Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2 (Read 1276631 times)

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #1300 on:** October 03, 2018, 05:18:55 PM »

-BIL came and picked up our second couch (basically it was to host holidays, haha) to give to HIS brother in law. He forgot the ottomon that matches, but we'll hand that over tomorrow.
-Went through stuff and found more things to charity: two dog harnesses that won't be the right size, freebie t shirts, speakers that won't fit the new space, knitting gear I never learned to use, a yoga ball we won't have room for, and so on.
-I'm going to pack up our bookshelves tomorrow, so I will pack with a critical eye there.
-Listed our grill on Buy Nothing and already have 3 interested parties. So the grill and 2 large propane tanks will find a new home, and the back patio will show nicer. (It is not a pretty grill). And then there is no rush to rehome it immediately before moving.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #1301 on:** October 04, 2018, 01:12:09 PM »

-Threw out some very old, very hard oxyclean powder that I rarely use and was left by a prior roommate and still for some reason moved with me.
-Semi-failure point: no critical eye was turned toward books. Packing them made me sad and I was dragging my feet on doing it, so I just packed them all. At least I know if we keep the shelves we have, they all fit just fine.
-Corralled items: put plastic tupperware on a high shelf into a nice looking wire bin I was given. Now they'll be more accessible and look nicer for house showing. (We mainly use glass snaplock, but sometimes plastic is called for- gifting items, bringing food when we'll be carrying it all day, etc)
-Using up bottled fizzy water vs making more with the soda stream to clear them out before sale.
-BIL did come back and get that ottoman =)

chasingthegoodlife · « **Reply #1302 on:** October 04, 2018, 02:52:46 PM »

BJ, don't be too hard on yourself about the books. Although it would be more efficient to declutter them now, it's often easier to go through things like that in the new place where you have the emotional boost of 'exciting new life' and the motivation to keep only the right amount for that particular space.

I changed my plan on Wednesday and started a digital declutter. Backed up my laptop for the first time in far too long, went through all my digital music and deleted what I no longer enjoy, and reformatted my old phone to use as a music player in the car. Tried the music player yesterday and it's fantastic - can't believe I procrastinated on that for so long. Listening to some of the older tracks I hadn't heard in years brought back so many memories.

I found I had a lot of music I was keeping 'just in case' or that someone had given me and I told myself I would listen to it some day to see if I liked it. It's all on Spotify now so out it goes. Only keeping what I know I want to listen to over and over.

ysette9 · « **Reply #1303 on:** October 04, 2018, 05:06:23 PM »

That is an interesting concept because unlike real clutter, digital clutter mostly has no consequences. It doesn’t really stress me out yay I have a bunch of old files on my laptop but having old junk around the house is a major source of angst. I sort of gave up long ago clearing out old emails, for example, because I can just ignore them and search for anything useful I may need down the line. How do other people handle that stuff?

mspym · « **Reply #1304 on:** October 04, 2018, 07:42:41 PM »

Ysette- It was actually a lovely feeling to discard the TERRABYTES of korean/japanese dramas/anime from years ago, instead of having them lurking around, silently telling me that I should finish watching them even tho it has been years. I also used New Laptop as the excuse to clear out so many old files. I picked out the small number of photos I wanted to transfer to the new machine and then scrubbed the old one. I also actively archive/delete archives unless there is something I need to do in response to it. I dunno, I'm a discarder so it feels good to me. Ofpym retains things, so that's our household battle, but even he is watching me sort through and clear things and starting to take similar action. [he has 13k unread emails. UNSUBSCRIBE MY DUDE!]

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1305 on:** October 04, 2018, 11:07:24 PM »

I would love to have a clean, slim set of electronic files -all collated and organized, just the ones actually needed. I dislike digital clutter as much as physical. But I live with it okay :)

Ducknald Don · « **Reply #1306 on:** October 05, 2018, 08:27:44 AM »

Quote from: AerynLee on October 04, 2018, 12:07:14 PM

Ugh, I hate selling things. I really should try to sell:

You aren't the only one, I reached a tipping point with Ebay this week and have decided it's just too much hassle for too little gain. If I want to get rid of anything from now on it goes on Freecycle.

ysette9 · « **Reply #1307 on:** October 05, 2018, 09:23:33 AM »

I got pretty frustrated trying to sell stuff ok Craigslist/FB also. There are so many flaky people out there and then my husband seems to think I should hold out forever and get people to magically pay way more than I think is reasonable. His goal seems to be to get as much $ for an item as possible whereas my goal is to get it the heck out of my house.

