I love that you don't make your bed every day, it feels like it gives me permission to do it too (or at least to not feel bad that I don't because I wouldn't anyway, but I would feel bad about it). I've tried it, but I hate the amount of work that it takes to get it set up again for bedtime (I have sleep apnea so I have a special setup). And why bother when you only see your room for 5 mins in the morning and 5 mins right before bed? I completely forget that the bedroom exists for the rest of the day.
For those who object to Dawn’s “trash it if you are overwhelmed” my Daddy had a saying that went like this: “sweep your own front porch before talking about other people’s porches “. I think we all are becoming more aware of things that damage our environment. Mental health is more of a priority for some of us. Judge only when your porch is perfect!!
I have ADHD (recently diagnosed at age 48 😄), and I had been unknowingly using your videos as body doubling. My Hubby pointed it out; he said every time he heard your voice on my phone, I decluttered somewhere or cleaned a room. You feel like a supportive friend. Thank you so much. ❤️
So today my husband made a business appointment at our home. Old me said, "WHAT?!!!" New me said, "OH, thanks Dawn!!!" Even my husband said, it's so nice not to be embarrassed of all the mess! Thanks Dawn!!! Stuff I never knew!!! I tell everyone!
OMGoodness I hear this! My husband recently starting working from home and on occasion will have clients stop by. Old me would have died 1000 deaths of embarrassment, new me - ok, should I put a pot of coffee on in case they’d like a cup? It’s an awesome feeling. My biggest issue now is keeping up with our St. Bernards fur.
Thank you for giving your viewers permission to just throw it away! Your principles of living simply mean that even though there may be a bunch of bags headed for the landfill right now, by living simply and not buying the stuff in the future there will be WAY less going to the landfills. Have a beautiful day!
Incredible how being given permission, being encouraged to throw things away, frees us from guilt of the reality of cleaning up, cleaning out, organizing, simplifying. Freedom to throw away, also absolutely inspires the same person think, become more discerning about the things we consider buying, and bringing new things into our home. Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate taking your time to write it out.
It’s all going to the land fill eventually. If we do this today AND stop over consuming, we will positively impact the planet. Thanks, Dawn. I miss nothing I disposed of last week in response to “Your Stuff is Making You Sick.” ❤
But if it goes to the landfill sooner than it needs to, more stuff has to get produced. If I throw a tool away, somebody else can't use that tool and they have to buy another one made for them. However, if I donate my tool, someone else can use it instead of buying new. Less demand for new things is less stuff in the landfill overall. If an item is perfectly good, I'll donate it or put it out for free on Facebook Marketplace or my front yard. If the donation center knows it's not worth the shelf space, they can decide to throw it away. I'm not going to presume to know and contribute extra to the landfill.
Dawn said this once and I always think about it now. It is so true. The BEST thing to come out of this message is that I buy so much less. Everyone who is serious about decluttering will get to this point and it will outweigh our former trash by tons!!
@The Minimal Mom Hi Dawn, after 2 years of watching you declutter, I've never commented on any of your videos but I have to tell you that after 6 years of having most of my possessions packed away in plastic bins, I got inspired right in the middle of one of your videos and decluttered it all! I had 15 bags for charity, 3 bins for Habitat for Humanity, 5 bins for consignment, a box of blankets for the local Humane Society, and 2 boxes for the toxic disposal place. I think it was your "dealing with too much inventory" and your explanation that we all feel so much better having a tidy place that got me up and going. Thank you for inspiring me to finally get that chore done! I'm sure I have more layers of the onion, but boy am I on my way now!
I know you don't make your bed a priority but from another perspective. I was at a very low point mentally fighting to over come breast cancer and my brother sent me a video to lift me up in it the man was giving a speech and said make your bed because if that's the only thing you accomplished that day, when you go to bed feeling as a failure you are reminded that you did accomplish one thing today. It was a large turning point for me in my journey and I just wanted to share another perspective thank you for sharing your world with everyone!
Same!!! donating and thrifting not only saves that piece from landfill but can save from more being created because of demand, therefore polluting even more.
I hope you realize that donation centers throw away tons of the things they receive and/or ship them to poorer countries in anonymous bulk boxes that are paid for before the contents are seen, often just ending in huge dangerous piles of polyester textile landfills? Sure if it's a high quality clean item (preferably not synthetic) the odds of your garment making it into a landfill either here or after being shipped across an ocean are lower so donate away but please DO NOT donate dirty falling apart synthetic garments that are already bound for the trash
I'm all for donating things andthrifting but I think we need to realise that these corporations that keep on churning out cheap goods aren't doing it to meet a demand but they're creating a demand by making them. They don't care about the environment, no matter what their website claims, they're fully aware that their products are the major contributor to landfills but all they are about is making money. All we can do is make choices within our own sphere of influence, thrift if possible, donate if possible, buy less overall certainly, but don't let your house into a landfill by being filled with things that get in our way or make life harder for the sake of not sending things to the dump.
👍 I once learned a neat expression for that… I didn’t fully get it at the time 😉 now I do. When we get the negative comments: “ 😃 Thank you for caring enough to share 😉 “ and move right on 👏 👏
This summer I have been watching your videos and pause the video and take a couple of minutes to declutter and clean a space in my house. I only have two more spaces in my house to declutter and clean.
I have in-laws arriving in a few days and because of you, 3 months in to decluttering and lowering my inventory, I am really not stressed about their visit. My whole home reset took me one morning and I even touched up walls with spackle and paint! I LOVE all your minimal living principles and have watched some of your videos more than once and shared your channel many times! Ladies from my Small Group commented on my home and even wanted to peek in my kitchen cupboards and drawers, of course I opened them all with a smile and bragged on your videos! My onion layers are down to the middle now, I sometimes go looking for things to declutter without much success. A few months into my journey, my husband surprised me by decluttering his closet and the garage and shed, all look awesome and neighbors comment on the garage which makes him feel great. My daughter now has a beautiful room easy to keep clean and she is so proud of it. She has had bedtime anxiety and her calm bedroom has changed how she feels at bedtime, so much more peaceful! I am a 45 yr old work-from-home mom-of-3... ages 13, 12 and almost 11! I even adopted some of your meal planning but feel I could really grow more in this area, groceries and meals for kids who eat two dinners!! I no longer shop big bulk stores and have grown to accept a less full pantry and fridge. Everyone still eats well and they even reach for the fresh whole foods that I display in bins in the fridge! I even joked that I listened to you so much that I adopted your accent! Keep on changing lives and thank you.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome and when I first started minimising I had to throw so much away as I didn’t have the energy to deal with it as I wanted, it did upset me at the time but it was all I could do and I believed in minimalism and how much it was going to help me. Two years later and my house is so easy to manage even when I’m very unwell, thank you so much it’s been life changing. As I had less stuff to deal with I did get better at finding homes for my stuff and now I buy so much less and am happier with what I have.
Don't laugh. Right now my uncluttered spot is the bathroom. I've been aggressively decluttering my home this year after 2 children ( with their spouses) have moved out and my mother has went back home. Also I inherited my grandmother's house which was full of her stuff so I feel like I'm living in a house that's holding 5 different houses in it. Anyways I got the bathroom done so my husband ask why I'm just standing in there and all I can say is this room is done. It's my motivation for the next room.
I helped my friend declutter years ago. The only room we got done was her study. 13 binbags to donate or bin. That night her husband sent me a photo she didn’t know he’d taken…she was sitting at her desk eating her dinner. He asked her why. She said because it makes me so happy to be in this room.😊. The impact it had on her was massive. She started to declutter her whole house. She needed help with the kitchen and her wardrobe but managed the rest on her own she was that motivated. It made me so happy.😊
I’m often actually GLAD when something breaks! I feel fine throwing it away then, so maybe if it’s hard to throw away something, a person could “accidentally“ DROP it in the black bag😂
I think it’s important for people to see children doing chores, so thanks for doing that. So many mothers either think their kids are not capable or they don’t want to ‘take away their childhoods’. I’m of the opinion that expecting them to do chores prepares them for real life.
Yes, it teaches them how to do all the things that they are going to have to do eventually anyway and sets them up to do those things correctly right out of the gate.
For sure. They learn by example, and taking part means they can all do something all together and faster, and that is fun. It’s how it was in our home on the ranch. Lots of chores, but when really young we worked, played and worked and played… My parents made work fun. We did it all together, we had time all together, and I never regret that. That was the best training.
100% agree. There's also people who insist that IF your kids do chores, you should at least pay them to do the chore... In our house, everyone helps out because they are part of the family. Nobody gets paid for doing chores. If they want to earn a bit of money, they can do extra tasks that are above and beyond regular chores.
As a child that never had to do chores, because I had to study, I can say that it did not set me up for life on my own. I left for uni at 18 and struggled hard with simple daily routine
I can’t encourage y’all enough to just follow Dawn’s suggestion to throw things away. Your happiness and mental health are so much more important as she mentioned. I found Dawn a couple of years ago when I was a total mess. My anxiety was thru the roof and it seemed all I ever did was clean and try to organize. I put her advice into action and it’s been mentally life saving for me. Thank you Dawn!
I love you for saying, in a firm, loving way, “I want you to throw things away.” Thank you for validating that our minds, our selves, our mental health is more important. Made me tear up. We put so much pressure on ourselves. It’s crazy when you think about it. It’s just stuff.
I for one am very glad you gave permission to THROW things away. My parents were a part of the greatest generation. Reuse Reuse Reuse. Don't throw ANYTHING away . You paid good money Don't just throw it out. That's just a waste of money. I am dealing with so much clutter. Most of it retail therapy. You saying I could throw it away inspired me to do just that Makes it easier. I don't have to think about it I am 66 yrs old. Too old to be in this predicament, but here i am. I am so glad I found you and others. You are helping many people. Let the decluttering BEGIN ❤ I think it would be interesting to see how many OLD people you are inspiring. People who have been dealing with clutter etc. For their entire adult life.
Well said Dawn. I think I learned from FlyLady that our homes are not a thrift store or garbage dump. We deserve to take the stuff where it belongs and live in a HOME.
For those who want everything properly recycled, I would agree BUT I have seen my own waste disposal company put all of my recycling in the same truck with the trash 🤷♀️ It's frustrating and I've addressed it with the company. But, as I've discovered, you honestly don't know what happens with all that stuff once it leaves your home anyway. I appreciate you, Dawn, and have learned so much from your videos!!
