11: What My Husband Really Thought About My 30-Day Decluttering Project

What My Husband Really Thought About My 30-Day Decluttering Project

This one is a little different.

This week I'm joined by my very first podcast guest — my husband, Mr. Making the Space — for an honest, unscripted conversation about what the last 30 days of living with my decluttering project actually looked like from both sides.

We traded questions, told some real stories, and got into the moments that surprised us both ... including the one space I was dreading most, the item that almost didn't make it out of the house, and the Saturday morning that made all 30 days completely worth it.

Spoiler: it's not as tidy as you think!

If this episode resonated with you and you’re ready to take the next step, grab the One Space Reset Kit. It’s a short guided reset to help you clear one space at a time — whether that’s a space in your home or one of the open loops we talked about today.

→ Grab the One Space Reset Kit here!

If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to follow the show so you don’t miss your Monday reset.

Connect with Jackie:

• Instagram: https://instagram.com/makingthespacewithjackie
• Email: hello@jackiepicchi.com

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Disclaimer:

© 2026 Making the Space, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this podcast may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission.

This podcast is for educational and coaching purposes only and is not a substitute for therapy, medical, or mental health care.

Transcript

0:01

So what does it look like when the person who teaches decluttering actually declutters? I'm gonna give you a little spoiler. It's not as tidy as you think. Today is a very special episode, you guys. We have our very first guest, and it's someone who has had a front row seat to my 30-day decluttering journey and has been one of my biggest cheerleaders through the entire thing. I am honored to have my husband, Mr. Making the Space, on the show with us today. We're going to trade questions, tell some honest stories, and I think you're gonna hear some things that might surprise you, including a few things that surprised me. Welcome back to Making the Space Monday. I'm Jackie, a values-based decluttering coach, helping overwhelmed moms make space for what matters. And around here, that means making space in your home, your head, and your life. Today's episode is a little different, and if you heard the intro, you already know why. We're gonna interview each other. He has some questions for me, I have questions for him, and we're gonna talk about what the last 30 days of living with my decluttering project actually looked like from both sides. Good morning, good morning. I am here with my husband, Mr. Making the Space. I'm so happy that you're joining me as my very first guest. Did you realize you're my first guest? I did not. Well, I sorta knew I was your first guest, but I'm really excited to be here. I'm kinda worried about what, what you're gonna talk to me about, but- All right I'm excited. No worries here. Okay. Okay? No worries. You had a front row seat to my crazy idea. This honestly all started because I was newly showing up on Instagram, and I didn't know a way to be consistent on the account. So what I decided to do was just write down 30 spaces in our house that I knew needed to be decluttered, things that we just never, ever get to. These are, like, the nagging spaces that you see in drawers, in closets, and I just decided to throw them in a jar and pull one at random every single day. And so part of this was to keep myself consistent and make reels for Instagram, and then obviously, the other big side of this was to take care of these projects that just never seem to get done in our house. Yeah, it's... It seemed to be, like, a, a really big project, and I didn't know really what to, what to think, but I was excited to see how it was gonna go and, and what we actually were able to get rid of, so... Yeah, it's kinda crazy. Like, through a bunch of different moves, there's stuff that gets unpacked naturally, right? And then there's things that just get put away, whether it's in a box or a bag, and it just gets shoved somewhere else, like, "I'll deal with this later." And we had some of that. Yeah, stuff that just never gets unpacked that you, you thought you were gonna need, or, you know, when you move, you get rid of a lot of things, so you don't bring the clutter, but it ends up showing up at some point. Yeah, and I would say we're pretty good about decluttering. We've always been pretty good about that. It's evolved over the years, and that's probably another topic for another episode, right? Yeah. You've, you've definitely made me declutter a lot more than I- Yeah I used to. I definitely would keep a lot of things. Yes. I, I'd say we have absolutely evolved, but, you know, they're... We're not perfect at it- No at all. For sure. We're busy. Mm-hmm. And we like our things. Yeah. And- Yeah, some things, they hold value and memory for, for me, and maybe not so much for you. But, I think it's just, just keeping that space clean is, is a huge benefit. Yes. So we've prepared some questions for one another. To keep this fun and fresh, I wanted to share with my audience what I learned from this 30-day decluttering journey, 'cause I actually have learned a lot, and I'm about a week and a half, two weeks out of this project now. And we've really had some time to see how this whole thing lands for our family, what are the benefits, not just immediately, but now a couple weeks out. Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. And I think there's some things that we've both gleaned from this, as well as our children. Yeah. No, are you, are you ready for some questions here? I'm a little nervous. I'm a little nervous. Okay. Um, you know what? Since you're my very first guest, you get to go first. Oh. What's your first question? I thought I was the only one asking questions. I got some, I got some questions too. What surprised you most about how you felt after clearing something? Hmm, that's a good question. What surprised me the most? If I were looking at this from the angle of doing it each day, the thing that surprised me the most was that this literally only takes 15 or 20 minutes tops. Some of these spaces only took me 10 minutes. It took me far longer to film the reel, edit it, put it to the music, get the captions, get it on Instagram. But the actual decluttering of these little spaces, because I was focusing on small nagging spaces, it did not take me that long. So I think that would be the thing that surprised me the most.

Speaker 13 4:26

Yeah, no, that definitely... It would've taken me longer than 15 minutes on, on a few of these. I would've gotten sidetracked for sure, just staring at the stuff.

Speaker 12 4:34

Okay. Tell me a little bit more about that. So if you were doing, let's just say, the junk drawer. That's one that I started early on. Oh, man. If you were doing the junk drawer, tell me, tell me about that.

Speaker 13 4:43

Oh, it's just all the, the tools, and the little trinkets and tchotchkes, and, and extra bits and screws and stuff that I, that I keep in there for me. Um, and I, I know there's a better place for it, but, you know, it's just that easy access. And, and just going through and like, "Oh, what can I do with this?" And then I'll get sidetracked like, "Oh, yeah, that's why I kept this. I gotta go, do this over here now," and then I'm off on a project. But y- you stayed pretty focused. It was really good watching that.

