In this month’s Fix It or Free It Challenge update, we focus on shoes. The pairs we swear we’ll fix but never do. We explore what happens when we realize we’re holding onto things that no longer fit our lifestyle, comfort, or identity. This episode dives into the psychology of decision fatigue and identity clutter, showing how letting go can be just as powerful as repairing.
Whether you’re decluttering your own “to-fix” pile or following along with the challenge, this episode offers a thoughtful reminder: fixing brings satisfaction, but freeing something can bring peace.
In this Episode, We Talk About:
- How to decide whether to fix, donate, or let go of an item you’ve been hanging onto.
- The psychological side of clutter, including identity clutter and decision fatigue.
- Why letting go of something you thought you’d fix can be an act of self-awareness, not failure.
Mentioned in this Episode:
- Fix It or Free It Challenge 2025: monthly mindful decluttering series
- Previous projects: workbag straps, Halloween figurines, jewelry, backpack repair
- Follow and share your updates with us on Instagram @theorganizedflamingo
January: Replaced workbag straps
February: Turned a dress into a skirt
March: Decluttered the fix-it drawer
April: Fixed office cart wheel
May: Repaired two necklaces, donated the rest
June: Added anti-slip pads to heels, freed an old pair
July: Sewed hiking backpack pocket
August: Let go of uncomfortable headphones
September: Fixed or released Halloween figurines
October: Let go of two pairs of shoes I no longer love
Review full show notes and resources at https://theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast
Review Transcript:
It is time for our October check-in this week. Welcome back to Organize and Cherish. I'm Stephanie, your host, and for this episode we are doing the recap of our fix it or free challenge for October. If you're new here, welcome. I'm so glad that you're here. This challenge has been one of my favorite ongoing series of this year, and this is the quick breakdown, but we have one episode per month giving you the recap of what I did.
So if you listen to this and you're like, oh, I wanna see what she did for the other month, or get some inspiration, then go ahead and listen in on the other week. So there, there's one per month. If you have been following along and you're doing your own challenge, I am rooting you on. I'm so excited to see what you got going on for October.
Remember, this challenge can keep on going even after the year. You can start it whenever. It's just that we started it at the beginning of the year to, uh, make it kind of like a, a clean start, I guess, if you can, if you can say that, but you can start whenever you'd like. Okay. So each month I chose one item, so just one that I've been meaning to fix or finally let go of.
And the goal wasn't perfection, it was just, I just to make progress. To finally tackle the stuff that I had been saying I would fix and or finally just make a decision about it. And sometimes that meant that grabbing a needle and thread and like doing the work, like that's what it actually meant. Okay, you know what, you just have to go do it.
There was no magic potion. There's no seven step process. There's no some, you know, something, someone that will magically make it happen. You just have to go do it yourself and figure it out. And sometimes it meant, you know, doing a little bit harder work, giving it a try, a tool that I had never used, and figuring out that it was not for me.
That either I wanted to pay someone to do it that was better skilled at that practice, or it just needed a professional to do it. You know, I just didn't have the tools for it or that I just didn't wanna do it, and I just wanted someone to get it done for me. But then other times it was recognizing that something's just not worth fixing anymore.
So that's the, the overview of what we've been doing. And every month it's not that it gets easier, but I feel way more empowered to make the decision and not be so indecisive about. Keeping something that I think I will fix. I'm getting to know myself much better in these situations, so if there's something that is broken or I get from that bin that I said I would fix, it used to be, well, maybe I'll give it a try.
I can take this on as a hobby. Oh, it's cost too much to have someone else fix it, but I can do it. Now those decisions are being made much faster. So that's something that has come out of it. But let me give you a quick recap of what happened in October and where we are. Okay? So here we go.
Welcome to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. I am your host Stephanie, your compassionate and deficient professional organizer. Whether you are part of the sandwich generation helping a loved one declutter, or just trying to simplify life, this is the place for you. Together we will tackle those overwhelming piles of stuff, uncover purpose in what we keep, and let go with dignity and care, because it's not just about throwing everything away, it's about respecting memories and simplifying life.
Sound like a plan? Let's jump in and get organized. Okay, so this month's category was shoes. If you remember earlier in the year, I said I'd fix two pairs that needed a little bit of love. Um, maybe I had to do some like new soles and soles and whatnot. And then the other pair, I got rid of them. These were very specific shoes that I had had intention of fixing.
I had written down next to like a little note that said they're just not comfortable. They're slipping. So I found some ways to fix that, and it did work for one of the pairs. It was great. I'm still wearing them. I love that I did that and you know, if I needed to take it to a shoe repair, I would have, it just didn't end up that I needed to.
