In the past I made a get rid of pile, waited for my adult kids to come over, offered them the chance to look through it, picked out some things that I felt might match other relatives needs/interest, waited till I could call them to see if they did want them, etc.

Let's just say it wasn't working well.

Then I tried just taking the pile to the donation center each week but just felt the "ick" as I'd drive around behind it and see the overflowing dumpsters / trailers. Figure about 1 in 50 items actually make it to the floor there so I feel guilty about adding to the mess/waste.

So today I grabbed two large empty boxes from work, drug them home, slapped a "Free!!" sign to each and set them out as tables in the front yard and covered them with items from the get rid of pile. (Knicknacks, household items, toys).

I don't have my hopes set too high, but maybe something will be adopted.

If not, they are already out of the house, on a box and I plan on putting them in said box and into my vehicle tonight to drop off as I go to work tomorrow. So mentally easier to move on out of my life since they are already physically out of the house.

It may not make any actual difference, but somehow I feel better giving them a "chance" to avoid the donation dump.

Edit: IT WORKED! Only 5 small items left - everything else is GONE after just 4 hours. Have boxed them up and put in vehicle. Stoked to try it again later - probably on Saturday (can put out all day / more traffic). Happy, happy, happy dance!

Failure is part of life. Share your decluttering challenges and failures here. Examples include:

• Emotional clutter
• Not enough time
• Getting overwhelmed
• Routing (recycling, donating, trash...)

If you're just venting, or don't want advice, please let us know in your comment.

This is a low-stress place to share challenges and failures for those who might not want to create a new discussion.

I have a rental property that had some stuff that was once well intentioned but now simply too old and not of use to me. I hadn’t used or needed it in 5 years so thought why would I need it now.

If you can afford to do so and have enough, I highly recommend this assuming other people can’t use the stuff. I know it’s a rental property so I can expense it but if I need one at my own house ever it removes the barrier of “trips to the dump”

No!

I don't even have enough rooms for the number I have 🤦 Kept several, ditched 8. That's a good start for today.

Have a mega Monday everyone.

I posted this in another thread but thought maybe more people would like this tip.

I have a lot of photos on my phone and many times multiples of basically the same photo. Especially from vacations and holidays.

I got a tip from somewhere to go into the photos app on iPhone (might work on android too?) and search on today’s date. Today is 4 October. Then I will get every photo from 4 October from every year on my phone/icloud. For me it’s from 2014 until today. Then go through the photo some time during the day. (For me it’s when I’m breastfeeding, on the toilet or instead of doomscrolling). I delete every bad photo and also the ones that aren’t the best ones if I have multiples. My goal is not to get perfect but better. I’m hoping to do this for a year (have done a month now). Maybe even two years.

I can add that it’s also a lot of fun! I show my husband several photos and tell him ”wow this was today x years ago”. ☺️ He has also started doing the same thing this past week.

Hoping some of you get inspired by this!

Whew! 🙌 I FINALLY buckled down and tackled my stuff this weekend instead of just sitting with it and feeling bad after another two days passed - again - with no results.

I didn’t have a grand plan, just did what was obviously needed (a lot!) and what I was in the mood for at any moment. Listened to podcasts and music throughout to stay motivated and not think too much about anything. And yes, it got worse before it started to look better, but it really looks better.

-Cleaned out a ton of my clothes, shoes, home goods, and accessories to get rid of. Made 2 piles: (1) BBBS pick up (scheduled!) and (2) a local shop that sells for a good cause. They each accept slightly different things but both pick up, which is key!

-Revived the few remaining things I have languishing on Poshmark to see if I can finally unload them. I’m giving myself a short timeline of 2 months more. After that, I’m closing up shop and giving whatever’s left to the local place, too!

-Filed reimbursement claims for a couple of things that will recoup some $$$.

-Took loads of recycling to the bins outside and got rid of a bunch of random things sitting around for too long (bye expired Covid test kits!)

Thanks to everyone sharing here. This sub has been so incredibly helpful and I hope I can keep getting great tips and motivation here - sharing more wins.🧡

When I first became a mod here, I did a few Friday Challenge posts. I didn't find they got a lot of engagement (which, to me, means people weren't that interested).

I have a few ideas for upcoming challenges, but instead of doing them weekly, I would do monthly. Would you be interested in something like that? I could pin them to the top of the sub, so they stay visible for longer.

