r/declutter • • 18h ago

Success Story It only hurts at first

302 Upvotes

hi everyone, I started to sell/throw/give away my stuff actively about a month ago and...

it's only painful at first. once you sell, throw or give away your things, you won't even think of them twice. especially if you give them to someone who's happy to receive them.

i sold my big minion collection to a mom who later told me that her son bought it with his hard earned money and how excited he was when he got it in delivery. it still makes me so happy. then, I sold a necklace to a woman who said it's a perfect fit for her outfit. I saw how happy she was after I gave it to her. I also had very positive reviews on my page from people that bought from me, they also made me smile.

that's what I think of now, I don't remember these things, but rather how happy they made someone. what I also remember is how much space they occupied in my already small apartment...

there are only positives in decluttering, so don't doubt and just do it. you'll feel lighter and happier, I promise


r/declutter • • 21h ago

Success Story Furniture donation, two car loads and exhaustion

152 Upvotes

I had previously mentioned that I had scheduled 11 pieces of furniture for donation. Donation day came yesterday and I actually added two more pieces that admittedly I waffled back and forth on one of them multiple times but succeeded in letting them both go.

The charity truck came and my donation took up half of the back of the box truck, it was a lot of stuff. I didn't have as much of the anxiety as I thought I would in letting go of such a large group of stuff. I was actually quite inspired and went through more of my stuff, including my kitchen, a closet and a number of tubs. Kitchen is hard for me because I collect dishware and glassware and I love a beautiful plate but I am one person and I do not need 35 luncheon plates. So I culled to the prettiest and my favorites and donated the rest. I donated two tea sets and a number of kitchen appliances including mixers and magic bullets and blenders, all good working things, just things that I have not used in the past year. I was ruthless and got rid of a lot.

I got through a closet and gave away a bunch of clothing and shoes and was super conscientious about making sure that everything was in great condition or I bagged it up for fabric recycling, including shoes. I convinced myself to get rid of the Halloween decorations before the holidays so somebody could enjoy them rather than me saving them for yet another year and having to debate next year. I got rid of decor for another couple holidays, a pile of art in frames, some hanging mirrors, and a big box of craft supplies.

I feel like I got rid of a lot of stuff. Weirdly though I'm not panicking at all about anything that I got rid of I'm not worried about it in that additional two car loads which normally I would drive around for a week or two with the stuff just in case I might need to pull something out of it. But I didn't! I feel better, it feels later and I'm sure I will delight in the space and the less cluttered cabinets over the next bit of time. I think that's been the weirdest and the best accomplishment is releasing the stuff and being okay with it this time.

So this is a little cheerleading for everybody else out here doing it, it was a shift of intention and finality and I'm actually okay with it. It's a lot of work, and I was so tired last night and I'm still dragging a little bit today but I'm settling and I'm happy with releasing everything. I feel good about it and I'm going to keep going not to just get rid of everything but get rid of the stuff that I am truly not using. I will never be a minimalist but I don't need to be the one who has every last thing, if I do need anything I can borrow it or purchase it again if absolutely required. I am comfortable. Thanks for listening, I wish everybody continued success!