GIVEAWAY: Do Less is now available!

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Today I am checking one big goal off my life list:

Publish a book May 2014

While I have self-published a book before, Do Less: A Minimalist Guide to a Simplified, Organized and Happy Life is my first book with a publisher. My first book that you can order in stores or online and that may be lurking on a table at your local Urban Outfitters (if you see it please let me know – no UOs in the Isle of Man). A book with an editor and an advance and a print run.

I know there are a few writers that read this blog so you’ll understand that the whole thing hasn’t felt real. Before the contract was signed I kept wondering if this was really going to happen. And when I was in the writing and editing process I wondered if the book would meet the publisher’s approval and make it to print. And after that it was a long wait to the actual publish date.

But here it is.

I’m very proud of this book. My husband has been telling me for a long time that I should be working on a book, one that encapsulates all the things I’ve learned and tried over the years, all the stories that have been shared here on the blog in the comments section and in guest posts. All the ways people have told me they’ve simplified and de-cluttered so they could focus on the things and people they really care about.

We kept talking about it and I kept procrastinating on starting it. And then F + W Publishing asked me if I was interested in writing just such a book. Writer + deadline = action.

This is a book for everyone. There are some radical ideas in it, plans for people that are looking for big change, but there are also small ways to live a bit simpler and easier. You’ll find a few lists in here, ideas for shaping and leaning out the corners of our lives that we often forget about until they overwhelm us.

Four sections make up the book – Home, Work, Money, Life – so there’s more to this book than a guide to cleaning out your garage. There are lots of ideas for spending less, enjoying the free things in life more and finding energy and time for those things we often skip out on like sleep and exercise.

As the title suggests there are also a lot of ways to Do Less in this book. Less time at the office, less housework, less obligation. Consider this a rebuttal to all those books and articles about how to do it all. This is a book about embracing that you don’t want to do it all, you want to do a handful of things, things that you actually feel fulfilled by, well. Do less and do it better.

Thank you so much to everyone that has pre-ordered the book and bought it when it hit the virtual shelves yesterday. I am so grateful for your support and I hope you find lots of ideas and inspiration in Do Less.

If you’ve found this blog helpful I would really appreciate any support you can lend as my little book launches. Tell friends about it, share it on Facebook, request it be stocked at your local library and, if you can, purchase it on Kindle or paperback. The print copy is beautifully laid out and a great size for toting around in a handbag or backpack for in-transit reading. The Kindle version is light as a feather.

This week I’m also giving away five hard copies of Do Less. Open to anyone with a North American or Western Europe mailing address. Closes this Friday at 5:00pm EST. Just follow the Rafflecopter instructions below and leave a comment on this blog post telling us about any items you recently donated, recycled or sold.

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

  • Yeah, the book is out! I’ve been waiting patiently for you to tell us. Just ordered it for my kindle. My baby is now six months old, and I have been back at work. Still cloth diapering, and doing my best to do less and keep it real with three kids and working. Never ending laundry…..

  • I donated a couple of boxes of kids’ clothes that had been sitting in my garage for a YEAR – didn’t even look inside the boxes before dropping them off!

  • Just recycled a bag of papers and donated a bag of toys. Baby clothes in the basement next!

  • We have given away a load of clothes that no longer fit my husband. He has lost 4st 8lbs in 6 months and has gone from an XL to a Small. We have bought some new clothes for him but not as many as we gave away. Good luck with the book launch

  • We sold a book that I was only keeping because someone gave it to me as a gift and wrote me a note in it. I had no intentions to read it. We also gave away some baby clothes that were handed down to us that I know I would not put on my baby.

  • Congrats on the book! That’s a wonderful achievement.

    As for donations,last week it was a bag of clothes. Today, two used toner cartridges go to Staples for recycling. Every week the county picks up a 60 gallon container of newspapers and two smaller containers of plastics, bottles, metal for recycling.

    And we’re about to give away books we’ve read, and enjoyed, but don’t find of enduring value.

  • We donated our everyday dishes and are using the fancy ones instead! Even with a little kid in the house, I would rather risk breaking one but actually getting to enjoy using them than having them sit unused in a cupboard.

  • I just gave away some ceiling fans. My son wants to sell some of his toys, so that’s next! Would love a copy of your book!

  • Let’s see I sold I hon steely can not think of anything. I donated baby clothes and I recycled the basics 🙂

  • I have recycled all of the paper for the entire semester, and make it into notebook for me to jot down my ideas or sketch.
    I do it every semester. It not only helps me declutter the overwhelming paper that has been piled up for months, but also save a lot of trees. 🙂

  • We give away “stuff” on a regular basis and my ETSY business is all about using “old, recycled” fenced wood for beautiful signs……to use something that is not only free but that is going to the dump….so great!

    We just sold a bunch of things we don’t use/need/want on Ebay and Craigs list and are trying every day to purge more!

    Thanks for the opportunity!!

    Niki 🙂

  • I have been decluttering for about 2 years, but it is picking up speed at this point. We are hoping/planning to sell our home in 2 years to accomplish our big goal of being completely debt free, so we want to be really thinned out by that time. Just having this goal is opening up new ideas for us that we would not have even put on the table before. Since we will be debt free and have a lot of equity built, we are tossing around the idea of full-time RVing with the kids. Today I got rid of my old serger sewing machine, a mixer, a vintage thread display cabinet, and a milkshake maker. I love being able to list items on facebook locally in a tag sale group and have more than 3,000 people be able to see my things. I also ebay, donate, and give things to people. Oh, and sometimes I put out a free pile. I look around nearly every day and decide what is going next and which method is the best for getting rid of it. Thanks for the inspiration. Even though I don’t often comment, I am here nodding in agreement.

  • Last week we sold our basketball net, slide, and play kitchen….

    Just today we sold our double stroller.

    Our boys are 4 & 6… we are trying to simplify and pay down debt.

    Minimalist is our goal!

    Love your blog!

  • So exciting! I recently donated a bunch of clothes and books. I still have a lot more to get out of my house though!

  • We recycle all the time – the usual paper, plastics, aluminum, steel, glass, etc – and 90% of my daughter’s clothes are hand-me-downs or found at consignment stores. It gets under my skin when people talk about buying a bunch of new clothes for their children… there are so many in great, hardly-worn condition! We also pass her outgrown clothes onto friends, resell them to local mommas, or save them for our next baby (only two weeks til we find out the sex!).

  • I last sold baby clothes at a local kids consignment sale that takes place in the fall and spring each year.

  • I recently gave away the remaining items from my preschooler’s baby days: crib, receiving blankets, crib comforter set, cloth diapers, etc. It was hard for me because I have been hoping to have another child. Then I read about pulling out saved cloth diapers only to find the elastic had dry rotted. So I blessed a new mom with his baby things. And it was freeing! I no longer feel remorse at the sight of the unused crib or boxes of baby items.

  • Wow, this is so awesome – big congratulations! Recently, I have been donating clothing. I have found myself amongst a group of mama friends who enjoy a swap as much as I do, but I am finding we now have a ton of clothes for the kids. So I am passing things on! I have just discovered that one of my friends sends her son’s clothes to relatives in the Phillipines, so I will be giving her some of my boys’ outgrown stuff next!

    Good luck everyone in the draw!

