Get rid of numbers you never call, people you now don’t like, and any other useless numbers. Go through your pictures as well. Transfer keepers to your computer and delete the rest. This entire task will only take about an hour (give or take) but it will make you feel all refreshed. It’s a small thing during this busy season that can help you stay clutter free.

Post from: Blisstree

Quick decluttering task to do this week

There’s this popular theory that I’m sure you’ve hear at some point in your life; “Waste not, want not.”That’s true to a point, but often, people can go overboard on clutter morals. If you were raised on the whole waste not, want not theory, it may be the reason behind your clutter problems.

Here’s the thing – get over it. You won’t burn if you toss, recycle, or give away your old books or sweaters, not even if you give away an entire collection of ceramic miniatures. NOT EVEN if you throw out or give away food (gasp) that no one in the house will eat.

If you do throw out food, I do hope you’ll think long and hard on your next grocery trip before you buy, and if you can, I hope you recycled used items rather than toss them in the garbage, but that’s the extent of my worry.

Discarding items in order to simplify your world is not a major (or even minor sin). The time you spend constantly decluttering, dusting, and cleaning the items you own, is time you could spend with your family and friends.  Which is the larger sin? Tossing items or losing all these life hours because you own too much stuff to take care of?

What do you think? AND if you were raised on a heavy diet of waste not, want not, have you gotten over it?

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Blisstree

You won’t go to Hades for tossing that (fill in the blank) out

This game means you ask yourself silly questions, but silly or not, it helps you to focus.

You can ask yourself…

“In case of a world disaster, which memorabilia will I run to save?”

“If I was stuck on a desert island, which memorabilia would I want to have with me?”

And so on.

Silly stuff that works. For me photos would top out the list. Photos over say, my son’s artwork, or greeting cards. I’d want my son’s artwork, but in case of fire, I’d be grabbing the photo album first. (Not that I’m advocating sticking around during a fire, but you get the gist). What would you save first?

If you have 15 memorabilia items; say a quilt, photos, old notes, important mix CDs, and so on, choose 10 that are very important, and take steps to save them in other ways. You can save photos on a disc or online, eliminating all those photo boxes. You can scan old letters or your child’s artwork.

You don’t need to save it all. Even when it comes to memories. Think about what’s most important, save it, and declutter the rest from your world. Yes memories matter, but they don’t matter more than spending time in the present, which is less possible when all you do is clean and organize.

What would you save first, second, and third, in a disaster situation?  

It’s the Blogtoberfest icon! Which means a super keen (and secret) prize is hidden behind this special blog post. If you want to win the great prize that I’m hiding, simply leave a comment on this post. A totally easy way to win a prize. Within a week, the winner of the hidden prize will be announced here at Declutter It, so check back often.

Other ways to win a prize! You have lots of chances to win great Blogtoberfest prizes? Today, October 6th, there are secret special prizes hiding at the following Lifestyles Channel blogs: A Child Chosen, Babylune, Blog Fabulous,  All Holiday Cafe, Career and Kids, Cooking Gadgets, Foodie Obsessed, Jewelry and Beading, Kettle and Cup, One Book Two Book, Quilting and Patchwork, Supernanny Rules, and Weary Parent. Visit all of these blogs, look for the blogtoberfest icon on a post, and leave a comment for your chance at another great prize. 

Good luck and happy blogtoberfest! 

Post from: Blisstree

In case of a world disaster, which memorabilia will you run to save?

All in all, I have a pretty good idea of what constitutes clutter TO ME. What you need to do is define clutter on your own terms. If you don’t it’s going to be pretty near impossible for your to have a clutter-free home. If you need some help, following are some ideas about what real clutter is to some people:

Clutter stresses you out. If you see a pile and feel relaxed, it might not be clutter. If you get annoyed or feel icky when you look at that vase collection or the pile of unwatched DVDs, there’s a good chance it’s clutter you don’t need.

Clutter is stuff you feel obligated to own: If you don’t own something for yourself, why bother? Cutter like this includes gifts people gave you (that you don’t like) or something you bought because you were pressured into it. Like the time you bought that blender because the sale priced rocked – if you you don’t blend you don’t need a blender. Don’t confuse obligations with Sentimental Clutter. Sentimental clutter is usually tied to stronger emotions.

Clutter has no home – ever: If an item in your home has no permanent resting place, there’s a good chance it’s clutter. If you liked the item enough, you’d find it a home.

Clutter is often what if stuff.

Clutter makes you feel bad: If things are making you feel bad about other parts of your house or life, then it’s clutter you don’t need. Items you own should never hold so much power over you that they upset your day. If you’re always depressed about what you see in your home (the mess, the piles, the disorder), it’s clutter to clear out.

