@face39 Dress for Success is such a good place to send office wear! It sure helps in parting with things to have a place where stuff will be used. It's not always possible, but a nice feeling when it works.
I'm not getting ready to move, but am going through drawers, closets and shelves. Have always been hands off with husband's things, but am asking about a few common ground areas. Am finding a partner in cleaning out and scaling back!

Am joining this discussion late but am truly inspired! One Houzzer referenced an idea to get rid of 7 things every day. What an amazing concept. It's day 9 already and I'll need to do some catching up, but one full year of 7 things a day works out to 2555 less things in our home. Just imagining January 1st of next year is going to be all the motivation I need!

A 5 minute foray in the bedroom has already resulted in 12 things in the "on their way" bin. Only need another 51 to catch up now. The challenge is on.

LUPUS foundation just picked up a donation by my front door and left me a receipt. I also found a school that will take all my used tennis balls and containers for a project.

I'm a fan of discarding seven things a day. It means that one doesn't have to devote a whole day to decluttering, but rather if your eye lands on it and you no longer want it--out it goes. It usually takes less than five minutes. Over several weeks, things really look and feel different.

Today I got rid of seven raffia mats for under hot things on the table; trouble is, I have nice wooden ones that I use every day. Why I saved the others is beyond me. I also cleaned out my tea stash and got rid of the round containers that held some of the tea. Round makes no sense in a kitchen cupboard. Hubby gave me a beautiful pot for Christmas, so I donated one that I had bought at the dollar store and another that I bought at the local resale store.

I took a whole trunkload of stuff to Goodwill, stuff that I decided to discard in the last two weeks.

I recently reorganized my spice/tea cabinate. I will only buy small containers of spices and herbs AND I will write the day I opened a container on it, to be aware of possible expiration dates.
I have been gathering items to donate for monthly drop-offs and keep the box in my garage, to allow more space. What I am challenged with is trying to be maybe too considerate of my college age sons and their future homes. I dread the "But I wanted that!" comment.

Getting rid of clutter and re-organizing has been my mission since retiring. Kitchen, bathrooms, linen closets and bedroom closets done! Now working on my scrapbooking room. It's daunting but will forge ahead. Just the start of the basement re-organization.

@aliceroot- I went through spices today! Threw out the old and the un-used. The idea of getting rid of a few things a day is one I like but know myself enough that saying I will do it for a year is a setup. Miss enough days and I feel like a failure then quit. For me, it's best to do a shorter period of time, say a week or a weekend or a day. Since my goal is to reduce and de-clutter, I also do better focusing on one room or type of thing. Otherwise I end up focusing on the wrong things. It's frustrating but the work around works for me.

I like reading everyone's comments. I love a decluttered home but find it very hard to throw things out, just in case I'll want them someday. It is much easier to give away or donate but not everything is suitable for that.

Some may find this helpful - taylor@home-storage-solutions-101.com

When you're ready to declutter you'll know

hmm, thought I already left a long comment here the day you posted it.
I'm doing some de-cluttering, but mostly organizing and finding better ways to store things. Last night spent over an hour taking down a 4 tier fixed shelf on the back door of a closet in my laundry room and hung it on the side wall inside the closet. Purchased an 8 tier adjustable shelf and hung that on the back of the closet door. Now all my cleaning products between wood floor cleaners, tile, sink, rug shampoos, furniture polish etc are all off the top larger shelf and off the closet floor :) now have room to put my steam cleaner and vacuum.

Getting rid of dishware I don't use, and take some of the prettier dishware that has been sitting on the bottom of my dining room hutch, and bringing it out to enjoy behind my new glass kitchen cabinet doors I spray painted this Summer.

