Don't worry if you aren't ready to declutter sentimental items yet! 👋🏻😀Just declutter in another space or area! Remember our pact - I am here with 3 videos each week (guided decluttering, guided cleaning, our Thrive plan for the week) and you comment on every video you watch. Let's declutter - TOGETHER - rah, rah, rah! 🎉🎉🎉😍
Last year I did not want to get rid of the DVD movies. This year I will say goodbye and let someone else enjoy them. Thank you for the push to declutter.
Found this video today and did a small winter-hat declutter with my girls (5 and 8) and shopped my home for cleaning products that I now don't need to rebuy. Thank you Diane for your support in these bitesize pieces ❤
Thank you for making decluttering so doable with no huge expectations of getting it all done at once Diane ❤ I much prefer to plod along and do a little bit at a time
Hello Diane! I decluttered my room while you decluttered your games. I got rid of some purses that I was sentimental about. Thanks for the inspiration!
I have several cats too - I never thought about their destruction as decluttering. That is a brilliant way to think about it. Thank goodness they're cute, right?
I applaud you for being able to part with some of your childhood games. I find the sentimental stuff the hardest to let go of. I am not quite there yet. You inspired me to sort through my cookbook collection which I keep in a cabinet in our living room. Thank you for the videos! They make a difference!!
Have been saving your videos till I've time to work in the area, more loft clearing, found 2 boxes of my sons sentimental bits, decided cards from all my friends and work colleagues wouldn't be special to him, so kept only those from family and close friends. Also found clothing, some items were really sentimental and have been kept, were a few bits that I don't even remember so they obviously weren't that special and have been removed to make room for things going forward. Turns out what I used to think was special isn't now x thanks for this series, is really keeping me moving forward x
Thank you for doing this video! I appreciate you sharing that decluttering sentimental stuff isn’t always easy, and sometimes the emotions do catch us by surprise.
One thing I learned about decluttering this week - you just never know what people want. I sometimes hesitate to put items on my Buy Nothing group because I think no one else would want it. But then the item I was most hesitant to post ends up having more interest! It's so amazing! This week I posted enamel pins that were a real random collection, a shelf that my family has teased me about owning for years, and panty hose that were too small for me. They all went! And I felt so happy to have them out of my house and given to excited people.
I love what you said about sometimes not being quite ready to get rid of things (especially those from when we were small or our kids). I’ve learned it doesn’t mean I won’t ever be ready to let the items go, but sometimes it’s just not yet.
"Shopping my house" and repurposing inherited items has helped me deal with sentimental clutter while saving me money. My niece also loves "shopping my home", so I have very happy memories of her packing her car with my games, along with 2 end tables and HER MOTHER'S lamp! (She said some games manufactured prior to 2000 are more desirable because the games pieces might be wooden, as opposed to plastic.) I had a HUGE win over the weekend while tackling a box that I thought was filled with my aunt's linens. Turns out 75% of the box was filled with my things, including some items I thought were lost in a move. So HAPPY to find them. Moral: doesn't hurt to look in those scary boxes you've been avoiding.
Just motivating myself to PUPA in the living room. It’s 5:57pm so far I have come home from work and sat myself down. I don’t want to but at 6pm I’m going to get moving.
Love this new format. Been in hospital since end of November came home to lots of cleaning to muddle through. I think I will have a full day of PUPA. Then I’ll spend a little time analyzing how I will tackle the cleaning. Ten minutes here and ten minutes some place else will make a huge difference.
My cat died in December and I'm just now feeling up to donating his bed, toys, etc. I will pack them up and donate to the local shelter where I adopted him. This is heartbreaking.
To enable myself to let go of things that my children don’t want, but which have tender memories attached, I’m taking photos of the items and I find that it makes me happy just to view the photos…I don’t really need the items themselves to reminisce over.
I did a lot of decluttering of children’s toys, games, etc. when we made a cross-country move 18 years ago, after our children were grown. I am glad, however, that I hung on to some childhood favorites of mine and of our adult children because we returned to playing them once grandkids came along. Some favorites are no longer available and are irreplaceable. Many, notably children’s books, have been passed on to the grandkids as they grew into them. It is fun to see another generation enjoying them and especially to play them together.
