Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2

[Poundwise]

does finally giving away all the gifts we've been accumulating all year long count as purging???

We don't "holiday shop" as much as we identify items for people in our lives all year, store them in the closet or attic and then in December wrap them and distribute them.  So this month we get a sizeable egress of stuff.  There's nothing like the excesses of the holiday season to make me want to get rid of EVERYTHING.

Ha, I know the feeling!  You win if you give away more than you get.

Today I successful regifted THREE presents to a friend and her son. She gave me ONE present. So I win. Well technically she gave me four little ones but in terms of total mass, I win. 

[Sibley]

Hey, getting the gifts out of the house counts. Thanks to the cat, all gifts were kept in protective custody, ie my closets. So I have a LOT more room in the closets now.

I'm also going to replace the artificial Christmas tree. The one I have I bought used 6 years ago and it has always been bigger than I wanted. The old tree is in its box and a FB marketplace ad is up. (Took it down much earlier than usual because of the cat.)

[Frugal Lizard]

We are going to be doing some work on the house to insulate more of the areas that remain uninsulated. This means whole areas of storage have to be cleared out at least temporarily.

DH has been a shredding monster. He is taking the last bankers box to a shredder place, our shredder keeps overheating and is struggling with more than 2 sheets at a time.

We are now down to one banker's box of papers.

I have pitched many boxes of duplicate photos and all the photos now fit in one place in the living room attomon. One more box of photo albums to go through. The box is from my Gramma's house but I only got it at Thanksgiving from my aunt. I am going to pull out the photos I want. I will offer it up to my siblings and cousins before I toss.

I have gone through all the fabrics and notions and yarn and button stash. Much was directly from my Gramma's house. She died in 2000. I didn't even like much of it (or have any intention of making dolls or bridal wear). It is now consolidated into one single bin from four. All to my taste.  In my defense,  DD has been doing crafts for years with the finds from the box.

DD has been doing a ton of sorting herself. I had to pull everything out of her closet for the energy auditor to get into the attic. Instead of piling it all back in she sorted it and has three huge bins to give away. 

Our house feels so much lighter! I did not realize how much the overstuffed closets  cupboards shelves and drawers were bringing me down. Opening the linen closet and seeing neat stacks of pillow cases or towels is surprisingly pleasant.  It almost feels like a little voice says: aren't you a together homemaker/responsible adult.

[Loretta]

This time of year I want to get rid of ALLLL my belongings and start over with 3 flannels and hoodies but alas... 

I donated a bag of sweaters and I'm working on using up more toiletries as I type.  This weekend may be purgeapalooza. 

[LeftA]

My teens have decided to organize their rooms / go through their clothes. Yesterday, I was able to pass on a bunch of their clothes to a good friend who has similarly aged children! 

I had also decided not to stress about purging and organizing too much over the holiday break. But, I did go through and organize my pj drawers the other day. I didn’t really get rid of much since I had gone through them a few months ago, but they are much better organized now.

I’m thinking of going down to my basement today to see if I can make a little progress as it’s been about 3 weeks since I’ve done anything down there. I was sick with a bad cold and didn’t have the energy (and frankly no desire anyway).

[RetiredAt63]

4 small frying pans out, 2 to garbage, 2 to donation.  Being replaced with 2 the same size from a brand I really like.  So net loss, 2 frying pans.  Net gain, 2 frying pans I like and will use instead of giving space to 2 frying pans I didn't like and didn't use much.

[Sibley]

2 glasses given to someone at work. I don't use them, they're probably 20/25 years old, but they are Disney. And she loves Disney.

[LaineyAZ]

2 glasses given to someone at work. I don't use them, they're probably 20/25 years old, but they are Disney. And she loves Disney.

oops, at first I thought you meant eyeglasses.  Was wondering who would want 20 year old eyeglasses even if they're Disney, but then realized you meant drinking glasses .... duh

[Sibley]

2 glasses given to someone at work. I don't use them, they're probably 20/25 years old, but they are Disney. And she loves Disney.

oops, at first I thought you meant eyeglasses.  Was wondering who would want 20 year old eyeglasses even if they're Disney, but then realized you meant drinking glasses .... duh

Yep, drinking glasses. They probably originally came from McDonald's or Burger King or similar.

