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View Full Version : Who wants to join me-- huge, house-wide purge of STUFF



kep
05-01-2010, 11:12 PM
We have way too many things, and I am spending too much of my life cleaning, organizing, and moving these things around. I have a deep desire for more simplicity and order in our house.

Each month I am going to tackle one major area in our house, and post before and after photos as I progress. My goal is to really clear out what we are not actively using, and things we have kept around "just in case". Follow the old donate, throw away, keep plan.

I am going to start with our playroom, followed by everyone's dressers, the basement, and the garage.

I would love to do this along with all of you, so we could encourage each other and cheer each other on. It's going to be a big task, but I'm up for it. I'm ready for a big change.

Who's with me?

BabyMine
05-01-2010, 11:23 PM
Oh, Oh, pick me!!!!! We aren't that cluttered becasue I just went through the whole house for our garage sale but the stuff that didn't sell is still in our garage. I also need to go through all of our clothes and get a summer clothes list started.

Green_Tea
05-01-2010, 11:24 PM
I'm in. I so need this.

westgre
05-01-2010, 11:32 PM
My house is an unorganized disaster! I have been thinking about this for a long time, but am so overwhelmed with it all. Maybe a buddy system and breaking it into specific areas would help me.

Melbel
05-01-2010, 11:33 PM
I have been on a mission lately too! I call it my "cash for clutter" program. I have had good luck listing items on Craigslist. I would love to participate! :)

Kymberley
05-01-2010, 11:35 PM
In! I started today actually. My sister is helping me because I stink at purging. We have a standing appointment every Monday. We will make trips to donate a LOT and possibly consign some baby things, and eBay for the rest. Seriously, I have issues like you see on Hoarders. I didn't realize it until today. I hang on to everything for the dumbest reasons. Thank goodness I have family to get me back on track.

ett
05-01-2010, 11:43 PM
I'm in. I so need to de-clutter our house.

sunshine873
05-01-2010, 11:57 PM
Oh this is me - this is so me!

We had a neighborhood garage sale today and I didn't participate because I just didn't even know where to start. Ugh.

I'm going to try doing this along with you. I think I'm going to start in DD's room. Poor kid is only 15 mo and I've already stuffed her closet full.

ohiomom
05-02-2010, 12:20 AM
What I really want is for one of you to come do it for me!!!!! We used to move every 2 years. We are in our house nearly 12 years with 2 kids added. Ugh. Ugh. It's turning into my mom's house. She often said she was organized until she had kids. I so totally get it, plus she didn't work FT OTH like I do!

larig
05-02-2010, 12:20 AM
Me too! Me too! I am so like PP on a one way ticket to Hoarders if I don't get things under control.

This was a great idea, kep. I could use the company on my journey to organization.

ETA: Meibel your "cash for clutter" is a great name...too clever!

Twin Mom
05-02-2010, 12:28 AM
We've been trying to declutter without much success. We'll do a little and then get distracted by relaxing on the couch, watching tv and surfing the web. We have soooo much stuff and have needed to clean out the house for years but it is overwhelming. We never got around to donating the stuff from our last effort. I hope you guys will motivate me.

goldenpig
05-02-2010, 12:33 AM
Thank you! I am so in. I need the encouragement to tackle this huge project.
I've done a reasonable job in the playroom and kid's bedroom and closet already. My problem areas in order of priority are the office, master bedroom & closet, garage, "library", and "attic". Our problem things are papers, books, camera/electronic gadgets along with all the chargers/cables/doodads, household equipment, clothes, and memorabilia (cards/photos/souvenirs etc). We are swimming in stuff and can never find what we need.
Our obstacles are:
1) it's so hard to find the time to do this with 2 kids
2) we're both sentimental pack rats
3) DH loves getting duplicates of things "just in case" his favorite item gets broken/worn out/lost
4) it's hard to throw out stuff that belongs to DH (well it would be easy, but then he'd get mad at me) so I don't know what to do with his stuff
5) I would want to sell some of the excess stuff (like his excess camera equipment or my purse collection) but just don't have the time or energy and it's intimidating never having sold stuff on eBay etc. Besides who has time to go to the post office over and over? But I don't want to just throw things out when I could recoup some money from them.
6) whenever I clean out a certain area (garage, kitchen, living room, kids' rooms) it always seems to get messy again so I spend too much time re-cleaning/organizing those areas instead of moving onto new ones
7) I keep starting one area like the papers in the office but I never seem to make a real dent in it no matter how many times I try
8) the amount of organizing I need to do is overwhelming, so it's easier to just ignore it--until I get hit with late fees for bills I forgot or can't find important paperwork I need.
I'm hoping if I can just manage to find the time to organize the office, that the rest will be much easier. Great thread, I'll be interested to read about everyone's tips/advice and progress.

