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Most freeing thing you've decluttered?

post #1 of 43
1/8/10 at 1:39pm
Thread Starter 
I'm curious about your experience: what's the most freeing thing that you've let go of? What have you given away, thrown out, donated, or otherwise released that has had the biggest impact on your life?
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post #2 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:00pm
i would say the first one that *really* felt great was when both DH and i decluttered--got rid of--all of our high school, college, and graduate school books, papers, and whatever other clutter from that we had.

it was as if a lot of emotional baggage from that time was released with all of the recycled books, papers, and whatever else. it was *so* liberating.

and right now, we feel incredibly abundant and blessed. we currently own 23 boxes of books, two boxes of kitchen supplies, and one chair--all in storage--and 12 bags of our necessities (clothes, son's toys and instruments, computers). we sold our house, all of our furniture, and we will sell our car too before we leave for New Zealand.

while we know that we will be picking up possessions as we move forward (we'll eventually buy a house, perhaps a car, and of course furnish that house), what we also know is that each purchase will be a mindful, specific purchase.

we started the process of only buying what we really wanted about 2-3 years ago. we found that we really wanted high quality items that would last, and so we would pick what we wanted, save up to pay cash, and then take good care of that item. what we noticed is that things like clothing (though we do need to replace some of it currently) tends to last 5 or more years. The higher the quality, the longer it lasts, the better the value. it simplifies everything for us.

so right now, we feel *incredibly* abundant in our lives, even though we possess very little right now. we are staying with friends (who are graciously letting us stay for free), and we will be house sitting once we get to NZ (at least for a time--which is also free housing).

we will figure out how much things cost (food budgeting, etc), and then we will carefully purchase what we need when we know what we can afford.

it's been a powerful experience, letting go of everything.
post #3 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:08pm
good question . . . i've 'released' many large items, like furniture, but i was using them and i replaced them, so i don't feel like they made a big impact on my life even though they were physically large. the thing that has been the most freeing is letting go of the 'someday' storage. the baby clothes, the unfinished craft projects and supplies, the clothes i hoped to fit into again, and the randomness like my china dolls and grandma's knick-knacks. i was hanging onto them out of a sense of guilt and/or because they were worth something, but they were doing nothing for me. now those clothes are being worn, dolls are being adored, and the fancy crap and the craft supplies are being put to good use. i kept the (few!) treasures and let go of the rest, and realized it was like a fricking dead weight! i actually need to do this again . . . really badly!
post #4 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:18pm
A lot of "heirlooms" that were basically given to me to keep forever and ever, no matter what. I had 3 huge bins of stuff, that while were nice things, were not me nor did I really want them. I tried to give them back and it was a HUGE mistake. I finally let them go after saying a little karma prayer and donated them. It was very freeing. It was stressful because it was like I had to take care of something I did not want and was constantly worried about them breaking or having to store them with care. And yes, I broke a very old teapot...and that was the freeing point for me.

Another huge declutter were things from my life prior to moving out---I seriously felt like the energy was draining me as I was trying to move forward in my life. It was like my old life was gripping me. The only thing I kept were some drawings that I put in a huge frame (I picked out my absolute 10 favorite) and they now hang nicely in my sons room. It's all I need.

Recently, it's been the baby clothes. DS is now into almost big boy clothes. I kept a small box with his coming home from the hospital clothes, a few favorite t-shirts and his first pair of Converse sneakers. I did make a little blanket for his animals out of his clothing...he loves it and it is special all around.
post #5 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:36pm
The microwave.I love that it's gone!And I love that when I mentioned it to my husband(thinking he would never go for it)his reply was "get rid of it".
post #6 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:39pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by treespeak View Post
I'm curious about your experience: what's the most freeing thing that you've let go of? What have you given away, thrown out, donated, or otherwise released that has had the biggest impact on your life?
The sofa and chair that was bought for us by my inlaws when we got married. (we picked it out and they paid for it). We didn't select something that was very good quality, it was dirty and stained, had been almost completely distroyed by my kids and cats. (They were frequently used as a potty chair/litter box!). I kept it in the garage for a while, thinking that I would try to re-cover them and salvage what was left of them. But then the winter was fast approaching, and I just decided one day to put them out on double-up trash day.

