Resolve to Declutter in 2010 with me....

[dizluvah]

I know I'm early, but I have decided to make a resolution to declutter in the coming year and I am hoping to get some fellow diser's to join me or at least hold me accountable to my resolution!!

I plan on starting with my bathroom cabinets - all those old, 1/2 used bottles of lotions, expired OTC medications - I'm dumping it all.

Then I am moving on to the spare room with the pile of items I set aside 8 months ago for the yard sale I never had....I am going to box it all and take it to Goodwill. Along with all the extra kitchen gadgets, older but perfectly usable pots, pans, dishes, etc. We have so many coffee mugs, we can't fit them all in the cupboard, I have so many vases and I can't remember the last time I needed one.

We live in a very small house, less than 1000 sq feet - and I want order and organization - so it will require a major overhaul. My husband cringes when I watch "Clean House" because he calls it "that stupid show that makes you get rid of all your stuff" - although the last word is usually substituted with a non-dis friendly "s" word.

I know all too well it is easy to be gung-ho on resolutions on Dec 19th....I am hoping to keep motivated.....

 

[Bluestars]

I'd like to some decluttering in my house as well. My rooms are fine, but a couple of my closets,a few cabinets, and several drawers that need to be organized. I keep telling myself to just do it, but it hasn't happened yet. I really need to set goals with this. I absolutely hate clutter.

I need motivation too.

 

[Planogirl]

When do you plan to start? Will this be a New Year's resolution?

I can't even begin to think about this right now because I have paper and Christmas boxes and gifts and goodness knows what else all over my bedroom and closet. I might just join in if you wait until after the holidays.

 

[crazelion]

I will join in. I start in 2009 and I have kept in up. I can see the difference in the house now to. The energy is just different. I had over 800 romance novels that I have give away. I have 800 more to go through. My clothes is getting overhaul to. Anything that is rip, stain, dirty gets throw away.

I am proud of myself. I have done really good job in decluttering. I am plan going some done to.

Also helps do some everyday. You would not believe some stuff I got done in 5 minutes decluttering. You don't have big amounts at time. This has help me a lot. Doing 5 minutes at time.

 

[froggygrrrl]

I'm totally in on this! DH and I have already had this discussion.

We might wait until February for the big stuff (like the crawl space AKA the spider closet) due to an upcoming trip. I'm planning on starting small in January, even if it is just a kitchen or a bathroom drawer. For some reason the clutter in these drawers bother me even though no one can see it.

 

[Magic Mom]

I'll join in. I've started aleady this past fall, but I need to do the basement and that will be a chore.

 

[bettyann29]

Im also in.. I'll obviously have to wait until after the holidays after the first of the year once things get back to normal here.. but I plan on doing a garage sale in March and I will be putting stuff back for that but once the sale is over it will all go to Good Will and from then on will go directly there..

 

[charming23]

I'm in. I have been doing a Pre-holiday pantry challange on the budget board to try and get my pantry cleaned out and now that I have gotten it down I am hoping to get organized in other areas of the house as well. My 2 biggest goals are to ge the upstairs room cleaned out so I can move my bedroom up there and the basement so we can oranize our storage better.

 

[snarlingcoyote]

I'm there. After spending a few days with my mother and my BFF, I have come to the conclusion (they're both clutterbugs) that this is NOT how I personally want to live - it's fine for them, but not for me!

 

[laurie31]

Count me in, too!

I have so many things I've set aside for Goodwill, but need to make that call. For some reason, I am waiting until it is "all" there. I know this is wrong, they don't mind coming multiple times. That's another attitude I need to change. And I have SO MUCH MORE stuff that needs to join that pile!!

 

[Imzadi]

I actually found some great, motivating Youtube clips for de-cluttering:

Check out the videos by this woman:
(Skip the top one on the list about Halloween. It has nothing to do with de-cluttering.)

http://www.youtube.com/user/ritaemmett#p/u/1/cIFs7WrRNmw


There are other videos on YouTube. Do a search for "clutter" or "organizing".

 

[dizluvah]

Thanks for all the responses so far! I absolutely meant a New Year's resolution - I just didn't want to procrastinate out of it - so posting on the dis helped me feel accountable to actually follow through!

Some posters mentioned their basements - mine is on the list too - I figured I would ease into it with the "spare" bedroom which at this time is not usable - it is the yardsale/goodwill pile, christmas "stuff" -storage bins that will be refilled after the holidays with decorations, and then put back down in the basement.

I have an 11'x5' pantry/laundry room that has shelves but needs better organization.

I figure I can develop my plan of attack over the days leading up to New Year's.

 

[luvmyfam444]

I need to join ya - I'm in the same boat - though mine is clothes that have overtaken our house - we are also in a tiny house a little over 1000aq ft for the 5 of us.

Can I start with my husband?

 

[SleepyMom]

I need to do this too.... although I am glad to say I just did the bathrooms a month or so ago. One day I just decided it needed to be done and man for the junk I found!!! I took out 7 garbage bags full of old half used bottles of who knows what, old medicine, hair clips that don't work, old bathtub toys, etc. from 3 bathrooms. They look so nice now and I have so much more room. Last fall we added 3 monster shelving units out in the garage and organized out there, all the junk is still out there it just looks better now

I really need to work on closets, the kitchen and the spare bedroom, count me in!

 

[sunnyday123]

Count me in! I have a 4 bedroom house and don't use two of them for anything but stashing stuff. The yard sale that never happens, stuff to donate, clothes to give friends, you name it, I have a pile. I really hate being so cluttered.

 

[MIGrandma]

I already got started on that a couple of months ago.

Our upstairs really needed a HUGE overhaul. It was just so overwhelming, that I really didn't know where to begin. But one day I finally got started and would just do a couple hours' worth of work every day. Slowly I started seeing progress. I had to start on the stairs, because there was stuff piled on each side of every single step. I wanted the stairs clean so I could just throw stuff over the railing that needed to go to the dumpster. And I had garbage bags to put stuff for Goodwill in.

I managed to get the stairs, hallway and two of the bedrooms done. I still have a linen closet, a bigger walk-in closet, and one bedroom yet to do in the spring (when it's not so cold up there!). We will then have two usable guest bedrooms, and we're turning the third bedroom into a playroom for the younger grandchildren.

I'm looking forward to being done with that project.

I know it can be done. It's overwhelming at first, but once you get started (that's the hardest part!) and you start seeing good results it gets easier. Good luck to you, and I hope you stick with your resolution. You will feel great when it's all done!!

 

[The Mystery Machine]

I'll join in. I've started aleady this past fall, but I need to do the basement and that will be a chore.

Oh yea, the basement. We moved into this house 1yrish ago and we are planning on attacking that mess down there.

We already have a ton of stuff set aside for a monster garage sale. We have donated to Goodwill a few times already this yr.

As far as decluttering cabinets, I start on that right before Thanksgiving. It has become my yearly ritual.

Esp. my kitchen pantry. I always go thru everything and get rid of "old stuff" and then replenish with fresh supplies for the holidays.

 

[dizluvah]

OP again - just wanted to post again now that we are just a few days away from New Year's

My plan (in no particular order) to declutter the first few days of 2010 include:
Cleaning bathroom cabinet's
Taking a bunch of stuff of Goodwill (household goods/small appliances and clothes)
Cleaning out DH's closet and bureau clothes either too small or stained, etc

Any others want to join the de-clutter bandwagon??

 

[tink_lover]

yes - working on bedroom and bathroom first

 

[sunnyday123]

when are we starting? I am so cluttered even my computer files are cluttered!!!