Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1253705 times)

SquirrelStache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1850 on: December 17, 2018, 11:49:41 AM »
I cleaned out the part of my closet that stores lingerie etc., because it was overflowing out of the box. Seriously, how many pairs of black tights do I need?!

I got rid of about half of it, but kept the discarded half to one side for now. I have a habit of getting rid of things, and then needing them right afterwards, so I have a holding area for keeping stuff for a while before it goes bye-bye.

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1851 on: December 17, 2018, 12:13:14 PM »
I cleaned out the part of my closet that stores lingerie etc., because it was overflowing out of the box. Seriously, how many pairs of black tights do I need?!

I got rid of about half of it, but kept the discarded half to one side for now. I have a habit of getting rid of things, and then needing them right afterwards, so I have a holding area for keeping stuff for a while before it goes bye-bye.

I've done the same thing, it's a great technique.  Set the items aside (back of a closet for me), and if I don't miss the item in a few months, then I know it's good to go.  I've definitely had a few that I put in the box, then a month later I'm going "what did I do with my X."  Then I remember I was going to donate it, and dig it back out.  Much more often, I go through the box before doing a donation drop and go "oh yeah, I forgot I had one of these."

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1852 on: December 17, 2018, 06:23:09 PM »
Seriously, how many pairs of black tights do I need?!

I have so many pairs of stockings. I hardly ever wear them anymore, but can't bring myself to throw them out because they ladder so easily. I'll use them up eventually...

halftimer

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1853 on: December 18, 2018, 07:16:45 AM »
We just booked a carpet cleaner to come in 3 days, <...>

As this site is also about saving money, have you investigated what it costs to rent a carpet cleaning machine for a weekend and do the job yourself? Wouldn't that be much cheaper?

Local supermarket down here rents the machine for $50 a day plus $10 for the shampoo and anti-foam solution.

So easy to use and do it yourself. Highly recommend.

I'm supporting a friend's business - eco friendly, and he's charging me practically nothing (less then I would pay to rent equipment). I also shopped the Groupon deals and other local rental places to comparison shop. He did such a great, quick job that I thanked him and his wife with a little fancy hand cream that was recently gifted to me.  Next week is games night at his place. No regret for booking the service in this case  ;-)

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1854 on: December 18, 2018, 10:50:18 PM »
I've been thinking about this thread, and why letting go of certain things is so hard.  Certainly some of it for me is "I spent money on this", but I think even more I have objects that represent who I aspire to be more than who I am right now.  I used to be an avid cyclist and hardcore bike commuter.  It's even reflected in my screen name.  But I haven't really biked regularly since kid #2 was born, and it's just not something that is happening in this season of my life.  We also don't really have bike storage, so my poor beater commuter has been out in the elements for the YEAR since I rode it.

The thing is I really WANT to want to bike.  It's been such a part of my identity for so long and it's part of what drew me to Mustachianism.  But biking has become something I SHOULD do rather than something I have a drive to do.  And that makes me sad.

So I'm going to let the bike go for now.  There's always bike share, which honestly is much more in line with my current lifestyle and riding frequency.  I'm sure someday that will change, but for now, it is what it is.

This is such a thoughtful way to look at your current life season, kudos.

Total emails at work is about 550.  Crushing.  But today I decluttered 7 work emails from Aug 2017!  Yes, some of them only need to be filed or deleted, but I have not had the capacity to even look for the deletable ones.  Several needed action and that was done today (or the projects started).  About 50 more emails from 2017...I hope to be able to clear those by Dec 31.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1855 on: December 19, 2018, 01:46:48 AM »
I have been feeling a little glum because of my lack of physical decluttering but in the last couple of weeks I have been steadily handing over work tasks and moving documents to shared drives and deleting all the nonsense emails I do not need any more and that feels good for now.

Plus in the present swap wins, my sibling group all agreed no presents and give to charities instead. So yay

RetiredAt63

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1856 on: December 19, 2018, 06:06:39 AM »

Plus in the present swap wins, my sibling group all agreed no presents and give to charities instead. So yay

That is a long term win - yay!

