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Decluttering Spree

by | Aug 12, 2016 | Decorating Inspiration, My Books, Organization

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Decluttering Spree

Hi friends! I intended to post yesterday but I got into a MAJOR decluttering spree. I’ve been on a roll ever since decluttering all. the. things. After moving in last fall and finally confirming what we actually need here in our new house, I’ve found so much more STUFF I don’t want. I don’t know about you, but I’m just really over STUFF.

I’m more determined than ever to let stuff go. Every thing that I can remove from my sight and from the corners of the house makes me feel lighter and lets me breathe a little more deeply. The more I remove the excess, the more my home becomes the peaceful retreat I want it to be! I’m going to keep up the decluttering over the weekend and I’ll report back on my progress.

Want to join me in a decluttering spree? Challenge yourself to remove at least one box full of stuff this weekend. Let me know how it goes! Happy weekend!

Find inspiration and the strategies that inspire me to declutter and simplify in my organizing book Make Room for What You Love.

16 Comments

  1. Chris Cloen

    After 30 years in the home we raised our four children in, we moved last month. We are not savers, and have had regular garage sales over the years, but once we knew a move was inevitable we spent the last two years seriously clearing out. I started with the idea of getting rid of one thing a day….even if it was as small as a CD. In the end we rid ourselves of over 1260 items. Moving into a patio home with a homeowners association helped. We rid ourselves of a generator, lawnmower, Snowblower, tons of furniture and made a tidy profit at the same time. Our motto is Gratitude Makes what we have enough.

  2. Lana Kaiser

    I love all your pictures and books (I have two). We have lived in our home for 26 years and plan to stay. We just remodeled our bathrooms and slowly changing colors and style. I am also wanting to get rid of lots of STUFF. My problem is yard sale or just take it to be the Waterfront Mission.

    • Julie

      I find it easier to just gather and donate my clutter (and get a tax deduction in the process) rather than hosting a yard sale. If there are no large ticket items, it is just not worth my time.

      • Lynn

        I simply donate it, as my tax man says…. it’s not worth his time…

        • Katie

          I must agree. Once I told myself it was OK to just GIVE it all away, I moved out TONS of stuff. It was so freeing.

  3. Valentina

    Hello! In the past two years I have become more and more aware of the Stuff & the concept of decluttering and now I can tell I feel proud to be a Declutter girl!!! Yesterday my dad told me: “…You? The queen of organization!….” And I felt a twinge of pride and happiness cause I’ve always been a mess.. But it was time to say stop. To the clothes..the things…everything..too much of everything… and when I finally decided to let go it was incredibly satisfying! So yes, I will join you this weekend in a declutter-in a box- challenge! Absolutely!! Have a lovely weekend, dear friend!

  4. Donna

    Finally moving into my new little jewel of a tiny house and that has caused the same urgent and necessary sense of must go in me. All the big furniture, random collections of knickknacks are going to new homes. Let’s not talk about clothes and shoes lol.

    I found a friend who is helping me just for the cast offs – she seems to think it’s a very fair trade! I do a box a day – and then take it all to the women’s shelter and goodwill on the weekend – as well as a dump run…

    Taking the first step is the hardest – now when I hesitate I picture that little 650 sq ft space being a shining jewel of prized and cherished things…that image makes it so much easier.

  5. Krystal

    Oh right there with you, friend. I left my old apartment (which I greatly disliked) two weeks ago, moved into this temporary apartment for the last two weeks (not unpacking and basically living out of my suitcase), and FINALLY I’m moving into my for real apartment (down the hall from where I am right now, so exactly the same but with a fabulous patio, which makes all this waiting and shifting around worth it.)

    While doing all this moving ridiculousness, I too have been purging like there’s no tomorrow. It’s been so wonderful. Entire boxes that were hardly even unpacked from my cross-country move to that old apartment two years ago … cursory glance and then POOF goodwill. Because obviously, not having unpacked it in two years means it full of extremely important things. I completely agree that I am just so sick of STUFF. It’s everywhere, and I often felt like I was drowning in it. So in an attempt to simplify my entire life in several different aspects, I too got to my decluttering like a force of nature.

    It is absolutely just as freeing and amazing as you describe. My home (once I finally get unpacked) will be that much closer to the haven I want it to be. :)

  6. Ann

    I am currently unpacking into a home that is half the size of my last house. We moved unexpectedly so I have way too much! I alone have 12 boxes of clothes/shoes that I haven’t even touched. We knew when we moved we would be going to a smaller house and downsized a ton of items but I really need 1/4 of what we had before. It’s taught me a hard lesson of how unnecessary accumulation can be a total waste of time, money, space, and emotional bondage the “stuff” consumes. I’m angry at myself for buying into the consumer culture. No more, not ever again!

    • Julie

      ” a hard lesson of how unnecessary accumulation can be a total waste of time, money, space, and emotional bondage the “stuff” consumes. I’m angry at myself for buying into the consumer culture. No more, not ever again!” I love this!

  7. Jo Jo

    You are inspiring me yet again, Melissa! After moving to another state and moving into a brand new home very recently, I’d done major purging of STUFF….but after being settled in for 4 months, I’m feeling the need to take another look at what we brought with us that we really don’t want or need ( perhaps that’s why I still haven’t unpacked some boxes? lol). So, I will be taking the time this weekend to look at what I’ve got in those boxes up in our attic storage space…assess if we NEED and LOVE what’s in them and act on it! It is so freeing to rid ourselves of things…especially if by doing so we are able to bless others by donating items that someone else can use and love.

  8. Liz

    This is a wonderful affirmation:
    “I’m more determined than ever to let stuff go. Every thing that I can remove from my sight and from the corners of the house makes me feel lighter and lets me breathe a little more deeply. The more I remove the excess, the more my home becomes the peaceful retreat I want it to be!”
    I’ve sent myself a text so I can remind myself of my ultimate goal – a peaceful home that I can enjoy with family and friends and on my own. Thanks, Melissa! Liz

  9. Susan

    Hi Melissa! I too have been on a decluttering binge. My husband and I built a new house over the last two years. When I say we, I mean the two of us built it. It’s a very New England looking cape cod. Grey shake siding with white trim, window boxes, and black shutters. We are on the landscaping portion of the project finally. I always find it a challenge to take things from one home and make them look like they belong in the new home. In an effort to downsize and free myself of many belongings, I have had a sale at a warehouse that we own, donated to Goodwill, taken things to local resale shops, and my antiques went to nearby antique shops. I have my own rule that once I sort through things and make the decision to part with them, they can’t come back into the house. If it doesn’t sell at a sale then off to Goodwill or Habitat for Humanity it goes. It is very freeing to see it go and I am very careful not to bring a lot of new things back in. I am very selective. Some day my children will thank me!

  10. Sharon

    I need to do some serious decluttering of my closet. I have accumulated so many clothes I hardly wear but not sure where to take them.

  11. Melanie

    Good for you! I went through that about 3 years ago and it was so liberating!

    Tip – If you find yourself struggling to stay motivated, set a timer for 15 to 20 minutes and work until the timer goes off. If you want to keep working, feel free, but it’s okay to stop because you reached your goal for that day. ?

  12. Sheri

    Thanks for this challenge, Melissa! You reminded me that now is the time to purge, in preparation for a move within the next year. I have committed 30 minutes every weekend to decluttering. It’s all I can manage since I’m both working full-time and going to school, but today I filled a box of things to donate. It feels good to see empty space, however small!

 

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