LIVE Q&A

I'll be answering your decluttering questions live today!
Normally, I take questions for these lives from AskDanaKWhite.com, but today we're going to just take your questions live!
I'm hard at work getting my Decluttering Coach Training Course ready to launch on Thursday, December 1st! Learn more here: declutteringco...
Take Your House Back: www.takeyourho...
16.35: Tips for not overbuying when there are so many sales during the holidays?
20.28: Is there a fast way to go through boxes of papers? Take it there now takes a long time with each piece of paper.
23.16: If I am cleaning a space, and take it there something where it belongs but that space is a mess, no room for this item, what do I do?
26.09: ​​??How do you feel about preparing for food shortages etcetera?
28.14: ​​??? Was purchasing a rental and the landlord breached the contract. May find out we have to move mid month. Have any ideas when terribly depressed about your home I can keep going? Home is my life
30.45: First world problem lol- I recently decluttered my kitchen then organized it- what ever do I do with my empty shelves and/or cabinets?
31.51: for those of us with attachment issues that have a lot of things they want to keep as sentimental what would be a good space in the home for those things?
36.46: Moved into my 1st home- don't have any 'storage furniture' yet. So I don't unpack (as things don't have a place to go to) AND I wait with buying containers (I don't know what I have).Where to start?
41.08: ​​I love the container idea. What if I HAVE space? I’ve Decluttered so much I have so much space! My family feels they need to put “stuff” in empty spaces.
43.29: ?? Laundry! I struggle with putting away jeans and foldable laundry . Any recommendations for storage container or best methods to address issue? Things pile in a laundry basket.
45.57: ​​I am getting older and finding it harder to organize and get rid of stuff. My family is getting tired of helping. How do I put my mindset and where do I start? Garage, house, yard?
50.13: ​​?? I've been helping my mom declutter but a switch flips half way through and everything becomes sentimental. Same house for over 50 years.
52.47: ​​How do I get my live in boyfriend to help out more around the house? He has a tendency to leave things around instead of putting away, even garbage!

[@grutarg2938]

I’ve noticed a new habit forming in my brain. If I’m going somewhere a little far away, like downstairs, I will look around for anything I can take along with me. I’m just trying to save myself trouble when I have to “take it there now” next time I declutter. But it means I’m tidying up as I go a little more. Not every time, but sometimes.

[@sherylmccrystal3804]

Me too! Yay for us! 😀

[@mylifesings-mariaklingshei1786]

I’m with you!! Been doing the same and it helps so much! 🎉

[@RaeRaeSparkles]

This has happened to me too…. With the car also!

[@karenc6582]

As for paper sorting, your 5 step decluttering process is the only method that has worked for me. I had 30 large totes of papers accumulated over my lifetime (I'm almost 60), and thanks to your process, I'm down to 4! I could not believe how much was trash and just needed to be recycled or shredded. Thank you so so much. This has been a huge weight lifted off me, to finally have this stuff dealt with.

[@trumax33]

I recently went through a paper box full of "paperwork". Shredding a receipt for an oil change from my previous vehicle isn't as mind blowing as finding receipts from the vet for food & prescriptions I bought for my dog......19 years ago. 🤦‍♀️😄

[@rachelheath1208]

🥳Fantastic job you have done.🎉 Thank you for sharing 🤩 This inspires me that i will get there, with my back log of papers. I been following Dana a year now. And have got through a lot at home with Dana's strategies and podcasts.

[@robinrutherfordcost4748]

That's awesome! I love writing letters and have found half written letters from like 7 yrs ago. Even found forever stamps to use. However, just found 100.00 cash in one of my envelopes so, it can pay too - woo hoo! Can now see floor in my sewing room. Good for you!

[@findingaway5512]

The clutter threshold sounds like a mythical creature. 🦄 I hope to someday meet it. I think mine is extremely low if I had to guess.

[@neon.neutral]

The place I would go for shower curtain rings is.... Target. haha. I'm sure this applies to other items like that (which I can now declutter!)

[@DanaKWhite]

Seriously! This is an important realization!

[@kimberlyvasek9082]

This is truth! I have realized my husband looks first for things at Amazon or Home Depot so its not worth holding onto things that he may or may not even go looking for.

[@Elizabeth-490]

What’s helped me not let laundry sit around in baskets…I got rid of all but one basket. Now if there’s laundry in the basket I have to put it away before I let myself start a new load.

[@Elizabeth-490]

Part of my decluttering with Dana this past year has included electronic clutter. I went through and unsubscribed from pretty much everything except Dana’s newsletter. :-) Now when I get emails from sellers, I just unsubscribe. I’d rather have a clean inbox than 10 or 15% off an item. I don’t buy as much anymore. So after the holidays is a great time to purge, delete, and unsubscribe! I am so excited. I hope I can take this course, Dana! I’ve almost run out of places to Declutter sad face, and I am addicted! I just told my daughter, that if I had a second career, I would love to be a decluttering coach, and then you announce to this!