Decluttering things can be very emotional. After my husband died and before I moved, I had to get rid of half of our stuff. My cousin and daughter in law really helped me get rid of useless, valueless things. Soon, I was able to get rid of things on my own, but needed emotional preparation in advance to do it.❤
Noooooo, not piggy! I made a papier-mâché vase painted with monkeys for the children (now 38, 36 and 30) and recently, my youngest son took it to put in HIS house. 😊
I take a photo of sentimental items that I no longer use or have space for. That way, you can always refresh those memories without holding on to bulky items
Good evening😊As my boys grew up, we had boxes for putting away toys when they didn't use it anymore. But once a year we decluttered ,and only kept what they ment was importent..When they left home the boxes stayed . But once a year- on a visiting day- I "forced" them to declutter. So the piles get smaller and smaller each year, and finely was down to 1-2 boxes each. When they got their owne home/house ,they collected a beautyful collection of lego, playmobil , books , metal cars, pictures and so on. And now my grandchildren are playing with it❤
I’m finally letting go of some childhood books that have been stored for many years. They are the ones my children weren’t interested in so time to let them go! Thanks for the motivation!
Decluttering is so soothing for me - it’s my favourite task. I don’t have to get rid of much anymore as I’ve been doing it for so long, but it helps me organise my spaces. It reminds me of what I’ve got and where it is 😊
You were constantly ‘with me’ today when I cleaned out 3 drawers in the dresser in the lounge. We took the various items outside and put them on the garden wall….. Within 1/2 hour they were gone! Every day this week I’m trying on 3 T Shirts after my shower and by the end of the week I’ll be down the pile which will be considerably smaller. It’s addictive once you get started 😊
This is the third week I have consistently completed my routines. I have scheduled a “catch-up” PUPA on Mondays to get back on track if we’ve been a bit lazy on the weekend. The first Monday was exhausting! But I told myself that it would get easier with time after I had gotten a handle on the backlog. Today was the third Monday and there was hardly anything to pupa! I was able to get right into my routine for the day. Then the best thing happened this evening. Our son came home from work and was in the kitchen with his dad and he asked his dad, “why are we so organized?” I told him it was because I had been working on the house for 3 weeks. He was very pleasantly surprised. Diane, you and I may not be able to talk face to face, but you have been a huge encouragement to me! I appreciate so much the effort you put into your videos each week! You really are a breath of sunshine!
The idea of bringing the things to a comfy room to declutter them is such a good idea! I'm with you on games, Diane. I think I am more attached to them (and the memories) than the kids. :)
I’m not ready for the sentimental items yet, but definitely soon! I have a granddaughter now and I’ve not decluttered and made decisions on all the stuff I’ve kept from my daughter. The time has definitely come…lol Thanks for all the great inspiration, Dianne! Have a great week, all!
I am two weeks postpartum with my fifth child and I am so thankful for these decluttering and cleaning videos. They're helping me be productive but still at a slow pace so it's not overwhelming 😊.
I have kept so many things for “grandchildren”. We have one and she loves all the old toys and books of mommy’s and aunt’s. So far the games are beyond her but she loves going through them and so I must keep them for a few more years!
We have a loft full of toys, games and Lego that I’ve kept for “if we ever have grandchildren” I will be sorting through these gradually this year, and just keeping the best things. Seeing you let things go has been a big help. Lego will be staying!
I’m visiting my son and daughter-in-law and they are natural minimalists. Everywhere I look I see empty spaces in closets and cupboards. They inspire me. And YOU inspire me! Thanks!
Yes, moving items or bins to another more pleasant room or area is something I just started implementing. I also have a donating zone in my finished basement. When things pile up, we take them to the donation center in boxes or bags. Also, I saw you hanging your sweaters (jumpers) by putting the hanging toward the bottom up. I have now started doing this. I no longer struggle with crew neck sweaters by stretching them out with the hanger. I wasn't taught the bottoms-up method so thank you. Rah! Rah! Rah! 🎉🎉🎉
I enjoyed seeing your childhood games. Today I readied some old paintings my son did in college. He will be receiving them. My young grandson has a record player. I will be giving some old 45s to him. He loves to listen to them. 🤗
3 dvds to go. Then revisited my dearly departed Dad’s university work again. Slowly making progress. Remembering I need to declutter my stuff so my little one doesn’t have to do the same.
