2013 Destash- this is the year!

[Disney Addicted]

It feels so much more open now that the decorations aren't everywhere.

Surprising isn't it? I love decorating for Christmas and pull everything out the last week of November. We get a tree first weekend of December and do not pack up again until the weekend before the kids go back to school. I love the glow of the lights on the tree and everywhere else.

But wow! I can not believe how much brighter our main floor is now! It's not like the tree is in front of our living room window either. We put it in the corner.

With my husband & kids helping, it only took a couple of hours to take down everything and pack it away. (Though it took hours to put it all up.) I remember we purged our unusable or unwanted stuff before decorating, so there was not much destashing to do. I feel ready for the new year now!

Can I count the Christmas decorations as a room, hallway or closet?

2 rooms purged and 5 more for the main level. These next ones will take a long time each.

 

[MAJPLO]

One box to donate, one box to sell, two small bags of trash, found my closet floor, three rolls of Christmas wrapping paper, one of DH's shirts that was missing a button. Yay. I wasn't even planning on any of this today.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I'm in this year.

So far today - 2 broken unfixable 3 foot tall christmas decorations - in the trash.

10 smelly falling apart elementary school lunch boxes - in the trash.
The kitchen cupboard they were in is now all cleaned out and looking great. I was even able to add the electric griddle to that cupboard now so it's no longer sitting on the piano bench.
Love it!

 

[cheshireqt]

Put Christmas away today and threw away a trash bag full of misc assortment of greenery that has seen better days, ornament boxes that are not used anymore etc. Have a large box ready for GoodWill as well.

Half way done getting rid of the accumulation/slag heap in our bedroom from the on the fly decluttering of the first floor prior to a party. Some of it just needs a new home in the house and some of it needs to go.

DD is not allowed to go out with friends until her bedroom closet is under control. Fine by her, she has nothing done but she has been in her PJs all day. Guess I should have taken laptop, phone and kindle away.

 

[Robbi]

At the point now, where I'm kicking myself for starting this. I know it has to get worse before it gets better.

4 of 10 contractor give away bags:

Keeper clothes on dining room table:

Fuzzy photo of cleared out closet that will be joined to the closet that adjoins on the back wall:

Closet I still have to empty that will be combined with one above:

Stuff on top of island dressers and on the floor that I have to clear out:

The 2 closets we're combining will hold evening clothes, coats, dressy shoes, dressy purses, and my makeup table.

 

[sherry7]

At the point now, where I'm kicking myself for starting this. I know it has to get worse before it gets better.

4 of 10 contractor give away bags:

Keeper clothes on dining room table:

Fuzzy photo of cleared out closet that will be joined to the closet that adjoins on the back wall:

Closet I still have to empty that will be combined with one above:

Stuff on top of island dressers and on the floor that I have to clear out:

The 2 closets we're combining will hold evening clothes, coats, dressy shoes, dressy purses, and my makeup table.

It looks like you're making quite a dent! I have such a hard time getting rid of too-small clothes. I have several storage bins of good clothes that will fit me if I lose 15 lbs. I've decided that if I don't lose the weight by the end of this year, the clothes are going to Goodwill.

 

[Robbi]

It looks like you're making quite a dent! I have such a hard time getting rid of too-small clothes. I have several storage bins of good clothes that will fit me if I lose 15 lbs. I've decided that if I don't lose the weight by the end of this year, the clothes are going to Goodwill.

We are definitely making a big dent.
It's hard to get rid of clothes. What I did was if I had 3 pairs of say black slacks that were pretty much the same, I kept my favorite pair and put the other 2 in the give away bag. After doing this with all of my clothes, I had a few bags of stuff to get rid of-it was kind of painful though.
Good luck on your weight loss! My husband and a few people that I know have tried the Ideal Protein diet and they've all lost a bunch of weight. My husband lost 40 lbs!

 

[StephMK]

At the point now, where I'm kicking myself for starting this. I know it has to get worse before it gets better.

The 2 closets we're combining will hold evening clothes, coats, dressy shoes, dressy purses, and my makeup table.

Just think how nice it will look once you're finished!

