Decrapification

[PaulaO]

Let's clean the closets/basements/tack rooms.

I'm down to a manageable amount of stuff, but dream of throwing away everything. What do you want to get rid of?

[OmegaMare]

Thank you for starting this thread, PaulaO.
I want to get rid of all the tack and horse gear I won't be needing, but first I have to decide what I might just possibly need and what I will never ever use again, and since I have been wrong before, this will take probably a year to figure out.
Same issue applies to kitchen equipment, clothes, books, linens, papers, footwear.
I would love to be down to the minimal stuff I had 30 years ago.
Also I would like my email inbox to be filed and empty.
I am so not good at this.

[goldhorse]

I already did my closet according to the crazy Japanese lady's method. The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up. Now everything in my dresser is neatly folded and I can see what I have. I must have gotten ride of about 50% of my clothes and I haven't missed them.

Next up is shoes. I had knee surgery this year and arthritis has set in. Most of my shoes are now uncomfortable so they're going to get tossed (meaning to Goodwill or the like).

Kitchen is in good shape. Living room is in good shape. Linen closet is in good shape. Kids have moved out and have purged their rooms. Garage is being done this week. I booked a city bulk waste pickup for Jan 12 so I have incentive. Also used paint will go to the hazardous waste depot.

Next up is trailer tack room but I haven't come up with a good organization system. It's a slant load and the tack room is angular. I will have to work on this.

I'm on a roll. This is how I deal with stress and the last 2 weeks have been horrible. A close friend came off her horse, broke her hip, and then had to have a full hip replacement. My daughter's college roommate was in a horrific auto accident in Vermont a few days ago and lost both her parents.

So out with the old including 2015. It's all stuff anyway.

[periastra]

Thanks for starting Paula. I will add more to this thread in the morning.

[PaulaO]

Yes, it is just stuff. Sometimes I think "what would I grab in case of a fire. I would take Ursala kitteh and my stuffed animals. Everything else can go. I am reading the Japanese lady's book and it does help to hold things before making the decision.

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up is the book.

[periastra]

Well, I got the laundry room coat and shoe closet done this morning. I have a 39 gallon trash bag filled with coats and shoes for charity. I also organized my riding lesson half chaps, gloves, and helmet in a tote bag. I cleaned the closet floor as well. Now I get a tea break, and some time to swoon over Daryl on the Walking Dead marathon.

[StraightForward]

How funny, I was going to start a thread on the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up last night, but then I went to bed instead.

It is well worth the read. I've been somewhat aware of the book since early this year and went through and got rid of a fair amount of stuff and reorganized my t-shirt drawers. Then I read half of the book and got rid of more stuff. Then I finished the book and have another car load of stuff to donate.

Some of her stuff is a little crazy, but most of it makes sense. Even some of the stuff that sounds crazy at first starts to make sense later.

One thing she says towards the end of the book is not to buy additional storage because it just turns into clutter, and your home actually already has the perfect amount of storage, you just need to get down the the right amount of stuff. This is something I found to be true, and it really helped, plus saved me some money. One thing I did do though, is buy a bunch of plastic shoe boxes, which happen to fit in my dresser drawers just right. I'm using these to keep my tights, sports bras, trouser socks, etc. separated by category. It seemed like this isn't really buying additional storage so much as dividing up the storage I already have. She does talk a lot about using little trays and boxes to keep things sorted. Once I sorted things into these boxes I liked it so much that I might go buy a couple more today.

Another thing in the book that I found very helpful was on getting rid of things with sentimental value, or things that were gifts. She says that a gift has fulfilled its purpose the moment the giver has gifted it, because it's an expression of caring toward you. You won't lose that by getting rid of the item if it is not useful or doesn't "spark joy." That helped me get rid of, among other things, a very nice vintage fondue pot that my late mother bought for me. I used it precisely twice over a decade ago, and it was constantly getting extremely tarnished, so I didn't enjoy looking at it, but had hung on to it through so many years and house moves. This led to getting rid of: 1) little tiny bowls and salt and pepper shakers that were inside the fondue pot since we moved here six years ago 2) the cheapo fondue forks I'd bought to use with it and 3) the can of fuel that worked only with the pot. I now have my eye on selling the bike she bought 30 years ago that I never ride and giving my great aunt's Singer Featherweight to one of my aunts or otherwise getting rid of it.

