Cas is LITERALLY saving my marriage. She’s saving me money. She’s saved my art classroom (and my sanity). I’m a cool cat in real life. Do some cool stuff. Always learning. Always growing. Didn’t think a random (why was it even recommended?!?!) RUclips video would change my world. Totally did. I owe her. Big time. ❤❤🎉🎉🎉
Hi Cass, this video I am listening to is the best one for me. It makes sense that everything needs a home. I am 70 yrs old and my husband is 80. We don't have a home and we are living in our married son home. Since covid 2020 we were living in Az on our own but got so sick we almost didn't make it. Our children lived in Calif and called 911 on us to be taken to the hospital. Since we survived by the grace of God, our Sons both came pack us up with two huge moving trucks and put our stuff in 2 huge storages except for our clothes and our bedroom furniture. Of course they gave away our food so not to store that stuff. We live in a one 11x11 bedroom and very small bathroom. My husband is disabled veteran and has a lot of medical stuff. I have his 3 container slid out drawers under his side of the bed. And I have 3 under my side of the bed. Plus one bookshelf on my side and one night stand on my husband side. Across from the foot of the bed against the wall. One desk, one tall 6 drawer dresser, plus 4 shelf plastic stand with doors. One standing light. Our closet is full to the brim. I been doing you 5 mins a day with you everyday and I am loving it. Got rid of 4 bags of clothes plus several bags/ purses I'm not using. Clean out dresser drawers. Thank you for this lesson because I am going to work cleaning out my storages. Thank you again. I will complete my 30 days 5 min a day with you. You are a blessing. ❤️🤗
I moved from a 1,100ish sq ft, 3 bed, 1 bath house into a 3,400 sq ft, 6 bed, 4 bath house. I have a family of 6, with little babies. It takes me forever to clean! But I've gotten a routine the last month that is helping. I clean one level (it's 2.5 floors) one week, then the next week I do the other. Mondays are bathrooms, Tuesday floors, Wednesday dusting, Thursday cleaning the basement playroom (a weekly task to stay on top of it!). I'm a ladybug, husband is a bee, kids are butterflies. I've been minimizing for 2ish years and our house is starting to feel easier! I was even able to help my mom yesterday declutter an entire room.
Great job on zoning your house. I have daily tasks too, because I don't want to take the task tools out everyday. I get my bathroom kit and clean both bathrooms on Wednesday. I get the vacuum out and vac the entire house on Tues and touch-up high traffic areas on Friday. I wish I discovered this system when I was raising littles. Good job mom, enjoy your littles 😊
We have 4 grown kids and we're in a similar situation many years ago. Having become minimalists now, I wish I could have told my young self: Cut the inventory in your home in half, including clothing, toys, & furniture. Studies show that kids play better and longer with just a few toys. It also helps their brain development to have fewer toys, not to mention less anxiety! Cleaning an uncluttered home is WAY easier too!❤
The surfaces are HOT LAVA is the last thing I thought your mantra is!!!! Made me laugh so hard! I love your podcast and am so glad you are back to your relaxed self. I hope you feel that inner calm - Outsourcing housekeeping is a great way to get support.
I was watching this in my craft room and hubby came in to use the metal ruler. He stayed for a few minutes while he did what he needed to do and before he left, he said to me “that sounds like our home”🙌🙌🙌 It is 💯 true what you’ve said in this video. We did this in 2020. We had so much that we weren’t using( we’ve been married since 1997) Hubby thinks we got rid of about 80% of our stuff and we miss none of it. Our home is so effortless to clean. It took about 10 months of me nagging my family to put things away and not down back in 2020….and it was worth all the trouble. Our routine is second nature now. Great video Cas🩵
My Dad passed away last Christmas and My Mom is in a nursing home due to having dementia. I am cleaning out their house and My Sister is allowing us to take what we want because she doesn’t want to have an auction. She wants to sell the house and put the money towards Mom’s care with the nursing home. So I work 40 hours per week, spend one day or two days at our parents home on weekends and trying to take care of my home. I am so grateful for this experience because I am going to declutter and start the habits you talk about. Thank you.
I’m so sorry for your loss. My father passed away, and I helped my mom go through everything, we had an auction, and she built a new home to move into. It was a lot, but these organizing tools are key. I will say that the auction took a lot of stress away from getting rid of things, and the upside was the amount of income that was generated. I hope everything goes well for you and your sister, and of course your mom.
My son hoards video games. From years ago. Refused to let me donate any. Today I gave him two laundry baskets, told him he could keep anything he filled in those. The rest we donate. No argument. He lives with autism too. This has been a fight for years and he just said okay. I could cry with happiness. Finally. This is a Cas inspired method. I’m so grateful.
I hestatingly opened this ,because I was too bored during washing the dishes, and had nothing to listen to. I thought Cass cant have anything new to tell me, but man, I cleaned up waaay more than I hoped to , I was too lazy to start. As I was listening, I got red of that extra 7yr birthday candle I bought for my daughter's birthday, and an old candy I know I will never eat. Sometimes we need a reminder that a clean home is way more important than worryong about minor stuff like that.
I love that you included the floor as a hot lava flat surface. I need to adopt that idea. My floor is holding various pieces of mail, miscellaneous objects that need to be put away (like last season’s decor. Actually, let me be honest. It’s June, and there are rolled up Christmas throw rugs, and a set of small metal Christmas trees), sofa covered with clean clothes, full laundry basket on the floor, stuff to be donated. Every other flat surface is covered. You are SO right!! I have way too much stuff. I’m such a butterfly that I can’t fly straight. My learning style is abstract random. I’m bouncing off the walls. I don’t put things away. That and having too much stuff is my main problem. I love that you are willing to share your wisdom. ❤❤❤
Cass because of your channel I have been so motivated. I have ADHD and have a difficult time keeping things put away. I cleaned out our walk in closet last week for the first time im 18 years. Of course things have came in as well as been donated. I hadn't dusted regularly but the floors have been cleaned regularly. I took an entire SUV load of donations. Alot of things I had "planned to sell". I ended up donating it because I couldn't walk in the closet to get to what I needed. I am working so hard to clear out anything that i dont want or need...even for "someday". Everytime i go by something thats not in its place, I tell myself if I dont put it away it HAS to go in the trash. I have been doing this for about 5 days now. That has been very helpful. Thanks so much for your motivation and channel.
Cass, would love a video about...excess stuff. I know you have done a lot of wonderful decluttering videos which have helped but I would love to see something about being more intentional with what comes into the home and dealing with it before there is too much again.
I hear your voice in my head everyday, don’t put it down, put it away. It has helped me so much! I continue to purge my house and life is getting easier. Thank you!!
You have no idea how much I needed this today!!! Literally in tears out of frustration with my home. I think my family will hate the “hot lava” concept at first, but it will save our sanity in the end.
Totally agree with you. My rule is to deal with everything immediately. Takes a few extra seconds but my house feels peaceful and can be cleaned in less than 1 hour. Gerrie
I ended up with a Walmart bag of broken crayons. Wow! While listening I am washing and sanitizing canning jars that I had no idea even existed in the garage. Sad, I don't know what I own or where to find things I know I own. I am determined to change and adopt the mantra and get things zoned. It feels like I will never get there. I do cry a lot. I want a clean and tidy home so badly. I dry up the tears and try again over and over.
Just had a couple of videos pop up and instead of saying clean with me, they’re calling it a Sunday reset. I like the idea of a reset better than a clean. I think that it will keep me more encouraged to get the house in order.
Yes, many times it's the 'words' we use when encouraging ourselves to do something that requires our attention. 😛 I have consistantly re-worded many things in my mind over the years because it truly 'feels' different and can make a greater impact on how we accomplish anything. 😺 Cass's "all flat surfaces are hot lava", and FlyLady's "blessing our home" when referring to chores kind of go together in helping us see cleaning our environment as a more 'palatable' mentality. 💖🙌😺
Oh, I LOVE having a dumpster (I'm a small business owner). I put my own stuff in it all the time. Happy to donate any and all usable things, but the things that are garbage go to the dumpster!
As you were speaking about finding a home for things on surfaces, I looked up and saw the paper plates on the counter that I hate seeing everyday, but my husband accuses me of hiding when I put them away. I shopped my kitchen and reused an in-cabinet shelf to create a home for the paper plates that is still easily accessible, but out of sight. Thank you!