[midweststache]

- We have a small box of things we received at Christmas that we're straight up not going to use; I'll be posting on my Buy Nothing group this weekend and hopefully passing them along to someone who WILL use them.

- Exchanging a sweater I was gifted for an appropriate size; not really "clearing out" but actively ensuring the "stuff" we have is usable.

- We're doing awesome at eating down our fridge/pantry. Dining out and food spoiling has been a constant battle for me, and we've been really great about being intentional with eating what we have and ensuring our pantry doesn't become a black hole.

[Sandi_k]

I did a 15 minute "grab and purge" in my closet this afternoon. Anything that I hadn't worn, didn't like the cut or color - went in the pile.

Our local St. Vincent was "full" on clothes, and declined our bag full. But Goodwill took it!

Next up: purses and shoes.

[Poundwise]

A gentleman came by to pick up some stuff that I posted on the Craigslist free section. While he was here, I asked him if he wanted lots of other stuff from our unwanted items pile and he did! So I got rid of at least a cubic yard of stuff including some large potted plants.  We're still not at par though... too much junk came in at Christmas.

[Raenia]

Laid out all the scarves and hats we own and went through them. We actually had some hiding in a bin that were mine and my sister's from high school! What fashion choices... Have a nice pile for donation, and a smaller stack that I actually like and expect to wear. DH still needs to go through his side of the pile, but it's significant progress.

[LaineyAZ]

I heard on NPR yesterday that the average American has 300,000 items in their home ....! 
Not sure if that's counting each paperclip or what, but it does continue to motivate to declutter.

[Poundwise]

I heard on NPR yesterday that the average American has 300,000 items in their home ....! 
Not sure if that's counting each paperclip or what, but it does continue to motivate to declutter.

No wonder why it feels like something is breaking every other day.

[mspym]

Don't know if I posted this earlier but volunteering in an op shop is helping make me resist the lure of the new shiny thing.
1- we throw out so much stuff! there's just Too Much Stuff in the world
2- yes *this things* is very very cool but there will be more cool things next time I am working so I don't need to take it home
3- just being around and handling Material Objects all day makes me a little exhausted and jaded by them. It's like inoculation.

I am putting together a small pile of things to take in on my next shift.

[Frugal Lizard]

Going to tackle the storage area under the stairs this weekend. DH just measured it for insulation.
Tonight is the camping gear. DH built a storage area in the garage for weatherproof items to live when not in use. I will decide what goes in the garage, needs to stay in the house and what needs to be shared with other campers.
Tomorrow is Christmas undecorating. More than half the decorations didn't see the light of day. Our house was plenty decorated. I will do the sorting when no one is around. What I give away will be missed by no one.

[getsorted]

Don't know if I posted this earlier but volunteering in an op shop is helping make me resist the lure of the new shiny thing.
1- we throw out so much stuff! there's just Too Much Stuff in the world
2- yes *this things* is very very cool but there will be more cool things next time I am working so I don't need to take it home
3- just being around and handling Material Objects all day makes me a little exhausted and jaded by them. It's like inoculation.

I am putting together a small pile of things to take in on my next shift.

In college, I worked in a used book store that was run by someone who was a literal hoarder. It cured me of the urge to stockpile books forever. There will always be more books. Mountains of books.

[RetiredAt63]

Don't know if I posted this earlier but volunteering in an op shop is helping make me resist the lure of the new shiny thing.
1- we throw out so much stuff! there's just Too Much Stuff in the world
2- yes *this things* is very very cool but there will be more cool things next time I am working so I don't need to take it home
3- just being around and handling Material Objects all day makes me a little exhausted and jaded by them. It's like inoculation.

I am putting together a small pile of things to take in on my next shift.

In college, I worked in a used book store that was run by someone who was a literal hoarder. It cured me of the urge to stockpile books forever. There will always be more books. Mountains of books.

