Destash 2019 Time to Trash the Stash!

My husband is the opposite... He seems to have some kind of emotional attachment to every item he owns, and he has a steel-trap memory so he know exactly what he has, exactly where it came from and when, and exactly where it's currently stored. If I give him a box to go through, it takes him hours and he hardly ends up getting rid of anything

my bff has been trying to clean her garage for over 25 years but it's a hopeless project b/c the bulk of it is her dh's stuff and the minute he opens a box and finds one of his old college textbooks (apparently he never sold ANY back) he start's waxing nostalgic. it's like the annual summer tradition for her to haul him into the garage and bicker over the need to retain textbooks dating back 40 years. i suggested she do the same thing i did with some stuff dh and i couldn't agree on keeping or tossing-put it into stackable containers and label it 'nothing important/valuable'-at least that way when the time comes that someone inevitably ends up having to deal with the stuff they won't have to waste their time going through the boxes item by item (we went through a nightmare dealing w/ mil's apartment full of stuff-afraid to toss boxes of what looked like junk b/c she would have important papers stuffed in boxes that were 99% junk papers).

greatest gift you can give to those you leave behind-as decluttered and organized amount of possessions as possible.
 
my bff has been trying to clean her garage for over 25 years but it's a hopeless project b/c the bulk of it is her dh's stuff and the minute he opens a box and finds one of his old college textbooks (apparently he never sold ANY back) he start's waxing nostalgic. it's like the annual summer tradition for her to haul him into the garage and bicker over the need to retain textbooks dating back 40 years. i suggested she do the same thing i did with some stuff dh and i couldn't agree on keeping or tossing-put it into stackable containers and label it 'nothing important/valuable'-at least that way when the time comes that someone inevitably ends up having to deal with the stuff they won't have to waste their time going through the boxes item by item (we went through a nightmare dealing w/ mil's apartment full of stuff-afraid to toss boxes of what looked like junk b/c she would have important papers stuffed in boxes that were 99% junk papers).

greatest gift you can give to those you leave behind-as decluttered and organized amount of possessions as possible.

That's great advice, I'm going to try to tackle my mother's basement this year and I may do that with her stuff. I think I'll maybe take it one step further and label the boxes that are keepable as to whether they are something I want or something I think my brother or niece would want (I don't hold out any hope that he'll actually help me even though he lives next door and I live 8 hours away). That may save us some serious sorting time in the future.

I have similar issues with my husband about his stuff. I have to remind myself that even though I don't think it's important, it's valuable to him.
 
greatest gift you can give to those you leave behind-as decluttered and organized amount of possessions as possible.

This is 100% true. With my younger brother's recent and unexpected passing, there are a LOT of details that have to be sorted out. An entire house full of stuff - from his childhood baseball cards to a garage full of tools, to a horse trailer full of tack. He DID have all of his important papers gathered and in one location, which has been a huge help to my parents. I'm actually going to spend some time over the summer re-organizing much of our important paperwork, etc. so that if something were to happen to me (and/or DH), those things are easily accessible and easy to find for whoever needs them at the time. I feel like they're already pretty simple, but things just need to be updated.
 
Another week and another batch of stuff has left the house!

1 broken cinder block - trashed
2 old pool noodles - trashed
2 metal shelving units - to DS’s house
1 broken miter box - trashed
1 dull miter saw - trashed
1 funnel - trashed
1 container of ping pong balls - donated
1 gallon bag of misc screws and small hardware (too much hassle and not enough of anyone item to sort out) - trashed
1 broken parts tray - recycled
1 container of misc parts - to robotics center
1 container of various size magnets - to school
5 cardboard boxes - recycled
2 acrylic tubes - to robotics center
2 digital calipers - returned to school
1 broken 3 ring binder - trashed
1 bottle of dish soap (don't like the smell) - donated
1 bottle of dishwasher soap (gums up the dishwasher) - donated
1 end table - donated
6 expired drinks - recycled
1 12in stack of paperwork - recycled

33 items left the house

288 of 500 or 57.6% of goal
 


I am loving this thread.

I am blessed to have very little to go through. I left an abusive relationship a few years back and in that, left everything I owned including sentimental items.

I have been selective about what I bring into my home since starting over. In February, went through all of my clothes and if I didnt love it, donated it or threw it away. I got rid of my dresser and now just use a small closet and 2 small wire baskets.

I have 2 pair of ski pants I am holding on to that I want to sell. I am going to list those today. I also need to do a monthly sweep of the house. I always manage to find 1-2 things I realize I have not used & will donate.

Now...the barn and 2 maintance sheds. That is a whole other story. They came with the property. I really want to go through those this summer. I also have a ton of feed bags I need to take to dump. I am bad about letting them pile up in shed.
 
Well, I got quite derailed from my cleanout efforts. My husband and I took in three foster children and a lot more has been coming into my house than going out. I am up to 678/2019 items, but I'm afraid I've taken in a lot more than 678 items.
 
I am loving this thread.

I am blessed to have very little to go through. I left an abusive relationship a few years back and in that, left everything I owned including sentimental items.

I have been selective about what I bring into my home since starting over. In February, went through all of my clothes and if I didnt love it, donated it or threw it away. I got rid of my dresser and now just use a small closet and 2 small wire baskets.

I have 2 pair of ski pants I am holding on to that I want to sell. I am going to list those today. I also need to do a monthly sweep of the house. I always manage to find 1-2 things I realize I have not used & will donate.

