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Declutter Like You Are Moving
by Ali Wenzke January 8, 2021
I decluttered my wine collection over the weekend. I figured if I didn’t drink it in 2020, then I probably never would. When I offered a bottle of decluttered wine to a friend, she asked, “Are you moving again, Ali?”…
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Wellness By Design with Jamie Gold
by Ali Wenzke December 2, 2020
I had the great pleasure of interviewing Jamie Gold, author of Wellness by Design: A Room-by-Room Guide to Optimizing Your Health, Fitness, and Happiness. To watch the full interview or to listen while you set up your home for optimal…
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Organize Your To-Do List with Autumn Nyby
by Ali Wenzke November 4, 2020
With kids remote learning, people working from home, and the cat wondering when everyone will leave, it is a crazy time for all of us. You probably have 165 items on your to-do list, and yet you feel like you…
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Create Your Happy Moments
by Ali Wenzke September 25, 2020
Last week I attended a talk with Katherine Center, bestselling author of Things You Save in a Fire and What You Wish For, and Brené Brown, podcaster and author with one of the most watched TED talks, “The Power of…
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How to Make Friends at School When Remote Learning or Socially Distanced
by Ali Wenzke July 22, 2020
2020 poses many challenges for families who are moving. Of course, there are the logistical concerns and questions about moving during a pandemic. Then, there is the emotional aspect of moving during COVID-19. Will my family be happy in a…
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The Quarantine Donation Program Helps Chicago Non-Profits
by Ali Wenzke May 20, 2020
How can we be happy right now in the middle of a pandemic? The age-old answer is to help someone else. People moving have always helped non-profit organizations when they declutter and donate their items. COVID-19 tried to keep movers…
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Thank you to everyone who joined me today for my d

Thank you to everyone who joined me today for my decluttering and organizing talk, and thank you to the Miami-Dade Public Library for hosting. 🙏😊 We covered a lot of information, so please feel free to reach out with any questions! #artofhappymoving #declutterlikeyouremoving #declutter #declutter #organizedhome #organizingtips #happymoving #downsizing #relocating #homehabits #happyhome #miamidadelibrary #librarytalk #thankyou

We decluttered our linens, and I love this home ha

We decluttered our linens, and I love this home hack, which I believe is attributed to Martha Stewart. I placed each sheet set inside its pillowcase. Now it's easy for the kids to find everything they need to change their sheets. They're like little bedding gift sets. 😍 #happydecluttering #declutter #simplifyyourspace #simplify #organizedhome #organizationideas #artofhappymoving #happymoving #movingday #happiness #sheetsets #linencloset #linens #howto #homehacks #organizinghacks

I've decluttered my DVD collection many times. The

I've decluttered my DVD collection many times. These movies (along with Love Actually and The Holiday) are what remained of MY movies. However, years have passed and not once have I put these in the DVD player to watch them. Instead, I go to Netflix or Amazon and see what I can watch there. Good-bye, DVD friends. It's time to pass you along to someone who will watch you and enjoy you. Thanks for the memories! 😘 #declutterlikeyouremoving #goodbye #donate #repurpose #dvds #girlsnightin #movies #funmovies #declutter #simplify #artofhappymoving #happymoving

Weekend Project: Decluttering Books 📚📚📚(S

Weekend Project: Decluttering Books 📚📚📚(Sorry, book lovers. It needs to be done.) If you are moving, I recommend decluttering books first because: 1. Books are heavy (ie. expensive to move) 2. Their rectangular shape makes them easy to pack 3. This is a good first step to get your emotional decluttering muscles working Even if you are not moving, ask yourself, "Would I want to pack, move, and unpack this book? Or, could I give it to someone else who would enjoy it more than my bookshelf does?" 1-2 Day Project: Books Mood: Fun & festive - it's bookstore time Difficulty level: Medium Gather EVERY book you own. Set it up like a bookstore. (Swipe to see photos of the bookstores I've done for my kids over the years.) Then, start shopping. It's important to browse and see your books OFF of the bookshelf. Pick the books you want to buy. Set your favorite books aside. Do another run-through to make sure you did not miss anything you want to keep. If you are moving, pack the books you love (add a heart to the box when you label it) and put aside the other books to sell or donate. Then, get yourself to a donation site ASAP. Or, if you plan to sell the books, list them online and sell in batches. Do you want to get a head start on your weekend decluttering? Make space for your bookstore and start gathering books from around your home. I'd love to see Before & After photos! We did our family bookstore several months ago, but I wanted to share these past photos in case you are using my Decluttering Order for Moving. Have fun! #declutterlikeyouremoving #declutter #simplify #organize #bookstagram #declutterbooks #shelfie #newbooks #makingspaceforbooks #booklovers #happymoving #movingday #happymoving #artofhappymoving

