Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249205 times)

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1050 on: August 02, 2018, 01:43:08 PM »

*https://colterreed.com/how-to-clear-your-desk-and-your-mind-with-43-folders/, which I have been using for years at work.


This looks like a REALLY cool system, thanks for sharing it! I don't know if I want to acquire a full folder set -- I just don't have the space for it -- but I'm wondering if I can make an effective digital variant on this.

I've got my 1-31 folders crammed into a 13 pocket accordion folder. It doesn't take up much space. You can definitely get by without the month folders; just put a sticky with "Dec 15" and ignore that page on Aug 15, Sep 15, Oct 15 and Nov 15. It would take up more space if you have more pieces of paper to put in it.

You could definitely do a virtual version. It's a bit more work, though, since you have to make an entry into your electronic system for each piece of paper. It's more feasible if you only have a small amount of papers.

plainjane

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1051 on: August 05, 2018, 04:19:40 AM »
The SO has been holding onto the full set of 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' despite never rereading them in over a decade. A colleague is watching 'A Series of Unfortunate Events' on Netflix and didn't know that they were based on a bunch of books, indicated interest in reading them to her daughter. The SO says it is ok to give them to the colleague's daughter.

So 13 books out of the house. And actually out, not just in the back room, waiting to be taken to a place that will accept second hand books.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1052 on: August 05, 2018, 05:15:30 PM »
My ongoing goals of getting rid of/donating 5 things/day continues. So far this weekend:
-2 used travel toothpaste containers that my son shoved to the back of the drawer vs tossing
-1 skein of yarn
-2 frames
-Tossed the pictures that were in the frames, as they were warped
-An old organizer. We briefly repurposed it while we were gluing/fixing our silverware organizer, but now that it's back in service, the old one went to the donation pile
-A sports bra I bought but hadn't yet used. Tried on, hated it, back to Target it went.
-A few scraps of miscellaneous papers from the closet that needed to be shredded


chasingthegoodlife

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1053 on: August 05, 2018, 05:23:42 PM »
Today is the day! After breakfast the remaining boxes from our kitchen renovation are coming out of the garage.

Anything left over after our pantry and cabinets are adequately equipped will be donated or offered up on the local Facebook page.

Staying with others for the last two weeks has reinforced my love of a minimalist fridge and pantry. When you buy things when you need them, and wait until you’ve used them until you buy more, everything is fresh and tastes good. It’s easy to find things and you feel excited about eating them. Multiple open jars of the same thing with yellowing labels crammed in everywhere and huge stockpiles makes things difficult to find, and things are stale by the time you eat them. And how much sense does it make to have so much money tied up in depreciating assets (haha) when most of us visit the shops every week anyway? Of course some people are very clever about buying what they regularly use in bulk when on sale, which can be great, but it so often seems to get out of control with multiple year supplies of things they rarely use sitting around forever.

chasingthegoodlife

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1054 on: August 05, 2018, 06:27:08 PM »
First sobering realisation of the day: I have not followed my own advice when it comes to the cocktail cabinet. Three nearly full bottles of angostura bitters and a half used bottle of lime cordial I know must be at least 7 years old as well as an unopened one :/ WHY?

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1055 on: August 05, 2018, 08:17:19 PM »
5 more books out of the house and 2 earmarked for the work library.

@chasingthegoodlife I am attempting to reduce my stored food because inevitably as soon as I buy a stock of something the boys STOP eating it and then it sits around taking up space.

I have also been getting rid of bottles of wine left from hosting book club - I don't drink and I prefer them out of the house so I've been bringing one along to any social gathering I can and leaving them there or opening them up for other people to drink.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1056 on: August 06, 2018, 03:48:39 AM »
@mspym - that’s a great idea. We both enjoy a drink but the stockpile has gotten out of hand with a combination of leftovers from our backyard wedding last year, gifts, and bits and pieces that guests leave behind. Lots of fizzy drinks as well, which we never drink ourselves, so I must remember to chill those next time we are heading out to a bbq or picnic.

I found my vanilla beans so will use one to declutter an almost finished bottle of vodka to make vanilla essence too.

