I'm a big fan of pre-made decisions. Pre-made decisions mean I can get rid of certain things that come through my home without any thought or analysis. My books: aslobcomesclea...
My favorite premade decision? No SWAG! No pens with logos, no pins, no lanyards, no stickers, no glassware, no event t-shirts I'm never going to wear again. People are often shocked when I politely decline but I just don't find being surrounded by logos to be very relaxing.
Agreed! Just turned down a mug and a water bottle this week! (I suppose someone might one day offer me something that I actually have a use for and I'd accept it, but that would be so rare.)
That’s a great idea. I don’t think I keep any of that anymore either. ❤Never thought about it in those terms tho! Most of the T-shirt’s are scratchy. No reason to even accept it.
Yes! I was trying to darn socks about 8 years ago and told a friend about my latest interest. She rolled her eyes at me and said “I say ‘Darn sock’ as I throw it in the garbage!” Always makes me giggle when I chuck a holey sock
My mom once offered to darn my dad's socks. He said, "Have you worn darned socks? I have. There's a reason they're called 'darned' socks. Throw them away!"
When my mother died, she wrote us out of her will, leaving everything to her then-partner. Partner asked if there was anything I wanted, and (having already been told no regarding the three things I did want) I said, "anything that was hers, and that you don't want." We got: an embroidered wool cape from a trip Mom took to Malta; a broken ceramic mosaic brooch; a vase; her desk and boxes and boxes of textbooks with Mom's annotations and several boxes of office supplies. Pens, erasers, dried-out highlighters, old bottles of whiteout; thingamabobs to go to long-antiquated machines. I sent the vase and the cape to my sister and took charge of getting rid of most everything else. I still have the desk. What I remember most is that I do not want my son to root through boxes of acidifying paperback books and extra fountain pen cartridges. What I know best is that my mother gave us life, and nothing else is promised.
I am 66. Now that I'm older on my birthday and Mother's Day my 3 children each take three items out of the house that they want. I tell them the reason I like the object (usually it is connected to a family member or a memory) and that if they want to get rid of it, they need to offer it to siblings first but after that it is their choice what they do. The house is slowing emptying and I know they already have the things they cherish the most. We take turns who picks first each time and they all get along so it is a win-win for all.
There you go! If you were to be filmed holding the object in question as you explain its significance to the family or yourself, you would have at the same time Oral History to pass on. Also, be sure to have letters (however ordinary) in your handwriting to any family member. I could only find the briefest note from my beloved grandmother, so I put it in my scrapbook. I treasure it❗
I finally took the plunge. I am working on the kitchen. It is not totally finished, but for the first time in a long time, I enjoy cooking in my kitchen. It is getting cleaner every day. My dishes get washed after use. My floor gets swept every day even if it looks clean. Every time I walk by, it gives me a great feeling. I am finally proud of one room in my house. 7 more to go.
I have made a lot of premade decisions based on you, like tissue paper. It drives my frugal Mother in Law crazy but what she doesn’t understand is I’m frugal by only buying what I need and clearing mental space which allows me to save money in other ways. 🎉 I also decided I will not keep hand me downs from my 13 year old to my 8 year old anymore…I have bins up to size 7/8 for her and no more. Their body types are so different, my 8 year old is very tall and thin. By the time the 8 year old grows into it she will be a teenager and have her own styles and desires. Better believe we will still shop at consignment shops and sales racks but I’m not keeping totes for 5 years that probably won’t fit her and if they do she may not like.
Premade decisions - Wrapping paper have been a bag person for years. No one has turned away a present yet - Random plastic containers or jars. Keep 2 types of jars and a few each of standard leftover containers. - multiple cleaners using up and sticking with water/vinegar in spray bottle and baking soda in Parmesan serving jar with holes - More games. Play with what we have and resist at thrift store - working on using up multiple types of food products and sticking with brand/type we prefer. - Too many towels 2 bath for each and two hand and sets off dish towels to change out and wash weekly. One set of sheets for our bed and guest bed. - Thanks so much for the inspiration and will look with new eyes around our home to see what else - We downsized to a two bedroom condo two years ago from a town house of 21 years. Halved our footprint and loving it!
Pre-Made decision #1 NOTHING with glitter enters my house or car. I've even told my kid's teachers that crafts/art with glitter will be thrown away before we leave school. Thankfully, some of the teachers share my sentiment :)
So funny. We tease my sister for keeping tissue paper :) something I don't keep or reuse are LARGE gift bags. Because I rarely buy anything big enough to put in them and if so I usually wrap it. SIDE NOTE...unwanted large gift bags make GREAT donatable donate bags!!
When I first read you talk about this, I knew right away what thing I needed to pick. Boxes. I never wanted to throw any of them away because they were good boxes, because boxes are useful, because kids love boxes, because reusing is good for the environment, because, because, because. My basement flooded once and my brothers said they were going to remove all the empty cardboard boxes while I was on the phone trying to find a plumber. When I got off the phone and went into my basement, I started yelling at them for throwing my things away because the basement was empty. They had actually only gotten rid of empty boxes - I had just filled 1,000 square feet with boxes I was sure I was going to need some day.
Well-made cardboard boxes are my weakness, too, although I'm trying to control my urges. It's getting easier not to save them b/c Amazon switched to thinner boxes. I also found stink bugs in the cardboard boxes in my storage area which is yucky.
I made a pre-made decision years ago to not subscribe to magazines! No more stacks of magazines!! I have made a pre-made decision to NOT buy souvenirs unless it can be useful not a dust collector or space invader and not a t-shirt with ad/logo! God bless you and yours!
My #1 pre-made decision probably came from you: Throw the pen away the first time it doesn't work. I always give them lots of effort before giving up, but I only do it once. 100% on the gift cards. Used to keep Walmart ones to reload because you could get a gas discount, but they quit that program, so I don't even keep those. I have a scraper tool, so it would never cross my mind to use it for that. If a sock has a hole somewhere besides the toe or heel, I'll keep it. But it goes if any part of my foot sticks out or gets stuck to a shoe while inside. My mom once offered to darn my dad's socks. He said, "I've worn darned socks. There's a reason they're called 'darned socks.' Throw it away!" I sometimes keep tissue paper because the pressing and folding don't bother me. Also, I have a container for it, and you know what that means.
I am a box hoarder!! I recently made the decision to get rid of the boxes that things come in. I have thrown away boxes for phones that we owned a decade ago. Now once I know an item works or we use it so that it won't be returned, I lose the box. This past Christmas was the first time I didn't have a bunch of empty boxes that I stored away "just in case." The compulsion was still there, but you are right on - the decision was already made so it was easier!
I am too.... it's an island thing. In some years I'm hoping to buy a house. I mentioned to a friend that then I'll keep boxes in the basement. She told me to get rid of them, because when she cleaned out the house of someone who died there, the boxes he'd kept were ruined by the stench.
I do love a good box but have pitched most of them except the large sturdy Tiffany box that housed a recent non-Tiffany gift. It’s fabulous and I’ll regift it. My husband was a landlord for 25 years and will not let me keep anything in cardboard boxes because they are preferred homes for roaches. Eeeewww!!
I agree much about boxes. They actually can be a problem and take so much space! I recently limited myself of saving boxes. We used to sell a lot of things at Markeplace and other platforms. Then it was perfect to save a lot of boxes and reuse them for sending things. These days I don"t have the energy to sell and we also minimized much already. I still have the urge to save boxes but only allow myself to save some that fit into a bag. It is good to be realistic and change the habit if it benefits you.
I'm so bad I still have the old phones. Seriously. I keep them because their base units have recorders in them (chip? I don't know.) so I have been feeling that if I throw them away I'm pitching the voices of family. It is really dumb because my parents are still alive and I probably have voice mails from them on my phone. This is my new project for today. Out that stuff goes TODAY. Thank you for making me think of this.
I made a decision not to buy pretty gift wrapping paper anymore. I just use brown paper and string! Sometimes if I want to be a bit fancy, I use coloured string haha! Or I get my rubber stamps out and make my own pattern on the paper. Similar to you buying plain white tissue paper, it works for any occasion and only takes up one amount of space
I buy all purpose wrapping paper. Just one at a time. For example, a splatter paint pattern- it works for anniversary, Father's Day, birthday, retirement, easy-peasy. I bought the hanging organizer. I am trying to keep only what fits. I found I would never use the perfectly good bAg because I am thought it was ugly. Just toss it!
I bought several fabric tote bags from a craft store, one for each grandchild and use them for all gift-giving occasions. Their parents return them at some point. (Of course, I could have made the bags.) Another premade decision that makes my life efficient is that books are my standard gift for my grandchildren. I want them to love reading, so I keep an eye out all year for beautiful books that would appeal to each child.
Hi Dana💌 When my tissue wrap starts getting a bit unattractive; I use them for packing up fragile ornaments after the holidays. It helps to have extra protection for your treasured ornaments.
Since reading your books/watching your videos I started using gift bags that aren't in good enough shape to use for gifts or that I just don't like enough to reuse as my donatable donate bins. 🙂 Thanks for all you do!
great idea! I recently started to do this with my excessive hoard of reusable tote bags (especially the freebies / promotional items). I sold an air fryer on FB Marketplace, and the buyer was almost as excited about the tote bag I put it in, to keep all the books/parts together 😅
@@cb9825 Good idea! I keep a gift bag hanging from one of my dining room chairs to use for trash. My kitchen trash can is not that far away, but I’d rather just keep my table tidy and free of trash.
If I wear something that isn’t 100% comfortable, I wash and donate. Also bugs me when my bra strap shows so I’ve made the pre decision to part with those tops that slip off my shoulder. I do tend to reuse my tissue paper for breakables in the donation box or at bottom of gift bags but I buy Costco tissue and it lasts forever! Just used the last of my old tissue last week 😃
I finally discovered that I have narrow shoulders so I NEVER buy a top with a boat neck,period.(I’ve passed up a lot of cute tops but also a lot of constant tugging so that my bra straps don’t show)🙌🏻
Every single one of those is how my brain works! So sad. I ordered your book Decluttering at the Speed of Life. My neighborhood had a power outage. I read 86 pages by candlelight!
I keep ONE roll of wrapping paper for birthdays and other celebrations (it's glossy with pretty dots and is suitable for any celebration and any gender) and one for Christmas. This has helped me.
I don’t buy: 1). Hobby items 2). “Seasonal decor” 3). Hair styling tools- I get a good hair cut and let my hair do what it wants. 1). For years and years, before I retired, I had a hobby of constantly buying/collecting quilting and knitting supplies and even though I only had time to occasionally knit and quilt. I justified the spending/collecting by saying “I will have more time when I retire and will love all this”. WRONG, I WAS SOOO WRONG. FOR YEARS, Every time I walked by the quilt/knitting room I felt GUILT and could hear the silent nags coming from that room “use me, saw me, knit me, organize me, straighten me, repair me, cut me, piece me, quilt me”. When I retired and sold my BIG home in Seattle area moving to a smaller home in The Villages Florida - I knew I wanted a FUN ACTIVE LIFE which meant I needed an easy to maintain home. I used an estate sale company to seek 90% of my belongs INCLUDING MY 40 years of collecting knitting and quilting STUFF- I had more items, fabric, books, tools, yarn, needles than most stores in my areas!! I felt like the WORLD was lifted off my shoulders. I LOVED the silence - no more NAGS in my head!!! I get to PLAY and have fun and spend a fraction of the time cleaning my home. Or let’s be honest, I was overwhelmed before and would just blow off cleaning which comes with its own guilt and shame !! Now, less inventory=easy cleaning=MORE FUN!! So now, I purposely do NOT choose hobbies that have lots of supplies! No painting, no glass fusion, no scrapbooking (in my experience, people that scrapbooked spent more time creating a Pinterest worth scrapbook than LIVING A FUN, ADVENTUROUS LIFE), no drones, no jewelry making. I have a bike and cheap, used golf clubs and a mahjongg set!! 2). The appeal of “Seasonal decor” is lost on me. The overwhelming clutter of it when it’s all displayed makes me itch and gives me a headache. And having to maintain the inventory - OMG- if there was a hell- that would be it for me!! 3). Tried them all and found they are just a waste of time and money. Prefer a good hair cut, and let it dry in the sun and breeze!!
