I still used the container concept for all my fabric. That way, I got rid of the ones I've kept for years without knowing what to do with them and only have ones that I have a plan/broad idea for. The container concept has helped me a lot! It really does help with facing reality and getting rid of fantasy me. I also love puzzles, so I have one drawer that fits 5 and my puzzle board. So I can only keep 5 and often when I'm done with 2 or 3, I start looking on marketplace for other people who are selling them and often I can swap them for free. That way, I've made a ton of puzzles for the price of just a few.
For lego, try a wooden trundle bed base under their bed that they can build and leave messy and wheel it back under their bed. The base can be painted with a race track, space station, etc. and painted over as their lego sets change. 😊
When I find something somewhere other than I look for it first, I put it back where I first looked! I just figure I answered wrong the first time. That has worked for me really well.
Lisa Taylor, I donated old DVDs to the local library. Can go get them when we want to watch it, just don’t have them in the house and others can be blessed by it too 👍
I used to put a sheet down before Lego time. The Legos are supposed to stay on the sheet and clean up time was easy because we gathered the corners up and put it in the box like that.
This is a version of "the Container Concept", providing the children a limited space to play. If the amount of Legos they want to play with exceeds the boundaries, they'll first have to put some back into the storage container. 👍
My kids have Playmobil rather than legos,but I have each set in a separate box: they can pull out one or two at a time, and each kid has her own baking tray at the table to play on. Then it gets put away.
When I took my great nieces to library activities, they used the sheet for Legos. When my kids were little and also when I taught, I didn't think of using a sheet. That sure would have saved me a lot of frustration if I had known then. I had a clean whisk broom and dustpan, but the sheet idea works much better.
That's actually a good idea to keep the roaster under the bed! I keep the leaf for the table under there and it only comes out on holidays and so does the roaster!
The container concept has magical powers that somehow helps to declutter all the emotional things. I think it’s because I know I can keep whatever I want, as long as it fits in the allocated container/space. For me it’s not about will I ever use it or not, I just need to love it enough to fit in the container I have for sentimental things. I love this concept so much and it’s truly changed our home❤️❤️
I just re-decluttered my yarns, and found that I had kept a lot of yarns in my last decluttering that were not really my style (though my preferred brand/thickness). I think I kept them in case I was going to make stuff for other people, but being in the process of putting my living space in order while I’m away for a long while (seeing if I want/need to move south), they don’t look keep-worthy anymore. Not when I need their drawer space for the yarns I really want to either come back home to or go through the hassle of moving. I do not want to get back home to a mess that has just been sitting there for a long while, but putting things in order also helps me experience that in a lot of ways, every time I enter a room I ”come home” to either mess or a space set up for my needs and my thriving. Putting things in order makes me less and less inclined to move, to be honest. Turns out I don’t dislike this place as much as I thought, I just really dislike living in a place that is cluttered to the point where I have to work around the mess to do anything.
55:41 For bedroom/ office, you could picture 😉 this: use a bed that can rotate to get vertical (or simply use a mattress that you will rotate when work starts) and that you can discretly cover with a painting 🖼 the size of the bed, done by a friend artist - or yourself 🎨
Regarding roasting pans: I have an odd space above my kitchen cupboards (about 8 inches) which was apparently wasted: I keep my extra kitchen things up there: I bought wrapping paper storage boxes designed for under beds and they slide up there nicely, keep my things dust-free and still handy (and in the kitchen, which is where I look for such things).
Give kids a large cookie sheet for their Legos. Put little pieces in a plastic bowl kept on the cookie sheet along with the project, instruction book, and larger pieces. Tell kids if pieces end up anywhere else, they will be tossed. I let my grandson use a cookie sheet to plan with Erectorset-type projects, playdoh, or beach sand and shells. It's ok to set limits.
I have a double sink and found a dish drying rack that fits in the second sink. So that way they can happily drip dry in the sink, and my countertops are still clean and cutter free. Learned this tip from my aunt, and it has worked really well for me!
@@katie7748 Nope. That's the beauty of this community: we can share ideas that might seem obvious but could really help someone who hasn't thought of it before!
I love my fabric, but I will never have the time in my life to use it all. I have been using your system and am making progress. I have decided that I prefer making garments to quilting. Thankfully, I can donate much of the quilting fabric to a quilting group at my church.