A couple weeks ago I went through our filing cabinet and tossed 3/4 of the papers. Now we're down to about a linear foot of files and the tax documents are in folders by year for the first time ever. I've also gotten rid of about 2/3 of my books and back issues of most magazines. I also took a truck load of stuff to the thrift store and another truck load of stuff to Habitat for Humanity. I've already nearly forgotten about 99% of what I donated.

I've been off work since Christmas eve and have painted and put back together the laundry room, which was already well-organized and didn't have much crap, but is now even better.

I then painted "my room" which is a spare bedroom where I keep all my clothes. I have closet rods along part of one wall, and was rotating my off-season stuff into the small closet. However, after going through and getting rid of what I don't like/wear/need, I was able to empty out the closet and put a chair and a bookshelf in there for a reading nook instead. I've been haunting the house looking for cozy place a place away from the TV where I can sit and read and now I finally have it. So the tidying up really has been life-changing. I actually have a couple empty drawers and baskets in that room now, and my main dresser has tons of space in each drawer, whereas before everything was busting at the seams. I am getting the hang of her folding method, but don't use it for everything, and am using a modified version for my pants.

On my side of the garage is a big work bench with wire shelving above, and I had a tall, skinny freestanding shelf with a file cabinet under it in a corner as well. This area has always been the landing spot for anything going to/from the barn, and is where I keep all my feed and supplements. Needless to say, it was a wreck. I have a little more to go with how to store off-season horse blankets and other unused tack under the bench, but it is also SO much better now. I put a little cabinet that had been living in the basement up on the workbench for easy access to gardening gloves, dog leashes and so on, and sorted barn supplies out into baskets on the shelves. If I can get away from the practice of bagging my horses' feed, this area will stay way cleaner. I also got rid of a ton of old paint that was stored in there, which made room to keep the air compressor handy for airing up tires, and also created a better space for sorting our coolers.

Last but not least, I'm nearly finished with reorganizing the shop. Since it's been frigid, this meant bringing all the tool boxes inside and sorting through them. I also took all the little scraps of untreated wood up to the house to use for kindling, and threw out lots of scrap that I couldn't see ever using. My dad likes to joke about the disaster zone that is my shop when he comes to visit, so he's going to be shocked next time he's here. As I've been going through everything, I've gotten a couple small jobs done, like installing drawer pulls and replacing an extension cord plug. I'm hoping I've finally settled on a logical way of organizing my tools. I've tried several times in the past and everything always ends up mixed together haphazardly. There's still a bit more to do out there when it's not so damn' cold, but I've gotten a huge head start on sorting through the dross.

[Paints]

We moved and downsized this year to a condo. Our house that we moved from was not very big, but we had a garage that was half again the size of the house. My DH who is a bit of a hoarder had it rammed to the rafters. We filled 3 14 yard dumpsters. It started to feel so carthartic to get rid of useless stuff we were hanging on to. We still have a bit too much stuff.............. LOL.

[periastra]

Oh my gosh, goldhorse and StraightForward, are both organizing superstars. I bow down to you.

[Code3]

My partner just got the book. I am not bothered by clutter the way she is but I told her I'd do it too. Let the decrapification begin!!

[StraightForward]

My partner just got the book. I am not bothered by clutter the way she is but I told her I'd do it too. Let the decrapification begin!!

You might be surprised, once you see the results.

I seem to go through a round of decrapification at least once a year, and thought I was pretty good at it, but the book took things to the next level.

A few things I've found:

Start with the easy things - mismatched socks, expired cold medicine, unnecessary packaging.

Give yourself permission to let go of materials for projects you've never gotten to. I've let go of fabric, tile, vinyl fenceposts I was going to make into jump wings, etc. It feels good not to have those "when I get around to it" items hanging over your head. I've saved a few projects and now feel like I'm more likely to get to them because the number of projects is less overwhelming and I'm more capable of focusing.

