The #1 to-do on my list for this time minus kiddos is to rid our house of clutter! We have three bedrooms, seven closets, and a bonus room full of clutter – junk, neglected toys, outgrown clothes, junk. Being the planner that I am, I thought long and hard about my plan of attack on this mess.
Step One: I broke the task down into daily missions, conquering one room and at least one closet per day.
Step Two: I sorted things out into boxes – a box for charity, a box for the used book store, and several boxes for our upcoming yard sale. I hauled out two large trash bags’ worth of things we didn’t need. And I sorted some more…
Step Three: I found this wonderful little consignment shop here in town where the owner will actually purchase my children’s items from me and pay out cash on the spot! Yippee!! So I quickly gathered up clothes, shoes, and decent toys and made a few trips to the shop!
Step Four: Last on the list was pricing and sorting all of the items for our multi-family yard sale. Thankfully, I was able to convince Hubby Dearest to de-clutter the garage as well, so that I have plenty of room to get organized for the yard sale!
All of this effort helped remove this clutter…
so that our closets could once again resemble this…
and our shelves and organizers can once again appear organized.
To be honest, the house totally needed to be cleared out. But my desire to tackle the junk has multiple purposes. God has been teaching me to place my value on His Will, not on my earthly belongings. With His help, I have made the transition into life as an Army wife, and begun preparing my heart and mind for many relocations in the future. In addition, the Lord has laid a very special burden on our hearts for our future, a burden that will require a savings fund! All of this means that it’s time to let go of some things… time to de-clutter!!
This post is part of:
- Tackle it Tuesday at 5 Minutes for Mom.
- Works for Me Wednesday at We are THAT Family.
- Work on it Wednesday at Organize With Sandy.
{ 57 comments… read them below or add one }
Woo-hoo! So proud of you! Doesn’t decluttering feel wonderful?
Melissa Multitasking Mama´s last [type] ..Monkey see…monkey do
Decluttering my closet is on my list of things to do. I want to get some of those cubes from Target to put on the shelves to store purses etc . I think it will make my closet looks much neater.
Arlene@At Home with the Grimms´s last [type] ..My To Do List
Awesome! Great job Mandy!!
Marcy´s last [type] ..The new curtains and throw pillows
Thanks, Marcy!!
love it and thanks for the tips they are great I will share with my teens who will all be on their own soon
Thank you, Angie! Hope my humble tips are helpful to you and yours!
thank you for those tips! I need to do the same thing in our house and sometimes it seems so overwhelming! However, one step at a time, it can be done!
Joy Ellis´s last [type] ..The Views
You can totally do it, Joy! Just make a plan! Divide and conquer!
Wow, great job on the de-cluttering, Mandy! It’s always so nice to have everything cleaned out and organized.
I’m stopping by through Lynnette’s blog. Congrats on being featured this week! 
~ Love & Blessings,
Lindsay <3
Lindsay´s last [type] ..I Heart Faces Challenge – Pets aka – yet another picture of Sammy
Thank you, Lindsay, for stopping in today! And yes, it does feel WONDERFUL to have everything cleared out!
Enjoy your visitors today Mandy! Cute cute blog!
Thank you so much, Lynnette!!
You made my day!
I really need to declutter my home as well. It gets frustrating when I organize something and then about a week or two later it is back to chaos again.
I’m visiting from Lynnette’s “Getting To Know You”.
It’s nice to meet you.
I’m going to Relevant, too- maybe I’ll see you there.
~Heather
Heather´s last [type] ..Strawberry Days
Oh, believe me, Heather! I definitely know the feeling – with three kiddos running around!
The beauty of getting all of this out of the house while they are gone is that it won’t be here for them to drag out when they return home! 
hee hee
Decluttering is a constant process, isn’t it?! I’m here visiting from Lynnette’s…I AM inspired:)
Hey there, Jenna! Thanks a bunch for stopping by! Yes, unfortunately life seems to bring clutter with it – always! Glad my “mission” brought a bit of inspiration for you!
