Eradicate Paper Clutter Once & for all! | Simple Living Family Life
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- 🗒 Paper Clutter Part 1: A quick and easy way to ELIMINATE paper clutter from your house by changing how you think about it! A paper clutter tip for those who have tried EVERYTHING else without success...this will work for you!! 😎
Paper Clutter Video Part 2: • Simple Paper Clutter O...
Paper Clutter Video Part 3: • Marie Kondo inspired P...
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Our 23 year son passed from cancer and I can't tell you how glad I was that I kept his school artwork♡♡ One medium sized bin with art from our two sons is worth the space, to me:) Love all the rest of the tips!
I'm so very sorry. 💔
@burntlip I’m so sorry to hear that hon. God bless you and your family! ❤️😄
Great comment.
🌹
Peace to you , very sorry. Enjoy it all everytime you can like I do with the artwork of my recently passed brother
I'm glad I didn't throw out the cards and art work of my kids. Because now after losing my 20 year old son in May 2019. I have went back to them boxes. I also used his signature out of my mother's day card for my tattoo in memory of him.
I’m sorry you lost your son. I pray for your comfort and any joy you find in your memories of him.
Hugs to you.
Deepest condolences for the loss of your son.
Thank you. You all are so sweet. It's very much appreciated.
I’m so sorry for your loss. 😢
I noticed my family had such a happy, contented attitude whenever we went on vacation. I mistakenly believed it was ... the vacation. It wasn’t. It was being in an uncluttered, simple, minimalized hotel room! We had everything we needed for a week, and that alone relieved so much pressure regarding clutter, that everyone could relax fully and really, truly enjoy life-wherever we were. Since then, I’ve made my goal “hotel minimal”. 😊
Lisa wow I love this concept thanks!
This is what I’m after. Very well said. 🖤
Yes! I would come home and feel overwhelmed...and quickly realized that it’s my house that makes me feel stressed.
So true, I I've noticed this too!
Love this! By making your home this way, it's also a different way of still preserving that memory or your feelings from that trip and making it last longer and becoming part of you instead of saving travel stubs. Really it's the best way to make those experiences life changing.
I used to keep loads of cuttings from craft magazines, and then never looked at them - but I didn’t want to part with them either! 🤷🏻♀️ So I looked for each idea on Pinterest - and they were all there! - and saved them to a “craft” folder, and then dumped the clippings. Such a relief, and I’ve saved loads of money not buying any more craft magazines! 😊
For the greeting cards, I started a folder called "good feelings" and I keep them there and every year or so when I'm filing and not in a big hurry, I flip through and re-read them and guess what? They give me a lot of "good feelings" !!
I do this, too, and it's an incredible mood lifter! I never throw away cards from loved ones! Plus, they are so expensive these days! I'd feel bad throwing them away. Obviously, I'm not a minimalist!
I do this, too--and one for each of my kids! It's especially heartwarming to read cards from loved ones who have passed. 💚
Dear Minimal Mom, Yesterday I watched 10 minutes 29 seconds of this video. I stopped and spent the rest of the morning/afternoon until 3:40 p.m. when I had to get ready for an outing going through all the magazines, papers, old insurance EOB's of my mom's, etc. At the end of the day I had 25 plus pounds of paper recycling with 4 plus pounds of paper shredding (or burning). What a nice lift to my day. I have done this before and it is such a good feeling. Thank you for inspiring me to get rid of even more. I still have some magazines that I am not ready to part with but the fact that over 85 percent have been tossed out is awesome for me.
Good for you!!!!👍👏👏👏
The way I recycle my Woman's Day magazines is to keep them in a box and when is my date to visit the doctor's office I leave them at the waiting room for other people to enjoy them.
Graciela Sandt .... That's a FABULOUS IDEA!👍👍👍👍👍I'm going to start doing that.
Thank you!
Yes good idea, I give my magazines to our local hospital, docs office and nail salon for their waiting room areas. Books go to our library as they have a free book section.
Graciela Sandt I have so many mags I can’t part with...
Great idea👍🏽👍🏽
When hubby was going through cancer treatment, I left my magazines in the waiting room.
Still busy watching the video, but I must say for me, birthday cards are precious... I have not received many in my life, and the people who took the time to actually choose out a special card, and write something thoughtful inside is something I cherish... It feels so good when I stumble upon my cards and read through them on hard days to remind myself that I am loved (when I don't feel loved...). So for me, I file birthday cards together open in a file in plastic sleeves, so if I want to read through them I can just page through the folder without taking the cards out.
As for the kids artwork- nothing wrong with taking digital pictures of each project (the special ones) and turning it into a screen saver. Burn a few CDs of it for the grandparents too! You can also use that years' art in the family newsletter (if you do family newsletters annually), holiday greeting cards, or turn it into a T-shirt or other wearable art, because the image is digital. :)
Twenty years ago when my youngest child left home for college, I began my journey as a single "empty-nester mom," . The family dog and I were in one city together, and that year I had three children away attending three different colleges. It took years, but I finally have eliminated boxes of paper clutter.
Years later when I knew my children were settled I sent them one box each, which included all "those" items we "pre-technology" mothers held onto:
baby teeth the Tooth Fairy left for me to treasure; first lock of baby hair; best art work from school holiday projects; school pictures and report cards; glasses and other cute/fun memorable incidentals from childhood; baptismal clothing and certificate; birth certificate; baby book; cards received from family and friends growing up; favorite books read to them; tree ornaments given to them; made by them; and the ones I knew they always liked the best while going up; swim ribbons; 4-H ribbons and pictures; books written in grade school -- etc. You can picture what all I had collected and sent according to each individual child's personalities and achievements.
I carted that stuff with me in clear plastic containers, or stored them in temperature-controlled storage units, as I made several major moves myself. I will never regret keeping it all! The days before sending those boxes off, I was able to go through and tangibly hold those memories. My oldest daughter told me it was the best gift ever. (I had even saved a card her great-grandmother wrote to her as a 6 month old.) Plus, my daughter told me she happened to have a friend there when she received the box, and going through those boxed items made it even better.