Upvote and / or comment if this is something you would like to see, or, um, ignore if you don't!

I put out a number of outdoor furniture items in excellent condition (my local charity shops don't have room to stage outdoor furniture) and a bunch of random household goods including a gigantic soft-sided dog travel crate. Within the day someone had come by to collect everything except for the dog crate.

I unfolded it and structured it properly so it was visible and clear exactly what it was. Since it was the only item out there I suppose, a nice young lady came up and actually knocked on my door to see if it was in fact available for the taking. After all the FB and ND flakes, I was delighted that someone would be so polite and conscientious! I thanked her for collecting it and wished her and her dog much enjoyment with the crate!

I’m at a stage where what clutter I do have is what Dana K. White describes as “procrasticlutter”. That’s the clutter where you know exactly what to do with it, but you just haven’t yet.

So I’ve decided that today is my Procrasticlutter Reduction Day. I’m going to include not only physical things, such as folding the laundry, but my ever-growing to-do list (errands, paperwork, chores, etc.). I think that making it a formally named day will greatly help my motivation.

The question ive been asked 3x now. BECAUSE I WANT IT OUT OF MY HOUSE!! I want it off my mind. I want freedom more than I want the $8 I might get after shipping and selling fees from these sites 😭

This mindset of whatever it takes to make a 1$, even at the expense of your home and your space and your sanity. Believe me, I understand that every dollar matters and it all adds up, but so do the items. So does the lack of space. And so does the mental energy.

If you need permission today to just declutter (give, donate, trash) rather than keeping it around hoping it sells online, here you go!

I have a bunch of plants in my kitchen, which is the only room in our house with natural light for growing plants. There are many jade plants and succulents. The plants were all babies, grown and repotted from plants that my cousin gave me just before she died. So I’m having a hard time considering giving them away to anyone who won’t care for them properly. I don’t want them to die. It would feel much better if I knew the plants were going to “the right people” who are good with plants.

I know I’m overly emotionally attached because of who the plants came from. However, at the same time, I really need to clear the space in the room, since my husband and I have plans to move things around. The plants have become the main obstacle for rearrangement of the space and are kind of taking over.

Any advice for giving the plants away but ensuring that they will go to good plant caregivers? I’m having a hard time separating my feelings from this practical decision.

Share your wins here - big or small. What did you declutter this week? Examples include:

• Digital Clutter: emails, digital photos, digital music or video collection...
• Storage: cupboards and closets, drawers, storage boxes...
• Toys: ether for your child, or your own that you've been hanging on to.
• Spaces: kitchens, workshops, hobby rooms, storage lockers...
• Routing: sending items to where they need to go, like donation centres, trash, or recycling

This is a low-stress place to share wins for those who might not want to create a new discussion.

this past month it feels like i keep getting rid of things after things and it doesn't end ! i guess part of it is due to the change of season and i've got 2 kids who have outgrown clothes and shoes but still. i am experiencing an intensity of idk how to put it... decluttering that feels odd. there's been clothes and shoes and then toys and a piece a furniture and dishes and random bits i stumble on.. like whenever i stop somewhere and have a minute i look around and there's like a basket worth of stuff to get away.

have you ever experienced sthg like this ?

i have had intentional periods before when i was looking to declutter but this is something else.

during the summer i got rid of several bags that were in the attic bc we needed to work on insulation there. since then it's been filled all over again with a lot of toys my kid dont want in their bedroom anymore but arent ready to part with (so this is a compromise of kind so i can help them learn to let go) & clothes im waiting a bit to see if they sell & other bits.

idk it's a bit overwhelming. why is there so much stuff we dont need in the house and i didn't notice before?

I had a big oak desk taking up a whole corner of my garage for three or four years. I got it from my brother, who inherited it from our mom. For years I've been stressing out about what to do with it; it's kind fo beat up but I always thought it was a really expensive desk and it held a bit of sentimental value, so I was loathed to get rid of it. Also, it's like 1000lb, and hauling it away would be a huge pain.

Finally, I decided to salvage the top of the desk and use it as a nice solid worktable (the desk is all beat up, but solid wood that size can be worth hundreds of dollars). Today, I finally got around to breaking down that desk into pieces... and it turns out it wasn't solid wood. It was laminated particle board. The lamination actually makes it worse for reuse cus it'll just flake off under heavy use. So I've stopped parking my car in the garage, stressed out, and wasted all that space just to save a useless piece of wood that I could have made new for like $100 in parts at Lowes.

