Have you de-cluttered/downsized successfully?

[hanutedmansionmomma]

I too am a person with too much stuff so I'm trying to work on getting rid of some if not all of it this year, it is a work in progress.

But I have a question how do you figure out what to get rid of and what to keep? I know some people say: if you haven't used it in a while you should just get rid of it but my problem is talking myself into doing that cause in the past I have done that and then I needed that item and had to go and buy it again....which makes me kick myself and then going forward it makes it harder to get rid of things, so what do you guys do?

ctc917

What kinds of things have you gotten rid of and had to buy again? Be careful about using that as an excuse to not get rid of things. I can't think of something I've donated that I've pined away for later. I try to think like Ma on Little House on the Prairie. What do we really need, I mean really? One pot to cook in, a few plates, a few chairs and 2 dresses. No really, they did it. Why do we feel like we need so much stuff?

After moving 3 times, I've gotten this down to a science. My house is clutter free and this is how I did it:

rules:
nothing on the floor except furniture. no piles. this goes for the stairs too.
everything has a place, and it's not in a pile on the counter.
clean off counters every night before bed
read mail over the garbage can. throw away junk, take bills immediately to computer and put in to online banking bill pay (you're not still using stamps and checks are you??). shred statement.

What we donate:
Clothes
puzzles, games (how many times are you gonna to that puzzle really?)
extras in the kitchen - don't need more mugs than people in your house, containers with no lids, 3 sets of dishes, every vase you've even gotten flowers in, that old frying pan that's torn up...
linen closet sheets/blankets for the bed you don't have any more, all those blankets - no, you're not going to have 30 people come stay with you and maybe need them someday
books are you really going to read that again? maybe someone else would. College books too. You're never going to read them again. If you need information on marketing or astronomy, it's online!
crafty stuff yes, I tried scrapbooking. Then I stopped. No reason to save, might as well donate to goodwill or a friend who will actually use it.

what we shred:
papers. all of them except taxes, mortgage papers, any loan documents or titles. I literally have 2 boxes of paperwork and that's it. 2 kids, 3 home purchases, umpteen years of taxes, a couple cars. Everything is online now. You can order old bank statements. No reason to save volumes of paper just incase you get another mortgage/loan. You only need the last few months anyway, and again, you can order online. My paystubs are online now too. You don't need your paystubs from when you were a waitress 20 years ago. really.

What we take to recycle center:
old paint cans. you're more likely to paint a new color in that room before you'd ever need to touch up something in there. Not worth the real estate on the basement floor to keep gallons of dried up old paint.

phone books they don't even come in the house. right from the front porch to the recycle bin

Don't forget all of this will help with taxes too. Document everything you donate and you will see a nice big write off (assuming you itemize)...

 

[NYEmomma]

But I have a question how do you figure out what to get rid of and what to keep? I know some people say: if you haven't used it in a while you should just get rid of it but my problem is talking myself into doing that cause in the past I have done that and then I needed that item and had to go and buy it again....which makes me kick myself and then going forward it makes it harder to get rid of things, so what do you guys do?

We've run into that a couple of times during our de-cluttering process & have basically decided that the space is more important to us than the object right now. If we can't imagine any need for it in the near future, it goes & we're willing to purchase a new one IF we need it in the future. More than likely, it will be beneficial to us to have a newer version anyways.

For example, DH has a receiver for the TV. We have a new entertainment unit in the basement for the TV (DD's old changing table that won't fit in the nursery with 2 cribs in it) and the receiver won't fit on it. I can imagine that 4-5 years from now when we've moved, can get the changing table out of the basement & back in a bedroom where it belongs, and DH gets his man-cave back, he WILL use the receiver. But at that point, it would be better to have the newer technology & something smaller than this massive, older thing that he has.

The only stuff we've held onto has been for sentimental reasons... like all of DH's memorabilia that was used to decorate his man cave. He'll eventually have the space for one again & a lot of it is stuff that can't be easily replaced.

