Reorganization -- Has anyone ever just chucked most of their belongings?
Question:After years and years of having too much clutter, I'm finally fed up. Tchotchkes, old papers, books I've never read or will ever read, etc. And when I dust, I have to dust again about three days later. Arrrgh!
I'm tempted to get rid of everything except about 50 books and all my CDs and sheet music, buy a couple of nice barrister bookcases to house them [and have to dust only the outside of the units instead of all the enclosed contents!], and get a similar computer hutch to likewise control dust.
I'm also talking about getting rid of papers, including stuff I wrote 20 years ago and will never do anything with, and tax forms -- just scan what I need to keep [like the taxes], store the files on both my back-up drive and CD-RW discs, and then have a marathon shredding session.
I just want to have some serene, open spaces.
So, have you ever done something similar? If so, I'd appreciate your comments, suggestions, and/or lists of pros and cons. Many thanks in advance!
Answers:
Yes, we have.
I went on a "giving away spree".
Get rid of stuff on freecycle.org. It will not take long for you to get rid of stuff. We did this & man, do we feel good now. We started off by having a huge 3 day yardsale one weekend & had a nother the next weekend, we made $2,186, yay!
Then we listed what was left, in lots, on freecycle.org.
I don't recommend that you just throw stuff away in the trash can...Someone, somewhere, locally could use what you've got. Plus, you are preventing more crap going to the landfill.
I highly recommend doing a full clean out of your home.
What I did to help make my decision on things was ask myself some questions...After I cleared everything out of a room & put it in the front yard. I cleaned the floors & wiped down the walls & started to bring stuff back in AFTER I asked myself these questions...
Whens the last time I used or worn this? Do I love it?Could I do without it & do I REALLY NEED IT? Most of the stuff stayed out in the front yard until I got all the rooms done. Then we sold what was there.It works. I know it sounds like I went crazy, but I had had enough of clutter & disorganization. I wish you the best of luck...God bless you on your journey to organizational freedom!!
Yes, I did, and I couldn't be happier. It's hard to let go, but freeing things up will be nice. You need to make sure that it is something you will never really want to see or need again. tax and other officials don't need to be kept past 3 years. File them and extract accordingly. you can get a comp desk with a file or something. i did. anyway, just get rid of the junk i like books for decor and just because. if you're not using it also you could make a portfolio for your music and cds and stuff. organize these things but please make sure you'll never need it again.
I recently got rid of a majority of my belongings- condensing 3 large boxes down to one large box and two smaller ones.
I also got rid of an entire trashbag of clothing and donated it- however, I'm still left with 3 suitcases of clothing and shoes- I guess it wasn't enough...
I got rid of at least 6 folders full of papers that I never wanted to throw out before. Apparently, I'm a packrat.
It was the most freeing feeling in the world. Sometimes it felt as if I was literally carrying all the baggage I owned around with me. Eventually, I got so fed up that I hardly cared what I was throwing out. I just kept chucking until I could fit all my belongings into a set amount of space I had planned, neatly.
All along, I just kept in mind an organizing tip that I heard a few years ago- "If you can't remember the last time you used or wore something, then get rid of it!"
It helped A LOT.
Pros--room to spare.cons--it is your stuff.If you have people that you that would like to have some of your collections ask them what and give---not throw away--to them.I gave a lot to my daughters and they had a yard sale,we split the money.there are collectors that go to estate sales to buy from people try them first..you do what makes you happy..
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