I could have scanned and sent most digitally, but I believe, and still do, that had I done so the true sentiment/meaning would have been lost/non-existent.
I am also grateful that the previous owners of the home I bought two years ago kept all their major appliance manuals and purchase receipts. Each one was in its own paper sleeve. This saved me precious time and frustration when needing to reference the hot water heater and stove when there was a sudden problem. Having the manuals/instructions for setting controls for air/heat thermostat, and my lawn sprinklers and the timer simplified my life.
I agree that in this day and age we keep too much paper clutter, and I have learned how to eliminate. I have everything in one clear plastic bin that purchased because it was specifically designed to accommodate hanging file folders. I am able to label and file only the paperwork necessary to keep. There is even plenty of room for my owner manuals. This "record-keeping" bin sits inside a decorative basket under my stairs and looks attractive, but most importantly is easily accessible.
I am enjoying your videos. I recently discovered that two of my once bare closets are now housing items I have purchased within the past two years and are no longer using. Thanks to you I have posted and sold them or given them away for free...Freedom from clutter is awesome😀
Cynthia Robinson thank you for sharing your experience! I have kept so much paper clutter of all sorts. Watching this video has motivated me to go through and declutter what I have, but I will be keeping (a smaller amount) kids artwork and important appliance manuals. I have had a hard time determining what is necessary to keep and what isn’t. So I kept most things. I have gone through and decluttered some areas, but have SO much left to go through! Even though I don’t agree with this video in it’s entirety, I will take what I do and “discard” the rest ;) I hope one day my kids will get their boxes from me and enjoy going through them instead of saying “mom, why did you keep all this stuff!”
Cynthia, I had to laugh. I have 2 kids in high school and 2 off at college. Recently I asked them if I should keep hanging on to their baby teeth, and they all said, "Ew, Mom, gross!" (My thoughts exactly--why did I ever think those were something to cherish??) We joked about making a necklace out of them, and I felt SO good about trashing them! :)
I had 4 kids and kept a file for each of them. Special school papers and awards and drawings were kept. Autographs, pictures of big school projects, report cards, etc, were dropped in the file. Now they are all grown up and I gave each of them their file. The were surprised and tickled that I kept those things and enjoyed looking at them. I have made each child take all of their stuff as they got their own place. However, my youngest still has a few things in our attic, like boxes and boxes of his baseball cards. I have asked my husband to take 1 or 2 boxes with him each time he goes to my son's house to help him do remodeling around his home. It is sneaky, but it works!! This will force him to make decisions on whether this stuff is worth keeping enough to put in HIS home.
This is super sweet! I rmbr starting to save my artwork & report grades in 2nd grade to show my grandkids..after learning about family trees & heirlooms lol I visited my Dad & he kept the stories I wrote for his birthdays in his Study on his desk; made me smile. Love these stories💗
I agree that having the tangible item of your child is SO special!
Some of what you say is helpful, to prod me to do better. But I am soooooooo glad I kept ALL of the birthday & Father's Day cards my husband received during our 29 year marriage. When he died 6 yrs ago, I was able to do scans of them with scans of other photos of his life and have a woman put them with the audio of his funeral service. His sisters greatly appreciated this memento and would not have been able to do so without having kept the cards. Cards I have kept of my own deceased parents I periodically include in birthday greetings to my sis or brother, to give them a look back at a time when mom was still with us. I happen to be a writer, and living with clutter is a bit of a nusance but also an integral part of my life. What I think I really need is a SECRETARY - HOUSEKEEPER, LOL -- thanks for the good ideas just the same.
I am not sure if you will see this since this video is 2 years old. I just want to say thank you, thank you, thank you!!! I am really good about decluttering things in my house but paper has always been a weak person but place for me. I have boxes and boxes of paper, I have been so scared to throw away “just in case”. Your video really made me see that it’s ok to get rid of most of it. I realized a lot of it I could replace with a quick phone call or going online and printing out! I have already thrown away a huge amount in just 30 minutes. I am so glad I found you channel!
That's a really good point about magazines. Are they really providing inspiration, or just seeding discontent? Well, their objective is to take your money, for themselves and their advertising sponsors, so it's probably in their best interest to keep you discontent. So yeah, don't buy them, in fact don't even read them for free (e.g. in the doctor's waiting room)! Take inspiration from the world around you, if you need to, not from a glorified sales brochure!
Yes, I used to get those HGTV magazines and always felt stressed that I still had not read one by the time the next one came around. So then they would accumulate and the fun of browsing through them was almost completely lost. At the end of the year I tried to cancel the subscription and it was incredibly hard. They kept sending me bills, even though I had already sent back the cancelation in the mail, AND had canceled over the phone. I'll never subscribe to any magazine again.
I only subscribe to niche and educational magazines. Popular Science is one of my favorites. That kind of academic based content is just not easily found online.
Homer Slated please lose the Che picture. He was truly evil.
I bought a home decor magazine for a long flight one time. over half of the pages were ads for medications! It was aweful.
When your children are grown, this art work take on special meaning. I just found some art work that my son did in the 5th grade. I have framed it and am so happy that I did not throw it out. Save the really outstanding pieces. So worth it.
Hi, one comment, please don't think I am judging but I want to share this story...I was like your daughter and created art every day gave tons of it to my mom but threw some things out and some just disappeared after cleaning day no big deal. It wasn't till my Mom went into the nursing home and I had to go through her stuff and found a box will all my art, and I just melted, my mom saved everything. As an artist going through all my early works was really fun and helpful for my projects today. I couldn't believe mom picked the art out of the trash and saved it all. She was my best friend and when she passed I had that special memory plus 1000s more special memories. Art is one thing I do save now, mine and all the ones people made for me. Hopefully, I will make people's hearts swell with love.
