2013 Destash- this is the year!

[Ephany]

All of the Christmas stuff is down and packed away. Every cardboard box that DH was saving 'just in case' was hauled down to the recycling center this afternoon so now's there's a big empty spot in my living room. I also managed to buy some plastic shoeboxes as Target has them on sale (87 cents each), now I just gotta find the label maker.

I'm looking for storage to place on either side of the tv stand. Ours is dark wood and I'd like to find something that is tall, dark wood-like, and has either doors or frosted glass on the front. I figure one can hold dvds/wii games/etc.. and the other one will hold games and perhaps crafts for DD. I'm heading to IKEA tomorrow, so hopefully I'll be able to find some ideas. Don't really need them until after April when we start moving home, but I want to start looking now. I figure if we move in right, maybe we'll do a better job of not finding ourselves overwhelmed in a few years.

[DarthMama]

I'm late to the party, but joining in. We had our house (mostly) painted over the holidays -- still being finished now -- and every. single. thing. in the house is now sitting in big piles everywhere, since the painters painted all the closets too. Having all the stuff out is forcing me to reorganize (or just shove the whole dang lot back into random closets).

[carebee21]

I'm slowly but surely getting through my side of the closet. I went through it pretty quickly last night and pulled out one regular sized bag of trash and two large garbage bags full of clothes. Sadly, it doesn't even look like it made a dent in all of my clothes in the closet. So, I still have a lot of work to do in there.

My goal for this weekend is to still go through our coat closet and purge the coats/gloves/umbrellas. I also want to get through my half of the closet and my dresser and convince DH to do the same. My goal for this month is to list three new things on Craigslist every week. If it sits for a week without any bites, I'll drop the price. If it hasn't sold in a month, it will be donated.

Goals Accomplished So Far in 2013:
Decluttering All of the Christmas Decorations
My Closet: 1 bag of trash; 2 large bags of clothing removed so far

[mrsklamc]

When I piled on the storage containers on the table DH said "They're not that expensive,want to just pitch them all and buy a new set?"

I was tempted but that's not the budget friendly choice....boxing up a bunch and putting it in the basement in case it becomes useful as we organize other rooms, after that it's off to Goodwill...

On another note, I've seemed to realize that making a whole house plan is not the best thing for me personally. I used to make a month-by-month plan for the year, but it seems to work better for me to just start with a room and work hard there until it's done, rather than making a schedule.

[Trish.Glenn]

Originally Posted by carebee21

I'm slowly but surely getting through my side of the closet. I went through it pretty quickly last night and pulled out one regular sized bag of trash and two large garbage bags full of clothes. Sadly, it doesn't even look like it made a dent in all of my clothes in the closet. So, I still have a lot of work to do in there.

My goal for this weekend is to still go through our coat closet and purge the coats/gloves/umbrellas. I also want to get through my half of the closet and my dresser and convince DH to do the same. My goal for this month is to list three new things on Craigslist every week. If it sits for a week without any bites, I'll drop the price. If it hasn't sold in a month, it will be donated.

Goals Accomplished So Far in 2013:
Decluttering All of the Christmas Decorations
My Closet: 1 bag of trash; 2 large bags of clothing removed so far

I have never sold on Craigslist how does it work? Photos? Do you meet in a public place?
Thanks for the info!!

[princess stich]

I took down all of the Christmas decorations today. Threw out a few things and have some others to donate.

I went through our big get rid of pile and starting listing things to sell. Also getting things to donate for a fundraiser yard sale.

[jenluvs2go2disney]

I took 2 large bags of stuff to Goodwill today.

I went through 4 of my 7 dresser drawers. Now they are nice and neat. 3 more to go. Hopefully, these will be done by tomorrow. I cleaned out the drawers in the master bath and under one sink. I have to get get DH to do under his sink.

My garage sale pile is really growing. I plan on having one in the spring. I have my ebay pile started too. It will be easy to take pictures and list stuff when the kids are back in school next week. This is my disney spending money.

I got rid of so much trash this week.

[carebee21]

Originally Posted by Trish.Glenn

I have never sold on Craigslist how does it work? Photos? Do you meet in a public place?
Thanks for the info!!

I always include photos and give a description as to the type of condition the item is in. If the item is still being sold in stores (mainly toys) I include a link to the item on target or toys r us, so they can read the product description.

I know most people say to meet up with the person in a public place, but I usually just meet with them at my house. I put the item in the garage, and just meet the person out front when my DH is home. They aren't coming into my home and I feel safe enough standing outside of my home, that I really don't worry about it.

