Moving and decluttering

[willowstar]

I am useless at it. In about 3 weeks we are going to move into a house that is much much smaller than our current home. It is only temporary for about 8 months until we buy somewhere but either way, our new place will be smaller than what we have now. So...I have to get rid of stuff...and I am rubbish at it. Anybody got any hints or tips? My house is stuffed to the rafters, literally, we have storage space in there too, and I have to cull about half I reckon. It doesn't help that my OH is also equally rubbish at it insisting that if there is any chance whatsoever of us wanting an item again in the future then we can't get rid of it. I am thinking of doing a car boot sale but on the other hand as soon as I fill a bag of stuff I want to get it out of here before I change my mind! HELP ME!!!

[lynda66]

when i moved i packed everything ..... had boxes of stuff that are every day things, then stuff that was not used very often, then boxes of stuff that i might need .... when i actually moved in, i kept out the must have boxes, put the not used often boxes in 2 cupboards, and stuck the rest of the stuff in the loft ........ then 18 months later, anything that hadn't been used was either sold on ebay, or put on freecycle or taken to the charity shop...... if i hadn't used it in that time, then i wasn't going to use it.

the only exceptions were stuff like spare kettles, plates toaster shelf units that i have replaced, etc, which i have left in the loft, as my son is off to uni in september, and will need stuff like this, i have also saved other furniture up there, for when he gets his first home ........ he will be able to completely furnish it from stuff in the loft, then do like i have and replace stuff bit by bit, then put it on freecycle or sell it. or take it to the charity shop.

either that or put all the stuff you need in one room, and have an open sale of the rest of it, where people come to the house and buy everything (i seen it on the telly)

or do a car boot ....... mind you, i have collected loads more stuff i might need now .... so i may have to move just so i can have another clear out

[lottie dolly]

1st,any memory items,are a must keep,2nd,the baisics of furniture that you know will fit into your new space,3rd,linnen,clothes,knick knacks,any childrens toys,garden related stuff,
when you get your final home,maybe there will be possible attic space,in the mean time,is there any one who will give your surplus posesions a holiday from you until you need them,tis a horrible thing ,making choices,try putting some [unwanted ]stuff in a garage out of sight,and see if you REALLY miss it,or would it be cheaperer to get rid and buy new,than pay for room in van ext,BEST OF LUCK.

[piskieinboots]

ah now see I not only have a PhD in waffle I also majored in 'Chucking out Rubbish' - Snowdrop was a squirrel, he has now learnt - the hard way

If you haven't worn it for 12 months (max!!) - chuck it out
If you haven't used it for 18 months (max!!) - chuck it out

For chuck it out read:
charity shops
car boot
freecycle
friends
yard sale

[lynda66]

and wot they ^^^ said, cos i'm rubbish at decluttering *thinks she'll invite piskie for a weekend*

[piskieinboots]

*thinks she'll invite piskie for a weekend*

*packs very small bag

[smallblueplanet]

You've got to be disciplined about it and just keep the really useful and the really personal - everything else could be replaced if necessary.

That's it really, be disciplined.


FWIW I think clutter is bad for the soul and makes ALL your possessions look like junk!

[Mikey]

ah now see I not only have a PhD in waffle I also majored in 'Chucking out Rubbish' - Snowdrop was a squirrel, he has now learnt - the hard way

If you haven't worn it for 12 months (max!!) - chuck it out
If you haven't used it for 18 months (max!!) - chuck it out

Now my OH has this theory too, what I wear that she doesn't like she hides for 12 months, and then feels justified in trying to throw it out!!, I still have a t-shirt that I have worn for the past 17 years, its only used these days for diy and gardening, but there is nothing quite like a t-shirt that is so thin it feels like a second very loose skin.

[Mikey]

The best response I could give is you offer the OH to declutter your stuff and you do likewise. Then you swop over and have to justify to each other the reason for something staying. You then only have a set number of things that can remain from the 'to lose section', and only enough that can fit into a single box.

Its a lot easier being ruthless with other peoples possessions.

[di]

ah now see I not only have a PhD in waffle I also majored in 'Chucking out Rubbish' - Snowdrop was a squirrel, he has now learnt - the hard way

If you haven't worn it for 12 months (max!!) - chuck it out
If you haven't used it for 18 months (max!!) - chuck it out[/I]

My wardrobe is full of "fat"clothes,"not so fat" & "nearly thin"clothes!!
I made the mistake once of throwing out all my "fat" clothes thinking it would be a good incentive to not get that big again~couple of years later I had nothing to wear!!
I'm now in the "nearly thin"clothes that I'd not worn for about 6yrs(since 1st pregnancy),but there's no way I dare throw out the "fat" ones~I like my chocolate too much!!
As far as offering advice on the de~cluttering I'll leave that up to someone else!!We moved just over 6 months ago to a slightly bigger house & have already succeeded in filling every bit of new space!

[armadillo]

I really relate to that - I'm a complete tataholic, and still have boxes of stuff in the garage from when I moved here 2 1/2 years ago. Problem is, when I go through them ,I'm always happily surprised at the rediscovery of all these things that I like, and even find stuff that I can actually make use of, so I just haven't been able to get rid of much yet.
I suppose I just need to think in terms of 'I'm getting on with life perfectly happily without this stuff, so it can go even if I still like the look of it. The world is full of stuff that I like the look of - what am I going to do -acquire it all and buy a small country to keep it in?'
Good luck!

[lynda66]

FWIW I think clutter is bad for the soul and makes ALL your possessions look like junk!

but but ...... they aren't junk, they are just ermmmmm stuff

[lynda66]

*packs very small bag

*makes up spare bed, and hides everything underneath it

[di]

*makes up spare bed, and hides everything underneath it

Worst thing I ever did was accept one of those beds that haven't got an underneath of my parents!!(are they divans?)Where am I supposed to put my tidying?!

[HeyWayne]

I'm with piskie and sbp on this - I'm quite ruthless when it comes to chucking* stuff out. LadyWayne used to be better than me, but over the years I've got fed up of stuff "getting in the way". The world's a small enough place as it is without taking up more room unnecessarily.

If it hasn't been used/worn recently by you - let someone else.

I know the film FightClub (and the book up[on which it is based) isn't everyone's taste, but it's got some great lines...

"You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you're satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you've got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you're trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you"

*again, see piskies definition of the word