Member Reviews
I'm sure many would find this book helpful, especially if you're overwhelmed with clutter and don't know where to begin. If you're not new to decluttering, there might not be much for you in this book.
* I received a digital ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
This book fits in with life and I think that is really where Allie shines through in her teachings. This is not a one fits all lifestyle approach it has ideas and concepts that can work for all different life circumstances. Allie has this non judgmental way of holding your hand and guiding you through. Her book makes decluttering not a daunting task but an achievable goal which I think many minimalist fail at. She is a mother and with that comes a different approach to this and Allie truly hits it out of the park. I cannot recommend this book enough. If you’re feeling like you are drowning in “stuff” and you dint know where to even start THIS IS YOUR RESCUE BOAT, your saving grace. Thank you Allie!
I have been a long time follower of Allie's podcast and have purchased several of her courses. I liked the book as it was familiar to advice she has provided in her courses. I wish that there would have been a little bit more new content but overall it was good.
Allie Casazza is an excellent writer! She's very engaging, and the introduction in the book hooks your interest. Then she proceeds to cheer you on before launching into program. She does mention the online classes that she offers, and you can sign up for a discount if you need accountability. She takes you through it step-by-step, and has you taylor the sorting according to your family's needs and desires. I have taken before pictures, and will be taking after pictures of my home. I can't wait to see the difference!
I was completely taken aback by the brilliance of this book! Allie provides an enthusiastic and concise description of how organizing can help to reduce mental stress and make the home a more pleasant place. Each chapter is crafted with great care and precision, and it's clear that Allie has a wonderful knack for making the process of de-cluttering simple and straightforward. If you're looking for ways to lighten your load and find more order in your life, then this book is definitely something you should consider getting! Not only does it provide invaluable lessons on how to manage clutter, but it also offers thoughtful insights into the importance of living a balanced life.
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read this book. Like many books of this type, it did not need to be this many pages. There is a 7-page acknowledgments section and many pages in the back of stories from her community of other declutterers.
rs[ 5 of 5 stars ]
I received this book as a galley copy, and never had time to read it while I was working on my Master’s Degree in American History. Talk about clutter—the books I needed for my coursework, the 15-page papers, and the thesis alone take up shelves, wall space, and more floor space than I care to think about!
Do I need all these books anymore? Most of them, no. Do I know of a store that might be interested in them? Absolutely. In fact, I got most of my thesis books from the same place!
Everything has gotten so overwhelming in terms of clutter and disarray, after my mother-in-law passed away and all of her things came to our house. They’re in the attic, they’re in my office space/craft room, they’re in my bedroom, and we even own our future retirement home, where a lot of the heirloom pieces and family furniture have already gone!
My husband and I, as empty-nesters, have been feeling overwhelmed by the sheer volume of stuff. Knowing that we have to get rid of probably 90% of it by the time we retire in a few years, it has felt scary and we have been kind of stuck, not really knowing where to go from here. As my dear friend Hobbs calls it, we have “paralytic overwhelmsion.”
I did the whole Marie Kondo thing, I know how to keep things that spark joy, but this system of “minimalism,” without the strict rules about overly-simplistic-minimalism, feels like it will be so much easier to work with.
Do a Pomodoro and work 25 minutes? I can do that. Walk into a room and pick up the first thing I see and decide keep, donate, or chuck? I can do that. Whittle down the piles of stuff we have so that everything feels spacious and calm? I WANT to do that.
This was a fantastic book, a quick read, very supportive and uplifting, very forgiving, with lots of ideas, and no “hard and fast rules“ that you have to live by.
Five stars, would recommend. Now I’m going to go check out her Instagram… @allie_thatsme. 😁
This review was already posted to Goodreads.
I didn’t find this book helpful in terms of decluttering. I have no doubt that the author is popular and well liked, I just don’t think that this really needed to be a book, a blog post would probably have covered it.
But because it’s not a blog post, we get lots of fluff. Subliminal prosperity teachings about what we ‘deserve’ in terms of a clean house and lots of “you do you, girl” language that I personally find nauseating.
I’m also very confused about why a Christian publisher published this book. Sure, there’s a very brief intro about the authors faith, but not really about the gospel. But the rest of the book is full of self-help teachings and includes multiple expletives throughout. It’s one thing to slip a curse word in casual conversation, and it’s another to intentionally publish it in your book and have it go through multiple rounds of edits without anyone wondering if they should remove it. Do better Tommy Nelson, this is very disappointing.
I received an free copy in exchange for an honest review.
This book was so fun! I am super into the Home Edit, and that is why I decided to give this book a try. It didn’t disappoint. It helped me know how to tackle the clutter that comes with kids without being embarrassed about the disorder that can happen in my home sometimes. I love my kids, but they are messy!
It's Friday and my house has exploded again after a long work week (several work weeks). Stuff everywhere and I have to clean. I feel tired and exhausted when I look around me. The house doesn't feel nice, I can't relax anymore.