I went outside when the garbage truck came, and I watched him crush all of them right there in front of me. It was a wonderful feeling to be able to let go!
post #7 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:42pm
My ex- husband. Lol.

Seriously, I went through and sorted out a lot of memorabilia. I was a packrat before I joined the military. So many moves will whip the sentimentality right out of you!!

This last move I went through tons of boxes and got rid of a bunch of things I'd been keeping just because they had a distant memory attached. There were things I kept, but only those things that were part of what I consnsidered "milestone" memories.

I felt so much lighter afterwards.

Next I'm going to tackle all the baby clothes I've been keeping...12 big bins of stuff that has to go.

Other than that I don't have much...I'm pretty minimalist when it comes to things in the actual house.
post #8 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:46pm
My old guitar. I haven't played since high school but I dutifully moved it with me and stored it for over 15 years (I just dated myself). It was a gift from my dad. The lessons were something I never really liked (5th - 12th grade). I didn't play much even back then except what I had to. But it was a big deal for my dad who always wanted to play and hoped I'd be musicaly inclined. I finally put it on craigslist this summer and sold it really inexpensively to a very nice pastor that wanted to use it for music lessons with kids that didn't have their own instruments. His experienced eyes saw where it was starting to get damaged from not being used or taken care of. But he got a beautiful song or two out of it before taking it away.

It's always been one of those things that just stares at me from a corner. Poking and saying I should WANT to play. I should enjoy playing. I shouldn't waste the years of lessons. But now it's with someone that makes great music with kids that WANT to play! And the minute he took it out of the house, I heaved a sigh of relief. That was one thing I was very very happy not to move with me into my new life. Shoulda-coulda-woulda things are not allowed.

Oh, and I haven't told my family---but they live 5 hrs away and what they don't know won't hurt them!!! Maybe some day. They won't really mind---it's self-imposed guilt. But since I never play, it just doesn't come up. :-D Maybe someday they'll ask "whatever happened to..." but I doubt it.
post #9 of 43
1/8/10 at 2:47pm
[QUOTE=HappilyEvrAfter;14902443]My ex- husband. Lol.

post #10 of 43
1/8/10 at 3:09pm
The portable dishwasher. It took up so much room in the kitchen!
post #11 of 43
1/8/10 at 3:58pm
We took 20 bags of clothes, blankets, towels etc. to homeless shelter. We are getting ready to move in a few months and I'm sick of lugging so much around! I know it will be used by them!
post #12 of 43
1/8/10 at 4:12pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoebird View Post
i would say the first one that *really* felt great was when both DH and i decluttered--got rid of--all of our high school, college, and graduate school books, papers, and whatever other clutter from that we had...
Me too. I get so emotionally attached to information and then when i go through old stacks of paper that I haven't touched in ages by then the info is out of date or completely meaningless. I'm learning! I also like having just a few nice quality things than a lot of junky things. That applies to clothes, towels, dishes, cookingware, flatware, etc.

OP, to answer your question. Every time I get rid of an old futon or toy it's just as liberating. It all weighs down on me the same.
post #13 of 43
1/8/10 at 4:33pm
Aww I was going to say my Ex-Husband!! (AND all of HIS stuff!!!)

Seriously, it was very freeing to get rid of the stored boxes and bins of action figures, baseball cards. He was a bit of a pack rat.

