It’s been a couple of years since I last did a real, whole-house declutter. I know—life gets busy.
Spring always inspires a shift in me. The days stretch out, windows open, and the everything begins to bloom. With the change in season I notice my house a little more, the piles, the corners I’ve ignored, and the things piling up from the previous months.
So next week, while the kids are on spring break, we’re finally going to do a real reset. But not in a way that leaves us overwhelmed or exhausted.
We’ll still have slow mornings, walks to the park, ice cream, and movies. In between, we’ll move through the house, one room at a time, letting go of what we don’t need. The kids pick the music, and sometimes we make it a game—who can fill their box with the most to donate? Each of us gets a small box to fill, so it feels personal rather than forced. These little rituals make the work lighter, and remind me that decluttering can be something we do together, not just another chore.
After years of walking alongside other women on this journey, I’ve learned decluttering is never just about the stuff. It’s about what those things mean to us. It’s rarely the objects themselves that weigh us down. It’s the meaning we’ve given them.
It’s what the stuff stands for.
As I start sorting through our things again, I’m reminded of something important. It’s not the random toys or kitchen gadgets that make me pause. Those are easy. It’s the tucked-away things—my kids’ artwork, little notes, keepsakes from seasons that felt too short.
The things that whisper, You’ll regret letting this go. You haven’t even used that yet. You spent good money on this. This is where most of us get stuck. Not because we don’t want simplicity, but because it’s hard to know how to separate the memories from the things.
That’s the real challenge.
This time, as I dig in for a more thorough declutter, I have a place for the memories. And that changes everything. It’s more than just snapping a photo or trying to hold the memory in my mind.
Instead of just deciding to keep or toss, I’ve started using Artifcts to capture the stories behind the things I want to keep or give away. It’s a simple app where you upload a photo—maybe a favorite drawing or a piece of jewelry—and add a story, a date, or even a voice note.
Last month, I took a picture of a red bracelet Matt brought me from New Orleans and wrote a note about its story. Now the memory is saved, and someday, when my kids are sorting through my things, they’ll know why it mattered to me.
I don’t want to keep it all, but I do want to remember the stories. For the meaningful things—the firsts, the phases, the funny notes, the pieces that show who my kids were—I take a photo. I save the memory, not the pile.
And it’s not just another photo lost in my phone.
I can add the story behind it.
Their words. Their voices.
My thoughts, too.
What was happening in our lives right then?
This has changed how I think about what I keep.
After decluttering down to what’s important to me, I’m starting to save the stories behind the things I keep, too. Not because I plan to let them go right now, but because I know one day, my kids will be the ones sorting through what’s left.
Instead of leaving a house full of things and questions, I want to give them the stories now.
Why this mattered.
Where it came from.
What it meant to me.
What I hope they remember.
So when that day comes, they won’t feel like they have to keep everything just to hold onto me. They’ll already have the memory. And if they choose to let the item go, they’ll still have the story.
Shifting from keeping things to saving memories has made decluttering feel more complete, and more meaningful.
Now I’m not asking, can I get rid of this?
I’m asking, do I want to keep the thing, or just the meaning?
Most of the time, it’s the meaning I want to hold onto.
As we move through our home this spring, slowly and in the middle of everyday life, my rhythm is simple: clear the obvious, pause for what matters, save the meaningful, and let go of the rest.
If you’re feeling that spring urge to reset your home, I hope this gives you a new way to look at it.
If decluttering feels overwhelming, you’re not alone. It’s okay to start small—even if it’s just one drawer or one corner. Take breaks when you need to. Progress doesn’t have to happen all at once. Every small step matters, and just starting is a win.
You don’t have to give up meaning to have a home that feels manageable. You can hold onto the memories without keeping all the extra things.
You can have both.
You can keep the memories…
and let go of the excess.
And for the things you do choose to keep, you get to hold onto both the item and the story behind it.
If you’re ready to try this for yourself, I can genuinely recommend giving Artifcts a try. There’s a free trial—no pressure, just a chance to see how it feels to capture a few memories and stories of your own. You can sign up here for a FREE trial!