Let it GO! Decluttering (simplifying) your life of (people, places or things) success stories?
Replies
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Over the years, I downloaded recipes from different websites, ripped from magazines, ended up with a huge boxful that planned to eventually organize into binders. Sounds somewhat like yours. When my office moved, started doing that organizing - it was the most boring, dreadful pain. After one binder, I tossed the rest and told myself no more downloading. Only keep a recipe if you actually tried and liked it. Chuck the rest.Diatonic12 wrote: »Absolutely. Once I started I just couldn't quit.
I would like to know how to pass those recipes to other people rather than just toss them in the garbage. Cook books can go to the library, but what about those papers recipes that we some time clip for "tomorrow."
Anybody has an y suggestion?
@newlifestyle Thank you! I love to see how everyone has organized any area, it is so inspirational Already color coordinate my work wardrobe clothes as it makes it so much easier to find what I'm looking for. But to have a shoe rack that closes up into a bureau - it looks so much more clean and polished!1 -
NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME last month
Last recorded weight: 137.2 lbs on 12/22/2019
lost 1.4 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 82.6 lbs so far.
REACHED/EXCEEDED my ultimate/ultra/mega/dream goal weight today...
Last recorded weight: 134 lbs on 1/23/2020
lost 3.2 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 85.8 lbs so far.
These are tears of JOY 
and so much more. Seriously, the last 10 pounds were just as tough as all of the big ole AH-MAZING total of 85.8 pounds/ounces and inches. I DID IT! It took over 7 years AND 31 days (31 days to blast the last 3.2lbs) to get here ( I started the I MEAN BUSINESS lifestyle change of decluttering AND weight blastification in Nov-Dec of 2017--so about a 9 months to a year + to blast and achieve my first dream goal of 150lbs (69lbs) and then another 9 months to a YEAR to blast the rest to FINALLY blast forever to the place where the sun will NEVER shine,185.8lbs--but 7+ LONG/HARD/MISERABLE years of trying/when I first joined Mfp in February of 2012), but here I am.
I purchased these "special victory/goal achieved slippers" when I was around 190lbs over two years ago and have never worn then until TODAY...just waiting until I reached the phenomenal goal weight of 135lbs to wear them and BOOM--I'm at 134lbs--BETTER than my dream goal weight. I'm now DONE with the weight-blastification and officially into maintenance now. Thank you Lord , I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's some receipts:
P.S. The answer is YES, period.
Congratulations...!!! That is great news!2 -
There are some threads that are super lengthy and I tend to ignore them because I just don't have that much time. But I skimmed most of the pages on this one and have to say it's truly inspiring and uplifting, in countless ways!
Ever since my oldest child was 1 1/2 yo(he's now 38)I was an-home childcare provider in our home of just under 1000 sq. feet. We became eventually a family of 5 ourselves so you can only imagine how crowded our small house became. I seriously think it became a source of anxiety and depression for me, along with my job, and being the primary carer or our children, and being in a not so great relationship. As our children grew up and moved out, then 12 years ago my dh and I separated, it became only me here, with 2 dogs and the daycare. This house was still too over crowded with toys, books, and all kinds of child paraphernalia that you can imagine. Think pack'n'plays, mini-cribs, stuff upon stuff. It felt like every single time I got one area cleared up, it refilled magically within days.
The stress it caused me was unreal. I retired last May, had a huge yard sale-give away event and my house has been reclaimed as an adult home again. My dh moved back in, last June and I cringed every time I watched him bring something useless into the house. Picture a case of shaving cream someone gave him. I spent months clearing out so he could have space for shaving cream??? He has a room upstairs and I try not to think about all the crap that he saves and is taking up space, because I literally got rid of everything upstairs.
BUT the main floor is still uncluttered and makes me much happier. It only has things we need or use often(such as a treadmill
). There are still areas I need to work through to totally clear our(my dds both still have a few things stored here) and my own very small closet needs a good overhaul, which will be a spring project, but I'm so much happier with the way things are now. Less stress(as long as I don't go upstairs(he's even got his TV up there, no way was he putting it back in the living room where it would create constant noise), less anxiety, and less depression. It sure makes a difference.
