Have you de-cluttered/downsized successfully?

[vettechick99]

I have really been assessing our finances and home and life and blah, blah, blah. I am one of those 'can't do it all' types and totally not a perfectionist, but I do see flaws and that bothers me.

I realized not long ago that I have too much stuff. It makes the home look messy and it is affecting my brain. I feel stressed because I have so many responsibilities (like any mom) and it's overwhelming me. So I've decided to de-clutter and live simpler. That alone will help me.

How did you do it? Any blogs/books that you read? I am hoping in the next month to gather everything in my home that I don't need/want and have a yard sale. And seriously, everything is going to be bargain basement price..not coming back into the house! So any tips for me? What are your experiences?

 

[usnuzuloose]

I did it. I dont like clutter. When we moved in to a apartment from a 2000 sq ft home, I just got rid of it and I dont regret what I got rid of. I dont look back. If you sit having to think about getting rid of it, it may be a struggle. Start with a yard sale, and what you cant sell donate it and dont look back. Your home will feel so much lighter and fresher. I know you can do it.

 

[Poohbug]

In the process of de-cluttering right now.

I can't look at my whole house-it is too overwhelming. So I start with one room, or even one area in a room. I have a space to put things to donate and when that space gets full, it goes to Goodwill.

I have also been listing things on Craigslist. Some stuff sells, some doesn't but it didn't cost me anything but time to list and I have made over $100.

If I am not sure about something, I put it in a box. If I don't miss the stuff in that box-it goes to Goodwill.

 

[disprincessatheart]

Our house isn't too bad, but I'm going thru each closet and mostly just throwing out half used things we aren't ever going to use, etc. We have a neighborhood yardsale next month that I'm setting things aside for at the same time. Some closets don't loose much stuff but are more organized, so it's still worth it!

 

[QVCshopper]

OP, I'm right there with you. I have the Purple Heart truck coming to my house all the time. I donate to every drive possible, give away stuff almost constantly. I have room in my closets, park in the garage, and don't have anything in the attic and little in the basement storage closets.

And yet, I still feel like you because I have kids. And there's no getting past it. These little people bring so much stuff into our lives. They have a birthday--more stuff. They go to school--more stuff. They attend an event--more stuff. They grow--more stuff.

I have basically stopped buying things unless we really need them, except for the big events. That helps a lot, but then I went and had another baby (who I love tons and am so thankful for)--but she needs more stuff... Most of which I had already given away from my other two kids!

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Thanks to Craigslist I'm having a blast decluttering. Anything we're not using gets photographed and listed - then it goes in the CL closet. It is just too much fun having things leave the house and making money at the same time. We're paying cash for our upcoming Disney trip.

 

[ziggystardust]

I have moved more times than I can count over the last few years, so I'm constantly decluttering. Still somehow have stuff I don't need.

I'm sure you've heard it before, but if you haven't used/worn/looked at something in a year, its gone. Get a couple of boxes and label them garbage, donate, sell. And when you are done, get them out of the house. No looking through the boxes for a few weeks and debating. Start with one room at a time and don't get overwhelmed.

Also a thing I just started doing was having a "swap" with friends. this doesn't really get rid of the clutter, just sort of trades it. But you can do it with anything, clothes, accessories, kids stuff. I ended up trading out a lot of clothes for some household items that helped me organize better. I can't wait to plan another one.

 

[karice2]

A friend of mine introduced me to the 100 things challenge. I don't know if I could do it but it is a very interesting concept. I have been trying to get rid of things. I don't know if I will get down to 100 things but this challenge certainly helps to make me think about my "stuff" differently. I have found some really good websites about getting rid of books and other things that I have around the house taking up space. I may pack a box to send this week.

Here is a description of it.

http://guynameddave.com/2011/01/so-what-exactly-is-the-100-thing-challenge/

I have 100 things in my bedroom alone.

 

[sarahlovesmickey]

I'm in the process of de-cluttering--or trying to anyway. We have SOOO much stuff. Our house is over 3000 square feet--not counting the garage and the HUGE room above the garage. SIGH. One of the previous poster is right--the kids have SO many things and honestly, some it could go, but a lot of it is toys they play with. We have 5 kids, so they take up a lot of room. It is what it is. I'm happy to be getting rid of some stuff though.

 

[StephMK]

When I'm organizing, I'll take stuff to the room where it belongs, but not put it away, just drop it off & go back to the original project. It's easy to get distracted then nothing gets finished. Just remember it takes awhile, just like it took awhile to get cluttered.

Watching Hoarders or reading Don Aslett's book, Not for Packrats Only, gets me motivated to clear stuff out! Good luck, it's a neverending battle, especially w/kids in the house.

 

[kirstenb1]

We live in a very rural area, and I don't have the patience to store my clutter for an annual yard sale.

Periodically, I just choose a closet to look over, and purge accordingly. I started out small, with the kids' hall closet upstairs. I've moved my way through the house, to the kitchen. I check with family and friends to see if anyone needs a quilt, waffle iron, what have you. If not it goes to the Goodwill or in the trash.

