Destash 2020 Time to Putter with Clutter

Second up, a bunch of suitcases I took out of the hall closet to make room for Christmas decorations (so nice to have a place in the main part of the house for them and not have to drag them up and down the attic stairs).

I've been seeing a bunch of stuff lately on Facebook about donating suitcases to Foster Care agencies so the kids don't have to tote their stuff in garbage bags. Might be a possibility for yours.
 
I've been seeing a bunch of stuff lately on Facebook about donating suitcases to Foster Care agencies so the kids don't have to tote their stuff in garbage bags. Might be a possibility for yours.

We have a local organization that runs a closet for foster families. I'd thought about seeing if they want them. They're mostly big duffle style bags, they'd probably be too heavy for little kids but might work for teenagers.
 
Recently got back to the DISboards, and saw that I had been part of the Destash 2017 group, and found this new group. I definitely still need to be working on decluttering!!
I've become a "piles" person, with piles collecting - especially of paper items, but all kinds of things. And it's SO HARD for me to Let Go of stuff! (Loved the animated gif someone posted with "Let It Go!" )

I have 3 boys - ages 8, 13, and 15, and unfortunately 2 of them are following in my piles tendencies. And we've collected toys and clothing that have been through the family hand-me-down road (we're the end of the road).

In the past I've participated in a big kids rummage sale twice a year, but the rules have become increasingly complicated with more work needed in advance (entering item, price, & description in a database to print tags instead of just writing out the tags by hand) with a larger fee to participate. So though the boys liked getting money back for some of the things they agreed to part with, I think we're going to stick to donating for the most part now, and clear things out as we can instead of waiting for the rummage sale times.

I've tried to make a start again - did some straightening and clearing before we hosted Christmas, and am trying to make good on my annual promise to go through the Christmas bins and weed some things out as I put away the things we used.
Also got a call that Purple Heart will be coming through at the end of the month, so I'm using that as a deadline for a first run through to purge some things. Some have already been collecting in a "To Donate" area, but Purple Heart Veterans actually comes TO YOU and gets the stuff!

Recently found a "Happy Organized Life" site that had a few good tips - maybe some will help me (or you?).
One was not to touch the items (that you're deciding about) too much - as you touch, hold, handle them you develop more of an attachment to them - so try to think/decide before you touch the items as much as possible.
Then there were 5 questions to ask yourself while decluttering (maybe they've been posted elsewhere too):
1. Have I used this in the last 12 months?
2. Is it in good condition?
3. Do I love this? Would I buy it today if I saw it in the store?
4. Do I already have one of these?
5. Does this fit into the vision I have for my life?

Well best of luck to everyone for a good start decluttering in this new year!
 


I took two boxes of books to the local library for their book sale.

And, I pulled out the refrigerator and moved it to the side for a change. Now, we have pulled it straight out and cleaned, then put it straight back before, but when I pulled it sideways....well, I found a whole bunch of balls, a little toy, and a Christmas ornament. I threw it away, and I'm counting it towards my mental tab of getting rid of clutter! :rotfl2:
 


I emptied out 4 of the cupboards, washed them and then tossed all the expired stuff. Also I donated a few coffee cups. Everyone knows I like coffee and now feels the need to purchase coffee cups for me all the time.
 
My son that lives in NYC, and now CT, leaves clothes at my house so he doesn’t have to pack a suitcase for when he comes home. He comes back to Wisconsin like every three weeks. Now that he is married, he comes home about 3 -4 times a year I got into trouble last weekend, my son and his wife were home and my son went to look for his work out clothes and tennis shoes and he asked me where his tennis shoes were. I gave them to Good Will. Work out shoes can look fine, but be worn out and the last 2 years He never wore them when he came home. He told me they were brand new. #Sorrynotsorry. I told him he packs clothes now and he doesn’t need to keep a whole closet full anymore. I packed it all up and put it in a bin. My husband is flying out this week by him, for work and the bin is going along.
 
I worked on my closet today - organized and found 3 small bags to donate. Came up with a bag of trash from around the house too. Plus I will have some trash to drag up from my husband's basement woodshop. There's always trash and excess down there. :rolleyes2 Since I'm off for MLK day tomorrow, I'm planning on hitting up some kitchen cabinets.
 
I have a mother-daughter raised ranch and the MIL section has been unoccupied since MIL died in 2009. Since then we've used the space for an extra guest room, holiday storage and my DH's music room. We really need to clear out the stuff we don't use anymore since there is a possibility that DD and her husband might be taking the MIL apartment sometime in the next year or two. Some of that stuff will go back into the attic but the rest will go to GoodWill. I want to start with the holiday decor and the apartment kitchen. It's amazing how easy it is to fill any space you have and how hard it is to get rid of it!
 
Pulled everything out of closet 1 this weekend and have started going through it. I struggle to throw things away that "might be useful one day" but progress is being made! In two days I have trashed school work from all the way back in 2009! A couple of old backpacks (containing said school work) that were so holey and stained that I can not imagine anyone would want them, and I have a whole pile of magazines to take to the library!

Gonna see if I can make some pocket change at the local game store on some video game guides I have. Got some old eye glasses I need to find a place to donate.

My family had a messy few years after my dad retired from the army where from 2013-2018 we rented homes and kept a ton of things in storage. We still have A LOT of boxes that have not seen the light of day since we packed up in 2013. There's a lot of emotional trauma connected to those boxes. But 2020 is a new decade and the family is ready to start going through it!

tldr; I have two trash bags full of junk that just landed in the dump and two decent sized boxes of things that I plan to take to the donate bin/library this week. SO MUCH more to go through but progress is progress and I am proud of me.
 
I have a mother-daughter raised ranch and the MIL section has been unoccupied since MIL died in 2009. Since then we've used the space for an extra guest room, holiday storage and my DH's music room. We really need to clear out the stuff we don't use anymore since there is a possibility that DD and her husband might be taking the MIL apartment sometime in the next year or two. Some of that stuff will go back into the attic but the rest will go to GoodWill. I want to start with the holiday decor and the apartment kitchen. It's amazing how easy it is to fill any space you have and how hard it is to get rid of it!
Have you used any of the items since you put it there. Have your dd look at the kitchen items and if she does not want them, try selling them. Some items from the 50, 60, and 70's are items not considered antiques. I am talking about an egg timer, or old whisks. Otherwise if it is old, worn out, get rid of it. It is hard to get rid of sentimental items too. I was told take a picture of the items, and then donate them.


Took a Build a Bear-which was a Reindeer to my granddaughters house. My MIL sewed it for her, because she ripped it and it sat it my house for a month.
3 boxes in the garage recycled.

81/2020
 
DH and I cleaned out our closet this weekend and I organized my dresser. I had done this in fall a bit but still had half a trash bag. DH had 3 trash bags full of clothes! I also said no more t shirts and DH said the same. I have to finish going through shoes next but that’s it. DD went through her clothes and I have 2 bags of hand-me-downs to go to friends. I need to help DS go through his clothes too. Both kids majorly culled their stuffed animal collections. Not bad for just January!
 
I think the problem I'm facing is clothes. We have started to slowly see 'disney' clothing sneak into the closets and I'm having a hard time getting rid of those bc like we bought it for the kids. The only benefit is ds8 passes his old Disney shirts to ds5 before we have to make a decision to get rid of it.
 
Got rid of a huge piece of furniture today! A German Coffee Table that has been in the family for several generations. We loved it when we first got it but realized in recent years we were all hating having to move around it. Offered it up to my aunt last night and we hauled it over to her place this evening. The room it used to live in feels so much more breathable now that its gone.
 

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