Resolve to Declutter in 2010 with me....

[let'sgo]

I'm in too. I have a walk-in closet that you can't walk in anymore. That is going to require some work. Hey, does anyone want to post before and after pictures?

 

[LeslieG]

I would so love to de-clutter. I'm just overwhelmed by the amount of time it would take to accomplish it. And I'm so bad with throwing things out. Just because I have things like a toy truck with the wheel that needs fixed, for example. I mean it's a really nice truck. My husband might fix it someday. It's broke, so Goodwill won't want it. But it's too nice to throw away. I have a million things like that it seems. I guess I just have to get tough and toss stuff. I need a new attitude.

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

I'm in!! I'm in!!
We are a family of 4, 1200 sq ft house, busting at the seams!! I started decluttering in the fall because we were putting our house on the market. Got rid of alot of clothes and toys, sold some stuff on craigslist. But then with a husband who works two jobs, me having a new job, 2 boys in sports and activities...then Christmas...UGH!!! And the house never got clean enough to get on the market. SO...
Now's the time to get back on track. We're planning on selling, then renting for a while before we (hopefully) build, so we'll probably be crammed in an even smaller 2 bedroom house, so we'll only take what we need, the rest is going to have to go "somewhere!"

Glad we're all in this together! I need the moral support!!

 

[coolbeans]

I'm in!! I actually did "downsize" my Christmas decoration stash before it got packed away.. went from 6 regular size totes to 4 (plus the wrapping paper box, box of glass dishes, ribbon and tags tote and one small tote for Christmas cards... wow! that doesn't sound as downsized as I thought it was!)
We have an old Chevrolet Blazer that is my "yard sale" storage unit.. and I've been loading stuff in it as I clean. I really need to do the kitchen. I have bowls for every occasion and every color... don't really need all those, do I??

 

[NewCrew42]

I really need to do this as well.

We have lived in this house for 5 1/2 years, which is the longest we have lived anywhere!!!

Needless to say, moving and selling my home has always been my motivation to clean cupboards, drawers, closets, etc. Not having that movitivation.... I need help!

So, count me in!

 

[MiniGirl]

I'll join. I always have some area of the house that needs work.

Like many of you, we have already started. Our girls went through all their toys and decided to get rid of probably half of them. A lot of it was just tossed, but not everything. The stuffed animals were taken to the local animal shelter. (They will also get old towels and sheets when I get around to those.) A few things were packed up for church and everything else will go to a local thriftstore.

My biggest problem is that DH insists on writing down everything we give away, so we can take the tax deduction. When I'm in the zone, I don't want to take the time to write it all down. When I'm done, I'd rather just take it and be done with it. A year or so ago, dh said that if I'd box it all up, he'd go ahead and inventory it. Well, guess what? It is all still where I left it waiting for him to inventory it. Now, I think he gets it since he told me to just go ahead and take it over there. Yea!!!

 

[Planogirl]

I started! I cleared up a mountain of paperwork that I'd been setting aside for a while. It's only a start but it's something.

I have a large cabinet to clean out and also some drawers. I also plan to get rid of some books and old clothes.

 

[Silent1CB]

Today is filing paperwork & cleaning out filing cabinet day. Shredding & finding paperwork needed for filing income taxes.

 

[drag n' fly]

I'm in. That is exactly what my resolution is. To declutter and dejunk my life and my house If we can keep this thread going I will bore you all to death with my progress and updates

 

[Momto2PrncChrmgs]

I'm in. That is exactly what my resolution is. To declutter and dejunk my life and my house If we can keep this thread going I will bore you all to death with my progress and updates

You can "bore" us all you want, it'll just be more motivation to know we're all in the same boat!!

 

[Silent1CB]

My office is probably the worst area of my house. I tend to keep all sorts of paper stuff. I have manuals & receipts of everything, but at least they are all in a drawer. Problem is, I just went thru the drawer & we don't even own some of the items anymore.

I just pitched 2 decades worth of vet bills, pet license tags & rabies tags.

I did managed to get the pile of unfiled papers filed, but now I still need to go thru the 3 drawer filing cabinet & do a heavy purge.

My parents are worse than me in the paper department and I've always vowed to not become them. However, when we need a certain piece of paper or warranty, I've always got it & can find it.

Another problem is we thought we were going to move a couple of years ago and got rid of some pieces of furniture that doubled as storage pieces. Ever since then, I've been without a place to put some items away and everything as just accumulated on the office floor.

