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Over time, most people find that their homes become filled with accumulated belongings, leading to a feeling of clutter and a lack of space. However, the process of clearing out these items can be daunting, especially when they carry sentimental value. Several individuals—Angie, Sarah, Susan, and Jenni—have recently managed to overcome this challenge and shared their helpful strategies for decluttering.
Angie and her husband reside in a spacious four-bedroom home and are considering downsizing. They wanted to clear out decades’ worth of possessions collected alongside their two children, Katie and Simon. Since their children were reluctant to assist, Angie’s daughter-in-law Louise stepped in to help. Angie describes this support as easing the emotional weight of decluttering, explaining, “She was up for the challenge and it made it less stressful. Decluttering brings back memories and it’s hard but she made it fun.” Louise added, “I love Angie and I wanted to help because I know the experience can be overwhelming and difficult.” Angie’s method involves sorting clutter into manageable small boxes and addressing them one at a time in a calm manner. She reviews each item carefully, deciding if it is rubbish, can be repurposed, sold, or donated, and has successfully reduced hundreds of items through selling on Vinted or donating to charity.
Another approach came from Sarah, who had amassed a large collection of ornaments and trinkets through her passion for auctions, filling her three-bedroom home in Shetland. With a move planned to a smaller property in Manchester within two months, Sarah set herself a clear limit for sentimental belongings, allowing just two boxes to retain items of deep personal meaning. She admitted to feeling conflicted about parting with cherished items but managed to generate over £100 from sales. Sarah shared, “A lot of items were old or interesting and came with a story—I loved the enthusiasm of those buying what I sold.” Among her possessions was an antique grain bin significant to Shetland history, which she sold to a local pub. She also donated items to charity shops and found the fresh start in Manchester refreshing.
Susan took a different path by photographing her ornaments before donating them, preserving memories digitally rather than holding on to physical items. She plans to apply the same technique to her extensive collection of cards dating back to her marriage in 1979. She describes her approach: “We kept all our special cards, so once a week, for an hour or two, I will scan cards in for a particular year and then [they will] always be there if I need them.” Susan also repurposes old cards to create new ones and has let go of outdated media like cassettes and CDs, noting, “You can listen to stuff on YouTube. We’ve only kept stuff that we can’t get anymore.”
Jenni adopted a gradual decluttering habit several years ago by committing to remove one item daily. She recalls, “Some days I did more than one thing, some went to charity shops, some went in the bin, some went to the tip.” This steady routine helped her develop the mental ease to part with belongings. According to Jenni, “It wasn’t overwhelming. If I’d said, ‘I’m going to declutter the spare room,’ I think I would have had to go to bed for a week with shock, but because I thought, I will take one thing out of the spare room and get rid of it it was a method.” Each of these stories demonstrates different yet effective techniques for tackling clutter while handling sentimental attachments thoughtfully
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