It was also freeing to get rid of the big TV - granted I replaced it. When the big TV broke, I scaled down - got a flat screen, mounted it on the wall. It takes up so much less space than the huge TV and it's stand.
post #14 of 43
1/8/10 at 4:37pm
I immediately thought about how when I gave away a pile of clothing that was too big on me a wonderful woman showed up with a bag of clothing that would fit me and dd1. I did end up with less yet what I had was useful. Decluttering and good karma all at once.
post #15 of 43
1/8/10 at 6:50pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by zoebird View Post
i would say the first one that *really* felt great was when both DH and i decluttered--got rid of--all of our high school, college, and graduate school books, papers, and whatever other clutter from that we had.

it was as if a lot of emotional baggage from that time was released with all of the recycled books, papers, and whatever else. it was *so* liberating.

and right now, we feel incredibly abundant and blessed. we currently own 23 boxes of books, two boxes of kitchen supplies, and one chair--all in storage--and 12 bags of our necessities (clothes, son's toys and instruments, computers). we sold our house, all of our furniture, and we will sell our car too before we leave for New Zealand.

while we know that we will be picking up possessions as we move forward (we'll eventually buy a house, perhaps a car, and of course furnish that house), what we also know is that each purchase will be a mindful, specific purchase.

we started the process of only buying what we really wanted about 2-3 years ago. we found that we really wanted high quality items that would last, and so we would pick what we wanted, save up to pay cash, and then take good care of that item. what we noticed is that things like clothing (though we do need to replace some of it currently) tends to last 5 or more years. The higher the quality, the longer it lasts, the better the value. it simplifies everything for us.

so right now, we feel *incredibly* abundant in our lives, even though we possess very little right now. we are staying with friends (who are graciously letting us stay for free), and we will be house sitting once we get to NZ (at least for a time--which is also free housing).

we will figure out how much things cost (food budgeting, etc), and then we will carefully purchase what we need when we know what we can afford.

it's been a powerful experience, letting go of everything.
This is my favorite post...ever.
post #16 of 43
1/8/10 at 6:58pm
Old notebooks, diaries and other sentimental paper junk.

Thanks to this thread I attacked them today and reduced but 2/3 it's not everything yet but it's what I was able to handle at the moment. I know next time I'll be a little better at it.
post #17 of 43
1/8/10 at 7:26pm
post #18 of 43
1/8/10 at 9:41pm
Over the past month, I have donated over 800 pieces of children's clothing. I had enough stored to open my own "For Boys Only" resale shop! I purged 450 pieces in December & the rest last weekend. I was able to give them to friends & they will select what they want & donate to others.

I actually was so overwhelmed with the amount of clothing items, I stood in my dining room & cried. I am now the proud owner of one plastic bin of each sized needed for my son. It was super hard work, but worth all the space I gained.
post #19 of 43
1/9/10 at 12:37pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Gray's Mommy View Post
Over the past month, I have donated over 800 pieces of children's clothing. I had enough stored to open my own "For Boys Only" resale shop! I purged 450 pieces in December & the rest last weekend. I was able to give them to friends & they will select what they want & donate to others.

I actually was so overwhelmed with the amount of clothing items, I stood in my dining room & cried. I am now the proud owner of one plastic bin of each sized needed for my son. It was super hard work, but worth all the space I gained.
Freaking awesome. Well Done!

I really wish I could think of something(s) I've donated that made a big impact, but can't recall anything specific. I know getting rid of furniture I don't like is always good.

I also know that I want to own barely anything, and the more stuff that goes out, the better I feel mentally. I feel a calm, a deep peace... and like my life is open with space and time to do whatever the heck the world has to offer (without having to move around, think about, clean and take care of stuff in my way, distracting my brain and using my energy!).

We are planning to pack up our little suv with the things we'll need the most, and drive 4,200 miles to Fairbanks in May. Most everything around me will be given away or sold. We have a couple huge pieces of furniture that are great, but will not be coming with, and I am very happy about that. All I need before we go is two sleeping pads that slip into our Big Agnes double sleeping bag, so we'll have a ready-made bed anywhere.
post #20 of 43
1/9/10 at 12:42pm
Hi - I am new - but something I did recently was get rid of all the dvd cases and put the dvds into nice dvd holders. We had bags of plastic. It felt so good to get that space back. I love this thread.