Decluttering and ruthlessness!

Work in progress getting others in the house to do their bit !!

I also visualise the 52 bags of rubbish I got rid of last year It was just stuff. Nothing I needed and pens that didn't work or slightly broken things and clothes.

I read somewhere to just do short sharp blasts at it. 20 to 30 mins . I found that so long as I had a single bin liner full of detritus to put in my bin each week I was happy. A charity pile was at a charity shop the same week and sale items advertised straight away as past experience meant things re entered the house if it was put in the garage. If things were not sold within a couple of weeks they were offered to a homeless charity depot. I too think 'are these going to be things my kids would want to sort through'. My memorable things won't have that same association for them after all.

I'm on the 'Chat' decluttering thread, I have lots to shift!

Oh yes Karmalady, son has done same with cd's and video games- has taken up much less room.😄

We started from the family home in 2006

I started in earnest the main (2nd) declutter last year, after reading other thread- and sorted into piles, sent some to charity, BUT- i now have a whole stack of boxes on the landing of things to sell- i tried a car boot, but as a small local church one didnt sell much- ive given away more to charity but i didnt have time before christmas when they would probably have been more useful to them!- i have sold one thing on ebay befoere christmas, but its harder than it seems, as i wanted 'collection only' folk mess you about,but i will try again with the declutter when son returns to uni (can put stuff in his room then🤣😂)

I did it in stages, stage 1 was from the family home and there were two of us. We started by giving lots away, including saddlery and a lovely horse. As we got nearer to moving day, we hired skips

Next stage to next house, also difficult but again with two of us, dh started the process of transferring all photos to discs, he coped every photo (100s) and each AC has a disc as do I

Third stage, now widowed and this was very difficult. I knew where I was moving to so did the scale cut-outs and managed to get-rid or leave behind some very good furniture. Cutlery, crockery etc and no longer catering for a crowd, I was ruthless

It is still on-going but slowly now. Airing cupboard as done again about 2 months ago. Today I removed a few bits from my garage. Anything now is very hard but necessary

Two years before moving is good Ftm420, the whole process takes a lot longer than people realise and it is very draing physically and mentally

At the very least, start in the kitchen, clear a shelf at a time, wash it and leave it empty. Work downwards if you have high cupboards.

Re your cds, buy cd filing systems from amazon. I have hundreds of cds and dvds in them. I did not keep any plastic cases but the black files are very neatly arranged on a bookcase and are as compact as they could be

Arewethereyet- yes we have same said cupboard- got hoover in (actual hoover variety) which is the back up vac for the shark- as well as a steamer, stain cleaner machine etc tool box ,etc etc, but we lob stuff in there all the time, its also where we hang coats behind door- well electric guy yesterday aŕrived to change meter over and so half the stuff had to come out- sons even storing a pack of flat- packed boxes in there(!) Now not sure they will all go back-so decisions have to be made!🤔😅

I find the Marie Kondo method really works. I do it frequently. The only thing I change Nowadays is I do it in smaller bites. You need a bit of pre-prep when you first begin by getting lots of boxes.

Take everything out of your half kitchen. First box is for everything you are going to keep second everything you are going to throw, third box, everything for donating, last box stuff you are not sure about.

Immediately put back the keep, then dispose of the next two boxes. Finally at your leisure deal with the not sure box.

Scan photos, manuals, paperwork then bin or recycle the originals. Donate books to charity, I only kept a couple. Then I do a room at a time, working clockwise from the doorway and you just have to be ruthless. What spurred me on was a conversation with my boys when they said there was absolutely nothing that they would want and it would all end up in a skip! At least this way some of it will go to charity and it’s easier to keep things tidy when there’s less “stuff”.

But what do you do when the stuff isn't yours, but is your DHs? And despite his claims to "never have time" he spends most of it doing nothing of worth and never remains as never? From Day 1of our 52 years of marriage his camera went everywhere and a week's holiday would result in hundreds of photos - most not very good. All processed at Boots or wherever and some stuck in albums but hundreds (could be thousands) still in the packets and no idea what they are of. One day..... he has been saying for 52 years!

