This is my decluttering and minimalism journey
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- Опубліковано 17 вер 2024
- Need help with your decluttering journey? I am your person!
I'm Sam and I'm the founder of Simply Clutter-Free.
I'm a 40 year old mom of 2 from Canada.
Welcome to my Channel!
I started this channel to help others. I used to be so stressed out and overwhelmed by my home.
I was spending hours on the weekend tidying, re-organizing, and trying to make all the clutter fit...
Instead of just getting rid of it all.
In 2016, I learned about The Minimalists - and that seemed to be the answer to my problems.
I just needed to declutter more!
But a key part of that lifestyle is not bringing in more clutter and becoming a more intentional consumer.
That went right over my head.
I spent years decluttering, decluttering, decluttering, but making no progress.
It was exhausting, frustrating and defeating.
And then I had my "rock bottom"...
I was making returns at a store not long before Christmas 2020, and the cashier said - "Oh, I can see you bought this at 2am..."
That's when I realized that I had a shopping problem.
This was a tough blow - because I'd grown up the daughter of a hoarder. I'd promised myself I'd never go down that road.
And though I had no issues with decluttering - which is often tough for hoarders. I obviously had a problem with controlling my impulsive spending.
Impulsive shopping is a behaviour often seen in people with ADHD - which I had been diagnosed with as an adult.
Ultimately I realized that I was never going to get ahead with my decluttering if I didn't stop mindless spending.
I decided I needed to change my behaviour.
I drastically reduced my shopping to only the real necessities and started decluttering my home.
I spent a full year decluttering at least 500 items a month. And I kept going.
With every layer of clutter that left my home - my life improved.
I have now reduced the total inventory of my home by over 8500 items and I'm still going.
I'm opening up and sharing my story - because I don't think I'm alone in these struggles.
If you can relate, or you even would just love to follow along for decluttering tips and motivation...hit the subscribe button.
Let's work together and motivate each other!
I'd like to take a moment to send a big thank you and shout out to Tim from the New Retired Me UA-cam Channel.
/ @thenewretiredme
I was recently one of two winners of his grant initiative for new UA-camrs. I couldn't be more excited and grateful!
His community has welcomed me with open arms and has been incredibly supportive. I appreciate it.
Thank you for being here! ❤️
If you have any questions for me - let me know in the comments or share something about yourself - I'd love to get to know you. 😊
Need help with your decluttering journey? I am your person!
I'm Sam and I'm the founder of Simply Clutter-Free.
I'm a 40 year old mom of 2 from Canada.
Welcome to my Channel!
I started this channel to help others. I used to be so stressed out and overwhelmed by my home.
I was spending hours on the weekend tidying, re-organizing, and trying to make all the clutter fit...
Instead of just getting rid of it all.
In 2016, I learned about The Minimalists - and that seemed to be the answer to my problems.
I just needed to declutter more!
But a key part of that lifestyle is not bringing in more clutter and becoming a more intentional consumer.
That went right over my head.
I spent years decluttering, decluttering, decluttering, but making no progress.
It was exhausting, frustrating and defeating.
And then I had my "rock bottom" or "aha moment" - depending on how you want to look at it.
I was making returns at a store not long before Christmas 2020, and the cashier said - "Oh, I can see you bought this at 2am..."
That's when I realized that I had a shopping problem.
This was a tough blow - because I'd grown up the daughter of a hoarder. I'd promised myself I'd never go down that road.
And though I had no issues with decluttering - which is often tough for hoarders. I obviously had a problem with controlling my impulsive spending.
Impulsive shopping is a behaviour often seen in people with ADHD - which I had been diagnosed with as an adult.
Ultimately I realized that I was never going to get ahead with my decluttering if I didn't stop mindless spending.
I decided I needed to change my behaviour.
I drastically reduced my shopping to only the real necessities and started decluttering my home.
I spent a full year decluttering at least 500 items a month. And I kept going.
With every layer of clutter that left my home - my life improved.
I have now reduced the total inventory of my home by over 8500 items and I'm still going.
I'm opening up and sharing my story - because I don't think I'm alone in these struggles.
If you can relate, or you even would just love to follow along for decluttering tips and motivation...hit the subscribe button.
