Let it GO! Decluttering (simplifying) your life of (people, places or things) success stories?
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I can't imagine how hard it would be to declutter your child's belongings. I could just weep for this friend.
I do know that the reason we keep our things is for sentimental reasons; they represent certain times in our life we want to remember.
I read that. My ex has all of his college notebooks; it probably is hard to throw away due to the hard work he put in and perhaps even enjoying that time of his life.
Regarding your child's belongings , I like someone's ideas of taking pictures. Maybe create a scrapbook - either digital or paper.3 -
Moved hopefully for the last time to our retirement dream home. Decluttering? YES! Both material and processed sugar!!!...going on 40th day on processed sugar...and feel sooo good!! Wishing everyone the BEST when decluttering whatever you need to
It is refreshing and cleansing!! Thanks for this thread!!! 9 -
Moved hopefully for the last time to our retirement dream home. Decluttering? YES! Both material and processed sugar!!!...going on 40th day on processed sugar...and feel sooo good!! Wishing everyone the BEST when decluttering whatever you need to It is refreshing and cleansing!! Thanks for this thread!!!
You inspired me! Sugar free is a great place to be. I have been nibbling gummy bears when I am stressed.3 -
RubyRed427 wrote: »
@rubyred I am HAPPY to inspire...but I did feel a tinge of craving when you mentioned you eat gummy bears when stressed...OMG...*love* gummy bears...but if you try getting off processed sugar, it is only the first few days that are the biggest threat...but gets easier afterward!! 3 -
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As I have been cleaning up, I've been decluttering. The question I ask with each thing is, "What good are you?" The good may be "We go through sugar-free bbq sauce at a ridiculous rate and double backup is not too much." Or it may be "It's fun to put up sunflower garlands in late summer for Lammas". Or it may be, "I won't need this until the toilet clogs firmly and then I'll be glad I have the plumber's snake in this box."
But sometimes I do run into things bought when I was on a different path or we as a family had a different goal, and I am letting them go. And that's good and fine. I'm refining what I want, refining my dream, and interestingly while I'm not losing poundage I'm definitely recomping and losing inches and having my shape change.10 -
@Alexandra...I *love* the questions you ask about each item you decide to keep or discard. If you don't mind I will adopt the same questions. I have read a LOT of books on decluttering, and just like anything...one has to be READY!! We just move to our, hopefully, last home, bar the unseen...but plan to be here 30 more years...as my husband and I playfully joke. But time to get ALL the boxes unpacked, sent to goodwill (most of it), cause time to ENJOY our home! I *had* to declutter the sugar, though. I really don't get tempted anymore with sweets! My goal is taking a blood test that don't say my Triglycerides are soaring!! I need to get off the cholesterol med...it is making me lose memory, and I do not like that!! That is a side effect I can do without! Anyway, thanks for your pondering questions, and "recomping and losing inches"...that says more than the weight loss IMHO!! (smile)5
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@Alexandra...I *love* the questions you ask about each item you decide to keep or discard. If you don't mind I will adopt the same questions. I have read a LOT of books on decluttering, and just like anything...one has to be READY!! We just move to our, hopefully, last home, bar the unseen...but plan to be here 30 more years...as my husband and I playfully joke. But time to get ALL the boxes unpacked, sent to goodwill (most of it), cause time to ENJOY our home! I *had* to declutter the sugar, though. I really don't get tempted anymore with sweets! My goal is taking a blood test that don't say my Triglycerides are soaring!! I need to get off the cholesterol med...it is making me lose memory, and I do not like that!! That is a side effect I can do without! Anyway, thanks for your pondering questions, and "recomping and losing inches"...that says more than the weight loss IMHO!! (smile)
Why, thank you! I was raised in a faith tradition that used what they called Queries to have people examine their faith and practice. Things like "What steps towards combatting inequality have you taken in the last month?" It doesn't tell you. It just asks you to think about it, and you figure out yourself what it is you ought to be doing more of.
