that as well.

Starting one drawer a time in the kitchen. If I can even manage a small corner of a counter or something I feel like I am getting somewhere!

[Delaluz]

I get really overwhelmed with decluttering. I feel like I've been trying to do this for 3 years (the whole time I've been married.) My husband and I both lived in our own homes so we combined our things. We did get rid of a lot but he's a pack rat. 😃 he avoids going through his things at all costs. I don't want to just get rid of his things without his input. So, we continue to have our messy junk room that I want to turn into a guest/office room. I have a desk and our files in there and a ton of other "stuff." I just want it done once and for all BUT I don't think I'm going to get to it until after I finish my son's first birthday party preparations and after we finish cleaning/moving the rest of our furniture out of our other house and get it rented. 😕 Oh and then there's finishing the chicken coop and bringing over our chickens we're inheriting from my brother. Ahhh!

[knitlove]

I find it hard to do with kids around. I feel like I could blast through do much if I had 10 hours Aline in the house

[ShangriLewis]

I am trying to declutter my loft still. I am getting through the boxes we still haven't unpacked and the boxes people go through and leave half empty. I really want to make an area for sewing and crafty up there. I have my sewing machine in my room and there is no room to iron. So I either try to iron in a small space or bring it out and worry about someone running into it. I would love an entire corner to work in and leave my project out so I can come back to it.