I loved this list, Dear. I had to chuckle - I bought a shampoo that smelled great in the store but when I had to walk around with it wafting into my nostrils all day, I changed my mind. Instead of just chucking it into the landfill, I used it to scrub out my toilet. It took a couple or so months but that shampoo got used up and my toilet got cleaned. Hey, soap is soap, and shampoo will clean a toilet just as another soap will. Thanks for the video - as usual, you've inspired me to declutter more today.
Yes ladies get rid of the underwear with holes and stretched out elastic! It took me years to do this. I thought I’ll save them for that time of month and when I run out of clean nicer ones. Last year I got rid of all my old undies and bought 20 pairs of new ones and as soon as they look bad I toss them. I deserve nice undies even if I’m the only one who sees them 😊 Thanks! Great video!
I finally bought new underwear, a different style and material. Put them on and immediately felt like a whole new person. I told my son later getting new underwear is almost as good as chocolate. He was not impressed.
I decluttered my kitchen clothes and decor and put it all in my porch and then put it in my driveway on tables and announced it on Facebook community page and left bags outside. Put a time for pick up and in a few hours it was all gone, problem solved and blessed others! Oh the hubby and sons were given a time to have all their stuff ready, so that was wonderful
I remember when we had jeans that had steel Zippers. I remember when there was no plastic zippers. I remember When things never really broke quickly. I remember when things lasted for years. I remember when I was younger we hardly made a lot of purchases.
By the time I was born "planned obsolesce" was already becoming a thing in manufacturing. It wasn't, however, as bad as it is now. One of the main differences now is that poor quality things can actually LOOK really good. It seemed like when I was a kid, poor quality still looked like poor quality. Does that make sense?
I have kept the single socks for the dirty house work where I would use a disposable towel, such as the bathroom, the oven and stovetop. Doorsills and windowsills. Patio furniture, etc. If I'm going to toss them anyway they can get one more use first.
I don't ship anything 😂 but I still collect my packing supplies and give them to the shipping center around the corner. They are happy to get free packing supplies and I'm happy it gets reused.
I love how you took your time explaining each one. These lists when rattled off are so easy to forget but it was relaxing to listen to you. Thank you :)
Love this video! Excellent advice! I forgot one more thing that I keep ( in my post in the group) I have 1 box. It’s small and it starts by the slider doors in my learning area. We call it, “The Bird Box”. We use to save birds that hit our windows. They go into the box, it has a soft cloth in there) they stay in there for about 15 minutes, not disturbing the bird. When we hear the bird flutter, we take the box outside, open the top and let the bird fly away on it’s own time. Once we wait for 30 minutes, for a bird to fly off. It’s a wonderful way to revive birds that hit the window. We’ve only had 2 birds that didn’t make it. The got a proper barial. 💜🌻🙃💜🌻🙃💜🌻🙃
#6: I kept only 10 pairs so when they wore out I bought 10 new pairs and opted to eventually: Cut off the elastic and the gusset. Then I took an old paper towel core and wound the cut pieces on that after they were all flattened out. I now have a roll of clean white cotton cloth that I can use on projects that are just too dirty to merit one of my nicer cloths. I recently cleaned some picture frames that hadn't been cleaned in years while stored in a garage. I used only two of my "throw away" cloths and they worked so much better than a stack of paper towels would and I didn't end up mucking up some of my nicer store bought cleaning cloths (yes, I have those E-cloths on hand for when the house is so much cleaner but still needs dusting/wiping down). These throw aways can go to the compost since they are (in my case) 100% cotton plus a little dirt and used vinegar. The E-cloths since they are synthetic fabric will likely end up stuffing a pillow or somehow getting donated for recycling if that is ever an option. We are the sort of frugal people who like to use things up entirely before retiring to landfill or the recycling bin. Other things we donate or sell.
First of all, I love your hair! I know it is probably bothering you because you always clip it back. But, it looks fantastic! I agree with all 23 of your suggestions, but I do have an annual garage sale. Why, you ask? Because I have had so many, I have it simplified. I have enough tables. I price everything as I declutter and store them in bins in my garage, so I unpack pre-priced items onto my tables. I have enough space. And, I have enough help. My mom, daughters and I love the camaraderie of being together at an old kitchen table in the garage, drinking iced tea and coffee, having a nice lunch, and enjoying visting with our "customers." It is worth a few hundred $ every year for me. But, I certainly understand it is not for everyone. Thank you for another great video, Rachel.
