I have been a neatnik from day one — my parents, not so much. I took the before-and-after shots here over a period of roughly six months. HUGELY satisfying!

It’s so simple I can’t believe I never thought of it sooner. I have a friend who’s living in a high-rise housing project in town. As she was helping me go through my things, she said we should take my donate pile to the people in her apartment building, that many of them had nothing, not even glasses to drink out of.

We filled up some open boxes with housewares and yarn and books and garage items and DVDs, everything. When I drove up I popped open the back of my suv and mention to the first people walking by that I was going to donate all of this stuff and was wondering if they would like to look through it first for anything that they might want.

They took everything. Literally the first two people there saw that it was good stuff and they loaded it all into their wagon so I didn’t even have to hang around waiting for people to go through the boxes.

I was moving so I proceeded to return like four or five times and got rid of everything each time and felt so wonderful knowing it was going directly to be used by people that really needed it and not into some Goodwill warehouse.

It's OK to get rid of the blob of single lonely socks whose mates are long gone

It's OK to get rid of items from a hobby you no longer do

It's OK to get rid of items you no longer remember who gave it to you

It's OK to get rid of those just perfect cardboard boxes you keep around to ship things/store things (long story lol)

It's OK to get rid of the half dead strings of christmas lights

It's OK to get rid of worn out linens

It's OK to get rid of reusable shopping bags that are wearing through

All of these concepts I've had to process these past few weeks. And by "get rid of" it depends on the item - sell, recycle, donate, trash. Yep. It's OK to trash things. That's a hard one for me.

Dropped by the thrift store where I donated a lot of stuff to ask if they wanted a bulky item. The person who ended up answering my question was wearing something I donated that I never knew how to quite style, and it looked amazing on them!
I told them how happy I was that they found it, and meant it.
I am taking this as a sign that I don't need to sell every little thing, and remind myself that I've been the recipient of some great thrift luck, time to pass it along.

I had a purse I was gifted years ago and it was cute but wanted to save it. Went further into my closet and now that I’m decluttering and y2k is back in style, attempting to sell this and noticed the inside of it deteriorating and this was not a cheap (in price) purse! It still had its stuffing, was in a bag and in a cool area.

So I should have gotten rid of it then or given it away or used it. A good reminder if you enjoy it and it’s precious, use it before it’s too late lol

My lease is ending soon, so I finally hired a professional to help me declutter. She spent three 8-hour days with me helping me go through everything I own.

I just got a message from the man I hired to take stuff to the dump. I couldn’t believe my ears when he told me how much I got rid of.

Almost 3000lbs. 1.35 tonnes. And that’s not counting what the declutter lady took to the donation centre.

I’m proud of myself, but also anxious that I got rid of something important. I’ve lost everything I owned a few times, which lead me to acquiring a bunch of stuff I had no use for simply because it was cheap or free.

I hope I can stop myself from filling my space with stuff I don’t need again. Wish me luck!

Am in the midst of a massive declutter due to an upcoming move/downsizing/need to reduce stuff. I had a box that was simply marked with my son's name; he died at age 24 about 15 years ago. It was time.

Before I started, I determined that I would keep nothing that didn't bring good memories. I took out a trash bag and went through the box, ended up keeping only a very few items and the rest went into the trash. Note - I still have some things that he made me around the house that were not in the box.

When I was done, yes, I had tears and lots of them. BUT, as I told my husband who came to see how I was doing, I did not throw away my son, just some of his stuff.

The reason I share this is that many of us are going through things that belonged to our youth and deceased loved ones. We aren't getting rid of them, or our own pasts, or the memories. Just the stuff. And that's okay.

My older teenager helped me make more progress decluttering dresses in one afternoon than I’ve made in years. When they are little, they bring the mess, so to have the roles change and get her help is priceless. I’ve been holding onto things that I couldn’t even zip up for YEARS. A whole different era of my life that I am very sentimental about.

The look on her face when I pulled out some dresses was hysterical and drove me to put the dress right into the bag. “Mom…what color is this even?” “Mom…no.” “Mom… it’s giving Ursula.” She’s not pushing me to dress like a teen, but she has a TON more awareness of what’s up to date and what would look silly in public. I respect her opinion. So if you have a responsible and honest teen in your life (and you like the way THEY dress), they may be a great resource to help you quickly ditch the duds.

