Oh, isn't that funny about clothes we've held onto? The thing is, once you decide you don't need them anymore, you cease thinking about them. And if you've got an attic, they won't even visually remind you that they're still around.

That's great, all that progress! Thanks for sharing it w/ us.

Maybe the way to be in the pitch-and-toss mood more is to schedule it?

Tell yourself you have to "toss 10" things every day? Or plan a Saturday morning each month that you and DH will do this sort of stuff togehter? (it's nice to have company)

I gave a few things to a friend for her DD, and said, as I did so, "I understand that hand-me-downs can be much more of a burden than a blessing, so if you don't want these for any reason at all, say so!"

That's a great plan talley_sue. Tackle "something" daily. I took you up on it yesterday too.

I have several boxes from the cousins of clothing, I had hubby pull them out of the attic and put them into the computer room upstairs. Yesterday before heading in to give the boys a bath I went through 2 boxes and sorted - **things I think are cute and will wear on the boys, **things that are fine but I don't like (to Goodwill), **things that are stained and torn (trash) and **girls things.

Now I have 2 laundry baskets in there - one for each boy of "good" clothing, a trash bag, a goodwill box and a girls box (for my cousin with girls)

It's amazing what just "things" do to weigh you down sometimes. This isn't even an area that is seen daily - it's just something you know is there, looming in the background, waiting to engulf you! LOL

Tonight will be tough getting time to go through a box but I will try.

It's amazing what just "things" do to weigh you down sometimes. This isn't even an area that is seen daily - it's just something you know is there, looming in the background, waiting to engulf you!

This is so true! just that back-of-your-mind knowledge that you need to do them....

Adobesunshine I think had this in mind when she tackled her utensils box (see her other thread).

Now, don't forget to schedule the trip to get those unwanted things OUT of your computer room!

""Now, don't forget to schedule the trip to get those unwanted things OUT of your computer room!""

Already scheduled on HUSBAND's list! LOL

Welcome to the forum! We can ALL use help with organization.

Hey Friz, Welcome!

Fall always seems like a perfect time to get after this kind of thing. I prefer making a little space anyway, right before we get nested for the winter, and it sounds like you're on a roll!

Ok, 5 more copy paper size boxes ready to go to Goodwill on Friday.

2 large bags of garbage - stained, torn or unusable, and small plastic hangers clothing comes on.

All kids clothing sorted and labeled in huge plastic bins (3T for the baby's next size, 6-7T for the big guy and one small one for maternity and 0-12M "just in case" but don't let my husband know that! ;) )for the trip to the basement.

Stage 2 - go through drawers of clothing and do the same thing -- cull, sort, purge and replace with current sizes.

Freeing, really.

I've come to the realization this weekend that, you know what? I may not need to store ANYTHING anymore.

I mean, really - store things? for what? Other than the occasional box of holiday items (which I don't have that much of in the first place) what would I put in storage in the attic? Furniture I'm not using? Why have it then? Toys they aren't playing with? Books from college? All the same.

This is huge.

hey, breaking out that maternity wear and newborn stuff is "just in case" your SIL gets pregnant, right? ;-)

Way to go!

I mean, really - store things? for what? ....Furniture I'm not using? Why have it then? Toys they aren't playing with?

You and Gloria/Quiltglo should have coffee together!

She has that same feeling.

Thanks for all the inspiration!

Feels good doesn't it!

We recently moved and downsized by about half. We got rid of SO MUCH stuff. LITERALLY, a TON went to the landfill. (We are charged for amounts over a set weight, that's how we know!)
DH kept saying "this is the last trip" I think we had three 'last trips' LOL
Probably the same amount went to Charity. Thanks goodness, they picked up!
I posted earlier about my adventures in decluttering Christmas.

We feel so free. If we had to flee, oh lets say from a hurricane, the only belongings I would grab would be my photographs. They are the only things I couldn't easily replace.

Patricia

Here is a link that might be useful: Decluttering Christmas

Last night I got through 2 of the little guys drawers, 4 to go for him. Plus the 9 for the big guy.

I pulled out about 40 nailpolish bottles from '95 and pitched them while the boys were in the tubby. And some old lotions too.

chugga, chugga, chugga - I think I can, I think I can.... :)

You all are such an inspiration to me! Have been reading all the posts with great interest.

For about 3 weeks now I have been going through winter clothes, getting them out and washing them. Trying to eliminate the ones that we will never wear....am real bad to look at something and debate if I will lose weight to ever wear it...no,no,no. Also no reason to have 5 of something. Husband parted with about 30 caps of his precious collection. I was proud of him!.