When I first started downsizing, I was so slow because I had to sort everything by category, size, etc and plan a day to take it to the best donation place. It would set by my door for a few weeks then in my trunk for a few weeks before going to the donation. It was discouraging honestly. I kept at it but it wasn't very helpful. I finally decided that changing my future buying habits would make a bigger impact than trashing what I have already bought. I'd load up boxes and post on my neighborhood page that everything was at the end of my driveway and that trash day would get whatever was left. It almost always gets picked up but even the trashed items make me feel better. I try very hard not to bring anything in my home now that isn't well thought out. I research what I'm buying and have a pre-planned place for it to be stored. Also, thrift stores trash sooooooo much stuff. It will blow your m8nd what gets trashed because they simply have too much to sort and store. There are videos on yt about what ppl find in thrift store trash. So don't think because you suffered through finally getting your stuff to be donated that it all ended up in the store, it may or may not! It just makes ppl feel better to donate and not know what happened than trashing it
In the past my donate items have sat for a year, gotten dirty etc - so discouraging! And yes - feeling the pain of that is very motivating when considering what to bring in to my home too! Keep up the good good work!!
I was stuck in the overthinking and paralysis stage until I found your channel the other day. Thank you so much for helping me realize that it's okay that I can't find the perfect place to donate stuff I need to get out of my house! I have accomplished more in the last few days in terms of decluttering than I had done in the last nine years of wishing I could declutter. You are marvelous and I appreciate you so much - thank you!!
What’s worse? Throwing out things? Or the damage caused by having the same problems in our households for months and years, until we can scrape together enough bandwidth? Thank you for being willing to cop some flack to say the truth, Dawn. You’re one of the top 5 most influential people in my life, and I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart❤ You are doing good in the world, helping us realign and put people and things back in their proper places. Please continue your part in “setting the captives free” 🙏🏼❤
I just thought i was a messy person who couldn’t keep my house up. Now that I’m starting to declutter in areas it’s becoming so clear that i had too much stuff to manage and items that did not have a home
The desire to get things to the perfect donation places can also really be just another form of procrastination. Like waiting until you have the whole day to declutter, or have just the right shelving and containers to finally start. If we push past that and declutter a bunch and see real results, then we can motivate ourselves so that the next waves of decluttering CAN go to the glass recycling, donation station, senior center, daycare, etc. Thanks Dawn for another inspiring video.
Dawn! This feels silly to say, but it's true, you are the first virtual friend I have ever made! I appreciate you, your values, goals and counsel. My emotional well being is getting better and better and YOU are a great part of that! Thank you.💚 I totally understand what you were explaining today. It's like what I tell my kids when they run after a ball in the middle of the road "I don't care about the ball, I care about YOU!!" I know you care about you, your family and your community. I feel it! Someday I will be able to thank you more than saying thank you. For now, thank you dearly. 💚
Incredible how being given permission, being encouraged to throw things away, frees us from guilt of the reality of cleaning up, cleaning out, organizing, simplifying. Freedom to throw away, also absolutely inspires the same person to think, become more discerning about the new things we might consider buying, and bringing into our home.
I just heard your comment on you are more important than a bag in the landfill. That’s so true. And I person that isn’t running around frenetically is often able to make other choices to save our earth. For example, the days in which I’m so stressed I’m grabbing takeout… that’s more trash going into the trash… less going out on the fly saves the earth in a different way… thanks again - new sub!
I have been attacked online in the past for throwing things out or recycling them instead of upcycling/re-using/rehoming them perfectly, even after I listed my disabilities and explained how they affect my ability to do things. In the end, all it taught me was to not tell anyone what method I am using to dispose of things because people suck. It didn't change my approach because of course it didn't - getting yelled at by strangers on the internet doesn't magically cure my health problems! My home is not a dumpster. It needs to be at a level I can manage and it's not there yet (although significantly closer than it used to be). I will do whatever I have to do to fix it, because I deserve to have a decent life. I don't see those opinionated so-and-sos picketing corporations about their waste. They're only targeting me and my comparatively miniscule amount of trash because I'm an easier target for them to get their ego boost from yelling at. Thank you for being one of the people who gets it and is supportive.
Trashing/decluttering a few things now will be the best thing you do for the environment in the long run. Going through that process will have such a profound impact on your purchasing that you’ll more than make up for a few trash bags by becoming a more conscious consumer.
Kitchen: when my kids were teens, I put a barstool in my kitchen. That ONE thing changed our life. One or another of the kids would sit while I worked or I would sit while they work and we had amazing conversations that were non-pressured and non-scripted! I love the “body doubling” idea rather than texting, watching tv and the isolation we often get used to in our home instead of living like a family together!
I love you showing us your home and can see how it's a quick process to reset everything. It's not about everything always being tidy, but about how useable the home is and part of that usability is how easy it is to reset back to things being put away and ready to use again.
I have been working to declutter my house for 2 years. (TWO YEARS!!) January 6, after noticing a huge difference for awhile, I took a photo of my amazingly tidy kitchen. This morning, February 15, it STILL looks the SAME! And has stayed tidy the whole time! We’ve been married 42 years and this has NEVER been the case! The Time Will Tell box was SUPER helpful but “just get rid of it!” has also been magical!!! Thank you! Thank you! Our living room, bathroom, dining room and bedroom have the same story! It’s amazing!!!
I absolutely agree with you Dawn. When I inherited my family home from my parents I was so overwhelmed with 47 years of clutter that I couldn’t think beyond just taking it all to the local tip - I just didn’t have the bandwidth and was also dealing with intense grief. However, when I decluttered my own home - I dropped 1 bin bag in the tip and recycled and donated everything else - it took time but luckily here in my part of the UK we have kerbside recycling and a charity shop attached to the local tip with facilities to recycle clothes and materials - it makes it so easy - we can just load the car up and take all to one place - I just wish everyone had the same facilities as it would make it so much easier for everyone 😊 xx
Yes it would be really handy if such a facility was available to everyone. But as you have learned sometimes it just needs to go for the sake of mental health and peace. Offering my condolences for your loss
I live in a different type of neighborhood - almost 400 houses. It's so easy for me to put stuff in my driveway to give away! Got rid of tons of home decor items (MUGS!) so easily! I rarely ever bring anything in my home anymore. SO much easier to cook & clean up & enjoy life!
The anxiety I had over some old blankets that I didn’t have time to take to an animal shelter. My daughter has been sick and they sat in the house being moved around. I finally threw them out. It did make me feel so much better.
Most cities have textile recycling centres where you can take your clothes to be recycled. The clothes are then sold to rag companies or turned into insulation. This is a great option if you have clothes that are too worn out to be donated.Sep 16, 2022
@@me4011 I live in a small town in Michigan and we don’t have any textile recycling centers. The closest one is 3 hours away. I usually take it to animal shelter but my daughter has been in and out of the hospital. I did what I needed to this time around.
It’s 48* here in San José, CA, and we’re cold! We’re fortunate that the County takes our recyclables every week, so it’s just as easy to toss things in there. We use Dana’s method and always have a donation box going. We definitely use the black trash bag trick, too. In fact I just bought a new box of them! I rarely have much bandwidth as I am disabled. So after watching all your videos, I hired a professional organizer. She helped me go through everything! I decluttered a ton! She took all my donations. Plus she takes out the trash and recycling. I couldn’t have benefited from her help if I hadn’t studied you, Cas and Dana’s methods. I have also taken your “Take Your House Back” class! I was ready to make the hard decisions. Thank you so much for all your help and inspiration!
“You are more important than this stuff” This really resonates with me and has been on my heart lately. I often think “people over things” in regards to my family, but I’m a person too!
Sometimes I wonder why I seem to have a much lower "bandwidth" than others and why my clutter threshold is So low. It can occasionally make me feel badly about myself, but I am trying to accept that I am a lower energy person with different struggles (physical and emotional) than other people and that that is OK. Thanks for your encouragement Dawn!
I find that as an introvert, I have so much going on INSIDE my head that anything like visual clutter, as well as noise clutter (to many conversations at once, back ground music, tv etc) can really be irritating. And that is why I have a low clutter threshold. And that’s ok. Give yourself permission to be you instead of compare. ❤
Dawn, you have no idea how much you, Dana K White, Cas and other influencers impact so many of us!! I struggle with ADD and anxiety and have spent most of my adult life overstimulated and surrounded by clutter! Clutter is just as overstimulating as noise, flashing lights, etc! Getting it under control this past year has been such a relief… You talk about keeping your home environment in order and how it promotes peace and calm, and that it so true… it also applies to where you live, where you work and your relationships… I spent most of my adult life in a toxic environment, job, location, relationships, all of it. About 6 years ago I made a clean start and changed all of that and the ADD and anxiety have pretty much remained under control in this calm peaceful setting. Thank you for giving us permission to be how we are and you are great at promoting minimalism and your lifestyle without coming across as judgemental to anyone who disagrees or lives differently. We all have our own ways and that is ok.
I never realized how much "stuff" I had accumulated until I started to declutter. It's a work in progress, but any work IS progress. Thank you so much for all your inspiration and ideas.
It's sometimes easier for me being a widow, 66 yrs old, back disability (limited mobility) and raising my 3 grandsons to just throw items away instead of trying to box it up to donate...I do some donations but I'm going for easy and to get stuff out. Thank you Dawn...I♥️ your videos!
My garage is attached to my laundry room and right outside that door, sitting in the garage, I always have a donation bin. I've gotten in the habit of just tossing things into that bin and when it's full I take it to Goodwill which is on my way to work. It's as easy as throwing things away and it's helped so much to have something so accessible.
Reading reports from donations companies very quickly will let us know that they have to deal with huge amounts of trash donated. The amount of garbage that thrift stores have to deal with, pay for trash disposal, bring more people to sort , etc just shows how much unsellable staff is donated. Somehow putting realistically unusable staff in the donation box makes us feel better. But in reality, if you read any reliable report from goodwill industry and others donation places it’s clear that we are just asking someone else to go through our things and trash it anyway. I have a donation bin always ready to put items in , but it’s better be a an item that someone can actually use. And I absolutely agree with Dawn that mental well-being is a priority. Do not bring any more useless stuff home is another priority. But if something needs to be just thrown away, just do it and try better next time. Love minimal mom❤❤❤❤❤
Perhaps Goodwill and other thrift stores should stop adverrising that they want my stuff. They also adverise that my donations create jobs for people. In terms of throwing things that arwn't needed, my Goodwill also gets money for textile donations.