fumofu
05-02-2010, 04:18 AM
Great idea! I did this when I moved out of my apartment in grad school, and gave all my unwanted stuff away to my friend, who then distributed it to the people living in her apartment (they all know each other). Not only did I feel great purging all the stuff I don't use or want anymore, it was a great freecycle program. My friend ended up distributing 4-5 TV's, two came from me!

Now that we're house hunting, when we finally move out of this house, all we're taking (besides personal belongings) are our bed, maybe 1 flat screen TV, and my wedding registry items.

WatchingThemGrow
05-02-2010, 06:28 AM
I'll be in for Round TWO next season if anyone else wants to, but can't right now. I HAVE to make some photobooks. Time is slipping away and DD wants a photobook of her first year for her 4th birthday. Of course, now I'm too late and won't be able to get it done, because of the clutter around our house/in our lives!

Elilly
05-02-2010, 07:20 AM
I started doing this about a month ago. The problem is, now I have a big stack in my basement that I'm trying to sell on CL or ebay. So much for a clean basement!

boogiemomz
05-02-2010, 07:27 AM
yes yes yes!!!! i am going insane with all the clutter around here. if only i could get DH on board... he never wants to get rid of anything!!! :irked:

Melaine
05-02-2010, 07:30 AM
I'm in too! I've really been working on this since Jan/Feb and I'm happy with the progress I've made....however, in some ways the more de-cluttering I do, the more I realize needs to be done! There are still some MAJOR clutter areas in the house and things that need to be totally re-organized. I want to join a community yardsale in June and I am always selling stuff on Craigslist, so I love the cash for clutter idea too!

The hot spots I need to hit are:
The girls closet (again). Need to go through toys/clothes for selling.
Kitchen cabinets/buffet
Guest room closet/GIFT closet (scary place)
Game/Coat closet

So many more, but those are my worst challenges as of now. Great thread, OP!

ThreeofUs
05-02-2010, 07:43 AM
I'm trying, I'm trying, but I just can't seem to get traction. Oh, my golly, the clutter and mess.

And this three wardrobes thing is killing me. How the heck do you manage renovations and all the normal clutter? I'm sure I don't know.

But yes, count me in.

infomama
05-02-2010, 07:49 AM
I'm in. We are taking a couch and all my maternity clothes to the Salvation Army next weekend. My maternity clothes are hung up and priced but they have seen a garage sale and guess what...they are back in my closet. It's silly to keep holding on to them...someone could use them. I have a girlfriend who is coming 'shopping' in the next few weeks, too. She buys lots of dd's outgrown clothes and I end up a few hundred bucks ahead.

Momof3Labs
05-02-2010, 08:58 AM
5) I would want to sell some of the excess stuff (like his excess camera equipment or my purse collection) but just don't have the time or energy and it's intimidating never having sold stuff on eBay etc. Besides who has time to go to the post office over and over? But I don't want to just throw things out when I could recoup some money from them.


If you aren't up for Craigslist, try one of those I Sold It on eBay places. Yes, they get a percentage (ours is 30%) but the stuff is gone, and they deal with shipping it out. It's easy!!

Twoboos
05-02-2010, 09:01 AM
I am SO in for this!! Purging is one of my New Year's resolutions. I've been doing ok on a very small scale (ex - a drawer) but need to get better on a larger scale. Of course, there is the problem of DH not wanting to get rid of ANYTHING that he "might" use one day. He probably has 20 or more boxes of books in the basement, which have been there since we moved in 7+ years ago. I keep threatening to pitch them b/c he won't know the difference!!

