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We retired to a smaller home that had no basement. The garage is not big so I left that for my husbands tools and decided that I would not store anything and gave away all my storage bins and totes. Everything I own is neatly in my house. I bought enough clear plastic sweater boxes to fit on my guest room closet shelf and filled them with my holiday decor. I started with my favorites and when they were full I donated everything else. I cannot tell you how wonderful it feels to know I never have to clean out a shed, garage, basement or attic again the rest of my life. It was my retirement gift to myself.

@Joce123

Ай бұрын

Inspiring! As my budget has gotten better through extreme frugal living I look at an extra item and decide if I could afford to replace it if I absolutely need it...then I discard/donate it. Also..no one wants my stuff!! ( like adult children)

@21cormorants

Ай бұрын

That concept of curating the favourite pieces, and letting the size of the containers/space dictate the amount you can keep has been such a game changer for me too! I’m struggling not to let things creep bigger, but it’s a learning curve! Knowing you have a place for everything you own, and knowing it’s all where it ought to be, though…? You’re right; it IS such a gift! Thanks for sharing your experience! (And I’m sure your husband loves and appreciates having such a dedicated space for his tools and to use them!)

@poodlegirl55

Ай бұрын

@@21cormorants And he downsized/decluttered his tools too and doesn't mind a smaller space. It was a relief to him too. More room for fishing poles.

@Joce123

21 күн бұрын

​@@poodlegirl55Funny story My son owns a condominium that has dropped ceilings. He often goes fishing in the area.. One time when they were using the condo for themselves he hid the fishing poles up underneath the drop ceiling tiles. Months later when he went back to use the condo for himself his hidden fishing poles were there to use.😊

Instead of shredding I plug my kitchen sink and fill it with hot water and put all of my papers in it and swish it around until the ink basically washes off the papers and then I squeeze out the paper (usually into a big ball.. so fun lol) and put it in the trash/recycle. It’s so much easier and faster than shredding.

@KateC51

Ай бұрын

Genius idea! Thank you 😊

This will sound so silly, but I think I watched about forty seconds of your video before I took off and FINALLY got through a room I’ve been struggling with for a YEAR! 😂 I don’t know what it is, how you did it, but thank you!!! I think it was a combination of seeing your basement - so much like what mine was when we moved a year ago, but now it’s “off-limits” so I’ve had all my junk in this problem room! And then you said something like “you won’t BELIEVE how it turned out!” And I could just picture my ideal room when you said it, and I finally got right to work!! I’m watching the rest of your video now, and I’m so excited to see how your basement goes! (You did amazing! The “yard sale” was such a wonderful idea!! What a great way to rehome your belongings!! Inspired!)

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I am so happy I could help!! 🥹 this is why I do what I do! Thank you so much for watching and joining in on the decluttering journey!

@shan2964

15 күн бұрын

This is my 7th.. I am thankful for her having comments when I am feeling,😜, good walkthrough for me,.... Lol

@shan2964

15 күн бұрын

Can you come help me???? I will leave the house!!!! 😂😂

Just a helpful tip to others who have a hard time letting go of emotional objects...take a picture of it. My mom passed away in 2017. We did declutter shortly afterwards but I still had one bedroom full to the ceiling that i had a hard time with. This week I have given away 4 big uhaul boxes full of stuff. Sent it to goodwill. I divided stuff up and am sending some to sisters. Its so mind relieving to do this. Its just stuff.

Dear Catherine Elaine I enjoyed this video while I was cooking and planning to declutter yet another section of my garage. I retired from teaching and have no idea why I kept boxes and boxes of self generated lesson plans. If I had good sense, I would have just tossed them in the school dumpster as I broke down my classroom! I am now 70 and it really does take me longer to complete these purges because I both move more slowly and got caught up in looking at everything. My garage became so packed (former art and reading teacher) that at first I couldn’t even get to the middle of garage to replace burnt out light bulb! Thanks again for the inspiration. 👍❤️

What a great idea to have a free yard sale...all of those organizing containers look brand new! It is nice knowing that someone else can use them.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I love that someone else gets to use them!

