I need decluttering/purge inspiration!

[Carrie12345]

I want my house on the market in ~8 weeks. I don’t have much *random* clutter, but I do have a lot of stuff and I want it to look a whole lot less! I need inspiration from the truly ruthless, lol.

Right now, I have a sea of boxes which is actually making it harder. We need to decide between a regular storage unit and a pod this week. I want the stuff out of the way so we can see and access small things like dents, scuffs, and any outlets we may have forgotten to match to the others. And we have random trim work we’ve put off.

My goal has been to move <1,000 books and I think I’m actually under 800 at this point... if I get people to take my discard pile, which I’ve been swearing I’d promote for weeks now, and haven’t. That requires opening older boxes and I’m dreading the added mess!

Summer/camping stuff can’t really be touched for a few more weeks. Craft/office stuff is stressing me out because I have no idea what we’ll need or not need for the next few months. I’m used to just having things available!

Anyone(s) who gives me the motivation to tackle my kitchen’s blind cabinet will have my undying love!

 

[PeterPan]

If you *don't* discard but instead pack/store, the stuff will just end up at your new place, yes? It's amazing how much we keep just in case, stuff that is easily replaceable or not even worth the cost to store.

Can you throw the books in your trunk and take them to the goodwill? You can sometimes drive up and drop off without even going inside. There may be an attendant to help.

On the blind cabinet, I'd just throw away everything inside unless you can state exactly what it is. Those cabs collect a lot of junk.

Edited August 23, 2021 by PeterPan

[Katy]

I’d do a regular storage unit, mostly because you can access it at any time so you’re more likely to be ruthless.

Otherwise turn on YouTube and find some minimalists to play in the background.  I like The Minimal Mom when I need motivation. 

[PeterPan]

1 minute ago, Katy said:

Otherwise turn on YouTube and find some minimalists to play in the background.

Or amazon prime and crank it up. I usually just need some energy, lol.

[HomeAgain]

I'm a child at heart, so my advice may not be applicable.  I fill my trunk, and when I drop it off at a donation site I reward myself with a pack of Justin's Peanut Butter Cups.  They're really good, but more expensive than I would spend regularly on a quick candy.  So, they're my reward for doing something good for the house.

And I'm writing this as I'm attempting to fit yet another math manipulative in my cabinet, which also has half on loan and I don't know where I'm putting those. 😄

[Beth S]

As PP mentioned, Dawn at the Minimal Mom is a fantastic friend-like motivator.

Here's an example:  9 tips for decluttering with low motivation.
There are LOTS of these helpful videos on her Minimal Mom channel.

I've also included her Decluttering questions I found here:  https://www.pinterest.com/pin/185632815879140082/

 

[Lecka]

Here is my motivation:  see how it’s a hassle and you don’t want to deal with boxes?

It will be much worse when you are unpacking.

If you don’t really like something, if you aren’t sure you’ll use something, just get rid of it now and save yourself dealing with it when you unpack.

Yes you may re-buy something later.  
 

Would you rather re-buy something later, or deal with all the stuff when you move in?

You already don’t want to deal with it!

It will be worse after the move because you will be tired and will already have been dealing with stuff.

 

Here is a hint — mostly likely everything in your old boxes and your blind cabinet can just go.  Or expect 90% of it to go.  

[Lecka]

Here is more motivation…. anything that is “borderline” now, you will hate after having dealt with it through packing it, unpacking it, dealing with a storage unit, or dealing with a pod.  It will just be a pain and hassle.

You want to deal with unpacking things you like or actually use.  Plus a few things you haven’t been using but think you will use.  

[Lecka]

Here is more motivation:  do you want your kids to deal with your borderline stuff some day?  

[Lecka]

Also, nobody is saying any of it is bad.  It sounds like there might be a little too much here and there.  
 

It can be nice to have extra space for things that come up in the future.  

 

It can save you having to deal with things in the future, and maybe you will want some things new or different to fit your new house. Or something will come up you will really like. You can just free up that space now, while reducing your work in the future.  

[Lecka]

It’s also hard and stressful to unpack and decide on where everything will go.  It just is.  Having fewer things to deal with truly will make this process easier.

And it will be harder for other family members to do the “cram it into cupboards” method of unpacking, because there will just be enough space there is no need to cram.  And it will be 1,000,000 to reorganize over time if things do get unpacked a bit randomly.

It will be easier to find things as you unpack.  You will find things easier.  Less stuff lying around (or crammed somewhere — because it is very hard to visualize just how you want to unpack things when you are taking things out of boxes — and they either get put somewhere, sit in a box to be shuffled around, sit on a table, sit on the floor, etc).  
 

Less boxes to unpack!!!!!!!

 

It is so worth it!  You will be enjoying your new house faster!!!!!!!

 

And it is so stressful to live among boxes and not know where things are.  

 

 

[Carrie12345]

48 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

On the blind cabinet, I'd just throw away everything inside unless you can state exactly what it is. Those cabs collect a lot of junk.