I did as much as I could on the Christmas stuff. I need to get a few last things back to the garage tomorrow then vacuum. I really need to tackle the garage again but it's too cold to stay out there long and we haven't turned the heater on out there yet.

After dinner, I grabbed the paper beast and got it done! A large part went to recycling, small stack to a folder to address, smaller stack to filing, and 2 pieces to the shredder. I am good about going through the mail every day but multiple medical statements, requests, and odds and ends still manage to pile up.

Tomorrow's goal - put books on the bookshelf that I swapped out in the basement and move the other one to the corner.

 

[StephMK]

But wow! I can not believe how much brighter our main floor is now! It's not like the tree is in front of our living room window either. We put it in the corner.

Can I count the Christmas decorations as a room, hallway or closet?

2 rooms purged and 5 more for the main level. These next ones will take a long time each.

I know, it is surprising! I am hoping to keep things cleared off, it feels so much better! The top of the family room cabinet tends to become a dumping ground and I want to keep it clear.

Yes, I think that should count as a small room or large closet!

 

[StephMK]

Ok, I'm struggling with books and thought I'd ask how everyone else handles them. I know a few of you have mentioned paring down your libraries.

I have pared mine down to my favs and let the rest go. However, I have several bookcases of kid books, various reading levels. Plus a whole stack of books from my childhood that my parents saved for me. (yes, I come from packrats so it's a tough habit to break) I know they still have dolls and toys in their attic that are mine & I'm 42!

None of my kids have read my books so I'm really not sure why I'm hanging on to them. Then I think, well, why am I hanging on to theirs as well. They don't re-read them and with everything going more towards e-books, I don't know that saving them for their future kids is really worthwhile either.

I struggle because books were such a huge part of my childhood and bring back such good memories. But if they aren't being used, aren't they just another form of emotional clutter? I could let each kid save their favs then donate the rest. I have gotten rid of some that weren't "good" books but we still have many more.

It's hard to let them go and I don't want to regret my decision. Thanks for any opinions!

 

[Robbi]

Ok, I'm struggling with books and thought I'd ask how everyone else handles them. I know a few of you have mentioned paring down your libraries.

I have pared mine down to my favs and let the rest go. However, I have several bookcases of kid books, various reading levels. Plus a whole stack of books from my childhood that my parents saved for me. (yes, I come from packrats so it's a tough habit to break) I know they still have dolls and toys in their attic that are mine & I'm 42!

None of my kids have read my books so I'm really not sure why I'm hanging on to them. Then I think, well, why am I hanging on to theirs as well. They don't re-read them and with everything going more towards e-books, I don't know that saving them for their future kids is really worthwhile either.

I struggle because books were such a huge part of my childhood and bring back such good memories. But if they aren't being used, aren't they just another form of emotional clutter? I could let each kid save their favs then donate the rest. I have gotten rid of some that weren't "good" books but we still have many more.

It's hard to let them go and I don't want to regret my decision. Thanks for any opinions!

Books are hard. I kept fairy tale books Little Golden Books, crafts instructional books, and only my absolute favorite novels.

 

[TLuvsD]

I love books. I love my Nook, but I love books....so clearing those shelves will be hard. I am determined to get started soon.

DD did her room while home (freshman in college). Major destash, boxes of books (not favorites), 5 bags of clothes, a bunch of recycle. The room looks a lot better, and she can actually sit in her easy chair.

 

[Scrap4me]

Ok, I'm struggling with books and thought I'd ask how everyone else handles them. I know a few of you have mentioned paring down your libraries.

I have pared mine down to my favs and let the rest go. However, I have several bookcases of kid books, various reading levels. Plus a whole stack of books from my childhood that my parents saved for me. (yes, I come from packrats so it's a tough habit to break) I know they still have dolls and toys in their attic that are mine & I'm 42!

None of my kids have read my books so I'm really not sure why I'm hanging on to them. Then I think, well, why am I hanging on to theirs as well. They don't re-read them and with everything going more towards e-books, I don't know that saving them for their future kids is really worthwhile either.

I struggle because books were such a huge part of my childhood and bring back such good memories. But if they aren't being used, aren't they just another form of emotional clutter? I could let each kid save their favs then donate the rest. I have gotten rid of some that weren't "good" books but we still have many more.