I somewhat curate and keep my old books, because the library doesn't carry them and finding them used can be expensive.  New books - library.  Reference books?  Library first, if I keep it until I can't renew it any more then I buy it.

[Tyson]

Don't know if I posted this earlier but volunteering in an op shop is helping make me resist the lure of the new shiny thing.
1- we throw out so much stuff! there's just Too Much Stuff in the world
2- yes *this things* is very very cool but there will be more cool things next time I am working so I don't need to take it home
3- just being around and handling Material Objects all day makes me a little exhausted and jaded by them. It's like inoculation.

I am putting together a small pile of things to take in on my next shift.

In college, I worked in a used book store that was run by someone who was a literal hoarder. It cured me of the urge to stockpile books forever. There will always be more books. Mountains of books.

I used to have a scarcity mentality and it definitely contributed to a overstuffed, chaotic home.  So glad I got past that.

[Sibley]

Organized and decluttered my parent's house a bit. 2 bags of recyclable, empty containers removed from their house and put in the recycle bin at my house because dad will keep them forever because he might want to use them for something, but he will give to me if I ask for them. And a box which originally held the new door handle and lock but was repurposed to hold the old handle and lock was also snuck out by me and put in my garbage. No idea why it hadn't been tossed in 2021 when the handle was replaced. Moved around a bunch of books, getting a massive stack off my dad's dresser (I was kinda concerned that it was going to fall on him) and onto a bookcase. In the process, organized/consolidated/decluttered 2 shelves of stuff into 1 shelf, determined they need a dresser for storage in the tool room and 1-2 more shelves on a bookcase. Oh, and provided entertainment for their cats in the process.

Messaged my neighbor, who is a bit of a hoarder, to ask if he had suitable lumber for shelves, and if he had a lead on a dresser. He thinks he has shelf lumber, so I may be able to declutter his garage a bit.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

One of my goals for 2024 is to get rid of 500 items from our house, although seeing the post about 300,000 items in our house above suggests I should set the bar higher!

So far, out of the house, we have (all given away via BN so far)
-Outgrown ski pants
-A colander we never use
-Part of a business class flight amenity kit
-A scarf
-A reusable swap (replacement for Qtips). I had a goal a few years back of reducing my single use cosmetic items. I did, but opted for a different solution. This is brand new, and I was able to find someone who had the same goal & wanted to try this.
-A bread machine + all of the parts
-2 bags of unopened powdered sugar I bought for a holiday item & didn't end up needing. We never use this, so passing it along before it expires
-A backpack, found on the bottom of a teen's closet
-A new running hat (came with an order of running shoes)

So, 9 items out of the house.

[Frugal Lizard]

I am noticing how much easier it is to look at our stuff and decide to keep or pass along it is getting.  Still getting a great buzz when I open a closet or cupboard and it contains less than it did. I am also really bothered by the overstuffed areas. We must stop buying pantry items and eat what we have. There is no room!

[LeftA]

@MaybeBabyMustache , while I’d like to know the number of items that are leaving my house I find counting too tedious. If I had to estimate, I’d say that last year I got rid of at least 500 items. And, really I’m not aiming for a number but rather to reduce the items we just don’t need or have a use for…

[Poundwise]

I go by volume rather than by number. Thus it's a big deal to get rid of a quilt or a treadmill, but not worth my time to go through a stack of letters. 
However, it makes sense to declutter items that might bear psychological weight or which disrupt organization. Like if my file cabinet gets full, it means I should throw out old utility bills even if they don't take up that much space globally.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

It's early in the year, so who knows how things will go as we get along further, but so far I'm finding the tracking motivating. While my ultimate goal is to get rid of things we don't need/use, sometimes the motivation of trying to look more closely at our stuff & come up with ten things in a day leads me to realize we have things we're not using that wouldn't have jumped out at me to start with.

[oneday]

Took everything off the fridge, evaluated if I wanted to keep it. Tossed some old papers, put some photos in the scan pile and put some things back. All the magnets survived :)

[MayDay]

I cleaned out the hall closet!

Threw away a trash bag of stuff (expired OTC meds, etc) and found a few donate items.