Let's work together and motivate each other!
I'd like to take a moment to send a big thank you and shout out to Tim from the New Retired Me UA-cam Channel.
youtube.com/@thenewretiredme?si=kzct7Q9A09jY6u1G
I was recently one of two winners of his grant initiative for new UA-camrs. I couldn't be more excited and grateful!
His community has welcomed me with open arms and has been incredibly supportive. I appreciate it.
Thank you for being here! ❤️
If you have any questions for me - let me know in the comments or share something about yourself - I'd love to get to know you. 😊
❤beautifully said
@@akontarini Thank you ❤️❤️❤️
Absolutely LOVE this video. Your journey is much like mine. Buy. Declutter. Buy again. I finally learned (mostly) to tame the beast.
@@TheNewRetiredMe Thank you so much!!! That means alot. ❤️. I don't think we're alone in that habit at all! It made a big difference for me for sure. ☺️
@@simply.clutterfree thank you
@@akontarini 😊😊😊
Similar journeys. I have always wanted the clutter GONE. I’m 60 now and almost there. I love holiday decorating. I also felt over whelmed by it at the same time. What?!?! Even now I see the cute velvet pumpkins in the store and almost cave. BUT, my favorite tip is, decorate with nature and the season. Real pumpkins that don’t have to be stored. Autumn leaves and acorns that you throw out after and don’t have to be store. Spring and summer flowers. Pine and pinecones. I absolutely love this and there is no need for a bin to put it all in after.
@@rebeccabaron1348 That's such a great tip and actually bringing tears to my eyes remembering collecting colourful fall leaves for my grandma to wax and decorate with ❤️🍁
@@simply.clutterfree ❤️❤️
I’ve been married for almost 36 years and been living in our current home for 23 years. You can accumulate a lot of things living in the same place for a long time. My husband and I are downsizing next year and I cannot wait. I’ve been trying to declutter for a while as I have anxiety and I get overwhelmed with the amount of things we own. I also have an autoimmune disease so I have chronic pain and little energy. I’m still determined to do what I can. I love handbags and have a small channel here on UA-cam so won’t be decluttering most of them. I really want to declutter a lot of things we have no use for. If I don’t need it, use it or love it then it can leave.😂 I’m subscribing to your channel as I need all the motivation I can get and also love to support a fellow Canadian.❤️🙏🇨🇦
@@Debbiesdilemmas I hear you. I helped a friend last year after a big move. She'd been in the same home since the 90s. I have hypothyroidism so I do have to be careful to work with my energy levels. Having drastically less in my home has definitely helped. I think you are so smart to be planning ahead. So many people pack all the clutter and bring it with them when they move. Happy to have another Canadian here! I'm a big believer in keeping the items you love so if that's hand bags...enjoy them. Glad to have you here ☺️❤️
I decluttered the space where I store Tupperware in my kitchen recently. And one of the fun results is it doesn't matter how "messy" the space gets, there's always room for everything. I don't have to be constantly stacking and organizing whenever all the dishes are clean. I also started keeping the lids attached to each container. I had no idea how happy this would make me almost daily.
@@ChristinesCraftTable That's awesome!!! I hear you. We often have more Tupperware than we need! It's sold in such huge sets normally. That will make your kitchen so much more functional 😀 and I store with lids too! 😉
Keeping the lids is our norm as well 😊
Decluttering is full of emotion and psychology. It can feel quite painful and a massive relief. I removed 120 bags of stuff from my home before moving, and I don't miss any of it. I will continue to declutter by first being mindful of what I bring into the home. If I feel the need to pack something away in the attic, I ask myself why it is not worthy to be put on display. If I want it out of sight, I am just allowing it to disintegrate because I can't make a decision.
You're exactly right. All the work I did decluttering gave me lots of time to think and reflect. It was very therapeutic and I've also found myself more mindful of my decisions and behaviour. Well done on all that hard work! ❤️
I am still struggling with this issue😢
@@akontarini ❤️❤️❤️
Congratulations on your channel reaching 1000 subs and your first long form video.
Thank you!!! Really appreciate your support ☺️❤️
Hi Sam, I enjoyed your video. You did a terrific video. I'm looking forward to all of your future works. You have a pleasant persona and I see the quality in what you do. Thank you for sharing with us.
