Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2

[Frugal Lizard]

There was a bankers box of old - really really old food in our two deep freezers. Food that I kept during last winter's freezer clean up. (FYI - when it is really cold, I put all the freezer contents out in a screen porch overnight)

I got them both unloaded, defrosted and cleaned. With a lot of care I was able to consolidate everything into the upright freezer. Except the rice stash and a 20 pound pail of frozen cherries.

The pail of sour cherries came frozen in 2021 and I didn't deal with it at the time. A 20 pound solid block of cherries in their own juice is a tad inconvenient for whipping up a cherry pie. I had sourced cherries a couple of weeks prior when I was told that my bulk order was not getting filled. Turns out my bulk order of 20# fresh pitted sour cherries was accidentally frozen. We have been eating all the cherries we wanted since without touching this big pail. Until now.

Now I must sort something out before it warms up. I have some time as they are still frozen in the pail in the porch. It is going to stay below fridge temperature for the week. I am thinking I should try to re-freeze them in 4 cup servings.

[Sibley]

but he will give to me if I ask for them.

I've been doing this with my mom for years.  Now that my mom is closer to dying, I'm finding I want to keep more of her things -- and more of the things she kept from her mom and her aunts. 

And a box which originally held the new door handle and lock but was repurposed to hold the old handle and lock was also snuck out by me and put in my garbage. No idea why it hadn't been tossed in 2021 when the handle was replaced.

oh my.  I do this.  The first time I did it, I put the cheap ones back on when I moved and brought the newer ones to my new home. 
The locks I have on my door now are those stupidly expensive electronic locks -- but they break and degrade in the sun.  I already rotated them to extend the life, but when the one on the front door goes, I'm done with that fancy shish.  There was nothing wrong with the old ones, so when these finally die, I'll probably just put the original locks back on.

If you feel the need to save empty peanut butter jars because they came from your mom's house, you need professional assistance to work through whatever is tangled up in your brain.

If there's nothing wrong with it, then you maybe shouldn't have replaced it. In this case, the old handles and locks were damaged. Besides the fact that they looked terrible they also didn't work well. That house had been neglected for 20 years and it showed.

[BlueHouse]

but he will give to me if I ask for them.

I've been doing this with my mom for years.  Now that my mom is closer to dying, I'm finding I want to keep more of her things -- and more of the things she kept from her mom and her aunts. 

And a box which originally held the new door handle and lock but was repurposed to hold the old handle and lock was also snuck out by me and put in my garbage. No idea why it hadn't been tossed in 2021 when the handle was replaced.

oh my.  I do this.  The first time I did it, I put the cheap ones back on when I moved and brought the newer ones to my new home. 
The locks I have on my door now are those stupidly expensive electronic locks -- but they break and degrade in the sun.  I already rotated them to extend the life, but when the one on the front door goes, I'm done with that fancy shish.  There was nothing wrong with the old ones, so when these finally die, I'll probably just put the original locks back on.

If you feel the need to save empty peanut butter jars because they came from your mom's house, you need professional assistance to work through whatever is tangled up in your brain.

um, no.  These are things that were personal items or letters from relatives.  Things that in the past I had no interest in.   Letters and photos I digitize, but some things are just kind of cool when you find them and I kind of want to keep them to have someone else find them when I'm gone.  For instance, I just found a bakelite letter opener that was a giveaway from the Fuller Brush man.  And for some reason, I can't seem to get rid of my grandmother's gavel unless I find someone who can use it. 

If there's nothing wrong with it, then you maybe shouldn't have replaced it. In this case, the old handles and locks were damaged. Besides the fact that they looked terrible they also didn't work well. That house had been neglected for 20 years and it showed.

I wanted keyless electronic locks.  And after someone lost a set of my keys, I had to replace the locks anyway.  I have never been dissatisfied, I just don't want to spend money to replace them.  But I like the keyless part so much that I want to take them with me when I leave.  That's part of why I keep the originals. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

While I was traveling for work, one of my FB Marketplace items sold, and DH put it out on the porch. It was a back massager I purchased in desperation during COVID, but did nothing for me. Sold it for $25.