I used to be very creative but after an injury I got a lot of pain and did not have the energy for it. I finally realized I would not get back to be like I used to, and donated a lot of material. The half done projects, that made me feel guilty, also left the house. These days I normally don't buy those kind of stuff at all. Or if I do, it's just for one tiny project at the time. I also decided that I have to finish it (or get rid of it) before I get to buy something for another project. Just buying random things for craft tend to not work at all. Often those things are not used at all and is a totally waste of money.
I agree!! :-) I had a skein of good-quality bright red wool that my former and lovely sister-in-law gave me once... kept it for years to use in something sometime but have I think since gotten rid of it, and any needles I had ... although my Mom was always knitting or crocheting when I was growing up, I've tried and "learned" but never excelled or enjoyed particularly... I do enjoy doing cross-stitching and still have that stuff and may well do that again... and it doesn't take up much space. :-) ... Also hair --- hair products, and hair styling tools - not very interesting... love the curls that have shown up in my hair :-) ... !
I have significantly downsized my scrapbook stash but it's still a beloved hobby and creative outlet. Also a way to preserve memories. They aren't pinterest worthy pages but they're special and important to my family.
I'd love to hear more pre-made decisions. I think hearing lots of examples of other people's pre-made decisions can be really inspiring, I find specific little things like such examples can sometimes be even more helpful than the 'theory' itself.
Oh my word! I literally have a sock with a hole in it in my drawer RIGHT NOW. They are my favorites, and when I found the hole I was so sad and although I knew I should toss them I didn't. But your words rang true - I know I won't wear them again. So out they go. Thank you for the inspiration! Also, my premade decision is dried up pens. "Life is too short for pens that don't work!"
I just went through all of my pens and markers. The lesson I learned is that sometimes you can save so much stuff that it gets useless before you can use it. I had whole boxes of new pens that I recently couldn't get to write at all, And I've, of course, had glue sticks dessicate before I used them. Etc. And so much of all of this stored white paper is turning beige...or nobody wants to use it because it is wide-ruled instead of college-ruled, etc. I just took a lot of still good stuff to the local elementary school and they wanted it. Old packs of new crayons and colored pencils, etc....Dana's idea about having a defined space for things was an epiphany even though I'm in my 60s!
Enjoy your talks. I won’t allow my husband to save butter/yogurt/whipped cream containers for food storage. We’ve got perfectly good Pyrex and plastic storage. My parents and his use that method for storing food and it drives me nuts to try to find the actual butter! Also, I have to sneak out a potion of the gimme cups my husband saves about twice a year. I don’t need 75 plastic cups …
My husband and I are scheduling declutter days (D Day) monthly and 3X a week have an alarm set for 5-minute clean (minimum, usually at least 10) We are starting again (but this time really determined TOGETHER to get control and have a peaceful home). For anyone who is a Believer in Jesus reading this, please pray for us. We are in our 60s and tired of living in chaos.
I just prayed for victory for you Janice and your husband over clutter and chaos. Speaking peace and tranquility to you and your home in Jesus name! Be encouraged to keep persisting in the decluttering. Play worship music in your home also, even if at a low volume it makes a difference to the atmosphere of your home.
Anything with dying elastic has to go--cuffs that ride up, socks and underwear that sag . . . Bras that pinch, poke, or the straps annoy me. Any clothes in a color that doesn't look good on me or I hate. I just donated a coat my sister gave me. It was very warm, but in a brown I found ugly that looked awful on me. Any white clothes have to go. I am far too messy to wear white.
Two categories of items I've pre-decided not to keep: (1) phone books and (2) paper catalogs. I can find any phone number I want online, and I haven't ordered anything from a paper catalog in years. These all go into the recycling bin as soon as they enter my house.
Wow I haven't seen a phone book in years I used to like looking at the business section as a kid. Lots of ides for future occupations. I thought it was interesting.
One time I “recycled” an old phone book when starting a new garden. I put stacks of pages down as a weed cover (just like people do with newspaper) under the mulch. Now I burn that type of stuff as fire starters in my fireplace. If it piles up too much, I burn it. The ashes go in the garden. Cardboard boxes are great for starting a new garden. Line the bottom with cardboard before adding soils, compost, etc. just remove any tape, labels, etc.
I love how you talk Dana! You make my Day 🎉. “I don’t darn socks but I love saying Darn socks”. Your hilariousness heals my heart and soul and your wisdom and kindness inspires me everyday in so many ways. I’m so grateful you do these videos and I love your podcast too. Blessings to you and your family ❤
I have made all of these pre-made decisions too! Some people have looked at me like I’m nuts when I’ve said I’m not saving the tissue paper. I’ve said at the time, “Yeah it’s really nice tissue paper; you can save it if you’d like.” They never want it!! 🙄😂 Great video, Dana!
My pre-made decisions are: empty candle jars, socks with holes, clothes that don't fit, mail that doesn't require any action (sometimes I don't even bother to bring it home, as I just toss it in recycling bin I keep outside).
I automatically get rid of those three items too. I have so many other things as well, but I’m a major minimalist and can’t handle any clutter at all. To list a few: the extra condiments that come in the take out bag that we don’t use at the time we eat the meal (exception, chik-fil-a sauce 😂), the extra terrible so called napkins that come with the food, wrapping paper (all of it including the bags, bows and everything), free gifts (the kind my kid brings home from his college football games, can koosies, crappy little already falling apart bags, t-shirts that fit no one in the house - all straight to the donate box - he knows to put it in his room if he is keeping it lol), the little hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, ect that my kids throw into the bag when we leave, half used up toiletries that no one actually likes, books that have been read but that no one wants to revisit, clothes with holes…period. The kids know they better tell mom if it’s something they love and want mended otherwise…goodbye. This is just a few. Makes life so much simpler ❤
T-shirts. Once a shirt became stained I would put it in my nightwear drawer and would end up with enough to wear a different shirt every night. This would mean that I would then put off doing laundry until I was overwhelmed. Tossing the shirts makes life so much easier.
I pre made the decision to not bring home free things anymore. Someone was giving away a really nice keurig machine. I looked at it and admired it, then said no, thank you. I know I don't have the space nor use the pods.
Although not exactly clutter related, my favorite pre-made decision has been "Wacky Wednesday" and "Sweet Sunday." My kids know we have dessert/candy once each on those two days. Any candy that comes in the house goes in the candy bin and it comes out on Wednesdays & Sundays after dinner and they can choose to have some candy (or ice cream, or cookies from the freezer, etc.) No more having kids beg for sweets all the time - they already know the answer! And it just keeps things reasonable. Yes, sugary treats are fun and just fine every now and then, but it doesn't need to be an everyday thing, and now I don't have to think about it and make a decision every. single. time. they. ask. (And they do get sweets more than twice a week really....trips to grandmas usually involve sugar, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, small group meals, a lollipop from the hairdresser, etc, etc, etc. So no - they are not deprived at all. Just keeps it more reasonable, adds fun to our Wednesdays/Sundays because it's special, and helps me not lose my mind with decision overload!)
Coupons - I use to feel I needed to cut coupons or keep sale flyers. However, I never had them when I was in the appropriate store. I thought it was a sign of a frugal housewife. Now I’m realistic. I don’t fall for the coupons making attractive an item I either don’t need or can get something else cheaper. I use the “virtual wallet” of the stores I always go to and have them on my phone. I like the tissue paper idea. Freedom from feeling guilty for not saving them. I’ll bet Reid will eventually have his own channel. Maybe on how to deal with parents.
Paper coupons are way more trouble than they're worth. I use the electronic coupons that link to my store's loyalty card, so I don't have to carry anything in my purse (except the card-and even that is unnecessary, since the store can look up my account using my phone number).
Reid's comments made me laugh so hard I almost cried. As a sleep deprived mom of littles who comes from a family history of fear hoarding, your work has been a huge blessing to our home, our lives and our mental health and your and Reid's humor a welcome relief. After 2 years of listening to your videos and ruthlessly slugging through clutter and doing the dishes in a sleep deprived fog, our home is a different place. We are so much more peaceful! After 2 years of sticking with this as a lifestyle and seeing the results, I did a recent purge of my kiddos highly reduced and controlled stash of toys because good, but not used toys, were in the way of them enjoying their favorites. It is a beautiful thing. Thank you for all that you do! I'm going to go clean the 10+ used gift cards out of my wallet now...
Love the concept of Pre-made Decisions. One of mine is not keeping all the plastic cutlery that restaurants insist on putting in your take-out orders (even when you tell them not to). Yes, I might use them someday, I could save them for a picnic, or a power outage, or use them as plant markers...I could go on. Instead I toss them all in a grocery bag that hangs by my garage door. If grown kids/grandkids want them for their brown bag lunches they are there for the taking...but they have to take the whole lot of them. 😁
My pre-made decision is not to order take-out. It’s so quick to pop a frozen pizza or pre-made bolognaise in the oven or microwave. Even much quicker than deciding what to order from the menu 😂
I put those silverware packets into my work bag and leave them in the break room at work. They are so handy for the days that my coworkers (or myself) forget to pack a spoon. The soy sauce packets I throw away, though. Nobody wants those.
Dana, Amen on the pre-made gift cards. Sometime, more than six years ago when we last moved, I heard the tip to write "wax scrapper" on one and put it away with the fresh candles. Ever since then when I have a used up gift card, my first thought is "But I already have a wax scrapper," and I ask the clerk or waitress to throw it out for me with a smile and a "thanks."
I am also 48, and also NOT a darner. A few years ago I actually said to my husband, "You make too much money to wear holey, worn out socks." I always wonder why socks with holes in them even went through the wash when they should have gone straight into the trash.
i JUST decluttered 5 old gift cards last weekend! I did the whole "call, check the balance" routine, which I had been putting off for months (maybe longer for some of them...). And instead of re-purposing all of the used-up cards like i used to (I use them to help remove labels/stickers from glass jars and bottles), I immediately cut the used/expired cards and tossed them in the trash. Small victory but a big win in my book. I now only allow myself to keep ONE "scraper" card, and it is identified as such, in permanent marker.
I love to travel, and a pre-made decision is that I don’t buy souvenirs or gifts. Feels so great to walk straight on through the gift shops! And, I can easily travel without checked baggage as I don’t need any space for stuff to bring home. 😊
Love it!!! This "pre-made" decisions will even flow over into other areas of my decision making ... for instance with buying groceries, clothes, and probably more things ... a Pre-Made Decision is a great 'tool' for me before leaving the house !!! Thank you Dana !
So true. I traditionally worked the other way--premade decisions to keep certain things--like all colored bottles or condiment bottles or whatever and I would just do that on autopilot. It's way better to have premade decisions to NOT keep certain things. I have a harder time turning off the keeping than not starting it.
I keep used tissue paper, esp the colored kind. I have no problem smoothing and folding it, and then I'll keep it inside the gift bag that it matches. That stuff gets expensive. Then, when I reach for a gift bag, it often has the tissue paper inside already, and that makes it simpler.