So that was great. And then the others I let go. But see, here's what happened after a few months of thinking about it, because remember all of these items that I'm picking. Either have been in the bin at the fix-it bin and I needed to finally make a decision. So some of these have been sitting there for a really long time, like the item that I, I either want to fix or free, have been sitting there for a long time here sometimes, but because months have passed now when I look around and I go and walk around my house or my area or my space, I now I am identifying things that I subconsciously been meaning to fix.
So that's how this month's items came about, because after a few months of thinking about the fixing of the shoes a few months ago and walking past some of my shoes, I realized that I subconsciously have been keeping some of these, especially the ones under the bed, not the ones that I display and I use every day because I wanted to fix them.
And I don't know why I didn't identify that before. I think I just kind of did a, let me put it away. Out of sight outta mind. I'll make a decision about this later. Part of this whole thing, which I'll talk about the, the reflection in a minute, I've realized that now I'm identifying myself way earlier, like identifying the fact that I want to fix something or it needs to be fixed and I need to make a decision about it much earlier than waiting years for it.
Okay, so let's go back to this month again, the, the shoes. So I had been walking past these shoes for a while because I was, it was in my head that I had just fixed other shoes. I realized though, that I am not actually going to fix these shoes and that, that I had been wanting to fix them. I'm like, why am I, because I started asking myself those hard questions.
Why is it that they're still sitting in this storage box? And I have not worn them in years, like at least 10 years. And so I started asking myself those hard questions and uh, I realized that I'm not actually going to fix them because I don't like them. And it's not because I don't care, it's because they're not me anymore.
They're not classic enough to keep or pass down to my kiddo. They don't fit my current style or comfort level. So why keep them? And here's what's interesting. This month's challenge actually ties into something we've talked about before, which is decision fatigue and identity clutter, which is when we hold onto things because we used to love them or because we might need them, but we're not really keeping the item, we're keeping the old version of ourselves.
So psychologists will call this sometimes temporal self continuity. The feeling that we need to stay connected to who we once were. Sometimes the most compassionate thing we can do in this case is just to say, Hey, that was me then, but it's not me now. And whether you're working with someone that you love or you're talking to yourself in third person, because I know many of you who I work with prefer to talk to yourself during these exercises.
In that way, it gives you that outsider perspective or you're talking to yourself, then this is a really good way to to think about it. These items are who you used to be, just like the shoes for me, it used to work really well with the outfits and the style back then. I used to do a lot of the activities that these shoes would be perfect for, but I don't anymore, nor do I want to.
It's not even one of those. Oh, I wish I could get back to that hobby, to that event, to that work mode or you know, whatever reason or however you wore the, for me, the shoes. I really don't, there's no, no part of that lifestyle that is me anymore. And they're not closeted enough to keep in this genre. And, and I can't really sell them either because they're, they're just cracked and I need to fix them.
So it's not like I could sell 'em for the new generation that wants to be cool again. Like we used to be in the two thousands, still in the nineties, two thousands. No, they don't want these shoes. Okay. They, they're just old. They're cracked. And it probably would break someone's ankle to be quite frank. Um, and I would not want that.
So they're not safe or aesthetically pleasing anymore, and they cost too much to fix. Hi, cherish friends. Life can get overwhelming, especially when you're juggling caregiving, clutter and everything in between. That's why I created the Organizing Cherish Weekly email that goes out every Wednesday straight to your inbox.
To help you keep the momentum inspiration going with tips and reminders of our upcoming events, all you have to do is head on over to organize and cherish.com and sign up for the email newsletter. It's free and you can up subscribe whenever you'd like. It's my way of helping you simplify your life and respecting memories along the way.
Now back to our show. So it was time for me to let them go, and it was a much easier decision than it has ever been. I used to really struggle, which is why I have kept them for at least, uh, I'm not say decade now that I think of it. Of it, it was like early two thousands, so that's like 20 years ago. I forget, we're in the NI 2020s now, so that was me, you know, and it's not me anymore.
So instead of forcing a fix, I chose to free them. Now a couple quick things that I wanna mention about these situations. Some of you that are nostalgic and do end up fixing, if this, let's say it's a shoe. Make sure that you think about the lifestyle now and the, the rules, regulations, whatever it is that you're fixing now.
So that, I guess really what I'm trying to say is decide whether you want to keep it as its original. It's its original way of being, or you're trying to modernize it. I'll give you an example. Like telephones, they are now old telephones, rotary telephones with the cord telephones that are retrofitted to fit the modern lifestyle so that you can call using wifi, using your internet connection, using your cell phone.
