Destash 2019 Time to Trash the Stash!

This is a great opportunity to do a “no buy” month. I have done that once or twice a year when our freezer(s) and pantry are overflowing. I take a writtten inventory of everything and use that list to come up with meals that require little or no additional ingredients. Then you can take whatever you saved that month and apply it to a goal. (The goal is key otherwise you won’t be as motivated and will be tempted to pick up a few extra items at the store.) Ex. If your grocery budget is usually $600, but you only spent $40 this month then you have $560 to transfer into your vacation fund.

you read my mind. i'm doing just that for at minimum january (and i can probably do another couple of months with the stockpile of food i've got on hand). i'm going to the grocery store today b/c i need some dairy products and produce. there are a few odd items i need but i'll get enough to get us through january (coffee, water, soda, cooking oil, a couple types of canned goods and a few frozen items). my goal is to only purchase dairy and fresh produce for as long as possible. it's amazing how much food you realize you have on hand when you start going through all the cabinets, pantry's and freezers (we've got 1 standard and then 2 of the smaller ones on fridges that stuff gets shoved into and forgotten about). i already had a big supply of stuff but then w/thanksgiving leftover turkey (put up in multiple packages for multiple meals), christmas roast (took the maybe 1/3rd left and froze it) and ham (got one back w/chunks and pieces and another with the bone with plenty of meat to do beans w/1 and split pea soup with the other) it just added to the stockpile.

told dh and ds that if they wanted anything at the grocery store to speak up NOW b/c as of tomorrow i'll only be going 2x in the next month and won't be bringing anything exciting home.
 
Barkley-thanks for the tips! I'll definitely look out for older items. Their garage is another storage area and I know there are tools from my grandparents in it. My 70s banana seat yellow bike is still hanging from the ceiling. Ha
:rotfl:

Was a bit involved last year on this board. Already took four trash bags to donate, three full of clothing. Nearly filled my trashcan. And that was just my bedroom!

Still on the docket for this year:
  1. Clean the office. Like CLEAN. Get rid of all of the "oh, I'll do that project someday" things.
  2. Donate living room chair.
  3. Clean out kitchen pantry. Reorganize.
  4. Donate "oh, I'll buy this and use it as a gift" stuff.
I have to move things in small bits, or a room at a time. It tasks me not only physically, but if I overdo it, I find myself pulling things back out. Like this weekend, I pulled back out a crazy quilt my grandma knitted using leftover yarn. She'd given it to my parents. My mom hated it. I loved it. But I have three bed covers already. I put it in the pile to donate, but decided that this was one I should sit on, and decide if it or a different cover should vacate the house. Don't beat yourself up for only moving or throwing out a few things at a time--as long as you're making progress.
 
Just curious.. is everyone getting items out of the house immediately?

We have been considering a yard sale to contribute to our Disney fund for this summer but also understand the value in just getting stuff out of the house. If we did go with a yard sale, everything would be boxed up in an out of the way area in the basement and would not be coming back into the house after the sale.
 
Just curious.. is everyone getting items out of the house immediately?

We have been considering a yard sale to contribute to our Disney fund for this summer but also understand the value in just getting stuff out of the house. If we did go with a yard sale, everything would be boxed up in an out of the way area in the basement and would not be coming back into the house after the sale.

I usually make piles, then box it up, and eventually it gets donated. If I'm super motivated, I'll load up the van but usually it takes me a few weeks. Most of the time, I do not have issues pulling much back out. Sometimes I will change my mind about 1-2 things.
 


My progress updates-

- was able to get saved books down to 1 shelf. I will donate the shorter shelf that is no longer needed. If I move my teaching stuff, we have an enclosed space I could use for them. Hmmm

-sorted through 5 folders from my file cabinet. Recycled a bunch of old papers and shredded several more for dogs and cars we no longer have as well as old insurance papers. I'm going to spend 15-20 minute a day until I finish going through all of the folders.

-organized my shoes and bagged up 8 pairs to donate.
 
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Just curious.. is everyone getting items out of the house immediately?

We have been considering a yard sale to contribute to our Disney fund for this summer but also understand the value in just getting stuff out of the house. If we did go with a yard sale, everything would be boxed up in an out of the way area in the basement and would not be coming back into the house after the sale.

I generally yard sale our stuff instead of immediately donating it. I do box it up neatly in the closet of our guest bedroom and I do follow the rule of it doesn't come back in the house. We always have our yard sales at my cousin's house because her subdivision has a "neighborhood sale", so I just drop the leftovers at the Goodwill on my way home from her house that afternoon.
 
I'm in again this year. I realize my weakness is that I always start the year strong, but then fizzle out around March/April. I really want to go through each room of our house and pare down. One, my depression/anxiety always causes me to shut down when clutter gets overwhelming. Two, we bought a travel trailer at the end of the summer last year so want to do more traveling this year. I'd rather leave/come home to a clean house. Our house isn't horridly cluttered, but could definitely use some improvement.
 


