☘️ NEVER Declutter These Things (Or You'll Regret It) • Decluttering Don'ts & How To Avoid Regret
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- čas přidán 1. 07. 2024
- ☘️ When you're decluttering, you're focused on what to get rid of. You may even have built some momentum and are now donating things with wild abandon.
But before you toss another box of stuff, see if there's anything in it from this list. Because these are the things you definitely do NOT want to declutter.
Watch the video and then let me know...
What's something you considered decluttering but are glad you kept? 💖
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These are things you shouldn't declutter when you're clearing the clutter from your home. Most of these are things I regret decluttering, so I speak from bitter experience. ;)
I work in a library and people use all types of things as bookmarks. Every once in awhile somebody comes forward because they left a favorite bookmark inside of the book. I have found plenty of pokemon cards, library cards, gift cards (that still have money), cash, checks, bank statements. Not to mention all the items left in copiers and scanners. drivers license, student IDs, tax papers, passports, social security cards. Be careful what you use as a bookmark/use in a public place.
Someone contacted me online once because my great aunt had used one of my school photos as a bookmark (had my name on the back) and returned it to the library. Decades went by (I think I was almost 30 when I got a random FB message from the lovely librarian about the photo they found and it was from early elementary school! 😅)
I think the only thing missing is offering yourself compassion when you make a mistake. ❤
Every time I go through a particular category of stuff, I find there is more and more that I am willing to part with. It takes time.
Yeah decluttering is addicting😂
I had a long lawsuit- It was over years ago, so I shredded three boxes of paper and just kept the final judgement in my little safe. Same with my divorce. All the motions are gone and just the final agreement was saved - that's all I really need and reading through all that stuff again would only get me upset and raise my blood pressure. It was a relief to get rid of it all.
Well done!
Laura, Something I would suggest is if you are the "Declutterer" in the family and you get permission to get rid of someone else's thing, have them sign and date a note about it. Then file it in your files. So often a half year will go by and they say "Where is such an such?" You tell them you donated it and they say "WHAT?, NO" Then you have the proof in their own writing that indeed they did give permission. Saves you from being the "BAD GUY" forever in their eyes.
Great post.
Cheers.
My husband's architectural firm decluttered a trunk full of what the office manager described as "curtains and shit". My husband brought it home on his bicycle .. it turned out to be super high-end textile samples from Italy. Gorgeous linens, silks, wools, cashmere. I didn't even know this quality was still being made. Even the trunk was designed as a pretend 19th century trunk with leather straps. We still bring it out to show house guests for fun.
I’m currently dealing with someone devouring something of mine without permission. After having my daughter via c-section 6 years ago, the day I got out of the hospital, my husband and father-in-law packed up our apartment. I thought all of the furniture had gone to a storage unit but I just found out yesterday that the antique chest that belonged to my great grandmother has been discarded as trash along with its contents which were all from 1880-1930. I have never had an attachment to things because we moved so much when I was a child and then at age 23 my house burned down and I lost 85% of my belongings. But losing this chest and everything inside honestly was soul crushing. I actually knew everything inside and there history of it.
So sorry
@@jeannebowes2898 thank you
This breaks my heart for you.
@@pauliwhitworth7612 thank you
💔🙏🏻❤️🩹
There was one time youngest my sister was decluttering her basement and gave me one of our family’s accordions. It had been in possession of my baby brother, who didn’t take care of it and actually didn’t know how to play it. When I opened the case, it needed restoration in the worse way. I start looking for a place to restore the accordion, but my other sister opened her mouth about it and I had to give it back. Not surprised to say, certain bio siblings never want me to have a memento from our parents. I accepted that. I do however have two mementos from my foster family, a quilt that my foster mom made for me and something my foster father made for his wife when he came home from WWII in the South Pacific. My foster sister thought I should have something that her father made with his own hands. The quilt and the handmade item will never be chucked away in a decluttering frenzy. The only happy memento I have of my bio family which can’t be taken away, is my dad had taught me to play accordion. And so I wind up in July, getting my own accordion that I’m looking forward to playing once finished with decluttering.
These past hurts can be remedied. Enjoy!