@21cormorants

Ай бұрын

It’s such a great idea! I keep thinking I’d like to sell some stuff so it goes to a home I know will use/enjoy it, although I wouldn’t mind donating… but last time I donated, I went to the shop two days later and saw the brand-new items I’d donated had been through the ringer just getting from the donation station to the shop floor! A free yard sale sounds like a great in-between!

It is so encouraging to see that other people have the scene challenges with clutter that I have had.

I found that when I have shelving in the garage or basement, I have "given myself permission" to hold onto things that we really don't need to be holding onto. So we got rid of the shelving unit in the basement and have a stack of up to four bins and four bins only - which hold offseason items, with one bin for winter coats/boots and two bins full of Christmas decor. This has kept everyone honest about what needs to be saved and what does not need to take up space in our home. I'm trying to follow the advice of so many decluttering / minimalist experts out there who say that if you are keeping something in a box, bin, or in the back of a closet or in the garage or basement (and not using it at least monthly), then it is EXCESS aka CLUTTER and we need to set it free. "You're not going to use something more often when it's been packed away." #truthbomb

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

That’s such a great rule of thumb to follow! I think once we’ve weeded out anything unnecessary we will definitely get rid of any excess shelving

@Joce123

Ай бұрын

We even gave away all of our dressers!!. Each of us and there are 2 of us ..each have a coat tree and a small tote for socks and such.

Incredible how much you accomplished in a day! Serious stamina. Very motivating, thank you!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I couldn’t believe I did it all either! Thank you for watching!

I gave my vhs to a shop and they digitalize it for me and now i can watch it in my laptop etc. ☺️

@thedupontnest

Ай бұрын

My grandparents and parents have had this done successfully as well!

@maddielc204

Ай бұрын

My Opa did this and after he recently passed my family could not be more thankful that he did. We have all the memories and it's all digital!

@patriciavaris7280

Ай бұрын

I'm from a different country but have also utilised digitalizing here on old c-cassets and so on and succesfully saved those old memories 😊 you should definitelly google possibilities near you

@red881109

Ай бұрын

Can I ask how much it cost? I have so many on VHS and others to digitize

@thedupontnest

Ай бұрын

@@red881109 where it wasn’t me personally, I really have no idea. Probably varies by location and whoever the person is doing it!

I used to have a shredder, but it died. So, instead of buying a new one, I take anything that needs to be shredded to Staples. It's a little over a $1 per pound for stuff that needs to be shredded. Totally worth it to me.

@kerri7749

Ай бұрын

Hi do they shred it in front of you? #trustissues 😂

@Bethany900

Ай бұрын

@kerri7749 I totally get that! They don't shred it in front of you. There are bins that are locked that you put everything in that you want shredded. As far as I know, none of the staples employees has access to unlock the bins, only the company, Iron Mountain does. They come pick up the bins to be shredded. I also looked on staples, and apparently, there is an option to rent a bin directly from Iron Mountain. They deliver the bin to your house and come pick it up.

@hazelmeldrum5860

Ай бұрын

No staples etc near me so I soak the paperwork in a sink pull apart,then mix with household rubbish

@Joce123

Ай бұрын

​@@hazelmeldrum5860We took a Weber barbecue grill lining it with aluminum foil. And then burn the papers carefully..water near..

It's amazing how liberating it feels to let go of excess stuff. 😍

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

It really is!

I try to post everything I declutter to my local "Buy nothing" facebook page. It's good to know that it's actually going to people that need it instead of going to a thrift store that might throw it out if it doesn't sell. I've also been going to clothes swaps, you get free clothes and it refreshes your wardrobe while also cleaning our your own.

@shantedewise7345

16 күн бұрын

Some of them don't need it, it just clutters their home!

I love this video. It's so satisfying to watch. Just a couple of tips, 1. (tip from another youtuber) if you need to use storage bins, buy clear ones so you can see what's in them without needing to open and look to see what's in it; and 2. scan all important documents and save them onto your computer so you dont need to keep physical copies and can print them whenever you need a physical copy.

