Survey #288—Full Response from Kathy
| What did you learn about yourself or your stuff through your decluttering and organizing process in 2025? | I can let go of things I've found too hard to let go of in the past and experience the emotions but then move on without any regret. It's very freeing, actually. |
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| What new decluttering or organizing ideas, methods, or techniques proved helpful in 2025? Were there any game-changers? | Game-changer: I discovered how easy it is to donate to my local thrift shop. It is only about 10 minutes away, and the traffic lights are placed perfectly to make the lefthand turn across traffic on a road that leads right up to the donation doors. The workers have taken everything I've brought so far. The whole process takes just a few minutes. Techniques: I've started collecting quotes from The Clutter Fairy and others that I review to help me get in the right frame of mind to let stuff go. I also figured out that I can download Clutter Fairy episodes to my mp3 player. I relistened to some favorites this fall while doing yardwork, which helped take my mind off raking leaves and kept me motivated to declutter. |
| What did you accomplish in 2025 for which you’d like to pat yourself on the back (and enjoy the acknowledgments of The Clutter Fairy community)? | I donated my wedding dress, shoes, and purse. It was 33 years old and I'd never wear it, even if it fit, which it didn't, but it was still of an emotional hurdle. I tried it on, looked in the mirror, and remembered all the feelings of my wedding day and then packaged it up to donate. After that, it was so easy to empty the rest of the second closet of my extra clothes and let them go too. |
| How do you plan to apply what you learned in 2025 to your 2026 projects? What new decluttering or organizing projects would you like to take on next? | Decluttering my sewing room is an ongoing project filled with things that are hard for me to let go (sunk cost, aspirations, hopes that I will sew and quilt again sometime). I've donated 3-4 boxes of books and patterns plus 3-4 boxes of overflow from the basement this year. I also followed the advice that doing the thing/completing the UFO is decluttering too. I cut down a tunic I never wore to hip length and now wear it all the time. I sewed a jersey and a turtleneck one weekend. That showed me that yes, I still enjoy sewing and want to do it. I plan to review my declutter quotes every time I tackle the sewing room and remember how freeing it was to get rid of other emotion-laden things. I have more supplies than I can ever use, so I don't need to keep all the patterns, fabric, and books but can curate them down to my favorites and then use them. The purpose of the sewing room is to create, not to store things. |
| Here’s your chance to ask Gayle and Ed any question you’re curious about. It need not be related to this survey’s topic(s). If we think that your question—and our answer—might be useful or instructive to The Clutter Fairy Weekly audience, we’ll share them in an upcoming episode. | Thank you for another great year of episodes that are truly helpful and motivating! |
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