How to declutter? Help

[AnyDream]

I recommend getting your hands on some Peter Walsh books/videos. He breaks the process into some pretty simple steps to follow. Even if you grab a box/rubbish bag once a day and go hard for 10 minutes, start anywhere and just remove all the extra stuff you find, it will make a difference. Once the surface noise goes, it gets easier to "see" where the other clutter problems are.

Having said that, I went through a stage when I was having trouble getting rid of DD2's baby things. My solution was to get 2 smallish plastic tubs (one for each DD) and put a selection of their best/favorite things in there. For eg, a toy or two, a handmade quilt, their favorite book, a little outfit, etc. Then I gave all the other nice stuff to a friend who had just had a baby. Seeing her little one enjoying it helped ease the pain, LOL. Likewise I have one box for DD2's art, so I'm choosy about what I put in there.

I really like Kim's rules. Especially the one about if there's no home for it, it goes. We live in a small house, there's no chance we're going anywhere bigger any time soon, so it's really about living within your (space) means. I've spent the last few months doing a progressive cull and containerise/storage blitz, but now that I've done it, I can see we still need to get rid of more stuff. I aim for 25% reduction everytime I'm clearing something out (ie a shelf, a cupboard, whatever) which for me is do-able. The more you chuck out, the easier it gets.

ETA - There's another fabulous book (autobiographical) by Corinne Grant, who had a bit of a hoarding problem for a while. Reading it helped me get really clear about how things are not memories, they are not emotions, they are just things. When you understand this, it's easier to recognise what really has meaning and value in your life - and it's not "things".

2nd ETA - Don't get hung up about the method of disposal. If you can sell it quickly, then sell it. If you can't, if it's still hanging about a week or two later, just give it away. The freedom of not having it is worth more than a few dollars.