The Ultimate Decluttering Thread

I bought the photo storage boxes several years ago. Now I'm going through, scanning some photos, discarding many and keeping a few.
 
RetMD21 said:
I bought the photo storage boxes several years ago. Now I'm going through, scanning some photos, discarding many and keeping a few.
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My current task is taking photos still in the envelopes, labeling them, tossing the negatives and envelopes, and putting the prints into the photo box. Once I've done them all, I'll arrange them in chronological order. At some point, I'll go through and thin them out, too. I don't plan to digitize them, though I have already shared some with friends and family.
 
Got DH on the declutter kick some time ago. He gave a friend an old working tower PC server that couldn’t be upgraded to Windows 11, diligently put computer parts in one box, spare power cords in another box, couldn’t find anyone to take his working Pioneer A/V receiver but didn’t want the hassle of trying to sell it. These boxes have been sitting in his office for months! Today was the day to get rid of these things forever! The 2 boxes of computer parts and cords went to a computer recycle place, the boxed receiver went to Goodwill (DH got the receipt.) Bonus, also got rid of an extra rolling recycle receptacle to the municipal recycle authority.
 
Today we cleared off the top shelf of our bedroom closet on DW's side and part of my side. It was mostly extra pillows that we save "just in case" and have never used because we never have overnight guests.

Then we moved our photo albums from the wall unit in the family room onto the newly emptied shelf. 4 albums were empty so those are getting donated. A couple of other things got trashed.

The ultimate goal is to eliminate the wall unit entirely and replace it with new shelving that is more functional for our lives today. We're fans of the Ikea Kallax collection and will probably use that in that space ultimately. We just got a Kallax unit in our living room and that is working out much better than what was there before.

We need to go through the rest of the stuff on the wall unit and then manage to get it out of the house. It's a big oak thing. We can probably get it onto dollies and roll it out. Then I can either give it away online or maybe find a charity that will pick it up. It's a nice piece in good condition. I'm sure someone can use it.
 
disneysteve said:
Today we cleared off the top shelf of our bedroom closet on DW's side and part of my side......

...............The ultimate goal is to eliminate the wall unit entirely..............
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Bravo. From my experience this is the method to use for decluttering. Work on one area first until it's cleared (your closet shelf), then move on to the next - your wall unit. When it's done, you have those great visual cues of progress. BTW, we had an old and ugly, 3 foot wide, metal filing cabinet from my telecommuting days. I just emptied it, freecycled it, and replaced it with a nice looking small 2 drawer cabinet for necessary papers. Cleariing out that cabinet was MUCH easier than anticipated; I suspect you'll have a similar experience with the wall unit.
 
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One of the big things that's getting me for clutter is old paint cans. Paint means having to find a safe way of disposal. Whenever I think about the paint, I think about the process to dispose of it so I just put it off again and again. It would be nice to have some more space in my garage to actually walk around and access the cabinets and I have so much junk buildup from living in the same place for years.
 
module4330 said:
One of the big things that's getting me for clutter is old paint cans. Paint means having to find a safe way of disposal. Whenever I think about the paint, I think about the process to dispose of it so I just put it off again and again. It would be nice to have some more space in my garage to actually walk around and access the cabinets and I have so much junk buildup from living in the same place for years.
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In my area of New Jersey they have periodic Hazardous Waste Collection Days, at centralized sites, where things like paint can be legally disposed of. Check to see if your area has something similar. Another option is buying a product (I don't know it's name) that you add to liquid paint that solidifies it, allowing you to dispose it in your household trash.
 
module4330 said:
One of the big things that's getting me for clutter is old paint cans. Paint means having to find a safe way of disposal. Whenever I think about the paint, I think about the process to dispose of it so I just put it off again and again. It would be nice to have some more space in my garage to actually walk around and access the cabinets and I have so much junk buildup from living in the same place for years.
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My county has a couple of Solid Waste and Recycling Centers where all manner of things can be recycled or dropped off, including hazardous materials like cans of paint. Their website has detailed instructions (depending on if it's oil or latex paint) on how to prepare the cans; they will accept up to ten gallons a day from a person.

Any time I don't know how to recycle/dispose of materials in the house or garage I check their website, and there are always relevant instructions.

They also have a "salvage shed" at the waste center, where folks can drop off or pick up small household items in good shape - all free.

I'm in the process of filling up a couple of boxes of items for the salvage shed right now.
 
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module4330 said:
One of the big things that's getting me for clutter is old paint cans. Paint means having to find a safe way of disposal. Whenever I think about the paint, I think about the process to dispose of it so I just put it off again and again. It would be nice to have some more space in my garage to actually walk around and access the cabinets and I have so much junk buildup from living in the same place for years.
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Mix the paint with coarse sand or cat litter and let it dry into a solid chunk. Then it can go in regular trash (landfill).
 