Thanks for the tips. Love is it, that is why we are here, now on earth with the people we are with. This is our chance to give and receive love in a physical way. When we cross over we will be in our soul groups(family, lovers, etc) but we will not be able to share in a tangible way because we will be in spirit. This is the show. Regret nothing.
Sending you angel blessings.
One thing different I might do is drop the magazines by a nursing home. They use them for art work and the residents like them. Or even your local library for them to sell. I used to buy magazines at my pubic library because resale is how they made money and I didn’t feel bad about throwing it away later because I didn’t pay as much as new in the grocery store. I am on a mission but we have had some life changes happen and it will be 2020 before we can work on our home. I am counting the days. We had a death in our family and it’s left us with a huge mess to straighten out. What a learning curve. It’s true everyone comes out of the woodwork wanted their piece of the pie but no one wants to lift a finger to help. So I am dreaming of the day to work on our home. I’m not leaving a mess for someone else to clean up. Thank you for the tips! Leslye
I love everything you talked about decluttering papers and priorities of documents. Except for one thing - your daughter's artwork. I understand your ideology that it's easy to be replaced and quality time is more precious. But I have been hearing my mom regretting all the time that she lost the artwork I created when I was little, and she felt that was irreplaceable. I think an alternative way to preserve artwork is maybe scan it to your computer, and save them digitally. This way, even if you need to get rid of your paper trails, at least you keep that piece alive for a very long time in the future.
Well this probably works for most people I do need to say this.
Banks, insurance and medical places make a lot of mistakes. Maybe we have had really bad luck but the last two years (mostly insurance and medical) THOUSANDS of dollars worth of mistakes were made but because I kept documentation of everything we were able to prove it. If I would have relied on them there wouldn’t have been proof and we would have had to pay thousands. I HATE paper clutter so much but I am glad I kept it all because of this reason. I agree 100% with the other paper items though. Great video:) I love watching you.
Insurance policys must be kept, not the last 10yrs worth, but the most recent one definitely. They will do anything to get out of paying
Oh this is good to know!!! I will need to revise! And thank YOU!!!
I agree that you need to have documentation - statements etc - from that kind of business, but those kinds of places usually have the digital option for statements, so it's easy to keep copies. I do agree with the other person who posted that it is a good idea to keep a hard copy of insurance polices, especially life insurance, because they do want the policy when you file a claim.
Yes, our kids Dr switched systems and everything for one of my children was lost. They didn't believe me about her vaccinations being up to date, there was new staff members, etc. But I had saved all the fliers and showed them. Definitely was worth saving. I agree, have been double billed more than like 5 times regarding hospital stays for childbirth and the multiple companies that bill. Definitely have to be organized.
You can always get a Scanner and just have a digital copy of anything you think is important. 😊
I keep all my manuals together. Large bag in storage cabinet. When I need to look up something about my object, I can go get the manual. Don’t have to search the internet or the company site hoping for the right place, or the correct manual. Not all companies digitize their manuals or they don’t keep them for any item over the age of 2.
There are times you need to keep the paper manual, just be sure to keep them all together.
OMG!!!! The magazine statement RESONATED with me! They DO make me feel anxious! Thanks for reminding me why I have no reason to hold on to them. I don't need to add to my stress. Such a great point.
Love your video and tips!! But, bad advise to tell someone to throw their insurance policy away. That is something that should be filed. As an insurance agent, I advise my clients to keep that info with the family will and trust documents.
My insurance policy is on line. If my house burns down or a tornado hits it, I am not going to have access to the insurance papers. I have it easily accessible through any computer or my phone though. I can even down load a copy to my google drive where I have all my home and auto information in a nice neat folder.
I have mine in a FIRE BOX in the basement. In the unlikelihood that a tornado carries it away, then I'd have to look online and I'm sure my agent would have it. But I keep ALL my irreplaceable VIPs in there: Original Birth Certs, Marriage, Death, Baptism, Baby, Letters from the great grandparents, etc.
I have kept a hard box with both my daughters achievements ,certificates ,art work letter even a pigtail of hair from first haircut(sealed in a plastic bag )and now my daughters are 40 yrs and 35 yrs this summer and I will be handing them over! they didnt know I had the box and were absolutley thrilled to look at drawings they did at school and laughed so much at letters they wrote inviting my mother and I to their room for afternoon tea so keep these things I have moved house several times and the box has followed not taking any space up and its their box of memories to keep forever x Catherine from scotland
Companies don't always keep the manuals current online. Save them till you get rid of the piece of equipment. Also never throw away your insurance policies for 5 - 7 years,. Love your videos, Great info. You are always so happy. You do a great job of spreading joy.
Yeah,and we recently got robbed. Having the manual with the make and model number, etc. helped us get our item back.
I can't tell you the last time I saw the top of my desk...or the floor next to it. Heck, I can't even sit in my chair w/o having to move stacks of paper. I really needed to see this vid. Thanks.
Your videos are so inspiring! As a mom whose kids are now teens, I regret not keeping more of there art and schoolwork. I hardly had any of that kept as a child myself and wish I did. Also, never trust insurance, banks etc. keep those paper copies somehow. They will do anything to get out of paying and bank errors won’t be in your favor without proof. As for birthday cards, I feel like I should have at least one from the important people in my life, you never know when they will be gone. My father was killed suddenly in an accident, suddenly those cards become treasures.
Great information. My tips are, pay all bills on line and hit the "paperless " option. Unsubsidize to any on line things as you can AND if you get unwanted offers in the mail, credit card, etc. Write "VOID " on the application, tell them to remove you from their list, stuff everything into the prepaid envelope and mail it back. They have to pay the postage.
GREAT ideas, thank you!!
This is what I struggle with the most......I love to be organized and what’s funny I even PILE my paper clutter in nice neat piles so it “looks organized”.....but I am NOT fooling myself or anyone else, because my paper clutter drives me CRAZY 😳🤔😂 THANK YOU so much for this video.....I sure hope it will work for me too. You are so~so precious.....I love your transparency and honesty.....it’s contagious to your followers.
