Organizing is for the ruthless! I did this last year before realizing I needed to host a yard sale! When you've accumulated so much stuff that you feel like you have to run from it, it's time to get control back.

This is like any other goal: How much do you want the change you envision? I'd suggest starting with one small area and clearing it out. Then you'll have a little space to move stuff around as you sort. You can sell the things you know still have value and donate the rest. If it's been down in your basement for more than six months without being used (holiday and seasonal stuff excepted), then you know you don't need it. Let it go and breathe free with your new-found space! Good luck!

thanks for your post.  I am thinking of dominican!  Somewhere warm, all inclusive, relaxing!!!

 warm would be good being that I am from Canada!  Brrrr!  Have some boxes today so that should help in this goal!

Yay! Do you know where you're going to start? Do you need any resources or want to bounce plans? I have my own Room of Doom so I completely understand how intimidating they can be!

Shea has some really good input.  If you look at it as a whole, it may seem very overwhelming and you will probably push it off more and more.  Like she said, start with small sections at a time.  When you complete these sections, it will give you the feeling that you have accomplished something and made progress and you will want to do more.  Also, you have teenagers!!!  Get them to the basement to start helping.  I am sure they will not be happy with it at first, but it will be a good time to spend together and it can be fun going through old stuff.  You mentioned that you want the area for everyone to hang out so give that to the kids as an incintive to help you.

 Hey Whiz...I've been where you are and it's not pretty, so I know what you're going through.  My parents fondly refer to themselves as clutterbugs...I call them boarder line hoarders.  So, growing up in my parent's house, I never knew that things could be "thrown away" (gasp).  I was much better as an adult, but it wasn't until I started dating someone ruthless (as Shea puts it), that I was really able to get a handle on it.  Shea's right, don't look at everything as a whole.  It's all about baby steps.  But then once you've tackled it piece by piece...and you WILL be victorious, you must be vigilant not to let it get that way again.  That's that hardest part (believe it or not).  You might want to sit down and watch Hoarders at some point.  Those people are so much worse than the average person living in a cluttered house, but it lights a fire under you that you won't believe.  Good luck!

Love Shea's thoughts on this one Whizzer.  Sassy and Nicoles comments about being ruthless and getting everyone inovled will undoubtedly help you too.  I've got 4 kidlets of my own and the garbage monster needs to come around every few months to clean out those 'treasure drawers' beside their beds.  Anything not put in it's place by the time mom with the bag gets up the stairs is history.  Yours are older, I believe, so getting them to co-operate may be easier.  Then again, maybe not.  If your teens understand that the basement will be a nicer place for them hang out with their friends, perhaps they'll jump on board.  When I want to feel like I'm progressing, I'll start with the outgrown kid's clothes and toys, magazines and cookbooks in the cupboards.  Easy to purge this kind of stuff and it frees up a tonne of space.  Watching Hoarders will throw things into perspective for sure.  Best of luck.