33/500 items out of the house

[Poundwise]

um, no.  These are things that were personal items or letters from relatives.  Things that in the past I had no interest in.   Letters and photos I digitize, but some things are just kind of cool when you find them and I kind of want to keep them to have someone else find them when I'm gone.  For instance, I just found a bakelite letter opener that was a giveaway from the Fuller Brush man.  And for some reason, I can't seem to get rid of my grandmother's gavel unless I find someone who can use it. 

@BlueHouse  Have you thought of reaching out the local high school and asking if they have a Mock Trial club? Maybe they could use the gavel!

[slackmax]

Recycled about 20 old paper documents. Found a sweatshirt to donate and an old raggedy dress from the former girl friend to throw out. 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Listed a bunch of stuff on FB Marketplace, and one item on eBay.

Went through a bit of our filing, and found two folders that can be shredded. I'm counting it as 15 items, even though there was a lot more individual papers than that.

48/500 items out of the house My goal for January is 50 items, so I'm on track!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Went through my night stand drawer this morning:
-Found about 25 cards to recycle
-Tossed a very expired deodorant (it's the kind for excessive sweating, not just your regular stick deodorant)
-Also found an old kids art project that I tossed

I'm counting all of this as 7 items out of the house (5 for the cards, as I try not to count paper as a one for one & 2 for the other items).

55/500 items out of the house. I've now achieved my January goal of 50!

[slackmax]

Counting as decluttering. I was waiting for the perfect day to remove the Christmas lights from my bush. Always too wet, too windy, etc. It was damp today, but I just went ahead and did it. Dried them in the house, then bagged them up, one strand per bag, to minimize the untangling misery. Put the bags in the closet with the other Christmas stuff.   

[FrugalShrew]

2 bags of stuff to the thrift store, including 2 more pairs of shoes from before I transitioned to barefoot shoes and several pairs of thick winter socks. I now have some wool and alpaca socks that are much warmer.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@slackmax - I'd definitely count that! Well done.

I went through a few more things today:
-Tossed three expired OTC medicines. Rinsed containers & recycled.
-Sold a pair of new running shoes (somehow ordered the wrong size, somehow, & didn't notice until my current running shoes were needing to be replaced. I buy ahead) on eBay. Listed & sold in one day. Probably under priced, but glad to have them out of the house.
-Listed a few more things on BN

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I'm trying to devote 10-15 mintues/day to small clean ups & an hour on weekends for things that take more time.

-Sold an ice cream maker, and added in a Ben & Jerrys recipe book
-Tossed a bunch of expired sunblock
-Recycled some old Sonicare covers for ones we don't have any more
-Gave away 3 samples on BN

73/500 items out of the house

[slackmax]

The Girl Friend was talking about moving plates and glasses  around in the kitchen cabinets, reorganizing. Seemed like a lot of work so I said 'You know, we have way too much stuff here anyway. Why don't I just move half of it upstairs and out of the way?'

She agreed. I ended up donating some of the never-used and ugly stuff, and moved some upstairs to use later or sell at flea market this Spring.

Now have some breathing room in those cabinets.

 

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Nice work, slackmax.

I had another taker on BN for more toiletries we won't use. (3 mini lotions, 2 dental flosses - we prefer a different type, & one foot lotion).

79/500 items out of the house

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Donated three blankets we don't need.

82/500 items out of the house

[Josiecat22222]

Wow @MaybeBabyMustache -- you are on a tear!!!

We have only made small bits of progress here; mostly shredding and using up items as opposed to giving them away, but still trimming down the stash while growing the 'stache.