Me too. Paper plates are in-cabinet on the same sized plate they’d replace. Easy to lift if I want a real plate. Otherwise my hubby just takes the paper.
Wow. I can't remember the last time we used paper plates! Maybe a kid's birthday party 20 years ago? Or a picnic at the park? No sarcasm here either; we just use the many plain plates we have and wash them.
@@karenrobertson1944 I hate paper plates outside of big parties. My husband loves them and keeps buying them, so I just had to find a way to not see them.
We moved to a new appartment just 6 months ago and I sat down listening to this thinking there is nothing left to declutter but hey, I can now think of at least 2 zones in this new home that need to be decluttered and made to work better for us as a family. Thank you!!
Love this relaxed, calm one to one approach message. The more I de-clutter, the more serene I get. I just love space, empty shelves and empty cupboards. My problem has been and still is the garage and basement, things my late husband accumulated; yes, things can go to the 'tip' (trash disposal) but I prefer recycling for another use such as tools etc. Love 😀your videos but especially this one. x
I've been decluttering all week with Cass and the Minimal Mom in my ears. Feeling so much more hopeful that I will actually start cleaning more regularly now that I am reducing surface items. Probably the hardest part, to be honest but I've donated a tonne, sold a couple of items on eBay and trashed more useless bits and bobs than I thought possible from my tiny one bed flat. Thank you so much Cass - you have kept my dishes done, most evenings! 🤩
I am so grateful to you, Cas 😘 Thank you for your common sense 🙏🏼 I know I need to declutter, I just can’t seem to get started. I’m also an ADHD sufferer (diagnosed 6 months ago), so I suck at making myself do things I don’t want to do 😢 I know the result will be worth it, but getting there is too tedious for my brain to comprehend. It feels like I’m drowning - I can see the life raft, I just can’t get on. Think of me 🥺
I'm doing a challenge in August that will help you, but in the meantime, can you find just 5 things a day to let go of? A number challenge like this works for our ADHD brain because it gives us a goal post and keeps us focused. Dont overthink your five things. Dont make piles. Don't sort. Just grab a bag and hunt for 5 things. These things don't have to be big, it can be a gum wrapper or old receipt. If you want to find more than five, go for it, but if you want to stop, five things is enough.
You are so right, Ma’am. I recently relocated for my job and I thought that the reason my home was always a mess was because it was so small (my choice, I loved my home). I ended up running out of time to finish organizing my TWO storage units to recycle and donate everything before I had to hop on the plane and basically abandon it all. (Luckily, I had a great relationship with the storage unit managers and they actually offered to auction everything off AND pay me!) Ironically, I was listening to your Tough Love podcasts on replay while I was organizing my storage units and looking back I can see that I thought I was “special” and that my situation was “different” and even…”acceptable.” 🙄 I move all the time for my job and sometimes it’s difficult to tell what I should keep and what I should leave behind. Sometimes I’m in Hawaii and 20 swimsuits make sense. Other times I’m in the North where I won’t be swimming for a very long time. It’s not always up to me where I go and recently I started to give up a little and start holding onto everything “just in case.” I didn’t sleep a wink the night before my flight because I couldn’t figure out what I needed but I managed to stuff one full suitcase to the brim with what I thought were the bare essentials and then I brought an extra suitcase with me because I thought I might have time to repack and split up the load when I got to the airport (that was three hours away…) Needless to say, I missed my flight because I was so disheveled and had to stay in a hotel for four days until my rescheduled flight. During that time I went through my massive suitcase and had a completely different outlook on what the “essentials” actually were. I ended up packing that extra suitcase I brought with everything I didn’t actually want and leaving it behind as well. (I let the hotel manager know, don’t worry lol.) I’m now living in a different country with one suitcase of belongings and I feel lighter and more successful at work than I have in the last five years since I let that “lifestyle inflation” get to me. People are calling me organized and motivated and when I come home from work I start looking around thinking I’m going to have to do all this work and then I realize I’m free 😮💨 I understand your passion for this. I always thought of myself as a minimalist but the clutter can sneak up on the best of us. Everything I own right now fits into one suitcase and I’m still finding things to declutter 😂 I know not everyone can afford to do what I did and leave everything behind. I’m fortunate and grateful that I have the freedom to do that. I’m even more grateful that you have been such a positive influence and I see the light again now that I’m not drowning in the work that my clutter was creating ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🩷🩷🩷🩷
"Drowning in the work my clutter was creating"! Sometimes I'm still doing this, in the 2 rooms where I shove homeless things. I know better, too. Decluttering is hard, but really it's just the DECISION to let go which is hard. Once I've decided, I rarely change my mind, or even think about that item again.
This video is so helpful to me. Helped remind me that decluttering ruthlessly is a gift to myself. Thanks for the inspiration - I listen to you almost daily!😘
I can't imagine having 5 bathrooms. My family had 6 people in one bathroom. I have lived in 6 different apartments. Only one of them had an extra half bath. Kathy B
Yes, I love this! You are just what I needed at the absolute right time . This really hit home, I re- married five years ago. My husband God love him... and me too... had never been married or worried about decluttering. When I sold my home and moved in with him I only had my clothes a tote with minimal memories from my two grown children, and a few small pieces of furniture. He has so much stuff I'm overwhelmed. Its a day by day adjustment, I clean and come home to what looks like a frat party. Marriage is give and take, I love your hot lava idea 😂 I'm going to share this with him!
I’m on the ADHD pathway for an assessment - I know you know how that feels. The hot larva game sounds so exciting, I’m definitely going to try it. 🤞🏻 I’m in a UK Victorian terraced house with 4 generations of stuff to go through. 😱🤔🤣 PS I’m a professional school cleaner - I’ve worked out the house round and estimated the time for each room etc., but got stuck. Now I know why. Oh a cup of tea works great for my focus.
YES! Surfaces are the part I'm working on now!! I have found that my biggest issue has been having a home for everything, so creating homes has helped immensely. As part of that, nothing goes on the floor, so I've been working on always keeping that clear, it has made an amazing difference in my bedroom and my son is doing great with it as well! As a 🐝 bee (I believe my husband is as well), surfaces are SOOO hard! I would love to see a video on solutions here (save the BEES). I know the magazine racks, pegboards, and the tray (I have sooo many trays! 😂) I just can't seem to keep some surfaces clear, mostly due to others *ahem*, I find myself constantly putting things away for my husband that has a home. He just doesn't prioritize it!
Cass this is definitely one of your greatest!!! Should be called facing the truth lol. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Thanks again for all your help ! Much appreciated!!! 💕💕💕
Yes, I have a bad case of TMS (too much stuff!). I've been married and keeping house for 55 years, and even with periodic weeding, stuff piles up. And life situations change. I have a large decorating closet under the eaves that - when I moved in 17 years ago - seemed like such a blessing. I was able to organize Christmas and seasonal decor into plastic bins. Now, however, I have mobility issues that make it hard for me to carry those bins and go up and down the stairs when I want to decorate for Christmas or put away Christmas decor. I have lots of items that I know I need to get rid of, but don't know how, such as the large collection of lighted buildings that I thought my granddaughter would like to inherit, which she has no interest in. And then there are extra lamps, leftover craft supplies, and on and on. My daughter helped me move out a ton of stuff from the basement and have a yard sale, but so much remains. I love your hot lava mantra and will start using it, but my best advice is to conquer the clutter before age 50 - at 76, it feels overwhelming (I identify with your mom).
I’m 74 and now have two Christmas boxes and one seasonal decorations. Decided a wreath for the door and centerpiece decor is it for me now. Decluttering has been wonderful.
@@suewright984 You're right, Sue. Certainly don't need all the stuff I've had. I'm going to have to do some serious pruning. Honestly, I wish I could not put up a tree, but my teen granddaughter who lives with us doesn't like that idea.
Love the hot lava! I’ve been working on it with dishes. 😅 I’m setting up an in/out bin for presents, returns, etc. The top of the fridge isn’t a home for those items. 😂👍 just did a 21 item toss!