Patty sending you and your family blessings from Colorado 🙏❤️🙏
Two magazines I keep: real simple, because I find it so inspiring, and Family Handyman, because it is just so darn practical and helps me. I don't get Real Simple anymore. I got it for a couple of years, kept the issues, and when I need *Christmas* inspiration or whatever, I can pull those couple of issues and get my fix. LOL. The handyman is worth it's weight in gold. I'm a single homeowner, and it is all on me to fix stuff. I can't afford a handyman or repair guy. So it either stays broken or I fix it.
The time it takes to scan something and store and remember where it's stored... I'd rather just store the piece of paper in a file out of site. I hate scanning, I find it laborious.
This is the most down-to-earth paper clutter tutorial I’ve seen. So easy and makes so much sense. Thank you!
I finally got a handle on the manuals. Each is in a file folder labeled with the name of the appliance, sorted by year. If you cant remember what year you bought it, the manual will have the year + or - close to when it was made. Insurance policies we keep. Car titles, birth certificates and marriage license are in the safe. Kids artwork was in a bin along with their trophies, books, report cards and given to them when they moved out.
We used your method today for just one paper-filled drawer. We ended up with a bunch of empty file folders and about a foot of empty space in the file drawer. Looking forward to getting rid of all the other paper clutter in the house. Thank you so much for presenting this. Fantastic!
Great info. Thanks so much for giving me a new way to sort. I'm almost done sorting, but there was a time I had boxes and boxes of files and loose papers. Now, I'm down to one tub and some files. I bought a shredding bag from my transfer station (dump,) and have sorted what needs to be shredded and what doesn't. It's $6.00 for the bag, and I'm on my second bag, after burning out a shredder. When I moved, I gave away my file cabinet to the fire department, who were looking for a legal sized file cabinet... Nice. I did some sorting, but my daughter saw my stress and decided to label a few large tubs, and move them with me. Much better, this time. It feels so good to empty a musty old tub full of old papers, but, It's true that you have to look at everything, and make that decision. I guess I still have some of the old 'paper mentality,' because somewhere along the line, she bought me a new/used sewing machine, and I looked up the manual, found it, and paid Office Depot to print it. I put it in a pretty 3 ring notebook. I think I imagined that If I needed it, it would be gone. Some of this is generational, so I have to forgive myself for falling back into that old idea, but I love having my manual by my side. Just like books. I still love a real book. All in all, I'm doing pretty well for an old gal. Thanks again for the simplifying ideas. Lynn
My niece scans in her daughters artwork then at the end of the year she makes a digital scrapbook that she then prints
Very good idea 👌
Great idea, except I think I would skip printing it out, unless she really wants the hard copy. If you keep the digital copy (and back it up), you'll always have it and then you can print it out anytime you'd. want it.
me too
She will give the book as gifts to the grandparents.
I think your missing the point
Oh I so much agree with you that decluttering and getting rid of every single annoying thing makes life more peaceful❤️
Good point about not living in same informational world anymore. I also like your goal to have a contented home; magazines are based on mass marketing & advertisements thus are designed to make us malcontents.
This was so eye opening. I actually had my washer breakdown this week and I had to call the place we bought it from. They actually requested information from the manual and paperwork from when we purchased it. I had everything BUT I realized I also had every other manual of every other non essential appliance/gadget. I did a giant cleanout of this giant box I'd been unknowingly hoarding and only kept the important manuals. Same thing with kids sandbox. The fabric shade cover BLEW AWAY in a summer storm but company would only replace it if I had this crazy number from the outside paper of the original box. I actually had this paper lol which was great but I also had all this misc stuff regarding sandbox that I didn't need anymore or ever. So definitely be aware of big ticket item information and maybe store it digitally or something is what I'm thinking of doing. But yes I couldn't believe how much paperwork/manuals I was unnecessarily saving.
Wow, this is all really good to know!!! Thank YOU!
THANKYOU for being gut-wrenchingly REAL Yet KIND at the same time...
i am overwhelmed by "Paper-Clutter"...
62 years old & embarrassed abt it 😞😳😒
Isn't she (real yet kind)? I, like you, am overwhelmed by all the paper around me... Have been for years...
If you have a separate life insurance policy, you should probably keep the original policy. Some of these policies are extremely old and don't auto-renew each year. It's easy to keep a copy of policy in a fireproof safe along with passport and birth certificate.
This is more important than you might think. We had a life insurance policy on my grandmother had paid on so it was a paid-up policy. The insurance companies had morphed into companies with other names. But we were able to discover which company held it. Personally, I have had 3 different computers and many of the systems I started out with do not come on newer computers. They often do not come with a DVD or CD player. My new operating system will not let me use my scanner. And no, I cannot run out and buy a new one.
I have a wall calendar on the back of my basement door that has pockets for each month. I put grocery store receipts, invitations, show tickets, in the month it takes place. At the end of each month I go through my credit card statements and make sure it matches. WIth grocery receipts, sometimes I have to return something and this way I Know exactly where the receipt us. Also, sometimes I impulse buy something like a pair of pants or something for the house, I make sure of the return policy and know where the receipt is! Some stores you don't need the receipt, but some you do. Thank you for your wonderful video. It was a great help!
Such a great point about HGTV magazines and such breeding discontentment... that was so powerful to me...I needed to hear that. I love your channel!!
Thank YOU!!!
I have boxes, a drawer and a file folder full of everything from magazines to receipts. Plus stuff I've carried around thru two moves, just packed it up and have waited for the right time to organize. I like the idea of rating it cause some things are in the "hmm do I really need this" category! Glad I found this video! Thanks!
Just found your channel and went thru a pile of paperwork "with you holding my hand." It was mostly easy, things I usually put aside "for later." I really like your approach, thank you for sharing your tips.
