I have watched you for a long time. Your transformation to calmness and simplicity has been so awesome. I am a 65 year old Grandma and I love watching you and so many young mothers find creative solutions. Hope you know how special you are.
Your morally neutral, non shaming methods to accomplish your goals one day at a time is an effective demonstration of how personal growth and self caring work hand in hand. Thank you.
Deciding what to keep is exactly how we help our children declutter their toys - once our threshold has been crossed, we pull all "like-grouped" items (all games; all aninals/dolls; craft supplies) and give them a target number to choose from each category. They are so much more focused on what to keep that they don't dwell on what is leaving the house
I love that you are addressing your critics while promoting your authentic self. Let's all be who we are & own it, even with decluttering! The books got donated, which is what really matters, not how many trips it took to complete the donation. Lalalala Summer!
I love when we get to see the "messy in betweens" 😁The process is messy, but as long as you keep pushing through it all comes together! Thanks for sharing Erica!
I found your channel after the mention on The Suitcase Designer, and I’m so happy I did. I’m going back and watching your older videos, and you have made SO MUCH progress. Not only your home and the stuff in it, but also you as a person. Well done! And you and your husband are such a wonderful couple. I enjoy watching when you work together on something. So glad he’s on board with all the changes. He’s definitely a keeper!
I love that you recommended another channel like yours! Honestly some days your channel gets me moving or at least up more than anything else on down weeks. Yet I know you can’t make videos all the time for us!
I asked on my local Facebook groups if any was interested in general household donations. A representative of a charity wrote back and said they were. Now I pack up cardboard boxes of donations regularly, contact them and tell them they are ready for pick up. Takes the pressure off me in that step so much! Pregnant with baby #4 and homeschooling with 3 5 and under so this is what I can manage right now 😅
As I watch this, my great grandmother's tea service springs to mind. I got great joy from owning and displaying that in my home for twenty years, but a few days ago I decided that having a blank area of wall gave me more joy than a big glass display cabinet full of stuff. It took me about nine months to make that decision. I knew nobody in the rest of my family would be interested in the set, so I listed it for a very low price on fb marketplace. I could have got more for it if I had gone down the route of packing and posting it to someone but, again, having made the decision, I wanted it gone. I also gave myself a target of one month. If it did not sell in that time it was going to be donated. For me, I have learned that if stuff hangs around for too long between decision and removal, it encourages me to second guess. So, yes, that second step is very important, and sometimes the frugal side of me screams when I feel that stuff is worth more than I get for it. But then I look at the empty space where it once was and smile. My peace of mind is worth more than my stuff.
A million times yes. We have very similar styles and thought processes. So thankful that you put the time and effort into making these videos for us. They are very encouraging to me.🥰
I drove around with my donations from my kitchen from August to November of 2020. I finally took them out of the car and then in the Spring of 2021 donated them to Deseret Industries, part of the relief aid of the LDS Church. I have very few places to donate things in Utah and they are all at least an hour's drive away.
Just had to pause the video and drop off the donations I've had sitting about for months. I had literally sorted through them just before starting this video. Home now after donation drop and grocery run. Thank you for the motivation to get this little annoying job done 😃
I agree with slow and steady because when I tried doing a whole area I got overwhelmed and ended up leaving it and avoiding it for 6 months to a year. Yes getting it out of the house is another step but when it’s done you feel great. Thanks for always keeping it real. Stay safe and healthy. Mary, Joes wife 👏🙏👍💪🤞💐🥳
I enjoy all your videos but I think this one is my favorite. Thank you for all the motivation! The way you saw something you wanted to change then changed it is inspiring. It sounds simple but it’s absolutely not simple.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome, and if I don't do it all at once asap, it will never get out of my house. I enlist the entire family to help me, and it gets done. I have a box in the garage for the things I've listed on marketplace, and it can stay there until it's sold because it's just one box. I will collect my son's clothes until I've replaced everything in a bigger size, and I'll try to sell them all together, that way it's an entire wardrobe of one size boy's clothes. My female born child and my donate-able clothes I'll collect until I have a box full, then they go straight to an op shop. Anything else it's the same, I'll collect a box full, then as soon as the box is full, out it goes!
I find how intentional you are with your decluttered items very refreshing. It's important that the items are dealt with thoughtfully and with sensitivity. A lot of decluttering channels don't seem to show the dark side of reducing household items.
Your slow-and-steady example is great for those of us who struggle with all-or-nothing syndrome. I often find that I don’t even want to start a project if I don’t have the time or energy to finish it perfectly. It’s great to see you modeling a different way. I feel like if I adopted your model I could probably end up getting more done. Just jump in and give myself permission for it to take a while.