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1308 on:** October 06, 2018, 08:50:59 PM »

Someone is very happy he decluttered: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/lottery-ticket-found-1-75-million-1.4853423

FamilyGuy · « **Reply #1309 on:** October 06, 2018, 09:56:44 PM »

Quote from: ysette9 on October 05, 2018, 09:23:33 AM

I got pretty frustrated trying to sell stuff ok Craigslist/FB also. There are so many flaky people out there and then my husband seems to think I should hold out forever and get people to magically pay way more than I think is reasonable. His goal seems to be to get as much $ for an item as possible whereas my goal is to get it the heck out of my house.

Same here. In fact, I listed a TV mount (new& unopened) at half of the selling price. Have to wait and see if someone will be interested. There should be a better way of selling things :) I hope so.

LinneaH · « **Reply #1310 on:** October 07, 2018, 01:35:33 AM »

Today DH and I will deal with paper clutter. Late last night (I am a night owl sometimes), I went through the house, tried to find all paper and papery stuff and carried it all to the TV room where I had put a large piece of plastic cloth on the floor to keep it gathered.
Then I wrote out sorting areas on blank sheets: action, keep forever, keep short term and sentimental. We are doing the Konmari method so sentimental needs to be dealt with as well, but will be postponed until later.
Today DH will do a second search through the house and then the fun (scary fun...) will begin. Kids will be on extended screen time 😜

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1311 on:** October 07, 2018, 02:03:27 AM »

Quote from: LinneaH on October 07, 2018, 01:35:33 AM

Today DH and I will deal with paper clutter. Late last night (I am a night owl sometimes), I went through the house, tried to find all paper and papery stuff and carried it all to the TV room where I had put a large piece of plastic cloth on the floor to keep it gathered.
Then I wrote out sorting areas on blank sheets: action, keep forever, keep short term and sentimental. We are doing the Konmari method so sentimental needs to be dealt with as well, but will be postponed until later.
Today DH will do a second search through the house and then the fun (scary fun...) will begin. Kids will be on extended screen time 😜

It will feel great once you have done it!

Today we did a year's worth of filing. The paper bin is full and I've finally done a few admin things that had been put off. Haven't convinced hubby that he doesn't need tax stuff from 2002 but overall, we are winning. Even better, I got to throw away an old broken plastic filing thingo - I'd acquired a metal filing drawer thing (for free, yay) but it had sat unused for months waiting for me to empty the old one. Now there is one less thing gathering dust.

LinneaH · « **Reply #1312 on:** October 07, 2018, 08:39:32 AM »

Quote from: Fresh Bread on October 07, 2018, 02:03:27 AM

It will feel great once you have done it!

Possibly but right now please kill me :-) . We had to take a break at lunch to do things outside of the house for some hours, but we have actually come a long way. But there is so much left. I thought I would end up putting more on hold in sentimental but not too bad. I have some old articles and e-books I need to/want to go through and that will not happen today but the rest should be done today, at least mine and possibly the shared. As for DH, I'm not sure. He sure is a pack rat, and it became clear that he has a lot more paper clutter than med, and also that it was less organized. Mine was sorted and more in need of culling (a lot) so it was quicker. I have some things I need to do together w/DH but should be done in a few hours.

We have decided to pick up McDonalds for dinner as we found a gift certificate in one of the piles. It's for two menus/meals and it's expiring soon. Will just add two small burgers for the kids. Fits well with paper decluttering AND reducing food cost :-)

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #1313 on:** October 07, 2018, 09:16:23 AM »

I sold a pair of new flip flops on eBay & got them out of the house. Made a giant $5.90 on them, but they are gone now.