Speaker 12 5:07

Well, I think that's why we're the yin and yang, right? Is that I can breeze through those little projects a little bit faster than you, but I think you bring a different take, and honestly keeps me honest about what we're keeping.

Speaker 13 5:21

Oh, yeah. No, I definitely need help with that, 'cause I'll, I'll squirrel, like, instantly, for sure.

Speaker 12 5:25

Yes. I think that's another great topic for a future episode. All right. Are you ready for your first question?

Speaker 13 5:31

Oh, boy.

Speaker 12 5:33

I think this is the biggest one. Did you actually think that I would finish this project, all 30 spaces?

Speaker 13 5:40

Yes, and I'm not just saying that. Yes, I, I knew you were gonna finish it. But it maybe took a little longer than you planned, but you finished it.

Speaker 12 5:49

Yes. Yeah. And I'm glad that you said that, because I wanna be really authentic and honest with my listeners here, is that I said 30 spaces, but I did not say 30 spaces consecutively. So there were some weekends that popped up. Like, it... There was a holiday. There was a, a busy weekend where we were out most of the time. And I do prioritize our family time, so there were days that I just said, "Not today. You know- Mm-hmm we'll pick up and do it tomorrow." But I did complete all 30 days. And for anybody wondering, you can go cross-check on Instagram and check it out, all 30 spaces.

Speaker 13 6:18

Yeah. And I know I've had problems in the past telling you that I was gonna be done with something at certain time, and I'm done in the middle of the night and get in trouble for that. So- yeah, I didn't wanna bring that up, but I'll bring it up now. So you said you were gonna be done in 30 days. Took a little longer.

Speaker 12 6:33

It took a little longer. You're right.

Speaker 13 6:35

Did anything you got rid of make you feel guilty? Ooh, let's

Speaker 12 6:38

go. Oh, man. You went in with one of the hardest questions. Okay.

Speaker 13 6:42

Mm-hmm

Speaker 12 6:43

So yes, there was one space I was dreading doing Dreading I was dreadding it. Can you guess what it was?

Speaker 13 6:51

see. Not the makeup drawer.

Speaker 12 6:54

No.

Speaker 13 6:55

Has to be... Oh, the party supplies. No. Party

Speaker 12 6:58

supplies? No. No.

Speaker 13 7:00

Hmm.

Speaker 12 7:00

All right, I'm just gonna tell you.

Speaker 13 7:01

Yeah, tell me.

Speaker 12 7:02

It was my closet.

Speaker 13 7:03

Oh.

Speaker 12 7:04

It was my closet. I was dreading doing- Closet

Speaker 13 7:06

it's the closet. Wow. That was really organized. I didn't think that would've been it.

Speaker 12 7:10

Yes, you're right. It is very organized, color-coded.

Speaker 13 7:14

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 12 7:14

Yep. Mm-hmm. I even have your side color-coded.

Speaker 13 7:17

Yeah.

Speaker 12 7:19

And I was dreading that one. I think the little slip in the jar was deep in the bottom, and I was not digging for it-

Speaker 13 7:25

No

Speaker 12 7:25

because I knew, and this is the part that's, I think, hard for me to share, is that I knew I had over-consumed, and that was gonna be an area that I would be-

Speaker 13 7:35

Mm-hmm

Speaker 12 7:35

feeling guilty about getting rid of some of those things, 'cause some of them I had bought in the last six to 12 months. But I knew that I wasn't wearing them. They weren't serving me. But I think there's a backstory that we need to consider here.

Speaker 13 7:46

Yes.

Speaker 12 7:46

What was it?

Speaker 13 7:47

Colors.

Speaker 12 7:48

Yes.

Speaker 13 7:49

No, I... And that is an amazing backstory, I'm sure, in a future podcast. But, I think it was life-changing for you. I'll just say life-changing.

Speaker 12 7:57

Yes. Getting my colors done was so incredibly, still is very incredibly impactful. And if you have done color analysis, you probably know what I'm talking about. And this is actually slated for a future podcast episode, so stay tuned for that one. It's coming up soon. I have a special guest joining us. But it was so impactful that I kinda went hog wild on- Mm-hmm buying things in my colors, and then subsequently I went and had a style analysis, and I bought all sorts of things that I thought fit my style. And I was buying for a version of myself that is not in this season.

Speaker 13 8:31

Yeah, that's true. But I mean, still if you're buying in your colors and in your style,, you feel like you're not over-consuming 'cause you're buying things that actually work. But if you get carried away, I guess with anything, yeah.

Speaker 12 8:44

I got carried away. I did get carried away. And I went through every single piece of clothing in my closet, and I counted them.

Speaker 13 8:53

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 12 8:53

I counted every single piece, and what I found is that I had way more tops than bottoms, and I needed to pare it down. Like, things just weren't making sense, and it was such a helpful exercise, but there was a lot of guilt that came up in that. Yeah. And I still have my pile downstairs, and that is going to be donated to a women's shelter. And I feel really good about the values alignment with that, is that I do love giving and serving and helping in some way, and this feels like a way for me to give back, that I'm not just donating it to the local donation center. This is going with intention to women that can use these pieces that are nearly new. So I do feel really good about that, but I think it does change and give perspective about buying behaviors moving forward.

Speaker 13 9:34

Yeah, no, I mean, it, it made me feel better about my two pair of jeans that

Speaker 12 9:38

I have. Okay, that's dramatic. Yeah. You have more than two pair of jeans. All right, you ready for your next question?

Speaker 13 9:43

Yeah.

Speaker 12 9:45

What would you tell someone whose partner wants to do something like this?

Speaker 13 9:51

Well, I think, you know, honestly, it is hard, if you have different beliefs, or if you're just raised differently. Um, a lot of it, I was raised to not get rid of a lot of things or, like, a lot of things hold a lot of memories. So that's a part that, I would have to work through. Um, but just over the years, working through all of the decluttering and kind of realizing what things mean and that the actual object doesn't hold the value of the memory for the most part, it's just kind of freeing. So I mean Let your partner at least explore it because, for me, it is it just, like, relieves the weight. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it just relieves the weight, you know? I'm, I've taken some of this, professionally to my work, and it makes things easier just being more organized. And not even necessarily organized, but just not having so much stuff that you have to manage, and it is helpful, and you just have to be open for that and work through it any which way you can. But I would definitely say support whoever wants to go down this journey.