For the roasting pans, I "store" mine at the thrift store! I only need a roasting pan for holiday meals, once or twice a year, and I know the thrift store will always have something that will work for less than $5. Best part - then I'll donate it back in January!
Wow, this really takes it to another level, I love it! I’ve been telling myself that certain types of items I only use every couple of years, when inexpensive, should just be ruthlessly donated, knowing in advance I’ll be spending $10-20 to replace them later, WORTH IT not to be storing them in my little house in the interim - just consider that $10-20 to be like reverse pace rent or something - a small fee it’s worth it to me to pay in order to not be crowded by that stuff for a couple of years of not using it. But the way you’re putting it is even better! So many functional-but-rarely-needed things are inexpensive to just pick up (buy second hand or at the dollar store) when needed, and then donate back - don’t need to keep keep keep them around!
For Legos and other small toys you can use a clean broom. Just "swipe" everything in one pile and then into a container. Maybe get a new broom specifically for the toys so dust and stuff don't cling to them. Also there are special big bags for Legos that become a circle rug. your kid can sit on it while playing. Then you pull the strings, the rug becomes a bag again and all the Lego parts that were on the rug are inside it.
Dollar Tree has brooms and long handled dust pans for $1.25. They are what I get when I want a one use only broom. They are undersized and relatively easy to store.
@@infopubs saw it years ago in a youtuber's video. The idea stunned me! Never got to use it though, my kid was already too big and didn't play sitting on the floor.
Your explanation near the end of the video about rooms with more than one purpose FINALLY clicked for me, after years of following you, reading and listening to all your books and content, and not totally understanding why you keep emphasizing this point. The name assigned to the room is based on the room's primary function, and the primary function gets the primary/most space. Secondary/tertiary/whatever functions of the room get progressively smaller slices of the room pie. The rest of your ideas and methods immediately resonated with me; I don't know why this one took so long for me! 💡💡💡💡💡
I just started watching your videos. I can't stop watching them actually. Really good stuff that makes perfect sense. Thanks so much for your knowledge!
@@barbarabrittain5861 A warning about Dana’s videos: She’ll have you unknowingly in the kitchen washing up before you know it every single time you put one on!!! I don’t know how she does it. You’ll love her technique and that of Cas from Clutterbug and Dawn from Minimal Mom too. Have a great day!
I’ve got 30yrs of fabric and have had some giveaways over the years and I see how much my taste in fabric and trends have changed so I’m going through it again. I gave a whole lot to a group who were making fundraising quilts a few years ago. I’m looking at getting rid of a lot of florals and keeping the tone on tones as I tend to make pictorial quilts.
Hi Dana I missed the live but watching the replay. To KIT KAT in the live chat, I had the same issue with my Dads 60 year collection of tools and building stuff in the basement, as I moved into the home after he passed. Had family members take what they wanted and kept a few things for myself. I then found a local scrap collector who came and took most of the rest of the stuff. Other thing you can do is put it all at the end of the driveway and post pictures of it on Craigs list as free. Whenever I do that it’s usually gone by the next morning. Maybe the gas leak is your Dads way of telling you it’s okay to let it all go. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason.
Thank you so much, Dana, for everything you do ❤ Every time I watch one of your videos I immediately start to declutter or tackle a project in my home 😃 There is something about your energy that is priceless ❤
For decluttering the fabric stash, one tip I have is to look through the fabric with certain projects in mind. Then, keep the fabric that you know you will be using for those projects. After you finish a project, donate the rest of the fabric from that project if there are any larger pieces left. Plus, if you go through the fabrics, there might be some that you don't like anymore so you won't enjoy sewing with those. It is very difficult because there are so many beautiful fabrics now.
@@gardener6480 Agree. I’ve also been eyeing off my scrap tub and thinking I hardly ever use them even though for pictorial quilts I can use 1/8” finished pieces. I started that tub in 1994. I hardly ever have a UFO but for the 1 or 2 over the years, I kept them for so long out of guilt and then one day said no to them. I only ever make one quilt at a time so I will finish it excitedly waiting to start the next. I realised early one I started about 4 and wasn’t finishing them and didn’t think that was the point!