Hello!!! Stopping by from Getting to know YOU, I am a new follower! Love your blog, thanks for the tips on de~cluttering!! I don’t think there is a single person who can’t benefit from that topic =) Look forward to reading more soon!!
Thank you so much for your visit and for following, Kelli!! I’m so thrilled to have you all here from Lynnette’s today! If you stick around for long at a time, you will see that I talk about cleaning ALOT!!
Hello! Stopping by from Getting to know YOU, I am a new follower! love your ideas and any thing frugal is awesome. Thanks for sharing. =0)
kelly´s last [type] ..Am I His reflection vigilant wives
Hey, Kelly! Welcome!! Thanks so much for your visit and for following!! I can’t wait to get to know you more!
Good job Mandy! The closets look great.
I’m Lynnette’s mom and it is good to meet you today. I am glad you are her featured blogger.
Have a good day!
Linda @ Truthful Tidbits
Aw, thank you, Mrs. Linda!!
I am honored that you would stop in and visit little ol’ me today! It is very nice to meet you as well! I hope you come back to visit often! 
Wow!! That is quite the pile I am impressed. I need to do more decluttering to make it easier to keep clean and organized as well! Thanks for the inspiration. Stopped by from Lynnette’s.
Have a great day!
Becky
Thank you, Becky! I’m so glad you stopped in today!!
Visiting from Lynnette’s blog. Decluttering is great and it makes you feel so much better!! Have a blessed day!!
The Spocks´s last [type] ..Tropical Storm Alex
Thank you for stopping in today!!
Hi Mandy!! I am so glad that Lynnette sent us to your blog today! I am planning on moving in the next two months and de-cluttering will (should) be my first step in organizing my move. I love how you didn’t try and tackle too much in one day which can be overwhelming. Also, I love how you explain that you are clearing your house of clutter so that God can teach you to focus on Him and not your worldly possessions. Thank you for this today.
Mindy May´s last [type] ..My blessed soon-to-be blended family
Aw, Mindy, thank you so much for your kind words and your visit today! Good luck with your upcoming move and your blended family!
Take the de-cluttering (and the “blending”) one day at a time! 
Popping over from Lynettes – truthfully came for the chance to win the mixer but have enjoyed your post and looking through your blog. I think my favorite pasttime is de-cluttering and re-organizing….strange, but true. My friends even indulge me and let me do their closets:) So your post was a hit with me. Hope you are enjoy the feeling that comes with “a place for everything and everything in its place”!!
Nice to meet you!
So nice to meet you too, Jennifer!! I am so glad you came by today! Sounds like we have ALOT in common!
I love to clean and organize!! And I feel so stressed when I fall behind in those things! Thank you SO much for stopping by today!
Wow! Great job! Need to do this!
Thank you for sharing!
Sherry
Sherry´s last [type] ..WFMW – Cheap College Textbooks
Thank you, Sherry!
oh, I love what you are doing by decluttering! My house is in need of that again. it is something that needs done many times over! thanks for the push in the right direction!
visiting from Lynnette’s!
Thank you, Jenilee! It’s a process – FOR SURE! Good luck with yours!!
Thank you for stopping by today!
I really enjoyed reading some of your tips. I have a problem with old college text books that I am SURE I will use someday but I have no room for them now. I’m trying to gather up my courage to donate them so someone else can use them.
Lynnette suggested I might like your blog, I’m glad she did!
I have STACKS of old college books as well, Abigail! Which is why I have multiple bookshelves strategically placed throughout my home!
And some of the textbooks work overtime helping a shorter lamp appear taller… lots of little things to do to keep them from seeming like “clutter”! 
I am so glad that Lynnette sent you my way today! Hope you come back again soon!!
So excited for you being featured at Lynnette’s!!
Wow! You got lots done! I need to de-clutter to!
Kelly´s last [type] ..2nd Anniversary
Thanks, Kelly!
I’m pretty excited about it too!! See you soon!!