Speaking of hanging overhead, reconsider vertical storage, if you have it. I'd added bridle holders to a bi-fold door and had it tucked behind my nice saddle stand in my room with all manner of tack hanging from it. It moved out to the garage, where it can sit flat against a wall and is currently empty. I could not believe how much the feel of my room improved without that tall piece towering over everything in the corner. The tall rickety shelf in the garage got moved to a corner that isn't trafficked as much, and is only storing couple larger items, so I also don't feel like it's just a magnet for clutter hanging over my head like I did when it was right where I get out of my car every day.

Storage bins: if you must, try to stick to clear ones. We had a ton of plastic storage bins and I found that the opaque ones were the most likely to be pits where unnecessary items went to die, or where useful things languished, completely forgotten. Since I've freed up lots of storage by getting rid of things, I'm getting to the point of only using opaque bins if the lids aren't needed. Even if they're labeled, not being able to see the contents causes problems.

This is an emotional process. Your feelings about getting rid of things will change as you go through your possessions. It's OK to take some time before tackling the sentimental things. It's also OK to keep some of them, but know that a carefully curated collection can be more fully enjoyed than a large collection that has to be stowed away in the attic.

Papers - I had lots of stuff that is just no longer necessary due to this majickal invention called the internet. Getting rid of owner's manuals and things like that reduced a lot of clutter. I found I had owner's manuals for things I didn't even own anymore.

Books - I refer to my cooking, horse and gardening books frequently and prefer a hard copy. Everything else could go. If I really want to re-read something (unlikely) I'll get the Kindle version. I think I'm going to get rid of the rest of my magazine back issues soon too. I rarely go back and read them, and most I can get digitally.

Hope some of this helps!

Some articles on the cost of clutter:

http://www.wisebread.com/8-ways-clutter-keeps-you-poor
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2010/ ... f-clutter/
http://www.org4life.com/how-much-clutter-costing/

[VBOpie]

OmegaMare,

I can totally relate to your comment about your email inbox. I just emptied mine and am systematically unsubscribing to all those sales emails that somehow found my name on their mailing list. I'm amazed at the difference it's making.

[Hayburner]

I too really need to declutter. I have tons of storage in my home and that's probably why I have way too much stuff. I do believe that my life would be so much easier to manage once I do a deep purge. I just don't know where to begin. My problem items are work, casual and riding clothes, papers, magazines, make-up, Christmas decorations, and decorative accessories. I think a few years ago I was a bit depressed so I shopped like a lunatic. Bought things for the sake of feeling good, but now those same things give me unwanted stress because I just have too much.

I want to get rid of things, then I hold onto them, remembering that in the next 3/5 years I'll be moving and I may need them for my new place. But, will I really reuse them? Probably not. But many were expensive and I hate just tossing them. I

Where the best place to start?

I have thought maybe to just take a drawer or two a day and complete it. But at that rate it could take me months to get really organized. I don't think I'm disorganized but I do have too much "stuff".

[goldhorse]

This is an emotional process. Your feelings about getting rid of things will change as you go through your possessions. It's OK to take some time before tackling the sentimental things. It's also OK to keep some of them, but know that a carefully curated collection can be more fully enjoyed than a large collection that has to be stowed away in the attic.

This is the key. I have a few things from my parents. Things that have no value but define them in my memories. I have them in places where I see them everyday but they are out of the way of general living. Right now my mother's purse sits on a window ledge in my closet and her favorite sweater is hanging among my sweater. I don't need more than that to remember her.

I am currently struggling with some oil paintings. 1 of them is a childhood portrait of me. It's ugly as heck and my kids hate it so I should just trash it and do them the favor. They don't want it and don't want to deal with it when I'm dead so I should think of the disposal as a present to them. The other painting is something that some great aunt painted and hung in my childhood bedroom. I never met her but I think of it as a family heirloom. Not quite an heirloom but a family artifact or white elephant. This is exactly the problem that is described in the tidying up book. I have the painting stored under a bed because I don't know what to do with it. Exactly! I don't know what to do with it. So, it's going to Goodwill this week.

