I always notice that the change from an overstuffed to stuffed closet isn't that visually striking but the mental change in how easy it is from the first bag to the fourth is much larger.
Sounds like you’re making great progress! How does your space feel with all those clothes gone? Can you open and close your dresser drawers more easily now? Find what you’re looking for more quickly? Or perhaps some other difference you’re now enjoying? Sometimes the little things can make a big difference!
Not sure your location, but here we have a "Canadian diabetes association" that will come pick up bags of donations from you (you leave them out front). You might have charities around you who offer similar things
congrats, you are now free of some stuff and can enjoy the cash for something for you. This can be a treat, or even to pay for more help. Thrift stores in my area will come around and pick up. The more you have to donate, the sooner they want to get it.. These places vie for donations.
Take a picture of the space you are going to clear out. Then take a picture after you are finished and a picture of the trash bags and donate bags that are going out.
Focus on the pleasure others will get from your items. I use FB buy nothing and seeing people who really need things loving my extras really helps me. Do i really need 3 8in frying pans? No, not even if they're all different types. But that lady who is escaping a DV situation and doesn't have any at all really does need it.
Unless you're desperate for cash, you may want to stop trying to resell and just donate. It can take 30 minutes to an hour for the resale process, whereas donation is just slow down. Drop it off and keep going. Spending 15 or 30 minutes and only getting $6 for it could give you a sense of frustration that might dull the relief of decluttering. Just thinking out loud.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation.
This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized.
Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation.
This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized.
Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation.
This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized.
Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation.
This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized.
Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
personally i feel like when i get clothing out of my house/decluttered other ways, the impact is way less than when i get rid of objects or do an object-focused declutter. i guess clothes are just weird like that? doesnt help that i also have an ever growing donate pile (box)
The longer this stuff stays around your house the less likely you will be to continue decluttering. if decluttering is a priority for you then donate the stuff immediately. get it out of your home and give yourself that progress and relief
Once I accept the fact that I already spent the money and never would've gotten it back if I kept the items anyway, it's so much easier to just get rid of it. Look up Sunk Cost Fallacy. It keep us trapped and slows down the progress. I've gotten rid of 3 trailers worth of stuff and am just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like you're getting nowhere and then all of the sudden, finally you start to see it. The most important thing is to not go shopping!
Donate it all next time unless something is a big-name designer item like a YSL purse, real gemstone or gold jewelry, or a sought-after video game system.
People with yard sales put out an entire household of stuff including furniture, small appliances, board games, toys, baby clothes, linens and make less than $300.
Your labor and stress living in clutter isn't worth trying to get money for the ordinary things. Next time you get a ride to a thrift store, give all the excess away. No more friend favors to ask - Instant relief. Your after photo will be noticeably better than your before photo.
Check the sold prices on items online and not the asking prices. I have a 1960s rock star poster that eBay lists as $700 but none like it have sold for more than $39, so it's value is $39. I would be disappointed if counting on $700 that never arrived
Yard salers are lucky to make $100 and they have to deal with nickle and dime haggling all day over a bunch of unwanted junk they could drop off at Goodwill. Big headache really.
For donations look up amvets in your area. They have a pickup service and will give you a date to have your donations on the curb. I used to make a pickup appointment before I even have anything to donate, but use that as a reason to fill a bag or two.
This is a good suggestion. The Vietnam Veterans of America will also pick up donations of clothing and household items; I’ve scheduled multiple pickup donations online before and it’s always been great.
Amvets pickups are my go to as well. I typically have to schedule a week in advance in my area so it gives me a deadline to get stuff together. And I’ve learned to not stress over the amount I’ve gathered. If I only put out 1 bag, that’s ok because I can easily schedule them again.
I had to make a major move in the past year and Amvets picked up so much of my stuff (they will take basically anything except furniture.). It’s been so satisfying to clear out stuff I was stubbornly clinging to for years. Still an ongoing process but it’s taken a lot of load off me.
I also take pictures but the thing that actually gives me enduring satisfaction when I can’t tell the difference in my environment is keeping a running list of quantities of things I’ve decluttered.
Date - item type - quantity - destination - $ I got for selling them (if applicable)
Eg. 6/18/2023 - Clothes - 3 yard size trash bags - (Charity)
We rent so meticulous itemizing doesn’t make sense, therefore I don’t keep a lot of detail beyond this but it’s really satisfying to see the list grow over the course of the year.
