Ascetic Austere April in which we Abate the clutter and Ameliorate our Anxiety!!

[Morning Glory]

I tried to think of a synonym for minimalism that starts with an A, but I'm blanking here. I'll change the title if someone comes up with one.

Are you decluttering, doing a no buy month, cutting subscriptions, cleaning out your pantry, reducing your commitments, or just doing some spring cleaning? All are welcome here.

[Morning Glory]

I'm still doing decluttering and freezer/pantry:
Selling stuff: so far this month: a chainsaw, 4 rims, 1 tire, 1 full and four partial rolls of chicken wire, 1 barn pulley, and chicken supplies including feeder, waterer, water heater, and nesting box (I gave the lady who bought them a bag and a half of wood shavings too)

Donations:I have a bag of cat food, a box and a half of litter, and a litter box that I need to take to the animal shelter. I have some smaller household items that aren't worth selling that I need to box up and donate too. Will do that tomorrow.

Freezer/pantry: chest freezer is about half emptied. Fridge freezer needs a good scrubbing. Will try to do that this week. I got out a ham to make next weekend when my parents visit. I have some wine that I don't really like that I will try to send home with my mom.  I still have a pumpkin from last year's garden, will try to do something with that this week too.

[parkerk]

I tried to think of a synonym for minimalism that starts with an A, but I'm blanking here.

April Asceticism?  Ascetic April?  (Asceticism might be a little harsher of a concept than just minimalism, but it's all I got).

[Morning Glory]

I tried to think of a synonym for minimalism that starts with an A, but I'm blanking here.

April Asceticism?  Ascetic April?  (Asceticism might be a little harsher of a concept than just minimalism, but it's all I got).

Ascetic April it is!!!

[ixtap]

We have set a timeline for moving back onto our boat, so we are taking a second look at everything we own these days. The last time we lived aboard, we also had a storage room, so not only do we have to pair down what has been accumulated since moving ashore, but also the things we used to hide from ourselves. Actually, I have already shifted some of the bigger items, but it seems there is always something else that we can't remember why we were keeping.

[parkerk]

I tried to think of a synonym for minimalism that starts with an A, but I'm blanking here.

April Asceticism?  Ascetic April?  (Asceticism might be a little harsher of a concept than just minimalism, but it's all I got).

Ascetic April it is!!!

Yay!  Now I need to think of some things to do this month.  So far I'm at the "watch youtube videos on minimalism" stage.

[meadow lark]

Watching YouTube videos sounds fabulous - got to do the research!
Newest gift from YouTube - Without that I would never have known about Project Pan and ‘hitting the pan.’  For those not as hip and in the know as I now am, it is where you use your make-up until you go all the way to the bottom and can see the bottom of the container. 
I feel rather silly, as I thought everyone already did that.  Except mascara - that shit can kill you ( or at least make you go blind). ^*

* I have no evidence this is true but I believe it anyway.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-We are selling our vacation house, and I'll be there at the end of the month to make a plan for how to get rid of everything. (We're hoping to sell furnished, as it's a vacation house community).
-I'm going to go through my eBay listings & decide what to keep and what to donate
-I'm also going to go through my "someday" eBay items that have never been listed, and either donate or list. They are things that are a PITA to list, so I always kick the can down the road
-I'm going to sell a bunch of stuff on Decluttr, to get it out of my house, even if it's for a very small amount of $$
-I've already cut club volleyball for one kid (cutting commitments), as it was intended to be a COVID fill in. Now that other preferred sports have started up, things have gotten nuts. We now have Wednesday evenings free, and a couple hours back on Saturdays!

[Morning Glory]

@ML some of my makeup is ten years old and I still haven't hit the pan. I should probably just chuck it all, now that there are zoom filters for that. Or start wearing it again. I don't know. I always rub my eyes and end up with dark circles.

@MaybeBabyMustache I like fb marketplace for the big and awkward stuff. I sold mower parts to a guy in a bmw last week and almost sold half of a disc plow to a guy with a trump avatar today. His middle name was "biden sucks" and I wanted to ask him exactly how and what but I want to sell my partial plow more so I abstained. It's an adventure.