Ah, I'm so glad to hear this!! Great work! (And the good news is: it gets easier and easier!!!)
I appreciate how you share your self check ins. I think the constant reflection on how each item affects your contentment, what stresses you out, what makes you want to purchase more is more valuable than almost anything else!
Oh my word... yes yes yes about the magazine. I always feel like my house is horrid compared to others. Thank you so much for you lovely home and just having a peaceful joyful home. You have no idea how this helps.
Thank YOU!!! 💕
Hello, Dawn! 😀 I am SO thrilled that I found your channel. Your words really resonate with me. I don’t know why I have a hard time getting rid of paper clutter...you’re so right! My husband and I were preparing to move a few days ago and I came across a whole stack of user manuals from our wedding gifts. Even though I haven’t referenced a single one since our wedding in 2015, I decided to keep them....then I saw your video. They are headed straight to the recycle bin! Dawn, you are my voice of reason! Why do I cling to these things?? Thanks for empowering me to give myself the permission to let go!
2 comments :) the artwork. I love that my mother saved some of mine. She found it while cleaning out her office as part of being stuck at home and sent all my old art to me. I'm most likely going to throw most of it away, but I really am liking seeing what I made when I was young. Like my picture of what I was going to be when I grew up. I had a good laugh at it. If you don't keep it for yourself keep it for your kid for years later.
The second comment is if you are doing a home inventory for purposes of insurance one thing insurance companies might take is the manual. A friend of mine said when their house was robbed they filed a homeowner's insurance claim and they were able to use the manual that came with their TV as proof of purchase. Not sure how often that can be used, but something to be aware of while you declutter.
Great ideas thanks for sharing. But, my children are grown and now I have grandkids, whom I hardly ever see, in fact got a couple of great grandkids, now,but what I want to say is i only get to see my kids on thanksgiving and
Christmas, if I’m lucky. My mom,dad,brother,and I just lost my brother in law and mother in law the past three weeks . All I do have are my kids left, I also lost my husband, so I had to move closer to my daughter, she may
Be a mile away,both boys are about an hour away. Anyway I was going through boxes, I was so thankful that I
Looked through this one, there was a birthday card one of my sons made me when he was about seven, then I
Came across a pair of puppies, a letter from the president telling me he was sending a poster my other son had
Painted and it won first place and was sent to the White House put on display for a year,then they sent it back
To me,also found the news paper where they wrote an article about my son, plus another painting.then there was
Was a ashtray my daughter made when she was in pre school, and a 🌹 rose,she is now 50yrs old, my middle. Son was about 14 when he painted the pictures.both sons are in their 40s. Don’t mean to go long on this, but if
I had just thrown them out cause they were just a bunch of papers, a lot of junk I could throw out, I would have
Missed all of what I have of wonderful memories of my children, that I have left.also a card my husband had made for me for a special anniversary. I know you mean we should check it out before we throw it out. It just
Made me feel all warm inside, where does time. Go? We turn around, you kids are all grown, with babes of your own. I saw the picture your daughter did, she can make another one, but she will not be that age or paint like that
One, it is really pretty, I enjoy your channel, your ideas are so good.👍👍💕💕😊
Yessssss! That feeling of when you first move into your home and your organized. It’s relaxing and comfortable. It’s too easy to let things go. You’re videos are so helpful, Dawn; TYFS!
THANK YOU, I greatly appreciate this!!
Love the scale "easy to hard" the method you teach. It' a good way to get rid of paper clutter.
As long as I still enjoy looking at something (art work, cards, letters) I keep them. They can’t be replaced. Losing parents when I was young, the cards and letters are treasures, I enjoy them often. My kids art work can’t be replaced. Some is framed, others are filed, still treasures.
Random mail I don’t have to keep. Paid bills I’m never sure how long to keep before shredding, but at least once a year it has to go. Probably too long to keep!!! Most receipts, as soon as I scan them on Fetch, they are trashed, unless it’s a gift receipt. Love your Video’s you have great ideas. Thank You!!!!
While trying to figure out how to declutter the paper pile so we can move into RV, this was super helpful for me to figure out which I can let go and which I shouldn't let go
Yes, this was another one of stopping the video halfway through to get started :) I worked for an hour an a half, reduced my magazines down to two (it feels so freeing) and went through my folder to purge & reorganize. Great video, thanks!
YAY! So glad to hear this!!!! :)
I always struggle with magazines, I really don't have the time to read them or reference them so I stuff them in drawers by the front door and think one rainy day I will read them or go through them but there's just different stuff I do in free time. I do save all the kids magazines because rainy days and art time, they can cut out stuff and glue/tape, keeps them occupied for hours then I toss everything afterwards. That's how I clean out the kids magazines.
Oh yes, I remember really enjoying that as a kid as well ... :)
Thanks so much for your straightforward approach and I like that your videos are shorter and to the point.
I just went through a big pile of paper today and got rid of a lot, but your tips will help me through the rest of it. One thing I love and use often is the Evernote app for a lot of things that I think I can't part with. I just take a picture of things like my cousins' baby photos and wedding announcement photos, recipes, cards, kids crafts and art, business cards, magazine articles or pages, etc. Or I type up anything from family and personal health history, itineraries, stories, notes, and all of my many lists! Then I can toss the physical paper. I know you don't like digital clutter either, but I can just search a word or tag and find it fast. I use it almost every day!
I appreciate this recommendation! I do think that if over time I found the right app I could make digital work, and I do love evernote, so I may need to try this out, THANK YOU!!!
What is Evernote?
@@pattygioffre2366 I just found out about it. It is just a place to store your lists and stuff. I am not sure how it works totally, but I am going to try it. As a card maker, I found out that some people list their stamp sets, and die sets, so they can digitally sort thru them and then find the one they want. I am not sure I will go that far, because mine all fit in a box!
The Five Love language book changed my life! I love it! I read all the other ones. It saved my marriage and parenting! I agree, all parents should read it. Thank you for sharing.
