decluttering... oh, my.

[joyful mama]

so, we may be moving in the near future, and we've had to declutter for a while. I've been shoving things in closets, then forgetting about them, for a long time :shifty.

So, since this weekend, I have 2 large trash bags of trash (stuff not worth donating, broken, etc.) and 4 large trash bags of clothes and toys. and thats just touching my bedroom for a little bit (like 1/12th of what needs to be done in there!) and just starting the girls closets, drawers etc. just STARTING! I got rid of piles of clothing, and even so, have nearly 14 outfits for each girl :shifty. I didn't know they had that much!

Its daunting, and I'm already exhausted! :whew

tips? hugs? lol.

[tiffany]

:hug and :cheer Go mama!!

[Kiara.I]

That's amazing! :cheer

For tips? Timer. 15 minutes. When it goes off? STOP!
Switch to another room if you have to, (especially if you have a deadline) but if you do too much at a stretch you will burn out. Take breaks. :)

[TraceMama]

subbing :cup

[abh5e8]

:hug its hard...but doesn't it feel good to send those bags out the door!! i luv that part.

tips...keep on keepin on. i think it does get easier. i need to do the same thing around here..

[RiverRock]

:phew:hug <slow but steady turtle smilie> :highfive

[joyful mama]

:ty

I can NOT believe how much stuff we have! how does that happen?!

its not like I buy my kids that much stuff :think

1 more bag of clothes bagged.

I can hardly walk the hall right now, I've got to

find a place for it
all

(sorry baby on lap
lol) he kkeeps hitting the space button.

[joyful mama]

:banghead :hissyfit

the areas I'm decluttering look great. the rest of the house? :crazy :hissyfit :-/

add in sickness and normal chaos, and its... chaos. CHAOS!

[KLin]

How are you getting rid of the stuff you have?? :shrug3
Take trash straight out. The rest are you donating?? Free cycle or yard sale?

Donations need to be taken away asap.
Freecycle, have a set time for collection.
Yardsale? Do you need the few extra dollars? If yes, then do this asap as well.

Keep going, you sound like you are making good progress.:clap

[Mama Calidad]

:hug2

[Forsynthianicki]

:rockon Keep it up Mama!!! Doesn't it feel good to have space in your drawers again? You've been inspiration for me this morning. I have a few boxes in the other room. Going to take them to the thrift store this morning. Thanks.:)

[scrappyknits]

decluttering - fun! lol

tips?
Get stuff OUT OF YOUR HOUSE as you declutter it - for several reasons:

1. if it's out then the kids (or you) won't be tempted to reopen it

2. less clutter = less frustration. Get the clutter out as you go, don't just stack it in a hallway

3. gives you more space to work

4. gives kids more space to play

5. you'll feel more motivated to do more if you can SEE the difference - and getting the clutter OUT is the only way to truly see the difference

6. safer (no one's tripping over the boxes and bags sitting around) lol

7. Take BREAKS - going OUT of the house is helpful to clear your mind.

can you tell we've been doing this too? Getting ready for a BIG move!
Have fun!
:hug2

[crunchymum]

give yourself some grace. it's normal for other areas to move into chaos for a awhile as you declutter. :hug

i remember my first ever "real" decluttering jag (this was right after i found flylady) - i put out 12 - that's TWELVE - boxes/bags out for pickup. not including the handful or so of garbage bags. :hunh:phew i was completely flabbergasted that all the stuff we didn't need was taking up room in our house. :no


keep going!

[abh5e8]

I can NOT believe how much stuff we have! how does that happen?!
its not like I buy my kids that much stuff :think
I can hardly walk the hall right now, I've got to find a place for it all.

it breeds :yes put it OUTSIDE somewhere...i take donations straight to my car or the back of the truck. when we did a big declutter, i took the donations every day (or every day i left the house for something). once you decide its gone..its gotta be GONE.

:banghead :hissyfit

the areas I'm decluttering look great. the rest of the house? :crazy :hissyfit :-/

but its getting so much better!! keep going mama...

Get stuff OUT OF YOUR HOUSE as you declutter it - for several reasons:

1. if it's out then the kids (or you) won't be tempted to reopen it
2. less clutter = less frustration. Get the clutter out as you go, don't just stack it in a hallway
3. gives you more space to work
4. gives kids more space to play
5. you'll feel more motivated to do more if you can SEE the difference - and getting the clutter OUT is the only way to truly see the difference
6. safer (no one's tripping over the boxes and bags sitting around) lol
7. Take BREAKS - going OUT of the house is helpful to clear your mind.
Have fun!
:hug2

yes yes yes!!!

give yourself some grace. it's normal for other areas to move into chaos for a awhile as you declutter. :hug

keep going!

:cheer :cheer

[MomtoJGJ]

definitely get it out of the house!! seeing the space you have without it is motivation to get rid of more!

[tiffany]

I'm so inspired!! Extra space sounds so wonderful!!