I used to covet my neighbor's living room. One day, I took a long hard objective look at it and realized that it was sparse. Very few things were on the mantel piece and the book shelves weren't overflowing. Now I try to emulate that. And really, when stress hits me, I clean. My therapist told me that is my way of distracting my mind from the real issues. And right now, life is very stressful.

Advice for where to start:
1) Your bras and underwear. I got drawer organizers and neatly fold everything before I put it away
2) your dresser drawers ( I love being able to see all my t-shirts now)
3) your hanging clothesf
4) paperwork. You'd be surprised what you don't need. Keep only the year end statements of investments. You don't need the monthly stuff. You don't need your monthly credit card statements if you go through them and note tax deductions. Set up your email so you have a folder for tax stuff and email receipts get transferred right into there. Go through your email daily and DELETE, DELETE, DELETE or file into folders

[goldhorse]

So excited!
DH just told me that he sorted through his old clothes and wants the crazy Japanese lady's method of folding. Here it is for those who want in on it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bs7Lk6WOM7Y

[StraightForward]

I too really need to declutter. I have tons of storage in my home and that's probably why I have way too much stuff. I do believe that my life would be so much easier to manage once I do a deep purge. I just don't know where to begin. My problem items are work, casual and riding clothes, papers, magazines, make-up, Christmas decorations, and decorative accessories. I think a few years ago I was a bit depressed so I shopped like a lunatic. Bought things for the sake of feeling good, but now those same things give me unwanted stress because I just have too much.

I want to get rid of things, then I hold onto them, remembering that in the next 3/5 years I'll be moving and I may need them for my new place. But, will I really reuse them? Probably not. But many were expensive and I hate just tossing them. I

Where the best place to start?

I have thought maybe to just take a drawer or two a day and complete it. But at that rate it could take me months to get really organized. I don't think I'm disorganized but I do have too much "stuff".

Seriously, read the book, it helps. Read it twice if you need to! She says not to go room by room, but pull together everything of one type that you have, and figure out what a reasonable amount is to keep. So for instance, find every shirt you have, put them all in a pile, and they lay your hands on every one and decide if it "sparks joy" or not. I didn't do it exactly this way, but did prune things out of my wardrobe that I would occasionally wear, but that I never felt 100% comfortable in. Now it's so easy to get dressed because I enjoy wearing everything I have and don't have to sort through (and potentially attempt to wear) crap I don't like.

If you bought something to make you happier years ago, it has fulfilled that need and now you can let it go; it is not increasing your happiness level anymore, is it?

goldhorse - that is too funny! Just an hour ago I came across a portrait of me my mom had done when I was 9 or so. It's not ugly, but I don't want to hang it in the house. It was rolled up in a tube with a couple horse pencil drawings I did in college, so I cut them all down to fit in a frame I had and put the portrait in the back and the horse I like best in the front. My dad had a semi-abstract self portrait from college and I think he finally trashed it because my brother and I refused to take it and he certainly didn't want to look at it after packing it around for 50 years.

[Kyra's Mom]

The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up

Definitely going on my reading list.

Susan

[Kelo]

When we moved a year ago, I threw out so much. It was so liberating. (Despite the fact that my mom, trying to help, started fishing stuff that "might be valuable" out of my trash heap. Argh!) My current junk load isn't unmanageable per se, but I think a lot about really sitting down and thinning more. There is so much I don't need. It really is freeing to not have clutter and junk.

Then again, when I got my horse Henry back a few years ago (total surprise), and he needed a blanket, I just had to pull out my old mare's blanket. She'd been dead for years, it was too big for my current horse, but I had kept the blanket, stored in a box in my attic. And it fit Henry like a glove. That was, like, the one instance where my hoarding was super helpful!

[texsuze]

DH is a bit of a hoarder, so my decrap program is mostly ferreting out his crap and convincing him to bag it! My last year's goal of re-organizing our workshop was successfully completed. Now for the garage... I am constantly gathering items to donate to local thrift shops and to the Habitat Re-store in the next town over; I make many donations a year to all the thrifts around town, so I'm in perpetual 'de-crap mode'. Along with all the household and barn recycling to be taken to town.