I also always put that I won't deliver the item in my listing. I can't tell you how many times I've had people say, oh I don't have a car, will you bring it to me? Since I started including that, it hasn't happened since.

All in all, I've had pretty good luck selling things on Craigslist. I know a lot of people complain about flakey people, but I rarely encounter flakey people or strange people, or even scammers. Maybe I've just gotten lucky?

[scbelleatheart]

Originally Posted by mward73

I'm in! Our house is a wreck. Seems we still have boxes that are unpacked in the garage from when we moved here (7 years ago). Took a bunch of stuff to Salvation Army last weekend. More to go next weekend - desk, glider & ottoman from baby (who is now 3 and has bunk beds in his brother's room) room. Also cleaned the playroom this week and have a bag to go from there.

Books are next. Boys got a bunch of new ones for Christmas - need to clean out the old ones. Those get sent to their school/daycare.

Doesn't help that we're in the process of making built-in bookshelves. The living room is a disaster at this point. lol

I won't say our house is a wreck but I slowly move things in and really purge a lot. Too much stuff accumulated over 30 years in one place and have to move quickly was a huge disaster!
DH was out of the country and our house sold fast so I had 30 days and 2 teenagers to pack up . Add in closing on a new house! with no appliances and needed to paint and clean carpets.
All I can say is that it has been an experience. We still have about 1/4 of our warehouse (900 x 1800) filled with stuff to go thru. Half of it belongs to adult children who still live in apartments.
I'll keep checking in and Good Luck!

[delmar411]

I sorted through DH's old work shirts and have a big pile to toss out in the morning so that's a start.

[sherry7]

Well, I'm making the same New Year's resolution...again!

My resolution this year is to simply get rid of stuff, either by hauling it to Goodwill or throwing it in the trash can. Every year, I make the same excuse: I'll put it in a yard sale. I live in a dead end neighborhood, and few very people ever come to yard sales here. At this point, it's simply not worth the few hundred dollars that I could make from selling stuff. I just want it gone, and I want my house to feel more calming. I want that calm and relaxed feeling that I get when I walk into a nice hotel room. I've tried organizing my stuff into storage bins, but the simple fact is, I just have too much stuff that I don't need. Like the guy on the TV show said (Peter Something-or-other), "YOU CAN'T ORGANIZE CLUTTER!"

Even though the main part of my house looks decent, the clutter elsewhere in the house (spare bedroom, basement, garage, closets, cabinets) is becoming a big source of stress between DH and I. I'd say that 90% of the disagreements we have are related to this.

I've made a couple of small dents recently. Right before Christmas, I gathered up a huge box of DD's outgrown toys and sold them for $40. The toys that didn't sell are going to Goodwill this weekend. I went through a 3 foot high stack of magazines, and tossed almost all of them. (We don't have recycling here.) I shredded 2 years of bill statements, and semi-organized my filing cabinet. I gathered up 2 big bags of clothes from Kohl's (never worn, too small now, tags on, had the receipts) and returned them to the store. I love their awesome return policy. We took down the Christmas tree over the weekend, and I purged an entire storage bin of scruffy looking decorations.

The next 4 weeks are going to be super busy for me, and I'm sure I'll get rid of lots of stuff. We are having our entire house flooring redone with hardwood, so I have to pack up (or get rid of) knick knacks, stuff hanging on the walls, storage boxes under the bed, everything on the floors of the closets, etc. The flooring guys will move furniture, but all of the little stuff needs to be packed up and out of their way. The downstairs is scheduled to be done in 2 weeks, and the upstairs is getting done 2 weeks after that. I'm sure that by having to move and/or pack up so many items from my house, I'll be parting with a lot of it.

[dsneprincess]

Originally Posted by sherry7

Well, I'm making the same New Year's resolution...again!

My resolution this year is to simply get rid of stuff, either by hauling it to Goodwill or throwing it in the trash can. Every year, I make the same excuse: I'll put it in a yard sale. I live in a dead end neighborhood, and few very people ever come to yard sales here. At this point, it's simply not worth the few hundred dollars that I could make from selling stuff. I just want it gone, and I want my house to feel more calming. I want that calm and relaxed feeling that I get when I walk into a nice hotel room. I've tried organizing my stuff into storage bins, but the simple fact is, I just have too much stuff that I don't need. Like the guy on the TV show said (Peter Something-or-other), "YOU CAN'T ORGANIZE CLUTTER!"

