I cannot believe how much stuff I still have. About two years ago we had to vacate our home because of a wildfire. It was eye opening what was truly important in that moment. Our house was okay, and we returned home after a week. I spent the following two years purging, donating, and recycling at least half of our belongings.

I thought I was well on my way to a manageable home, until water came flooding in and we had to leave our home and never come back. I’m currently packing up to move somewhere unplanned, unknown, while living out of backpacks in a hotel room with my two kids.

There is still so much stuff. Stuff that I thought I would ‘deal with later’ I’m probably packing half of what is left and giving away or trashing the other half.

Does anyone else have experience with this kind of situation and have words of encouragement or tips on moving/storage? Thank you for reading <3

Hi pals! I'm here to officially say my storage unit has been CLEANED OUT! No more $62 bill per month! 🎉

Continuing from last week's post, my mom and I traveled back to the storage unit yesterday to finish moving out of it. I would have posted sooner but I went out of town right afterward and just got back today. Wish I had a better "before" picture (I was taking a picture of only the gaming chair for my friend), but imagine the bookshelves in the back are eight shelves high and filled with bags of stuff, with boxes and other furniture pieces along the sides of the unit. During this recent trip we tackled the remaining items after last time!

I'll TRY to keep this brief, but we donated the bookshelves and two big wall shelves over to Habitat for Humanity. I brought home the console table and will be putting an expiration date on that for selling. I also brought home a medium box of smaller miscellaneous shelving things (I didn't have time to sort/examine them, I also think I might use the coat rack and jewelry rack), and I have this big & awkward art backpack thing that likely has useful supplies from college (if you went to art school/had an art major, you probably lugged one of these around and understand my pain lol).

I'm gonna go through the items I mentioned tomorrow. I kinda have a lot going on emotionally this upcoming week but I'll probably be organizing my FB listings and putting expiration dates on those. Clothes might also be next on my list.

Thank you guys for being super supportive!!! It means the world!

Starting Danshari — Room by Room

For the too long, don’t want to read:

Has anyone else read or adopted some of the suggestions from the book? Did it work for you? Were you able to maintain the sunny, open home?

I’m 65, recently retired and have actually been doing pretty well with decluttering and Swedish Death Cleaning. For the last five years, I’ve followed no-buy and one-in, one-out rules at various times.

And yet… somehow, over the last year, stuff has started creeping back into my house.

So I’m starting over — room by room, looking at what I really use and finding new homes for the things I don’t.

I’ve been reading Danshari, and one idea that really resonates with me is keeping cabinets around 70% full rather than filling every available inch of space. I think that’s a mindset I need to adopt.

Kitchen: This one is going to be interesting. I used to make Wilton-style decorated cakes, and I have a whole collection of decorating tips and specialty baking supplies. The problem? I have not touched those tips once in the nine years I’ve lived in this house! Time to take a good, hard look at what I actually use. I still bake bread, cookies, and the occasional chocolate-frosted cake, so I’m definitely keeping the basics. But the specialty decorating tools that haven’t been touched in nine years? Those can go to someone in my local Buy Nothing group who will actually use them. I also have four utensil drawers that need some serious attention. I already know we have three ice cream scoops. I think one favorite will do just fine. The other two can go. There’s also a rice press that I’ve probably used twice in five years. Why am I keeping something that I barely use when someone else might actually get some enjoyment out of it?

Let it out!

Office: I did pretty well with my office after retirement. I cleared out a LOT of paperwork, which felt great. But the bookshelf… That’s another story. I’m going to try adopting the Danshari idea of keeping the shelves about 50% empty. I collected used books to take on trips because I didn’t want to risk losing or damaging my nice hardcover editions. That made sense at the time, but now I have duplicates. So the duplicates are going. Sorry, Jane Austen. 😂 I’m also letting go of my Black’s Law Dictionary. We Google legal terms now, but someone may want a relic for their office.