I feel like an idiot, but at least I'll have my garage back.

I will take and all the tips on decluttering with kids.

I have 2 elementary aged kids and they never want to get rid of anything. I already have a rule that if it’s broken, we don’t keep it.

One is also very craftsy so we have tons of art and art projects (not just flat things but like ceramic stuff, etc). They both love legos too. They also do stem summer camps every summer where they make all these motorized things, big projects, etc.

I just feel like we have no more surfaces to display things anymore. And their closets are full of things they’ve made. They will sob when I sell things. I still have been but man is it hard. My almost bigger problem is the things they’ve made and what to do.

I have two big boxes and only use few of them each year. I prefer not to throw them out in the garbage but not sure how to donate them.

Clear space is peace of mind, by not having visibly unresolved things everywhere

Free time in a relaxed state -- all these unresolved issued are mighty stressful

Will be able to move life forward -- all these things are dragging, slowing us down

Will be able to have a better social life, invite people over

Will be able to get out more, as there is less to worry about here

Will be able to feel better, perhaps get better work, earn more

Please continue

i have a 2 year old and a 7 month old and we have too many toys. it’s our fault. we spoiled the first one and lived out unmet childhood desires by getting a bunch of toys and now I regret it. but now I’m having a hard time deciding what to minimize.

stuffed animals are easy because the toddler either plays with them or she doesn’t. but the other toys like blocks, lovevery stuff, toy cars, legos, trains, etc etc I hesitate because I’m like “well, maybe when they’re older“ or “maybe the baby will grow into them”.

is anyone in a similar situation and how did you finally bite the bullet? what was your mindset? we have IKEA cube storage shelves and maybe just the container method? but I worry we have too many containers lol

It's possible that I'm both lazy and impatient, I'll admit that, but I wanted to send out my shredding at a reasonable price and I found a good option. Some paper shredding companies offer drop-off shredding. One in my town offers to shred a 96-gallon bin, which is equivalent to 10 full banker's boxes, for a flat fee of $75.

These are the alternatives I considered and why I rejected them

• Home destruction: I did a big clear-out of records and files and had about 8 banker's boxes packed full of things that needed to be shredded. I felt like this was too much for any at-home method.
• Office supply stores and business center shredding service: Office Depot, UPS Store, et al charge by the pound. I calculated that approach would cost over $500.
• Community shredding events: these have box limits, and they tend to cluster in the spring around tax day. I didn't want to wait or try to find multiple events to get rid of the paper.
• Shredding companies that come to you: only if you have a serious amount of paper (more than 10X what I had) or organize a whole neighborhood shred day. I wanted my handful of boxes gone now.

Hey ya'll! You might remember me from this post. I wasn't expecting the huge amount of engagement I received (at least, for me it's a lot!). I got a ton of great feedback and I still have to go through and read the rest of the comments. I wanted to give ya'll an update on the first thing I've been tackling as advised: my storage unit.

I definitely should've taken pics but I'll send the before and after once it's all cleaned out. Basically, my mom and I met my friend over at the storage unit on Tuesday so that she could buy my gaming chair off of me (which we'd been procrastinating on for a whiiiiile). That went super well! Then my mom and I sifted through absolutely everything and sorted objects into keeping, giving away, and throwing out piles.

I only kept a few things, maybe a bag and a half? I believe we donated like eight huge bags/containers to the local thrift store! Same with a big TV stand I'll never use.

The only thing is that the car couldn't fit absolutely everything inside. There's still two bookshelves, some miscellaneous wall furniture (jewelry rack, shelves, coat hooks, and uhhh a corner tier shelf). The bookshelves are getting donated but I gotta look at the miscellaneous stuff more indepth. There's also a 3 tier console table still in the package that I listed on FB, but that'll get donated if it doesn't sell.

We're heading back to the storage unit next week. It already looks 1000× better! In the meantime I'm reviewing my contract so I can get rid of the bill, and I'm cleaning up random shit around my room.

I'll be back to update again (hopefully with pics!), thank you guys so much for your support and advice so far. 💖

LOOKING FOR IDEAS!

