don't I wish! Good luck I hope you get it done.

Thanks. I really am normal as far as stuff, but us normal people have an attic and overstuffed kitchen cabs. I keep donating to a sober living place but I have a lot of china that my DH does not appreciate.

God Bless all those in GB

do it one room at the time! First, everything out in the open that bugs you. Then move to cabinets and closets. Slow and steady gets the job done.

I will never get to much "crap" again... since I cleaned out my mothers condo. Yikes, it was a HUGE mess. She just did not let anyone in for a few years.

it was totally horrible to get to the cleaned out stage.

I was just reading on another forum where someone was asking a similar question. someone suggested getting boxes and start decluttering things into boxes. Keep them a few weeks and see if you can do without them. If all is ok, get rid of it. I usually start in one room with a drawer at a time and a big black contractor bag. I throw away what doesn't need to be kept, put donations in a box, and things I'm undecided in a pile to look at again. When I'm finished with that room, I sort through my 'undecided' pile and decide whether it's worth keeping or not. Usually it's not, so it goes into the donate box. Pretty much the same with closets.

I need to do that. I hate anything sitting around , as much crap as we have our home is kinda spare.......I am gonna do it......We are "middle aged", have only one "kid" living wiht us and he is super spare in his stuff. I grew up in a huge house with lots of antiques so this is weird for me. We still have a pretty big house but broken up and not what i grew up with

I had a big help with that the flood! Even the stuff I wanted was gone. But we moved past it and living with less is OK. Going through the process I went room by room when possible, have a donation box and a big trash can, sort accordingly. I ended up donating a lot of stuff that was perfectly fine but if I had not used it in a year or so it went. I had multiple of some things, they went. My house is so much more organized now and easier to keep up. I have my sewing and craft room still to finish and my husband's garage has not been done that is high on the get done list because we have stuff in the sunroom that should be in the garage.

If you take it a little at a time it's not as overwhelming.

A post on the other site recommended this. I don't always 'do' books on this sort of thing, but this one looked pretty humorous.

https://www.amazon.com/Clutters-Last-Stand-Time-junk/dp/1593373295/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1490191775&sr=1-1&keywords=clutter%2527s+last+stand

And one gal said she kept a medium sized cardboard box in a guest bedroom so she could throw things in it when she ran across them for donations. She threw a towel over it so she wouldn't look in and change her mind. When the box was full she took it to the donation drop off, then treated herself to a Starbucks latte. That's one way.

Another suggested just watching one episode of 'Hoaders' and that would cure you. Yeah, I guess, but I can't stomach that.

I just find it hard to get rid of stuff I'm sentimental about but my kids don't want it either. Someone suggested taking a photo of it and then donating it. You still have the photo. I can do that.

Read the KonMari book, and then go to town. By the time our house is on the market (70 days from today!!!), we will have gotten rid of over 75% of our "stuff." Why? Because we don't NEED it.

I'm already stressing about having to clean out my dad's house when he dies, because it's just full of JUNK. He says he's not a hoarder, but every closet/drawer/cabinet is FULL of stuff. Stuff that NOBODY WANTS and NOBODY NEEDS.

Do your kids a favor and DO NOT "collect" stuff and DO NOT expect them to want any of your stuff.

I just finished going through my kitchen cupboards and China cabinet. The nicer items that I just didn't need anymore I donated to "Paws Resale Store". then the rest I saved for my garage sale this summer. Still have plenty left but feels so good to have a little extra room in cupboard . :)

We donate to a thrift store that picks up donations every couple of months. That keeps me looking for things to give and helps with decluttering.

The bigger the space, the more we accumulate because we have the room to do so.

When I was single, in my studio apartment, I did not have the space for extras. Now, with a house, all the storage areas are filled!

The biggest problem for me is the things that you use, just only once a year. I have a whole large plastic tub filled with kitchen gadgets in my basement.

Not everything should have value. I need to get rid of quite a few winter coats. Just because they were expensive, doesn't mean I should married to them for life.