SimpleCycle

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1857 on: December 19, 2018, 11:01:09 AM »
I gave the bike away on Freecycle - the woman who received it had her bike stolen and it felt good to pay it forward.

I have a bike seat and three different sets of panniers for sale on FB Marketplace but haven't gotten any bites so I'll lower the prices and then I'll move on to Freecycle.  I also found two more travel pumps that I'll Freecycle.

I've kind of lost my decluttering mojo in the lead up to Christmas.  I am just trying to get all our holiday preparations finished.

honeybbq

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1858 on: December 19, 2018, 11:54:38 AM »
I gave away some stuff on my FB buy nothing page. Some books from my kiddo, a rain coat she's outgrown, some old toys, and a doll house she didn't play with.

It's easier to pare down her stuff because I know she's outgrown X or doesn't play with Y anymore.

My own stuff, I need to pare down. Part of paring down my crap is admitting that I paid for or acquired something I didn't need. I need to get over it and just weed weed weed and donate/trash the stuff that needs to go.

honeybbq

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1859 on: December 19, 2018, 11:55:05 AM »
I gave the bike away on Freecycle - the woman who received it had her bike stolen and it felt good to pay it forward.


Awesome!! Good karma to you.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1860 on: December 19, 2018, 12:45:52 PM »
I did it! Three huge boxes of outgrown kid clothes and toys have finally left the house and been donated!

Up next, the dreaded basement excavation (it would be a clean-up except things are piled so high it's fearfully cluttered).

Any ideas of what to do with outgrown baby seats? I don't think any donation centers can take them? We don't have freecycle or buynothing here (very rural)

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1861 on: December 19, 2018, 12:49:57 PM »
I did it! Three huge boxes of outgrown kid clothes and toys have finally left the house and been donated!

Up next, the dreaded basement excavation (it would be a clean-up except things are piled so high it's fearfully cluttered).

Any ideas of what to do with outgrown baby seats? I don't think any donation centers can take them? We don't have freecycle or buynothing here (very rural)

https://thewirecutter.com/blog/get-rid-used-car-seat/

Not a lot you can do with them if they aren't within a couple years of purchase.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1862 on: December 19, 2018, 02:14:11 PM »
Thanks!!! I hate to send them to the landfill and they are definitely expired (6-10 years old in fact). I think I'll hold them until Target offers recycling and then give away the 20% off coupons. That makes me smile!!!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1863 on: December 19, 2018, 06:49:36 PM »
I let myself drop off a very tiny bag of stuff at the thrift yesterday. Our place is very minimalist, little comes in, and at this stage I need to let myself drop off much smaller amounts rather than requiring myself to wait until I have a full box or something.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1864 on: December 19, 2018, 11:32:17 PM »
@Mongoose way to go!

@joonifloofeefloo I'm getting to that point.  Once I had just a small box and felt weird about dropping "just" that much off, so found a friend who had been procrastinating on a trip to the thrift.  We combined our stuff & went together!  Honestly, next time I will not hesitate though.  It just feels so good to have that stuff gone, like Mongoose did.



Four more work emails gone.  It took an exhausting hour, and it creates more work/projects/items to follow up which is why they are still there.  But now my oldest email is Oct 2017 instead of Aug 2017.

Also decluttered 4 1/2 boxes of work papers that belong to my department but were stashed in someone else's office.  3 to the storage room, 1 shred and the last half filed.  Felt good to clear that up, it had been a to-do for 2 years.  Fortunately, coworker-in-whose-office-they-were-stashed has a large office, and was kind & understanding about the whole thing. Whew!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1865 on: December 20, 2018, 07:18:32 AM »
I listed about a dozen items of clothing on Poshmark, things that no longer fit me. Just curious, does eBay get better sales results? I’ve used Poshmark before because the process is so easy, but the sales are kind of slow this go round. I’ve got some great stuff listed too.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1866 on: December 20, 2018, 07:23:07 AM »
I lost two expensive items recently around our house, so I'm determinedly back in this group to purge out the unnecessary.  At least if I lose things after purging it'll be less to hunt through!

Woot!  I located one of the expensive items.  Now to see if I can return the replacement I bought.  I wasn't going crazy, I hadn't forgotten where I had put it, the cleaner* had moved it.