Speaker 12 10:59

I love what you just said there, and I think there's something really important. You used the word explore. Like, let your partner explore this process. And I'm really lucky, because you've always let me explore decluttering from very, very early time of us being together. Even if I wasn't going crazy with decluttering, you've always let me kind of take that journey on myself. And there is a little bit of, like, when you model a behavior, your partner, your family- Mm-hmm other people around you, they really start to pick up on it.

Speaker 13 11:27

Yeah, I just think they notice, not from you necessarily, but they just notice the environment. There is a definite change and a shift, and I think that's, that's really important. And I just can't state, how life-changing it is. And I know that sounds, like, extreme, but you know, it's just those little things added up can make a huge difference.

Speaker 12 11:47

Absolutely.

Speaker 13 11:48

All right, let's see here. Did the house feel different when you were done, or did it take a while to notice?

Speaker 12 11:55

Oh, no. This one I can answer immediately, because I do think that I felt it every single day after I was done with the projects. I felt this huge weight off my shoulders, even for silly little things like the makeup drawer, the junk drawer, the little coffee and tea spot in the kitchen. Like, going and seeing those spaces that I visit every day and having to open up those drawers or cabinets was, an instant sigh of relief every day. And it's crazy that, again, only in 10 to 20 minutes tops, how much it can impact things

Speaker 13 12:29

So if you did another 30 days, what would you do differently? I mean, would you, like, do my toolbox for me? Well- I mean, there's some of the stuff in the garage I don't want you to do

Speaker 12 12:38

I guess the bigger question is, do you trust me to do your toolbox?

Speaker 13 12:42

Ooh, I don't know. That's tricky. There's some pretty cool things in there.

Speaker 12 12:46

Yeah, there, there are. I still don't know the difference between some of the basic tools, but I find what I need when I need to go in there. Yeah. But that's, that is a really fun topic, and I think that the garage is a point of contention for a lot of couples.

Speaker 13 12:58

Yeah, yeah. No, I mean- Why? Oh, well, I was just gonna go back to the toolbox thing.

Speaker 12 13:02

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 13 13:03

But, you know.

Speaker 12 13:03

Well, let's talk about that for a moment, because I think the garage, it does a lot. It serves a lot.

Speaker 13 13:09

Well, I think it's a, communal space that serves people differently. I know with you, you want a very nice, not, like, medically clean space, but you wanna come home to a garage that's clean and uncluttered.

Speaker 12 13:26

Yes.

Speaker 13 13:26

Which sounds just amazing for me, but I'm also a guy that likes to do things and have projects. And unless I had, like, a separate space, like maybe I could just roll my toolbox into the living room or to the loft and have that- as my, my project space. Um, but I think that's, that's kind of it, is, you know, everyone sees that space as their own, and it's not, like, I don't wanna say a formal space, but it's not, like, a real public space, for hosting or whatever you wanna call it. So it's like, "Ooh, I wanna do this here," or, "I wanna do this here." And then, the kids show up and they pile their shoes over there, or they pile their clothes there. It's just...

Speaker 12 14:03

Yeah. Yeah. It's, it's a high-traffic space, for sure. Exactly. And I do think we've reached a middle ground on it, that it has function, it has purpose. We can still use it. You're smiling at me- Of course like you totally disagree. So clarify.

Speaker 13 14:19

I just want my cool garage with all my tchotchkes.

Speaker 12 14:21

Yes. Yes, you do. And we haven't gotten rid of all your tchotchkes. No, no, of course not. You have, you have your tchotchkes, and they're in a safe space. But let's talk about the season that we're in.

Speaker 13 14:31

Oh, yeah. No, for sure.

Speaker 12 14:33

What... Is it even possible- No. Oh, yeah to enjoy the tchotchkes in this season?

Speaker 13 14:37

No. No, it's not. No, we're really busy with all the activities. But yeah, it's just, I don't know, it's just one of those things the back of your head, that you're always thinking about. Um, but- You know, when the garage is clean, it does feel good just to park both cars in the garage, which I know a lot of people don't do. Mm-hmm.

Speaker 12 14:55

You know,

Speaker 13 14:55

just park both cars in the garage, go in, and it's your first e- impression of the house when you get home from work or wherever you're doing, and you're just like, "Ah." It's calming. It's not like, "Oh gosh, I have to climb over all these boxes to get into the house." It's just like, okay. It's, refreshing, right?

Speaker 12 15:09

Yes. Yes. I'm so glad that you said that because let's think about that. The front door, most people enter through, or the garage, right, to get into their house. It's usually one of two spaces. Mm-hmm. And if either of those spaces are greeting you with overwhelm, your nervous system is already activated by the time you get home. And for somebody like you, at the end of your long workday and you're entering the home, and you're walking through the pile of sports clothes and shoes and Amazon boxes and stuff that needs to be returned, oh, what is that feeling like?

Speaker 13 15:39

Oh, man. If I was walking through, like, all my chachkis- I, it would probably take me like a half an hour to an hour just to make it through the garage- I wouldn't see you because I'd just be like, yeah, sidetracked. Um, but yeah, what does it make me feel like?

Speaker 12 15:50

Yeah.

Speaker 13 15:50

Walking into the clutter or the clean?

Speaker 12 15:53

The crap.

Speaker 13 15:54

Yeah. No, like, man, I really wanna park my car in the garage, but there's stuff here, and it's, oh, yeah. Yeah. No, it's, it's a little frustrating, right?

Speaker 12 16:00

It is. It is. Mm-hmm. So this, I think, is a really good topic for, I think, future sharing to my audience because the garage comes up so often. It's that shared space. We'll circle back to this one. Maybe we can do a mini-declutter together in that space and see- Ooh how that turns out. What would be the first space you'd pick in the garage?

