Laughablemoments, I hope you feel very proud of what you accomplished! It looks like you did in one day what would take most people weeks to accomplish! What results!!

I got one bag out the door today with the cleaners, they were happy to haul out a bag full of excellent condition hand-me-downs for their children.

Two more bags getting picked up tomorrow, full of old decor items that were just cluttering up space. Even better is that I'm getting almost $100 for it all, because I sold it all on Facebook yard sales.

Tomorrow I'll post up a new list of spaces & ideas to tackle for next week!

This is my plan for today, what's yours? (I'm hoping that self closet-shaming will motivate me!)

Hahaha--love the cast!!!

I don't think that's cheating because you are now actually getting rid of it.

So true. I've almost taken the sheets out 'just in case' I need them a couple times already.

Glad you posted this! I heard of this idea two years ago, but I did more of a 'clean/declutter/organize one thing per day' and did it nearly every day for about a month. It's not overwhelming and very rewarding! I've been working on it again, thanks to this post... limited space and too many hobbies, so organization is critical :)

I'm now up to 12 bags. I cleaned out my magazine "bin" (it was half of the window seat in the guest room). I NEVER looked at a lot of those magazines and it was SIX more bags of magazines. I am on a ROLL!

I've lost count since I've moved from bags to boxes. I spent the weekend attacking a storage room in the basement. Donated boxes of books, arts/crafts and christmas decorations. Still motivated to clear out this house!

I started in again today now that the holidays are over. Went through a few boxes of old books today....whew! They stink! A receipt fell out of one from the U of Nebraska bookstore from 1930! Have no idea when I acquired it. Most will go to recycling...old, yellow pages, smell, etc. Can’t imagine anyone wanting to read them. The fun continues.

Two bags of too worn even for dog towels and Christmas towels we didn't use this year are on the porch.

Went through the rest of both hall closets and did a little fluffing but that was it. All has been gone through in the past year. Guessing this is my future if I keep up the annual clear out of all hidden areas.

On to the dreaded sewing stuff. I conquered tools and hardware.

I think someone has mentioned above but just in case - animal shelters and animal rescue organizations are always glad to take old towels, sheets etc off your hands.

I have a basement full of stuff...decor for the house, two bicycles, a couple of lamps....I plan on having a garage sale in a couple of months....and then will purge the rest. My mantra is "when I take something out of the house for the garage sale, it does not come back into my house"...usually have a couple of boxes to take to Goodwill. During the year, I do tear up towels with holes in them to make rags, clothes not worn any more to Goodwill, drawers straightened and neatened, but haven't weaned myself away from selling things at a garage sale yet, rather than just discarding or donating them. I admire you all for your decluttering.

Yesterday I tackled my DD's room. Two bags of donations and 2 bags of trash went buh-bye! After that, I attacked the game/puzzle closet with a vengeance. I don't know why I saved so many old games that were either missing pieces, were broken or had lost the board, etc. I recycled about a dozen old puzzles (missing pieces) and 4 or 5 board games that either never got used, or were broken or missing pieces. If it even gets noticed that they are missing, I can always buy new ones to last the next 10 years. I saved the good ones like scrabble, monopoly, Rummikib, etc.

I also had a stash of 6 years worth of old youth athletic jackets and sweatshirts with team logos and monograms that my kids have grown out of. I offered them up for free on my local Facebook community page, and sure enough people came out of the woodwork to pick them up from my doorstep, since they can simply be taken to a seamstress to remove my kids' names and have their own kids names added. Win win!

Tomorrow my DS has his 14 BFF's (ugh, the life of a tween) coming over to hang out after school, so my plan in the morning since I don't work on Fridays (whoohoo) is to tackle his old video game closet. We've been through Wii, X-box 360 and now we're onto Playstation4 (this year's Xmas gift) so we don't nee those old games/systems anymore! Off to the Boys and Girls Club they go!

I can't believe how much more calm I feel knowing my home is back to it's old, organized self and I'm committed to keeping it that way! If only I could be this disciplined about dieting!