So now, when I think about decluttering it only involves a box, 2 at the most, of things to get rid of, not 5 carloads.
In fact, I just dropped off a bag of books at a local used book store and now I've got $12 credit there. But books are sometimes a weird thing to get rid of. I never knew it could be so difficult. Our library doesn't take them, Sal. Army very seldom takes them, the thrift stores only take certain ones, it's getting really difficult to get rid of them.
I've used Craigslist and FB to give things away, plus Freecycle.
Looking back, I just can't believe how much stuff accumulated in here and that most of it is G O N E. 8 -
There are some threads that are super lengthy and I tend to ignore them because I just don't have that much time. But I skimmed most of the pages on this one and have to say it's truly inspiring and uplifting, in countless ways!
Ever since my oldest child was 1 1/2 yo(he's now 38)I was an-home childcare provider in our home of just under 1000 sq. feet. We became eventually a family of 5 ourselves so you can only imagine how crowded our small house became. I seriously think it became a source of anxiety and depression for me, along with my job, and being the primary carer or our children, and being in a not so great relationship. As our children grew up and moved out, then 12 years ago my dh and I separated, it became only me here, with 2 dogs and the daycare. This house was still too over crowded with toys, books, and all kinds of child paraphernalia that you can imagine. Think pack'n'plays, mini-cribs, stuff upon stuff. It felt like every single time I got one area cleared up, it refilled magically within days. The stress it caused me was unreal. I retired last May, had a huge yard sale-give away event and my house has been reclaimed as an adult home again. My dh moved back in, last June and I cringed every time I watched him bring something useless into the house. Picture a case of shaving cream someone gave him. I spent months clearing out so he could have space for shaving cream??? He has a room upstairs and I try not to think about all the crap that he saves and is taking up space, because I literally got rid of everything upstairs.
BUT the main floor is still uncluttered and makes me much happier. It only has things we need or use often(such as a treadmill). There are still areas I need to work through to totally clear our(my dds both still have a few things stored here) and my own very small closet needs a good overhaul, which will be a spring project, but I'm so much happier with the way things are now. Less stress(as long as I don't go upstairs(he's even got his TV up there, no way was he putting it back in the living room where it would create constant noise), less anxiety, and less depression. It sure makes a difference.
So now, when I think about decluttering it only involves a box, 2 at the most, of things to get rid of, not 5 carloads.
In fact, I just dropped off a bag of books at a local used book store and now I've got $12 credit there. But books are sometimes a weird thing to get rid of. I never knew it could be so difficult. Our library doesn't take them, Sal. Army very seldom takes them, the thrift stores only take certain ones, it's getting really difficult to get rid of them.
I've used Craigslist and FB to give things away, plus Freecycle.
Looking back, I just can't believe how much stuff accumulated in here and that most of it is G O N E.
Wow! Reading your post is like a wonderful breath of fresh air, so real--so relatable and inspirational. Girl...I KNOW whatcha mean about getting rid of books, it isn't as easy as it was, say 5-10 years ago. I APPRECIATE you mentioning old book store though...I forgot about that and know of a few that buy (or give credit) for old books--YAY! I just love your attitude/the way you think and thank you ever so very much for your contribution to this thread! {{{{ Hugs }}}}} 3 -
I have a problem...I'm not a hoarder, but I am a pack rat. Difference, at least as far as I understand and from my own experience, a hoarder seeks things and it accumulates until life in the home is or almost is uninhabitable. A packrat, like me, finds a sentimental attachment to so many "things." So...
This weekend I went through my closet and got rid of so many pairs of pants I'll never wear again and a few shirts too... I also cleared out a baby swing, still in good working condition and clean and it all went to Goodwill. I got rid of a high chair to Goodwill and to my ex-husband's house, I took a bouncy seat that I had because his wife is pregnant and she likes the seat. It was hard...I don't necessarily know why, but it was...9 -
@LoveyChar
My Husband is a pack-rat, as you described the term. He doesn't want to give up anything even if he has not worn/used it in a long time, or never will.