That second step is my Achilles hill... But not just with donations. I sort, but don't quite get it put away. Sometimes it's just that my kids interrupt me and then dump my bucket back out... Sometimes I just have too many piles and not enough time to put away, right away... Some things I can't put away until... Whatever: the baby wakes up, the office corner is picked up, the attic cools down enough for me to shuffle the storage around it. Or until I find the 3 ring hole punch the kids walked off with. And I'm always struggling with just slightly more stuff than I have shelves or cabinets or homes for. "Slow and steady" is a strength. I tend to be a marathoner. It's exhausting and overwhelming to live my whole life that way.
If you have working systems and games that don't sell you can consider donating them to a library, children's hospital, or after school program. If the calculator works you can also donate that to a local school.
Thanks Erica! I have really come a long way and still trying to get others on board. I would love for someone to discuss being a sentimental person and still being able to part with things. Some family members think I am not the least bit sentimental which is just not true.
you are so touching when expressing your motivation for the content creation ! bless you !! :) as you give, you receive :) you are an example of doing from sincere heart leads us to our path, you inspire me each time ☺️ thank you to help us in our process 😊😘🌟
I have got to remember "DECIDE WHAT I WANT TO KEEP"! That is all great way to set my mind to it. I did a whole house declutter last year. I had a blank wall in my kitchen and started piling it there. Came home from work one day and it was gone! My husband took it to the donation center for me. That worked out so well... I do it every time I want to get rid of something☺️
I keep noticing that subscriber count and so happy you are getting closer and closer to 40,000. You deserve it and so much more! Now I am off to watch the video!
I've only found your channel recently and this video is exactly what I needed right now. I am doing great at making decisions in my home but felt guilty that it takes me a while to actually donate them. I am the opposite to you and often wait until I have a few bags as it's quite out of the way and takes a while to fill out details etc when dropping off (I'm in the UK). It's helpful to look at the 2 steps separately xx
I love the collab. I found April about two weeks ago and of course, I have watched you since before you moved to this house (has it been a year? time flies!). Anyways, love you both!
I found April, "The Suitcase Designer", a few months back. She is terrific! She is very respectful towards the one that needs decluttering. I am close to 60 years myself and I think that many of my generation might need some help getting their home towards "Swedish Death Cleaning", yet they do feel overwhelmed. And, again, another super video, Erica!
Siempre puedo ver tus videos subtitulados al español . Ahora RU-vid no me da esa posibilidad. Entiendo poco inglés pero acá estoy dándote mi apoyo . Saludos desde Uruguay 🇺🇾
Great video! Love the emphasis on keeping and enjoying what you have rather that just the clutter, but still wanting less stuff and more space and time! 😍💕
They all do, even recycling clothes. They were the first ones to do that :) Once things are dropped off, clothes and some other categories get shipped to get processed.
In my day, every spring my Mom would start sorting. She would spring clean. We would come home from school with Mom abuzz and moving furniture, cleaning, sorting to give away. As a child, not only could we get into our shoes instead of boots, school was easier, less work, almost done, Mom was in a good mood!(happy) We did decluttering back then too! Basically it is logic to do this. Lifes problems can get in the way! Big problems that take over ones thoughts and energy. This is very subtle. Before you know it, bang! Overwhelming mess! Erica, you are a wise girl! You are doing it! I wish I had a friend that is like you! Wise, kind, fun, great wife, great Mom! Family first and of coarse God is in your life! Good morals.......It is difficult to find friends . Sorry, got off track! Ooooops! GOOD EXAMPLE TO ALL! You say you ramble......I do too!🤐
I love this. I collect books (homeschool mama as well) but up until now we haven't read many of them. I have decided to do read alouds and once the book is done, document it and pass it on unless it's a super special book.
I used to live by a Goodwill. That's my secret! Having to move often started up my Minimalism journey around ten years ago. 8 years ago I didn't have much. 6 years ago I had the bare minimum. It's slowly crept up, so I decide to sell most of the time now. I went from large loads donated to thinking about it (whichever item to donate) too much 😂❤️
As long as you get it out of the house, that's all that matters. I think for me, the hardest thing now is remembering that I don't need to purchase the "thing" after I've decluttered. I'm working on it - I obviously don't need anything but it's working on the wants and reducing those.
Erica I have been with you from the beginning, and I’ll be honest my heart skips a beat when I see a new video of yours on my notifications, but a few weeks ago, I saw for the first time April and her declutter videos of her parents home, she is a sweetheart and what a great daughter she is.April and her husband did a wonderful thing for her parents…
I love seeing sister helping brother up. ❤️ I have realized that slow and steady is my pace whether I like it or not. The devil loves it when you hurry. Your talking through your decisions has helped me immensely. The concept of keeping only what I really want is huge. Thank you.
Thank you for explaining and encouraging us. I have a box that just sits in my dining room too. I want to take it out but I keep making excuses. Maybe today is the day.
