Clutter Free Academy

Every year, it seems to go the same way: the guests are on their way, the turkey is almost done, and someone is digging through every cabinet in the kitchen hunting for the gravy boat. Or the roasting pan. Or the cheese scrapers that, it turns out, went home with an adult daughter three and a half hours away. If your holidays tend to feel like one big scavenger hunt, this episode of the Clutter Free Podcast is for you.

Kathi Lipp talks with Tenneil Register about five simple projects you can tackle in October and November so the holidays feel calmer and more joyful, and so you are not running last-minute errands while the potatoes boil.

Why Start Now?

The weeks between fall and the big holidays are an in-between season, and they are a gift. Instead of letting everything hit you at once, a little prep now spreads the work out and lets you enjoy the anticipation. As Kathi says, if you are listening to a clutter free podcast, you probably have a little chaos in your life. All the best people do. This episode gives you a plan that works with real life, not a magazine version of it.

What You Will Find in This Episode

• Gather your hosting supplies before the hunt begins. Tablecloths, roasting pans, platters, gravy boats, the electric carving knife you use once a year, warming trays, drink dispensers, and extra chairs. This is also a great time to keep your favorite and let the extras go.
• Kathi's cooler trick for keeping the turkey warm when it finishes hours early, a practical idea that uses something you probably already own.
• A gift wrapping station that actually works, including an ironing board setup that spares your back, a wrapping paper of the year approach that limits the clutter, and an over-the-door shoe organizer for ribbons, tape, and scissors.
• How to keep December from turning your bedroom into a department store customer service desk, plus easy ways to send family home with gifts without a pile of gift bags lingering for twenty years.
• Making room in the fridge, freezer, and pantry before the holiday grocery haul arrives, so you are not playing Thanksgiving Tetris with a turkey. Kathi shares the white sugar story that inspired her never-again vow.
• Budget-friendly holiday shopping ideas like watching loss leaders and buying ingredients gradually instead of taking one big hit the week of.
• Creating guest-ready zones without upending your whole house, focusing on the entryway, the guest bathroom, and the details guests truly notice, like a place to sit, a place to set a drink, and an outlet to charge their phone.
• A holiday consumable kit stocked with tape, gift tags, batteries, replacement bulbs, command hooks, leftover containers, napkins, and labels, so that small things never trigger a big panic.

Hospitality Without Perfection

One of the sweetest reminders in this conversation is that guests are not inspecting your baseboards. They are noticing whether they feel comfortable and welcome. A little dish of chocolates, a bottle of water, fresh pillows, and a warm we are so glad you are here go further than any elaborate decor.

Key Takeaways

• Prep in the in-between season so the holidays do not come crashing in all at once.
• Find your once-a-year items now, and keep only the ones you love and use.
• Clear space before you add more, in your fridge, your pantry, and your home.
• Comfort beats complexity when it comes to welcoming guests.
• A small kit of consumables can save you a whole lot of last-minute errands.

Grab a cup of coffee, maybe a notepad, and listen in. Then pick just one project to start this week. Your future holiday self will thank you.

The holidays don't usually fall apart because Thanksgiving dinner is complicated. They fall apart because somewhere between the grocery store and the guest list, you end up making 47 decisions in a 48-hour window — while blow-drying a turkey.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp and her friend Tenneil Register tackle the real source of holiday overwhelm: not the stuff, but the decisions, the expectations, and the invisible load that lands on one person's shoulders. Together they walk through five decisions you can make right now — in October or November — that will make your holidays dramatically lighter by the time December arrives.

What Listeners Will Walk Away With

• Permission to opt out of the calendar. Kathi shares the decision she and Roger made 21 years ago — never celebrating Christmas or Thanksgiving on the actual day — and why the Facebook post about it went wildly viral. (Spoiler: Christmas is a season, not a day.)
• A stocking strategy that costs less and delights more. The "buy 12 of the same thing under $5" swap that turned stocking stuffers from a budget-draining chore into the most fun part of the morning — plus a list of actual ideas that won't become January clutter.
• The Holiday Help List. Kathi's most viral tip ever (and still being debated on the internet three years later). Instead of saying "let me know what I can do," she hands guests a written list of specific, no-questions-required jobs — from assembling the cheese board to running Thanksgiving bingo.
• How to assign dishes in October, not the night before. Including Tenneil's brilliant question that shrinks an 18-side-dish menu down to what people actually want: "What food do you need at the table so it feels like Thanksgiving to you?"
• What you're NOT doing this year. Why some beloved traditions have simply run their course — and why letting one go isn't failure, it's generosity.

The Part That Might Sting a Little (In a Good Way)

Tenneil names something a lot of us don't want to say out loud: the supervising only goes away when we let go of our expectations. For the years when the kids were little, we really did have to do it all. But that was a season — and the key is learning how to shift out of it. Handing someone a job and then hovering over them isn't delegating. It's just adding a job to your own list.