When I was 17, I went to visit my brother at his college in another state for a couple of weeks. While I was gone, my other brother and mom decided to redo my bedroom. It was beautiful. But in the process they threw out a zippered bag (the kind a comforter comes in) that had a bunch of stuff in it. They thought it was just garbage. They didn't realize that "garbage" had things in it that I still think about today with an ache in my heart. Poems written by me and others, notes received, photos, various paper things (doodles others drew or I did, a picture my deceased father had drawn), a bent paperclip that my first crush gave me that when you spun it between your fingers you'd see a heart. Many things I cherished. The bedroom came out nice; however, it never made up for the loss I still feel today----45 years later.
Decluttering when I’m trying to process through anger, sadness, anxiety, and other difficult emotions has been really helpful for me. The follow through is usually the part that makes me feel better so I do actually get the things out of the house. I can’t think of anything that I regret decluttering.
I went through all of my son’s toys and boxed up what he wasn’t using and put it in the car, without consulting him. I felt bad and after I watched this I told him I had put some of his old toys in the car and he could have a look through them and pick enough to fill his empty chest. I was pleasantly surprised that he only wanted 2 items! I thought he would want to keep everything, so I’m glad I let him decide what he wanted to give away and keep. Thank you so much!
Aw, that’s wonderful. My daughter surprises me all the time with what she’s willing to let go of. Now you can declutter guilt free. 😁
I love what the Minimal Mom does with things she isn't sure about keeping. She puts them in a "Time Will Tell" box and dates it. She gives it 6 months and has permission to take anything back out if she chooses. At the deadline, she donates it without opening the box.
The last tip was perfect. We tend to forget thar the planet is also our home. We wouldn't toss all the decluttered stuff to our back garden.
I put my good jewelry in a box labeled kitchen with pots on top so movers wouldn’t know. My husband donated it thinking I didn’t need more pots. 😬😡
🙀
OMG that hit me in the gut. So sorry for your loss! My husband threw away something I made that was important to me and I'll never get over it. : (
I really appreciate your perspective on these items not to declutter. When I was a kid my mother threw away a bunch of toys and books and 40 years later I still think about them and wish I could find this one book that I just cannot find anywhere. Also I have found important things in boxes like you did and agree that even if a box hasn’t been opened in a year and a half because you haven’t finished unpacking (which was my situation) doesn’t mean that you don’t actually want to use the items or decorate with the items. Certainly knowing that I could live without certain things made it easier to declutter those items but I’ve definitely found things I wanted to keep in those boxes and was glad to have found. It was almost like shopping in my own basement!
Before throwing out your paperwork that "might" be needed take pictures of it and store it electronically rather than physically. The same with sentimental items. If you have pictures of these items you can still access them. It doesn't cost you to contact someone for copies that they may or may not have. I've been doing this for years. The same for gifts, etc. If the person is still alive ask them if they want the gift back, if they do, great, if not let them know it's being donated.
All great points! Yes when I was a kiddo I went to a sewing class at age 8 ! We made a dog pillow and sewn on the face and ears this was all by hand! The stuffing came out and I put it in my draw! Had it until I was a teenager and while decluttering trashed it! I still miss that item! I still regret throwing it away! I’ve since made others but wish that one thing I would of held onto! It was several classes the whole Summer! It happens, what can ya do! Lessons learned! Don’t Beat yourself up about it! I still think about it especially because my cousin still has hers! We are both in our 50’s, and that’s even harder to believe!
When I start to declutter, it’s always hard No’s go, and the I don’t knows go into a different pile! Sometimes it’s just that easy!
I think there's an importance difference between stuff being stored and stuff being dumped. If your partner's area is just full of stuff/junk and they then start looking for new clear surfaces to dump stuff, that can cause tension
Not decluttering related, but I had to say I absolutely love your haircut! It really suits you 😀
I think that is some of the best advice I have ever heard on how to live with someone with a different clutter threshold! It's so true that we all need a space that is all our own.
Yes. NEVER, EVER get rid of something that is not yours.
Laura, that was a brand, new gift.
I am thankful you hadn't taken it to the donate shop, and she was able to rescue it.
Dawn however does go through her kids toys without them.
I couldn't, wouldn't ever do that.
It's not my property.
I accidentally “decluttered” my trolley coin into a charity bucket 🤣
I also regret decluttering a pair of my dad’s jeans. After he died, I decided the criteria for keeping the clothes were that they had to be good quality. He’d only recently painted in his “better” jeans, and I was gutted they had flecks of paint on them.
