Drowning in stuff, finally time to tackle but how to not be overwhelmed? Anyone do this before?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:If it's a misc box of stuff you need to sort, you really don't need to sort. Glance in the box and "save" anything that seems special. Otherwise, throw-out. Whatever was in there and got thrown-out, you'll never know. And that's ok.

Agree with this. Especially if it’s a box that has been sealed up for months or years. If you haven’t touched something in 6 months to a year, there should be a very strong presumption that it needs to go. It doesn’t matter that it’s “good.” You don’t use it and you don’t need it. The exception would be sentimental things, but you need to have a plan to save only the best things and have a plan to make them accessible.

Op here. I totally love this in theory. The rapid packing up plus the ADHD in the family means boxes contain things like

Savings bonds from grandparents
Only existing photos of deceased relatives
Last year's tax returns
Great great great grandfather's harmonica
A missing file of printed portfolio samples from my work that must be somewhere

Among

Half finished craft projects
CDs
Random cords
Flashlights
Unopened mail (grrrr)

DH took on a lot of the packing in a hurry, and while I appreciate that he got it done, it's....interesting to see how things ended up. The distraction between important and not important got thrown out the window in favor of "get all the stuff packed and out of the way."

But guess what, guys? I bought a label maker!

I’m the PP who said to label the boxes with everything that’s in them. I just want to say that based on my experience, these mixed boxes are going to be REALLY hard for you. I might just put them off. This is also the thing I would suggest getting help with. What will happen is that you will open a box and there will be things in there you want to keep, but you won’t have a place for them. So you’ll just stand there holding the things or you’ll be stashing them around the house randomly, which isn’t a good use of time.

I think if you’re on your own, you could do worse than just having new, empty “keep” boxes available. Put things in them if you can’t put them away in the house where they belong (because you don’t know or it’s full), and add the labels as you go. At the end you’d probably have half as many boxes, all with clear labels of everything that’s in them. It’s not the finish line, but it will be more manageable and you’ll be set up to get help from a professional organizer later because that person will be able to see what’s there.

On paper, I wouldn’t even try. Just have big banker boxes and put your keep papers in. Filing systems are for much farther down the organization line. Paper is pretty compact - box it and move on.

Finally, gently, the mixed boxes are probably not your DH’s fault. What probably happened is that your previous house wasn’t very organized and it got packed as it was. That’s okay! You don’t need to have any reasons or excuses - it’s just stuff. It doesn’t matter how it got there.

[Anonymous]

If you have the funds I’d hire organizers. Do low hanging fruit yourself (usually the easy trash vs donate items) and leave harder stuff )going through boxes) for them. I just did this downsizing my moms house.

[Anonymous]

I have hired a personal organizer off of Task Rabbit for stuff for other family members. That is when I am not going to get rid of another family member's stuff, but I need it containerized and labeled so it can go in their closet or drawers without all the little pieces getting lost.

The company 123 Junk will pickup trash, recycling, boxes for charity and large items (for charity or garbage). I have a pile in the garage and call them periodically for an appointment when the pile gets too big.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:If you have the funds I’d hire organizers. Do low hanging fruit yourself (usually the easy trash vs donate items) and leave harder stuff )going through boxes) for them. I just did this downsizing my moms house.

Do they go through boxes themselves? How do they know what to keep?

[Anonymous]

NP, I appreciate the website and youtube channel linked. This is why I find people who impose "gifts" when I make it clear no gifts so annoying. Most of the junk I am dealing with is unwanted gifts that cannot be donated to the places closeby and it takes time to post on freecycle and find someone who wants it. There is so much guilt attached when it's usually from annoying relatives who aren't even nice people. Now they create work and clutter.

[Anonymous]

You hoarders disgust me

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You hoarders disgust me

And flaming a-holes disgust us. So we can call it even.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You hoarders disgust me

I didn’t get the impression OP was a hoarder. She has experienced an unorganized move and inherited belongings that have to be sorted and purged.
Even if she were, she’s still a valuable human that deserves compassion.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You hoarders disgust me

And flaming a-holes disgust us. So we can call it even.

Zinger

[Anonymous]

OP how is it going??

[Anonymous]

A person who wants to separate savings bonds worth money from unfinished craft projects that she's going to throw away is not a hoarder.

[Anonymous]

I get stuck in these clutter ruts, too, OP. I have found that I am most efficient when I set a time or area (this drawer, closet, etc) AND listen to a book on tape or podcast. When I tackle too big of an area and I am lonely I am not as effective.

[Anonymous]

The Dana White book Decluttering at the Speed of Life is so good and helpful. I have it on audiobook and turn it on and go. Her way was so much easier for me than Marie Kondo. Plus she’s funny and relatable.

You can start with easy stuff like look around for trash or the Fly Lady’s 5 minute boogie where you put away, throw away or give away as much as you can in 5 minutes.

Sentimental stuff is hard, but you can work through it. I lost both of my parents this year and dealing with their stuff has been overwhelming. I just realistically cannot keep or cherish all the things my mom kept and cherished. And frankly the stuff my grandmother owned is mostly meaningless to me. It’s kind of sad that so many “treasures” don’t really hold up through the generations. I like to think when i donate them that maybe they will find people who appreciate them.

I also have a terminal disease and don’t want my kids to be drowning in my old report cards when I’m gone, so that’s been a bit of a wake-up call.

[Anonymous]

Have your spouse or eldest daughter in charge, when you are not home they can throwout stiff. I’ll bet you wouldn’t miss anything you didn’t see in a long time. It use to crush me when DH did this but I learned to let go. If i need anything again, I go and buy it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Have your spouse or eldest daughter in charge, when you are not home they can throwout stiff. I’ll bet you wouldn’t miss anything you didn’t see in a long time. It use to crush me when DH did this but I learned to let go. If i need anything again, I go and buy it.

One time I found I'd spent two years in my 20's shopping every time I was bored or lonely. So I purged my clothes and gave away more than half. With all I gave away all I gave away by accident was one black dress. Turned out I didn't need it back; just wanted it.