And here's the heart of it, in Kathi's words: sometimes the most generous thing you can give your family is a version of yourself who isn't completely exhausted. Your people don't need the perfect tablescape. They don't need the fork in exactly the right place. They need you — present, laughing, and actually in the room.

Who This Episode Is For

If you're the person who ends every holiday season flat on the couch, resenting a meal you volunteered to make — this one's for you. If you've been quietly dreading the family calendar negotiations — this one's for you. And if you've ever wondered whether it's okay to just do some things half-heartedly (Kathi has a more colorful British term for it) — friend, consider this your permission slip.

Listen now, grab a pen, and make the handful of decisions this week that will hand you back your December.

It's not the thrift store's fault. It's what happens after the bags come through the front door.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp continues her thrifting series with store owner, thrifter, and curator Tenneil Register to answer the question every bargain lover eventually has to face: You thrifted it — now what?

If you've ever come home thrilled with a treasure, set it down "just for now," and then watched it quietly become invisible — part of the pile, part of the problem — this conversation is for you. Kathi and Tenneil talk about the holding zone that steals your joy, the one-in-three-out rule that actually works, and why a $4 purchase can create more clutter than a $40 one.

In This Episode, Listeners Will Learn:

• Why the "holding zone" is where good purchases go to die — and the 12-hour rule that keeps treasures from turning into clutter
• How to use the ripple effect of one new item to re-edit an entire room (without overhauling your house)
• The category-based one-in-one-out rule — and why one great pair of jeans can often replace three
• Why cheap doesn't mean low risk, and how bargain-joy quietly turns into sentimental attachment
• How to handle aspirational thrifting — projects, hobbies, and "the person I might become"
• The freeing truth that the thrift store can be your temporary storage (and it costs a lot less than a storage unit)
• What a healthy thrift cycle looks like — and the one question that tells you if you have one

The Permission Slip You Didn't Know You Needed

Kathi and Tenneil also tackle the guilt that keeps so many of us stuck: the belief that we have to keep something until we've "gotten our money's worth." As Kathi puts it, if a purchase doesn't fit your life, you've learned something about yourself — and that lesson may well have been worth five or ten dollars. You're allowed to let it go.

Tenneil offers a reframe that changes everything: take the cost and associate it with the experience rather than the object. We pay nine dollars for a coffee that's gone in twenty minutes. A two-dollar plate that makes you smile from now until Thanksgiving? That's a pretty good deal — and then it can go back to the thrift store for the next person's treasure.

Plus, listeners get to hear Kathi and Tenneil's personal thrifting weak spots, the items they almost bought and walked away from, and their all-time favorite finds (including an antique washstand with green and purple tiles and a shelf that has survived divorce and multiple moves).

If you love to thrift — or you've been afraid to start because you don't trust yourself to stop — this episode gives you a plan to keep the fun and keep the peace.

Thrifting is having a moment — and for anyone who loves a good bargain, it can feel like the perfect blend of treasure hunt and budget win. But what happens when those $3 finds start piling up on the dining room table?

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp sits down with Tenneil Register for part one of a two-part series on shopping secondhand without bringing home more clutter. Fresh off their own thrifting adventures (Kathi in Florida, Tenneil in California), they get honest about the difference between a true bargain and a thing you'll end up managing, storing, and eventually re-donating.

Why This Episode Matters

If decluttering is the hard work of getting stuff out of your house, shopping with a plan is the gentler work of never letting it in. Kathi puts it simply: a bargain is not a bargain if it becomes another thing you have to manage. This episode gives listeners the practical guardrails to enjoy the hunt and keep their homes peaceful.

What Listeners Will Walk Away With

• The Thrift List — a simple note in your phone that turns impulse shopping into intentional shopping
• The dopamine check — one question that reveals whether you actually want the item or just want the deal
• The "Where Will It Live?" test — and the one loophole Tenneil allows herself for truly special finds
• How to set limits before the high hits — budget, space, and capacity boundaries you decide on before you walk in the door
• Shopping for your real season of life — why "ready to wear" (and ready to use) matters when you're busy
• How to walk away from a great item — including the no-cost trick Tenneil and her sisters use to celebrate a find without taking it home
• Handling thrift-store peer pressure — Kathi's reminder that you can appreciate something without acquiring it
• Strategic travel thrifting — packing clothes you're ready to release, bringing a collapsible duffel, and doing the math so luggage fees don't kill the bargain

A Grace-Filled Reminder

Kathi and Tenneil don't pretend to get it right every time. (Tenneil confesses her desk is not clutter free. Kathi admits she still can't find her headphones two weeks after a trip.) That honesty is exactly what makes this conversation feel less like a lecture and more like coffee with a friend who gets it.

Every purchase is a commitment — not just of money, but of space, time, and attention. Listen in and learn how to shop in a way that honors the home and the life you're building.

Then come back next week for part two: "You Thrifted It — Now What?" where Kathi and Tenneil talk about keeping secondhand finds from quietly becoming clutter.