Today: A cheap old rug originally bought by an ex.  Yay for saying farewell to some emotional weight.  Planning to start in on a pile of paper after work tonight - I don't need to save *every* piece of artwork my kid creates at daycare.

Progress is slow, but I am hopeful if I keep at it, I'll move forward rather than backwards as I continue to accept used kid-related stuff from friends.  I'm slightly dreading the holiday gifts influx for my kid, which is also good motivation to keep plugging away at it when I can find the time. 

*Yes, yes, I know, not mustachian on the surface of it.  But a 1/x month cleaner is much cheaper than therapy or divorce, considering my husband refuses to clean ever.  Having a kid was my breaking point.

Mountainbug

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1867 on: December 20, 2018, 02:30:53 PM »
Joining! I don’t post on the forum much but read quite frequently.

I saw this thread pop up a few weeks ago and have been mulling over what I can de clutter, as we are fairly streamlined due to moving on a regular basis. Listed a sewing machine (never really used) and my motor cross boots (already sold my bike) on fb marketplace and both sold easily. Will have to remember to de clutter every December as it seems people are really scouting for used gifts which makes me happy!

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1868 on: December 20, 2018, 03:41:42 PM »
Just went through my closet. Over half of "my" quilts will come with us on our trip, to be returned to my parents. (Family quilt collection ended up at my house when they moved and we bought- we're driving to their new place, and we've since sold and downsized, so we'll take the quilts back to them). This frees up some closet space too. All but one of the quilts not in rotation now fit in one bin. And if I swap which one if out, it would look nice on the back of the couch, come to think of it!

In the quilt sorting process, I also found a cotton sheet set that I'm *pretty* sure is our old Full size set (we now have a queen). I'll try this and check, and donate if it is the old set, along with our flannel full set. Otherwise, it's our queen size cotton set, in which case I'll move it to where I'll be able to find it come spring!

This all showed me, I definitely need to go through the office closet again. Dear husband helped organize most of it, and bless him, but it was a bit of a haphazard job. Hadn't realized that!

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1869 on: December 20, 2018, 11:51:05 PM »
More work emails gone.  Can't remember the number, but my oldest is now Nov 2017 rather than Aug.  I may make it into 2018 before 2018 is over, but maybe not.  The month is quickly passing by.

Need2Save

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1870 on: December 21, 2018, 07:45:58 AM »
I'm glad to have finally used 3 wine-bottle gift bags that I had for several years. On top of those, another 15 gift bags for coworkers that I had in our stash. No new gift wrap/bags/ribbons bought this year and I still have a ton to use up. I've carefully weeded out the ones that should be retired (tattered or torn or handle not attached).  Our family has no problem reusing gift bags several times in a row  if they are clean and still look good after their initial gifting. Only down-side is I just got 3 nice reusable gift bags from same coworkers to add back in. Net-net, I'm way ahead this year though.

In non-holiday progress, I'm looking out my window at the extra fridge and treadmill we've been meaning to get rid of for some time now and today the county will come pick them up for recycling! yay! I think of all the things I purged this year, these 2 are my favorite tasks completed.

We also recently donated two sleeping bags because hubby upgraded them, several unused blankets/quilts, and of course the never-ending clothing donations.

Right now I'm looking at a bracelet I was gifted from my boss that I will def. not wear. I can resell it for around $20 so into the Ebay pile it goes.

Money Badger

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1871 on: December 21, 2018, 04:12:34 PM »
Love this thread!   We are downsizing and selling things so fast that our dog is getting nervous...   The tally for December so far is $415.   I even calculated the square footage tables and chair and other bits consumed and that’s 200 square feet x $154 per square for $30,800 saved.  Not bad!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1872 on: December 21, 2018, 04:22:03 PM »
Got $14 at once upon a child (they barely take anything), donated 6 large boxes of stuff to Goodwill, brought a trash bag of clothes to a friend for her church clothes closet, and gave away 2 muscle gels I can't use while pregnant but will expire before I'm not.