 

[lattemomof3]

I hear you! We've been in this house for 10 years, and have 3 kids, a dog & a cat, and just too much stuff!!! I have been feeling the need to downsize, and especially simplify my life! I think I'd even like to move into a smaller home, get rid of half of our stuff & have less to clean & maintain so we can have more fun DOING things instead of HAVING things. As soon as we get home from our weekend trip, it's going to be my top priority to get this accomplished!

 

[mermaidwannabe]

hauntedmansionmomma - Really liked your post. I even laughed at the blankets one; I literally have over 30 lol. We currently have piles of stuff everywhere, and it's a constant struggle. I told my husband that next house we have, there will be no ledges!! If there is a surface, he has a pathological need to cover it, lol. Anyway, thanks for your post! It has motivated me!

 

[talulabelle]

I've done it and it's an on going process. I have learned from following the emails of Flylady.com (however her website is a mell of a hess and hard to figure out, she sends too many emails, but these are the valuable lessons I have taken from her..)

Go into one room at a time. No matter how overwhelming it is...start at the door and work clockwise around the room from the door. take three (or 4) boxes and mark them "put away" "give away " and "throw away" (The 4th if you wish can be" sell", but I never do this, because I have found it is a huge waste of time that could be spent on better things - I get more out of giving to others in need than the few little dollars I would get from a yard sale that never nets more that $100 and costs me a full day or 2 of time. Flylady calls this "blessing others") Set a timer and work for at least 15 minutes (or more if you like) take each thing and decide if you love it or need it. If you do, put it in it's home (or if the "home" should be in another room, put it in the "put away box') if it has no use, "throw away", if it is stil good but you don't love it or need it - "give away" to go to goodwill or a friend that may need it...at the end of 15 minutes or however long you work for (take the throw away straight out to the garbage- the give away right out to your car to be dropped off at goodwill next time you out, and take the "put away" box and put everything in its home.

It is addicting as you see your areas get clearer and nicer. I decluttered the most God - awlful mess of a basement this way. By working is one small area at a time, with a plan and not moving on until the area was done...I was able to do the whole basement in about a week or so. Working for about an hour or 2 a day. As I could see progress in a corner, it was like light was coming into the room and spreading clockwise around the basement until it was perfect. I did not overwhelm myself by trying to attack the whole room at once...I was happy as one corner was clear and I could point at my progress.

Following this plan made what seemed to be an impossible job - very possible. And I didn't have to shut down my daily duties to get it done. I set a timer for an hour a day until it was done. I was able to still do laundry, get dinner cooked, take care of the kids the rest of each day. It can be done.

As Flylady says : "you can't organize clutter...you can only get rid of it." Clutter is clutter no matter where you put it. Just get it out of your house, and don't even waste you time worrying about getting money for it. You got you monies worth out of it, now bless others with it. It doesn't owe you anything.

 

[goofyredraider]

I'm with you. I just took a bunch of stuff (literally filled my Ford Flex) to donate. I was going to have a garage sale, but it was stressing me out...so I donated it all. Now that I got the first "layer" gone...I'm going to start the big declutter before our trip next month banana: ) and really purge.

Part of the philosophy I have been using is that if I haven't used it, worn it, or looked for it in the past 6-12 months....it is gone.

We hope to put our house on the market next spring (if the economy is any better) and this will help for sure!

 

[LuvLuvLuv]

My full time job is closing either May 1 or June 1 (we still don't know ) and de-cluttering is my first priority. I'll be bumping up my part time job to full time, but will still have more time on my hands than I do now. I plan to work my "normal business hours" on my home until it's done on my days off.

Really... how many mickey soaps do we need??? Oh yeah--none!

Thanks for bringing the thread up--helpful and motivating!!

 

[mrsklamc]

I disagree that children cannot declutter. I think it's important to teach them the healthy ability to part with stuff.

