This morning as I watched and listened, I continue to have thoughts of amazement of how far you have come in your journey to a well-functioning home. Yes, you are amazing, and through some personally difficult life happenings. You have brought blessing to yourself and so many others. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
I'm so impressed that you have finally been able to let go of some of these 'just in case" items that have been clearly holding you back. You were able to leave an open space and resisted the urge to shuffle clutter around to fill it. You let go of home schooling items that you never actually needed. You've brought yourself to a place where you might be able to let go of the guilt that you previously laid upon yourself and maybe you can forgive yourself for not using these things. Well done.
I fall into the "we have the room to store things" category, so I'm housing lots of just in case STUFF. I've dedicated January for intentional, ruthless decluttering my home. I'm excited to start - Thank you for sharing these tips today.
This video was very helpful to me bc i am currently decluttering some items and preparing to closeout a storage unit which should have been done long ago. One question I consider when trying to decide what to weed out is "If I passed away tomorrow, would my family members want this?" Also: "Who am I saving this for?" I have no children, so this is something else to consider. As I get older, the less I have deal with, the easier(I hope😊)it'll be for me. Often our emotions do keep us attached to things, which makes it hard to let go even though intellectually we know we probably should. That's why I've adopted the "get cold-blooded" approach. It makes it easier for me to let it go. It is true that out of sight is out of mind.
Thank you Erica! I have a lot of stuff that I have just in case, extra purses, extra blankets, extra shoes etc. I got brutal and went through my closet and combined 2 closets full of clothes down to one. Thank you for showing the way and the questions you need to ask! This is so, so helpful.
These were a good series of tips. I SO get your homeschool "just in cases." Even though I didn't homeschool, I did want an enriching environment when mine was a little. It comes down to another Dawn question, "What is actually serving in this present time?" You are helping me look with fresh eyes. BTW, This week I decluttered a nut milk bag (never used in 10+ years), a set of sprouts growing trays (I use mason jars with the draining lids), and a mandolin (duh, a knife is what I grab always). All useful but unused. I wonder what else is hiding in plain sight in my home.
I learned geography from jigsaw puzzles too. I am a kinesthetic learner and putting a Kentucky shaped piece where it belonged worked stunningly for me.
Erica, have you thought about not getting homeschool supplies before and instead try to by what you need as the year goes on? I’m not talking about papers to color on etc. I’m thinking about the thinks you decluttered this time.
Thank you for another great video! I'm in the process of doing pre-move decluttering. We're downsizing from a countryside house to a city apartment. There is still lots of stuff to declutter!
I'm a homeschooling mom too. It is SO EASY to have lots of just in case in that arena. Multiple kids, multiple grades, multiple learning styles. Now that my youngest 2 out of 7 are all I have left and they're 15 & 16, it's much easier to be ruthless. But boy when they're younger it's really hard.
I very much resonate with the fear of getting rid of the one magical resource. It's a little silly of me to assume there's only one magical resource, and it's impossible to predict what they use for connecting so it's wild that I try to put that responsibility on myself. Even realizing this, I still have that fear and it's a pervasive feeling for me!
You are soooo good at explaining and exposing the mental obstacles to decluttering!!! So often we just feel the negative emotion to decluttering an item but never actually dissect what is going on in our minds and why! It’s hard to get into the habit of not just stopping with the unnamed emotion and allowing it on its own to make our decision for us. It’s definitely a muscle you have to exercise but you’ll eventually get into the habit of it when you really work on it!
I would put the scrunch map in one of those plastic containers instead of the bag. They would stack easily like you have the card games in those plastic photo boxes. Neat and tidy.