Have knocked off here and enjoying a cup of tea by the fire with a roast chook in the oven I got through 12 boxes, which I THINK is almost everything but there is still a box of pot lids in the garage and there may be others hiding.

Rats had gotten into one of the boxes (gross) and nibbled through everything in plastic packets so had to bin a few things.

Have two huge boxes to donate pending husbands approval, which can be a bit tricky, and will ask him to go through our serving dishes and identify any he is willing to part with.

Feels great! 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1057 on: August 06, 2018, 07:12:06 AM »
I bought a cookbook yesterday from QVC that will arrive first week of December. I just got rid of a bunch of cookbooks but I intend to maybe find a handful more and get rid of them so the accumulation doesn't start up again!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1058 on: August 06, 2018, 07:42:18 AM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1059 on: August 06, 2018, 08:27:33 AM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

I'm jealous....H keeps promising to sell the "old" car now that he has a "new" car but he's been too busy to actually do it.   Problem is...he used my vacation savings to buy the "new" car, so he's got two more months until final payment is due.  At that point, I'm driving it to a dealership to sell there so I can go on vacation!

shadesofgreen

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1060 on: August 06, 2018, 02:40:31 PM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

I'm jealous....H keeps promising to sell the "old" car now that he has a "new" car but he's been too busy to actually do it.   Problem is...he used my vacation savings to buy the "new" car, so he's got two more months until final payment is due.  At that point, I'm driving it to a dealership to sell there so I can go on vacation!

I am shaking my head in wonder that you did not get his attention with a clue by 4. Was this a shared vacation fund or extra savings that "needed a new home" in his mind? Not trying to be snarky at all just wondering how in the world that conversation came up.

Anyway kudos to you for not investing in a new shovel and lime to improve your garden. I would have turned into Krakatoa.

better late

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1061 on: August 06, 2018, 09:49:18 PM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

I'm jealous....H keeps promising to sell the "old" car now that he has a "new" car but he's been too busy to actually do it.   Problem is...he used my vacation savings to buy the "new" car, so he's got two more months until final payment is due.  At that point, I'm driving it to a dealership to sell there so I can go on vacation!

Don't I know it. We procrastinated this sale for so long we had to put more $into the vehicle again before we could sell it.  Hoping you sell quickly.... and SOON for his sake!!

abhe8

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1062 on: August 07, 2018, 05:19:12 AM »
3 bags of kids clothes in my car ready to be passed on to friends

2 packages mailed to my sis, more kids clothes/shoes

3 trash bags full taken to Goodwill this week.

Our church moved into our new building (with it it's storage on site - yay) so I took the boxes from my front room that I had been storing. We are leaving to visit family tomorrow, so I'll return the bag of things my nephew left on his visit last month.

If feels like slow progress, but at least we are getting some things out.

We take this trip every year and spend two weeks in a condo in the mountains. I love it, especially living with minimal stuff. It is always a huge motivator to clean out when I get home, so I'm anticipating a big burst of decluttering when I get home. Double win!

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1063 on: August 07, 2018, 11:18:25 AM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

I'm jealous....H keeps promising to sell the "old" car now that he has a "new" car but he's been too busy to actually do it.   Problem is...he used my vacation savings to buy the "new" car, so he's got two more months until final payment is due.  At that point, I'm driving it to a dealership to sell there so I can go on vacation!

I am shaking my head in wonder that you did not get his attention with a clue by 4. Was this a shared vacation fund or extra savings that "needed a new home" in his mind? Not trying to be snarky at all just wondering how in the world that conversation came up.

Anyway kudos to you for not investing in a new shovel and lime to improve your garden. I would have turned into Krakatoa.

Two more months before I fertilize the garden ;)

It's a shared vacation fund - we're taking a big family reunion cruise next March.  The "new" car is a classic 30-year-old specimen that rarely comes up for sale in such a good condition.  It was approximately the same price he can get selling the "old" car.  So we struck a deal - vacation money gets used for the "new" car, and "old" car will be sold to replace vacation fund.  Only now he has a zillion projects to fix up "new" car and "hasn't had time" to sell old car.  I may post a countdown calendar...he's well aware of the consequences of interfering in my vacation planning.