Looking back, I wish I’d have pulled them out of the textiles bag. I felt a pang in that moment, and honestly could probably declutter more of the things I’ve still kept 7 years on if I had those jeans…
It’s definitely an emotional decision and not a place for logic when decluttering sentimental items (no matter how “silly” or trashed the item may be).
I'm going through this phase now, my Mom passed 2 months ago, 5 days before my daughter turned 2. I'm the youngest of 4 and was closest to my Mom. Siblings keep telling me I have to be logical.. I'm heartbroken and it's all really hard, especially right now. I'm trying but I don't want to have these regrets later. I'd rather keep 'too much' right now and let go more later.
@@deeanndavis1256so sorry for your loss, do the declutter in your own time.
@@deeanndavis1256 I’m so sorry for your loss ♥️
if you have the space, I would keep if unsure. However, whatever the space is, you can’t keep past that.
I know that the “too much” stuff I did keep was such a huge weight to carry around and look at. The balance between “safe” and “stressed” by keeping it was not a healthy one.
There’s a whole rollercoaster of emotions to go through yet, but you’ll ride it.
What I would say is: storage. I had 2 boxes of videos from dad’s. Unfortunately, the home videos of Christmas And birthdays etc were in the box that went into the shed, and the bought ones were in the loft. Who knew videos could get mouldy?! :( that’s my biggest bummer of all about keeping things - so much stuff, and things got lost/ the wrong thing went to the wrong place and got damaged. I wouldn’t want the same to happen for you.
Start with keeping g your favourite things (no matter their “value”, other than what your emotions place on them). Any more space, see what else you’d keep etc. Maybe?
Try to be gentle with yourself. It’s a very unique experience to you, because you had a very unique connection to your mum
♥️ that’s not a bad thing, even if it feels like it right now
My sister gave me a few of my mom's jackets. Mom was still with us, but her health had been declining. My sister was clearing out excess. She didn't want the jackets back and none looked right on me, so I eventually sent them to the thrift store. And then I remembered...I forgot to check the pockets again. One jacket had a pair of her gloves in it. I wanted to keep her gloves. There was something about it. Her hands. I have hands like my mom and I wanted to hold onto those gloves. I called my hubby, but he'd already dropped them in the bin. He tried to get them back, but they wouldn't unlock the bin and retrieve them. To ease the loss whenever I think of it, I remind myself that everything happens as it should. Someone else needed those gloves. They will use them. I wouldn't have used them. I would have kept them as a reminder. But I remember my mom, with or without her gloves, and I still have her hands.
@@deeanndavis1256 My mom died in December 2018. My sister gave us all the opportunity to choose a few things from Mom's Christmas ornaments. At the time they felt like a link to mom, but as time goes on, I find that I don't need them. If I hadn't had them, I think I would feel an emptiness that might not heal. Like I would wish I had reminders. But since I do have a few items, I've been able to heal. And now I see that I don't need those things. They aren't my mom. When Christmas comes, I plan to keep and use a couple of things and let the rest go. But I don't have to. If I'm not ready or if I decide I want to keep them after all, I can keep them. Either choice is perfectly okay.
Give yourself time to heal. Whatever you keep, display it if possible. You may want to keep it all, or you may find that having just one or two items is all you need. No timeline. You'll know.
Hugs
I've made the mistake of getting rid of my husband and my sons stuff. That was years ago and I've never heard the end of it.
I can understand why.
You are right about checking the price on eBay in the sold items section. Because sometimes, people sell things for a very extravagant price by thinking that this is the value. When we realize that it has been sold before for much less, it brings us back to the sad reality. I usually sell my stuff a little more than the basic minimum, so if buyers want to do a lower offer, I know that I am not loosing anything. And sometimes, they pay what I asked for: even better.
The only thing that I regretted to have decluttered, is a vintage purse which belonged to my Mum. And I was upset when I decluttered it, as you said: not a good idea to do it in these circumstances. But honestly, I was never using it. So, it’s not such a big deal.
Seems like we lose things anyway. Deciding to Let It Go on your own terms can be powerful, although that's not foolproof. Laura, you have covered everything perfectly as usual👍👍👍
I agree with your first period. Actually, all these tips
I found a pin cushion that I made in first grade in the shape of a duck. I’m a senior citizen now.