I'm with you guys on the effort required. I don't actually mind eBay, because there is minimal flakiness (but, maximum fees). I use my local Facebook swap for easy to move kids items, discount the price so there will be no negotiating, and do porch pickup only. I use Craigslist super sparingly, because people are so annoying.

mspym · « **Reply #1314 on:** October 07, 2018, 01:53:41 PM »

We thought council hard rubbish day was coming up but was maybe next weekend* but I realised as I took the dog out last night that it was yesterday and we missed our chance to get rod of our bulk stuff for another 6 months. We're going to have to come up with another plan.

* normally people start putting things out a couple of weeks in advance and the piles get very large before collection. This time there was almost nothing on the street for pickup so we misread the signs.

Sibley · « **Reply #1315 on:** October 07, 2018, 04:41:52 PM »

Next weekend is the local hazardous waste drop off. I've been accumulating some things for that, the problem is I can only find half the pile. Will be spending some time hunting down the rest of it this week.

Linea_Norway · « **Reply #1316 on:** October 08, 2018, 04:09:58 AM »

I am on my way selling 500 grams of dried mushrooms. When done, I can remove the large bucket that is standing in the kitchen.

FamilyGuy · « **Reply #1317 on:** October 08, 2018, 08:31:12 AM »

More of organization this week and removed some garbage. Organized the garage, closet, and pantry. Now, all looks neat & tidy. :)

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1318 on:** October 08, 2018, 09:58:22 AM »

Yesterday, culled at least 80 papers from files in the annual go.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #1319 on:** October 08, 2018, 10:00:28 AM »

-Went through our three tiered tray & recycled/tossed a bunch of stuff.
-Organized the kids school pictures so they are now ready for distribution & mailing
-Had the kids comb through the house & put all of their stuff back where it belongs. That was at least an hour of work.

zygote · « **Reply #1320 on:** October 08, 2018, 10:26:49 AM »

I'm somewhat of a digital hoarder, and have basically kept every file I've ever produced. I'm approaching the limit of laptop hard drives of a reasonable size, so it's time to apply my decluttering to my digital life. I'm still going to back up the deleted files onto two hard drives so it's not quite the same as a normal declutter, but hopefully my computer will run more smoothly and digital files will be easier to find. And as a bonus, limiting the amount of files I have may help reduce replacement costs whenever this computer bites the dust. 50 GB and counting removed so far....

Also, I have identified random pantry items I'll never eat. I don't really know what to do with them because I don't think they're going to be donateable to a food bank? It's an unopened jar of fudge sauce I got as a gift, and an opened tin of smoked paprika I didn't like.

I want them out of the house, but don't want to trash them. I have a hard time wasting food even if these two items aren't of much nutritional value.

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1321 on:** October 08, 2018, 10:33:47 AM »

Most food banks can take everything (unopened, etc). Ideally there’s a bank in the new model (set up like a store) in your area and someone gets to choose the fudge. Sometimes the old-model food bank will have a mini version of this its lobby, where just the person who can use it will get to see it displayed.

Otherwise, Freecycle, Buy Nothing, etc, are also good for foods/ingredients.

The opened one you’re likely going to have to chuck, unless a Freecycle participant or a friend want it. Feed it to the earth so the earth can make more beautiful food?

CrustyBadger · « **Reply #1322 on:** October 08, 2018, 11:02:58 AM »

I just remembered that I have to take off All day Thursday from work to take DH to a midday drs appointments. If I wake early that will give me a good 4 hour chunk of am time to take care of all my paperwork decluttering.

oneday · « **Reply #1323 on:** October 08, 2018, 12:04:26 PM »

I'm so excited I can participate in this thread again! Been focusing on other stuff, but yesterday I replaced a pair of slacks that never fit right, so the ill-fitting ones went into the thrift box. Granted, they have not left the house, but I have a good track record of filling up a box and then taking it down. Box is mostly empty at the moment.

Bonus decluttering: a friend was on extended travels & stayed with me the night he got back. I noticed he put his travel guide in the thrift box :)

middo · « **Reply #1324 on:** October 08, 2018, 07:06:17 PM »

I spent $110 at the tip last week, throwing out the old tenant(s) rubbish! A mattress, three gas bottles all out of date, a broken double bed cast iron frame that would have been worth something if not damaged as badly as it was. Lots of broken motorcycle helmets. A full ute load.

It may have been expensive, but it feels so much better to have that rubbish out of my life.