The sock thing had me laughing. "I should be a sock darner" -- haha, I have had that conversation with myself too many times. However, I eventually came to the same conclusion about not keeping holey socks, and it has actually really helped my 7 year old who gets overly attached to things. It was hard for him at first, but now he throws away socks with holes in them easily, so thats a win :)
After watching and now rewatching I am going a step more and get rid of the gift bags and tissues this year. The Dollar Store has it ready for me for $1.25 living space and head space cost far more. Loving how you point out the craziness if it all.
It’s the take out or deli packaging…if my husband sees my recycle it he always thinks I should keep it. Now I wait till he’s out of the room as I made the decision not to keep them.
No more coupons or special edition cooking magazines. I used to save coupons. I kept them clipped on the refrigerator until they expired. About a year later I would throw them away. I love to cook and I used to get those beautiful special edition cooking magazines. I decluttered them today. I had never used 3/4 of them. I’m taking 5 lbs. of them to Goodwill today. Thanks for everything, Dana.
I donate gift bags to our local creative reuse place and I use old gift cards and credit cards to spread glue and paint in my art journals, etc. Once they're too gummed up, then I toss them. I try to repurpose holey socks if I can; there's some part of me (probably the inner child raised by a mom who grew up during the Depression) who rebels at throwing away an otherwise perfectly good sock XDD
Pre-made decisions: my kids craft projects/doodles. There are exceptions when the result actually looks cool - and fits on the shelf for displaying craft projects - but I don’t hold onto every doodle my three year old makes just because she made them. It’s the act of making that she needs and when our house is full of Pom-poms and popsicle stick randomness i don’t want to pull out yet more craft supplies for her to make an even bigger mess. Better to keep spaces open for new creations.
I just had to check a gift card last week. It had been on my desk so I had to move it every-time I wiped off the desk and it was always falling off to the floor where it had to be picked up repeatably. I also just went through my over stuffed sock drawer to thin out to my favorites. Then 2 weeks later noticed some of my favorites were beginning to get holes in them. Not completely but to the point you could see through them, so out they went. I now have room to spare in my sock drawer and it is wonderful!
Thanks for another great video! I used to love the freebies at conferences, fairs, etc but now avoid that stuff. I end up throwing it all away eventually.
I cut a vertical slit in socks (up by the elastic band) so I can easily tell if it is a rag sock or not. It also works well for washcloths that have been downgraded to rags. 😉
The SOCKS! So good to hear you say it, I just came to that decision this month too. I had a pair of beautiful cashmere socks that had been a Christmas present 2 years ago from my MiL. They were worn out in the heels and toes, but the threads were still strong so I ~could~ have darned them. But that would have required me to go to a special shop downtown to buy wool/ thread and a darning egg and needles, and then actually learn how to darn and since it was first time the final result of the darn probably wouldn't be good enough to match the rest of the sock ... I realized that I would end up sending $50+ and hours of my free time just to get a little bit more wear out of a present that I clearly got lots of great wear out of! Speaking of premade decisions, if my husband's shirts have a hole in them, I throw them out. We did a big holey shirt purge 6 months ago and got rid of 15 shirts with holes. Now instead of having to perfectly fold and arrange his shirts to fit them all in, I can quickly put them in, which in turn means putting away laundry is way faster, so I can do it right away instead of later which results in a laundry basket of clean clothes sitting on my floor for 4 days-there totally is a method to your madness!
Now you know why cashmere is stupid as socks. I use appropriate wool for socks instead of luxury. Have held onto socks for a decade with no holes because original fiber was appropriate. Like making garden jeans out of silk then saying golly gee maybe a different fiber would have been better. I write on this topic often.
I've said it before and I'll say it again! Dana, you and I are like twins in the way we think!! You are one year older, have blond hair to my brown, blue eyes to my brown. But we follow the exact train of thought!!🤣 It's so funny, but also a little scary, that we are both running around out in the world 🤣 I know we don't have the same mom, but I think we may have the same Father...and we can give Him all the glory for our zaney trains of thought! IYKYK❤️ thank you for your videos!
I couldn’t help but think of your hasmat suit for bathroom cleaning… I keep ONE 1 gallon ziplock for socks with holes.. to use with any grody job (like the bathroom, pet wound care) so I can drop it in the trash without any hesitation!
Thank you! I was just listening to the audiobook of “Decluttering at The Speed of Life” when the notification came through! Brilliant advice! I can tackle absolutely any space now, using your steps. And my daughters are starting to learn the steps too. 🥰🤗
Thank you for affirming this! I have a dialog running through my mind from my parents, who lived through the Depression and WW2. They kept and stored and held onto so much because of the trauma they experienced as children. You have helped me to be free of imagined guilt and I am allowing myself freedom to say no to things!!
My grandparents and mother kept/keep EVERYTHING! My siblings and I will have a huge house to go through when something happens to our mom. When her parents passed away, she and her twin sister divided their huge mass of belongings between the two of them. Neither of them removed anything from their homes but just added more stuff! Bear in mind there are antiques and other valuable items but what good is it to have them if you can’t even see them? I’m very discreet when I donate or give anything away as my mom thinks I’m being wasteful. I tell her, “Mom, I’m just sharing with others so that it will be used. I have more than I need.” I no longer feel guilt but feel VERY GOOD SHARING and living in a home with plenty of clean space. However, it’s a work in progress. The garage is my current project. It’s the last place things go on their way out of my house.
@@rosanne7804 It's such a burden when someome dies and leave too much to others to deal with. I'm glad you can break the cycle and share and get rid of some things. We do too. I agree with you. It's so much better the things get used and makes someone happy. When my dad passed we sorted his home and when my husband's dad died we also helped my mother in law to empty their countyside house. I'm so glad she is not very sentimental. She also sorted a lot of things out of her flat during the following years, and still does. I wish my mother would too, because she has so much and does not even use more than maybe 2% of it. We tried to talk to her so many times, but it does not help. I'm horrified for the day she passes. I know my MS will get so much worse the day I need to deal with all her stuff. It scares me that I might get worse long term and not even recover from it. I'm not sure how to deal with it. Sometimes it's like things really take over someones life and home, and become such a problem.
@@stinaljungstrom8691 I hope that your mom will have a change of heart and start dealing with HER things. Sometimes people are SO OVERWHELMED that they don’t know where to start. I FIRMLY BELIEVE that If it’s just a drawer, taking out some empty boxes, putting a couple of pieces of clothing in a donation box, disposing expired food, tossing old mail and newspapers, etc., it’s a START. Just 10 minutes a day often times leads to great success. You get started and then often you keep going. PROGRESS IS PROGRESS. DOING A LITTLE IS BETTER THAN DOING NOTHING. You have to start SOMEWHERE. I JUST hope your mom can START. Best wishes dealing with your MS. I know that stress isn’t your friend and the anticipation of dealing with so much of your mother’s possessions is stressful. 😔 I have decided I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it. Worry and stress just rob me of today’s joy. It doesn’t do anything for me other than ruin my day. My sister has tried to encourage our mom to clear out some of her things. It upset Mom so much that I told my sister to leave her alone. We can use it, donate it or what ever we chose when she’s gone. But, at Mom’s age I see no reason to upset her. Mom is not going to change. I told my sister, “If Mom wants me to stack it to the ceiling in the rooms she’s not using, I’ll do as she asks as long as it’s not a hazard to her.” Although Mom’s house is abundantly furnished with a lot of decor, the rooms she uses are ok for her to maneuver. She uses two very large rooms for storage of her “treasures”.
@@rosanne7804 Thank you for your long answer, thoughts and concern. ❤️ I feel like we are in a similar situation as yours. We almost gave up asking our mum about decluttering. I did in periods and my sister has now. My sister and my son are minimalists and only keep the basics. Me and my husband live in a normal and airy home after some decluttering. But I concider my mum a hoarder; not the worst kind but sounds like your mum. Her livingroom is full of boxes and used more as storage than a room. We are never in it. She sais she will sell the things in the boxes but packed them eleven years ago and they are still there. We said we can give them to charity or help with at least some of the selling. My sister even offered our mother money for them. Then my sister could get rid of them, but our mother said no and kept the boxes. At the same time our mum sais she feels stuck, but she really does not want to let go. She is older, like yours, and has health problems that makes it even harder. I think it has a lot to do with her childhood when she lost her toys and other traumatic things happened. She is acting like she is very attached to the things she gathered and afraid of loosing them. It is like she is building herself in and creates a home that has more than enough of everything. I also feel it is almost like she sometimes is rejecting us, and prefer her things. Like she can be st home and and sorting the things, instead of seeing us and her grandchildren. She just moves thing around so it is a never ending story. There are things all over the sofas and it's hard for us to even have room to sit when we visit. I guess we have to deal with it all one day. I try not to worry as you mention, but it does stress me even though I try not to think about it. Really felt I had write to you to let some of my thoughts out, and also to let you know you are not alone. ❤️
@@stinaljungstrom8691 Yes, we seem to be in very similar situations. My mother doesn’t have much interest in seeing many people or family members and doesn’t want them at her house. I bring her to my home for my siblings to visit her. She does genuinely treasure her possessions, it seems more than relationships. I keep telling her, “Mom, you can’t take these things with you when you die.” But, she places great value and importance on the physical items. I’m not implying that nothing has sentimental value in my home. Just not EVERYTHING. You can’t enjoy, honor, clean and display so many possessions. However, I agree her collection of SO MANY ITEMS may stem from childhood, emotional/mental health, loss, scarcity and a number of other contributing factors. I believe my mom also feels she is dishonoring her ancestors of she donates something that was theirs or feels wasteful if she donates something that was (what she considers) “expensive” or worth something. The sad thing is is that she has many items that I could have gotten use but they are stacked in her house. Best of luck to you and your family. We only get to make decisions for ourselves unless it becomes dangerous or unhealthy for our aging parents. I’m just tucking all of these emotions and information in my hat so I make CERTAIN I don’t do this to my children. ❤️
My easy pre-made decision is not keeping any plastic containers that food comes into our house in. I have lots of my preferred glass storage containers and those are all I need.
Love this video! Yes to all your pre-made decisions! A few more I can think of are freebies/promo items, worn out clothes to use for rags (I usually use old sheets for that and only keep a small amount) and empty boxes/jars etc for storing things. I reading through all the comments to get even more great ideas 😊
As I move more into maintenance mode I’m looking for more content that’s about helping me manage from here more smoothly. This is exactly the type of helpful concepts I need to hear!
My pre-made decision is with pretty dishes. If it has a chip in it, even if it's on the underside, it must leave 😲 I'm better than using broken things, even if they're pretty
Thank you for this pre-made decision! I've got 2 plates that I'm discarding today...one has been chipped for years, but I loved the design on it. Silly me! Now I have added chipped dishes to my pre-made decision list❤️
I won’t keep any chipped or cracked dish to use for food. (for safety reasons,cut lip when drinking or cut hand when washing) However,in my last house,there was a large,custom built medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I put a piece of clear tape over every crack and chip on my beautiful crystal wine glasses,highball glasses,bowls, etc. turned the taped part to the back and filled them with lipsticks,eye pencils,tweezers,etc. It pleased me to see them all there and turned out to be incredibly practical as I could visibly see all of the contents.🙌🏻 (my current home doesn’t have the same setup,so after using some for art brushes,pencils,etc.,I threw the rest away.)
Half (or more) used boxes of notecards....I have a large drawer full of these and after watching this, I realized, I'll never use them again! Some are 40 years old....and awful. I can get new ones easily and cheaply IF i need them. I make cards now, why keep old, mostly used boxes of pre-made cards? Nope. Thank you for your reminders and constant training!!!