Originally aired October 14, 2025

In this candid Clutter Free Academy episode, Kathi and Roger share how a sudden shift to long COVID reshaped their energy, rhythms, and home—and the simple, grace-filled systems helping them keep life peaceful and clutter free. Listeners will learn:

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How to reframe success when your “plate” gets smaller and energy is limited

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The “energy budget” mindset that helps you spend your effort where it matters

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Meal strategies that don’t require chef-level energy (hello, rotisserie chicken + prepared foods)

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Easy home adaptations that save steps: snack stations, overbed tables, and a shower stool

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The emotional shift from guilt to acceptance—and how gratitude lightens the load

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Why decluttering brings immediate peace in a tough season

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How to reset holiday expectations and ask for help without shame

If you’re navigating illness, caregiving, burnout, or just a low-energy chapter, this episode will help you simplify plans, protect your energy, and find beauty in a smaller, saner life—one small doable step at a time.

What if the reason it's so hard to let go of your stuff isn't that you're disorganized—but that you're a really good storyteller?

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp brings together three of her great loves—decluttering, writing, and her longtime friend Susy Flory—for a conversation about the one skill most cluttery people are missing. Kathi's theory? People with clutter aren't bad at storytelling. Pick up almost anything in a cluttered home and the owner can tell you exactly where it came from, who gave it to them, and why it matters. The struggle isn't the story. It's the editing.

Susy Flory is a memoirist, collaborator on two New York Times bestsellers, and the founder of Shake Ridge Press, a publishing house devoted to true stories by real people. Her actual job is deciding what stays in the story and what gets cut—which turns out to be exactly what listeners need to learn to do in their homes.

Your Home Is Telling a Story. Is It the One You Want to Tell?

Kathi and Susy talk about how a home—like a book—can get so crowded with "good stuff" that the reader (or the guest, or you) can't find the heart of it. As Susy puts it, when there's too much in a space, "it's just a pile rather than a storyteller." The goal isn't an empty house. The goal is a home where the things you kept can actually be seen.

In This Episode, Listeners Will Learn:

• Why the object isn't always where the story lives—and how that realization makes letting go so much easier
• The simple, low-tech tool Susy uses to decide what makes the cut (hint: it involves a pen and paper, not a system)
• How to handle the inherited things that don't actually tell the story of the person who gave them to you
• What to do with that mishmash box of photos, letters, and journals someone left behind
• Why "edit one scene at a time" translates perfectly to "one shelf, one drawer at a time"
• How to "shop your own house" for meaningful pieces instead of buying something a thousand other people already own
• Kathi's seasonal rotation trick that keeps sentimental items special instead of letting them fade into background clutter
• Why outside validation—a safe community—matters just as much in decluttering as it does in writing

Permission to Let the Good Stuff Go

Writers have a phrase for this: murder your darlings. Sometimes you have to release even the really, really good stuff to get what you actually want. Kathi shares that after years of editing both books and her own home, she rarely regrets what she's let go—and Susy explains why imagination, not willpower, is the tool that finally gets you unstuck.

Kathi also gets a preview of the first three memoirs coming out of Shake Ridge Press—stories of a Green Beret who decluttered parts of himself to learn to lead with love, a mom and her autistic adult son on a journey to bring his father home, and a preacher's daughter raising the rule-breaking boy who grew up to become a beloved professional wrestler.

Whether you consider yourself a writer or not, this episode offers a fresh, gracious way to look at the stuff in your home: not as a moral failing, but as a first draft. And every first draft gets to be edited.

Every home has one: the collection. Maybe it's Star Wars action figures still sealed in their packaging. Maybe it's comic books, stamps, ceramic knickknacks, or twelve bins of stuffed animals from 1987. And maybe — if we're being honest — it's taking up more real estate in the garage than anyone in the family is comfortable with.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp and Tonya Kubo continue their conversation about what happens when a collector and a clutter-free person share a home. Tonya opens up about the ten-plus year journey she and her husband Brian have walked — starting with the moment she stopped focusing on his stuff and started dealing with her own, and how seven boxes leaving the garage changed everything.

Why Focusing on Their Stuff Never Works

Kathi and Tonya have given the same advice for over a decade, and they're not backing off it now: as long as you're focused on someone else's clutter, you will struggle to make progress on your own. But here's the encouraging part — when you do your own work, you often create the safety and the space for the people you love to start making their own decisions. Not as a manipulation tactic. As a byproduct.

Living Collections vs. Dead Collections

One of the most freeing ideas in this episode is Kathi's distinction between collections that are alive and collections that are, well, not. A living collection gets displayed, dusted, talked about, handed to a kid whose face lights up. A dead collection sits in a cardboard box in the garage getting eaten by mold, bugs, and water damage. As Kathi puts it, if the thing you love is in a box in the garage, she has questions about that love.