Thank you! It was driving me crazy! LOL! I like the look of it down, but I absolutely hate when it falls in my face, which is most of the time, so I pin it back. You make the garage sale sound so nice Debra! Systems make everything better. ❤️
Rachael, I love that you'ree honest with your family. I thought how you handled the jacket with Paul was amazing!! He was able to process his feeling and let go. I'm guilty of a few of these❤.
I have a relative who keeps every new box in case she ever needs to return the item that came in it or use the box to move that item safely one day. (She'll never move) In order to store those boxes, she obtained pallets, set them at the back of her yard, and then bought storage tents, the kind you'd park a car under. Since she lives in a place with snow, the boxes get destroyed and become moldy, but she still keeps any new boxes she acquires. It is a lesson in frustration, unsightly, and expensive when she has to replace the tents every couple of years. I think of it as a bit insane, but there is no talking to her about it.
That's a good visual! It seems so obvious when you see the extreme, like in your relative's situation, but we do the same thing when we stash our "just in case" stuff in our spaces: it consumes so much time, energy and resources and our life would be so much more pleasant without it all! ❤️
Maybe she has hoarding disorder since she seems to see so much value in these boxes... there is a great youtube channel on this by a hoarder herself.... it´s called "A Hoarder´s Heart" if you want to check her channel out... she explains her disorder pretty well and humanizes it so people without these attachments might be able to understand :)
Concerning the broken zipper on the jacket: yes, you´re teaching your children to face their emotions and handle stuff immediately, and that´s a really great lesson. But trying to fix things first, before throwing it away in to the landfill is teaching them to care about the environment and also teach them self-sufficiency... because you could teach your children to sow and so on and even make it a fun "event"... my mum taught me to fix things myself and I don´t do it all the time, but it makes me also want to take better care for my things and not waste too much money and I´m really happy that I was taught these skills... not hating or anything, just wanted to mention it, maybe as food for thought... everything can be turned into a lesson, but I also understand your perspective and you being honest about your intentions to yourself and so on... and aS a minimalist I´m sure you do understand the environmental impact of our consumerist society anyways and consume less than the average person anyways :) BTW: maybe I´m in the minority, but I prefer this style of video where you actually sit down and take the time to talk to us, instead of multitasking whith a completely different project, than the topic you are talking about... anyways, thanks for the inspiration and your view :)
Can I just encourage Mamas to get rid of their kids baby clothes? Keep a few very special items for your OWN memories sake, but do not save multiple items for your grandchildren to wear one day. My mom saved so many clothes from when I was a baby (early 90's), but unfortunately they all have a funny smell that wont come out, and all of the elastics are dried and broken. They could have been such a blessing to someone else who needed them THEN! AND, I've only had boys so far, so none of the cute little 'sailor girl' dresses have made a come back.
Thank you for helping your children learn resilience and how to cope with life's little disappointments! It's an important life skill that seems to be in short supply these days.
Our local police station has a drop bin for medications. I use the single use grocery bags as trash bags instead of buying the big black trash bags. We buy the same socks for each person so if one gets a hole you still have a pair..
First time viewer 😊 I do have to say, there are a few South- and East-Asian restaurants I always get takeout from, and they all use the same plastic containers that I love. The lids seal very well and they fit on both sizes of containers (pint and quart). They're great for freezing soups and stews, they fare well in my dishwasher on the delicate setting, and once they do reach the end of their life span they're recyclable. They're also great at the holidays because I can send lol leftovers home with people without caring about getting my containers back. But definitely I agree it's best to be intentional and not hold on to every container. And I do go through every once in a while and make sure I have the same number of containers vs. lids. Btw I'm jealous that you look so beautiful without makeup! I'm heading to your RU-vid profile after this to see if you've made any minimalist skincare videos
Thank you! I don't have any skincare videos... they would be super short if I did, because I don't do anything, except lotion on super dry days. I wash with water. And I have no advice about it, because I don't purposely do anything. 🤣 🤷♀️ Thanks for finding me here! ❤️
My situation must be different. I live in a city where things are close by. So I have a tote in the car with stuff I want to return, with the receipt. I am a senior, and every penny counts. when I’m by that store, I can go in and do the return or exchange. At dollar tree today I exchanged two items for some foam core board that I needed, at Ralph’s/Kroger, I returned some chili crisp that will Would probably be too hot for me. Got vegetables instead. I just have to return some things to Ulta. That’s out of my way, but I’m planning on going to Walmart at the same time. I keep a shoebox of receipts from the last six months. More than once, it has come to my rescue. The clerks think I’m very smart for doing this! You might think dollar tree isn’t worth it, but I tend to buy things there on impulse. I returned a square dish a RU-vidr recommended that I really don’t need. I have a round ramekin. And some craft items I really don’t want to get into. So, for me, it’s really important to keep Dollar tree receipts.