{surreptitiously sneaks probably-used-up Kohl’s gift card from dresser, throws in trash} First up, as an assistant musical-theatre director, I love how your acting background shines through in your videos - sometimes I hit pause so I can savor my LOL. 😂 Second, I now have a pre-made decision about wedding programs & visitation/funeral tribute cards - unless they are/were the closest of friends/family, I realized I’m actually not going to do anything productive w/them, so into recycling they go.
I love this decision. It makes me think of my husband's granny. She had a box of funeral cards. They were alphabetical. She could go to that box and tell you when any person died. She did so often. So they aren't entirely useless.😜 I think she would have been appalled if someone told her to throw them away. I'm somewhere between the two decisions. I probably keep them all, but really special ones go in my Bible case.
I always keep the gift card until im sure that alls good with the item, especially if it was a prepaid visa. If I have to return the item for whatever reason and they can only credit the card it was paid with, then i have it. Otherwise, you're stuck getting another gift card 🙄
I feel the same about Christmas cards. Which is why I don’t even bother doing them anymore. We save so much money not doing the family photos and I save time, money and my sanity at Christmas time not having to worry about getting them done and sent out on time. I don’t want people to feel guilty about throwing them out a month or two later.
@@astrongmama thank you. Now, of course, we can look up obits on the internet if we absolutely need any of that information, but it’s kind of neat that your family member put them to good use in her day. 💜
I cut up an old towel for cleaning rags. If another towel gets worn out before the rags do, that towel gets donate to an animal shelter because they'll take them. Worn out socks get thrown away. I'm bad with gift cards, too, it's so weird lol. Yesterday I threw away one of those little white plastic Pringles mini to-go containers. I know I can use it to start seeds, but I already have solo cups and yogurt cups I used last year that are still in good shape. I tossed it and was so proud of myself, haha! 😅
Premade decisions I have made to reduce/prevent clutter include the kids' report cards go on the fridge until the next one comes out , then the old one goes in the trash (although we moved to electronic only this year, so I guess I don't have to do that anymore) and I no longer keep stained or holey pieces of clothing to 'wear around the house', no matter how much I loved them.
At this moment my "wear around the house" clothes far exceed my "nice enough to wear in public" clothes! I have a special drawer for my "only fit for gardening/mowing the lawn" clothes (I live in a rural area, and I don't care who sees me doing outdoor chores). All the stretched out, too-worn clothes take up way too much space. Time to throw some things out!
Someone mentioned “no more swag”~ free stuff. Thank you. Motivated me to donate the free Red Cross blood donor shirt I feel guilty abt, having received it in December ~ b/c I know I won’t wear it. Life is too short for stiff T shirts.
Bye-bye tissue paper...had that epiphany last year!! Dollar tree is my new supplier when in need!! My new pre-made decision: no more decorative popcorn/cookie tins!! I'd love to hear more of your pre-made decisions in the future!! ❤🤗
Love this! My pre-made decisions include: no holes, torn or stained clothes allowed in our closet, every large package that comes in gets filled with unwanted clutter and put away at the car for donation drop-off, any unwanted gifts get gifted to someone I love living out of state, etc.
I went to toss used tissue paper while listening to you. I had already done that ! I've been decluttering for a while now so I must be on the right track. Thank you 😊
This is about your easy getting food on the table course. I LOVE IT! ❤ Thank you from me and my whole family. The info alone on how to cook chicken in the crockpot and ground beef on the stove ahead of time is one of those life hacks that I will always use! I told my 14 year old daughter we're having porcupines for dinner tonight and she was like, "What?" And then when I explained what they were, her face lit up. The chicken salad sandwiches were a hit last week, BTW. $16 well spent, as I was about to sign up for a dinner service called Every Meal, but ended up not having to. You really have changed my life over the years of following you. ❤🎉 As for pre-made decisions: Stained clothing Anything that overruns the "container" it belongs in.
Thank you!! This makes so much sense 🤯 I also love that your videos are still homemade and not super spruced up because it gives the rest of us hope that we can get our houses/lives under control even if they don't look insta-worthy
I really like my system for tissue paper. Years ago, I put them in a gift bag and rainbow 🌈 coded them, and used one of those flimsy pot dividers to keep the standing on their side, so I can easily see them. I don't keep crumpled ones, but I like my system, and have space for it, and when there's too much, extra goes!! I could probably even pair down further after living with it for a while
Oh Dana... I think you're saving my Life 🙌 Hsve listened (Audible) to your books and you Resonate BIG TIME 😁🙃🤣 I'm a Generational Horder... I wanna be the End of the Line 💪 HUGE Love and Blessings from Essex, UK 🙏🥰xxx 🇬🇧😘💜
Omg this is why I love you! I am guilty of having kept all of these items either currently or in the past. I love you because you are real and have slob tendencies just like me. I am so thankful I found you because the things you talk about are both relatable and attainable.
Great video! This reminds me that I have an (empty) gift card for Bath & Body Works that's been in my wallet since 2015. Is it time to let go......? I'm gonna try! l0l 😄
One premade decision I made three years ago is that I'm not allowed to buy clothes made of synthetic fibres. I realized that I prefer cotton and always reach for those items. I have more than enough of blouses and clothes made of synthetic already, so why buy more when I hardly ever use them? At the same time I decided to only buy clothes when I actually need something. That way my wardrobe slowly is getting smaller, which is good. It was not much I needed during these three years. My underwear are soon down to a normal amount, instead of having enough for two mounths without doing the laundry. When I feel that I really need something I Google until I find it in the right style and fabric, instead of going to the mall and randomly looking. That way I save myself from buying things I see while looking for what I need. It works really well for me, who used to buy a lot of clothes just because I liked them.
But what about possibly making sock monkeys? What about using tissue paper to decoupage a lamp shade? My mind spins out of control with possibilities. That’s why your TH-cam about not being a “why” person impacted me so deeply. Love you!!!
I have just given myself a full shelf in my mug cupboard. I have thrown away all of the boxes of fruit 'teas', tisanes and infusions. I don't actually like them. I'm 55 and I don't think I will ever like them. So much so, they were all out of date, without exception! Bottom line is I like real tea. Black tea. Yorkshire Tea, to be specific. I'll stick with th at.
This was incredibly helpful Dana! Thank you. I love that you spoke about the gift bag stash that we all have and tissue paper. I’ll never look at tissue paper the same way again. Thank you!
Sauce packets and extra screws/hardware after I’ve finished building something. P.s I love the holy sock example and isn’t it so funny how much anxiety it puts off to get rid of just one when it’s match is somewhere out there?!?! Lol
I not only throw hole-y socks away but also shirts, pants, gloves, hats anything frayed or excessively worn out. Most of my clothes I've had 10 years or longer so I figured I got my money's worth long ago
I went through a phase of keeping bubble envelopes to 'reuse' as they were 'worth keeping'. After them moving three times with me and the bundle ever increasing, I had to face the reality that I was not the type of person who (a) sent things in bubble envelopes and (b) either needed to move a fourth time to allow for a bubble envelope room... or let them go. They are now recycled straight away 😁
😀 a bubble-envelope-room 😀 ... I can relate, although don't have SO many... do have a stash of bubble-wrap too, could be useful when I send packages home (live in Germany, come from US)... rarely happens and don't use much when it does... I've also moved lots in my life, so "packaging" is something I have used... AND I can trust that there'll be what I need right there when I need it ;-) ...
@@beccismith4454 I've always kept all the used bubble-wrap and bubble envelopes, because I might need them some day. But in reality, I haven't used any in at least 5 years. I have to admit it does make me anxious to think about throwing them out, but I think I'm going to decide right now to keep 1 small amount of bubble wrap, and throw the envelopes and the rest of the wrap out. Based on the last 5 years, the chance that I'll need it in the near future is incredibly small, so the extra space would be more beneficial to my life than keeping them. And if my needs change in the further future: there will always be some new bubble wrap/envelopes coming in when I receive a package, and I could also package things with old news papers if need be. I'll follow your example and trust that I will be fine without them.
I died at the # of gift bags I had when I did a MEGA DECLUTTER. Y'all, I have an almost 18 year old, so 19 years ago I had a baby shower or three.... I STILL HAD THOSE GIFT BAGS?? My people (late 40's) are looking at menopause, not babies... 🤣Goodwill got a massive Lego Gift Bag (HUGE Lego set bag) filled with really nice gift bags I'd never, ever used but kept collecting.) I'd say my "oldest" nope is left overs from restaurants because 1, I hate leftovers, 2, I never remember it, 3, it ends up stinking up the car/my fridge/my kitchen garbage, 3, it always lead to tremendous guilt that i didn't use them. I'm now on a 98% closing in on 100% no coupons rule, because I never use them and only feel great when I declutter the expired ones. lol
My favorite premade decision? No SWAG! No pens with logos, no pins, no lanyards, no stickers, no glassware, no event t-shirts I'm never going to wear again. People are often shocked when I politely decline but I just don't find being surrounded by logos to be very relaxing.
Forrest Gump - "Don't wear other people's advertising." Excellent advice that I follow religiously. 😀
Yes! Good point!
Agreed! Just turned down a mug and a water bottle this week! (I suppose someone might one day offer me something that I actually have a use for and I'd accept it, but that would be so rare.)
That’s a great idea. I don’t think I keep any of that anymore either. ❤Never thought about it in those terms tho! Most of the T-shirt’s are scratchy. No reason to even accept it.
This is perfect. I despise items with logos on them!
I’m a knitter. The most popular way to darn socks is to say, “Oh, darn it” as you are throwing them away.
I love this!!!!
Yes! I was trying to darn socks about 8 years ago and told a friend about my latest interest. She rolled her eyes at me and said “I say ‘Darn sock’ as I throw it in the garbage!” Always makes me giggle when I chuck a holey sock
My mom once offered to darn my dad's socks. He said, "Have you worn darned socks? I have. There's a reason they're called 'darned' socks. Throw them away!"
@@astrongmama haha, true!! It’s not worth it
😂💚
When my mother died, she wrote us out of her will, leaving everything to her then-partner. Partner asked if there was anything I wanted, and (having already been told no regarding the three things I did want) I said, "anything that was hers, and that you don't want." We got: an embroidered wool cape from a trip Mom took to Malta; a broken ceramic mosaic brooch; a vase; her desk and boxes and boxes of textbooks with Mom's annotations and several boxes of office supplies. Pens, erasers, dried-out highlighters, old bottles of whiteout; thingamabobs to go to long-antiquated machines. I sent the vase and the cape to my sister and took charge of getting rid of most everything else. I still have the desk. What I remember most is that I do not want my son to root through boxes of acidifying paperback books and extra fountain pen cartridges. What I know best is that my mother gave us life, and nothing else is promised.
I'm sorry that happened to you. You deserved better.
@@dianajennings4570 That is very kind of you to say. Thank you.
I am 66. Now that I'm older on my birthday and Mother's Day my 3 children each take three items out of the house that they want. I tell them the reason I like the object (usually it is connected to a family member or a memory) and that if they want to get rid of it, they need to offer it to siblings first but after that it is their choice what they do. The house is slowing emptying and I know they already have the things they cherish the most. We take turns who picks first each time and they all get along so it is a win-win for all.
There you go! If you were to be filmed holding the object in question as you explain its significance to the family or yourself, you would have at the same time Oral History to pass on. Also, be sure to have letters (however ordinary) in your handwriting to any family member. I could only find the briefest note from my beloved grandmother, so I put it in my scrapbook. I treasure it❗
I finally took the plunge. I am working on the kitchen. It is not totally finished, but for the first time in a long time, I enjoy cooking in my kitchen. It is getting cleaner every day. My dishes get washed after use. My floor gets swept every day even if it looks clean. Every time I walk by, it gives me a great feeling. I am finally proud of one room in my house. 7 more to go.