@@elizabethsokol2545 I think you are very right and job creation is very important . What I am saying is that I read many times that people donate complete junk, broken appliances, plates etc forgetting that goodwill does not repair or will clean stains etc. ❤️
@@Marsolan I have found so many stained t-shirts FOR SALE at Goodwill and other thrift stores that I am shocked people shop there, although that seems to have changed in the past few years. My Goodwill participates in textile recycling and GETS MONEY for clothing and shoes. They told me to separate and label the stuff I am donating for textile donation from regular donations. If they participate in this type of program, I would assume that some of the clothes or shoes that they can't sell end up in the textile recycling bin. Not sure about the electronics, but most businesses have dumpsters.
@@Marsolan Prior to the pandemic, I e-mailed Goodwill about textile recycling and Goodwill assured me they participated. My city now participates in a textile recycling program and I'm going to check that out. I live a mile away from a recycling center that accepts my broken down electronics and they were thrilled to take my non-working Christmas lights.
Thank you for releasing us from trash guilt. I swear, I have boxes that have been sitting forever to go to the "proper" place. Ugh! I am going to the kitchen to declutter. Thank you!!!
I really appreciate the permission to make this lifestyle work for my bandwidth today…my season is crazy and it is so hard to plan to run bags of clutter to goodwill all the time. Sometimes I just can’t even imagine someone wanting my junk… I appreciate the permission to sometimes just let go and if all I can do is throw it away, then that’s ok. Someday I will have the capability to do something different but not today…
Hey Dawn. I love your videos and they have helped me so much to get started on decluttering. Thank you! I have a suggestion: if you don't like making the bed, because of all the pillows, just get rid of the excess pillows. I'm from Germany and we always have just those pillows in our beds, that we actually use to sleep. That makes making the bed in the morning very easy. I never really understood why it is common in the US to have so many unnecessary pillows in the bed. Try it and let me know how you like it. Lots of love to you and your family
You have no idea how much your black trash bag tip has truly helped me!!! I have had every intention of going out and donating (if they'll take it) but I have not gotten around to everything. I felt like just hearing someone say it's ok to just let it go has released me from that guilt. Thank you so much!!!
Love that you give everyone permission to just throw the stuff away. I used to struggle with getting the stuff to the donation place. It would either take up space in a corner somewhere or in the back of my car. Only to constantly be forgotten and still bogging me down mentally.
When I think about decluttering I always reminisce about my grandparent’s homes, all Depression era children, raised to own only what was necessary. But their homes were decorated, yet always with the SAME decorations because they were considered valued due to circumstance: who gifted and what occasion. All gifts were of value and on display. Not many gifts were given though. I have been trying to declutter and buy less because it actually allows me to appreciate more when a gift is given and provides room for me to have space between the stuff.
Thank you....I recently tried to donate a lot of good stuff, but after going to four different donation places and being told they can't accept it due to they were full...I took the energy, time and carefulness to try and donate only to be turned away....THANK YOU for saying it's OK to throw stuff away.... This is my "go to" now, just throw it out....I can't believe the WONDERFUL feeling I have now and mostly...it has been very freeing....My stuff was causing so much anxiety and guilt for me that throwing away items (that were properly going to end up in the trash anyway) has been a BLESSING,. Thank you Thank you Thank you. Can't wait for your next video. ❤
Oh my gosh, the shade I've gotten over the years for not making our bed. Which is on the second floor and no body sees it but us! Your tips on laundry and now confirming that it is not a sign of the end of the earth to have your bed unmade. Just hearing you say again how we listen to our priorities and not the other 'voices' to find the path that works for us. And you always give great motivation and tips for this journey. Clean kitchen for me; yes. Made bed, big deal. To each his/her own. TY
I'm with you!! When I DO make our bed, I like it, but realistically I'm hardly in that room all day. It's not a sign of personal incompetence not to make one's bed!! Not paying your taxes? Sure. But seriously, I don't let guests go into my bedroom!
@@MyFocusVaries Haaa, I so agree. When I do it (after changing sheets each week, definitely not in the a.m., I say, "gee, this is nice, I should do it more often". And then the 6 am alarm goes and the day is off and running, and the bed is not. :)
I make my bed because the room looks tidier to me when I do. But I do that for me, after it's aired, and really it's nobody else's business! 😄 You do you, and ignore the naysayers! 😄
Dawn, you are SO right when you say, "just throw it away"!!! Some people just don't have the energy to take everything to the best possible donation place. It's okay. In time, they will. For now, it's fine to take your home back and throw things away if you need to. Also, your kids are so adorable, and Adeline is such a lovely young lady! Such a great video! ❤
I’ve noticed that after I’ve decluttered I’m more considerate about buy things. If something comes in, something else has to go out. A friend and I are going to have a yard sale in the spring. Thanks Dawn!
I started my minimalism journey yesterday. Actually. with all the books I've read about it, podcasts I've listened to, and RUclips posts I've watched, it seems as if I have been doing this much longer. I have MS and I want to get to the point where if I'm too sick my children aren't overwhelmed with what has to get done. You have helped me so much to get to this point and giving me permission to throw stuff out is really helping me today. Thank you! I thanked God for you today. Please never forget how much you bless others.🙂
As a child I thank you for your consideration for your children. I can't tell you how much it recently helped me that my parents already paired down on all their stuff (both were hospitalised).
My children are 16, 15, and 9. They are very helpful, but a house with too much can overwhelm anyone. My husband is helpful too, but he works a full work week so I don't want to stress him out more.
I have found that less stuff makes a house easier to navigate. When both my parents were hospitalised I lived in their new house and was able to find everything I needed quite easily. And more importantly, it made daily life easier when I cared for them when they got home.
Watching your channel through the years has helped me so much in decluttering our home. One of the biggest things I have gained from you is the permission to get rid of my stuff. My husband and I have become very aware of the things we bring into our home and have decreased the incoming inventory by so much. Thank you for making these videos! This is my favorite RUclips channel and has been for years now.
For those 10,000 trash bags there are 10,000 households who got a home-cooked dinner, better mental health, maybe a child got a book read to them at bedtime ....... What decluttering does goes far beyond the bag. Launching a new lifestyle is so healthy. Thanks for being brave enough and committed enough to speak truth regardless. 🤗 ❤🎉
I've gone through stages as I decluttered. In the beginning making decisions itself was tiring. Then came a stage where I sold items on Marketplace and it went very well. I've also given things away directly in my community facebook group. It was such a pleasure to see people so happy to receive my free decor pieces! Today objects and clothing either go right to the donation center or turn into rags for the garage, some go directly to trash. I do have areas (emotional attachments) I need to go over again because now the decision making is pretty immediate and I've gotten so much better at it! I think that if we manage to get on top of things we'll have better energy to devote to environmental issues. I agree with trashing things right now if that's what's holding us back. I'll never be a true minimalist but I don't have to. My home feels so much better now and I would rather take responsibility for whatever we've accumulated instead of our kids having to do it one day.
This may be the silliest comment you've got, but I absolutely love how you say the word important. You've shared so many important ideas & I appreciate them. I'm a Georgia girl who notices others'accents because others have noticed mine all my life. Your family is so sweet & helpful.🦋
No one can have a clean house all the time if they live in it! But, totally it's a quicker pickup if you have decluttered things we don't need. You and your family are an inspiration! God bless you and yours!
Amen Dawn!!! I have recycled, donated and trashed about 80% of the stuff in our home since I found you! My donation shop is grateful for my “good, sellable” stuff but they throw out soooo much. I take your words to heart and I have STOPPED shopping! I will never replace any of this stuff and now I only give disposable gifts or experiences even with our granddaughter! Thank you
Thanks for your support. I have gotten rid of so much unneeded clutter over the past two years since I met you. Even today I took a load to the Goodwill and gave away some unneeded clothes to a friend. Every day I try to get rid of some thing. It is making my life better and to see an empty shelf is very gratifying! We have had several deaths in our family in the last decade and that really accumulates clutter.
Actually shouted “YES!” when you said to just throw away a dish while it was dirty because when you get to the end of your rope the most important thing is to take care of yourself. If you are struggling with anxiety or depression or just exhausted from life, it’s okay to use a baby wipe instead of showering just to get through the morning. It’s okay to eat a protein bar for dinner because you’re too tired to cook. And it’s okay to throw that stained shirt that’ll take 3 different chemicals and an extra rinse cycle to MAYBE get clean RIGHT 👏🏻 IN 👏🏻THE👏🏻TRASH👏🏻 Me and Dawn and the rest of the beautiful community here will still love you just as you are ❤
I applaud your stand on our well being is more important than a bag of trash. Ideally we want to be responsible but sometimes that really gets in the way of simplifying our home.
I took your advice years ago and started throwing things away as they came in the house and I knew we didn’t need it or right as I notice something isn’t serving us anymore. No waiting to donate. It’s so much easier to throw away a single shirt or a random toy we are no longer using then wait till it all builds up and we are so overwhelmed we are now trying to figure out what to do with bags and boxes of stuff. I still have decluttering days where more goes out and I do recycle or pass somethings on, but I find once you get to a good place it’s so much easier to maintain if you don’t fear the trash can. 😉 And I think I am making a much more positive impact on the earth by not buying so much junk, clothes, decor, etc. in the first place than the few things I toss.
I've never been one to feel obligated to make my bed each day, but during the pandemic, when things felt so uncertain, I did try to make it every day because it made me feel like I had accomplished at least one thing that day. I live in Seattle where we have a huge focus on renew/reuse/recycle, and because of that we have the infrastructure to support the lifestyle that I feel good about which is to recycle everything I can before trashing it. We even have a service here called Ridwell where once a month they pick up your plastic bags/bubble wrap/Amazon bubble mailers, batteries, light bulbs, fabrics (scraps or worn-out clothing), and they make sure it is donated to local services that will reuse or recycle it in the community. I think it's about "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can". Be resourceful as best you can!
Dawn I 100% support your encouragement to JUST GET STUFF OUT. No one likes the idea of adding to a landfill, but as we move further along the path of simplification our contributions to said landfill diminish exponentially. Over time we are sending LESS to the landfill!