My guess, and yes, it’s just a guess, is that at least 50% of the stuff in there (in the back) is needed at least once a month or more. My issue is that the kids make a mess of it, so it’s a pain to get to things. But anything I can get rid of needs to go.

Keep in mind, my kitchen is tiny. We have 1 large upper cabinet (cups, bowls, plates, and other daily use stuff), one above the stove cabinet (coffee mugs and adult glasses), 1 narrow upper (frequent cooking ingredients), 1 narrow lower ( half empty because access is awful) 2 more narrow lowers (all baking pans/sheets in one, tupperware and baggies in the other) the under sink cabinet, and then the deep, dark cabinet. For the most part(there are exceptions, of course), it’s not as much about junk as it is about having normal stuff and abnormally small space.

Like, my crockpot, instapot, and air fryer live upstairs in my office area because of space! As does any not-every-day food!

[Lecka]

Then a pod seems like it would work?  It sounds like you will be able to unpack easily into the new house?

I wouldn’t add driving back and forth from a storage unit if you don’t have that much stuff.

Honestly with moving — sometimes you just don’t have all your things and make do.  
 

 

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

my kitchen is tiny.

Will your new one be bigger?

[PeterPan]

2 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

is needed at least once a month or more.

If something is only needed 1-2X a month it might be able to be stored on shelves in the garage or somewhere else. 

You might think in terms of how things will store in your new place. Do you already have the new place to know what you're going into?

 

[Carrie12345]

1 hour ago, Lecka said:

Then a pod seems like it would work?  It sounds like you will be able to unpack easily into the new house?

I wouldn’t add driving back and forth from a storage unit if you don’t have that much stuff.

Honestly with moving — sometimes you just don’t have all your things and make do.  
 

 

Definitely still weighing all the pros and cons. We’re frustrated because they seem to balance, lol. 

Making do is the mindset I need to get into. Like, I should be able to make do without a crock pot since I can technically slow cook in the instapot, right? I haven’t actually convinced myself to do that, but I recognize the need.

New place will have more than enough space for everything+, but showing (and upkeep for showing) this place means lots has to go, whether permanently or temporarily.

[Carrie12345]

5 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

Will your new one be bigger?

Extremely bigger!

2 minutes ago, PeterPan said:

If something is only needed 1-2X a month it might be able to be stored on shelves in the garage or somewhere else. 

You might think in terms of how things will store in your new place. Do you already have the new place to know what you're going into?

 

I don’t have a garage. Or an attic. Or a basement. Hence the cram. 
We’re building the new place, and I’ve obsessively planned where most things will go, lol.

[prairiewindmomma]

You don’t need access to craft stuff. Moving is just a season and you will be fine without it.

You need stuff to wear and stuff to make simple meals with and stuff to clean and make repairs with. Pretty much everything else can be packed. 

You want your house staged with as little as possible “out” for viewing.  Less stuff in a home makes it seem like there is more space, and if people can picture themselves in the house they are selling because you are only providing a barebones sketch or how their furniture might fit = + $$,$$$. 

Offer boxes of books, blind, on the local share group. “Hey—a box of books! Take all, keep what you love, pass on the rest!” 

[Carrie12345]

5 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

You don’t need access to craft stuff

I’m 95% convinced you’re correct.  
Sewing machine, vinyl cutter, etc. are all packed up. *I’m not doing craft projects, for sure.  The school-crafty stuff is what’s giving me pause. I want to believe my 5th and 9th graders won’t need anything more than some colored pencils. Promise me they won’t need anything more than some colored pencils! 😄 

[prairiewindmomma]

4 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

I’m 95% convinced you’re correct.  
Sewing machine, vinyl cutter, etc. are all packed up. *I’m not doing craft projects, for sure.  The school-crafty stuff is what’s giving me pause. I want to believe my 5th and 9th graders won’t need anything more than some colored pencils. Promise me they won’t need anything more than some colored pencils! 😄 

They don’t. We spent three months in temporary housing schooling out of backpacks. My kids needed colored pencils, scissors, tape, gluesticks, a ruler (for math), and a calculator.

[Lecka]

You do just have to make do for a while!  But it’s not so bad, really.  
 

Then you can be happy when you unpack boxes and are happy to have your stuff back!

 

(But at the same time — some things can feel like — what is this stuff?)

[theelfqueen]

If they need something other than paper, scissors, tape and colored pencils - you can borrow or buy it. 

[prairiewindmomma]

Make a crockpot meal in your instant pot this week and decide. I got rid of my crockpot once I tried it out. Every appliance has to justify its place.

Your house will be bigger, but I would bet your current stuff expanded will still completely fill the new house. 
 

We chose to pack, get a uhaul and fill a climate controlled storage unit. One huge advantage is that the storage unit offered more flexibility in timing and access. It also meant stuff wasn’t out to be sticky finger lifted by people touring the home: this was an issue for us in our last move. 

[Carrie12345]

2 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

They don’t. We spent three months in temporary housing schooling out of backpacks. My kids needed colored pencils, scissors, tape, gluesticks, a ruler (for math), and a calculator.