@parkerk just start. You will gain momentum. Trust me.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@Morning Glory - you are better at a poker face than I would have been in that situation. ;-) One of the challenges of the particular area where we'll be selling is.... there's almost no resale action. I've tried Nextdoor, Craigslist out of desperation, & FB marketplace. It's a really small community (45-60 minutes to a chain store, as an example) & it takes forever to find buyers. I'm planning a couple of trips, so I can get things done. My sister has also offered up her son (18, always looking for money) to bring things back to their area near Portland, and resale there. I'd be happy to let him do the work for the money, and it would get stuff out of the house. Win/win.

[Morning Glory]

That is a win win😁. We tried to let a friend do that but he priced the stuff too high and it didn't move. He put the fire hydrant (it came with the house) at 500. I tried to list it at 50 and it still isn't moving so it's going in the next scrap metal run. He tries to rescue stuff we are getting rid of and then just moves it to his area of the barn. Drives me nuts. I put my foot down finally.

Nextdoor is pretty slow here but I was able to give away a few things on there.

[Morning Glory]

We could abate the clutter, or ameliorate the fire hazard it creates.  Maybebaby's nephew is using arbitrage to get rid of it!!!  Decluttering and getting our shit together could be considered a nonpharmacological anxiolytic...

[Jenny Wren]

I like Ascetic April, I could use some some discipline to overcome spring fever!

My goals for this month are:
- declutter like a mad woman before we move in a couple of months. We are three people living in a one bedroom right now, so there isn't that much clutter, but in two years here we amassed a surprising amount of stuff. I did manage to get to the pantries and freezers yesterday. (frozen chickpea curry dated 18 months ago in the freezer, yipes!)

- Buckle down with work. I'm self employed and dictate my own income to an extent, but have issues making myself do more than a certain amount of work each day. Trying to pad on an extra 1 to 1.5 k this month so we don't dip into savings for moving expenses.

[Morning Glory]

I took my donations to the animal shelter today, with the addition of a box of old towels and blankets that I sorted from my linen closet this morning!!!!  There was more cat litter than I thought, plus some bowls and assorted other stuff, so my car trunk was full. Donations for the thrift store are boxed and in the garage for now.  There is an old card table that won't fit in the car so I will just list it on fb for free.

I'm going to make a pasta bake for dinner that will use only ingredients that I already have in the house.

Went to Target for new bathmats and resisted buying anything else besides some candy that was free after ibotta. I really wanted one of those prairie dresses though.

[englishteacheralex]

Austere April?

I've been on a decluttering kick for the past two months, and: it's time.

Time to sell the ice cream maker.

And I think, maybe, just maybe...

Donate the waffle maker.

Ice cream maker: I've used it about five times. It was a gift from my in-laws. It requires about five hours from starting the recipe to ideal ice cream. The last time I made ice cream we didn't even finish the batch. In-laws live a continent and an ocean away. They'll never be the wiser. It goes.

Waffle maker: Got a lot of use when I was first married. Then I tried to force it into service as an ad-hoc panini press. It makes nice grilled cheeses but the mess isn't worth it. When I'm looking for a carb-y breakfast treat, I like to make crepes. It was a wedding gift from a pair of friends who got divorced. They'll never be in our house again. Hmmmmm I think I have to get rid of it.

[Morning Glory]

Austere is good!!!

 My husband sold a large ceramic bowl on Mercari this afternoon.  I asked my son's teacher if she wanted some extra school supplies; she said yes so I put half of them in his backpack for tomorrow, and set the rest out for the next day. No point in moving something that can be reacquired so cheaply in the fall.

I got a bunch of work done too so I'm feeling good about myself.

I had an ice cream maker once and the amount it made was barely enough for two people, plus you had to remember to put the bowl in the freezer the night before. Totally pointless.

[ixtap]

Austere April?

I've been on a decluttering kick for the past two months, and: it's time.

Time to sell the ice cream maker.

And I think, maybe, just maybe...

Donate the waffle maker.

Ice cream maker: I've used it about five times. It was a gift from my in-laws. It requires about five hours from starting the recipe to ideal ice cream. The last time I made ice cream we didn't even finish the batch. In-laws live a continent and an ocean away. They'll never be the wiser. It goes.

