Decluttering. Anyone else have to do it for a home sale?

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Ugh! This is so hard!!

I mean I come across things that I haven't seen or used in 3 years and I know I can and have lived perfectly fine without it for that long yet when it comes time to throw it away I have a hard time!

Sometimes I come across a box or something that has been stored for that long and I tell myself, "Don't open it! Just get rid of it! If you don't know what's in that box you don't need it!" And what do I do? I open it. And then there's that inner conflict of should it stay or should it go?

I keep thinking, "I can't wait till we can finally move!" and I get all these happy little thoughts And then I have these silly little conversations with myself and say, "Well you could move alot faster if you didn't drag your feet with this decluttering stuff!!"

Oh the conflict of what I need to do and what I'm actually doing.

Anyone else?

 

[lulugirl]

I feel your pain!
I actually bought a book on how to on how to organize your home, I can't find it amidst all the clutter!!

 

[lovmy2girls]

I tell ya, if you are moving to a bigger home, sit back and watch your stuff expand. The same exact stuff you had in your smaller house will barely fit in your new bigger house. Its amazing Who knew household items reporoduce!

 

[lowie]

Ugh! This is so hard!!

I mean I come across things that I haven't seen or used in 3 years and I know I can and have lived perfectly fine without it for that long yet when it comes time to throw it away I have a hard time!

Sometimes I come across a box or something that has been stored for that long and I tell myself, "Don't open it! Just get rid of it! If you don't know what's in that box you don't need it!" And what do I do? I open it. And then there's that inner conflict of should it stay or should it go?

I keep thinking, "I can't wait till we can finally move!" and I get all these happy little thoughts And then I have these silly little conversations with myself and say, "Well you could move alot faster if you didn't drag your feet with this decluttering stuff!!"

Oh the conflict of what I need to do and what I'm actually doing.

Anyone else?

i'm exactly like you! but after 3 moves is 5 years i found that i've moved a lot of garbage! i pay the mvoers to bring it to my new house and then find tons of stuff to toss. in my experience though, the few times that i've actually just gritted my teeth and done the big toss, i've never ever regretted it.... yet...

 

[FlyingBelle]

Ugh, Yes! We put a bunch of stuff in the garage to make the house "look bigger", but now the garage looks like flea market. Help!

 

[Nancyg56]

I because this is the reason that I refused to move, and lived thru a renovation! I have so much stuff that I cannot bear to part with, and my DH is a packrat in denial.


Good luck to you!

 

[scarlett873]

Amen!!!

We are readying the house...just in case we do have to put it up for sale within the next year for a move to Jacksonville. But the thought of throwing things away... Cuz you know...I just might need that last remaining unbroken plate that I have tucked in the bottom of that box over there in the corner someday! I may not have any more of the set, but dang it...I just can't throw away the lone survivor!!!

Oh how on earth am I ever gonna get through this?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

OK..wait...

Here I sit 1 year and 3 months after moving across the country. We got rid of a TON of stuff. I decluttered ALOT.
However, I still need to get rid of more stuff.
So yea...

When I get back it is GOING!!! I will part with 25% of my stuff. I would like to do more but DH has a hard time with it.

PS...rid yourself of guilt and give stuff away to family, neighbors, churches, etc...it does help!

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

I tell ya, if you are moving to a bigger home, sit back and watch your stuff expand. The same exact stuff you had in your smaller house will barely fit in your new bigger house. Its amazing Who knew household items reporoduce!

Totally agree with this! We moved 2 years ago into a house that was almost twice the size of our old house. It is filled with stuff. I don't know where it all came from . I actually am determined to clean closets and then get a dumpster and clean the basement this summer. I can't look at the stuff anymore!

De-cluttering is so hard. It's hard to give things up, but you have to keep in mind how good it will feel when it is all gone!!!!!!!!!!

 

[cats mom]

Amen!!!

We are readying the house...just in case we do have to put it up for sale within the next year for a move to Jacksonville. But the thought of throwing things away... Cuz you know...I just might need that last remaining unbroken plate that I have tucked in the bottom of that box over there in the corner someday! I may not have any more of the set, but dang it...I just can't throw away the lone survivor!!!