Some are slides which need a projector to play.

Nothing is labelled.

Similar with VHS videos (bought and home made), CDs, even music cassettes. Ornaments from his late mum's house (she died 25 years ago) all of which are tat and he does not remember ever being on display (her family had owned the 12-roomed house for over 200 years!). Old photos in cheap, broken frames, mostly very faded.

Over the years I've bought him scanners, convertors, photo-frames etc - all unused.

His clothes are the same, plus books in their hundreds, most of them never looked at (apart from Deep Space Nine). A month ago D SIL cleared our loft and he found a huge box of 78 (speed) records such as Richard Tauber which were his dad's. And all his old primary school exercise books.

He is "thinking about" those too.

No different with every day stuff either. Yesterday he "nipped" to Tesco and came back with two boxes of Cappucino sachets "in case it snows this weekend". We already had 7 boxes in the cupboard. Also tinned tomatoes, we already had 9 tins. I have to find room for them all amongst the 80 other tins we have. Oh, and a large bag of Long-grain rice - already 3 bags in the cupboard.

We have three freezers. One giant, one medium, one small, all full to capacity, all in a huge muddle despite me instituting wipe-clean boards to log the contents and their locations. He bought oven chips to add to the six bags already in there. I grow my own veg and freeze the surplus so why did he buy frozen carrots and chopped onions?

I envy those of you whose mess is just their own, and your intentions are at least there even if you don't succeed as well as you would like to.

CEX buy DVDs.

undines

It can really hurt throwing stuff away - some people feel it's a part of them and it's a very deep-seated thing. My advice is to tell yourself that space is precious too, and you're gaining that by de-cluttering. Can make you feel better - possibly. Good luck - someone in the world needs what you're throwing out, so be kind to them - and you!
Re photos - why throw them away? Re-photograph them on your phone and store them digitally.

That’s a lovely sentiment but what do those of us who sort these donations do when we literally have no more room🤷‍♀️
We use eBay, FB, Vinted, NextDoor. The only problem with that is: the world and his wife are doing the same thing.
So, we dump it our Skip which isn’t cheap so those donations have cost us money 🤦🏼‍♀️
Fortunately I’m a chukkaouter so it’s not a problem for me but sometimes I could weep at the beautiful things we have dumped.

I know how you must be feeling. We had to move from Essex to Durham after living there for 40+ years and had a lot of stuff accumulated. It was very traumatic to throw kids toys away (they are no longer kids). Also sentimental items that were from when I was younger (I was told I am a bit of a hoarder). Items that meant nothing to son but to me it was memories. I got very upset at seeing my possessions being thrown in a skip - I did not want any of this to happen but we had to move on (finances). I am pleased to say that I am in a place where although smaller it is not cluttered as much (1 room to still be sorted - due to less rooms/space - but will get round to sorting at later stage. Good luck and think positive, I am happy now with all books in bookcases. I Have a large kitchen with everything in right place. It takes time but worth it in the end.

AreWeThereYet

First thing I did was a sweep of the house looking for anything that was obviously broken, unusable or unwanted and easy to get rid of. Found all sorts of things that had been 'put away' and never found again and replaced.

Once all that rubbish was gone I did drawer by drawer, cupboard by cupboard, starting in the sitting room while I was watching TV.

As you make a bit of space it's easier to put things away in a proper 'home' where you can find them. I now have 16 pairs of scissors of various sizes, most of which I will probably never use but at least they are all in the same place when I want a pair and can decide which ones to dispose of!

Scan photos. Copy DVDs and CDs. Then get rid of the physical ones.

Do the things that are easier first then you can focus more when it comes to the harder things.

When mine all at last left home I discovered 27 pairs of scissors. Not the sort of thing to get rid of for me. They are dotted around the house. Never know when you'll need some.