What Listeners Will Take Away

• Why doing your own decluttering can quietly invite your spouse or child to do theirs
• How to have a curious conversation with the collector in your life instead of a fight
• The difference between assumed value and actual appraised value — and why "worth $5,400" doesn't mean anyone will hand you $5,400
• The one principle that has kept peace in the Kubo home: negotiate the space, not the stuff
• Why giving pieces of a collection away can be the most joyful part of collecting
• When a collection stops being a clutter problem and becomes a relationship conversation

You Don't Have to Get Rid of What You Love

Tonya shares a story from Clutter Free Academy about a member who joined convinced she'd be told to purge her beloved knickknacks — and was shocked to hear otherwise. Kathi and Tonya are not in the business of deciding what deserves space in your home. They're in the business of helping you figure out what to do when there's more stuff than space.

If you've ever stood in your garage staring at boxes that aren't yours, wondering how to bring it up without starting World War III, this conversation is for you. Listen to the full episode and then go create the clutter free life you've always wanted to live.

You love them. You really do. But you also can't find the kitchen counter — and that's the tension so many people live with when they share a home with a collector.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp sits down with Tonya Kubo for an honest, tender, and very funny conversation about what it's like to love someone whose stuff is taking over. Kathi grew up with a hoarder for a dad. Tonya grew up with a hoarder for a mom — in a 500-square-foot studio apartment so full there was nowhere to walk. And then Tonya married a man who came into the marriage as one of the top two Star Wars collectors in his county.

If you've ever stood in a doorway looking at boxes and thought, How did we get here, and how do I say something without starting a war? — this one is for you.

Why This Conversation Matters

Kathi makes a distinction in this episode that changes everything: collecting, clutter, and hoarding are three different situations — and they require three different responses. Treating a curated collection like a mental health crisis will damage your relationship. Treating true hoarding like a decluttering project will exhaust you both.

Knowing which one you're dealing with is the first step toward peace in your home.

In This Episode, Listeners Will Discover

• The difference between garden-variety clutter, collecting, and true hoarding disorder — and why the distinction matters for your marriage, your kids, and your sanity
• What "functionally homeless" means, and the quiet warning signs that a loved one's home has stopped working for them
• The four emotional attachments hiding underneath a collection: identity, memory, safety, and the "someday" story
• The harder side of collecting — lost space, resentment, feeling unheard, and the guilt of wishing someone would change
• Two pieces of classic "advice" you should never follow with a collector — including the one that feels the most tempting at 11 p.m. when you're staring at the garage
• Why "winning the argument" guarantees you lose in the end

A Word for the Person Who Feels Stuck

Tonya shares something many listeners will recognize: for years she believed she had a housekeeping problem. It wasn't until she found Kathi's book Clutter Free that she realized it was a stuff problem — and that stuff problem came from emotions. That reframe is the beginning of real, lasting change.

This episode won't hand anyone a trash bag and a lecture. Instead, it offers something better: understanding, compassion, and a path forward that protects both your home and the person you love.

Coming Up Next Week

Kathi and Tonya continue the conversation with what actually changed in Tonya's house — how Brian went from a Star Wars collection that swallowed an entire room to a collection that brings him genuine joy, and how Tonya got there without throwing away a single thing behind his back. They'll also tackle the question of value (is that comic book really worth $5,400?) and the difference between a living collection and a dead one.

Press play, take a breath, and remember: small, doable steps. That's how you get to less clutter and more life.

Join us for this classic Clutter Free Academy Podcast episode.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Lisa Woodruff, founder of Organize 365 and creator of the PaperSolution Financial Binder, joins Kathi to discuss the importance of organizing financial documents and how it can simplify estate planning and reduce stress for families. The conversation covers why everyone, regardless of wealth, needs a financial binder, and the practical advantages of using a binder over digital solutions or filing cabinets.

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Why a binder is more effective than apps or traditional file systems, especially during emergencies such as natural disasters or hospital visits.

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What to include in your financial binder—such as 401k statements, birth certificates, passports, insurance documents, credit reports, and important paperwork for major transactions.

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How to keep the binder up to date, making it easier for family members or executors in case someone needs to step in and settle an estate.

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Real-life stories from Lisa's organizing work, revealing how disorganized paperwork can lead to missed assets and added stress during times of grief.

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Advice for getting started with a simple action: pick a basket or container, label it for your financial binder, and begin collecting relevant documents and notes.

The episode encourages listeners to take proactive steps, not just for their own peace of mind, but also to ease the administrative burden on loved ones. The binder method is presented as a learnable skill, suitable for anyone, and a way to provide a safe, organized landing place for essential paperwork and instructions.

Have you ever stood in front of a junk drawer like it was a moral failing? You are not lazy, and you are not broken. You are out of decisions.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp welcomes back her longtime friend and co-author Cheri Gregory to talk about the invisible reason decluttering feels so much harder than it should: decision fatigue. Every single item in your home is asking you a question — Am I worth keeping? What if you need me someday? But Aunt Carol gave me to you… — and your brain only has so much room in its daily budget to answer.

Kathi and Cheri unpack why the "all-day, all-in" decluttering marathon leaves so many of us in a puddle of tears, and why 15 minutes at a time isn't a cop-out — it's actually how our brains are wired to make good decisions. Then Kathi walks listeners through a two-decision method simple enough to use on a junk drawer today.

