How do I get rid of all my doom boxes?

[coodawoodashooda]

Yesterday I committed to a massive clear out. We simply have too much stuff. I want everything streamlined and simplified with a place for everything. I have doom boxes as part of household administration and in the garage. Any tips please?

Something that really helped me was looking up how much things would cost to replace! So things I was keeping ‘just in case’ or ‘it might be useful’ I found out that it would only cost a couple of quid to buy another one (like cables) then I felt happier giving it to charity. Obviously I have never needed to buy replacements for anything that I got rid of. But I could!

@Boiledbeetle when my parents were downsizing they asked whether I wanted any of the family photo albums which had been in their loft. I took some, thinking my parents would keep the rest. My DF then chucked boxes from the loft without checking them as hadn't used anything in them for years. After he died I went through the few boxes left in the loft hoping to find the rest of the photos, but they had gone!. Makes me so sad, but then think of DS having to clear extra boxes once I am gone, and the photos wouldn't really many anything to him

Which Scandi ones @Seeingadistance ?

I think that imagining your DC having to clear all your stuff out in years to come can be a big motivator in not keeping drawers of stuff 'just in case'. Clearing our family home where it seemed nothing had been ever thrown away was very difficult.

@Boiledbeetle there is no way I could do that either. It's why I always have a box from the loft on the go or to sort. I can't throw anything away without going through every last safety pin and homemade badge! I have also lost thing by being ruthless and regretted it. Admire people who can but.... No.

I have the opposite problem. I moved house 13 times between 18 and my 20s. So now I only keep the absolute essentials. I think it's come from that, being minimalistic, and also running out of money so everything gets used up and not replaced. My storage box consists of suncream, a spare exfoliator and spare face powder thing. You might think this is a dream but it does sometimes lead to everywhere feeling a bit empty/blank. It's the same with my wardrobe etc.

I had a few sleepless nights thinking what have I thrown away but 6 years down the line I still have no idea what was in there and haven't missed anything!

Well you're a stronger braver moose than me. Fair play to you though. Maybe the rest of us on here should strive to be a little bit more moose like in our sorting and clearing!

I'll carry on thinking about it whilst staring at the six boxes currently sat in the middle of the living room!

My kids are young but yes, I think this is a good point.

I have a garage of doom. Mostly DH's stuff, which he is hoarding with aplomb.

@coodawoodashooda know the feeling but hadnt come across the DOOM being “don’t organise only move” Yet another voice saying Dana K White in her podcast and books is brilliant. The idea of her two decluttering questions and container concept worked much better for me than the Marie Kondo spark joy question. It also works better in a room by room or even box by box sort as you never have to find every book in the house and make a giant heap that makes you want to cry before you can declutter anything!

Great thread.
DH and I are thinking of downsizing but even if we don't I don't want my DC to end up having to sort it out.
I am quite ruthless in some ways. I got rid of 90% of the (1000s) books.
I got rid of the CDs, VHS and DVDs.
DH has the worlds greatest collection of historic tech. He was a computer programmer in the 70s so has always had an interest. I can see 5 computers from where I am sitting.
I can also see several boxes of cables and these are not the ones that are boxed up in the loft.

Photos - I have 50 years worth not only printed but in albums. The albums fill boxes. I haven't printed any in the last 10 years but I do like prints. When DM died we threw away all photos of scenery and dogs and just kept a small sample of people.
I might try the same. Empty the albums and keep the best in a box.

It's also worth knowing for those of you with young DC that they don't take their stuff when they move out, even when they buy a house.
Those big bags of teddies in the loft? I should probably bin them.

I have a lot of craft stuff and unfinished projects

My dad filled a car with all my sister's DOOM and took it to her! And then my gran moved into a care home less than a week later...more DOOM...he tried.

I had a cable doom box. Realised I hadn't opened it in a year, binned the lot. It felt great!

I like Benita Larsson

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHs596idK1P0-wJZQSlk-Uw

and Simple Happy Zen

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5c3csRaQTw9ZnHge1mTw4A

I've just bought the photo organizer box. Looking forward to organizing all the packets of photos going back 2 years.

I've so many doom boxes - didn't know it was a thing!

I now keep a charity box in the hall. Every time I come across something I don't want, it goes in the box, and take to the charity shop when full.

Photos going back 20 years, not 2 (or even 30 years).

DH has loads of doom boxes, the problem is I can't do anything about it, fortunately they are mainly in the garage and outbuilding and a clear out just means moving them between the two

I also need to go through the photos, we're old and there are many but I need to do that when DH is out as I think it is time his photos of car engines went😀

I did a photography evening class many years ago (pre digital cameras). I have many photos of the same images eg dripping tap, trying to use various techniques. I really need to get rid of them!

I did buy a couple of albums from Wilko for a fiver each that fit quite a few photos, meaning to go through them, then the nice ones can go on the bookshelf in them instead of a large box. I do have a lot with views on where I haven't a clue where it is that can go

We definitely have a loft full of doom boxes, DH hates getting rid of things whereas I’m ruthless and would get rid of most of it! We really do need to start working on it but I know it won’t happen. One day when we move I’m going to hire a skip and go for it!

Ooh yes, this thread is the inspiration I need to get back on to dealing with the Doom. I had been dealing with the (considerable) belongings of late DH but this stalled due to health of DM and DF and now I also have some of late DM and DF’s stuff too. Fortunately I have already dealt with clearing DM and DF’s house, but I did bring back some stuff with me and had run out of steam.

I have a lot of experience with dealing with Doom from the above and my tips are:

1. Group like things together. Saves you keeping stuff ‘just in case’. E.g. box of doom cables - if every stray cable you own is there, you can then check all electronics for missing cables. If there aren’t any missing, out with the doom cables. Pens is a great one, if they are all in the same place you can acknowledge that you have 5,000 pens and get rid of some. Hospital staff love them if you want a new home for them to go to.
2. The relief you will feel when you give away a load of stuff to the charity shop/friend/random stranger that you have been hanging on to in order to sell (and never getting round to) is great and you will relish the clear space and quickly forget the angst. Just give it away.

Off to throw something away!