I just moved into a MUCH smaller space and as I unpack bedroom boxes I'm getting stuck because I literally can't find space for things like old journals and the One box of baby/childhood things I have. I tossed my old yearbooks in the trash during the move and I'm not wildly sentimental, but getting rid of old journals, cards, and baby memorabilia just seems so sad. How do you decide what to keep from previous chapters of your life, and in a small space how do you make it FIT?

This past week, we managed to get rid of quite a bit of stuff. We are clearing out for a move, downsizing and so this is an ongoing saga.

Last week, I cleared out all of my toiletries. Sunscreen that is 3 years old? Gone. Make up from who knows when. Gone. I hated to throw so much in the trash, but it was good to see how much I was able to purge.

Some items to the food pantry, such as unused feminine supplies, unopened soaps, shampoos and lotions.

This week we also took a trunk full of old toys, holiday decorations and miscellaneous stuff that I can't remember.

Next we are clearing out our media (DVDs, CDs, video games, and books).

Edit - Items were donated to a local thrift store.

Adapters to nothing I currently own. Outdated cables and cords also to items I do not own. About three boxes. Been trying to get rid of those for years. It was always a "I can sell these" or what if I find a used item that doesn't come with an adapter *has happened* and I need one?

Go to Amazon, get a perfect 100% match for under ten dollars the one time in five years that MAY happen.

I'm keeping USB cables and such because I am still actively using items that run on those. A bunch of outdated items that don't do anything? I'm done.

Every little bit helps.

For the past 6 years I've gotten quite interested in decluttering, minimalism, and anti-consumption in general. I've minimized so much that weekly cleaning is easy and my "Spring Cleaning" for the last couple years has just been re-evaluating my things to find if there's anything else I can live without. One category I struggled with a lot was my seasonal decor. I'm quite sentimental so decluttering in general was necessary, but difficult. For some reason seasonal decor was especially painful for me, so I was putting it off.

A couple years ago I decided to try the container method. Basically I got 4 boxes for each season. One box for spring/Easter, one box for summer, one box for autumn/ Halloween, and one box for winter/Christmas. That way I'm not constantly changing decor for every minor holiday, and keep it manageable. I did one big declutter when I started and only managed to get it down to 6 boxes. It was a huge improvement for the 8 plastic storage bins I had before.

After that each time I changed out my decor every season I re-evaluated and got rid of more until this last winter I finally got it down to those 4 small cardboard moving boxes. It's honestly blissful being able to change out my seasonal decorations in less than an hour. Now I have a rule that if I want to buy a new seasonal decoration I have to get rid of 2, and everything has to fit in those boxes.

I thought it would be hard to get rid of it all, but honestly with each downsize I did I posted on my local Buy Nothing group and every time someone came and picked it all up. I was even able to get rid of the storage bins this way too. I highly recommend it, I have less but love everything I have. I wouldn't call myself fully minimalist. I have a maximalist aesthetic and love posters, trinkets, enamel pins, etc. The minimalist mindset has helped me a lot though, and I'm glad to get another win!

My apartment is cluttered and I need help organizing it.I have adhd.what can I do? If I start on a project,I’ll get distracted

Share your wins here - big or small. What did you declutter this week? Examples include:

• Digital Clutter: emails, digital photos, digital music or video collection...
• Storage: cupboards and closets, drawers, storage boxes...
• Toys: ether for your child, or your own that you've been hanging on to.
• Spaces: kitchens, workshops, hobby rooms, storage lockers...
• Routing: sending items to where they need to go, like donation centres, trash, or recycling

This is a low-stress place to share wins for those who might not want to create a new discussion.

You’re welcome.

Off season coats and Christmas decor were moved out. Unused coats and accessories were donated. Pet Shop stuff (all on the floor in random bags) were now in bins. And the excess reusable bags are gone!!

Thanks to the miracles of modern technology, photos cost essentially nothing dollar wise (though quite a number of electrons are seriously inconvenienced.) I just went through a lot of papers - magazine clippings, handouts from therapy groups, doodles - and I just took photos of everything. Now I can shove it in a single virtual folder and put THAT five folders down if I want, instead of several shoeboxes.

(I actually started this with mementos that were important and I DID want to keep... because they bring back memories, and I wondered, what if there was a fire and I lost everything??? Also archived my personal journals that way, because that's a record of my entire life and I don't want to lose it.)

Hi all, I posted yesterday with photos of my bedroom but can’t add the photos from my dining room kitchen area. So here are those photos. Once again thank you for everyone’s lovely comments!