@pamhuckle3029

Ай бұрын

And make sure you back them up!! A friend's computer got a virus and it deleted a lot of her important records.

Awesome work! I really like that you gave your stuff away instead of selling it.

I never shred tax documents or major documents like mortgages and titles and things like that. While most people think this IRS can only go back 7 years, I attended a training as a business professional. The IRS can go way way way way way back if they think you've committed fraud. So keeping those records is really important I keep the last 5 years of tax documents in paper period the rest are scanned into hard drives. I hope this is helpful

Here for allllll the decluttering motivation! 😍 You already know my basement is a WRECK, so this is much needed!

@rali6511

Ай бұрын

It's amazing that you're here for motivation having in mind that I watch your channel for motivation also. But for more than six months watching you and some more youtubers became part of my family❤

God is good! I have a four bedroom home FILLED with stuff, nice stuff, new stuff, because my now ex after 22 years wouldn’t get rid of anything and I’m drowning in it everyday. My ADHD makes it hard to focus so I don’t know where to start. Your video DID inspire me, & I hope to build momentum. Thx so much for sharing and reminding everyone it’s space we need, not stuff!💕🙏

@nellya.9920

Ай бұрын

Hi, I’m sorry to hear that. We can all use motivation and tips that works individually. Which lead me to comment to you about a KZread channel I’m subscribe to that will help you. Midwest magic cleaning. Go check it out. He has ADHD. He can help a lot.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I’m so so happy that you found this helpful and motivating 🫶🏻

@MomCat03

Ай бұрын

@@CatherineElaine ❤️

@MomCat03

Ай бұрын

@@nellya.9920 thx so much...grateful!💕🙏

@nellya.9920

Ай бұрын

@@MomCat03 your so welcome. We got this. Little by little. It can be done, and get our space back. 😊

Omg. How motivating. I've been waiting for this video. Great work. Tax documents 7 years. I bring my stuff monthly to staples to shredder. Very cheap

@michigangrandma3452

Ай бұрын

Thank you for the tip on Staples... I will definitely go there.

@rosecorbin2917

Ай бұрын

Are you able to stand there and watch them shred it? I wouldn't just want to drop it off considering it is private information.

@nadinewilliamson1037

Ай бұрын

@@rosecorbin2917 you are.

Love these videos, and you've quickly become one of my favorite content creators when it comes to decluttering and cleaning - I'm going back and watching videos from last year now! We do donations to a woman's shelter here, with our things. It's a secret home for women in unsafe circumstances, and we meet up and destash because they need everything to start over. I've gotten rid of a lot of storage that doesn't work for us anymore this way. Not sure if you have anything similar where you are, but it's a suggestion.

You've done such a great job- love the process you did for giving things away and getting rid of the trash. The plan you have sounds a perfect way to get the area how you want it. Really enjoyed watching ❤

I'm so excited that this popped up on me feed .You did a great job. Thanks for the motivation!

Wonderful video! Appreciate your commentary as you went along about what you were doing and how you decided what to keep and what to give away. Very generous of you to share with so many the "bounty" from your basement! I also find that when I am in the mood to sort and make decisions, being ruthless with my discernment makes the chore go faster and easier. And I feel like a burden is lifted from my shoulders! The best thing afterwards was my husband's big smile and the ease with which I could find things and clean/maintain. Thanks you for sharing! new subscriber today- this is so worth my time!

Catherine, You are pretty amazing! I still am flabbergasted at the extent of your growth since you started your channel! Take care...Cher

Our county dump has a shredding event 3 times a year. We drop off those papers and they shred them. I had a shredder at one time, but it couldn’t handle the shredding and broke.

That was a great video. I especially like when you discuss what is in each box and your thought process for how you are handling the items.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I’m so happy you enjoyed it!!

Yay I waited for it!

It was really motivating, thank you!!😊

You did such a great job!

You did an amazing job! Can’t wait for the next part.

You did an amazing job! Thank you for the motivation to get things done today!

I just love your decluttering videos 🥰

Amazing job!