  • We (my boyfriend and I) recently moved to a new apartment and when we did, a friend gave us a conventional oven (he was moving as well). We already had one but his has a few extra perks we really enjoy, a big one being that it was.. Bigger, haha. We kept our old one in hopes of giving it to a friend that might need it but no one has needed it in the past two months that it’s been sitting in the closet. So we finally put it up on freecycle and had it picked up within two days! Freecycle is an amazing website. I asked for some gently used baby goods to start preparing for a baby this august and I got about five replies from people generously offering all kinds of things from clothes, playmates and more. I suggest anyone to check it out if you want to get of something for free or would like to ask your community for something. 🙂

  • My mom volunteers at a thrift shop that benefits my nieces school, so every time she comes by I send a bag of donations to the shop with her. This week I finally parted with a previously LOVED coral pink sweatshirt. I’ve recently had a baby and its too snug. It’s silly but it’s still difficult to part with an old favorite.

  • Most recently I gave a bike seat to a friend with year-old twins. The seat was given to us and had been barely used. It was in great shape and it felt good to pass it along. This blog (newly discovered today) is inspiring to me. I spend so much time dealing with stuff!

  • I am slowly but surely getting rid of baby stuff as our daughter outgrows it. Never tire of the “purging high!”

  • Congrats on the book! I just bought it for my Kindle and I’m eager to read. One quick question to you Rachel or anyone reading this, how do you ladies put pictures here? thanks.

  • Congratulations on the book, I’m looking forward to reading it! Over the past two months or so I’ve slowly been giving away all and selling all of our newborn and infant gear. I just had likely my last child four months ago and have decided not to keep anything but a couple of keepsake outfits. It’s bittersweet but also liberating!

  • I just got rid of a bunch of clothes that don’t fit anyone in my family as well as a bunch of kitchen appliances that I never use like a huge tabletop roaster oven. I’m determined to make our stuff fit our house and I’m getting closer every day.

  • Congratulations! I love your blog, and I am glad to know that I can get a book from you too! The last thing I donated was clothing. My husband and I are living in Florida and moving to Oregon in September, with no moving truck. So clothing is just the beginning for us! We are going to be getting rid of practically everything! However, I would definitely keep your book if I win. 🙂

  • Can’t wait to read this book! I’ve been selling things on local FB groups recently, including a coffee table just yesterday. Wish I’d sold more of what we donated when we moved in December!

  • I regularly go through my clothes and books in an effort to minimize my accumulation of “stuff”. These things are donated to the many charity shops in my area on rotation; cancer one month, dementia the next, pets the next, etc.

  • Constantly donating kids clothes/toys, about to mostly donate our old family piano…

  • We just moved to a tiny apartment in NYC and we did a massive house purge beforehand. It was so freeing, albeit a little stressful to go from 1300 square feet to less than 500. We love the smaller space, especially because of all the city has to offer. We got rid of both of our cars and bike or take public transit everywhere. We are within walking distance of Central Park so we don’t miss the backyard (especially since we don’t have to mow, rake, or mulch!) My toddler loves being so close to the playgrounds and being in the smaller space really helps me see our stuff more clearly and eliminate the excess. We have another pile ready to donate now that we are getting more settled. I wish I would have gotten rid of more before we moved, but it is coming along. Just not as easy to donate here as loading up a car before. 🙂 Thanks for all the inspiring posts! My husband and I have been reading along for 2 years and it has helped us stay focused on getting where we want to be regarding minimalism.

  • I went on your blog because I saw you on House Hunters International today and found out this good news. Congratulations !
    A few days ago I put 6 pairs of shoes on sales on ebay. One of them bought in 2008 and never used !

  • I just gave a nice set of plates to my mother. I bough it a few years ago, at that time I really thought I needed special plates for diners with guests !

  • Just pulled out the box of the next size of hand-me-downs for my toddler. In exchange, took one box to our local kids’ consignment store, another to the thrift store, and one more to a friend with a younger babe.

    Congrats on the book! And thanks for the inspiration!

  • Last weekend I donated a bag of clothing and an office chair that I didn’t enjoy sitting in and don’t have room for.

  • Congratulations on your book! What an accomplishment.

    In the last 6 months I have sold over $600 worth of stuff online. Nothing major, just little things here and there. We’ve also loaded our minivan up FOURTEEN times and hauled stuff away for donation.

    I want my house clean 99% of the time but I certainly don’t want to spend 99% of my time cleaning!

    I’m off to see if your book is available at our library, if not, I just learned about how to make purchase requests! 🙂

  • Congratulations! Recently I recycled some sorbet cups I thought I would do something with, however ants found them. I guess they weren’t as clean as I thought. I’m currently working to empty the refrigerator and freezer by using things up before vacation so we can unplug it completely. It’s a great way to start over with only the necessities.

  • I just put this on my wish list on Amazon in case I don’t win. It would be great to read at the beginning of summer vacation…and then work on for three months!

  • Congrats!! I look forward to reading your new book.
    The most recent things that I have given away is lots of clothing and home décor that I was not using.

  • Just donated 4 bags of clothes to a church that hands them out to the homeless near the church.
    Took a van full of stuff to Goodwill
    Have 4 boxes in the kitchen ready to go in the next load. 🙂

  • We moved over the weekend. Nothing motivates a purging of stuff more than that! Some kids clothes and toys, home decor items, and a bread maker that rarely got used.

  • The last thing I donated was a bag of my kids’ clothes. This weekend I’ll work on my closet so I’ll sure get rid of some other things.

  • Neat! I am currently working on selling and giving away most of my possessions as I am moving to a different continent in a few months! Most recent item to leave the house was a hand-carved side table.

  • Awesome! Congratulations! The last thing I donated was about half of our furniture last week. We’re moving to a bigger place, but I’m putting a premium on breathing space 🙂

  • Magazines. My sister got me a magazine subscription for Christmas, but I don’t read it. So I give them each month to a friend who does.

  • Congrats on the book!
    Our 7 person household has recycled and thrown out 1930 things since September. My 5 children are beginning to understand the concept of minimalist living and to fear my purges! Thanks for the inspiration. From not so far away in cosmopolitan Liverpool!

  • We are moving cross country next week, so we have given away a lot of stuff lately, including a bed, washing machine (still functional), cube shelf, an outdoor play clubhouse, a futon, grill, lots of toys, a huge amount of baby and kids’ clothes (we have four children), and a plethora of other things. And we STILL have way too much! It’s kind of overwhelming.

  • Congratulations on your book! I have enjoyed following your blog for quite some time now. As a Canadian girl living in Edinburgh with one toddler and a wee bairn on the way I can relate to much of what you write!

    I can’t remember the last thing I gave away since I keep a box or bag for donations available at all times. I’m constantly finding things to donate, whether it’s clothes that no longer work, dishes we don’t use, or toys my 3 year old no longer enjoys. It always feels lovely to have a little extra space and a little less clutter!

  • I recently took our collection of half-empty paint cans to the environmental collection center in our area. Hopefully, somebody else will get some free paint out of it!

    I loved your last book, will definitely be checking this one out!! Congrats!

  • I recently had a friend move back to our area from overseas. It was the perfect opportunity to donate extra sheets, blankets, and plastic storage boxes. I don’t always find the perfect match for things I need to donate or recycle, but the timing couldn’t have been more perfect.

  • I’ve got 2 bags of clothes to donate to Goodwill and I’m ready to tackle my kitchen cupboards next. We’ve accumulated far too many kids plates, cups and bowls and it’s time for some of that to go.

  • Last weekend I decluttered and reorganized my bathroom cabinets (pretty large ones) and my daughter delcuttered her room. Yeah!!

  • We recently decluttered some big items – a car we don’t drive anymore, a boat that needs repairs we didn’t want to do, an outboard motor that was unreliable…now working on the smaller stuff! Congrats on your book!