[midweststache]

- A ripped pair of jeans and a poorly-fitting kids' backpack (swag from daycare that we didn't really want) in the textile recycling bag. [Also a (very old) swimsuit, but that's actually being replaced so I don't feel like it is *technically* decluttering! :)]
- Gifting our old potty training toilet to a family in our BN group.
- FINALLY finished an old lotion! I think they one I'm on now was a holiday gift from at least two years ago!

At this point, I'm feeling pretty great about the amount of "stuff" we have. We definitely have some work to do in our basement, but otherwise we have what we need and not terribly much more. We're not complete minimalists, but we're not exploding at the gills and it doesn't seem there's much that we hold onto that is truly clutter.

(I do wish we could let go of some more toys that are a bit young for my kiddos, but I want them involved in that process and, honestly, they're not there yet.)

[Sibley]

Went through my parent's file box and pulled out a stack of paper about 6 inches high that is no longer needed. I had done a full purge in 2021 on that box.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I hosted a gathering at my house & we had a bunch of leftover supplies. (It was a poster making party for senior athletes). I immediately posted the extra glue sticks on BN, bagged up soccer stickers & school logos that can be used for next year & found another parent who will take those, & sent the extra pizza home with other parents.

[Loretta]

I recycled to a local business some drink thingies I was given by mistake.   Then the end is in sight for a crocheted afghan I’ve been working on since MLK Day that is using a yarn color I’m not crazy about…it’s variegated but not interestingly enough to be pleasing to my eye. 

[crocheted_stache]

Got a couple of previously-listed Buy Nothing gifts the rest of the way out of the house.

[LeftA]

I haven’t posted here in a bit. I haven’t made significant progress in my basement. However, I did get rid of over 50 pieces of clothing that my youngest outgrew since the beginning of the year. All to a BN group, with some of it going to Ukrainian refuges. I also gave them a piece of kitchenware that was in my storage area. Additionally, my youngest had a little party in the basement yesterday and as she was preparing for it she exclaimed “wow, mommy you’ve gotten rid of a lot of stuff!”. This, coupled with being able to easily find all the party decorations, plates, cups, etc. for her made me quite pleased.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@LeftA - nice work!

[Captain FIRE]

Victory! I bought my kid a present for Christmas that I then misplaced. No worries, I can give it to him for his birthday, right? I hunted all over, decluttering as I went. Gave up hope only to find it the night before I needed it. Losing things is good motivation to declutter. I managed to find about 5 missing things (including 1 i didn't remember was lost).  Only 1 known missing item remaining to be found, but at this point I'm wondering if I accidentally threw it out. At least that one was only $6

Some of the items removed from the house include:
- 26 pairs of kid shoes/boots mostly donated to Ukraine (along with a plastic bag of health care supplies and candles)
- a garbage bag full of worn out clothing
- 4 winter jackets, 6 hoodies/sweaters
- 2 grocery bags of stuffies
- 1 small box and 2 grocery bags of kid clothing
- 1 small bag of bath toys
- ~10 grocery bags of kid toys
- 1 bag of kid sheets/blankets
- 1 plastic bag of wall stickers
- 2 branded lunch bags from a toxic workplace (does NOT inspire joy to look at, so this was a major emotion lift getting it out)
- some books, nylons and odds and ends to visiting family members
- thick chair cushion
- 2 big floor puzzles

Alas, incoming (from the same free site/neighbors) during this time:
- 2 grocery bags of toys
- 4 winter coats
and a bunch of Christmas/birthday presents

Saga to continue as this effort while stressful, has ultimately also been inspirational...

What are your declutter motivations? Mine:
- Finding lost items
- Freedom from negative emotions when looking around house
- More restful house not looking at clutter
- Easier to clean house
- More space for kids' new clothes'/interests

[Fresh Bread]

My primary motivation is making it easier to clean/manage, partly because in Sydney you can get mould from the humidity. Add in the salty sea air where I am and the fewer things you have, the fewer things there are to maintain.