Waffle maker: Got a lot of use when I was first married. Then I tried to force it into service as an ad-hoc panini press. It makes nice grilled cheeses but the mess isn't worth it. When I'm looking for a carb-y breakfast treat, I like to make crepes. It was a wedding gift from a pair of friends who got divorced. They'll never be in our house again. Hmmmmm I think I have to get rid of it.

to

Aww, I remember when I had to get rid of my yonanans machine. Of course, in my case, it was somewhat easier as I seemed to start having asthma attacks whenever I had a banana.... I am better now that I am not trying to be Freely the Banana Girl.

[Serendip]

I like the extravagance of this title (austerity is only positive in certain situations, right?)

Work is a bit up-in-the-air due to a big surge of Covid cases in our town. We might get closed down again so I am IN for this challenge..can't be spending money that I might not be making.

Have a box in the hallway for decluttering purposes...some clothes in there, a teapot, books, random jewellery. The more I put in there, the happier I feel about it.

[Morning Glory]

After dinner a guy gave me $10 for some cinder blocks I had lying around outside. My husband also sold a fancy glass picture frame on Mercari. We have no business having a fancy glass picture frame with little boys in the house. I stopped keeping track of the money. It feels good to have it gone.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Packaged up books & very old iPod & dropped it off at the UPS store, for "Decluttr", which is an app I heard about here. Prices are really low, but it gets junk out of your house, which is a big win.
-Avoided buying any random items in Rite Aid while I was waiting for my 2nd COVID shot. It was a bit of a wait, so I was tempted to buy the discounted Easter candy, but I held strong.

[Morning Glory]

-Packaged up books & very old iPod & dropped it off at the UPS store, for "Decluttr", which is an app I heard about here. Prices are really low, but it gets junk out of your house, which is a big win.
-Avoided buying any random items in Rite Aid while I was waiting for my 2nd COVID shot. It was a bit of a wait, so I was tempted to buy the discounted Easter candy, but I held strong.

We did Decluttr for CDs and dvds. Very easy!!! I was tempted by one of those little house on the prairie dresses in Target today but I abstained. They look so comfy, but I don't need another dress.

I can't decide about whether I want to keep my china. I half want to just use it and get rid of the every day dishes instead. I don't want to have a cabinet full of dishes that nobody is allowed to use.

Weird stuff:
How do I get rid of a sword? It's a replica medieval sword. It's not even mine, but I've moved it twice and I don't want to any more. Should I just bury it in the backyard?

[Morning Glory]

This morning I threw out the remaining coupons. I didn't even check to see if there were some that weren't expired yet. I am so done spending time on that. It was fun for a little while and then it got old.  The plastic file folder they were stored in went in the pile for my son's teacher.

[Jenny Wren]

Weird stuff:
How do I get rid of a sword? It's a replica medieval sword. It's not even mine, but I've moved it twice and I don't want to any more. Should I just bury it in the backyard?

That would really confuse an amateur archaeologist if it's ever dug up! Check if there are any cosplay or SCA groups near you, they will likely value it.

I cleaned out my tea cabinet yesterday. I found an open bag of looseleaf rooibos that expired in 2012. That means I knowingly packed it and moved stale tea across the state two years ago. Ug.

Finished the deck/balcony today. Set all my old plant pots (the cheap nursery pots that the local plant place sets out for free) by the dumpster and they were grabbed in two minutes.  Broke down and boxed up the greenhouse, too. I'm not doing a balcony garden, at least not until I know where we are going to be living in a couple of months.  This way there is room out there to sit and enjoy spring until we move. (Fingers crossed we find a place soon!)

I still need to clean out the kayak that is standing upright in a corner out there. Appears it became a storage area over the winter. I see a bow, some arrows, a pogo stick, and a bag full of who knows what sticking out of it right now. Where did that pogo stick even come from?!?!?

[lazycow]

Fabulous thread name!

I have been decluttering for years and am done for the time being, so the next step is focussing on not buying (almost any) stuff and making do and appreciating what I already have, like what David Cain (from Raptitude blog) calls a "Depth Year". Owning less doesn't mean deprivation or misery, it creates a feeling of freedom and lightness and space to do what I love.