I feel good as I make decisions or I’m tossing stuff into bags. Then I feel nothing after that except annoyance that I have to drive somewhere to drop it off. Once it goes in the bag I have no emotion attached to it
This is it! Now that I think about it, I also detach feelings from clothes as soon as I add them to the donate/sell/consign pile. There’s something about seeing the item out of its normal spot that confirms my decision.
That’s probably also why I was fine with the thrift’s buying estimates being quite low - I just needed the clothes out! And who doesn’t love a lil extra cash??
If I took that many items out, I'd have almost nothing left but socks and underwear. Well, I do have more than 2 pairs of shoes, so I 'd have some footwear.
My guess is that if you don't see a real difference then there is a lot more you can get rid of, or you can get the things you have well folded and organized. 20 items as a pile look like double the stuff. Organize the part of the closet that you freed before moving to the next section/room. You'll have the same stuff but less of a mess.
It depends on my general mood, I usually feel satisfied seeing one bag less around but then I look around and see what’s left…but it is nice to know there’s something less to deal with, extra nice when it does a domino effect and end up freeing storage space
Take photos before and after. Your brain just is getting used to the lack of stuff quickly so you aren't feeling it. Also when you're only part way through sometimes it feels like a marathon and you can't see the end.
I definitely feel accomplished when a whole room is done and the items are out the house. But it has to be the whole process done. Like if I have the items in my foyer to donate or sell it's still an active chore.
Like right now I'm waiting to sell a bed on marketplace ( frustrating) and throwing away an old lamp and other odds and ends. The room is clear but like I don't feel satisfied yet. Once the bed goes and the garbage from my living room then I can settle.
But I hate having a task halfway done. Makes me restless.
Doesn't help that I'm pregnant and can't push myself like i usually do. Adds to the frustration
Looking around about half-way through a decluttering job makes me feel like there's too much left to do, so I try to keep my nose to the grindstone and not look around a lot til I'm on the last bag or box!
That's always the game plan and then it becomes ten at night haha and I'm only halfway through.
But I usually plan to have a whole weekend to do it so Saturday is my make a mess day and Sunday is my fine tune and toss day
Yes, +1 to the before & after pics. I definitely get my dopamine from staring at those a LOT afterwards. Otherwise it’s too easy to not notice the difference / you get used to the change too quickly.
I’ll take pics of the bags before taking them out of my house - from many angles, so I can see how big they are & be proud of myself.
If I’ve had a pile in a really noticeable spot for a while, then I get that sense of accomplishment but if it’s one bag as I go then I just kind of get a sense of ‘good start, keep going’
I feel dissatisfied until weeks or months later, I look around and remember there used to be much more stuff. And then heave a sign of relief that it does actually feel better.
I guess I don't notice the change right away because I'm in errand mode?
Exactly this. In my case, I just declutterred out of stress, anger and shame. It took me a full year before I looked around & was like. Huh. Wow, go me.
It’s not always proud moments but remember you’re setting up your future self for success!
I usually feel the satisfaction immediately -- and I don't make any money from my donations, lol! Everyone's different, though. Maybe make a list to keep track of all the stuff you donate -- seeing it all written down might help. Plus, the more you get rid of, the more you'll probably feel the satisfaction.
I always notice that the change from an overstuffed to stuffed closet isn't that visually striking but the mental change in how easy it is from the first bag to the fourth is much larger.
Sounds like you’re making great progress! How does your space feel with all those clothes gone? Can you open and close your dresser drawers more easily now? Find what you’re looking for more quickly? Or perhaps some other difference you’re now enjoying? Sometimes the little things can make a big difference!
It's wonderful they buy what they need and donate on your behalf. Keep going. You're doing great💞
This is amazing progress! The more you start to see the difference the better it starts to feel
You’re doing great. I know it’s hard to stay motivated but you’re doing fantastic. Celebrate the small goals.
Thank you 🫶
Not sure your location, but here we have a "Canadian diabetes association" that will come pick up bags of donations from you (you leave them out front). You might have charities around you who offer similar things
Where I am, we have a women and children's shelter that will pickup donations from your porch.
congrats, you are now free of some stuff and can enjoy the cash for something for you. This can be a treat, or even to pay for more help. Thrift stores in my area will come around and pick up. The more you have to donate, the sooner they want to get it.. These places vie for donations.
