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I have way too much "stuff" in my house. I know I need to get rid of a lot of things but have a very hard time doing it. Most is good stuff I have planned to use some day but still won't have a place for it. Anyone else have this problem or hints on how to handle it?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ramblin'Rose,

I think the first step is the hardest. If you know of an individual or organization who can use something you have, even if its only a sack of craft supplies you haven't found time for in 5 years,pass it their way. You'll feel so good for having done it, you might be inspired to do more.

Or watch a marathon showing of "The Hoarders".

This message has been edited. Last edited by: elsie123,

How do you eat an elephant?
One bite at a time.

Start sorting with three piles:
keep
donate
trash

One more idea? This has worked for me, when I am stuck or overwhelmed.

Sit with your eyes closed in a room or a space in your home. Think how you want this space to look, what you want to do in it, and what it's purpose is to you. Visualize it just the way you want it to be, and try to hold that vision.

Now open your eyes and see what is actually there, and as you clean this space ask yourself if this item, furniture, stuff...really is an asset to the area in your vision. If not it goes. Either out the door or to the right area of the home. It helps me to do one drawer at a time, one closet at a time and finally the room they are in. Then move on. 50 percent reduction in all areas is my goal for each time through also.

Each and every item, box or load of stuff removed can allow the universe to fill it with something even better...too.
Often just breathing space is enough.

We have a lot of stuff. But you know what? in going through some old pictures last night I realize that I haven't always had a lot of stuff, in fact even now I don't have a lot of really terrific stuff. However my "stuff" has been hard and difficultly acquired. Many a yard sale, many a big trash pickup search (see photo of one find) many an auction.

My DH is an artist and I do decoupage. We probably could not squeeze one more thing on our walls. but till I have piles on the floor and am stumbling over things I am not going to worry. My DD can have one terrific estate sale when we cash in our chips (or maybe we will ourselves) I actually think of my things as an "investment". I do occasionally get rid of things. Clothing, took three huge sacks of pillows to the town swap shop this fall. I have cleaned out a lot of sewing supplies and fabrics

I must have a thousand pieces of silver flatware. but it doesn't take up that much room. I enjoy just looking at my things. If you have more room to store things than to display them, just rotate displays. Or get rid of things, starting with what you like least.

I have finally gotten to the point in my life that having piles of stuff, collections don't make me any happier and that my happiness isn't dependent on things or acquiring them. I have finally learned to say no to myself. Sure I have treasures I hold dear to my heart, but I'm not acquiring anymore only to burden my kids to get rid of it- why make life more difficult for them, esp when my DD lives nowhere near us. My Life Vacation1 has some great ways on getting rid of items cluttering our lives.

Thanks for some good ideas everyone. I need to get started.I love your find Lady of Shallot. Mamaspoon, where do I find My Life vacation?

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Ramblin'Rose,

I've found freecycle.org is my lifesaver. I find it hard to get rid of stuff but it's much easier when I know someone is looking for it. I had a ton of fabric (from my long-gone sewing days) in my attic. A member of a church quilting group was looking, no-brainer, out it went to them.
Somebody wants/needs extra sheets for paint cloths or a Halloween decoration, out it goes. Who would have thought someone was looking for the extra plug to my old garbage disposal? Turns out to buy one is over $70! One happy camper, one more thing out of my house!

quote:

Originally posted by Ramblin'Rose:
Thanks for some good ideas everyone. I need to get started.I love your find Lady of Shallot. Mamaspoon, where do I find My Life vacation?

Just go to the fourth post of this thread, click on MyLife's profile name and follow the clicks from there!

quote:

Originally posted by elsie123:
Or watch a marathon showing of "The Hoarders".

Good one Elsie, If I happen to stumble on a episode of Hoarders my trash and recycling bins are full that week. I'll sit in the family room going through the old magazines and chucking them into the recycling bin. Then I move on to the other stuff and fill up the trash can. It is easier to keep a clean house when you have less stuff to move about.

Another great way to get rid of stuff is your local freecycle. I've gotten rid of years worth of old copies of This Old House magazine that way, they were gone within a couple of hours of posting them on freecycle. Rarely do I put something on freecycle that doesn't get taken within the first day. The main exception I've had in the past 6 months was an old treadmill that still worked. I had a couple people interested but none showed up to take it. I eventually gave it to a thrift store but the first two I went to wouldn't take it. They didn't do exercise equipment. My last option was to take it apart and recycle the metal and throw away the particle board and plastic parts.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Sparky,

The new season of "Hoarders" starts Monday night, Dec. 3 at 9 Eastern on A&E. Can't wait!