Really great questions and answers today. Get Decluttering at the speed of life, even better get the Audible read beautifully by Dana, laughed my socks off😂. Slowly I'm getting the hang of take it there now, rather than stuff shifting or pile making.
Pop DVDs into the plastic sleeves with the cover. It reduced the space needed by 2/3rds. I put them into shoe box type boxes in alphabetical order and the series ones have two discs in them. Works a treat.
A few years ago I reduced my stamping and scrapbooking stashes to what I’d use next time I do them. I have a few new scrapbook albums so only want what will be used for those albums. I used the container concept for them and loved it. I chose what size container and that was it.
My kids struggle with Legos too. Our current solution is that each kit goes into a gallon bag with the instructions and then the bag goes into a fabric bin. One thing that has helped to contain the mess when they are playing, is to use plastic trays. Each kid has two so they can only have two that they are in the process of putting together. Or if it is a big set, then one can be for building and one can be for the loose pieces.
I don’t have an eBay business, but I do buy Christmas gifts year round. I have a Christmas closet. It holds gift wrap, gift bags, mailing stuff and any Christmas gifts. The closet is my container. Not only does it keep everything contained, I know where to look for a gift bought in February when I want to package and mail it in late November. In that closet I have a baker’s rack, it holds different totes; gifts for people a,b, c in one tote, gifts for people d,e,f in another, people g, h, and I in the third. If you are selling it could be jewelry in one area, glassware in another and pottery in a third. If you don’t have to look in many places, it helps manage inventory.
I have a Gift Closet as well. I keep a bin for Hostess Gifts/Dirty Santa gifts I pick up all year as well as a bin for the Christmas Shoebox project when I find things on sale. I also have a shelf with a clear shoebox for each family member where I put stocking stuffers. My gift bags and labels live there also as well as bows/ribbons. My husband built a rack for behind the door where rolls of gift wrap are stored.
I generally deal with paperwork that comes into the house immediately. I open the mail as I come down the drive and put the envelopes and any junk mail in the recycle bin as I pass it before coming inside. I only keep receipts in the kitchen recycle bin until bin day (unless they’re for appliances).
Where I live, you can just put a "no junk mail "note in your mailbox and immediately there will be less coming into your house. ( my neighbour told me this about 6 months ago and I cannot believe the difference)
Thanks for discussing that last topic. I have to keep a chest freezer in my library/office. I have felt bad about it the whole time (even though it’s the only food storage item in there). Your comments have helped me put it into context. 👍
I'm so impressed how you come up with consistent answers to Qs without preparation. With the 7 yr old handing items down to the 2 yr old sibling, I wondered..."what will Dana say"? I came up with the container concept at the same time you did! 🙌 That means your process is sticking in my brain! 👏
To the Lego person, consider getting a garden mat that could go under a couch or bed.... they come in varying sizes, the one I use for repotting is 36x36, but they have snaps to create corners so they would contain. You could also put it on a board or a piece of cardboard in it to make the bottom stiff and slide able. Might be more contained and easy to clear out of the way after you clear a space for it to "hide".
Haven't watched a live in a long time...what a pleasure....I had a dozen DVDs of Marx Brothers movies, and found a friend to take them...but I watched them all in chronological order first. (Which was the point of having the collection.) I enjoyed them, but realized I could let them go. (I still have a digital copy of my favorite.) I have decided that all my stuff (books, CDs, craft supplies) is on extended loan (attached to a project, or I have plans to use it soon)....and if I don't get back around to it in six months, it's much easier to donate or find a good home for these things.
my 'decluttering' was finishing 3 crochet blankets so that the yarn is not lying around any more. I fnished one, am almost done with the second and the third one needs a boder still. that's my evening project until it is done.
It's funny how years ago, I saved things that I thought were extremely important, but now I couldn’t care less about them. Trash or donate. NOT keepers.