 

[budafam]

I am constantly doing this. I found a group on Facebook that I could easily upload pics to and sell on there. I've probably made well over $700 in the past 2 months selling kids clothes, toys & extras... and we still have a lot! I have been buying as well on there though (that's a big no no) lol. I plan to have a garage sale as well and whatever doesn't sell, I donate and use as a tax deduction.

 

[clutter]

When my dd was 3, I had the same epipheny. That's how I got my screen name. Thankfully, de-cluttering works. Although it is an ongoing process, not just a one-time thing. I've followed both hauntedmansionmomma's rules and talulabelle's methodology. While I still have too much coming IN to the house, I'm proactive about getting stuff OUT again. The only things I've sold were kid stuff. Once dd outgrew baby stuff, I did do a yard sale of stroller, high chair etc. After that, I sold good clothes and other stuff at a semi-annual consignment sale. Or gave them to friends or charity. Or freecycle. We moved about a year after my big epiphany, and moving a de-cluttered house was SO much easier!

 

[Sarah_Rose]

I need to deal with this. We recently moved across the country (job transfer) and had to sell our cluttered house. We moved about 3 minivans full of junk out of the garage, but the rest all got packed up and moved with us, because we were just on too tight of a schedule to really properly declutter. We're living in temporary corporate housing, with only the 3 suitcases and 2 duffle bags full of stuff that we brought with us on the plane, and it's amazing how much stuff you can live without. I miss a lot of my kitchen stuff (the corporate townhouse kitchen is very bare bones and I like to cook!), DS's toys, and some clothing. That's about it. Unless, of course, my baby comes early (I'm 34 weeks pregnant right now) and then I'm really going to miss all of my baby gear that is in storage right now!

We moved into a really expensive and fast moving housing market, so the most we were able to afford in the neighbourhood that we want to live was a small townhouse - we close in 3 weeks. We're losing our garage (the townhouse has a single garage, but we'll need it for our car because we only have driveway parking for one) but gaining a basement, but there's no way that all of our stuff is going to fit into this house. I feel like I've already decluttered a lot, but I really need to cull what's left.

My question is about getting rid of kid/baby stuff. I am 90% sure that we're done with having kids after our second is born, so that means i just need to sell/donate gear as our DD outgrows it, right? There's no point keeping clothing and stuff for a "maybe-baby" that will be 3-4+ years down the road. That part is going to kill me because I am not convinced that I'm done having kids, but I can't see keeping all this junk around for YEARS on the off chance that I decide that two isn't enough.

 

[QVCshopper]

I can answer that for you. My first two kids are 16 months apart and we thought we were done. We gave away just about everything, except for the crib and high chair and toddler bed because they were nice wood pieces.

Six years later, I just had my baby, and she's amazing. But, we did have to get a lot of the baby stuff back. Car seats weren't an issue as the old ones would have been expired by now. My kids didn't like the swing and I didn't like the pack and play. That left things like the baby bath, carrier, bumbo seat, and clothes. I picked up a new stroller and car seats at Target for 50% off and the rest I bought used for super cheap. Friends gave me tons of tiny clothes they were trying to declutter themselves. I'd say I spent about $200-300 and have everything we need for our baby girl back again, plus a few new things they didn't have six years ago, like the boppy baby body pillow. That thing is awesome and doesn't take up any room and only cost $4.

I need to deal with this. We recently moved across the country (job transfer) and had to sell our cluttered house. We moved about 3 minivans full of junk out of the garage, but the rest all got packed up and moved with us, because we were just on too tight of a schedule to really properly declutter. We're living in temporary corporate housing, with only the 3 suitcases and 2 duffle bags full of stuff that we brought with us on the plane, and it's amazing how much stuff you can live without. I miss a lot of my kitchen stuff (the corporate townhouse kitchen is very bare bones and I like to cook!), DS's toys, and some clothing. That's about it. Unless, of course, my baby comes early (I'm 34 weeks pregnant right now) and then I'm really going to miss all of my baby gear that is in storage right now!