Our starter house was 1300 sq feet, 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom, plus a den in addition to usual living room, dining room and kitchen - we’re procrastinators so we never got around to upgrading to a bigger house - we have one daughter, now 26 yo, and our house is paid off - now our “starter home” is now our retirement house. I understand with a bigger family it may seem unreasonable to live in such a small house - except I grew up in a similarly sized house with 2 brothers - the unfortunate thing for young buyers is that developers have not been building small houses - the fortunate thing for us is that our house, because it’s small, is worth quite a bit, and will be easier to sell when the time comes - Just something to consider when you consider upgrading to a much bigger house ❤
Due to rising prices, our starter house is now our long term home. We’re closer to empty nest than upsizing so are just staying put. Makes more sense, as much as I’d love an ensuite and walk in closet…oh well 🤷🏻♀️ tackling decluttering and organizing instead
Wow talk about a blast from the past, my lovely grandad,, who was unusually involved in childcare & household tasks for a man of his generation (born in 1897) who died in 1963, used to say to me as a child - Why do something twice? Don't put it down put it away! P.
Aloha! 🌴 I appreciate this as I have decluttered over and over, and I am still finding it hard to keep up, so this is a good reminder that I need another huge declutter! My mom keeps reminding me I need to get rid of so much stuff. I have a babysitter, and she declutters for me (BONUS!) and she got 4 huge trash bags of stuff out. I didn't even look to see what she threw out because I'M pretty sure I won't miss ANY OF IT! 😅 Thank You Cas, we need you!! ❤️
Great video…. And of course we have too much stuff…and the proof is the proliferation of organizing services, videos, books and shows, and Container Stores and equipment, not to mention storage unit companies.😊
We have too much. I’m a Ladybug style. I live with someone who can’t let go after anything and keeps shopping. Everything you said was a huge kick in the bitt for me. Mostly I don’t see the stuff cause it’s behind doors like your mom. Good news is I have been cluttering . It’s so slow. It it’s going to happen. I e learned so much from TYHB course. Step by step or bag by bag. It shall be done.
I have been trying to work with my family’s “natural tendencies” and create systems….they’re typically annoyed by the changes…lol…but they work. Labels are fantastic! They can’t NOT put stuff away. My challenge is finding the “stuff” to make it work! I like to see and feel the stuff. Amazon becomes a rabbit hole…. Suggestions? In Windsor/Essex too…so where do you find stuff?
yes! i do this, i have also boxes or shallow trays inside shelfes and closets. next to no items are alone on the run. they are all inside a portable container. for the comuting items that travel from one room to another i have special baskets. they signal "comuter items waiting at the busstop, please take alomg" and "only comuters who live in fix houses no random 'tourist' items that nobody knows where they stay", so it is easy to move the comuting items one basket forward to their destination.
We moved from a trailer to one room in our basement while we built our house. All our things were in boxes and totes for three years. When I came across the idea of living with less some of those totes didn't even get opened. Not we have an almost 5,000 sq ft house and I could probably fit all my belongings back into that trailer comfortably. I just today went through my kitchen and laundry room. I thrive off of having empty spaces. It feels good to not have more then we need.
The most frustrating part is - when I notice the only time I seem to ‘touch’ some items- is when I ‘declutter’ 🤔 I seem to have a defect in my brain that just can’t let go of certain items and they just get ‘put here for now’ and 2 months or 2 years later 🤷♀️. I’ve moved and upon unpacking saying: hm I thought I got rid of you 😅 - at least those I’ve learned to let go - sigh - listening to you while working on my living room ❤thanks
Cas, you are 100% right about clutter!! I'm just dumb about math and trying to understand something. Let's say you have a large house you're cleaning, and it has 7 or 8 rooms/areas per level, on two stories. 15 rooms/areas altogether, including kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, bedrooms/ office, living area, etc. Let's say you spent 30 minutes per room to dust and vacuum, wipe and scrub bathrooms, sweep and mop, make the bed. Assuming no dish washing or laundry was being done. That's SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS. So let's say there is zero clutter, like an empty hotel room. 15 minutes per room, that's still THREE HOURS AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Let's divide it in half again, and say you spend only 7.5 minutes cleaning each room, that is still 1.87 HOURS. If you can clean an entire room in 7.5 minutes, that's great! It wasn't dirty to begin with, so maybe you didn't need to hire a maid? I'm just confused about that. But you are 100% right that it is faster to clean an empty space.
I've cleaned an empty house before and it took longer than that to vacuum and sweep/mop empty rooms. Maybe not the bathroom, but mirrors, toilets, counters, tubs, etc also take time to clean?
Yikes,I cringed at the 15 rooms/areas. Just made me eternally grateful for my small home. If I count the porch, garage and basement, I've got 8 (5 without them).
I'm looking forward to her answer as well. My guess is that as you suggest, she cleans often enough that nothing is what most people would call dirty. But doing it that often is what allows her to go that fast. Ex. her bathroom mirror may have only 2 bits of toothpaste on it, so she spot cleans it in 5 seconds and the mirror is completely done. I wonder if they also try to do things in such a way as to make less mess in the first place. Ex when you wash your hands, if you scrub too vigorously you'll get soap everywhere. And there can be more efficient ways to clean too. Ex. If you use too much soap to clean the bathroom you will spend more time rinsing.
@@acpfeiffer6057yes but when the cleaning lady comes it doesn't matter if it looks clean or not, the job is to go over all the spaces not just look at the mirror and spot clean. There is no way a real cleaning lady can do each room in 5 minutes. It's just not a thing. And I think this can set women up for failure when their houses are taking hours and Cas insists hers is 1 1/2 hours.
@@dianasimplifies You could be right, but I don't assume cleaners don't spot clean. The one time we've hired a cleaner it was ahead of buying a house that still had noticeable dog hair (my husband is mildly allergic), and afterward there was less but it was still there. And we had told them this was specifically for an allergy. So I agree hired cleaners aren't magic but I think they do take shortcuts. And the faster they go, the more houses they can clean and the more money they make.
🐾 ❤🐾💖🐾. Cass please please do an episode on how to organize Pet food and stuff! We have 2 Guinea Pigs and a doggie and they have clutter too! 🐾💗🐾💗🐾💗🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I love love love this video!!!❤ thank you Cas. You and Dawn (and Marie kondo) have changed my life. I enjoy my house so much more. I love your rules. I’m still learning from you and I love that. I knew about the flat surfaces but never considered the floor as flat surface. I’m guilty of putting the clean laundry on the floor or bed🙋🏻♀️ Thank you!
When you said you don’t put things down and you constantly remind your kids to put stuff away I just wondered what your husband is like. My husband lives in this house two and if I have it cleaned my husband will clutter a service.
I try not to do laundry if I know I don’t have time to fold it. I’ve pretty much reached my clutter comfort level (even living with two messies). Major declutter / donation place loves me! Family has never missed most of the kitchen stuff I decluttered. Hubby (at 80) decluttered a lot of clothes. Never gonna wear some of it. Thanks for your calm manner and great hints. (I am a true Cricket.)
Listening to your podcast and watching videos has opened my eyes and help explain a lot! You describe a behavior or activity and I'm like OMG, that's me! 😂
It took me years to understand the difference between cleaning and tidying. It used to take me all day to clean the house. Most of that was tidying, (and moving stuff to clean under/behind it.) By the time I got to the actual cleaning, I barely had the energy to do a decent job. Now I spend a few minutes everyday, and about an hour a week cleaning. I still have too much stuff. But I'm working on it. The less things on the floor and on surfaces, the better!
I used to drop my keys on the floor by the door. A couple years ago I put 2 command hooks on the door. Car/apartment keys go on the right hook and work ID and keys go on the left hook.
Please can you do a video of a show round your home please once you've cleaned it all after the hour 20 mins.....id love to see the floors/surfaces that have nothing on them.... And see where you put all your organsied stuff.... Thank you xx🎉❤
So true girl! I am doing great with kitchen and clothing.but I need to work on the things I don't use. I'm thinking of writing down I wn the things I don't use just to know what they are. I'm also doing the 30 day minimalist challenge even if I have to donit alone. Or should I just do to the 10thday? One lady said she does it.at 30 up so it's less as she goes or seems less.
In 2020, we moved from a 122sqft home to one nearly double the size. Its a beautiful home, but it is entirely way to big. We are in the process of downsizing again. I am looking forward to having a smaller home again. ❤
Thanks for all of your videos & podcasts, Cas! I’ve been listening to you, Dawn, & Dana for years! Tip - a great laundry basket is the collapsible kind. Then they can slide into small places.