Oh good, so glad to hear that you echo this recommendation! Sometimes I wonder if it was profound to me but may not be to others!
Thank you! Your videos have been so helpful to me. Paper clutter was my biggest challenge as well as too many toys! These clear, manageable steps have simplified our home and I have time to build a puzzle with my kids or play a game with them instead of the redundant..'after I clean this or after I do that!' I listen to your videos as I tackle each new pile of stuff. Our house isn't finished, but I already feel the benefits. I am so glad that you are also encouraging your own children and all of ours to get outside!
Some things - ie, magazines - unless the magazine has articles in it that are "RIGHT NOW", I donate the magazines to: doctor or dentist offices, nursing homes, mental health facilities, any place where people have to wait and wait. HOWEVER - I remove all specific ID info (name, address) from mailing label first. This way someone gets to (1) be entertained while waiting, (2) gets to read articles they might not get to otherwise and (3) I get rid of a lot of major clutter that would otherwise just take up space at the dump.
LOVE this vid!!! Paperwork is the bane of our home!! Thanks so much. Can’t wait for vid 2 👍☺️🙂
I found you watching UA-cam instead of the news- I was so inspired I got home from work and while you are on tv I started tossing paper clutter! Stuff on the dining room table. Boxed magazines for donations- thank you! Next is my sewing room
This is really good common sense and training our brain to not keep it if we can find it online or with a phone call. With that said there are exceptions. Do not get rid or cards. I have cards from my husband for 35 years of marriage, every anniversary, birthday, etc., one day these will be priceless. My 3 son's created cards for me when they were younger and as they grew older they gave me cards. Each and every one is special. I even have cards from my grandmother, my best friend that I have never thrown out and as time goes one I love it that I have a box to sit down and touch those cards and have that memory. Don't throw out the cards or the artwork from your kids. Scanning into a digital file is fine, but again to touch it and feel it and the joy it brought and still does is priceless. Organize it in a scrapbook, keep in a container, but don't be so quick to throw it out. The other stuff - yes, figure it out, but keep those precious memories.
My motivation right now is to do my family a favor and become a minimalist. Paper and other clutter is not something I want to leave for them. My parents did not leave us with clutter, but we had to sort out their recent medical expenses among other business dealings (bank accounts, employment, veteran and insurance benefits). My siblings and I want to leave things in order for our own families. Thank you for your time making helpful videos to reach our personal goals.
That is definitely a beautiful gift to leave them! I witnessed my parents and aunts and uncles going through my grandparent's estate and it was overwhelming and led to discord amongst them all...never what my grandparents would have wanted!!
Constance, recently my son-in-law's parents got quite ill. He had to take over their financial life. They had TONS of paperwork going back many years. They had to find the bills, passwords, credit cards, etc. It was a huge undertaking for him and my daughter. They had to sit down with boxes and just sort thru it all to find the important stuff. He is an only child so they had no other help. It was a very stressful time, and I am not going to leave that for my kids!
I'm so happy I found you....paper & photographs......I'm working on this forever!!!!!!!
I'm a new subscriber and your comment about that magazine "breeding discontent" was spot on. There are so many things and people that, if we allow it, can bring that into our lives.
Thank you so much for this video! I have eliminated paper clutter and it's the best! This system really works.
I cannot throw away my kids artwork... it's like their history of their childhood. I do go back through it with my Grandkids.
Jilly Bean totally understands the sentiment.
Lol I had kept some of My artwork from high school & my daughter loved staring at it. Yes, I also keep my kids' artwork but Once I see its too much like overflowing in drawers then I make a conscience Decision which Art I cannot live without and say goodbye to the others:)
You can scan it in to your computer for a digital display book you can look at anytime..
I completely agree with you! As a grandma, I see the value of keeping the treasures my kids made way back when. Since they have grown up and left the house, having those things around is a comfort to me. Kids don't stay kids forever, and sometimes they even move far away when they become adults.
You'll never know what you're missing.
Sorry I beg to differ...my husband wants to scan and save to file all our stuff but I can find a paper copy faster than he can find a digital copy. Online manuals are only accessible if the company maintains their file structure as links can lead to a 404 error. I keep manuals of my current electrical items and dispose of them when I throw them away...or I bundle it up with the item if I donate it or give it away.
I looked online for a manual for an older kitchen item because I couldn't find the one that came with it and it was not available. I did eventually find it shoved amongst other papers that I 'tidied' when I had guests. Lesson learned. So I keep them all now, file them straight away, and when I access any I take the opportunity to go through the whole folder to see if there is any that may need to go...and...as a two for one deal...my memory of where, what, why they are is refreshed.
eg: When we renovated the kitchen two years ago I put the manual and receipt in a plastic bag, the oven when we took it to the tip shop so the new owners know how old it is, and how to use it as the manual may not be online as it was pretty old. Just being considerate? Just paying it forward?
This is awesome...I think what you demonstrate here is key: if you are going to keep manuals, you have to know where they are to be able to use them!!! Good points and tips!!
I have an accordian file that goes by alphabet. I just drop the manual in under the correct letter. For example, if it is for the stove, I drop it in the S file, and throw out the old one. This is so simple and just sits in the office closet. I often staple the receipt right in the manual. This works well for me! I agree that it is nice to have a paper copy, and pass it on if you donate the item.
You are so right. But don’t keep all of it.
I agree!
I lost my rice cooker manual and couldn't find it online. I ended up donating it because I had no idea how long to cook the brown rice and how much water was needed. I believe is important to keep manuals gone items such as a rice cooker, steamer, etc.
I just wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for all of your videos. It has been such an encouragement and blessing to our family. We have 4 children ranging from 6 down to 1 and simplifying has helped us focus more on time spent together rather than managing so much stuff!
YAY! I am SO glad to hear this!!!!! 💕 Thank YOU!!!