And for me, making a home is a religious thing. It's what I've taken as my career, my daily work, and so to make it clean and orderly is a moving active prayer and witness for me.8 -
@AlexandraFindsHerself1971
"...The question I ask with each thing is, "What good are you?"...But sometimes I do run into things bought when I was on a different path or we as a family had a different goal, and I am letting them go..."
Mind blowing! I can use this idea to help process my junk. I can remind myself I was "on a different path" or "had different goals" when the item came into my life. It is no longer needed, and may even be counter to my current goals. This is the inspiration I needed! Thanks!
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I certainly don't have a success story yet but I really plan to. My biggest problem with this is social anxiety. I have so many things that are still in good shape and I certainly don't want to throw them away. However, here in Germany, we don't have those general donation places like they seem to be in the US. So just stuffing your trunk and donating them somewhere in one place is not an option. And it's definitely too much stuff to just place it in front of the house with a note "for free". So that leaves eBay and interaction with people...
But I have/want to get rid of at least half of my stuff in the next year or so because I have to renovate my apartment and re-design it to provide some space for my BF as well. Plus I can totally see why decluttering makes your life easier and provides a sense of control that helps with the weight loss as well.
So any ideas are appreciated
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RubyRed427 wrote: »
@rubyred I am HAPPY to inspire...but I did feel a tinge of craving when you mentioned you eat gummy bears when stressed...OMG...*love* gummy bears...but if you try getting off processed sugar, it is only the first few days that are the biggest threat...but gets easier afterward!!
I have been off sweets for 4 weeks, it was easier than I thought, I dont crave them now, who knew? I have also been told I can focus better, seems that way.3 -
I first found this thread a few years back when I last moved. We have been settled in our current flat almost two years and its moving time again. How our belongings have multiplied! However, I am in a good place for getting rid of things and this time round there are super useful apps and websites that I know of for giving away free things. This week alone I have given 3-4 unused food items from the kitchen, and cleared an entire shelf of unused pots, pans, cups and a teapot!9
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I certainly don't have a success story yet but I really plan to. My biggest problem with this is social anxiety. I have so many things that are still in good shape and I certainly don't want to throw them away. However, here in Germany, we don't have those general donation places like they seem to be in the US. So just stuffing your trunk and donating them somewhere in one place is not an option. And it's definitely too much stuff to just place it in front of the house with a note "for free". So that leaves eBay and interaction with people...
But I have/want to get rid of at least half of my stuff in the next year or so because I have to renovate my apartment and re-design it to provide some space for my BF as well. Plus I can totally see why decluttering makes your life easier and provides a sense of control that helps with the weight loss as well.
So any ideas are appreciated
I am in the U.S., so these ideas may not work in Germany but they are worth investigating. They are places that accept donations but aren’t a general place like the Salvation Army or Goodwill.
1. A church in your area may have a clothing room for people down on their luck or who are starting over due to a fire or other disaster.
2. A battered woman’s shelter. (It would be nice if they aren’t needed in Germany.)
3. A school.
4. A swap. In the area where my sister lives, someone will organize a clothing swap or a household goods swap. You bring your stuff and can take someone else’s if you like. She finds out about them on Craigslist or Meetup which are online websites/apps that people advertise and post events on.
Hope these ideas help. Good luck!
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We are finally making progress on the last area to be unpacked from the move, the garage.
At this point we have the various workbenches more or less where they go (there may be a shove six inches this way or that) and have an idea of where we are putting various things, and the rough categories; all the stuff for the car is to go over here, all the tall yard tools over there, the woodworking stuff along the back wall, the electronics on the built-in bench in the corner. Now we have a set of shelves to build to hold the large plastic totes and boxes that don't get unpacked. I personally don't think he needs to keep the memorabilia of his first wedding, but that's for him to decide, not me. And it lets me put the boxes of seasonal decorations somewhere besides the spare bedroom closet. (I decorate for the four seasons of the year, with garlands and different curtains summer and winter and such.)4 -
It's nice to see I'm not the only one who gets intense urge to get rid of stuff after/during weight-loss!! I was hanging on to some clothes while trying to resell (new things that didn't fit) but it's been embarrassing amount of years that I had them for, so they're making their way to value village now. 😊5
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I made some organizing progress last weekend too. It felt good even if it was small (but time consuming). Yeah me!