I took a picture of it, with the intent of getting rid of it. Even then, I couldn’t. So I put it away for a few months yesterday I was ready to let it go.
Don't throw away something you don't know what it is without talking with others in your household. Like the part of some tool you had no idea existed that your hubby needs. No this did not happen to me 🤥🤥🤥😉
These are all amazing advice that I wish every aspiring/on the way/already minimalist knew about. I have regrets as well, but I keep reminding that in the end it’s “only” physical items. Still, being in that right place mentally before actually getting rid of anything is important.
ABSOLUTELY respecting others' possessions, is very important, especially the very young and old.
I regret decluttering items that I loved but became influenced by other people visiting my house who passed judgement on them and so I put them out. More fool me. But it's been a part of my journey and I like to think I learned such an important life lesson through this, that I am much stronger now.
Oh yes, some lessons are harder to learn than others, but all valuable lessons nonetheless. I'm sorry other people were mean about it. 😕
If you ever have regrets you can learn form that to do better choices and then let it go. Forgive yourself. Everyone who has lost a home to fire or other disaster knows that this forgiveness is worthwhile and justified
Thanks for the decluttering nuances.
I remember when I was a kid, seeing another girl wearing my jeans and getting into a fight with her... I had no idea my mother had given them to her.
I still have a memory from around age 3 of my parents admitting to me that they threw out my baby bottle that I had still been hanging onto and using daily. I felt so upset and betrayed that something I loved was taken away. I don't think I ever fully got over it. In highschool, when I realized there were more grown up bottles, I immediately started using those. As an adult, I tend to be very protective of my belongings and don't fully trust others with them.
Thank you for your new thoughts. 💕💜💕💜
Such great tips, from painful experiences - & I really love your t-shirt!
I agree!!! I think it creates rebound keeping/collecting/hoarding.
Just read your One minute Monday email...Thank you for that. I too have had answers trot along in a dream, so no laughter from me...Plus, a good answer can come from your worst enemy, strange but true!
Thanks for another great, practical video!
Regarding your point at around the 9 minute mark about not actually getting rid of stuff when you're in a very negative mood, I think the Kon-Mari method of appreciating and thanking each item as you purge is so helpful. It's not that I really believe that item is alive. But it's more about me recognizing the abundance in my life, letting go of guilt and learning lessons about, e.g. my personal style. And that step of thanking each item certainly means I'm not throwing something away in a fit of rage
Absolutely! I was quite skeptical about that part when I first started my KonMari journey a few years ago but I actually found it incredibly helpful. It really does make a big difference, doesn't it?
All very good advice, thank you. So much better to wait or check first especially when you have the time to do so.
Love your accent and vocabulary! "Impinging", "hygienic" 😍!
I enjoyed this video because it brought back a memory of where my clutter problem may have seemed. I am a senior now, but still remember my favorite summer dress having been donated, when I was 7. Mint green. Still learning to let go.
Great points. I love this video and others videos of you I have seen. Deep thoughts about these points have been missing from most popular decluttering videos around CZcams.
I am just beginning my journey to minimalism, I want to make more living space for myself and have less things I no longer like or need to declutter it. Thank you for your videos 🌺✨
Hi Laura! Love your videos and decluttering tips. You've been helping me to see thing with another perspective. Love your care and compassion. Blessings
🥰😻💕
Aw, I’m so glad. Thank you! 🥰
I donated a heavy shirt that was too hot to wear most times. It was my favorite shirt, and I've regretted it ever since!
Love your hair!
Im a new subscriber and obsessed with your channel... I looked up gentle decluttwring cause ive got kids w special needs work parttime among other things so its very hard to make time to start decluttering so Im putting alarms of 30mins or 20mins sometimes to mini speed declutter some small spot.. but I need something a bit intense lol I love your videos btw.
Thanks for this video. Needed it.
Love the shirt!
Thank youuu! 💖
This is important!
Very good video! I have been following you for some time and it's interesting to see you gaining wisdom with age and experience. Thanks for passing things on that can save someone trouble. I vowed early on to never get rid of my husband's things without his approval. I learned from watching my mother in law do that with my father in law ( a very serious pack rat and I understand her frustration). but in some ways it was rather devious. A horror story from my husband's childhood is when she threw out a coffee can of his things she thought were just junk, but contained a treasured silver dollar his grandpa had given him.