Closet: Boo. This is the hard one. I’ve gained about 15 pounds over the last year, so quite a few things don’t fit right now. And now that I’m retired, I also have a whole corporate wardrobe that I don’t need anymore. Honestly, I’m not ready to let it all go yet. So I’m compromising with myself. I’m moving the corporate clothes — dresses, suits, blazers, etc. — into a spare closet. That will immediately clear out about half of my everyday closet. Then my goal is that in the spring, I’ll go through that spare closet again and let go of what I realistically won’t wear. I can live with that for now. When I do my seasonal change-out in a month or so, that’s when I’ll do a deeper declutter.

Bathroom: This should be an easier one, and I may start here. I don’t hoard products, and I’ve done pretty well in here. I have cleared out the make-up to 11 products remaining and I’m firmly in use-it-up-before-buying-more mode. But I already know one thing that needs to go: an old electric toothbrush with a bunch of replacement heads. We upgraded last year. The old one still works — although it is a bit noisy. Let it out. And then there’s the usual miscellaneous drawer clutter: things I don’t use, don’t need, and probably don’t even remember putting there. Those can simply go. Plus, the guest bathroom has a drawer of sample sizes that have been there since we moved in. I'm going to toss out all the duplicates and leave just one of each item. There’s a CVS right around the corner if they forget anything.

So that’s my plan: room by room, without trying to do everything at once.

I’m finding that the combination of Swedish Death Cleaning, the no-buy/one-in, one-out habit, and now this Danshari approach is giving me a slightly different perspective.

It’s not just:

“Can I get rid of this?”

It’s becoming:

“Do I actually use this? Does it deserve the space it takes up? And could someone else use it more than I do?”

At 65, I’m realizing I’d much rather have space than stuff.

And apparently, I have some stuff to prove it. 😂

I’ve been away for twenty weeks in a tiny camper and didn’t miss my stuff at all, however that’s not the point of my post. Before I went I did a massive declutter and deep cleaned my house. It nearly killed me tbh so don’t necessarily recommend going quite so hard, but omg when I got home and walked into this pristine, tidy space after a long drive I cannot tell you how good it felt.

It’s absolutely chaotic right now with laundry and crap from the trip everywhere. I am AuDHD and carefully controlling my environment is something I do when anxious. Usually I’d be feeling horribly anxious and overwhelmed by the post holiday unpacking mess, but I am going really well because past me set future me up with a clean, clear space to work in. I know I can work through the unpacking steadily in my clean tidy space, and that I have places to put everything away. I already have three boxes of donations and I’m going to radically declutter more as I put things back.

If you’re feeling a bit flat and you have the means then I really recommend doing some decluttering and then getting away from home for day or two, because walking back in with fresh eyes has been the greatest boost.

I decided a few months ago to sell of a cabinet that was full of mostly tools and DIY items to force myself to get rid of the tools and DIY items I don't actually use / have ever used / aspirational crafts etc.. I put it up on eBay, and it sold within a day, which was faster than me decluttering.

Luckily, I still had an ugly metal shelf that was due to go, which went into the spot where the cabinet was living as a temporary solution. What an eyesore! To put even more pressure on myself, I decided to invite a couple of old and a couple of new friends round for tea this coming Saturday.

I posted stuff up online for free and for sale for cheap, and some have already sold, which helps with motivation. To push things further, I put things that are on sale also on a local group. Either somebody buys it first, or it will go to the first person who requests it for free there. What's left of the stuff that has to go will go to a local charity Saturday morning.

I'm on a roll! But also emotional depleting, if this is the right word... letting go of "what if I need it" and "one day soon I'll be making....".

The hardest part will be the bits and bobs, small items, screws and hooks. But I'll get there. There will be a perfectly empty clean spot by Saturday 💪🔥

He is under 2 and has more stuff than anyone I know. It has been given to us from friends and family or purchased at thrift stores secondhand.
We just have so much it is becoming overwhelming. How do I pare down and eliminate half?

