Ok How do you do it? We have so much stuff filling our small home that I am on the quest to simplify. We have things we no longer use like old computers, printers, a recliner, a bar stool, all the clothes that we say we are going to get back into some day. Do you have a yard sale, pawn it off on friends and fam, put it on craigs list, e-bay or a free cycle site, donate it, consign it or what? I don't know where to start. Cleaning one room means moving stuff to a different room in most cases to the point that I just donst know what to do with things. How do you tackle de-cluttering?

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Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

Yep you do any or all of the ones you mentioned. I am currently getting things together for a yard sale. I have a ton of stuff I am willing to part with and am lucky to have the space to store these things for now. Otherwise I would normally see if I know anyone that needs something I have or just donate it.

The best advice is to start small. When I look at my whole house I get overwhelmed. I don't even look at one room at a time, I look at a section of a room and start there. Stick with it, and don't get discouraged.

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Proud mommy to adorable Kinsley

MY BLOG!

Personally I just donate it. We have a VETS pick up every few months and they know they can count on us for stuff. Having a yard sale is too time consuming and not really worth it to me, I'd rather donate it to a good cause and get the tax write off.
Getting started doesn't come easy when it comes to de-cluttering, I know I am still in the beginning stages. I just pick a room and go for it. Or if I come across an item in the home and think "Seriously?!" It goes into a box...if I don't miss it...buh bye, it gets donated!

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I don't personally have the patience to hold onto stuff for a garage sale, nor to sell it on ebay or Craig's List. I just donate things we don't use. If I have something I think one of my friends or family might like, I definately offer it to them first. Otherwise, it goes! We donate certain things to our school, our church and shelters. Also I'm on a few lists where they call you every few months to see if you have anything to donate. They usually take clothing, and small household things. It's great. You just pack it up and put it on your front porch and they pick it up.

I take everything out, then all the stuff goes either 1) in the trash bag, 2) in donate box, or 3) back in.

Same here! Don't have the time or energy to go through it all, and the space to store it. I want it gone.

Oh how I wish I were better about this...I donate things after the piles get to be too overwhelming. A friend of mine had a baby boy a few months after I had my baby girl so we were able to do a baby clothing swap, that got rid of a few boxes! I also found out a friend of mine was pregnant but couldn't afford too much maternity clothing so I donated what would work best for her. Once I finish decluttering the bedrooms I am going to try to tackle the basement but I am pretty sure all I have to do is find boxes and throw them out/donate what is in them because I've been in my house for 5 years now and I have obviously managed to do without it!

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Angie
Married to my best friend 9.99
Mother since 4.04 to "Bobo" and his "baby" 9.06

With us it's either the trash or donate! We don't have the patience to tag everything and have a sale or try to do Craigslist, I'd rather just have dh drop if off at Goodwill or somewhere on his way to work!

We have a flea market set up in our town so my mom and I went out and set up two tables last Sat and made $85. We had to pay $12 for the tables so we madeover $70 in profits. We normally both just donate the stuff but we tried this and it was a lot of fun! Plus I found a great set of drawers for my scrapbooking paper for only $10. Also, I'm on a bartering list. I also use the bartering forum here. Your big stuff would probably be better for freecycle but your clothing might be a good batering item. The best frugal advice is to get something you need for something you don't!

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Alicia (Tree-hugger wannabe)
mom to Shawn, Jake, and Toad
"Chick" out the Scrapbooking Forum for great handcrafted Occasion Ideas!!

I use craigslist: san francisco bay area classifieds for jobs, apartments, personals, for sale, services, community, and events to sell and buy things. Its quick, easy, and FREE. A lot of people use it in Denver so it works great. It you can't sell it, donate it. If you can't donate it trash it. I sell thing first because we can always use the cash.

Okay this is totally me. I have no storage space for things I need to get rid of. None. It sits in our living room or our bedroom, and in either place, looks absolutely trashy (how do you camoflauge 8 garbage bags and boxes?) and ghetto. I've come the point that I'm just going to chuck it. I don't have a vehicle to take it to the SA and they don't make trips to come get it. So sayonara it goes. I know that's terrible, but it's been sitting in my house making me miserable tripping over it for over 6 months! I've been shifting it from one place to the next, and I'm just so ready to see it gone. If you get anywhere close to a SA or Goodwill anytime, put your castoffs in your car trunk to drop off when you have an extra minute someday. Oh, and when you're decluttering, be BRUTAL. I promise that 99% of the time you won't miss it! Got a drawer full of junk? Take a minute and move around the stuff, grab the things you desperately need to keep, and just dump the rest into a trash bag. Don't look back. You probably haven't used anything (or close to it) in that drawer in months or even years. Like someone on here said once "save your love for what will love you back". Good luck! Decluttering and simplifying is REALLY ADDICTING once you start!

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