I also love the look of clear surfaces and floors. Unfortunately my husband doesn't!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

That's some serious decluttering, @Captain FIRE - well done!

Went through our filing drawer to find a few tax statements. Found those, but also found our ski season passes that I searched our entire house for before a ski trip a month or so ago. We got them reissued, but I have no idea who they ended up there. I guess I'll shred these. I also found a handful of papers to shred.

Separately, I listed a luggage tag on eBay, and made more decluttering progress:
-Found two incomplete deck of cards, which I tossed
-Gave away two tshirts & a book
-Recycled an old language lesson book that was marked through

88/500 items out of the house

[LeftA]

Thanks @MaybeBabyMustache! You are almost at 100 items gone. Keep it up!

@Captain FIRE , WTG! That’s some serious purging. I got serious about decluttering when I changed jobs last year and finally had the mental energy and more time to devote to the process. My motivation is to let go of the past and feel less encumbered by the sheer amount of stuff we have. I was someone who kept A LOT and also got stuck with other people’s stuff (for many reasons). Apart from the basement and storage area, my house is now in really good shape - this is after months of purging and organizing one space at a time.


Today I worked on the my basement staircase. Lots of miscellaneous piles - for example, random stuff from when I decluttered youngest child’s closet a few month ago (!), a pile of papers, empty small boxes, etc. As a result, I’ve got a few things to donate, posted a bunch of stuff on BN that someone wanted - I was sure it was going to go to the landfill! Small amount went to trash or recycling. Feels good to have that done, as it was there for way too long and makes the basement a more inviting space overall.

[RetiredAt63]

My DD is borrowing my shredder, she has piles to shred, and plans to keep it for a month or so.  Yay her!

[draco44]

Today I gave away some music books to a Buy Nothing person who can hopefully use them more than I did. I'm happy to share the wealth and get back to focusing on the hobbies that now take up more of my energy.

[Frugal Lizard]

DH ended up hauling 2 bankers boxes to staples for shredding.  He had been shredding and shredding with my little shredder. It is now only able to shred one sheet at a time for about 20 minutes tops. It then over heats.

In the interest of preserving it for the enwry now and then single sheet shred, he paid Staples to shred the rest.

I refroze 6 4-cup portions of sour cherries. Between a deep lasagne pan of tart cherry crisp and canning a load of cherry juice by hot bath, the 20 pound lump of cherries is now manageable.

This past weekend I dealt with the sewing machine cabinet. I am going to take the old sewing machine in to see if it can be serviced.

[LaineyAZ]

A related question:  a retired friend who was downsizing scanned four 4-drawer file cabinets of paper.  She organized them in categories so they could be searched. 
Everything is now digitized and she was able to get rid of the file cabinets but for those who have done something similar, I'm wondering - Was it worth it?  Do you actually use the digitized files? 

[slackmax]

Looking for stuff to get rid of. Slim pickings.

Donated 2 drinking glasses with Superman decals to Goodwill. I was going to sell them for $1 each at the flea market, but decided just to get rid of them.

Also recycled 5 metal keys I was holding onto, but now am 99.9% sure I won't need them.

Went through some financial paperwork from years gone by, and found about a half pound worth to recycle.

Selected a few more technical books I have tried hard enough to sell, will donate them to library.

Hoping to find one of those 'already decluttered this area' places in the house that now has stuff I can allow myself to get rid of.   

[LeftA]

@RetiredAt63 , how old is your DD? I feel like Gen Y and younger should have so much less paper since so much went digital in the last 20 years…

@draco44 , that’s a great attitude to have IMO.

@LaineyAZ , I personally couldn’t be bothered to do that. Once I’m done shredding old papers, I don’t think I will have four drawers. What you need to keep in print is quite limited these days.  I’d rather just keep the filing cabinet that I have and store what I need in it, then have to scan them all and manage them digitally. 

 @slackmax , ah to one day be where you are with the slim pickings!!