I'm 64 and a daughter of "Depression Era Parents". Overall, my generation has a different outlook than today's minimalists. Both views have good values and also down sides. All I can say is, you view things differently when you are 60 than 30.
I just did a major declutter & I got rid of about 70% of what I owned. I did think afterwards there were things I should have kept. I just went through so fast I missed things. I have 2 rooms left I will take your advice on them
My kids remember everything!!!!!! It is crazy. I have a huge back log of stuff I need to sort through. I'm asking him to say specifically what they want. Or if there is something I know is special. But they also want to keep it ALL!!!!! 🤦♀️
Pitching the sandals...good call.
Good advice ☘️
Thank you!
Def look through things before you toss it. I got mentally exhausted looking through my old school things. I ended up just tossing a bin with notebooks etc from 7-9 grade later realising I prob threw my grade cards out too and my grades was pretty good back Then so I kinda regret that even Though I won’t need them for anything other than a trip down memory lane.
I recently decluttered my jewelry cabinet and found an empty plastic bag and and now sure it held a 2,000 loose diamond which I found on the ground 23 years! Unless I put it "somewhere safe" it's gone forever.
I have autism and I find it extremily hard to declutter, especially my art supplies which are causing me the biggest grief. I live in a tiny one bed flat and both my large cupboards are full of art stuff from school and stuff im not ready to get rid of. It's a huge stress but i find if i do a little every now and again its not too bad, something like 10 mins is enough. I have epilepsy too and i cant get up and down or bend over too much or ill upset my warning signs, mostly its just finding the motivation.
I still remember people giving my most beloved toys away when I was a kid or trowing away a plant I had in my room and liked because they didn't like it, so I always ask nowadays. People can be so hurtful sometimes. People will sometimes astonish you and get rid of a lot of things if you include them in the process, don't be toxic and assume, always ask and respect other people's sentimental attachements.
Absolutely! We can never understand an attachment someone has to their stuff.
I had a pair of pewter candlesticks that I was going to donate but liked it up first. Glad I did. Sold them for 10.00 in one day.
A cousin of mine got rid of a bunch of his wife's clothes. He had warned her many times that she needed to share closet space and she hadn't. She came home to find literally half of each closet in the house devoid of her clothes, shoes, coats!
It nearly divorced them. I see his point though but was a cheeky way to do it.
She's a more forgiving woman than I would have been. 😂
@@HowToGYST oh I don't think she ever forgave him ahhah
thank you
What a nice human.
🤗☮️✌️🕊️
I've made some of these mistakes.
There are actually pangs of regret.
Getting rid of clutter is so essential!
But it can be so hard when you inevitably regret some of it.
These are great points to help reduce those pangs.
Somebody decluttered my thousands of dollars of irreplaceable MRI's, the actual 'radiographs.' They would be invaluable to me now to have a Dr look thru new eyes now, to see the origins of my health issues.
But they're gone. Dangit
It seems there should be an original at the hospital you had it done
I once decluttered my teaching materials. I went on to get my Masters and though I would never teach again. Lo and behold after graduation a couple of years later I got another public school teaching job. Reproducing all of those materials was not possible and what I did manage was exhausting. Definitely regret that. Also, regrett some clothes that a "kind" aunt helped me declutter when I moved in during that same period-getting my Masters. Her criteria wasn't actually great. I'm small, but not actually petite and it is super hard to find clothes that fit and don't make me look like a little kid. After having kids I know that this clothes probably wouldn't fit anymore, but there were definitely some years I could've used them. And I wish now I could be put them in storage instead for those years and then made use of them in the early married years.
mesmerized by your beautiful voice. so glad u were in my suggesteds-idk why ive not seen this channel sooner other than other side of the pond...feel a channel binge comin on😬but also why do i want u to sing!?? ohh yes- Dolores of the cranberries voice twin☺️sorry im sure thats very american of me to say
Yes. I think I threw away some personal letters. Maybe they embarrassed me a bit. But I wish I had not let it go. It wasn't taking up that much space.
I had a pair of sandals that I wore for 7 years until they started falling apart. I looked on the brands website and they had nothing like them. So I got on Poshmark and found the exact pair. I bet you could find them again.