I wish I could go inside his closet and purge and donate a lot of his clothing that are there taking space, specially when he buys new stuff without getting rid of the old one
. But it would be a violation of his privacy and personal space, and I don't want and shouldn't do that. So I stay away.
On the other hand, I have been cleaning other areas of the house and either throwing away or donating things that I not longer want or need, and he hasn't noticed anything Baby steps.
Note: I found this clarification on line:
What is the Difference Between a Hoarder and a Packrat?
The primary difference between a packrat and a hoarder is that packrats suffer from a relatively mild compulsion to store things, while hoarders have a crippling version of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A packrat may feel a strong need to collect items, and they may even have trouble throwing things away, but a hoarder can have his entire life controlled by the overwhelming compulsion to save everything. In general, being a packrat is seen as a minor eccentricity, while hoarding is considered by many psychologists to be a severe mental disorder requiring treatment.
One thing that separates hoarders from packrats is the motivation for their behavior. Packrats generally have fairly logical reasons for the things they keep, while hoarders are often motivated by irrational ideas or compulsions they can’t explain. For hoarders, it can be almost impossible to throw away anything, and many of the things they keep have no purpose at all.
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-hoarder-and-a-packrat.htm4 -
Well, I learned something today - I hadn't even heard the term "packrat" before. Interesting.
DH has DARED to put stuff on my clutter-free bedroom floor. I asked him why, to be told that he has nowhere to put it. I cleared out some more stuff from my bedroom (decluttering the decluttered clutter) and told him that there is now more than enough room for all the things on the bedroom floor, even if he wants to keep it all (that's up to him).
I also told him that it's a time-limited offer and that he has until I go to bed tonight to deal with it, otherwise I'm repossessing the space
I did find some amazing photos of the children though. That was the nice part of it. I really need to get these on display once the house is decorated and carpeted. I'd really like to have a feature wall that's covered in photos. Although I probably have enough photos to cover the whole house . . . I also made a decision to keep the first teddy bear I was given, at the age of two months. Much loved, often patched back together, bare (excuse the pun) in places but a reminder of good times in childhood.
I still have more decluttered clutter to declutter in the bedroom though. There's stuff that I know I'm never going to look at, at any time so it might as well leave the house. My family cannot understand why I want to get rid of this stuff and I cannot understand why they cannot understand why I want to get rid of it!8 -
NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME last month
Last recorded weight: 137.2 lbs on 12/22/2019
lost 1.4 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 82.6 lbs so far.
REACHED/EXCEEDED my ultimate/ultra/mega/dream goal weight today...
Last recorded weight: 134 lbs on 1/23/2020
lost 3.2 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 85.8 lbs so far. These are tears of JOY and so much more. Seriously, the last 10 pounds were just as tough as all of the big ole AH-MAZING total of 85.8 pounds/ounces and inches. I DID IT! It took over 7 years AND 31 days (31 days to blast the last 3.2lbs) to get here ( I started the I MEAN BUSINESS lifestyle change of decluttering AND weight blastification in Nov-Dec of 2017--so about a 9 months to a year + to blast and achieve my first dream goal of 150lbs (69lbs) and then another 9 months to a YEAR to blast the rest to FINALLY blast forever to the place where the sun will NEVER shine,185.8lbs--but 7+ LONG/HARD/MISERABLE years of trying/when I first joined Mfp in February of 2012), but here I am.
I purchased these "special victory/goal achieved slippers" when I was around 190lbs over two years ago and have never worn then until TODAY...just waiting until I reached the phenomenal goal weight of 135lbs to wear them and BOOM--I'm at 134lbs--BETTER than my dream goal weight. I'm now DONE with the weight-blastification and officially into maintenance now. Thank you Lord , I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's some receipts:
P.S. The answer is YES, period.
That is amazing! I started at 190 and I’m down to 156. Can’t wait until I hit that 135 mark!
4 -
I have a problem...I'm not a hoarder, but I am a pack rat. Difference, at least as far as I understand and from my own experience, a hoarder seeks things and it accumulates until life in the home is or almost is uninhabitable. A packrat, like me, finds a sentimental attachment to so many "things." So...