Here's a re-purpose question: what can be done with the multitude of running shoes DH routinely wears out?

[PaulaO]

Texsuze, there are places that accept running shoes for recycling (think arena footing). Google Nike recycle.

I started the decrapification over the summer, prior to getting new carpeting and new furniture. I had to box everything and it was way too much stuff. So as I boxed, I purged. Lots of books gone--I buy few books and they tend to be non-fiction/reference. I let go of books from my childhood that shaped me in the wrong way. I even got rid of a few horse books (thanks gallop, for taking them off my hands).

I like meaningful knick-knacks, photographs, and stuffed animals. I let a few animals go to Goodwill to make someone else happy.
Sentimental things are hard for me, plus I hear my mother's voice saying "that's nice, you should keep that." I need to keep what makes ME happy, not someone else.

The one thing I don't like about the Japanese book is her recommendation of using shoe boxes as storage. Cardboard can get smelly, musty and attract pests. Plus I don't like the way it looks.

I have a 2 car garage and one car. The previous owner was a cabinetmaker, so there are lots of shelves. One shelved side holds all my Christmas decorations, of which I have a lot. Another side holds my box (like a plastic milk carton) of papers--taxes, legal papers, etc. and my CDs, riding equipment, and misc. stuff like vases. Of course the sides of the garage have stuff, but that's where I store cleaning supplies, toilet paper, etc., and my garbage can and recycle bin.

One of my things is I like my stuff where I can see it. I turned my second bedroom into my library/craft room and bought wood bookcases to line one wall. It looks really spiffing there now. It's a bit of a work in progress; I have to decide what I want on the walls.

My big project will be my walk in closet which also doubles as storage for my portable room airconditioner.....

[zevida]

What I've done for the things that are sentimental but you don't really want to keep is I take a picture of it before I give it away. Then I can always look at and spark the memory, but I don't have the actual thing hanging around taking up space.

Yesterday, I threw away all my spices. Most of them were use by 2007. Which means I've moved them like 3 times since then. Heh. Fresher spices will be bought as needed.

[PaulaO]

1 of them is a childhood portrait of me. It's ugly as heck and my kids hate it so I should just trash it and do them the favor.

I had one of those too. I finally screwed up my courage and dumped it in the garbage. It was so liberating to be rid of that thing!

[goldhorse]

I just opened one of my childhood books (actually my brother's) and it's a signed first edition by Dr. Seuss. Guess that gets saved

[silk]

I keep way too much crap, but I think it might be useful one day...

Today I threw out boxes and receipts for a mobile phone I bought in 2005. It died in 2007-8. Why did I need to keep its box?! I also pulled out three saddle blankets to give to a friend. In storage for 8+ years... I'm never going to use them. The other week I gave her two blanket storage bags, again, in storage for *quite* some time. Also on the way out is mum's old portable typewriter, some shoes from my aunt that were for my nieces to play dress ups in (but they don't), and two piles of magazines from my brother. He last lived in the house 6 years ago.

The worst part is you can't even tell the stuff is gone, there is still other stuff that should go.

[Hayburner]

Straightforward, you are right many mom my items have fulfilled their purpose, I need to get rid of them.

I just hate trashing expensive items... But, I'm going to work on it.

Goodness, I still have cards from my ex and we've been separated for 5 years, I need a girl friends burning party! Lol

[Koolkat]

There's a Free Cycle Forum here, too!

[Tuddy]

I am decrapifying my house this year. I feel bad chucking things, but I am recycling and freecyling as much as I can. I just can't stand the fact my house if full to the brim. It's happening. It is so happening.

[PaulaO]

I find that if I'm on the fence about getting rid of something, I wait until garbage pickup morning, then toss it. That gives me time to decide if I want to keep it. If I throw it away garbage morning, it's gone, and no more decision making.

Hayburner, throw those cards away! Do not wait to have a party, just pitch them tonight.

[Hayburner]

PaulaO - your right - I need to just pitch them....lol..though, we still give each other holiday cards..yes, we are NUTS...

