Resolve to Declutter in 2010 with me....

[freepixie]

I'm in but not starting til the 2nd wk of January - too much going on the next 2 wks I know I won't get to it.

We really started this fall but have been slacking due to the holidays.

For us - BASEMENT!! We had mice get in our basement this summer and we caught all 4 of them but the damage those little suckers left behind is unbelievable!! I'm still finding their poops in the most unbelievable places!!

Felt bad, had to get rid of some of my childhood toys they got into, but like they say, you can't take it with you... At least my "My Little Ponies" are safe and secure in the attic

 

[redlight]

Oh, I need to declutter or at least organize my clutter too!

 

[snarlingcoyote]

Okay, I'm starting . .hmmm. . .starting tonight in my bedroom. Going through every single solitary drawer tonight and going through the closet tomorrow. I plan on having a HAUL for Goodwill come Thursday.

 

[Pooh's Pixie]

YES! I need to do this. My house is pretty large, and I have lots of storage. But all the closets are jam-packed so that the "public spaces" look good...closets are frightening! So is basement! So I want to get going. I know enough to just bite off a bit at a time. Just never seem to have the time!

Let's get motivated!

 

[TiggerTails57]

Me me me!! I'm in........our 20 year old DD moved out in April and I have still to attack her bedroom...........what to do with TY Beanie babies
I plan on trying to get DD involved before I donate.

 

[minniecarousel]

I'm IN!

I'll be staying home a lot in the coming months, as my Mom can't be left alone for very long. I'll start in the spare room, where I wrapped all the Christmas presents. I'll even go through the drawers in the bureau in there (I think there are old sheets & towels in there). I'll be sure to drop the towels off at the animal shelter. They're always looking for old, clean towels.

DH is great at helping me with the pantry. There's a "togetherness" thing for us to do!

The linen closet has been bugging me for a while. I'll organize that and get rid of more old sheets & towels. Honestly, do I need 34 year old towels just because they were wedding presents?

Of course, my huge walk-in closet is a mess and needs a total over-haul. That should be fun.

So - is making lists the best approach?

 

[Silent1CB]

Count me in!

 

[Minnie824]

Count me in too! In fact, I already started! I cleaned out my closet, and both DDs closets, and started on our basement closet. Still have tons of junk drawers and closets and bathroom stuff to do. I love how organized its starting to get. DH is NOT loving how much garbage I'm producing that he has to organize. haha.

 

[kendall]

I'm in. Time to move out some of those things I kept "in case....." Seriously, if I haven't used it in 5 years, it's going.

I'd like to tackle one room/area per weekend. I hope I can have the clutter gone by Easter!

 

[ragdoll]

I really need to join in with you all. I used to be so organized and such a clean freak. Not any more, though. It has been ages since I have gone through cupboards and closets. I had a bit of a head start when our basement flooded this past fall. It looks so nice with fresh paint, new carpeting and no clutter. With a head start and you all to motivate me maybe I can finally get something accomplished.

 

[bigsis_22]

I'm jumping in and subscribing although I can't get started until the 2nd week of January. We're leaving on Friday for WDW. I need to get organized so bad. I've come so close to hiring a professional organizer, but I really need to try to do it on my own first. I really don't want to spend the extra money.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

I'll join. We've been working on it for a while now but still have far to go. We're cleaning and renovating basically the whole house. We got a huge dumpster this fall and filled it up in one day. We just finished the kitchen renovation and I still have boxes of stuff I haven't gone through yet. It's a bit overwhelming, but it feels good to get rid of the excess "stuff".

Has anyone taken a Feng Shui class? I took one this year and found it really motivating.

http://fengshuicrazy.org/feng-shui-and-clutter.html

http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/clearclutter.htm

 

[dizluvah]

I'm jumping in and subscribing although I can't get started until the 2nd week of January. We're leaving on Friday for WDW. I need to get organized so bad. I've come so close to hiring a professional organizer, but I really need to try to do it on my own first. I really don't want to spend the extra money.

