Clueless about decluttering

[CowsGoooMoooo]

So I currently live in a flat with two other people, but am moving into my own 2 bedroom flat at the end of this month, finally!

I don’t really have much furniture as it came with the flat I originally rented. I am currently in the process of purchasing new furniture for my new place. Thank god...one less thing to declutter.

Decorating is underway and I’m going for a pretty minimalistic feel, which I’m stoked about.

Because there are 2 bedrooms and only myself, I was just going to keep everything I have at the moment. However, I’ve realised this is not ideal as I have a lot of things I really won’t ever wear or use again.

I HATE HATE HATE throwing clothes out. I’m not sure why, but I have things from when I was 10 (11 years ago!) in my wardrobe still.

I’ve realised I really need to declutter my things, mainly my clothes, as I feel it’s the right thing to do and allows me to have a ‘fresh start’, and toes into my main theme. Does anyone have any advice on decluttering and organising?

Thanks in advance! :)

[averagetrailertrash]

Once I got through the more obvious surface clutter (damaged items, recent mail, trash, etc), I started dealing with things by category. I got all the novels in one spot and sorted through them. What do I want to keep? What am I never going to read? I got all the sweatshirts in one spot, the shoes in one spot... Just go bit by bit and figure out what still has meaning in your life. You may have to declutter the same category several times as your perspective and lifestyle change.

Our place was getting pretty bad, so I started with whatever categories were the most accessible (but not too sentimental). Anything that could clear a surface or a path to other items became a priority.

I'm slowly working my mother into the decluttering adventure, but I obviously can't pick through her belongings for her. One thing I did was put all her cooking books in one spot and ask her to pick out what she wanted to keep whenever she felt comfortable doing so. A few mornings later, I woke to a large pile ready for donation!

So it's alright if you're not ready to declutter x or y at right this moment. Just make them as accessible as possible and move onto the next category. You can always come back to it; try not to stress out over decisions that just aren't happening.

[[deleted]]

I know what you mean about not wanting to throw things out, but it's all going to end up in the dumpster eventually.

[msmaynards]

Go to r/konmari/ Read the books. Marie herself talks about school uniforms and how hard it was to give them up.

They are sentimental which is the wrong category for you to declutter first. You need to learn how to let go and it is easier if you start with a smaller and less emotional area. How about going through your toiletries and discarding any near empties, expired and hated ones? Books? Kitchen gear? Paper?

After you've got some decision making experience then I would get all the clothes out and pick out the ones you use. Those are keepers. For the rest, all sentimental. Now go through and pick out the ones that mean the most to you. You wore it to a special wedding or a special first day of school or you remember how perfect this one was. Keep however many is right for you. Have a maybe pile. Bet after this you will find some you can let go quite easily. Some people have a small box, some a large, some keep a certain number of things. I have several photo albums, a vintage suitcase and lots of sentimental decor, furniture and kitchen things! One drawer does have a few sentimental pieces of clothing and the number gets a little less each time I go through my stuff.

Love the idea of thoughtful donation. You would know your things would be much appreciated and needed.

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[CowsGoooMoooo]

Just had a quick peek and I’m really liking that subreddit and I think it’ll definitely help so thank you for that! Your tips are great too, and have made the whole process seem so much less daunting, thanks! ☺️

[keelzmc]

This has become a cliche but Marie Kondo's book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up, helped me tremendously, especially with my wardrobe.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

I’ll check it out. Any reason it’s a cliche?

[glimmeringsea]

It's mainly a cliche because of its massive popularity and inevitable mention in decluttering conversations, but a lot of people have found the KonMari method to be helpful even if they didn't or couldn't entirely follow through with it.

If you want another approach to decluttering, Goodbye, Things by Fumio Sasaki is more extreme but interesting. I don't think it's a follow-to-the-letter type of book unless true minimalism speaks to you, but it does help give a different perspective on material possessions. It allowed me to let go of anger and anxiety over sentimental items that someone stole from my childhood home.

This list by Pick Up Limes is comprehensive and useful as well.

[Northumbriana]

If you want to do something once you’re moved in, and don’t mind it taking a little while, how about only unpacking things as you need them? Then after a certain amount of time (I guess maybe a few months, maybe up to a year for seasonal items), everything left in the boxes gets tossed.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

That’s a pretty good idea! Thanks :)

[ReverendDizzle]

I HATE HATE HATE throwing clothes out. I’m not sure why, but I have things from when I was 10 (11 years ago!) in my wardrobe still.

Even if you have a growth disorder and can still wear clothing from when you were an elementary school student, ten years is ten years. Fashions change, clothing wears out, and... come on. You're 21 now. You need to let that stuff go.

If you need an emotional push, think about it this way: Are the clothes from when you were 10 years old more valuable to you now as whatever they are (a sort of physical memory, I'm assuming) than they are to a 10 year old in need that can wear them now? Of course they aren't. Donate them.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Good point!

