I already did it! But I need to get rid of much much more. I purged my kitchen and extra shoes and lots of bedding. I donated it all for our garden club sale. Anything left from the sale was donated to local charities.

I am trying to keep it going. I am going to be doing my closets and my sewing room, I have boxes and boxes of fabric. I have been giving some to my neighbor that I gave one of my computer sewing machines to. She is so happy with it. She is the one that helps me with my garden so it works out for us.

It's amazing how fast things disappear when you put them out by the curb with a FREE sign, of course no big messy piles, just one or two things.

What is really awesome is I now actually have empty space in some of my kitchen cabinets! And I don't miss a thing. That's my goal for all of my closets. Now if only I could get my husband to do the garage so we could actually get in there and find things. My real desire is for him to sell some of the Harleys! I could get some really nice things with that money. He is wanting a new bigger truck I am saying sell the Harleys buy the truck! Makes sense to me.

Good luck on your quest. I just decided to start one weekend, it was yucky weather so we were staying in and I said get up and get at it! We felt so great when we were done, it was a big accomplishment.

I don't think I have that much to purge, but I could certainly cheer you on from the sidelines, participate in your progress ;)

I keep a Goodwill box in the garage, have a few things in it now. Where I could do some work is closets - when we moved two years ago I thought I was only packing things we were wearing and needed or wanted, but there is stuff on hangers that hasn't been touched in 24 months so I think that's a clue someone else could make better use...

Notice we did move households in the not too distant past. I thought I'd been pretty tough then, not wanting to pack, unpack anything not important or that was not adding something positive to our lives. In the process of moving, I've done the every kitchen pantry/shelf, every bathroom drawer, cupboards in the basement - pretty much personally handled and inventoried everything we own....

DH even got into the spirit and let go of some things, he has stronger 'saving' instincts than I do to begin with ;)

But start your project please, I'll bet in keeping track I could find some ideas for organizing even more efficiently.

I am still downsizing my stuff, but would enjoy seeing what you have to offer. Any one with extra fabric might contact your local Lutheran Churches as they do many quilts to donate to both local people and those overseas. Other churches may do the same. Domestic Violence groups are always looking for unused cosmetics, lotions etc and just about anything else. If you are near a base , the temporary housing units are looking for things too, even furniture and household goods. Just a thought

Here, United Council of Churches keeps a joint effort clothes bank. Recipients are not charged for clothing, its based on need. They accept clean bedding too and serviceable cookware. Any time I've dropped things off the items have been received with complete gratitude. The volunteers there tell me they never have too many: mens work clothes and warm jackets, childrens shoes, cloth diapers.

I would also be happy to cheer you on because I've been there and done that.

It is an "on-going" process for me. I keep putting 'stuff' into a garage sale or donate area of our garage. THINKING about a move is an incentive.

I'm doing it now for an impending move. I am so grateful for Goodwill, especially the fact that they are open both weekend days! I've made countless runs.

I am in the same position as you - too much stuff! I have one room I am so ashamed to let anyone see. Everytime I walk in there I feel so overwhelmed. I like your idea of 15 items a week - that doesn't seem too hard to do. I am up to the challenge. Maybe we can encourage each other and "meet up" at the end of each week and discuss what we have accomplished. If I feel I have to report in, it will put the needed pressure on me to get going on this.

Not to make excuses but Mom passed three years ago and I inherited many of her things - alot of which I gave away within the first year. By the second year, though, I had run out of steam and figured I'd deal with it "tomorrow", but tomorrow has turned into two years without getting it done.

I'll mark my calendar for May 4th and roll up my sleeves. We can do this!

I'll take your challenge! Will you remind us, when we start? I gladly post my weekly purges.

Moni

His is sort of like checking in at Weight Watchers

I am excited to get started. If I can get my husband on board the garage is good for a couple weeks. Is there anyone else??

O.K., count me in. Did to get rid of the clutter. Fifteen items a week sounds doable.

Oh, yeah - I HAVE to do this. There is so much of DH's "stuff" literally laying around on every horizontal surface. I can't stand the clutter anymore. I'm going cautiously, and just purging junk right now and organizing (it would be nice if ALL the hand tools were in one place, not some in the basement, some in both tool sheds, some in his office, etc.) I did throw out three huge garbage bags last week, and you can't even tell anything is gone :-(

It's a new day and I have been making a list of what I want to accomplish. I like to have a "plan" so I can see at the end of the day that I actually achieved something.

Some mentioned their husband's garage. That is whole other ball of wax. I can't even imagine getting him to part with anything out there in what I call the "black hole". He tells me he knows where everything is - that he can put his hand right on the object. I don't know how he does it but he does - not much incentive there for him to clean out stuff. When something breaks he puts it out there so he can use the workable spare parts. I guess it's a guy thing. I don't get it.

I am on a whole new kick of learning to make Barbie doll clothes for my granddaughter (truthfully, I am enjoying doing it for myself too). Anyway, I'd love to be able to actually set up my hobby room for just that - a hobby. Instead it being filled with all this other stuff.

I realize I am just rambling on about this, but for me, it helps to talk about it, keep it in front of me as a goal to reach, so hope you all don't mind if I use this board as part of my "therapy" in the weeks and months to come.

We've been working since last spring to move things out of the house. Our younger son mocked us the other day as I brought something out of the basement the other day with the thought of getting rid of it, and my husband decided yeah, maybe we should hold onto it, and put it in his office. "Is this getting rid of things or just moving things around?"

I'm in.

I have already done this....it is very rewarding!

I would like to try this. It sounds like a great incentive to keep going week after week. I am working on downsizing our house as well as my elderly father. Lots of choices of things to get rid of one way or another.