AFM, thanks to who ever mentioned Dana K. White when I posted about being a bit burned out from purging. I took the needed break and then listened to a couple of her videos. It REALLY helped me get unstuck! Yesterday, I decisively went through an entire desk (more like a wall unit & desk combo) in my basement. There is almost nothing in it or on it anymore! It feels so good!

My donation bag (mainly from throughout the basement) is currently at about 100 items. So a loose tally for the year is now 150 items out of my house since the beginning of 2024.

[RetiredAt63]

@RetiredAt63 , how old is your DD? I feel like Gen Y and younger should have so much less paper since so much went digital in the last 20 years…

She is in her 30s.

I too love Dana K. White. 

[LeftA]

I gave away a stack of magazines to a neighbour who is using them for a craft and found a few more things to add to the donate pile, so now I’m at ~170 items gone.

I’ve spent the last couple of evenings organizing my books and going through papers in the basement. I have identified over 50 books to get rid of. I was going to take them to a used book store that buys books. However, after calling them, I don’t think it’s worth it. They are very selective (likely ti only accept a small portion of mine), don’t pay much for each book and it’s not particularly close to my house. All of the used bookstores in my area seem to have closed…I may just donate them all to my local goodwill type place, although I may try listing some on my BN group first.

[oneday]

Since November:

• haz mat
• e-waste
• household goods (4 boxes)
• papers and photos from the fridge
• excess bags & water bottles
• empty spice jars
• luggage trolly

New:

• ex roomie's video games
• ex roomie's book case glass doors
• old textbook (sold!)
• heating pad

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold luggage tags
-Donated back cloth napkins that I picked up on BN, but we never used (we have other sets, and do indeed use cloth napkins)

97/500 items out of the house

[Josiecat22222]

@MaybeBabyMustache- you are crushing it!!

Super small progress here.  DS had me sell a video game on EBAY for him.  I have identified a raincoat to list.  Had someone on BN group ghost me for some old magazines, but will repost and I'm sure that they will find a home.

[crocheted_stache]

I certainly should do a counter, someday, but I don't think I have the bandwidth to do that much or that consistently.

Today's tiny piece of progress: answered an ask in the Buy Nothing group for a small canister. I had one gathering dust in the pantry, holding a little long-overdue grain that badly needed to go. It's clean now. It'll go out tomorrow to a new home a few streets over.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Put a bunch of items in the donation pile, as they didn't get picked up off of BN:
-2 gym lanyards
-4 cinch sacks
-Cropped workout pants
-Face cloths
-Yoga mat
-Ref jersey

Sold a race shirt on eBay.

108/500 items out of the house

[LeftA]

I spent about 5 hours in the basement yesterday. I got a lot done! I went through 10 spaces, purging and organizing as I went. I only had a small (think plastic produce bag) of garbage, I recycled a bunch and identified more to donate. My rough count is 200 donation items since the beginning of the year. DH did a drop off yesterday during the day, so my current donate pile is quite small (~20 items). I also had 3 BN pick ups between Saturday morning and this morning. I’m now down to 9 spaces in my basement - I’d say the vast majority is a mix of papers (will mainly be shredded or recycled) and kid’s clothes and toys. The basement is over 1000 square feet so this is a major accomplishment!

Once the basement is done, the only spaces left in my house are the storage area and a small cold space. Last year I purged about 30% of my storage area, so at least I’m not starting at the very beginning. Also, I’m truly ready to get rid of A LOT. As for the cold space, I’m doing it in the spring when “large item” trash collection begins again. I also have a few items there that my neighbours may want in our BN group. I’m starting to feel that this project of purging my entire house can be finished this year!

[oneday]

Since November:

• haz mat
• e-waste
• household goods (4 boxes)
• papers and photos from the fridge
• excess bags & water bottles
• empty spice jars
• luggage trolly
• ex roomie's video games
• ex roomie's book case glass doors
• old textbook (sold!)
• heating pad

New:

• area rug
• box for electronics I no longer own

The stool is not getting any interest on BN, I may have to put it on some other platforms too.