  • I just started on the minimalist journey. I donated books and some seasonal coffee mugs this weekend. I also started the Project 333, Today is day one. I picked off all of my items last night. I been reading your blog almost daily and I am learning so much from this blog. I am a mom to a 15 months little girl so reading from Mom helps. I feel some of the blogs about minimalist are too extreme for me. Like you I don’t want to live with 100 things. I just want to live with less! Thank you! Love your blog!

  • I donated 2 large bags of fabric. This was a big step for me, because I like to sew, but not to pay for fabric! My friends all know that I sew, and give me fabric they don’t need, even flat sheets that no one uses, which it use for my projects. I spent an afternoon organizing all my fabric and donated anything that I didn’t for see really being able to use. Then I went and made some projects from the nice, organized bins of fabric that I like!

  • Last thing I recycled was a big stack of shorts and T-shirts. Worn by two sons but still wearable. And the most difficult thing to recycle were books even though I knew I would never wear them again. But I did it!

  • Congratulations on your book!
    The last thing I donated was a bag of clothes, outgrown or not needed, by my 5 year old. I gave them to a mother in my village. I have also been giving away various books which are then being sold in aid of a local animal rescue charity.

  • We are cleaning out our house. Last week we got rid of our youngest son’s exersaucer, his infant carseat with bases and the stroller base that was also compatible with the carseat. Just yesterday, I donated 2 bags of outgrown baby clothes and toys and most notably an old gumball machine that I haven’t used (but have lugged around from house to house) in at least 20 years.

  • Well done! That must feel so good seeing your dream take form! The last thing I did was swap my hair curlers for a much-needed wardrobe. It sounds mad as I got rid of a tiny box and gained a huge one but the wardrobe has cleared so much space in the rest of the room and I didn’t realise how much emotional clutter the curlers had attached to them until they were gone!

  • most recently I donated clothes, but we donate and recycle literally everything we can!

  • We’re moving in a few months after just moving into this home 9 months ago. I have been going through the house room by room to clear out any extras that we have. If we have not used it since we moved, it’s getting donated. So far we have a huge pile of clothes, dishes, toddler toys, and a few books.

  • I’ve recently donated a baby swing, baby bouncer and baby formula to my local thrift store!

  • I’ve recently donated lots of kid toys; working on rearranging (and decluttering) their play space. Donated unused clothing, adult and kiddy clothes.

    Also, I’m going to sell my Breville juicer, and Breviller blender, and get rid of pans that I don’t use or that are toxic: my gift to me is 1 enameled cast-iron pan & a Blentech blender (im a juice/smoothie freak) So that equals to at least 4+ kitchen gadgets out, 2 in.

  • Wow. Finally the handbook you didn’t get given in the maternity unit. Yipee.

  • Congratulations on the book! What an amazing goal to achieve.

    We’ve just kindly been given so many lovely summer clothes for our daughter so I have sorted through her wardrobe and have donated all of her smaller summer clothes.

  • I go through my clothes twice a year when I’m changing out my warm weather/cold weather clothes. I almost never buy clothes, but I always have something to donate! I just donated a trash bag full. I also went through our movie collection and the book shelves. There were several boxes from to donate as well.

  • I just had my husband drop off two boxes at the thrift store yesterday-old clothes, books that can be shared with others and things we just didn’t need in our lives anymoe!

  • We finally went through my husbands side of the closet. This was one of the last remaining areas that needed to be purged. He kept saying he would do it but never had the time and he’s been working so hard lately. So I made it easy for him. I took all the clothes in question into the living room sorted into categories, T-shirts, dress shirts ect. I held it up and and all he had to do was say keep or chuck. The whole thing took just a few minuets (not including the hours I spend earlier in the day going though everything) Now I have a big black back of trash and a big black bag to give to my friend husband. It feels so good! Now my hubby will actually just have the clothes that he actually wears in his closet! So my husbands clothes are the latest thing I’m about to donate. And btw thanks so much for this website. It has really been encouraging to me as I go forward with my minimalist goals. They are contrary to my natural tendencies but make my life so much better =)

  • I donate half my winter clothes , recently 🙂 There’s nothig that I enjoy more than having empty shelves 🙂

  • I’m currently trying to sell my daughter’s toddler bed. We’ve also recently donated 2 bin bags full of clothes to charity. I’m trying to stop the flow of stuff IN to our house as well as getting rid of things we don’t need, but with 2 kids it’s a constant battle!

  • Congratulations on the book!

    I just went through my wardrobe and managed to find two big bags worth of clothes to donate. I am planning to go through the kids toys next.

  • I’ve gone over to the dark side (kindle) so I won’t willingly welcome another book darkening my doorway, but I wanted to ask…did you get the dryer?!

  • Congratulations on the book! I sold clothes and trendy shoes I did´t wear, gave away clothes and books, sold kitchen stuff I got as a wedding gift and so on. I keep donating and selling, and your blog has been, trough the time, a great inspiration. I´m a mother too, and my girl is a natural minimalist. E get some big lessons from her too.

  • I donated a set of good quality, expensive frying pans that simply were not used! Out with the guilt of the purchase….. I’m passing them on so someone can put them to good use!

  • I’ve just donated 4 huge bags of outgrown clothes, what a joy to have the space back and to have the clothes be used again 🙂

  • Recycling T-shirts into dishcloths and pot holders. First attempt at making And using tarn.

  • Great achievent, Rachel! Well done!
    We recently donated two laptops to charity. 🙂

  • Today, I donated a large assortment of goods (dairy tubs and lids, health and beauty bottles, tubes, and packaging, aluminum cans, empty tape dispensers, toothbrushes and empty toothpaste tubes, cheese packaging, pens, inkjet cartridge, cell phone, five pairs of shoes) to Terracycle. In return, a non-profit chosen by our group will be given a monetary donation based on the total donations collected and submitted by our group. Feed My Starving Children is the non-profit we have selected. To learn more about either of these organizations, you can visit their websites.

  • Congrats on the book!

    Sitting my trunk ready for drop-off are my old skates and a bunch of CD’s along with the usual clothing.

  • I just discovered your blog and have been reading old posts! It made me see my house, stuff and schedule so differently and gave me the kick start I needed. I set aside my single car garage to stack stuff, and have it full (!!) already! Clothes, toys, kitchen stuff, extra blankets, you name it, it’s going with the next community donations truck, and there is more to clear out yet!

  • I cleaned out my son’s room as he has special needs so starting a simplicity parenting style to help him. Had a car load of clothes, toys, books, and games etc. He is happy overall with the transformation as it is less for him to clean and he gets to enjoy what he has more so now.

  • Congrats on the book! I’ve been giving away lots of books lately, but I still have too many!

  • My trunk is loaded with a box of toys, a bag of shoes and a bag of kids clothes for the Salvation Army store tomorrow. 🙂 Congrats on your book!

  • Have been declittering since November as a result of an introductory post I caught on Facebook. So valuable. Have given away or sold two truckloads of items and still have more to go through. I am excited to get this book because I need to renew my dedication to minimalism and get my family to be more supportive!

  • We just sold a number of items we had purchased for a trip. We purchased and then sold immediately 2 umbrella strollers (used) and 2 car seat covers as well as a portable DVD player and some DVDs & books (we kept the books). As soon as we were home I listed and sold all of those things since we won’t be going on another big trip for several years. Yay for less clutter and repurposing things that would not get used here.

  • Boys clothes just went out to be passed on. Next is the husband’s hand-me-downs… Then, I will tackle my closet!

  • Baby clothes! We’re on our last baby so as she grows out of stuff, its out the door!

  • Congrats on book! Love your blog!

    While visiting Texas last week, I had the awesome pleasure of visiting a small rural library who seemed very appreciative of donated books, paperbacks, soft cover or hard backs. They also asked for magazines. So when I got home, I boxed up some books that I was procrastinating on giving away. Loved that I know where they will be going and helping a library who has the same values I do–REUSE!