Do you have any online community groups in your area, like Nextdoor or Facebook? I've donated to community organizations and those organizations are usually very pleased with the response from the community.
My game shelf was overflowing to the floor in front of the bookshelf. I have been so overwhelmed by this space and have avoided it for a long time. Your video gave me the inspiration to tackle this project that wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. i donated 16 games and was able to toss a grocery sack of games that were missing cards or pieces. Thank you for your support and example!
I’ve stolen your idea Diane and taken an old CD player into my garage whilst I’m on my static bike and doing a workout. I then decide whether to keep that particular CD or not. Brings back so many memories.
So glad to be able to be encouraged to go through our games. I have needed to do this for a long time. Thank you so much for giving me the push to get this done 🎉🎉🎉
Your line that I’ll use as a benchmark when judging what to keep…”If not now, when?” You’re so right. Use it or get it to someone who will. Such a huge help when “stuck” mulling over sentimental items. Keep us smiling with your positive attitude!☺
My husband is unexpectedly at home for a couple of days. I'm rearranging my schedule. Moving Weekly Clean to Wednesday when he's back at work. Today we're organizing garden shed. Getting ready for spring gardening.
I really like that you are emphasizing giving things away instead of just trashing them.There is a very active Buy Nothing group in my area, so if one of my family/friends or neighbors doesn't want the item I've decluttered, it goes to Buy Nothing, which is wonderful.
I heard someone say if you have items in a closet or basement and you haven't been using them they're probably ready to leave your space.You reminded me of that when you mentioned putting games on probation. I found some things I just couldn't let go of in the past. Now they're out of hiding and I'm reminded of them. I've given a solid time limit and they will go if not used or used and not enjoyed. Sentimental items can sure be hard to let go of. But it's getting easier. Thank you. It's so fun to work while you're working!
Hi Diane as we are of a similar age I remembered a lot of them. Apart from a teddy bear and a stamp album I have nothing left from my childhood. The main thing I have to declutter are clothes and books. I want to thank you again for all your efforts. You are truly inspiring xxx
Thank you for decluttering family/ kid items. Time to declutter the toys I saved for grandkids, but they live far and I don’t need all these. Time to bless others!
I am de-cluttering my deceased husband`s music books. I learned the grandson of my friend, is studying music and would love them. I am keeping only the easier ones for me to play. thank you, Diane. I love your cheerfulness and always making feel so upbeat.
I need to do a sentimental declutter of my "china cupboards" which are almost all things from my mom and grandmother's. I don't use most of it and I think I could condense it down to just half. But today, I was working in my sewing room. Lots of sorting, PUPA, filled the trash bin.... it was a good day! Thank you!❤
I have decluttered 2 garbage bags to donate and 1 grocery bag to give away to a friend who has been off work a few weeks and she have some new to her tops to go back to the office.
I've decluttered games some years back.. today I worked on paper clutter.. It is my nemesis for sure! Thanks for keeping me doing a little each day. It does make a difference! See you Wednesday!
Before you throw those games out - just think how you might be happy to play those much loved games with your grandkids. Can’t buy them anymore and they’re so different than anything today. Super fun! I love playing games with my grandkids.
I decluttered some of the toys my grand children have out grown. My 6 year old grand daughter was over and saw my stack. She asked (sort of told me) not to get rid of any puzzles. She did not remember ever putting them together. We did…multiple times 😂 But of course they are back in the room. They are only going to be little such a short time.
