Treasures & Surprises Found When Clearing Out Clutter
Sometimes when you declutter you get surprised, in a good way, with what you find. Here are quite a few tales from those who found treasures while clearing out clutter from their homes as part of the Declutter 365 missions.
I really loved reading all these stories from readers who found items special to them in some way while they got rid of clutter and cleaned up their homes. It makes me happy to see additional and unexpected benefits from getting rid of the clutter in your home!
If you too have found something fun, or exciting, or that made you happy while you were doing any of these daily decluttering missions I would absolutely love to hear about it, so tell me below, in the comments, or you can send your photos in here and the best ones may be added to the page or site!
It seemed that the stories and dicoveries fell into a few categories, so I've arranged them that way below:
Found Cold Hard Cash
One of the most common items find when decluttering is cash, either coins or bills, or both. They can find a little inside the couch cushions, or a LOT somewhere often unexpected!
These four photos, in the collage above, were sent in by the following readers, from top to bottom, left to right, and what they told me about the money they found:
- Shirley - "I found a bag full of old coins. I think they belonged to my husband's father that he got when cleaning out their house. Don't know the amount yet. I'm sure it's over $100."
- Leah - "Our family cleaned today because it was a snow day. Under the fridge had fallen an unopened graduation envelope from a relative with $20 bucks in it! SCORE!! (She graduated 8 months ago!! LOL)"
- Dina - "Decluttered: clock, TV remote, 3 old pair of slippers, shower curtain rod, a candy jar (my jellybean estimation winner), ripped house flag, four spray bottles of SAME cleaner, 2 shirts, 3 pairs of pants, Christmas wreath, Christmas potholder/towel, soy sauce. . . Found: $7.16!"
- Melissa - "Starting in the living to declutter since painting- took a break to polish silver and look what I found!!! $30!!!! Time to keep digging!!!"
Discovered Checks, Gift Cards & Other Non-Cash Money
In addition to finding cash, many people also found money in other forms, such as undeposited checks and gift cards.
These three photos from the collage above are all from readers, and here is what they told me about what they found, listed from top to bottom, left to right:
- Becky - "An uncashed check I have been looking for since last month"
- Suzi - "While cleaning out top mug shelf I found these 2 comp passes to Universal Studios from a trip we took in 2005!!! They appear to be good thru 2030! 😄 #score"
- Kristen - "Treasure found during this mission: an old REI gift card with a balance if $100.70. Yay!"
I know the old gift card looks pretty beat up, and maybe it even went through the washer or something, but it proves it is worth it to check the balances on these cards before you trash them!
Long Lost Jewelry
Jewelry is expensive, and often small, and it can be so easy to misplace or lose anywhere, even in your own home. That's why people are so overjoyed when they find it again, especially when it's a sentimental piece that they loved or holds special memories.
The three photos above, in the collage, are all from readers, from top to bottom, left to right, along with the story they told about what they found:
- Tori - "My deceased mother's wedding ring in a jar of pennies from her estate that I looked at for two years before I cashed them in. Never mind the fact that instead of cashing them in, on many occasions I almost just threw the jar away! Best find ever!"
- Jenny - "This little forgotten to-do basket had a $600 pair of diamond earrings that I got for my 10 year wedding anniversary that I thought I lost 1 year ago."
- Amy - "Joy! When you find an item you think you lost years ago tucked in a very cluttered storage area next to my bed. It used to be on my visor of a 3-4 vehicles ago Camry. (My current vehicle turns 11 years old this year). It will now be placed there! Worth every piece of decluttering I’ve done since the first of the month!"
Other Sentimental Items
You really know what you'll find when decluttering. Some items may not have much monetary value, but they're priceless nonetheless.
That's exactly what a reader, Barbara, discovered when she found the love letter pictured above. She explained, "I was cleaning and reorganizing my top dresser drawer and found this love letter my mother mailed to my father about 4 months before they were married! 1951.
This last story makes me especially happy. It's wonderful to be able to find the things that really matter the most, and be able to treasure them by getting rid of all the clutter in your home!
Are You Ready To Declutter Your Home?
I hope seeing these pictures has inspired you to begin clearing out clutter from your own home.
When you begin to declutter the feeling you get is contagious, so if you're loving the results you're getting I would encourage you to keep going.
I've got a whole series of 15 minute decluttering missions (eventually 365 of them!) that you can do.
Just pick and choose the ones you want to do, that will make a big impact in your home. But if you want someone else to tell you the order you can also grab the 15 minute daily decluttering mission calendars and follow along as we all get our homes clutter free together!
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Share Your Comments, Tips & Ideas
I would love to hear from you, sharing your thoughts, questions, or ideas about this topic, so leave me a comment below. I try to always respond back!