I heard someone the other day say “everything is going to end up in a landfill” I’ve never thought about that, but it’s true. Whether you toss it, or you donate it and someone else eventually tosses it….. it will ALL get thrown away someday. So, if you want to not fill the landfill…. Don’t BUY it!! Trashing things isn’t the problem, buying it all is the problem. Toss it and move on to simplified living and not buying so much. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please don't stop making videos like this. I did a lot of cleaning today and was prompted to act on lots of your tips and tricks that I already have in my head, that don't always come out in my hands. I threw away old preschool bags that were monogrammed and $0.10 toys we got in easter eggs, and Lego instructions that have pages torn out and just get thrown in the floor in the pursuit of the right Lego brick. It's so helpful to have lots of videos like this from you to watch back to back while cleaning and tidying
I’m so happy to live in Scandinavia. In residental complex I live in we have many different kind of recycling bins in our backyard. If those bins weren’t in there I also would just put all in landfill. I also have charity second hand shop in my neighbour. So all useful stuff will go there. My goal is not minimalist home, but a home I love to live in. I started my decluttering journey with ”toss these things today”. I declutter only 5-15min daily on top of that I maintain surfaces I have already got emptied and cleaned. Usually I now watch some youtube video before or while i declutter and clean. So you have been great support during last autumn and winter. Many bags has gone to recycling and to donation and week after week I just feel better.
I usually just sit during the early morning hour, sip my coffee and listen to random podcasts/you tube channels while I work jigsaw puzzles. But no more!!😂 You motivate me to get up & go to get my home more and more decluttered & I'm loving it 😍 Thanks for all you do!!
"Task initiation difficulties." 😁 This is a great term. I'll try to remember that. I love to use your videos as "task initiation" assistance. Thank you for producing high quality content that is helpful for me, a natural stuff collector, living in a small house and preparing for my second child-- a little sister this time after a boy. And I agree with you, that our environment really affects our moods and productivity.
I think you’re the one who made the point of “whether it’s in your home or the landfill, it’s the same thing. You don’t have to live amongst it to feel better”. Something along those lines. And it’s so true. It already exists. It was already created. There’s 10 thousand others on some warehouse shelf already made. We don’t have to feel bad about just tossing something. What we do have to do is think twice before buying something again. Thanks for your videos!
❤️ Someone in the online minimalist community said once that if you don't end up getting something out of your house because you want to do it perfectly, that thing is still effectively in the landfill--it just made your house the landfill. I certainly want to do my part for the earth, and asopting minimalism in my life has 100% made me a smarter consumer, much less likely to purchase fast fashion, more interested in sustainability made products, likely to use something up and then reuse, etc. but for me it all started with feeling personal benefits from minimalism and getting over consumerism.
Ten thousand black bags is a small price for ten thousand peoples mental health improvement. It has been a huge hang up for me to do the right thing, and then It doesn’t go out of the house. ❤ you are right. I am loving your vidoes . Thank you
“Everything is destined for the landfill!!” There is nothing that is not eventual trash. I credit my husband for pointing this out. Mindfulness starts with not acquiring things in the first place, not so much in where to send them once you’re done with them. They WILL become trash…they already are.
I love how you have the kids involved, some channels don't want their children helping because it gives them content. Watching Maggie do the laundry and another channel has 2 carts to the ceiling so she can do it, so wrong. I agree with you, I'm 72 and simplifying, I don't want my kids having to clean up my stuff when I die.
Once again your practical advice has helped me to declutter. I've been doing it for a couple of years now thanks to you, Dana, and Cas. When you said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "It's all right to just throw stuff away if it means peace of mind.," I finally got some relief from vacillating over "I should find the perfect place for this thing" thinking. My 77-year old life deserves time for hobbies and friends more than half-used cans of spray paint. I started in my garage today with the goal of two black trash bags and now there are four in my car truck waiting for a dump run tomorrow. Thank you Dawn!
I'm so glad you remind us 'it's ok to throw it away today'. I'm a total recycler, but it causes so much stress when I'm decluttering. The plastic sealed around items I purchase or plastic packing materials hang me up forever! It makes me so crazy I want to go to the CEO of the plastic making companies and stuff it in their office. Until last month I had collected enough to fill an office for sure. But for my own peace of mind and body I can let it go today. I may have to stop ordering online to stop dealing with excessive plastic.
I'm with you, Dawn! The most freeing thing I heard a few years ago (might even have been from you) was, 'It all ends up in the landfill eventually. Just a matter of when.' That was sooooo freeing for me.
Preach on sister! I diligently separated things for TWO cities where you would think they had recycling systems down pat only to find out they were taking the stuff to the landfills. I live in a big apartment complex now and they stopped recycling because the city/county just could not deal with it. So if you really want to impact the environment, stop bringing lots of stuff into your house that’s not environmentally friendly. So there. In defense of Dawn, she has always preached this message. If you are overwhelmed with where to donate start with trash. Then you can start recycling. Go Dawn.
My city has a very strict garbage and recycling program, they actually scan garbage as they collect it and will fine you for any recycling that goes into it. Every residence has a city issued garbage can that is smaller than an average can and that's all the garbage you can have for the week. The recycling bin is about twice the size and all recycling must be clean. Styrofoam, plastic bags, glass, and electronics must be brought to the recycling depot. Books have to be donated, you're not allowed to recycle them, same goes for clothing and linens. The compost bin is the same size as the recycling bin. At the end of the day, we throw out about 15L of garbage a week (3.9 gallons). I currently have an old car seat that I'm waiting to throw out. It's illegal to donate or sell them and my small city doesn't have a recycling centre for them (and I'm not driving a few hours to the closest centre that takes them) so I have to wait for the bulk item day that we get once a year. We can throw out 2 large items per year, and even though the car seat is pretty small, it counts as one of the two items. We also have a broken desk and weight bench, so we have to pick which items will go and which we either have to hold onto for another year or we have to drive up to the dump and pay a fee to get rid of.
@@commenter5901 where (in general) do you live? I’ve heard of those strict policies in other countries and it sure would make you think twice about buying something wouldn’t it? I have a box of towels that I want to donate to an animal shelter but the nearest one is over 20 miles away and they aren’t taking towels!!! I will hang onto them because they are good (I received them as hand me downs) until I have a good place to donate them. If I were still in overwhelm mode I’d toss them. 🧐🧠
@@glendaw5221 wow amazing how so many donation centers are so overwhelmed. I gave my old towels and blankets to my vet office but my friend who has a pet rescue had told me she didn’t need them.
@@commenter5901 I take all my books to a library sale. They always take anything I’m willing to give them. Sounds like your area is super strict! Where we live, we don’t even have recycling. Does your area have the little free library boxes? You can also take books there.
One of the things your channel has helped me with is to let go of the guilt I feel around giving away or throwing away anything and I’m very thankful for that!
Dawn, thank you so much, you brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for valuing me and my sanity, bandwidth, and peace over a bag of trash in the landfill. I really needed to hear that. I so appreciate you and everything you are saying! You are worth more than other people’s right to vent their own opinions if they disagree. You deserve to be encouraged, uplifted, and applauded for the message you are sharing. Thank you so much for how you are helping me and my family! We have a long ways to go to declutter and reset, but every one of your videos helps us get a little bit closer. Thank you!
I love what you say about your space being more important than de-cluttering in the 'perfect way'. A few years back when I first started de-cluttering the biggest hurdle was recycling, taking stuff to charity organising everything, when I can't drive, work long shifts and at the time my grandma was needing full time care. So a lot of stuff I had to put in the bin which I felt awful for - but now I know, living minimally, I am able to organise and keep my space clear and I now have the bandwidth to be responsible and recycle and am less likely to bring stuff into my home that I'm not going to keep for years. So although we had to do it not perfect once, it gave us that momentum and clear space to do it properly in the future. Love your videos Dawn and how you make having a minimal, calm and beautiful home accessible to all ❤️
I have been working on decluttering with you for over 2 years now! it is indeed a process, but when my husband had a severe stroke at 52 this past year it has made it easier for us to survive for which I have been extremely thankful! I'm not done decluttering and if there is time I try to at least get rid of one or two things and overall it has made life soo much easier! It truly does give you more time with the people you love when you have less and are less stressed about facing your things each day. Thanks for the Love!
Just hearing you telling us to allow ourselves permission to throw things away sometimes is soo freeing. A simplified life really is better. It feels like a sigh of relief
Thanks Helix for sponsoring! Go to helixsleep.com/minimalmom for 20% off your mattress, plus two free pillows! #helixsleep
YES!!! We took your advice last year or so & we LOVE our Helix💗
@@laurasgarden49 me too!
I love that you don't make your bed every day, it feels like it gives me permission to do it too (or at least to not feel bad that I don't because I wouldn't anyway, but I would feel bad about it). I've tried it, but I hate the amount of work that it takes to get it set up again for bedtime (I have sleep apnea so I have a special setup). And why bother when you only see your room for 5 mins in the morning and 5 mins right before bed? I completely forget that the bedroom exists for the rest of the day.
Yes !! @men
Ditto unmade bed 🛏
For those who object to Dawn’s “trash it if you are overwhelmed” my Daddy had a saying that went like this: “sweep your own front porch before talking about other people’s porches “. I think we all are becoming more aware of things that damage our environment. Mental health is more of a priority for some of us. Judge only when your porch is perfect!!
Actually, life is hard... harder now than ever before. Maybe we could skip the judging altogether. 🙂
Love this, Glenda!
@@akontilis1792 agree! And perfect doesn’t exist this side of Heaven!
BRAVO !
@@akontilis1792 Absolutely 👍 Simply well said❣️
I have ADHD (recently diagnosed at age 48 😄), and I had been unknowingly using your videos as body doubling. My Hubby pointed it out; he said every time he heard your voice on my phone, I decluttered somewhere or cleaned a room. You feel like a supportive friend. Thank you so much. ❤️
Fellow Neurodivergent here and I have used her videos too as motivation and body doubling!
What a huge difference it is! I have ADD as well!
Same!
Okay, this is a fanTASTIC idea!
Dawn is my body doubling buddy too 😂
So today my husband made a business appointment at our home. Old me said, "WHAT?!!!" New me said, "OH, thanks Dawn!!!" Even my husband said, it's so nice not to be embarrassed of all the mess! Thanks Dawn!!! Stuff I never knew!!! I tell everyone!
Wow Gayle, that's so cool! Way to go!!!!!!!
OMGoodness I hear this! My husband recently starting working from home and on occasion will have clients stop by. Old me would have died 1000 deaths of embarrassment, new me - ok, should I put a pot of coffee on in case they’d like a cup? It’s an awesome feeling. My biggest issue now is keeping up with our St. Bernards fur.
