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DH and I just drew up a timeline to do a whole house total declutter using the Kondo method.
Because of travel plans we can't start until October and we won't be able to work straight through. But we plan to finish by March and according to Kondo's book, that's a reasonable timeline. (The "tidy in one go and don't draw it out" in the article refers to the individual categories.)
Our HOA has community yard sales in late October and in early April so we'll throw a hunk of stuff in each. Anything not sold will be donated or trashed.
Then we'll be ready to put the house we've lived in for 23 years up for sale. Happy, happy, happy!
I have recently read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Kondo ) and it is definitely a good motivator.
I only did my clothes and donated 8 bags full. I am digesting a lot of it, and have been doing a fair amount piecemeal (which for me works). It really is a good book to start with. My husband is not on board with this so I am doing it solo. (he is not fighting it but he is of the mindset that it's good I am doing- but he can wait until he HAS to.... no I am not happy about it but one step at a time).
We also have roughly a year time frame- nothing definite but it's going to be after 25 plus years of living in this house,
I highly recommend the book to anyone needing a push.
I have recently read the Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up (Kondo ) and it is definitely a good motivator.
I only did my clothes and donated 8 bags full. I am digesting a lot of it, and have been doing a fair amount piecemeal (which for me works). It really is a good book to start with. My husband is not on board with this so I am doing it solo. (he is not fighting it but he is of the mindset that it's good I am doing- but he can wait until he HAS to.... no I am not happy about it but one step at a time).
We also have roughly a year time frame- nothing definite but it's going to be after 25 plus years of living in this house,
I highly recommend the book to anyone needing a push.
I love an organized household. I'm now working on the hardware, and dh is not on board. He prefers his chaos and claims he cannot find anything when it's organized. I let him know that this winter I AM going to put my car in the garage, so we are going to clean it out. We brought 3 huge bags to recycle.
One reason to clean out, even if we decide not to move, is that we're always ready to go in case life takes an unexpected turn. Cleaning out years and years of stuff when forced to can be a humongous task.
One reason to clean out, even if we decide not to move, is that we're always ready to go in case life takes an unexpected turn. Cleaning out years and years of stuff when forced to can be a humongous task.
Have you ever got that right! I'm learning that the hard way, and I only have 12 years' worth of accumulated unnecessary stuff to deal with, not 40+.
I'm planning to move from my house into a 2 bedroom condo in the very near future. Mt. Junkpile is growing nicely in the garage, and in two weeks 1-800-Got-Junk will be stopping by in what will be surely the first of many visits to my house. Trying to downsize while working full-time is proving daunting, but I'm glad I'm doing it while I still have both the physical and psychological energy to take on the task. The thought of trying to manage it when I'm 80 is horrifying!
One reason to clean out, even if we decide not to move, is that we're always ready to go in case life takes an unexpected turn. Cleaning out years and years of stuff when forced to can be a humongous task.
Yes, that right there is the reason this is an active topic in the retirement forum.
Success on the basement! Getting rid of an enormous amount today, both trash and recycle. Even DH was into it (he was bribed).
Paints/stains all on one shelf, electrical on another, plumbing stuff in a tub, hardware all sorted on one big bench, tools sorted on another bench. We decided to donate duplicate tools to Habitat.
No furniture or tubs of stuff down there. Our basement is CLEAN and organized, finally.
Next, garage. We've already started. I bought $$ storage for sorted nails, screws, bolts, etc. He's starting to appreciate it, though I wonder how long the organization will last. The big job will be the lumber pieces, for a cooler day.
It feels great to know that we're ready for anything, even if we stay here.
just a suggestion: when everything is nice and tidy, take photos and put them in a safe deposit box or some such. If anything tragic happens (flood, fire, whatever) it'll make it a bit easier to remember when your mind is trying to forget.
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