In this episode, listeners will discover:

• Why clutter drains you faster than almost anything else — and the three ways clutter creates extra decisions you never signed up for
• The two-decision method: Does it stay or does it go? And if it stays, where does it live? (If you can't answer both, that's your answer.)
• Pre-deciding rules that cut decisions in half before you ever open the drawer — expired means gone, one backup is enough, one donation bag, and "if it doesn't fit this container, it doesn't live here"
• Cheri's Post-it Note trick for the "maybe" pile — three dates and it's out
• Why 15 minutes is the sweet spot and how to pick one micro-section (the batteries, the lotions, the mail) instead of the whole house
• How to handle the emotional stuff — grief, guilt gifts, and other people's things stored in your space

Kathi shares the story of the giant, not-quite-cute teddy bear her kids gave her decades ago — and what happened when she finally called them to ask about it. Cheri gets honest about the bedroom set in her office, the organizing bins that never worked, and the moment she decided her office was not a storage unit for other people's memories.

The big takeaway? You are not solving your whole house today. You're reducing the number of decisions in your home so you can actually enjoy living there. Be gentle with yourself. Be gentle with your family. And stop waiting for the day you'll have enough energy to decide everything at once — because friend, that day isn't coming.

Grab 15 minutes, pick one shelf, and press play.

Some seasons don't come with a schedule. If you're caregiving, working nights, parenting teenagers, traveling for work, or simply living in a house where no two days look the same, most organizing advice falls flat. "Do laundry on Tuesday" doesn't work when Tuesday might be spent in a hospital waiting room.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp answers a listener question that hits close to home for so many women: How do you keep a routine going when every single day is different? She sits down with returning guest Barb Roose, author of the Bible study Stronger Than Stress, to talk about what actually holds a life together when the calendar won't cooperate.

Why Unpredictable Days Feel So Heavy

Kathi and Barb name something most of us feel but rarely say out loud: when life is out of control, we go looking for control — usually in other people. We start fixing, forcing, and managing everyone around us, and instead of creating solutions, we create more chaos. As Barb puts it, craving certainty doesn't make you crazy. It's what we do with that craving that gets us into trouble.

The "Top Five" That Work on Every Kind of Day

Barb shares the five non-negotiables she's kept for over a decade — five simple things that travel with her into airports, hospital waiting rooms, book deadlines, and the hardest season of her life. They're not a rigid program. They're an anchor. And listeners will hear exactly how they flex when everything else falls apart.

What Listeners Will Take Away

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Why standard routine advice fails women with unpredictable schedules — and what to do instead

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The five daily practices that hold steady when nothing else does

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The tiny first step for the woman who feels too buried to even choose a starting point

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How a note card by the bed can carry you through a season when you can't pray

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A one-sentence prayer for releasing what was never yours to control

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Why "being faithful in the small things" is deeply practical, not just spiritual

For the Woman Whose Life Is On Fire

Barb speaks openly about nearly a decade of living with a spouse struggling with alcohol addiction — a season with no stability, no predictability, and nothing she could fix. Her honesty gives this episode weight. This isn't tidy advice from someone whose life has always been calm. It's hard-won wisdom from survival mode with a spiritual intervention.

And the encouragement Kathi lands on is beautifully doable: do one thing for yourself today. A ten-minute walk. Ten minutes of earlier bedtime. A phone call to a friend. For Barb, it started with a pair of old, crusty earrings dug out of a jewelry box — and something inside her came alive.

If you've been telling yourself you'll get organized when life calms down, this episode is your permission slip to start now — right in the middle of the mess.

Do you ever feel like clutter isn't just messy—it's loud? For highly sensitive people, visual clutter can feel like constant noise, making it nearly impossible to relax, focus, or feel at peace in your own home.

In this episode, Kathi Lipp continues her conversation with Cheri Gregory about the unique challenges HSPs face when it comes to decluttering. Together, they tackle real questions from Cheri's Sensitive and Strong community—questions about perfectionism, procrastination, sentimental items, and how to have productive conversations with loved ones about clutter.

What Listeners Will Discover

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The power of pre-deciding: Learn how to make decluttering decisions when you're calm so you don't get stuck in the emotional heat of the moment

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How to handle items with emotional weight: Practical questions to ask yourself about kids' art, photos, letters, baby gear, and family heirlooms

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Managing visual reminders without chaos: Strategies for keeping necessary lists and notes without letting them take over your space

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Having the clutter conversation: How to help loved ones understand that wanting a calm home isn't about control—it's about capacity

Key Takeaways

Pre-deciding is about borrowing wisdom from your calm self before your overwhelmed self walks into the closet. When you make decisions ahead of time—like "I only keep clothes that fit my current body and my current life"—you reduce the emotional labor of repeated decision-making.

For sentimental items, Kathi suggests asking: "Does this represent this person, our season together, or a memory of us well?" and "Would I go looking for this if it were gone?" These questions help distinguish between items kept with love versus those kept from guilt or obligation.

