Decluttering - praise/thumbs up needed please.

[leeloo1]

I've just spent the last week or so sorting through my massive book collection in the spare DS' room. I have 2 floor-ceiling bookcases and the books were double stacked - 1 row in front of the other - on most of the shelves. Books are the main thing I enjoy owning (although it has got a bit out of hand) and most of the ones I have I could have enjoyed re-reading (if I ever had the time).

But... I needed to clear space and I don't want DS to see that hoarding is the norm, so I tried to be really ruthless in getting rid of them (although I still have quite a lot left) and have just taken the result - 18 big bags of books (300 books?) - to the charity shop! (Well 2 charity shops as it seemed cruel to take it all to the red cross bookshop).

DH is singularly unimpressed and doesn't seem to realise how hard it was for me to give my books away (perhaps because he had to help carry the bags?) and just asked how come the bookshelves weren't empty now... (they are a lot emptier - most aren't tidied yet and the ones that are are now mostly only 1 single row rather than doubled up)... and there will definitely be enough space for DS to have the bottom rows for his toys/books (am I justifying myself at all or just digging a bigger hole?? ). DS napping now, so I can't finish the tidying bit til he wakes up...

Anyway, I'd like to feel inspired to keep decluttering/sorting/tidying the rest of the house, but I just feel a bit downbeat now, so any words of encouragement would be appreciated. :)

Oh and also it feels a bit gutting that I must have spent about £1500 over the years (300 books x £5 for average book) and have nothing to show for it.

Oh and I managed to keep the 2 'life laundry' books to help declutter further! perhaps I should keep reading those instead of buying any more books in future!

Congratulations on your decluttering - feels liberating doesn't it?

Don't let your DH's neg behaviour undermine your efforts - smile (even if it's through gritted teeth) and get on with it.

Just think of all the people who'll be able to enjoy reading those books now and how much money the charities will make from them.

It's hard to part with books, but there comes a point where you get so cluttered you probably wouldn't be able to find what you wanted to re-read anyway.

WELL DONE YOU. Am . I couldn't do it. Don't think about the money - they brought you joy for the first read and now they're off to bring more joy, and money for charideee, and...and...and..oh, well done

I think if you're really decluttering, one decluttering book should probably suffice

x-post

Nooooooo! Books are not clutter!

Surely you just try to move into a slightly bigger house every time to accomodate the books, or convert the loft, or tunnel into the basement

Whatever next, a kindle?

No, but seriously, well done on decluttering.

Well done!

My house would be considerably easier to keep clean and tidy if weren't for books or cds or dvds. Dvds is really DH but at least every now and then I can go through my book shelves and get rid of ten to a charity shop. I try to get DH to do this but he cannot part with anything. Is very annoying.

Well done!! I needed to do that but ended up filling under my bed with my books as couldn't bear to part with them. Maybe I will take inspiration from you and try again.

I am incredibly impressed - I know just how alarming it feels to weed books. You have done amazingly well and might even inspire me to have another go at mine (usual attempts are generally an afternoon of fiddling with them resulting in a measly 6 for the charity shop, one of which was a duplicate anyway, and another of which I will transfer to my handbag in a last minute panic outside the shop).

WELL DONE!

Well done

I can't abide clutter. I like tidy spaces, clear benches, organised storage.

I do keep 'sentimental' stuff, but in a very organised way.

I am good at chucking out rubbish/donating to charity etc

But BOOKS are my downfall, I find it very very hard to part with them. When I try to sort them I think 'Oh actually I wouldn't mind reading that again'....

So you definitely deserve a big pat on the back. Tell DH to get stuck into the shed/garage/loft!

Thanks for the nice posts. :)

In the past I have gone through and made piles to re-read before deciding whether to keep or give to charity... but it ended up with them all just back on the shelves and mainly unread. I do feel a bit lighter for getting rid of them. well maybe... wibble!

wildbillhickok - DH keeps mumbling about kindles... I'm unconvinced as seem so soul-less!

Goingspare 'It's hard to part with books, but there comes a point where you get so cluttered you probably wouldn't be able to find what you wanted to re-read anyway.'

