This book is geared more towards moms with younger kids. My kids are older now but I still got a lot from this book. It helps you realize how much stuff is weighing you down and gets you to look at what you have and decide whether its worth all the space its taking up in your home. Yes, you spent (wasted) a lot of money on "XYZ" but is it worth keeping just to take up valuable space in your home? A lot of great point and tips.

This is a fantastic book and was very helpful for me. I highly recommend it regardless of how much clutter you currently have. It is full of helpful tips and new ways of thinking about our homes and possessions. The author teaches the connection between clutter and the way we feel. She said this book is for every woman who is overwhelmed and wants more time for what matters. If we get rid of stuff, we feel more peace in our homes. One idea I liked is that we aren’t wasting money when we get rid of clutter, we already wasted it when we purchased something we didn’t need. We also waste time, space, and energy by keeping things we don’t use. I found her idea helpful to set the intent for each room to know what we need to remove or add to it. It is also helpful to identify our clutter crutch so we can see the solution for it. Thanks to NetGalley for a temporary digital copy to use for my review.

What a great book. Allie Casazza is like so many American moms, too much stuff, over committed and often times finding it hard to see the joys of motherhood. Casazza not only gives you the tools to de clutter your house but the reasons why it will change your life. She has a light and fun style both in her book and on her podcast. Her steps are easy to follow and you continue to say to yourself that you should have known that. A quick read with tons of info.

I first heard about Allie Casazza through her Facebook Declutter like a Mother challenge a few years ago. Here I was introduced to the idea of everything in your life taking up your precious time. I kind of think of her as a more relatable Marie Kondo. So I began to follow Allie’s method of getting rid of ‘stuff,’ which has enabled me to spend less time maintaining my home and more time doing the things I love.

I was excited to hear about Casazza’s first book as although I have good routines and rhythms for certain things (e.g. laundry) and have decluttered and maintained specific areas (e.g. bathroom, clothing) there are still areas that needed work (particularly TOYS!)

‘Declutter like a mother,’ the book came at just the right time. Instead of making lists of areas I ought to simplify, Allie reminds us to just take action. Even just taking one action helped me to immediately feel lighter and encouraged me to continue with the focus on intent. I particularly like the ‘rule of space,’ as an idea of how much to keep and this works well with helping children declutter their things.

If you have been listening to Allie for some time, there may not be much new here. However, it is great for being able to go back to those specific sections whenever you like in the book. For those new to Allie Casazza - if you are feeling overwhelmed - this is a great place to start. Recommended.

The entire book feels like 20% content and 80% filler - much of it an infomercial for Cassaza’s online courses and podcast. I do like the idea of rejecting rigid minimalism and capsule wardrobes and finding your own sweet spot. Writing feels chatty rather than conversational and loses flow. I also appreciate how the target audience is not exclusively upper middle class stay at home WASPs - anyone can benefit from the advice, but it would have been better as an article in good housekeeping rather than an entire book.

Very informative and a useful guide to have. I like that there are no ‘set rules’ and people are encourage to find a way to declutter which best suits them, their family and lifestyle. An honest reflection of motherhood as well!

Decluttering is hard. Decluttering as a parent is extra hard. Stuff seems to accumulate and multiply and it can be overwhelming and seem like an insurmountable task. If you're looking for a cheerleader and encouragement then Declutter Like a Mother might be for you. If you're looking for strategies, techniques or a guide then it might not be.
Allie Casazza is personable and friendly, although a little overzealous in her use of the term 'girl' in a motivational capacity (e.g. Girl, you've got this). I have followed Allie for some time and have found lately that there is a lot of advertising her courses and scant information on decluttering strategies and tips. The same could be said of this book. It often felt like she was peddling her courses and there was not a lot of tangible content in the terms of techniques or guides.
Allie is good at motivating you, supporting you and changing your mindset, so if you're a self-starter this might be all you need. If you're looking for more structure then perhaps look to some other guides.
I appreciated Allie's candour and her personable way of writing which is familiar and comforting. It did get a little annoying and repetitive when you wanted more information and she suggested joining her paid courses though. If you're familiar with Allies story then that was also a bit monotonous for me and I skimmed over that quickly hoping to get to the bones of the book. Unfortunately, for me, it never arrived. Sure, I was very motivated and it helped with my mindset but after a little while this wanes and upon reflection there was not a lot else that I gained from reading this which I find disappointing.
If you're a superfan or in need of a supportive voice cheering you on then this might be for you

So so good! I listened to this book on Audible and it is so nice to be able to work while I listen. I listened to it all one time through while picking up, cooking dinner, etc. I have already tossed a few things while picking up and listening. I can’t wait to go through each room while listening to it at the same time. Next week I plan on starting on a room with trash bags in hand! I can’t wait to live lighter!