Now to de-clutter and organize my framing studio so when we get new lower kitchen cabinets this Summer, I can put 5 of the 8 cabinets I'm not tossing, in my studio for more organized storage... yeah!!! finally :)

I did my basement pantry room reorganized. I rotated all the foods and anything that was about to expire we were not going to finsh in time. I have ready to go to the church food bank. I had stocked up on some food before we found out my son and I were celiac and my family did not eat it fast enough. Soup my son and I can no longer eat. pancake mix etc. Our needs have changed. The rest of it will no go fast enough so I will donate it. We cleaned up the garage yesterday. We had a car load of trash. That hubby took to work. Our stores are thirty minutes from our home we have special food needs gluten free gmo free etc. So I have two of everything or I should say at least two of everything. Peanut butter and jelly I can go through three jars in four days easy. I buy it by the case last year we used over 96 jars of peanut butter. My hubby built a rotator for that and the jelly cause I buy it by the case. Four boys peanut butter and jelly even hubby loves peanut butter and jelly. I must stay organized. It's expensive organic and I don't want a drop to go to waste. No one is over weight here either. Our girl has her own jar of peanut butter she sits and eats it out of the jar so here name goes on it. I ironed and hung up my holiday table clothes and put plastic over them so all I need to do is pull it out. I donated the ones I no longer use. Some days I am hitting seven and some days like yesterday. The car load well made up for the days I missed.

took all my music cds (3 boxes) turned them digital and am offloading the hard copies. Plus took my boxes of photo albums took out all the good pics and am taking them to target to get scanned onto discs then I'm making them into photo books so I'll go from about 75lbs to 2lbs of photo books. been de-cluttering for about a month and it's wonderful!! Donated tons of clothes and homegoods to local non-profits that help folks coming out of homelessness get back on their feet. Feels good and I don't miss a thing, even my wedding dress that went to Haiti this past summer:)

In the past month, we've donated a dining room table, and two bags of clothes. We also tossed a torchiere lamp, which was broken, but now I'm wondering if I should have just rewired it. Eh... where would it go?

Giving away a couch that was left with me when a friend moved in a hurry. The new recipient is going to enjoy it so much more than I did! I knew it was a great couch but wasn't my style.

De-cluttered the pile up in the laundry room today, cleaned out the kitchen "junk drawer". Try to do bill paying bi-weekly and keep up with filing. I over-save paperwork, I'm sure, and yet it's always the obscure thing no one else would save that ends up being what I need for some reason.

Today I went through the bin of papers. I need to find the best way to tackle kids school papers. I know how to fix the situation with a desk. I just have no room in my kitchen or first floor for a desk. My last house I had a desk in my kitchen and didn't have this issue. I have a small bag of boys clothes to go to salvation army. I need to do the photo's I have started them twice before and scaled them from six rubermaid bins to three. Now I need to get them down to one. I just dread how long it takes. I may do a little each day.

Started the de-cluttering the end of last year, throwing stuff away. When my mother was admitted to hospice I had to start making plans to move. Our bid was accepted on our new house and my mother passed all in the same week. We found a retired veteran, Andy, supplementing his income by buying and selling at a Flea Market so we made a deal with him. We gave him everything that could be recycled as long as he picked it up (bring it down two flights of stairs.) We moved in August and I am still downsizing so Andy is picking up boxes every week. We no longer have a garage which eliminated the ability for me to store stuff. Thank you all for the suggestions you have made because I feel that I still need to downsize. Good luck to everyone in achieving your goals.

I don't like the dishes in the windows nor the glass doors on the cabinets. It makes the kitchen look cluttered in my opinion. I might go for one cabinet having a glass door if it was located in center of other cabinets with special display.

So far: gone through the pantry and donated almost expired canned goods to a food bank. Organized my tool drawer in the kitchen. Sorted thru my junk drawer and threw away dried-up pens, glue sticks, etc. Tomorrow I will sort through two drawers of tablecloths, cloth napkins, etc. My mother is moving into a nursing home and it's also a chore to decide what I will keep of her stuff. Hard to give away childhood memories, but too much is too much!

Organized and cleaned my walk in pantry the past 2 days, using storage jars I already owned as much as possible and labeling everything. Yesterday I did all the laundry then matched socks that have been missing mates for months. Threw out the single socks. Had the kids go through their closets and pile unwanted or too small clothes (this was before Christmas break was over- in with the new, out with the old kind of philosophy). Then I went through it all and their closets again then donated all items we had piled (3 big bags- and we do this 2-4 times a year!!). More recently I bought a new console table to serve as a wine bar just off our kitchen. Today I grouped bottle openers there, wine glass tags and other wine related items in the drawers it has. Trying hard to group "like items" around the house.

