The nest

[RedPonyDriver]

I was mechanical engineer so the text books were always helpful.

 

[zippy2]

My problem is I just get overwhelmed by the whole thing, and then give up. I hate to go through stuff but I hate overcrowded clutter too! I have too much junk and I know it. I will try and use some of the advise I have read here. I'll need your prayers folks cause I am a procrastinator! HELP!

 

[RedPonyDriver]

Just purged my bookshelves and finished going thru some boxes of papers that were my parents'. Trying to condense a 3200 sqft house into an 1100 sqft apartment. Got rid of a bunch of stuff before we moved and now getting rid of more. My husband is the great organizer...I get frustrated too easily and start thinking of explosives and bulldozers.

 

[ex-pat]

Go to www.flylady.net She is a huge help for decluttering in 15 minute increments. You may also want to read "Sink Reflections" and try to get at some of the reasons you hang on to clothes that have long since passed the "wearable" stage. Either that, or take up patchwork quilting or making rag rugs.

 

[JojotheBeloved]

Yup, welcome to my nest, otherwise known as my "rat hole". lol  I am having a terrible time with this, and maybe y'all can help. Are any of you pack-rats? Do you live with someone who is? If so, maybe you have some tips that might save my sanity.....

Well, my husband and I are pack-rats, but each in our own ways. My problem is clothing. I just can't seem to get rid of what should have been made rags long ago, or the clothes that just plain 'ol don't fit anymore. My question here is, how much is enough? I have a terrible example of 'too much' in my bedroom, so I've got that covered. lol But, how much clothing is sufficient, do you think?

Now, my husband's problem is that he keeps every other thing in the world. We have tons and tons of cluttery things, and I don't know what to do with it all. I know that stuff has to go, but it is hard deciding what gets tossed and what I can compromise about. Do you have any tips on how to help make those decisions?

Rules for de-cluttering and learning to get rid of stuff:
1. If you haven't used it in the past 12 months - get rid of it.
2. If it's broken or torn - get rid of it.
3. If it's been sitting in a place collecting dust waiting for you to finish it/fix it/clean it out - get rid of it.
4. If you have multiples of the same exact thing - get rid of all but one.
5. If it currently has no function in your household - get rid of it.
6. If it's not super expensive to replace even if you did need it in some imagined scenario in the far future - get rid of it.

Ways to get rid of stuff:
Garage sale
E-Bay/Craigslist
Donate it (this is my favorite because it's easiest and you can get a tax receipt if you need it)
Give it away to friends and family (be careful with this though; it can lead to more pack-rat behavior if you don't actually see your friends and family or remember to give it to them).

The biggest problem for pack-rats is often a difficulty establishing priorities. That's the first hurtle. After that it's just a matter of effort to get rid of stuff and organize what you have left.

As far as how much is enough, in terms of clothing, I'd say if you have enough casual clothes to last a week before doing wash, you have enough. If you have at least 2 or 3 sets of clothes for work, you have enough. If you have 2 shirts/pants for the most common types of weather in your area (for example: long sleeved shirts for winter and short sleeved for summer; long pants, a sweater and jacket for snow; shorts for hot weather, etc.) you have enough. Socks and underwear are the only things that should be bursting out of your dresser drawer (as they tend to get dirty or lost fastest); and even then, if the undergarment or sock has a hole in it - throw it out. If the sock doesn't have a match - throw it out. Clothes should have a purpose - for work, for home relaxation, for swimming, for winter/summer, etc. If it doesn't have a purpose, get rid of it. If it's a Halloween costume from years ago - get rid of it. Same goes for shoes. At the most I've ever had, I had 10 pairs of shoes. Half of those were different colors/types of dress shoes for work - which I wore every day at the time. The other half were a mix of casual shoes for different purposes: a pair of tennis shoes for overall use, a pair of snow boots (I lived in a place where it snows a lot), a pair of hiking boots (because I like hiking), some flip flops for summer, and a pair of slippers for home (because I get cold). In my opinion, anything more than that is excessive. Besides, I've found if you're living on a budget it's hard to get too cluttered if you are throwing things away when they get used up. You can live with a lot less than you think.

Happy sorting and cleaning!