Right now as I watch this video, my only job is to maintain my colostomy bag. I just emptied and changed a mess, then I sat down and had to go back in to empty again. It is exhausting. When I feel a little rested, I'll try the 5 minute tidy because that's all I can manage.
Omg...the line that we 'get good at filling the closets'!!!! Totally cracked me up!!!! I had an offer from chewy if I buy $100, I get a e-coupon for $30, so I bought a lot of kitty litter. Then about only 2ish weeks later I needed a new litter box and didn't want to pay for the shipping fee, so I ordered MORE kitty litter to spend over the free shipping minimum on something that I know I'll use AND won't go bad, right? When my cleaning helper person came (still getting help with the litter boxes after my back surgery), we laughed at just HOW MANY new unopened kitty litter jugs I now have and I literally used the words to her "you can just Jenga it in there however it best fits"! It ALL fits where it lives, so none of it will be forgotten and wasted, but it's on the floor of my laundry room between the shelves and the washer about waist high!!!! Lol I joked to her that I won't need to order any more for six months, but probably more like 3ish months lol Jenga closets can REALLLLLY fit a TON of stuff!!!!
I live in a 700 square foot mobile home! Lets just say storage is limited here! I have already decluttered a lot and plan to declutter more but everything is still so cramped looking. Im a ladybug so macro organizing works well for me! I think my husband and daughter like things to be more visual whereas i want it to be out of sight. But the more things that are visual the more things look a bit chaotic in here. I havent found a way for things to look the way i want yet BUT nearly every i have is in a home and fits easily in that home so its come a long way and it is easy to tidy
I totally agree with you that people have too much stuff. Our current society has a "stuff addiction" and people very seriously need to look at how much stuff they are bringing into their home each week. We all buy too much stuff that ends up becoming clutter. Our stuff is costing us our peace and it's also costing many people their retirement and they maybe don't even realize it because they figure they aren't ready to retire yet so they can buy all the little things they think they need or want. But all those little things add up to be a lot of money spent that could have been saved for retirement (it takes a very long time for most people to save enough money to comfortably retire nowadays!). I think that if we can fill a large black trash bag every month (after we have done a big full house declutter and we are just doing monthly maintenance), we are probably spending too much money and buying too much stuff that we really don't need. Absolutely decluttering should be done monthly, but a big black trash bag makes me think that people need to really reconsider what they are bringing into their homes. I can usually fill a small grocery bag with trash that's accumulated each month, but not a large trash bag.
can you convince my husband of this?? he likes to change clothes in the living room...so he drops his clothes there and he changes into his play in the garage clothes on...i got him a cube to put on top of the dog crate and told him to try and keep it there....he has sooooo many shoes i'm always tripping over...house shoes, high tops, work boots, etc etc....i even picked them all up and stuck in a box and then they have ended up in the closet upstairs...and he is back to MORE SHOES on the floor by the couch....it all makes me insane....i've been going through the house and getting rid of so much stuff....i just cleared another box of clothes out of my dresser....where he has a dresser full, the closet full and clothes stacked on the floor in front of his dresser.....i really cannot get him to understand that everything needs to have it's own place.....it seriously affects my mental health because all the clutter is like someone standing there blaring music or shouting in my face....i just want everything calm and clean.....
My great-grandmother solved this problem after years of nagging her husband to pick up his clothes. If he left anything on the floor - pants, shirts, belts, even shoes - she nailed it to the floor! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. He got the message!
Anything he leaves on the floor doesn't get washed - at least by you. Toss it in a clothes basket or some other place other than the hamper and DONT WASH IT. Unless he's one of those rare married guys that willingly does his own laundry, he'll run out of clothes. Then maybe he'll start to understand the issue.
Great advice. I don't mind cleaning but as an ADHD Butterfly, I need to see my stuff. But now I realize, don't just leave it out...give it a home. Thanks Cass
Cas I have 2 problems one I’ve watch old Cas n watched you so much in your old house (which was relatable) that I feel disloyal to the new you but still love both 2 ) I’ve also lived in same house for 35 years the structure of the house has changed very little n having lived as long as I have I have a terrible time getting rid of my treasurer / every year we collect more or we have fallen victim to the ever changing of things Ps when u 26:26 n your mom get done with her house maybe she could come help me love ya n keep up the good work
I have a very small home and I have a very small desk where my printer lives and I tend to put important things on top of the printer and then it stacks and stacks and stacks and I don’t know how to fix that. I need to hire you for just my desk.
....An Hour and a half ??? I find that ... interesting. I was a Professional Organizer/ Housekeeper....even a Clients Apartment, once a week, was 3 Hours...and 4 .5- 5 Hours for " the Deep Clean " . My Minimum Time for any Home was 2 hours, which was a Home that I did twice a week. So I don't know how she accomplished that.. I dont think telling people " you have too much stuff " is a " One Size fits All " Proposition... because... Creative people have " Stuff "... lots of paint. Paper they use. Just things that are important to them when they are " doing Projects". I w i l l agree that " cramming and shoving " stuff can be an indicator... but that ( to me ) is different than having things you use for being Creative.. and having certain " stuff " around you that brings you joy and hold value to you. Things that " hold value " is Individual and my things are Books. Real Books. .. Florals. Beautiful Fabrics. These things bring joy to my Heart and I do " go through " my belongings twice a Year.... and thats sufficient, for me. I'm in the process of doing that at the present. I agree about " things one doesn't use and Love ". ... that is THE KEY PHRASE.... From my Perspective, Saying that in the beginning of the Podcast would REALLY grab the Attention of people like me. ( NOT the " Minimalist girl "....lol) 😊
Thx for this comment and I agree. I clean my parent's house that isn't even 2000 sq ft in the main areas. I do that one weekly and it takes at least 3 hours only bc the sitter does cleaning the day bf I go LOL 😂😂😂😂 I also commented I have one that's prob 4500 or 5000 sq ft and it takes 5 hours or more...I don't understand what she's even saying, so she comments she has a robot. Ok. I have a robot too, still takes me more than an hour and 1/2 to clean my own home.
Cas is LITERALLY saving my marriage.
She’s saving me money.
She’s saved my art classroom (and my sanity).
I’m a cool cat in real life. Do some cool stuff. Always learning. Always growing. Didn’t think a random (why was it even recommended?!?!) RUclips video would change my world. Totally did. I owe her. Big time. ❤❤🎉🎉🎉
Hi Cass, this video I am listening to is the best one for me. It makes sense that everything needs a home. I am 70 yrs old and my husband is 80. We don't have a home and we are living in our married son home. Since covid 2020 we were living in Az on our own but got so sick we almost didn't make it. Our children lived in Calif and called 911 on us to be taken to the hospital. Since we survived by the grace of God, our Sons both came pack us up with two huge moving trucks and put our stuff in 2 huge storages except for our clothes and our bedroom furniture. Of course they gave away our food so not to store that stuff. We live in a one 11x11 bedroom and very small bathroom. My husband is disabled veteran and has a lot of medical stuff. I have his 3 container slid out drawers under his side of the bed. And I have 3 under my side of the bed. Plus one bookshelf on my side and one night stand on my husband side. Across from the foot of the bed against the wall. One desk, one tall 6 drawer dresser, plus 4 shelf plastic stand with doors. One standing light. Our closet is full to the brim.
I been doing you 5 mins a day with you everyday and I am loving it. Got rid of 4 bags of clothes plus several bags/ purses I'm not using. Clean out dresser drawers.
Thank you for this lesson because I am going to work cleaning out my storages. Thank you again. I will complete my 30 days 5 min a day with you. You are a blessing. ❤️🤗
❤You are a blessing!!! Best wishes in all you do! ❤Sharing your story enriches every one of us who reads it. ❤😊
Thank you! Your story is amazing. What a wonderful son ❤ May things improve..
I moved from a 1,100ish sq ft, 3 bed, 1 bath house into a 3,400 sq ft, 6 bed, 4 bath house. I have a family of 6, with little babies. It takes me forever to clean! But I've gotten a routine the last month that is helping. I clean one level (it's 2.5 floors) one week, then the next week I do the other. Mondays are bathrooms, Tuesday floors, Wednesday dusting, Thursday cleaning the basement playroom (a weekly task to stay on top of it!). I'm a ladybug, husband is a bee, kids are butterflies. I've been minimizing for 2ish years and our house is starting to feel easier! I was even able to help my mom yesterday declutter an entire room.