[@JaneH3675]

I'm with you! I can't stand electronic clutter! The less time I have to spend on the internet the better!

[@TheWetBilgeRat]

I almost caught your live today... but I was out dropping off my donations 😂😂😂

[@kgummee]

Re sentimental stuff ... i am the only child and have become the keeper of all the stuff. Both my parents and inlaws have passed so i have a lot of stuff. Add some grandparents and great grandparents stuff. With the help of Dana, Dawn of Minimal Mom and Cass of Clutterbug have helped me honor the memories. I use the china and dishes, decorate with what i love, use the blankets and quilts AND honor the person and their items by NOT storing them in my spidery shed and let other families enjoy the items via donating. The STUFF is not my memories with the loved one.

[@melissaweller3718]

In answer to the question about so many sales how do I avoid over buying. For holidays I decorate my home before I shop. I dig it all out, decide where to put the decorative items, check my budget and then shop.

[@JaneH3675]

I found the solution that works for me; I don't buy seasonal stuff. Honestly, I don't decorate for holidays or seasons.

[@Doris86pl]

Folding laundry right after taking it out of the dryer is life changing. Since I started to do it Dana's way my piles disapeared. When something needs to be ironed I do it also right away, even if it's just two elegant shirts. I can complete this in shorter time than waiting.

[@heidibonjour]

Answers to viewer questions are SO SO helpful!! With the examples that you give!!!!

[@cherylglueckert2493]

i am so thankful for all three of you. i had to start with you. With the help of your videos, i broke through with my clutter. Now i am at a lightbulb moment that when I was finished with a certain part of my life, i would take it down to the basement and leave it rather than donating or throwing it out. A lot of the time I would replace and not throw out the old one just in case the new one broke I still had the old one. lol WOW That stuff is who I was and i want to live in my "right now" life. Thank you, thank you, thank you. Also thank you for allowing us to have access to everything for the whole year. I definitely needed a year and more. I will definitely sign up for the second year. Also allowing access to the future group decluttering days all year helps to jumpstart to keep going.

[@suegoldfild8990]

one hour late for your live:(. Just want to thank you again Dana! My yard is BETTER, my home is BETTER and getting even better every week. Love the idea of coaches teaching your method! God Bless you Richly!

[@heidibonjour]

"Better is good" :) My favourite saying in my head these days!!

[@SF-ru3lp]

Hi Dana am responding to your first section. I remember a quote from Andrew Mellen: "All clutter is postponed decisions" (or words to that effect). Your method helps us direct ourselves to making all those small decisions... brilliant! Thank you. G Ire

[@kariw788]

Procrastinating doing the work too. I know where I want it to go...

[@heidibonjour]

yesssss!!!! love this!

[@georgebricker2224]

You made me realize that a lot of the things that I do around the house normally not everyone did. Examples being folding laundry right out of the dryer or the five minute clean ups. An other good one that my Mom taught me which is related to the five minute pick up is don't go to bed with a messy kitchen or living room. Put the pillows and throws away when you are going to bed and put all the dirty dishes on one spot on the counter.

[@janethunt4037]

Love your advice on printing out the 5 step process for helping someone's mom. I need to do that with my husband when we go through items he has saved that we have not used in our home in our entire marriage. At the moment, I'm setting a good example by decluttering my items that do not fit our current life. Q&As always have a helpful comment for me. Thank you!

[@debbiev.1311]

So sad I miss your Live! Thank you for the replay!! ❤🤗 Congratulations on your Decluttering Coach Certification Program!! 🎉 👏🏻

[@jac4YouTube]

My dilemma is that Sometimes I move stuff to other places thinking it's in a better spot but then when I go to look for it later, I'm turning the house upside down looking for it because I know its somewhere but can't remember where I moved it too.

[@carriepinkduck]

Then you didn't move it to the place you'd look for it first.

[@leeunderwood3057]

I know what you mean. Sometimes there's an item that's been stored in a certain spot - and that's where I would go to look for it first, but I know it would be more helpful to have it in another spot. I'm planning on using a sticky note the next time this happens. Something like, "Thermometer now stored in medicine basket" and then stick it on the inside of the kitchen cabinet where the thermometer has previously been stored. Later, when I've got myself retrained, I can remove the sticky note. I haven't tried it yet, but I hope it would help. I think this "finding a better spot" thing is something that happens sometimes after time and after some extensive decluttering. Initially "take it there now" to the spot where I would look first can help me to realize, "Hey, I have 15 thermometers, I don't need all of these!" But, then when I'm down to one, and I want it in a more helpful location, I'm hoping the sticky note would help and keep me from having to search all over the house for something I've moved. 😊

[@notnotnever]

So excited you're doing a cert! Totally logical next step for you and your work. Congratulations!!