Speaker 13 16:21

I don't know. I always say the toolbox, but-

Speaker 12 16:22

Yeah

Speaker 13 16:23

yeah, let's, we could do the toolbox. Toolbox. 'Cause, you know, after, living with your decluttering madness over the years- um, and just, getting rid of what doesn't matter, I, I did it at work. I cleared out some things there, and it just makes it so much nicer, so much easier.

Speaker 12 16:38

I'm so proud of you. All right, I got a question for you.

Speaker 13 16:42

Okay.

Speaker 12 16:43

What was the biggest change that you noticed in the house or in my energy?

Speaker 13 16:47

Ooh. You were happy. No, um,

Speaker 12 16:52

I'm always happy when I'm decluttering. All right.

Speaker 13 16:54

Um, no, it's just, it's just the energy. And, I'm not saying you're overwhelmed, but there is a form of or a little bit of overwhelm just in, in general when you have all these things that you're thinking about, all these projects. Um, and I just think it's just a little freeing for you. You know, you're not, worried about this or that, the kitchen counter does get cluttered from time to time and, I could tell the difference in you. You could tell a difference in me when that happens, and it's just like, okay. But those 30 days, it was like every day it was a breath of fresh air, you know?

Speaker 12 17:28

Oh my gosh. Can we just talk about the kitchen counter for a second?

Speaker 13 17:31

It's cluttered again. It is cluttered again. It's

Speaker 12 17:34

not me though. Oh, man. That is a zone that is- always an uphill battle. Mm-hmm. I'm not gonna sit here and t- tell everyone that we have a perfectly clean kitchen every night. Even when we try to do the kitchen tuck-in pretty consistently, it doesn't always happen.

Speaker 13 17:50

Yeah. No. For some reason, like, six cups show up by the morning.

Speaker 12 17:53

Yeah. It's always cups, papers, all the things. Mm-hmm. But I wanna say that I have learned not to be so rigid-

Speaker 13 18:00

Mm-hmm

Speaker 12 18:00

about that, and I think you have brought that to me, is that it doesn't have to be perfect. We're not trying to put a Pinterest worthy home together every day. We don't have guests coming in our front door judging us every single moment.

Speaker 13 18:12

But it, it's also, like, that aesthetic that you think striving to, where you think, "Oh, everyone else's house is, spotless," and like, no, everyone else lives in their house. And I'm not saying our house is better than everyone else's, but our house is pretty damn organized and clean. And I think it's just that, I'm gonna say unrealistic expectation, but almost that unrealistic expectation of what our house should look like, like a perfectly clean model home when, we do live in our house.

Speaker 12 18:40

Yes.

Speaker 13 18:41

And our family does family from time to time.

Speaker 12 18:45

Yes. We, we are living in our space. And yeah, thanks social media, thanks- Mm-hmm internet, you know, for setting the bar way too high. But yeah, we are definitely in a season where we are busy, and not every night we're gonna clean up every single space perfectly, but I think that we have every zone to a manageable level now- Yes to where it does not take a long time to do the kitchen cleanup or any of the other spaces. Would you agree?

Speaker 13 19:11

Yeah, no, I totally agree with that. Like you are preaching to the choir

Speaker 12 19:14

here. Okay.

Speaker 13 19:16

Ooh, I got a good one here. Was there anything you kept that you probably should have let go?

Speaker 12 19:23

Oh, man Yeah,

Speaker 13 19:23

you gotta think about this one.

Speaker 12 19:25

Yeah. Let me take a sip of coffee for that one. So I'm gonna go back to the closet. I think there were some clothes in there that I was considering donating. Mm-hmm. But you know how I am sometimes. I might overdo it a little bit. I'd say I'm much better about this now, that I don't radically get rid of an insane- Oh, yeah amount of stuff at one time, and I didn't wanna do that with my closet. I was being realistic with myself. It's like if I hadn't worn it in six to 12 months, I needed a long, hard-

Speaker 13 19:51

Mm-hmm

Speaker 12 19:51

think about, is this something that actually matches the season am I'm in? Do I feel joy when I wear it? Did I... I even tried some things on, was like, "Do I love this? Does it fit my body right? Like, why do I wanna keep it?" I had to really ask myself why. There were some things that stayed in my closet- Yeah that I feel like now that I go back in there, I'm like, "Ooh, maybe I should add this to that pile of stuff."

Speaker 13 20:10

Yeah, but there was that, that one shirt that you...

Speaker 12 20:13

Oh, yeah.

Speaker 13 20:14

Remember? Yep. But that you were gonna get rid of and, and you didn't, right?

Speaker 12 20:18

Is that- You're right.

Speaker 13 20:18

Yeah.

Speaker 12 20:19

Yeah. I wore it last weekend, right? And I put it on and I said, "This one was gonna go in the donate pile," and I am so glad I didn't get rid of it.

Speaker 13 20:26

Mm-hmm. Oh, yeah, no, and I mean, I'm totally guilty of it too, you know? You wanna keep every screw or little Allen wrench that comes with your furniture. Yeah. And it's like, oh man, I'm- that one day I'm gonna, keep it and use it, just get rid of it, donate it, recycle it. We're definitely not the people that are keeping our clothes from the past decades, just for that in case moment or whatever. We have a couple of things that have some good sentimental value, but when I say a couple of things, I probably have, like, two or three things from decades ago.

Speaker 12 20:54

Well, I think there's more than that. We have them in a special spot. Yeah. But it is a small amount. You're right. I will agree with that, that we're not keeping things just because we bought it or that-

Speaker 13 21:02

Yeah

Speaker 12 21:03

or keeping it out of guilt. I think that, that-

Speaker 13 21:05

Yeah

Speaker 12 21:06

I didn't keep anything in my closet, by the way, that I felt guilty about. Mm-hmm. I think I worked through that feeling as I was doing this decluttering, but I did keep a couple things that I was like, "Shoot, maybe I don't need to keep this," but I'm gonna force myself to keep it for six to 12 months and see how I feel about it then. And if I haven't worn it, then probably time to donate it.

Speaker 13 21:24

Yeah, 'cause someone else probably will wear it, you know?

Speaker 12 21:28

Like- Mm-hmm. Yep. Is it my turn to ask you?