Perhaps most importantly, this episode reframes the conversation about clutter and capacity. A calm home isn't about control—it's about having the capacity to show up as your best self for the people you love.

Do you ever feel like clutter affects you more deeply than it seems to affect others? Like a messy kitchen doesn't just annoy you—it actually dysregulates your entire day? If so, you might be among the 20-30% of the population known as Highly Sensitive People (HSPs), and this episode is for you.

In this conversation, Kathi sits down with her longtime friend and co-author Cheri Gregory to explore the unique challenges HSPs face when it comes to everyday home management. From sensory overwhelm to decision fatigue, from all-or-nothing thinking to the dreaded "frenzy" mode, Cheri helps listeners understand why clutter can feel so much more overwhelming for some people—and what to do about it.

What Listeners Will Discover

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The five key qualities of a Highly Sensitive Person and how they impact home organization

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Why that tidy house feels like your nervous system finally exhaled—and why it's so hard to maintain

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The difference between a "catch-up day" and a "stabilizing day" (this reframe changes everything)

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A simple three-step reentry plan when life knocks your systems off track

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How to recognize "frenzy mode" and why going big might be sabotaging your progress

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The power of self-compassion and curiosity in creating lasting change

The Reentry Plan for Overwhelmed Days

When everything feels like it's fallen apart, Kathi offers this gentle three-step approach:

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Deal with anything that smells, spills, or blocks food - Just the basics: trash, dishes, counter space for cooking

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Run one load of laundry - Focus only on what you need for tomorrow

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Create one visual exhale - Clear one surface that gives you peace when you see it

Key Insights for HSPs and Those Who Love Them

Whether you identify as a Highly Sensitive Person or you love someone who does, this episode offers compassionate wisdom for navigating clutter without shame. Remember: a bad day is not proof that your system failed. Sometimes we don't need to catch up—we just need to stabilize.

This is part one of a two-part conversation. Stay tuned for next week's episode where Kathi and Cheri continue exploring practical strategies for HSPs managing their homes and lives.

Is your home office a source of stress instead of productivity? You're not alone. That pile of papers, the drawer stuffed with pens you forgot you owned, the desk you have to clear before you can even sit down to work—it's overwhelming. But it doesn't have to stay that way.

In this episode, Kathi Lipp and Grace Church dive into practical strategies for tackling office clutter without the overwhelm. Whether you're preparing for a fall reset or simply tired of dreading your workspace, this conversation offers real solutions for real life.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• Why "office guts" backfire and what to do instead
• The 15-minute decision timeline that keeps you making good choices
• How to create a sustainable system rather than a one-time cleanup
• The power of body doubling for staying on task
• Why gathering all your office supplies in one spot is a game-changer
• How a year-long no office supply challenge can transform your space

Key Takeaways

Done is better than perfect. Perfectionism is the number one thing that stalls office projects before they even start. Give yourself permission to make progress without needing everything to be just right.

Work in 15-minute increments. Beyond 15 minutes, decision fatigue sets in and you start making poor choices. Short bursts of focused decluttering lead to better results.

You have more than you think. Before buying another pen, sticky note, or notebook, gather everything you own into one spot. You might be surprised at your personal "office supply store."

Sustainable systems beat one-time cleanups. Rather than gutting your entire office in a weekend, focus on one area at a time—desk one day, files the next, walls another day.

August is the perfect time for a fall reset. Don't wait for September when the busyness hits—start now so you can enjoy the season ahead with less stress and more clarity.

Have you ever finished a challenge and wondered how to keep that momentum going? In this solo episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp unpacks the surprising lessons she learned during Low Buy July—and reveals which habits she's keeping for good.

What You'll Discover in This Episode

If you've ever felt overwhelmed by clutter, struggled with impulse buying, or wondered why you keep accumulating things you don't really need, this episode offers practical wisdom and gentle encouragement. Kathi shares her personal revelations with her signature warmth and humor, helping listeners see their homes—and their habits—in a whole new light.

Key Takeaways from This Episode

• The freezer inventory method that saves money and improves meals—plus how to keep it updated on your phone
• Why the waiting list works—and how it reveals whether you want the thing or just the feeling of buying
• The one question that changes shopping more than any hard rule: "Do I already have something that does this job?"
• How 30 seconds of friction (like deleting the Amazon app) can eliminate impulse purchases
• The "cook backwards" approach—start with what you have instead of what you crave
• You are the special occasion—why the fancy lotion and good candles are for regular Tuesdays
• Starting creative projects with what you have—and why constraints actually boost creativity
• The emotional drivers behind spending: boredom, stress, reward, habit, and fantasy life
• The quiet satisfaction of finishing things—and why completion feels like integrity
• The slower pace of wanting—rediscovering the joy in anticipation

A New Way to See Your Home

Low Buy July didn't change Kathi's stuff—it changed how she sees her stuff. Instead of walking into her kitchen and seeing an empty menu, she now sees a full pantry. Instead of gaps in her closet, she sees possibilities. This episode invites you to pick just one habit that resonates and give yourself a month to try it.