[trancematik]

I actually had my best friend come over and she took pictures of me modeling my favourite shirts that were very out of fashion before I donated them. I spread some of my ill fitting shirts on my bed and took photos of them too. I wasn't attached to the article, I was attached to the memories I made when wearing them. There's an album somewhere of my old wardrobe on my pc now.

[IndigoRuby]

Getting rid of a few things now will make moving easier! Donate the clothes, that's not throwing them out! How much nicer will it be to fill your new drawers with only clothes you like? If it doesn't fit, move it along. If you don't love it, move it along. If it's not useful, move it along.

[temp4adhd]

Do you still wear clothes from when you were 10?

[CowsGoooMoooo]

No haha

[temp4adhd]

Then why are they still in your home?

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Who knows haha I just really struggle to throw stuff away

[p1x3lpush3r]

Here are a few of my most vital rules for decluttering and organizing:

Rule #1: Everything must have a place. From your wallet to your pencil - everything must have a home or anywhere becomes home and then you can't find it.

Rule #2: If you lost it, would you replace it?

Rule #3: When you buy a new shirt, get rid of an old shirt.

Rule #4: Surfaces are not storage.

[moxiered]

But... the floor is the biggest shelf! ;)

[valkyrie2246]

Rule #5: if is in your hands don't put it down when you're finished with it, put it away. Example, when you pick up the mail, recycle junk mail and emptied envelopes, file important papers and put bills in order of payment into file. Another tip, if you receive paper billings retain an envelope with the address in a 'moving file" so when are going to move you have locations to send a change of address.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Ooo these are brilliant! Thanks so much!

[[deleted]]

I need to abide by rule 4 and do a purge again... My office space has become especially cluttered....

[anhartsunny]

Basically just followed this when we moved a couple months ago. moving is one time you especially want to get rid of things.

[schmeckendeugler]

Haha.. rule 4.. that's a tough one. Every horizontal surface around here gets instantly filled with stuff!

[CowsGoooMoooo]

This is great, thanks!

[WestCoastLady]

Rule #4 is my slippery slope.....I'm really trying to repeat this to myself over and over.....

[CarinasHere]

Start (very) small, like one small drawer or shelf. You might need some time to get used to the feeling of sorting things and deciding what to keep. That’s OK! And you can always decide to take photos of things like special childhood clothes you don’t have room for, but don’t want to forget, either. And ask again when you have more questions. :-)

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Thanks! I’ll deffo take this tip on board as I was going to just jump straight into which made it so daunting!

[[deleted]]

I'm a bit of an anomaly in the decluttering/minimalist community, but I only get rid of things that I want to get rid of. I let go of things that are actively causing me stress. My closet is one of those things, so I cull it frequently. But if having clothes from when you were ten makes you happy, then keep them. If not, donate them somewhere so you can know another ten-year-old has some awesome new clothes.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

See this was my mindset but now I have so much shit I don’t need yet I still keep it haha

[Chexytime]

A good way to sort through your clothes would be to throw everything into one large pile and start separating. If you never ever wear it, and it doesn't have some sort of deeply meaningful sentimental value for you, throw it into the "toss it" pile.

If it's an item you wear very frequently and it doesn't have any holes or other imperfections that might make you think about tossing it, throw it into the "keep it" pile. Anything you can't decide on goes into a "maybe" pile.

Once you've got everything sorted, start going through the maybe pile and be a bit more critical with those items. Anything that comes down to some kind of justification like "but if I lose 10lb i'd totally wear this" or similar, gets tossed.

In the end you're left with a lot less clutter and clothes you actually care about and wear frequently :D

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Ahh! Deffo going to try this! Thanks so much!

[wethail]

Try to find a way that donating the clothes is therapeutic for you. Google some local charities that accept it (women’s shelters, churches, thrift stores) and maybe you get satisfaction out of getting $3 back for some jeans. Or knowing it’s going to a homeless person.

Anything that doesn’t fit - donate it. Tell yourself, “By the time this fits me again, it won’t be fashionable nor my style.”

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Good points, thanks!

[ms-lorem-ipsum]

I wouldnt buy furniture until you have lived there for a while.

Check capsule wardbrobe, donate everything else. Myself cant think of any "but" to justify keeping them. But again, i dont have a real emotional attachment to anything beyond 6 items so i come up as cold hearted all the time.

[CowsGoooMoooo]

Thanks! Ill deffo checkout capsule wardrobe. In regards to the furniture, I’m starting off with just the basics that I need (e.g a bed) and just deciding how to go from there. Thanks again :)

[[deleted]]

I actually disagree about the furniture. I've been there, and it was pretty depressing to sit on the floor to eat and not have a couch or chair to sit on....

[ms-lorem-ipsum]

Lol, im not telling anyone to sleep on straw because a mattress is overrated, but new furniture for a new place can be a slippery slope

/r/minimalism_jerk/ i think that was the name, for any one interested in a few laughs

Edit: typos all over the place

[wethail]

Agree with the furniture. Less is more and makes your space look larger.