Very true - this was definitely true! hopefully now I'll read what I have! :)

And very unkind (altho possibly true) point about the 2 decluttering books. Although if I ever get good at decluttering then I'd surely need the more advanced book?

mumtoblaire yy DH has approx 4 million computer games (incl ones for obsolete consoles - which he also still has in the attic) but I don't imagine he'll ever part with any of them!

Thanks to everyone else who posted too. I've been inspired to spend the last hour or so listing other bits on ebay (free listing day apparently!). So definitely making progress here. :)

I think the pinnacle of decluttering is not needing any decluttering books!

Well done. I love a declutter - its good for the soul!
I do them on a regular basis otherwise we would drown in stuff. I pick a room, or a cupboard, get a bin bag, a recycling bag and a charity bag and get stuck in.
I love books but am unsentimental about keeping them and only keep to re-read ones I really really love.
Keep going!

I car booted loads of books the other year and felt really good afterwards - I only kept ones I really wanted to re-read.

DD2 spent the three snow days declutterign her bedroom, and had ten - yes TEN - black bin bags of rubbish, as well as a mountain of charity shop stuff. She was a mixture of and at how much junk there was.

Decluttering is so satisfying .

My Mum moved house last year and I helped her declutter and had to sort out all my stuff that had accumulated over the years - we did a car boot (packed to the eaves) I took at least 2 full loads of stuff to the tip, 2 car loads to the charity shops and we also had a load of furniture collected as her new house was smaller.
I was so envious! I'd love to have a really good clear out but so much of the stuff I'd like to get rid of doesn't belong to me. DP is a bit of a hoarder...
Am impressed with 10 bin bags Shrinking Violet.

ShrinkingViolet How do you get 10 bags of genuine rubbish out of one bedroom? How big is her room?

Beamur - why not put it all in various carrier bags (large ones) and everytime he wants a leg-over he has to decide which bag goes

I have no idea how she fitted so much stuff in (she shares with DD3 as well). There wasa lot of broken and battered plastic tat piled up on top of cupboards and under the desk I think (I kept well out of the way [wink). I'm just hoping the binmen will take it all in one go, as we'll have two weeks worth of normal rubbish as well, because of the snow last week disrupting collections.

Leeloo are you me, but more dynamic? I could have written the first part of your post (spare but-should-be DS's bedroom, floor to ceiling double-stacked books, don't want kids to think hoarding is normal. All of that) But I've not yet tossed them out.

I'm very impressed. I tried to sell my best ones (signed first editions etc) on Amazon but no takers, so will send most to charity. You have inspired me. And I know how heavy they are. It's a free workout for the upper body.

Praise, respect and any other back-pat you need for it, from over here.

Lol Menagerie dynamic is not the word I'd usually choose to describe myself! :)

I looked at selling them on Amazon, but the prices they go for are just soooo low - and it mentions that the set fee for postage may not cover your actual postage and you may need to cover that yourself? Whats the point?

I've spent another couple of hours re-sorting whats left and DS' books/toys etc in the space and it looks so much nicer. I do feel that perhaps I can appreciate what is there more rather than feeling a bit (whispers) depressed by it all.

It all looks cleaner, brighter and more spacious. So I'd definitely recommmend biting the bullet and letting a few books go. :) And many thanks for the back-pat, much appreciated! :)

oh well done thats excellent !!!
are the life laundry books any good ?

I had a life laundry book but I decluttered it! It was good but get it from the library if poss.

I seem to remember once case where she pointed out that no one was going to live long enough to re-read x-000 books. Or maybe that was another of my declutter-books piled up on the floor....

I'm filled with admiration leeloo well done.

My other "book declutter encouragement" to myself at least, is that lots of things have kind of been overtaken by the internet-phone books, travel books, DIY instructions, that sort of thing.

Thanks. :) The life laundry books are ok... I found that they were more interesting reading than actually inspiring me to declutter - in that I've had them for 6+ years(?) and I'm only just decluttering now... :) I think you have to be ready to declutter, and/or have real motivation to do so, which a book can't really give you (or didn't give me anyway).