  • My most recent “donation” was sending old, handsome pictures of an ex back to him so he can enjoy them & share them with his family. This is after no contact for 20+ years! Less pics in my pile to sort through later on…
    On a more typical note, I freecycled the mats from my totaled car & they are finally off of my porch!

  • We are purging as we pack to move. I have donated clothes, toys, books, movies and I’v recycled plastic grocery bags, cardboard, and paper.

  • Clothes, clothes and baby items. We give away, give back things that have been loaned to us and pass other things on to parents with younger kids. It feels great to clear things out!

  • Hey, I’m another who always keeps a bag/box just ready to pop things into…last item actually out the door was a ukulele, that I couldn’t even play!

  • I just donated a whole bunch of clothes….trying to make more of a minimalist wardrobe!

  • I admire the way you have lightened both the load in your life but also on the planet! As a woman who waited 41 years to have the courage to have a child and a Paramedic here in BC who sees people at the end of life, I have become very aware of the things we accumulate and what we are left with and Who has to deal with our Stuff and am constantly trying to remove things. We have a free store here and Almost all of my daughter’s things go to it about once ever 3 months… A constant flow just like ocean waves!!! Thanks for your first book, it was a life savor. ( her first christmas presents were tinsel wrapped up and balloons in a big box! NO toys!!!) Cath

  • we’ve just moved, so I’ve been going through everything as I unpack. The last trip to the thirft store was household decorations and some of my clothes.

  • Congrats on the new book!

    I have four boxes of clothes, books, and unused kitchen items to donate to our upcoming church thrift sale.

  • We have recently gotten rid of surplua baby head, sold armchairs, a trundle bed and an extra dining table and are planning some major streamlining as we pack for a cross country move this summer. Congrats on your book, I’m looking forward to reading it!

  • I recently gave a nice baby stroller to a young mom expecting her first baby, and am working on getting a box of outgrown baby clothes mailed to another friend.

  • I have just learned about the minimalist lifestyle and I am so motivated. I have spent the past two weeks purging my house of “stuff”. Brought bags of clothes to be donated, that I won’t wear again but was keeping, went through all my kids clothes and packed up half their wardrobe. Have listed toys that don’t get played with to be sold and can’t wait to continue the journey.

  • I just donated 5 purses I wasn’t using anymore. Congrats on the book, looking forward to reading it!

  • Just got my Kindle in the mail (I know; welcome to the 21st century, right?) and just ordered your book! Congratulations!

  • Phew! I just got back from unloading a stuffed van at our local charity thrift shop! I have an Etsy shop where I sell vintage kitchen items. I had acquired much to much inventory, so I gleaned the best and had a garage sale to get rid of the rest. What didn’t sell went to the thrift shop today! I am already thinking more clearly!

  • I love your blog and am really looking forward to this book!

    I am constantly trying to stay on top of clutter and send loads to Goodwill especially if anything new comes into the house. The last time was a bag of clothes and extra linens.

  • I’m constantly trying to keep the kids’ toys to two shelves. After another round of birthdays and gifts from extended family, I had to let some things go. Sometimes it’s hard, because what I think is charming or old-fashioned isn’t always their favorite. However, I’m happy to pass them along to friends with new little ones. Then it’s their problem!

  • I’ve been schlepping compost for my friend’s pile across town. I live in a condo and can’t compost on site. We meet for coffee and I hand over a glass jar filled with the week’s veggie scraps.

  • I’m so excited to read this book. Your blog has had a huge impact on my outlook and has helped guide us through the process of downsizing and selling alot of stuff. I just donated a bunch of toddler clothes my youngest son has outgrown and some cloth diapers. Its sad getting rid of the baby stuff, but also makes me excited for new things to come.

  • i just donated 4 boxes, 3 bags and misc stuff – it ranged from clothes to toys to crafts to house hold stuff

  • I sold a few baby toys, swing, gates and other baby stuff. I donated two bags of baby clothes. I’m planning a garage sale I two weeks. I am looking forward to reading your book.

  • I am always donating. This week I am taking baskets that don’t have any contents, text books we won’t be needing any time soon and clothes.

  • We are in the process of a major (and much needed decluttering). 2 boxes of kitchen items, a box of children’s books, and some bags of clothes are ready to be dropped of at the Salvation Army. Toys are next.

  • We have been going through a massive decluttering phase over the last six weekends and have sold several outgrown books, a children’s picnic table, and an outgrown bike. We also have a huge pile of things in our basement for our garage sale in two weeks (whatever is left will be donated).

  • Congratulations on your book! We have been donating bags and bags of the kids’ toys and clutter… things we thought they wanted but realized they didn’t. Keeping only what they love and use is making life easier already.

  • Got rid of a bag of clothes at our church’s “share & wear” – basically a giant free garage sale!

  • We donated a couch (that was taking up space in storage) to a women’s shelter. We’ve also had our boys donate 90% of their toys (willingly).

  • I’ve been working hard this year to clear out the things we don’t use or love. I feel like our belongings are keeping us from pursuing major life changes we desire. In the past few weeks I have sold several vases, two bedside tables and a wing chair. The wing chair was thanks to your prompts in the beginning of the year. It took a while to get there but your post about imagining your house without a large piece of furniture started the decision. So thanks 🙂

  • Congratulations on your book. Just donated a ton of toys and we still have so many to play with.

  • I’m currently working on my fourth major purge in two years. There is more than a carload of stuff piled in my basement waiting to be donated, including kitchen gadgets, outgrown clothes, books, baskets, Christmas decorations, and various other things that I, for whatever reason, couldn’t part with during the first three purges. Also slated to go? The piano, which I’m hoping to donate to the music school where my son takes flute lessons. It seems the more I purge, the more purging there is to do. 🙂

  • Congrats on the book. With 2 new little ones I am always trying to find the balance of doing less yet maintaining what needs to be done. I am finding the less stuff I have, the less I need to maintain, the more time I have to spend with my kids. Blogs like yours are inspiring me to get rid of what isn’t useful or treasured. Thank you.

  • Congratulations on your book!

    We are constantly donating clothes, books and toys that my kids outgrow 🙂

  • I am so excited about this book! I have been following your blog for a couple of months now, and I have cleaned out and donated so much! Most recently, I took a few bags full of summer clothes–some that I hadn’t worn since high school, which is a bit ridiculous considering I graduated over 10 years ago and have moved frequently while in the military. It seems so silly now…carrying all that stuff from place to place even though I never wear it!

  • I have been simplifying for about 6 months and was so glad last weekend that the weather had finally warmed up enough for me to tackle the garage! A picnic basket, some outdoor blankets, an ancient DVR, watering cans, toys the kids no longer use… very satisfying!

  • I’ve been slowly giving away books, clothes, Nick nacks…and NOT replacing them! I have half of the amount of clothes my boyfriend has and no Nick nacks. My books are hardest to part with but I’m getting them on my nook.

  • Clothes! I’ve recently worked through all the kids’ closets and my own. My husband has agreed to let me do his, too! WOOHOO!

  • I recently got into minimalism, and after being a hoarder for my whole 19 years of life and keeping everything from my baby shower gifts to every worksheet from elementary, I finally realized enough is enough.

    So far, I have donated 7 large boxes of stuff I haven’t touched in years and recycled/threw away 3 large trash bags. This includes over 100 books, close to 500 pieces of clothing and a plethora of CDs, DVDs and games. I still have so much more to go through, but just this much has a HUGE weight lifted.

    It feels great!