With that said, I have not bought any crap this month so far apart from essential groceries and toiletries. Am reading piles of my own and the library's books, hosting friends and cooking all our meals at home, including delicious desserts, walking on the beach, games with the kids, pottering in the garden, playing the keyboard. It doesn't feel austere at all!

[Morning Glory]

Clutter:
I sold a table this morning and a guy prepaid for two of the plows and is going to pick them up later. I got a bunch of messages about my other stuff too. I am working on my husband to get a facebook account and deal with some of this stuff himself, but no luck yet.

He got the photos he wanted off his old laptop so it can go to the recycling center now (the thing overheats and shuts down, so it's not worth donating).  He is going to run that and some other things this afternoon.

My friend said she would take some of the extra tools and she found someone else who wants my canning jars.

House:
I got good news from my realtor yesterday and we have decided to put the house on the market three weeks from now. That gives us more time to get rid of clutter and get the landscaping cleaned up.  We gave the inside of the house a good cleaning before the realtor came so we don't have to do much before my parents get here this afternoon.

Groceries:
I made lentil soup with homemade bread last night.  Talked to the husband about buying very minimal groceries from here out. 

[Morning Glory]

Update: husband took the e waste to the recycling center then went to the credit union and deposited $900 cash that we got from the last round of selling stuff!!! He's currently helping 45 with the disc plow. The 2 other plows are gone and so are 2 drags and a fire hydrant. (It was in the barn when we moved in).

[Raenia]

We are planning on moving in May, to a smaller place.  We'll most likely be getting a storage unit for some large, nice furniture that won't fit in an apartment, but I want to be sure we don't put anything in storage that we'll pull out in 2 years and ask "why did we keep this?"

I'll also be eating down the freezer and pantry in preparation for the move.

I've already moved a box for donation to the car, as well as my camping gear.  I've reluctantly concluded that we're not going to be the kind of family that tent camps in the future, so there's no need to hold on to my tent and sleeping bags.  I've started a new donation box, as well as a box for electronic waste.  We're making a concerted effort to read books and watch movies that people have given us that we won't want to keep after reading/watching, so they can go in the box.

[ixtap]

I have opened up my last box of academic books with the intent to read through them one last time before donating them.

[Morning Glory]

I found a home for the sword!!! My brother was visiting and took it with him. I thought about taking it down to the pond and sticking it in the mud for someone to find. That would have been fun.

 It was cold and rainy this weekend so fb was busy. We got rid of a couch, ottoman, bookcase, and some tools and managed to re-home our poor lonely chicken too. The best thing was that my husband sold his unfinished project truck for 1k. I hadn't even counted that as a vehicle since it hadn't moved in years.

This morning I cleaned out the medicine cabinet and kids art supplies and threw out a bunch of things. Need to make the house clean and tidy before it goes on the market.

[Raenia]

Yesterday and today I went through and tried on everything in my closet.  Quite a few dresses and tops into the donation box, and I decided to let go of my interview suit and some costume pieces that I've been keeping "just in case."

[Serendip]

@Morning Glory -- I can't even imagine what it would be like stumbling upon a sword in a pond :)

Another no-spend day for me. Am working on getting my SO on board but he has different ideas about things so when I decided to cook dinner with food we already have, he opted to go shopping and make us a lovely sesame-chicken dish instead.

So...I had a fabulous dinner and didn't cook or pay for it but will still make my vegan spinach alfredo dish tomorrow so that some things get used from the freezer/cupboard and I can eat it for lunches if he isn't a fan of it. Ha..

[lazycow]

@Morning Glory Thank you for starting this thread. I think it is my favourite one!! Glad you found a home for the sword! It would have gone beautifully with my velvet kirtle. My sister bought it for me 10 years ago in Carcasonne and I have only worn it once to a comic convention, but I cannot bear to get rid of as it is so beautiful. 

@Serendip your husband sounds like mine. I would totally eat from the pantry for the next couple of weeks but he and my son 'need' their meat. He has gone to buy mince for burgers tonight. I will have grilled eggplant, capsicum and haloumi in my burger bun instead.

Found another book on the shelves to donate. I gave a car full of stuff to a friend yesterday to take to her town's fundraiser market. However she had a huge pile of cotton fabric which she offered to me (I quilt). The temptation was too great, but I only took what I thought I'd need for my next quilt (blues and greens). My crafting rule is to only keep on hand what I am realistically going to use. It has all got to be earmarked for a specific project and fit in the small space I have allotted to supplies.