ETA: Wanted to add that for me the quickest/easiest way to get rid of "donate" stuff if I can't decide on the "right" place for it to go is to call a place that will come pick it up. We use the Vietnam Veteran's Assoc, but I know Big Brother/Big Sister does this as well as other places. I schedule the pickup online, put the stuff outside in the morning, and then it magically disappears! It's really so easy.

daphne
05-02-2010, 09:01 AM
I started doing this about a month ago. The problem is, now I have a big stack in my basement that I'm trying to sell on CL or ebay. So much for a clean basement!

This is me, but it's in my garage. I just can't stand the thought of putting all/some of this stuff in a landfill, but am struggling to get it donated to the right places.

sarahsthreads
05-02-2010, 09:57 AM
Hey, I just started this yesterday! Our pantry is at the bottom of the basement stairs, and it was so disorganized and there were piles of things on the floor in front of it, and...well, it was a mess. It's better now, but I've discovered that I'm too afraid of spiders - even dead ones - to clean in the basement without a running vacuum handy!

But while the "public" areas of my house are clean-ish (on the surface, anyway) and I try to help the girls keep their rooms fairly neat, the rest of the house is full of stuff. Stuff that we haven't used in the entire 11 years we've lived here, and likely will never use again. I am overwhelmed with stuff and just want it all gone. I think I might even be getting to the point where I am willing to get rid of things I may even use someday if it's something I can go out and buy again if/when I need it.

So, I'm in. (Although I don't have before pictures of my pantry area. Trust me, it was ridiculously messy.)

Sarah :)

Roleysmom
05-02-2010, 11:06 AM
Count me in! I've said I needed to do this for months. I cleaned out DD1's drawers yesterday (it was like clowns in a VW; amazing how much stuff she jammed in there), so that's a start. I really need this kind of encouragement to keep going.

salsah
05-02-2010, 12:33 PM
i'm in. i tend to do this every year because i am terrible about letting things pile up. i can't seem to throw things away either. this year though, i'm hoping to seriously purge the garage. there are boxes in there that haven't been touched since we moved here 5 yrs ago. i'm guessing that i don't need whatever is in them.

brittone2
05-02-2010, 12:37 PM
Joining!

We have been purging in prep for our move and I'll purge more as we unpack. I consigned and donated maternity clothes. Sold off our rapidly outgrown newborn dipes. Looking forward to purging the baby stuff in a few months too. We successfully freecycled a big plastic kids' swimming pool, and our working elliptical trainer, and have been trying to freecycle a fridge/freezer that still works fine but people keep flaking out on us.

KathyN115
05-02-2010, 12:57 PM
i am in too. I had started with this a few weeks ago. I did a great job on DD's room, then...stopped. The bags are still piled in the front hall waiting to be donated. Hopefully this will give me the push I need!

jent
05-02-2010, 01:38 PM
I'm in too!

Except that I'm on the couch procrastinating reading the BBB :p.

I'll start with a question: how many of you have gotten rid of your VCR's? Ours still works, AFAIK-- we haven't watched a video in forever. But I'm thinking of just taking the thing and our video collection to Goodwill. We'd free up a whole shelf on our living room bookcase, and some space in our entertainment center.

MoJo
05-02-2010, 01:39 PM
Count me in, in spite of (or because of) being 34 weeks pregnant!

Just not promising any pictures of the before, because they'd be too embarrassing.

jetrlw
05-02-2010, 02:00 PM
Count me in! Started purging for New Year's Resolution and have run out of steam. I prefer to donate to a Battered Women's Shelter, but it is a bit of a drive and the things just keep piling up in the closet! This post will get me going again. Great idea!! Spring cleaning here I come...

dcmom2b3
05-02-2010, 02:32 PM
I'm in too!

Except that I'm on the couch procrastinating reading the BBB :p.


Ha! :yeahthat:

Count me in, I've been overwhelmed with stuff for a while now -- could use the company on the journey to less stuff!

kransden
05-02-2010, 02:49 PM
I need to join you.

egoldber
05-02-2010, 02:54 PM
how many of you have gotten rid of your VCR's

We have a combo DVD/VCR and I like having it around. We get tapes from the library sometimes. Some older videos are only available on VHS tapes. But we haven't had a standalone VCR in ages.