It's hard to let them go and I don't want to regret my decision. Thanks for any opinions!

Yes, our books from our childhood are definately emotional clutter! It took me a long time to really think about my childhood books. (Same boat as you, I'm 40) Like your kids, mine had no interest in reading them. The likely hood of having grand kids any time soon is remote.

My solution was to have all the books out and make the kids go through them to see if there were any that they might want to read. No bites at all! At that point the ball was in my court. It was hard but I let the majority of the go. I do have my primary readers ( On Cherry Street, the Dick and Janes etc)
I mentioned to my husband the other day about letting those go to..he shocked me and said that I should keep them for a little while longer. There are only a dozen or so. For now, they stay.
An interesting note about the books my kids read growing up--they had no problem giving them up with the exception of the Dr. Seuss books--the ones that you could get in the mail..They are currently 20 years old and worn plumb out! My 22 year old said no! Wow! He has a strong emotional tie to those--told him ok==but they stay in your space.

In dealing with the books, really think about how often you read a book. I developed such a large collection because I read all the time! The Kindle solved my space issue==but my leatherbound Sherlock Holmes will stay along with a few others.
When push comes to shove, ask everyone and you will find 9 out of 10 times, it will be your emotional attachment that you have to sever. the more you do it , the easier it becomes..

Good luck!

 

[mrsklamc]

It looks like you're making quite a dent! I have such a hard time getting rid of too-small clothes. I have several storage bins of good clothes that will fit me if I lose 15 lbs. I've decided that if I don't lose the weight by the end of this year, the clothes are going to Goodwill.

I've been there...you might consider just going through them quickly right now to see what's there. I had stuff that was only a couple years old and when I went through it I realized I wouldn't wear it even if it fit.

 

[coffeecassie]

Joining in! I have a weight loss goal of 1 pound a week in January, going to add one bag to Good will a week too! First weeks bag is done!

 

[dreamin_disney]

I got rid of one big bag(about 3 grocery bags) of trash and papers . I went through my printer pile, office desk and mail

I dont know how I'm going to tackle the garage I just cant seem to get motivated

 

[comicguy]

Just combined 3 like shampoos together and recycled the two empty containers!! It is a small start but it is a start

 

[starwood]

Just combined 3 like shampoos together and recycled the two empty containers!! It is a small start but it is a start

 

[mrsklamc]

I just cant seem to get motivated

I was like that for a LONG time. Hopefully I'll get a lot done before I get back to that place again. In the past a tip I wish I'd done more is to set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and tell yourself you're just going to work for that long. They say once you get started you'll probably keep going- but I'm not going to lie, there were times I was SO HAPPY to hear that timer go off.

Right now, I just keep reminding myself how reorganizing my kitchen has been SO worth it, so much easier than I anticipated, and I don't know why it's taken me so long.

Another thing that helps when I am discouraged is something from Peter Walsh- "It's overwhelming." - He acknowledges that yes, the clutter IS overwhelming. For some reason that acknowledgement of how I feel about it makes it easier to tackle it anyway, even though I feel like it's an insurmountable task.

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

I got rid of one big bag(about 3 grocery bags) of trash and papers . I went through my printer pile, office desk and mail

I dont know how I'm going to tackle the garage I just cant seem to get motivated

Maybe instead of thinking of it as "tackling the garage", think of it as tackling just one box out of the garage or one corner of the garage, just bite off a little at a time.

I was like that for a LONG time. Hopefully I'll get a lot done before I get back to that place again. In the past a tip I wish I'd done more is to set a timer for ten or fifteen minutes and tell yourself you're just going to work for that long. They say once you get started you'll probably keep going- but I'm not going to lie, there were times I was SO HAPPY to hear that timer go off.

Right now, I just keep reminding myself how reorganizing my kitchen has been SO worth it, so much easier than I anticipated, and I don't know why it's taken me so long.

Another thing that helps when I am discouraged is something from Peter Walsh- "It's overwhelming." - He acknowledges that yes, the clutter IS overwhelming. For some reason that acknowledgement of how I feel about it makes it easier to tackle it anyway, even though I feel like it's an insurmountable task.

Very good tips