Progress report: Last weekend we overhauled the fabric stash. We’re now down to 2 clear totes of fabric and one bin of mending that we hope to knock out this weekend. This is the before:

One of the best parts of this process has been eliminating what doesn’t work, which made room for setting up some better systems. By cutting down and rearranging, we were able to set up a craft area that is working better than anything we’ve ever done before. I’d love to have this in a room of its own, but that’s not possible right now.

We hauled away 1/2 of a 12 passenger van full of stuff this week. We watched some of the Tedx talks on minimalism Here, which has been motivating. My son, 12, cleared out his room on his own initiative and removed a giant black trash bag full of outgrown stuff. (He’s been on a major growth spurt!) DH has been working on the basement. DD 17, has been chomping at the bit for me to finish The More of Less by Joshua Becker (of the blog Becoming Minimalist) On Amazon here, that I borrowed from the library. I’d love to get us to the point where we only have on hand what we truly love and actually use.

Happy decluttering, everyone!

No pics but I’m catching up. So far three boxes of books and four bags of misc basement stuff. More next week!

Snuck into DS's room today while he's off at a bday party. Packed up two more bags of outgrown clothing for Goodwill.

Also cleaned up the craft cabinet, and filled a bag full of scraps & trash from there. This is my after, which I realize might still look like someone else's before, but imagine another full trash bag worth of crapola stuffed in there...

I took a large laundry basket full of stuff to Salvation Army this week and two boxes of old electrical cords, phone chargers, etc as well as a bag of fabric scraps to our recycle center.

DS convinced us to get rid of our music CD’s...old technology.....and we have over 300. Those, as well as old books ive already gone through will get donated to Friends of the Library for them to sell to benefit library programs.

I have a large hatbox filled to the brim with recipes. Tomorrow will be very cold, so i plan to go through them tomorrow, pitching most....good intentions to make them but never did and probably won’t at this point. Will organize the tried and true keepers in a binder for now....maybe I’ll get around to scanning them one day.

Oh my! What a wonderful idea! Very inspiring

I’m up to seven bags, decluttered my Christmas stuff and donated a bunch!

Laughable, you are carrying the lead on this by leaps and bounds! I'm amazed at how much you've already accomplished.

On the docket for me today is: medicine cabinets, and sink vanities.

I usually do an overall expiration date check on all meds in the house after the new year and I did not get to it yet so that'll be part of this process. Also, beauty products, shampoos, etc. My approach will be to take everything out completely clean the inside of the vanity from any drips, reline them, and organize the stuff into some old tupperwares (I have a bag full of mismatched bins from when I clean out my my Tupperware drawer) and put them back in the vanities. I'll check expiration dates if they have one, wipe & clean the bottles and toss anything that's old or doesn't smell right anymore.

I couldn't sleep last night so at 2am I went through my bedroom. Guest bedding is in the large dresser, found some extra, goodbye. Several cute but too large shirts, gone. Camera case? Why the heck did I have that! Tossed ancient slippers and a skimpy 35 year old swimsuit plus actual trash. Whole reason for this was to get all the bedding into the dresser and except for pillows mission accomplished. Even moving the blanket over I still have a nearly empty large drawer and 2 empty bedside table drawers now. 1 trash bag, 1 donate bag.

4+2+2=never going to get to 40 but still better than not doing anything!

Thanks rebeccamom123. Really, without my kids’ help we wouldn’t be this far along. They have been super helpful, and they keep a fire under me when I’m ready to quit. :-)

I've kinda lost track of the number of bags, but have been trying to get rid of at least a little each day. I'm slowing down a bit, so today I checked out a book from the library, The Joy of Less. I'm hoping it will inspire me to really let go of a lot more.

Omgosh. I have been going though each room in our house and either organizing, consigning, donating or tossing. I have our guestroom to finish up and our master bedroom closet (this weekend’s project) After that, it’s the dreaded basement. I am currently trying to let go of nice shoes, purses and clothes (which I have in three different sizes (8, 10 & 12). Just got back in my 10s...afraid to let go of my 12s. My other problem is letters and cards that people have sent me. I have kept everything. How do you let go of those? Suggestions would be great!