We were doing well with the purging for awhile, but we need to get at it again....

salsah
05-02-2010, 03:01 PM
how many of you have gotten rid of your VCR's?

why would we? we still use it! although it mostly serves as a connection between the tv and whatever else dh has connected to it. i don't understand why, but i think it has to do with the fact that our tv is really old.
and it is the only clock in our living room, i'd keep it just for that.

Twoboos
05-02-2010, 03:41 PM
I'll start with a question: how many of you have gotten rid of your VCR's? Ours still works, AFAIK-- we haven't watched a video in forever.

Seeeee, this is exactly what I'm talking about with DH. It's in the basement and the tapes are boxed up. But DH says we "cannot" get rid of them - what if we want to watch something?? (Even though our whole entertainment system/tv/dvr/dvd/wii set up is so complicated, there is no way we could connect a vcr to anything!) Ugh, if I could purge without commentary from anyone, it would be so easy! ;)

Melaine
05-02-2010, 03:42 PM
I wish we still had a VCR. My parents recently found a pile of kids' VHS tapes for a dime each at a yard sale. I do think if you want to sell a working VCR you could get $10 or $15 on CL because they are still expensive to buy new.

avd3875
05-02-2010, 04:06 PM
Count me in. I likely won't be able to start on it until after I grade finals at the end of May, but then I'm ready to take on the challenge.

OP, thanks for thinking of this!

Ceepa
05-02-2010, 04:40 PM
Every time I think the house is getting cleared out a few months pass and somehow it's filling up again. I'm in.

C99
05-02-2010, 06:14 PM
I have been doing this all spring, so yes: I am in. :)

octmom
05-02-2010, 06:38 PM
Add me to the list! We've got waaaaaaaay too much stuff of all sorts.

jgenie
05-02-2010, 07:20 PM
Add me to the list. I've had to stop since DS2 arrived but I'm trying to do at least 15 mins a day.

fivi2
05-02-2010, 07:48 PM
We still have and use our VCR. We have a ton of tapes on VHS and watch them about once a week.

Wondering what everyone's system/tips are for decluttering? I don't know where to begin!

Should I start a new thread?

Indianamom2
05-02-2010, 08:12 PM
Hey, I just started this yesterday! Our pantry is at the bottom of the basement stairs, and it was so disorganized and there were piles of things on the floor in front of it, and...well, it was a mess. It's better now, but I've discovered that I'm too afraid of spiders - even dead ones - to clean in the basement without a running vacuum handy!

But while the "public" areas of my house are clean-ish (on the surface, anyway) and I try to help the girls keep their rooms fairly neat, the rest of the house is full of stuff. Stuff that we haven't used in the entire 11 years we've lived here, and likely will never use again. I am overwhelmed with stuff and just want it all gone. I think I might even be getting to the point where I am willing to get rid of things I may even use someday if it's something I can go out and buy again if/when I need it.
So, I'm in. (Although I don't have before pictures of my pantry area. Trust me, it was ridiculously messy.)

Sarah :)

:yeahthat: I want to be in, but I'm on the fence....dealing with a rather serious issue right now that's taking all my focus. Does it count that I did some major toy/living room organization this past week and even though there is MUCH more to do...it's headed in the right direction.

jent
05-02-2010, 08:24 PM
Seeeee, this is exactly what I'm talking about with DH. It's in the basement and the tapes are boxed up. But DH says we "cannot" get rid of them - what if we want to watch something?? (Even though our whole entertainment system/tv/dvr/dvd/wii set up is so complicated, there is no way we could connect a vcr to anything!) Ugh, if I could purge without commentary from anyone, it would be so easy! ;)

See, this is how I am... DH wants to get rid of the VCR. It was sitting, connected to our TV, until recently, and the tapes we had were right there on the bookshelf, but still, we NEVER watched any of them. But, then again, there's my prized copy of Pride & Prejudice, the BBC version with Colin Firth that I'd be giving up...


I wish we still had a VCR. My parents recently found a pile of kids' VHS tapes for a dime each at a yard sale. I do think if you want to sell a working VCR you could get $10 or $15 on CL because they are still expensive to buy new.

Really? I figured so many people would have old VCR's to offload, I was just going to give ours away.