  • Our city has a “free giveaway” weekend twice per year – once in the fall and once in spring. You simply put out any items you no longer want/need/use on your front lawn or along the sidewalk, and anyone is welcome to help themselves. We put out several items ranging from kitchen utensils and baking dishes to unopened candle gift sets to lightly used bath towels to books to the strange collection of wooden and metal dowels and rods left in the basement by the previous owner of our house. Nearly every item was picked up. I love the whole free giveaway weekend concept. I have no interest in trying to sell smaller items on-line (too time-consuming) and like the idea of people receiving items that will be useful to them for free.
    Congratulations on your new book – what am exciting accomplishment!

  • Hi!! I love your blog!! Can’t wait to read the book! I’ve been very inspired with your blog and we just donated 4 bags of clothes!

  • I’m always getting rid of clothes now — in fact, I can’t buy new clothes unless I get rid of some first. The feeling of making space in my closet in favor of a simpler wardrobe (and in favor of providing for others who need those clothes MUCH more than I do) is phenomenal, a feeling I wish we were all more attuned to. I write a little bit about it here: http://theblissfulpoet.wordpress.com/2013/09/26/beauty-and-the-beast-of-too-much-why-im-giving-things-away/

    and I’m so looking forward to reading the book!!

  • finally finally finally, after years of organizing myself up to my eyeballs in containers, one by one they are being emptied and I am passing the CONTAINERS along!! Feels amazing!

  • Congratulations on your book! We’ve been decluttering quite a bit lately, but it’s not easy in a family of 6, with children ages 1 – 17. They’re all approx. 5 years apart – we have to maintain a different set of things for every age group. Most recently, we joined a friends’ garage sale this past weekend and donated the leftovers to the Salvation Army (usually I take things directly to the Sally An, but this time I wanted to enjoy my friends’ company).

  • I was bitten by the decluttering bug several years ago! We have a few bags filled with clothing to take to Goodwill – that will be a done by the end of the week. We’ll use this challenge to weed out some movies from our collection. My husband loves “good finds”, but there’s no reason to keep a movie if we watched it once and really didn’t like it. Those will get added to the box/bag too.

  • Congrats on the book! I donated some clothes that no longer fit the kids.

  • I pulled 15ish items out of my closet to donate and an additional 10ish items to toss in the trash (waaay past wearability).

  • Can’t wait to read your book! Congrats!!
    This past weekend, I sold and donated over 30 (yes, 30!) boxes and bags of household goods, holiday decorations, clothes, toys, and just whole bunch of a whole lot of things we either had duplicates of or simply did not need, want, or use. Better yet, I started another box today and have so much more to go! I already feel sooo much lighter and am anxious to continue reducing our family’s unnessary possessions. If we don’t use it or love it, it is out if here!

  • Most recently we are in the process of donating or selling baby items now that our littlest is turning 1. We have been hauling some of this stuff around for 7 years since the birth of our first child. Some of it has gone back and forth between several close families and now it feels great to pass it on to new parents who need items but don’t want to spend a fortune.

  • Thanks for sharing. Your words are inspiring. I realized this weekend that I filled a completely unbooked weekend with “Stuff to do.” And now I feel run down and crazy. Ah well. Tomorrow is another day, and another chance to remove some stuff from my life.

    • Doh – realized I forgot to say what I got rid of. Winter boots with holes in the soles.

  • Our yard sale/donate pile is growing in our basement! Using the library more and have committed to not buying any gifts for our kids other than birthday and Christmas!

  • I’m fascinated with simplifying our lives and especially appreciate you’ve done this with a family. I figure I have to start with myself first and go from there. I go drawer to drawer and right now emptied 3 bookshelves of books we have read, will never read and donated them to goodwill.

  • Congrats. What a wonderful accomplishment.

    My own recycling journey has been pretty big. My son and daughter-in-law just moved into their house and were lacking lots of furniture. We are within 5 or 10 years of moving into a smaller space. Seemed like a perfect time to lighten our furniture load while helping a young couple get settled without spending a lot of money. 4 bookcases, 2 desks, 2 computer tables just to name a few of the items. It felt wonderful.

    I would love to win one of your books. And when I am done with it, I will recycle it on to my son.

  • Our Boy Scouts our doing a stuff drive, so I’m donating clothing, kids’ books, a few frames, and other stuff on the approved list. (They earn money based on the total weight of the donations.) We recently bought two new floor lamps, moved one old one to our bedroom, and donated the other to our church’s free cycle place. 🙂 I took a load of stuff there for some friends, too.

  • Our neighborhood was having garage sales and I found out about them the night prior. It a very fast dash, I went through our family of 7’s dressers, closets, and toys. Everything we put out was either not being worn, too small, or not being played with. It was so refreshing to have that the extra room. I priced most items to move (50 cents – 1 dollar) and we still made $250. I donated all of the leftovers to the local Boy Scout troop who will be having a fund-raising garage sale themselves in a few weeks. I think it was to my benefit to be under the pressure to do it quickly, because it didn’t leave time to ponder whether to keep an item or not. Your blog was definitely an inspiration as I parted with many, many items….as I start my journey to a more streamlined household. I can’t wait to read your new book. Congrats!

  • Thanks for the chance to win!

    The last thing I recycled was our usual bin of mixed paper and plastic, so nothing too exciting, but in the past few months I’ve found happy homes for several books I no longer need!

  • We sold a bunch of my daughter’s old clothes to a second-hand shop. The items that they wouldn’t take were donated to Goodwill.

  • I donated several boxes of clothing and toys to a local thrift shop. And, just yesterday, I cleaned out the bathroom cupboards and drawers and threw away lots of unnecessary items!

  • We are in the middle of a HUGE purge. We’ve donated baby clothes, baby gear, my clothes, my husband’s clothes…and that’s just the beginning! It feels so good to purge and lose that material dead weight in our lives. 🙂

  • We had a garage sale two weeks ago. Sold a bunch of household stuff and donated clothes to Good Will!

  • Congrats on the book! I can’t wait to read!

    I cleaned out my dressers, my closet, and the linen closet and donated everything to the thrift store on the military installation where I live.

    My husband boxed up his playstation and videos and took to the Boys Club.

    I love clutter free! I still have a lot to go!

  • Oh to answer the question this week we downsized the laundry room. Having a yard sale to move along these items in a week or so. Removed an unused freezer from our home as well as 2 fans.

    xo

  • Love your blog. I’ve been a follower for a long time. 🙂 I really like your Minimalist Guide to Baby ebook as well. Thanks for the chance to win this!

  • Rachel,

    Congrats to you my friend. This is awesome and I cannot wait to have a look!

    As you know, thanks in part to hearing about and meeting you I have downsized my who life. I have deleted a crippling debt and am a much more organized person concentrating on the important things in life not stuff. I live very minimally in all areas of my life.

    xo

  • Clothes – so many clothes. Generous grandparents keep our three-year-old’s closet very well stocked. Also books as we trim down to those we actually expect to read again.

  • Wow…this looks great! As a military family, we are constantly in flux and while I think we do a good job of living of minimizing, I feel like we could do more. I look forward to reading it!

  • I have a big pile of stuff in a corner to donate. Our local thrift shop isn’t taking donations at the moment, unfortunately! I also did just recently sell our glider chair. It was great while the kids were nursing but no more. Love your blog, congrats on the book!

  • Yesterday I sold a keyboard that I have been holding on to in hopes that my children will want to learn piano. No one wants to learn so we passed it on to another family. In addition, I have a massive pile of purged items waiting to go to the donation center and consignment sale next week. My house is so much lighter after a year of extreme decluttering!!!