Loved this video

I did this in my garage recently. I still kept some organizers and such for use in the future, but I let go of a lot! Always a good feeling! Omg glad I am not the only one terrified of the instant pot lol!!

Amazing !! Well done x

1st time watching your channel. Great job!

Great job, thanks for the motivation

Hello! Totally enjoyed this video and looking forward to seeing more basement declutter!! Have a wonderful day!🥰

Good work. Feels so good afterwards. I cut my important papers with scissors. Yes, it takes time, but if you have a system to do it at least once a year, it won't be that much. I clear papers during the year but go through everything thoroughly every January. the scissors work great. I cut the papers to the same size as the machine cuts them.

WOW! You did some work! I can’t wait to see the next video.

Good video very helpful, thank you Catherine

Just joined your channel. You were absolutely ruthless. I've seen so many folks declutter and then put half the things they're parting with in the basement for a 'future yard sale'. Then they have a hoarded basement when they're done. You made fast decisions and got so much done so quickly.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Future yard sale is the easiest way to not actually end up getting rid of things!! For free is the way to go. Thank you!

I keep manuals in an accordian file. I staple the receipt inside them as well. I can’t always get the manuals online and it is a pain for me to try, so much easier for me to pull it out of the file, plus if there is a fire or other catastrophe I can grab it and have proof of what I had for insurance purposes. I go through it once a year to make sure it doesn’t have any old manuals for things I had decluttered.

Great job CE 😃

I've been looking forward to this video.

Wanted to add how much I miss having a basement. We live in the desert where homes don’t have basements, so storage facilities are what everyone uses, and it’s costly. You would think when it’s 118 during summer, builders would make basements a standard feature as it is a way to keep a huge piece of your home cool!🤷🏼‍♀

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Yes sometimes when I think about moving out of New England I think about how I couldn’t live without a basement and it’s definitely not the norm in other parts of the country!

Thank you for your help and sharing with us 🙏

Yay! I know this has been on your mind and to do list for so long! I’m happy you are finally tackling it. Even though we can’t see our basements every day, knowing they are clutter free, clean and organized is a great feeling! Great job…looking forward to the next one 😊

Omg this was so satisfying and I’m glad the stuff went to good homes

Catherine, WOW!! You were ruthless! What an inspiration!

Good job can't wait fir the next episode makes me want to go thru everything in.y basement

Awesome job. That is a big task

Hi Catherine! You did an amazing job decluttering! So proud of you! You really have come such a long way with how you declutter! Can’t wait for the next video!

Nice work! And good music choice!

thank you, so motivating!

Good job. Really amazing

Been waiting for these videos.😊

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Yay! I hope you liked it!

I think it's nice to have a personal shredder. That way you can easily shred something as the need arises. You can always take large amounts somewhere else.

You did so great! I was so happy to see this video today. I started my basement yesterday. What an exhausting job it is.

Great motivation

Great job decluttering your basement. I know it's gonna look amazing when you're done with everything. You always organize very beautifully. ❤❤❤

we do a yearly neighborhood garage sale and I am honestly thinking of doing just this, I don't even have the energy to deal with trying to sell things and I hate the idea of throwing them away. but this is a genius idea.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

That’s exactly why I did it this way! It’s so much effort to put together everything for sale and it may not all go. But when you put it out for free it goes very quick

@dawnkanouse745

Ай бұрын

@@CatherineElaine exactly! We have our neighborhood one scheduled for May 18, so I’m going to get the stuff together and as people walk around, they can just grab as they want and I don’t have to be home or around. Lol

The best video!!!!! Can’t wait for the next one! Excellent job❤️❤️❤️❤️

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Ahhh thank you!

Great job! You inspire me to get me working on my basement too.

Very inspiring video! In regards to keeping paperwork, I’ve been told to hang onto anything financial and government related for 7 years then it’s safe to shred after that.

You go girl!