I have a pile of shoes, purses, clothes that have been sitting for a year for me to get off my butt and sell on ebay - I just wish I had the time to deal with all of it....oh, I have breeches that I need to sell too. I think what stops me is having to take pictures of the stuff and post it and I'm not very good with my computer skills when posting pics....ugh.

What is currently motivating me is: what if something happens to me??? My poor family will need to come in and deal with all my "stuff". That scares me...they will definitely classify me as a shopaholic!

As for those really sentimental things - My dogs ashes and photo's, my heart horses first halter, etc. they will be buried with me. No one will want them and the thought of someone just tossing them in the trash makes me crazy! their only value is to ME....

[goldhorse]

HB, I can't deal with ebay either. Too much work. Instead I am trying an online consignment store called ThredUp. My first bag of stuff goes out today.

[Canyon]

On Sunday, I managed to go through my dresser, drawer by drawer and sort through lingerie, tee shirts, and socks. Then I used a modified Marie Kondo method of folding when I put away the stuff I decided to keep. It looks very pretty for now, and it's nice to be able to actually see things. We'll see if I can maintain the order!

Next project will be all the clothes hanging in my closet.

[Melody]

I need to start all this too. I did send one Dressage saddle to Pelham to sell. I have another saddle too and other tack that needs to go. Just not sure the best way to sell them. I guess we start with getting a paypal account? I worry about when I am gone and my husband, my kids have no clue about horse stuff, they never got into the horses. They would have no idea how to sell or what it's worth. I have a lot of things I will never use again. I started the clothes thing, need to get more aggressive on getting rid of things in the closets. I saw a good tip on TV about hanging everything with the hangers backwards, anything you wear during the course of a year, hang it the right way. At the end of the year anything still on a backwards hanger let it go. I do have one item, my Mom's bowling ball in a nice bag with shoes. The ball has her name engraved. What the heck do I do with that? I tried contacting the bowling alley to see if I could just donate it but they never responded. Our house is extremely cluttered. Have a lot of sentimental things that were my Mom's, my Grandmas and other relatives. Can't let that stuff go even if someday my kids or grandkids don't want them.

[PaulaO]

I used to sell on eBay and through consignment stores. But it became a big hassle and now the market is oversaturated. Now I either throw it away, or give to whoever calls me for pickup (AmVets, Purple Hearts).

My motto: when it doubt, throw it out. That would include your mother's bowling ball. Does it mean anything to YOU?

[Hayburner]

Melody, I saw the same tip for clothing. I just can't wrap myself around that process. Just last week, I used a purse that was in my closet for a good 2 yeArs with the tags still on it. It's a beautiful bag, I never used it because I thought it was too small. My STBX saw it and commented how nice it was and did I just get it? Lol, yes I did, from my own closet!

And let's not forget the size issue, some days something will fit, the next it won't, then it will! Lol. I think that whole suggestion is for us to buy more. Currently that's the last thing I need to do. I need to wear what I have, and quit saving things "for good". My mom always had us save things for good, for some reason I still do that. Ugh.

PaulaO, I will never get to that point of when in doubt, throw it out. Wish I could

[Melody]

The bowling ball doesn't mean anything now. I use to use it but it's extra heavy. I couldn't use it now if I wanted to with my hands. Not like I go bowling much. We took our granddaughter to a bowling alley for her birthday last July. First time I have been in decades. Kids did arcade games and us four adults bowled one game and all four of us were complaining about our hands hurting. Just seems like a weird thing to put in the dumpster. I thought about just dropping it off at a bowling alley but then someone might think it's a suspicious bag and call the bomb squad! I did give away my Mom's sewing machine several years ago. Kept it for sentimental reasons but realized I hadn't used it in a long time and wasn't going to. No need for it to just sit there when someone else could be using it.
That clothes idea with the hangers really wouldn't work for me either. I don't have everything hung up. I don't go anywhere that I need to dress up much. I have dresses I know I will never wear, they need to go. I keep hanging on to things thinking someday I might need this or that. My husband is an even worse pack rat. He retired and came home from the office with a pick up truck full of stuff. Still hasn't gone through it all.