@@PamHaynes-oo3ck Thank you so much for saying that. We put a lot of work into this video. It was a bit of a learning curve. I really appreciate your support Pam ☺️❤️
You are welcome 🤗
@@PamHaynes-oo3ck ☺️💖☺️💖
You both so beautiful people! When I watch and read your comments my heartfelt thank you
So are you Akontarini ❤❤❤@@akontarini
Came here from Tim's channel. My biggest challenge is photo albums of deceased family. I may keep some but throw out a bunch. And papers. I started on it today. Made great progress.
That's awesome! I'm a huge history and genealogy buff so I hear you on the family photos. You can see in the video I was going through some of my own photos too. I helped a friend with her family photos last year. She scanned all the ones she wanted to keep, displayed some favourites...and then with the physical copies - an interesting thing happened! A local photographer wanted them as they had a special interest in restoring old photos. So a huge bin of physical copies went to her and she was absolutely thrilled. You just never know who would love the items you're ready to part with!
Can't wait to watch your channel grow!
@@khill6510 Thank you so so much! I appreciate it 😊 💖
Such true words ! 👍😍 and when you say: "you can BREATHE" in your home"... YES ! It's so good being able doing this again 👏
@@veroniquefricke9219 😊❤️😊❤️
Came across your channel; I am a subscriber to Tim’s channel and now a subscriber to yours! 😊
Thank you so much! ☺️❤️
Same...
I found your video because I was searching for videos on decluttering. I am a 49 year old woman from the Netherlands and subscribed to your channel to get inspiration, because I am also in the middle of decluttering my home.
So happy you're here! I actually have many Dutch loved ones here in Canada. 😊❤️🇨🇦
So happy for you. Im 75 and still battling clutter. I agree with you about not being able to relax in your own house with clutter. I have such little energy and am physically challenged. Would love to get to the stage where house is cleaned and decluttered so if i feel like sitting and reading a book, or watching you tube all day, i can without feeling guilty. I declutter a little each day. Dont know if ill ever reach my goal, but i will keep trying. Happy for you so you dont end up old and still fighting clutter like me.
I totally understand. I've faced similar stress and guilt feelings. I helped a friend your age last year for a few weeks and sometimes that's one way to make faster progress - having a "Declutter Buddy". This could be a trusted friend, family member or neighbour. There are even professional services that help seniors too. That might be one option to help you get to where you can put your feet up and enjoy your days. ❤️
Congratulations! I came over from Tim's channel too! I want to support your channel and continue my own decluttering journey.
@@stellamc That's amazing! So happy to have you along for the journey 😊❤️
💚 as well
Wow! Is this your first video? How beautiful! thank you for sharing your journey! I am not a hoarder or in need of a huge downsize or enormous declutter…But…I can certainly benefit from some of the ideas around leading a slightly more minimalist life. So thank you…and thanks to your community
@@bronwynquinn4477 Thank you ! Happy to have you here. I'm sure you'll have valuable insights to share in the comments 😊💖
Hello. Enjoyed your video, new sub via Tim’s channel and I thank you both for your insight.
That's awesome! Thank you for the support! 😊❤️
Me too...😊
You’re definitely not the only one! I’ve been on this journey since 2018, but it’s a process for sure. I agree in that it has been so worthwhile and the best decision I could make. I do have categories I’m still working on, but I do find I’m much more intentional on my purchases.
@@WhatLeslyeLoves The intentionality with purchases was a slow learning curve for me but made a big impact! I'm glad you're enjoying the benefits of less 😊❤️
Enjoyed your video so much and look forward to seeing more from you.
@@kimr4005 Thank you. That means a lot to me 😊💕
I found you after Tim (The retired me) and I’m so happy to be here. I’m on a journey similar to yours. Loved the video and excited to watch more as you post them, friend ☺️
Thank you so much. What a lovely message. Happy to have you here 😊❤️
Welcome to YT! I’m excited to watch your journey and hope to learn some things. The New Retired Me is one of my favorite UA-cam channels when it comes to life and minimalism. He has great advice!