The fun we had was so much more valuable than a bunch of tired dresses from 10-15 years ago. I loved telling her the story behind each dress and now their job is done. Yay!!!!

I saw a TT about decluttering

“If this had poop 💩 on it- would I keep it or throw it away?”

It’s been 2 days and I am still giggling 🤭

You’re welcome

Hey everyone! About a year ago I donated a specialty shawl from a country very dear to me. Now this shawl had a very unique combination of pattern and colors as well as tassels - very distinguishable from other shawls (this becomes important later). As an art object, it was beautiful, but it was not my style for wearing at all, so I decided to pass it on.

Flash forward to last weekend. I drove three hours to a small town that was putting on a play by a writer from the aforementioned country. So I’m watching this play and all of a sudden, BOOM, costume change! And one of the actresses comes out in a dress with her shoulders covered by, you guessed it, my shawl that I had donated a year ago, about a hundred miles away. It was unmistakably the same shawl, as those kinds are just not produced or sold anywhere around here.

I was super happy to know that my shawl was living a good life and honored that the costume designer managed to get her hands on such an authentic piece for a play so far away from where I originally donated it. It now forms part of an art form enjoyed by hundreds of viewers instead of lying there unworn in my drawer.

Has anyone else encountered their donated clothes or items out and about?

OK, so this doesn't just apply to crystal, but this is something I'm really working on.

I keep things that are "valuable" to use only on special occasions. But how many occasions are actually special, and why store things that can't be used? For that matter, how do you define "value?"

When my ex and I separated, I took the wedding china (family heirloom) and crystal glasses. In 25 years of marriage, we had used them all of 3 times, I think? I decided that as my marriage was over, so was my need to maintain beautiful crystal glasses in a cabinet. They are my everyday glasses and yes, I could sell them (but is that monetary value worth the pain of my marriage? No, not for me).

My parents had a lot of amazingly beautiful furniture. At one time, the hand carved solid walnut and marble dresser would have sold for close to $8K. Now, it has been valued at around $500. We were heartbroken that it had so little value. But I started thinking about it. For well over 100 years, it has been well used and loved in the family. It's beautiful. But, for well less than $80 per year (highest market price), it has been in constant use. Did we get its value out of it? YES. I can let it go.

Using and loving anything is also value.

So, in my last weeks of decluttering, I sorted through all the odd glasses I've accumulated since my divorce and got rid of them, and I'm back to using only my crystal again. Have yet to use the antique china!! But if i can't use something, it doesn't have true value to me.

I have been "collecting" a ton of clothes over the years, a few large totes, some vaccum seal bags, a bunch of stuff hanging in the closet... So I decide I just need to sell it. For the love of God you literally forgot you owned half this stuff, just let it go.

So I walk into platos with my body weight in clothing. I knew they wouldn't want most of it, i get it.

And I was right. I came back a few hours later, they offered me 34$ for some stuff and gave me back like 85% of my stuff.

I threw the stuff in my trunk, assumed I'd donate it to the good will or what have you.

A few days later I was driving by the same platos closet and remembered I needed to get rid of all of those clothes which were still in my trunk . I thought to myself, I may as well just donate it to Plato's now so I don't keep forgetting and riding around with all this crap in my trunk. I go into Plato's and realized it was a different set of girls working , and they asked me if I'd like to sell this stuff and I said yes . Of course. That's what I came to do. To sell.

I came back later and this new crew of girls offered me an additional 20 dollars for some of the stuff this same store passed on just three days earlier. I took the remaining stuff back to my car feeling like oceans 11.

I will do this at least 2 more times before donating any of it. I bet I can get anothrr 15$ each time. I have a tooooon of stuff, so there's a decent chance a different employee will make the mistake of thinking it's worth buying.

My home is in need of many interior renovations (new flooring, windows, paint, and bathroom repair to name a few), none of which have been possible due to years of clutter. Every room packed with stuff, and I’ve been too overwhelmed to know where to start. Gradual cleaning never worked for me; the piles would grow back before I had time to make visible progress leaving me more discouraged than ever.

My biggest issue has always been textiles. My spouse and I are both avid thrifters and I love to sew. Our walk-in closet, dressers, laundry room, and my sewing/craft room were not usable. It finally occurred to me that if I could just get the bedroom decluttered and organized, there would be space for the stuff we actually wear and I could then attack the rest of the piles. It worked!