I have made a lot of premade decisions based on you, like tissue paper. It drives my frugal Mother in Law crazy but what she doesn’t understand is I’m frugal by only buying what I need and clearing mental space which allows me to save money in other ways. 🎉
I also decided I will not keep hand me downs from my 13 year old to my 8 year old anymore…I have bins up to size 7/8 for her and no more. Their body types are so different, my 8 year old is very tall and thin. By the time the 8 year old grows into it she will be a teenager and have her own styles and desires. Better believe we will still shop at consignment shops and sales racks but I’m not keeping totes for 5 years that probably won’t fit her and if they do she may not like.
Premade decisions
- Wrapping paper have been a bag person for years. No one has turned away a present yet
- Random plastic containers or jars. Keep 2 types of jars and a few each of standard leftover containers.
- multiple cleaners using up and sticking with water/vinegar in spray bottle and baking soda in Parmesan serving
jar with holes
- More games. Play with what we have and resist at thrift store
- working on using up multiple types of food products and sticking with brand/type we prefer.
- Too many towels 2 bath for each and two hand and sets off dish towels to change out and wash weekly. One set of sheets for our bed and guest bed.
- Thanks so much for the inspiration and will look with new eyes around our home to see what else
- We downsized to a two bedroom condo two years ago from a town house of 21 years. Halved our footprint and loving it!
I'm doing a 12 week declutter of whole house. I can't believe how many empty drawers we have now!!🎉🎉
I LOVE empty drawers and shelves! I can breathe better, and feel like weight off my shoulders.
Pre-Made decision #1 NOTHING with glitter enters my house or car. I've even told my kid's teachers that crafts/art with glitter will be thrown away before we leave school. Thankfully, some of the teachers share my sentiment :)
Absolutely no glitter!!!!
YES!! A thousand times yes!!!
Glitter never dies 😂
Ok so not the fun mom but the not nasty mess mom!
Yes!!!!! Ridiculous they put them on girls' clothes.
So funny. We tease my sister for keeping tissue paper :) something I don't keep or reuse are LARGE gift bags. Because I rarely buy anything big enough to put in them and if so I usually wrap it. SIDE NOTE...unwanted large gift bags make GREAT donatable donate bags!!
When I first read you talk about this, I knew right away what thing I needed to pick. Boxes. I never wanted to throw any of them away because they were good boxes, because boxes are useful, because kids love boxes, because reusing is good for the environment, because, because, because. My basement flooded once and my brothers said they were going to remove all the empty cardboard boxes while I was on the phone trying to find a plumber. When I got off the phone and went into my basement, I started yelling at them for throwing my things away because the basement was empty. They had actually only gotten rid of empty boxes - I had just filled 1,000 square feet with boxes I was sure I was going to need some day.
Well-made cardboard boxes are my weakness, too, although I'm trying to control my urges. It's getting easier not to save them b/c Amazon switched to thinner boxes. I also found stink bugs in the cardboard boxes in my storage area which is yucky.
Haha. I'm the same way. I see a box & automatically think that's a good box...so now my room is packed with "good box's "
I made a pre-made decision years ago to not subscribe to magazines! No more stacks of magazines!! I have made a pre-made decision to NOT buy souvenirs unless it can be useful not a dust collector or space invader and not a t-shirt with ad/logo! God bless you and yours!
My #1 pre-made decision probably came from you: Throw the pen away the first time it doesn't work. I always give them lots of effort before giving up, but I only do it once.
100% on the gift cards. Used to keep Walmart ones to reload because you could get a gas discount, but they quit that program, so I don't even keep those. I have a scraper tool, so it would never cross my mind to use it for that.
If a sock has a hole somewhere besides the toe or heel, I'll keep it. But it goes if any part of my foot sticks out or gets stuck to a shoe while inside. My mom once offered to darn my dad's socks. He said, "I've worn darned socks. There's a reason they're called 'darned socks.' Throw it away!"
I sometimes keep tissue paper because the pressing and folding don't bother me. Also, I have a container for it, and you know what that means.
Smoothing out any wrinkles and folded neatly the tissue will easily slide inside the folded bag and won't take up any space elsewhere.
I am a box hoarder!! I recently made the decision to get rid of the boxes that things come in. I have thrown away boxes for phones that we owned a decade ago. Now once I know an item works or we use it so that it won't be returned, I lose the box. This past Christmas was the first time I didn't have a bunch of empty boxes that I stored away "just in case." The compulsion was still there, but you are right on - the decision was already made so it was easier!
I am too.... it's an island thing. In some years I'm hoping to buy a house. I mentioned to a friend that then I'll keep boxes in the basement. She told me to get rid of them, because when she cleaned out the house of someone who died there, the boxes he'd kept were ruined by the stench.
I do love a good box but have pitched most of them except the large sturdy Tiffany box that housed a recent non-Tiffany gift. It’s fabulous and I’ll regift it. My husband was a landlord for 25 years and will not let me keep anything in cardboard boxes because they are preferred homes for roaches. Eeeewww!!
I agree much about boxes. They actually can be a problem and take so much space! I recently limited myself of saving boxes. We used to sell a lot of things at Markeplace and other platforms. Then it was perfect to save a lot of boxes and reuse them for sending things. These days I don"t have the energy to sell and we also minimized much already. I still have the urge to save boxes but only allow myself to save some that fit into a bag. It is good to be realistic and change the habit if it benefits you.
I used to be. I have finally learned to only keep a few, especially small ones I am likely to use to send things.
I'm so bad I still have the old phones. Seriously. I keep them because their base units have recorders in them (chip? I don't know.) so I have been feeling that if I throw them away I'm pitching the voices of family. It is really dumb because my parents are still alive and I probably have voice mails from them on my phone. This is my new project for today. Out that stuff goes TODAY. Thank you for making me think of this.
I made a decision not to buy pretty gift wrapping paper anymore. I just use brown paper and string! Sometimes if I want to be a bit fancy, I use coloured string haha! Or I get my rubber stamps out and make my own pattern on the paper. Similar to you buying plain white tissue paper, it works for any occasion and only takes up one amount of space
The 3D stickers from Dollar Tree really dress up brown wrapping paper or a brown bag. 😊
I use a roll of brown craft paper too!
Me too, I use coloured pens and fancy writing to jazz brown paper up xxxxxxx
I buy all purpose wrapping paper. Just one at a time. For example, a splatter paint pattern- it works for anniversary, Father's Day, birthday, retirement, easy-peasy. I bought the hanging organizer. I am trying to keep only what fits. I found I would never use the perfectly good bAg because I am thought it was ugly. Just toss it!
Do you remember the song from Sound of Music? ‘Brown paper packages tied up in string, these are a few of my favorite things’. 😊
I bought several fabric tote bags from a craft store, one for each grandchild and use them for all gift-giving occasions. Their parents return them at some point.
(Of course, I could have made the bags.)
Another premade decision that makes my life efficient is that books are my standard gift for my grandchildren. I want them to love reading, so I keep an eye out all year for beautiful books that would appeal to each child.
Love these ideas, especially as I'm a new grandma :)
That's great. If you get the bags back, you can use them to keep track of the gifts for each person.
That is a true blessing from Grandma! Books are great gifts!
I worked with a man who had a "signature" wrapping paper. He used it for any occasion.
Hi Dana💌
When my tissue wrap starts getting a bit
unattractive; I use them for packing up fragile ornaments after the holidays. It
helps to have extra protection for your
treasured ornaments.
Great idea! ... and can be used for packing when moving.
Since reading your books/watching your videos I started using gift bags that aren't in good enough shape to use for gifts or that I just don't like enough to reuse as my donatable donate bins. 🙂 Thanks for all you do!
Great idea💡
I do this also.
great idea! I recently started to do this with my excessive hoard of reusable tote bags (especially the freebies / promotional items). I sold an air fryer on FB Marketplace, and the buyer was almost as excited about the tote bag I put it in, to keep all the books/parts together 😅
👍🏽I've read that someone uses small gift bags as trash bins for their car.
@@cb9825 Good idea! I keep a gift bag hanging from one of my dining room chairs to use for trash. My kitchen trash can is not that far away, but I’d rather just keep my table tidy and free of trash.
If I wear something that isn’t 100% comfortable, I wash and donate. Also bugs me when my bra strap shows so I’ve made the pre decision to part with those tops that slip off my shoulder. I do tend to reuse my tissue paper for breakables in the donation box or at bottom of gift bags but I buy Costco tissue and it lasts forever! Just used the last of my old tissue last week 😃
I finally discovered that I have narrow shoulders so I NEVER buy a top with a boat neck,period.(I’ve passed up a lot of cute tops but also a lot of constant tugging so that my bra straps don’t show)🙌🏻
@@Julie-rc7wl I’m totally interested,are “bra strap keeps” something that you buy or just create by the stitching process?
Every single one of those is how my brain works! So sad. I ordered your book Decluttering at the Speed of Life. My neighborhood had a power outage. I read 86 pages by candlelight!
I keep ONE roll of wrapping paper for birthdays and other celebrations (it's glossy with pretty dots and is suitable for any celebration and any gender) and one for Christmas. This has helped me.
I don’t buy:
1). Hobby items
2). “Seasonal decor”
3). Hair styling tools- I get a good hair cut and let my hair do what it wants.
1). For years and years, before I retired, I had a hobby of constantly buying/collecting quilting and knitting supplies and even though I only had time to occasionally knit and quilt. I justified the spending/collecting by saying “I will have more time when I retire and will love all this”. WRONG, I WAS SOOO WRONG.
FOR YEARS, Every time I walked by the quilt/knitting room I felt GUILT and could hear the silent nags coming from that room “use me, saw me, knit me, organize me, straighten me, repair me, cut me, piece me, quilt me”.
When I retired and sold my BIG home in Seattle area moving to a smaller home in The Villages Florida - I knew I wanted a FUN ACTIVE LIFE which meant I needed an easy to maintain home. I used an estate sale company to seek 90% of my belongs INCLUDING MY 40 years of collecting knitting and quilting STUFF- I had more items, fabric, books, tools, yarn, needles than most stores in my areas!! I felt like the WORLD was lifted off my shoulders. I LOVED the silence - no more NAGS in my head!!! I get to PLAY and have fun and spend a fraction of the time cleaning my home. Or let’s be honest, I was overwhelmed before and would just blow off cleaning which comes with its own guilt and shame !! Now, less inventory=easy cleaning=MORE FUN!!
So now, I purposely do NOT choose hobbies that have lots of supplies! No painting, no glass fusion, no scrapbooking (in my experience, people that scrapbooked spent more time creating a Pinterest worth scrapbook than LIVING A FUN, ADVENTUROUS LIFE), no drones, no jewelry making. I have a bike and cheap, used golf clubs and a mahjongg set!!
2). The appeal of “Seasonal decor” is lost on me. The overwhelming clutter of it when it’s all displayed makes me itch and gives me a headache. And having to maintain the inventory - OMG- if there was a hell- that would be it for me!!
3). Tried them all and found they are just a waste of time and money. Prefer a good hair cut, and let it dry in the sun and breeze!!
Love your attitude. Stuff = silent to do list.