I'm a big fan of Tim's too! Thank you for being here 😊❤️
Congratulations on your win! I love Tim and am looking forward to more UA-cam’s from you!
@@colleenisaac6647 Thank you so much. I'm a big fan of Tim's too 😊
Thank you and what you are saying is so true! I have decluttered over the years and I can say that you have to stop buying on Amaz.., you have to stop thrifting, you have to stop shopping in general and when you are getting your groceries you have to stop picking up all the extra goodies they put on the end caps to catch people. You have to say "no, thank you" to the freebies that other people want to declutter. You have to stop bringing it in because if you don't you will make your life cluttered. Clutter is psychologically draining, depressing and stressful.
@@dianeyoung8068 You've hit the nail on the head. We have to protect our space. Decluttering is a home maintenance job that is never completely done but it's infinitely easier when we are careful about what comes in. ❤️
Here because of Tim. Great introduction video telling your story. You will do well.🙂
@@sherry3982 Thank you so much for being here sherry. I appreciate it. 😊❤️
Also I am learning that you can get a similar “high” from declutterring not unlike the one from shopping. I enjoy finding lost items, making more space somewhere, giving things to others.
@@PeterCleveland-n1t Yes! I've said the same thing. I changed my dopamine fix from shopping to decluttering 😊 great observation!
Congratulations on the video! Good luck on your new journey 🥰
Thank you Christina! You've been here from the first moment ❤❤❤
Hi from Melbourne, Australia. I really enjoyed your first video, well done. I have been decluttering for a number of years and recently downsized with my husband from a large family home to a much smaller apartment. This has made me realise that we need to declutter further to achieve the life we want to live and to ensure that we don't leave our children a burden when we are gone. I am looking forward to watching more from you and learning from your experience.
@@justnoticing Thank you! ❤️ That's so amazing that we reached Australia. I helped my friend with this exact issue last year and there will be an upcoming video on it. ☺️
Melbourne here as well
I learned about you from Tim's channel. I'm a subscriber and was excited for your first video and am looking forward to more. I can tell I'm going to like your channel because of how you come across. I like watching decluttering videos. It motivates me!
@@BluVelvtbutitsreallyNancy This is such a sweet message. Thank you so much. I appreciate you being here. ❤️
Love decluttering. Do it weekly by donating every week. From Tim's channel. I follow many decluttering and minimal You tubes channels. Joan
I follow quite a few decluttering and minimalism channels too. I figure the more decluttering motivation the better! 😊 Awesome to have you here! ❤
New subscriber, just rabdomly scrolling looking for decluttering vlogs and came across your channel. Also, a fellow Canadian.
@@sallycroft2191 I love that you found me! Where in Canada are you? I'm in Ontario ☺️❤️🇨🇦
Excellent video. Very helpful. Thank you x
@@kraykray4118 I'm glad you enjoyed it. Thank you ❤️
Came to your channel from Tim’s channel. I subscribed almost right away. My journey is similar to yours in that I started to declutter quite a while before I became a more mindful and intentional consumer. I am also Canadian, likely from the opposite coast to you based on a clip in your video. Looking forward to following along on your journey!
I'm so glad you found me. Looks like we've definitely had a similar experience ❤. I'm in Ontario 😊🇨🇦
Great job!
Thank you 😊❤️
❤❤❤ well done!❤❤❤
@@akontarini thank you 😊❤️
Hi, from the west coast of Canada. I started decluttering a couple of years ago, which turned out to be very beneficial when I was diagnosed with a life-changing illness in January of last year. The major decluttering has been done, but I am still finding pockets of Clutter that I need to deal with. Some places I’ve already decluttered have had a second declutter happen now and it’s amazing how much I’ve gotten rid of. Looking forward to more of your videos.
@@janetrothwell4448 So nice to hear from you! I truly believe the clutter comes off in layers more and more with time. I'm in Ontario! Whereabouts on the west coast are you? 🇨🇦❤️
I lived in Nanaimo as a younger kid ☺️
@@simply.clutterfree I live on Salt Spring Island.
@@janetrothwell4448 beautiful spot 😍
Decluttering also.