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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1064 on: August 07, 2018, 06:53:21 PM »
I just sold, for cash, $4000 worth of horse corrals and fencing.  YOWSERS!  I'm thrilled.  Those things have held their value over 25 years of use.  Now I've got to sell a bunch of unused horse tack and equipment. 

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1065 on: August 07, 2018, 07:43:33 PM »
I just sold, for cash, $4000 worth of horse corrals and fencing.  YOWSERS!  I'm thrilled.  Those things have held their value over 25 years of use.  Now I've got to sell a bunch of unused horse tack and equipment.

Woohoo!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1066 on: August 08, 2018, 07:04:39 AM »
Another two bags of stuff to Goodwill (much from my kid's room) and one car SOLD! The driveway looks much tidier lol

I'm jealous....H keeps promising to sell the "old" car now that he has a "new" car but he's been too busy to actually do it.   Problem is...he used my vacation savings to buy the "new" car, so he's got two more months until final payment is due.  At that point, I'm driving it to a dealership to sell there so I can go on vacation!

I am shaking my head in wonder that you did not get his attention with a clue by 4. Was this a shared vacation fund or extra savings that "needed a new home" in his mind? Not trying to be snarky at all just wondering how in the world that conversation came up.

Anyway kudos to you for not investing in a new shovel and lime to improve your garden. I would have turned into Krakatoa.

Two more months before I fertilize the garden ;)

It's a shared vacation fund - we're taking a big family reunion cruise next March.  The "new" car is a classic 30-year-old specimen that rarely comes up for sale in such a good condition.  It was approximately the same price he can get selling the "old" car.  So we struck a deal - vacation money gets used for the "new" car, and "old" car will be sold to replace vacation fund.  Only now he has a zillion projects to fix up "new" car and "hasn't had time" to sell old car.  I may post a countdown calendar...he's well aware of the consequences of interfering in my vacation planning.

In addition, I would say that these events will greatly impact your agreement for any future such events. In other words, next time he wants to do something remotely similar, NO! (keep in mind I'm in a very crabby mood today - dealing with a contractor, and the only reason I haven't fired him is he hasn't technically breeched the contract yet)

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1067 on: August 08, 2018, 09:03:19 PM »
Wow I haven't posted here in so long that I didn't even realize there was a new thread.

Anyway I'm still working on my goal of selling/donating 1 item per day for the year. I am up to the beginning of May so I have some catching up to do.

FIRE_guy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1068 on: August 08, 2018, 10:46:33 PM »
Anyway I'm still working on my goal of selling/donating 1 item per day for the year. I am up to the beginning of May so I have some catching up to do.

That's a pretty nice goal. We're making another international move in November, so I've set the goal of getting rid of one thing per day. Right now it's mostly the low-hanging fruit I'm getting rid of (stuff that I can easily recycle like notebooks and magazines). Hopefully, within a week or two I'll be onto selling/donating stage!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1069 on: August 08, 2018, 11:12:35 PM »
I'm doing another push of decluttering via Buy Nothing. This week, so far, I've given away a bag of baby clothes, a big box of passata jars, and a book that I'd just finished reading. I also purchased a post satchel to send some presents to my sister's kids and get them out of my house :-)

Let's see if I can maintain the momentum.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1070 on: August 09, 2018, 03:22:26 AM »
Managed to get an old bike seat and an old broken bike basket gone last night in the plastic/metal recycling. They've been sitting on the shelf staring at me for a long time!

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1071 on: August 09, 2018, 06:45:59 AM »
Getting rid of the massive piles of rocks in my yard! One guy's been taking the one pile, and someone else is supposed to be coming tomorrow to get the other pile.