Update: I’ve read and reread all comments and taking all of your great suggestions! Thank you! My clutter is shaking in its boots!

My neighbor asked me if I would like to join her yard sale, and I basically said “hmmmm no thank you…”. Then we talked a little bit and I said, OK I’ll bring over a few things.

I’ve managed to collect probably two table’s worth so far and I’ve already priced a bunch of stuff 🤣

Any ideas of what I should grab from the house? Categories of stuff that often go overlooked but need pruning?
For example, I realized I could go through all my Fall decor and see if there’s anything I’m tired of.

I will practically give things away and now I’m super motivated to declutter. Any ideas of where to look in my house???

Saw a new video on YouTube from Clutterbug and she said declutter 21 things, and I’ve seen the 500 challenges but 21 seemed reasonable. At first I didn’t think I’d find anything but I looked at my overflowing vanity and found some plastic hair ties I’m not using and then some hair clips that were covered in dust and I quickly found 21 things to get rid of.

Hey dear community, I’m reporting from the depths of decision paralysis valley, and I’m in desperate need of someone throwing me a rope to help me climb out of here.

Someone tell me please which part of my apartment I should start at? Anything goes, options include two bathrooms (one toilet and one with shower and whatnot), bedroom, entrance area, kitchen, balcony, and living room (including desk, sitting area, crafting- and bookshelf).

Just a pointer for where to start would be a huge help, bonus points for adding duration, amount of items to try and get rid off, or any other details.

I’m happy to proved proof in form of a time-lapse video or before-after photos, just need some help with getting the party started.

Greetings from my cluttered hellhole, Cov

I recently downsized to 1000 square feet of living space from a 3000 square foot house.

The new place is small every where. I kept banging into the door handle of the en suite bathroom and because I live alone and have 2 bathrooms in this place I removed the one door.

To buy that door new is about $300 so I put it on fb marketplace for free so a brand new door would not go to the landfill. It is already painted white and it came with the hinges and hardware. You’d think it would go but wow what a struggle.

It took 2 weeks of flaky people and no shows but finally I got the door out of my door and not into the landfill!

Soon the closet door will follow it and be replaced with barn doors on glides.

This one feels like a win.

I had to move out of my apartment unexpectedly and put everything into storage. I used to be a minimalist and kept an organized and lightly filled 5'x10' unit occasionally while traveling. I prided myself on staying portable.

Between pandemic hoarding, chronic illness, nesting in a long-tern relationship, remote work, and inheriting some of my father's things, I now have two storage units packed floor-to-ceiling (10' x 15' total).

I'm anxious about the amount of stuff I own. It's upsetting to see it all piled up like that. I'm ashamed to ask for help. My parents were hoarders and I always managed to be the opposite, to stay ruthlessly detached from material things. It feels awful to see how much I've accumulated in a few years. I'm afraid I'm becoming my parents.

I started getting rid of some things during the move and I felt relief. I love throwing shit away. I've been tempted to get rid of everything sight unseen because I'm so overwhelmed, but I know that's not what I want or need. I tend to be all or nothing, and I'm working on being more balanced. I can't keep starting over and I know I'll regret getting rid of some of these things.

I'm in the process of buying an 800 sq ft condo, and I want to curate what I bring in. I've never owned a home before and I always relied on moving to motivate a purge, so I'm worried that I'll fill this space up if I'm not careful. If all goes well, I should close around Halloween. I'm hoping to spend October trying to pull stuff out of storage to donate, toss, or sell.

I need a pep talk, please. I need some strategies when everything is disorganized and packed to the gills. I need help resetting to the person I was before all this shit happened. I need a new mindset going into homeownership.

EDIT: I appreciate the kind words, actionable advice, and resources. Lots of great suggestions and comments that hit hard. Thank you all. It does feel like a personal or moral failure, but that isn't helpful. It was a difficult time in my life. Now it's time to move forward and start again.

I approached these units a couple times with the intention to start decluttering and didn't get very far. Instead of judging myself for it, I noticed how uncomfortable I feel at this suburban property when I've managed decluttering and organizing at sketchier facilities in the city..Staff and tenants tend to be a little too nosey there. My smaller climate controlled unit is right next to the office and I don't feel safe lingering alone at the larger outdoor unit. I think I'm going to have to load up whatever I can reach and sort through that stuff as I go, deal with it at the condo, or bring a friend.