Now...the barn and 2 maintance sheds. That is a whole other story. They came with the property. I really want to go through those this summer. I also have a ton of feed bags I need to take to dump. I am bad about letting them pile up in shed.

Feed bags... I'm SO familiar with that problem! :)
 


Feed bags... I'm SO familiar with that problem! :)

They multiply rather quickly. :)

I started on one side of shed today. Feed bags are out. I was so nervous I was going to end up grabbing a snake from where they were piled up. Glad thats over with. So many empty supplement containers. Need to recycle. Hopefully will get down the mountain in that direction this week.
 
Well, I got quite derailed from my cleanout efforts. My husband and I took in three foster children and a lot more has been coming into my house than going out. I am up to 678/2019 items, but I'm afraid I've taken in a lot more than 678 items.

I hope yall are having a smooth transition.... or atleast a smooth day.

Look at it this way... if you had not got the 678 out beforehand...think how stressful it would have been adding to it.
 
I finished cleaning one shed yesterday. This is where I store tack and feed. Went through each horses grooming tools and threw away what was broken. Washed the rest. Threw away some crap I didnt need. Recycled supplement containers today. My goal is to go through tack next week.

Threw away 3 coffee cups I had been hanging on to but never use unless I have people over. They are super small. Need to get 3 more but at least they will be ones I like and will use. I am definately okay with buying and bringing things into my life if it will be used.
 
DD did a 4 hr garage sale. Sold a large wooden barbie type house with all its furniture. 7 stuffed animals. All the barbies left, 14 and their clothes. And other toys. I gave a fisher price castle and a little tikes desk to my SIL. I gave a large tumbling mat away. I'm going to take a box of Polly pockets and art stuff to work. Today she took the DS games to game stop to trade. It was nice it left but you can't even tell.
I did decluttering a shelf unit in the garage last weekend.
 
My DD and her dh and baby moved out and I keep finding items.
I returned
12 glass containers for storing food. He bought them, but thought they were mine.
Favorite baby blanket.
My dd’s rain coat.
2 day planners
4 shirts her sister gave her for work and luckily her baby is 6 months younger than her cousin, so she gets
All clothes handed down.
2 laptops recycled
We are having a bonfire this weekend and burning 2 huge boxes of old receipts.

153/2019
 
A few more items out of the house!

6 frames - donated
1 cardboard box - recycled
2 unused photo albums

9 items left the house

297 of 500 or 59.6% of goal
 
I just stumbled onto this thread. Who knew updating the forums could lead to finding new threads! I usually try to throw stuff out on a regular basis but w/ 2 boys and 'school projects/art' that come home weekly it's hard. @comicguy I like your goal of like 1 thing a day. I regularly recycle out boxes from amazon and stuff. It's usual the kids and dh's stuff that is piled everywhere.

So today we mostly cleaned out the garage. Got rid of half the kids toys and put the rest upstairs in their rooms. I took 2 completely packed carloads to Goodwill. DH is hoping to tackle his closet. I have another box already filled for Goodwill. I might call it a day on the de-cluttering.
 
My husband is the opposite... He seems to have some kind of emotional attachment to every item he owns, and he has a steel-trap memory so he know exactly what he has, exactly where it came from and when, and exactly where it's currently stored. If I give him a box to go through, it takes him hours and he hardly ends up getting rid of anything. I have noticed though, that if he sees me sacrificing things to the donation bin he is far more willing to do the same. It just takes him forever and lately I've been so unmotivated. I'm kind of hoping that I can get back on track this coming weekend, since it's supposed to actually be good weather for the first time this entire year so far! :laughing:
My husband does too. He keeps complaining that the house is a mess but will not get rid of anything. He remembers everything we have ever gotten and wants me to locate it on a moments notice. I started cleaning out a section of the basement. Went down the other day to make sure the power to the air conditioner was on and found a new old footlocker
 
This is 100% true. With my younger brother's recent and unexpected passing, there are a LOT of details that have to be sorted out. An entire house full of stuff - from his childhood baseball cards to a garage full of tools, to a horse trailer full of tack. He DID have all of his important papers gathered and in one location, which has been a huge help to my parents. I'm actually going to spend some time over the summer re-organizing much of our important paperwork, etc. so that if something were to happen to me (and/or DH), those things are easily accessible and easy to find for whoever needs them at the time. I feel like they're already pretty simple, but things just need to be updated.
I am sorry for your loss. I totally agree with this. One of the few things that I plan on purchasing is a fireproof safe for our important papers.
 
I am sorry for your loss. I totally agree with this. One of the few things that I plan on purchasing is a fireproof safe for our important papers.

Thank you.

We have a fire safe already, and I recommend you get the biggest one you can. I never thought we'd fill ours up, but it's packed and I wish I had more space.

I'm planning to sort through ours over the summer and hopefully streamline some things and get rid of some of the unnecessary bulk. But as our family has grown, it seems like there are more things that need to be kept safe.
 
Loving the encouragement in this thread! I definitely need some as I struggle to de-clutter the tiny apartment I share with my boyfriend. We're moving at the end of June and I hate to think of packing up all of this useless junk (so much of it is still in boxes from when I moved in...)

My boyfriend feels awful getting rid of gifts from family and friends. His mom gave him a set of curtains when he moved into his first apartment in college and they're STILL hanging in our bedroom! We both have so much bedding - pillows and blankets - that we simply don't need. He would be willing to donate all of it, but I worry we'll set it aside somewhere to be donated and it'll collect dust for ages.
 

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