Nestof3 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 We have been in the process of house renovation/repair -- nothing fancy, but 15 years ago my husband made the carport an extension of the house, but the walls and ceilings never matched. The plaster never set right on the addition wall, and the ceiling texturings were vastly different. Our carpet was also in desperate need of replacement, so we carpeted the living area, designed the office (which is really part of the L-shaped living area) to be its own room by building these little divider walls, and put laminate flooring in there. Moving everything from your living area into a POD reveals how much STUFF you really own. I decided we just had too much stuff -- too many books, too many educational things, too many games, too many toys, and so on. I know Jenniferslost can relate to what I am saying. Books: I purged three tall bookshelves worth of books Educational games/things: I purged half of these Games: I purged half of these Toys: This is the tricky one, most of the toys are Playmobil and Lego. We did box up the Lincoln Logs (8 sets plus a bonus one) that we are trying to sell. I also gathered up some of the crafty things that they never use anymore for the yard sale. My craft stuff is next on the list to purge. Our house slowly ended up being storage space for stuff instead of a home to actually live in. I feel like we spend so much time taking care of the stuff that we have no time to actually enjoy it. It's actually quite a sickening feeling. I had one yard sale a couple of weeks ago, earning $160, and I plan to have another when the weather warms a little. These are really just teacher yard sales as I freecycle almost everything else or donate to a thrift store. I've also sold many books on amazon and a few here. Can you share your purging tips? Can you inspire me to keep going? Do you have any revelations of this sort? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heather in Neverland Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 When we moved last year it was a real eye opener. We ended up getting rid of about half of what we own...literally. My new rule is this: if we haven't used it or worn it in the last year it is out of here! Each person in the family gets one rubbermaid bin to put "special" mementos and such that they want to keep and that's it. It forces us all to really evaluate what is truly important to us...what we really want to keep and what we are just "storing". Best of luck in your endeavor! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TeacherZee Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 When we moved last year it was a real eye opener. We ended up getting rid of about half of what we own...literally. My new rule is this: if we haven't used it or worn it in the last year it is out of here! Each person in the family gets one rubbermaid bin to put "special" mementos and such that they want to keep and that's it. It forces us all to really evaluate what is truly important to us...what we really want to keep and what we are just "storing". Best of luck in your endeavor! :iagree: I moved several times when I was in college and in the years afterwards. My rules when cleaning out were always: 1) Have I worn this in the last year? 2) Will I read this again? My big problem was always books and clothes. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 We have been slowly purging. Over the last couple of years I have sold a lot of things at my Mothers of Multiples yard sale, donated much more to the thrift shop I like, and dh has taken nearly 10 truckloads to the dump. We still have too much stuff, but it's better. A lot of our stuff comes from mil, who cleans her house out by sending it here. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Our house has what I would call a bare-minimum amount of storage. We have no coat-closet, no basement, no attic, no shed, not one extra closet, not even a laundry room. There is not even a closet in the master bedroom -- just an armoire that we put there. We do have a one-car garage, but we keep the car in there. We simply can't keep stuff. I like it this way. The lack of storage forces the issue. I'm sure it would be much harder to keep the stuff away if I had a big house in the suburbs with all those empty closets! I don't know if that's helpful. I suppose my point is that I sure don't miss the stuff. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KidsHappen Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 With a family of seven in the home, purging is an on-going task. I have two rules in my home regarding stuff. If it is in your room and it is your stuff, it is in a protected zone and I will leave it alone. All of my children are old enough to keep their stuff in their room and to be responsible for it. That means if something is missing, it is not my problem and I am not going to help them find it. However, if it is anywhere else in the house, it is fair game. Meaning if I have to clean it, organize it and in any other way deal with it then I am free to purge it. And I have two rules regarding this. The first is that I haven't used it in a year then I don't need it and it is out of here. This covers once a year items like holiday decorations and dishes and such. The second regards stuff that we need and use and I don't want to absorb the cost of replacing. These items are hidden away and not available for use the next time they are needed. Examples of this are shoes and coats not put away, movies and videos left out, toys, books, games and such left out. These are taken and put in a bin and can only be doled out by me. Other than that, I am very anti-clutter to begin with. Books, movies, games and such are purged regularly. I have two sets of dishes. One is for everyday use. The others are special and put in out of the way cabinets. These are just for me and I intend to use them when my children leave home and I don't have to worry about them breaking them. But somehow, tons of miscellaneous dishes appear in my kitchen. Cups from various places, plastic containers and what-ever. I try to find who they belong to and return them if I can but after awhile they are tossed. Various neighborhood childrens' clothing is tossed in a box and they are made to go through it occassionally and take their stuff