Sometimes you don't have the choice to wait for a positive mood. Thats why I found ut extremely difficult decluttering stuff that was destroyed by a removals company. It forced me to very traumatic and overwhelming. I might have decluttered at some point down the line when it got worn out for example. It took some years and.much processing to come to terms with this. Acceptance came into it too and dealing with other people who were about and I feel are to blame to a certain degree just by their presence. These people still live next to me and it is unresolved that bit.
Dear Laura,
I'm stuck! Not to my chair or items, stuck in Melbourne, Australia.
I live here but we are in our 6th Lockdown, since all this started.
(worst part about a 7 day lockdown is the first 6 weeks!)
I sincerely love your channel and advise
Me! I spent lockdown decluttering with no satisfaction of donating. My craft room was full of bags & boxes to go for months - very frustrating. I feel your pain.
In a rage purge I was chucking empty jewelry boxes and accessories I never wore, and for about 2 years I thought that the locket my husband gave me on our wedding day, on the chain my MIL gave me the Christmas before she passed away was in one of those boxes… I found it last month when checking a shelf in the basement before I donated everything on it. What a relief, but I will take that rage purge and check the box advice going forward forever now
Phew! Close call.
There are some things that have irked me so much, I considered burning them. 😅😅 But it was very obvious things. Things that reminded me of toxic people or things that had continually failed me and had just been crappy the whole time I had them. Once I got so fed up with this little computer speaker set thing (that NEVER hardly worked right lol) that I ripped the cords out and destroyed it. I really don’t regret that all these years later at all. It felt so good to do it also. It was more like a stand I was making...such as telling the universe that I was done putting up with defunct things that never fail to let me down or irk me to no end and so on.
Go get 'em, tiger! 😉
@@HowToGYST 🤣🤣🤣 Some things (and some people unfortunately) are just good riddance imo. Lol. (Of course I’m not gonna hurt a human but I sure as hell will leave them and write them off tho. Sometimes you just have to accept that what you have on your hands is really more like a turd that you just can’t ever polish). I’m very adept at making the most of many less than ideal situations, but some things...you just can’t really ever make them even half decent no matter what you’d try.
Amen!
Books... have to repurchase some I thought I would not read anymore but I learned that I LOVE my book collection. I decluttered them because I did want to get rid of sowe shelves but I should have tried other solutions to store them.
I would never declutter my children`s stuff without their explicit permission. My father AND my stepmother did it on different stages with different items an I hated it. This way I had to repurchase a new bed when I got my first apartement (yeah, they litterally sold it while I was living just a few weeks at my boyfriends home), my father donated stuffed animals and just kept one I DID NOT LIKE when I was 11 or 12, my stepmother always decluttered clothes because they were worn out - but I liked them that way. Maybe I would have decluttered them voluntarily after a while if she talked to me. But no, she just trashed them.
BUT! When your kids adults, you are not their storage unit! My parents-in-law even keep stuff my husband told them to get rid of. Somehow I still feel like it is hour stuff and it is always at the back of my brain.
My husband and me share a room for our home office. I marked a line in the middle of the room, but there is always stuff falling on my side of the room and I can hardly reach my desk...And I even haven't mentioned the cellar that is full of his stuff and only his stuff. Besides the washer and dryer. And I didn't use the workshop for months, cause it is so cluttered... I love my husband, but I hate his clutter.
About wiping your memory cards and hard drives clean: especially true if you want to resell it. I was once gifted a second-hand hard drive, the store did not wipe it clear of data and I found on it very personnal things (such as home-made adult movies...) At first I thought it was the persons gifting me the drive who put stuff on it, because it was neatly organized in folders: movies and music by cateogrie, most of it in my taste or the taste of the person who gifted me the hard drive. So I opened the "Home movies" folder hoping to find the latest Xmas or Bday videos and... AWKWARD. This is when I called the person who told me that no, they did not put anything on the hard drive, did not even try it out. I had on my hard drive all the personal data of strangers. All went well for the strangers though because I wiped it clean twice, did not even bother to fish out the movies or music that I would have liked, just in case the titles hid more "surprises".
Oh my goodness! What a story! Well done on deleting everything.