Speaker 13 21:31

Yes.

Speaker 12 21:31

All right. Okay, so here's my question for you Okay During this project, did any of this rub off on you, maybe that I couldn't see or that I could see?

Speaker 13 21:42

I think it's hard for me to say if this project rubbed off on me, like this exact one, I don't know. But, just this in the past has definitely had a huge impact on my life and me keeping things just for the sentimental or emotional or just the I might need it one day aspect. Um, like, I don't know, rub off on me, this one project.

Speaker 12 22:09

Okay. That's okay.

Speaker 13 22:11

Yeah. I mean-

Speaker 12 22:12

I've rubbed off on you- You- over the last many decades.

Speaker 13 22:15

Yeah, that, that, that's kinda, that, that's kinda what I'm saying. Like, I mean, this, this one was definitely like, okay, yeah, no, it, it's... we got rid of a lot of things that we didn't need, and, it's, it's one of those things like, okay, you know what? I really don't need that kitchen gadget. I like kitchen gadgets, but, we shouldn't just keep it just for the sake of keeping it.

Speaker 12 22:32

Hmm. Okay, wait, I have a follow-up question to this one. Okay.

Speaker 13 22:34

Uh-oh.

Speaker 12 22:35

Now I'm really, I'm really gonna challenge you here. So you know I had a big ass box in the garage- Uh-huh that I said I was gonna put everything in this box, and I'm not gonna donate it until I'm done with the 30-day decluttering journey. So this box, it was slowly but surely building, and it's a box that you would pass every single day when you'd come home. Mm-hmm. And I'm sure you looked in there.

Speaker 13 22:56

Hmm.

Speaker 12 22:58

I'm sure.

Speaker 13 22:58

I try not to look at what's leaving the house anymore- Okay honestly, but,

Speaker 12 23:01

you know. So here, here's the question.

Speaker 13 23:03

Okay.

Speaker 12 23:04

Was there anything in the box-

Speaker 13 23:06

Ooh

Speaker 12 23:07

that you wish I had not gotten rid of?

Speaker 13 23:12

No

Speaker 12 23:13

Nothing?

Speaker 13 23:14

I didn't look in the box

Speaker 12 23:16

really. Oh, okay. I think the last space I did was the kitchen gadget-

Speaker 13 23:20

Oh, is

Speaker 12 23:20

that- space, and I had it all on the counter, and I didn't get it in the box in time, and you came home

Speaker 13 23:25

I think it's that weird avocado thing. Yes. I think it's the avocado thing, right? Um, but yeah, I just make guacamole, so I don't need, like, perfectly sliced avocados.

Speaker 12 23:33

No, how many times have we used that? Uh, seriously, how many times have you used it? I've never used it. You've never used it? No. And I used it once- I- and I got frustrated with it, and I was like, "Why the heck do I need a tool like this?"

Speaker 13 23:40

No, no, I don't... I mash avocados, I don't slice them.

Speaker 12 23:43

Okay. So that one- Mm-hmm easy, easy. No, but there were a couple things from the kitchen, in that cabinet particularly, that were yours.

Speaker 13 23:51

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 12 23:51

And I remember thinking like, "Oh, crap, he's gonna get home and see all of this." I wasn't hiding anything from you. What was

Speaker 13 23:56

it? I

Speaker 12 23:57

mean- there was a bunch of stuff.

Speaker 13 23:58

Yeah.

Speaker 12 23:59

Like, we had a dumpling maker. We had a- Oh, yeah, the dumpling maker you know, different random, attachments to-

Speaker 13 24:05

Oh

Speaker 12 24:05

to things that I didn't-

Speaker 13 24:06

We were keeping those. I don't know why we were keeping those- No, I, I

Speaker 12 24:08

don't know why

Speaker 13 24:08

cause we got rid of those a long time ago. The other, what they attach to. Okay. I don't know. I mean, there are things in the past I'm sure. I just have to think about what we've gotten

Speaker 12 24:16

rid of and- Oh, I kn- I know there's one. Oh. I know there's one. Okay. And go ahead, g- call me out right now. No, tell me

Speaker 13 24:20

what it is.

Speaker 12 24:20

No, I can't even believe you're not remembering this.

Speaker 13 24:23

Well, it's probably good I'm not remembering it. What?

Speaker 12 24:27

Your dresser.

Speaker 13 24:29

My dresser? Oh, man. It's always nice to come home from work and all your clothes are in a laundry basket because you got rid of my dresser.

Speaker 12 24:39

Your one and only dresser. I- My one

Speaker 13 24:40

and only dresser

Speaker 12 24:41

cannot remember why.

Speaker 13 24:44

Oh, man, I'm not gonna talk to you for the rest of the day. Oh,

Speaker 12 24:46

no, no. I, I don't know what compelled me to get rid of your dresser, but there must've been some really good reason. But you're not lying when you say this. You came home from work and all your stuff was in a laundry basket, and I- Yeah Sold your dresser on Marketplace. I was like, "Oh, we don't need this," and you're like, "What?"

Speaker 13 25:01

Yeah. Why did you get rid of my dresser?

Speaker 12 25:03

I don't even know, but now that we're way far removed from that-

Speaker 13 25:08

But see, this is the perfect point. You can't get attached to objects because I forgot all about that. You brought it up, so- I know you don't need a dresser, you just need a laundry basket on the floor. Yeah. You did get a new dresser- Yeah in all fairness, at some point, so there must've been some great reason why we got rid of that dresser. I'm sure there was. It hurts, though.

Speaker 12 25:26

Oh, I'm so sorry. I'll apologize for that one. All right. What do you got for me? Did anything shift emotionally that you didn't expect? Um, let's talk about the, the decoration box. This is a funny one because when I did these reels and filmed these, I had no idea which spaces would kind of pop off and people would be so excited about. And I remember doing the decoration bin, on a Saturday morning. We had our day, and I didn't wanna spend a lot of time, so I was like, "Oh, this one should be pretty easy. You know, 10, 15 minutes tops. It's already pretty organized." But there's a lot of stuff. Like, I couldn't even clip the box closed because there were so many banners and bunting and cute stuff in there.