This weekend I went through my closet and got rid of so many pairs of pants I'll never wear again and a few shirts too... I also cleared out a baby swing, still in good working condition and clean and it all went to Goodwill. I got rid of a high chair to Goodwill and to my ex-husband's house, I took a bouncy seat that I had because his wife is pregnant and she likes the seat. It was hard...I don't necessarily know why, but it was...
Hey Char!
Girl...the "issue/problem/struggle" is REAL--so REAL. That said, [email protected]@K at how you took the bull by the horns and got rid of some stuff, anyway--that's just too POWERFUL and AWESOME. This decluttering business is a whole lot like weight blastification, in that as/when we throw the gauntlet down (with ourselves and our "mind-sets" and thoughts) and just draw the line with our habits and what we've trained ourselves to believe what we are ("pack-rat"). We can start examining our "belieif's and thoughts" and tell ourselves..."Honey, I'm nobody's RAT anymore--aint nobody got no time to be ANY kind of "rat", period. CHANGE your outlook/mind-set and the your actions WILL follow, FOR REAL. Instead of thinking/believing "you are a (fill in the blank), you can tell yourself you are a (fill in the blank with something you are/can be--something terrific like I'm a "work in progress neat organizer" I'm a clean queen, I'm a lover of a cleaner/simpler lifestyle, etc.
It's amazing how we put our own selves in boxes and prisons of...I'm (fill in the blank). Okay, now be (fill in the blank)--it will take time as most good things do....change your mind and self-talk with the oppposite and watch what happens. It sounds simple...because it is. We make it hard(er) by what we say about and tell ourselves. We are NOT our thoughts and we no longer have to go along with what we call/tell ourselves. We can speak life, hope, TRUTH to ourselves and replace TRUTH with self-deception/what we think/feel/even "see" about ourselves--knowing that things CHANGE all the time and so can we. Slowly but surely--right and righteously.
Lastly, Example...(thought--we MAY really believe or feel) "I'm a packrat"....Kicking that thought to the curb with sheer viciousness (no self-pity/mercy) CASTING THOSE THOUGHTS DOWN AND OUT. Replacing them with thoughts like this instantly and all the time I'm really far more powerful and mindful that I ever thought or knew--I'm growing and learning and getting better and better with clutter and yuck more and more everyday. Let me get my tail up and take care/get rid of (fill in the blank).
{{{{ Hugs }}}}
P.S> ALWAYS REMEMBER...when/as I'm writing/talking to you and others--I'm ALWAYS talking to myself just as much, if not more/firstly and letting you/others listen!3 -
natashamcn wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »NewLIFEstyle4ME last month
Last recorded weight: 137.2 lbs on 12/22/2019
lost 1.4 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 82.6 lbs so far.
REACHED/EXCEEDED my ultimate/ultra/mega/dream goal weight today...
Last recorded weight: 134 lbs on 1/23/2020
lost 3.2 lbs since last weighing in! Newlifestyle4me's lost 85.8 lbs so far. These are tears of JOY and so much more. Seriously, the last 10 pounds were just as tough as all of the big ole AH-MAZING total of 85.8 pounds/ounces and inches. I DID IT! It took over 7 years AND 31 days (31 days to blast the last 3.2lbs) to get here ( I started the I MEAN BUSINESS lifestyle change of decluttering AND weight blastification in Nov-Dec of 2017--so about a 9 months to a year + to blast and achieve my first dream goal of 150lbs (69lbs) and then another 9 months to a YEAR to blast the rest to FINALLY blast forever to the place where the sun will NEVER shine,185.8lbs--but 7+ LONG/HARD/MISERABLE years of trying/when I first joined Mfp in February of 2012), but here I am.
I purchased these "special victory/goal achieved slippers" when I was around 190lbs over two years ago and have never worn then until TODAY...just waiting until I reached the phenomenal goal weight of 135lbs to wear them and BOOM--I'm at 134lbs--BETTER than my dream goal weight. I'm now DONE with the weight-blastification and officially into maintenance now. Thank you Lord , I'm DONE!!!!!!!!!!!!
Here's some receipts:
P.S. The answer is YES, period.