I did major declutter of holiday items this year. Autumn was 3 boxes as was halloween and christmas. I got Christmas down to 1, and autumn and halloween combined down to 1 box. And donated books that were just in case. I have a mini library 1/2 block from me if i want a book. and i have to be honest with my self-i am getting macular in 1 eye and unsolidified cateract in other. 😞i cant read for long lengths of time like i use to. Have a blessed New Year Lucas family! 🙏💗🤗 🐶
Just like you I have downsized holiday decorations. I only have 5 Christmas decorations 1 wreath and 1 really cute Snowman and 1 small ceramic music box and 2 slender small Christmas trees..with musical mini lights
Erica, I hope you all had a great Christmas and would like to wish a very Happy New Year to you and your family. Nice to see that you are re-evaluating what supplies your children need and actually use for their school year. Holding on to things just in case is, as you know, is never really the best answer. Just in case items so often become a hindrance in our homes and when they are out on shelves we can become ‘clutter blind’ to these items that we no longer use and they simply get left gathering dust.
I’m wondering if you’ve considered your buying habits towards homeschool materials? There’s been a number of decluttering videos on your channel specific to homeschool materials and I wonder if there are changes you’re working on to keep yourself from purchasing things in the first place? Fantasy-self clutter is something that resonates with me and it seems that homeschooling materials may be one of yours.
Definitely this year! I’m realizing how my plans haven’t matched what we use… but I do also get plenty for free from our co-op so it feels less risky than spending.
Yeah, the "just in case" and "emotionally attached" are the hardest ones, bc they're both involved in emotions. Like it was a gift from a close relative and you think they (the gifting person) will ask about the present. Usually they don't (I thought differently when I was younger).
I remember you saying when you moved into the bigger house, that your family tends to, “fill up to the size of your tank.” I see that as you assess your stuff and work toward not filling up the house, it is challenging. Keep at it. Homeschooling is an element most of us don’t have to worry about. Good luck in figuring it all out. Happy New Year 🥳 ❤🙏
Oh you hit plenty of nerves with the ‘just in case’ 🫣 I feel all the different emotions too, guilt, money spent, sentimental, bullied, etc. etc. Hope Christmas went well and wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2024. Mary, Joes wife 🙇♀️👏👍💪🙏💐🥳🎇🎆
Hi! I am an elementary school teacher and I am averse to classroom clutter. I do a lot of interactive learning online with the kids and I also borrow a lot of resources from libraries. I create every year a Google Classroom, and you can assign tasks to your kids. It will keep records of their progress that you can access anytime. To replace a lot of paper we use individual whiteboards so the kids can write on and erase during writing or math exercises. I take pictures of their work on their white boards sometimes if proof of progress is needed. Keeps the clutter away! Hope these ideas help!
I remember back in the day with 4 littles that feeling of being embarrassed how the kids had the house. They usually had toys left all over our super tiny house. Once I placed the rule ( when you finish playing with a toy you have to put it away) in place things went so much better
Happy to see you. I was hoping to see the finished job but maybe next video? I need to declutter my craft room but so hard and overwhelming. You’ve motivated me 😊 Happy New Year 🎉
Happy New Year from WY Erica! Appreciate your videos. May God walk closely with your family this year. Sending a prayer up as you continue to grieve. ❤
I got over the Justin case items because I always knew. I could go to the thrift store. Oh my gosh thrift store prices have gone app and now I'm sorry that I got rid of so much.
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well Happy New Year to you and your family great ideas just a thought maybe get the map laminated its beautiful love from Eugenie your friend xxx 🌹🎉✨🏡
I just realized what the Maybe Bin reminds me of. The place where you put toys in when your kids have to many to decide what to play with any given time so when you trade out the toys you kept down they then realize hey I forgot I had this and want to play with again
Great video. I too struggle with the just in case items. You've come a long way in your decluttering journey. Instead of purchasing all of your homeschooling materials perhaps you can get it from your public library? I recommend potentially stacking your board games vertically so you can easily pull out one box without up ending the pile. Happy 2024 to you & yours.😢
I can't even imagine how home schooling is done, bc it's such a foreign concept in Europe. Is there a test at the end of each school year / grade ? And what about the report ? Just curious. Have a nice week. Thanks you. I loved the scrunch map.