Speaker 13 26:04

It's not even a big box.

Speaker 12 26:05

No, it's a tiny box. We're intentional. We get boxes that fit in the space that we live in, and so we have some storage in our garage, and we have boxes specifically that fit almost like, Tetris in there, right? That we can maximize the space, but we can only keep what fits in the boxes. But this box- Mm-hmm was one of those ones. I think it's cracked on the top because it was, bulging, right? Yeah. So emotionally, when I went through this box, I didn't realize, how I would start feeling about keeping, themed birthday banners and first-day-of-school bunting and all these little things because this part is more emotional, right? Yeah. This is the, the milestone moments, the special birthdays, and I love making birthdays and holidays and milestones really special. So those were a little bit harder to get rid of. Mm-hmm. A little bit more emotional. Way harder than clothes, definitely.

Speaker 13 27:01

Yeah, and I think, having a lot of that just sitting there, it's good for the memory, but I mean, we have, what? Like, almost 90,000 pictures. So we have visuals. Yes. We just might not have the material object, but some of them, yes, they had some meaning, but it's worth them moving on 'cause, you don't know what the next few years of memories are gonna bring that you're gonna need space for that might mean a little bit more than-

Speaker 12 27:29

Wow

Speaker 13 27:30

you know. Yeah. Beginning-your-end-of-the-school-year bunting. You're s- Thank

Speaker 12 27:35

you, Pinterest. You're so right, and the things that I kept in that box were things that were consistently brought out for the holidays. Mm-hmm. Like, I have a little light box that we use, and that one shows up for every birthday, and I have this one tattered birthday banner. I did not get rid of that one. That one's the one that was like, maybe we didn't have all the decoration or we were celebrating something special, and I think it just says, "Celebrate," on it, so I use it for so many different general celebrations, but I was like, "I can't get rid of this one. We've used this one so many times. It's in so many photos."

Speaker 13 27:59

And I, think just having those one or two, like, small things-

Speaker 12 28:03

Mm-hmm

Speaker 13 28:04

when we're celebrating something, that's gonna mean more than just, a wall full of balloons and this, that, and the other because that's what's gonna create the memory. It's like, "Oh gosh, remember this banner? Yeah, we've had it for,, 40 years. I've had it every one of my birthday parties." And as opposed to, like- Aw you know, a garage full of boxes with stuff you're never gonna take out, but you take out that one thing every year and- Your family knows that it's time to celebrate, or they know- Oh that it's time.

Speaker 12 28:31

You're making me cry over here. I'm getting teary thinking about this. Like, you just gave us such a good visual because it's so true, right? I've gotten in that, you know, social media trap of decorating for a very specific theme for each birthday. And you're right, you're not gonna reuse the same whatever, you know, coquette bow theme again two years in a row. Usually people don't. But that banner, the same banner that you take out every single year- Mm that has meaning, that has seen so many special occasions, that's the stuff, right?

Speaker 13 29:03

Yeah, no, you just have to have that special thing. And, don't get me wrong, you can have, like, a really nice, well-decorated party, and that's amazing- Of course and so much fun. But it's just, sometimes it's just those little things, it's oh, yeah, and then that just brings back memories of all the parties or celebrations past.

Speaker 12 29:19

Yes. Yep. This one, I think, is a whole nother great topic to dive into. Do you have any other questions for me? Let's do one more each.

Speaker 13 29:29

Okay.

Speaker 12 29:29

What do you think?

Speaker 13 29:30

Yes, it's your turn to

Speaker 12 29:31

All right Would you do it again? Meaning would you let me do this again, let's just say, I don't know, in six months? 30-day decluttering project

Speaker 13 29:43

Um, well first you don't need my permission, and you don't always ask for my permission, but-

Speaker 12 29:48

True.

Speaker 13 29:50

No, of course, I would let you do it again. Like- In six months, a year from now, we don't know what that point in, our life is gonna be and what we need and what we've realized isn't important. So yeah, no, of course, I'd let you do it all over again,

Speaker 12 30:07

yeah. Just,

Speaker 13 30:08

yeah, maybe stay out of the toolbox. I'm not sure yet about that one. Um, and I like my dresser, so-

Speaker 12 30:13

Yeah. Okay, two spaces, no toolbox, no dresser. I mean, in fairness, I will never get rid of a dresser for you again. You can keep your dresser. I forgot

Speaker 13 30:20

about that one. That one's kind of big.

Speaker 12 30:21

Yeah. Yeah, and I, I know better not to mess with the toolbox. So I think you're right that especially right now in the phase that we're in with our kiddos, right, that we have, some milestones. It feels like the seasons are changing, and yeah, the stuff that we've gotten rid of through this process, I realized, was, no longer serving us. It was not stuff that we would be utilizing again. Mm-hmm. Or maybe it was for that old version of us, and then sometimes it is hard and it's difficult to say goodbye to those things. But to your point, we have amazing memories. We have beautiful photos. In fact, we're working on a very special project right now- Mm where we've had to go through- Oh, yeah literally all 90... I think we're almost at 100,000 photos. We've had to go through all of them. Yeah. And we can see all the special birthdays, all the snow trips with the snow clothes that for some reason I still was holding onto. I think I did that early in the decluttering, right? I pulled out the snow bin. Yeah. Um, and guys, we don't even live... I mean, we live close enough to the snow, but when was the last time we went to the snow?

Speaker 13 31:21

When we didn't live here.

Speaker 12 31:22

Yeah. You,

Speaker 13 31:23

you wouldn't have expected snow to be there where we lived anyways, so

Speaker 12 31:26

yeah. No, so like six years ago. Yeah. So it was kind of funny. When I took out the snow stuff, I was like, "Does this even fit anyone? We should do a fashion show." It would've been hilarious, but I was holding onto it.

Speaker 13 31:35

Yeah, you sent me to Montana in,, negative 20 degree weather, and I didn't even have-

Speaker 12 31:39

And you

Speaker 13 31:39

didn't like, the snow clothes didn't even fit, so. No.

Speaker 12 31:41

Yeah. Yeah. And I still held onto it. Weird, right?