LEGO ADVICE: I have an old sheet that the Legos sit on, and I try to keep the kids playing just on that. Then when it's time to clean up, you grab the corners of the sheet and pick it all up at once. It's like a little Lego bag. Put it in the bin like that. It's not perfect because the kids spread out beyond the sheet sometimes, but it's helpful
Yes! I came here to say, use a sheet or an old table cloth(solid color is best. I use this with my kids & grand kids. I’ve used this with toddlers at snack time. The LEGOS application is perfect. I have even said, anything that wanders off the sheet, and is still out AFTER the sheet has been picked up- trash! This makes the child accountable. It also makes me accountable- you must keep your word for it to be effective. TO BE CLEAR. If a child wanders off the “picnic blanket” at snack time. I take their snippy cup, or cracker, or whatever. They weren’t allowed to wander with food. The child always had the choice to sit back down and finish their snack if they so choose. I never tossed their cup. But after snack time they went back to their bag. ( this was in a Sunday school nursery setting)
In UK we have letter boxes that come straight into home rather than a mailbox. You can get no junk mail from Royal mail. You have to fill out a form. A shop bought no junk mail sticker is not enforcable according to my postie. My paper recycling is right outside front door.
I aways feel overwhelmed thinking about decluttering. I'm trying to do small steps daily so it won't look like a tornado went through the space. I'm not sure if it's indecisiveness and or the decisions making, that l get so stalled in my actions or the Just In Case Syndrome? I'm trying to process and breakdown my thoughts if it's either what l'm saying to myself or my process in my actions of decluttering.
21:20 I have a trash basket for paper in my "office" space that I dont have to stand from my chair to throw papers. also my filing is in a drawer so I dont have to leave my chair to file stuff. it is a priority for me.
Re: dvd conversation Remember to "Look, look, always look". Don't assume you remember what's in there. I seriously purged our dvds/videos before our interstate move. As I'm unpacking (today actually), I'm looking for more to purge before I put them away. I found five duplicates and two that we won't watch again. I also segregated those that I know we want to keep and rewatch, from a ton that I want to watch once and pass along afterwards.
The more 'stars' found to be involved in the Diddy crimes, the more likely I will dispose of DVDs of movies those stars were in due to my preconceived perception of those 'stars' and the horror of the new reality. I'll never be able to view them the same way again😢. I had already downsized & kept a container of favorites. Some movies came out 20-30 years ago. Most are previously watched repeatedly over the years. This is emotional. 😔
“You pick it up it is yours, I pick it up it is mine” is a great motivator to get kids to pick up faster. They’ll find ways to get them all up…if they are value to them.
I used to do this with Halloween Candy that sat around too long or when I would find candy wrappers not thrown away. Handful of candy in the garbage (they never even noticed)😂
I love Dana’s rambling! Partly because I’m a rambler too, but also because abuse there’s a lot of wisdom in the rambling. I need the reminders. Hang in there and keep watching-then DO what she suggests! It will change your world for the better
Using up the fabric stash is my favourite way of decluttering it 😂 it is a slow process, but I do make progress!
I’m doing the same with my yarn stash. 🧶
Mine too, and I am totally enjoying it!
I do the same with my papers.
And I surprise myself on how many papers I’ve kept that I no longer like. I’m sure it’s the same with fabrics🤭
@@cb9825 You need to share your radical concept with all quilters! The fear of using up my favourite pieces was strong with me for so long.
I still used the container concept for all my fabric. That way, I got rid of the ones I've kept for years without knowing what to do with them and only have ones that I have a plan/broad idea for.
The container concept has helped me a lot! It really does help with facing reality and getting rid of fantasy me. I also love puzzles, so I have one drawer that fits 5 and my puzzle board. So I can only keep 5 and often when I'm done with 2 or 3, I start looking on marketplace for other people who are selling them and often I can swap them for free. That way, I've made a ton of puzzles for the price of just a few.
For lego, try a wooden trundle bed base under their bed that they can build and leave messy and wheel it back under their bed. The base can be painted with a race track, space station, etc. and painted over as their lego sets change. 😊
When I find something somewhere other than I look for it first, I put it back where I first looked! I just figure I answered wrong the first time. That has worked for me really well.
Ooo thanks for the tip!!! (We moved and I'm still trying to figure out where to put stuff lol)
Edit: fixed a thing
Baby steps for me has been life changing. I take a donate box weekly. It feels soooo good to donate it!
Lisa Taylor, I donated old DVDs to the local library. Can go get them when we want to watch it, just don’t have them in the house and others can be blessed by it too 👍
I used to put a sheet down before Lego time. The Legos are supposed to stay on the sheet and clean up time was easy because we gathered the corners up and put it in the box like that.