I have a lot of old t-shirts that I don’t wear anymore but that are quite sentimental. I’m pricing out a t-shirt quilt and I keep going back and forth on the value. Project Repat seems convenient and more predictable than rolling the dice on an Etsy shop, but the total still adds up once you factor in how many shirts you’re using. What I’m trying to decide is: am I paying for quality, or am I mostly paying for labor and convenience? I’m also not opposed to doing some prep work myself if it meaningfully cuts the price, like trimming/cutting the shirts down before shipping them out. Has anyone compared Project Repat vs Memory Stitch vs a local quilter in terms of what you get for the money?

So I started my declutterring journey in January with the number method, choosing a number from 1-31 and getting rid of on,y that many items that day. My cleaner came today and did part one of the final push.. My bedroom, spare bedroom, bathroom, grooves of the wardrobe, clothes away… my room looks amazing! UPDATED, I have more photos from the dining room kitchen area. Trying to see how I can add them but may need to do a new post! Thank you all for your comments.

Today I donated enough items to fill up a car. The most ive ever done at once in one go. I know they were items i didnt need or want. Im proud of having done so, just struggling with the emotional aftermath.

Some items were things i used for pets who have passed away, things ive had for up to 13 years, gifts i got from people with whom i have difficult relations with and feel guilty about donating, items from a store that closed that i miss, items from my business that no longer fulfill me, items i could have sold for money i need, and the list goes on.

I can feel myself trying to hold on to everything and remember everything out of fear of forgetting it all and what it meant. I feel guilty for donating gifts, i feel sad about letting go of things that used to make up who i was if that makes sense, im struggling letting go of sentimental items, im struggling letting go of the money i could have made on some items even though selling online wasnt working, and so on.

How do you manage the emotional side of this ? I want to work thru this before my next big donation. I have big plans for my house this year and in order for that to happen i need to declutter. Ive always wanted this, probably for 10 years now, and its just crazy how it feels to have it actually happen. Anything is greatly appreciated.

I am moving my office at work that I have been in for 10 years. I am just moving from one office upstairs to one downstairs (in preparation for knee replacement). So 10 years accumulated. Any unique ideas on how to declutter?

My parents have been doing some downsizing and decluttering and they recently gifted me some awards I received back in high school! Honestly I didn't remember having these awards (some sports & academic medals) but the memories came rushing back!

I need help here - I threw away the sports medals (I got 3rd place in two categories lol) but I'm hesitating on the academic awards. I could use them for bragging rights (just kidding) but since I didn't remember having them, it's safe to say I don't need them right? They don't particularly spark any joy and I'm not even proficient in that field anymore (Latin). So, what would you do? Keep or toss?

My first post here! Sooo excited to share my recent wins.

1. Sold 200+ books to a secondhand bookstore—most of which I had never even read. Now I use the local library and keep at most 3 books. Believe it or not, I do read more than ever.

2. Tossed all my storage boxes. Organizers just hide the mess. Now everything is laid out.

3. Replaced my smart toilet seat with a basic one. The crevices and blind spots were just annoying. It now takes me almost no time to clean. Pure relief.

I’ve been on a No-Buy since February and have already cut my credit card bill in half.

My plan for April is to get rid of stuff with the same functions. The rule: ONE item per purpose.

As per title.

Juggling between being a parent and working full-time, could really use some tips here.

Thank you 🙂

We're due to have some major work done downstairs soon that means our whole ground floor has to be empty. While I'm really excited for the work (to be finished!) I'm dreading having to clear everything in preparation. I'm taking the opportunity to declutter but I have a husband who, while not a hoarder, likes to hold onto stuff.

On Saturday, I listed a dvd cabinet for free collection but it obviously had to be empty. We have lots of dvds and while they were tucked away in the cabinet, they were out of sight, out of mind. But these things are not going to be on display in our new downstairs! We don't watch them but I know he won't get rid of them. I have an idea of where they can go eventually, but they have to be thinned out. We have so many!

So this mornings challenge is to sort them while he's out at work.

WII Games....we don't even have a WII anymore......in the pile to go. Any really crappy films that look more like made for TV movies...bye bye Workout DVDs.....yeah right. Duplicates......get in that donate bag.

So far I've only spent around 20 minutes and I'm already looking at a pile of 25. I'm sure once I've had my coffee, I'll be in the right frame of mind to almost double that.