[@jennifermcdonald5226]

I like the memory bin idea to help with sentimental things for each person and that creates a container l.

[@findingaway5512]

Wow Dana. I loved the baby shoes example. The fact that one pair can be good feelings about and an over abundance of the same type of item can elicit a completely different feeling. I am a very sentimental person too. This really clicked with me. I have plenty of visible and trash easy stuff to get out of the way before even touching on that kind of stuff. But I hopefully can hold on to that tid bit. Gonna throw it on a post it not so hopefully my brain will see it again in the future.

[@emacwakeup]

Right so I watched a video of yours about blaming the container when you're decluttering with kids (not sure which one). We had far too many storage containers under the stairs storage area. We couldn't get to the toy drawer that was also stuffed which was behind a huge waist length bag full of toys. Anyhow we took an hour to work through it. There was NO MESS through the process. We blamed the container and my son let go of a lot of things which went in the trash and some usable toys for donation. We now only have the drawer. Anyhow. Over the years I have been clutter shifting and adding containers left right and centre. Anything that didn't fit went into an overflow storage space elsewhere. Because of this we have 3 huge bags of toys in the shed outside. That's a declutter for another day. I feel so much lighter

[@andbec7395]

Good morning from New Zealand!

[@Elizabeth-490]

Also, did you know that you can delete your promotions tab? If you go in Gmail settings, you can disable the promotions tab then nothing will go there. I work in online customer support and sometimes our important messages go to customers’ promotions tabs and they never get them. Very frustrating. I got rid of my promotions tab a long time ago, and I am so glad!

[@susanklein481]

Yes

[@scarletbluefield2542]

Love the name Decluttering Coaches!

[@Doris86pl]

Also regarding dealing with "good deals" I agree with Dana, go to the place and check if you have space. Just few days ago I got e-mail with sweet deal from my fave bookstore. I quickly checked it and had basket full in online store, but I didn't place order as I wanted to check my bookshelf if I can squeeze new addition in. And guess what? I already had some of books that I wanted to buy. I decided not to buy anything! So both Black Friday and cyber Monday without purchase. Yay!

[@heidilopez-felix8105]

Congratulations on your program! ❤

[@jennifermassey3352]

Yep

[@anneadkins4403]

Hi Dana !

[@itsrach08]

Great tips , Thank You!

[@gordonowenstirlingchapman1706]

Pinky 2389 ... your mother is suffering decision fatigue when this happens! 68 myself, and very long at a time is just too much. Time for a break. ☕☕ 😄💕

[@mrik7868]

I'll be watching for Decluttering coaches near me in the suburbs of Chicago! Soon I hope!!

[@mrik7868]

I seem to still have too much emotion during the 5 step process and still get stuck. How do I get past that? I know that a lot of clutter is unmade decisions and I am still struggling, even with the two simple questions to ask ourselves. I end up feeling frozen / stuck and not even able to make decisions to answer those questions, and more often just stop and walk away.

[@Lynntahl]

The answer to “where would I look for this first?” Is allowed to be Amazon or Walmart.

[@mamabubu6505]

Thank You 💐💗

[@janispope4295]

When you said I donate to the place…then paused. I thought you were going to say something really profound and you said ‘takes everything’ made me laugh. I think it’s because in the UK are thrift shops are called charity shops for one specific charity which I don’t think is generally the case in the USA.

[@findingaway5512]

Do you have any advice for someone who takes free stuff from others but already has a lot of stuff. But it is stuff they really want. How can you go about doing this but not add to existing clutter. Specifically larger items. Trying to find kind helpful words.

[@ThatBadBunny]

I feel you 🤐

[@anitasimmons3599]

If the person offering it is not as moble as I am I will say Thank you and deliver it to a thrift store and not even bring it in my house. I have progressed to the point that I can tell people, I am downsizing so I am getting rid for stuff not bringing more things into my space.

[@angelas.goodman9891]

I can.

[@jeridavidson9074]

I’m enjoying the tips. Thank you. Would you be willing to try to give up the long “Ummmms”?

[@DanaKWhite]

Willing? Of course! Probable? Nope!

[@nancywidows463]

Please don't give up the "ummmms"!! It's part of who you are, and we totally love and accept who BECAUSE of who you are! I repeat, it us OK to "UMMMMMMM!" 🥰🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@hummus6150]

It’s a teacher thing. If you stop making a sound, there are 30 kids who will be more than happy to fill that momentary silence!