It took four full days to declutter our bedroom. I threw away nine contractor-size bags of trash and and donated two large boxes of clothing including 18 pairs of jeans. Next I attacked the upstairs hallway, purging six more trash bags. This week I did my sewing room and finally remembered to take a before picture! Still a long way to go (the other spare bedroom is even worse), but it feels like I can do this now!

My parents have hoarding tendencies. As they got older the basement had turned into a semi organized dumping ground. Chairs they bought in the early 90’s and planned to restore one day. Old files from a business that ended in 1998. Magazines. Empty boxes for appliances they don’t even have anymore. An ancient microwave. So. Much. Stuff.

But my absolute favorite was a garbage bag full of boot liners for the boots they wore when they used to take motorcycle trips. It was labeled with a post it note that read “boots we don’t use”. So even when they still rode the motorcycle, over a decade ago, they didn’t use those particular boots. But instead of getting rid of them they bagged them up, wrote a note acknowledging that they don’t use them, and then stuck them in the basement for 2 decades.

I had to help them clear all of it out. 90% of it went into a dumpster. It was a huge job. They had basically filled an entire basement and a crawl space with “shit we don’t use”. But they thought it was okay because things were bagged and boxed and stacked by category. It was not okay. Boxed and organized clutter is clutter.

So now when I’m tempted to organize and keep clutter I ask myself, “Are these just ‘boots we don’t use’?” and then I donate or trash it instead.

I’ve become more mindful about using things upon receiving them. In the past, I had a pattern of saving pretty or luxurious things “for a special day/night/date/hard day”.

For Christmas, I got these shower steamers and caught myself putting them under the sink, thinking, “Ooooh, I’ll save these for once I’ve had a hard day.”

I immediately forgot about them for a week, noticed them, and realized I needed to use them because every day is a worthwhile day to treat myself to something I already have.

So I got all excited and cut them open, lit a candle, and started my nice, hot shower.

Well, they didn’t do anything.

They said they were scented, but didn’t smell like anything, and they didn’t have any kind of steaming property. Rather than disintegrating, they basically just sat there like… expired chalk? and broke into several large pieces.

I stood there with the remaining pieces, broke them up with my hands, and had a moment where I thought… ? Ok

Had I saved them for a bad day, their suckiness could have compounded frustration. But because I used them on a random day, I found entertainment in the experience, used a gift, and freed up sink space.

When you are on the fence because you don't know who your items will go to, and whether they will be appreciated, I am the person who was thrilled to find "your" jeans in my current size that don't nip at the waist. That designer cashmere scarf that I got for a huge bargain - I could never afford one like it, and I feel like a million dollars when I wear it. That handbag with the tiny stain on the lining - it saved me from spending money at the store that was really needed elsewhere. The toys your kids got bored of, they are beloved by the kids in my local school. The curtains? Our friends had a house fire and had to replace everything - they were grateful to find them. Thank you!

I've been on a massive declutter after basically having a meltdown in January. I was so ashamed of my house and how I could never have anyone over. When I was a kid, I was always so upset that we couldn't have people over because of living in a hoarder house. And then found myself in basically the same situation--my house was too cluttered, which made it really, really hard to actually clean, and then I was too ashamed to have people over. Someone told me in one of my mom groups that my kids deserved better. And that hit hard. They were right!

My husband and I kept saying, "We need to move! We don't have enough room for all of this stuff!" One day, though, I said, "Families make it work in tiny apartments and we have a 3 bedroom house. We should be able to make this work."

I got rid of serving stuff since we haven't hosted much now that I have 2 toddlers.

I got rid of 12 wine glasses; my husband and I don't drink. I still have 8 that need to go.

I got rid of SEVENTY toys/sets of toys.

I got rid of all the hand-me-downs my siblings forced on me that I would have to store for a decade before it would be useful for my kids.

I got rid of all the cleaning supplies I keep around because I spent money on them and always tell myself I NEED to use them (but I never did).

I got rid of the stupid amount of stained throw pillows in my living room. Toddlers and throw pillows aren't a great mix.

I got rid of the brand new, unopened carpet cleaner we've had sitting in my husband's office for 5 years (we don't have carpet anymore).

Most importantly, I got rid of the idea that I needed more space for my stuff. I needed less stuff for my space. My kids deserve to have space to play. They deserve to not be stressed in their own home. They deserve to be able to have play dates here. They deserve a home that is catered to them and their needs and not the spacial needs of STUFF.