Have a wonderful trip and we'll be here (hopefully with a little less clutter) when you get back -

 

[tekoa]

Went through one closet tonight and got enough clothes for a large trash bag. I will drop it off at Goodwill tomorrow on my lunch break. Much more to go, but it is a good start.

 

[M&N]

I'll join. We've been working on it for a while now but still have far to go. We're cleaning and renovating basically the whole house. We got a huge dumpster this fall and filled it up in one day. We just finished the kitchen renovation and I still have boxes of stuff I haven't gone through yet. It's a bit overwhelming, but it feels good to get rid of the excess "stuff".

Has anyone taken a Feng Shui class? I took one this year and found it really motivating.

http://fengshuicrazy.org/feng-shui-and-clutter.html

http://fengshui.about.com/od/thebasics/qt/clearclutter.htm

Thanks for the info on Feng Shui...sounds very helpful.

What should we do here? Post ideas? Post when we start or finish a project/room? I find I have the urge but it leaves me very quickly.

 

[C.Ann]

When the attic warms up here at DD's, we're going to tackle it like a hoard of mad people..

Meanwhile we're all sorting through clothes and such - getting rid of unwanted items as we clear out our closets and such..

One "big" thing I have to do this year is get caught up with my filing.. It's really pathetic.. Was looking for something the other day and couldn't find it anywhere.. I'm normally pretty good at that, but the past year or so I've really slacked off..

 

[yoopermom]

I don't know if this will inspire you or not, but I just got back from visiting family for Christmas, and spent a lot of time at my 99yoDGM's. She still lives alone, in a big condo, and has ALWAYS subscribed to the "a place for everything and everything in its place" motto. She's a RUTHLESS thrower-outer! The day after Xmas she sat on her "throne" (as we call her recliner), and directed me as to where to put each and every gift she had received (and yes, some went directly to Goodwill, I admit!). Items of value are tagged with the family member's name who she wishes to have receive it when she passes (which, at the rate she's going, could be years).

So one of my New Year goals is to follow her example more: use it or throw it!

Terri

 

[tink_lover]

Oh Terri, I love that story! I'm really good about clearing out the kids stuff at least twice a year and getting rid of clothes/shoes that don't fit. However, when it comes to my stuff it's totally another story. I have so much I haven't worn in years, but keep hanging onto. I am going to be ruthless when I go thru stuff. I have a friend who has been out of a job for about a year. Early this summer, I gave her a bag of stuff and she was so thankful for it.

Our basement is horrible also. There is a cumulation of kids stuff from the past 5-6 years. Most of it they never play with anymore. The problem is when I go down to start going thru it, they come and of course want to save everything. I have multiple piles of stuff down there just wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. I decided I'm just going to donate everything. I thought about posting on eBay or Craigslist, but find I don't have the energy to do that. We have been very fortunate the past couple of years and want someone else to have the toys/clothes/furniture/etc.

I'm going to start with my bedroom. I'm realistic in knowing it will take more than a couple of hours to do this. It may take a couple of weekends. One step at a time right?

 

[charming23]

So I have gotten a small jump start on the New Year's decluttering. I went through all of my clothes, shoes, and purses and took 2 bags up to goodwill yesterday.

My biggest challange is our basement which I started back in November and got as far as our big pantry and quit and the upstairs. It was my playroom when I was younger and my mom's sewing area and has become the catch-all of our house. I think there are probably still toys up there from when we used to play up there in elemtary school (I am 24 now)

 

[WDWorBUST]

I'm in .....there are three of us in a house under 900 square foot with WAY TOO MUCH stuff. We have had the bad habit of saving stuff until we have a bigger house and who really knows when that will be?? So....I'm determined to get our current house decluttered this year and should we end up with a larger house sooner rather than later I doubt we'll have any trouble with not enough stuff!