I used to be very creative but after an injury I got a lot of pain and did not have the energy for it. I finally realized I would not get back to be like I used to, and donated a lot of material. The half done projects, that made me feel guilty, also left the house. These days I normally don't buy those kind of stuff at all. Or if I do, it's just for one tiny project at the time. I also decided that I have to finish it (or get rid of it) before I get to buy something for another project. Just buying random things for craft tend to not work at all. Often those things are not used at all and is a totally waste of money.
I agree!! :-) I had a skein of good-quality bright red wool that my former and lovely sister-in-law gave me once... kept it for years to use in something sometime but have I think since gotten rid of it, and any needles I had ... although my Mom was always knitting or crocheting when I was growing up, I've tried and "learned" but never excelled or enjoyed particularly... I do enjoy doing cross-stitching and still have that stuff and may well do that again... and it doesn't take up much space. :-) ... Also hair --- hair products, and hair styling tools - not very interesting... love the curls that have shown up in my hair :-) ... !
I have significantly downsized my scrapbook stash but it's still a beloved hobby and creative outlet. Also a way to preserve memories. They aren't pinterest worthy pages but they're special and important to my family.
4:30 "And socks weren't being made any more. And I would be so grateful to have this sock!" HaHa Priceless! Thanks Dana. I SO enjoy your videos. 😄
I'd love to hear more pre-made decisions. I think hearing lots of examples of other people's pre-made decisions can be really inspiring, I find specific little things like such examples can sometimes be even more helpful than the 'theory' itself.
Oh my word! I literally have a sock with a hole in it in my drawer RIGHT NOW. They are my favorites, and when I found the hole I was so sad and although I knew I should toss them I didn't. But your words rang true - I know I won't wear them again. So out they go. Thank you for the inspiration! Also, my premade decision is dried up pens. "Life is too short for pens that don't work!"
I just went through all of my pens and markers. The lesson I learned is that sometimes you can save so much stuff that it gets useless before you can use it. I had whole boxes of new pens that I recently couldn't get to write at all, And I've, of course, had glue sticks dessicate before I used them. Etc. And so much of all of this stored white paper is turning beige...or nobody wants to use it because it is wide-ruled instead of college-ruled, etc. I just took a lot of still good stuff to the local elementary school and they wanted it. Old packs of new crayons and colored pencils, etc....Dana's idea about having a defined space for things was an epiphany even though I'm in my 60s!
You could learn to darn socks from youtube. But I'm not doing it.
I have a daughter that feels that way, n Glitter, I guess it has never bothered me. Nice to see a sparkle once in a while
I need this pre-made decision (pmd)
Enjoy your talks. I won’t allow my husband to save butter/yogurt/whipped cream containers for food storage. We’ve got perfectly good Pyrex and plastic storage. My parents and his use that method for storing food and it drives me nuts to try to find the actual butter! Also, I have to sneak out a potion of the gimme cups my husband saves about twice a year. I don’t need 75 plastic cups …
My husband and I are scheduling declutter days (D Day) monthly and 3X a week have an alarm set for 5-minute clean (minimum, usually at least 10) We are starting again (but this time really determined TOGETHER to get control and have a peaceful home). For anyone who is a Believer in Jesus reading this, please pray for us. We are in our 60s and tired of living in chaos.
Praying for peace of your home environment, from a fellow struggler ~ ❤
@@sillyenne7071 Thank you.
I just prayed for victory for you Janice and your husband over clutter and chaos. Speaking peace and tranquility to you and your home in Jesus name! Be encouraged to keep persisting in the decluttering. Play worship music in your home also, even if at a low volume it makes a difference to the atmosphere of your home.
@@Elena-jh6vs Thank you so much. God bless you today.
May the Lord give you the strength to claim your peace in the holy name of Jesus we pray 🙏
Anything with dying elastic has to go--cuffs that ride up, socks and underwear that sag . . . Bras that pinch, poke, or the straps annoy me. Any clothes in a color that doesn't look good on me or I hate. I just donated a coat my sister gave me. It was very warm, but in a brown I found ugly that looked awful on me. Any white clothes have to go. I am far too messy to wear white.
Two categories of items I've pre-decided not to keep: (1) phone books and (2) paper catalogs. I can find any phone number I want online, and I haven't ordered anything from a paper catalog in years. These all go into the recycling bin as soon as they enter my house.
Do they even make phone books anymore.
@@Candiegirl13 yes, they do. Not everyone can afford or has access to internet service, especially in rural areas.
Funny, a phone book just arrived here yesterday! 😆
Wow I haven't seen a phone book in years I used to like looking at the business section as a kid. Lots of ides for future occupations. I thought it was interesting.
One time I “recycled” an old phone book when starting a new garden. I put stacks of pages down as a weed cover (just like people do with newspaper) under the mulch. Now I burn that type of stuff as fire starters in my fireplace. If it piles up too much, I burn it. The ashes go in the garden. Cardboard boxes are great for starting a new garden. Line the bottom with cardboard before adding soils, compost, etc. just remove any tape, labels, etc.
I love how you talk Dana! You make my Day 🎉. “I don’t darn socks but I love saying Darn socks”. Your hilariousness heals my heart and soul and your wisdom and kindness inspires me everyday in so many ways. I’m so grateful you do these videos and I love your podcast too. Blessings to you and your family ❤
I have made all of these pre-made decisions too! Some people have looked at me like I’m nuts when I’ve said I’m not saving the tissue paper. I’ve said at the time, “Yeah it’s really nice tissue paper; you can save it if you’d like.” They never want it!! 🙄😂 Great video, Dana!
Ha ha ha! Great comeback.
My pre-made decisions are: empty candle jars, socks with holes, clothes that don't fit, mail that doesn't require any action (sometimes I don't even bother to bring it home, as I just toss it in recycling bin I keep outside).
I automatically get rid of those three items too. I have so many other things as well, but I’m a major minimalist and can’t handle any clutter at all. To list a few: the extra condiments that come in the take out bag that we don’t use at the time we eat the meal (exception, chik-fil-a sauce 😂), the extra terrible so called napkins that come with the food, wrapping paper (all of it including the bags, bows and everything), free gifts (the kind my kid brings home from his college football games, can koosies, crappy little already falling apart bags, t-shirts that fit no one in the house - all straight to the donate box - he knows to put it in his room if he is keeping it lol), the little hotel soaps, shampoos, conditioners, ect that my kids throw into the bag when we leave, half used up toiletries that no one actually likes, books that have been read but that no one wants to revisit, clothes with holes…period. The kids know they better tell mom if it’s something they love and want mended otherwise…goodbye. This is just a few. Makes life so much simpler ❤
Walmart sells chick fil a sauce and poynessian sauce, so i no longer bring little packs home, i do use on vacation though.
Zoey Cat, you can now get BOTTLED Chick-fil-A sauce at Walmart!!!!
T-shirts. Once a shirt became stained I would put it in my nightwear drawer and would end up with enough to wear a different shirt every night. This would mean that I would then put off doing laundry until I was overwhelmed. Tossing the shirts makes life so much easier.
I pre made the decision to not bring home free things anymore. Someone was giving away a really nice keurig machine. I looked at it and admired it, then said no, thank you. I know I don't have the space nor use the pods.
Although not exactly clutter related, my favorite pre-made decision has been "Wacky Wednesday" and "Sweet Sunday." My kids know we have dessert/candy once each on those two days. Any candy that comes in the house goes in the candy bin and it comes out on Wednesdays & Sundays after dinner and they can choose to have some candy (or ice cream, or cookies from the freezer, etc.) No more having kids beg for sweets all the time - they already know the answer! And it just keeps things reasonable. Yes, sugary treats are fun and just fine every now and then, but it doesn't need to be an everyday thing, and now I don't have to think about it and make a decision every. single. time. they. ask. (And they do get sweets more than twice a week really....trips to grandmas usually involve sugar, birthday parties, holiday gatherings, small group meals, a lollipop from the hairdresser, etc, etc, etc. So no - they are not deprived at all. Just keeps it more reasonable, adds fun to our Wednesdays/Sundays because it's special, and helps me not lose my mind with decision overload!)
Coupons - I use to feel I needed to cut coupons or keep sale flyers. However, I never had them when I was in the appropriate store. I thought it was a sign of a frugal housewife. Now I’m realistic. I don’t fall for the coupons making attractive an item I either don’t need or can get something else cheaper. I use the “virtual wallet” of the stores I always go to and have them on my phone.
I like the tissue paper idea. Freedom from feeling guilty for not saving them.
I’ll bet Reid will eventually have his own channel. Maybe on how to deal with parents.
Paper coupons are way more trouble than they're worth. I use the electronic coupons that link to my store's loyalty card, so I don't have to carry anything in my purse (except the card-and even that is unnecessary, since the store can look up my account using my phone number).
Same here....only I would buy things I didn't want/need because I had a coupon. I think not clipping coupons has actually saved me money and clutter.
I am so with you on the sock darning! I will be 71 next week and have never darned a sock in my life! Don’t think I will start now, either 🤣
Reid's comments made me laugh so hard I almost cried. As a sleep deprived mom of littles who comes from a family history of fear hoarding, your work has been a huge blessing to our home, our lives and our mental health and your and Reid's humor a welcome relief. After 2 years of listening to your videos and ruthlessly slugging through clutter and doing the dishes in a sleep deprived fog, our home is a different place. We are so much more peaceful! After 2 years of sticking with this as a lifestyle and seeing the results, I did a recent purge of my kiddos highly reduced and controlled stash of toys because good, but not used toys, were in the way of them enjoying their favorites. It is a beautiful thing. Thank you for all that you do! I'm going to go clean the 10+ used gift cards out of my wallet now...
That's awesome!
Love the concept of Pre-made Decisions. One of mine is not keeping all the plastic cutlery that restaurants insist on putting in your take-out orders (even when you tell them not to). Yes, I might use them someday, I could save them for a picnic, or a power outage, or use them as plant markers...I could go on.
Instead I toss them all in a grocery bag that hangs by my garage door. If grown kids/grandkids want them for their brown bag lunches they are there for the taking...but they have to take the whole lot of them. 😁
My pre-made decision is not to order take-out. It’s so quick to pop a frozen pizza or pre-made bolognaise in the oven or microwave. Even much quicker than deciding what to order from the menu 😂
I put those silverware packets into my work bag and leave them in the break room at work. They are so handy for the days that my coworkers (or myself) forget to pack a spoon. The soy sauce packets I throw away, though. Nobody wants those.
Dana, Amen on the pre-made gift cards. Sometime, more than six years ago when we last moved, I heard the tip to write "wax scrapper" on one and put it away with the fresh candles. Ever since then when I have a used up gift card, my first thought is "But I already have a wax scrapper," and I ask the clerk or waitress to throw it out for me with a smile and a "thanks."
I have one old gym card as an aquarium scraper. I like the idea of writing it's purpose on it! 😂
I am also 48, and also NOT a darner. A few years ago I actually said to my husband, "You make too much money to wear holey, worn out socks." I always wonder why socks with holes in them even went through the wash when they should have gone straight into the trash.
Said that exactly to my hubby too😅
i JUST decluttered 5 old gift cards last weekend! I did the whole "call, check the balance" routine, which I had been putting off for months (maybe longer for some of them...). And instead of re-purposing all of the used-up cards like i used to (I use them to help remove labels/stickers from glass jars and bottles), I immediately cut the used/expired cards and tossed them in the trash. Small victory but a big win in my book. I now only allow myself to keep ONE "scraper" card, and it is identified as such, in permanent marker.
I love to travel, and a pre-made decision is that I don’t buy souvenirs or gifts. Feels so great to walk straight on through the gift shops! And, I can easily travel without checked baggage as I don’t need any space for stuff to bring home. 😊
Love it!!! This "pre-made" decisions will even flow over into other areas of my decision making ... for instance with buying groceries, clothes, and probably more things ... a Pre-Made Decision is a great 'tool' for me before leaving the house !!! Thank you Dana !