We don't have a large home, and clutter makes me crazy.

 

[Boston Tea Party]

I realized not long ago that I have too much stuff. It makes the home look messy and it is affecting my brain. I feel stressed because I have so many responsibilities (like any mom) and it's overwhelming me. So I've decided to de-clutter and live simpler. That alone will help me.

I never thought that I would ever find someone who feels like I do. Unfortunately, I am one of four who feels this way. The others in my family don't see the "STUFF." I feel like I am trapped under a stuff blanket and it is suffocating me.

 

[NYEmomma]

We're in the process of de-cluttering and organizing as well. We don't have a TON of stuff, honestly, but we're adding onto our family by 2 soon and don't have any way of buying a larger house or increasing our current's house size. Nor do we anticipate being able to move for several years.

So if 5 of us are going to survive in this tiny little house, we need to be organized, organized, ORGANIZED! And whatever isn't absolutely vital needs to go. I've honestly been a bit sad about saying good-bye to some of the things that we have, but you do what you've got to do.

I've got a plan of re-organizing just about every closet we have in the house to make more room for things & make them easier to find... I'm having trouble actually putting the plan into action though. I feel like I just need to send everyone out of the house for a day or two, drag it all out into the living room & pound it out.

 

[ctc917]

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

 

[Colleen27]

I'm working on it. I have a garage sale closet where everything I want to part with goes until our sales in May and August, and I'm working on going through one room a month, top to bottom, closets, nooks, bookshelves and all to get rid of some of the accumulation around here. We have some very space-consuming hobbies, between my crafting and books and having three kids who have outgrown clothes and toys that need to be culled out and sold or donated. We haven't been here long and it is already a little suffocating; I don't want to be that person who has decades of unsorted stuff before doing anything about it!

My big challenge is just taking one little section at a time and not allowing it to overwhelm me. I look around my office, which is the room I'm dreading the most, and it just looks like too big a job to tackle, but if I do it one cabinet, drawer, or shelf at a time it isn't so bad.

 

[Juliet25]

I have three kids and live in a very small (728 sq ft) two bedroom house. We have some living space in the basement as well as a small storage area, but staying on top of stuff is a never ending task. Seriously, I've been downsizing for years it seems. I do Goodwill runs twice a month. I just can't get over how much stuff just accumulates. It's like it reproduces overnight!

Like a PP, it affects me mentally, but it doesn't seem to bother anyone else .

The only tip I really have to share only pertains to those with kids: Do NOT involve your kids in purging. They cannot do it. What I do is take the stuff I haven't seen them play with in a long time. I box it up for donation and put it away. If they miss it and ask for it, I'll dig it out. If they don't, out it goes.

 

[PrincessMickey]

I'm working on decluttering too. I started with the spare bedroom and completely cleared it out. One side of the room is stuff to sell at the community garage sale. The other is for donations. When that side starts getting full I drop it off. I've been going one room at a time and just taking my time to go through it and clean along the way. On my agenda tomorrow is to take a pile of the kids old sports stuff to Play it Again Sports to sell back. I have a bunch of hockey stuff and DS hasn't played in two years. I also have a pile of kids clothes that are too small and will take those to the kids consignment store. We also have a consignment store for adult clothes so I will be taking a bunch of my old clothes there to sell. Hopefully I'll come back with a good chunk of change tomorrow!

 

[dreamin_disney]

my home isnt bad . I just happen to have stuffed closets and a spare room that everything get thrown into, Dh has his hot spots like his closet, top of his drawer and his top drawer oh and under our bed. My hot spots is my spareroom which dd has all her junk and unwantred stuff. The garage i have dd's old clothes in tubs 2T-girls size 10, she is now 13-lol!

To visitors our home is nice and clean but like i said we have certain areas.
My goal is to have everything decluttered in 3 months. I'm selling on craigs list, if i make extra money cool, if not then i will donate it.

Since i've started my home just feels clear like fung shu ( how ever its spelled). I walk into my home and it feels good like good energy that just flows. Now when i walk into my room and see dh's area, my spareroom and garage i feel a block. I hate looking at those areas and feel overwhelmed.

I will work on one area at a time. Like another poster i organize stuff i want to sell and post pictures on CL. I've made over $200...NICE!

Craigs list is a little slow right now for selling clothes but I have 3 months to go

 

[karice2]

Every year, I say that I am going to declutter. I work towards it some but it seems like I never get as far as I want to go. I have a few things that I am going to get rid of this weekend.

It is hard to part with things that you bought for new tasks or hobbies likew golf clubs or ski gear because I still want to do those things but know that I don't have the time.

I know I need to let these things go but sometimes it feels like I am letting go some of my goals or dreams.

 

[SandrA9810]

I do a couple of declutter piles. One of the not so sure pile, the other is a box ready to go to goodwill.

If it doesn't already have a home yet, I put it in the maybe pile. If it's something I don't want/need/fit, then it goes in the goodwill box. Once an area is cleaned up, I'll add anything from the pile that will fit, without looking cluttered.

I watch Hoarders to get motivated, and watch Monk to see the simplicity of simple and clean.