Boxes: How life (I typed love like six times -- lol) goes sometimes. I saved boxes for a long time. Like seriously had a room full of boxes. Then I decluttered and got rid of stuff AND the boxes and stopped saving boxes. Win-win-win. Now I'm planning a cross-country move and am still decluttering and have no boxes. I keep having my son bring me boxes from his retail job, fill them up and send them into the Universe. And since for moving I'm going to pack a POD I want to buy boxes so they're all the same size. Somehow that seems not quite right but I don't want to play Tetris with my belongings. In truth, I may give in and start saving boxes again for the move.
Carol McKenzie For my last move, I went to the liquor store and got boxes. I could pick the same sizes. They are a reasonable size and don’t get really heavy. But I understand getting the set from uhaul or wherever. Good luck with you move.... declutter like a mad woman for a lighter move.🎉
I am regularly seeing "moving boxes wanted/available" on all the local websites so even if you end up buying moving boxes you will have no problem getting rid of them and maybe even sell them for a few cents. Oh how I look forward to universal reusable packaging!
I just checked our first aid kit tonight! Fresh items were added, and empty tubes were tossed. I tossed an old mascara this past week. I rarely use. I am with you on the rest of the list, as well. Although we might get snow tomorrow, we have started on our winter clean up.
Thank you for your realism. I agree, we need to be honest with ourselves and others. Setting unrealistic expectations for the future just to offset dealing with something now serves no one. I have learned that lesson the very hard way, too, and can totally relate to your assessment. Your videos show you are a great listener and have put much thought and care, along with bravery, into what and how you share, and that is so refreshing.
PICTURES! You struck a nerve with that one. I couldn’t even focus on the rest of the video. I have such guilt over paper pictures that I can hold in my hand. I have boxes of my parents pictures. Even after scanning them it’s hard to let them go. I’m afraid the digital copy will fail. And I realize if there was a fire I would loose my paper copies. I’ve decided to take them to family gatherings this summer and if each person wants their pictures that my dad took of them when they were ten they are welcome to take them. Then maybe I can get somebody there to throw away the leftovers lol but it won’t be me.
I found myself saving pictures family members sent me in Xmas cards...last year I went thru them and returned them to the " grown up " kiddos....who have their own kids now and loved getting a Xmas card with their parents as littles! What a hoot!
These suggestions are an important reminder for me, a lot of the things mentioned, I already do, new ones include medical supplies. I clean and organize and declutter, but one thing that keeps being put back is a box of bandages from my son’s hand surgery 19 years ago….. I think I can let it go. I don’t have any candles, but also did not know they have a shelf life. Adding to this is old batteries. My worst habit is storing a leftover or other food item that I know I will not eat, until it’s a week old and I feel justified to throw it out. You always have good content, and a calm friendly manner. I look forward to your videos.
Hi, can you tell me what you do with physical photographs? I am struggling with how to keep them how to make them available to people who want to look at them. If you have already made a video that I missed on this subject, please just point me in that direction. Love everything you do. Thanks if anybody else has ideas, please feel free to jump in.
You read my mind! I was just thinking about doing this, why have so many photos of friends or even (sssshhhh) family that you no longer talk to. Or that Christmas tree or the dog that passed away lol lets get rid of these :)
We put all our photographs on disc. I put then in boxes in chronological order first then my husband put them through the printer at work, just scanning onto a disc so no expense. We burned each box as it was done. Honestly I have to admit I realized I would likely never have looked at them if I hadn’t been sorting them for scanning. Maybe the kids will use them for our funerals…….