Even though the main part of my house looks decent, the clutter elsewhere in the house (spare bedroom, basement, garage, closets, cabinets) is becoming a big source of stress between DH and I. I'd say that 90% of the disagreements we have are related to this.

I've made a couple of small dents recently. Right before Christmas, I gathered up a huge box of DD's outgrown toys and sold them for $40. The toys that didn't sell are going to Goodwill this weekend. I went through a 3 foot high stack of magazines, and tossed almost all of them. (We don't have recycling here.) I shredded 2 years of bill statements, and semi-organized my filing cabinet. I gathered up 2 big bags of clothes from Kohl's (never worn, too small now, tags on, had the receipts) and returned them to the store. I love their awesome return policy.

The next 4 weeks are going to be super busy for me, and I'm sure I'll get rid of lots of stuff. We are having our entire house flooring redone with hardwood, so I have to pack up (or get rid of) knick knacks, stuff hanging on the walls, storage boxes under the bed, everything on the floors of the closets, etc. The flooring guys will move furniture, but all of the little stuff needs to be packed up and out of their way. The downstairs is scheduled to be done in 2 weeks, and the upstairs is getting done 2 weeks after that. I'm sure that by having to move and/or pack up so many items from my house, I'll be parting with a lot of it.

I think I need to keep repeating " you can't organize clutter".... I love it & it is going to become my mantra! Thank you!

[sherry7]

Originally Posted by dsneprincess

I think I need to keep repeating " you can't organize clutter".... I love it & it is going to become my mantra! Thank you!

You're welcome! Sometimes I feel like I need that saying tattooed to my forehead.

[Scrap4me]

thumbsup2 Count me in! I became the person everyone gave it all to--clothes, books, furniture etc, etc, etc!
I began to become so overwhelmed with the lack of space in my home that I would escape for days on end so I wouldn't have to deal with it! After a few stays at a friends time share in Hilton Head, I realized that less really is more! Why do I need 8 stock pots, 10 different styles of butcher knives, 3 sets of sheets for each bed, etc, etc and the list goes on!!!
In doing extensive research on how to start and how to deal with the emotional ties of "STUFF" - I came across something that stays with me even today... Imagine that you are given 7 days to pack up everything you own and move--you have to do it by yourself, and you can't leave anything behind--could you do it? Now, imagine that you are moving to another country and will have to pay to ship everything you own and what you leave behind you will never see again! Gives you a perspective of what you really need, and what means something.
I lurked last year and found loads of inspiration. I hope to pass it on this year!
For the past 2- 2 1/2 years I have been de-stashing my home, my life and everything in between! I grew up with a pack rat mom and dad and grandparents and that is all I knew.
A few agos (after moving us again) I was done!
Next week will be 23 years of marriage and 3 great kids (22, 18, 17). I treasure my memories and photos-- I don't need that gawdy flashy straw hat from 15 years ago at the beach that I only wore the one time! I have a picture.. I want to become an almost minimalist. On my living room tables --3 items on each--same for dressers, night stands, etc.
I still have much to de-stash, but I am so close... it has not been easy. There are still many hurdles..like my Wilton cake pans -- i love to make specialty cakes, but they take so much time! And will I ever make that Blue's Clues cake again?
I have learned--first limit yourself to the amount of space something can occupy, and then start making decisions. And once those items hit the donation box, get them away from the house as soon as you can! I have gone back over some items 2-3 times and manage to get rid of more every time.
Today, I took 10 boxes of kitchen, books and clothes + a dresser to goodwill. Hoping for more on Monday!
Good luck to everyone! Even one item out the door is one item closer to A life with "less", but "more"

[BernardandMissBianca]

Originally Posted by starwood

Peter Walsh's task for the day

Day 3: Keep Your Lid On! Today your task is to tackle all those disposable plastic storage containers that you have in cupboards and drawers in your kitchen. Get them all out onto the kitchen counter. Discard any that don't have matching lids, that the dishwasher has mangled or that are stained. My rule: no more than 15 plastic storage containers! Here's the deal: with takeout containers, margarine containers and coleslaw containers there's a constant inflow of these puppies into your home - the trick is to keep them under control. So ... take a deep breath, drag them out and take ten minutes to get it done!! Let me know how you do. #31Days2GetOrganized

Done, and it's stayed the same for about a year so far.

I use a CD tower laying on it's side to hold the lids. They stand on end so I don't have to dig. Works like a charm.


Tonight:
I went through all of my flowers for scrapbooking. Purged 1/2, they will be mailed to BFF in a few weeks along with other things.
One drawer emptied!! And 9 jars emptied and recycled.