Whether you participated in Low Buy July or you're hearing about it for the first time, these ten lessons offer a roadmap for more intentional, peaceful living—not through deprivation, but through awareness and grace.

Do you ever get the itch to redecorate your entire house—especially when you've committed to not buying anything new? You're not alone. During Low Buy July, that desire for something fresh and new can feel overwhelming. But what if the solution isn't at the store? What if everything you need is already in your home?

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp sits down with Tenneil Register to explore the art of "shopping your own home." Tenneil, who brings a designer's eye to everyday spaces, shares how most of us have beautiful things in our homes—we've just stopped seeing them.

What You'll Learn in This Episode

• How to walk through your home with fresh eyes—as if you just moved in or you're browsing someone else's estate sale
• The importance of "white space" and how clutter becomes an invisible backdrop
• Practical steps for a home walkthrough that doesn't end in chaos
• Creative ways to repurpose everyday objects (think: vintage hardware bins for shoes, old trim turned into shelving)
• Why putting something away for 30 days can help you decide if you truly love it
• How to search for inspiration by object size, shape, and color—not just function

Key Takeaways

You don't have to be a minimalist to have a beautiful home. If you're a maximalist at heart, that's okay! The key is putting purpose and order to the pretty things you love.

Create a staging area. Use a folding table or guest bed to gather items as you walk through your home. Separate your favorites from maybes, and have a donation box ready for the no's.

Think about reassignment. Does this item need a new place in this room? A different room? A different season? If the answer is no to all three, it might be time to let it go.

Set a time limit. This process can have a domino effect—suddenly you want every room to look its best. Give yourself boundaries so you don't get overwhelmed.

Whether you're feeling the Low Buy July itch or simply want to fall in love with your home again, this episode offers practical, creative strategies to refresh your space without spending a dime.

Do you ever buy something at the store only to come home and realize you already had three of them tucked away somewhere? You're not alone—and you're definitely not bad with money. You're just a busy human being navigating real life.

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi and Roger Lipp dive into one of the most powerful Low Buy July strategies: shopping your own house. When they first moved into the Red House, they discovered that almost everything they needed was already there. The problem? As life took over, finding those items became harder and harder.

What Listeners Will Discover

This episode tackles the real reasons we end up with duplicates—forgetting what we have, impulse sales purchases, and the sneaky habit of "saving things for good." Kathi walks through practical ways to gather, sort, and actually use the personal care products, clothes, and kitchen items that are already taking up space in your home.

Key Takeaways from This Episode:

• Establish a home base for backstock: Know exactly where your backup dental floss, lip balm, and other essentials live so you never panic-buy again
• The "Where would you look for it?" quiz: A simple question that helps everyone in your household find what they need without one person carrying all the mental load
• Stop saving things for good: That fancy lotion, special perfume, or beautiful shirt? The older it gets, the less good it becomes. You're worth using it today
• Light triage your products: Check expiration dates, toss what's truly expired, and corral the rest where you can actually see what you have
• Have a plan for consumables: Especially for items with short shelf lives, being intentional about how you'll use them prevents waste and saves money

The Heart of Low Buy July

Low Buy July isn't about deprivation—it's about discovery. It's about finding out what you already own and giving yourself permission to actually enjoy it. As Kathi reminds listeners, "The good stuff was given to us or bought for us to enjoy, not to guard."

Whether you're dealing with a drawer full of half-used shampoos or a closet of clothes you're saving for someday, this episode offers the gentle push you need to shop your own house first—and maybe skip the store altogether this month.

Do you ever open your fridge, stare at the shelves, and decide you have "nothing to eat"—only to order takeout while perfectly good food sits forgotten in your freezer? You're not alone. This episode of Clutter Free Academy tackles one of the most common sources of both clutter and wasted money: the kitchen.

Kathi Lipp welcomes back fan-favorite Tonya Kubo to kick off Low Buy July with a focus on the heart of the home. Together, they explore why the kitchen is the perfect place to start this challenge—and how doing so can shift your mindset from scarcity to abundance.

What Listeners Will Discover

• Why starting Low Buy July in the kitchen delivers quick wins and immediate savings
• How to inventory your freezer, fridge, and pantry to uncover forgotten food
• Creative ways to use ingredients you already have instead of buying more
• The surprising truth about food waste (hint: the average family wastes $4,000 per year)
• How to meal plan by starting with what's in your kitchen rather than a recipe
• Tips for creating the smallest possible shopping list for the month
• Why Low Buy July isn't about deprivation—it's about discovery and wisdom

Key Takeaways

Inventory everything first. Go through every freezer, every fridge, and deep into the back of your pantry. Don't forget spices, seasonings, and condiments—these are often overlooked.

Start with what you know. Before searching for new recipes online, think about what meals your family already loves that you can make from ingredients on hand.

Create a "use first" zone. Designate a spot in your fridge for items that need to be eaten soon, leftovers, and anything you're defrosting. This simple system prevents food from getting lost.

