@abasket you can do it next weekend along with whatever New Year’s resolution!
Do it after dinner! (That’s when I did it.)
I have a friend who works at a big foundation in DC and two times a year they devote an entire day to decluttering offices and destroying documents.
Yea for this thread! When I got on cc this morning I realized that it was 11 and that I hadn’t done any cleaning so I tackled the bathroom overjohn. What a relief to dispose of all the outdated meds.
Also, is it an issue that I have no problem finding things that can be cleaned out? 
I’m back to report sister took H’s advice and their is a large dumpster in MIL’s yard. We’re going back tomorrow! It’s easy to see fast progress when you are trashing 100%.
I still have a LONG way to go on my personal goal of “not leaving this mess to my kids” plan. Yesterday, D and I sorted piles of books in the basement, shelved the keepers and took 5 boxes to Goodwill today. Also resold some college textbooks and took to post office.
My main floor is fairly clutter-free, but my basement is a project. Hope to do the attic once it warms up in spring. Wish I’d never taken anything up there. Hard to access and it’s the land of “things my kids couldn’t part with when we cleaned”.
@porcupine98 You have a lot more ambition than me after work and dinner!
I did clean out the freezer on New Year’s Day, getting rid of freezer-burned leftovers and food that did not bring me joy (did Kondo address this?) and rearranged things. It is so much easier to find stuff now. Why did I procrastinate so long?!
Speaking of Kondo, she was the answer to a clue on Jeopardy! last night (showed a demonstration of folding a shirt in the clue) and none of the contestants tried to answer. I was amazed. That folding stuff seems to be everywhere.
@VeryHappy, I didn’t mean to give the impression that I put the 5 place settings of 29 year old, never used flatware in the trash…I didn’t think of replacements though. No idea the name of the pattern. Maybe I’ll send them an email with a photo and see what they say.
Replacements is very very helpful. And I’m sure someone who only has 11, or 7, or 5 of your pattern will be happy to buy them!
I think I need to limit my options to 1. Donate. 2. Garbage.
If I let “Sell” be an option, it’s only an invitation for items to sit around the house for another several years, untouched, waiting to be sold, someday, by someone. Oh dear.
^^^ That. It’ll never get sold. I’m OK with losing a few bucks on stuff in order to get it out of my house.
When our kids were wee ones, we had a yard sale with some other families with the intention of donating 100% of the proceeds. We donated the money to our local park district to buy and plant more trees in the parks. It was fun for the kids because they got to be present at the planting ceremony when it was time.
It’s the only pleasant yard sale we’ve ever had. No one was rude. No one was hell bent on getting the low prices even lower. Many people cheerfully rounded UP when paying.
But, it’s Donate or Garbage this round.
Thanks to the inspiration provided by this thread, I have amassed four bags for Goodwill (this rate will not continue, lol!)! My back is telling me it is time for a tea break.
Hey, there are people that are really good at selling some stuff on EBay. It may be just finding a person to do it and split the profit!
I can ASSURE you, that option will not work well for me.
I have a big box of “valuables” – I can’t just DONATE this stuff! I can SELL it on eBay! – that has been sitting in the basement waiting for me to do something with it for an embarrassing long amount of time.
No more excuses. Putting on my ruthless hat. This is the year.
@Midwest67, I “planned” to have a yard sale and get rid of my kid stuff for MANY years. Finally I decided i would sell the bike trailer. When the girl came to get it she asked me how much I wanted. I said it was free if she’d take a bunch of other stuff too. it was a win win situation.
I finally tossed the box that had “for yard sale” sticker on it… the road to the garbage dump is paved with good intentions. 
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@Midwest67 there are vintage stores that will come to your house and price your stuff for you, and sell it. I used to sell on Ebay when my MIL had a ton of old toys she wanted out of the basement, and while it was fun to sell (and this was in the golden age of Ebay), it was so.much.work. Photographing, listing, following, packing,shipping, dealing with bad buyers, ugh. I won’t do it anymore. There are pack and ship places that will sell it for you on Ebay, though, come to think of it…
Here it is, it’s called "Ebay Valet:
Looks like Ebay is doing it in-house now, sweet!
Lol, thank you, but no selling.
I also have a pile of “projects”. Oh, those good pillows I was going to make new slipcovers for. The wooden picture frame I was going to strip and refinish. Jewelry I was going to restring and fix. That great dress that only needs some a few alterations.
It’s just not gonna happen. I’d rather walk the dog or nap.
Kudos to me! I’m totally pooped. Tons of stuff out at the curb. Both recycle and garbage bin (big) is over stuffed.
Started extra bags.
Hoping someone stops by my garbage curb collection. A lot of stuff held onto for way too long.
Still more work but OH SO MUCH LIGHTER! My “bag a week” for the next year is done but I’m still in the “clean” mode.
Ha… got around to bagging 2 bags for my local resale shop, and they gave me a coupon for 30% off my next purchase. Two bags forward… one (small) bag backward!