So true. I traditionally worked the other way--premade decisions to keep certain things--like all colored bottles or condiment bottles or whatever and I would just do that on autopilot. It's way better to have premade decisions to NOT keep certain things. I have a harder time turning off the keeping than not starting it.
I keep used tissue paper, esp the colored kind. I have no problem smoothing and folding it, and then I'll keep it inside the gift bag that it matches. That stuff gets expensive. Then, when I reach for a gift bag, it often has the tissue paper inside already, and that makes it simpler.
Empty candle jars. In my decluttering, I found several that would be "nice to use for something else."
The sock thing had me laughing. "I should be a sock darner" -- haha, I have had that conversation with myself too many times. However, I eventually came to the same conclusion about not keeping holey socks, and it has actually really helped my 7 year old who gets overly attached to things. It was hard for him at first, but now he throws away socks with holes in them easily, so thats a win :)
I got half my closet space back!
I had that many clothes that didn’t fit, and yes, I tried them on. My closet looks amazing
After watching and now rewatching I am going a step more and get rid of the gift bags and tissues this year. The Dollar Store has it ready for me for $1.25 living space and head space cost far more. Loving how you point out the craziness if it all.
It’s the take out or deli packaging…if my husband sees my recycle it he always thinks I should keep it. Now I wait till he’s out of the room as I made the decision not to keep them.
No more coupons or special edition cooking magazines. I used to save coupons. I kept them clipped on the refrigerator until they expired. About a year later I would throw them away. I love to cook and I used to get those beautiful special edition cooking magazines. I decluttered them today. I had never used 3/4 of them. I’m taking 5 lbs. of them to Goodwill today. Thanks for everything, Dana.
Lodge makes a plastic scraper - for their cast iron pans - that has a thinner edge than a gift card. It works so much better for scraping dishes.
I LOVE thoes. Makes washing dishes and wiping countertops so much faster . And doesn't scrape anything .
Thank you so much! For some reason I thought I HAD TO keep the tissue paper. 🤔 Thank you for permission to stop doing that! 😁
I donate gift bags to our local creative reuse place and I use old gift cards and credit cards to spread glue and paint in my art journals, etc. Once they're too gummed up, then I toss them. I try to repurpose holey socks if I can; there's some part of me (probably the inner child raised by a mom who grew up during the Depression) who rebels at throwing away an otherwise perfectly good sock XDD
Pre-made decisions: my kids craft projects/doodles. There are exceptions when the result actually looks cool - and fits on the shelf for displaying craft projects - but I don’t hold onto every doodle my three year old makes just because she made them. It’s the act of making that she needs and when our house is full of Pom-poms and popsicle stick randomness i don’t want to pull out yet more craft supplies for her to make an even bigger mess. Better to keep spaces open for new creations.
I just had to check a gift card last week. It had been on my desk so I had to move it every-time I wiped off the desk and it was always falling off to the floor where it had to be picked up repeatably. I also just went through my over stuffed sock drawer to thin out to my favorites. Then 2 weeks later noticed some of my favorites were beginning to get holes in them. Not completely but to the point you could see through them, so out they went. I now have room to spare in my sock drawer and it is wonderful!
Thanks for another great video! I used to love the freebies at conferences, fairs, etc but now avoid that stuff. I end up throwing it all away eventually.
I cut a vertical slit in socks (up by the elastic band) so I can easily tell if it is a rag sock or not. It also works well for washcloths that have been downgraded to rags. 😉
Great idea. I have several washcloths that I know are rags, but other people put with the "good" ones.
And store them in a different place, away from the good socks, wash cloths, etc.
Rag towels & sox get a permanent marker X
The SOCKS! So good to hear you say it, I just came to that decision this month too. I had a pair of beautiful cashmere socks that had been a Christmas present 2 years ago from my MiL. They were worn out in the heels and toes, but the threads were still strong so I ~could~ have darned them. But that would have required me to go to a special shop downtown to buy wool/ thread and a darning egg and needles, and then actually learn how to darn and since it was first time the final result of the darn probably wouldn't be good enough to match the rest of the sock ... I realized that I would end up sending $50+ and hours of my free time just to get a little bit more wear out of a present that I clearly got lots of great wear out of!
Speaking of premade decisions, if my husband's shirts have a hole in them, I throw them out. We did a big holey shirt purge 6 months ago and got rid of 15 shirts with holes. Now instead of having to perfectly fold and arrange his shirts to fit them all in, I can quickly put them in, which in turn means putting away laundry is way faster, so I can do it right away instead of later which results in a laundry basket of clean clothes sitting on my floor for 4 days-there totally is a method to your madness!
great examples!!! thank you
Now you know why cashmere is stupid as socks. I use appropriate wool for socks instead of luxury. Have held onto socks for a decade with no holes because original fiber was appropriate. Like making garden jeans out of silk then saying golly gee maybe a different fiber would have been better. I write on this topic often.
I don't darn socks either, but I have a darning egg. It was my grandmother's so I'm keeping it. Man, my struggle is real :)
Love the idea of "pre made decisions" to help me declutter!
I've said it before and I'll say it again! Dana, you and I are like twins in the way we think!! You are one year older, have blond hair to my brown, blue eyes to my brown. But we follow the exact train of thought!!🤣 It's so funny, but also a little scary, that we are both running around out in the world 🤣 I know we don't have the same mom, but I think we may have the same Father...and we can give Him all the glory for our zaney trains of thought! IYKYK❤️ thank you for your videos!
I couldn’t help but think of your hasmat suit for bathroom cleaning… I keep ONE 1 gallon ziplock for socks with holes.. to use with any grody job (like the bathroom, pet wound care) so I can drop it in the trash without any hesitation!
Thank you! I was just listening to the audiobook of “Decluttering at The Speed of Life” when the notification came through! Brilliant advice! I can tackle absolutely any space now, using your steps. And my daughters are starting to learn the steps too. 🥰🤗
Thank you for affirming this! I have a dialog running through my mind from my parents, who lived through the Depression and WW2. They kept and stored and held onto so much because of the trauma they experienced as children. You have helped me to be free of imagined guilt and I am allowing myself freedom to say no to things!!
My grandparents and mother kept/keep EVERYTHING! My siblings and I will have a huge house to go through when something happens to our mom. When her parents passed away, she and her twin sister divided their huge mass of belongings between the two of them. Neither of them removed anything from their homes but just added more stuff! Bear in mind there are antiques and other valuable items but what good is it to have them if you can’t even see them? I’m very discreet when I donate or give anything away as my mom thinks I’m being wasteful. I tell her, “Mom, I’m just sharing with others so that it will be used. I have more than I need.” I no longer feel guilt but feel VERY GOOD SHARING and living in a home with plenty of clean space. However, it’s a work in progress. The garage is my current project. It’s the last place things go on their way out of my house.
@@rosanne7804 It's such a burden when someome dies and leave too much to others to deal with. I'm glad you can break the cycle and share and get rid of some things. We do too. I agree with you. It's so much better the things get used and makes someone happy. When my dad passed we sorted his home and when my husband's dad died we also helped my mother in law to empty their countyside house. I'm so glad she is not very sentimental. She also sorted a lot of things out of her flat during the following years, and still does. I wish my mother would too, because she has so much and does not even use more than maybe 2% of it. We tried to talk to her so many times, but it does not help. I'm horrified for the day she passes. I know my MS will get so much worse the day I need to deal with all her stuff. It scares me that I might get worse long term and not even recover from it. I'm not sure how to deal with it. Sometimes it's like things really take over someones life and home, and become such a problem.
@@stinaljungstrom8691 I hope that your mom will have a change of heart and start dealing with HER things. Sometimes people are SO OVERWHELMED that they don’t know where to start. I FIRMLY BELIEVE that If it’s just a drawer, taking out some empty boxes, putting a couple of pieces of clothing in a donation box, disposing expired food, tossing old mail and newspapers, etc., it’s a START. Just 10 minutes a day often times leads to great success. You get started and then often you keep going. PROGRESS IS PROGRESS. DOING A LITTLE IS BETTER THAN DOING NOTHING. You have to start SOMEWHERE. I JUST hope your mom can START.
Best wishes dealing with your MS. I know that stress isn’t your friend and the anticipation of dealing with so much of your mother’s possessions is stressful. 😔 I have decided I’ll cross the bridge when I come to it. Worry and stress just rob me of today’s joy. It doesn’t do anything for me other than ruin my day.
My sister has tried to encourage our mom to clear out some of her things. It upset Mom so much that I told my sister to leave her alone. We can use it, donate it or what ever we chose when she’s gone. But, at Mom’s age I see no reason to upset her. Mom is not going to change. I told my sister, “If Mom wants me to stack it to the ceiling in the rooms she’s not using, I’ll do as she asks as long as it’s not a hazard to her.” Although Mom’s house is abundantly furnished with a lot of decor, the rooms she uses are ok for her to maneuver. She uses two very large rooms for storage of her “treasures”.
@@rosanne7804 Thank you for your long answer, thoughts and concern. ❤️ I feel like we are in a similar situation as yours. We almost gave up asking our mum about decluttering. I did in periods and my sister has now. My sister and my son are minimalists and only keep the basics. Me and my husband live in a normal and airy home after some decluttering. But I concider my mum a hoarder; not the worst kind but sounds like your mum. Her livingroom is full of boxes and used more as storage than a room. We are never in it. She sais she will sell the things in the boxes but packed them eleven years ago and they are still there. We said we can give them to charity or help with at least some of the selling. My sister even offered our mother money for them. Then my sister could get rid of them, but our mother said no and kept the boxes. At the same time our mum sais she feels stuck, but she really does not want to let go. She is older, like yours, and has health problems that makes it even harder. I think it has a lot to do with her childhood when she lost her toys and other traumatic things happened. She is acting like she is very attached to the things she gathered and afraid of loosing them. It is like she is building herself in and creates a home that has more than enough of everything. I also feel it is almost like she sometimes is rejecting us, and prefer her things. Like she can be st home and and sorting the things, instead of seeing us and her grandchildren. She just moves thing around so it is a never ending story. There are things all over the sofas and it's hard for us to even have room to sit when we visit. I guess we have to deal with it all one day. I try not to worry as you mention, but it does stress me even though I try not to think about it. Really felt I had write to you to let some of my thoughts out, and also to let you know you are not alone. ❤️
@@stinaljungstrom8691 Yes, we seem to be in very similar situations. My mother doesn’t have much interest in seeing many people or family members and doesn’t want them at her house. I bring her to my home for my siblings to visit her. She does genuinely treasure her possessions, it seems more than relationships. I keep telling her, “Mom, you can’t take these things with you when you die.” But, she places great value and importance on the physical items. I’m not implying that nothing has sentimental value in my home. Just not EVERYTHING. You can’t enjoy, honor, clean and display so many possessions. However, I agree her collection of SO MANY ITEMS may stem from childhood, emotional/mental health, loss, scarcity and a number of other contributing factors. I believe my mom also feels she is dishonoring her ancestors of she donates something that was theirs or feels wasteful if she donates something that was (what she considers) “expensive” or worth something. The sad thing is is that she has many items that I could have gotten use but they are stacked in her house.
Best of luck to you and your family. We only get to make decisions for ourselves unless it becomes dangerous or unhealthy for our aging parents. I’m just tucking all of these emotions and information in my hat so I make CERTAIN I don’t do this to my children. ❤️
I agree with you and do the same now! I stopped saving tissue, socks and gift cards. I don’t know why I saved gift cards with zero balances too 🤷🏻♀️🤣
My easy pre-made decision is not keeping any plastic containers that food comes into our house in. I have lots of my preferred glass storage containers and those are all I need.