Great videos! I have one change to suggest. Since I downsized my business and brought it home, I find many of my business expenses for supplies and such are documented on cash register receipts (Walmart, grocery store, even the office supply store, since I'm not ordering supplies - just picking them up). Because of the process they use to print these receipts, they don't last. They begin to fade within a few weeks, and by the time they are a year old, all that you have left are blank strips of paper. So for those, I suggest you scan those right away and convert that paper to digital so you will actually have receipts for the 7 years you are required to keep them for your taxes.
That's a good point! I've noticed that as well and have wondered what they do if they become unreadable...I enter them into a spreadsheet with the store/date/amount and am not sure if that could be used to cross reference the actual receipt...I should probably improve my process!!!
What you're doing is great for bookkeeping purposes, but completely unacceptable for IRS purposes if they want to see a receipt. Id really suggest you at least snap a picture with your cell phone (and assure it's readable), if not scanning it as soon as you get it. Those cash register receipts I don't mind tossing in the trash because they only have the last four digets of your credit card number.
I've been using and living with the Love Languages for years! So glad you talked about it!! Thanks for your insightful blogs!
Just the other day I got rid of a ton of papers with sentimental value to me. It felt ... Weird. Like, they took part in some very specific moments of my life. My teenage art pieces, the first "books" that I wrote... The sentimental value was enormous. Still I managed the courage to go through them one more time and tell myself " This is past you. Not present you, not future you. Because you're so much better than this right now." I had some teenage magazines, special numbers that I took photos of and then sent to the trash too. I can still remember that I had it.
Wow. Brave.
I am a writer... and journal and my heart loves to keep things for memories... please pray and thank you for my being my objective friend... I know God has placed you in my like for a season...
I have only watched one of your videos prior to this one, but I really like you. Your personality, the fluency of your speaking, and your smile. Though I am in a different place than you (51 years old, married with two teenagers - 13 and 15 years old - whom I home educate), I hope to gleam a lot from you. I am really looking forward to simplifying my home, life, and finances.
For me it comes down to a trade-off: Would I rather have more physical storage or invest time in storing documents digitally? I choose the latter.
Also, paperless billing, on-line bill pay and digital document storage have been a godsend!
[picks up coffee mug for another sip]
[notices Family Handyman issue on end table giving me an I-dare-you sneer]
P.S. TOTALLY impressed by the shot of the inside view of your house! #lifegoals
I’m a retired claim adjuster. I would not suggest trashing your insurance policies for at least seven years. You’re not thinking of the potential of liabilities should somebody be injured on your private premises or in an accident with your auto. Those sorts of claims can continue for years and you may disagree with some of the decisions your insurance carrier makes. In that case, you will need to refer to your insurance policy. Take it from me they are not easy to replace even in this day of paperless corporations.
Agree with this so much! Also, the person you talk to on the phone will often say that your insurance will cover everything you want (for health insurance, anyway), when that is not the case at all. My mom went through this when trying to get home care for my dad.
I would agree. Speaking on financial contracts, Insurance, Annuities, Pensions, and the like. 1. General product information is not reliably archived by the companies. 2. companies, and/or blocks of their policies, are often purchased by another company and you can not be sure that your specific converge or agreement will be easily understood or reliably recorded after the purchase. 3. If your beneficiaries need to locate your assets, because you are no longer here, the more specific information and proof of that information the better. If you need to save that much space, scan your document on an encrypted device and put the original in a safe or safe deposit box. The more remote method of storage, the greater need to make sure someone knows that the contract and policies exist... again, you may not be around to tell them. Otherwise, nice video.
As a retired lawyer, I could not agree more about keeping your insurance policies. Asking your insurance company is asking for their opinion; and you may have good grounds to disagree with them at some point.
Thank you! Agree completely. It is naive/shortsighted to think anyone should depend on companies or anything online as a sole resource for records. I have consulted appliance manuals and insurance policies many times over the years.
Yeah, I stuff my policies in a file then go through occasionally and toss out the years-old ones. However, I can also download and digitally save policies and billing statements. This is about reducing clutter, not necessarily tossing everything out.
This was the weekend I started getting rid of major paper overload..when I came across your video. It just really helped encourage me that I was doing the correct thing!! I think guilt has a huge part to play with the "memories" but I'm the only one this really affects! My son could care less about me saving every little piece of art work or every report card.. after all he is 31 now! I have some great scrapbooks! I'm down to 1 file box, 1 box for pictures, 1 box for memories! 5 tall kitchen bags of garbage...Thanks so much for all your tips and tricks!
I mostly agree with you. There are always exceptions. I bought a long term care policy that is no longer sold. The company has also changed. I feel that I need proof of coverage if I need to use this policy.
I get so excited when see you have posted a new video, This one was awesome and I'm so looking forward to part 2! Now to get busy with the paper piles awaiting me.
Thank you Linda! I really appreciate that!!!! :)
If you came to my house and threw out my paper clutter I'd make you dinner. The office in our house is the only messy unorganized room and it's because of paper clutter.
For birthday cards i always keep certain ones and throw the rest out. Then the next yr i throw them out and replace them with the current ones.
Great advice for manuals. I think I'm going to do this with some of ours. I can't believe i never thought of that.
😂 I'd gladly come and throw out your stuff to have dinner with you!!
@@TheMinimalMom 💜💙
With regard to throwing out children’s art works…I haven’t watched this yet but I did a quick browse of comments. I gather everyone is trying to talk you out of throwing children’s projects away.
Very many years ago, when my sons were “artistically prolific”, I had a couple of methods of reducing inventory, without hurt feelings.
Children often don’t actually *want* everything saved. If Junior is coming home with six pure Black and Tan paintings with no beauty, and no apparent subject, ask your child, “Do you want to keep this…is it something special or were you just exploring the colours?”
I was surprised at how many paintings, and even cardboard box building projects, that they were quite happy to toss.
The big life saver though was photos. Arrange Kiddo with all the art work and construction/building etc. and take a couple of photos.