Of course, there's still plenty to be dug up, but that's a low priority project.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1072 on: August 09, 2018, 07:34:21 AM »
I feel like I really need to get kicking on this again. 
I've hit most of the low hanging fruit though, so now it is hard to get momentum.  But my house is a disaster. Too much stuff

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1073 on: August 09, 2018, 09:43:19 AM »
I finally got DH to agree to decluttering the shed. It was a 2 week project and when done we rented a truck and took many things to the dump. The good stuff I either put a free sign out front or took it to the thrift store. I also decided to quit testing clients so sold my tests for $500.   Since I retired 6 years ago (semi) I have been on s mission to get rid of stuff. We are 74 and I don’t want to leave a mess behind for our kids.  When we downsized to this house I sold half the furniture. I really love living with less and having less stuff to dust.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1074 on: August 09, 2018, 09:54:34 AM »
I agreed to pick up a neighbour's mail for a month. I don't even do that with mine, lol! A couple of weeks in, I'm starting to feel very itchy having this "excess" around, but I can't get rid of it. I think I won't agree to that job again (they have a private, safe mailbox anyway so it's not really needed). Also, when they get back I'm going to tell them about the option to put a red dot on their box to not get flyers and crap. They're people that feel very overwhelmed; they might like this easy preventative.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1075 on: August 09, 2018, 09:57:03 AM »
I agreed to pick up a neighbour's mail for a month. I don't even do that with mine, lol! A couple of weeks in, I'm starting to feel very itchy having this "excess" around, but I can't get rid of it. I think I won't agree to that job again (they have a private, safe mailbox anyway so it's not really needed). Also, when they get back I'm going to tell them about the option to put a red dot on their box to not get flyers and crap. They're people that feel very overwhelmed; they might like this easy preventative.

If this is the US (though maybe it isn't because of the red dot thing)- they can stop their mail and the post office will deliver it all at once at the end of the period determined.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1076 on: August 09, 2018, 09:59:05 AM »
If this is the US (though maybe it isn't because of the red dot thing)- they can stop their mail and the post office will deliver it all at once at the end of the period determined.

Yeah, they have this option as well. I just didn't realize what the psychological impact on me would be of storing someone's flyers and mail for a month. Now I do, so I won't say yes again.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1077 on: August 09, 2018, 01:35:25 PM »
I came home from the flea market last weekend with $37, and without a pile of stuff.
I know it does not sound like much, but I sold the most ridiculous bunch of junk for an average of 50 cents - $1.
Besides, we had a great time doing it.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1078 on: August 09, 2018, 05:00:58 PM »
Roommates and I are currently working on acquiring new IKEA shelves and reorganizing our apartment, and I'm taking advantage of this to conduct a PURGE of all sorts of stuff that's built up over the years.  thus far I have:

- Cleaned out some old costumes that I made years ago and will never rewear.  Took some pictures to remember all my hard work and good memories, and then let them go
- Pulled a bunch of books off my shelves that I'd bought but never read over the years.  Sorted them into a "to sell" and "to recycle" pile
- Contacted some friends from whom I'd borrowed books over the years and will be returning those too, freeing up some more shelf space
- Pulled out an old laptop that died many years ago that I'd kept out of fear of giving people access to personal info.  I took out the hard drive, and the rest of it is going to electronic recycling!

Coming up next:
- Sorting through my piles of leftover fabric and notions for costuming and crafting, throw away all the stuff I'm not going to use!!!
- Clean through my closet of high end japanese fashion clothing items-- there are a couple I'm keeping, but a lot I'm going to be selling.  Hoping to net at least 1k from those sales >:3

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1079 on: August 09, 2018, 05:18:01 PM »
I agreed to pick up a neighbour's mail for a month. I don't even do that with mine, lol! A couple of weeks in, I'm starting to feel very itchy having this "excess" around, but I can't get rid of it. I think I won't agree to that job again (they have a private, safe mailbox anyway so it's not really needed). Also, when they get back I'm going to tell them about the option to put a red dot on their box to not get flyers and crap. They're people that feel very overwhelmed; they might like this easy preventative.

If this is the US (though maybe it isn't because of the red dot thing)- they can stop their mail and the post office will deliver it all at once at the end of the period determined.

Does anyone know if the red dot thing to stop junk mail works in the USA?