I also painted inside of cupboards then arranged everything differently. Assorted goblets I had way up on the top were put on bottom and if I don't use them They are going too and some I have started using!

I second reading the KonMari book. My room was usually a mess growing up and I'd clean it and it would just get messy again shortly after. I could never find anything when it was clean either. Haha Once my mom was getting after me about my room and asked how I found anything in there. I told her ask me where something is. She did and I grabbed it right away. Right here! lol :)

Even as an adult things were better but still cluttered. Nothing stayed clean/organized/tidy for long. After reading her book any area I, as I say MariKondo'd, stays clean with minimal upkeep. I don't know what it is about that book but it worked!

I didn't do it exactly as she said in the book. I did start with clothing though. She said to start with clothes because people have less attachment to them. Well that was the thing I was probably most attached to. I'm not a clothes person in that I love clothes and need new ones all the time. For me it was more about the memories they brought back. But I did it and feel so much better with less clutter! :) I try and declutter in chunks. Either a room or cabinets. Although I can see why she says to do it in categories. I feel it's better to grab all of one thing and sort it all at once. If you don't you may come across something later and be more tempted to keep it.

If you have any questions about it let me know. Seriously I look for any excuse to talk about this book :)

I've been putting off de-cluttering the garage for years. Every summer I say, "this is the summer I'll clean out the garage". Never do it.

We moved in 2001. I'm too tight to pay to move (or *store*) things. I still have unused cabinets in my kitchen. I haven't read the book referenced here, but suspect it reminds you of how pleasant it is to live in ordered space -- and how easy it is to keep uncluttered space clean.

My house is in order. (My kitchen sink is clean. LOL) I do have formal china, crystal and silver filling a large lower cabinet in the kitchen, but I don't need the space, and it's out of sight. There are a few things in the attic that could also go, but attempts at sorting have made me ill. The next generation can easily sort.

DH and I each have a walk-in closet. The combined contents of each would not fill just one, but when we built we had to think about potential buyers' desires. We could also live in much smaller space, and we will eventually. For now, we enjoy our 2900 sq ft house -- and are able to live in one-third that space for three months in winter.

OklaMoni -- Did I miss an update on your mother's situation? Last I knew you and your in-Germany sister were working on your mother's condo, but not sure if she could return to live there.

Move a few times. The more you move that stuff around and pack it up, the less you will want it. My grandparents were major hoarders. They were so extremely poor that apparently the Depression didn't really seem all that different to them. They kept everything because it could be reused or upcycled. You never know when you might need it. That type of learning gets passed down. It's not all bad, there is a lot of creativity that goes with it. I've learned if you get too much, you don't have it because you can't find it or it gets ruined.

I do best working in segments. I keep the downstairs clean to a dull roar and deep clean every once in a while. I had a good day of cleaning yesterday. I went through and broke down some of the accumulations. For instance, I normally throw away junk mail as it comes in the house. Dh has taken over the mail, and well... there it was. I moved my plants back outside for summer so now you can see the countertops again. I pulled some dated food. The kitchen was a happier place this morning.

I'd suggest picking a number between five and ten depending on your available time lifestyle and make a goal to deal with 1-10 things daily. Thes 1-10 things need to be either put into use, put into a donation box, or thrown away. I allow myself a little leeway on this, but some things like pictures and decorations either fit the house you live in or they don't. If they don't, then maybe it's time for someone else to love them.

I think some people get caught in the 'it cost money trap'. It did, but the money is now spent. What is the reality of you reselling it and regaining the money? If someone is having a garage sale and is willing to put your junk in there and sell it for you at pennies on the dollar, then yes, do it. Otherwise, don't waste your time.

Owning less things means less to clean around. The cleaning you do have to do takes less time and is more productive.

You can also watch Marie Kondo's (inventor of the Konmari method) videos on YouTube. I watched a 30 min video of her cleaning out a small apartment and it motivated me to attack the project in the same manner. If it "no longer brings you joy" donate it. It's so freeing to get rid of things you no longer need or want. She even shows you methods for folding that use less space. I fold my sons shirts in thirds now and put them in his drawer like I'm filing papers. It uses half the space and he can see every shirt. Not just the ones on top.

