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Hi there! My name is Nicole Rate and I’m a Certified Organizing Specialist and Decluttering Coach.
I combine my educational background in counseling with my expertise in decluttering and organizing to create a customized approach for your circumstances and lifestyle. I recognize that decluttering – the idea, the intention, the action, isn’t always the same for everyone.
I’m passionate about helping busy, overwhelmed people like you simplify and create functional solutions so you can focus on what matters most in your life.
Seasons of life change and I believe that decluttering should align with who you currently are, so it’s important to me that I meet you where you are in your decluttering journey.
I know from how my own journey of decluttering evolved over the years, what motivated me early on is completely different than how my life looks today. In fact, the early years of my decluttering weren’t actually about decluttering at all,
I was a single mom coming out of a toxic marriage with a LOT of debt and a paycheck that barely covered living expenses…
I needed a simple side hustle, so I began selling some of my things online (back in the days of Craigslist!) and it soon became almost a game of sorts, looking around at my possessions to figure out what else could I do without, to sell.
At that time my mantra to make the hard decluttering decisions was “money is more important than stuff”
It became such an integral part of my life that my toddler started playing what I called the “Craigslist game” – he would grab one of his toys and say “be right back, Mom – going to sell something!” and then take his toy to another room!
A lot of lessons were learned in that season of life, though one of the biggest was that I really didn’t need so much STUFF.
Over time I paid off ALL that debt, met and married the amazing man that God actually intended for me, and we began building our beautiful, blended life together with our household of 5 kids.
I kept selling things, especially as the kids outgrew clothes and toys, though I no longer had that intense “I need to do this to survive” mentality, so it became something I only did in my spare time, which meant all those “decluttered items” weren’t actually decluttered – they were still taking up space in our home, piling up in plastic totes.
Around this breaking point I stumbled across a Minimal Mom video about the true impact of managing so many things in our home.
It struck a chord with me – one of those right thing at the right time moments – and while it felt like most of the demands on our time were things out of our control, the THINGS in our house were very much within our control.
I realized the cost of these things sitting around our house
was simply no longer worth it and I had to be free.
So I dived into the deep end, went on a “rage purge” that resulted in taking 3 van loads of stuff from our house straight to the donation center! FREEDOM!
Even though most of the “things to sell” had been shoved in closets and not generally in our day to day living space, the impact of all of those items being actually gone from our house was unbelievable:
This huge weight I didn’t even realize was there disappearedWithout changing anything in our schedule, life suddenly felt more manageable At my son’s IEP meeting a few months later, his teacher raved about the recent improvements in his behavior, and there had not been any other changes to his routine, therapist, etc. other than simply ELIMINATING THE EXCESS
Talk about a jaw-dropping moment for me.
Don’t underestimate the power of having less stuff in your environment!
I want this invisible weight to be lifted for you too.
It really is possible.
No matter what your current life circumstances are,
it’s not too late.
This is why I approach decluttering from a coaching perspective. It’s not just about getting stuff out of your house, I help you simplify your life.
There is a way out of the clutter jungle and into peace of mind – I’d love to help you get there (no rage purge required!)