Fresh Bread

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1080 on: August 09, 2018, 05:30:52 PM »
I agreed to pick up a neighbour's mail for a month. I don't even do that with mine, lol! A couple of weeks in, I'm starting to feel very itchy having this "excess" around, but I can't get rid of it. I think I won't agree to that job again (they have a private, safe mailbox anyway so it's not really needed). Also, when they get back I'm going to tell them about the option to put a red dot on their box to not get flyers and crap. They're people that feel very overwhelmed; they might like this easy preventative.

If this is the US (though maybe it isn't because of the red dot thing)- they can stop their mail and the post office will deliver it all at once at the end of the period determined.

Does anyone know if the red dot thing to stop junk mail works in the USA?

In Australia we can buy little stick on signs at the hardware store that say "no junk mail" or similar. I still get some junk (real estate people! I still classify your flyers as junk!) but much much less.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1081 on: August 09, 2018, 06:55:03 PM »
And my version is to write No Junk Mail on a piece of paper and then attach to the mailbox with a coating of sticky tape. It works for everything except the free weekly local paper that is 50% real estate spruiking, aka The Hate Read, aka see what nonsense sold for $1.4M *this week*

Fresh Bread

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1082 on: August 09, 2018, 08:12:07 PM »
And my version is to write No Junk Mail on a piece of paper and then attach to the mailbox with a coating of sticky tape. It works for everything except the free weekly local paper that is 50% real estate spruiking, aka The Hate Read, aka see what nonsense sold for $1.4M *this week*
[/quo

Oh I thought for a minute your were my neighbour but there is nothing selling here for a bargain price of $1.4m, lol. I like the paper because I do the sudoku, read the crime page (someone left their car unlocked and got their ipad/phone/wallet stolen and somebody got done for peeing in the street while drunk) and then use it to line my bin.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1083 on: August 09, 2018, 09:26:18 PM »
Yeah, I make my own "no junk/unaddressed mail" note for my boxes and the post office puts a red dot on for me :)    In almost 20 years, only two items have made it past that filter. It's awesome.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1084 on: August 09, 2018, 10:14:20 PM »
And my version is to write No Junk Mail on a piece of paper and then attach to the mailbox with a coating of sticky tape. It works for everything except the free weekly local paper that is 50% real estate spruiking, aka The Hate Read, aka see what nonsense sold for $1.4M *this week*

Oh I thought for a minute your were my neighbour but there is nothing selling here for a bargain price of $1.4m, lol. I like the paper because I do the sudoku, read the crime page (someone left their car unlocked and got their ipad/phone/wallet stolen and somebody got done for peeing in the street while drunk) and then use it to line my bin.

$1.4m is the Handyman's special without any plumbing, backing on to the trains "so convenient for public transport". The crime page is great, I wish ours were as innocuous as drunken peeing. Inner West = drugs.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1085 on: August 10, 2018, 08:02:39 PM »
We need to actually move the donate items that are currently in boxes to the donation center. We have visitors coming in just over a week and, having been super busy/gone, most of the summer, our house is an epic disaster. It's driving me nuts.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1086 on: August 10, 2018, 10:45:04 PM »
Finally did the thing I've been meanign to do for 6 months - do a first pass of the manga, make a list of what I will discard and email my two manga reading friends to see if they want/know someone who wants them. I also finally reset my gumtree password and sent someone a message who is looking for Fruits Basket. At this point I would just give them away.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1087 on: August 11, 2018, 09:56:56 PM »
I decluttered a box of craft supplies; some stuff will go to a friend who's learning to sew, some will go to a friend's children, some will stay, some stuff is being put in a spot where I'll actually *use* it. The sturdy box they were in can now contain formerly loose house plant supplies.

I'm now seeing where the hard decluttering is going to be after books: yarn...

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1088 on: August 12, 2018, 12:42:44 PM »
Binge cleaning this weekend:

Couch has finally been removed from the living room. It's currently stored out of the way until we can, hopefully, arrange for transport. I predict it will be awhile because now it is out of the way.

Bins of kids art supplies have been decluttered and organized! Two bags of extras leaving.

A friend wants our never used food processor so it is in the car for delivery tomorrow.