I finally, organized and de-clutter two of the drawers in the office furniture. I threw away things that I didn't even know I had (not needed either), some stationary related items are going to the donation center, and the rest that are needed and useful are neatly organized in the dividers.
I also organized two boxes with greeting cards, labels and seals. I get a lot of the address's labels and seals from organizations that I support and contribute during the year, and I needed to throw away sheets of labels. I wish they didn't send me so much stuff that end up in the shredder after all. What a waste.
Still more to do in the office cabinet, but it has been a good start.
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I made some organizing progress last weekend too. It felt good even if it was small (but time consuming). Yeah me!
I finally, organized and de-clutter two of the drawers in the office furniture. I threw away things that I didn't even know I had (not needed either), some stationary related items are going to the donation center, and the rest that are needed and useful are neatly organized in the dividers.
I also organized two boxes with greeting cards, labels and seals. I get a lot of the address's labels and seals from organizations that I support and contribute during the year, and I needed to throw away sheets of labels. I wish they didn't send me so much stuff that end up in the shredder after all. What a waste.
Still more to do in the office cabinet, but it has been a good start.
I feel you. Those endless address labels and notepads and other little thank yous that I get from the charitable organization I support are just over the top. I use the notepads, but how many address labels do we need in the age of online bill pay? I get a billion more every couple of months. I use maybe a half dozen a year. I've got years of them stuffed in an organizer in my office. You just inspired me to go through and get rid of them (I'll keep the best ones, of course.)
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@jenilla1
I sent notes in the past to these organizations asking NOT to send me anymore labels, but I think that nobody read them or care. I threw away labels and seals for the last Olympic games (oh boy!). I also keep the best ones, and I give some of the note pads to my daughters in law as long as they don't' have my name printed. I hate to waste things but I have to be realistic, better in the shredder where the paper may be recycled than in my drawers where the where they will never be used.
Good luck with your new chore!
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We are putting up shelves in the garage to hold tote boxes. We don't have a basement in this house, but still need somewhere to store the Christmas tree and such things.
Our shelves are a half inch sheet of plywood ripped down the center into two 2 x 8 sections. We reinforced it round the edge with 1 x 8s, and added more 1 x 8 pieces where the brackets will go. The heavy steel brackets (found them on Amazon) are set into the studs of the garage wall with framing screws, so they aren't going anywhere. We did something similar at our former house, and it was very nice. Easy to find anything, and look much tidier than a heap of boxes.6 -
I’m going to start a new challenge I heard about from a MFP friend. Starting with the new month, I’ll donate, recycle or dispose of unneeded items for each day of the month. So, on July 1st, I plan to get rid of (at least) ONE item. On July 2nd, I’ll declutter TWO items, following that pattern through July 31st, when I plan to rid the house of THIRTY-ONE items. Feel free to join in, if you are interested.10
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I convinced my husband to clean up and get rid of shoes that he no longer wears. Friday afternoon we took a bag with 5 pairs of still very decent shoes to an organization that helps the homeless free of charge. I hope that this donation can help somebody in need.10
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PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »I’m going to start a new challenge I heard about from a MFP friend. Starting with the new month, I’ll donate, recycle or dispose of unneeded items for each day of the month. So, on July 1st, I plan to get rid of (at least) ONE item. On July 2nd, I’ll declutter TWO items, following that pattern through July 31st, when I plan to rid the house of THIRTY-ONE items. Feel free to join in, if you are interested.