It feels glorious every time I go to hunt for a bandaid.

[LaineyAZ]

Found myself with 4 days in a row where nothing is scheduled and I have nowhere to be. 
So I've been going through my winter and summer clothes and already have 2 bags to donate and I'm only 1/2 through.

I've been decluttering in bits and pieces for many months but this feels great doing it in one fell swoop.
(related:  check out comedian Nate Bargatze on YouTube describing his spat with his wife about the term "one fell swoop" - hilarious!)

[Josiecat22222]

Found myself with 4 days in a row where nothing is scheduled and I have nowhere to be. 
So I've been going through my winter and summer clothes and already have 2 bags to donate and I'm only 1/2 through.

I've been decluttering in bits and pieces for many months but this feels great doing it in one fell swoop.
(related:  check out comedian Nate Bargatze on YouTube describing his spat with his wife about the term "one fell swoop" - hilarious!)

@LaineyAZ - Thank you for that reminder.  That bit is hilarious!!

[crocheted_stache]

I should resume decluttering in earnest. In the meantime, I have a small success to share.

I had some cups that were part of a gift/promo set, which I gave to coworkers who promised to use them in place of the paper cups they'd been using. So far, they even seem to be using them.

[oneday]

I should resume decluttering in earnest. In the meantime, I have a small success to share.

I had some cups that were part of a gift/promo set, which I gave to coworkers who promised to use them in place of the paper cups they'd been using. So far, they even seem to be using them.

@crocheted_stache great double win (declutter & save the planet)!


I've gone through all my bags and put half a dozen into the donation box (which will be donated when full). Same with water bottles.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We were out of town, so not much progress this weekend. But, today, I gave away a reusable sandwich bag (sandwich skins, I think they are called), & a full package of fiber supplements that my doctor recommended but were not the right solution for me.

[rklsoptmst]

Finally sold a 168 piece set of "liberty blue" that was stored in the back barn since 2014 on FB marketplace. Problem was I remember its "worth" from when I owned an antique store, so it took some will to accept the true market value now. Barn space/head space freed up by knowing its gone = priceless!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@rklsoptmst - had to look up "liberty blue", but it's very lovely. Well done getting out of the barn & out of your head!

I've been under the weather, so not very productive. I did go through our supplies today, and give away a six pack of soap that everyone universally was irritated by (skin irritation, that is) & an organic toilet cleaning product that didn't work with our hard water.

21/500 (yearly goal) items out of the house

[Leseratte]

I didn't read the whole thread, so I apologize if it has been posted before...

I had to clean out my parents house to sell it, where  I actually had to pay some to haul away the stuff...

Shortly after I stumbled over Jerry Seinfelds take on stuff...

https://youtu.be/HfYzlSNHapA?si=joo5yGZ0RTAe1EFZ

Ever since I hardly buy anything, because little Jerry is sitting on my shoulder asking me, if I really want to  spend that much money on  garbage?

[Sibley]

Finally sold a 168 piece set of "liberty blue" that was stored in the back barn since 2014 on FB marketplace. Problem was I remember its "worth" from when I owned an antique store, so it took some will to accept the true market value now. Barn space/head space freed up by knowing its gone = priceless!

Look up sunk cost fallacy, that might help you.

Doesn't matter what it was worth 10 years ago. What matters is what it is worth today.

[oneday]

I didn't read the whole thread, so I apologize if it has been posted before...

I had to clean out my parents house to sell it, where  I actually had to pay some to haul away the stuff...

Shortly after I stumbled over Jerry Seinfelds take on stuff...

https://youtu.be/HfYzlSNHapA?si=joo5yGZ0RTAe1EFZ

Ever since I hardly buy anything, because little Jerry is sitting on my shoulder asking me, if I really want to  spend that much money on  garbage?

@Leseratte funny and depressing!


Last night I decluttered my spcie drawer. Got rid of a couple jars...why did I have them? I don't make/can my own spices, lol. (the answer is because I love jars and containers unreasonably).