Focus less on the number of bags, and more on just cleaning and clearing out the areas of the house that need it most. The goal is to use this challenge to motivate yourself to tackle problem areas in your house to start the year fresh, with an organized house free from unnecessary clutter.

Lizzierobin, for things with sentimental value, minimize what you can, and then store them in an organized way. For example, my kids old schoolwork, I toss/recycle anything that is insignificant, then for things like artwork, stories, essays, etc. I have an 11 x 17 box for each child, and store them chronologically... (Oldest to newest). I try and pick 10 or so pieces per child, per year to save. By the time they go off to college I suspect they'll each have one full bin.

Another suggestion if you can't let go, is to take a digital photo of it before you toss it. It will give you a mental piece of mind that it's saved, without taking up physical real estate.

Got busy, then hurt knee so haven't been packing/sorting/donating daily. But today we are iced in and I'm back at it. I even got cranky DH to go through his clothes. Hope to have carload for new house again on Friday, but going down the stairs to get boxes, etc isn't as easy as coming back up!

I have been working on this challenge. I admit I am very behind. I am at bag 7. I am going to try and catch up. I put in a call to the Salvation Army for a pickup and plan to donate old furniture, clothes and books to them. Good job everyone! I have been working around the clock, that’s why I am so behind.

It's the basement (or the warehouse, as my DH sometimes refers to it) that is challenging me! I have filled at least 4 boxes and at least 5 bags and taken them to the resale shop, but I almost feel like I did when we were trying to clean out my mom and dad's house years ago - like I'm removing a tablespoon at a time from a bathtub full of water!!!

Does going through paperwork organizing, filing then shredding three bags worth of paperwork count? Plus, as an update, made it through my master bedroom closet. Yay! Bac717, I am with you on the basement. I have one basement room my DH refers to as my french chair graveyard. Lol!

yes every bit of organizing helps and counts and is good!

as I mentioned, I do this regularly but on a more preliminary view. Since we are getting ready to downsize and get the house on the market I have been really trying to be a bit more strict on this.

We are having several rooms and closets painted so they are getting emptied and in the process we are going through.... some of the stuff I hope to take my time when it all gets put back and go through bit by bit .I have been donating books like it's going out of style and see that from both daughters' rooms there are still tons.

I usually bring to the library for book sales- but will confess that it has been painless to put the books in bags or boxes and call Viet Vets/Lupus/Salvation ARmy and they pick them up from the front steps (I dont have to load in the car and so on). I have way more to do but it's really eye opening.

There are items in my basement (which compared to most is really not too bad) that I have meant to just toss for years.........now I am doing it. Yes extra lamps without shades, here we go!

I'm puttering along. Again I couldn't sleep so I did a small but annoying area - sewing desk and cabinet. The cabinet is end table size with 7 shallow drawers which is perfect if I can only sort things out so I know which drawer holds what. Now like is with like and duplicate things are going. Which is better, German or Japanese made needles? Didn't know so saved 2 of the 5 I found. A little trash as well, I had a leaky pin cushion and tossed the bent and nicked pins as I moved the pins and needles to the other pin cushion.

Now I have a want. Found all kinds of large needles that need a better home so I don't have to hunt through 7 drawers to find the one I want and the spare pin cushion is pretty sad looking.

So 2 more bags. 10? I started with 4 so if I get to 20 it will be amazing. Oh, yard trash for 2 pick ups, that's 2 more so 12. Yard looks so much tidier with beds fluffed and leaves raked.

I should be getting to the big stuff in the closet and find more that needs to go. Dog show ribbons don't need the big box they are in for one thing.

I went through that last year. The little area was stuffed full of rags. About killed me but I did toss about half of them. I do have an easier time tossing out rags with holes worn through now but suspect there has been some backsliding since.