Good job Catherine! I was going to add that big labels help too, but it sounds like that will happen later in the process of organizing. For some bins, I put separate labels for each thing that is in the bin, so that if I declutter something out of the bin, I just remove that particular label. And it reminds you of what things are in that bin. Also I find that sheer or clear bins help too, as it reminds you of what is in there and how much. I am looking forward to Part 2!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

I will for sure be doing labels and cohesive bins 👏🏻 I can’t wait!

You must keep important papers for 7 years according to my tax accountant. Also, you can take your papers to be shredded at some local UPS mailing centers. They charge by the pound. Trust me, it is worth every penny they charge. I wore out my paper shredder and it took hours and I think I got carpel tunnel doing it. At least it felt like it......just some thoughts., Great video of letting go... Awesome that you shared those items and blessed others.

Catherine, that was such a motivating video! Great job!! Our local UPS store has a shredder where you can take your paperwork to. I am feeling very motivated to start our garage clean out before it gets too hot. Thank you

I absolutely love this video! Can't wait for future ones. It was so motivating!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

You go girl!!! 🎉

i am loving the basement clean out! so inspirational!!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you!!!

Satisfying to watch and motivating. Thank you for sharing.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Great job, I know it is alot of work but so worth it

You did amazing job and it's such a big job!!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

A huge job but feels SO good to finally work on it!

You did great!!

Wow! This was such a satisfying video to watch! I loved you putting things out for free and have them taken quickly. I have watched your channel for a couple of years and enjoy seeing you minimize your space! I have been a minimalist since before there was a word for it and help others declutter their spaces. Very few people are able to quickly get rid of things in their basements as you did!🙂

Your family is lucky for all of your efforts

I love basement declutter videos! Great effort.❤

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Im so glad you enjoyed!

Thanks for all the decluttering motivation ❤

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

You are so welcome!

Amazing! You got so much done in one day. 😊 This was so motivating for me! 💜

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you for watching!!

KUDOS and a big WOW for your Part 1 decluttering transformation! It did not disappoint! Cannot wait for Part 2!! YES YOU CAN do anything you put your mind to!❤

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

💪🏻💪🏻💪🏻

I love your ideas and those of other commenters

Wow great job! I know the feeling of just wanting to get rid of things no matter how much I spent or might use it later. As Dawn The Minimal Mom says “your mental health/peace/calm is SO much more important”. I am also glad you’re on the decluttering kick now because I love watching decluttering videos 😂.

Now THAT was a great transformation! Great job! You def should be happy and feel good!! Such a great start!!!!!!! You got this!!

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Ahh thank you!!

I love all your decluttering and cleaning videos. It's inspiring me to have a clear out.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

That makes me so happy to hear!

Wow! You made a huge dent in the basement. Great job. I can't wait for the next one. Have a great day ❤

This is a great video.. I can relate , we have a storage area in our basement and my goal is to declutter that and to just keep and organize those things we do use . And also organize the basement.. it is semi organized but needs improvement.

Great job! Feels so good to declutter so much, right?! I laughed when you were going through the instruction manuals. My daughter told us we didn't need any either. I still kept some. I right the purchase date, model number, serial number, etc on them.

You are doing great!

Awesome awesome work done. I like how you are thinking about others and helping others by sharing what you have in excess. God bless you all. Lots of blessings and prayers for you all.

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you!! 🙏🏻

Way to go fantastic! I bought long led lights for my basement for a hundred dollars it is a major difference you will love it

Wow just wow! I don’t have a basement but I do need to go through my cabinets. Thanks for the inspiration you did an amazing job! Love ya

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

Categorize, organization Yeah!!

What an inspiration!!!!!!!Wow you were really ready to let go ive never seen anyone do this much in one day on their own and video, and set up to actually get people to come and take what they wanted on the same day. Great job. You made so many decisions. Im sure you slept well that night and maybe for a few nights x congratulations on your efforts. 🎉🎉🎉🎉

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!! It was such a great productive day and I felt great with the progress 💪🏻👏🏻

What a huge amount accomplished in just one day!! 💖🎉🎉

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

Thank you so much!!

Awesome ❤

Amazing! You were like a whirlwind getting rid of stuff! ❤

@CatherineElaine

Ай бұрын

It was such a productive day 💪🏻