I have a local charity that I love so no guilt!

Lily Spider I actually don't mind folding clothes now because of Marie Kondo. I love the way it looks so much that I don't mind taking the small amount of time if takes to do it. :) My dresser is no longer full. After all the donating and folding I have plenty of space in my closet and dresser :)

"The next generation can easily sort."

That's the most selfish thing...

.

I thought cleaning out my Dad's house would be awful, because it was a large house and they had lots of stuff. Actually, it was pretty easy. I didn't have any attachment to the stuff, so it was simply a matter of sorting between "trash" and "good enough to donate." I sometimes think I'd rather have a disinterested third party come in and do my house!

Having moved a couple of times,and more often than not into smaller places,now I am in a huge place with room for all of my treasured items

However,I have concluded that when I pass on,my son certainly will not keep all that I have collected..so,I tend to be a tad ruthless and toss to the thrift shop,or a yard sale online site or give away anything that I feel is no longer "needed" by us.

The old saying,a place for everything & everything in its'place is a good adage to live by,IMO.

While packing for the move I have sifted through so much. Trash pile, donate pile, requested pile, and sell pile. I always feel good after decluttering. Emotionally that is! LOL But the body is always in pain.

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Chloe did you read the actual post, or did you just pick one sentence and pounce? In either case, your comment was harsh and uncalled for. It's very nice that so many people are thinking of their children and children in law who will need to clean up when poster breaks up housekeeping, but keeping the things that you want and not doing things that are beyond your capacity do not make a person selfish. Good grief.

I donated 6 bags to Amvets the other day. It was so nice to clean out my closets. I also cleaned out the garage the other day and sold some exercise equipment that was out there that no one ever used. I cleaned out a kitchen cabinet the other day (one of those cabinets that are out of reach) and now have a pile of candles on my counter that I need to find a better place to store them.

Yes, sylviatexas1, of course I read the whole post. But expecting one's children/survivors to "take care" of one's stuff in the midst of their (assumed) grief is just plain mean and presumptuous!

Expecting your loved ones to clean up their stuff for your convenience once they die is mean and presumptuous.

Moving a couple of years ago after living in the same house for over 20 years sure helped us de-clutter. Our last 2 kids left the nest about 8 years ago, that was some good de-cluttering time then and then about a year before we moved we had new flooring put down throughout the house, what a job, I mean you have to move everything out of each room, a great time to toss stuff, so I thought when we moved we had very little to take because we had gotten rid of so much stuff. I was wrong, but I had a plan. When we moved I allotted each room 6 totes and that was it, if it didn't fit in six totes it didn't go. It worked out great because our bathroom didn't have six totes worth of stuff anyway, only 4 so I could use the extra 2 in another room if I needed to. It all worked out and we got de-cluttered and we have stay uncluttered in the new house. So far. Believe it or not we still have things in our house that belong to our kids. About 3 totes worth of stuff, but it sits nice and neat in the garage for now.

Chloecat -- I hear you. Cleaning out your parents' home is a melancholy task, regardless. However, there will never be 'nothing'.

I think you are picturing a cram-packed, low-ceiling attic with stuff thrown in it, helter-skelter. Our attic is full height and well lighted. Most things are packed as they were when we moved, with an 'aisle' down the middle -- nothing 'stacked'. I estimate DS and a male friend could carry everything downstairs in two hours.

I have 'raided the attic' now and then when I can find a use for something -- most recently a room-size wool oriental that 'worked' after I redecorated a bedroom.

DS and DIL do like 'old fashioned' things. Their current home is too small for more right now. They would make short work of the kitchen cabinet with formal ware and the attic contents. This is very little compared to the rest of the house.

I court an asthma attack and sinus infection being in the attic with the insulation and dust and sorting though dusty things.

sylviatexas1 - you win. You clearly have a problem with me, so just ignore all my posts from now on. OK? Get off my back - I've done nothing to you.