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #1325 on:** October 09, 2018, 08:57:43 AM »

I've been trying on things I don't normally wear each morning. If it's not something that fits properly, or that I like, it goes in the donation box, or into a pile I save for a friend who is a bit smaller than me. I'm 2/2 this week, and it feels great to get rid of things that just take up space in my closet.

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1326 on:** October 09, 2018, 07:08:25 PM »

On just one counter, my teen likes to rest bits of food-related items. That space is literally inches from multiple appropriate receptacles. I put a sign on the counter: "Do not store things here. A thing goes in recycling, compost, wash bin, or garbage. Nothing goes here." Likely it will need to stay put just a few days before Teen has established a new habit. Looking forward to that :)

FamilyGuy · « **Reply #1327 on:** October 09, 2018, 08:12:28 PM »

I started out to clean some clutter in Kitchen. There were so many utensils/plates/bowls - used less and in perfect condition. Was very upset to realize how much money would I've saved :(

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1328 on:** October 09, 2018, 08:25:11 PM »

Quote from: FamilyGuy on October 09, 2018, 08:12:28 PM

I started out to clean some clutter in Kitchen. There were so many utensils/plates/bowls - used less and in perfect condition. Was very upset to realize how much money would I've saved :(

I've made aspirational purchases in the past, thinking I would be this amazing dinner party host. I haven't become that person, but it's ok to just acknowledge the mistake and move on! Maybe you know someone starting out that would appreciate a gift?

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1329 on:** October 09, 2018, 08:44:14 PM »

I made a decision to just take the time to go through my books properly. I'm not comfortable with donating one that I bought and then never touched, so I'm reading a few pages of each, skimming more of some. It's really working for me and I have a pile of 11 books to go, three to keep and read and I've put one in a maybe pile. I've got 10 more to consider. I can do two or three in a day. Fast decisions just don't work for me and books, sorry Marie Kondo.

I've also got a bunch of home type magazines that I guess are kept for inspiration? So I'm going to suggest hubby and I make a sort of mood board with clippings for our new build and then recycle the rest. This weekend might be wet and cold so would be a good time.

I have to talk to hubby about his collection of outdated foldable maps and leaflets. Maybe he's keeping them as memories of trips and we could do some cool collage in a frame. I think he thinks we might go back to certain places and we could reuse them but I think we are more likely to get our info online now.

After this I'm pretty happy we will have contained our books to our available storage space.

We have people coming for a soiree in mid November so I've got a deadline to 'finish' the house after a small scale renovation which is really helping. It includes things like patching walls so not really about decluttering tho. A longer term deadline that is becoming clearer is our new build - it might be done by this time next year. Unfortunately it's too far away to generate any more minimising activity but at least it's a good incentive not to buy more (the new place is smaller).

MaybeBabyMustache · « **Reply #1330 on:** October 10, 2018, 07:52:05 AM »

Inspired by this thread, when I went to find a photo yesterday, I deleted so much "digital clutter". Probably over 1000 photos. I need to keep going. It's actually a project I was hoping to accomplish on my sabbatical (and will definitely do that), but I can also delete a few things here & there when I have a spare moment.

It's crazy, because I can now easily review all of the high quality photos that are worth saving, vs having to sift through all of the useless stuff. Kind of how, after cleaning your closet, you're able to see all of your favorite items.

diapasoun · « **Reply #1331 on:** October 10, 2018, 10:27:23 AM »

Room is looking so much better -- it turns out that when you get rid of crap, you make space to put away the stuff that was just lying around! Huzzah.

Got rid of another shirt; it's super cute, and very comfortable when I'm seven pounds lighter, but I'm over 30, my body shape has changed, and I'm probably not going to be seven pounds lighter any time soon.

Roadrunner53 · « **Reply #1332 on:** October 11, 2018, 03:55:21 AM »

I bought these two mesh drawer under sink organizers. They were both supposed to go under each side of my kitchen sink. I pulled out the junk on one side of the sink and reorg'd it into the mesh drawer. It was pretty spacious, I was surprised. Plus the top has a shelf you can place things on too. What a difference. On the other side of the sink I have another type of organizer. It is okay but too full of junk and I need to go thru it. I then decided that the other drawer organizer would go in our small bathroom. I pulled out about 50 old things from under there. Cleaners, personal hygiene products, toilet paper and so much more! I had a small garbage can full of stuff, then I filled up another grocery bag of stuff to think about. Gave it to the Hub to figure out. Then once the cabinet was empty I tried to put the organizer into the cabinet and it was too wide and would not fit! ARG! But the good thing is that the cleaners that are left under the sink are manageable! I probably could have sorted thru some of that too to toss but at least I got two messes under control. Love the mesh drawers!