Happy New Year. My biggest issue is giving away the stuff that I paid $ for. I don't want/need tons of stuff in my house but I'm not willing to give it away or wanting to put in the effort to sell :(
For those items, I like the idea of putting things in a box and seeing if you miss them. I struggle with this for the same reason you stated. My mistake was putting too many things in the box. Start small, date the box. From this date to that date. Personally , when I started this, I can’t look in the box. lol. I just donated it. Now it’s a larger box and I can look in it. For me, it has to be tiny baby steps vs giant ones….thats just the way my mind can deal with these decisions. Good luck!!
Are you getting anything positive out of keeping the items because you paid money for them? The money is already gone. Consider that, going forward, you will be in the same financial position whether you keep them or not. However, you will likely feel much less guilt and stress if you get rid of them. I agree with the quarantine bin idea. Give it a try and I promise you it will almost certainly help.
Anikai....America is a huge area and very diverse (cultures, languages, geography, capitols, prices/taxes, laws, etc). It would be similar to traveling all of Europe, plus some. So although it is probably an "American thing," there is good reason. Most of our individual states are bigger than a lot of countries and can take multiple days to drive through. Therefore, we spend a lot of time on American geography. We do, however, learn world geography, as well. ❤
This morning as I watched and listened, I continue to have thoughts of amazement of how far you have come in your journey to a well-functioning home. Yes, you are amazing, and through some personally difficult life happenings. You have brought blessing to yourself and so many others. HAPPY NEW YEAR!
Open space brings calm.
I'm so impressed that you have finally been able to let go of some of these 'just in case" items that have been clearly holding you back. You were able to leave an open space and resisted the urge to shuffle clutter around to fill it. You let go of home schooling items that you never actually needed. You've brought yourself to a place where you might be able to let go of the guilt that you previously laid upon yourself and maybe you can forgive yourself for not using these things. Well done.
I fall into the "we have the room to store things" category, so I'm housing lots of just in case STUFF. I've dedicated January for intentional, ruthless decluttering my home. I'm excited to start - Thank you for sharing these tips today.
This video was very helpful to me bc i am currently decluttering some items and preparing to closeout a storage unit which should have been done long ago. One question I consider when trying to decide what to weed out is "If I passed away tomorrow, would my family members want this?" Also: "Who am I saving this for?" I have no children, so this is something else to consider. As I get older, the less I have deal with, the easier(I hope😊)it'll be for me.
Often our emotions do keep us attached to things, which makes it hard to let go even though intellectually we know we probably should. That's why I've adopted the "get cold-blooded" approach. It makes it easier for me to let it go. It is true that out of sight is out of mind.
Thank you Erica! I have a lot of stuff that I have just in case, extra purses, extra blankets, extra shoes etc. I got brutal and went through my closet and combined 2 closets full of clothes down to one. Thank you for showing the way and the questions you need to ask! This is so, so helpful.
These were a good series of tips. I SO get your homeschool "just in cases." Even though I didn't homeschool, I did want an enriching environment when mine was a little. It comes down to another Dawn question, "What is actually serving in this present time?" You are helping me look with fresh eyes. BTW, This week I decluttered a nut milk bag (never used in 10+ years), a set of sprouts growing trays (I use mason jars with the draining lids), and a mandolin (duh, a knife is what I grab always). All useful but unused. I wonder what else is hiding in plain sight in my home.
I love Dana K White’s 5 step process. No emotions.
I learned geography from jigsaw puzzles too. I am a kinesthetic learner and putting a Kentucky shaped piece where it belonged worked stunningly for me.
Erica, have you thought about not getting homeschool supplies before and instead try to by what you need as the year goes on? I’m not talking about papers to color on etc. I’m thinking about the thinks you decluttered this time.
Becca: "That felt goooooood...." Becca... I know that feeling, girl. 😊
Thank you for another great video! I'm in the process of doing pre-move decluttering. We're downsizing from a countryside house to a city apartment. There is still lots of stuff to declutter!
I'm a homeschooling mom too. It is SO EASY to have lots of just in case in that arena. Multiple kids, multiple grades, multiple learning styles. Now that my youngest 2 out of 7 are all I have left and they're 15 & 16, it's much easier to be ruthless. But boy when they're younger it's really hard.