This is a version of "the Container Concept", providing the children a limited space to play. If the amount of Legos they want to play with exceeds the boundaries, they'll first have to put some back into the storage container. 👍
My kids have Playmobil rather than legos,but I have each set in a separate box: they can pull out one or two at a time, and each kid has her own baking tray at the table to play on. Then it gets put away.
I made the same comment! My kids aren't perfect at staying on the sheet, but it's so helpful
When I took my great nieces to library activities, they used the sheet for Legos. When my kids were little and also when I taught, I didn't think of using a sheet. That sure would have saved me a lot of frustration if I had known then. I had a clean whisk broom and dustpan, but the sheet idea works much better.
That's actually a good idea to keep the roaster under the bed! I keep the leaf for the table under there and it only comes out on holidays and so does the roaster!
The container concept has magical powers that somehow helps to declutter all the emotional things. I think it’s because I know I can keep whatever I want, as long as it fits in the allocated container/space. For me it’s not about will I ever use it or not, I just need to love it enough to fit in the container I have for sentimental things.
I love this concept so much and it’s truly changed our home❤️❤️
I just re-decluttered my yarns, and found that I had kept a lot of yarns in my last decluttering that were not really my style (though my preferred brand/thickness). I think I kept them in case I was going to make stuff for other people, but being in the process of putting my living space in order while I’m away for a long while (seeing if I want/need to move south), they don’t look keep-worthy anymore. Not when I need their drawer space for the yarns I really want to either come back home to or go through the hassle of moving.
I do not want to get back home to a mess that has just been sitting there for a long while, but putting things in order also helps me experience that in a lot of ways, every time I enter a room I ”come home” to either mess or a space set up for my needs and my thriving.
Putting things in order makes me less and less inclined to move, to be honest. Turns out I don’t dislike this place as much as I thought, I just really dislike living in a place that is cluttered to the point where I have to work around the mess to do anything.
55:41 For bedroom/ office, you could picture 😉 this: use a bed that can rotate to get vertical (or simply use a mattress that you will rotate when work starts) and that you can discretly cover with a painting 🖼 the size of the bed, done by a friend artist - or yourself 🎨
Regarding roasting pans: I have an odd space above my kitchen cupboards (about 8 inches) which was apparently wasted: I keep my extra kitchen things up there: I bought wrapping paper storage boxes designed for under beds and they slide up there nicely, keep my things dust-free and still handy (and in the kitchen, which is where I look for such things).
Give kids a large cookie sheet for their Legos. Put little pieces in a plastic bowl kept on the cookie sheet along with the project, instruction book, and larger pieces. Tell kids if pieces end up anywhere else, they will be tossed. I let my grandson use a cookie sheet to plan with Erectorset-type projects, playdoh, or beach sand and shells. It's ok to set limits.
I have a double sink and found a dish drying rack that fits in the second sink. So that way they can happily drip dry in the sink, and my countertops are still clean and cutter free. Learned this tip from my aunt, and it has worked really well for me!
@@reneeschwartz6555 my double sink even came with the drying rack as a set, it really is very convenient 👍
@@katie7748 Nope. That's the beauty of this community: we can share ideas that might seem obvious but could really help someone who hasn't thought of it before!
I love my fabric, but I will never have the time in my life to use it all. I have been using your system and am making progress. I have decided that I prefer making garments to quilting. Thankfully, I can donate much of the quilting fabric to a quilting group at my church.
I am the same way with yarn for crocheting.
It's sooooo much easier to let go of fabric when you have a good place to donate it!
For the roasting pans, I "store" mine at the thrift store! I only need a roasting pan for holiday meals, once or twice a year, and I know the thrift store will always have something that will work for less than $5. Best part - then I'll donate it back in January!
Wow, this really takes it to another level, I love it! I’ve been telling myself that certain types of items I only use every couple of years, when inexpensive, should just be ruthlessly donated, knowing in advance I’ll be spending $10-20 to replace them later, WORTH IT not to be storing them in my little house in the interim - just consider that $10-20 to be like reverse pace rent or something - a small fee it’s worth it to me to pay in order to not be crowded by that stuff for a couple of years of not using it. But the way you’re putting it is even better! So many functional-but-rarely-needed things are inexpensive to just pick up (buy second hand or at the dollar store) when needed, and then donate back - don’t need to keep keep keep them around!