I recently spent time helping DF declutter a bit. It was only possible because my stepmother had passed. An entire room of sewing supplies and fabric got donated, along with numerous carloads of miscellaneous stuff to goodwill. The highlight for me was filling a ten yard dumpster. It will take at least another ten yard dumpster when he passes.

After that, I'm ready to declutter my own house even more.
 
In our state if the paint is dried out you can throw it away. We used that method when we got rid of the house.
 
DW of 45 years went through some high school boxes. We started dating when i was 18 just starting college and she was 16 going into 11th grade. Her parents didn’t support her getting serious so we communicated via notes and letters delivered by a coworker of mine in one of her classes. We both kept all the letters for some reason.. 45+ years later we;re having a laugh rereading them then shredding them. Some things we dont want the kids to know about their parents and grandparents
 
Moving MIL in with us this week. We need to clear out her apartment. Going to declutter her 900 sf apartment into less than 100 cu ft of her personal items and clothes that I'll move in with us. Hiring a mover to get rid of her furniture.
 
I just took 3 large cartons of stuff to Goodwill. Most of it came from my work in the garage. Some came from items purchased for resale by me or my daughter that couldn't be sold for some reason (minor damage or wear but still very usable), and also some dishes that we replaced when we remodeled the kitchen last year.

I was going to work in the garage this morning but it is warm and super humid today so I scratched that plan.
 
We all went through the DVDs today and discarded about 20% of them. Honestly, we probably don't need the 80% we kept but for now, I'm okay with that.

I went through more old photographs this evening.
 
I haven't really decluttered much lately, but what I have been doing some of is consolidating the stuff that isn't mine into fewer areas of my home, which still helps me feel better.

Now, for example, most of the right side of the garage is my stuff, left side is kids' stuff. I still have more to do but it's progress.
 
I'm de-cluttering in earnest now. Downsizing from my 4 BR home to a 2 BR unit in a retirement community. A lot of what's left is furniture since I kept it in the house while it was on the market. Movers will be here 6/27. The realtor knows a couple who are first-time home buyers and are willing to pick up item such as lawn equipment, etc. and store them till they move but they're on a cruise till this Sunday (6/21). The 1-800-Got-Junk people will be here the day before the move but I want to minimize what they have to haul away, for cost reasons and also because they do claim to donate and recycle but I don't know how much of it just ends up in landfills.

Today I get rid of The Family Jug on Craigslist- someone is picking it up at 9 AM. It's a large (33" high) stoneware one with the classic blue paint on it but an undistinguished design. According to my research it's not that valuable. It was removed from my great-grandparents' home in Ohio after they died in the 1970s.

I don't know if I mentioned it earlier in this thread, but recyclespot.org is a great resource for finding places to donate or recycle just about anything. With one trip to Wal-Mart I got rid of some tanks of propane I hadn't used, eyeglasses from old prescriptions and unneeded medications.
 
I truly love getting rid of stuff. It genuinely makes me happy to drop stuff off at Goodwill or what we call "Good Goodwill" (which means a more specialized/local thriftshop). I also love selling stuff on Ebay... even if it's not for much money it's fun to make the sale!

My wife is pretty good at replenishing our stuff... and I am pretty good at getting rid of it. A perfect relationship! Lol.
 
Our move to Kansas last week was epic in terms of getting rid of stuff. We consolidated a 3,500 sq. ft. house of stuff packed to the gills with belongings being dragged around for 50+ years and my 800 sq. ft. apartment which was also pretty full. We sold a lot of stuff and donated/trashed quite a bit also. Our house here in KS is 2.000 sq. fr. in size. We actually have too much here now and will be decluttering more as time goes on.
 
SecondCor521 said:
I haven't really decluttered much lately, but what I have been doing some of is consolidating the stuff that isn't mine into fewer areas of my home, which still helps me feel better.
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I don't think decluttering only means getting rid of things. I think organizing things better is part of it, too. Clutter is stuff that's scattered around and messy or at least disorganized. Gathering it up and making sure everything has a place makes your living space neater and more peaceful. Plus it makes it easier to find things when you need them.
 
athena53 said:
With one trip to Wal-Mart I got rid of some tanks of propane I hadn't used, eyeglasses from old prescriptions
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One thing I came across in the closet was a bunch of reading glasses we bought a while ago for my mom. She isn't using them so I listed them on Buy Nothing. Someone claimed the one strength but nobody wanted the other so those are awaiting our next Walmart trip. We've donated numerous pairs of glasses there.
 
disneysteve said:
One thing I came across in the closet was a bunch of reading glasses we bought a while ago for my mom. She isn't using them so I listed them on Buy Nothing. Someone claimed the one strength but nobody wanted the other so those are awaiting our next Walmart trip. We've donated numerous pairs of glasses there.
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We ended up at Walmart today so 10 pairs of glasses got donated and out of the house.
 
I finished going through the 2 cartons of photos today. They are now neatly organized in 2 archival photo boxes, labeled by event and date. The boxes stack nicely in the closet and the negatives and envelopes were all discarded.
 
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