Great job on zoning your house. I have daily tasks too, because I don't want to take the task tools out everyday. I get my bathroom kit and clean both bathrooms on Wednesday. I get the vacuum out and vac the entire house on Tues and touch-up high traffic areas on Friday.
I wish I discovered this system when I was raising littles. Good job mom, enjoy your littles
😊
That is fantastic! Well done. Good on you 👏 ❤
😊😊
But she has a family of 5 with almost grown kids, so its confusing to me. I certainly would not upsize to that extent. But, to each their own, right?
We have 4 grown kids and we're in a similar situation many years ago.
Having become minimalists now, I wish I could have told my young self:
Cut the inventory in your home in half, including clothing, toys, & furniture.
Studies show that kids play better and longer with just a few toys. It also helps their brain development to have fewer toys, not to mention less anxiety!
Cleaning an uncluttered home is WAY easier too!❤
The surfaces are HOT LAVA is the last thing I thought your mantra is!!!! Made me laugh so hard! I love your podcast and am so glad you are back to your relaxed self. I hope you feel that inner calm - Outsourcing housekeeping is a great way to get support.
You repeatedly said “you have too much stuff” so
Many times that I think I’ve finally got this fact thru my thick head. 😂 thanks Cas 💕🙏💕
I was watching this in my craft room and hubby came in to use the metal ruler. He stayed for a few minutes while he did what he needed to do and before he left, he said to me “that sounds like our home”🙌🙌🙌
It is 💯 true what you’ve said in this video. We did this in 2020.
We had so much that we weren’t using( we’ve been married since 1997) Hubby thinks we got rid of about 80% of our stuff and we miss none of it. Our home is so effortless to clean. It took about 10 months of me nagging my family to put things away and not down back in 2020….and it was worth all the trouble. Our routine is second nature now.
Great video Cas🩵
My Dad passed away last Christmas and My Mom is in a nursing home due to having dementia. I am cleaning out their house and My Sister is allowing us to take what we want because she doesn’t want to have an auction. She wants to sell the house and put the money towards Mom’s care with the nursing home. So I work 40 hours per week, spend one day or two days at our parents home on weekends and trying to take care of my home. I am so grateful for this experience because I am going to declutter and start the habits you talk about. Thank you.
Wow, thanks for sharing that and it sounds like you and your sister are doing a great job.
I’m so sorry for your loss. My father passed away, and I helped my mom go through everything, we had an auction, and she built a new home to move into. It was a lot, but these organizing tools are key. I will say that the auction took a lot of stress away from getting rid of things, and the upside was the amount of income that was generated. I hope everything goes well for you and your sister, and of course your mom.
My son hoards video games. From years ago. Refused to let me donate any. Today I gave him two laundry baskets, told him he could keep anything he filled in those. The rest we donate. No argument. He lives with autism too. This has been a fight for years and he just said okay. I could cry with happiness. Finally. This is a Cas inspired method. I’m so grateful.
I hestatingly opened this ,because I was too bored during washing the dishes, and had nothing to listen to. I thought Cass cant have anything new to tell me, but man, I cleaned up waaay more than I hoped to , I was too lazy to start. As I was listening, I got red of that extra 7yr birthday candle I bought for my daughter's birthday, and an old candy I know I will never eat. Sometimes we need a reminder that a clean home is way more important than worryong about minor stuff like that.
I love that you included the floor as a hot lava flat surface. I need to adopt that idea. My floor is holding various pieces of mail, miscellaneous objects that need to be put away (like last season’s decor. Actually, let me be honest. It’s June, and there are rolled up Christmas throw rugs, and a set of small metal Christmas trees), sofa covered with clean clothes, full laundry basket on the floor, stuff to be donated. Every other flat surface is covered.
You are SO right!! I have way too much stuff. I’m such a butterfly that I can’t fly straight. My learning style is abstract random. I’m bouncing off the walls. I don’t put things away. That and having too much stuff is my main problem.
I love that you are willing to share your wisdom. ❤❤❤
Cass because of your channel I have been so motivated. I have ADHD and have a difficult time keeping things put away. I cleaned out our walk in closet last week for the first time im 18 years. Of course things have came in as well as been donated. I hadn't dusted regularly but the floors have been cleaned regularly. I took an entire SUV load of donations. Alot of things I had "planned to sell". I ended up donating it because I couldn't walk in the closet to get to what I needed. I am working so hard to clear out anything that i dont want or need...even for "someday". Everytime i go by something thats not in its place, I tell myself if I dont put it away it HAS to go in the trash. I have been doing this for about 5 days now. That has been very helpful. Thanks so much for your motivation and channel.
Love your hair that length and that straight. It's classic and slimming and youthful.
Cass IS slim and young! It is not due to her lovely hairstyle imho
Cass, would love a video about...excess stuff. I know you have done a lot of wonderful decluttering videos which have helped but I would love to see something about being more intentional with what comes into the home and dealing with it before there is too much again.
I hear your voice in my head everyday, don’t put it down, put it away. It has helped me so much! I continue to purge my house and life is getting easier.
Thank you!!
You have no idea how much I needed this today!!! Literally in tears out of frustration with my home. I think my family will hate the “hot lava” concept at first, but it will save our sanity in the end.
Totally agree with you. My rule is to deal with everything immediately. Takes a few extra seconds but my house feels peaceful and can be cleaned in less than 1 hour. Gerrie
I ended up with a Walmart bag of broken crayons. Wow!
While listening I am washing and sanitizing canning jars that I had no idea even existed in the garage. Sad, I don't know what I own or where to find things I know I own.
I am determined to change and adopt the mantra and get things zoned.
It feels like I will never get there. I do cry a lot. I want a clean and tidy home so badly. I dry up the tears and try again over and over.
AMEN!!! "Surfaces, including the floor, are HOT LAVA"!!! ❤️🔥🌋🔥
Girl, the most difficult part of this was realizing how much stuff I have been given( with stipulations) no more. Appreciate you. ❤
Just had a couple of videos pop up and instead of saying clean with me, they’re calling it a Sunday reset. I like the idea of a reset better than a clean. I think that it will keep me more encouraged to get the house in order.
Yes, many times it's the 'words' we use when encouraging ourselves to do something that requires our attention. 😛
I have consistantly re-worded many things in my mind over the years because it truly 'feels' different and can make a greater impact on how we accomplish anything. 😺
Cass's "all flat surfaces are hot lava", and FlyLady's "blessing our home" when referring to chores kind of go together in helping us see cleaning our environment as a more 'palatable' mentality. 💖🙌😺
Oh, I LOVE having a dumpster (I'm a small business owner). I put my own stuff in it all the time. Happy to donate any and all usable things, but the things that are garbage go to the dumpster!
As you were speaking about finding a home for things on surfaces, I looked up and saw the paper plates on the counter that I hate seeing everyday, but my husband accuses me of hiding when I put them away. I shopped my kitchen and reused an in-cabinet shelf to create a home for the paper plates that is still easily accessible, but out of sight. Thank you!
Me too. Paper plates are in-cabinet on the same sized plate they’d replace. Easy to lift if I want a real plate. Otherwise my hubby just takes the paper.
Wow. I can't remember the last time we used paper plates! Maybe a kid's birthday party 20 years ago? Or a picnic at the park? No sarcasm here either; we just use the many plain plates we have and wash them.
@@karenrobertson1944 I hate paper plates outside of big parties. My husband loves them and keeps buying them, so I just had to find a way to not see them.
We moved to a new appartment just 6 months ago and I sat down listening to this thinking there is nothing left to declutter but hey, I can now think of at least 2 zones in this new home that need to be decluttered and made to work better for us as a family. Thank you!!
I just want to say thank you for all the inspiration your podcast has brought me since I started following you.
Love, love, love that ! A big woke up for me! "Go and take your 🗑!"