Thank you for giving your viewers permission to just throw it away! Your principles of living simply mean that even though there may be a bunch of bags headed for the landfill right now, by living simply and not buying the stuff in the future there will be WAY less going to the landfills. Have a beautiful day!
Incredible how being given permission, being encouraged to throw things away, frees us from guilt of the reality of cleaning up, cleaning out, organizing, simplifying. Freedom to throw away, also absolutely inspires the same person think, become more discerning about the things we consider buying, and bringing new things into our home. Thank you for your comment, I really appreciate taking your time to write it out.
🤗💝
Excellent point!
Yes! Just posted the same thing.
Well put!
It’s all going to the land fill eventually. If we do this today AND stop over consuming, we will positively impact the planet. Thanks, Dawn. I miss nothing I disposed of last week in response to “Your Stuff is Making You Sick.” ❤
That is key. It’s not the throwing away, it’s the over consumption in the first place.
Oh wow! Never thought of that until now..
Knowing that its going to the landfill sooner or later frees me from guilt paralysis.
And sometimes the donation centers trash it right after we drop it off!
But if it goes to the landfill sooner than it needs to, more stuff has to get produced. If I throw a tool away, somebody else can't use that tool and they have to buy another one made for them. However, if I donate my tool, someone else can use it instead of buying new. Less demand for new things is less stuff in the landfill overall. If an item is perfectly good, I'll donate it or put it out for free on Facebook Marketplace or my front yard. If the donation center knows it's not worth the shelf space, they can decide to throw it away. I'm not going to presume to know and contribute extra to the landfill.
Dawn said this once and I always think about it now. It is so true. The BEST thing to come out of this message is that I buy so much less. Everyone who is serious about decluttering will get to this point and it will outweigh our former trash by tons!!
@The Minimal Mom Hi Dawn, after 2 years of watching you declutter, I've never commented on any of your videos but I have to tell you that after 6 years of having most of my possessions packed away in plastic bins, I got inspired right in the middle of one of your videos and decluttered it all! I had 15 bags for charity, 3 bins for Habitat for Humanity, 5 bins for consignment, a box of blankets for the local Humane Society, and 2 boxes for the toxic disposal place. I think it was your "dealing with too much inventory" and your explanation that we all feel so much better having a tidy place that got me up and going. Thank you for inspiring me to finally get that chore done! I'm sure I have more layers of the onion, but boy am I on my way now!
Good for you! I'M proud of you, and you don't even know me. Enjoy your clean, uncluttered spaces.
@@texasmimi5566 Thank you! 💛
I’ve taken 50 bags out of my house in the last 9 months, and it’s changed my life!! Thank you Dawn! 😊❤️☀️
I know you don't make your bed a priority but from another perspective. I was at a very low point mentally fighting to over come breast cancer and my brother sent me a video to lift me up in it the man was giving a speech and said make your bed because if that's the only thing you accomplished that day, when you go to bed feeling as a failure you are reminded that you did accomplish one thing today. It was a large turning point for me in my journey and I just wanted to share another perspective thank you for sharing your world with everyone!
Nearly 100% of my clothing is from thrift shops. I feel blessed that someone took the time to donate instead of trashing.
Yes! I hate to throw away clothes, but sometimes they’re undonatable. Most of my wardrobe is thrifted too.
Same!!! donating and thrifting not only saves that piece from landfill but can save from more being created because of demand, therefore polluting even more.
I hope you realize that donation centers throw away tons of the things they receive and/or ship them to poorer countries in anonymous bulk boxes that are paid for before the contents are seen, often just ending in huge dangerous piles of polyester textile landfills?
Sure if it's a high quality clean item (preferably not synthetic) the odds of your garment making it into a landfill either here or after being shipped across an ocean are lower so donate away but please DO NOT donate dirty falling apart synthetic garments that are already bound for the trash
I'm all for donating things andthrifting but I think we need to realise that these corporations that keep on churning out cheap goods aren't doing it to meet a demand but they're creating a demand by making them. They don't care about the environment, no matter what their website claims, they're fully aware that their products are the major contributor to landfills but all they are about is making money. All we can do is make choices within our own sphere of influence, thrift if possible, donate if possible, buy less overall certainly, but don't let your house into a landfill by being filled with things that get in our way or make life harder for the sake of not sending things to the dump.
Thank you for prioritizing helping us over pleasing every viewer.
Your videos have changed our lives and we appreciate you and your family so much 🥰
👏👏👏👏👏
Amen
👍 I once learned a neat expression for that… I didn’t fully get it at the time 😉 now I do. When we get the negative comments: “ 😃 Thank you for caring enough to share 😉 “ and move right on 👏 👏
Agreed
This summer I have been watching your videos and pause the video and take a couple of minutes to declutter and clean a space in my house. I only have two more spaces in my house to declutter and clean.
I have in-laws arriving in a few days and because of you, 3 months in to decluttering and lowering my inventory, I am really not stressed about their visit. My whole home reset took me one morning and I even touched up walls with spackle and paint!
I LOVE all your minimal living principles and have watched some of your videos more than once and shared your channel many times!
Ladies from my Small Group commented on my home and even wanted to peek in my kitchen cupboards and drawers, of course I opened them all with a smile and bragged on your videos! My onion layers are down to the middle now, I sometimes go looking for things to declutter without much success.
A few months into my journey, my husband surprised me by decluttering his closet and the garage and shed, all look awesome and neighbors comment on the garage which makes him feel great. My daughter now has a beautiful room easy to keep clean and she is so proud of it. She has had bedtime anxiety and her calm bedroom has changed how she feels at bedtime, so much more peaceful!
I am a 45 yr old work-from-home mom-of-3... ages 13, 12 and almost 11!
I even adopted some of your meal planning but feel I could really grow more in this area, groceries and meals for kids who eat two dinners!! I no longer shop big bulk stores and have grown to accept a less full pantry and fridge. Everyone still eats well and they even reach for the fresh whole foods that I display in bins in the fridge!
I even joked that I listened to you so much that I adopted your accent! Keep on changing lives and thank you.
I have chronic fatigue syndrome and when I first started minimising I had to throw so much away as I didn’t have the energy to deal with it as I wanted, it did upset me at the time but it was all I could do and I believed in minimalism and how much it was going to help me. Two years later and my house is so easy to manage even when I’m very unwell, thank you so much it’s been life changing. As I had less stuff to deal with I did get better at finding homes for my stuff and now I buy so much less and am happier with what I have.
I have had the same result. I also have cfs. It’s hard work! Well done!
🙋🙏be well. 💞
Don't laugh. Right now my uncluttered spot is the bathroom. I've been aggressively decluttering my home this year after 2 children ( with their spouses) have moved out and my mother has went back home. Also I inherited my grandmother's house which was full of her stuff so I feel like I'm living in a house that's holding 5 different houses in it. Anyways I got the bathroom done so my husband ask why I'm just standing in there and all I can say is this room is done. It's my motivation for the next room.
Not laughing. Go you!
I helped my friend declutter years ago. The only room we got done was her study. 13 binbags to donate or bin. That night her husband sent me a photo she didn’t know he’d taken…she was sitting at her desk eating her dinner. He asked her why. She said because it makes me so happy to be in this room.😊. The impact it had on her was massive. She started to declutter her whole house. She needed help with the kitchen and her wardrobe but managed the rest on her own she was that motivated. It made me so happy.😊
I’m often actually GLAD when something breaks! I feel fine throwing it away then, so maybe if it’s hard to throw away something, a person could “accidentally“ DROP it in the black bag😂
I think it’s important for people to see children doing chores, so thanks for doing that. So many mothers either think their kids are not capable or they don’t want to ‘take away their childhoods’. I’m of the opinion that expecting them to do chores prepares them for real life.
Yes, it teaches them how to do all the things that they are going to have to do eventually anyway and sets them up to do those things correctly right out of the gate.
For sure. They learn by example, and taking part means they can all do something all together and faster, and that is fun. It’s how it was in our home on the ranch. Lots of chores, but when really young we worked, played and worked and played… My parents made work fun. We did it all together, we had time all together, and I never regret that. That was the best training.
100% agree. There's also people who insist that IF your kids do chores, you should at least pay them to do the chore... In our house, everyone helps out because they are part of the family. Nobody gets paid for doing chores. If they want to earn a bit of money, they can do extra tasks that are above and beyond regular chores.
As a child that never had to do chores, because I had to study, I can say that it did not set me up for life on my own. I left for uni at 18 and struggled hard with simple daily routine
@@rdb4996 Me too.
I can’t encourage y’all enough to just follow Dawn’s suggestion to throw things away. Your happiness and mental health are so much more important as she mentioned. I found Dawn a couple of years ago when I was a total mess. My anxiety was thru the roof and it seemed all I ever did was clean and try to organize. I put her advice into action and it’s been mentally life saving for me. Thank you Dawn!
I love you for saying, in a firm, loving way, “I want you to throw things away.” Thank you for validating that our minds, our selves, our mental health is more important. Made me tear up. We put so much pressure on ourselves. It’s crazy when you think about it. It’s just stuff.
I for one am very glad you gave permission to THROW things away.
My parents were a part of the greatest generation.
Reuse Reuse Reuse. Don't throw ANYTHING away . You paid good money Don't just throw it out. That's just a waste of money.
I am dealing with so much clutter. Most of it retail therapy.
You saying I could throw it away inspired me to do just that
Makes it easier. I don't have to think about it
I am 66 yrs old. Too old to be in this predicament, but here i am.
I am so glad I found you and others. You are helping many people.
Let the decluttering
BEGIN ❤
I think it would be interesting to see how many OLD people you are inspiring. People who have been dealing with clutter etc. For their entire adult life.
Well said Dawn. I think I learned from FlyLady that our homes are not a thrift store or garbage dump. We deserve to take the stuff where it belongs and live in a HOME.
For those who want everything properly recycled, I would agree BUT I have seen my own waste disposal company put all of my recycling in the same truck with the trash 🤷♀️
It's frustrating and I've addressed it with the company. But, as I've discovered, you honestly don't know what happens with all that stuff once it leaves your home anyway.
I appreciate you, Dawn, and have learned so much from your videos!!