❤️❤️❤️
I saw someone give you a shoutout on Tim’s live this morning. Congrats on the win. ☺️
@@robstrck8 Thank you! 💖😊
Really looking forward to your videos. Came here from Tim’s grant video. You are already so talented as far as topics and presentation. I cannot get much from watching shorts-just too rapid paced-I find them kind of frantic-but I know many people love them. I do love your music choices for them tho!! Can’t wait to see your videos-I feel like you will be amazingly successful and will reach and help a lot of people. Best of luck!
This is so kind. I really appreciate the support and warm welcome from Tim's Community 😊❤️
I can totally understand about the shorts. I like to watch short videos if I am taking a little break and can't commit to a longer video, but I agree - you can get more out of a longer video 😊
Loved. this and subscribed. Tim is the best thing since sliced bread. I had never heard that 300,000 items in the average household. ACK. It is just me and my husband and one small cat so hopefully we have less than that. I have never had a storage building and have always been able to get two cars in our two car garage. That doesn’t mean I don’t need to declutter! I am almost 74 and one of my goals is when I am gone and our MANY kids and grandkids come over here they will open closet doors and drawers and be relieved and pleased and not overwhelmed by their task. Carole
@@PeterCleveland-n1t Hi Carole, yes that's a statistic from the US. It's hard to believe! I think that's a great goal. I'm so happy to have you here and yes, Tim is awesome. I'm a big fan 😊
Congrats on your new channel. Looking forward to your insights. I'm from Tim's channel.
Thank you! Happy you're here 😊
Love this
@@Dima-pk4js Thank you ☺️❤️
You must really want to declutter ,learning the difference between “want”and “need” is vital to success!
Yes, and as the daughter of a hoarder I didn't have a great education on that growing up unfortunately. I understood as a concept. But obviously it wasn't happening in practice 😕
I need you in my life! 😁
I'm here! 😊❤️
Hello Sam, my background is like yours. Now retired and recovering from a stroke and with multiple health issues I feel desperate because my home is overwhelming to the point that I don't even have the space to use the walking aids I've been given by the hospital! On my own I feel devastation that my own efforts are barely making a dent in the clutter. Please help and advise me if you can. All the tips I learned over the years seem ineffective now I'm no longer able bodied or strong enough to power through clearing and cleaning as I could before. Thank you for your channel. God bless you. Love from your new subscriber Vera from NI. ❤
Hi Vera
I'm so sorry to hear about your health struggles and everything you're going through. I believe it's time to ask for help, or find support in some way as it sounds like there are some safety concerns with your ability to use your walking aids.
If funds permit, I would hire a professional if possible to work with you to get your home to a place of more comfort for you.
If this isn't possible, a trusted family member, friend or service organization (Lions Club, Legion, etc) could help physically move items with your instructions.
Your medical doctor might even have suggestions on professional free services that could be of benefit to you as she or he would have come across this issue before with seniors.
All this to say, there's no shame in asking for help. I volunteered with a senior friend for a few weeks last year to help her declutter.
There is help out there - it's just a matter of finding the right fit. ❤️
Welcome Sam
Newly subscribed and
Looking forward to everything you have to share
@@ayankeegirl1835 Thank you 😊❤️
New sub here. Great job on your video. Looking forward to following your channel as I declutter along with you. Good luck. I like Tim, too
Yay! Happy to have you here ☺️❤️
I loved your video! I came over from Tim's channel. What will be your video schedule?
@@julieanns.7134 Thank you so much! I'm planning to post videos every Sunday afternoon but it might take a little bit until I'm totally consistent as I'm still getting used to editing long videos and knowing how much time to plan etc. If you turn on notifications you won't miss anything 😊❤️
Hi! I live in Mississauga Ontario but I live with a hoarder. At least, my room and the washroom is a bit tidy. 6:51
I'm in Ontario too! 🇨🇦😊 And yes, only my bedroom was ever tidy. Luckily the hoarding and mess didn't push into my space.
@@simply.clutterfree I get to fights with my wife as she keeps used paint brushes, rollers, thousands of unused bags, then scavenges the bins when she finds that I threw them.
