Decluttering and lightening the load for the new year

[Anonymous]

Are you getting ready to pear down and get rid of some things for the new year? Just started going through some books today each day until new years ill try to find some things but i dont have too much in my one bedroom unit but still less is more. Are you doing the same?

[Anonymous]

Yes! Please post tips, ideas. I need inspiration. Empty nesters with a full attic of stuff and it must go. Having a hard time figuring out old kids art, photos, etc.

[Anonymous]

I was hoping someone would start a discussion on this.

I would really like to take action on a big clear out. I certainly enjoy theory: reading the books and watching all the series—Marie Kondo, Swedish Death Cleaning, Sort Your Life Out—but I struggle with practice!

Clothes seems an easy place to start. I will find china, silver, and fancy dining gear a challenge. And I am hopelessly sentimental.

[Anonymous]

The Marie Kondo book really worked for me. Not really the sparking joy thing but the process of piling and sorting categories.

[Anonymous]

Yes. I really like listening to the clutterbug of cast for inspiration. She’s very helpful with motivational tips like — worrying about finding the perfect way to donate things when you’re overwhelmed and need toe things go is like worrying about how well you’re executing a swim stroke while drowning .

[Anonymous]

Yes. On Saturday I’m going through every piece of paper and will bring a bag to shred into work next week. I want to get rid of anything I don’t use, and go through my toiletries and organize them.

[Anonymous]

Oooh thank you for this post! It brings me joy.

Earlier today I threw away all the annoying condiments that come with takeout so I could make room for some fancy new wine accessories I received for Christmas. Gotta start somewhere!

My next step probably is to walk around the house w a giant garbage bag and the goal of filling it. Unfortunately the detritus of Christmas will do a lot of the work here so who knows what actual progress I’ll make. But I’d love to learn about any useful hacks!!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes. On Saturday I’m going through every piece of paper and will bring a bag to shred into work next week. I want to get rid of anything I don’t use, and go through my toiletries and organize them.

I don’t worry about shredding anything. I don’t believe anyone is going through the trash to try to do identity theft any more. I think that’s just marketing from big shredder.

[Anonymous]

YES. I need to do this. Our tiny home is so terribly cluttered and my husband never wants to throw anything away. Please someone give me strength!

[Anonymous]

I decluttered my closet about a month ago and it feels GREAT! I could declutter more!

[Anonymous]

I have Poshmarked a lot of clothes over the past year and it's great!

[Anonymous]

Please offer paper organization and de cluttering tips!!

[Anonymous]

Give yourself permission to toss. Sometimes we are paralyzed because we see that the item “ could be useful to someone, sometime” and don’t want to get rid of it.

For paper, here’s the important thing. Do not bring it into the house if you don’t absolutely need it. I check my mail over the recycle bin - if I don’t need it it goes right in, or else if it’s something like a credit card offer that someone could take, I rip it into shreds and put it right in the trash in the kitchen. If you do need it, march it right upstairs to the filing cabinet that you will set up this year and put it away.

Today I just decluttered the entryway table because I needed to move it to have a dryer delivered. I also decluttered the stuff that sat on top of the old dryer. I also recently went through the pantry to figure out what baking supplies I had and tossed all the old items. I think the last time I did that was in 2020, so there was some stuff that was at least five years old that shouldn’t have stayed that long. I’m going to do better about not stockpiling so much stuff, which is a habit I had first after living overseas and having to deal with the commissary supply chain (if you see it, buy it because you never know when you’ll see it again) and then Covid. My shelves are so tight that I never really did that thing of putting the new things in the back and using them from the front.

After doing some big decluttering, make a resolution that this year you will go through your house every day and either put away or toss just five things.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes! Please post tips, ideas. I need inspiration. Empty nesters with a full attic of stuff and it must go. Having a hard time figuring out old kids art, photos, etc.

Tackling one area at a time wort better for me I got rid of about 18 books. Then i move onto old paper work. The old kids are you can take pictures of the art and then get rid of it. Photos are hard to part unless you have a ton.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I was hoping someone would start a discussion on this.

I would really like to take action on a big clear out. I certainly enjoy theory: reading the books and watching all the series—Marie Kondo, Swedish Death Cleaning, Sort Your Life Out—but I struggle with practice!

Clothes seems an easy place to start. I will find china, silver, and fancy dining gear a challenge. And I am hopelessly sentimental.

But really once out of sight out of mind you know.