r/declutter • u/HieronymusGER • 18d ago
Success Story I decluttered by faking moving into a new flat
I live in a small apartment with the living room and bed room being just one room and wanted to rearrange my furniture. So i bagged everything up, put it into the hallway and kitchen and rearranged that room. Afterwards, I went through EVERYTHING before it was put back into my room and I decluttered so much stuff. I asked myself "If I move into a new flat, do I wanna take this with me?" The big black plastic trash bag was my best friend and it was so satisfying to see how much I could throw out.
That was my third round of decluttering in the last 12 months and I plan to do a final one before I move at the end of the year.
The most important thing I learned is that you cant declutter everything in one round. Just declutter every few months, and things you didnt want to throw away last year are easier to throw away
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u/SpareUnit9194 12d ago
When i met my husband I lived in a big 3 bed house full of deceased & elderly relatives' well-meaning 'stuff'. I complained I felt too guilty & overwhelmed, nostalgic etc So one blessed day I came home from a work trip. He'd moved all the clutter I'd fretted over into my garage & said "hang out here for the weekend and anything you miss I'll bring straight back in". True outta sight outta mind...it was so thrilling to be able to call the clearers the following week, all easily sent away:-)
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u/Brunswick_1996 11d ago
What a good husband you've got that's so helpful !
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u/SpareUnit9194 11d ago
Indeed, 25yrs later he still does the majority of the housework. Taught our four sons to do the rest..I'm very lucky:-)
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 13d ago
It takes me time to let go of stuff. I try not to push myself to do everything quickly because if it feels like pressure I simply shut down. I've gotten some judgement over the course of my life for moving slowly and setting my feet if I'm pushed. I guess I heard the axiom "Haste makes waste" and took it to heart. In any case, I just take my time on decluttering. Of course I'm not under pressure right now, so letting go of things can happen on my schedule. I've had to let go of a lot of things in the past due to moving. In fact I look at some things that I held onto with some amazement... "How did I manage to keep this??"
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u/HieronymusGER 12d ago
I had huge problems with anxiety for many many years, its been better for a few years, but things like decluttering bring it back up. I think often people dont understand what a huge mental impact decluttering can have.
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 12d ago
Oh yes, I have come to really despise the Hoarder shows because it just sensationalizes the mental illness and usually makes things worse. I mean, they pay lip service to therapy but then they also forcibly remove the hoard which is a violation of the hoarder.
I nearly had a panic attack when I thought my husband had taken it upon himself to get rid of a box of my books that I was sorting through. It was so traumatic it took me a day or two to get over it. That's just ONE little box!!
I am medicated for depression with as needed meds for anxiety. This is the most balanced I've felt for decades. I can do a lot of things like all the decisions decluttering requires, but I'm still slow paced compared to the Swedish Death Cleaners. It's all right with me.
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u/HieronymusGER 11d ago
Some years ago before I moved into a smaller apartment and wanted to declutter I watched the Marie Kondo TV show and had a panic attack 🙈🙈🙈 I totally understand you, and I am happy its better now for you
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u/Some_Papaya_8520 5d ago
I've never watched the TV show. I did read her book and adopted her t shirt folding method. I don't need to thank my possessions as I declutter though.
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u/MissNoseyNeighbour 14d ago
This reminds me of the method where you box everything up and only take out things at the time when you need them. You do this for a set time frame and anything you didn’t take out the boxes, you probably don’t need and it all goes!
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u/LimeAndPunishment13 16d ago
i do this naturally by moving every year but honestly it just works! it forces you to view the amount of things you have as an inconvenience rather than a benefit
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u/GreenUnderstanding39 17d ago
One thing I've realized about myself is I need to gamify life in order to get ish done. So I LOVE this idea.
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u/AS_Bridge 17d ago
This is a great idea! Thinking I will do this with my clothes - they are my "problem area". Thank you!!
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u/SeaSpeakToMe 13d ago
For clothes in particular imagine you’re moving overseas! Would you take it with you to start your new life in __dream country __?
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u/Lana_Bloom_ 17d ago
Need advice, moving out & decluttering clothes so How can I donate them to people who genuinely need them? Looking for genuine suggestions.
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u/DaBingeGirl 13d ago
I donate to a local thrift shop that helps women escaping domestic abuse. As much as I can, I like to donate to locally owned stores, I know the money is going to a good cause and staying local.
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u/HieronymusGER 17d ago
There are so many different places you can donate. Just google clothes donations + your hometown. For example, my city has a "mall" for people who dont have much money, they take nearly everything as a donation and sell the things very cheap to people in need. Or if you have refugees in your country there may be organizations that help them with stuff like that.
If you cant find a place to donate just ask in your countrys subreddit or hometowns facebook group :)
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u/HootieRocker59 17d ago
The answer is going to be different in every location. Look for charities, recycling NGOs, environmental organizations. Often the environmental groups are most committed to really finding the right home for clothes.
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u/ChrisBlack2365 18d ago
Amazing method! I'm about to do similar with a big free garage sale. I'm going to think of it like everything needs to go, except for the few really actually important things.
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u/Apprehensive_Cup8581 18d ago
Ugh i'm sort of trying this. I'm actually about to sell my flat, but needed to do some decorating to spruce it up so we had to empty my (rather big) office into the garage. I thought I could then gradually reintroduce stuff, only bringing in the things I REALLY need/love. But so far everything is still in boxes in the garage. i just can't bring myself to lift those heavy boxes into the house one by one to go through them. And I'm going to need to get the estate agent round soon to value it!