@@luisasterioquerubin6829It's a really tough position to be in. 💔 Hoarders really benefit from therapy from a counselor who specializes in hoarding. That's often the first necessary step but that person needs to want to accept the help. Easier said than done. 💔
❤😊
@@margaritajohnson3809 Thanks for the support 😊💖
I believe it was a book by Francine Jay, sort of a series of essays and letters breaking up with her stuff that helped me start rethinking stuff cominv in. Even before I started making more progress with Dana K White's method of decluttering.
Love Dana K White! Her concepts are really foundational for many in the decluttering and minimalism community. I will have to look up Francine Jay. I'm familiar with the name but not her work. ☺️
@simply.clutterfree She was sort of my first touch with minimalism. Then I proceeded to binge listen to the minimalists podcast at work for the next year or so. But back then I was still trying to fit myself into the fly lady system so I had to do all this cleaning stuff I was behind on before feeling okay about tossing stuff in a donate box. Lol.
@@GoingGreenMom I hear you. Back in the day, I thought I had a "cleaning problem" before I realized I was just losing my life and time in my clutter. I did try the fly lady system at that point and found it complicated. I do find it much easier to clean my house and keep up after so much decluttering. Another person I've recently heard of who has also been around quite awhile like Francine Jay is Zoe Kim. By chance she is married to Matt Paxton from Hoarders so I'd love to be a fly on the wall at their home - but I imagine they definitely don't have any flies 😂🫣
@@simply.clutterfree agreed! Fly lady was sooo overwhelming. Will check out Zoe.
@@GoingGreenMom I found out about Fly Lady via The Secret Slob (I don't think she posts anymore). But that channel helped make better sense of it all. I think the main take away being that we all could benefit from regular routines that are sustainable. Zoe Kim is at raisingsimple.com. I found out about her via a podcast and find her relatable ☺️❤️
I'm here already on my tiptoes to see where this journey will bring us.
I'm living (in my mid fifties) with my parents in a house of four stories that welcomed six human beings, a dog, three cats and reunited three homes (in the eighties) and my four houses.
I'm trying to declutter, starting with my stuff, but it's hard.
Any help is welcomed.
Let's work together.
It's a joy working with some company to help you out.
Cheers from Italy.
Dan 🧡
Yes company definitely helps with decluttering! There's even a concept called "body doubling" that explains in part why it's so much better to work with a friend, family member or partner decluttering and doing other jobs. Happy to have you here Dan. We'll make progress together 😊
New subscriber. I have found your channel , need some inspiration and support. I have rebounced. My house is full again. Some health problems made me find comfort on shopping. Same reason I am drowning now, moving clutter around because I can't make a decition and limited energy to do basics. A big, dirty mess.😢. I want my house clean. I will do my journey step by step in little chunks, I can't do Mary Condo again.
Thank you for your support. ❤❤❤
I'd be happy to support you any way I can. You're on the right path. Step by step. Bit by bit you'll get there. ❤️
The sunday journey
☺️❤️
Hi. I struggle with decluttering. I go through my stuff amd can easily get rid of the junk. But, i struggle with things of value and feel i should sell it and then never get around to selling. What's your advice on this?
I have struggled with this as well. It can be difficult to let go of items that could potentially be sold. I've never had great luck with garage sales. But I have had luck with sales on Facebook marketplace.
The key is to set some limits.
1. I only try to sell items of $50 or more.
2. After one week, I lower the price by $10.
3. After two weeks I remove the listing and commit to donating.
There are lots of options for donating but I like to contribute to local organizations that help those in need in a very direct way.
The other option is to take photos of the items and send a text or email to someone you think might want the item to see if they would come pick it up (within one week max).
Sometimes, the items just can't be sold and we have to consider that our time is valuable as well. Thinking about how long it takes me to do photos, make a listing, answer questions, coordinate pick ups...means that I often choose the donation route.
I hope this helps. Let me know if you have any other questions ☺️❤️
@@simply.clutterfree thank you for the response. That's a great idea to put a price on things and to ask others if theyd6like the items. I'll definitely do that. Thanks again.
@@helenbell6179 My senior friend even created a "donation drop zone" where friends could "shop her clutter". It makes it a bit easier if you know someone will be appreciating the pricey item.
@@simply.clutterfree Exactly, I'd never thought of that! Thank you again.
@@helenbell6179 😊❤️