So should we start a post every Monday so we can list (not every little thing) our major accomplishments of the previous week?

Mine so far would be:
1 cat-astrophically destroyed (mostly geriatric kitty problems but some claws, too) upholstered loveseat - into the garbage and gone!
1 office cabinet - totally cleaned out! Including 18 boxes of playing cards (We never played cards so where the heck did they come from?)
1 office cabinet - totally cleaned out! Including 3 huge boxes of stationery/business cards/supplies meant for a dot matrix printer from 20+ years ago.

Wow maina, have you already started? Good for you, keep it up.

Yeah, I started early (couldn't sleep).

I have to tell you, I really couldn't fathom/remember:
A) where some of this stuff (I personally refer to it as a four letter word that starts with the same letter as Stuff and I'm convinced it multiplies like rabbits left unsupervised) came from and
B) why we dedicated valuable cabinet storage space to it.
But it's here and we did. The saga will continue :-)

We just loaded at least 15 items to take for our city's 'Green Cleanup' tomorrow. Can you believe I still had an old CRT monitor in my office closet? That thing is huge and I'm glad it's gone :-)

You guys are an inspiration. I love that some of you have actually listed what you are getting rid of. Helps me to see that I'm not the only one with duplicates of something I haven't used in years, or broken units that are just taking up valuable space. I know I have the tendency to say to myself, if one of something is great, a few more will be even better.

Several years ago an organizer on TV made the statement that the only criteria for keeping something is to ask yourself if you absolutely love the item or will use the item. If not, sell it or donate it.

I know one reason we-now me have so much stuff. I didn't know we had a box of replacement LED light bulbs for our Maglight flashlights, so I bought one the other day. Sure enough, I came across them when I cleaned out Office Cabinet #1. Luckily, I hadn't opened the one I bought so I took it back.

We could never find anything when we were looking for it, so it was faster and (in terms of price per manhour to hunt for it) sometimes cheaper to just go buy another one.

Maina, that is one of the reasons why I need to declutter. It seems like whenever I do some decluttering I find things I could use that I did not know I had as well as things to discard. I look forward to seeing all of the progress made by everyone.

Anybody willing to take before and after pictures of a particular area or room to show the improvement made after 3 months of hard work? If I know I'm not alone in posting such a picture I will certainly do it.

This is the last day I open my hobby room door, peer inside and then slowly shut it with no intent on doing a thing about cleaning it up. Happy decluttering!

Darrah I really do not have any specific room to target as our STUFF :) is mostly all over the house in drawers, closets etc. I think it would be great if you would post your room but if you decide not to, you should at least take pictures so that you to enjoy your progress. Then when you are finished, if you did not post them at the beginning you might decide to do it at the end. Good luck on your project.

We're in with a head start today -- cedar closet in the attic is completly empty and lots of stuff loaded in the back of DH's car to drop off tomorrow. Only three items reincorporated in downstairs closets (we've been purging those recently). We will be moving in a few years and our goal is to have the attic completly empty by this fall. I also went through the load of stuff we pulled from my old car last month. Good maps and a few other things back in new car, change in the change box, umbrellas redistributed as needed and the rest tossed. All said lots more than 15 items on this round and -- est. 150, including apparel, linens, blankets, etc. I *might* do a bit more later this afternoon. I have a busy week next week with work and family rehearsal dinner and wedding o the weekend week, so purging will take a back seat, but I will still try to get in my 15 -- I'm thinking I can tackle our sock drawers!

I will join in too, I am really ready to get rid of stuff that has no use to me. I still have stuff in this house that belonged to my brothers and sisters growing up.

Good luck ladies, I have been doing some serious decluttering for a month already. Have lots more to do, so I will join the group also!

Another incentive for me to get rid of the "stuff" is because at my age, 69, I don't want to leave everything for my son and his wife to have to go thru once I can no longer do it or have died.

I have this vision of them coming back to the house at some point after my husband and I have gone on to our reward, and either looking in each room and feeling totally overwhelmed or looking in each room, and my son turning to his wife and saying "hey, the folks finally got rid of all the junk and just kept the good stuff. Glad they made it easier for us to empty the house before putting it on the market."

Can you folks forgive me? I want to bump these up so I can join in. Maybe there are some other Slow-Sisters who would like to jump in late?

I can use the motivation, too.

I do use a free App, TalleyThings, to count items I have decluttered (re-homed, donated, or trashed) through the FLY Lady program. I'm up to #236 since Jan. 1

This will be easy for me now that two of three kids have moved out. I have been purging, decluttering, and organizing for about 13 months. Not non stop Or I'd actually be on top of the stuff already. I'm asking myself when I'm purging, Will I ever use this again? do I need more than one or two of this item? If I get rid of it will I have to get a replacement within 18 months? Where can I put it- that is as close as possible to the place it's to be used. And if I'm stumped and not sure whether to keep something emotional, I'll ask myself if my family would enjoy it once I pass away. If I think they wouldn't care eitherway, it goes, because I'm not taking anything with me.
My biggest battle isn't letting go of stuff but what to do with the items. I live in the country, so no free on the curb drop off. I am on a few facebook "items for sale" sites, craigslist, Amazon and Ebay. That all takes time though, so things wait till I get to them. Most all the clothes go to a local charity but I just can't toss perfectly good items. Old, well used, dysfunctional item, yes those go into the trash but the ficus tree is still in the basement with hopes someone will love it again one day.
Ok, that will be one of my 15 items out of the house this week. I'd like to do this with you too.

The more the better. I need motivation to keep this going so the more people posting and joining in is great.

So far today I've gathered up 11 items to go to a Thrift Store.