I love The Home Edit & Marie Kondo, but I take a d

I love The Home Edit & Marie Kondo, but I take a different approach to decluttering. If you are just joining me, welcome. I'll share with you what I'm all about, and you do what works best for you. My husband and I have moved 10 times in 11 years, so I know the decluttering drill. Right now I'm decluttering as if we were moving, although we don't plan on moving any time soon. If you would like a clean, organized home for 2021, join me and we'll do it together. ALI WENZKE'S METHOD FOR DECLUTTERING: I create a store to make decluttering fun for our family of five - whether it's a toy store, a bookstore or a clothing store. Then, we go shopping for what we want to keep. Our mindset is we're about to move, so we choose items we would want to move with us. No more picking up every single item and asking, "Keep or donate?" It's all about a quick, visual decision about what we choose to buy. MARIE KONDO: Choose what "Sparks Joy", gather all clothes in one pile. ALI WENZKE: The item needs to meet a higher threshold than sparking joy, and divide categories into smaller, more manageable sub-categories. Ask yourself: "Do I love this enough to pack it, move it, and unpack it?" There's a cost associated with keeping each item in your home, even if you don't plan on moving soon. Is it worth it? THE HOME EDIT: Beautiful storage, pretty labels, and rainbow colors ALI WENZKE: Heavy emphasis on the edit, minimal labels or storage containers because I like to change things up, and colors that soothe you There is no one way to declutter or organize. Pick and choose what inspires you. I'm in the midst of decluttering my own home right now. We've lived in our house for almost 10 years, and it's in need of a deep clean. I'll be posting on Instagram about what we're going through at the moment, so join me for some decluttering inspiration. If you are moving soon, good luck! You've got this. #artofhappymoving #happymoving #aliwenzke #thehomeedit #konmarie #konmariemethod #declutter #declutterlikeyouremoving
#declutteringtips #movingday #realtors #homestaging #homegoals #homeinspiration

This Thursday, Jan. 21, at 9:30 AM CT, I will be c

This Thursday, Jan. 21, at 9:30 AM CT, I will be chatting with Melanie Hooyenga, YA Author and creator of the Book of Good Journal on IG Live. We will be talking about GRATITUDE and how to become an indie author. This month's Happy Moments IGTV series has been all about self-care. First, I spoke with Missy Vacala about how to improve our food (healthy eating), our mood (our mindset), and our groove (finding happy ways to get moving). Then, I talked with Laurie Palau about how to get out homes organized. Next step? Gratitude! It's time to feel thankful for what we have, and I can't wait to talk with Melanie Hooyenga about it. On Jan. 28, 2021, we will wrap up self-care month with Julie Dickinson, Director of Humble Design, an organization that helps individuals transitioning from homelessness. With our minds, bodies, homes, and hearts taken care of, we are ready for the most important step - helping others. I am excited to talk to YA author and my Instagram friend, Melanie Hooyenga @melaniehoo, on Thursday. Join us live and let's feel gratitude together! #melaniehooyenga #bookofgood #gratitudejournaling #gratitudejournal #gratitude #yaauthor #instagramlive #happymoments

Before, During, & After (Swipe to See) 2-Day Proj

Before, During, & After (Swipe to See) 2-Day Project: My memory chest Mood: I turned on 1980s music videos while snow fell outside my bedroom window Difficulty level: High This chest contains every letter I have received from 3rd grade through post-college. I jumped into the deep end with this project, so do NOT start here if you are beginning to declutter. I'm a pro declutterer (having moved 10 times in 11 years), and this would be the LAST thing I would declutter if I had a move coming up soon. THE PROCESS: I created post-it notes with people's names and time periods that I thought would come up in my memory chest.Then, I started reading letters one by one. If the letter was meaningful, I placed it by the appropriate sticky note. If not, I enjoyed the minutes it took to read the letter, then I threw it in the trash. The process went faster, the more I read. I didn't need to read every single letter my 3rd grade pen pal or my 6th grade summer camp buddy sent to me. I did read every letter my grandmother sent to me and I saved many of them. However, I did not need to save all of them, even though I love her & miss her. In the end, I threw out 15.5 pounds of letters. I relived 15 years of my life in 2 days. It was exhausting and exhilarating. I feel like a new person because I tackled the hardest item to declutter in my home. THINGS I LEARNED: 1. Everyone is SO bored in class/summer camp. 2. Everyone is sorry they haven't written sooner. They've been really busy. 3. No one has anything to say, but they will write again soon. Promise. 4. So & so has been mean to so & so (5th-8th grade, especially). LIFE-CHANGING THINGS I LEARNED: 1. How powerful these words are: "I am the type of person who ___". 2. If you would hesitate to friend a person on social media, his/her stuff should not be in your home. 3. I do not need to relive my life again. I only need to save the letters that make me smile from the people I love. I used to be the type of person who saved every letter she received. Now I am the type of person who will appreciate kind gestures in the moment & save only the treasures I want by my bedside when I'm 101 years old. #decluttering

I LOVE how many people have messaged me to say the

I LOVE how many people have messaged me to say they're ready to declutter with me. Before we get started, I want to set ground rules. I'm warning you up front. If you don't want tough love, then I'm not the right person to follow on this. Also, I didn't plan to do this like a structured workshop. This is just me, doing what I would be doing whether anyone was following me or not. I am not moving right now, so I'm decluttering in any order that inspires me on a particular day. If you're ready to do this, here are the rules: 1. Do NOT buy anything to help you organize. Seriously, don't. If you bought something, cancel your order or return it. 2. Do NOT buy anything AT ALL (except food). If you were moving in 2 months, you would not buy yourself a new pair of pants or an additional bottle of shampoo. You would use what you had first and then wait until after the move. So, adopt the mindset that you are decluttering for a move. 3. Write down your goals. Why are you doing this? What do you plan to accomplish? 4. Figure out where your unwanted stuff will go. Do you have a place to donate or sell your items? 5. You will declutter YOUR items and no one else's. You cannot throw away other people's stuff (even your kids' old toys). We are each focusing on our own items ONLY. Please feel free to message me with questions or before/after photos & videos. If I don't respond due to my spam filter, please comment directly in an IG post. I'm excited you're joining me. We are going to feel INCREDIBLE when this is done. #declutteringtips
#declutter #declutterchallenge #declutterlikeyouremoving
#happymoving #movingday #artofhappymoving #toughlove #goalsetting #homegoals🏡

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