  • We are getting ready to move again (we are a military family) and this time we are not taking all of stuff with us, just what we absolutely need. I think moving every three years and packing and unpacking all these items is finally getting to us! Today I just went through my craft stash and got rid of all the extra fabric, trims, thread, and unfinished craft items that I haven’t used in over a year now. Feels great!

  • I actually just got back from dropping off two side tables at a friend’s house. They were taking up too much of s footprint in our home, and she’s thrilled to have them! We also moved a chins cabinet to the garage to sell and donated some of the stuff stored in it. Like many of the commenters, we’re continually purging, slow and steady.

    I’m really excited about the book! I’m trying to restrain myself from downloading it immediately on my kindle. It will make great “kids are in bed and I have a quiet home” reading.)

  • The last thing I sold was a 2 gallon water cooler. We also have a 5 gallon one, so we really didn’t need the 2 gallon one. Sold it for $13.25!

  • Hey everyone Ive donated sooo much stuff in the past week is amazing and very freeing….we are moving into.our new home in a week so I’m trying to purge our entire home before we make our new start of living with less. We’ve donated the mjority of our dvds…we brought a hard drive….toys, clothes…accessories….kitchen utensils linen the list just keeps on growing…i look each day for things that i have that i never use and put it in our donate box…i even got the kids involved

  • I just dropped off 2 bags of clothing, and empty suitcase and a box of random household items at the local charity today! Last week I also got rid of 2 old light fixtures at the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store from when we installed ceiling fans. Feels so good to see those things out the door!

  • Congrats! I’ve been following your blog for years! Your first book was instrumental in not over-buying for my third child and getting things out of the house as our need diminishes. I’m still working on getting rid of non-baby stuff, but as you know, it’s tough to get things done with children. I would love to read your new book. Take care!

  • Yesterday I gave my sister a huge bag of stuff to sell. I love that these things will be reused by someone else and make her a little extra money at the same time.

    Can’t wait to read the book!

  • Yussss!!! I will get this book and sleep with it under my pillow until I absorb it into my very being. haha!! So looking forward to reading it. 😀

  • Last week I finished clean-sweeping my house, and had a yard sale with my kids. Everything that didn’t sell went straight to the thrift store. It really puts things in perspective when you see things that cost you money leave your hands for a tiny fraction of what you paid. It makes me much more careful before buying anything to add to what we already have.

  • I’m constantly working on donating stuff or selling some things. I just had my last baby and am getting rid of all the baby stuff as he outgrows. I am hanging on to only a handful of clothing (first outfit ever worn, blessing outfit). Everything else is going. Feels good to get rid of stuff. Selling the stuff I think it worth the time to get money and donating the rest.

    (Sometimes it feels like 2 steps forward, 1 step back, but hopefully someday I will be where i want to be on the amount of stuff I own and how organized it is.)

  • Last thing we recycled was on Saturday – the cub scouts were having an electronics recycling drive and we donated 2 phones.

  • I just donated 4 bags of clothing. I use the 1 year rule. If I haven’t worn it for one entire year, it gets donated.

  • We just sold our glider from our nursery, and gave away some plants from our garden. Trying to declutter both inside and out!

  • We have been downsizing for about 3 years. It’s a constant activity for us (as children grow out of clothing, or as I’m able to focus on a particular area in our home).

    I keep a pile of items next to my front door for drop off to the thrift shop, and also a pile of books for a donation to the library. I have so many books that I had purchased in the past and I want to read – it’s motivating to read them and then donate them to the library to get them out of our house!

    Thanks for the chance to win!

  • Your blog has changed my life. It helps me to concretely tell my husband WHY I feel we have too many things and HOW we can start changing. We are thinking of moving across the country (hopefully by the end of summer) and your blog has helped educate me on what I really want and need to bring.

    Needless to say, we already donated soooooo many items. We are now working on clothes that don’t fit or that don’t look the way we want to look. It is so freeing not having those clothes in the closet when we never, ever wear them. Yay!

    Hoping to win a book. I would cherish it!!! Thanks for the giveaway.

  • I just donated a bag of clothes to charity yesterday! So excited to have a look through your book 🙂 x

  • Forgot about the recycle part before I pushed enter – we are taking an old door and making it into a baby-gate – not to mention we are constantly taking bags of unwanted goodies to donation/thrift stores as we “spring clean and purge” our house.

  • One LARGE box and contractor sized garbage bag of old clothing and toys donated to The Military Order of the Purple Heart. Best part is when I told my neighbor, she did some purging and donated too!

  • I am constantly getting rid of stuff. Just this morning, my husband and I went through his shop, looking at things with a critical eye…..it’s amazing how many layers of clutter we’ve peeled off our possessions. That said, there seems to always be another layer to remove. I’m completely addicted to the feeling of getting rid of stuff. Who needs to spend their weekends sweeping around a bunch of clutter? Not me!!! 🙂

  • Just donated a heap of things that had been accumulating in our basement, including lots of baby gear that we never really needed anyways!

  • I donated a bag of clothes from my sister. She moved to Ireland from Canada and left me stuff but I realized I would never wear it. I also donated a set of BBQ steak knives and forks because we already have one, and never used the other. I would love this book!!!!

  • Can’t wait to read this! I so enjoy your blog and know that the book will be just as insightful and well written!!!!

  • We’ve recently set a goal for ourselves of downsizing our possessions by at least 20% in the next six months. We’re hoping to move again in the next year-ish, and having fewer things is going to help make that a lot easier. So I’ve been taking loads of things to the Salvation Army once a month – bags of clothing, housewares, a big box of fabric and yarn that was just sitting there because it might come in handy someday. 🙂

  • Good for you. I plan on buying a copy (if I don’t win) and I recycle my books to my public library. My donation/recycling pile has been large and moving out the door frequently lately. Two reasons for that. 1. We just got curbside recycling in my neighborhood. So happy about that and amazed at how much my trash has been reduced. We have recycled by taking items to the local drop off for a couple of years, but now that the bin is right next to the garbage can, we are much more consistent. 2. We carpeted and repainted our closet and master bedroom. We live in the South, where we have no basements, so our master closet acts as our primary storage for many things besides clothes. It was organized, but full. I had to carry every single item out of there in order to paint. That will cause you to rethink before you carry every single item back in.

  • This book looks like it would be so beneficial to me! I’d love to receive a free copy!!

  • Last September, we took all of our unwanted stuff to the Flea Market. What didn’t sell got donated. I think we’re going to do the same thing again this Summer. 🙂

    • For the raffle- the last thing I sold was a pair of books to Amazon that were sitting on my shelf.

  • I have a huge pile waiting to go out but the most recent thing was giving an old rug from my daughter’s room to my sister–her little girl loves it!

  • Congratulations on the new book! I always enjoyed reading your posts from time to time, and I’m sure that book will be a pleasure to read!

    The last thing I plan to recycle are some old t-shirts, jeans and bath towels. I’m about half way in my first pregnancy, and those old clothes will become new clothes for the baby, maternity clothes and a diaper bag. Some bath towel were transformed into bids, some will be transformed into diapers. About half of the original items came from my husband or I, the other half were given by my family. I guess, it is a win-win situation for everyone. 🙂

  • I donated all the stuff I thought I needed after the birth of my babygirl. It turned out I only needed like 20%. I hope someone else will use it. Although it could be that they will have the same experience…

  • Congrats on the published work! I donated 4 large bags of outgrown clothes and another bag of kitchen items. Just dropped them off today.

  • Congrats! This year I’ve been working on purging my garage storage area…hoping to sell, donate, or use all of it by the end of the year!

  • I have a bag of clothes that I filled yesterday of clothes I no longer wear. Went through my closet yesterday.

