The Clutter Fairy provides educational videos about organizing your home, work, and life. Gayle Goddard, the owner of The Clutter Fairy, LLC, is a certified professional organizer (CPO®) who provides organizing services for residential and commercial clients in the Houston, Texas, area and offers advice and encouragement to people struggling with clutter around the world. Gayle is a dynamic public speaker and currently serving on the Board of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals.
Yes, that was the other thing, for years, I kept all magazine pull outs in a decorated craft box ....looks pretty on the shelf....handy, for my new ideas to pull from.
Gayle, your "moving" (a pun) story, is so helpful this time of the year, as the holidays are approaching. After hearing your story, I am decluttering my holiday decor even more now.... and I am going to keep only holiday decor that can be used up, so I never have to pay to move them!!!! some holiday decor , I can enjoy this year, but will NEVER have to move are....... real white, red, or green pillar candles I can burn all winter. small votive candles floating in water with fresh pines .a real pine wreath for front door , real pines, pinecones and real red holly branches (I can toss in the mulch later on) real white birch logs for decor...that I can burn later on. oranges studded with cloves , (we can eat up) and we can even EAT up a real gingerbread house
Flying out next weekend = going w/no check-in luggage = nothing like a trip to take the scales off your eyes in your closet = donation, donation, donation = I just go buy what I want if not seeing it in my closet = so why hang on to the other stuff.😊 Becoming ruthless once again. 😁
Any more of my move stories? I'm still living them, as I'm now in the unpack stage. So more stories to come. I've got many client moving stories, already covered in other videos. Head to the YT channel video list and you can find a lot of videos about various aspects of moving. Most predate the YT podcast, so they are videos instead of audio only files.
I count myself very lucky! My friends really helped me out and I would have been hard pressed to make it happen without them. It surely would have been more painful!!
They're just special like that! This is all about my move, but there are many more videos about packing and moving on our YT channels if you need more help, please check it out! chou.com/RU-vid goes straight to our channel. Thanks for listening!
That's how they get you - storage always seems a good idea until you realize how much you spend saving everything just in case. You could re-buy all those contents many times over for the money spent in storage fees. Letting that stuff go now, knowing you can buy something if you need it later is a better way to spend your money longterm. It'll be more cost effective in the end than continuous rent-level monthly fees. Keep plugging away on emptying those units! It'll save you a lot of money! Good luck
about the extra large tv entertainment center Gayle had to give up...... a charming new use for it. some new mothers turn old tv centers into a baby clothing/toy/diaper center. They hang a simple closet rod , where the tv used to be, to hang up baby clothes All those drawers and shelves that are part of these units, are perfect for organizing baby supplies like diapers, , toys, stuffed animals etc. . And these "baby centers "can be easily painted a pretty color that matches the nursery. Years later, this same tv unit can still be used in a child's room to organize their toys, books, art supplies. These taller units can be molly bolted to a wall stud, so they do not fall over, in a child's bedroom.
Congratulations on surviving the move, Gayle! I'm glad to hear that your friends stepped up to help you. Looking forward to hearing what's in the unlabeled boxes, and the "Forgot In Closet" box. Also as a former cat Mom, I wondered how you managed to do all that sorting, tossing, donating, packing, and generally dismantling their familiar surroundings, with 2 cats freaking out in the middle of it all.
Plan ahead for meals out. You will do it. You will need it. Plan an "open first" box that has soap, toilet paper, paper towels, bowl, plate, cup, spoon, fork, (paring) knife, [coffee, coffee maker], bedding, towel, and pack a weekend suitcase. Plan to making a shopping trip to get cleaning items with a list.
Purging - That is the thing that I think confuses people when they hear "you should start prepping for a move one, or even two, years in advance" because people don't know what a huge mental and emotional project it is to make keep/toss decisions about everything they own. And doing it over many months just means one makes that much better choices.
Glad you survived Gayle. I have been going through my stuff as if I was moving and releasing so much stuff. Took off what I had decluttered months ago that I was trying to decide whether to consign or donate. I had consigned stuff previously and made very little. Finally took stuff to donate. Had a few things that I was going to take to pawn shop but asked the guy if they would take it. I was happy when he said yes. After all the time stressing bout what to do with all that stuff, I have to think really hard to remember what it was. I am going through every drawer and cabinet. Got rid of some decor stuff that I bought and never used. Will do another round on that because I have already decided more can go. Thanks are owed to Gayle and Ed for these videos posted on RU-vid, and the Clutter Fairy community. Anytime I am stressed about something I put one on and listen to it as I try to get something done.