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1873 on: December 21, 2018, 04:27:03 PM »
It's been a pretty good week for decluttering! I recycled two small notebooks and threw away four pens that no longer work. I gave away my pregnancy pillow, gosh they take up so much space. I also gave away my baby bath.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1874 on: December 21, 2018, 10:33:11 PM »
Got stuck on both work projects today, so turned back to 2017 emails.  Got them all done!  61 total in the last 4 days!  Feels good.  Maybe I can keep clearing out a month of 2018 emails for every month in 2019, to keep from getting further behind. 

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1875 on: December 21, 2018, 11:28:30 PM »
Oneday - I am impressed with your email perseverance. You can do it!

SquirrelStache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1876 on: December 22, 2018, 07:23:08 AM »
Got stuck on both work projects today, so turned back to 2017 emails.  Got them all done!  61 total in the last 4 days!  Feels good.  Maybe I can keep clearing out a month of 2018 emails for every month in 2019, to keep from getting further behind. 

Well done! My work emails auto-delete after a year which is both good and bad. I have to check them before they expire to make sure I'm not losing anything important (a lot of work I do occurs annually). Of course, if I just saved everything as I went along I wouldn't have to do that, but I never seem to get around to that :/

plainjane

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1877 on: December 22, 2018, 01:57:32 PM »
A productive day yesterday (ETA: and still going)

Gifting
Pizza stone - promised to my sister for her family cottage
Blue candle - will give to my mom as part of the wrapping for edible presents (I don't have the right sized candle holder for it)
2 cookie cutters - part of the wrapping for edible presents going to my sisters
filing box - will be the packaging for my niece's present
wallet - added to my niece's gift

Donated/freecycled
Kitchenaid attachment for slicing vegetables
Cut glass platter
Pitcher & glasses
Bamboo steamer
Grilling tongs & flipper (we don't have a bbq)
Williams Sonoma cookie cutters in box (regiftable condition)
ETA: rug 1
ETA: tv
ETA: microwave
ETA: floor lamp 1
ETA: rug 2
ETA: cake stand
ETA: 3 pairs mens pants, 1 jacket, 3 button down mens collared shirts
ETA: floor lamp 2
ETA: coffee table

Dumped/recycled
glass bottles
neo citron sample (expired)
mouthwash (freebie)
plastic cutlery
emory boards
comic books (freebies)
sun screen (freebie, expired, ETA: put in the area for hazardous waste disposal)
eta: shirt with holes
eta: hair spray (in the area for hazardous waste disposal)
eta: purse
eta: warped cutting board
eta: scratched frying pan
eta: ill-fitting underwear
eta: suitcase
eta: duffel bag
eta: keyboard
eta: so many paper bags
eta: ripped towels, linens (why were we keeping them?)
« Last Edit: January 01, 2019, 10:41:46 AM by plainjane »

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1878 on: December 22, 2018, 03:03:22 PM »
Couple small things today:
 - went through canning lids and recycled any with rust
 - recycled a few jars I'd been saving, but realized I have plenty and not enough space to store
 - added a purse to the donate box
 - went through my makeup bag and tossed anything old or colors I didn't like

TomTX

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1879 on: December 22, 2018, 06:18:33 PM »
My neighbour is downsizing and clearing out her clutter and offering it to me.  I really like this person, but man, I am saying no, no, no.....until I accidentally cave.  I have started suggested different locations to donate things to.  So does it count if I stop clutter from entering my door?

Is it much out of your way to just accept it and drop it off at a donation center along with whatever you have decluttered yourself?

Need2Save

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1880 on: December 23, 2018, 05:34:09 AM »
I made it a goal during the holiday season to unsubscribe from paper catalogues that we received between November and December. We are up to 22 now and counting. We've also been going paperless on all account statements that weren't already set up for that (a few stragglers we just never got around to doing because the account is so old it was before paperless was a thing).  Just trying to reduce all the unnecessary things that fill up our mailbox that go immediately into the recyclying bin.

We recently cancelled our WSJ subscription as well but it runs out this week. So I was hoarding a few weeks of papers.  I know that sounds like the opposite of decluttering by keeping them, but my hubby needs a couple newspapers to start up the charcoal grill chimney thing he uses so we stashed them where he keeps his coals.  I will miss getting the WSJ but I can live without it, too. He'll be using some on Tuesday when we smoke a roast for xmas! yum.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1881 on: December 23, 2018, 10:15:06 AM »
Today we are cleaning up the junk room. It was originally going to be a home office but has become a dumping ground/storage area. Shopping is a long way away so I do like to keep a backup of essentials (soap, detergents, tissues). But it has morphed into an electronics graveyard.