We moved into a really expensive and fast moving housing market, so the most we were able to afford in the neighbourhood that we want to live was a small townhouse - we close in 3 weeks. We're losing our garage (the townhouse has a single garage, but we'll need it for our car because we only have driveway parking for one) but gaining a basement, but there's no way that all of our stuff is going to fit into this house. I feel like I've already decluttered a lot, but I really need to cull what's left.

My question is about getting rid of kid/baby stuff. I am 90% sure that we're done with having kids after our second is born, so that means i just need to sell/donate gear as our DD outgrows it, right? There's no point keeping clothing and stuff for a "maybe-baby" that will be 3-4+ years down the road. That part is going to kill me because I am not convinced that I'm done having kids, but I can't see keeping all this junk around for YEARS on the off chance that I decide that two isn't enough.

 

[SandrA9810]

What kinds of things have you gotten rid of and had to buy again? Be careful about using that as an excuse to not get rid of things. I can't think of something I've donated that I've pined away for later. I try to think like Ma on Little House on the Prairie. What do we really need, I mean really? One pot to cook in, a few plates, a few chairs and 2 dresses. No really, they did it. Why do we feel like we need so much stuff?

After moving 3 times, I've gotten this down to a science. My house is clutter free and this is how I did it:

rules:
nothing on the floor except furniture. no piles. this goes for the stairs too.
everything has a place, and it's not in a pile on the counter.
clean off counters every night before bed
read mail over the garbage can. throw away junk, take bills immediately to computer and put in to online banking bill pay (you're not still using stamps and checks are you??). shred statement.

What we donate:
Clothes
puzzles, games (how many times are you gonna to that puzzle really?)
extras in the kitchen - don't need more mugs than people in your house, containers with no lids, 3 sets of dishes, every vase you've even gotten flowers in, that old frying pan that's torn up...
linen closet sheets/blankets for the bed you don't have any more, all those blankets - no, you're not going to have 30 people come stay with you and maybe need them someday
books are you really going to read that again? maybe someone else would. College books too. You're never going to read them again. If you need information on marketing or astronomy, it's online!
crafty stuff yes, I tried scrapbooking. Then I stopped. No reason to save, might as well donate to goodwill or a friend who will actually use it.

what we shred:
papers. all of them except taxes, mortgage papers, any loan documents or titles. I literally have 2 boxes of paperwork and that's it. 2 kids, 3 home purchases, umpteen years of taxes, a couple cars. Everything is online now. You can order old bank statements. No reason to save volumes of paper just incase you get another mortgage/loan. You only need the last few months anyway, and again, you can order online. My paystubs are online now too. You don't need your paystubs from when you were a waitress 20 years ago. really.

What we take to recycle center:
old paint cans. you're more likely to paint a new color in that room before you'd ever need to touch up something in there. Not worth the real estate on the basement floor to keep gallons of dried up old paint.

phone books they don't even come in the house. right from the front porch to the recycle bin

Don't forget all of this will help with taxes too. Document everything you donate and you will see a nice big write off (assuming you itemize)...

For some items like those glass vases, the donation centers are full to the brim with stuff like that. You'd get more going to a recycling center, which is where they might end up at anyways.

The recycling center isn't just for aluminum cans. Glass, paper (cardboard), plastics, and metals can all be recycled too. Might not be a lot, but it'll keep your donation center from filling up with useless clutter in their store. Baskets are another frequently donated, not so frequently purchased item.

 

[dclfun]

I recently sold a bunch of "stuff" on Ebay because I wanted to downsize and while I don't really like Ebay I made over 6K!! Well, that was before they and Paypal took their cuts. Still, it was a lot of money and worth selling there vs. donating. Now the rest of the "stuff" I have isn't worth so much and I'd rather donate than have a yard sale or deal with Craigslist. At my last yard sale I said "never again" as it just isn't worth my time, which I do count as valuable. We are moving soon and buying a townhome although we aren't really downsizing, and I'm looking forward to having a garage and more storage than in the apartment where we are now living BUT I'm not buying anything to fill it- it will just be nice to have the space. Right now I have two huge bags for Goodwill and a pile of scrapbooking things to bring to a co-worker as I lost interest. I've already brought a bookcase worth of books to work and started a book exchange there. I just remember an Oprah episode where she went to Sweden and everyone there had a mini-fridge as they bought fresh foods daily for their dinner vs. storing up food for a week. She commented on their minimalist home and belongings and the woman said, "well....less "things", more life!". I would agree!