Speaker 13 31:44

Okay, final question for you here. You ready?

Speaker 12 31:46

I'm ready.

Speaker 13 31:47

What would you tell someone who's standing in a room full of stuff right now and doesn't know where to start?

Speaker 12 31:53

Ah. Mm-hmm. Best question of the day. I love this question because this is where everybody gets stuck, right? And this is the whole reason why I started Making the Space and my coaching business, is that I so passionately believe in helping people get clear on their why. You need to know why you are keeping what you are keeping. Yes. Have a vision for that space. So let's work through this together, 'cause I'm really curious what your response would be, and let's pick a challenging space. Let's imagine that somebody's standing in front of a pile of stuff and they don't know where to begin. Mm-hmm. In our house, what would that look like? 'Cause we're being real with you guys. This is totally authentic. We do not have a perfectly organized home. Like my husband said, we live in our home, and there are spaces that we just don't get to, and there was one I didn't get to on the decluttering journey- Mm-hmm because that's gonna take more than 20 minutes.

Speaker 13 32:44

Yes. The under the stairs closet.

Speaker 12 32:48

Yep, I'm so glad that you thought of that. Mm-hmm. That's the one. And by the way, when they build these little under-stair storage areas that have bars in there to be, what is that, like, a coat rack type of thing? Like, what... Do people really use it as that? It's

Speaker 13 33:03

a coat closet.

Speaker 12 33:03

A coat closet, yeah. Yeah. But- Yeah does anybody really store their coats in those?

Speaker 13 33:09

Maybe some people.

Speaker 12 33:10

Maybe some people. I maximize the heck out of any storage space that I can. So what do we have in ours?

Speaker 13 33:19

Hmm. There's lots and lots... Um, there's wrapping paper, the random stuff that gets thrown in there. There are organized boxes of memories- which is good. I don't know. There's some luggage, some suitcases. Um, crafting project, or boxes. You did that craft cart, right?

Speaker 12 33:39

Yep, did the craft

Speaker 13 33:39

cart. That's kinda where that lives. Um, but yeah, there's stuff, and not necessarily stuff we need-

Speaker 12 33:47

Yeah

Speaker 13 33:47

or stuff that serves us now.

Speaker 12 33:50

Right. Okay, so this is a really good one. So if I were standing in front of this closet today, and I can almost, feel it in my body right now. I'm feeling the, the overwhelming stress because we're at the end of the school year. There's so much stuff- Mm-hmm that's just been shoved in there. We've had to kinda clean up on weekends, and you just, you called it out, right? When you're having guests over or you just need to clear some space, that's the closet where all the stuff goes behind a closed door.

Speaker 13 34:14

And that's the spot where other people in the house, when they are asked to clean things up, they might just- Put 'em there

Speaker 12 34:20

Yeah, they might hide. Yeah, we, we know their secrets

Speaker 13 34:22

Yeah

Speaker 12 34:22

We know their secrets. We find

Speaker 13 34:24

it Not, not a good hiding spot

Speaker 12 34:25

We always find it

Speaker 13 34:26

Mm-hmm

Speaker 12 34:26

If I were staring at that spot, the first question I would ask myself is, "How do I want this space to function?" And for us, it is the keeper of a lot of very important sentimental things. Mm-hmm. It is also a quick access space for things that we do need to access every once in a while, like the wrapping paper- Yeah or the luggage. It is kind of like a little office organizer area too, that has, mailing supplies and whatnot. But there's a lot of stuff that lands in there that does not fall into any of those categories. Yeah. So how do I want that space to function? I want it to be purposeful, I want it to be helpful, and I want it to be organized and keep those sentimental things safe, right?

Speaker 13 35:12

Yeah. And I don't wanna say throw ourselves under the bus, but I mean, we do go through this, but I think that's one of those things you do need to constantly go through and reevaluate- Oh, yes what you have, yep. So yes, we might clean it, and then life happens and- Mm oh man, there's stuff in there again, and we gotta go back through it again, you know?

Speaker 12 35:32

Yeah. Yep. It... Life life's, right? And stuff piles up, and we have... We, we're working on some special projects right now, and so we really had to go deep into- Mm-hmm the abyss of the closet, get some stuff out.

Speaker 13 35:45

But working on those projects, being organized and keeping the things that really mean something, you know where to find things too.

Speaker 12 35:52

Yes.

Speaker 13 35:53

It's just getting over the things that don't belong there can be kind of a pain in the butt.

Speaker 12 35:57

Yeah. It's like Jumanji, right? Like you have to- It's a whole- go through. You, you really have to go through an adventure to get to the stuff in the back that is very neatly organized, and that, I'm glad you noticed that. So maybe my crazy systems of organizing all the schoolwork and the keepsakes and the clothes, like all of that is actually serving us quite well- Yeah right now as we've needed to access those things.

Speaker 13 36:19

Maybe those spots were put in there for the builders as like little like playhouses for kids or something. I don't know.

Speaker 12 36:26

I always wanted to do one of those. Yeah. And I bet some of you guys out there- have like a really cool under stairs hideout thing. Yeah. And that, those are just awesome. We should make one for us in our adult lives. What would you put in there?

Speaker 13 36:36

I don't know. I'd just make one for the dog.

Speaker 12 36:38

Who is interrupting our podcast right now. Yes. A little, a little dog house for the dog. Yeah, so that would be where I would encourage anyone to start. If you are looking at something that feels so incredibly overwhelming, ask yourself, how do you want that space to function? What do you want it to do for you? How does it need to serve you? And get clear on that why. Yeah. Get clear on why you're keeping that stuff in the first place. And as you pick up every single item, it has to go through a filter, right? The filter of Does it match the space? So in our case, is it, is this the sentimental item? Does this belong in the craft cart? Is this a part of the wrapping paper or stuff that we need to keep? And if the answer is yes, then it's an obvious quick yes. If it's a no, then you really need to ask yourself why. Yeah. Why am I keeping this?

Speaker 13 37:27

I think the why, just in general, is just a really important thing with anything, is just realizing your why.

Speaker 12 37:35

Mm-hmm.