Its my goal to get creative & to find a place to put everything or buy a furniture piece to store things in if we need to.

 

[LisaS]

My biggest problem is that DH insists on writing down everything we give away, so we can take the tax deduction. When I'm in the zone, I don't want to take the time to write it all down. When I'm done, I'd rather just take it and be done with it. A year or so ago, dh said that if I'd box it all up, he'd go ahead and inventory it. Well, guess what? It is all still where I left it waiting for him to inventory it. Now, I think he gets it since he told me to just go ahead and take it over there. Yea!!!

DH took this week off and we're also decluttering, or at least we're starting. It's going to take more than a week to do everything I want to do. For tax purposes I am taking a photo of any item we're donating that has any real value as I put it in the box. Next week I will print the photos out on plain paper and make a note about the condition and value of each item so that I will have the info all ready to go when I do our taxes. Taking photos was quicker than writing everything down because like you, when I'm in the zone I just want to get on with it!

This is a great thread!

 

[skw444]

I'm in! If only I could figure out where to start! I signed up for Flylady emails to help with my decluttering. Now if I could just get my family to buy into this resolution!

 

[reservations4five]

We worked most of the day in the storage rooms of our basement.The sewing room was a mess- you couldn't even walk through it! Now I have a nice usable area to work in.
Our Storage area in the laundry was just as bad!

We dumped 4 bags of trash, I freecycled 6 black garbage bags full of clothes, and 6 bags of "stuff" blankets, household crap, an old tv, computer odds and ends.

I feel like we are making huge progress!!

 

[FSUDisneyGirl]

Hey all,

Okay, this is one thread I am DEFINITELY joining in 2010! We (my fiance and I) moved into a house (and in together) for the first time this past August. I'll use the excuse of being busy...new teacher jobs, many performances (we both teach music), off to visit family over the break...and here we are, me with boxes of clothes and STUFF I haven't even touched yet! I have a room (we call it the "blue room" cause the walls are blue) that I started a few weeks ago...but now it looks horrible again.


You all motivated me to organize my kitchen...we're having trouble finding spots for everything after living separately for a few years...it's hard to make all of that stuff fit into 1 kitchen! Tonight I'm going to work on a bookshelf in the kitchen...I think it makes the most sense to use that for kitchen appliances and possibly cat food (but they may tear into it and that may be a bad idea...). I'm off to work!!!

 

[Swimnoid]

I started this a little last fall. DD21's room has been a catchall since she went to college so I wanted to get that straightened up. I have a walk in closet about 8 X 8 that was also about 2 feet deep in "Stuff" and a corner in my living room where the computer is that was just piled with boxes of papers and things. As someone else said, just did about 20 minutes every day and it worked. I did do the closet one Sunday afternoon and threw out about 8 trashbags of stuff. I was amazed at the stuff I found!

My next task is going through all the boxes of papers that I cleared out of the computer corner and shred.

 

[SeaSpray]

I'm in!! I have some things to clear out of the closets/cabinets in almost every room, not to mention my desk drawers!

Now to decide where to start..

 

[Julia M]

I am sure in! Our house isn't teeny tiny (almost 1800 sq ft) but not big either. And we don't have basements here!

We had junk in the backyard, so I paid ds (17) and a friend to haul it to the dump.
I went through one cabinet in the kitchen and got rid of tons of plastic bottles and cups. The hall closet (my pantry) was also gone through. I organized the gift wrap and threw out the squished, yucky bows, the small buts of paper and so on.

I have 8 bags on the porch for Goodwill.

We have TONS of lights, and are getting rid of all but a few..who needs that many? I mean, we have 3 boxes, including tree lights, but we have an artifiial tree now!

I need to stay motivated and declutter something each week. I have lots more to do!

Julia

 

[reservations4five]

OK what is on your agenda today???

I am finishing up the canning pantry/storage room then working on getting our heavy winter clothes out. My DH is painting our oldests DD room (we have had the paint for months).

 

[MiniGirl]

OK what is on your agenda today???

I am finishing up the canning pantry/storage room then working on getting our heavy winter clothes out. My DH is painting our oldests DD room (we have had the paint for months).

We have family coming in to spend the day with us, so I need to do something small today. I think I will tackle the closet in the downstairs half bath. I'm certain there won't be anything to give away in it, but there will probably be some expired OTC meds to be thrown out.