My Mom, Daughter, Granddaughter & I decided to have a garage sale at my daughter's greenhouse here in our little town. We all shut our eyes and cleaned out stuff for it. Turned out great, but we could not get everything to the sale. Just finally had to quit. Decided to have another one this coming weekend and have been cleaning like crazy to get rid of the excess....running out of time again and have not touched the attic in our shop yet where lots of buried treasures lay.

Have shredded 4 large garbage bags of papers. Poor old shredder just moaned. Gave me lots of drawer space in filing cabinets. It is just embarrassing having all this "stuff", Never could find anything before and ran on to lots of lost items. (Why would any one in their right mind keep every bank statement that ever had. We have been married 51 years, so that is a bunch of shredding to do.)

Think my 86 year old Mom hit the nail on the head when she said, "we bring all the treasures into the house an item or two at a time and then never get rid of anything. All of the sudden we are suffocating from "stuff."

Keep the good ideas coming. They really help me.

Dora Lou

Well, it's time for me to get out to that garage "where I don't store stuff" and get it rearranged. I've had to scrape the frost off the windshield several mornings and that's my signal to make it fit.

Once you get the majority of this "stuff" gone, frizzle, set yourself up with a place for the purging. I keep boxes or bags in my laundry room and my craft/sewing area. As items are outgrown or no longer needed they immediately go in the bags. When I'm going by the thrift store I can grab and bag and drop it off. I don't have to make any additional effort on rounding up "stuff." The rest of the family has learned when they've finished a book, no longer fit in a shirt, etc. to just take it to the holding spot and it will disappear. I also keep a small pad of paper and a pen right there so I can list items as they go in the bags. Makes it easy come tax time to have a record of my donated "stuff."

Gloria

Ah, another day, another huge pile to goodwill.

I love my brother and sister-in-law but they just drowned me in clothing hand-me-downs. So I sorted, found what I liked and was in good condition and the rest went. There were 4 piles, goodwill, trash, girls and unisex, and keep.

The goodwill is gone, the trash is out, the girls pile is in husband's car to go to his friend and the keep in neatly stacked in drawers with room to spare.

Next job is socks, shoes and coats (which I just delegated to my husband!) He can sort and pair up, put similiar sizes together, then we can keep a few and the rest go. They are in boxes in the computer room now, where the clothing once was.

We just moved a very large, very old antique dresser that was given to us by his grandparents into our bedroom to house the tv and dvd player. We moved OUT the particle board dresser that will go to the yard sale (or possibly the upstairs soon-to-be-constructed-once-we-get-the-junk-out attic space/spare bedroom)

Lessons learned -

#1 --- Why store stuff you don't use.

#2 ---If there is room in the drawer to move things around, it's easier to put things away so you will put things away more often.

#3 ---Drowning them in clothing doesn't prove to your children how much you love them.

#4 ---Once it's tossed, you don't miss it. Agonizing over this shirt or that pair of pants is a waste of time.

#5 ---Clearing out a little bit a day makes you (and your house) happy!

That is all!
Happy night everyone!

Agonizing over this shirt or that pair of pants is a waste of time.

I'm going to remember that one.

Way to go!

Wow, I had more CRAP lying around here than I thought!

But a small success - the clothing is all complete! All drawers in the house are neat and tidy, my closet is done, (husband's closet was always neat) all spaces purged of unwanted and unneeded clothing issues.

Even the dreaded shoes-socks and coats!

Next to tackle, my craft supplies. I'm going in, if you don't hear from me in a week, you may need to send a search party.......

:)

A weekend of sporatic work (a necessity when there are 2 little ones who want to play) and I have all but one small box on my desk completed.

I really was more cluttered than I thought. It didn't look that way from the outside, til I opened things up that is.

Craft things organized. That's the trouble with being a "creative type". You can see use in so many things! So I kept what fit on the bookcase neatly in clear plastic bins labeled - fabric, yarn, etc.

Top of the bookcase are the 5 glass pickle jars I use to store my various paint tubes and bottles. Other 2 bookcases are neatly arranged and the tops have just a few display items.

The box on my desk is the last to go through, but it was tub time last night and I gave myself the OK to let it wait til tonight.

Whew.....

Now, what's next?

:)
Happy organizing!

way to go! And thanks for posting all the details of your success, as well as your philsophical thoughts on it.

It's very inspiring for the rst of us.

Isn't it funny how much clutter there is, once you start actually dealing with it?