Huge pile of old magazines has been dropped off with an art teacher to be repurposed.

Kids dress up costumes that no longer fit are in a bag for donation. Ditto for outgrown clothes and dance shoes.

Ten foot puzzle rug that has been tripping us in the living room has been removed. I posted it as free on our homeschool group and it was taken in 3 minutes. Scheduled for drop off next time I am in town.

Old, poorly functioning computer is being replaced and will leave for electronics recycling tomorrow. Dead printer is on its way to be recycled as well. Replacements are currently being set up.

Fondant has been peeled off kid's 4H display cake styrofoam bases. Cake boards and bases are back in storage to be reused next year.

Sadly....we are nowhere near done yet...

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1089 on: August 12, 2018, 01:43:40 PM »
@Mongoose - that's huge progress! I found a few cardboard boxes that my son had been hiding for projects. Now recycled. He's also in the process of cleaning his room. It's been a weeks long process. Almost done.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1090 on: August 13, 2018, 03:40:22 AM »
Two series of manga + 2 misc books dropped off for a friend's daughter. That's 28 books out of the house!
And the two other friends I emailed about manga have claimed most of the series so I feel Light and Happy the books are going to people who will read and enjoy them

FIRE_guy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1091 on: August 13, 2018, 05:47:22 AM »
Hmmm - what will be today's "get rid of" item? Maybe some old bottles I was saving for a potential home-brew journey. Now that we are moving out of the country, I don't think I need to hang onto them!

Two series of manga + 2 misc books dropped off for a friend's daughter. That's 28 books out of the house!
And the two other friends I emailed about manga have claimed most of the series so I feel Light and Happy the books are going to people who will read and enjoy them

Books! thanks for the reminder -> I've seen a few new pop-up community libraries that I can certainly donate some books to.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1092 on: August 13, 2018, 08:09:34 AM »
Putting this out there so I have some accountability. It's kinda decluttering because all this is in my closet, and it's a massive thing on my to-do list.

I have 18 gallons, 4 quarts, and 1 pint of paint.
-5 gallons are for the garage, which is in progress. I expect to end with 2 partial gallons, so that will be 3 out (or 4, if I need another gallon of white)
-1 gallon and the pint are the downstairs bedroom.
-1 quart is oil primer for some stuff that requires oil, it should use it up. That project will be moved to the painting stage after today and tomorrow (handyman patching millions of holes from electrical rewire).
-1 gallon is living room, etc paint (multiple rooms). I won't be getting rid of the can, but once I paint all the patches (see oil primer), it can be moved to long term storage. IE, NOT my closet.
-1 gallon and 1 quart is the utility room, again this week's handyman work will allow me to use it. Will likely end with the quart left over.
-2 gallons are closet paint. Once patched, I can paint the patches, then will donate whatever is left to the local school drama.
-2 gallons are ceiling paint. I will be doing some ceiling painting, but likely won't use either up.
-2 quarts are metal primer and paint. Need to touch up the railing, then long term storage.

There's a bunch that is primer/paint for upstairs bedrooms, which are low on the list right now. And some woodwork paint, which gets used as I do woodwork.

But not having 18 gallons of paint would be nice!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1093 on: August 13, 2018, 08:15:46 AM »
2 big bins to take to the consignment store today!

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1094 on: August 13, 2018, 08:52:41 AM »
I've been carrying around about 4 trash bags full of donated items in the car.  This weekend I finally dropped them off at the thrift shop.

I have another 2, moving boxes full of stuff to drop off and I took pictures of some furniture to ask the thrift shop if they want it.

Not to derail the thread but part of my decluttering is finding a home for everything we are keeping. This is tough because in some areas we don't have enough practical storage, like smaller drawers, etc.  I've taken all the smaller, plastic drawer systems we have and put them in the basement and I bought a label maker.  So far it has been very helpful. 2 of the drawers I labeled first and filled was "packing tape" and "measuring tapes" those are the items that bring the most frustration when we can't find them.  I even put a label "put back in drawer when done" on them :)

So much crap has been moved out of the basement! 