[rockeTree]

Had a planned drop-off for a charity sale and made a last walk through the house - grabbed a couple more books, a flower pot, a puzzle, two knick nacks that I just have because I associate them with people (for whom I have other odds and ends mementoes I like better and that no one else would want, unlike these).

[Loretta]

After inventorying my food stash I ate some frozen shrimp 🍤 and a can of Chef Boyardee.   Neither one hit the spot exactly but were nourishment. 

[LeftA]

After a bit of a break, I went down to my basement last night and worked on putting away my Xmas decorations - I had boxed them all up, but hadn’t fully put them away. I also keep some small cardboard boxes that I reuse for wrapping gifts. So, I organized all of that back into the small closet that houses all my wrapping paper and gift bags. I labeled all the containers and organized everything so it’s more accessible. I recycled a small amount too. Finally, I took out the greeting cards and ribbons and put them in another spot that I had previously purged… everything is much more organized now. I also realized I never have to buy any gift bags, ribbons or wrapping paper ever again. I have more than enough!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@oneday - you inspired me to take all of those tiny packages of crushed pepper (that come with pizza) & add them all to our actual crushed red pepper spice container. Six packages gone & put back into use.

I also found four shirts (two of mine, one from each kid) that won't get worn, and put them in the donation pile.

25/500 items out of the house

[Josiecat22222]

Great job, @MaybeBabyMustache!! You are inspiring me and I love to see the "ticker" update every few days!

small progress here: not really getting rid of alot, but instead working through the stockpile of everyday things.  So it's really boring piddly stuff like finished off an old bottle of moisturizer, but I still like to see things leaving the house.

[Frugal Lizard]

Last night I loaded up the contents of the deep freezers and pulled out some of the stuff I noticed that we will never eat. I usually save the decluttering to the reloading stage of the annual freezer defrosting. My goal is to get organized enough that I don't need two freezers. It may be unrealistic with the size of garden I have but managing 2 freezers takes a lot more band width.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Thanks, @Josiecat23503 - trying to keep myself motivated as well :-)

-Sold two new Uniqlo hoodies that didn't fit the teens (bought in Japan, forgot about the sizing difference). $20 earned, and two more items out of the house.

-27/500 items out of the house

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Found another of the toilet bowl cleaner that didn't work for us. My BN pickup person hadn't yet stopped by to pick up the other container, so I added the second container to the bag.

28/500 items out of the house

[BlueHouse]

but he will give to me if I ask for them.

I've been doing this with my mom for years.  Now that my mom is closer to dying, I'm finding I want to keep more of her things -- and more of the things she kept from her mom and her aunts. 

And a box which originally held the new door handle and lock but was repurposed to hold the old handle and lock was also snuck out by me and put in my garbage. No idea why it hadn't been tossed in 2021 when the handle was replaced.

oh my.  I do this.  The first time I did it, I put the cheap ones back on when I moved and brought the newer ones to my new home. 
The locks I have on my door now are those stupidly expensive electronic locks -- but they break and degrade in the sun.  I already rotated them to extend the life, but when the one on the front door goes, I'm done with that fancy shish.  There was nothing wrong with the old ones, so when these finally die, I'll probably just put the original locks back on.

[oneday]

Digging through a pile on it's way to being an organizational system, I realized there is no longer a need for the small, flimsy luggage trolly that was useful on more than one occasion. Into the box!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Heading out of town this am for a work trip, so did a quick sweep of the house to find stuff to get rid of.

-1 pair of jeans & a pair of gifted flip flops to the donation pile
-1 shoe box & 1 sunglasses box to the recycling

32/500 items out of the house in 2024

[Agatha Thrifty]

Realized this weekend I could clear some space by getting rid of my Dilbert books!  That phase of my life is nearly over, and while for some time they helped me find humor and feel camaraderie in my situation, I am now way too demoralized for any of that, and anyway, Scott Adams is a loathsome human being.  So, all 18 lbs of those can go.  Also donating my Dave Barry books - just outgrown/not relevant.

What stays: Calvin and Hobbes!  I have the full collection, and I am going to ration myself a few pages to read every day, in order, to remind myself of what the next phase of my life can be like.