I very much resonate with the fear of getting rid of the one magical resource. It's a little silly of me to assume there's only one magical resource, and it's impossible to predict what they use for connecting so it's wild that I try to put that responsibility on myself. Even realizing this, I still have that fear and it's a pervasive feeling for me!
You are soooo good at explaining and exposing the mental obstacles to decluttering!!! So often we just feel the negative emotion to decluttering an item but never actually dissect what is going on in our minds and why! It’s hard to get into the habit of not just stopping with the unnamed emotion and allowing it on its own to make our decision for us. It’s definitely a muscle you have to exercise but you’ll eventually get into the habit of it when you really work on it!
I would put the scrunch map in one of those plastic containers instead of the bag. They would stack easily like you have the card games in those plastic photo boxes. Neat and tidy.
I did major declutter of holiday items this year. Autumn was 3 boxes as was halloween and christmas. I got Christmas down to 1, and autumn and halloween combined down to 1 box. And donated books that were just in case. I have a mini library 1/2 block from me if i want a book. and i have to be honest with my self-i am getting macular in 1 eye and unsolidified cateract in other. 😞i cant read for long lengths of time like i use to. Have a blessed New Year Lucas family! 🙏💗🤗 🐶
Just like you I have downsized holiday decorations.
I only have 5 Christmas decorations 1 wreath and 1 really cute Snowman and 1 small ceramic music box and 2 slender small Christmas trees..with musical mini lights
Perfect video as I started to list what I've got...kept adding to the list oh my. I HAVE SO MUCH MORE THAN I THOUGHT. I was being delusional
Oh man! This is what has become of Andy’s dream library?!? This is basement clutter in the front room.
Erica, I hope you all had a great Christmas and would like to wish a very Happy New Year to you and your family. Nice to see that you are re-evaluating what supplies your children need and actually use for their school year. Holding on to things just in case is, as you know, is never really the best answer. Just in case items so often become a hindrance in our homes and when they are out on shelves we can become ‘clutter blind’ to these items that we no longer use and they simply get left gathering dust.
I’m wondering if you’ve considered your buying habits towards homeschool materials? There’s been a number of decluttering videos on your channel specific to homeschool materials and I wonder if there are changes you’re working on to keep yourself from purchasing things in the first place? Fantasy-self clutter is something that resonates with me and it seems that homeschooling materials may be one of yours.
Definitely this year! I’m realizing how my plans haven’t matched what we use… but I do also get plenty for free from our co-op so it feels less risky than spending.
@@EricaLucasLoves I would suggest that it's still clutter whether you paid cash for it or not. A deal is not a deal if it's something you won't use.
Yeah, the "just in case" and "emotionally attached" are the hardest ones, bc they're both involved in emotions. Like it was a gift from a close relative and you think they (the gifting person) will ask about the present. Usually they don't (I thought differently when I was younger).
I remember you saying when you moved into the bigger house, that your family tends to, “fill up to the size of your tank.” I see that as you assess your stuff and work toward not filling up the house, it is challenging. Keep at it. Homeschooling is an element most of us don’t have to worry about. Good luck in figuring it all out. Happy New Year 🥳 ❤🙏
You have been so helpful for me modeling articulating thoughts and emotions that come up during decluttering sessions. Thank you!!
Oh you hit plenty of nerves with the ‘just in case’ 🫣 I feel all the different emotions too, guilt, money spent, sentimental, bullied, etc. etc. Hope Christmas went well and wishing you all a happy, healthy and peaceful 2024. Mary, Joes wife 🙇♀️👏👍💪🙏💐🥳🎇🎆
Hi! I am an elementary school teacher and I am averse to classroom clutter. I do a lot of interactive learning online with the kids and I also borrow a lot of resources from libraries. I create every year a Google Classroom, and you can assign tasks to your kids. It will keep records of their progress that you can access anytime. To replace a lot of paper we use individual whiteboards so the kids can write on and erase during writing or math exercises. I take pictures of their work on their white boards sometimes if proof of progress is needed. Keeps the clutter away! Hope these ideas help!
you are growing each year with decluttering, proud on you. just in case cost a lot of space from a house. good job
💡 Thank you as always for sharing your thought process for making decluttering decisions. All the best in 2024!
