Getting back to basics is the simplest way to find calm in the chaos.
My family has lived in the same house for 23 years. As of yesterday, my parents just accepted an offer for this house. Before we got to this point, it took months to declutter 23 years of stuff and I want to share with you what I've learned throughout this process.
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What was I thinking keeping this all of these years?
That's usually what you say to yourself a few years from now as you help your parents declutter and remove items from their house.
It's been some time since I've graduated from anything, high school, college or grad school, but my sister came back from college a few weeks ago, schlepping all of her stuff back into my parents house. This was my cue to try to influence her to reduce and minimize her belongings.
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We will never be able to get back all of the money we spent buying stuff, the key is to learn new habits moving hard.
That was the biggest lesson I learned when I started my minimizing and decluttering phase. One of the first things I tackled was clothing. I initially donated some and sent some to ThredUp. This was in 2015. I just re-ordered a new clean out bag and just recently received it. I'm happy to be sending a few more items to ThredUp. A few people say that it's not worth it or they don't pay enough for the clothes you send it, but I have a few counter arguments against that. If you are thinking of sending clothing to ThredUp, here are a few reasons to do so.
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7 definitions of clutter. Which one resonates with you?
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When I did my big de-cluttering project a few months ago, I wanted to make some money off of the stuff I was letting go. I had a lot of things to get rid of from clothes to furniture to electronics and all were in perfectly good condition. I wanted to try to sell it first and see if I could gain back some of the money I had spent on these items. The first thing I realized is that there is a marketplace for anything and everything. The second thing I realize is that you can never get back all of the money you spent buying stuff. This thing called depreciation is actually a real thing. Don't expect to sell your stuff for the same price you paid for it, unless of course it's vintage or a collector's items, but this is rare and should not be counted on.
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Many of us may have made it a resolution to start on the minimal path this year. For that, I applaud you! It takes courage to realize that a change is needed. I've been at this minimizing and decluttering phase for a while now so I thought I would share some hard truths to those just starting out. Minimizing and decluttering is not easy to do. The typical person living in a western and consumer driven society does not realize how much stuff they are drowning in. Many are content to live day by day, paycheck to paycheck getting pulled to buy things that's unnecessary and don't provide any real and true value. Many of us have been conditioned to think that all of this stuff is OK, but it is not. It's a burden to our physical, mental and emotional health.
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I'm selling my wedding dress and here are some reasons why.
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