For Legos and other small toys you can use a clean broom. Just "swipe" everything in one pile and then into a container.
Maybe get a new broom specifically for the toys so dust and stuff don't cling to them.
Also there are special big bags for Legos that become a circle rug. your kid can sit on it while playing. Then you pull the strings, the rug becomes a bag again and all the Lego parts that were on the rug are inside it.
Dollar Tree has brooms and long handled dust pans for $1.25. They are what I get when I want a one use only broom. They are undersized and relatively easy to store.
A floor squeegee would likely work as well; even a handheld one. I love a good squeegee!
The broom idea is great!
@@infopubs saw it years ago in a youtuber's video. The idea stunned me! Never got to use it though, my kid was already too big and didn't play sitting on the floor.
Lego Advise: clean broom and dustpan works great to gather them off the floor. Also the sheet method previously mentioned in comments works.
Your explanation near the end of the video about rooms with more than one purpose FINALLY clicked for me, after years of following you, reading and listening to all your books and content, and not totally understanding why you keep emphasizing this point. The name assigned to the room is based on the room's primary function, and the primary function gets the primary/most space. Secondary/tertiary/whatever functions of the room get progressively smaller slices of the room pie. The rest of your ideas and methods immediately resonated with me; I don't know why this one took so long for me! 💡💡💡💡💡
I just started watching your videos. I can't stop watching them actually. Really good stuff that makes perfect sense. Thanks so much for your knowledge!
@@barbarabrittain5861 A warning about Dana’s videos: She’ll have you unknowingly in the kitchen washing up before you know it every single time you put one on!!! I don’t know how she does it. You’ll love her technique and that of Cas from Clutterbug and Dawn from Minimal Mom too. Have a great day!
I’ve got 30yrs of fabric and have had some giveaways over the years and I see how much my taste in fabric and trends have changed so I’m going through it again. I gave a whole lot to a group who were making fundraising quilts a few years ago. I’m looking at getting rid of a lot of florals and keeping the tone on tones as I tend to make pictorial quilts.
Thanks for this. You have kept me company as I decluttered a 13 gallon kitchen trash bag full of one of my closet clothes purge. 😊❤️
Hi Dana I missed the live but watching the replay. To KIT KAT in the live chat, I had the same issue with my Dads 60 year collection of tools and building stuff in the basement, as I moved into the home after he passed. Had family members take what they wanted and kept a few things for myself. I then found a local scrap collector who came and took most of the rest of the stuff. Other thing you can do is put it all at the end of the driveway and post pictures of it on Craigs list as free. Whenever I do that it’s usually gone by the next morning. Maybe the gas leak is your Dads way of telling you it’s okay to let it all go. I’m a firm believer that things happen for a reason.
Thank you so much, Dana, for everything you do ❤ Every time I watch one of your videos I immediately start to declutter or tackle a project in my home 😃 There is something about your energy that is priceless ❤
For decluttering the fabric stash, one tip I have is to look through the fabric with certain projects in mind. Then, keep the fabric that you know you will be using for those projects. After you finish a project, donate the rest of the fabric from that project if there are any larger pieces left. Plus, if you go through the fabrics, there might be some that you don't like anymore so you won't enjoy sewing with those. It is very difficult because there are so many beautiful fabrics now.
@@gardener6480 Agree. I’ve also been eyeing off my scrap tub and thinking I hardly ever use them even though for pictorial quilts I can use 1/8” finished pieces. I started that tub in 1994. I hardly ever have a UFO but for the 1 or 2 over the years, I kept them for so long out of guilt and then one day said no to them. I only ever make one quilt at a time so I will finish it excitedly waiting to start the next. I realised early one I started about 4 and wasn’t finishing them and didn’t think that was the point!
I use a wall mount dish drying rack. It has two layers and is wonderful for giving me counter space!
We had a clean dustpan that we used to scoop up Legos and other small things with lots of pieces and could dump right into the container.
Really great questions and answers today.
Get Decluttering at the speed of life, even better get the Audible read beautifully by Dana, laughed my socks off😂. Slowly I'm getting the hang of take it there now, rather than stuff shifting or pile making.
Pop DVDs into the plastic sleeves with the cover. It reduced the space needed by 2/3rds. I put them into shoe box type boxes in alphabetical order and the series ones have two discs in them. Works a treat.