I think it's past time I join you... :-/

[WildOlive]

I second taking it directly to the car. Also, I used to try to sell things I thought were worth $5, $10 or $20, but I find that really slows down my decluttering momentum. So now, I just accept that maybe I wasted money, but that is in the past, and I go forward by blessing someone else with it and donating it. I don't live in an area that I can have a yard sale in really, so it's better for me to just get rid of it NOW.

[joyful mama]

ooooh thank you thank you, thank you for the tips! as soon as I post I'm taking the (3!) trash bags of trash out and the five bags of donation stuff to dh's car. I think its worse b/c I haven't been out of the house except one quick trip last night and one doctor's visit w/the kids since we've all been sick this week. The clutter and chaos bothers me a LOT and its constnat right now. I wish I could find my camera :shifty then I could tkae pics of my progress to make me feel better :doh

I'd like to do a yard sale, but I don't have the time or energy for one right now! I'm made a couple of piles of 'to sell' though.

[BHope]

I second taking it directly to the car. Also, I used to try to sell things I thought were worth $5, $10 or $20, but I find that really slows down my decluttering momentum. So now, I just accept that maybe I wasted money, but that is in the past, and I go forward by blessing someone else with it and donating it. This

Our garage is trashed because everything got tossed back there because one day we were going to have a yard sale. Two years later, I'm over it. I found the number to the red-cross donation trucks and plan to call them at the end of March (need to ensure a nice day) to come and literally haul off my garage. The only things I intend to keep are power tools, weight benches, christmas decorations, and bikes. Everything else must GO!!

[joyful mama]

bags loaded up, trash taken out :phew

now, to make room on our dining room table for dinner tonight :doh :lol

the craft area/dinign room/living room are all kind of blended in, so in my effort to declutter, sandy and I had to eat lunch in the living room :doh

[Aerynne]

Just keep on going! It's addictive when you see how much space you're getting back. :rockon And take some before and after pictures so we can see them. :poke

My biggest decluttering tip won't help you now. But I go through everything I own every year and that way I don't ever end up with an unmanageable job.

[crunchymum]

bags loaded up, trash taken out :phew

now, to make room on our dining room table for dinner tonight :doh :lol

the craft area/dinign room/living room are all kind of blended in, so in my effort to declutter, sandy and I had to eat lunch in the living room :doh

:rockon

[TraceMama]

:woohoo :cheer You're doing an awesome job! :tu :clap You're going to feel so much better when it's gone, so much lighter :yes I've got to get on the stick and do this myself -- thanks for the inspiration :heart

[LadybugSam]

Good Job Mama! I've been working on my house today (a little at a time) and it feels so much better already :)

I am always shocked about how much junk we accumulate.

[Radosny Matka]

:hugheart ITU what you mean. Since my m/c, I have felt this strong complusion to just get rid of stuff. I have gone thru my entire house and just gotten rid of anything that I do not love. If I don't love it, I don't need it. If it is sitting in a hutch not being used, I don't need it, it's gone. It's work, but at the end of the day, a great feeling, and think of all that space!!!

[abh5e8]

i like the idea of going thru EVERYTHING once a year. :ponder

i do know that i have gone thru dd's clothes (baby clothes) several times since she outgrew them...mostly to pull some out to lend to others...but every time i have also gotten rid of my least favorites. i also do this with our books since they are in boxes and its really helped keep the amount of stuff we store at bay.

[joyful mama]

I'm so in 'in between mode' which is so hard! but, we're getting there :tu. I have soooo much stuff to go through its almost ridiculous! there was always a place to eat (neat dining room table), kitchen mostly tidy, living room tidied, etc. but I didn't realize how much stuff is just packed away, shoved away, hidden, and more clutter than I even knew we had :doh

If I could have counted (and I should have! do we have a decluttered 2010 challenge? lol) it would have probably been a few hundred things... and thats not including the HUGE trash bag from our craft stuff.

thanks SO much for the encouaragement! and :woohoo :cheer all of you who are joining me! its freeing.

[veggiegirl]

:rockon You go girl! You've inspired me!

[KLin]

Great job. You must feel so good now. :heart

[joyful mama]

tossed 2 more trash bags this morning from craft/school area :phew

filled a HUUUUUGE box (like, big enough for all 3 kids to fit in) w/stuff to donate :rockon

dh is impressed. house is still in disarray :doh but, we're getting there. its so nice to have our craft area and bookshelves easy to navigate :woohoo

must.charge.camera.batteries!

[KLin]

Your house may be in disarray, but think of how much easier it will be to put it back in order without the clutter.:clap

[LadybugSam]

I'm so proud of you! That's awesome! :rockon

[Teacher Mom]

When we moved a few years back, I couldn't believe how much stuff we had accumulated. I remember that we used a pick up truck to move our few belongings into our first home and needed the largest moving truck they had PLUS several (read that several) trips with the pick up truck to move out.

stuff, stuff everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! !!

[abh5e8]

hows it going Jen...any more progress?

[joyful mama]

hows it going Jen...any more progress?
:yes I have 2 huge piles (in boxes) to take care of, one more garbage bag I brought downstairs yesterday, and another trash bag I tossed today. I just scheduled the va vets to come pick up my donations next thursday!

[abh5e8]

:rockon