And need help? Ideas? Want a breakdown, room by room?

We really simplified, and gave away most of our things and it still feels great to have done it.

If you are thinking of it or need advice or info, post here and I'd love to chat with other mamas who have pared down to the extreme. It's very liberating! :)

PS our families had collective spazzes when they saw what we were left with and now we are noticing they have done their own purges and speak with envy when they mention how nomadic we have become-and it was a real kick in the pants for the materialistic members of our extendeds~:D

I'm interested! I pm'd you. Tina

I am interested, will you post here what you got rid of and how you purged room by room?

What do you feel are necessities?

I am interested.

You better make a formal post. I am interested too. I have five boxes (actually I think that number is higher as of last night) of toys in the garage, that I just cannot get myself to go through. When I do, I always want to keep the toys. 'This is a great learning toy, I should keep it.' <sigh>

OH! Please tell me!!!

Did you sell stuff? Donate it? Trash it?

And how did you decide what to keep?

I admire you so much!!!

Lots of interest! Terrific! What I will do is a group of posts, one for each room/area of the house and then you can ask questions or add yours and we can brainstorm if you need extra help.

First things first: keep an open mind-rome wasn't built in a day, and you can't be too attached to 'stuff'! We sold and gave away so much, and our goodwill is very active-everyone shops there so nothing was destroyed.
Nothing usable to someone went in the trash.

#1 THE STORAGE ROOM/GARAGE/ATTIC

Ours was full of old junky furniture, plant pots, a washer & Dryer the ILS had given us that needed repair that we were going to fix and 3 boxes of bedding from when DH was a teen and briefly shared a house with some other friends-nothing in this room had been touched for 12 years so we called the local junk collector and paid $120 for them to take the contents away.

#2 LIVING ROOM

This was fun. We had a couch, chair and matching loveseat that we hated (a handmedown-nice but not our taste). I called the local furniture bank and they sent three guys and a truck and took the items away, plus I threw in 2 bookshelves while they were here.

The books we took to the used bookstore up the road after calling around to see who would buy the lot. We sold 600 paperbacks for $300! We did each keep 4 paperbacks we LOVE and read over and over and we kept our reference books, cookbooks and hardcover collection (20 books or so)
Records went to the record shop (we don't have a record player) for 15 Albums we got $120. Tapes we gave to friends, as we have most of them in CD. CDs we went through and picked out maybe 20 that we loved and gave away the rest.

We drank all the wine, and hard liquors that we had been collecting, over a 2 month period. Burned all the candles I was 'saving'. Weeded out artwork we loved and pictures that needed to be displayed vs. ones that could go in albums.

Picture albums-burned all pics onto CDs-one in safe deposit box, one at home to enjoy-one big box full of prints-it held 9 albums worth of pics!

Knick knacks: Honestly I'm not a KK kind of person, but if you have a collection, put it up and display it!

#3 KTICHEN/DINING ROOM
I have a china cabinet that was full of mismatched collector teacups and beer steins. I gave them all to goodwill. I gave my mom all our tableclothes and placemats, and I only kept 2 sets of cloth napkins so we can rotate.

We kept our favcrite handmade stoneware and enamel dishes as follows:
6 dinner plates
6 dessert plates
6 salad plates
6 soup bowls
2 serving platters

Utensils:
6 knives, 6 forks, 6 spoons
2 large cooking spoons
1 spatula
1 whisk
1 funnel
1 rolling pin
Glass measuring cup
measuring spoons
corkscrew/can opener/veggie peeler
knives and knife block

Other items:
2 cast iron frying pans
2 saucepans
4 glass casserole dishes with lids
4 asst. rubbermaid storage containers for leftovers

Microwave,
Toaster,
Coffee maker
Breadmaker
handblender

Glassware
6 waterglasses
6 coffeecups
4 kiddie cups

2 dishcloths
2 dish towels

All mismatched and extra items went to DH's bachelor friends or goodwill

Pantry: do a monthly pantry challenge-use up everything. Go through on the same date each month and check expiry dates. Rotate old stock to the front each time you shop so you don't have those cans/jars/boxes always left over. If you don't bake, give away your baking supplies to a neighbor. If you had canned kidney beans and spam, do up a bag for the food bank.

#4 BATHROOM

We have 6 small bathtowels (not bathsheets, those took up too much room in the washer), 3 handtowels, and about 12 facecloths.

That's under the sink, with a 16 pack of toilet paper

In two 10x10" rubbermaid storage totes I put all our toiletries-up on a shelf. Throw out all expired meds, old lotions and 1/4 left bottles of shampoo, and organize everything so that you know what you have.
We weeded out all the bath toys, save for a plastic mug for rinsing and some vintage Fisher Price scuba people.

We threw out the bathmats and matching rugs, toilet seat cover etc. too hard to keep clean.

#5 Cleaning/linen closet.

