@swimcatsmom I’m so impressed with your progress! Keep working a little at a time and before you know it, the clutter will diminish and your house will feel so much more peaceful. (I absolutely love to organize- I wish I lived in your neck of the woods so I could help you).
@swimcatsmom the September Sweep recommends taking everything out and then putting 3 things back in that you really like. Keep doing it until closet or dresser is full and then get rid of the rest. Thinking positive instead trying to decide what to get rid of. I guess it is like the konmarie method. I found it helped,
@swimcatsmom : I love your avatar. I love your pantry. Whenever you’re feeling stressed, just go open that door, take a look, and breath deeply. You can do this!
I’m killing it today. Going on a trip soon so decided to try on every pair of pants in my closet and many shirts. 20 pairs of pants and 20 shirts in a bag by the door to donate. That leaves me with 6 black or navy work pants (long and Capri), 2 black jeans, 2 dark skinny jeans, 2 boyfriend jeans (my usual uniform), and new deep turquoise and deep brownish reddish stretch jeans.
I’ve been trying to switch over to solid shirts to look more modern but it’s a slow process. Idk why I’m so drawn to bright colorful patterns! When I see them on women on tv I recognize that they may seem “older” or less young and trendy. My D has some influence here (not a fan of my patterned stretchy loose tops). Anyway, more work to do with tops and sweaters.
Way to go @psychmomma! Well done 
I did smile at your comment about solid vs patterned tops…I’ve noticed that too many of my tops are solid and I’ve been on the lookout for patterns! While I know I’ll always have some solids, I feel like I look more blah; I feel like I look more interesting with patterns!
I usually wear solids. An old boyfriend once told me that I look like I’m sampling paints.
I like patterns - flowers, geometric, etc. My daughter wears lots of stripes.
Great job @swimcatsmom. Your avatar made me realize how different everyone’s storage needs are. We keep no canned goods in our house. We just aren’t soup people and we don’t use cooked tomatoes either. Trying to remember the last time I bought a can of anything. Lol.
Tonight I did a “bag a night”. It was crummy outside after work and so I tackled a row of cupboards that needed attention in the kitchen. SERIOUSLY me? Too much stuff!
Guys, I had 16 kinds of pasta. There are TWO people living here on a regular basis. From penne to elbow, orzo to chickpea pasta, large shells to be stuffed to kraft mac and cheese. OMG I will not allow myself to buy pasta OR rice for months!
One large bag of garbage and one large bag of empty boxes to be recycled in the cans for garbage pick up tomorrow!
I’ve been traveling lately, but really need to get back to de-cluttering. I’m seriously considering taking some time off to dedicate to this. But I suspect once I schedule the time, I will fill it with other activities.
Six large framed pictures / prints / posters and about as many lampshades to Goodwill today!
Cleaned the fridge. Out went some old condiments no one is using… also tossed some old paperbacks from the library into the recycling bin. Feels good. ?
So H and I were watching Hoarders last night (H hoards, but denies). He said he couldn’t be a hoarder because we don’t have animals. Lo and behold, one of the featured people had no pets, but had the stuff H has! Massive amounts of paper, electronics, books, paper goods, broken household items (may need for parts says the man who fixes nothing), kids’ stuff: all stacked up with pathways through the stuff. His comment was Huh, didn’t know that! Maybe I am a hoarder…but it didn’t go further than that. He did think I could get rid of some of the broken stuff.
Next weekend is looking good!
I cleaned out the towel shelves. I dumped more towels than I kept. I think if I still had towels my ex mother in law had done for us, and I’ve been remarried close to 20 years, those towels can go, yes?
Many of the towels were still fine, but I figure the vet or the SPCA can benefit from those towels more than we will.
I had a load of things pulled together to take to Goodwill - as husband was loading it he questioned the need to get rid of a punch bowl with mismatching cups (a flower arrangement had been made in it instead of a vase). I reminded him that we had a punchbowl from our own wedding that we rarely use. He still thinks we should keep it - because it’s an “antique”. Anything we still have from our wedding can also be considered antique. I let him win this round.
@threebeans I feel you, we’ve had those negotiations here. Sounds as though you still had a net gain of space, so hold that thought!
S3 moved out (again). 2 trash bags out and 2 bags to Salvation Army as a start. He also took our old sofa and chair and a box of old pots and pans!
We cleaned out our large linen closet last weekend. We were able to donate at least 4 cubic feet worth of blankets, sheets, towels, and pillows. Best feeling ever!
Cats and dogs at the local shelters thank you all for donating your old towels and bedsheets!
I attacked the winter clothes bins this evening. If I didn’t pull it out because I will likely wear it this year, I seriously considered the donate pile. There are some things I just can’t part with (Disney sweatshirts my now deceased mom bought me when my kids were young, and PJs she bought me, for example). But I have quite a big donate pile.
I have “saved” some of these clothes for years, but I was talking to a friend the other day, and she was telling me how she gave a lot of clothes to a friend who couldn’t afford to buy new things. Now I’m thinking… OK, if I want something like this (that I haven’t worn in well over a year), I can afford to buy new, but someone who can’t will really enjoy this now.
(That sounds like reverse “justification” for buying something, doesn’t it?)