In honor of this thread, I made myself go upstairs and repackage all of the donation stuff I've gathered so I can actually carry it to my car. I have two small boxes of books, a box of Christmas stuff and a box of miscellaneous. Only took me about 15 minutes, but that's all the available time I had to do something anyway. Ds even came home and noticed.

Do your kids a favor and DO NOT "collect" stuff and DO NOT expect them to want any of your stuff.

OMG, i so agree!!! we had to clean out my mom's and she saved every card that was given to her for years!! such a nice sentiment but what to do with them? we recycled the ones from all the people we didn't care about and my sister's and i kept our own cards that we gave to her. i know in time i will get rid of mine b/c really what am i going to do with them, but they make me feel closer to her :) ...

i was cleaning out my closet and found my wedding cards! looked at them, had them for 28 years and did nothing with them, will do nothing with them, recycled them!!

i refuse to leave STUFF for my kids to deal with!! not that we plan to go anywhere anytime soon, but u never know!!!! So, onward with the de-cluttering!!

I think my post might have been misunderstood. I don't hoard. I do have a lot of stuff that is stored neatly, as well as an attic that has a lot of bins that are cataloged. My house is clean and clutter free....but I still have too much, don't we all? I guess I was asking how do we get down to the minimum or do we need to if we have "stuff" but most people would say our home is pristine and we just like lots of dishes/decor that we store?

I used to move every 8-12 months, for the first ten years of my life out of my parents' house. Sometimes just from apartment to apartment, but a couple of times overseas and back - where you're charged for every pound of "stuff" you move.

We are currently getting our house ready to list, and I'm currently packing only the "stuff" I want to keep. I have a shoebox full of stuff from my bedroom - that's IT. (Clothes and shoes are not "stuff" IMHO, plus I've KonMari'd my clothing/shoes so there aren't that many to begin with). I cleaned out the guest room yesterday and sold three items of furniture on my local FB BST site (within 30 minutes!!!). One of the things I sold was a cabinet made by my great-grandfather, for my mother. She was an only child, I'm an only child, I have an only child - and NOBODY WANTS this stuff. NOBODY. I made a few bucks, and some woman in a nearby neighborhood is thrilled.

We will be going from 2,000sf plus a 1,000sf basement into a 900sf apartment. If that's not incentive to get rid of crap, I don't know what is.

As for all the "stored stuff" - what are you storing it for? Why doesn't it get used? I have my mother's china and her china cabinet and I don't want it - she rarely used it; I never have - she told me not to get rid of it while she was still alive, but why did she give it to me KNOWING that it wasn't wanted?

One of the things addressed in Marie Kondo's book is sentimental value of "stuff." People don't get rid of Item A because it was given to them by Dead Person B or Living Person C. She says the person's love for you is not tied to that object.

People have a hard time letting go of "things." I don't.

Anybody want a full service for 8 of Flintridge Bell Mere Coupe china? Pristine condition. Nope. Nobody wants that stuff anymore.

We, as a society, are suffering under the weight of the mid-80s consumerism phase. Buy more more more more MORE!

imstillchloecat I agree but I also see how it can be hard to let things go. Some people are afraid if they let go of something they are letting go of that person or may forget the memory that item is attached to. It took a lot of crappy things happening in a short period of time and the KonMari book to help me snap out of it.

Losing a bunch of loved ones in a short time can help you to realize how silly "stuff" and getting worked up over material things is. It just takes some people longer than others to figure that out. I hardly buy "things" anymore. I don't need it and I'm just sick of looking at useless things.

I do use the stored stuff. True, I doubt our guests care that it is different china then the last time they came to dinner but I am passionate about it. That is why I catalog what I store so I can get it out. I just recently started feeling like maybe I need to let some more go since entertaining is less formal.

My MIL is going thru some of these issues now, but seems emotionally unable to cope, so I'm sure I'll be throwing away scads of stuff when the time comes to move her to some type assisted living arrangement.