I don't think you can avoid having regrets. You do the best decisions with the information you have at the time. Sometimes a good purge is needed, hanging over every single item can take time one doesn't have. I would only recommend putting that effort into the sentimental category
I unfortunately have a certain level of anxiety over getting rid of things and I have had to learn that it is okay to give away stuff I don't want even if it was given to you as a gift. I am still learning but I still get caught up in an anxious state once in a while when I am trying to let go of things that are causing me stress in my home. I found that a lot of the things that cause me stress in my home are because they have no place and have been given to me by a family member and I worry they'll get upset over me rehoming that item.
Great advice as always!
I have some complete sets of children's paperback book. One series has 61 titles. Another series I thought was complete is actually incomplete as I have seen Girls Gone By Publishers print a title I didn't know existed. I also have a random set of titles by an author who is hard enough to find now, not a complete set of any series though. These books were stored for many years in my parents house. I am now pleased to say that they are on display on a bookcase in my living room. Some titles sell for quite high prices on eBay, but other titles sell for much lower prices. I hate the thought of selling a few and not having the full sets anymore. I might reread then someday. DD might be interested in reading them in a few years😃
I'm keeping some of my old books for Scout too. I hope she ends up with the same wonderful memories I do. 🙂 Well done on displaying your treasures.
I have to say that in a world where people are dying of starvation, acts of war or rampant disease I find the notion of worrying over "stuff" now unnecessary. I used to have some feelings over stuff regret but I have learned from you Laura that it all ends in the landfill.
Dolls, toys, inanimate objects are void of feeling so I think many of us need to suck it up and move on.
‘Suck it up and move on”? Yes, the world can be a very, very hard place. That is beyond question. But ALL suffering is relative to the individual. When you take a toy from a child and give it away to another child, they are not thinking “oh well, that ok because at least I’m not starving like some people elsewhere in the world”. They are incapable of making that connection. They are too young, too immature. For them, the loss can be a defining event. Possibly their first loss of something close to them. You know that old phrase, ‘the first cut is the deepest’? It’s an accepted truism because it happens to be the truth for a lot of life events. The lost objects are exactly as you said - void of feeling. But their meaning to those who owned them for a short while is rich with sentiment and love, something which is much sought after in this harsh, unthinking world. So, “suck it up and move on”? I don’t think so. Our history is what makes us who we are.
@@Deborahblacoe and so it is up to the parent to give the child some perspective. When you feed the dragon it gets bigger. I sure do hope that these children dont have any real disappointments in life yes so "suck it up".
@@janecoder1 And this very attitude is why mental health problems are viewed by society as something to be hidden. I am glad that you have the ability to ‘get over’ losses which meant something to you. Go you. To everyone else, be kind to yourself, you don’t have to live by anyone else’s standards. ❤️🙏
I agree 100% with you, JaneCS. Well said.
I've definitely gained a little more perspective over the years. And obviously the past year or so has brought a lot of things into sharper focus for so many of us.
Recipe books of family members. I have one of my mil's cookbooks, with her tweaks in them. I keep them for her writing, for my children.
Wish I had my grandparents writing, it's more meaningful.
Don’t feel bad about those sandals 👡 . As someone who held onto the sandals, You may have worn through the supporting layers (or the structural integrity of the shoe) I kept the sandals and the next two times it hurt 😞 until I made peace with the fact that I wore them out.
I have missed a few items, like a pink set of plates, but really….no need for them, and no room 😀
I find that it is easier to make a decision to get rid of something belonging to someone else, but you shouldn't do it - I found that last year when I was going through my books to organize them that quite a lot which I thought that I had had gone - I suspect my partner got rid of them when there was money troubles - I don't remember getting rid of them and so I spent some time buying the books back (there are still some that I need to rebuy.) I didn't make a fuss over it because he suffers from stress but it was still annoying to me personally. Don't get rid, even if you don't like the items because it's something that the person it belongs to should do.
I still have some DVD 's my Dad gave me. They have his handwriting on and he passed five years ago. I even have an old air purifier that he fixed that I don't use anymore because I can no longer get the filters. I just get stuck with getting rid of such items.
One of the best things of heard so far for decluttering especially with kids things, is to put the stuff they rarely play with in a "Quarantine Box" Then if they mention it, you can get it. OR you can simply go through their room again in about 6 months and declutter again, and put those toys back. I already do that with their books. @How To Get Your Shit Together, are your walls blue or grey? Sometimes I see both. I'm trying to decide on a grey for my living room but I don't want it to look blue in certain light.