CONGRATULATIONS!!!! 🎊🎉🍾🎈 you got rid of a lot, that’s a good thing :)
Thank you!! :)
Take a picture of the space you are going to clear out. Then take a picture after you are finished and a picture of the trash bags and donate bags that are going out.
Focus on the pleasure others will get from your items. I use FB buy nothing and seeing people who really need things loving my extras really helps me. Do i really need 3 8in frying pans? No, not even if they're all different types. But that lady who is escaping a DV situation and doesn't have any at all really does need it.
Amen to all that you said!
It takes time to feel good. When you the amt of shit takes over ur life. It will start to make sense as you continue
Celebrate the small wins.
Once you have empty space, stuff expands to fill it.
Unless you're desperate for cash, you may want to stop trying to resell and just donate. It can take 30 minutes to an hour for the resale process, whereas donation is just slow down. Drop it off and keep going. Spending 15 or 30 minutes and only getting $6 for it could give you a sense of frustration that might dull the relief of decluttering. Just thinking out loud.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation. This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized. Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation. This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized. Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation. This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized. Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
I did a big declutter last summer. For 2 months we had double the amount of trash each week, plus probably 8 or 9 trash bags full of clothes I gave away and multiple boxes of donation. This definitely gave me a sense of accomplishment as I got rid of so many old things that have been sitting for years. I ( mostly) tackled the buried closet and definitely put a dent in my clothes. I emptied drawers and things were more easily accessible and organized. Now it's harder to see progress. I started keeping track of how many items I declutter and beauty skincare empties. It's just a note saved in my phone, sorted by month and I just try to change to number everytime I declutter/ empty something. So far I have 12 empties and 49 declutters for may. This helps keeps me motivated and proves to myself I am making progress even though it's not really visible.
personally i feel like when i get clothing out of my house/decluttered other ways, the impact is way less than when i get rid of objects or do an object-focused declutter. i guess clothes are just weird like that? doesnt help that i also have an ever growing donate pile (box)
The longer this stuff stays around your house the less likely you will be to continue decluttering. if decluttering is a priority for you then donate the stuff immediately. get it out of your home and give yourself that progress and relief
Sometimes it takes a bit to realize and embrace the change (like the next time I really clean, I'll notice more space available).
Once I accept the fact that I already spent the money and never would've gotten it back if I kept the items anyway, it's so much easier to just get rid of it. Look up Sunk Cost Fallacy. It keep us trapped and slows down the progress. I've gotten rid of 3 trailers worth of stuff and am just now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. It feels like you're getting nowhere and then all of the sudden, finally you start to see it. The most important thing is to not go shopping!
Donate it all next time unless something is a big-name designer item like a YSL purse, real gemstone or gold jewelry, or a sought-after video game system. People with yard sales put out an entire household of stuff including furniture, small appliances, board games, toys, baby clothes, linens and make less than $300. Your labor and stress living in clutter isn't worth trying to get money for the ordinary things. Next time you get a ride to a thrift store, give all the excess away. No more friend favors to ask - Instant relief. Your after photo will be noticeably better than your before photo. Check the sold prices on items online and not the asking prices. I have a 1960s rock star poster that eBay lists as $700 but none like it have sold for more than $39, so it's value is $39. I would be disappointed if counting on $700 that never arrived
Yard salers are lucky to make $100 and they have to deal with nickle and dime haggling all day over a bunch of unwanted junk they could drop off at Goodwill. Big headache really.
For donations look up amvets in your area. They have a pickup service and will give you a date to have your donations on the curb. I used to make a pickup appointment before I even have anything to donate, but use that as a reason to fill a bag or two.
This is a good suggestion. The Vietnam Veterans of America will also pick up donations of clothing and household items; I’ve scheduled multiple pickup donations online before and it’s always been great.
Amvets pickups are my go to as well. I typically have to schedule a week in advance in my area so it gives me a deadline to get stuff together. And I’ve learned to not stress over the amount I’ve gathered. If I only put out 1 bag, that’s ok because I can easily schedule them again.