  • Would love this book!!! The most recent thing I’ve been purging is baby gear and toys! Too much of this is in my house and we are not planning on having any more children. It’s fun going through it but even more fun seeing it go out the door 🙂

  • A bunch of my friends and I went thru our clothing, accessories, and shoes and donated 4 bags full to the Battered Women’s Shelter in our town.

  • We just finally parted with two big vacuum cleaners that we hadn’t used in over six years since we installed a central vacuum system. I also have many bags of outgrown kids clothes ready to go! I have a long ways to go, but appreciate the encouragement from your site.

  • Congratulations! I am going to my local library today to check out your book. I requested they order it when I first heard about it and had my friends and family in the area request it also, so they ended up buying multiple copies!!!!! Can’t wait to read it.

  • Congratulations on the book!
    I just got rid of a whole bunch of clothes – two large trash bags worth given to a local shelter. It felt great. And although I’m no where near my end goal, it was a great step in the right direction.

  • I cleaned out the pantry and donated some (unexpired) food to a local pantry – we clearly aren’t using it and someone else can.

  • Congratulations on the book. You’ve been my role model for the last three years! It all started with no spend month….

    I’ve donated a bag of old necklaces that I no longer wear to the charity shop- left with my favourite three .

  • I donated clothes, kitchen items and random clutter to a 4-H garage sale my niece’s 4-H club was having. We moved recently and I am still working on finding the balance of things we would like to keep and things that we truly need in our new space.

    Congratulations on the new book!

  • I have a garage full of bags for goodwill, bags of towels and sheets for the vet and dog rescue group and boxes of outgrown toys waiting for my sister in law for her son. I still feel like we have too much but it’s been a good start.

  • I just help my almost 5yo declutter his toys and books. He wanted to keep a lot of things, obviously, but I told him that if he got rid of 25 things we could go to Chipotle for lunch. It’s his favorite! So I kept a tally sheet and with a lot of high-fives we made it to 25 things gone from his room! items of trash counted, by the way. 🙂 Little man earned his quesadilla.

  • Congratulations on the book! What an accomplishment.

    Keeping a box by the door for donation has helped me start decluttering. Hard part is not letting the kids see what goes in because they’ll pull it back out.

  • CONGRATULATIONS on your BOOK! I am looking forward to reading it.

    I have a large pile of things collecting now, and have delivered four carloads of things over the last three years. Last carload had clothing, lamps, home accessories, and lots of books. This next pile will look similar.

  • Just bought the book but would love to win one for a friend/to share. My house has many “minimizing” projects started. Feel overwhelmed by the ALL of it. Would love to NOT feel like that but continue to minimize….regularly. Thanks for writing this book and sharing!

  • I just cleared out my 5 year olds closet and donated the outgrown clothes. I can’t wait to read your book!

  • I live in a 750-square-feet New York City apartment with my husband, two growing toddlers and one dog. Suffice to say, it gets tight, so there’s always a bag in our hallway waiting to go out the door for donation!

    • Oh, and, the last thing I donated was clothes. I’m perpetually cleaning out my closet to keep my wardrobe as simple as possible.

  • We donated a box of old electronics to Best Buy for their recycling program, and a crib, baby clothes, old linens and curtains to our local shelter

  • I just cleaned out my wardrobe and donated two large bags to our local value village. I had a baby 6 months ago and was honest with myself that I may never fit back into some of my clothes. An added bonus is that I no longer feel pressure to fit back into my pre-pregnancy clothes.

  • I’m using the month of May to do a big declutter in our house. I haven’t decided if we’ll have a garage sale or just donate everything. I would prefer the latter, but my daughters are highly motivated to get rid of stuff if they can sell it.

    Recently I needed new pots and pans – we got rid of the 4 we had and replaced them with 2. Today I have a goal of finding 30 items to get rid of.

    I look forward to reading your book!

  • Wow, congrats! You must be so proud!
    We are currently looking for a house to buy and that’s why we have been going through all of our stuff in the last couple of months. At this moment, there are bags full of clothes waiting to give away. I hate to get rid of things (although I do like the feeling afterwards), but the thought of making someone else happy with my stuff, makes it so much easier!

    – Renske (The Netherlands)

  • Congrats on the book! I just donated about 10 large garbage bags of my clothes and my daughters clothes. I have such a hard time getting rid of clothes as I convince myself I will one day wear them but I never do! My closet is now a breath of fresh air.

  • Every season I go through my closet and purge my clothing. I have a family that I always donate to and they are thrilled to receive my hand me downs. Yesterday they sent me a photo of them wearing one of the pieces that I no longer cherished. It was great to see it being appreciated and I feel lighter and happy that I could bring someone happiness with something so simple.

  • Congrats on your book! I’ve only been into minimalism for the last year, so it’s been slow going, but it is amazing how I feel with less stuff in my life! And other people have started to notice, too. We’re about to find out the gender of our second baby, and I am super excited to go through our storage and minimize our baby stuff hoard!

  • I just donated 4 bags of my clothes. There was nothing wrong with any of the clothes and they were name brand, but I am decluttering my wardrobe. It felt great!

  • I am currently donating toys and children’s clothing to a women shelter in our city. Very much needed and I tell my sons that the toys they give away, go to children who have no toys. They give their toys away “almost smiling”

  • i JUST DONATED SEVERAL BAGS AND BOXES FROM MY STORAGE ROOM. iT HAD TO BE MY STUFF BECAUSE MY FAMILY GETS PARANOID EVERY TIME I SAY ANYTHING ABOUT CLEARING OUT ALL THE JUNK OR CLUTTER. 😉 i WOULD LOVE A COPY OF YOUR BOOK AND I DO HAVE A NORTH AMERICAN ADDRESS. tHANK YOU.

  • I just got 5 boxes of small items cleaning out from closets ready to go to a rummage sale sponsored by our church for an adoption couple. It feels good to clean out and help someone.

  • We just donated an entire car full of knick knacks, clothes, furniture and all the general clutter that has been driving us crazy!

  • Biggest Congrats on the book! As a teen librarian I constantly upcycle items for my crafts. It not only makes my events affordable, it also allows the teens to think outside the box and see what they can do with items they find around them.
    I often shop at our local recycle center for unique glass bottles to use for olive oil or homemade vanilla.

  • We live in a small two-bedroom apartment and are expecting our first baby any minute now. In preparation, we’ve been recycling and giving away items almost daily. Yesterday included a drop-off to Goodwill of rarely-used kitchen gear and some clothing and a trip to the recycling center to pitch some boxes from some baby gifts. As part of The Spouse’s nesting process, he has proclaimed “We need to declutter!”

  • I’m just starting to declutter my life – beginning with the oodles of clothes I have but don’t wear. Can’t wait to read the book and be able to take some more small steps to a less stuff-filled life:-)

  • We just participated in the community yard sale over the weekend. Made $92 to help fund a anniversary getaway and will donate what didn’t sell. What I thought would be big sellers (a bicycle, a breadbox from Target) didn’t and I was reminded of the George Carlin’s “Stuff” standup routine.

  • Congrats on the book! I look forward to reading it. I make good use of the local by and sell groups.The last thing I sold was some cloth diapers that we no longer use. I also just gave away a bunch of baby clothes and gear, which was nice to be rid of.

  • I donate a box of kids clothes every quarter. With 4 kids it pays to keep out drawers minimal.

  • Just filled a whole box including a crockpot for goodwill and 2 boxes of toys for a friend! We recently filled a dumpster too!