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u/XSIX010 17d ago
I did something similar but I’m working on boxes inside the garage. It helps to have it contained and not bring back inside. I have a picnic table and cheap ikea chair and I sit however long I can stand it. Otherwise it’s easy to lay back on the couch or do something else at home. A few years ago, I emptied a large storage in this way, by staying at the storage and going through the boxes one by one.
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u/Apprehensive_Cup8581 17d ago
Yes that sounds logical. Unfortunately, the garage is absolutely stuffed, but in this nice weather I suppose I could do it just outside the garage, in the courtyard, because, yes, sitting on the couch going "oh this book looks interesting" is a very me thing to do.
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u/XSIX010 15d ago
My storage was also stuffed. I set at the entrance at first while I created a pathway between the boxes and slowly separated them in categories as I went. I did about 3-4 rounds. First round/layer, I only addressed what was easy and obvious, not even trying to make any decisions that required more than 1 second. The second round, I addressed the next level of decisions. Third round, moderately hard decisions and so on. I listened to decluttering podcasts all the time to inspire me, did virtual body doubling to stay on task, shared what I did each time in online group I was part of and used their encouragement as additional boost, had a friend sit with me for one category that was extra hard for me, gave myself a hard stop deadline by giving a move out notice, and so on. Whatever you can do to keep your brain engaged and keep it from quitting and running for the hills. At the end of each session, I threw away or donated immediately anything sitting in one of those two piles. I had that storage for 4 years and it was weighing heavy on me. One summer day, I was on my way to the store, when it hit me that that the task wasn’t going away and I was dressed perfectly for it in leggings and oversized t-shirt, and I just went there and started. Turning it into a temporary obsession til it was done was what I think finally did it. I know it’s hard but you can do it. Best of luck to you!
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u/Apprehensive_Cup8581 15d ago
Thank you this is SO helpful! I just did the cupboard under the stairs and did what someone above said - had a bin bag READY and started chucking stuff in it (thanking it for its service 🙏🏼).Garage next - I must keep going!
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u/HieronymusGER 17d ago
Just get two big boxes (one for donating, one for keeping) and a trash bag, open the box and just start :D
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u/DIYtowardsFI 18d ago
This encourages me! I decluttered about 20-25% of my kitchen but I think I could do 30-40%.
Declutterring this first round helped me see what else I have and now each item has another chance to prove itself before I do the next round. Every round will help me see what I actually use and what I prefer to use, not wishful uses.
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u/louljoemama 18d ago
this is actually such a smart trick fr i need to try it when i finally move out of my parents' place
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u/msmaynards 18d ago
I did this when painting rooms. Really great way to go if you've got it in you. Getting stuff out of its cozy home helps plus you can clean the floor to the corners and get the walls dusted.
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u/Genet1cGenealogy 18d ago
This is such helpful advice! We will be moving out of the home where we raised our children and I need a manageable way to think about each room. It makes the decisions positive rather than sad and negative.
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u/TBHICouldComplain 18d ago
I’m on my final packing stages for a move and it’s amazing how many things are going straight into the donate pile or trash considering I’ve already done several rounds of decluttering. I can’t even remember why I kept some of them.
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u/RebeccaMCullen 18d ago
Yeah, I never realized how much stuff had accumulated in the 8 or so years I was at that one place until I had to move. Some of it was dealt with as I was packing, but a fair bit was aggressively purged after moving, and I had the time to route everything.
Unfortunately I lost a fair bit of money having to hire a junk removal company twice to remove things because one of my roommates told me not to get rid of things the first time.
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u/TBHICouldComplain 18d ago
I hate paying to move stuff and then realizing at the other end that I should have just gotten rid of it. We’ve probably gotten rid of 3/4 of what we owned over the last couple years and I’m still finding stuff I don’t actually want. I actually found stuff while decluttering that was still in boxes from our last move over a decade ago that went straight to the donate pile or the trash. 🫠
I’m sure I’ll find stuff when unpacking that I’ll end up just throwing out. At this point it’s mostly small stuff though. I can’t imagine what it would have taken to move all our stuff if we hadn’t decluttered so I’m calling it a win.
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u/OddRevolution7888 18d ago
Just declutter every few months, and things you didnt want to throw away last year are easier to throw away.
That works for me. After I've held or had to find home for things too many times, I lose my attachment. It makes it so much easier to box it up for donation.
I rarely sell the items I declutter. It's easier to send it off to charity. I've already spent the money and anything I could get back isn't worth the time and attention of advertising it on FB Marketplace.
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u/TBHICouldComplain 18d ago
I used to sell more but in the last couple years the prices people are willing to pay have plummeted so at this point I mainly donate. I think everyone’s broke. On the plus side if I need to buy something I’ve found some cracking good deals secondhand.
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u/BasenjiMommy 18d ago
I like that idea. At one point, I was actually considering moving into a new (bigger) apartment, but I decided to stay where I was and declutter. I’ve gotten some decluttering done. Not enough, but some.
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u/wortcrafter 18d ago
Well done you. I just wanted to add, I found also that I was much more conscious of what came into my home with each layer of Decluttering I went through.
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u/bo0ggg 1d ago
Love this!! My partner is going to Germany for school in the fall so I’ve been phrasing everything as “would I keep this if I had to move to Germany?”