Can you share a photo ?
I do this as well, what a space saver.
A few years ago I reduced my stamping and scrapbooking stashes to what I’d use next time I do them. I have a few new scrapbook albums so only want what will be used for those albums. I used the container concept for them and loved it. I chose what size container and that was it.
My kids struggle with Legos too. Our current solution is that each kit goes into a gallon bag with the instructions and then the bag goes into a fabric bin. One thing that has helped to contain the mess when they are playing, is to use plastic trays. Each kid has two so they can only have two that they are in the process of putting together. Or if it is a big set, then one can be for building and one can be for the loose pieces.
I don’t have an eBay business, but I do buy Christmas gifts year round. I have a Christmas closet. It holds gift wrap, gift bags, mailing stuff and any Christmas gifts. The closet is my container. Not only does it keep everything contained, I know where to look for a gift bought in February when I want to package and mail it in late November. In that closet I have a baker’s rack, it holds different totes; gifts for people a,b, c in one tote, gifts for people d,e,f in another, people g, h, and I in the third. If you are selling it could be jewelry in one area, glassware in another and pottery in a third. If you don’t have to look in many places, it helps manage inventory.
I have a Gift Closet as well. I keep a bin for Hostess Gifts/Dirty Santa gifts I pick up all year as well as a bin for the Christmas Shoebox project when I find things on sale.
I also have a shelf with a clear shoebox for each family member where I put stocking stuffers.
My gift bags and labels live there also as well as bows/ribbons.
My husband built a rack for behind the door where rolls of gift wrap are stored.
Dana you keep me on my minimalist journey ❤
@@CovidIsVascular but I am..and Dana's method keeps me that way 🎉
I generally deal with paperwork that comes into the house immediately. I open the mail as I come down the drive and put the envelopes and any junk mail in the recycle bin as I pass it before coming inside. I only keep receipts in the kitchen recycle bin until bin day (unless they’re for appliances).
Where I live, you can just put a "no junk mail "note in your mailbox and immediately there will be less coming into your house. ( my neighbour told me this about 6 months ago and I cannot believe the difference)
So … just a sticky note in your mailbox that says, “No junk mail” and it stops? 🙊
@@katiebellejohnson2688 exactly that's in Canada
Thanks for discussing that last topic. I have to keep a chest freezer in my library/office. I have felt bad about it the whole time (even though it’s the only food storage item in there). Your comments have helped me put it into context. 👍
I'm so impressed how you come up with consistent answers to Qs without preparation.
With the 7 yr old handing items down to the 2 yr old sibling, I wondered..."what will Dana say"? I came up with the container concept at the same time you did! 🙌 That means your process is sticking in my brain! 👏
@@mishpotter8387 I do the same thing!
I missed the live but still enjoyed the video. I learn something helpful every time. Thanks Dana!
I do like listening to you talk! Your videos and podcast are some of my favorites and go-tos!
In re LEGO...we spread a small tablecloth on the floor, then at clean up time you just pick up the corners and pour back into the bucket
To the Lego person, consider getting a garden mat that could go under a couch or bed.... they come in varying sizes, the one I use for repotting is 36x36, but they have snaps to create corners so they would contain. You could also put it on a board or a piece of cardboard in it to make the bottom stiff and slide able. Might be more contained and easy to clear out of the way after you clear a space for it to "hide".
with lego, maybe spread out a blanket before they pull it all out. Then just tip it back in the box at the end.
The Legos on a blanket hack worked! My boys loved their Legos. We kept a blanket in the Lego bin to make it easier.
Haven't watched a live in a long time...what a pleasure....I had a dozen DVDs of Marx Brothers movies, and found a friend to take them...but I watched them all in chronological order first. (Which was the point of having the collection.) I enjoyed them, but realized I could let them go. (I still have a digital copy of my favorite.) I have decided that all my stuff (books, CDs, craft supplies) is on extended loan (attached to a project, or I have plans to use it soon)....and if I don't get back around to it in six months, it's much easier to donate or find a good home for these things.
Love the idea of stuff just being on extended loan into my home! Makes it that much easier to move it along (out) later!
my 'decluttering' was finishing 3 crochet blankets so that the yarn is not lying around any more. I fnished one, am almost done with the second and the third one needs a boder still. that's my evening project until it is done.