Everyone in the Clutter Fairy community is waving pompoms for you (and all of us). I too have "declutter amnesia" - not only don't I regret getting rid of stuff, I can't even remember what it was.
Best of luck in your new home Gayle. I hope you will have many happy days there with friends and family . A quick question regarding your move, was there anything you decluttered that you were surprised that you had hanging around your house and do you you do regular decluttering sessions usually yourself at home ? 😘
@@micheleosullivan2214 I do go through things infrequently to let things go, although I clearly needed to have done it more often after all the stuff that went out this time!
I really appreciate this podcast I have a lot of these type of things that I can use it gave me very good ideas I hope I use them quickly and get some more work done in my house I'm so tired of the way it is very frustrating
If you've never given away aspirational clutter, or supplies and tools for an activity that isn't "you" any more, I can assure you that it's a GREAT feeling to know that someone else is going to use them. Especially if that person might not have been able to afford to buy them. When I left my apartment upon retiring, to move across country and buy a small RV to travel in, I got rid of pretty much every thing I owned. Among the stockpiles were tons of art supplies I had bought but never used, because I have tremors in my hands, which gradually got worse and made it impossible for me to paint or draw. My apartment building was near several colleges, including an art school, many of whose students were my neighbors. I put out all those art supplies on the furniture in the lobby, with "free" signs. Everything disappeared. I felt great, knowing it would all be used.
I don't mind helping different ones w/ clean-up,, but if situations are continuously the same, then I feel I need to just move to a different area 'so that' the person can hopefully address situation = too much stuff to keep tidy. = Especially if kids (or spouse) is involved. 😮
The '1 in 1 out' & the 'I haven't used in this amt of time' are 2 phrases that do Not really work for me. = Either I want it or I don't--> but asking myself 'Is this relevant' does indeed Connect w/me! .. And putting like items together & choosing my Favorite = also works quite well! 😁
Wow! That was a good one! So much to relate to and so much to incorporate into my life. Thank you! Your own moving struggles are so down to earth, love hearing them. Please tell us more!
SUCH GOOD ADVICE on SO MANY LEVELS! SO MUCH SO....That I'm listening to this podcast, again. I LOVE MY PAPER CRAFTING HOBBY....I LOVE my family....and, sometimes, trying to get that balance right of time between the hobby and the family(I'm a grandmother)....is hard to figure. But, the reason I'm leaving a comment is to ENCOURAGE that listener.....use your product ....you BOUGHT IT ... IT'S YOURS....ENJOY IT! Here's a case in point. I LOVE GELATOS.....THEY Are AN AMAZING TYPE of media. Now, I trace well....that gives you my WHOLE drawing ability in a nutshell. I color a little bit better....I've learned some things. A few months ago, I purchased a top of the line BIG SET of gelato type media.....they were WELL over a $100. Now, to some.... that's no big deal .....but, to me, a color in the lines type of person....that IS a big deal. Having set a daily goal of decluttering for 5 minutes M-F....I came across a stack of paper that I had embossed....ECT.... & got the BRIGHT IDEA ....I' m getting out my Caren Dauche set of Neocolor II. I had the best time coloring experiments on that paper.....did I keep them? NOPE, WITH GREAT DELIGHT....I THREW MOST OF THEM AWAY!! IT WAS SUCH A FREEING ADVENTURE!! I CAN'T DESCRIBE IT!! I LOVE IT!! I WILL DO IT, AGAIN....AND😅 PROBABLY THROW MOST OF IT AWAY! 😅 What a gift you have given yourself ....get those things out that make you happy...and, GO AT IT! AND, when you're done....if it's not something you want to keep....LET IT GO!! ....AND, THEN CREATE AGAIN....AND, LET IT GO! AGAIN.....AMAZING CONTENT!! Thank you.❤
Great episode...thank you....getting rid of my books on clay beads and how to make them...giving them to a clay artist in my area...only took 1 class on making clay beads...gave my sister the toaster oven that I bought to bake clay beads which I never used to bake a bead...still looking for all the clay to give to the local clay artist...also cleaned out my sock drawer...lol😊❤
My advice for someone with materials they are afraid to use--- make it your challenge to use them up on a grand scale, you'll never know what you could have done if you don't do anything.