Either her daughter, when she visits or I try to help her tackle 1 storage area every so often, but she is simply unable to. For example, during her daughter's last visit, they attempted to sort out and dispose of items in a very small cedar chest like piece. They took everything out, and then reviewed each item to see if it could be donated, thrown away, or needed to be saved for a family member. In the end, no family member wanted anything in the chest, there was nothing of value to donate, and she could not throw away 1 single item. A very typical example would be that she can't seem to grasp that the rocks she and her late husband picked up on some walk in Nevada 30 years ago mean nothing to any of her children. The grown children were not in Nevada with them on this walk, yet she is sure they'll want them.

If she died, or totally could not make any cognizant decisions by the time she moves, it will be easy. Most everything will be donated/thrown away. But if she chooses to move into an apartment....

I'm sympathetic to all of you who might be struggling with similar situations.

Konmaried DHs t shirts!! Now he can see what he has.

This is an ongoing problem with me. It took me and my kids a weekend to move my mother out of her small ranch house and into an assisted living. It will take my kids a year!!!Let just say I don't have my mother's gene for spare. Preface by saying all kitchen cupboards are "housecleaned" every year and anything plastic is thrown out. Also my dresser drawers are immaculate and cleaned out regularly. In fact I'm heading upstairs now with a box to gather some more clothes to take to our thrift shop today. My attic is realitevly spare, it's the rest of the house. I was not an alcoholic, I was an an antique- acholic and went to auctions every week for 40 years plus attended six or more antique shows every year. And I usually bought. I've sold some over the years but I'd seriously like to get rid of half because my kids have no interest in any of it. I've paid a lot of money for many things and will not do yard sales, Craigs list or even auctions. My plan is to contact dealers who specialize in my "country' antiques, preferably dealers in big cities. I can email pictures of my stuff and see the responses. I don't want middle men. >>>PS. I need to read that book. I have a gazillion tee shirts and turtle necks which have to be pawed thru to get what I want.

Start now as they are huge jobs if you are a collector, hoard things, got to have things and way too many things and dust bunny collector things. Yes, get boxes, bins and start putting throw away junk stuff, donation and find somewhere good to donate as then its easier to let go then, (I decided on women in need) and so I was happy to let them have what I had each time I cleaned out my things. Its a huge job, I moved from house to condo to retirmenent home and still got a storage unit full of things and its a work that feels like never will get done. I got rid of tons of things and trying to figure out still what to keep and put into room in retirement home to getting rid of, donating and at times its hard to know what to do with some things. But yes, do bins and boxes and put donations, give aways, if you have kids and they want into kids boxes with names, grandkids and names on them, friends if they always wanted something of yours. Clothes put those in a box and have I ever worn, how many times, do I really want them? NO, won't wear, no reason to have those anymore. Shoes, same thing do and purses and coats,etc. go through it all room by room, cupboard by cupboard and closet by closet, basement and attic and garage and even car as some of us put stuff in those too. And look even at furniture, lamps, etc. do I use those, can I downsize to even smaller amount? And keep getting rid of and don't bring anything in your place unless you get rid of lots in return. Hobbies do I really do them anymore, will I really do all that? And what about sheds if you have tools,etc. are they being used anymore? Will they be needed? Get rid of those too. Really look at everything very critical I found and its hard I know as I am still doing it.

A friend posted this link on FB, and I found it timely in light of these discussions.

http://www.nextavenue.org/nobody-wants-parents-stuff/

Thanks, Chloe. I got a lot out of this article and saved it and posted it on FB. I know my generation early boomer is the last one interested in antiques. Who knows, maybe if I was a millennial I would go in a different direction. After 40 years of auctions and shows, I quit cold turkey but have heard from friends the shows are attended by the older generations. Young people don't want this stuff including my own. However I don't have factory made antiques produced in quantity. My love was folk art, one of a kind stuff, and I see in magazines kids today incorporate "primitives" in their modern decor.