After that, I would like to tackle:
1. the basement
2. the pantry
3. the freezer

All could use a good clean-out or organization. I'm feeling energized after finally removing the 3 boxes of stuff earlier.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1882 on: December 23, 2018, 12:32:32 PM »
Cleaned the fridge today.
Got rid of a homemade chutney gift that was questionably made (it was not fridgerated when it was given to us in a canning jars, but appears to have just been stored in the jar vs. canned).
Got rid of a jar of pickle juice.
Combined two jars of pickles and got rid of one jar.
Took 1/2 cup of jalepenos and put in smaller container and got rid of the 4 cup jar.

Also, just cleaned. That fridge was gross


Cassie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1883 on: December 23, 2018, 06:41:07 PM »
I decluttered my expired spices. Then I looked in a tall kitchen cabinet and it was full of baking ingredients for when my mom came to visit. She has been dead 9 years. That also means I moved that stuff 6 years ago. Ugh!

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1884 on: December 23, 2018, 08:18:39 PM »
Six more books out of the house and into the free libraries.
In visual decluttering, today we have been clearing off the various horizontal surfaces of the detritus that has slowly accumulated. It looks So Much Better!

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1885 on: December 24, 2018, 06:49:22 AM »
Earlier this year I got rid of about 20 cookbooks and now I have bought 3 in the last few months. I have to find at least 3 to get rid of. They are slowly creeping back into the house!

innkeeper77

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1886 on: December 24, 2018, 09:19:53 AM »
I started a gauntlet, realized this thread existed, and wasn't able to delete my own thread.... So I'll double post here instead I guess!

I've decided that until there is no clutter left, in 2019 I will list online, or meet to sell, at least one item per day on average. If every item sells, that will be fifteen "items" per month. I posted six items over the end of last week and the weekend (An old laptop, some RC plane hobby stuff I got cheaply on carigslist a while back...) and sold four of the six already, "making" $240 back already.

This morning I posted five more "items" - all radio control related, and with a staggering total price of fifty whole dollars... but decluttering is the main point! I will be listing at least fifteen items in January!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1887 on: December 24, 2018, 12:10:50 PM »
Earlier this year I got rid of about 20 cookbooks and now I have bought 3 in the last few months. I have to find at least 3 to get rid of. They are slowly creeping back into the house!

Sounds like you need the gazingus pins thread!

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1888 on: December 24, 2018, 12:26:00 PM »
Another 6 books out into the world.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1889 on: December 24, 2018, 02:22:41 PM »
Decluttered the task list a bit, as well as a can of paint: painted the utility room. As a bonus, managed to not bite my sister's head off due to having something to keep me occupied.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1890 on: December 24, 2018, 06:23:50 PM »
Locked out of my office for the government shutdown, so it's time for an annual decluttering.  I started on the shop today and threw out lots of stuff, mulched around a tree with some seed mat rolls that have been kicking around for ages.

I don't think there's much to declutter inside, but I'm sure I can find a few things.

Poundwise

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1891 on: December 26, 2018, 07:41:47 PM »
I'm sitting in a pile of mementos and children's artwork that I emptied out of a closet that I need for other things.  I ought to get rid of at least half of this stuff but I'm frozen.  Will try again tomorrow. Or maybe I should get rid of an equal volume of items that are less precious. Argh.