Hi Mandy,
I already follow you, but I am visiting today from Lynnette’s “Getting To Know You” to say Hi.
I so need to declutter my house! I really need some motivation. I think you have inspired me a bit!
Blessings,
Karen
Karen´s last [type] ..Rebekahs Birthday and a Not So Bad Flop
I hope I have been a little helpful, Karen!
Thanks for saying “hi”! Blessings to you and yours today!!
Stopped by from Lynette’s to check out your blog and see how you decluttered….. We recently downsized (Greatly) moved into a travel trailer from a 2 bedroom apartment.
You at least got paid for some of your things…we gave, and threw!
But we love it! It leaves me more time to read, do church related things and plainly just sit and enjoy God’s great out-of-doors a bit more.
Lovely post. (I’ll be back)
Verna Coleman´s last [type] ..Fathers Day Week end
So nice to meet you, Verna!! My husband and I often joke about selling it all and moving into a camper or bus to “travel the world”!!
How fun for you to have so much more time (and fewer distractions) for the more important things!! Please do come back soon! 
Hi! I’m visiting from Lynnette’s blog. I have to say I am rather impressed. I feel as if I’ve been decluttering for months now with no end in sight. I may have to try out some of your tips.
Amy´s last [type] ..Belly shot -amp big brother time
Hey, Amy! I would strongly advise breaking it down into smaller tasks at a time. Otherwise I would have given up long before the house was done! Lol You can do it!
Thank you for stopping in today! Hope you come back again soon!
Wow, Mandy, you did an awesome job! It look mah-velous! Okay… come do my upstairs storage room now please. Oh I’m just kidding. No really, please come. LOL!!
Visiting via Lynnette’s GTKY! Congratulations on being her featured blogger today! *woot*
Have a wonderful and blessed day!
Diana´s last [type] ..the water was just a “little” deep
LOL!!
I would love to come do your storage room! ha ha I actually have told people for years that I tend to clean to relieve stress!! (So I get asked to come “relieve my stress” at someone else’s house all the time!! Lol) Come see me and make me smile again soon, Diana!! Blessings!! 
I was so excited when I stopped by Lynnette’s blog today and saw that you were being featured for Getting to Know You. Thanks for the tips, too!
Amy´s last [type] ..A Gentle Whisper
Hey, Amy!!
I was thrilled (and honored) to be “spotlighted” on Lynnette’s site too!! I’m sure you’ve been de-cluttering during your move process too; huh?
It feels great to de-clutter doesn’t it?! I do it all the time! It makes me feel good to de-clutter!
Great site you have! I found you from GTKY from Lynnette!
Tina Fisher´s last [type] ..Delayed
Hey, Tina! I used to have a ritual of cleaning out clutter and junk about every 6 months… Lost that somehow in the last couple years though… It does feel marvelous to be rid of it though!! Thank you so much for visiting today! I hope to see you around here again soon!
Nothing feels better than getting rid of clutter! We had to do some serious de-cluttering before we moved and it felt awesome to get rid of stuff and make some money on it.
You have a great site. I found you from Getting to Know You.
So true, Tara! It is such a relief to get rid of the “extra” stuff, especially if I can make a little $$ off it too!
Thank you so much for stopping by! Hope you will visit often!
I LOVE your BLOG! I am stopping by from Lynette’s to say Hi, stalk your blog, and say congrats on being the featured blogger this week. I will definately be back!
Sherrie´s last [type] ..Computer Crash-
@Sherrie, Ha! Stalk away!
I’m glad you visited and I hope you will come back! I love meeting new people! 
Hey!
You did a great job! De-cluttering leaves you with such a feeling of accomplishment! 
I’m visiting from Lynnette’s GTKY!
~Haley
I’m a little late coming over from Lynnette’s , however I wanted to say that your blog is great. I will be coming back.
Have a blessed July 1st
Hey, Lela! It would appear I’m late in responding also! ha Thank you for your visit and your kind words! Hope to “see” you again soon!
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