Daddima

‘ One day, this will all be yours’

I did make a start, but found it quite difficult to get rid of stuff that was too good for the bin. British Heart Foundation was my usual, but they had stopped taking things.
An old fashioned jumble sale is what I need.

That picture reminds me the time I took my ( then 5yrs old) granddaughter to a neighbours house.
The neighbour was very proud of her stuff
My granddaughter said it looks like a charity shop
Quick change of subject from me.

JRTW2

I’ve been through this recently so I really understand. I also have a storage locker full of stuff from my late mother and stepfather

I can to the following conclusions:

If you don’t reach for it, get rid of it. Especially kitchen appliances

You don’t need souvenirs to remember family. They are in your heart. Sell stuff or give to someone that will treasure it

Contact a company like ReDonate who will collect books, clothes etc for charity. There’s another who will collect CDs and DVDs (most won’t)

No one wants CDs and DVDs. It broke my heart to throw some away.

Your old text books from university need to go

Get rid of clothes you don’t wear or don’t fit

Ornaments collect dust etc. do you really need them?

Before you buy anything else:

Do you need it?

Can you afford it?

Have you room for it?

Will you use it wear it?

Would you have still wanted it if it wasn’t in the sale?

Unless you cruise monthly or regularly go to balls, how much evening wear do you need? I’ve decided to keep 3 pieces and hire if I need more.

Shoes. How many do you wear?

Be brutal. It will be worth it. Good luck

Please excuse the typos. I promise I’m not illiterate

I’ve been through this recently so I really understand. I also have a storage locker full of stuff from my late mother and stepfather

I can to the following conclusions:

If you don’t reach for it, get rid of it. Especially kitchen appliances

You don’t need souvenirs to remember family. They are in your heart. Sell stuff or give to someone that will treasure it

Contact a company like ReDonate who will collect books, clothes etc for charity. There’s another who will collect CDs and DVDs (most won’t)

No one wants CDs and DVDs. It broke my heart to throw some away.

Your old text books from university need to go

Get rid of clothes you don’t wear or don’t fit

Ornaments collect dust etc. do you really need them?

Before you buy anything else:

Do you need it?

Can you afford it?

Have you room for it?

Will you use it wear it?

Would you have still wanted it if it wasn’t in the sale?

Unless you cruise monthly or regularly go to balls, how much evening wear do you need? I’ve decided to keep 3 pieces and hire if I need more.

Shoes. How many do you wear?

Be brutal. It will be worth it. Good luck

Gwyllt

When son and I try to declutter, and I mean rubbish, husband goes skip diving.

Mine just came back from walking the dog and asked, Do I need a desk lamp? Because someone has just put one out on the pavement up the street. I hit the roof, I am afraid.

Yesterday I tried to declutter the linen cupboard. I piled everything up on the spare bed and sorted out single, double and king size bedding. I seem to have about 50 pillowslips and even if all my kids and their partners and their kids come to stay at once, surely I will not need more than 30. Then my daughter arrived for dinner and decided to stay the night so I quickly nipped upstairs and shoved it all back into the linen cupboard….

It can really hurt throwing stuff away - some people feel it's a part of them and it's a very deep-seated thing. My advice is to tell yourself that space is precious too, and you're gaining that by de-cluttering. Can make you feel better - possibly. Good luck - someone in the world needs what you're throwing out, so be kind to them - and you!
Re photos - why throw them away? Re-photograph them on your phone and store them digitally.

Inn terms of photos we got rid of all the general views which you can easily find on the internet these days and also ones of people our son and grandchildren won’t know or have interest in.

We decluttered a couple of years ago when I took early retirement. It was easy as we were doing up the house. We now live by saying if it hasn't been used in a year get rid of and wait a day before you buy to stop instant spending. Both works and we save money. Xx

When son and I try to declutter, and I mean rubbish, husband goes skip diving.