Blog - Alison's Notebook

A small stack of neatly folded shirts on a bed with a warm mustard-yellow quilt, an open drawer nearby, and a green plant on the windowsill in bright daylight

I Know Humming While Decluttering Sounded Silly. But Then It Worked.

I’ll be honest with you. When I first heard that humming could help you declutter, I rolled my eyes. Humming? Like a little song while I clean out a closet? …

A slightly dusty white bread machine sitting alone on a wooden cabinet shelf against a warm terracotta wall in soft daylight

When You’ve Outgrown the Things You Used to Love (My Decluttering Story)

Have you ever picked up something in your own home and thought, why in the world did I buy this? Not because it’s broken or worn out. But because it …

A scratched clear plastic container with no lid on the edge of an open black trash bag, with a sage-green counter and warm wood cabinet behind it in soft daylight

What If I Regret Throwing This Away?

Decluttering was never hard for me because I loved my things too much. It was hard because I was scared. Scared that the minute I let something go, I’d need …

Nobody Warned Me That Decluttering Gets Harder When Your Body Hurts

There’s a difference between not wanting to declutter and not being able to. For years I thought having a messy room was a motivation problem. But it’s not. There was …

A neat stack of closed, slightly worn cardboard boxes in the corner of a room against a plain wall in soft daylight

9 Telling Signs You’ve Become the Keeper of Everyone Else’s Things

Last spring I went looking for my winter boots in the basement and couldn’t find them. Not because they were lost, but because I had to move four boxes that …

A single upholstered bedroom chair in the corner of a modest American home holding a small stack of folded laundry in soft morning light

When the Mess Makes You Sad, and the Sadness Makes More Mess

There’s a chair in my bedroom that hasn’t held a single person in months. It holds laundry. Clean laundry, mostly, the kind I washed and folded with good intentions and …

25 Decluttering Products Worth Buying (From Someone Who Hates Clutter)

I have a bad habit I’m not proud of. For years, whenever a room felt like too much, my first move was to buy a bin. A nice clear one, …

A glass-front cabinet with neatly stacked china plates, a folded tablecloth, and a crystal wine glass all sitting untouched behind closed glass doors

9 Honest Reasons Why You Should Use the Good Stuff Every Day

For most of my life, I was taught that some things were too good for everyday use. The china that is waiting for the perfect holiday gathering. The embroidered towels …

A pair of reading glasses and keys resting in a small dish on a warm, sunlit entryway table

Why I Can’t Find Anything Anymore (and How Decluttering Helped My Menopause Brain Fog)

I spent ten minutes the other morning looking for my reading glasses. I checked the kitchen counter. I checked my nightstand. I looked in the bathroom, in the car, and …

A clean and clear home hallway with bare hardwood floors and nothing on the ground in bright natural light

11 Things I Removed From My Home Once I Started Taking Decluttering for Safety Seriously

I started decluttering for safety after a close call at home. Here are the 11 things I got rid of and why each one mattered.

Thank you for showing quality clothes on a beautiful model.

Beautiful put together. Need more ideas when buying clothe .may also help to save money as sometimes I buy things…

In almost all the images shown I thought the clothes that were marked with an x looked more attractive and…

Love the outfits on the older lady, does she have a site?

Thank you for posting pictures of real, age appropriate women, not skinny 30 somethings.