I also bought these on the wall wine bottle organizers. They were only $6.95 thru The Paragon catalog. I bought three of them. They are small and only hold two wine bottles each but I am planning to put them in my hallway bathroom and roll towels and put them where the wine bottles would go. I may have the Hub cut one up to add extra wine bottle holders to make it hold four towels. Once they get here I will analyze the situation. They come in black and I may have the Hub spray paint them another color. If I don't cut them I may place them side by side or one on each wall. The third one might go on the back of the door to store bath towels. The others I plan to put rolled up hand towels. We shall see how this project goes! It is a work in progress!

former player · « **Reply #1333 on:** October 11, 2018, 04:51:45 AM »

Roadrunner, I love reading about your progress on decluttering and all your nifty storage solutions.

Roadrunner53 · « **Reply #1334 on:** October 11, 2018, 05:17:44 AM »

Quote from: former player on October 11, 2018, 04:51:45 AM

Roadrunner, I love reading about your progress on decluttering and all your nifty storage solutions.

Thanks former player! My Hub cringes! I am the engineer and he is my mechanical technician! I have these chrome carts in my kitchen to hold small kitchen appliances, skillets and other stuff. I discovered I had a top shelf on one of them that was empty and space is precious. So, my wheels were turning. I am trying to clear off my kitchen counter stuff and have two big jugs of spatulas and kitchen utensils. Way too much stuff, but I like most of it. I did purge some of it. Well, the next thing I do is look for a chrome or wire basket to fit the top shelf of this cart. It had to be about 20 inches long, 8 1/2 wide and 7 1/2 inches tall. I looked everywhere and couldn't find such a critter. So, I decided the Hub and I would build one. I bought these cooling racks (4) and measured a bottom piece and 4 sides. The Hub cut the cooling racks to size. It was a bitch cutting these racks and the Hub got a few cuts. So then I assembled them with wire ties. Hub has a wire tie gun that tightens the wire ties and cuts them off cleanly. I had a nifty basket that fit perfectly. I then added all my long spatulas and odd ball junk to this basket. I use a towel to cover them since it is open. I LOVE IT! Then, with the rest of the cooling racks we built another basket to put near my refrigerator and close to the stove. I have a bunch more big spoons and other cooking forks, etc. It looks really nice! However, I warn you, cutting those racks was ugly. I think if we had a Dremel saw it might have been easier. The Hub used a hack saw and wire cutters. I know you may ask why so many kitchen tools. We like to cook and have acquired a lot of cooking things over the years via gifts and just life!

CrustyBadger · « **Reply #1335 on:** October 11, 2018, 05:55:18 AM »

Today's my day! Home from work all day to take DH to a midday dr's appointment. So I have 2 big chunks of time with no kids around to declutter.... Will I do it?

Morning: paperwork
Afternoon: sort through basement boxes.

Wish me energy please!

Car Jack · « **Reply #1336 on:** October 11, 2018, 07:05:15 AM »

Quote from: CrustyBadger on October 11, 2018, 05:55:18 AM

Today's my day! Home from work all day to take DH to a midday dr's appointment. So I have 2 big chunks of time with no kids around to declutter.... Will I do it?

Morning: paperwork
Afternoon: sort through basement boxes.

Wish me energy please!

If it becomes overwhelming, sort out just one thing. Maybe junk paper. I do that all the time and tend to target plastic kids toys. I still find stuff appropriate for 2 year old kids. My youngest is 18.

Sibley · « **Reply #1337 on:** October 11, 2018, 09:21:21 AM »

It was my birthday recently, and a friend was very kind and gave me some presents. Please don't tell anyone, but all of them are in my car for me to try to return for store credit. Failing that, regift/donate. If you want to give me gifts, labor (for house projects), or money (for house projects) are the best bet.