Clutter makes you happy – but in a superficial way: If you only bought that huge Tupperware set because it’s what everyone else on the block did, or have books sitting on your shelf that make you look smarter (even if you never read them) it’s clutter. Stuff you buy simply to impress others, is in my opinion, the worst clutter. If you’re collecting junk to compete with your sister, the neighbors, your lame mother-in-law, or anyone else, knock it off.  You don’t need it, and it wastes time, resources, and money.

Have you defined what clutter means to you? Let me know what you think in the comments.

Post from: Blisstree

What exactly is clutter?

Call up a couple local charities that accept household items, toys, art supplies, books, clothing, and more. Ask what they need. Make an appointment on a set day, at a set time to drop off some goods you have that they need. It’s easier to sort and give up items that are going to a good cause; especially if you’ve made a commitment to an organizing. Women’s shelters, homeless youth transitional shelters, and low income child care centers are some ideas of organizations to call.

You may also qualify for a tax break for donated items – just keep an itemized list so you’ll know what to list on your return.

Post from: Blisstree

Quick tip: one way to motivate decluttering

If you have a clutter confession, you’re likely in clutter denial. When you’re in clutter denial you can do one of three things:

1. STOP IT!
2. Solve it; i.e. make the item work for you so that it becomes a non-clutter item.
3. Keep on living in denial.

My clutter confessions – and what I plan on doing about it:

My photos: As I’ve noted many a time; I am drowning in photos. It’s a serious issue. I have a plan – organize them. I already started so this is a confession and denial on its way to becoming a problem solved! Go me.

My old jeans and this one dress I adore: They don’t fit. I had them before I had my son (7 1/2 years ago). But I have a serious crush on this one pair of jeans. I LOVE them. I like the dress too. However, they don’t fit. I workout, but get lazy, and always stop if I’m at like 10 lbs above my pre-pregnancy weight; which is a fine weight for my size, but not skinny like I was. I can’t justify keeping them if I can’t wear them. So my plan is to hang up my jeans where I can see them and workout double time. This time not stopping until I can wear my jeans. So far so good. Been working out about 1 1/2 hours a day. We’ll see, but at least I have a plan.

Cards from certain people: I have cards from my grandma who I adored and can’t give them up. I also have a few cards from another someone, (I’ll never tell) that I can’t get rid of. These cards are basically memories, and they serve no real purpose other than that. My plan – well, seriously, I have no plan. Some things you just need to accept. I’m not sure I’ll ever be able to get rid of these cards. It’s sort of an “ah well” denial situation.

What are your clutter confessions? OR share a story about something you’re in denial about.

Post from: Blisstree

Clutter Confessions and Denial

I’m not so much for deep storage. Basically because I can’t figure out why you’d deep storage stuff you have no room for in the first place. We discussed this before – to a point in the following posts:

• Organizing by Simplifying
• How To Start Getting Rid of Stuff – Get Rid of “Maybe” Items
• Four Tips for Clearing Out Sentimental Clutter

Because all the organizing gurus seem to be so deep storage gung ho, and because most things I read don’t differentiate between junk and useful deep storage, I figured we’d look at deep storage, and consider when it’s actually useful vs. when deep storage becomes junk hording.

All of the following items are recommended as deep storage candidates in organizing books I’ve read. I broke it down some more because I don’t agree that everything is a good deep storage idea.

Stuff that belongs in deep storage:

Holiday decorations – but not boxes and boxes. I’m talking decorations you actually put up each year.

Seasonal bedding.

Small boxes of sentimental stuff.

Items you’re saving for your children (significant baby outfits, cards, a few choice toys, etc).

Stuff that may belong in deep storage:

Holiday and special occasion dishes including textiles like holiday tablecloths – personally I think holiday and special occasion dishes are items you should purge. If you use something just once a year, you need to seriously consider if it has storage worth. I know some will disagree, but the path to clutter free and organized does call for tough choices. Dishes you don’t use daily are a waste of space. Also, if the dishes make the holiday, it’s worth it to consider whether or not your family is celebrating in a family focused way, or a visual stuff focused way.

Seasonal clothing. I’m torn. I don’t believe in deep storing clothing. I think you’re asking for trouble. One, if you buy clothes on sale out of season, it’s tough to remember what you have if you don’t see it often. I.e. if you see that stack of winter sweaters you won’t buy five more just because they’re on sale – you’ll remember that you have them. Two, once you start deep storing clothing it can become addictive. Anything that doesn’t fit in the closet can go into deep storage. Do you need more clothing than what can fit in a typical closet? Likely no. All that said, if you have an exceptionally small closet, deep storage may be your only option for seasonal clothing.