That is amazing! I started at 190 and I’m down to 156. Can’t wait until I hit that 135 mark!
Wow! from 190lbs ( how I remember 190...
) to 156lbs is nothing less than fabulous--YAY YOU! Thank you so much for taking the time and care to post...you ROCK, period. 2 -
@LoveyChar
My Husband is a pack-rat, as you described the term. He doesn't want to give up anything even if he has not worn/used it in a long time, or never will.
I wish I could go inside his closet and purge and donate a lot of his clothing that are there taking space, specially when he buys new stuff without getting rid of the old one . But it would be a violation of his privacy and personal space, and I don't want and shouldn't do that. So I stay away.
On the other hand, I have been cleaning other areas of the house and either throwing away or donating things that I not longer want or need, and he hasn't noticed anythingBaby steps.
Note: I found this clarification on line:
What is the Difference Between a Hoarder and a Packrat?
The primary difference between a packrat and a hoarder is that packrats suffer from a relatively mild compulsion to store things, while hoarders have a crippling version of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A packrat may feel a strong need to collect items, and they may even have trouble throwing things away, but a hoarder can have his entire life controlled by the overwhelming compulsion to save everything. In general, being a packrat is seen as a minor eccentricity, while hoarding is considered by many psychologists to be a severe mental disorder requiring treatment.
One thing that separates hoarders from packrats is the motivation for their behavior. Packrats generally have fairly logical reasons for the things they keep, while hoarders are often motivated by irrational ideas or compulsions they can’t explain. For hoarders, it can be almost impossible to throw away anything, and many of the things they keep have no purpose at all.
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-hoarder-and-a-packrat.htm
Good post! Baby steps (A.K.A. slow and steady wins the race, MOST ALL the time)--absolutely, one will appreciate their progress as we take our time and do it right and righteously.Madwife2009 wrote: »Well, I learned something today - I hadn't even heard the term "packrat" before. Interesting.
DH has DARED to put stuff on my clutter-free bedroom floor. I asked him why, to be told that he has nowhere to put it. I cleared out some more stuff from my bedroom (decluttering the decluttered clutter) and told him that there is now more than enough room for all the things on the bedroom floor, even if he wants to keep it all (that's up to him).
I also told him that it's a time-limited offer and that he has until I go to bed tonight to deal with it, otherwise I'm repossessing the space
I did find some amazing photos of the children though. That was the nice part of it. I really need to get these on display once the house is decorated and carpeted. I'd really like to have a feature wall that's covered in photos. Although I probably have enough photos to cover the whole house . . . I also made a decision to keep the first teddy bear I was given, at the age of two months. Much loved, often patched back together, bare (excuse the pun) in places but a reminder of good times in childhood.
I still have more decluttered clutter to declutter in the bedroom though. There's stuff that I know I'm never going to look at, at any time so it might as well leave the house. My family cannot understand why I want to get rid of this stuff and I cannot understand why they cannot understand why I want to get rid of it!
LOVE your posts Madwife! 2 -
@LoveyChar
My Husband is a pack-rat, as you described the term. He doesn't want to give up anything even if he has not worn/used it in a long time, or never will.
I wish I could go inside his closet and purge and donate a lot of his clothing that are there taking space, specially when he buys new stuff without getting rid of the old one . But it would be a violation of his privacy and personal space, and I don't want and shouldn't do that. So I stay away.
On the other hand, I have been cleaning other areas of the house and either throwing away or donating things that I not longer want or need, and he hasn't noticed anything Baby steps.
Note: I found this clarification on line:
What is the Difference Between a Hoarder and a Packrat?
The primary difference between a packrat and a hoarder is that packrats suffer from a relatively mild compulsion to store things, while hoarders have a crippling version of obsessive-compulsive disorder. A packrat may feel a strong need to collect items, and they may even have trouble throwing things away, but a hoarder can have his entire life controlled by the overwhelming compulsion to save everything. In general, being a packrat is seen as a minor eccentricity, while hoarding is considered by many psychologists to be a severe mental disorder requiring treatment.