Found more stuff for the hazardous waste drop off. I think I've got it all now. It's a messy little pile, but it will be gone soon.

CrustyBadger · « **Reply #1338 on:** October 11, 2018, 11:58:23 AM »

Quote from: Car Jack on October 11, 2018, 07:05:15 AM

Quote from: CrustyBadger on October 11, 2018, 05:55:18 AM
Today's my day! Home from work all day to take DH to a midday dr's appointment. So I have 2 big chunks of time with no kids around to declutter.... Will I do it?

Morning: paperwork
Afternoon: sort through basement boxes.

Wish me energy please!

If it becomes overwhelming, sort out just one thing. Maybe junk paper. I do that all the time and tend to target plastic kids toys. I still find stuff appropriate for 2 year old kids. My youngest is 18.

Hah! I have some of those too!

Honestly it is always overwhelming. But midday doctor's appointment took 3 hours and by the time I got my husband settled back home it feels like the day is over. Gonna try to regroup and at least get the paperwork finished.

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1339 on:** October 13, 2018, 11:16:48 AM »

Contacted [new] bank to insist on no contact beyond re: my own transactions. Two envelopes of crap this round! No more please :)

Online, switched internet bill to paperless. Every month they were sending not only the bill, but a thick brochure welcoming me as a new customer. Glitch. Some things I like paper records of -makes tax time way easier. But my internet is so cheap now, I don't need to declare its home office portion, so can opt out. Yay!

Did my annual cull in all but three files, have 3/4 of one banker's box of stuff to shred. Lots of low-hanging fruit in there, why did I even have those?

oneday · « **Reply #1340 on:** October 14, 2018, 02:57:15 PM »

A bunch of stuff left my place yesterday: coffee table, 3 extension cords, basket that goes in a cooler, a plant, and a box full of CD's.

All this went to Mr. X. I had agreed to care for the plant, and am holding onto the CDs while I rip them, then he gets custody of the physical CDs (one box down, 8 to go). The basket was left here accidentally when he went on vacation (probably when he dropped off the plant). The table & cords were mine, but I decided I didn't need them & he did, so since I was already bringing a bunch of things over, those went too.

Moving the coffee table out of my bedroom inspired me to empty two boxes that were near where it was. Those were full of my craft things, so I got 7 baskets from the dollar store and now that stuff lives in the credenzas.

The only thing left in that space was a piece of artwork neither of us liked, but I took because I had plans to turn it into a white board. So while at the dollar store I picked up a roll of wrapping paper. Now the table & boxes were out of the way, I could hang the artwork. So put the wrapping paper over the art but under the glass and hung that, plus my cork board which had been languishing in a closet. So nice to have reclaimed that space! And it's totally usable. The only thing on the cork board is my library slip showing when the books are due, but I'm glad to have that in a secure place now. Once I get some dry erase markers I can start writing notes or doodles on my white board. Can't wait!

It occurs to me that I've brought maybe the same number of items into the house or maybe even more, but the things coming in are useful while the things going out were not useful to me.

Add to the "going out" tally: the two boxes next to the coffee table were plastic totes I used for moving, but they are the responsibility of Mr. X and I returned those to him as well. 9 out, 7 in. :)

And I just realized I might be able to consolidate 2 of the 3 remaining boxes from moving...brb!

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #1341 on:** October 14, 2018, 03:00:15 PM »

We've moved most of our house into our garage so all our flooring can be replaced. Cue INSTANT PANIC over how much crap we have! A lot of it I really don't even care about, and only took because it was free (when relatives moved) and we had spaces it looked nice in. So come Thursday when we're bringing stuff back in, I'll be very brutal about what makes the cut =) If it isn't wanted/needed, or useful short term for staging, then it goes.

Sibley · « **Reply #1342 on:** October 14, 2018, 03:16:57 PM »

Weather was unexpectedly nice today, so I was puttering around outside. Cleaned up and organized the garage some. Realized that I had appropriate shelf supports and an appropriate board available, and put that up for a nice shelf out there. Got some stuff up off the floor. also put a pile of stuff I don't need/want in the alley, with a free post on Craigslist. Whatever isn't taken will be picked up as garbage on Thursday.

oneday · « **Reply #1343 on:** October 14, 2018, 03:25:21 PM »

@Bracken_Joy that's a lot of work, wow! Go you guys!