  • I have been unloading boxes and bags of old clothes and toys, trinkets, dishes, and recently went through some books and things packed in the garage that I had no idea we were storing….things we haven’t used in years. My four year old has also taken an interest in donating some of her things and contributing to having less. She said, “this is just something that I don’t need anymore”…”I want to donate it to someone else”…. I think ridding the house of “stuff” helps the whole family and we are all working towards simplifying and organizing. It feels so good! Thank you for your blog!

  • I just gave away 15 kids movies on DVD that we are not using and donated a toaster.

  • I would LOVE a copy of your book if you are giving away some this week.

  • The last bug we donated were some toys given to our sons over the past couple of years that we have either stored away or they barely touched. Having less choices around them for playing has really made a difference in their ability to problem-solve and to discover new ways to play with old favourites!

  • Last year my husband and I and our two children made a cross country move. We downsized by half. We gave away a bed, a love seat, a piano, all of the outdoor items in our gardening shed, half of our kitchen items, half of our books, and our TV. We moved from a four bedroom house to a three bedroom apartment that is half the size of the house. It felt so liberating to be free of all that excess stuff! After having lived in the smaller apartment for a year now, I notice that stuff is starting to accumulate again. I feel like I am moving in to the next phase of decluttering. First we gave away our excess, now it is time to look at how and why we accumulate more stuff. That is why I read blogs (and books) like yours: to remind me that minimalism is a journey, not a destination.

  • Just gave away a toaster oven and printer… neither of which we were using. Since we don’t eat grains, there isn’t much reason to have a toaster oven right? And we actually have 2 other printers (both B&W laser)–just got the second that does automatic duplex–couldn’t take doing it manually anymore. Trying to use up the toner in the old one first before we give it away, too. Feels good to get more clear horizontal space.

  • a BOOK! How exciting! You must be so proud and excited to finally be hitting this milestone! Congratulations! As far as donating, we have a CONSTANT stream of donations going. Something comes in, we go through the toys and things go out. I am working hard to teach my kids that their lives should not be defined by stuff but rather people! It’s hard with society constantly teaching us to be chronically dissatisfied with what we have. Thanks for this blog. You are incredibly refreshing.

  • I feel like we’re constantly simplifying and decluttering, so we almost always have bags waiting to go to the thrift store. I dropped off 5 bags just a couple of weeks ago, and I have two more bags waiting to go. We’re currently experimenting with how few dishes we can get away with, so I’ll probably end up filling another bag soon!

  • Congrats! What an exciting time for you and your family! I never have though of asking the library to order books that were coming out! I try to borrow instead of buy so I am not adding more stuff to the house. However, your book just might be the exception.

    I am constantly recycling and passing along items to my son’s school for craft projects (paper towels rolls, lids to mayo jars, etc). I also sell stuff off as soon as he outgrows it (toys, clothes, books, etc) and then use that money to put toward the next stage of needed item. I feel more like I am “renting” his stuff then making large investments in overpriced clothes and toys.

  • Congratulations! I just gave a friend two bags full of clothes. It felt so good

  • We are in the process of moving (and downsizing), so we’ve been donating a lot of unused items. The most recent thing we donated was a couple of baby toys that we no longer need.

  • Congrats on the book – that’s a big (and cool) accomplishment!

    I don’t remember the last item we donated. It was about two weeks ago, and it was about 6 bags. Out of sight, out of mind. I try not to think about what we donate or give away (or toss). If I don’t think about it, I know it was a great decision because it wasn’t something I needed anymore anyway!

  • I have made several trips to Goodwill to donate things, have given away several large bins of books to friends, family and anyone who wants them, have sold things I no longer want or need and am working on simplifying my life. I recently moved and realized that in my new space, I would much rather live clutter free and have less cleaning to do than to hold on to “things”.

  • Oh, living with less has been my theme this year! It’s going slower than I had hoped, though. In the past month, I’ve gotten my clothing down to less than 20 items. I’ve reduced my childrens clothing and toys. I have moved some furniture out of the house, and books. It was about 2-3 car loads of things, and I’m wondering how do we have so much left still? So I’m still working on it!

    Congratulations on the book being published!! So exciting. 😀 Thank you for all you do to help others live simpler.

    Peggy

  • We are (slowly) purging the abyss that is our basement, in anticipation of a hopeful move later this year. I don’t even know were some of this stuff came from…and we’ve only been married 6 years! I wish I had kept on top of it earlier, but it sure is freeing to see all the excess leaving the house now!

  • PS, there is now a donation station at my kids’ school for all those ratty textiles (raggy clothes, shoes with holes or missing one, threadbare towels, stained clothing or rips…) that they reuse in some fashion so that the textiles (fabric and clothing) do not wind up in a landfill.)

  • Sooo happy for you!!!! I recall stumbling upon your blog 3 years ago as I prepared to bring our son into the world. You were so helpful and spot on with all of your recommendations. I still cherish my PDF copy of your first book!!!!

  • I’ve been trying to get rid of one thing a day (usually goes into a basket for the thrift shop next time I make a run). Most recently it’s been extra hangers and random bandanas.

  • I’m always decluttering baby clothes. With all my decluttering though I tend to donate… Not sure why I steer clear of avenues to sell stuff myself.

  • We had a garage sale this weekend. We got rid of mostly kid toys (Junk for me, but hopefully someone else’s treasure!) I have packaged up some favorite books to give to a friend who has a younger child, and the rest of the leftovers (kitchen stuff, bread machines, stuffed animals, and more.) I am putting in my car today to take to Goodwill

  • Raising two boys in just over 800 square feet, I am constantly editing our things. The latest was a bunch of electronics my husband finally realized he wasn’t using.

  • I always have a bag or box of things to donate. The stuff I currently need to take to the thrift store includes baby and toddler toys my son has grown out of… even though we plan to have another baby, there is just no reason to keep everything up in the attic for the next several years!

  • Congratulations on the books Rachel! So proud of you. Plus I’m humbled by your ability to put it all into words – succinctly I’m sure.

    Note – I just found the book on my Canadian iTunes account for “iBooks” for those of us that do not have a Kindle etc.

    Cheers!

  • I’m moving from 2400 square feet to 700 square feet, so… almost everything!

  • Buying the book right now but I’d love to win a copy to gift to my sister in law!!! CONGRATS! Can’t wait to read it 🙂

  • Congrats on the book!

    I always have a donation bag or box by the door being filled. I think the last thing to go in there was some pajamas. I was folding laundry and realized I don’t like the way they feel against my skin, even though they’re fairly new. Into the box!

  • We’ve been doing a lot of decluttering the past couple years, now I pretty much always have a donate box in progress and I love that our stuff is slowly becoming much more manageable!

  • Congratulations on the Book! Can’t wait to read it.
    My little girl is obsessed with making things out of cardboard. Just yesterday we made a ‘refrigerator’ out or a shoe box.

  • I’m donating stuff my son outgrows on a rotating basis. We keep the stuff that he really liked or is very sentimental for any future children but the rest is donated.

  • Congrats on the book!

    I’ve had a constant cycle of boxes in my foyer ready for things to go out the door. A little bit at a time… I keep plugging away at it. While a move is far down the horizon I really want to have less stuff to move the next time and free up space (and time) in my day!

  • I have a pile to donate right now, but it’s still in my house. We’re doing a kitchen remodel, so there will be some donating/clean-out after that is done, for sure!

  • We just recycled our microwave. I had been on the fence about it for awhile, because we use it everyday, but I also recognize that it may not be a healthy option for our family. Just the fact that every time we used it, I felt uncomfortable and had to shuffle my son out of the kitchen because I was worried about exposure (to what? I don’t understand the science of it, but still, I have this gut feeling). So now it’s gone – and the result is that we use the stove top more to reheat food, and it’s totally fine. And more counter space!!

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