Do you ever feel like you arent' getting anywhere?

[Tiam]

I've been making a supreme effort this season to declutter. Got rid of so many things at my yard sale and then just giving it away. Did a dump run. Cleaned rooms, closets, sheds, driveways. But then I rearranged my room that hasn't been rearranged for 10 years and .....created more stuff to get rid of. Got rid of trinkets, baubles, books and clothes. NOT going to the junk store or yard sales or sales or dollar stores!
The problem here is being able to get rid of the stuff. I can't fit it all in my can so I have to store the bags. I don't have a truck so I can't fit it into a truck and take it to the dump. There are no "Big trash days" around here. It's trash, not treasure so here I am, frustrated, because now I've got more stuff to get rid of and it's hard to actually get rid of. It's downright discouraging I tell you! This is really a vent, because I don't really have a solution to getting rid of the generated stuff other than to spend money.

[Tussiemussies]

Maybe you can put out 2 of the bags at a time with your garbage. The garbage men here usually will take it. Since you don't know anyone with a truck, how about someone with a hatchback and making multiple trips -- that could even work in the back seat of a car?

[SteveinMN]

I don't really have a solution to getting rid of the generated stuff other than to spend money.
Any way you could find someone with a van or pickup truck who might be interested in bartering something with you -- homegrown vegetables, some casserole meals, sewing/knitting, scrapbooking, whatever?

[Gardenarian]

Is there a thrift store near you? I go by one on my way to work and about twice a month I stop by and make a donation.
Could you put it on the curb with a big FREE sign? It's amazing what people will take when it's free.

I should know!
:|(

[ToomuchStuff]

Freecycle, CL (both for giving stuff away and looking to hire a junk hauler), a dumpster, calling your local trash service about an extra large pickup, etc.

[gimmethesimplelife]

Is there a thrift store near you? I go by one on my way to work and about twice a month I stop by and make a donation.
Could you put it on the curb with a big FREE sign? It's amazing what people will take when it's free.

I should know!
:|(This is the truth and then some!!! This is how I have gotten rid of some very bulky stuff and felt good about it more than likely getting recycled instead of ending up in the landfill. Rob

[Dhiana]

Are you in an area where you can rent a Uhaul/Budget vehicle for their $19.99/day deal?

I don't always think about things like this because it means an automatic outlay of money
but how much would you spend on beer & pizza for a friend with a truck.
How much would it really cost to find someone on craigslist to haul it away? $50/per haul?
In the end $20 isn't a bad deal. Especially when you can make multiple trips for that price!

[frugalone]

I do feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I threw out a lot of stuff in May and June (I think) but then kinda fell off the wagon when I started working a part time job.
I threw out a lot of little things (like pill bottles, pieces of paper) so the Big Picture doesn't look much different. It's discouraging.

I also have two bags of stuff to go to the Salvation Army but haven't gotten there yet.

I think part of the problem is the clutter is bordering on out of control.

Anyone else feel this way?

[happystuff]

Intellectually, I *KNOW* that I have made a dent in decluttering around here. However... I feel the same way! When I actually look around and see all that is left to deal with... it doesn't seem like I've done much at all. But... I'm determined! I just remind myself that it took me YEARS to get to this point, it's allowed to take a couple months (hopefully!) to really start seeing some result!

Hang in there!!!

[cjones]

Frugalone, Sounds like you have worked hard at this, kudos to you. If you feel in spite of all this work that things are bordering on out of control I earnestly suggest you abandon all attempts at freecycling, ebaying, garage-selling, donating, and just dump it as quickly as you can even if you have to hire some haulers. There is someone in your area who will have a truck and some muscle to rent to you, I promise.

I think a lot of us are held back by this impulse to donate unwanted items---many of these donations only end up in a dump sooner rather than later or contribute to someone else's soul crushing clutter. It is so easy to get discouraged and quit de-cluttering just because of the difficulty of donating.

Take back your home and your life. Get that stuff out of there and start fresh.

[Aqua Blue]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I donated a couple of car loads of stuff to a church garage sale recently which was good. But I realize that I declutter the top, easy to decide layer and then slowly accumulate back up to that level, but I have a hard time getting below and staying below a certain level. That would be ok if I was ok with it, I guess, but I am not sure I am ok with it. There are clothes I NEVER wear in the drawers, theer are pictures on my walls that I don't even like, kitchen utensils I haven't usedin the 7 years I have lived here etc.

It's not like I am a hoarder or anything. I do think that a lot of stuff I own doesn't mean that much to me, but I have trouble making that step to live differently. Sorry for the rambling, I am sorta thinking "out loud",

[ToomuchStuff]

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. I donated a couple of car loads of stuff to a church garage sale recently which was good. But I realize that I declutter the top, easy to decide layer and then slowly accumulate back up to that level, but I have a hard time getting below and staying below a certain level. That would be ok if I was ok with it, I guess, but I am not sure I am ok with it. There are clothes I NEVER wear in the drawers, theer are pictures on my walls that I don't even like, kitchen utensils I haven't usedin the 7 years I have lived here etc.

It's not like I am a hoarder or anything. I do think that a lot of stuff I own doesn't mean that much to me, but I have trouble making that step to live differently. Sorry for the rambling, I am sorta thinking "out loud",


Put a drawer on top, of some other drawer and it becomes the new top layer that you see all the time.

This is kind of the reason I think we seek out sites such as this one; for motivation and support. I feel like I am drowning in stuff, and have a lot of little projects started. Have a day off of work tomorrow and feeling motivated to start in one room and go until I am done or the day is done. Just have to look at things a little differently, but we all have a spot/peak we seem to have a problem with. You know what yours is, now figure out WHY and then how to attack it.:treadmill:

[cjones]

Aqua, I think part of why this is so hard for people is that our entire culture is against it. That makes it esp. challenging for people who are cognitively not pre-disposed (as it were) to keep rather than to dispose of things that are no longer useful or pleasing.

What Toomuchstuff said about the support on this site. I'm wishing you both good luck in these projects.

[frugalone]

I can't hire any haulers, unfortunately. A lot of the stuff belongs to my partner. It's odd, but I can throw the stuff out and he'll perhaps not notice it is gone. But if I ask, are you gonna use this? It's like he has a reason to hold onto every single thing. There have been too many arguments over the past years for me to even involve him with decluttering anymore. I have to do it on the sly. (rolls eyes).

[Square Peg]

I spent a good chunk of the summer MASSIVELY decluttering, now I am getting ready to start school back up and the house is a mess. This makes me very sad

[Tiam]

I do feel like I'm not getting anywhere. I threw out a lot of stuff in May and June (I think) but then kinda fell off the wagon when I started working a part time job.
I threw out a lot of little things (like pill bottles, pieces of paper) so the Big Picture doesn't look much different. It's discouraging.

I also have two bags of stuff to go to the Salvation Army but haven't gotten there yet.

I think part of the problem is the clutter is bordering on out of control.

Anyone else feel this way?


Yes. But if you can do it, it feels very good when you get rid of a big chunk. I think it was hard for me to get rid of so much of my stuff. I had lots of things. Ultimately what didnt' sell at the yard sale I gave away, with only minor regrets. But still far to go.