Love this relaxed, calm one to one approach message. The more I de-clutter, the more serene I get. I just love space, empty shelves and empty cupboards. My problem has been and still is the garage and basement, things my late husband accumulated; yes, things can go to the 'tip' (trash disposal) but I prefer recycling for another use such as tools etc. Love 😀your videos but especially this one. x
I've been decluttering all week with Cass and the Minimal Mom in my ears. Feeling so much more hopeful that I will actually start cleaning more regularly now that I am reducing surface items. Probably the hardest part, to be honest but I've donated a tonne, sold a couple of items on eBay and trashed more useless bits and bobs than I thought possible from my tiny one bed flat. Thank you so much Cass - you have kept my dishes done, most evenings! 🤩
I heard that the biggest shelf in your house is the floor. So true.
Yes. I’m learning this; the floor is a surface! I recognize. This as I see. It’s being. Used. For. The wrong purpose.
I am so grateful to you, Cas 😘 Thank you for your common sense 🙏🏼 I know I need to declutter, I just can’t seem to get started. I’m also an ADHD sufferer (diagnosed 6 months ago), so I suck at making myself do things I don’t want to do 😢 I know the result will be worth it, but getting there is too tedious for my brain to comprehend. It feels like I’m drowning - I can see the life raft, I just can’t get on. Think of me 🥺
I'm doing a challenge in August that will help you, but in the meantime, can you find just 5 things a day to let go of? A number challenge like this works for our ADHD brain because it gives us a goal post and keeps us focused.
Dont overthink your five things. Dont make piles. Don't sort. Just grab a bag and hunt for 5 things. These things don't have to be big, it can be a gum wrapper or old receipt.
If you want to find more than five, go for it, but if you want to stop, five things is enough.
You are so right, Ma’am. I recently relocated for my job and I thought that the reason my home was always a mess was because it was so small (my choice, I loved my home). I ended up running out of time to finish organizing my TWO storage units to recycle and donate everything before I had to hop on the plane and basically abandon it all. (Luckily, I had a great relationship with the storage unit managers and they actually offered to auction everything off AND pay me!)
Ironically, I was listening to your Tough Love podcasts on replay while I was organizing my storage units and looking back I can see that I thought I was “special” and that my situation was “different” and even…”acceptable.” 🙄
I move all the time for my job and sometimes it’s difficult to tell what I should keep and what I should leave behind. Sometimes I’m in Hawaii and 20 swimsuits make sense. Other times I’m in the North where I won’t be swimming for a very long time. It’s not always up to me where I go and recently I started to give up a little and start holding onto everything “just in case.”
I didn’t sleep a wink the night before my flight because I couldn’t figure out what I needed but I managed to stuff one full suitcase to the brim with what I thought were the bare essentials and then I brought an extra suitcase with me because I thought I might have time to repack and split up the load when I got to the airport (that was three hours away…)
Needless to say, I missed my flight because I was so disheveled and had to stay in a hotel for four days until my rescheduled flight. During that time I went through my massive suitcase and had a completely different outlook on what the “essentials” actually were. I ended up packing that extra suitcase I brought with everything I didn’t actually want and leaving it behind as well. (I let the hotel manager know, don’t worry lol.)
I’m now living in a different country with one suitcase of belongings and I feel lighter and more successful at work than I have in the last five years since I let that “lifestyle inflation” get to me. People are calling me organized and motivated and when I come home from work I start looking around thinking I’m going to have to do all this work and then I realize I’m free 😮💨
I understand your passion for this. I always thought of myself as a minimalist but the clutter can sneak up on the best of us. Everything I own right now fits into one suitcase and I’m still finding things to declutter 😂
I know not everyone can afford to do what I did and leave everything behind. I’m fortunate and grateful that I have the freedom to do that.
I’m even more grateful that you have been such a positive influence and I see the light again now that I’m not drowning in the work that my clutter was creating ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤🩷🩷🩷🩷
Very insightful! Thank you so much for your great comment. ❤
Your comment is wonderful. Thank you for sharing this.
@@karenmcneill2602 🩷🙏🏼😊
@@noracomeau2986 🩷🙏🏼😊
"Drowning in the work my clutter was creating"! Sometimes I'm still doing this, in the 2 rooms where I shove homeless things. I know better, too. Decluttering is hard, but really it's just the DECISION to let go which is hard. Once I've decided, I rarely change my mind, or even think about that item again.
I feel this is one of your single greatest videos. I've watched it several times, especially when I need motivation.
This video is so helpful to me. Helped remind me that decluttering ruthlessly is a gift to myself. Thanks for the inspiration - I listen to you almost daily!😘
Years ago, I discovered the joy of dejunking. It truly is a lifetime commitment!
LOVE "dejunking!"
I'm a 'visual person' :) After wacting your channel, I realized that i love clear plastic bags
Thank you for this logical, solid advice. You make such good sense!
I can't imagine having 5 bathrooms. My family had 6 people in one bathroom. I have lived in 6 different apartments. Only one of them had an extra half bath.
Kathy B
3 bedrooms, one bath. Only once in awhile is that a problem.
It's excessive
Yes, I love this! You are just what I needed at the absolute right time . This really hit home, I re- married five years ago. My husband God love him... and me too... had never been married or worried about decluttering. When I sold my home and moved in with him I only had my clothes a tote with minimal memories from my two grown children, and a few small pieces of furniture. He has so much stuff I'm overwhelmed. Its a day by day adjustment, I clean and come home to what looks like a frat party. Marriage is give and take, I love your hot lava idea 😂 I'm going to share this with him!
I’m on the ADHD pathway for an assessment - I know you know how that feels. The hot larva game sounds so exciting, I’m definitely going to try it. 🤞🏻 I’m in a UK Victorian terraced house with 4 generations of stuff to go through. 😱🤔🤣 PS I’m a professional school cleaner - I’ve worked out the house round and estimated the time for each room etc., but got stuck. Now I know why. Oh a cup of tea works great for my focus.
YES! Surfaces are the part I'm working on now!! I have found that my biggest issue has been having a home for everything, so creating homes has helped immensely. As part of that, nothing goes on the floor, so I've been working on always keeping that clear, it has made an amazing difference in my bedroom and my son is doing great with it as well! As a 🐝 bee (I believe my husband is as well), surfaces are SOOO hard! I would love to see a video on solutions here (save the BEES). I know the magazine racks, pegboards, and the tray (I have sooo many trays! 😂) I just can't seem to keep some surfaces clear, mostly due to others *ahem*, I find myself constantly putting things away for my husband that has a home. He just doesn't prioritize it!
This actually looks like it's going to be a game changer for me. It makes so much sense. Thank you for explaining it so well!
I'd LOVE to have you come and help me!!
Thank you for sharing your mantra. I'll give it a try.
Cass this is definitely one of your greatest!!! Should be called facing the truth lol. Nothing changes if nothing changes. Thanks again for all your help ! Much appreciated!!! 💕💕💕
Yes, I have a bad case of TMS (too much stuff!). I've been married and keeping house for 55 years, and even with periodic weeding, stuff piles up. And life situations change. I have a large decorating closet under the eaves that - when I moved in 17 years ago - seemed like such a blessing. I was able to organize Christmas and seasonal decor into plastic bins. Now, however, I have mobility issues that make it hard for me to carry those bins and go up and down the stairs when I want to decorate for Christmas or put away Christmas decor. I have lots of items that I know I need to get rid of, but don't know how, such as the large collection of lighted buildings that I thought my granddaughter would like to inherit, which she has no interest in. And then there are extra lamps, leftover craft supplies, and on and on. My daughter helped me move out a ton of stuff from the basement and have a yard sale, but so much remains. I love your hot lava mantra and will start using it, but my best advice is to conquer the clutter before age 50 - at 76, it feels overwhelming (I identify with your mom).
I’m 74 and now have two Christmas boxes and one seasonal decorations. Decided a wreath for the door and centerpiece decor is it for me now. Decluttering has been wonderful.
@@suewright984 You're right, Sue. Certainly don't need all the stuff I've had. I'm going to have to do some serious pruning. Honestly, I wish I could not put up a tree, but my teen granddaughter who lives with us doesn't like that idea.
Along with "TMS", FlyLady has one "CHAOS", Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome"! 💩😛 💖🙌😺
Wow! Thats a pretty clear goal
Love the hot lava! I’ve been working on it with dishes. 😅
I’m setting up an in/out bin for presents, returns, etc. The top of the fridge isn’t a home for those items. 😂👍 just did a 21 item toss!
I’ve been trying to clear after every meal. Even randomly hand wash dishes to clear the counter. Hot water helps my hands.
You’re not lazy…. You’re Energy Star!