One thing that separates hoarders from packrats is the motivation for their behavior. Packrats generally have fairly logical reasons for the things they keep, while hoarders are often motivated by irrational ideas or compulsions they can’t explain. For hoarders, it can be almost impossible to throw away anything, and many of the things they keep have no purpose at all.
https://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-hoarder-and-a-packrat.htm
Interesting and thank you...for both your story and the differentiation/clarification between hoarder and packrat. I fall under neither...I'm neither a packrat nor a hoarder according to that. I buy almost nothing materialistic at the store unless I need it. My issues are more like this: Every single thing that my daughters, now 13 and 17, have made that I have put my hands on have been kept and it adds up to craziness. There's an episode of The Goldbergs where the mom has boxes full of her kids' artwork in her garage, everything they've ever made...that's me...I have ever greeting card ever given to me...it's stuff like that but I buy almost nothing to keep, only to use out of necessity. Yes, I definitely have issues...
Be easy on your husband, sounds like you are... it's hard to understand, I know. My husband is like you are and he just doesn't understand how I feel...1 -
NewLIFEstyle4ME wrote: »I have a problem...I'm not a hoarder, but I am a pack rat. Difference, at least as far as I understand and from my own experience, a hoarder seeks things and it accumulates until life in the home is or almost is uninhabitable. A packrat, like me, finds a sentimental attachment to so many "things." So...
This weekend I went through my closet and got rid of so many pairs of pants I'll never wear again and a few shirts too... I also cleared out a baby swing, still in good working condition and clean and it all went to Goodwill. I got rid of a high chair to Goodwill and to my ex-husband's house, I took a bouncy seat that I had because his wife is pregnant and she likes the seat. It was hard...I don't necessarily know why, but it was...
Hey Char!
Girl...the "issue/problem/struggle" is REAL--so REAL. That said, [email protected]@K at how you took the bull by the horns and got rid of some stuff, anyway--that's just too POWERFUL and AWESOME. This decluttering business is a whole lot like weight blastification, in that as/when we throw the gauntlet down (with ourselves and our "mind-sets" and thoughts) and just draw the line with our habits and what we've trained ourselves to believe what we are ("pack-rat"). We can start examining our "belieif's and thoughts" and tell ourselves..."Honey, I'm nobody's RAT anymore--aint nobody got no time to be ANY kind of "rat", period. CHANGE your outlook/mind-set and the your actions WILL follow, FOR REAL. Instead of thinking/believing "you are a (fill in the blank), you can tell yourself you are a (fill in the blank with something you are/can be--something terrific like I'm a "work in progress neat organizer" I'm a clean queen, I'm a lover of a cleaner/simpler lifestyle, etc.
It's amazing how we put our own selves in boxes and prisons of...I'm (fill in the blank). Okay, now be (fill in the blank)--it will take time as most good things do....change your mind and self-talk with the oppposite and watch what happens. It sounds simple...because it is. We make it hard(er) by what we say about and tell ourselves. We are NOT our thoughts and we no longer have to go along with what we call/tell ourselves. We can speak life, hope, TRUTH to ourselves and replace TRUTH with self-deception/what we think/feel/even "see" about ourselves--knowing that things CHANGE all the time and so can we. Slowly but surely--right and righteously.
Lastly, Example...(thought--we MAY really believe or feel) "I'm a packrat"....Kicking that thought to the curb with sheer viciousness (no self-pity/mercy) CASTING THOSE THOUGHTS DOWN AND OUT. Replacing them with thoughts like this instantly and all the time I'm really far more powerful and mindful that I ever thought or knew--I'm growing and learning and getting better and better with clutter and yuck more and more everyday. Let me get my tail up and take care/get rid of (fill in the blank).
{{{{ Hugs }}}}
P.S> ALWAYS REMEMBER...when/as I'm writing/talking to you and others--I'm ALWAYS talking to myself just as much, if not more/firstly and letting you/others listen!