Oh how on earth am I ever gonna get through this?

Sounds like me

Except at least you know where the darn plate is.

Me to DH the other day: "yes, I KNOW we already have that book, but I have no idea where it is and there is no way I'm going to be able to find it in time for our trip, so would you just follow the Honey-do list as written and run over to Borders and pick up another copy already?!"

It's BAD I tell ya!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

Amen!!!

We are readying the house...just in case we do have to put it up for sale within the next year for a move to Jacksonville. But the thought of throwing things away... Cuz you know...I just might need that last remaining unbroken plate that I have tucked in the bottom of that box over there in the corner someday! I may not have any more of the set, but dang it...I just can't throw away the lone survivor!!!

Oh how on earth am I ever gonna get through this?

This is me to a tee!! It's a character trait that drives me insane!!

I'm my own worst enemy. So far since writing this post (instead of decluttering like I SHOULD) I have given the dog a bath, put some winter coats in the washer because I will have to pack them up. Surfed the net for a bit, checked my email, made and ate lunch... Can we say avoidance?

I should also mention that tomorrow I will be 6 weeks from laparoscopic
surgery for endometriosis and having my left ovary and tube removed (sorry for the TMI ) and the house itself is also out of control! In my mind I think I should just declutter as there's alot of stuff out and about as it is. Might as well just handle it once is my thinking. But because things are so out of control I find that I don't know where to begin so I "escape" to ANY thing other than what I'm supposed to do. You get the picture.

Me to DH the other day: "yes, I KNOW we already have that book, but I have no idea where it is and there is no way I'm going to be able to find it in time for our trip, so would you just follow the Honey-do list as written and run over to Borders and pick up another copy already?!"

It's BAD I tell ya!

I'm glad I have found kindred spirits here!

 

[Rafiki Rafiki Rafiki]

I've been working on decluttering for about 6 months now...I moved everything into a storage space!!!!

Honestly, I'm so close to listing my house that I can taste it...and I have high hopes that I don't have to show it but a couple of times because all this housework is killing me!

 

[scarlett873]

I'm so glad that I am not alone in my packrat tendencies...I just can't help myself!! I'm just certain that I will need whatever it may be at any given moment...

 

[golfgal]

I go in with the attitude that if some day I find I need it again, I can buy another. It really works!

 

[barkley]

we just moved and almost everything from the old place is packed into the 3 car garage here at the rental. made dh go through and organize the boxes into piles i can go through before we move cross country next year. he kept asking "what are all these boxes that just have a big 'c' written on them?'-i replied "that's all the cra* i have to go through just in case there's some important paper we can't live without"-90% of the boxes have 'c' written on them i also have a ton of boxes with books in them-unless we buy a house with an entire wing dedicated to being a library it aint gonna work.

i warned everyone when we moved that anything new brought into the rental was going to get marked on the bottom with their name, when packing time rolls around "if your name is on it =YOU PACK IT". sadly, it has'nt deterred them much

 

[Chicago526]

My brother just moved cross country from IL to AZ. He had a two bedroom apartment and was looking for truck rentals (with a trailer to tow his car) to haul all his stuff. I was chating with him and made the suggestion that he just leave everything here except his clothes, kitchen stuff, and tools and just rent a small trailer to pull with his Blazer. He could just buy used furniture when he gets to AZ as he needs it. He's a single guy and his furnature was "early frat house" quality for the most part. Why pay a ton of money to rent a truck to move a couch worth maybe $50 at a second hand store?

So that's what he did. He gave away most of his stuff, and threw out a dumpster's worth more of junk, and just got a u-haul trailer for what was left! Only cost him a few hundred to move his clothes, electronics, tools, matress set/bed frame, and kitchen stuff. All he'll really need to buy is a living room set, a kitchen table and chairs, a dresser and a couple of night stands for the bedroom. He'll get it all used from thrift stores and garage sales, and spend less than if he had just moved everthing to begin with!