Canning supplies.

Stuff that does not belong in deep storage:

The bread machine or blender. Come on now; if you don’t use the bread machine when it’s on the counter, are you really going to pull it out of deep storage?

Knick knack collections. I read this one book that recommended keeping only one knick knack collection at a time in your living room, then keeping the others in deep storage, and switching collections out a few times a year. Talk about poor time management. Too many knick knack collections do look cluttered in one space, say, the dining room. However, having many collections stored away is just as silly, and just as cluttering. Choose collections wisely. Showcase one or two favorites in your home, or one per space (or room) and give up the rest.

Photos. Deep storage photos are photos that may never find a use, or get organized. I think photos to be sorted should be kept out where you’re more likely to take care of them.

Stuff to fix – ripped clothing, broken frames, a chair that needs refinished. Don’t ever put broken items in deep storage. That creates a pretty good bet that the item will never get fixed.

Extra bathroom items like Q-tips, shampoo, deodorant, and toilet paper. Frankly I’m surprised that people would even suggest these items as deep storage candidates. I know some people like to buy in bulk, in fact I used to buy a lot of stuff in bulk, but here’s the thing; when you get bulk obsessed you can save money, but your home can also become WAY overly cluttered. Bulk vs. clutter are two situations you usually need to choose between unless you have a huge home and unlimited extra space. In my world, I chose less clutter. We don’t buy in bulk anymore and it saves us space and keeps our organizing issues to a minimum.

NOTE: One item I do think is a good candidate for bulk buying and storage are children’s art supplies. Or adult craft supplies. If you’re careful, and don’t go nuts, art and craft supplies are not a bad thing to deep store. Why? Because these are supplies that can be majorly expensive. If you find a great deal on art paper, pastels, or so fourth, AND you will use it, then it can be a good deep storage item.

What do you think makes an item a good candidate for deep storage?

Post from: Blisstree

The Case Against Deep Storage

Zwaggle is a new place online that can help you get rid of clutter. Their description:

“Zwaggle is a national network of parents who have come together to share. It’s simple: You receive Zwaggle points (or Zoints) by giving your gently used things to other families, then use those Zoints to obtain “new” things for your family.”

This is a great reuse, decluttering, eco-friendly idea. I would try it to get rid of stuff. I likely wouldn’t take any new stuff, because remember, I’m trying to simplify. But it’s a great idea.

Jody says, “I just finished decluttering my basement using Zwaggle, and was pretty pleased.”

I checked it out, and the site is pretty user friendly, with a quick glance category list of what’s available – such as Books (150) and Baby Bedding (16) but the site offers everything from furniture to clothing to craft supplies, plus everything in-between.

It seems easy enough to create an account and get started, so what are you waiting for? Sign up to receive an invite and send off your stuff! Clutter free in no time.

Post from: Blisstree

Do You Zwaggle

Sentimental ideas include things like; greeting cards, baby clothing, items given to you by someone important, such as your grandmother’s china, old notes from all your high school friends, and most items that have been a part of your child’s life such as school work, art projects, and birthday party items. Of course there are others.

Most everyone has sentimental items that they’d like to keep, but like all items many of these sentimental items take up space, especially if you don’t use them. Here are some tips for clearing out sentimental clutter.

1. Saved by tech:

In the age of computers it’s easy to save many sentimental items. If you have a scanner, or something like NEAT Receipts, you can scan almost everything. You can scan old letters, newspaper clips (like wedding announcements), greeting cards, report cards, some of your children’s art, and more. If you like to re-visit say, old greeting cards then revisiting them on disc will work for you without having three boxes of greeting cards hanging around. Once you scan your cards onto a disc, you can let your kids use the cards for art projects, you can turn them into new greeting cards, or simply recycle them.

2. Figure out why you’re saving an item:

After my grandma died I got her sewing machine. I wanted it because my grandma was likely the most important person in my entire childhood and among other activities we’d always sew together. However, a few years ago I realized that I just don’t sew anymore, not since my grandma died. The sewing machine was just taking up space. It took me a long time to get rid of it, but I did. I had to realize that the sewing machine is not my grandma. With or without it, I still think about her each day. I still remember all the cool things we did together. I don’t need the sewing machine. Also, I don’t think she’d want me carrying around extra stuff.

If you’re saving an item simply because it reminds you of someone, and said item is taking up too much space, it may be smart to let it it go. You can write about your memories of the item, snap a picture of it, and then let it go. Granted, I have lots of stuff from my grandma that I do use daily, her old butter dish and a chest for example. If all you have is one big ticket item from someone who passed away it can be harder to give up, even if you never use it. Try to consider if you can remember a person without the item around. I bet you can.

