OK, fellow declutterers! I know you're out there. How are things going? Are you digging through those dusty boxes? Discarding those mounds of magazines? Clearing out those unused clothes?

I'm pleased to say I've been making slow but steady progress. A most recent triumph has been a return to reading. I have bookshelves full of books that have gone unread because I "didnt' have the time," and I told myself I either needed to get rid of them or read them. I'm making the time, and I'm satisfied with the decision.

When you get done come to my house, I am a pack rat and find it hard to get rid of stuff, after all " I might be able to use it someday."

Great topic.

Several months ago I started a major declutter project. Most recent steps:

A four foot stack of magazines - to the magazine rack at the recycle center
One nice silk dress shirt - too big - to Good Will
One wool blue blazer - too big - just hated to see it go
One Egyptian Cotton Brooks Brothers shirt - too big - had been reluctant to let a good shirt go

I'm making progress one square inch at a time.

My lifelong goal seems to be to declutter and organize my life. Recently I checked out theflylady.com... have you ever been to this site?

Bill and Ufi - great job on your progress. I need to do the same!!

i haven't done a whole lot of decluttering...but i am in the process...i have about 20 things sitting on my dinning room table waiting to go on ebay. They still are in good shape...so i figure, try to make money. DH and i last week did go thr clothes and give a bunch of stuff to good will since it will still count for tax deduction until december.

We are having our company party next Sat....a dressy affair...I de-cluttered 2 pairs of pants I have been saving for my skinny days to return....not gonna happen! They were my 165 pants....

decluttered 2 pair of nice black slacks to the Goodwill pile in the garage today

I have been slowly but surely trying to get through my room and decluttering everything. I live with my parents, so really only have my bedroom for storage. It's a tiny space, but I am such a packrat that I have so much stuff around!

Anyway, trying to get through things has led to 5 bags of clothes and 1 bag of flip flops/shoes/purses to Goodwill and 1 bag of trash for Trash Pickup tomorrow. I still have piles everywhere! haha

I am redoing my room after Christmas....buying a bigger bed and getting new bedroom furniture, so I am planning a massive "trash" party when that happens. I am going to do the whole "if I haven't used it in the last year, it's gone!" Too many times in the past, I have kept things for the mere fact that I could possibly need it in the future. I need to get away from that train of thought.

Decluttering my house (and my life for that matter) has become a goal of mine.

One thing I did back in October was make a public declaration on my blog to get rid of 100 things in 100 days. I'm up to 57 and my deadline is Dec 31st. I'm not entirely sure I'm going to make 100 things (although I'm going to keep trying), but I have gotten rid of a significant amount of clutter and managed to streamline a lot. It's really freeing to get rid of things, once you get into the swing of it.

I've donated a lot to Goodwill and I've sold a fair number of things on Ebay as well.

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i've been pretty good about keeping clutter to a minimum. we're moving over the next couple of weeks so whatever is left is getting dumped. i dun wanna take it to the new place! so far we've got two bags of clothes to donate- most from my hubbys great weight loss success! i'm proud of him- but kinda wish it was my clothes going.
i do have a hard time w/ the magazines. i've made a goal not to take any of them with me... we'll see how that goes.

Good job on progress!

I've been to that site. I read "It's All Too Much," and it was helpful. Life before possessions. Sometimes, it's actually painful to consider the things I'll either use or toss. Really makes you look at how you're spending your time and space. But I'm proud of how my place is shaping up.

My husband and I are on a mission to get rid of everything we don't absolutely need. Our dream is to move into an RV and travel the country's warm zones (we're both on disability and getting less and less able to stand Wisconsin's winters).

The RV may not be realistic for several reasons, and it might be more practical to move permanently to a warmer part of the country, but either way getting rid of excess stuff is going to be necessary either way.

We shared our plans at Thanksgiving and hubby's family thinks we're nuts and did their best to talk us out of it. Maybe it is a stupid idea, but the alternative is to stay where we are and try to cope with winter. So far, that has meant a pseudo-hibernation where we're both reluctant to leave the house.

I have needed to weed through my closet for months. I have drawers that are over-full and I know the stuff on the bottom hasn't been worn for months (maybe years) and can be donated to charity. I just haven't had the time. As for the rest of my house, I'm pretty clutter free. I don't keep magazines (unless it is Cooking Light) for more than a couple of weeks before recycling. I will keep catalogs for a few days (I mark things that are interesting and set aside, then in a few days I review my interesting finds and if they are still interesting I'll keep it for a few more days or toss it. Seldom do these interesting items get purchased, though!).

I emptied my storage unit this weekend! It will save me $80 a month. I took several home accessories to a local consignment shop to be sold. I could use the Christmas $$$ too.

Strange that I should spot this today. I just packed up and sent two bags of my dear departed husband's clothing to Goodwill. As I dig out the Christmas stuff, I'm filling a box of unused stuff for the next yard sale at the Church.

I have a list... that I made last December. It didn't get done during last year, but I keep trying. I need to declutter, but honestly, when I get busy with my kids (ages 12 & 14, sports enthusiasts), that's what gets put on the back burner. But, I still have the list and the clutter, so it will be a goal for 2009.