To relax I wanted to do some reading and I saw this book and Netgalley immediately gave it to me. I've been reading all evening and I'm so happy with the way she writes, the questions I have to ask myself and the way in which things can be cleaned up. Not whole cabinets on a heap on the floor, but one by one; I have written down the tips that I want to work with tomorrow. The boxes are ready and I will do the bathroom, my bedroom and living room first. Looking forward to it so much. I'll let you know how it went after this weekend!! Thank you Netgalley and Allie for this arc in exchange for an honest review. Already happy with it. I'm going to sleep to get to work on my clutter well rested tomorrow.
There's some helpful information but there's a complete lack of awareness on the division of labor in a household. It seems all of it is up to the mother? It wasn't a good fit for for me but it is a quick read.
Good content, easy read. The intro before you got to the actual “how to” portion of the book seemed too long.
I've participated in Allie's Decluttering challenge for a few years now. It's always beneficial and leaves my house feeling so much less cluttered! When I saw she had a book coming out, I knew I had to read it. And I'm so glad I did!
Allie delivers in this book, expanding on the original challenge and sharing her struggles on the way to a less-cluttered life. One of the most important things I learned was to set the intent for my space...and to work with my family to set the intent for our mutual, shared spaces. It has made a huge difference! Keeping things that invoke stress out of rooms designed purely for relaxing (the bedroom) makes a difference that you won't believe. It's very freeing.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is "Keeping things you don't use is wasteful." It has changed how I look at the things in my house and how I have conversations with my kids about their stuff. If we aren't going to use it, then it's far better to pass it on to someone else who can use it than to either keep it or throw it away.
If you're looking to reduce clutter, I do highly recommend grabbing a copy of "Declutter Like a Mother". It will help you on your decluttering and minimalism journey.
Allie Casazza has a huge instagram following and has been featured on many news outlets! Her New Year's 'Declutter Like a Mother challenge' is wildly popular and I will be participating this year! She has been teaching her approach to realistic minimalism and simplicity lessons for moms and this is a great book that compiles it all.
It does not disappoint!
This book isn't for me, but it could be great for someone who enjoys the blog post format with the author trying to connect with you as a person (although its highly unlikely were the same person). However for me it's just too wordy. It took til page 55 before we even start on what to do, then I found it hard to navigate any kind of instruction through the walls of text. I do however enjoy the idea of intent as it is borderline manifestation which is a great tool, maybe an explanation on that for the very beginner as simply asking what's your intent can be far more complicated than it seems, and it comes across as hypocritical at points as we say no numbers there's no rules, but gives numbers on the following page, there's no wonder there's panic. I likely would've enjoyed this more if the points were made clearer I.e tasks, the questions, solutions, as otherwise I'm spending more time reading about how to declutter abd struggling to find the answer (could just be me) than actually doing the decluttering. I expected more around the kids and how to involve them as its portrayed as a parental guide with the title. I'm sure this works for some people but if you struggle with finding the point like me, its probably not for you either
I’m definitely not a horder but I still get overwhelmed with the amount of stuff with the kids. This book has great tips that give useable ways to get the clutter under control.
I figured this was the perfect book to read as I am still unpacking from the big move. Decluttering is no easy task, but I feel like this book has some great advice in it. ⭐⭐⭐
Declutter Like a Mother includes cleaning tips for real people, real moms, people who just don't have time to spend all day cleaning. Seriously, I was inspired. Allie Casazza gave some really good advice such as; give yourself grace. If you don't have the energy and the will to take the recycling out, you're allowed to throw it away and focus on what is important to you. When it comes down to feeding your cats or folding your laundry, feed your cats. It's okay! Some of her advice was more practical such as; Don't pack up a bunch of clothes to donate and leave the bag in a closet somewhere. As soon as you fill it, place it in the trunk of your car and set an alarm on your phone for within the next few days to make sure it's donated. If you can't do that, just throw it away. She gives ideas for how to declutter and have less STUFF so that you have less to have to clean up all the time. Her whole concept is how to get your house to work FOR you. I really enjoyed it and want to try some of her ideas in my own life.
Lots of fun and did exactly what it said in the title. Very helpful and lots of tips. My only comment would be I'm not sure how it stood out from the hordes of other decluttering books on the market.
Thanks to the Author & Netgalley for allowing my review of this book.
I really resonate with the ideals of not feeling like I had enough time for my son or doing enough as a mom. I recently went through a declutter moment myself.
I have Lupus and am Legally Disabled. The feelings of grief, remorse, frustration, and failure I personally feel daily as a mother of a now teenager is overwhelming at times. I have no energy from my chemotherapy and different diseases and I'm only 33.
Books like this allow me a sense of not feeling alone and I definitely appreciate them. Not only as someone who wants a decluttered, organized, clean environment. But as a mom and wife, that is trying to just make it in a busy ass world.