While cleaning out the hall closet, I found sheets that moved here with me in 1974. So I threw them away, right? Wrong. They'll make great drop cloths for painting the living room. Then I'll throw them out. I promise.

Old sheets make great drop clothes, altho they are porous should paint actually get on them. Old plastic shower curtains / liners work well when they are changed out. When decluttering, don't forget your favorite pet shelter for those old sheets, blankets, towels, etc...they could always use new "bedding".

Tried to donate all my VHS tapes to the library. They don't want them. She told me to "just throw them out". I said, "really, no one wants to watch Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music or the Little Rascals", she said NO, no one is interested in that!!!!

Ha -- Chitty Chitty Bang Bang -- I was just singing "Toot Sweet" for some reason. We also have the VHS, although that's the one component yet to be hooked up on the new system.

I found an antique photo of Neuschwanstein Castle from that movie and framed it for Christmas for my MIL who is one of those Disney-crazy people. I don't think she knew that Cinderella's castle was based on the real thing:

http://abcplanet.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/05/neuschwanstein_castle_cropped_frm_pc.jpg

I am sure plenty of people still have a VHS and would enjoy old tapes. Donate them somewhere else or offer them on Freecycle. If you aren't familiar with Freecycle check it out on the internet. It's great!

Hospitals used to take them in the children wards. Not sure if they have upgraded to DVDs yet but you can ask. Or and after school program.

The local school took my used tennis balls, I'll ask about the VHS tapes and look into Freecycle. Thanks.

Just signed up for Freecycle.

Freecycle is a great way to help others. I got a brand new bread machine and several other items that saved me a lot of money. I gave tons of stuff to a woman who had just escaped an abusive husband and was starting out again with nothing. That was wonderful.

Decluttered all my christmas stuff ...gave away to the locate charity

Never feel bad about regifting a gift .....we are having a regifting party....(Chinese Auction).

Our church takes old sheets and makes diapers for the children overseas....

Today I organized a collection of toiletries in a new plastic taste, sorted through handbags, organized my closet, and took a big box of stuff to Goodwill.

Cleaned all the light fixtures. Ugh!

Found all kinds of mystery food covered in frost in my freezer. Most of it got tossed.

Today I emptied, sorted, and addressed the overflowing mail bin. I found 4 replacement credit cards that needed activated, new proof of car insurance cards from two months ago, and coupons that would have come in handy... hmmm.. perhaps I should attack the mail bin more frequently!

Will do most of mine this spring. Have done closets and drawers though.

I went through the house reorganizing alot. I reorganized the linen closet and cleaned more little things out. I will be repainting shelves and wallpapering the back soon. New doors on it this week. I reorganized the powder room vanity to fit the new pipe and new sink. I rearranged my vanity underneath and decluttered it. I emptied part of a storage stand. (goal is to get rid of it ) I went into my sewing cabinet and refolded fabric and purged some.
I reorganized and purged home office items. I filled two trash bags between all that little stuff and half a bag for goodwill. Who really needs a million nail files. All the travel sized soap my kids and hubby collected can go to the homeless shelter by my husband's work. I didn't sit down today except to eat dinner and now type this. I spend very little time with the kids. I told myself this is all to be able to have a very organized home and system I can now keep ahead of. Before we moved here my home was so well run. I need that back in my life. It was just to much moving two homes into one. Than three months pregnant and then baby all at the same time. All the baby gear coming in. I realized today I have three big thing to tackle and I am done. The file box, photo's and the attic. The garage I need to finish but I need to come up with a system that will work for my tool slob. My kids even laugh at my hubby joking now when he says if I organized it he will keep it that way. My 17 year old was laughing. He said to him I keep my tools neater than you. Last week my 17 year old said he was going to put his out in the garage instead of in his bedroom closet. I said oh no don't do that he will use them and you will never find them Leave them in your box and bag in the bottom of your closet. They are neat and organized there. I feel good about getting back to my old life of not being overwhelmed. Life unorganized is chaotic. In the next two months I will take pictures of all the done closets and post then to inspire others. I should of done before photo's.