The sun is out after 2 days of heavy rain and wind, so taking pleasure in doing a load of washing and hanging it on the line outside. Not planning on spending $ but will go down to the beach with my book for a walk and read.

[Morning Glory]

@lazycow I read a beautiful series of books about carcassonne a few years ago and can't remember the damn name of the author or titles. It was about religion???? Maybe

What color is your velvet kirtle?

[lazycow]

@Morning Glory somewhere between burgundy and crimson. I am going to wear it next time I do the vacuuming, though the drapey long sleeves get in the way:-)

[ender]

oooh, I'm in.
 
I sorta-Marie Kondo'ed my clothing this weekend and got rid of over 1/2 of my clothing. I say sorta because I just did a pass through my closet with her "does it bring joy or not" criteria vs the dump on bed approach. A lot of this was stuff I had since high school range (and I'm in my early 30s now! yikes).

Also listed some stuff on Facebook and already some some of it too. And we drove a vanload of cardboard to the local recycle center! It's amazing to me what people will buy on Facebook marketplace.

I find decluttering so therapeutic. That clearly means I should buy more things, keep them and not really use them for years, and then declutter right?

I'm sitting in my office now after reading this thread thinking I really should just start decluttering my office. Would be more fun than working I guess :-)

[meadow lark]

I finally accepted that I am a plant murderer and dumped the potting soil from my dearly departed African Violet into my back yard.  I’m keeping the pot for my next poor unfortunate victim.  I also decided to donate about 10 small paper lanterns I got for free from a friend when they moved.  Not sure why I wanted them.  (Maybe to put in my niece’s Christmas stocking?)

[Morning Glory]

I am a plant murderer too. I quit trying with anything besides succulents.

I got up early and went to my office today so I actually got a bunch of stuff done. Now I'm home eating lunch and my husband is on his way out to deposit more cash and drop off a box of stuff at the thrift store. I sold some pool toys so far today and I have people coming for a couple of other things too. I'm also going to work on washing and putting away our winter gear.

[Serendip]

@lazycow --yes that is about right. I can easily eat vegetarian/vegan (and was for 10 years) and shop quite frugally but our arrangement now is that I am okay with eating meat and fancy cheeses but he is in charge of buying/preparing it since I tend to cook meatless. It seems to work out to a fairly balanced diet and we both like to cook (just very differently!)

On that note, am going to make a summer rhubarb with blueberry soup to use up some frozen rhubarb
Also made a veggie/barley soup with frozen cauliflower & kale that I wanted to clear out of the freezer. Very satisfying! We will eat that for dinner tonight (and my foodie hubby bought some nice pretzel buns to go with).

 He isn't a budget buyer but I do tend to benefit from it in a hedonistic sort of way. As in...he belongs to a wine club and will purchase pricey things that I just can't bear to (but am happy to indulge in occasionally).

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold a dress, workout shirt, & jacket that are too big
-Listed another item on eBay (I try to do this daily)

[Morning Glory]

I listed some more tools this evening and sold 2 deck chairs, a planter, a concrete chicken that was here when we moved in, and a jack. Winter clothes are drying and I made an egg bake for dinner to use up some random vegetables in the fridge.

And I got a turkey out of the freezer to make next weekend.

[lazycow]

Line drying 2 loads of washing. Found another book to donate. Making baked beans for dinner with ingredients we already have (cannellini beans, kidney beans, black beans, tinned tomatoes, carrot, onion, capsicum, possibly bacon -though I prefer it veggie the males here don't - maple syrup, vege stock, various spices). It is delicious on my husband's sourdough and Meredith Valley goats cheese, which is the luxury cheese I always have in the fridge.

Have practised the keyboard, done 1 yoga session on Youtube (free) and about to do another, right after I finish my book. Will watch The Flight Attendant on Foxtel this evening. A friend lets us share his account as there is no way we are paying the extortionate monthly fee  (though we used to!)

Really really really want to buy Katherine Heiny's new book but requested my library purchase it instead. If it is as wonderful as Standard Deviation, I will buy it. Have not bought a single book, new or 2nd hand for myself this year (gifts for a select group of friend's children not included).