I am working on this. My plan is to use 3 ring albums with plastic sleeves that can hold 4x6 and 3x5 photos in them. Each album will be limited by the number of sleeves it can hold and by the number of years. I have 5 of these albums and my pictures will likely go: Pre-1960s= 1980s 1990s=2010s 2020s=? I also have full sheet sleeves in case we have 8x10 photos to include. I have a huge bin that has photos in it and 5 clear shoe box sized boxes I will sort photos into by era. I got a full photo album from an elderly aunt which has a lot of the duplicates from my parents albums so these albums I am constructing are for me and my family alone. My mom has been making up 3-ring binders for each person in her immediate family that has just pictures of them or where they are the focus. A huge undertaking. That's why I decided to just go by "Time". Hope this helps...Since I haven't handled this yet I may need to adjust my "eras" but I am limited to the 5 albums as I will not buy more supplies. Likely when I am done the shoe boxes will get donated and the albums will live in the huge bin!
Yes! And for litter box trash. I use these great reusable bags for groceries but we ran out of grocery store bags so now I have to make sure I leave my bags in the truck sometimes so I can have store bags to use at home. Lol!
My trouble with decluttering boxes.... I recycled a bunch of large boxes... and no longer receive as many boxes since I'm trying not to buy so much ... and now I don't have enough large boxes for decluttering 😁
In my area, Goodwill will take things loose so no bag or box is really required. If you definitely need one for your purposes maybe save a bin with a lid that isn't transparent and get someone else to drop off the donation so you won't have to see it (I try to always have a donation container going then drop the whole thing off when full). Alternatively use up your supply of bags...Best to you in your efforts!
Good tip for getting rid of clothes that are worn out and not suitable for donation, is to give any old tee shirts, sheets and towels to mechanic shops. As a mechanic you go through many rags every week, old soft cotton is the best , nylon clothes are no good for rags .
Ditto. I hate garage sales too. People want to give me a dime for something really nice. Having to set everything out and deal with all the people. Then having to get rid of what didn't sell. No thanks.
Expiration dates on medications are there due to regulations. The dates are numbers, especially on Over the Counter medications. Military websites have actual shelf-lives of medications. Just a word to the wise, we don't need to waste money needlessly either. 😊
Great ideas yeah I'm going to go to reusable bags & I went threw my Tupperware to. But when it comes to socks I was driving myself crazy matching them so all my socks go in a little plastic drawer thing I don't even mats them when I wear them just not worth my time
In Maryland we can't put drugs in the trash. All expired drugs pr drugs you don't want any more are put in a bin at the police station. Drugs that are disposed in the trash often end up in the water supply!
One time I went through the pen collection at my mom's house. I asked her if there was a style she especially liked and I reserved just those. The rest I wound various yarns on and secured with a drop of glue. These got donated to the Senior Center which didn't have to buy pens and had all these decorated pens walk off the premises just like all their purchased ones did. The yarn was from a stash I had accumulated and just never really got to using and it kept my hands busy while watching sit coms. Win-Win-Win!
Hi RAchel, when you are using your count down sheets for number of items decluttering, is each email decluttered, considered one item? What about paper declutter? How do you decide how to count things you declutter?
I have my sister bring me reusable bags. I use them all the time and my state has outlawed them 🤦🏼♀️ Socks 🤦🏼♀️ where do those matches go? If I empty the laundry hamper, wash,dry and put away… mismatches are gone! I throw them out. After raising 6 kids and having a basket of mismatched sock I’m not doing it!
They're usually stuck on to the barrel of the washing machine. Do a sweep with your hand all around the barrel when emptying it to gather up any fugitives.
All I hear is throw this out, throw that out. Why not use it up, instead of contributing to the landfill and wasting money and resources? If you have a condiment or soap, or whatever else you don't like just find a way to use it up. Same with expired food - most foods are perfectly fine after their best before date and should be used up, not thrown in the bin.
I think what you might be missing from this video is that it’s not being lazy but instead not doing those things that don’t bring value so as to have more time doing the things that do bring us value. I hope that helps.
@@barbcarstens I feel like everything breaks right as I am getting ready to cook dinner. The melt downs are stupid insane and frustrating. I am all about ‘tough love’ therapy
Being truthful, I put broken stuff in a special place to fix one day, then never get to it. Too many other things take priority. Not lazy, just being honest, so I pitch it.