That show makes one think, for sure.
But on the plus side, it always makes me feel a lot better too. That there are degrees of hoarding, and although I can always do better at dispersal of items....I am far from tv show worthy.

Once you tackle one room and trash, donate, sell or gift excess things you will experience a lightness, a sense of freedom, a sense of accomplishment and a relaxing atmosphere vs visual chaos. The special pieces that you enjoy fully on a daily basis will be elevated to importance and showcased in a way in which they deserve. There will be less to clean and maintain too. take baby steps and plug along one room at a time. Resist the urge to replenish lest you fall back into the material trappings that are currently burdening you. Begin while the urgency is strong. Don't make excuses when evaluating what are NEEDS vs WANTS. Ask yourself serious questions like, "How long have I possessed this?" Then follow that up with, "Have I used it and if so, how many times?" If you've had it for a year or more and it's just taking up space it's time to say "Bye Bye". It's fine to have some collectables or cherish an heirloom, but when you indulge to excess and you can no longer live comfortably in your home, it's time to edit.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Froo Froo,

I find that if I'm going to go through a closet or the garage or the attic or the basement that watching an episode or two of hoarders makes me way less "sentimental/might use some day" about Stuff!

With clothes, I go through my closet at least once and sometimes twice a year and donate what I'm not wearing or haven't worn in a while. The only exception is "party" clothes.

And part of my furniture theory is -- if I get something new something old goes out for I'm at the max!

When we closed our store, we had a big auction -- mostly of things related to the store but I also went through the house and got rid of a lot of kitchen things that year -- reasoning that if I needed to I could always buy a new one -- I think there is one thing -- just one thing out of all the stuff that I regret selling! (And that was a lot of stuff!) And actually, it got in the auction by mistake.

Martha

Great post Conrad!
I find before and after de-cluttering photos motivating (they're out there!).. and a few seconds of "horders" always gets me off the couch and attacking some long ignored problem area. Learning to "let go' of stuff was a huge accomplishment for me. Every bag that went to charity & the dump was a weight of my shoulders. The more I did it the easier it got. I got rid of things I'd hauled around for 45 years out of sentimentality. My early sessions were cleaning out a storage locker. I worked for an hour or so each day dividing items into donate, dump, and sell piles. The donate and dump piles had to be dealt with at the end of each session. That way there was no going back and rehashing later. Items that failed to sell went to donation.

Another suggestion is just to rearrange or neaten up things. For instance we have lots of books, stacks of them are on a horizontal surface in our l.r. I recently just re-stacked and straightened up the piles. While most of the books I wanted to keep there were some to send back to book swap.

People like me (and maybe Ramblin) don't always "see things" People, like a friend of mine, who can not stand any clutter or disorder, see everything all the time. Her head lamp is always on. I have to figuratively "turn mine on" then I can see what I choose to discard.

Interesting concept on not really "seeing things" in a familiar environment.

Photographs of your rooms can sure help too. And amazingly, take a look from the outside of your home through an open window, after dark.(might seem creepy to your neighbors, but try it)

Both venues take you out of the room, and viewing it and it's contents like a stranger might.

As a young farm wife, I used to go outside and peek in my windows to see what the room looked like....Conrad, you reminded me of that. I think as we live in our homes, we don't see things as other people do. We get used to seeing things one way and it doesn't bother us. I like to empty all the "sitting around things" out of each room and then put only the things back in the room that make it homey...sort of "shop" my own house. And I find that the less I have laying around, the easier it is to clean. The "left over sitting around things" are either sold at a garage sale or donated.

quote:

Originally posted by May:
And I find that the less I have laying around, the easier it is to clean.

That sure is one true statement!
And it actually looks clean, after you clean. Rather than just dusted and vacuumed.

When your problem is having "entirely too much stuff", rearranging it or figuring out creative storage for it is really not the answer.
It's more about letting things go and getting what you have down to a manageable amount and curbing the habits that got you to that point in the first place. If you have too much stuff the only way to have less is to release it back into the universe from whence it came. It's OK to let things go. Open, usable floorspace is a beautiful thing.

Pretend like u r moving and you have to pack/ship everything yourself and it costs and arm/leg, and half your teeth.......you'll be amazed at how much stuff you decide you don't need; LOL!

BTDT

quote:

Originally posted by CJO:
Pretend like u r moving and you have to pack/ship everything yourself and it costs and arm/leg, and half your teeth.......you'll be amazed at how much stuff you decide you don't need; LOL!

BTDT

I have a book from about 15 years ago called "Rules of Thumb" one of their rules of thumb is 3 moves equals a house fire. Meaning you'll completely turn over your belongings in three moves by doing just what you said CJO.