[Morning Glory]

I had my husband add up how much we have gotten from selling stuff. He has deposited $5716 cash into his account since March 8th. The vast majority of it came from selling things on Facebook, Mercari, and Decluttr (a friend paid him back $200 and he also took in a jar of change that we had in the house). We have sold a few more items since then too, and he is getting ready to take another load of scrap metal to the junkyard today.

Since then we have sold a framing nailer, torque wrench, band saw, and some cinder blocks.  I also gave away an exersaucer and some scrap wood.

I gave him the go-ahead to list the china on Mercari.  We are downsizing to a 2 bedroom apartment and we have two small kids and a dog, so there won't be too many places to keep a bunch of breakables safe.

I called the power company and they are going to take care of two of the dead trees that are next to the power line, so those are off our to-do list now.

He says he is willing to get rid of one of his guns and some of his surplus ammo. Anyone have recommendations on reputable websites to sell that? We are armed to the teeth here. I wish he would get rid of all of them.

ETA someone just messaged me wanting my butcher cleaver that I had listed on fb. Deweaponization in progress!!!

[Morning Glory]

I got my garden cleaned up the afternoon and the worn out tomato cages crushed and ready for the scrap metal run. I sold a jack and listed a bunch of plant pots for free.

I found a maul in the garage. This really is ridiculous. It's the kind for splitting wood, but still...I really need one of those prairie dresses, so I can pose with all this stuff.

[Serendip]

Wow @Morning Glory --you have had some great success selling things!

I am about to do some decluttering of our gear closet and tune up the bicycles--just went for my first ride on my ebike and it's so much fun. I have had it for years but seemed to forget about it completely last year for some reason. I also have an older cruiser downstairs which needs some TLC.

Three no-spend days this week (except dentist expenses today) so that feels like a bit of a success, especially since work is slowing down.

[iris lily]

I did the ultimate declutter over the past year, books! Books are the final frontier of paring down.I finished last month.

I handled about 1,000 books and squeezed the collection down to 150.I sold about 30, sent many to landfill, donated the bulk to a used bookstore.

DH still has a fair number of books, but those are not my concern.

We are cleaning out our house of 30 years in anticipation of a move.

[Morning Glory]

2200lbs of scrap metal went to the junkyard today!!!! We got $143 for that. There is probably another truckload of it around here somewhere.

I hauled everything out of the bedroom closets and sorted out two large boxes of clothes, blankets, and board games to donate. Scrubbed the shelves and vacuumed before putting the other stuff back too.

Sold some canning jars and gave away more scrap wood.

[Morning Glory]

Husband took the copper and aluminum in today for $155. He also deposited cash and dropped off the donations I sorted yesterday. I gave away 2 pallets and sold a non-openable safe for $20. I also picked up trash outside and listed a bunch more stuff too.

[ender]

I did the ultimate declutter over the past year, books! Books are the final frontier of paring down.I finished last month.

I handled about 1,000 books and squeezed the collection down to 150.I sold about 30, sent many to landfill, donated the bulk to a used bookstore.

DH still has a fair number of books, but those are not my concern.

We are cleaning out our house of 30 years in anticipation of a move.

Books are my kryptonite :(

[iris lily]

Husband took the copper and aluminum in today for $155. He also deposited cash and dropped off the donations I sorted yesterday. I gave away 2 pallets and sold a non-openable safe for $20. I also picked up trash outside and listed a bunch more stuff too.

my DH also saves metal and takes it into the scrap dealer a few times each year.

[Serendip]

Is it possible to have herbal clutter?

I suppose it is quite possible and my 'witches cabinet' is chock-a-block full of herbs/spices/ingredients that need to be used up, especially as we are moving into harvesting/gardening season again.

So today I emptied a big bag of dried sage and rosemary into a jar & topped it up with honey and apple cider vinegar to make an oxymel which I can drink with sparkling water this summer.
 Also dropped off some hawthorn berries and hibiscus to a friend after discussing a recipe which called for these ingredients (which I have heaps of, but she had no clue how to access).

I also made another vinegar oxymel for a friend--it's actually quite a nice process as I'm decluttering my herbs and making gifts for friends who are so appreciative.