When I used to do this, I was actually using real film in a real camera to get real photos. Now, of course there’s your phone. But maybe you could sometimes print a copy, so your child can see. Then they’ll know you still value their work.
If you made it this far, then, thank you for reading my essay.
Love, love love your channel! Your ideas are different from what I usually hear, clear, motivating, and real life. You seem so down to earth and honest. Thank you for sharing your ideas. Your systems feel doable and less stressful. I especially love your ways of clearing toys and paper and clothing etc...it’s quick! Best of all we don’t feel the pain of getting rid of it right away by putting it in a bin for a short time. Because the thought,”what if we need it sometime soon?” always ,always comes up. Or “what if my kid, wanted that toy so much?! “ this way it’s a bit easier to “get rid of it” and learn to live without it and live with less clutter. Living with less clutter is so great! It feels so good and that feeling is way better than all the stuff we keep. Then it feels ok to throw out stuff.:)
SO glad to hear this, THANK YOU!!!
I keep birthday and christmas cards for the whole year, hanging them up, and after that year, they are out and there is place for new ones :D
My biggest disagreement is in throwing out that child's art booklet. She may make many more but not at the age she was when she made That one. It looked so special. Especially receiving it for your birthday! 😣
I did keep it! I just don't keep ALL of them ;)
Take a pic of it, and have a file on your phone for them.
@@caroleeh7269 ~ Not the same. This is one that I completely disagree with Dawn on. Keep a memories box with things like this for each child. Especially this particular art work because it was a gift for her birthday. It holds priceless personal & family value. Sadly, some things we just don't truly understand or appreciate until we're older, but by then it may be too late...
It's easy to "throw away" art because it gets on your nerves NOW but wait until they are grown up and, oh I don't know say, join the military and they are in harms way and you miss them terribly, you will CHERISH all that "kid clutter"
I love that you walk through items and determine what can be replaced, which most of it can be. The one thing: I don't know that I could throw away cards or artwork that fast so I would keep it in that bin right next to you for now. I would suggest briefly writing about the card or artwork before tossing it if you have anything to write about it, adding how you feel about it. I sometimes end up keeping a limited and organized stack to compliment my journal entries of the things I can show to posterity and then can be thrown away immediately after.
I stumbled upon your decluttering video while I was in the process of decluttering. In your video about decluttering the kitchen you said to put the papers away and now I'm here decluttering the paper clutter all in one day. Thank you for sharing such valuable tips.
Gosh that good old time when we just moved into our house! 💕 minimal! 😊
love your daughters art you held up.
My issue! Thank you for sharing. So true that we aren't objective when it's ours
I'm sentimental and I would never get rid of my kids art, etc. NEVER! But you do make it easier for me to get rid of a lot of the other stuff. You are a God sent. Paper clutter is my down fall!!!
Great video! For the paper items, I struggled to get rid of like portfolio pieces or conference notes, I found it helpful to scan and save them in Evernote, so I had the security of having the items without keeping the paper hard copies. It's actually a better place for them, too, since I can easily search for them if I ever need them. This made trashing things so much easier for me!
That is a GREAT idea!!! :)
Is Evernote secure, so if your computer crashes, you can access them from another computer? I don't know much about it.
I don’t like paper. I toss it all. We also stopped exchanging cards. Loved your tips! It’s so liberating to not have those paper piles all over.
Isn't it??? I realized having that stack around for the last few weeks how stressful it used to be!!!
The magazine guilt thing is real! I end up with beautiful piles of magazines I haven't read, feel guilty about not reading, but I've solved the pile problem by doing a rapid look through of several at once and tear out pages of ideas I love. I recycle those magazines I've torn out pages or take the whole magazine to the free magazines bin at the library.
This is the second video I’ve watched and thank you Jesus for her videos... can I give you 10 thumbs??? Seriously I always get some good for most videos on this subject .. but you just spoke my language -simple concise and shred common sense awesome I will share
Wow! I really appreciated this video--especially the point about needing an objective friend to help us sort through overwhelming decisions and clutter. I'm looking forward to applying your tips! Thx :)
I use One Note (Microsoft Office) for a lot of data. It is easy to organize. You can scan documents and keep them in One Note also. I love One Note.
Jilly Bean me too! Work and home, OneNote is fabulous!
Have you seen any videos on One Note that are useful for home organization?
MizMagnoSalsa good question, no I have not. But I love it for both my work and personal organization. If I get a chance I will start looking...
Jilly Bean I'm so glad you mentioned One Note! I never knew what to do with so it just takes up space on my hard drive. I will now play around with it.
The Bankers Box idea has made such a huge impact on me. I can't thank you enough!
I love this Dawn! My husband is the pile creator and we had a literal pile on the kitchen island, and on a bookcase in our closet. I created a box just for important hard to replace papers and got rid of all the rest. If feels so good to not have it just hanging around and bombarding us everytime we walk through the door!
Yay! This is SO good to hear!!!
It's so funny that I stumbled upon this video I just finished shredding 5 trash bags full of papers this evening 😂
I have been feeling exactly how you discribed...let's get back to the house we once lived in the one that stayed clean and everything seemed to have it's place.
I have recently been purging things and trying to minimize the amount of clutter, it's a SLOW process it seems but little by little is what I keep telling my husband.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts and you got a new subscriber here. 🙂
That is funny that you just finished shredding!!! Always glad to hear that I'm not alone and thank YOU for subscribing!!! :)
Congratulations. Keep up the good work. I too have been decluttering bit by bit.
For special cards and special artwork, I just take a picture of it and then toss it. I am with you. I hate paper clutter!!! You are awesome!!
Many times the seminar notes or journaling notes, 'have already served their purpose' of helping us to remember that moment of info more readily. For myself, I rarely go back & reference.
Paper clutter is a work in progress. We have stopped getting magazines, newspapers and do online banking. Your simplifying is an inspiration to me. Makes me want to throw things out.