😂😍😂😍😂😍😂
Our starter house was 1300 sq feet, 2 bedrooms 1 bathroom, plus a den in addition to usual living room, dining room and kitchen - we’re procrastinators so we never got around to upgrading to a bigger house - we have one daughter, now 26 yo, and our house is paid off - now our “starter home” is now our retirement house. I understand with a bigger family it may seem unreasonable to live in such a small house - except I grew up in a similarly sized house with 2 brothers - the unfortunate thing for young buyers is that developers have not been building small houses - the fortunate thing for us is that our house, because it’s small, is worth quite a bit, and will be easier to sell when the time comes -
Just something to consider when you consider upgrading to a much bigger house ❤
Due to rising prices, our starter house is now our long term home. We’re closer to empty nest than upsizing so are just staying put. Makes more sense, as much as I’d love an ensuite and walk in closet…oh well 🤷🏻♀️ tackling decluttering and organizing instead
Wow talk about a blast from the past, my lovely grandad,, who was unusually involved in childcare & household tasks for a man of his generation (born in 1897) who died in 1963, used to say to me as a child - Why do something twice? Don't put it down put it away! P.
Aloha! 🌴 I appreciate this as I have decluttered over and over, and I am still finding it hard to keep up, so this is a good reminder that I need another huge declutter! My mom keeps reminding me I need to get rid of so much stuff. I have a babysitter, and she declutters for me (BONUS!) and she got 4 huge trash bags of stuff out. I didn't even look to see what she threw out because I'M pretty sure I won't miss ANY OF IT! 😅
Thank You Cas, we need you!! ❤️
Great video…. And of course we have too much stuff…and the proof is the proliferation of organizing services, videos, books and shows, and Container Stores and equipment, not to mention storage unit companies.😊
We have too much. I’m a Ladybug style. I live with someone who can’t let go after anything and keeps shopping. Everything you said was a huge kick in the bitt for me. Mostly I don’t see the stuff cause it’s behind doors like your mom. Good news is I have been cluttering . It’s so slow. It it’s going to happen. I e learned so much from TYHB course. Step by step or bag by bag. It shall be done.
I have been trying to work with my family’s “natural tendencies” and create systems….they’re typically annoyed by the changes…lol…but they work. Labels are fantastic! They can’t NOT put stuff away. My challenge is finding the “stuff” to make it work! I like to see and feel the stuff. Amazon becomes a rabbit hole…. Suggestions?
In Windsor/Essex too…so where do you find stuff?
yes! i do this, i have also boxes or shallow trays inside shelfes and closets. next to no items are alone on the run. they are all inside a portable container. for the comuting items that travel from one room to another i have special baskets. they signal "comuter items waiting at the busstop, please take alomg" and "only comuters who live in fix houses no random 'tourist' items that nobody knows where they stay", so it is easy to move the comuting items one basket forward to their destination.
We moved from a trailer to one room in our basement while we built our house. All our things were in boxes and totes for three years. When I came across the idea of living with less some of those totes didn't even get opened. Not we have an almost 5,000 sq ft house and I could probably fit all my belongings back into that trailer comfortably. I just today went through my kitchen and laundry room. I thrive off of having empty spaces. It feels good to not have more then we need.
Thank you Cas!!! Thank you for the real talk to us!!! I needed this!!! Thank you!!! ❤️ ❤ ❤
The most frustrating part is - when I notice the only time I seem to ‘touch’ some items- is when I ‘declutter’ 🤔 I seem to have a defect in my brain that just can’t let go of certain items and they just get ‘put here for now’ and 2 months or 2 years later 🤷♀️. I’ve moved and upon unpacking saying: hm I thought I got rid of you 😅 - at least those I’ve learned to let go - sigh - listening to you while working on my living room ❤thanks
I like this topic
Never get bored to get your encouragement and inspiration 🙏
Cas, you are 100% right about clutter!! I'm just dumb about math and trying to understand something. Let's say you have a large house you're cleaning, and it has 7 or 8 rooms/areas per level, on two stories. 15 rooms/areas altogether, including kitchen, bathrooms, laundry room, bedrooms/ office, living area, etc. Let's say you spent 30 minutes per room to dust and vacuum, wipe and scrub bathrooms, sweep and mop, make the bed. Assuming no dish washing or laundry was being done. That's SEVEN AND A HALF HOURS. So let's say there is zero clutter, like an empty hotel room. 15 minutes per room, that's still THREE HOURS AND FORTY-FIVE MINUTES. Let's divide it in half again, and say you spend only 7.5 minutes cleaning each room, that is still 1.87 HOURS. If you can clean an entire room in 7.5 minutes, that's great! It wasn't dirty to begin with, so maybe you didn't need to hire a maid? I'm just confused about that. But you are 100% right that it is faster to clean an empty space.
I've cleaned an empty house before and it took longer than that to vacuum and sweep/mop empty rooms. Maybe not the bathroom, but mirrors, toilets, counters, tubs, etc also take time to clean?
Yikes,I cringed at the 15 rooms/areas. Just made me eternally grateful for my small home. If I count the porch, garage and basement, I've got 8 (5 without them).
I'm looking forward to her answer as well. My guess is that as you suggest, she cleans often enough that nothing is what most people would call dirty. But doing it that often is what allows her to go that fast. Ex. her bathroom mirror may have only 2 bits of toothpaste on it, so she spot cleans it in 5 seconds and the mirror is completely done. I wonder if they also try to do things in such a way as to make less mess in the first place. Ex when you wash your hands, if you scrub too vigorously you'll get soap everywhere. And there can be more efficient ways to clean too. Ex. If you use too much soap to clean the bathroom you will spend more time rinsing.
@@acpfeiffer6057yes but when the cleaning lady comes it doesn't matter if it looks clean or not, the job is to go over all the spaces not just look at the mirror and spot clean. There is no way a real cleaning lady can do each room in 5 minutes. It's just not a thing. And I think this can set women up for failure when their houses are taking hours and Cas insists hers is 1 1/2 hours.
@@dianasimplifies You could be right, but I don't assume cleaners don't spot clean. The one time we've hired a cleaner it was ahead of buying a house that still had noticeable dog hair (my husband is mildly allergic), and afterward there was less but it was still there. And we had told them this was specifically for an allergy. So I agree hired cleaners aren't magic but I think they do take shortcuts. And the faster they go, the more houses they can clean and the more money they make.
My kids love the song/the floor is lava. I think I might implement this to help them get their toys picked up. 😂
🐾 ❤🐾💖🐾. Cass please please do an episode on how to organize Pet food and stuff! We have 2 Guinea Pigs and a doggie and they have clutter too! 🐾💗🐾💗🐾💗🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼
I love love love this video!!!❤ thank you Cas. You and Dawn (and Marie kondo) have changed my life. I enjoy my house so much more. I love your rules. I’m still learning from you and I love that. I knew about the flat surfaces but never considered the floor as flat surface. I’m guilty of putting the clean laundry on the floor or bed🙋🏻♀️ Thank you!
When you said you don’t put things down and you constantly remind your kids to put stuff away I just wondered what your husband is like. My husband lives in this house two and if I have it cleaned my husband will clutter a service.
Just the kick in the seat I needed! 😂 Thank you!
I try not to do laundry if I know I don’t have time to fold it. I’ve pretty much reached my clutter comfort level (even living with two messies). Major declutter / donation place loves me! Family has never missed most of the kitchen stuff I decluttered. Hubby (at 80) decluttered a lot of clothes. Never gonna wear some of it. Thanks for your calm manner and great hints. (I am a true Cricket.)
Love hearing this motivation as I clean out my freezer 😊 I have a long ways to go 😬
Listening to your podcast and watching videos has opened my eyes and help explain a lot! You describe a behavior or activity and I'm like OMG, that's me! 😂
It took me years to understand the difference between cleaning and tidying. It used to take me all day to clean the house. Most of that was tidying, (and moving stuff to clean under/behind it.) By the time I got to the actual cleaning, I barely had the energy to do a decent job. Now I spend a few minutes everyday, and about an hour a week cleaning. I still have too much stuff. But I'm working on it. The less things on the floor and on surfaces, the better!
I used to drop my keys on the floor by the door. A couple years ago I put 2 command hooks on the door. Car/apartment keys go on the right hook and work ID and keys go on the left hook.