I posted for free 2 chairs I bought several years ago with the intention of refinishing them.  They took a lot of space but I was unable to part with them because I paid $50 for the pair.  I realize I was NEVER going to finish them (such a low priority on my list) and there was little hope of getting  any money for them.  So I decided to just get rid of them!  It felt so good to see someone haul them away and now I have reclaimed so much space in the basement. 

It was very motivating that I ended up filling up the back of the car with more stuff to donate, mostly holiday decorations. I purged close to 75% of my Christmas decorations! 

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1095 on: August 13, 2018, 09:05:24 AM »
Love reading everyone's decluttering details!!

My space remains quite empty, blissfully so. I'm excited to be using the space and clearness to begin painting walls in a cheerier layer.

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1096 on: August 13, 2018, 10:50:30 AM »
It has been a crazy weekend.

We've been seeing mice in the apartment for over a week. We couldn't find the holes where they were coming in, and the traps our super gave us stayed empty. My wife saw them go around the traps a few times. Management finally got us an exterminator Friday night.

My last post in this thread was a recognition of how far we've come. Well...it's quite the wake up call when the exterminator has to pull everything out to access the walls. Closets, on top of the fridge, some of the shelves, things that were stacked on the floor (I know, I know)...yikes. It looked like a bomb went off by the time he left, and it made me want to burn everything I own. But he did find and seal a few holes and set some traps in better locations. KNOCK ON WOOD, we haven't seen a mouse or evidence of a mouse since.

As if that wasn't enough, we had a long-scheduled delivery of a new bookcase set up for Saturday morning. We ordered it a month ago for my wife's books. The old one was falling apart and too small for the space. Before, books were stacked on top and next to it. We (I?) wanted them all to fit nicely on one bookshelf. So as soon as the exterminator left, we had to empty the old shelves onto the living room floor.

The blessing in disguise is that it was a bit of a wake up call for my wife, too. She will never be a minimalist or anything, and still rolls her eyes if I mention Marie Kondo. But as we spent all day Saturday and part of the day Sunday recovering the apartment, she managed to get rid of a lot of stuff. We ended up with three bags of goodwill stuff, 5+ bags of trash, and more to come as she sorts some papers that will go into memory boxes.

My goal this whole time was to end up with an apartment with clear floors/surfaces that was easy to clean. I was starting to become okay with a clear floor meaning that stuff was only on the very edges/in corners/etc. because of the volume of stuff. But it's still not easy to clean, then, is it? It's crazy that we can't access many of the baseboards.

I'm really grateful she's finally taking the initiative to go through her stuff. She's not being as ruthless as I'd like, but at this point it's better than nothing. We have plans to go to the container store this week (we have some gift cards) and get some boxes and bins. No more piles on the floor like that. If we're gonna have too much stuff, I want it to at least be easily moveable.

At least our small room with the new bookcase looks great now. We both love it.
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 11:29:27 AM by zygote »

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1097 on: August 13, 2018, 10:54:38 AM »
It's amazing how something like that can really change your focus -- for me, it was moving last year after a while being in one spot. Having to lift all those books... yikes. I want to move *less* stuff when we leave this place, not more.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1098 on: August 13, 2018, 03:13:26 PM »
@zygote I found Francine Jay's approach a bit more palatable for people who eyeroll at Marie Kondo. The most useful part for me was that surfaces are not for storage! and that by keeping them clear you leave a space for future activities to happen.

We are still working through it but the small kitchen bench changes we've made have made things a lot nicer and our goal is to get all the bookshelves to a single layer with no books stacked on top.

Edit: mobile spelling corrections. Sigh
« Last Edit: August 13, 2018, 06:23:01 PM by mspym »

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1099 on: August 13, 2018, 07:12:18 PM »
It's amazing how something like that can really change your focus -- for me, it was moving last year after a while being in one spot. Having to lift all those books... yikes. I want to move *less* stuff when we leave this place, not more.

In that vein, I've been reappraising my belongings on the grounds of Will I Want This Once I'm FIRE'd and if it's no, then why not get rid of it now? There are some things that I am keeping specifically for work but I think this will remove ~10 bags from my collection.