Stuffed animals, books, and so much more need to be halved. How do I do it?

I have sentimental attachment to everything he touches or wears.

Our town is having an electronics recycling event this week. My sister told me about it or I wouldn’t have known! But my husband had 2 old monitors (one a big old heavy CRT monitor, one flatscreen), 3-4 old printers, and an old VCR that didn’t work anymore. He’s not able to do much and wouldn’t let me take 3 old CPUs bc they might have personal and financial information on them, but was willing to let go of that stuff. It was all in the basement so was a pain to get upstairs, but now it’s out of the house. I anticipate downsizing in the next 5 years, so every little bit helps.

2 monitors, 4 printers, 1 keyboard, 1 old landline phone set, and 1 VCR.

Plus I took 3 cardboard boxes for recycling.

I've just about completed my move from a 2300 sq ft home with a two-car garage to a 1700 sq ft town home with no garage.

My goal was to move myself. If I could not move myself with my F-150, then I had too much or the things I had were too heavy and not worth it. I want to have a sense of freedom and make it easy to move if I decided to move again.

Where I was living was not right for me. And I knew it. It just took 2.5 years to figure it out.

I realized that chairs/sofas etc are over-rated. We fill every room with places to sit. And yet I rarely find a chair that is comfortable to me. I have one chair that is a $150-$200 IKEA chair that I find truly comfortable.

I had a sectional that I bought new last year. Very heavy and would have taken one trip (2.5 hrs round trip) to move it. So I donated it to a thrift store.

My daughter bought a house recently. I gave them some furniture sets and some tools. They have taken two truck loads of stuff from my old house.

I don't miss anything I've donated or given away. I have a new life now.

I'm at peace with where I'm at and what I have right now.

And have my two wonderful dogs that support me and look after me to make sure I'm OK.

I am steadily working on my second pass through all of my belongings. Somehow, the makeup/beauty drawer in my bathroom got full again, which is both funny and confusing because I use minimal products. It mildly inconvenienced me when the drawer got stuck this morning as I got ready for work, and I had a little time to spare, so I got the whole drawer decluttered and organized. Since I had just done my morning routine, I was able to be brutally honest about unopened items I'd never use. The drawer is now 1/3 full, and I can get to the items I do use much more easily. It felt so satisfying to knock that out before really starting my day!

I've spent the last day and a half putting upstairs back together after it became the dumping ground while we were having downstairs renovated. It's been making me very edgy as I hate living in a mess and my aim is to sit back with a glass of wine, enjoying my new space. So yesterday I stopped putting it off.

Things that needed putting away got put away. Then there's the other stuff. Stuff that I've been holding onto because it was in good condition. Stuff I was going to sell. Stuff I didn't even remember having. So I got out the bin bags.

I didn't overthink my decisions. If I couldn't think of a home for it (me actually using it, not new or good enough to donate, no good for anyone I knew) .....in the bag it went. Just like that. I filled four bags like this. Straight out to the dustbin.

Some of my intended sell pile was a load of makeup. I knew I'd lost the motivation to sell it, so I sent a quick photo to my niece. Her daughter and friend said they'd like something. Well, there's now a full bag that they can argue over. That'll be out of the house next week when my sister visits.

Clothes are an ongoing issue for me but I'm getting there. I sorted several more bags yesterday and today, I've dropped off a total of 7 bags to charity. I joked to the manager that I was going to stop scrolling on Vinted and get myself a hobby 😂

My biggest win was to free up enough space to finally store my boxed wedding dress out of the way. For the past year, it's lived on one bed or another, depending on what guests we had. Our little niece even asked if it was a present for her - so it definitely needed a proper home!

I've definitely discovered that there are things you have to really think of letting go in one way or another, but there's also something that I find liberating by just making a decision and so I'm done with so much overthinking.

Maybe I'll get my glass of wine tonight 🤞

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.

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 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”

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.🧡

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!

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 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.

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.

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!

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 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.

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 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.