I'm gonna go ahead and try it, but I might have to do a modified version of that, because I like the idea, but I feel a bit overwhelmed by the idea of having to get rid of hundreds of things by the end of the month. That's a big ask for me. I was proud of myself last week for finally parting with the turkey deep fryer we don't use that's been taking up space in the garage for years. (It was a gift, and I have a hard time getting rid of things people give me. It makes me feel guilty.) I know I can get rid of ONE thing every day, for sure. And I have at least thirty-one space-hogging items I could be rid of. But it's worth a try to do the gradually increasing numbers. I suppose if I can go through some garage boxes and get rid of the little things I can hit those numbers. What a great idea for a challenge, though!
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PatriceFitnessPal wrote: »I’m going to start a new challenge I heard about from a MFP friend. Starting with the new month, I’ll donate, recycle or dispose of unneeded items for each day of the month. So, on July 1st, I plan to get rid of (at least) ONE item. On July 2nd, I’ll declutter TWO items, following that pattern through July 31st, when I plan to rid the house of THIRTY-ONE items. Feel free to join in, if you are interested.
I'll join you. It's a great idea!
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I’m going to check this thread often to keep me on track to declutter. That’s my big problem now. I’ll join you to do 5 min. every day.7
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@jenilla1 I love that idea & I feel the same! Let's think of extra items as bonus or extra credit, so encouraging more than 1 item but not obligated. And keeping track of the # can help with feeling big progress by the time the month is through. Even 31 items sounds like a lot! I would like to join in, but I'm a one track mind gal and just started my health journey. I'll keep this in mind as I go about my day to day for extra credit
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Wow 🤩 … This is great! @jennilla1, @RubyRed427, @mssue18 and @kelliebee2000 - We can all support one another and just do what we can, modifying as needed.
Yes, @jennilla1, I like your idea to clean out small items from boxes in the garage (except it’s the shed for me). I’m thinking I’ll tackle a junk drawer later in the month, when the target number of items is higher, or I’ll weed out some books. My son also said he’d go through his clothes. So, we’ll see how much momentum we can build among family members along the way.
@mssue18, spending five minutes per day is a great way to make the process more manageable. I’d like to build that habit! Nice idea!5 -
In September last year, I left the company I built with two partners that was slowly killing me, that was the first thing I had to let go. It felt very good, but the clutter my wife & I had accumulated over the past 40 years was always pushing at me, making my angry and sad. I felt like I couldn't breath. I'd lived with it because it was important to my wife, but this was the end, I love my wife dearly, but, it came down to 'if I cant get rid of this stuff I need to move out'.
I hired a professional, and while my wife was working they took 2 dumpsters full of junk out, I had my wife tag the things she wanted saved and gave her one room to store them in. When that's full that's it.
I can't believe how much better I feel! There's still some to do, but we're doing it a little at a time.
The last thing I have to let go of was the guilt from the past, now that I had time to reflect on them. I sorted them out to the things I can't control/change and the things I can do something about.
I have one regret left that I can change. I'm working on that doing that now. I'm not a twelve stepper, but, some of those steps apply to many things in life. I've regained my balance in life, I'm feeling better now than I have in 40 years. I 'm ready to succeed.
For those who avoid doing this, thoughtfully declutter your life. It's not as traumatic as you think and you'll feel 10,000 times better. I'm 63 now, I wish I'd done this 20 years ago.
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@Sixteen_Tons Thanks for that post! We devote too much of our energy, too much of our lives to holding on to baggage - both physical and emotional. It's never too late to clean out the clutter! I love the compromise you made with your wife so you could both be OK with the change. So happy for you!
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I started reading this thread yesterday, and then got up and decluttered eight pieces of clothing from of my closet! I'm not much of a clothes girl, so that was easier than going after my books.
I'm going to think about that July challenge. On the one hand, it seems like a lot! On the other hand, I thought I'd already decluttered my closet down to bare necessities, and yet I found five things yesterday, pretty easily...7 -
Hey, I started that July clutter challenge we discussed above.
First day item: an old, worn and torn coat that isn't nice enough to donate went in the bin this evening!
Why has it been clogging up the closet for years? Nobody wears it. Ridiculous. GOOD RIDDANCE, CRAPPY OLD COAT. 🤣10
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