Good one!
Love this video! Yes to all your pre-made decisions! A few more I can think of are freebies/promo items, worn out clothes to use for rags (I usually use old sheets for that and only keep a small amount) and empty boxes/jars etc for storing things. I reading through all the comments to get even more great ideas 😊
And greeting cards…all of them, unless they are handmade by my son
As I move more into maintenance mode I’m looking for more content that’s about helping me manage from here more smoothly. This is exactly the type of helpful concepts I need to hear!
My pre-made decision is with pretty dishes. If it has a chip in it, even if it's on the underside, it must leave 😲 I'm better than using broken things, even if they're pretty
Thank you for this pre-made decision! I've got 2 plates that I'm discarding today...one has been chipped for years, but I loved the design on it. Silly me! Now I have added chipped dishes to my pre-made decision list❤️
I won’t keep any chipped or cracked dish to use for food. (for safety reasons,cut lip when drinking or cut hand when washing) However,in my last house,there was a large,custom built medicine cabinet in the bathroom. I put a piece of clear tape over every crack and chip on my beautiful crystal wine glasses,highball glasses,bowls, etc. turned the taped part to the back and filled them with lipsticks,eye pencils,tweezers,etc. It pleased me to see them all there and turned out to be incredibly practical as I could visibly see all of the contents.🙌🏻 (my current home doesn’t have the same setup,so after using some for art brushes,pencils,etc.,I threw the rest away.)
Guidelines like this are brilliant. Thank you for making my life easier.
Half (or more) used boxes of notecards....I have a large drawer full of these and after watching this, I realized, I'll never use them again! Some are 40 years old....and awful. I can get new ones easily and cheaply IF i need them. I make cards now, why keep old, mostly used boxes of pre-made cards? Nope.
Thank you for your reminders and constant training!!!
Awesome message, I laughed out loud several times, love your sense of humor
{surreptitiously sneaks probably-used-up Kohl’s gift card from dresser, throws in trash}
First up, as an assistant musical-theatre director, I love how your acting background shines through in your videos - sometimes I hit pause so I can savor my LOL. 😂
Second, I now have a pre-made decision about wedding programs & visitation/funeral tribute cards - unless they are/were the closest of friends/family, I realized I’m actually not going to do anything productive w/them, so into recycling they go.
I love this decision. It makes me think of my husband's granny. She had a box of funeral cards. They were alphabetical. She could go to that box and tell you when any person died. She did so often. So they aren't entirely useless.😜 I think she would have been appalled if someone told her to throw them away. I'm somewhere between the two decisions. I probably keep them all, but really special ones go in my Bible case.
I always keep the gift card until im sure that alls good with the item, especially if it was a prepaid visa. If I have to return the item for whatever reason and they can only credit the card it was paid with, then i have it. Otherwise, you're stuck getting another gift card 🙄
I feel the same about Christmas cards. Which is why I don’t even bother doing them anymore. We save so much money not doing the family photos and I save time, money and my sanity at Christmas time not having to worry about getting them done and sent out on time. I don’t want people to feel guilty about throwing them out a month or two later.
@@astrongmama thank you. Now, of course, we can look up obits on the internet if we absolutely need any of that information, but it’s kind of neat that your family member put them to good use in her day. 💜
@@katiesoderling3596 I’m a scrapbooker, so I still save those, *but* I fully admit I have not made time to work on that scrapbook yet. 🤪
I cut up an old towel for cleaning rags. If another towel gets worn out before the rags do, that towel gets donate to an animal shelter because they'll take them.
Worn out socks get thrown away.
I'm bad with gift cards, too, it's so weird lol.
Yesterday I threw away one of those little white plastic Pringles mini to-go containers. I know I can use it to start seeds, but I already have solo cups and yogurt cups I used last year that are still in good shape. I tossed it and was so proud of myself, haha! 😅
congratulations!!! :-D!!
Premade decisions I have made to reduce/prevent clutter include the kids' report cards go on the fridge until the next one comes out , then the old one goes in the trash (although we moved to electronic only this year, so I guess I don't have to do that anymore) and I no longer keep stained or holey pieces of clothing to 'wear around the house', no matter how much I loved them.
At this moment my "wear around the house" clothes far exceed my "nice enough to wear in public" clothes! I have a special drawer for my "only fit for gardening/mowing the lawn" clothes (I live in a rural area, and I don't care who sees me doing outdoor chores). All the stretched out, too-worn clothes take up way too much space. Time to throw some things out!
Someone mentioned “no more swag”~ free stuff. Thank you. Motivated me to donate the free Red Cross blood donor shirt I feel guilty abt, having received it in December ~
b/c I know I won’t wear it. Life is too short for stiff T shirts.
Bye-bye tissue paper...had that epiphany last year!! Dollar tree is my new supplier when in need!! My new pre-made decision: no more decorative popcorn/cookie tins!! I'd love to hear more of your pre-made decisions in the future!! ❤🤗
Love this! My pre-made decisions include: no holes, torn or stained clothes allowed in our closet, every large package that comes in gets filled with unwanted clutter and put away at the car for donation drop-off, any unwanted gifts get gifted to someone I love living out of state, etc.
I went to toss used tissue paper while listening to you. I had already done that ! I've been decluttering for a while now so I must be on the right track. Thank you 😊
I love that feeling!
This is about your easy getting food on the table course. I LOVE IT! ❤ Thank you from me and my whole family. The info alone on how to cook chicken in the crockpot and ground beef on the stove ahead of time is one of those life hacks that I will always use!
I told my 14 year old daughter we're having porcupines for dinner tonight and she was like, "What?" And then when I explained what they were, her face lit up.
The chicken salad sandwiches were a hit last week, BTW.
$16 well spent, as I was about to sign up for a dinner service called Every Meal, but ended up not having to.
You really have changed my life over the years of following you. ❤🎉
As for pre-made decisions:
Stained clothing
Anything that overruns the "container" it belongs in.
I love Reid and his sense of humor nearly as much as I love you and your no-nonsense, humorous way of teaching us. Thank you both!
I use the tissue in the fireplace to start fires...
I love the idea of pre-made decisions so much.
Loved the hole-y sock bit!! LOL
Thank you!! This makes so much sense 🤯
I also love that your videos are still homemade and not super spruced up because it gives the rest of us hope that we can get our houses/lives under control even if they don't look insta-worthy
I really like my system for tissue paper.
Years ago, I put them in a gift bag and rainbow 🌈 coded them, and used one of those flimsy pot dividers to keep the standing on their side, so I can easily see them.
I don't keep crumpled ones, but I like my system, and have space for it, and when there's too much, extra goes!! I could probably even pair down further after living with it for a while
Oh Dana... I think you're saving my Life 🙌 Hsve listened (Audible) to your books and you Resonate BIG TIME 😁🙃🤣 I'm a Generational Horder... I wanna be the End of the Line 💪 HUGE Love and Blessings from Essex, UK 🙏🥰xxx 🇬🇧😘💜
Omg this is why I love you! I am guilty of having kept all of these items either currently or in the past. I love you because you are real and have slob tendencies just like me. I am so thankful I found you because the things you talk about are both relatable and attainable.
Great video! This reminds me that I have an (empty) gift card for Bath & Body Works that's been in my wallet since 2015. Is it time to let go......? I'm gonna try! l0l 😄
One premade decision I made three years ago is that I'm not allowed to buy clothes made of synthetic fibres. I realized that I prefer cotton and always reach for those items. I have more than enough of blouses and clothes made of synthetic already, so why buy more when I hardly ever use them? At the same time I decided to only buy clothes when I actually need something. That way my wardrobe slowly is getting smaller, which is good. It was not much I needed during these three years. My underwear are soon down to a normal amount, instead of having enough for two mounths without doing the laundry. When I feel that I really need something I Google until I find it in the right style and fabric, instead of going to the mall and randomly looking. That way I save myself from buying things I see while looking for what I need. It works really well for me, who used to buy a lot of clothes just because I liked them.
But what about possibly making sock monkeys? What about using tissue paper to decoupage a lamp shade?
My mind spins out of control with possibilities. That’s why your TH-cam about not being a “why” person impacted me so deeply. Love you!!!
As well as Dana's "head explosion" rule!
I have just given myself a full shelf in my mug cupboard. I have thrown away all of the boxes of fruit 'teas', tisanes and infusions. I don't actually like them. I'm 55 and I don't think I will ever like them. So much so, they were all out of date, without exception! Bottom line is I like real tea. Black tea. Yorkshire Tea, to be specific. I'll stick with th at.
This was incredibly helpful Dana! Thank you. I love that you spoke about the gift bag stash that we all have and tissue paper. I’ll never look at tissue paper the same way again. Thank you!
Sauce packets and extra screws/hardware after I’ve finished building something. P.s I love the holy sock example and isn’t it so funny how much anxiety it puts off to get rid of just one when it’s match is somewhere out there?!?! Lol
I not only throw hole-y socks away but also shirts, pants, gloves, hats anything frayed or excessively worn out. Most of my clothes I've had 10 years or longer so I figured I got my money's worth long ago
You are so funny...and I really never comment but I love your channel. 😂🤣😂💗🙏🌺
PS I absolutely have a bulging wallet full of EMPTY gift cards!!!
I toss pens that don't write well. Even if they are full of ink, if it skips and scratches across the paper, it goes.
Dust and chuck! Love it. I do that with used dryer sheets.
I went through a phase of keeping bubble envelopes to 'reuse' as they were 'worth keeping'. After them moving three times with me and the bundle ever increasing, I had to face the reality that I was not the type of person who (a) sent things in bubble envelopes and (b) either needed to move a fourth time to allow for a bubble envelope room... or let them go. They are now recycled straight away 😁
😀 a bubble-envelope-room 😀 ... I can relate, although don't have SO many... do have a stash of bubble-wrap too, could be useful when I send packages home (live in Germany, come from US)... rarely happens and don't use much when it does... I've also moved lots in my life, so "packaging" is something I have used... AND I can trust that there'll be what I need right there when I need it ;-) ...
@@beccismith4454 I've always kept all the used bubble-wrap and bubble envelopes, because I might need them some day. But in reality, I haven't used any in at least 5 years. I have to admit it does make me anxious to think about throwing them out, but I think I'm going to decide right now to keep 1 small amount of bubble wrap, and throw the envelopes and the rest of the wrap out. Based on the last 5 years, the chance that I'll need it in the near future is incredibly small, so the extra space would be more beneficial to my life than keeping them. And if my needs change in the further future: there will always be some new bubble wrap/envelopes coming in when I receive a package, and I could also package things with old news papers if need be. I'll follow your example and trust that I will be fine without them.
I died at the # of gift bags I had when I did a MEGA DECLUTTER. Y'all, I have an almost 18 year old, so 19 years ago I had a baby shower or three.... I STILL HAD THOSE GIFT BAGS?? My people (late 40's) are looking at menopause, not babies... 🤣Goodwill got a massive Lego Gift Bag (HUGE Lego set bag) filled with really nice gift bags I'd never, ever used but kept collecting.) I'd say my "oldest" nope is left overs from restaurants because 1, I hate leftovers, 2, I never remember it, 3, it ends up stinking up the car/my fridge/my kitchen garbage, 3, it always lead to tremendous guilt that i didn't use them. I'm now on a 98% closing in on 100% no coupons rule, because I never use them and only feel great when I declutter the expired ones. lol