Thank you...❤️, Loving this...1 -
Interesting and thank you...for both your story and the differentiation/clarification between hoarder and packrat. I fall under neither...I'm neither a packrat nor a hoarder according to that. I buy almost nothing materialistic at the store unless I need it. My issues are more like this: Every single thing that my daughters, now 13 and 17, have made that I have put my hands on have been kept and it adds up to craziness. There's an episode of The Goldbergs where the mom has boxes full of her kids' artwork in her garage, everything they've ever made...that's me...I have ever greeting card ever given to me...it's stuff like that but I buy almost nothing to keep, only to use out of necessity. Yes, I definitely have issues...
Be easy on your husband, sounds like you are... it's hard to understand, I know. My husband is like you are and he just doesn't understand how I feel...[/quote]
The bolded sentences apply to me too. I have boxes (those pretty ones that you buy in Home Goods or other stores) full of cards excahanged between my husband and I and between the kids and us. Close to 54 years worth of greeting cards. INSANE!
I recently behaved like a grown up and discarded the ones given to me by friends or acquaintance. It is about time!!!2 -
For birthdays and Christmas, I seriously, genuinely ask my husband and kids to get me nothing...I really am that simple, for most things. This past Christmas, I picked out what I wanted and then my husband took the kids and acted, "Oh I'll bet mom would love this." Sell it, sell it and then it was under the tree but it was stuff like socks, running shoes...
I took care of this lady who collected things, purchased mostly at garage sales and flea markets. This stuff lined every room of her house and you could barely walk through it. The state stepped in to seize her dogs; it was that bad. I felt bad for her and no, she didn't even use the stuff she had. Her house was horrifying.
@Gisel2015 I reread that and yes, I am, I WAS a packrat; I do justify keeping most things and I have a difficult time throwing most things away. Oh my goodness...☹️, I am a work in progress...💝💯!
3 -
Re: Greeting cards saved and various other junk......I have memories of my sister and I cleaning out our parents' house after they'd both passed away. It was a job that was no easy undertaking for even 2 adults. We started going through boxes of saved cards, you know the ones children make at school when they're only 6 yo(and that was 60 yrs. ago!!), and every single card before/after. We looked through 2 boxes and realized we were getting so caught up sifting more memories than cards. It was okay except we just didn't have time for that. They had a huge basement and attic in which to store things instead of traipsing off to the dump because well, you just never know when they'll need an item again or my dad was always thrifty and didn't want to spend money throwing stuff away. So it got packed. Picture clothing from our baby years(I did keep a teeny pair of handmade blue mittens my mom had told me I wore ), a blue shag rug all folded up and gross that we had used back in 1981, boxes and boxes of things that were no longer needed or of any good use to anyone really, old photos that were covered in mold/mildew(!!). We even found a jar of pickles my mom had made back from WW11 days. Yeh, those wouldn't have made anyone sick.
I have to chuckle now though, because as much as my dad never threw anything away, I had a brown paper bag filled with precious Barbie stuff that turned up missing and I never found it again. My only thought was it accidentally got thrown out because it was in a bag.
I do wish that we had found out about some of the things BEFORE they died though, because there were some true treasures that we'll simply never know where they came from or the memories they held. Several small gold rings in my mom's jewelry box that all had different initials on them. A Navy trunk filled with their letters back and forth while my dad was at sea; they'd been talking about awaiting my sister's birth. Such treasures, such lifelong love. So many questions we could've asked them and known so much more about them, and our family. There were letters from one of my dad's relatives from Canada, all in French. Just priceless things, and I now have 2 trunks stored in my house, 1 with all those treasures and 1 filled with my dad's Navy uniforms.