I really struggle with this step. My local recycling centre no longer allows people to walk in - you have to have a car and an appointment - and there have been some really rude staff in some of the charity shops where I have attempted to drop off clothing. One would not accept a coat that had an original price of £200 (I had got it in the sale) as it was 'not the sort of thing their customers wanted'. After several years I built up the courage to go to another charity shop and they sold it for £50 which was great. However I still hesitate to take things in as I don't want a repeat of the experiences of staff going through my things in front of me and criticising them.
I have been watching you and The Suitcase Designer for over a year. It was fun to watch her recommend you in her video that I watched yesterday. I am on the minimalism journey too and have learned so much from you both. I just sold a KitchenAid stand mixer yesterday with all the attachments even though I used it weekly. Why? Because it was too heavy to take in and out of a bottom cabinet and I realized I never used the attachments. I bought a small mixer (for half of what I sold it for) and I already have a small food processor and that’s all I need. I am learning that even if you use something, you can declutter it once you figure out what you really need (a small handheld mixer) and what you really don’t need (a heavy appliance with too many gadgets). Thanks for helping my work out solutions for my own life by watching you talk through your decisions. The more I declutter, the more layers of clutter I find - peeling back layers of the onion.
I watch April too. Thanks for sharing her RU-vid with us. Yes I have had donations in my car for a while because I waited for family to drop off their donations (I have time to do drop offs when others are working)
i do it step by step too :) as i do it by bike :) i do not have car :) so sometimes it could seem weird that i send one big bag by one, each week sometimes, but as i go by bike.. i feel it that way easier and helping for my mind too :) i feel that one thing at a time helps me too :) even if i could feel too much :) and feeling the momentum step by step to keep going, in fact, ;) but each one might have different feeling, but i confirm, i feel to have evolved thanks to declutter my life, material, commitments.. relations.. all :) i encourage every one to just let go without being minimalist in fact, but letting go things that we feel no more serving us for our daily life and goals.. step by step, helps us and we feel even more clearer and empowered then, step by step.. and the joy to sense that things will serve others ! ;) this helps me to let go :) .. :) and watching your channel helps me too keep going ;) thanks :) (sorry for my mistakes in English, wishing it can make sense what i tried to share :) kiss kiss :) and lot of love and gratitude ;)
I just love your videos. I love decluttering. I am finding that I am doing decluttering on a regular basis. I still have some to do but I feel so much better about my apartment.
I love the Collab too! I follow you both. You are both kind and patient and so sweet. Great video today! Everyone gets the clutter out when they can - I keep a box in my car. When it is full or I can't stand looking at it anymore, I take it to the donation center.
GREAT TOPIC!!! This was such a challenge for me because all I knew was garage sales to declutter. Which totally does not work when you are renting a basement suite. I had to start from square one on how to get stuff out.
Great job Erica😊 Thank you for sharing your thinking process. I’m jumping off the consumer merry go round and being intentional with anything I buy or bring into our home. I’m with you when decluttering - ‘one box at a time’.
I am the same, I have a bag of organising boxes that have gone back and forth to my mums that I have in my car just now. I really should bring them in so I can get me car cleaned out xxxxxxxxx
Been following u & April for awhile & love u guys!!❤️ I keep a donation pile in a section in my basement & once it gets to be several items or bags full I call my local veterans association for pick up! The electronics is def a pain in the butt I know what u mean. I also find I need to put “drop off electronics donation” in my calendar or I will totally forget about the stuff that goes to specific locations. 🥰
Hi there I’ve been following you as I just recently moved into a new home and made it my goal to D clutter and downsize. I’ve been experiencing this sentimental guilt you were talking about. I have to take breaks lots of breaks because I get overwhelmed but thank you your channel is motivating me to continue on. I appreciate it!!💝
I love your channel as well as April's, two shining lights in the world ❤️❤️. I do have a bag of clothes to take to donation and it hasn't made it there yet, but it will☺️
I need to put a sticky note on the steering wheel or dash board where i will see it as a reminder to go to drop boxes specially when the only drop box is on the other side of town
I am struggling with Step 2 right now. I decluttered some antiques and collectibles last fall. I photographed them and sent a list to a local auctioneer, and they replied that they would be willing to sell the items for me but it might be a few weeks. I contacted them again in February and they said they were still backlogged and would contact me at the end of March. I sent a reminder at the beginning of April; still no date, but it seemed like they would be ready soon. So I moved the items into my car, where they take up the whole back seat. It is now July and the items are still on my back seat. I contacted the auctioneer last week and they are still backlogged. If they haven't scheduled me by the end of the month, they are losing my business. I want these items GONE (but they're too valuable for me to afford to donate)!
Are you selling and shipping online? If so what app is it or do you have a link to your page, Ide be interested in some of the consoles and games you’re selling