home. All sports equipment is kept in the garage. Other than that, I have relatively little clutter. No knick-knacks, what-nots, or other decorative items. The big challange for me had become the small appliances on the kitchen counter. SIx month ago I had a toaster and a mixer. Now I have a toaster, mixer, coffee pot, espesso machine, grill, griddle and deep fryer. These were bought by my hubby and teens and are used every day. They make my counter looked cluttered and I hate them but I don't have the cabinet space to put them all away anyhow. I also have an issue with papers. My kids have reams of papers around it with drawing, and stories, and schoolwork and god only know what all else and we seem to have no good place to store it. I feel like I am drowning in papers. Well, and now I suddenly have dog toys, and bones, and beds and such everywhere but I guess there's not much to be done about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 A lot of our stuff comes from mil, who cleans her house out by sending it here. :lol: Hey, is my mom your mil??? :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 21, 2009 Author Share Posted February 21, 2009 I also have an issue with papers. My kids have reams of papers around it with drawing, and stories, and schoolwork and god only know what all else and we seem to have no good place to store it. I feel like I am drowning in papers. Well, and now I suddenly have dog toys, and bones, and beds and such everywhere but I guess there's not much to be done about that. I am in the same boat. I actually just had my nine year old, who draws about 15 pages a day, go through his stacks of papers on his bed. I told him to staple together his books (he starts all of these books -- recent ones: The Grinch Who Stole Christmas, an illustrated Beatrix Potter collection, Lord of the Rings, etc), and for all of the rest, he had to get rid of at least one page for every page he kept. I think he actually threw more into the recycling box than he kept. We organized and purged the stuff on his bed (he has a box with special stuff, a box of drawing stuff and a box of drawings) on his bed. I held the matress up while he vacuumed under it (he is on the top bunk), and his linens are in the dryer right now. In the meantime, I have thrown away all makeup I do not use on a daily basis, and washed all of my makeup brushes and the basket that holds it. I have thrown out their bathtub toys as well. I am now working on my scrapbooking supplies. Eek. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I started a major purge over a year and half ago. I made weekly trips to Goodwill (I had so much stuff in the house, I couldn't even find room to pile the stuff to get rid of so I had to keep emptying out). Worked well for about two months, then I got pregnant, had a baby (and a toddler). In the last couple of weeks I'm just getting back to it. I've saved all the kids clothes because I knew I would have more and since I didn't know gender or time of year, I saved everything so I'd be covered. While all three of my girls were born in different seasons, there still has been plenty I COULD have used but didn't. I have so much stuff stored, it's just easier to by more (I buy it all used from a Mothers of Multiples resale) than to dig out what I have. So know I'm just pitching everything. If I have more kids, fine, I can get more. I can outfit a newborn for a year for under $50 at the resale so I really don't need to store this stuff. So all kid things are being priced and sold (my sister and I work together on our combined piles and then split the profits - it's much easier than doing it alone). I don't clean everyday but on my assigned cleaning days, my goal is either to fill a garbage bag of stuff to throw out or fill a box to go to Goodwill, preferably both. When you do this several times a week it does add up. Thursday I worked my kids pretty hard, then had to pick up and put away everything under the furniture in the living room. With all the lightbright, legos, knex, rubber ponytail holders, etc it took us a couple of hours. Friday I "rewarded" them. We canceled regular classes and then spent the day invading the art/crafts/science cupboard. We have tons of kits that we just never get to. So they had a fun school day but I got to throw out lots of things from the cupboard because they have now done them. My cupboard is in much better shape. I have found that I am much happier and calmer when I don't have so much stuff around. If it's not here, the kids can't dump it out and make messes, if there are fewer messes, I'm not yelling at the kids to clean things up so I don't trip over them or the baby doesn't eat them. I also don't spend my time wondering where to put stuff, because everything is full. While I'm not there yet, my goal is to have homes for all my stuff (that's not in public viewing), if the stuff doesn't have an immediate permant home, I will either throw it away or make a home (by throwing something else away). This is my long term goal, at my current rate it will probably take a couple of years but as long as I keep working at it, that's what counts. I can see progress and that's what keeps me motivating to keep going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 Delete. How did this happen? BTW, I am really pushing towards moving JUST to have an opportunity to trim-trim-trim. I am married to a packrat, and I regularly get unpleasant surprizes....like a most garish and amateurish orange dragon print, large, that appeared in my son's room. Ugh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starr Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 [quote} I started a major purge over a year and half ago. I made weekly trips to Goodwill (I had so much stuff in the house, I couldn't even find room to pile the stuff to get rid of so I had to keep emptying out). Worked well for about two months, then I got pregnant, had a baby (and a toddler). In the last couple of weeks I'm just getting back to it. If I had known that was all it took to have another baby I would've started years ago! :lol: As it is I'll still get the satisfaction of a decluttered house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cjzimmer1 Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 If I had known that was all it took to have another baby I would've started years ago! :lol: As it is I'll still get the satisfaction of a decluttered house. Well sure, my husband always appreciates coming home to a clean house.:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valerie in Chicago Posted February 21, 2009 Share Posted February 21, 2009 I try to throw something away every single day. Junk mail does not count. Putting something into a charity bag does. I figure that if I'm reaching into a drawer to throw something out that there's likely an item next to it that can also go. And I also figure that this is upwards of 400 items per year. All without having to sit down and actually purge out an entire closet or dresser. I can too easily convince myself that there just isn't time for such a large project. One item. Every day. Much more manageable. HTH! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blueridge Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I started purging in earnest when we thought we were going to relocate...but, alas, the Lord had plans for us where we are! I was making huge, carload trips weekly to donate things to Goodwill, and it was so much fun and very liberating that I am still making donation trips every month. The handiest thing I do is to keep a fairly large box inside my closet. When I pull something from a hanger and just don't like it/it hasn't fit in 10 years/I can't believe I ever bought such an ugly outfit, it goes in that empty box. I might do a dresser drawer or a bathroom cabinet. As I go through my days, when I find a kitchen cabinet that needs tidying, I put the excess things in the box, too. When it's full, I take it to Goodwill and start all over with an empty box. My little house feels so much larger with some breathing room! It really feels nice to get rid of the *stuff* and only keep the things I love. Ginger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peela Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 What keeps me going in purging is the great feeling I get from having a neat and tidy cupboard, being able to see everything, clean surfaces etc. It just feels good to me, so I find purging rather addictive. I learned to do it with Flylady, who encourages 15 minutes a day of purging. I find it hard to stop at 15 minutes once I get started. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Move every few years and it will help! I had knee surgery 6 years ago and got rid of all my high heeled shoes and all my uncomfortable shoes. After a year or two, I could have added back some more uncomfy shoes, but I didn't. I now have less pairs of shoes than my husband! Purge those uncomfy shoes, you'll be glad you did! With recent food allergies, I've lost a lot of weight. Most of what I can eat now is pretty yucky. I got rid of everything that didn't fit except for a few favorite pants and shirts in sizes 1 and 2 larger than what I currently wear. Since I didn't want to buy a whole new wardrobe, I now have 3 winter pants and 3 summer pants and a few skirts. More of my shirts still fit, but I pared those down, too, getting rid of anything uncomfy or unflattering. It's actually nice to have just a few things that are comfy and flattering instead of a closet full of stuff that I wasn't trilled about. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msjones Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I try to throw something away every single day. Junk mail does not count. Putting something into a charity bag does. I figure that if I'm reaching into a drawer to throw something out that there's likely an item next to it that can also go. And I also figure that this is upwards of 400 items per year. All without having to sit down and actually purge out an entire closet or dresser. I can too easily convince myself that there just isn't time for such a large project. One item. Every day. Much more manageable. HTH! I love this idea! I'm starting today. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cathmom Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Hey, is my mom your mil??? :tongue_smilie: I doubt it, since my dh is an only child! :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest janainaz Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 Getting rid of stuff is a stress-reliever for me. Twice a year I go through and get rid of stuff. I feel so much better when I can open a drawer and open a closet and have room. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I get calls from Purple Heart, Houston Achievement Place, and a couple of others. They ask for a bag or a box on my front door. I always say "yes". Sometimes I will have a lot, sometimes a little, but I'm always getting rid of something. It's also very convenient for me because I don't have to load it up and take it anywhere (although I have done that, too). As I come across things that can be donated in this way (clothes, toys, home items, etc.) I put them in a box in my dining room, which is right by the front door. This makes it very handy to put things out for the charity group if I don't have time to look for things to donate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted February 22, 2009 Share Posted February 22, 2009 I am now working on my scrapbooking supplies. Eek. I'm getting rid of tons of this right now. I used to buy stuff just because it was cute and surely I'd use it someday. Some of that stuff I've had for years!! I have a friend who only buys things as she needs it. She'll actually take her pictures to the store and pick out things. In the long run, I think that's a much cheaper way to go! When I think of all the money I've wasted... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted February 22, 2009 Author Share Posted February 22, 2009 When I think of all the money I've wasted... I do have a box of things, but the problem is, I still love most of it. I have tons, but I had already weeded out the things that are not my style. I figure when I'm old and broke, I'll never have to buy anything but cardstock and adhesive. LOL I'm still trying to organize it all, but I will still have to get rid of some more before I am finished. Right now I'm thinking I can just go a year without buying anything except those irresistible dollar stamps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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