Count me in! I’m aiming for 500-1000 items:eek: Just gotta get in my daughter’s toy room and I could probably get all my items from
there alone :rotfl2:
 
I'm joining in!

I enjoy decluttering and try to stay on top of it... but apparently I slipped over the past six months because I have junk in the house again. It's just so easy to accumulate... stuff. We aren't big buyers of "things" but yet here we are. I cleaned out the master bedroom dressers on Sunday and today, DH and I worked on his basement workshop. He's a hoarder when it comes to tools and home improvement items. So far I've got 1 big garage sale box going, pushed out 5 bags of trash and started both a donate and eBay pile which I will tackle throughout the week.
 
Just curious.. is everyone getting items out of the house immediately?

We have been considering a yard sale to contribute to our Disney fund for this summer but also understand the value in just getting stuff out of the house. If we did go with a yard sale, everything would be boxed up in an out of the way area in the basement and would not be coming back into the house after the sale.
YMMV. Depends on the items. With clothes, skip it. Also depends on your location and the time of year. For me, my location makes it a bust, so it goes straight to donation. Could I earn money? Probably. But is it worth collecting stuff for a couple of months and then making $50? No.
 
I dragged the kids to the basement today for the big toy sort.
DD24-not at all sentimental, ready to get rid of everything but a family dollhouse and American Girl dolls

DS16-kept a few stuffed animals, legos, and 2 sets of toys that he just wants to sell.

D18-had to lovingly examine ech item. We convinced her to part with items after some prodding.

Overall, we are getting rid of at least 1/2 the closet, maybe more. Success!

I also shredded more old papers. I think we can move with just 1 file box of current documents and maybe 1 with just old statements we still need to keep.

Next up, Christmas decorations need to be sorted as I put them away. It's time to let some move on to new homes.
 
I was about 50 items short of 2018 items.

What I learned?

I worked 5 months to have a Rummage Sale in June.
Most of my dd’s Clothes sold.
All my tops and summer dresses sold.
Summer out door furniture sold.
Kids large riding toys and other large toys sold.
After the sale I gave a lot to my neighbor who was going to sell it at a Pregnancy hotline sale.
What she did not take, I put on the curb for free and someone took. Boxes of junk.

This year I will go thru the basement again and go thru totes.
I saved favorite clothing from my 4 kids and myself and I am going to sew some
Quilts. It will probably take me a few months to cut and sort.

Staying decluttered and organized makes life simpler. But my dh will find the empty area and
Start storing items. I found a whole drawer the other day full of odd and ends tools. He has a whole garage
2 tool boxes. That drawer will be emptied soon.
 
Just curious.. is everyone getting items out of the house immediately?

We have been considering a yard sale to contribute to our Disney fund for this summer but also understand the value in just getting stuff out of the house. If we did go with a yard sale, everything would be boxed up in an out of the way area in the basement and would not be coming back into the house after the sale.

It depends, obviously trash goes immediately as long as the trash guy has come and the can isn't overflowing (we forget and leave the dogs out on trash morning, he isn't allowed to get the trash if they're out, company policy).

Clothes typically get bagged up, then ride around in my car trunk until I remember to drop them off at Goodwill.

Anything of value gets posted on the Facebook yardsale page for a few weeks to see if anyone wants it. Smaller items may go on Ebay.

Everything else goes on the curb. We have a picker who goes through the neighborhood a couple times a week. If he doesn't take it, I know it's worthless.

I'd love to have a yardsale, but our location won't work for one.
 
I need to get on this. I've been doing this kinda over the years, but I REALLY need to tackle this. For the first 8 years of my marriage we moved 10 times, so we NEVER got to collect a bunch of stuff. We (well now just I) have been in this house for 14 years now. I've got my ****, my ex's ****, my dad's **** (he used me as his personal storage unit for the last 10 years), my kids' ****. And my BF wants to move in, so it's time to PURGE! I have a hard time just trashing stuff. As my BF says, if I can get $1 for it, I'm gonna try. I did a garage sale 2 years ago and made a TON but only because I was selling my DD's American Girl stuff. I didn't sell ANYTHING outside of toys. So I've given up on the idea of doing anymore. Not worth my time. I post most stuff on Facebook Buy/Sell groups, some will go to Ebay. I've used consignment sales, and consignment stores for my kids clothes in the past that had value. I've been putting a bunch of clothes on Poshmark as well (I've made $800).