Do you think DH's old stereo with the dual cassette deck that I finally convinced him to part with would be worth anything?

alexsmommy
05-02-2010, 09:25 PM
I'm in the middle of it. My house looks like a bomb went off, but I know it will be so worth it once it is all put back. I've already donated TONS of maternity and newborn clothes, purged the 0-3, 6, 9, and 12 month clothes that I know I won't use (and still have 2x what DS3 needs), have a consignment pile going, and (the biggie) managed to get rid of a ton of old papers that DH had been holding onto (I am so tired of shredding and there's more to go). I've been working on DH to get rid of the tons of computers and computer parts (he used to need them for what he did in IT, but he moved up from that years ago), finally have the old paint cans out to the garage for the next time our town hosts a dump/swap for it. Even with all that, there is still an overwhelming amout to tackle. The really sad thing is we did this about 18 months ago and got rid of even more. It has really made me look at our consurmerism. We just have too much "stuff". We are losing 70% of our storage space and I think it's a good thing, it will force us to think twice about buying things.
I plan on tackling the toys too. There are too many broken toys lying at the bottom of the two large tubs, but I am happy that the stuff in the smaller bins in the Expidits seem to be working and don't need a purge.

salsah
05-02-2010, 09:28 PM
Do you think DH's old stereo with the dual cassette deck that I finally convinced him to part with would be worth anything?

i'm wondering the same thing too. i also have a huge cd collection that i don't listen to anymore and wonder if/how i could sell those.

purpleeyes
05-02-2010, 09:38 PM
I'm totally in. I am preparing for a move, (a downsizing one at that!) and I am being totally ruthless.
I already took one load to the local women's shelter and I have three zones in the basement: keep, yard sale, and good will.

This week I'll be doing the kids toys... wish me luck!

ewpmsw
05-02-2010, 10:25 PM
I'm in. We're in the throes of decluttering and donating to get ready for DC #2 and have hit a plateau of sorts. Nesting should kick-start things again...

smilequeen
05-02-2010, 10:34 PM
I have so much stuff purged, but it is sitting in our extra bedroom. Getting it out of the house is the part I'm lazy with. I have to figure out whether to even bother to try selling stuff or whether to just give it away.

MamaMolly
05-02-2010, 10:35 PM
Ooooh, I need to do this. I totally need to do this with DD's toys. What a mess!

I recently got rid of all my non nursing t-shirts. All down to like 3-4. They had stains or grease spots or were washed out and faded. I figured even if I got the stains and grease out I don't want to hold onto them for the next year so OUT, OUT, OUT.

But I seriously need an intervention about how to get rid of DD's toys. Either I'm too attached (roll eyes here!) or I think she'll play with it again, or just about the time I'm going to donate something then she plays with it again.

Course, her very favorite toys right now are sticks and rocks. Not kidding, she makes up the greatest games with a bag of sticks and rocks. Makes me want to pitch the rest of it!!!

conniez
05-03-2010, 01:36 AM
Ugh I've been meaning to do this! There's a ton of stuff (baby carriers DD outgrew) etc. that I've intended on selling & just kept forgetting!

caheinz
05-03-2010, 02:02 AM
I need to join in.... but not sure how far I'll get.

We're good with clothes: twin club resales 2xs a year makes it easy. Most of the little baby gear is gone, except what siblings have claimed -- and we need to get that stuff into their homes and out of ours!

But the papers... books... toys... etc. Need to sort and purge!

If anyone stumbles across some extra time in their piles of stuff, please send some this way so I can make headway on this! :D

tmarie
05-03-2010, 12:43 PM
I know I'm late joining this, but count me in too! I am doing my semi-annual reorganize and purge the girls' closets right now, but my basement is in serious need of help. Everything gets tucked down there when I'm decluttering, and to make matters worse dh has hoarding tendencies (although he would deny it!). We have boxes and boxes of old grad school books that will never get touched again, old computer equipment, etc...it makes me cringe just thinking about it. I hate even setting foot in the basement because it's so dusty and messy. I would feel great if we could get a handle on it and get it cleaned up. Maybe if I can commit to spending 15 minutes twice a week down there, we'll start to see some progress!

tmarie