Well got the office/library/sewing/exercise room closet sorted out. No more linens in there, what I kept is in the actual linen closet. Sorted out the dog ribbons and what is left fits in a binder sized box. This was at least the 6th time through in the past year. This closet has a lot of hats same as the room, exercise, seasonal storage, sewing, utility. Doesn't help keep it tidy that's for sure. The room has been completely functional for years now, it is not a junk room. Now for the dratted closet to be more functional.

Still far behind. Had 12, today a huge bag of trash, 3 empty boxes, the plastic bags and a large bag of linens. I will count that as 3 bags. So 12+3=15.

We have two big rooms and a small laundry room in our basement, as well as the unfinished utility space. I cleaned it ALL yesterday (actually only one side of the utility area). I now have 4 boxes for the Vietnam Vets pickup next week, and I filled about two barrels of trash. I just kept asking myself, Do I want to pack this up to move to the next house? TBH we’ll need another purge when we do eventually move, but this was a great start.

I am now on bag 14. I am making progress and it feels great! I had been putting the family paperwork/ bill paperwork/ photos/ memorabilia in boxes for the last SIX years and I ORGANIZED all of it!! Everything is now filed. All photos and family keepsakes are filed. Progress is happening.

Kudos to all of you for your progress! It is good to see some new updates, very encouraging. I was wondering how folks were coming along and hoping people hadn’t given up.

Yesterday I had a nearly kid free day and took care of some areas that we’re let go. I cleaned out a couple of purses that were languishing at the back of my coat hooks. It paid off, literally. I found a prepaid credit card that I had purchased last summer so I’d be able to order some special books only available from England. Well, I never placed the order, and I forgot about the card until I found it yesterday. Turns out I didn’t need those instructor guides after all, and now I can put that $ to better use.

I also went through my closet and clothing cupboard. I tried on clothes, put together outfits, took pictures (trying out a capsule wardrobe), and cleared out the failures. Got the clothing cupboard back in order and labeled the shelves so it will be easier to keep it that way.

Washed a bunch of jackets and blankets, so today I can bag up the ones we no longer need. Should I tag the beautiful, soft, warm, fuzzy, king size fleece blanket with a disclaimer saying that it sheds and leaves lint all over everything?? If it wasn’t for that, I would keep it!

Yard man here today and had to find something more for him to do as the leaf blower is in for it's winter servicing. So, we continued with the clean-out.

Today, was a lovely antique mahogany buffet that was once in my in--law's DR. We had no room for it in ours, but thought it might make the bottom of the steps in the basement look a lot better. Our basement is semi-finished but from the top of the steps and most of the way down, it looks finished. It is a great piece for storage of things (mainly silver) used far less often, but that I'm not yet ready to part with - thinking about those 4 grandchildren (who may or may not want any of it).

Well, in addition to being good for storage, it is good/bad as it's a catch-all place. It's near the door into the basement garage, and things just end up "living" on this piece of furniture. I haven't seen the top in years! Things that need to go to Goodwill, upstairs, in the trash, be returned, put somewhere other than in the basement on this buffet.

We started with the top and cleaned it off. Books went upstairs (God knows how I'm going to find space for them in my already over-loaded bookshelves, but I will!), lots of stuff to Goodwill (I won't make a special trip to the paint store to return the paint roller that was the wrong size and is still unopened - someone will get it for a bargain), paper trash - you name it, it was living on this buffet. We got it all cleared off and actually DUSTED! It's really very beautiful! Now, my portable oxygen and the charger for the extra battery, is at one end plus a basket to keep extra oxygen tubing and cannula, and shoulder strap for the carrier. The cordless phone is also there, next to a wall plug I had put in many years ago.

At the other end is a small pile of things to return - I'll get enough money back to make it worth my while - only 4 things.

A pretty green glass bowl is in the center. If it becomes a catchall, it will go below.

A picture by a Vineyard artist that my late husband and I bought at the Cincinnati Antiques Show at least 15 years ago, is now hung - it's been propped there all these years. Yikes! I know my husband is pleased.