 

[Minnesota!]

Allison - sometimes I think you and I are one in the same!

I have been going through this transition for about a year. Our goal is to live as simply as we can. Really...do I need more than say 2, 3 pairs of jeans? Or shoes? Etc. We have gotten rid of SO SO SO SO SO much stuff...and as it leaves my house, I can feel harmony and peace coming in. The clutter in my house makes my life feel cluttered. Now, as soon as something breaks, rips, is no longer useful...we get rid of it. DAV, Epilepsy foundation, Goodwill, etc. get all our used but still useable stuff, the curb gets the big things (book cases, dresser, lamps)....it's amazing what people will pick up! And garbage gets thrown right away (meaning hole in your sock? Toss).

We would rather focus our time, money, and energy on experiences vs. stuff. Cluttered house (not MESSY or DIRTY...just cluttered) makes me very cranky and very off kilter.

 

[Jenn]

I'm doing the same! But I'm trying to sell the stuff and all the money goes towards Disney. We have 2 great consignment stores next to one another. One takes baby/kids stuff and one takes teen/women's/men's. I take all clothing there first. If they don't want it, I will donate and get a receipt for a tax deduction. I made $70 a couple weeks ago this way.

Toys also go to consignment or Craigslist.

DVDs, books, CDs all go on eBay - I made $100 a couple weeks ago on 11 DVDs!

Collectible, knick knacks - eBay. Your trash is someone else's treasure.

The only downside is selling takes more time than just donating. I don't mind though. I give myself a challenge to pay for all the Disney spending $$ and I usually make it!

 

[NYEmomma]

My question is about getting rid of kid/baby stuff. I am 90% sure that we're done with having kids after our second is born, so that means i just need to sell/donate gear as our DD outgrows it, right? There's no point keeping clothing and stuff for a "maybe-baby" that will be 3-4+ years down the road. That part is going to kill me because I am not convinced that I'm done having kids, but I can't see keeping all this junk around for YEARS on the off chance that I decide that two isn't enough.

I swear, the minute these girls get here and start outgrowing things, I'm going to be doing a happy dance every time a baby item leaves our house. We kept EVERYTHING from DD and our house is packed to the gill with baby/kid stuff. And now I've added duplicates of most everything on top of it. I can't wait to start getting it out of my house (we're done having kids FOR SURE).

Baby and kid things sell REALLY well on Craigslist and my local buy/swap/sell groups on FB. So if it were me, and I was pretty sure I was done with kids but not 100% positive, I would get rid of things now and buy whatever you need secondhand when and if you have another child. It would be close to a wash financially and you'll probably be able to pick up newer, updated items compared to the things you would hang on to.

 

[MrsDrewsky]

I kind of follow The Fly Lady. She has a book called Sink Reflections, which helped me to declutter steadily and painlessly. Declutting is kind of her specialty and following her "strategy" we have remained clutter free for almost a year now.

Basically we picked 25 things once a week to toss, sell or donate, spent 15 minutes a day getting things tidy, and one hour a week is dedicated to deep cleaning in specific zones in the house.

 

[emilymad]

A good blog to follow is www.iheartorganizing.com. I can get rid of stuff but then I don't know what to do with what is left.

This thread is so inspirational! I want to go get rid of more stuff today.

 

[mrsklamc]

A good blog to follow is www.iheartorganizing.com. I can get rid of stuff but then I don't know what to do with what is left.

This thread is so inspirational! I want to go get rid of more stuff today.

That link doesn't appear to have anything there...

the book "It's all too much" by Peter Walsh is great too.