 

[ForTheLoveofDisney]

My brother just moved cross country from IL to AZ. He had a two bedroom apartment and was looking for truck rentals (with a trailer to tow his car) to haul all his stuff. I was chating with him and made the suggestion that he just leave everything here except his clothes, kitchen stuff, and tools and just rent a small trailer to pull with his Blazer. He could just buy used furniture when he gets to AZ as he needs it. He's a single guy and his furnature was "early frat house" quality for the most part. Why pay a ton of money to rent a truck to move a couch worth maybe $50 at a second hand store?

So that's what he did. He gave away most of his stuff, and threw out a dumpster's worth more of junk, and just got a u-haul trailer for what was left! Only cost him a few hundred to move his clothes, electronics, tools, matress set/bed frame, and kitchen stuff. All he'll really need to buy is a living room set, a kitchen table and chairs, a dresser and a couple of night stands for the bedroom. He'll get it all used from thrift stores and garage sales, and spend less than if he had just moved everthing to begin with!

This is what we did when we first moved here from South Carolina 8½ years ago. We were newly married and had nothing more than 2nd hand donations for furniture. We basically moved our clothes and newly acquired wedding gifts. We rented a trailer like your brother did and just towed that.

Now, we've acquired some nice pieces of furniture so we'll have to go the big truck route.
However, in my decluttering endeavor I've come across some things that I had the first time I lived in S.C. and I haven't used them/it since then so I've taken a stand and I refuse to take them back down there.

I have now managed to take all of the magnets off of the refrigerator door and any personal pictures. I've thrown away a bunch of the business card magnets (because we won't need their services in S.C.), and I've thrown away a few too many coupons that were under magnets on the fridge and that have long been expired but I've somehow managed to ignore in my daily life. I've thrown away a bunch of stuff that somehow moved in and made a home on top of my refrigerator. I've managed to go through this old dilapidated box of recipes and threw out over three quarters of them and the box.. Many of them I never even made just cut out thinking I would. I've cleaned out two cabinets and threw some things away and I've gone through my large utensil drawer and threw a slew of things away. That's where I found old worn out things that I had in S.C. the first time but haven't used since. They managed to move with me 3 times and still not be used so it's time for them to go.

I can't believe how naked the refrigerator looks without all of those magnets and papers and junk!! And now that the top is cleared off it already makes my kitchen look bigger.

My kitchen is starting to look like a house where somebody's moving!!

​

Thanks for letting me post all of that out! It feels nice to have a "check-in", a place of accountability! Might help me stay on track.

 

[redshoes]

We sold our house last summer and decluttering was not easy but very worth it. We got rid of a ton of stuff when we sold the house (anything that was of worth was put on ebay and went towards our Disney trip fund- an great incentive). We then moved into an apartment for 9 months and waited for our new home to be built. When it was time to move again, we decluttered again. There is nothing more frustrating to me than to know that you went to all the trouble to locate a box, pack the stuff up, move it into your new home- only to have it sit in said box for years and not be used. It's just easier to get rid of it now, then later. Good Luck.

 

[arminnie]

I'll tell you what is depressing. I moved 5 years ago from CA to AR. I knew I was paying for the move by the pound. I was RUTHLESS in getting rid of stuff. I brought selected books in suitcases when I flew to AR (before the weight restrictions) so I wouldn't have to pay to move them.

So I move in with my father who is the PACKRAT of all time. He has a fit whenever I do something like throw out the yogurt containers. Plus he let my uncle store a bunch of stuff here when he was moving. My aunt and uncle have been dead for over two years.

I've spent FIVE years getting rid of tons and tons and tons of stuff and the place is still full. My cousin (a cop) called me up the other day and said he had to warn me about my dad (age 85). I was afraid that he was going to say that his driving was bad or something like that - no he started laughing and said "I saw your Dad at a garage sale - be very afraid."

At my new condo in New Orleans there is NOTHING that I have not personally transported to the 6th floor. I don't want anything there that is not essential.

 

[Jenn]

We are in the process of decluttering for a move down south. I am listing stuff on ebay and craiglist and all proceeds go toward our Disney passes for our next trip in December. As I earn enough, I am ordering one pass at a time. So far, I have purchased our MVMCP tickets, and one 5 day pass.