Speaker 13 37:35

And that will r- really guide you- with, with a lot of your decision-making, right?

Speaker 12 37:40

Yep. It will help with so much. But I wanna ask you.

Speaker 13 37:44

Me.

Speaker 12 37:44

What are some of the common areas that people might get stuck? So they've gone through the process, they know their filter, they have the vision. So- But they hold that item and they're like,

Speaker 13 37:56

Oof." Oh, okay.

Speaker 12 37:56

When do they get stuck? Let's think about that closet. You know, where would somebody get stuck?

Speaker 13 38:01

Oh, man, just... I don't know, something that you spent money on, right? And you feel guilty getting rid of it, but, you know, maybe it didn't serve you when you got it because, it's buried in a closet, but you just feel guilty because, oh, I spent money on this.

Speaker 12 38:18

Yeah.

Speaker 13 38:19

You know, I think, I think that's a big thing is like, ooh, I, I really shouldn't get rid of it because I spent some money. But it's like, it's just a waste of money anyways because it's just sitting there.

Speaker 12 38:27

You nailed it. You know? You nailed it. I think that's one of the most common areas that people get stuck on is that I spent good money on this. Yeah. Another one might be, what if I need it, right? Mm-hmm, yeah. But then nobody really considers the cost of keeping- Mm-hmm the stuff that you are not using. Just because you spent good money on it, just because you feel guilty letting it go, or just because you think you might need it in 10 years, the cost of managing that, tell me your perspective on it. I know mine.

Speaker 13 38:56

I'm just gonna go back. I know it goes, go back to tools, but, I don't know how many like 13 millimeter or half-inch wrenches you actually need, but man, I feel like I need like 10 of each. But, just the more that you have, the longer it takes to actually find what you need, right? So you might have all these things. You might have that one tool for this project or this one gadget for this thing that you're cooking, but to find it, it just takes that much longer. You know, just, from learning when I was a young kid and, from my grandma, just do it once so you don't have to do it, later on, 'cause that's gonna take longer. You know, go clean your room. Don't just throw it on the floor, 'cause then you're gonna have to clean it two or three times. Like, yeah.

Speaker 12 39:47

I don't know. Yes. Yeah. That's, I think, a really good example to share, and to wrap up this episode today, I just wanna share a special moment that made me realize that all of this is so worth it, to continue to declutter, to live with less, and be really clear on why we're keeping what we're keeping. Is it serving us right now in this season? And yesterday, early weekend morning, we don't have that weekend energy now where we need the kids and the whole house to be caught up, cleaned up, organized, purged. We are not spending weekend energy- Mm-hmm managing this stuff anymore. We work really hard. We're really busy. Our kids have a lot going on in their lives, and the last thing I want is to spend the weekends managing all the stuff. Yeah. I don't wanna do it. And so yesterday, what did we get to do?

Speaker 13 40:38

We got to go have a coffee date on the beach.

Speaker 12 40:41

Bright and early.

Speaker 13 40:42

Yeah.

Speaker 12 40:43

Before the kids even got up.

Speaker 13 40:44

Because we didn't have to do anything. And I wanna thank you, because I know those 15 minutes for those 30 days, those really add up because then we're not spending, three hours on a Saturday morning organizing something or cleaning something or not going out and having our coffee date at the beach because, oh, we know that we need to get this done. It's, those 15 minutes a day just free up hours, and that's, I just wanna thank you for that too.

Speaker 12 41:17

Well, thank you- for putting up with all of my decluttering. And that's my- I

Speaker 13 41:22

don't

Speaker 12 41:22

have a choice. I've, like flipping that upside down is something I am, I'm kinda proud of, right? Is that if we can do this during the week, we are prioritizing our time as a family on the weekends and the things that we love, and part of the reason why we relocated and live where we live, right? Mm-hmm. We want to live our life fully, not managing our things. And I think that would be a lovely episode to talk about, just the impact it has had on our family, and I think how we're modeling to our children our relationship with our things and how we wanna live our lives.

Speaker 13 41:56

Yeah.

Speaker 12 41:56

And that goes into a much deeper story.

Speaker 13 41:59

No, I think those, those 15 minutes-

Speaker 12 42:02

Yeah

Speaker 13 42:02

when you give yourself those strict 15 minutes- Opposed to like an unending schedule that, yeah

Speaker 12 42:08

That's all it takes really. Think about it, guys. How many of us are spending 15 minutes here and there throughout the day scrolling on our phones, right? It is stealing that time that is exponential when it adds up over 30 days, and I am proof of that. I can tell you wholeheartedly from somebody that even had an organized home, the impact that this has had on me and my family, and you're hearing it here from my husband, that it really is long-lasting, and it is so worth it.

Speaker 13 42:34

Yeah, no, build the foundation and reap the rewards for sure.

Speaker 12 42:38

Yeah, and you build a rhythm, right? Mm-hmm. We kind of build a rhythm around it.

Speaker 13 42:41

Exactly.

Speaker 12 42:42

Well, I wanna thank you for being my very first guest on my podcast.

Speaker 13 42:47

Well, thank you for the honor.

Speaker 12 42:48

Oh, I've gotta say, you are my biggest supporter, so I thank you for that. Thank you for sharing, and I think I have a lot of ideas for some future episodes on some little topics that popped up here and there.

Speaker 13 42:59

Oh, boy, do I get invited back?

Speaker 12 43:00

You get invited back, absolutely. Thank you for joining us today.

Speaker 13 43:04

All right. Thank you. And before we go, if this episode gave you that little nudge, if you're thinking about a space in your house that you've been avoiding, or maybe you're just ready to find your own coffee date on the beach moment, grab the One Space Reset Kit. It's a short guided reset to help you clear one space at a time. This is exactly what I use to do my own 30-day decluttering journey. So if this is in your home or in your head, your heart, this will be helpful to you. The link is in the show notes. And if you enjoyed this episode, follow the show so you don't miss your Monday reset. We'll see you next week

Speaker 15 43:35

A quick note before we close. This podcast is for education and inspiration. It's not a substitute for therapy or medical care. If you're needing mental health support, please reach out to a licensed provider in your area.