3. Reuse:

If you have sentimental items around that you’re not using, but can’t give up, consider reuse. Turn the item into something you will use. You can turn old quilt scraps into an actual blanket or quilt – same goes for baby clothing. You can turn an old set of silverware into garden art or wind chimes. Think about keeping an item in a new way. To get ideas visit this post.

4. Three boxes per family member:

I used to have many boxes of Cedar’s old baby clothes. Mainly because I might someday have another baby; but it’s a lot to cart around, and I know I can snag baby clothes from friends if I really need them. I sorted his clothing down to just one medium sized box, keeping only the most meaningful outfits. Later he can have them when he has kids, or just because. I also have a box of baby items and memorable baby toys I kept for him, and one box of paper items, such as his paintings and notes people have given him.

Three boxes per family member of memory items is a good goal in my opinion. Anymore, and you’re just storing too many boxes. Three is manageable to pass on. If something happened to you, three boxes is going to be easier for folks to sort than ten.

Memories or not, there’s honestly no reason to keep boxes and boxes of sentimental items you don’t use. It becomes a sentimental nightmare cycle. Look at it this way, your grandfather got two boxes worth of sentimental stuff from his grandfather, then you inherited the same items, and when you die, your kids will get the boxes. Each generation calling the boxes sentimental, but never unpacking them, or using the items. It’s a little silly.

There’s more you can do to unload sentimental clutter, but this is a good jumping off point. Which sentimental items have you had luck clearing out? How did you do it?

Post from: Blisstree

Four Tips for Clearing Out Sentimental Clutter

Organizing by Simplifying
How To Start Getting Rid of Stuff – Get Rid of “Maybe” Items

In a day or so we’re going to look at some ideas for what to do with sentimental objects you’re keeping around. But first, I wanted to see how getting rid of maybe items is going for everyone. If you’re having issues, I wanted to point out some easy tips for people who are having trouble getting rid of their what if items. If you can’t get rid of basic what if items, then managing sentimental what if items is going to be near impossible. Here are some tips:

Bring in someone who could care less about your stuff: Have a pal come visit for a day of organizing. If you’ve got stuff to get rid of, and it’s hard for you, a person who could care less is really helpful. Note that a person who could care less is almost anyone but you. Almost no one will have the same attachments to your what if items as you do. Better yet most people will say so. For instance, most people will gleefully point out that it’s just plain silly to have three colanders because seriously, when will you ever be able to physically drain three pots at once? Another person’s view point on what’s worth getting rid of can really help your clutter purging process.

Create a keep and don’t keep box only: When sorting clutter you only need these two boxes. Some people add a third box, the “not sure” box. Not sure boxes are almost totally useless. If you can’t decide between worth keeping and not worth keeping, it’s likely not worth keeping and should go into the don’t keep box. The only time you should put a maybe item in a box is if you plan on seriously re-visiting the box in a month, as I talked about here. This tactic should be used sparingly though.

Play the fast sorting game: Don’t dwell. Half the problem of sorting clutter is the dwelling process. I’ve seen folks dwell for days over a set of silverware. For pete’s sake you can always buy another set. The best (and sort of interesting) way to beat the dwell syndrome is to go fast. This works well with clothing, because clothing can be tossed quickly. Gather a pile of clothes. Grab one and immediately say keep or don’t keep; the first thing that comes to your mind. You can do this with all items and it’s always fun to see what you’ll say. I did this with about 1/2 of my book collection and it was shocking what I gave up. I don’t miss any of them either.

Sort visible clutter first: If you tackle the clutter you can see vs. the boxes stored in your closet, you get a cool prize; instant visual benefits and satisfaction. Your home will start to look better and feel better right away. Bonus, it gives you clutter reducing confidence to tackle the harder sentimental items.

Don’t get discouraged: On TV when you see people come in to a declutter an area, or you read a book with examples of clearing clutter, the time line can throw you. It seems quick to declutter when you see or read about a pro doing it, but the real-life process can take time. Go drawer by drawer and shelf by shelf. Don’t save give-a-way items, keep on making a weekly trip to the Goodwill. Every small box of stuff that leaves your house is one small box less of stuff in your house. It’s a big deal – small steps that will eventually add up.

The next post on simplifying will be on the sentimental what if items, which are tough, so if you’re having issues with basics, leave a comment, and hopefully another reader or I can offer some more advice.

Post from: Blisstree

Revisiting “What If” Items – Tips for Clearing Clutter