decluttering how do you do it?

25th

Posted by How To Get Organized, in how to declutter

hi all I have just had my house redecorated – it really needed it and I saved hard and now its lovely. however i now need to declutter and i cant do it.
I find it impossible to throw out nice stuff – even if its going to goodwill I feel I should hang on to it "just in case"
for instance i have over 40 pillowcases and 30 pairs of shoes and bags uncountable. please could you tell me the best way you found to get rid of stuff you no longer need. for instance i have a study full of books half of which i will read again – it would break my heart to give them away but with space needed – i have to be brutal. another for instance – i have lots of half used lipstick and makeup pencils should i just throw then away?
with two growing daughters (twins aged nearly 4) – i want to teach them how to be tidy and be able to get rid of stuff when they need to.
i suppose i am a hoarder at heart and i want to stop.
any ideas? thanks pals
sorry didnt mean to put this in to languages – yes i go to alot of garage sales over here we call them car boot sales – and i have double of everything – i have 4 pairs of half worn tennis shoes 4 black patent leather bags etc etc. i dont have loads of money and i wish i could declutter so i could see what i have and then buy to compliment what i have. we cant write stuff off on taxes here.one of the main questions i have is should i throw out 3 of the half used pairs of tennis shoes and all of the half used make-up – i have make-up going back 15 years – help. i tried that website and am getting hopeful and also less depairing that i am not alone thanks.

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4 Responses to “decluttering how do you do it?”

GrahamH
April 25th, 2010 at 10:24 am
I, too, am a terrible hoarder and find it impossible to throw things away even though in my heart of hearts I know I will never need them or use them again. One possible solution is to ask a *really* good friend to tidy up for you. Lock away anything you *know* you will need and leave out a bunch of bin bags and/or a skip, then just ask your friend to have a good clear up. Go out for the day while he/she does it, and just forget about it. Chances are that, when you get home, you won’t even miss most of the stuff that’s gone.
lost
April 25th, 2010 at 10:24 am
get a friend of yours and do this thing together
rockin' karima
April 25th, 2010 at 10:24 am
i’m so grateful you asked this question. its a problem i have, too, and i try hard to overcome it, but still struggle with it as much as ever. i googled it though and check out some of these great sites and what they offer:

Obsessive Compulsive Foundation:
has info about hoarding, book reviews, info for support groups
http://www.ocfoundation.org/hoarding/index.php

Oprah’s help for hoarders (she’s done several shows about hoarding which made me feel much less alone & realize I am dealing with an obsessive compulsive disorder and I need to patiently persevere at overcoming it). There’s a self-assessment test, tips for overcoming it, etc.:
http://www.oprah.com/article/oprahshow/home_hoarding_resources

Understanding OCD Hoarding (lots of good info at this site in a concise, quick to read format so may be a good place to start):
http://understanding_ocd.tripod.com/hoarding.html

Once you start getting it under control try FlyLady. She sends out daily emails with chores to be done so those of us who tend to get so disorganized can start getting in a helpful routine:
http://www.flylady.net
canadianclub
April 25th, 2010 at 10:24 am
lol, QUIT buying stuff at Garage Sales like I do!! Then you need to have your own garage sale to sell all the stuff you bought at garage sales…
I am a packrat too.. Murphy’s Law says the day after you throw something away you will need it and be po’d that you did.

One thing you could do is have someone build or buy you an Outdoor Storage Barn/Building (out of sight-out of mind?) and put it at the END of your property. If you have 5 Acres then you might think twice about buying something knowing you have to make that "trip" someday..

As far as the pillowcases go you could donate them to people in a Seniors/Retirement Center locally. They need schtuff to do and could cut them up and make something out of it. You could write that donation off on your taxes.

Shoes and (hand?)bags- Sell them on Craigslist.org-it is FREE to sell on there as opposed to ebay. You May get more for them there than having your own garage sale, but I get the feeling that you don’t need the money?? You could also donate the shoes and bags somewhere appropriate and write the book value off on your taxes. One trip-one place-Done.

Lol, if you have 30 pairs of shoes and your girls are only 4 then HIDE them in the building outside… You can have Christmas presents to give them or someone else for the next 10 years!!

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