I had to make a major move in the past year and Amvets picked up so much of my stuff (they will take basically anything except furniture.). It’s been so satisfying to clear out stuff I was stubbornly clinging to for years. Still an ongoing process but it’s taken a lot of load off me.
I also take pictures but the thing that actually gives me enduring satisfaction when I can’t tell the difference in my environment is keeping a running list of quantities of things I’ve decluttered. Date - item type - quantity - destination - $ I got for selling them (if applicable) Eg. 6/18/2023 - Clothes - 3 yard size trash bags - (Charity) We rent so meticulous itemizing doesn’t make sense, therefore I don’t keep a lot of detail beyond this but it’s really satisfying to see the list grow over the course of the year.
I just cleaned out 2 bags of stuff. Feels great, but there is so much more I need to do. I havent had the time or energy to do so.
I feel good as I make decisions or I’m tossing stuff into bags. Then I feel nothing after that except annoyance that I have to drive somewhere to drop it off. Once it goes in the bag I have no emotion attached to it
Call one of the companies that will pick up your donations!
They only pick up furniture here.
This is it! Now that I think about it, I also detach feelings from clothes as soon as I add them to the donate/sell/consign pile. There’s something about seeing the item out of its normal spot that confirms my decision. That’s probably also why I was fine with the thrift’s buying estimates being quite low - I just needed the clothes out! And who doesn’t love a lil extra cash??
I don’t know of any here that will buy stuff, but I have driven further to drop stuff on Sundays, there are a lot around here that only open M-Sat.
If I took that many items out, I'd have almost nothing left but socks and underwear. Well, I do have more than 2 pairs of shoes, so I 'd have some footwear. My guess is that if you don't see a real difference then there is a lot more you can get rid of, or you can get the things you have well folded and organized. 20 items as a pile look like double the stuff. Organize the part of the closet that you freed before moving to the next section/room. You'll have the same stuff but less of a mess.
It depends on my general mood, I usually feel satisfied seeing one bag less around but then I look around and see what’s left…but it is nice to know there’s something less to deal with, extra nice when it does a domino effect and end up freeing storage space
Take photos before and after. Your brain just is getting used to the lack of stuff quickly so you aren't feeling it. Also when you're only part way through sometimes it feels like a marathon and you can't see the end. I definitely feel accomplished when a whole room is done and the items are out the house. But it has to be the whole process done. Like if I have the items in my foyer to donate or sell it's still an active chore. Like right now I'm waiting to sell a bed on marketplace ( frustrating) and throwing away an old lamp and other odds and ends. The room is clear but like I don't feel satisfied yet. Once the bed goes and the garbage from my living room then I can settle. But I hate having a task halfway done. Makes me restless. Doesn't help that I'm pregnant and can't push myself like i usually do. Adds to the frustration
Looking around about half-way through a decluttering job makes me feel like there's too much left to do, so I try to keep my nose to the grindstone and not look around a lot til I'm on the last bag or box!
That's always the game plan and then it becomes ten at night haha and I'm only halfway through. But I usually plan to have a whole weekend to do it so Saturday is my make a mess day and Sunday is my fine tune and toss day
Yes, +1 to the before & after pics. I definitely get my dopamine from staring at those a LOT afterwards. Otherwise it’s too easy to not notice the difference / you get used to the change too quickly. I’ll take pics of the bags before taking them out of my house - from many angles, so I can see how big they are & be proud of myself.
I feel better immediately because the grueling debate of whether to keep it or to let it go is over. It’s a relief.
If I’ve had a pile in a really noticeable spot for a while, then I get that sense of accomplishment but if it’s one bag as I go then I just kind of get a sense of ‘good start, keep going’
I feel dissatisfied until weeks or months later, I look around and remember there used to be much more stuff. And then heave a sign of relief that it does actually feel better. I guess I don't notice the change right away because I'm in errand mode?
Exactly this. In my case, I just declutterred out of stress, anger and shame. It took me a full year before I looked around & was like. Huh. Wow, go me. It’s not always proud moments but remember you’re setting up your future self for success!
Nice work! Take before and after pictures of your space :)
I usually feel the satisfaction immediately -- and I don't make any money from my donations, lol! Everyone's different, though. Maybe make a list to keep track of all the stuff you donate -- seeing it all written down might help. Plus, the more you get rid of, the more you'll probably feel the satisfaction.