When I first started downsizing, I was so slow because I had to sort everything by category, size, etc and plan a day to take it to the best donation place. It would set by my door for a few weeks then in my trunk for a few weeks before going to the donation. It was discouraging honestly. I kept at it but it wasn't very helpful. I finally decided that changing my future buying habits would make a bigger impact than trashing what I have already bought. I'd load up boxes and post on my neighborhood page that everything was at the end of my driveway and that trash day would get whatever was left. It almost always gets picked up but even the trashed items make me feel better. I try very hard not to bring anything in my home now that isn't well thought out. I research what I'm buying and have a pre-planned place for it to be stored. Also, thrift stores trash sooooooo much stuff. It will blow your m8nd what gets trashed because they simply have too much to sort and store. There are videos on yt about what ppl find in thrift store trash. So don't think because you suffered through finally getting your stuff to be donated that it all ended up in the store, it may or may not! It just makes ppl feel better to donate and not know what happened than trashing it
In the past my donate items have sat for a year, gotten dirty etc - so discouraging! And yes - feeling the pain of that is very motivating when considering what to bring in to my home too! Keep up the good good work!!
I was stuck in the overthinking and paralysis stage until I found your channel the other day. Thank you so much for helping me realize that it's okay that I can't find the perfect place to donate stuff I need to get out of my house! I have accomplished more in the last few days in terms of decluttering than I had done in the last nine years of wishing I could declutter. You are marvelous and I appreciate you so much - thank you!!
What’s worse? Throwing out things? Or the damage caused by having the same problems in our households for months and years, until we can scrape together enough bandwidth?
Thank you for being willing to cop some flack to say the truth, Dawn.
You’re one of the top 5 most influential people in my life, and I’m grateful from the bottom of my heart❤
You are doing good in the world, helping us realign and put people and things back in their proper places.
Please continue your part in “setting the captives free” 🙏🏼❤
I just thought i was a messy person who couldn’t keep my house up. Now that I’m starting to declutter in areas it’s becoming so clear that i had too much stuff to manage and items that did not have a home
The desire to get things to the perfect donation places can also really be just another form of procrastination. Like waiting until you have the whole day to declutter, or have just the right shelving and containers to finally start. If we push past that and declutter a bunch and see real results, then we can motivate ourselves so that the next waves of decluttering CAN go to the glass recycling, donation station, senior center, daycare, etc. Thanks Dawn for another inspiring video.
Dawn! This feels silly to say, but it's true, you are the first virtual friend I have ever made! I appreciate you, your values, goals and counsel. My emotional well being is getting better and better and YOU are a great part of that! Thank you.💚
I totally understand what you were explaining today. It's like what I tell my kids when they run after a ball in the middle of the road "I don't care about the ball, I care about YOU!!"
I know you care about you, your family and your community. I feel it! Someday I will be able to thank you more than saying thank you. For now, thank you dearly. 💚
This means more than you know JoNeal! THANK YOU so much!!!!
I feel the same way, JoNeal! ❤️
You are not alone JoNeal--she and a couple of other RUclipsrs are my best girlfriends.
Incredible how being given permission, being encouraged to throw things away, frees us from guilt of the reality of cleaning up, cleaning out, organizing, simplifying. Freedom to throw away, also absolutely inspires the same person to think, become more discerning about the new things we might consider buying, and bringing into our home.
I just heard your comment on you are more important than a bag in the landfill. That’s so true. And I person that isn’t running around frenetically is often able to make other choices to save our earth. For example, the days in which I’m so stressed I’m grabbing takeout… that’s more trash going into the trash… less going out on the fly saves the earth in a different way… thanks again - new sub!
I have been attacked online in the past for throwing things out or recycling them instead of upcycling/re-using/rehoming them perfectly, even after I listed my disabilities and explained how they affect my ability to do things. In the end, all it taught me was to not tell anyone what method I am using to dispose of things because people suck. It didn't change my approach because of course it didn't - getting yelled at by strangers on the internet doesn't magically cure my health problems!
My home is not a dumpster. It needs to be at a level I can manage and it's not there yet (although significantly closer than it used to be). I will do whatever I have to do to fix it, because I deserve to have a decent life. I don't see those opinionated so-and-sos picketing corporations about their waste. They're only targeting me and my comparatively miniscule amount of trash because I'm an easier target for them to get their ego boost from yelling at.
Thank you for being one of the people who gets it and is supportive.
“You are more important than your stuff” ❤
Trashing/decluttering a few things now will be the best thing you do for the environment in the long run. Going through that process will have such a profound impact on your purchasing that you’ll more than make up for a few trash bags by becoming a more conscious consumer.
Kitchen: when my kids were teens, I put a barstool in my kitchen. That ONE thing changed our life. One or another of the kids would sit while I worked or I would sit while they work and we had amazing conversations that were non-pressured and non-scripted! I love the “body doubling” idea rather than texting, watching tv and the isolation we often get used to in our home instead of living like a family together!
I need to go reset my house now! Great video!
I love it that my two favorite RUclipsrs watch each other's videos too!
I love you showing us your home and can see how it's a quick process to reset everything. It's not about everything always being tidy, but about how useable the home is and part of that usability is how easy it is to reset back to things being put away and ready to use again.
💙
I have been working to declutter my house for 2 years. (TWO YEARS!!) January 6, after noticing a huge difference for awhile, I took a photo of my amazingly tidy kitchen. This morning, February 15, it STILL looks the SAME! And has stayed tidy the whole time! We’ve been married 42 years and this has NEVER been the case! The Time Will Tell box was SUPER helpful but “just get rid of it!” has also been magical!!! Thank you! Thank you! Our living room, bathroom, dining room and bedroom have the same story! It’s amazing!!!
I absolutely agree with you Dawn. When I inherited my family home from my parents I was so overwhelmed with 47 years of clutter that I couldn’t think beyond just taking it all to the local tip - I just didn’t have the bandwidth and was also dealing with intense grief. However, when I decluttered my own home - I dropped 1 bin bag in the tip and recycled and donated everything else - it took time but luckily here in my part of the UK we have kerbside recycling and a charity shop attached to the local tip with facilities to recycle clothes and materials - it makes it so easy - we can just load the car up and take all to one place - I just wish everyone had the same facilities as it would make it so much easier for everyone 😊 xx
Yes it would be really handy if such a facility was available to everyone. But as you have learned sometimes it just needs to go for the sake of mental health and peace. Offering my condolences for your loss
I live in a different type of neighborhood - almost 400 houses. It's so easy for me to put stuff in my driveway to give away! Got rid of tons of home decor items (MUGS!) so easily! I rarely ever bring anything in my home anymore. SO much easier to cook & clean up & enjoy life!
The anxiety I had over some old blankets that I didn’t have time to take to an animal shelter. My daughter has been sick and they sat in the house being moved around. I finally threw them out. It did make me feel so much better.
Most cities have textile recycling centres where you can take your clothes to be recycled. The clothes are then sold to rag companies or turned into insulation. This is a great option if you have clothes that are too worn out to be donated.Sep 16, 2022
@@me4011 I live in a small town in Michigan and we don’t have any textile recycling centers. The closest one is 3 hours away. I usually take it to animal shelter but my daughter has been in and out of the hospital. I did what I needed to this time around.
It’s 48* here in San José, CA, and we’re cold! We’re fortunate that the County takes our recyclables every week, so it’s just as easy to toss things in there. We use Dana’s method and always have a donation box going. We definitely use the black trash bag trick, too. In fact I just bought a new box of them! I rarely have much bandwidth as I am disabled. So after watching all your videos, I hired a professional organizer. She helped me go through everything! I decluttered a ton! She took all my donations. Plus she takes out the trash and recycling. I couldn’t have benefited from her help if I hadn’t studied you, Cas and Dana’s methods. I have also taken your “Take Your House Back” class! I was ready to make the hard decisions. Thank you so much for all your help and inspiration!
Hi Neighbor, I live in Morgan Hill! A bit chilly last night.
“You are more important than this stuff” This really resonates with me and has been on my heart lately. I often think “people over things” in regards to my family, but I’m a person too!
Sometimes I wonder why I seem to have a much lower "bandwidth" than others and why my clutter threshold is So low. It can occasionally make me feel badly about myself, but I am trying to accept that I am a lower energy person with different struggles (physical and emotional) than other people and that that is OK. Thanks for your encouragement Dawn!
You are not alone! It can be frustrating 😞
Winter is particularly a low energy season for me so I just try not to tackle too much at a time. A little at a time but making progress.
Add another "You are no alone" to the replies.
I find that as an introvert, I have so much going on INSIDE my head that anything like visual clutter, as well as noise clutter (to many conversations at once, back ground music, tv etc) can really be irritating. And that is why I have a low clutter threshold. And that’s ok. Give yourself permission to be you instead of compare. ❤
Dawn, you have no idea how much you, Dana K White, Cas and other influencers impact so many of us!! I struggle with ADD and anxiety and have spent most of my adult life overstimulated and surrounded by clutter! Clutter is just as overstimulating as noise, flashing lights, etc! Getting it under control this past year has been such a relief…
You talk about keeping your home environment in order and how it promotes peace and calm, and that it so true… it also applies to where you live, where you work and your relationships… I spent most of my adult life in a toxic environment, job, location, relationships, all of it. About 6 years ago I made a clean start and changed all of that and the ADD and anxiety have pretty much remained under control in this calm peaceful setting.
Thank you for giving us permission to be how we are and you are great at promoting minimalism and your lifestyle without coming across as judgemental to anyone who disagrees or lives differently. We all have our own ways and that is ok.
I never realized how much "stuff" I had accumulated until I started to declutter. It's a work in progress, but any work IS progress. Thank you so much for all your inspiration and ideas.
It's sometimes easier for me being a widow, 66 yrs old, back disability (limited mobility) and raising my 3 grandsons to just throw items away instead of trying to box it up to donate...I do some donations but I'm going for easy and to get stuff out. Thank you Dawn...I♥️ your videos!
And that is fine. What is important is that you are trying to give those kids a good example and a better life!
YES to you!
Wow, 3 kiddos! You do whatever you can do because you're doing great!
Thank you for having the heart and endurance to raise your grand babies. It can’t be easy. May God bless you for your heart of servitude.
I don’t want to make my junk problem, someone else’s, so it’s ok to throw away.
My garage is attached to my laundry room and right outside that door, sitting in the garage, I always have a donation bin. I've gotten in the habit of just tossing things into that bin and when it's full I take it to Goodwill which is on my way to work. It's as easy as throwing things away and it's helped so much to have something so accessible.
Reading reports from donations companies very quickly will let us know that they have to deal with huge amounts of trash donated. The amount of garbage that thrift stores have to deal with, pay for trash disposal, bring more people to sort , etc just shows how much unsellable staff is donated. Somehow putting realistically unusable staff in the donation box makes us feel better. But in reality, if you read any reliable report from goodwill industry and others donation places it’s clear that we are just asking someone else to go through our things and trash it anyway.