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1892 on: December 27, 2018, 03:14:23 AM »
Poundwise I can understand how getting rid of precious memories is difficult. I have no children so I can't compare it to my life. However, I had a job for 18 years and it was the best job I ever had and I was very respected. I had accumulated a lot of books and files that were reference materials, not anything confidential. When I left work, I put all the books and files and whatever memento's in to a rolling suitcase and brought it home. It sat in my garage, unopened, for probably 14 years. One day we were cleaning out the garage of junk and clutter and I spied the suitcase. I finally opened it up and realized that nothing inside was anything I'd ever use again and threw about 99% of it away and I filled it up with other good stuff to donate to charity. With your stuff, you could lay it out on a bed and take pictures of it, then put it in a suitcase. Store it all away for a while. Do something special with those pictures and eventually, you will be able to free yourself of these items. My friend had a box of her son's shirts from his many years of playing sports. Each one had a name of the team and the player's number. She recently sent these shirts to a place that cuts the shirts into large squares and makes them into quilts. She is giving it to him soon as a present. I think he will be a bit shocked when he sees it.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1893 on: December 27, 2018, 07:07:50 AM »
I'm sitting in a pile of mementos and children's artwork that I emptied out of a closet that I need for other things.  I ought to get rid of at least half of this stuff but I'm frozen.  Will try again tomorrow. Or maybe I should get rid of an equal volume of items that are less precious. Argh.

I know this is a thread about getting rid of things, but if you care about these items so much then don’t force it.  Don’t beat yourself up over it and feel guilty and like all the minimalist police will gang up on you. Enjoy the items. Even if you’re enjoying them just knowing they are there packed away and you look through them once a year. 

Your compromise with getting rid of something of similar size with less sentimental value sounds reasonable.  What is motivating you?  Storage for something specific?  Or just a general need to have less?  Thinking about why you’re getting rid of things might help you decide if it’s worth it?

——

I’ve been on this train of getting rid of things, reducing, living in small spaces and there are many ways that it fits my values and goals, but I guess for a while I got caught up in less for the sake of having less and now I’m trying to find balance.

In the spirit of this thread, I don’t have much left to donate to the thrift shop, but I am intentionally working my way through some fabric and craft supplies.  I brought some along on holiday travels so I wouldn’t be tempted to buy and I spent my morning piecing together and embroidering a pot holder.  Trying to use things up and make do with what I already have. 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1894 on: December 27, 2018, 10:46:30 PM »
Poundwise I can understand how getting rid of precious memories is difficult. I have no children so I can't compare it to my life. However, I had a job for 18 years and it was the best job I ever had and I was very respected. I had accumulated a lot of books and files that were reference materials, not anything confidential. When I left work, I put all the books and files and whatever memento's in to a rolling suitcase and brought it home. It sat in my garage, unopened, for probably 14 years. One day we were cleaning out the garage of junk and clutter and I spied the suitcase. I finally opened it up and realized that nothing inside was anything I'd ever use again and threw about 99% of it away and I filled it up with other good stuff to donate to charity. With your stuff, you could lay it out on a bed and take pictures of it, then put it in a suitcase. Store it all away for a while. Do something special with those pictures and eventually, you will be able to free yourself of these items. My friend had a box of her son's shirts from his many years of playing sports. Each one had a name of the team and the player's number. She recently sent these shirts to a place that cuts the shirts into large squares and makes them into quilts. She is giving it to him soon as a present. I think he will be a bit shocked when he sees it.

I gotta agree with the bold part of Roadrunner's post.  Sometime I've found it takes multiple rounds of reviewing items, deciding some (or none) can go, store away remainder, until I'm happy with what I've kept.  These rounds would be spaced out over time...months or years.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1895 on: December 28, 2018, 08:15:02 AM »
A productive morning. I added to the donation pile a few holiday-wear items that clearly I did not choose again this year, so I don't need them like a sparkly sweater, a few evening clutch bags and two dresses that I wore a few years ago to holiday parties but will not wear again. I have two suitable black dresses if I ever decide to go to the office holiday party in the next three years (trying to avoid that though). Also identified a few picture frames that have been unused and in drawers for several years. A number of expired things in the medicine cabinet. and I'm donating another 4 or 5 towels to the animal shelter.  I have some time off this week so taking advantage of it while I'm home. I do feel bad that the hubby just dropped off two boxes of stuff to donate and I'm already starting a new pile. He may be annoyed that I couldn't go through those things just a few days earlier.  Oh well.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1896 on: December 28, 2018, 01:10:38 PM »
I went through my closet and culled some old T-shirts and other clothing that doesn't fit properly or isn't in great shape. I discovered that a college my city has a dropoff for clothing that isn't suitable to be donated; it gets used as rags in the college's various labs. So that makes me feel really good; some of this stuff is stretched out and pilled and holey so I couldn't in good conscience take it to the charity shop.

