Do you have any tips to help me re-organize, declutter, downsize my house (empty nest)?
Read the rest of this entry »
My Boomer Tips
I need to streamline my house a bit. It's amazing how much stuff a family can accumulate, we've lived here since 1981, and have recently become 'empty-nesters'. I'd love to learn about how other people have 'decluttered'.
I just did an empty nest home makeover. I lived here long enough that I wanted my home to feel like I just moved in. So one room at a time, I completely moved everything out of the room, including furniture. I painted and cleaned the room and steamed the carpet. I only put back into the room what I wanted in there. The rest either found a place somewhere else in the house or in a yard sale. I did this one room at time and was relentless. I did it with a passion I would have if I were moving into a new home. My home now is more pleasurable and clean. I used the yard sale money for a few new things to make my home feel different.
start with clothes, haven’t worn it in 2 years? get rid of it.
kitchen next, get rid of all pans and crockery etc that you are not actually using now.
lounge, i bet you have things you’ve kept for years, a lot of them you can do without, you could give special things to family members as mementos,
ergo= declutter without guilt !
go through the whole house that way,have a garage sale, i found once i got the knack of it ,i couldn’t stop!! a lot more went out than i ever would have thought.ít is also cathartic, a cleansing and freshening up of the house. good luck
Do one room at a time. Get three baskets or boxes. One for things to keep,one to give away or yard sale, and one to throw out. Take your time. Don’t try to do to much at once. It can be very over whelming.
First of all, are any of your childrens’ things still at your house? Why? Get rid of them or ship them to them. Second, get rid of any kitchen items, pots and pans, bowls, or cookware that you are not using. Third, go room to room and get rid of anything unnecessary. Keep in mind that a box of books weighs about 75 pounds. Do you want to carry it? Or pay to have it moved? Since movers charge by weight. If you can’t sell the excess stuff, then give it away.
I am constantly decluttering. It’s an ongoing job. Nearly every month I take stuff to the thrift store. My kids moved out years ago and there are just us two now.
What I did was…one room at a time… A good suggestion I got from my daughter was…If you haven’t used it in a year …then get rid of it. I now do this all the time and I find it works for me…my house is much more clutter free.
I found the best way to de-clutter is a Yard sale and things that don’t sale take to a thrift store.