I have my floor bucket with 2 sponges and a toilet brush in it up high on a shelf. Beside it is vinegar/water for glass, Mr. Clean, and comet, and SHout carpet cleaner.

We have 1 set of sheets for each bed. Plus 2 spare blankets and a throw for the couch. I think I may get another set of sheets just in case. I buy all flat sheets and all queen sized so I don't have to root for which sheets fit which bed.

Also in here is an iron for ironing emergencies (haven't used it in recent memory-no ironing board-I can iron on a towel on the diningroom table)

Camping gear: Our tent, and our backpacks hold the actual 'gear' so they work as storage.

#5 KIDS ROOMS

I weeded out all the clothes that were worn, totally embarassing or too small-those went to goodwill. Then went through again until the kids each had 10 complete outfits for each season (since kids can get messier faster and we travel)


Same with shoes and outerwear. They each have a raincoat, and a winter coat, and 2 prs. of shoes, one pr. of sandals and one pr. of winter boots left.

Toys that were NEVER played with, too age inappropriate (ie. baby rattles) went, as did the 50 diaper bags I never used, receiving blankets, and big ticket things we didn't use (high chair, bouncy seat, boppy pillow.

Books that were shredded were recycled.

Diapers that no longer fit or worked for us were sold on auction.

#6 MASTER BEDROOM

I kept 5 outfits for me per season and 5 for DH. I kept one 'good' dress for special occasions/funerals, and I have my birk sandals, jogging shoes, and black chinese flats for dressup. All other shoes/clothes/prom dresses/clothes that don't fit went to goodwill

DH-same-he kept one suit, since he wears casual shirts and jeans to work. He has 2 pair of casual shoes.

I sent all my bras, all but my favorite lingerie, and all my makeup to goodwill. All my hair accessories I gave to my mom or sister, and we kept 2 wooden hairbrushes and 3 combs. ALso to goodwill went the hair dryer, curling iron, hot rollers, 4 purses and 5 wallets I don't use, all the belts I don't wear, all my nightclothes (don't wear any anymore LOL).

We have a cedar chest that I cleaned out and threw out broken or really tacky chistmas decoractions-I kept only the treetop and the actual ball decorations and our stockings-all beads/tinsel went in the trash.
We did keep our high school and Jr. high yearbooks-they are in the chest with the Xmas decorations.

We gave our bedframe to a friend, as well as the nighttables.

Jewellery: All costume jewelry went in a bag for DD's dressup trunk. Anything good but broken was fixed if I loved it and if I didn't love it I donated it to my goldsmith for $$ off my bill :)

Movies and DVDs we gave away, keeping 2 kids ones and 4 family ones.

#7 OFFICE/STUDIO

Everything ends up here :rolleyes:

I went through all bills and papers and condensed needed items -paid bills, taxes, warrantees, recepits, etc. into a very small accordian folder.

DH went through and sold most of the computer games he was done with and got $40 from a reseller shop. We also went through his computer parts and condensed it down to a shoebox. A computer refurbisher bought the big box of goods we gave him for $330.

I used up all my art supplies and sent my sewing machine to the scrap metal dealer for $30. It would have cost more to repair than to purchase new and was a huge source of frustration. I used up my fabric stash handsewing dolls and clothes for the kids.

That's about 21 boxes and a lot of big furniture gone. What am I forgetting? :)

You may have other resources besides goodwill for your items-we didn't as we moved from a small town in a small province. You may also think "that's not simplifying" but for us it was-your list of what you keep and what you purge might be vastly different. We do keep a few extras in towels and bedding only because we have compnay that comes to stay every few months and since the kids are a little young yet you never know who is going to hide a spoon or pee on a towel :)

We did keep enough to be comfortable but materially that isn't much. After moving here with only a TV and a rocking chair to furnish our living room with we did buy a futon which doubles as a bed for company and we added some floor pillows and baskets for extra seating and storage.

Our bed is on the floor because we like it low and we have a lot of space to move around in.

When we moved here, all our goods fit into a quarter of a big moving truck.

All of it now fits comfortably in our new 500 sq. ft apartment but I still go through every other week and gather enough for another bag and take it to the salvation army here. Just to keep us on our toes.

Anyone who is cleaning out items etc...I just wanted to add...We have a wild animal rescue in our area who LOVES to recieve your old towels, wash cloths, sheets etc. They are also always looking for old play pens to keep the baby birds in (orphaned ducklings etc). So if you have a wild life rescue in your area, you might want to call and see if you have anything they need :D I have also been told it is tax deductible, but we don't itemize.

We also simplified in other areas of our lives too-one bank account, one credit card (low interest w/ $20 yr fee, only for emergencies).

I think that's a start for today-if you see something missing from my list or wonder how we do without something or other-ask!