I remember back in the day with 4 littles that feeling of being embarrassed how the kids had the house. They usually had toys left all over our super tiny house. Once I placed the rule ( when you finish playing with a toy you have to put it away) in place things went so much better
Happy to see you. I was hoping to see the finished job but maybe next video? I need to declutter my craft room but so hard and overwhelming. You’ve motivated me 😊 Happy New Year 🎉
Glad I came across your channel. Thank you Erica.
Happy New Year from WY Erica! Appreciate your videos. May God walk closely with your family this year. Sending a prayer up as you continue to grieve. ❤
Good afternoon Eric, Happy New Year’s Eve🎉 Great video!
Great advice
Happy New Year from Melbourne Australia
I need to do this with homeschool items that we just are not using right now.
Happy New Year to you and your family. Thanks for sharing the tips. ❤❤❤
Thanks for all of the advice, and Happy New Year!!🎉🎉
I want to see the end result! ❤
this is perfect timing - i'm literally going through those 'what if' homeschooling items
Love your hair!
You have been inspiring me for years!!! You are amazing!! 🤩. P.S. that light blue top with pink flowers is beautiful on you. ❤
Thank you so much!
I have to say it: I just love your hair. Wished mine curled like that. 🙂.
I got over the Justin case items because I always knew. I could go to the thrift store. Oh my gosh thrift store prices have gone app and now I'm sorry that I got rid of so much.
I finally let go of a bunch of kids learning stuff I keep saying I would use and never did and kitchen stuff and toys
Hi there sweetie pie hope you are well Happy New Year to you and your family great ideas just a thought maybe get the map laminated its beautiful love from Eugenie your friend xxx 🌹🎉✨🏡
I just realized what the Maybe Bin reminds me of. The place where you put toys in when your kids have to many to decide what to play with any given time so when you trade out the toys you kept down they then realize hey I forgot I had this and want to play with again
Great video. I too struggle with the just in case items. You've come a long way in your decluttering journey. Instead of purchasing all of your homeschooling materials perhaps you can get it from your public library? I recommend potentially stacking your board games vertically so you can easily pull out one box without up ending the pile. Happy 2024 to you & yours.😢
I can't even imagine how home schooling is done, bc it's such a foreign concept in Europe. Is there a test at the end of each school year / grade ? And what about the report ? Just curious. Have a nice week. Thanks you. I loved the scrunch map.
I downloaded stack the states and my son absolutely loves it!!! Do you have any other favorite educational apps??
Monster Math has 5 apps they love!
Financial guilt and having space are big ones for me. I already spent the money, I have space, sooo…but I’m going to let go. ❤
❤
Happy New Year. My biggest issue is giving away the stuff that I paid $ for. I don't want/need tons of stuff in my house but I'm not willing to give it away or wanting to put in the effort to sell :(
For those items, I like the idea of putting things in a box and seeing if you miss them. I struggle with this for the same reason you stated. My mistake was putting too many things in the box. Start small, date the box. From this date to that date. Personally , when I started this, I can’t look in the box. lol. I just donated it. Now it’s a larger box and I can look in it. For me, it has to be tiny baby steps vs giant ones….thats just the way my mind can deal with these decisions. Good luck!!
Are you getting anything positive out of keeping the items because you paid money for them? The money is already gone. Consider that, going forward, you will be in the same financial position whether you keep them or not. However, you will likely feel much less guilt and stress if you get rid of them. I agree with the quarantine bin idea. Give it a try and I promise you it will almost certainly help.
♥️👍
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Just out of curiosity from a European: Why so much American geography and so few global geography? Is that an American thing?
Anikai....America is a huge area and very diverse (cultures, languages, geography, capitols, prices/taxes, laws, etc). It would be similar to traveling all of Europe, plus some. So although it is probably an "American thing," there is good reason. Most of our individual states are bigger than a lot of countries and can take multiple days to drive through. Therefore, we spend a lot of time on American geography. We do, however, learn world geography, as well. ❤
Isn't is hard getting used to open space if you haven't had any for a long time!