Globetrotter
10-10-2013, 02:20 PM
This is what worked for me:
1. First, you have to get rid of stuff you don't need. BE BRUTAL. If you haven't used it in years, why do you still have it? Give away duplicates. Why do you have 5000 pens? I donated to all sorts of targeted places (educational items and games went to a struggling school, bras went to Soma - they collect old bras, clothing went to the homeless shelter, big toy sets went to a Head Start in a low income area, and so on), gave away to friends, sold a few things, recycled, freecycled, put together all sorts of ewaste/hazardous waste/etc.. That was the hardest part and it's taken ages to do it, one closet or room at a time. As you can see, I am very particular about what happens to the stuff and that slowed down the process, but I'm glad I did it. For me, the hardest part is throwing away things that cannot be given away or recycled- it KILLS me but I have to do it. I still have a box to take to a place that repurposes unusable items for art :) However, I did have to do some mass waste pickups for a trashed bookcase and items like that. I am trying to let go of some things, like not obsessing about reusing/freecycling cardboard boxes. I also stopped selling high end clothes on ebay and just gave away everything to friends and family, though I have one more box of stuff that I might sell if I'm inspired.
2. Next, stop buying stuff you don't need! I ask myself ten times, do I really need this? Will I use it? Resist clearance sales for items you didn't know you needed. Believe me, I still shop, but now I only buy stuff I will use. I also cut back tremendously on the gift closet, and I'm still clearing out items I bought a few years ago.. every year I donate to Toys for Tots, and this year I'll donate the remaining items to the homeless shelter at Christmas or TFT. With clothing, I only buy stuff I LOVE. Granted, I love a lot of clothes so I'm no saint in this department :) but I am very particular about what comes in. Why store stuff you don't use or love? I also try to buy quality, especially for items that will be used for years, like kitchen items and toys (playmobile, lego, board games). Now my kids are at the age where they no longer need new toys and they won't wear anything I buy ahead for them (well, I do buy ahead for ds to some extent) but mainly we buy as we need it. We love books, though, and those are used again and again, but I only buy cherished books, including classics, or non-fiction.
3. Inventory what you have and figure out where it will go. I kind of enjoy this part :bag. I have a lot of storage furniture, like a storage shoe bench and various cabinets, and I use pretty baskets and boxes to organize items. I even repurpose decorative items as storage containers, like an engraved iron basket to hold remote controls, pretty boxes that hold buttons or foreign currency, etc.. or a ceramic item dd made that holds my everyday keys. Label the boxes so you can remember what goes where. I don't label anything that stays outside, but boxes in cabinets are fair game. I use a LOT of the Container Store multipurpose bins, all over the house! Then, when it's time to put stuff away, everything has a place! It's also easier to find things. Once you do this, you will actually see your countertops and tabletops! I also have a filing system for paperwork - that's a whole other thing. I keep my papers and file cabinet in the living area (the file cabinet is covered with a decorative cloth) so I'm more likely to file things!
4. Try to declutter often. I just became an Amazon prime member and have a pile of boxes to dismantle and recycle (noone wants to freecycle them! see #1). I'm trying not to let those sorts of things pile up, as they tend to do. As I walk through the house, I try to put things away, but I do a mass decluttering once a week or before friends come over (who doesn't? lol).
5. Keep returns in the car! I always have stuff to return, and I keep them in the car so I'll have them on hand.
That's all I can think of for now! It's taken me a long time to figure all this out, so don't feel bad if you are overwhelmed. Do what you can, and I know it's next to impossible when you are chasing little ones so give yourself a break if that's your situation, but it is possible to at least get some control over your stuff, even when they are small. In the end, it saves a lot of time and frustration. My kids are older and I enlist them in my organization, and I've tried to train them from the time they were little (though they are FAR from perfect), and that helps tremendously.
Real Simple has some great books on this topic, and I've picked up ideas on this forum.
1. First, you have to get rid of stuff you don't need. BE BRUTAL. If you haven't used it in years, why do you still have it? Give away duplicates. Why do you have 5000 pens? I donated to all sorts of targeted places (educational items and games went to a struggling school, bras went to Soma - they collect old bras, clothing went to the homeless shelter, big toy sets went to a Head Start in a low income area, and so on), gave away to friends, sold a few things, recycled, freecycled, put together all sorts of ewaste/hazardous waste/etc.. That was the hardest part and it's taken ages to do it, one closet or room at a time. As you can see, I am very particular about what happens to the stuff and that slowed down the process, but I'm glad I did it. For me, the hardest part is throwing away things that cannot be given away or recycled- it KILLS me but I have to do it. I still have a box to take to a place that repurposes unusable items for art :) However, I did have to do some mass waste pickups for a trashed bookcase and items like that. I am trying to let go of some things, like not obsessing about reusing/freecycling cardboard boxes. I also stopped selling high end clothes on ebay and just gave away everything to friends and family, though I have one more box of stuff that I might sell if I'm inspired.
2. Next, stop buying stuff you don't need! I ask myself ten times, do I really need this? Will I use it? Resist clearance sales for items you didn't know you needed. Believe me, I still shop, but now I only buy stuff I will use. I also cut back tremendously on the gift closet, and I'm still clearing out items I bought a few years ago.. every year I donate to Toys for Tots, and this year I'll donate the remaining items to the homeless shelter at Christmas or TFT. With clothing, I only buy stuff I LOVE. Granted, I love a lot of clothes so I'm no saint in this department :) but I am very particular about what comes in. Why store stuff you don't use or love? I also try to buy quality, especially for items that will be used for years, like kitchen items and toys (playmobile, lego, board games). Now my kids are at the age where they no longer need new toys and they won't wear anything I buy ahead for them (well, I do buy ahead for ds to some extent) but mainly we buy as we need it. We love books, though, and those are used again and again, but I only buy cherished books, including classics, or non-fiction.
3. Inventory what you have and figure out where it will go. I kind of enjoy this part :bag. I have a lot of storage furniture, like a storage shoe bench and various cabinets, and I use pretty baskets and boxes to organize items. I even repurpose decorative items as storage containers, like an engraved iron basket to hold remote controls, pretty boxes that hold buttons or foreign currency, etc.. or a ceramic item dd made that holds my everyday keys. Label the boxes so you can remember what goes where. I don't label anything that stays outside, but boxes in cabinets are fair game. I use a LOT of the Container Store multipurpose bins, all over the house! Then, when it's time to put stuff away, everything has a place! It's also easier to find things. Once you do this, you will actually see your countertops and tabletops! I also have a filing system for paperwork - that's a whole other thing. I keep my papers and file cabinet in the living area (the file cabinet is covered with a decorative cloth) so I'm more likely to file things!
4. Try to declutter often. I just became an Amazon prime member and have a pile of boxes to dismantle and recycle (noone wants to freecycle them! see #1). I'm trying not to let those sorts of things pile up, as they tend to do. As I walk through the house, I try to put things away, but I do a mass decluttering once a week or before friends come over (who doesn't? lol).
5. Keep returns in the car! I always have stuff to return, and I keep them in the car so I'll have them on hand.
That's all I can think of for now! It's taken me a long time to figure all this out, so don't feel bad if you are overwhelmed. Do what you can, and I know it's next to impossible when you are chasing little ones so give yourself a break if that's your situation, but it is possible to at least get some control over your stuff, even when they are small. In the end, it saves a lot of time and frustration. My kids are older and I enlist them in my organization, and I've tried to train them from the time they were little (though they are FAR from perfect), and that helps tremendously.
Real Simple has some great books on this topic, and I've picked up ideas on this forum.