Going to take another pass through this weekend, I think. I'm sure there's more I could ditch.

Wondering whether I should hold onto clothing that I don't wear, but would need should I ever be in another job that has a dress code other than "relevant bits covered and no NSFW language on T-shirts". Mostly dress pants, and a couple pairs of work-appropriate shoes. My industry has frequent layoffs so it's not unthinkable that I won't be here for that long. My thinking is to hold onto a few pairs of pants since I have a hard time finding pants that fit, but maybe dump the shoes? I don't want to have to rebuy shoes if I have to go on job interviews, though. Maybe keep 1 pair?

I continue to be frustrated by trying to sell things online and either getting zero interest, or getting repeated no-shows. I am in awe of you all who not only manage to sell things, but actually get people to show up at your home to look at things. This even happens on Freecycle and my local Buy Nothing Facebook group. I think I'm about done trying, honestly.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1897 on: December 28, 2018, 01:17:29 PM »
I went through my closet and culled some old T-shirts and other clothing that doesn't fit properly or isn't in great shape. I discovered that a college my city has a dropoff for clothing that isn't suitable to be donated; it gets used as rags in the college's various labs. So that makes me feel really good; some of this stuff is stretched out and pilled and holey so I couldn't in good conscience take it to the charity shop.

Going to take another pass through this weekend, I think. I'm sure there's more I could ditch.

Wondering whether I should hold onto clothing that I don't wear, but would need should I ever be in another job that has a dress code other than "relevant bits covered and no NSFW language on T-shirts". Mostly dress pants, and a couple pairs of work-appropriate shoes. My industry has frequent layoffs so it's not unthinkable that I won't be here for that long. My thinking is to hold onto a few pairs of pants since I have a hard time finding pants that fit, but maybe dump the shoes? I don't want to have to rebuy shoes if I have to go on job interviews, though. Maybe keep 1 pair?

I continue to be frustrated by trying to sell things online and either getting zero interest, or getting repeated no-shows. I am in awe of you all who not only manage to sell things, but actually get people to show up at your home to look at things. This even happens on Freecycle and my local Buy Nothing Facebook group. I think I'm about done trying, honestly.

I worked in a factory years and years ago and we had oily equipment that was always leaking around the machines. We had to keep them clean. Our cheap boss would break down and buy bundles of rags from somewhere and they were dumped in a barrel. We would just yank out whatever was in there to mop up the messes. Quite often we were beyond amused when we'd pull out a pair of gigantic men's bloomers out of the barrel. Didn't take much to amuse us in a boring factory! LOL!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1898 on: December 28, 2018, 01:50:30 PM »
@Roadrunner53 , @oneday , @PMG, thank you all for your thoughtful advice! I'm trying to clear out space so one of my children can finally have a room of his own.  Right now there's about 4 cubic yards of mementos that I didn't want to process at this time.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but I guess what I can do is pick one end of the pile and work on it for an hour. And while I'm working, I'll try to think of other stuff that might be easier to get rid of, both emotionally and in terms of the amount of time it would take to make the decision (for instance if I could find a big quilt to get rid of, it would take 10 seconds to say thumbs up or thumbs down, rather than having to go through the same volume of papers).

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1899 on: December 28, 2018, 03:50:31 PM »
@Roadrunner53 , @oneday , @PMG, thank you all for your thoughtful advice! I'm trying to clear out space so one of my children can finally have a room of his own.  Right now there's about 4 cubic yards of mementos that I didn't want to process at this time.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed but I guess what I can do is pick one end of the pile and work on it for an hour. And while I'm working, I'll try to think of other stuff that might be easier to get rid of, both emotionally and in terms of the amount of time it would take to make the decision (for instance if I could find a big quilt to get rid of, it would take 10 seconds to say thumbs up or thumbs down, rather than having to go through the same volume of papers).

Here is a great idea: http://www.creativegreenliving.com/2014/04/de-clutter-challenge-kids-artwork.html?m=1