But it's the old feeling or the timeless feeling of that item. So there's definitely that option. And then there is, you know, modernizing it or keeping it to its original case and, and way so that it can keep its integrity from that style. So if you're making these types of decisions, um, those are some also things for you to think about.
I decided that I didn't want either. There's no real way, like these shoes were not, um, optimal to make into a modernized version. In addition. They just, in my opinion, were not classic enough. Like they're not a staple of the two thousands for me to have kept as a collector's item or something. So I chose to free them.
So let's talk a little bit about the reflection. You know, what came to me on a personal like story basis, this challenge continues to be kind of that gentle reminder that letting go is an active maintenance as well. So that was a big thing for me. Fixing something can bring me joy, but releasing something.
Can also bring relief, and that's what this month brought to me. It was a relief, huge relief with no guilt. If you've been following along, you know that some of my fix it or free projects this year have included things like. Sewing and sewing up my hiking backpack, replacing my work back straps, like paying someone to do something gluing, getting in the nitty gritty and, and fixing my Halloween figurines.
It's been a fun mix of sentimental and get in and actually do something about it, you know? And if you've been doing this challenge with me, I would love to hear what you've been fixing. Like, have you gotten in, in dirty, I guess you could say and done the DIY. Or have you paid someone to do it or kind of like what's been your, um, discovery and reflection for you?
So for me it's been that I like the mix of the satisfaction of doing it myself and then also paying someone to do it that left it better than I would have ever and saving money and the earth that way. And I also enjoy just throwing stuff away. So it was a great mix for me so far. So I'd love to hear about yours as well.
Okay, so let's do a very quick recap. I know I'm gonna, I, I'll put it in the show notes as well, but let me just talk about the, the 10 things really quick that we, well, nine, 10 months that I've been doing and, and give you one more reflection for me. So in January I replaced work bag straps. In February, I turned a dress into a skirt, hired that one out in March, I decluttered the fix it, draw a drawer like I.
Went through now that I had done it, like for three months, I decided that there were things in there that, oh, wait, no, I, I don't, I don't even want to try to fix it. Uh, in April, I fixed my cart wheel In May, we repaired two necklaces and donated the rest. In June, I tackled the shoes that I just talked about in July.
We, because sometimes I did it with, like somebody else did it for me, but in July, I sewed my hiking backpack pocket. In August, we let go of the uncomfortable headphones. In September, we fixed and or let go of the Halloween figurines. Finally, those department 56 ones. And then in October I did a a few more pairs of shoes.
So as you can see, there is quite a mix of things. That I'm starting to do, and as I start to think about whether or not I want to continue this challenge next year, a small little hint, I'm pretty sure I am, and I'd like to do it in a more public way. I did take pictures before and after, but I decided that I did not want that to stop me.
I don't know for about you, but sometimes trying to document while you're learning, it just becomes too overwhelming. So I decided to not let the documenting piece get in the way. If I were to do this next year, which I think I am, I will do a better job with documenting so that other people can see the before and after.
But also so that I can see it for myself because I don't have a lot of pictures from this entire experience. I have the feeling, which I think is plenty, I'm wearing it. I'm not trying to showcase it to, you know, try like show and tell, except for all of you. But I'm not trying to impress anybody with this challenge per se.
But I wish I would've kept a folder for my own self and gone through the album at the end of the year. So that's something that I'm keeping in mind as we finish off the year, because we have November, December left. So it's been a few months of thoughtful decisions and I love that. And with just a few more to go and I have absolutely, I'm really enjoying the thoughtfulness of it.
Here's your friendly nudge for this week. Take a look around and see what's waiting in your own. Fix-it pile. Maybe it's a jacket with a missing button, a lamp that flickers or a pile of shoes that needs some attention. Okay? So take a look, see if there's something that you could be doing something about finally getting it done and coming up with a game plan.
So ask yourself, am I really going to fix this or is it time to free it? Either way, you are moving forward. Okay, so that's it for this week. Thanks for listening in this week to organize and cherish. You can follow along or share your own fix it or free story by tagging us or emailing us at hello@theorganizedflamingo.com.
Until next time, see you next week and happy organizing. Thank you for listening to the Organized and Cherish podcast with the Organized Flamingo. If you enjoy today's episode, I'd be so grateful if you left a rating and review on your favorite podcast player. It helps others discover our show. For full show notes, resources, and more organizing inspiration, visit www.theorganizedflamingo.com/podcast.
Until next time, happy organizing.