But I have a story to share. It's long and I apologize but it's amazing and helps me believe....at least a little bit. It involved pennies. As I said, my sister and I were the ones left to clean out their home. My brother had nothing to do with it, but that's a whole other story. Anyways, I was there by myself one day, doing a bit of puttering around, found a pile of pennies on my dad's desk. So I piled it into the appropriate place. Then I switched to another room, in it was a scale where we'd weigh our dad every single a.m. Working in there, I found a penny on the floor beside it. Ok, whatever. Then I started clearing out an old cupboard and found some old photo albums and something of my grandfathers. I set it all out on a bed, then checked the cupboard again, and huh, another penny. I started to feel that feeling of something crawling on my neck. Just then my sister walked in to help me. I explained to her what I'd been finding and the old 'pennies from heaven' theory(which I'd never really believed in because well, no experience with other worldly type stuff). We started clearing out my dad's desk drawers, in there we found my other sister's birth cert./death cert. along with a picture of my own son who died when he was 9 mo. And......ready for it? More pennies. This was all happening within the same day. Last place we cleaned up that day was their closet shelves. On it were some purses my mom had. One was empty, the other had a penny, you know the ones where they cut a heart out of the middle? We couldn't believe it. It gave us indescribable shivers and joy. And still does to this day every time I look at those pennies. As much as we miss all those people not being here with us, we still feel their connection to us, our hearts and our lives.
Sorry, told you it was long. Have a wonderful day everybody!! And just remember, you can throw away the old shag rugs and even those Barbies but do keep the pennies and letters. Some things are irreplaceable. 6 -
@ReenieHJ - wonderful memories, thank you for sharing.
I had to make a decision about some birthday cards from over two decades ago. I decided that they had to go as I no longer needed them. That's how I've been handling all of my decluttering - do I need this and does it make me happy? If the answer is "no" to either question, it gets moved along. Some stuff I've hesitated over and gone back to but I don't currently regret any of my keep/get rid of decisions. I'm a different person in many ways to how and who I was two decades ago and things that made me happy then don't necessarily make me happy now.
My answer to the artwork side of things is to photograph it because the art gives me a great deal of pleasure, but the masses of paper doesn't. I may add a couple of pieces to my "feature wall" that I'm planning but then they cease to be clutter anyway
I was very aware that I had a lot of stuff - way too much and I did not want my children to have to decide what to get rid of or what to keep when I move along. They don't need that, whenever it happens. And because I don't know when that will happen (and it nearly happened last year) then I have to do this now.
My bedroom is again clutter-free. DH clearly realised that I was being totally serious.5 -
At work have been working on a large storage shed (shipping container size) that had boxes and boxes of papers from 15 yrs ago. Practically 99.9% went to trash. We can itemize what's left and maybe offer up to other locations to see if anyone has a use.
My mom is 90 and lives alone and she too saves all cards and letters sent to her, still corresponds with people. Her desk is overflowing. It's the paper burden that I dread though she keeps saying that she's trying to clear it out. If/when, it will mostly also go to trash. That thought makes me look around at my own piles and think how don't want to burden my family like that.
Dh and I are talking about moving to another state in a few years, he wants me to declutter/downsize massively now (though what he wants to buy is much larger). I like the possessions we have now and don't really see the need; but if moving it would be expensive? Guess that would be another story. I'm the packrat here.2 -
My ex-husband hoarded. He hoarded so much finally there was no room for me. So I lost 350 pounds in a divorce. (FInal straw: I could not clean out the hoard to get rid of a bug infestation.)
Walked away from a lot of stuff when I left. I have a piece of furniture and a box of Christmas ornaments that I need to get from him, but that was all I wanted in the divorce. (The piece of furniture is an eight foot tall secretary desk, which I need help and a truck to move, and the Christmas ornaments are somewhere in a hoarded basement.)
Now my boyfriend and I are going to move, so we're going to get to sort through the ten years of stuff that he has had in this house, and the few boxes that I haven't unpacked yet. Nothing like a move to make you reassess the importance of stuff.5 -
@ReenieHJ That's a sweet story. I keep jars on my kitchen windowsill. The pickles would have found a place there along with my Depression Era glass. Pennies from heaven is sweet. I put some pictures of ancestors up in my wall two Christmas's ago and ever since then, I have been getting at least one visitor. No harm has ever come of it except once in a while I get creeped out.
@Madwife2009 I am not opposed to photographing the artwork. This might be a great way to declutter for me!
@cory17 I hope you were able to recycle that paper; that is alot of paper!
Regret: My husband through away a child's booster seat after cleaning the garage yesterday. Had I known it was in the trash, I would have donated to Goodwill or put up for free on Craigslist. Nothing was wrong with it; it just needed a good cleaning. Oh, the guilt I carry...2
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