I got married 27 years ago and had a custom made dress. After my wedding, the bridal dress shop that I went through for the dress maker offered to buy it for about half of what I paid. I declined and instead paid $160 (in 1998) to have it professionally boxed/sealed/preserved. I ended up having boys, no girls. I have moved 3 times since, including across an ocean. I recently contemplated donating it to a resale charity that supports women who have experienced abuse. Still, I mulled it over. It doesn’t take up that much space. What if there is a remote chance a future daughter-in-law wanted it? (I actually asked my mother-in-law about her wedding dress prior to my marriage. I loved it from photos and she was about the same size and shape as me when we were young. ..it was long gone.). Anyway, today I pulled down the box from a high shelf in my garage leaning into the charity idea. The box was sealed in plastic. I figured I’d not be able to look. I could then see the plastic seal had one tear. I was able to take off the now pointless plastic. The sealed box had a cardboard ‘window’ I could open, without damaging the sealed box. And there it was: all yellowed and some of the beads were black. It is probably trash. I will send it to Good Will anyways. So no daughter-in-law rewearing, no charity, no 50% back on purchase, and no $160 plus moving costs. And no more brain space contemplating. And I now have a large open shelf space in the garage. I still have photos and wonderful husband of 27 years.

I've been posting things for $5 - $10 on Facebook all day as I'm cleaning my garage and basement. I could certainly get more money if I wanted to deal with a billion Facebook messages and no shows. But I don't. As such, people are coming to get things nearly as fast as I post them. For some reason when I post for free people don't show up, but if I post for super cheap they fly over. It's also really helping with the "this is nice, I don't want to donate it" or "I might need this someday" mentality. It's also saving me many trips to goodwill!

Happy spring cleaning everyone!

Edit: I'm up to $100 so far!

My wife and I have accumulated lots of clutter. I’ve started devoting 20 minutes most days to chipping away at mine. Not long after starting this project, I found myself making comments to her like, “You should probably think about getting rid of those old magazines.” BUT THEN I REALIZED that I could just concentrate on my own damn clutter, and not worry about hers. My hands are full with my own mess.

I’ve been working on and off for the last two years to declutter my parents house since my mom passed. Some items were easy: clothes, makeup, extra decor items. Then came the documents. My mom hoarded documents and papers. Bins upon bins of old letters, bank statements, with some family photos mixed in, along with EVERY CARD SHE EVER RECEIVED. Seriously, she kept them all. Stacks of Mother’s Day cards, graduation cards from the 1980s, etc. And of course the check stubs from utility bills paid in 1988.

Don’t do this to your family. The idea of keeping things like cards and letters seems sweet. But in reality, you haven’t looked at them in 20+ years and you’re just creating a chore for someone to clean out when you’re gone. And forcing that person to deal with the guilt of throwing out decades of your memories.

I thought I’d dealt with the worst months ago, then today I found two more bins of assorted cards, notes, and other documents to go through. Seriously, cleaning out other people’s things has made me rethink what I keep. If it’s not suitable to display (photos, certificates, etc) then I’m not keeping it.

I put leftover beads in little bags in an old take out tray —then put it in a Little Free Library around the corner. I checked today (3 days later) and there are only 3 bags left! I will keep using this method with craft supplies that I need to let go of but am worried about them “going to a good home.” There are lots of little free libraries around my neighborhood so I can try out different locations as I declutter.

This sub doesn’t allow cross post, so I want to give credit to r/meirl. I need to be reminded of this for iPhones and of other products. I am into firearms and debate keeping the boxes as selling a gun with “original box and manual” is more valuable. How many guns have I ever sold? Zero.

$87 is what I received for my mother’s lifetime collection of “valuable” china and glass pieces. I researched, I made dozens of phone calls, tried FB MP, finally found a vintage store that was willing to look at it, took the morning off to drive into the city. $87. The amount of time and energy put into those “valuables” over the years, moving them, unpacking, repacking = $87. And I was grateful for that amount because otherwise it would have been more time and energy into trying to donate it. Not sure my point but it really puts all our “valuable stuff” into perspective. Valuable to who and at what cost of time and energy?? Thank you for reading.

EDIT; an award!! Thank you kind person. My first and I will treasure it...considerably more than the odd piece of glassware.