Please can you do a video of a show round your home please once you've cleaned it all after the hour 20 mins.....id love to see the floors/surfaces that have nothing on them.... And see where you put all your organsied stuff.... Thank you xx🎉❤
So true girl! I am doing great with kitchen and clothing.but I need to work on the things I don't use. I'm thinking of writing down I wn the things I don't use just to know what they are. I'm also doing the 30 day minimalist challenge even if I have to donit alone. Or should I just do to the 10thday? One lady said she does it.at 30 up so it's less as she goes or seems less.
In 2020, we moved from a 122sqft home to one nearly double the size. Its a beautiful home, but it is entirely way to big. We are in the process of downsizing again. I am looking forward to having a smaller home again. ❤
Thanks for all of your videos & podcasts, Cas! I’ve been listening to you, Dawn, & Dana for years! Tip - a great laundry basket is the collapsible kind. Then they can slide into small places.
❤When I buy something something must Go ❤ I also have Daily Chores.❤ Love ❤️ Ya Cass ❤
Right now as I watch this video, my only job is to maintain my colostomy bag. I just emptied and changed a mess, then I sat down and had to go back in to empty again. It is exhausting. When I feel a little rested, I'll try the 5 minute tidy because that's all I can manage.
Omg...the line that we 'get good at filling the closets'!!!! Totally cracked me up!!!!
I had an offer from chewy if I buy $100, I get a e-coupon for $30, so I bought a lot of kitty litter. Then about only 2ish weeks later I needed a new litter box and didn't want to pay for the shipping fee, so I ordered MORE kitty litter to spend over the free shipping minimum on something that I know I'll use AND won't go bad, right?
When my cleaning helper person came (still getting help with the litter boxes after my back surgery), we laughed at just HOW MANY new unopened kitty litter jugs I now have and I literally used the words to her "you can just Jenga it in there however it best fits"!
It ALL fits where it lives, so none of it will be forgotten and wasted, but it's on the floor of my laundry room between the shelves and the washer about waist high!!!! Lol
I joked to her that I won't need to order any more for six months, but probably more like 3ish months lol
Jenga closets can REALLLLLY fit a TON of stuff!!!!
Great podcast! Wonderful way to be objective about the struggles we all have in keeping our homes clean. 😊
I live in a 700 square foot mobile home! Lets just say storage is limited here! I have already decluttered a lot and plan to declutter more but everything is still so cramped looking. Im a ladybug so macro organizing works well for me! I think my husband and daughter like things to be more visual whereas i want it to be out of sight. But the more things that are visual the more things look a bit chaotic in here. I havent found a way for things to look the way i want yet BUT nearly every i have is in a home and fits easily in that home so its come a long way and it is easy to tidy
The floor is hot lava at my house too, except for the few necessary kitty toys!!! 😊😊😊
I totally agree with you that people have too much stuff. Our current society has a "stuff addiction" and people very seriously need to look at how much stuff they are bringing into their home each week. We all buy too much stuff that ends up becoming clutter. Our stuff is costing us our peace and it's also costing many people their retirement and they maybe don't even realize it because they figure they aren't ready to retire yet so they can buy all the little things they think they need or want. But all those little things add up to be a lot of money spent that could have been saved for retirement (it takes a very long time for most people to save enough money to comfortably retire nowadays!). I think that if we can fill a large black trash bag every month (after we have done a big full house declutter and we are just doing monthly maintenance), we are probably spending too much money and buying too much stuff that we really don't need. Absolutely decluttering should be done monthly, but a big black trash bag makes me think that people need to really reconsider what they are bringing into their homes. I can usually fill a small grocery bag with trash that's accumulated each month, but not a large trash bag.
I for sure have too much stuff!! I am so overwhelmed with my house and get frustrated that it doesn't stay picked up😊
Another sensational podcast! Thank you Cass. Really enjoy listening to you.😊
What about shelves? I spent 2 months last year going through all of the shelves in my house, and shelves get really dusty.
Shelves are not hot lava, so go ahead and put stuff on shelving! I like using a swiffer duster wand for dusting shelves, no need to move anything!
Great video 💟
Ty for helping others❤
I love you: the hot lava idea!I I am going to learn this👍
can you convince my husband of this?? he likes to change clothes in the living room...so he drops his clothes there and he changes into his play in the garage clothes on...i got him a cube to put on top of the dog crate and told him to try and keep it there....he has sooooo many shoes i'm always tripping over...house shoes, high tops, work boots, etc etc....i even picked them all up and stuck in a box and then they have ended up in the closet upstairs...and he is back to MORE SHOES on the floor by the couch....it all makes me insane....i've been going through the house and getting rid of so much stuff....i just cleared another box of clothes out of my dresser....where he has a dresser full, the closet full and clothes stacked on the floor in front of his dresser.....i really cannot get him to understand that everything needs to have it's own place.....it seriously affects my mental health because all the clutter is like someone standing there blaring music or shouting in my face....i just want everything calm and clean.....
My great-grandmother solved this problem after years of nagging her husband to pick up his clothes. If he left anything on the floor - pants, shirts, belts, even shoes - she nailed it to the floor! 😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣. He got the message!
@@RoxanneR8375 oh my stars!! That would be a hoot!!!
@@RoxanneR8375 BRILLIANT!!!!!
Anything he leaves on the floor doesn't get washed - at least by you. Toss it in a clothes basket or some other place other than the hamper and DONT WASH IT. Unless he's one of those rare married guys that willingly does his own laundry, he'll run out of clothes. Then maybe he'll start to understand the issue.
Great advice. I don't mind cleaning but as an ADHD Butterfly, I need to see my stuff. But now I realize, don't just leave it out...give it a home. Thanks Cass
Average house sizes here in the UK are 820sqf 😄what do you do with all that space?
Cas I have 2 problems one I’ve watch old Cas n watched you so much in your old house (which was relatable) that I feel disloyal to the new you but still love both
2 ) I’ve also lived in same house for 35 years the structure of the house has changed very little n having lived as long as I have I have a terrible time getting rid of my treasurer / every year we collect more or we have fallen victim to the ever changing of things
Ps when u 26:26 n your mom get done with her house maybe she could come help me love ya n keep up the good work
Every time I watch a video of you, I declutter
I have a very small home and I have a very small desk where my printer lives and I tend to put important things on top of the printer and then it stacks and stacks and stacks and I don’t know how to fix that. I need to hire you for just my desk.
....An Hour and a half ??? I find that ... interesting. I was a Professional Organizer/ Housekeeper....even a Clients Apartment, once a week, was 3 Hours...and 4 .5- 5 Hours for " the Deep Clean " . My Minimum Time for any Home was 2 hours, which was a Home that I did twice a week. So I don't know how she accomplished that..
I dont think telling people " you have too much stuff " is a " One Size fits All " Proposition... because... Creative people have " Stuff "... lots of paint. Paper they use. Just things that are important to them when they are " doing Projects". I w i l l
agree that " cramming and shoving " stuff can be an indicator... but that ( to me ) is different than having things you use for being Creative.. and having certain " stuff " around you that brings you joy and hold value to you.
Things that " hold value " is Individual and my things are Books. Real Books. .. Florals.
Beautiful Fabrics. These things bring joy to my Heart and I do " go through " my belongings twice a Year.... and thats sufficient, for me. I'm in the process of doing that at the present. I agree about " things one doesn't use and Love ". ... that is THE KEY PHRASE.... From my Perspective, Saying that in the beginning of the Podcast would REALLY grab the Attention of people like me.
( NOT the " Minimalist girl "....lol)
😊
Thx for this comment and I agree. I clean my parent's house that isn't even 2000 sq ft in the main areas. I do that one weekly and it takes at least 3 hours only bc the sitter does cleaning the day bf I go LOL 😂😂😂😂 I also commented I have one that's prob 4500 or 5000 sq ft and it takes 5 hours or more...I don't understand what she's even saying, so she comments she has a robot. Ok. I have a robot too, still takes me more than an hour and 1/2 to clean my own home.
The "derp clean" though... LOL! Sorry, couldn't resist.
Thank you, Cas!
Love this! Thank you
Great podcasts
Listen to them to keep positive thoughts 😊
Love this ❤. Thank You
Love the mantra! Great video!
👋🙂🇦🇺❤️ thank you for caring and sharing, I am lazy too….