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Feeling so overwhelmed with STUFF
Our basement and spare bedroom are all chock full of STUFF. Excess chairs/furniture we don't have room in the living areas of our house... two mattress sets, tons of random this-and-that which just gets put in the basement or spare rooms because we don't have a place for it anywhere else in the house and no real organization system.
Our house is neat and tidy to all the world when you walk through our house, but I feel like we're hiding a dirty little (big!) secret lurking right behind the "visible" layers where we live, KWIM?
I just feel so overwhelmed with the mess, and I don't know how to start cleaning it out. Anyone who has ever successfully tackled a huge cleanout/organization project before, how did you do it? What worked for you?
Anyone with any advice, please share!!!
BFP 1/18/11, EDD 10/1/11. Born at 37w5d on 9/15/11.
"There will come a time when you believe everything is finished. That will be the beginning.
Re: Feeling so overwhelmed with STUFF
BFP 11.8.12 * EDD 7.17.13 * MC 12.20.12
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, over!
I don't know what you goal is - to get rid of the stuff or to keep it and just keep it clean and organized.
When I want to get rid of things, I organize my clean-out projects around times when local charities are collecting. For example, next week is a clothing drive at the local middle school - - I'll bag up old (but still wearable) clothes for that event. I recently gave baby toys to a garage sale for charity (I didn't have to have the garage sale, just donate). That way, there is an "end date" to your clean up, and the stuff gets out of the house.
If your furniture is still useable, consider contacting a charity about giving it away. It makes you feel better than throwing good things into the trash.
DH and I got married almost 10 years ago, and we still have "doubles" from living in two different apartments. A few years ago we rented a dumpster to get rid of stuff - and we are still busting out! It does take time to get rid of things.
Look at things and ask yourself "have I used this in the past year? three years?" If the answer is no - you're not going to use it anytime soon.
I say to myself when going through things that I give away "It will come back to you" (meaning, if you give things away to those who need them, when you are in need, karma will bring what you need to you) and (from Oprah) "free your life for something more." (meaning, when you get rid of stuff, especially old stuff, you are opening your life to the possibility of new things - new experiences, new freedom, etc.).
If you want to donate items to charity, I'd call your local food pantry and ask them if they know of any organizations that accept furniture. The food pantry most likely won't take them, but will be in touch with other community resources that will. You could also sell on craigslist, or give them away through freecycle.org.
If you just want to be organized and keep the stuff, maybe consider a shelving system.
I'm somewhat of a pack-rat, holding on to tons of stuff just for the memory of it and whoever gave it to me. Someone suggested taking pictures of things that you keep just because they hold fond feelings, not because they're useful, and making a "memory book" with pictures, descriptions, details of the items. That way you can get rid of all the little things causing clutter, but still look at the book and remember them.
I don't know if this helps in your particular situation, but I hope it does! Good luck!