[texsuze]

Melody, I think you should take your mom's bowling ball in its bag and find an alley about an hour away from you in a town where they won't know you. Bowl a bit (either with the rental ball or your mom's), bowl a strike for your mom. Then quietly leave her ball on the rack and walk out with the empty bag

[StraightForward]

Finally posted some stuff on Craiglist today. If I don't get any bites I'll lower the prices next weekend.

More stuff to feed into the trash, and we have a semi-working weed eater that I need to set out at the curb with a "free" sign on it.

More and more I just lean towards giving stuff away and taking the tax deduction. Within reason of course, but having stuff I need to get around to selling, and then dealing with the hassle of it all tends to weigh on me. Once it's donated, it always feels like a weight has lifted. As a word of encouragement for anyone feeling conflicted about getting rid of stuff; I think once or twice I've briefly regretted getting rid of things. I could not for the life of me remember now which things those were. Most of the stuff is forgotten about a day after I give it away. The feeling of having space and order is so much greater.

[Kyra's Mom]

I have a project for the weekend. I moved about a year and a half ago. I put all my bed linens in space bags. Guess what? A year and a half later, I still have 3 space bags that haven't been opened??? I found a fabric recycler and there are several drop off bins in the area so I am keeping 2 sets of winter sheets and 2 sets of summer sheets and all the rest goes bye-bye.

I went to the store last night and they had shoebox sized plastic storage boxes for $1 each (2 sets of 5 for $10). Now I can organize my sock and underwear drawers. I can never find the appropriate color of socks for work...when I am already usually running behind. Now I can organize them.

This is fun

Susan

[StraightForward]

Nice work Susan.

After I posted I got off my butt and loaded up the truck. With the cardboard that wouldn't fit in the recycling bin, plus the glass that they don't take at the curb, and then all the stuff to donate to the thrift store, the bed of my F250 was full. And thank you for the tip on giving horse stuff to the Youth Ranch. I put it in separate bins that they earmarked. They were BUSY yesterday taking donations. Must be lots and lots of people in decrapification mode.

Need to take a load of scrap wood to the dump or start being diligent about feeding it into the trash each week.

Then there are the hazardous waste items I still need to deal with - burnt out flourescent tubes and dead electronics mostly.

Decided to save the final frontier - AKA the basement - for next weekend. It's mainly the excessive sets of queen-sized sheets that need to go, and then I need to put a shelf in the guest bedroom closet to store our camping gear in a way that it's all visible and accessible, instead of in opaque bins that are stacked on top of each other.

The end is in sight!

[PaulaO]

Did my sock drawer this morning. What a bunch of junk! Now it looks so tidy with socks in bins according to color and use.

I read that H&M stores accept worn out clothes for recycling as do Salvation Army and Goodwill. So even if your clothes are too worn out to be resold, donate them anyway.

[Kyra's Mom]

I got my (initial) projects done. Sock drawer sorted by color and many thrown out (permanently dirty, holes or singles). Oh I keep a few for tack cleaning. Underwear drawer...same (except by color...I don't usually worry too much and I don't wear white pants so not an issue). I opened all my space bags of sheets and got rid of two large bags to the Gem Text kiosk. My linen closet looks wonderful...now to keep it that way. And I am far from done although, really it isn't too bad as I did a lot when I moved. Upward and OUTward...as in out the door.

Susan

[Melody]

Bowling ball issue solved! I contacted the nice newer lanes we went to last July. He got back to me right away and said they have youth and high school leagues and he is sure he can find a kid that would love the ball and bag. Just have to drop it off. I just can't throw something away unless it's broken. Someone somewhere will find use for most anything. I always donate clothes. Have donated appliances before too. Been slowly working on a drawer or two but I sure have a lot of things to get through. This office/computer room is the worse. Of course today is nice and sunny so it's riding time after lunch.