I have a donation bin always ready to put items in , but it’s better be a an item that someone can actually use. And I absolutely agree with Dawn that mental well-being is a priority. Do not bring any more useless stuff home is another priority. But if something needs to be just thrown away, just do it and try better next time. Love minimal mom❤❤❤❤❤
Perhaps Goodwill and other thrift stores should stop adverrising that they want my stuff. They also adverise that my donations create jobs for people. In terms of throwing things that arwn't needed, my Goodwill also gets money for textile donations.
@@elizabethsokol2545 I think you are very right and job creation is very important . What I am saying is that I read many times that people donate complete junk, broken appliances, plates etc forgetting that goodwill does not repair or will clean stains etc. ❤️
@@Marsolan I have found so many stained t-shirts FOR SALE at Goodwill and other thrift stores that I am shocked people shop there, although that seems to have changed in the past few years.
My Goodwill participates in textile recycling and GETS MONEY for clothing and shoes. They told me to separate and label the stuff I am donating for textile donation from regular donations. If they participate in this type of program, I would assume that some of the clothes or shoes that they can't sell end up in the textile recycling bin.
Not sure about the electronics, but most businesses have dumpsters.
@@elizabethsokol2545 it’s probably a good idea to talk to a local donation place to see how we can do our part :)
@@Marsolan Prior to the pandemic, I e-mailed Goodwill about textile recycling and Goodwill assured me they participated. My city now participates in a textile recycling program and I'm going to check that out.
I live a mile away from a recycling center that accepts my broken down electronics and they were thrilled to take my non-working Christmas lights.
Thank you for releasing us from trash guilt. I swear, I have boxes that have been sitting forever to go to the "proper" place. Ugh! I am going to the kitchen to declutter. Thank you!!!
YES!!!!! So liberating!
I really appreciate the permission to make this lifestyle work for my bandwidth today…my season is crazy and it is so hard to plan to run bags of clutter to goodwill all the time. Sometimes I just can’t even imagine someone wanting my junk… I appreciate the permission to sometimes just let go and if all I can do is throw it away, then that’s ok. Someday I will have the capability to do something different but not today…
Hey Dawn. I love your videos and they have helped me so much to get started on decluttering. Thank you!
I have a suggestion: if you don't like making the bed, because of all the pillows, just get rid of the excess pillows. I'm from Germany and we always have just those pillows in our beds, that we actually use to sleep. That makes making the bed in the morning very easy.
I never really understood why it is common in the US to have so many unnecessary pillows in the bed.
Try it and let me know how you like it.
Lots of love to you and your family
Yes same here. I’m in the UK. No scatter cushions for me either. More to maintain and wash at deep clean time! My bedroom is still cosy and relaxing.😊
so cool to have a real life glimpse into how a minimalist family functions at home!
I needed to hear this!!!!!! To just PITCH THE THING!!! THANK YOUUUUUU
You have no idea how much your black trash bag tip has truly helped me!!! I have had every intention of going out and donating (if they'll take it) but I have not gotten around to everything. I felt like just hearing someone say it's ok to just let it go has released me from that guilt. Thank you so much!!!
I really appreciate the permission to just throw things out. It’s been my go to when decluttering lately. Just get it out!
Love that you give everyone permission to just throw the stuff away. I used to struggle with getting the stuff to the donation place. It would either take up space in a corner somewhere or in the back of my car. Only to constantly be forgotten and still bogging me down mentally.
When I think about decluttering I always reminisce about my grandparent’s homes, all Depression era children, raised to own only what was necessary. But their homes were decorated, yet always with the SAME decorations because they were considered valued due to circumstance: who gifted and what occasion. All gifts were of value and on display. Not many gifts were given though. I have been trying to declutter and buy less because it actually allows me to appreciate more when a gift is given and provides room for me to have space between the stuff.
Thank you....I recently tried to donate a lot of good stuff, but after going to four different donation places and being told they can't accept it due to they were full...I took the energy, time and carefulness to try and donate only to be turned away....THANK YOU for saying it's OK to throw stuff away....
This is my "go to" now, just throw it out....I can't believe the WONDERFUL feeling I have now and mostly...it has been very freeing....My stuff was causing so much anxiety and guilt for me that throwing away items (that were properly going to end up in the trash anyway) has been a BLESSING,.
Thank you Thank you Thank you. Can't wait for your next video. ❤
Yes the donation place closest to me has a huge trash bin right next to where you drop off and it’s usually full….
Oh my gosh, the shade I've gotten over the years for not making our bed. Which is on the second floor and no body sees it but us! Your tips on laundry and now confirming that it is not a sign of the end of the earth to have your bed unmade. Just hearing you say again how we listen to our priorities and not the other 'voices' to find the path that works for us. And you always give great motivation and tips for this journey. Clean kitchen for me; yes. Made bed, big deal. To each his/her own. TY
I'm with you!! When I DO make our bed, I like it, but realistically I'm hardly in that room all day. It's not a sign of personal incompetence not to make one's bed!! Not paying your taxes? Sure. But seriously, I don't let guests go into my bedroom!
I usually don’t make my bed haha.
@@MyFocusVaries Haaa, I so agree. When I do it (after changing sheets each week, definitely not in the a.m., I say, "gee, this is nice, I should do it more often". And then the 6 am alarm goes and the day is off and running, and the bed is not. :)
I don’t make my bed every day. It gets made up nicely when I change the sheets. That’s enough.
I make my bed because the room looks tidier to me when I do. But I do that for me, after it's aired, and really it's nobody else's business! 😄 You do you, and ignore the naysayers! 😄
Dawn, you are SO right when you say, "just throw it away"!!! Some people just don't have the energy to take everything to the best possible donation place. It's okay. In time, they will. For now, it's fine to take your home back and throw things away if you need to. Also, your kids are so adorable, and Adeline is such a lovely young lady! Such a great video! ❤
I’ve noticed that after I’ve decluttered I’m more considerate about buy things. If something comes in, something else has to go out. A friend and I are going to have a yard sale in the spring. Thanks Dawn!
I started my minimalism journey yesterday. Actually. with all the books I've read about it, podcasts I've listened to, and RUclips posts I've watched, it seems as if I have been doing this much longer. I have MS and I want to get to the point where if I'm too sick my children aren't overwhelmed with what has to get done. You have helped me so much to get to this point and giving me permission to throw stuff out is really helping me today. Thank you! I thanked God for you today. Please never forget how much you bless others.🙂
As a child I thank you for your consideration for your children. I can't tell you how much it recently helped me that my parents already paired down on all their stuff (both were hospitalised).
My children are 16, 15, and 9. They are very helpful, but a house with too much can overwhelm anyone. My husband is helpful too, but he works a full work week so I don't want to stress him out more.
I have found that less stuff makes a house easier to navigate. When both my parents were hospitalised I lived in their new house and was able to find everything I needed quite easily. And more importantly, it made daily life easier when I cared for them when they got home.
Watching your channel through the years has helped me so much in decluttering our home. One of the biggest things I have gained from you is the permission to get rid of my stuff. My husband and I have become very aware of the things we bring into our home and have decreased the incoming inventory by so much. Thank you for making these videos! This is my favorite RUclips channel and has been for years now.
For those 10,000 trash bags there are 10,000 households who got a home-cooked dinner, better mental health, maybe a child got a book read to them at bedtime ....... What decluttering does goes far beyond the bag. Launching a new lifestyle is so healthy. Thanks for being brave enough and committed enough to speak truth regardless. 🤗 ❤🎉
❤
Watching decluttering videos and minimalist videos such as this one is one way I unwind
I've gone through stages as I decluttered. In the beginning making decisions itself was tiring. Then came a stage where I sold items on Marketplace and it went very well. I've also given things away directly in my community facebook group. It was such a pleasure to see people so happy to receive my free decor pieces! Today objects and clothing either go right to the donation center or turn into rags for the garage, some go directly to trash. I do have areas (emotional attachments) I need to go over again because now the decision making is pretty immediate and I've gotten so much better at it! I think that if we manage to get on top of things we'll have better energy to devote to environmental issues. I agree with trashing things right now if that's what's holding us back. I'll never be a true minimalist but I don't have to. My home feels so much better now and I would rather take responsibility for whatever we've accumulated instead of our kids having to do it one day.
This may be the silliest comment you've got, but I absolutely love how you say the word important. You've shared so many important ideas & I appreciate them. I'm a Georgia girl who notices others'accents because others have noticed mine all my life. Your family is so sweet & helpful.🦋
No one can have a clean house all the time if they live in it! But, totally it's a quicker pickup if you have decluttered things we don't need. You and your family are an inspiration! God bless you and yours!
Amen Dawn!!! I have recycled, donated and trashed about 80% of the stuff in our home since I found you! My donation shop is grateful for my “good, sellable” stuff but they throw out soooo much. I take your words to heart and I have STOPPED shopping! I will never replace any of this stuff and now I only give disposable gifts or experiences even with our granddaughter! Thank you
Thanks for your support. I have gotten rid of so much unneeded clutter over the past two years since I met you. Even today I took a load to the Goodwill and gave away some unneeded clothes to a friend. Every day I try to get rid of some thing. It is making my life better and to see an empty shelf is very gratifying! We have had several deaths in our family in the last decade and that really accumulates clutter.
The rescue mission picked up 5 bags and a box of stuff on Valentine’s Day. Best feeling ever to have it out of the house. 😊
You encourage me so much during your videos that I pause them numerous times just to go declutter something.
Thanks for the permission to put me first before the clutter. I need that today!
Actually shouted “YES!” when you said to just throw away a dish while it was dirty because when you get to the end of your rope the most important thing is to take care of yourself. If you are struggling with anxiety or depression or just exhausted from life, it’s okay to use a baby wipe instead of showering just to get through the morning. It’s okay to eat a protein bar for dinner because you’re too tired to cook. And it’s okay to throw that stained shirt that’ll take 3 different chemicals and an extra rinse cycle to MAYBE get clean RIGHT 👏🏻 IN 👏🏻THE👏🏻TRASH👏🏻 Me and Dawn and the rest of the beautiful community here will still love you just as you are ❤
I applaud your stand on our well being is more important than a bag of trash. Ideally we want to be responsible but sometimes that really gets in the way of simplifying our home.