So glad to see you! Thank you for the live!
It's funny how years ago, I saved things that I thought were extremely important, but now I couldn’t care less about them. Trash or donate. NOT keepers.
LEGO ADVICE: I have an old sheet that the Legos sit on, and I try to keep the kids playing just on that. Then when it's time to clean up, you grab the corners of the sheet and pick it all up at once. It's like a little Lego bag. Put it in the bin like that. It's not perfect because the kids spread out beyond the sheet sometimes, but it's helpful
Yes! I came here to say, use a sheet or an old table cloth(solid color is best. I use this with my kids & grand kids. I’ve used this with toddlers at snack time. The LEGOS application is perfect. I have even said, anything that wanders off the sheet, and is still out AFTER the sheet has been picked up- trash! This makes the child accountable. It also makes me accountable- you must keep your word for it to be effective.
TO BE CLEAR. If a child wanders off the “picnic blanket” at snack time. I take their snippy cup, or cracker, or whatever. They weren’t allowed to wander with food. The child always had the choice to sit back down and finish their snack if they so choose. I never tossed their cup. But after snack time they went back to their bag. ( this was in a Sunday school nursery setting)
Omg that Ross/Emily episode was on today! Love you Dana.
In UK we have letter boxes that come straight into home rather than a mailbox.
You can get no junk mail from Royal mail. You have to fill out a form.
A shop bought no junk mail sticker is not enforcable according to my postie.
My paper recycling is right outside front door.
I aways feel overwhelmed thinking about decluttering. I'm trying to do small steps daily so it won't look like a tornado went through the space. I'm not sure if it's indecisiveness and or the decisions making, that l get so stalled in my actions or the Just In Case Syndrome? I'm trying to process and breakdown my thoughts if it's either what l'm saying to myself or my process in my actions of decluttering.
I’m dying to know your Thanksgiving morning strawberry bread/bundt cake recipe! 🥰🎉🩷🍓🍓🍓
My Dad moved from CT to here in FL near me. He misses his basement and I don't! LOL!
21:20 I have a trash basket for paper in my "office" space that I dont have to stand from my chair to throw papers. also my filing is in a drawer so I dont have to leave my chair to file stuff. it is a priority for me.
Re: dvd conversation
Remember to "Look, look, always look". Don't assume you remember what's in there.
I seriously purged our dvds/videos before our interstate move.
As I'm unpacking (today actually), I'm looking for more to purge before I put them away. I found five duplicates and two that we won't watch again.
I also segregated those that I know we want to keep and rewatch, from a ton that I want to watch once and pass along afterwards.
The more 'stars' found to be involved in the Diddy crimes, the more likely I will dispose of DVDs of movies those stars were in due to my preconceived perception of those 'stars' and the horror of the new reality. I'll never be able to view them the same way again😢.
I had already downsized & kept a container of favorites. Some movies came out 20-30 years ago. Most are previously watched repeatedly over the years. This is emotional. 😔
Evelyn Amos Minimal Mom says "You pick it up you get to keep it. If have to pick it up I keep it".
I once read where a mother wrote that every time she walked through the living room, she threw away a few Legos. LOL
I’ve thought about it but can’t bring myself to do that because I remember how much they cost 😅
😮
“You pick it up it is yours, I pick it up it is mine” is a great motivator to get kids to pick up faster. They’ll find ways to get them all up…if they are value to them.
I used to do this with Halloween Candy that sat around too long or when I would find candy wrappers not thrown away. Handful of candy in the garbage (they never even noticed)😂
Wonderful.
Lego We had a sheet for the Lego. Play on the sheet. Pick up the sheet corners put the bundle into the box with all lLegos contained instantly.
legos can be scooped up using a plastic dust pan(s) 🤯
Make curtains for kids' room out of old fabric.
I declutter a spot and begin to enjoy a surface with nothing on it and then my husband puts something there...arrgghh!
❤
That preying mantis was a lucky bug
If I only had a big house...
What a slow start. Rambling. I almost turned you off! First time. Also, i need to look thoroughly where i first look!
I love Dana’s rambling! Partly because I’m a rambler too, but also because abuse there’s a lot of wisdom in the rambling. I need the reminders. Hang in there and keep watching-then DO what she suggests! It will change your world for the better