Then we went through the 3 drawers - some stuff for Goodwill, mostly trash. Now organized and I know what's in them. There are two single cabinets underneath with doors, and one double one with two doors. Went through the two single ones - didn't throw much out, but I now remember what is in them. Center one is the silver - it will stay as it is and become my daughter's problem!

We spent 3 hours doing this and I also had my yardman take the HUGE, very heavy bag of clothes from the clean-out in my late husband's closet (both his and my clothes that needed to go), to Goodwill for me.

Altogether a productive 4 hours and worth the money I pay him!

It will be late March/early April before he does much work outside, so this is my clean-out time with him. Onward and upward!

Wow great work!

Working on it. Have fewer of those irritating stacks in closets and several mostly empty kitchen shelves now.

Checked ebay and the stuff isn't worth listing. Good to check. A $10 pitcher sold for $150 a while back. Lazy picker didn't check and I scored.

Half dozen bottles in recycling, 10 pounds of stuff going to the thrift store, call it 2 more bags. Was 15 so now 17.

Got a little done this afternoon. Wasn’t happy with puzzles, games and cards so pulled them out. Getting rid of most decks of cards, game boxes and a couple others. Put game pieces in clear plastic tubs- no more cute but opaque tins. Moved them to place of honor and they are all together now.

17+1=18, if I get more than 20 I’ll be surprised. Only 9 days left!

Last Wed, yard an and I tackled the furnace room portion of the basement. Huge haul to Goodwill, and tons to the dumpster at his work. Buffet is once again covered - by pictures finally unpack after 14 yrs! They will be hung when DGS come to stay for a couple of days while their parents take an anniversary trip. Not sure what yardmN and I will tackle Wed.

I tackled the dreaded aquarium tote. Tossed odd bits, wiped out the bin and returned way too many measuring spoons to the kitchen. Since I've decided to remove some equipment I moved the electrics back under the tank and the equipment cover is now surplus. I will take it apart and save the plywood for other little projects.

18+1=19. Sort of.

This is getting hard. Only places I hate working in need decluttering. Pantry needs fluffing, refrigerator needs going through and yard needs some love.

Worked outside. Found some rubble, cut out some dead wood, moved some bricks and blocks, put a couple old garden decor items on the curb. Feels great to get those out. I hadn't wanted them for years!

19+1=20.

Refrigerator done. Tossed a plastic bag and old dog ear drops, washed a tupperware with old dog treats inside, recycled 3 plastic and 1 glass jars of outdated condiments. Well, replaced the paper towels in the crispers too. Yucky difficult job even though it wasn't filled with science experiments and I'm beat.

So much easier than last year. Apparently looking for expiry dates at least once a year is a very good thing. Last year I had so many jars to toss.

20+1=21

I had forgotten about this thread until this evening. Reporting back that our basement purge of 33 years worth of junk is still in progress. I have a carload for Salvation Army tomorrow. On the weekend we will take about 250 albums and about 45 books to Friends of the Library. Really fun strolling down memory lane with my albums from the 60’s and 70’s.

Also this weekend my sons will come over and go through their childhood stuff. DH has made piles for each of them. They will also help DH move all the furniture we are donating up from the basement into the garage for Habitat for Humanity to pick up.

I think with the kids stuff and the furniture gone I will be able to see the light at the end of the tunnel down there. Goal is to have everything cleared out except for what we are taking with us when we move....deadline February 28.

Also....happy to say that part of the Salvation Army load is from DH’s closet. With my help he parted with 18 dress shirts, 4 pants, 4 polos, 9 tee’s, and two sweaters. Quite an accomplishment for him...he hangs onto stuff forever. Hopefully he’ll get rid of more as we pack up.

That had to be more than a single bag of clothes from your husband, good job. Bet you are way over a bag a day!

I mostly repurposed things this morning. Substituted unused fabric grocery bags for plastic on the small kitchen appliances stored in the garage. Placed an enormous rock that was just sitting under a shrub in place of a garden ornament and cut up a large trash can to use as raised beds in the vegetable garden.

I'll count all the tossed plastic bags as one of course!

21+1=22.