Dear Diane, that was so much fun to have a look a your collection of games! Some of them look good enough for a museum. I actually was at an exhibition last week presenting toys and games of 1960s to 1990s. So many happy childhood memories! And I was so grateful to those people who actually kept all that stuff for years and finally donated it to the local history museum... I'm decluttering my collection of necklaces today. Quite sentimental stuff too. But hey-ho, off we go)) Thanks for an interesting video. Have a great week ahead! ❤
I decluttered/organized a stack of photos from the 1990's. Glad to weed out the ones that weren't very special and I will get the nice ones in to a photo album next week.
Wow, Diane, you’re brave… Some memories are connected to things and I’ve the feeling I’m loosing my memories, if the things are gone. I know, I can take photos, but it’s not the same. It was fun to see little Diane and her games, which are not existing here in Germany. Like children books the games are different in every country, interesting the tea pot game! I’ve already given a lot of games and books to the younger ones in the family. Now I’ll dive into the living room, expecting guests today… Love, Monika❣
Diane, this was so good for me today! I worked along with you and it was good for me. I decluttered the family shelves with games in it! We moved to this house four years ago and I organized the games and got rid of most of them. I wondered how many I world throw away this time. Well, I cried and dusted and cried. But the games had such memories that I kept them all. Thank you for today! Glad I had a chance to dust the boxes of games before someone discovered them so dusty!
I usually listen to your voice on my way to work and I'm doing the tasks later in the day. I'm decluttering our dvd drawer and underneath the coffee table.
dear diane, 🥰thank you very much for your valuable help and input! and how funny: I have the exact same piggy that my daughter (21) made at school🐷. I'm not ready to let it go yet😉, but thanks to your help I'm working on it💪🏻🤗. Kind regards from southern Germany! Nina
Thank you, Diane. Yes those games are very heart-tugging reminders of many good memories. I gave a lot of ours away to a couple of families who are enjoying them. Much better than languishing in the basement. Working in the living room parting with sentimental books. You are a great inspiration!
Hi Diane! 🙂Today I decluttered a desk drawer. It is a deep drawer and a lot of papers, cards and all kinds of stuff came out of it. Also cards and letters with sentimental value to me. I shed a few tears while reading through it, but that's okay. Good memories were put in a memory box and the other items were categorized and given their own place. It felt good to shred some papers. Very satisfying! 😆 See you on Wednesday! 😃
Our house is open-concept, so when you walk in the front door you are practically in the living room! We've done a pretty good job of keeping it tidy and clutter-free, but when I took a good look around while watching your video I found a few 'trouble spots' that I can work on this week. Thank you (as always) for the inspiration ❤
It really can be hard to declutter sentimental items... and almost anything can be sentimental to me 😅. But even the phrasing "I'm ready to let this go" is helpful to me, instead of "I need to get rid of this." Loved seeing you go through games. They are bound up with those childhood memories. Today, working on linens and other things in a living-room dresser. Thank you, Diane, see you Wednesday!
When we moved into a retirement community seven years ago we pared down the sentimental stuff so I working on papers again today. Sometimes I think my paper "reproduces" while I'm asleep 😆
I have been decluttering my grown up children’s toys but found the board games frustration and guess who really popular with my four year old grandsons.
🥲 ah, Diane! Those original games brought back happy memories! 🥰 Cluedo + Monoply in those rectangular boxes especially! Not sure if I’m “there” yet with the board games, but I encouraged my daughter to declutter her wardrobe + drawers today, and we’ve got 3 big bags of clothes to give away, as well as some books + toys… she’s fine with it all going, it’s me that’s finding it heart-wrenching 💔! It feels good though. I do wish swap parties were as popular here, I find not knowing easily where to give things away to a bit of a stumbling block in my decluttering mission! 🤔😂 See you Wednesday! 💕
I am in bed watching this 2 hours ahead of Denmark so it's rather late for a decluttering session for me tonight. I wore my mother's silk scarf for my self care and today did my weekly home blessing and finished my daily routine by polishing and shining my sink. I wish I had remembered Monday was decluttering day but to be honest my routines and whb is often all I can do on a Monday. I have a hospital appointment but let's see if I can find something to declutter sometime tomorrow ❤ Thanks for the inspiration 😊 ps I watered my beautiful orchid today in the living area and I am thoroughly enjoying this beautiful gift from a dear friend. Such joy