So I did it!  
Okay, I still have one basket in another room to go through, but I cleared the office area of at least 80% of overall supplies. 😳

Mostly as procrastination on that kitchen cabinet. 🤣

[fraidycat]

8 minutes ago, Carrie12345 said:

So I did it!  
Okay, I still have one basket in another room to go through, but I cleared the office area of at least 80% of overall supplies. 😳

Mostly as procrastination on that kitchen cabinet. 🤣

Now, pack down to the bare bones in your kitchen. 1 plate, bowl, glass, spoon, fork per person. Simple cooking utensils for super simple meals. 3 containers for leftovers. Pack the rest.

[kbutton]

8 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

My goal has been to move <1,000 books and I think I’m actually under 800 at this point... if I get people to take my discard pile, which I’ve been swearing I’d promote for weeks now, and haven’t. That requires opening older boxes and I’m dreading the added mess!

I would prioritize things that are not currently boxed or alternate tasks between decluttering the unpacked and packed stuff. It will be stressful enough to get things you actively use packed. If you can get through that, then you'll be really ready to dump books more ruthlessly. Or, unpack one box of books and fill it with some other type of thing you need to declutter so that you don't fall completely behind on one kind of task or another.

It's not that you probably don't have things in boxes that need a purge, but if you are already in a smaller house with little storage, you probably aren't keeping lots of extras, books being the exception. One caveat--in houses where creative storage is required, sometimes things like those corner cupboards get cluttered with things we don't remember just because they are so hard to manage. I would make it a goal to vacate those areas for the duration by redistributing those items to either packed boxes or empty shelves where you've removed redundant items (as long as it's not cluttered when you do that). Then there are no last minute purge sessions for things you forgot were stashed.

7 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

My guess, and yes, it’s just a guess, is that at least 50% of the stuff in there (in the back) is needed at least once a month or more. My issue is that the kids make a mess of it, so it’s a pain to get to things. But anything I can get rid of needs to go.

For the most part(there are exceptions, of course), it’s not as much about junk as it is about having normal stuff and abnormally small space.

Like, my crockpot, instapot, and air fryer live upstairs in my office area because of space! As does any not-every-day food!

If you can, systematically eat down your extra food (keeping in mind possibly needing to Covid quarantine or any other contingencies likely for your area) and plan on getting fewer groceries more often. It might cost a little more to not stock up on sales, but it will save you on space and storage and probably help you come out ahead. I would also try to use up cleaning supplies, toiletry items, etc. 

If you can get rid of some of your everyday redundant items, you might have a little room left in your cupboards for the most essential once a month items.

5 hours ago, Carrie12345 said:

Definitely still weighing all the pros and cons. We’re frustrated because they seem to balance, lol. 

Making do is the mindset I need to get into. Like, I should be able to make do without a crock pot since I can technically slow cook in the instapot, right? I haven’t actually convinced myself to do that, but I recognize the need.

Yes, I would remove redundancy as my very first strategy. Towels, linens, furniture, decor, all of it. I would also pack up things that are bulky but not used often. In our house, that was stuff like canning supplies. Too $$$ to replace, but we didn't need any of it during our transition. 

Put questionable stuff together in one part of the house. If you know you want it if you have space, but know you don't want it if you have to pay to store it, it could have a designated area where it goes. As the deadline approaches, and you know what room and items you have left, that entire pile could go all at once if it had to. It's pre-decided. I would not use this liberally because it could be a trap, but I work better with backup options even if I choose not to use them. It's one less "what if" plate spinning in my head, which makes the decisions easier.

4 hours ago, prairiewindmomma said:

You need stuff to wear and stuff to make simple meals with and stuff to clean and make repairs with. Pretty much everything else can be packed. 

Act like you're going on month-long vacation to a furnished condo, but are for sure cooking your own meals and doing laundry--what do you want with you then? Store it neatly in your living space. What don't you want to have to deal with? Toss it, pack it, or put it in the pre-decided "If we have room pile."

[Carrie12345]

2 hours ago, fraidycat said:

Now, pack down to the bare bones in your kitchen. 1 plate, bowl, glass, spoon, fork per person. Simple cooking utensils for super simple meals. 3 containers for leftovers. Pack the rest.

Definitely not ready for that level yet. We’re looking at +/-5 months total. If I can limit time spent on dishes for 2ish of those months, I’m gonna!
But I did tackle the dang cabinet. 4 things to get rid of, 4 things to pack. It’s something!

[Shoeless]

Watch an episode of Hoarders, and you will suddenly want to get rid of everything!

[importswim]

13 hours ago, MissLemon said:

Watch an episode of Hoarders, and you will suddenly want to get rid of everything!

This was going to be my suggestion, lol!!!

I also like Hot Mess House on HGTV (I watch on Hulu with Live TV), and a lot of minimalist shows. 

I also really like setting a timer for decluttering and then I can work past it if I want but I know there's an end to it if I'm feeling that I don't really want to continue.

I'm glad you did the cabinet!