Grays come in many hues and tints. Blue is one of them, green, yellow and brown are common ones on the paint strips. You should be good, and if in doubt, ask the paint mixer person.
Totally off topic... is that painting in your room one of those "favorite movie" paintings? If yes, what movie is it of? I've been considering buying one... thoughts?
Add printers to list of things that might need a professional wipe, a ton of data is keep in most printers.
Thanks!
My mom whenever she sees me going thru my stuff would say “let go of those clothes etc as you got too much stuff” and i know she say it with good intention. Even so, most of my clutter (clothes, bags, shoes, documents and books etc) but i refused to just let go stuff i have just so i can declutter. I am doing it in my own timeline and i do remove and give out my stuff as i go through it and i won’t get rid stuff just because it doesnt fit me or not not use it. But of course i try to clean as much and put it in a neat way in keeping my stuff. 😅😂
Misplaced a big book of poetry that was my mums as a child she had beautifullly coloured in many of the illustrations. That is 1000% the thing i accidentally decluttered. Which worries me that theres a box of books / super important heirlooms that got decluttered 😱😱😱😭😭😭
That's weird - I was wearing that exact 'Be a Nice Human' shirt this morning.
I have a different Be a Nice Human shirt. Mine is bright yellow with daisies on it. 💕
My 6 yr old child had a toy that was given when 18months old went everywhere with it. I said it was time it went then the time came I got rid. My child was physically sick. I tried to replace but it wasn’t the same. Years later still the same.
Oh that's rough. 😕 Hopefully a little more time will help erase the memory.
I paid off my mortgage 2 years ago. Is there any reason to keep all those papers?
Thank you for bringing attention to these very insightful tips! SO many videos are just about getting rid of everything. I once rage purged and now regret throwing away a ceramic figurine from my great grandma who was a WWII survivor (I have no idea if it was even valuable, just sentimental). I will never forgive myself. Sentimental items are so tricky. I have 4 kids and threw away a lot of their little clay creations and such. These items can take over the house! How can we declutter these items without regret??? Anyone have any tips??? Thank you so much!!!
Hi Jennifer, I absolutely love finding donated kids ceramics, drawings, art objects in Thrift shops, I enjoy using them in my craft room as a vessel to hold supplies or use as background inspirations, my suggestion is to find a nonprofit thrift store and donate. Kids creativity I adore. Hope my suggestion helps. 💕
Purchase a binder and paper sleeves to protect their best artwork.. if its not a paper creation but you do not plan on ever displaying it. Snap a photo! My parents didn't keep ANY of my 'art' and honestly i could care less. I'm 35 now so what am i going to do with it?! Lol
😂 Oh I'm so sorry but your driver's license story was very funny and sadly relatable.
I have some ethnic clothes I’m on the fence. I wore than 20 years ago. Could I fit them again? I would need to lose a lot more weight. But closet space is limited.
I am almost thirty years old and still upset my mum decluttered a summer dress she decided was too worn when I was about 8 or 9 or so :D
But I guess that is just the age around which kids really start to care for their own stuff. That was the last time mum ever sorted out clothes for me.
I have a few I miss too. Though my mother denies getting rid of them. 😂
This was an excellent video in my opinion, very informative and you are so right...if a person is not in a good mood, not feeling well or even just tired or hungry...those times are not good times to make good decisions. ~Jodi
I don’t declutter for winter if I’m in July or vice versa. I’m in Denmark and seasons and hobbies change drastically and I don’t remember what I need 6 months away and just buying new stuff is not my joy.
And scan documents and put them on 4 usb stocks and store them in different/separate trusted spaces and have a physical copy of online codes and passwords in a safe spot. Just speaking as someone who has been taught by a digital security guy. I’m not going to feel insecure about it and waste time and money on new copies of papers. That’s too important for me.
One way you could “declutter” documents you could always scan as you go onto a specific hard drive that way you keep the documents without the physical clutter obviously not thing like drivers licence or birth, death and marriage certificates but the other things xxx
Absolutely. But only the ones you need or want. Otherwise you just end up trading physical clutter for digital clutter. 😂
@ How To Get Your Shit Together
What did you said at the end of each video ?