I own so much STUFF! My closet is packed full of clothes and odd-and-ends...I have shelves full of nick-nacks...What should I do? Where do I start? HOW DO I GET RID OF THIS STUFF?! I always have the "Oh I'm going to use this...eventually..." excuse when trying to throw out things...I still have Pokemon cards from when I was eleven...And barbies. It's really sad. Haha. Help me?
2006-12-28 13:20:55 · 14 answers · asked by Kitty Kat 2 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
Don't try to do it all at once. Pick out the kid stuff, then the clothes you no longer wear, then the other miscellaneous things. Whatever order, doesn't matter. Just start. Maybe just pick out a few things every day. Maybe have boxes, one labeled 'save', one 'trash' one to 'charity.' You can do it this way or a variation of it.
2006-12-28 13:29:27 · answer #1 · answered by garden witch 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Just had to do that today. I had (notice had) a walk-in closet that you couldn't even step into. Clothes, boxes of papers, 3ft. Barbie Doll, junk, lots of junk. I made up my mind, I believe this is the first step, to just do it. I have 3 bags of clothes, to give to the homeless and 3 bags of trash. If your clothes haven't fit you or you haven't worn them in the past year then get rid of them. There are a lot of people out there that can use them. I believed for years, (size 14 jeans down to size 4) that I would wear them again. Give that stuff away. Put it in a bag and don't look back. Think of all the room you will have and all the new clothes you can have room for. Just do it!!! Hope this helps.
2006-12-28 21:42:02 · answer #2 · answered by badwarden 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
What I have done, because I also end up with so many things.
I made a decision that I will only keep the antique furniture that's nice , family heirloom furniture and what my husband has built. Get rid of anything that is particle board and fake or cheesy. When it comes to nick knacks, again I keep only the heirlooms or special collections that really have a meaning or family history.
As with clothes, I get rid of anything that I don't have a match to yet or if I think to myself, I'll wear it one day. If I haven't worn it in a while, I probably won't for a while either. I had so many linens, sheets. I decided to keep 4 sets for my bed and 2 sets each for the bunk beds and then got rid of the rest. Same with towels, glasses, dishes and pots and pans. I have kept only the revere ware and 2 Teflon skillets and one cast iron. I have only my cobalt Mexican glasses, Coffee cups and then my grand mothers stemware and Pink Willow china.
It sounds desperate to get rid of so much, but I hate clutter and why keep things you are probably never going to use and someone else may be able to!
2006-12-28 21:55:14 · answer #3 · answered by Mt ~^^~~^^~ 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
With clothes, if you haven't worn it in a year, donate it. If you think your Barbies and Pokemon cards are worth something, take a couple of each in to an antique shop for an appraisal. If the value will go up on them, they can tell you the best way to store them.Save only a couple of collections,ie, your knicknacks, otherwise it's just a bunch of dust collectors you can't truly enjoy.If you have household items,ie,duplicate stuff you don't use, donate them to a womens shelter, same with kids toys (these women leave with nothing).
2006-12-28 21:35:46 · answer #4 · answered by Tweet 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There’s no right or wrong way to declutter – different approaches suit different people. You may prefer to clear your clutter in short bursts – or to devote a whole day or weekend and just do a complete blitz. The important thing is TO GET STARTED.
You don’t have to do this alone. Ask a friend to come and help you – make sure you choose someone who you know is good at making decisions! How about having a Decluttering Party? Invite some friends, get in some wine and pizza and make it fun. Who knows, your friends might even take away some of your clutter with them!
Use the CLUTTER TEST: This comes from the excellent book ‘Clear your Clutter with Feng Shui’ by Karen Kingston who says: If you are unsure about an item, ask yourself these three simple questions: Does it lift my energy when I think about it or look at it? Do I absolutely love it? Is it genuinely useful? If you can’t answer ‘yes’ to any of these questions, get rid of it!
If you just can’t bring yourself to get rid of certain items, put them into a black bin bag and tie it up. Write the date on the outside and put it away out of sight (in the loft or garage). If you haven’t needed any of the contents for six months, then throw the bag away – WITHOUT LOOKING INSIDE!
CLEARING YOUR MENTAL CLUTTER:
Make a list of EVERYTHING that is annoying you and/or draining your energy. It doesn’t matter how long the list is, just keep writing. It could be as small a thing as a button that has needed sewing onto a favourite blouse for 2 months – to a relationship that is no longer working for you.
Beginning with the easiest things, start working your way through the list, crossing items off as you deal with them. You will start to gather momentum and it will feel wonderful to cross things off and keep track of your progress.
Learn to say ‘NO’ more often. For women especially, ‘no’ is one of the hardest words to say. We don’t want to let people down, we don’t want to make waves and we want to feel needed. Only say ‘yes’ to those things that you can WHOLEHEARTEDLY say yes to.
Whatever dreams and aspirations you may have – however big or small - ‘decluttering your life’ is a great way to make the space in your life for them to happen.
Good Luck!
2006-12-28 23:03:08 · answer #5 · answered by sugar candy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Firstly, those barbies could be valuable, dependes how old they are.........
Go through everything, select ONLY those few things, that you just CANNOT live without, for the rest, have a big sale, and use the money you make to - ha!! you've guessed it, to go buy some more good stuff to fill all those empty spaces........
Seriously though, try selling stuff, and whats left donate to an op shop, they always need new stock.....
2006-12-29 00:52:14 · answer #6 · answered by maggie rose 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Pick 5 items you love, the rest should be given to good will or younger relatives. Old clothes can be donated to the salvation army. Look for organizations in your area that take donations of clothing. The salvation army will take many of your odds and ends.
Only keep what you wear, the rest needs to go.
As for nic-naks, I know all about it. Keep only 5 items, the rest can be donated with the clothes, or what you can't donate can be put in a box which you can label as your gift box. When you need a small gift, go shopping inside!
2006-12-28 21:43:15 · answer #7 · answered by Lisa B 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There are many kids who could benefit more from your childhood toys. Get a box, or open the trunk of your car and just start piling it in. Drop it off at the local salvation army and there you go. What I did was just took everything off my shelves, out form under my bed and from in my closet and made a huge pile in the middle of my room and went from there, just putting things away on the emtpy shelf, and other things into the trunk to give away.
2006-12-29 15:16:50 · answer #8 · answered by cutie pie 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Start clearing out clothes you no longer wear.
Get rid of everything (stuff) you haven't used in the last 2 years.
Give it to the goodwill or friends and family.
2006-12-28 21:24:06 · answer #9 · answered by badboy 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hey, if you think that throwing away is waste, why not try to auction out in YAHOO AUCTION? You can sell away those you really don't need and get more space for the one you cherish. Cheers!
2006-12-28 22:15:20 · answer #10 · answered by Lo S 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