I am a mom of 3 kids. I definitely needed some good tips on decluttering. I loved all the encouragement I felt while reading this book. I thought the author's advice was practical and very helpful. I can't wait to get more time back by living with less. Huge thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

This was a fun, light, self-help read. Being a mom of two, who could definitely use some decluttering tips, I was looking forward to this book. There are some helpful ideas - although many are common sense, sometimes we all need it spelled out for us a bit. The book is written in a very approachable, friendly manner and I can see fans of books by Rachel Hollis and similar authors enjoying the style.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC to read and review. All opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book. I am not a mother so I was worried I wouldn't relate to this book. That wasn't the case at all, this book is for everyone. It is completely relatable. It is encouraging and motivating, what I loved most about this book, it was real. It takes a very "real" outlook on life and schedules.
I would 100% recommend this book.

Thank you to Nelson Books and NetGalley for allowing me to read Declutter Like a Mother.

Review
u'll instantly feel your day brighten. With an uplifting voice and infectious laugh, Casazza challenges her listeners in their everyday lives. Her story really begins with the art of minimalism.

Don't let that word scare you though. Don't picture Emily Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls revival (if you know you know). Over and over again, Casazza stresses that her approach to minimalism isn't so much about hard and fast rules but rather about creating a space that feels good and promotes a positive and healthy atmosphere for the whole family.

I'll let you in on a little secret. Right now, my house of 10 years sits partially boxed up, waiting for our next step. While putting all our stuff into boxes required a lot of time and thought, I can tell you it feels absolutely wonderful and freeing to live in an uncluttered house. I feel so much less stress and anxiety. And I know my husband, who hates clutter, feels the same. My kids...well, we'll get there.

While I read Declutter Like a Mother after putting my life into boxes, I know I will implement Casazza's strategies once we land. They're that good!

On a Personal Note
So, what will you find in Declutter Like a Mother? Wisdom. Straight up. Casazza encourages moms (and others reading her book) to make minimalism work for them. That will look different for everyone, yes, but Casazza does offer some ground rules. One that I appreciate is to stick with a plan. Like Casazza writes, when I'm overwhelmed, I can often start a task and distract myself into what I like to call "purging my belongings". Without finishing the task, e.g., putting everything away, Casazza simply says to start with sorting your belongings into piles: keep, toss and donate. I've lost hundreds of dollars by distracting myself from this method…Ooops...

One of the book's subsections is entitled "Clutter is a Thief". Boy, isn't that the truth. Clutter steals time. It steals serenity. It steals joy. I've felt all of these emotions in the past, but I don't know that I could have articulated what I was feeling before I read Casazza's book.

After Casazza introduces her method, she asks the reader to set the intent of each room. I love this! I want to do this!

Why?

Because it helps to narrow down the functionality of a given space. To me, this equates to simplicity, which equals less stress and more time.

By creating the idea of intent, you (and I) will know how to simplify the space to what it needs to be.

For example, my husband and I are foodie people. So, I can't wait to make my kitchen more functional, to make it clean and appealing, with my favorite cooking tools easily accessible. I loved her section on kitchens for this reason. I can design my kitchen space how I need it to be without it overflowing with tools and appliances that might get used once in a while.

Bottom Line
Is this book worth your time? YES! Are there other organizational books out there? Yes.

So, why by Casazza's book?

Simplicity. If you're looking to find serenity in your house, to create a healthy and appealing space, one that you want to be in, then read Casazza's book. Mother to mother, I know what it's like to be stressed out. To be running after the kids at all hours of the days. To have to separate your personal and business life and home management life.

Casazza is relatable. She understands what it means to be a full-time mom, running a business on the side, and managing the everyday ins and outs of managing the house.

Highly rated!