I already had a PM about mixers-LOL your PM box is full ;) I beat everything with a whisk. Takes longer but is great exercise. I use my hands for big jobs and spoons too. I bake a lot of bread and DH sometimes makes wedding cakes as a side hobby for friends, and we haven't needed a mixer yet~

I wanted to ask where in Canada you live? I'm in Nova Scotia (Yarmouth, actually). Now that I'm a SAHM again, I gotta go through our stuff again. I'm so tired of this mess and clutter, although I dont' think he would agree to going THAT simple, loL!!! Where we live, we're not planning on staying forever and there is some stuff I simply refuse to move again. Our Salvation Army has gotten many bagfuls from us.

Carla V.

WOW. That is inspiring...and I thought I did good in simplifyig when I threw away and gave away a bunch of stff when we moved. I am not a pack rat, and I hate clutter...but I know we could do better at simplifying if we tried.

Thank you!! Very inspiring. We need to declutter in some areas, in others we don't have much more than what you kept. I'm terrible with things like office stuff, papers, computer junk, extra bags/purses, blankets, sheets, towels. Have tons of them.

We're ripping up carpeting and re-flooring our entire house so we are also decluttering room by room. I'm in the bedroom now...almost went out and bought a new organizer for the closet because I didn't have enough room for all the extra blankets and sheets...silly me...there is plenty of room, I just need to weed out some!

I am so glad you shared this. We are planning a move and to build our own home in 3-5 years and I want to declutter and stay that way till then. We have gone from a full house of stuff to a VW Bus plus one teeny storage unit and it was really life-changing. Now we are back to a house full of stuff! Ack!

I am so envious! Dh and i are so opposite! He is a BIG time Pack Rat! I am always getting rid of anything I don't feel nessesary! Unfortunatley I have to keep most things since he would freak if I got rid of them!What made the whole thing the worst was when he was a garbage man in a really nice area for several years! people threw away loads of usable nice things instead of donating them,so he felt he had to bring practically everything home!LOL! I always want to go through them with him,but he won't get rid of anything,he always thinks he may need something someday down the road!

That was totally inspiring.

We're moving from SK to BC in 3 months!! (eeek!) From a spacious house with an attic full of junk to an apartment, or maybe a townhouse.

We ~have~ to get rid of a lot of stuff.

I have art supplies that i've been lugging back and forth across the country for the last decade. I am in awe of you, that you were able to use up all of your art supplies!!

Color me inspired! (((((

Both of us are pack rats, so it would take a lot for us to do this. But I think we would love it in the end. We both hold onto things for so many reasons. All the books, the boxes of papers (organized, but still...boxes of them), the stacks of photographs, and oh--can't forget the faaaabric!

This is something for me to think about though. We would definitely be happier with less. Thanks so much for taking all that time and energy to post about it. I think you've given lots of people (including me) food for thought.

Tara

but good for you!

I come from simple people who always used what they had and didn't get extras.

We use our good dishes and tableware (always run short when we have company since we only have sets of 8) for all meals each day.

Right now, I am taking some stuff like old pots/linens from my home to my folks' cabin since the ones there are getting too worn for use. The cabin is furnished in stuff from the mid 1970's and the funny thing is.....the cabin kitchen actually looks a bit like a display at IKEA (turquoise kitchen sink, orange cabinets, brown frig with flower power stickers on it!) They waited long enough and its coming back in style!

Living simply helps to really focus on what you do have and you enjoy it more.

awesome erin :)

this is exactly what i am doing now... need to work on my -i have 1,000 t-shirts- dh though. lol!

just finished the kids' rooms & it feels grrreeeat!

thanks for more inspiration!~

I cut and paste each room into my online journal for later reference.
VERY inspiring!

IMPOSSIBLE to do all of those things with my family!! LOL!

We live in ahome with one actual closet, and it is full.
Dh says he is not a packrat but I beg to differ.

We have no linen closet or broom/coat closet, so some stuff is just shoved into corners and stuff, liek the vacuum, broom, mop, etc.

I have been purging my baby clothes though. One small pile for keepsake, one large pile for handmedowns or donate.
Infant carseat is going to a friend in a month or so.
Unfoirtunately, we have no place to store double jogging stoller other than livingroom.
If it is stored anywhere else, it will have to be broken down, and it is not easy to do that!
So it is a big item that I plan on using until both the kids are teetering on 50lbs each...lol, the max for each seat.

I tend to be at a loss about little things that have much sentimental value to me, like old letters, pictures, cermic stuff my sister made me, things I think my kids would love when they get older, like all my old, and now collectible stuffed animals.......

I had this romantic idea when my first dd was born that I would just save all of my old toys for her and just ask relatives that insisted on gift giving to buy her books and clothes....
ROFLMAO

Xmas is such a huge mess of new crap in our house.
And my older kids remind the toddler of stuff if I get rid of it, which makes me SO MAD!

So, ok, enough venting, I am goign to apply your system to as much of the house as I can.
THANK YOU!!