Embrace the abundance mindset. Many cluttery people struggle with scarcity thinking. Taking inventory reminds you that you have enough—and often more than enough.

It's not about suffering. Low Buy July isn't about proving you can deprive yourself. It's about pausing, being intentional, and discovering what you already have before buying more.

Whether you're looking to save money, reduce food waste, or simply clear some space in your kitchen, this episode offers practical, doable steps to help you succeed. Remember: using what you have isn't deprivation—it's wisdom.

Do you ever feel like stuff just keeps appearing in your home? You buy another white shirt because you forgot you already own three. You grab dry shampoo "just in case" and come home to find a small collection already waiting. What if the real problem isn't that you have too much stuff—it's that you don't know what you have?

In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp and Grace Church introduce Low Buy July—a realistic, grace-filled approach to mindful spending that's about awareness, not deprivation. Unlike extreme no-spend challenges, Low Buy July invites you to hit pause on non-essential purchases while still living your real life.

What Listeners Will Discover

This episode walks through exactly how to prepare for and thrive during a month of intentional spending. Kathi and Grace share practical strategies for reducing impulse purchases while still taking care of what matters—from birthday celebrations to necessary prescriptions.

The Discovery Phase

Before cutting back on spending, it helps to know what you already own. Kathi introduces several "treasure hunts" to help listeners rediscover forgotten resources:

• Freezer Archaeology: That mystery meat from 2022? Time to either use it or lose it. A full freezer inventory helps you plan meals from what you have.
• Beauty Product Graveyard: Half-used shampoos, impulse lipsticks, and face masks you've been "saving"—July is the month to finally use them up.
• Closet Rediscovery: Pull out clothes you haven't worn, create outfits, and hang them outside your closet as a visual reminder to actually wear them.
• Craft Supply Challenge: Cluttery people love to start new projects. This month, practice being a finisher instead.

Setting Yourself Up for Success

Small friction can make a big difference. Kathi and Grace offer these practical tips:

• Remove Amazon from your phone (you can put it back later)
• Unsubscribe from retail emails
• Check your subscribe-and-save settings
• Let your Amazon cart build up and trim it before ordering
• Use grocery pickup to avoid impulse buys in-store
• Put wanted items on a waiting list—if you still want it in August, buy it then

What You're Still Buying

Low Buy July isn't about deprivation. Safety items, prescription medicine, true groceries, and birthday celebrations are all still on the table. The goal is accommodation, not elimination.

Key Takeaways

• Low Buy July is about awareness, not acquiring—understanding where your money goes
• Friction is your friend when it comes to impulse spending
• Your library is an underutilized resource for summer activities, passes, and entertainment
• Getting leverage over one spending category builds confidence to tackle others
• Planning meals backwards (from what you have) turns the challenge into a creative game

Ready to join the challenge? Head over to the free Clutter Free Academy Facebook group to take the Low Buy July pledge and celebrate wins together with 16,000+ fellow declutterers.

Does the thought of tackling your home office make you want to close the door and pretend it doesn't exist? You're not alone. In this episode of Clutter Free Academy, Kathi Lipp sits down with Grace Church to discuss why most office decluttering attempts fail—and what actually works instead.

What You'll Discover in This Episode

August brings that familiar back-to-school energy, and it's the perfect time for adults to reset their systems too. But before you pull everything out of your office for a complete overhaul, Kathi has some important wisdom to share about why that approach almost always backfires.

The Truth About Office Gut-Jobs

An office gut leaves you in shambles and piles. Instead of a marathon decluttering session, Kathi recommends breaking your office down into manageable pieces—the desk one day, files the next, walls another day. The key? Fifteen minutes is your best decision timeline. Beyond that, you're making poor decisions without the energy to carry them out.

Why Your Office Is Like Your Kitchen

Grace offers a powerful observation: your office is a space you're working in while trying to work on it—just like a kitchen. It's hard to renovate a space while you're living in it. This is why small, sustainable steps matter more than dramatic overhauls.

The Year-Long No Office Supply Challenge

Kathi is kicking off a personal challenge that has transformed other declutterers' lives: a full year without buying office supplies. The secret? Gather all your pens, sticky notes, and notebooks into one spot and create your own little store. You likely have more than you think.

The Power of Body Doubling

There's real psychology behind working alongside others—even virtually. Body doubling helps your brain stick to the task without excuses. It's one of the most powerful tools available in the Clutter Free for Life community.

Key Takeaways

• Done is better than perfect—perfectionism is the number one thing that stalls an office project before it starts
• 15 minutes is your sweet spot for making good decluttering decisions
• Gather office supplies into one place before buying anything new
• Work on your space in sections—don't attempt a complete gut job
• Enjoy your August by spending just 15 minutes a day getting systems in order

Whether you need a simple tune-up or a complete overhaul with daily support, there's a path forward for your office. The goal isn't perfection—it's creating a workspace where you can sit down and actually work without moving piles first.