Prior to picking up Declutter Like a Mother I had never heard of Allie Casazza. I loved how clearly organized this book was. I have tried other forms of decluttering and every time I ended up overwhelmed and quitting. This fun guide helped me put things into perspective and I managed to thoroughly declutter my kitchen and it is so much easier to keep it clean! I have been inspired to slowly declutter the rest of my house too and I loved the suggestion to break it up into a couple of scheduled days each week.

Another section of the book that I loved was the section on how every kid is unique. As a mother of four children I find it amazing how different each of my children are especially in regards to how they approach clutter. I think that the tips to help each type of child will be very useful.

I've heard a lot about Allie, and lots of moms I know love her decluttering strategies. I've listened to her podcast and signed up for a few freebies on her website, so I was looking forward to reading this book. I did feel like all of the information included in the book is already on her website for free; there was no new information for me. And she does state that her course goes into more detail. This book is a good, quick intro to anyone new to decluttering, Allie / DCLAM or wanting new homekeeping tips.

This is the BEST book for Mamas. Allie really knows her stuff and I am so excited that I know have a much cleaner house and happier kids. Thank you, Allie!

Every so often I like reading a parent, cleaning, household managing book and this one definitely fits that description. It's short, in a good way, and gets down to the nitty gritty of her philosophy which I appreciate.

Like with all books like this you need to take the advice that works for you and leave the rest. I enjoyed her view on minimalism and letting go of some of them number rules. I also think that Allie's point about setting the intention for the space and letting it guide your decisions was helpful.

Of course, the use of the world "girl" multiple times made me roll my eyes a little bit I still enjoyed this read and am looking forward to potentially implementing some of the advice in my season of life.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

If you are looking for a book to give you a step by step on how to declutter, this is NOT it! However, if you are ready to take charge of your own life and are looking for the motivation to get started, look no further. Allie gets to the root of how the stuff we surround ourselves with affects us and how the excess impedes how we WANT to live. She stresses that while there's no one way to declutter, that your stuff has to work for you and your family. She encourages you to take a look at what is working for you and what isn't and to make adjustment where necessary. Allie presents a straight forward process of how to get started and to tackle each space. She also shares some ideas that have worked for other families and discusses some of the common hurdles people face while decluttering. This was a quick read and I was able to immediately implement the ideas in the book.

As a self proclaimer minimalist, I really enjoyed this book. I appreciated how she shared the root of clutter and didn't just give tips on how to manage it.

I had never heard of her author before now, even though she is apparently quite famous for her blog and podcast. That being said, I am always looking into new ways to keep things simple, especially since we recently downsized. Although I didn’t really learn anything new from this book, there were a few quotes that stood out to me. One being, “It’s about having less of what doesn’t matter in order to make room for what does.” Groundbreaking? Not especially. But eye opening? Yep. At least for me. It’s not about just purging everything and then having to replace it later, it’s about minimizing the chaos to create a home you can enjoy rather than one that works you to the bone.
If you’re a fan of Rachel Hollis or that type of speaker, then this is for you. Quick, to the point and easy to relate to.
Thanks to Thomas Nelson Books and Netgalley for this Arc in exchange for my review.

Casazza has a strong voice. She also has some great ideas. Sadly, this book didn't really hit the mark for me. I feel like there were nuggets of wisdom throughout, and that the discussions of how to actually go about decluttering specific areas were fairly strong, but the introductory section was very repetitive. That said, this is a slightly different take than other books I've read on decluttering and minimalism. I think the title says it all- if you're a mom, and you want a less cluttered life, this may be the book for you. Otherwise, perhaps another book less focused on being a mom while trying to reduce one's belongings could be for you.
Particular bits of wisdom that resonated for me:
1. Every item in your home takes up your time as well as the initial cost. The toaster you need to clean, or move to clean the counter, is taking time out of your week. So is it worth it? I liked the idea of exploring what the things in my home do for me, and if they're worth the continued investment.
2. Gifts are just that. If they don't serve you, pass them on or get rid of them. It's the thought that counted, not the hideous vase (or even pretty clothes that don't fit anymore).
3. Having a "number" to strive for is unrealistic. Own what you need and like. Remove the rest.
4. Put the things you want out of the house OUT of the house. Waiting for them to disappear by putting them in storage first is just delaying the inevitable.

Four nuggets of wisdom, but due to repetition and a lot of clutter in the writing- three stars for me. If you are a mother yourself and haven't yet read anything else on minimalism? Four plus for you!