[LeftA]

@oneday , can you just give the stool to your local goodwill?

Last night I went into my storage area. I spent over 2 hours in there. I started out strong, but as I progressed I started to get overwhelmed. I didn’t realize what DH and our 2 children stuffed into the space - so many outgrown and mismatched toys! I have a lot more work ahead of me than I thought :(

I started to get overwhelmed after a while. I was doubting my progress since there is still so much in there…but the 2 large bag of donations, a large pile of recycling and 1/2 of a large trash bag of stuff shows otherwise. I also took before and after pictures, which are helpful to confirm the progress I made. Anyway, this is years’ worth of stuff, so it’s going to take many sessions like yesterday to finish.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

DS17 agreed to get rid of some stuff in his closet, so that yielded:
-10 medals to donation
-2 plushies to BN

I also tossed some old toiletries, and recycled the containers.

123/500 items out of the house

[mspym]

I went over to my Mum's this morning and we spent a nice hour or so going through her parent's jewellery (almost all costume, now sorted) while she told me stories. I did clear out a solid armload of children's books that all her grandchildren have outgrown, some dusty calendars from 2015 with nothing written in them and a board game that no one has played in 30+ years. So she had a good time and now there is another clear shelf in her house. Just need to do this for every week for the next 10 years :D

[Josiecat22222]

@mspym- that sounds like a lovely day for both you and your mom!!

I empathize with the need to help a parent clear out the cupboards.  Every time I visit my Dad, I cannot believe that he still has the beach towels my sister and I picked out 40 years ago.  Every surface is littered with junk.  Not dirty, thankfully, just an accumulation of shit he and his wife buy on Amazon that occupies every horizontal surface.  UGH.

[FireLane]

I have a box in my attic that stores paper tax returns going back over ten years, statements for the mortgage I paid off in 2018, and other old financial papers I've hung onto for no good reason.

I've started purging them. I'm digitizing the tax returns with the Genius Scan app (thanks @solon for that suggestion, it works great) and shredding the paper copies.

I doubt if I even need electronic copies of records so old. But it only takes a few minutes, and who knows - on the less than 1% chance I need them again, I'll be glad I went to the trouble.

[RetiredAt63]

@mspym- that sounds like a lovely day for both you and your mom!!

I empathize with the need to help a parent clear out the cupboards.  Every time I visit my Dad, I cannot believe that he still has the beach towels my sister and I picked out 40 years ago.  Every surface is littered with junk.  Not dirty, thankfully, just an accumulation of shit he and his wife buy on Amazon that occupies every horizontal surface.  UGH.

I sympathize about the junk.

I still have the beach towel I bought in Hawaii in 2002.  Not quite as old as your Dad's.  It is still in good shape, and has memories, not heading for the donation pile anytime soon.   ;-)

2 books your Dad might find useful, if he is inclined to actually read them.

Let it go, by Peter Walsh (yes, from Clean Sweep).
The Swedish Art of Death Cleaning.  My favourite.

[LeftA]

I spent another work day evening in my storage area. This one was much more productive than the previous evening. I focused on purging a number of items that I had been storing and then organizing the rest, including adding labels to items or shelves. I purged about 15 items, but many were larger items so that opened a good amount of space. (count for year is about 215 items gone).

Now that I’ve made some progress in this large overwhelming space in my house, I’ve broken it down into more specific areas/tasks. In total, there are 33 and I’ve now completed 14 of them.

For the first time in 20 years, I feel like one day I’ll have a home free of the burden of stuff (including other people’s stuff)! It only took just over 7 months of sustained effort, but I’ll take it! While it’s been a lot of physical effort and time, the biggest thing has been the mental work I’ve done to be able to let so much go!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@LeftA, what a positive step, and love that you're seeing the vision of how this can soon be for your house!