I need to get better at doing something ALL the time! My DD's Christmas present is gutting her room and redoing it. Her room is so cluttered and trashed, let's just say we found a dead mouse in her closet a week ago! My son's room needs a good purge as well. I need to get better about removing clothes I don't wear/fit and either donating or listing on Poshmark. I need to gut the office and get rid of boxes and stuff (like iphone boxes for phones we don't have anymore). I will say I have probably 5 storage tubs in the basement of Elmos. I used to collect them/still collect them. But I don't display them, or do anything with them anymore. I honestly don't know what to do about them. I have the space for them so I guess I keep them for now?!?!?

My mom was the person who kept all of our childhood toys. And while my kids have had fun playing with them, I have sold old toys to be able to buy new ones. Not to mention when her house caught fire 2 years ago, she lost all of those items, and the insurance company wouldn't replace many of the "vintage" toys anyways. But I struggle with throwing away or selling ALL of my children's childhood memories. Those with younger kids, what are you doing in regards to those things? FTR, my daughter was 100% okay with me selling all of her AG stuff. It KILLLLLLLLED me to do it. She easily had several thousands of stuff (most my mom bought). She had 9 dolls and all kinds of accessories. I had actually built her a house that was 8' long and 6' tall. But she didn't want to save any. And I was of the opinion of sell now and get the money vs saving IF she ever had girls. My mom only had girls and got 3 grandsons and 1 granddaughter. So there's a chance I could save toys for a gender I didn't get, LOL.
 
I am the opposite... Although I will *SHOP* yardsales like a crazy fiend, and the ottoman my legs are propped up on right now came from the neighbors curb (I stripped it down and remade it, not sorry,) anything that's not straight-up trash gets given away. Stuff that's "good," I'll usually list on freecycle and see if anyone wants it, but most stuff goes in boxes and bags and I'll take it to goodwill if I'm lazy, or drive waaayyy out to Salvation Army.
I finally made a little progress!

Yesterday I closed out an overpriced, nearly empty storage unit that I've had for waayyyy too long that had nothing but my kids' junk in it. They were tired from their first day back to school yesterday, but today they went through it and anything they wanted had to go into their bedrooms (DD15 is sentimental and kept a lot, DD11 nothing at all) or in the trash, or in the donation bag. So really, I technically put MORE junk back into my house, but I don't have to pay for storing stupid junk anymore, so that's a win.

Meanwhile, other purging is not happening much as we continue to gather up holiday items to go back into the attic. I'm giving myself until 12th night (January 6th) to do that... it's mainly just making sure that all the linens like dish towels and potholders get clean and boxed now. It drives me bonkers to see those floating around in summer.

And a *REVERSE* win... I *DIDN'T* load up on 90% off wrapping paper at Target (or anywhere else.)

So far, barely one garbage bag and one donation bag, but something is better than nothing, right?
 
i tossed a decent amount today. i am great re-user of gift bags and gift boxes so i went through all of them and tossed out the ones that were worn/torn/received but too dang ugly to re-use. got rid of some old ribbon and a few holiday containers that have seen better days. that enabled me to compact some items down and get rid of the box that had held some of the items.
 
I do a pretty good job of staying on top of clutter. I don't regularly use my hairdryer, but needed it today and could not find it in the linen closet, which led to some organization there. I did find the hairdryer at the back and made a small pile of linens to get rid of.
 
I rocked today!!

In our house there are certain black holes that collect junk. There is now one less. Today I cleaned out the hall closet. I put all the board games back on the high shelf where they belong, re-attached the bar on the door that holds umbrellas, washed two loads of project-fabric-that-a-certain-niece's-cat-peed-on, and trashed bags and bags of stuff that the kids had shoved in there... they will probably throw a fit when they realize, but oh well, too late, I drove it all straight to the dump, no chance of it coming back into the house!

I also freecycled 2 toys my SIL had sent my daughters that were a lovely gesture, but just too young for them.

So that makes one little area of my house checked off... so many more (and bigger and scarier) ones to go!
 
New Year's decluttering is off to a good start!!


1 empty shoe box - recycled
2 cardboard boxes - recycled
4 grocery bags of grocery bags - recycled
5 Mickey shaped straws trashed
1 expired med - trashed
1 X-Mas Tree Skirt - trashed
3 boxes of craft supplies - to my classroom
2 hanging organizers w/ 8 containers - to my classroom
2 plastic lizards - to my classroom
2 books - to my classroom
1 tote bag - to robotics center
6 books - donated
6 rechargeable batteries - returned to owner
1 battery charger - returned to owner
1 cell phone holder for belt - donated
1 bag of fake like Pandora charms - donated
2 notepads - donated
14 comic books - donated
1 DVD player - donated
3 plastic dinosaurs - donated
2 action figures - donated
7 X-Mas Ornaments - donated
1 pricing gun - donated
2 rolls of pricing gun labels - donated
1 multi meter - donated

72 items left the house

72 of 500 or 14.4% of goal
 

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