Just discovered this discussion, it is fabulous to read about everything you all have accomplished - very motivating. Hoping to join the discussion as it will be nice to cheer everyone else on and motivating to report on my progress. We plan to put our house up for sale this summer and I have 23 years worth of accumulation - I am a saver. This year I am starting out well. Christmas, Fall and Halloween have been sifted through donating probably 1/3 of the items, the rest were packed and documented. Then the boxes moved to a storage facility where we plan to move at least 1/2 of the items we want to take to our next house. Sorted through a few areas of the house adding quite a bit to the donations for my son's eagle project garage sale. We had the garage sale last weekend and sent all of the remaining items to thrifts stores immediately after the sale. We have decided that this was the only garage sale before we move, maybe post a few larger items to Craig's List otherwise the thrift stores will be happy to have our donations. Will be working on the office later today, lots to do there.

Declutter more the past two days. Today I was able to get all three bathrooms and two levels totally clean because I am in the home stretch of declutter and organizing.

From the time my kids were little, I instituted Mother's Day as the day to clean the garage. I figured it was my day and we could do anything I wanted. So every year we would completely empty out the garage (my two kids, my husband and I). We started doing this when the kids were 7 and 10, by that time we had a house with a 3 car garage and there were piles of stuff - we did that for almost 13 years. It was the best idea ever. Every year it took less time because we accumulated less junk just thinking about cleaning it again next year. Then we moved to a house with a smaller garage and got it professionally finished. It was awesome, always organized, with a spot for each thing and always looking great. When we moved to an apartment not too long ago, it was an easy task.

Cleaned out the cabinet below the sink this morning.

Interesting idea cleaning out the garage on Mother's Day, I like it. I am hoping to move to a house with a 3 car garage, we currently have a two car garage plus 2 generous attics and a shed - a 3 car garage will reduce my storage space. Attics and basements are hard to find here in So Cal. Since my last post I have cleaned out our office, media room, and part of the kitchen. Just need finish packing up 1/3 of the kitchen and helping my 2 kids with their rooms, then we will be ready to have the pros in to do the updates we need for the sale. In the meantime I am going to start getting estimates on the work. Every day I work on decluttering I am a day closer to finding my new home - very motivating.

still decluttering lol. Just tossed some things in my garage to make room for our kitchen cabinet delivery 8am tomorrow morning :) will need the area to put the cabinets together and stain those I am staining.

Update.
It's a tie on what gets everywhere the worst, drywall dust or leveling compound dust. Drywall dust stands out more on the wall three rooms away. Leveling compound is grittier. Drywall never seems to go AWAY though. I think Drywall tastes a little worse, it tastes more chalky and less dirt-earth like the leveling compound.

I got to uncover some floors at least, and have drywall and paint up. Still putting in fixtures as I can afford to buy them now; and staring at the big open gap that will be my kitchen.

Kitchen will take the most $$$ to finish so it's being last. The temporary kitchenette is already getting very old.

Declutter? Yesterday hubby and I both went after the back deck and reclaimed it; filled a 4x8' trailer about 5' deep. By some of the stuff in the corners of the 12.5 x 25' I would say 2 years. Most of it though was due to the remodel. Then we went to the rolloff, it actually had been there open for more than 12 hours and only had about a foot deep tossed in. I don't understand why people can't step in a few feet and toss their big junk to the BACK. We replied some of it then tossed our own in.

In the kitchen, putting like things together and getting rid of the duplicates. I have to remind myself, if I haven't used it for quite some time and give it away, no worries. I can always by it again if I change my mind.

We have decluttered and cleaned out so much in two weeks. We built this shelf and cleaned up all the tools, nails, screws. We built soda and water storage racks. I am in the home stretch in the with the big stuff and now I just have little things like some containers in my sewing room and the other side of the garage shelf. The screw shelf has been great. We have five kids so we use alot of water bottles for school and in the car. I really don't allow to much soda but I always have some in stock for parties. The shelf helps so much with my bad arm getting off what I need.

Started on my kitchen pantry today. I'm not sure if I'm a hoarder or a prepper!

LOL! Yesterday I did more decluttering in my Master. Went after the dreaded under the bed storage area, and my dresser. Did some in-depth cleaning as well. Today is going to be my daughter's room, she is away at college and I have been using her room to store items to be donated. She has been gone for a month and it has built up, my son asked me yesterday where she would be sleeping when she comes back for the weekend this Friday. Time to deliver the items to the local charity TS.