I am now 100% free from all the stuff. Holding onto to things believing that I’ll need it one day, will be good enough or small enough to use them one day. Holding onto to items because someone gave it to me and although it no longer has room or use in my life, I kept dragging it around. It’s amazing that just like pass hurts we drag it around, adding more and more to the load, at some point we have to put it down, the load just gets too heavy.

So, finally I am free, from all the clutter. Room by room, an hour or two a day was so worth it as now my home feels lighter and really calm. Freedom from the chaos, hurrah! 5 years ago

from clutter is so liberating. I have moved six times in my life time and all I did was pack up my stuff and then move it into my next home and I’ve been doing that for years, it took feeling like I was living in The Museum of PP Past that motivated me to seriously ask myself why I was hanging onto this stuff. Finally I am free from all the BS, now the question is why am I avoiding clearing out the garden sheds? 5 years ago

The dishwasher is gone. Alas, my kitchen just isn’t big enough; it has been sitting there for over a month being pushed out the way when not in use, frankly not good for me or the dishwasher LOL.

However, the joy I wanted to feel in the act of giving was totally lost on me today as I am in a bad mood and I can’t seem to let this funk go?

I decided I wanted to give, simply for the pleasure of giving and I wanted to feel good, a sense of purpose. I gave it to a family who I know needed it, it was great seeing her and her husband light up but the feeling was so fleeting… 5 years ago

I have not kept up with this goal because I have felt so ill. Today, feeling a lot better so I decided not to go mad, which is my usual habit, feel well, dive right in and take on manmouth task. While reading some 43ers entries came across info on Flylady. This was a real eye opener as I like the idea of a little a day goes a long way. So I gave myself twenty minutes and decided I clear cupboard under the sink. It is neat now, all the odds and ends are gone and everything is in it place. I intend to apply this time limit to the rest of the places in my flat that need de-cluttering. 5 years ago

I had decluttered my bedroom so time back and have kept it well ever since but I removed the suitcases I had under the bed into the shed outside. I was still holding onto the “when I get better” thought. Only as I have been removing a lot of stuff it has made me realise how much more lighter/clearer I feel when I let go of things that somehow have been holding me back without me realising it; this was hard, real hard, I cried buckets as the clothes in the suitcase were my career clothes, my party clothes and my important function clothes. Clothes I believed I would be wearing soon, so I had to keep them just in case. Nevermind that they might be out of fashion, none of that mattered they symbolised the getting back on track, only I have to accept my life has taken a new direction, not by choice but a different direction nevertheless, so I set myself free and let them go, I sent them all to charity. 5 years ago

This process has been going on for weeks. SHOES. I am sure millions of women out there and a few men so get the love affair I have with shoes. I don’t subscribe to Emelda Marcos politics but I sure as hell get the whole shoe thing. I don’t need an excuse to buy a new pair of shoes I just have to see a pair I like and before I know it – it’s home with me; however, it was time I faced up to this; since my illness five years ago which left me with limited mobility I have been holding onto my high heels and other fanciful things with the hope that I will get back to running for buses, skipping, dancing and walking around all day in my four, three inch, platform, stiletto or wedge heeled shoes. Never owning a flat shoe in my life, resigning those for the catagory of old and infirmed with one foot in the grave, I believed I am not ready for those, nor can I be or feel like a woman in those types of shoes. For five years I have resented every day that I have had to wear flat shoes of any style, I had to put that resentment down.

Finally, I did it, I set myself free from all those shoes. Each one had wonderful, funny and sad memories. I remembered where they went with me, how they drove some dates crazy, made spontaneous sex a little awkward and supported me when I needed to hold my ground against assault but now they were holding me back; they constantly smiled my pain back at me, made me look at my legs in the mirror willing them to be the ‘real’ me so that I could get back to the person I was, only I’m not that person anymore. I’ve morphed, moved on, grown for the better, so holding on to shoes that I can’t walk in anymore was simply torturing my soul.

It was hard, I cried, tried many of them on, tried to totter around in a few with my crutches for support while my mum looked on with a “Lord my child has gone and lost her mind” expression firmly fixed on her face. I am proud that I was able to give them to charity or to friends/family and I pray that they will be loved and cared for; more importantly I hope their new owners will have as good a time as I did while wearing them and hopefully when it is time to let go they will. 6 years ago

Nothing like a little bit of insommnia to get me moving. Finally tackled the job of the DVD pile. The don’t wants are now featuring on www.gumtree.com – I feel lighter. As for the videos, down to the local charity shop first thing. 6 years ago

DVD & Videos, a big collection of each, asking myself when is the last time I really watched any of them. The task seems daunting having to figure what to keep and what to get rid of, I think I’ll skip this one…I’m being lazy 6 years ago

Had the entire day to myself, woke up to brillant sunlight and feeling totally motivated. My bedroom looking a mess may have something to do with it, anyway, I refused to turn on the tv or the radio, total silence would keep me from being distracted. I even went as far as to turn the ringer off the phone and hide the laptop, then I got down to the business of clearing the clutter from my bedroom.

One black bag for rubbish the other of charity. I had to be totally ruthless and get rid of all the clothes, shoes and stuff I have not worn for like forever. Then I got rid of the ‘I’ll wear it when I loose weight’ stuff, after all who was I kidding seeing that stuff just made me depressed, so getting rid of it was the best thing ever. Then I turned the hangers in my walldrobe the wrong way round, I’ve decided everytime I wear something I will put it the right way round, anything still sitting the wrong way round after six months is gone; I got that hint from one of the O.W Shows. I even got rid of pilling filled, ill fitting and faded bedding.

Then I cleaned everything, even washed the windows, the drapes and curtains. Shit, there is space under my bed.

Brillant-I woke up this morning to a clean, organised and clutter free bedroom, it is so liberating, I can actually find stuff in the walldrobes now. :-) 6 years ago

Don’t know why but I woke up feeling like a prisoner in my own home. I felt like I was being buried by my ‘things’. So, I decide for once I am going to do something about it. The first thing I did was to start with the smallest room-ThE bAthROOom. I just chucked out everything in the cabinet I never use, don’t remember buying or simply was so old it didn’t move. Then I tackled my make-up bag, what a nightmare! I am sure things were growing in there, trust me it was a scientific wonder. I felt so damn good I thought, shit I’ll go for the big room, and hit-thE LouNGe; the filing cabinet was easy, anything that didn’t have 2007 on it-gone! When it came to the mags, well, I ended up reading the articles and basically forgot about the mission I was on :-( 6 years ago