[Woost2]

Spice cabinet sorted. Now ADDing through books, oh ... the closet, oh ... look at this, recycling here, to be filled here, pitch here, books, back to the books, OMG I forgot all about this (ah photos, address lists of people I haven't contacted in 20 years, must peruse each one ...), post VHS tapes to the community (longshot, but only 7 total), hey someone wants two of them, clean up the kitchen as she is coming over to get them, where did all these dog toys come from ... this dog has never cared about toys, ... google recycling of VHS tapes ... full stop. Internet ... Facebook and two hour time suck.

[Hayburner]

So, is it best to decrap an entire room first - or all closets, then all drawers, etc. ?
I'm just wondering which way would keep me the most motivated....

[PaulaO]

The Crazy Japanese Lady (although she really isn't crazy) says go by--beginning with books since they are the least emotional. You are supposed to take ALL your clothes from closets, drawers, etc., put them in a pile, then sort. I figure if everything is out, then you won't stop til everything is sorted and put back. Unless one can sleep on a pile o' clothes.

[StraightForward]

I don't think going room by room is very effective; stuff can get shuffled from room to room, and you might have related/duplicate items in different rooms. Go through by category of item, from least to most sentimental or otherwise difficult to get rid of. You will probably find over time that you want to store things in different locations, and that space will be freed up as you declutter. If you go through this process, you'll get rid of garbage and stuff you don't care about, and in the process, create great storage for the things you want to keep. It also gets easier to let things go as you work through your belongings.

At least for me, having spacious storage for the things I want to actually access and use was motivational. Since I got rid of supplies for a project I was never going to get around to doing, I have a perfect space to store my seed starting equipment right near where it gets used each year.

Once you get the bigger items/categories cleared out, then it might make sense to go through junk drawers or other places where small clutter lurks, but starting there isn't going to create a very big impact.

Also, what Marie Kondo says about not purchasing storage containers turned out to be very true. My stuff is stored much better now, and I've also freed up several large plastic bins in the process. Some of my existing storage ended up being repurposed - for instance, I threw out bunches of old magazines, so I'm now using the plastic magazine holders to hold my summer sandals vertically on a shelf, which is a better use of space than laying them flat. I'm going to get rid of a bunch of beads and use the organizer I have them in for batteries instead. I think I mentioned it before, but the only storage I've purchased has been plastic shoe boxes that fit in drawers to organize socks and bras and things. And this is not additional storage, just dividing up drawers I already have.

Reading the book is well worth it and will save you time in the long run if you're serious about getting this done.

[piedmontfields]

I do love Kondo's question "does this spark joy?!". Somehow that is an easy sorting mechanism for me. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but it makes any necessary purging very rapid.

But I am unable to accept her advice about books. I only keep the ones that spark joy....and that is a lot of books!!

[Woost2]

I figure if everything is out, then you won't stop til everything is sorted and put back. Unless one can sleep on a pile o' clothes.

Not hardly. Piles can be moved off the bed. Where they might be stepped over for 6 months.

[goldhorse]

I translated "does this spark joy" to "do I really really really really like it." I take that philosophy with me when I'm shopping. Now I am no longer tempted to buy the pants that will fit "if I lose a few pounds" or the blouse that "will look fine if I get a better bra." In the past those purchases ended up in the back of the closet to be purged later. Now, I only have what fits well and that I wear often.

I did clothes and then books. Now that the house is in better order, I am going room by room to finish. But that is only because my kitchen stuff hasn't migrated out of the kitchen and I have only one junk drawer. DH is allowed to keep his desk as he wants.

[Hayburner]

"Does this spark joy" would not be realistic for me to think about.
When I have taken the time to purge here and there - it's a mood I have to be in..When I'm in that mood/zone I can freely toss items. When I try to push myself to do it, I hold on to more items. Another problem is I do have the space to keep and store things that I really don't need, so I don't toss them. But, I will say, I would feel so much better without so much stuff.
If I find a shirt that I really don't wear - my go to answer is - I'll use it to clean in....and I do...but, I have too many clothes that I can clean in! LOL For some reason, I seem to find a reason to repurpose items, sometimes they actually get used and sometimes not!

I will need a good 2 weeks to really, really purge! I won't need to buy any storage containers, as I will have many once get started.