@Sibley I love easy projects that you already have all the stuff for...nice to tie up loose ends

@AerynLee I know that nice feeling well...a fun feeling.

Consolidated 3 boxes into 2. A couple more things into the donation box, yay! A couple textiles into the laundry to re-incorporate into the household. And the box itself liberated & saved.

Mr. X packed up the CDs in whatever boxes were available. The largest is at least twice the size of any of the others. He labeled it "heavy as balls". I cannot move this box. So I'll use this empty box to hold some of the CDs after they are ripped...hopefully I'll be able to lift "heavy as balls" once those are taken out. If not, I'll find another box.

I would prefer he come get the boxes after I'm done with them (especially as that means he would deal with "heavy as balls" - which he created), but he is unmotivated right now. He just moved into a new place and is reckoning with his hoarding tendencies...even though he is attached to the CDs, he does not want to bring them into his place at this time. I don't want to wait till he's ready, and so far he's been receptive to me dropping off a box or two each weekend.

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1344 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:02:35 PM »

Quote from: joonifloofeefloo on October 09, 2018, 07:08:25 PM

On just one counter, my teen likes to rest bits of food-related items. That space is literally inches from multiple appropriate receptacles. I put a sign on the counter: "Do not store things here. A thing goes in recycling, compost, wash bin, or garbage. Nothing goes here." Likely it will need to stay put just a few days before Teen has established a new habit. Looking forward to that :)

It worked :)

Also, after years and years of owning this size and style of shredder, I only JUST realized a grocery bag can fit inside it, like with a garbage can. Makes it a teeny bit simpler to get 'er done. Three grocery bags of shreds out today.

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1345 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:16:41 PM »

I got rid of a big and bulky set of shelves that we had no room for anymore! They were just IKEA chipboard, didn't think anyone would want them, but there you go! Also got rid of an unused appliance to a friend. Our dining room is now bright and airy again. Just ignore the half finished projects on the dining table and the books in piles in the living room...

Question: we were given a lovely wedding gift (that was years ago now) that I've never displayed. It's two matching artworks that show where we met and where we married. However, the dates and locations are a little bit wrong and there's some wording that bugs me. It's unlikely the gifters will ever visit and ask about them but I'm finding it very hard to put them in the bin... I did think about having them remade with the correct details because otherwise they are nice to look at and I have a suitable wall spot. WWYD??

joonifloofeefloo · « **Reply #1346 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:20:55 PM »

^ I would ditch them. Once something's niggling at me to go, and my primary reason not to release them is that the gifter might notice, that tells me it's bye-bye time. If it's possible, I would take them apart and remove the identifying elements, donating the parts. A thrift shopper will do something crafty with the parts or wholes, making something they love. If they can't be taken apart, and you remain concerned about the gifter, I would take them on my next road trip and put them in a different town's thrift shop or landfill them.

Bracken_Joy · « **Reply #1347 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:30:35 PM »

Is there a way to modify and or correct it?

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1348 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:34:59 PM »

Quote from: Bracken_Joy on October 14, 2018, 04:30:35 PM

Is there a way to modify and or correct it?

It's a printed map with text. It's possibly only the text which is a problem so in theory I could get someone with good calligraphy to write on a bit of card and put that over the top. Hmmmm, that might work.

Fresh Bread · « **Reply #1349 on:** October 14, 2018, 04:38:29 PM »

Quote from: joonifloofeefloo on October 14, 2018, 04:20:55 PM

^ I would ditch them. Once something's niggling at me to go, and my primary reason not to release them is that the gifter might notice, that tells me it's bye-bye time. If it's possible, I would take them apart and remove the identifying elements, donating the parts. A thrift shopper will do something crafty with the parts or wholes, making something they love. If they can't be taken apart, and you remain concerned about the gifter, I would take them on my next road trip and put them in a different town's thrift shop or landfill them.

They are unframed prints so it's a simple recycle if necessary. I'll make the call before the week is out! I'm rearranging pictures this week to get all the good ones up in a more stylish way and disposing of a few. You would not know I Kondo-ed my house 18 months ago, there are so many little things that have hung on... ;)

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Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2 (Read 1276631 times)