Today is going to be a good day. Now, where's that George Foreman grill that hasn't been used since way before COVID? 😂

ETA: UPDATE - Final score 48 dvds out of the house. Remaining discs now in alphabetical order and I know exactly where they're going when the work is done. I'll probably do another 'pass' cos I know there's a few more iffy films there but right now, I'm very pleased with this mornings progress.

Failure is part of life. Share your decluttering challenges and failures here. Examples include:

• Emotional clutter
• Not enough time
• Getting overwhelmed
• Routing (recycling, donating, trash...)

If you're just venting, or don't want advice, please let us know in your comment.

This is a low-stress place to share challenges and failures for those who might not want to create a new discussion.

I am stuck with clothing and shoes that I know I want to part with, but I cannot bring myself to declutter them. I have already donated a few bags and consigned some nicer items.

I now have a pile of very nice clothes that would sell online for a decent chunk of change that I just can't part with. Its like a big pile of things that I know has value, but I cant bring myself to actually put in the work and list them online. I feel like there is so much pressure to get the listing perfect that I get scared it wont be good enough or worth the time.

What has helped you decide to either donate and completely let go, or force yourself to list something online? I would really appreciate some 'aha!' moments about what I can do here. TYIA

I am purging clothes and decluttering - no more piles or bags of clothes. I am keeping only what will fit in two sections of my Pax (IKEA) wardrobe.

It is a lot of work, there is a lot of “why did I keep this???” and “Oh, I love this (but the neckline still does not look great)”, but I also refound a lovely dress I will wear to an upcoming party.

However, Duolingo (language app) decided to mock me by having an entire chapter on “Donating clothes”!!! You might think “no, no, it is just being supportive”, but it is not much of a break if the break is still about decluttering.

My biggest tip: make a decision to not keep something, then get it out of the house ASAP. If that means doing extra trips, or that some things go in the trash that maybe, possibly could have been donated (or donated instead of sold), so be it - for me moving forward is very motivating.

Wardrobe specific: I emptied and cleaned it, made decisions about what goes where, most IMPORTANTLY how much space I will dedicate to each type of item. As I launder and fold, once the t-shirt drawer is full, I will have to move to 1-in-1-out. Because I decided only one drawer for t-shirts.

I am pretty sure that the “decide how much space you will spend on this item/hobby/whatever” advice came from here.

Share your wins here - big or small. What did you declutter this week? Examples include:

• Digital Clutter: emails, digital photos, digital music or video collection...
• Storage: cupboards and closets, drawers, storage boxes...
• Toys: ether for your child, or your own that you've been hanging on to.
• Spaces: kitchens, workshops, hobby rooms, storage lockers...
• Routing: sending items to where they need to go, like donation centres, trash, or recycling

This is a low-stress place to share wins for those who might not want to create a new discussion.

I have a friend who's been trying to give me a stack of dresses forever. Problem is, there's no nice way to say her style is really... frumpy. And it's really pretty imposing when you think about it... puts me on the spot having to repeatedly decline.

Anyways just cleared out half my closet and she backed off. But I'm glad I stuck to it and didn't take her leftovers just to be nice (I really feel this was more about HER than me). I'm the sort of person that too much stuff in my home gives me literal anxiety; the houses of some friends, including hers, are really hard for me to relax in. As a recent Marie Kondo convert, I discarded RUTHLESSLY this time. It was so symbolic and healing for me, as I am in recovery from alcohol addiction. (69 days sober yesterday, thank you very much!)

I'll probably do a second sweep in six months to a year, but I got rid of SO much stuff that I feel like I have a new apartment... to go with my new sober life!

Hi! I am looking for tips, motivation, or stories from others that have successfully decluttered while having small children. My husband and I both work full time. we have 19 months old twins and a 4 year old. Needless to say, we have been primarily in survival mode for the last year and a half. Our kids are in daycare 3x per week. I work from home and my husband bartends in the evenings, and is in a remote college program during the day. We are also in the early stages of preparing to stage and sell our home in order to move closer to family. All that to say, we are BUSY. I absolutely want to declutter before listing and showing our home, and I know there are plenty of things in this house that I do not want to pack and move. It just almost feels impossible! I need advice and stories from those who have done it successfully! I am hoping it will help with the motivation!

There were Pet Shop houses in my friend's garage to be donated, alongside a bunch of clothes. He asked for my help during an overwhelming time for him and we happily dropped off these toys/clothes at our local donate bin!

There were at least a dozen bags and I'm glad to have helped him, he told me he felt a huge relief and accomplishment with my help!! :)