I took your advice years ago and started throwing things away as they came in the house and I knew we didn’t need it or right as I notice something isn’t serving us anymore. No waiting to donate. It’s so much easier to throw away a single shirt or a random toy we are no longer using then wait till it all builds up and we are so overwhelmed we are now trying to figure out what to do with bags and boxes of stuff. I still have decluttering days where more goes out and I do recycle or pass somethings on, but I find once you get to a good place it’s so much easier to maintain if you don’t fear the trash can. 😉 And I think I am making a much more positive impact on the earth by not buying so much junk, clothes, decor, etc. in the first place than the few things I toss.
Yes!
I've never been one to feel obligated to make my bed each day, but during the pandemic, when things felt so uncertain, I did try to make it every day because it made me feel like I had accomplished at least one thing that day. I live in Seattle where we have a huge focus on renew/reuse/recycle, and because of that we have the infrastructure to support the lifestyle that I feel good about which is to recycle everything I can before trashing it. We even have a service here called Ridwell where once a month they pick up your plastic bags/bubble wrap/Amazon bubble mailers, batteries, light bulbs, fabrics (scraps or worn-out clothing), and they make sure it is donated to local services that will reuse or recycle it in the community. I think it's about "Start where you are, use what you have, do what you can". Be resourceful as best you can!
That's amazing y'all have so much ability to recycle and reuse. I wish we had more here.
Oh, one more thing, thank you for letting us see your house in "a real moment".
Dawn I 100% support your encouragement to JUST GET STUFF OUT. No one likes the idea of adding to a landfill, but as we move further along the path of simplification our contributions to said landfill diminish exponentially. Over time we are sending LESS to the landfill!
I heard someone the other day say “everything is going to end up in a landfill” I’ve never thought about that, but it’s true. Whether you toss it, or you donate it and someone else eventually tosses it….. it will ALL get thrown away someday. So, if you want to not fill the landfill…. Don’t BUY it!! Trashing things isn’t the problem, buying it all is the problem. Toss it and move on to simplified living and not buying so much. ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Please don't stop making videos like this. I did a lot of cleaning today and was prompted to act on lots of your tips and tricks that I already have in my head, that don't always come out in my hands. I threw away old preschool bags that were monogrammed and $0.10 toys we got in easter eggs, and Lego instructions that have pages torn out and just get thrown in the floor in the pursuit of the right Lego brick. It's so helpful to have lots of videos like this from you to watch back to back while cleaning and tidying
I’m so happy to live in Scandinavia. In residental complex I live in we have many different kind of recycling bins in our backyard. If those bins weren’t in there I also would just put all in landfill. I also have charity second hand shop in my neighbour. So all useful stuff will go there.
My goal is not minimalist home, but a home I love to live in.
I started my decluttering journey with ”toss these things today”. I declutter only 5-15min daily on top of that I maintain surfaces I have already got emptied and cleaned. Usually I now watch some youtube video before or while i declutter and clean. So you have been great support during last autumn and winter. Many bags has gone to recycling and to donation and week after week I just feel better.
I usually just sit during the early morning hour, sip my coffee and listen to random podcasts/you tube channels while I work jigsaw puzzles. But no more!!😂 You motivate me to get up & go to get my home more and more decluttered & I'm loving it 😍 Thanks for all you do!!
"Task initiation difficulties." 😁 This is a great term. I'll try to remember that. I love to use your videos as "task initiation" assistance. Thank you for producing high quality content that is helpful for me, a natural stuff collector, living in a small house and preparing for my second child-- a little sister this time after a boy.
And I agree with you, that our environment really affects our moods and productivity.
I think you’re the one who made the point of “whether it’s in your home or the landfill, it’s the same thing. You don’t have to live amongst it to feel better”. Something along those lines. And it’s so true. It already exists. It was already created. There’s 10 thousand others on some warehouse shelf already made. We don’t have to feel bad about just tossing something. What we do have to do is think twice before buying something again. Thanks for your videos!
❤️ Someone in the online minimalist community said once that if you don't end up getting something out of your house because you want to do it perfectly, that thing is still effectively in the landfill--it just made your house the landfill. I certainly want to do my part for the earth, and asopting minimalism in my life has 100% made me a smarter consumer, much less likely to purchase fast fashion, more interested in sustainability made products, likely to use something up and then reuse, etc. but for me it all started with feeling personal benefits from minimalism and getting over consumerism.
Ten thousand black bags is a small price for ten thousand peoples mental health improvement. It has been a huge hang up for me to do the right thing, and then It doesn’t go out of the house. ❤ you are right. I am loving your vidoes . Thank you
“Everything is destined for the landfill!!” There is nothing that is not eventual trash. I credit my husband for pointing this out. Mindfulness starts with not acquiring things in the first place, not so much in where to send them once you’re done with them. They WILL become trash…they already are.
I love how you have the kids involved, some channels don't want their children helping because it gives them content. Watching Maggie do the laundry and another channel has 2 carts to the ceiling so she can do it, so wrong. I agree with you, I'm 72 and simplifying, I don't want my kids having to clean up my stuff when I die.
Once again your practical advice has helped me to declutter. I've been doing it for a couple of years now thanks to you, Dana, and Cas. When you said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "It's all right to just throw stuff away if it means peace of mind.," I finally got some relief from vacillating over "I should find the perfect place for this thing" thinking. My 77-year old life deserves time for hobbies and friends more than half-used cans of spray paint. I started in my garage today with the goal of two black trash bags and now there are four in my car truck waiting for a dump run tomorrow. Thank you Dawn!
Live in a small apartment. I realized early on my big 3 year decluttering that the trash can is not my enemy. I just cannot keep stuff waiting.
I'm so glad you remind us 'it's ok to throw it away today'. I'm a total recycler, but it causes so much stress when I'm decluttering. The plastic sealed around items I purchase or plastic packing materials hang me up forever! It makes me so crazy I want to go to the CEO of the plastic making companies and stuff it in their office. Until last month I had collected enough to fill an office for sure. But for my own peace of mind and body I can let it go today. I may have to stop ordering online to stop dealing with excessive plastic.
Most plastic never gets recycled. Maybe this will help you in the future to just throw it away ❤
I'm with you, Dawn!
The most freeing thing I heard a few years ago (might even have been from you) was, 'It all ends up in the landfill eventually. Just a matter of when.' That was sooooo freeing for me.
Preach on sister! I diligently separated things for TWO cities where you would think they had recycling systems down pat only to find out they were taking the stuff to the landfills. I live in a big apartment complex now and they stopped recycling because the city/county just could not deal with it. So if you really want to impact the environment, stop bringing lots of stuff into your house that’s not environmentally friendly. So there. In defense of Dawn, she has always preached this message. If you are overwhelmed with where to donate start with trash. Then you can start recycling. Go Dawn.
Amen…almost nothing is being recycled. Wish more people would get the word out about this. ❤❤❤
My city has a very strict garbage and recycling program, they actually scan garbage as they collect it and will fine you for any recycling that goes into it. Every residence has a city issued garbage can that is smaller than an average can and that's all the garbage you can have for the week. The recycling bin is about twice the size and all recycling must be clean. Styrofoam, plastic bags, glass, and electronics must be brought to the recycling depot. Books have to be donated, you're not allowed to recycle them, same goes for clothing and linens. The compost bin is the same size as the recycling bin. At the end of the day, we throw out about 15L of garbage a week (3.9 gallons). I currently have an old car seat that I'm waiting to throw out. It's illegal to donate or sell them and my small city doesn't have a recycling centre for them (and I'm not driving a few hours to the closest centre that takes them) so I have to wait for the bulk item day that we get once a year. We can throw out 2 large items per year, and even though the car seat is pretty small, it counts as one of the two items. We also have a broken desk and weight bench, so we have to pick which items will go and which we either have to hold onto for another year or we have to drive up to the dump and pay a fee to get rid of.
@@commenter5901 where (in general) do you live? I’ve heard of those strict policies in other countries and it sure would make you think twice about buying something wouldn’t it? I have a box of towels that I want to donate to an animal shelter but the nearest one is over 20 miles away and they aren’t taking towels!!! I will hang onto them because they are good (I received them as hand me downs) until I have a good place to donate them. If I were still in overwhelm mode I’d toss them. 🧐🧠
@@glendaw5221 wow amazing how so many donation centers are so overwhelmed. I gave my old towels and blankets to my vet office but my friend who has a pet rescue had told me she didn’t need them.
@@commenter5901 I take all my books to a library sale. They always take anything I’m willing to give them. Sounds like your area is super strict! Where we live, we don’t even have recycling. Does your area have the little free library boxes? You can also take books there.
One of the things your channel has helped me with is to let go of the guilt I feel around giving away or throwing away anything and I’m very thankful for that!
Dawn, thank you so much, you brought tears to my eyes. Thank you for valuing me and my sanity, bandwidth, and peace over a bag of trash in the landfill. I really needed to hear that. I so appreciate you and everything you are saying! You are worth more than other people’s right to vent their own opinions if they disagree. You deserve to be encouraged, uplifted, and applauded for the message you are sharing. Thank you so much for how you are helping me and my family! We have a long ways to go to declutter and reset, but every one of your videos helps us get a little bit closer. Thank you!
I love what you say about your space being more important than de-cluttering in the 'perfect way'.
A few years back when I first started de-cluttering the biggest hurdle was recycling, taking stuff to charity organising everything, when I can't drive, work long shifts and at the time my grandma was needing full time care.
So a lot of stuff I had to put in the bin which I felt awful for - but now I know, living minimally, I am able to organise and keep my space clear and I now have the bandwidth to be responsible and recycle and am less likely to bring stuff into my home that I'm not going to keep for years.
So although we had to do it not perfect once, it gave us that momentum and clear space to do it properly in the future.
Love your videos Dawn and how you make having a minimal, calm and beautiful home accessible to all ❤️
I have been working on decluttering with you for over 2 years now! it is indeed a process, but when my husband had a severe stroke at 52 this past year it has made it easier for us to survive for which I have been extremely thankful! I'm not done decluttering and if there is time I try to at least get rid of one or two things and overall it has made life soo much easier! It truly does give you more time with the people you love when you have less and are less stressed about facing your things each day. Thanks for the Love!
Just hearing you telling us to allow ourselves permission to throw things away sometimes is soo freeing. A simplified life really is better. It feels like a sigh of relief
Wow-your daughter fixes her hair like that all by herself? So pretty 👧 good for her!
I know right! Loved Adeline's hair 😃
Just read this to her! She says "thank you!" :)