Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249340 times)

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1100 on: August 14, 2018, 08:53:24 AM »
@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.

Thanks! If I tell her to read that she'll just dig in her heels and say no, but I am glad to have something to read myself that I can use to nudge her in ways I know I can get her on board.

Especially since the mice are still here. UGH. We didn't see them for two days so we thought we sealed them out. Alas. Either there's still a hole somewhere or we sealed them in. They currently run around the traps the exterminator set.

Cassie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1101 on: August 14, 2018, 05:13:22 PM »
That’s awful about the mice. I worked on my half of the walk in closet and took a trunk full to the thrift store. Also sold a antique chair, 5 sets of dog steps and a bread Machine.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1102 on: August 14, 2018, 07:12:33 PM »
Boo mice. Hopefully they are just trapped in? Problem is full grown mice can get through a hole the size of your thumbnail so even tiny holes need to be considered. And they will chew on wiring so they are a hazard. I hope they clear out soon.

Decluttering- I dropped two more books off at the free library this morning. Just nibbling away at it seems to reduce the effort/reluctance to manageable levels. If I had tried to just Get Rid Of FIFTY BOOKS I would have been all No Way! and keep them all but somehow sneaking them out 2 or 3 at a time seems to not trigger any alerts.


halftimer

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1103 on: August 14, 2018, 08:15:44 PM »
Ugh I know the challenge of mice too. One lonely mouse a few months ago motivated a few very quick changes so they would find less appealing hidey holes behind stuff. We caught that one, and none of his friends have appeared yet.

Mini success this week: we had 2 guests for 3 days in our small space (less than 1000 sq ft) and found lots of room to put a full air mattress down by moving the desk into a corner of the kitchen. We were still able to use the kitchen for meals, the desk (plus table) for projects and games together, and when the air mattress was deflated there was so much room to crazy dance in that big open space! A bag with sentimental items also went out the door with the guests, and we worked together on using up craft supplies and made some fantastic projects.

I know that 4 people in 1000 square feet does not seem like a big accomplishment. Mostly it feels like it since we have never had overnight guests at all due to the awkward layout of only having one bathroom and it is only accessible through the only bedroom, and it only has an accordion door.  In contrast, we will be staying soon with family for more than 10 nights, and there will be 4 people in 340 square feet. But at least their bathroom is very private, and actually the toilet area is in a separate area from the shower so it's more guest friendly that way.

They inspire me to get rid of more. Time to pick my next area to target now...

expatartist

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1104 on: August 15, 2018, 07:32:27 PM »
After a 6-week trip back to the US, I brought back luggage crammed with stuff, as usual: secondhand clothes of a cut and quality you can't get here, art supplies and art projects-in-progress, shampoos and organic cleaning supplies,etc. I'm trying to get rid of one item for every new-to-me addition, so every day I'm taking stuff to the shared bin in our hallway. Though few places in town take donations of women's clothes and accessories (there are just too many, our city has one of the world's highest wealth gaps), my neighborhood is the poorest in town and there's often someone who can use clean articles. Yesterday's was a quirky camera bag, lace cardigan, and tank top. Tonight I'm hoping to add more.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1105 on: August 15, 2018, 10:50:01 PM »
Excited to jump back into the fray here! I have a box ready to go to the charity shop and several boxes of food I won't eat for the food bank. No time to drop the things off until the weekend, though.

Cassie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1106 on: August 16, 2018, 01:18:24 AM »
Another full day of decluttering and more stuff to thrift store.

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1107 on: August 16, 2018, 09:13:21 AM »
Thanks for the mice commiseration. We haven't seen them since my last post, so they either got back out, are hiding, or died somewhere from the poison. None of these are good options. I don't even mind mice as a concept, but NYC mice are riddled with disease and I don't want them chewing on our cords. I wish they'd just go outside, but that would mean there's a hole somewhere for more to come back. Hopefully the mice will be decluttered soon, one way or another...

But the apartment has continued to make progress. Two more bags for goodwill, another big bag of trash, and a few things have sold on ebay.

It's so great to hear about everyone else's progress too!

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1108 on: August 16, 2018, 01:51:24 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...

I've begun my yarn decluttering. It is divided into:

(a) Yarns I will never use and am definitely getting rid of (apparently I accidentally decluttered some yarns previously that I thought I'd had still stashed, so this pile is smaller than I thought it would be; many of these yarns were leftovers given to me by destashing friends/family).

(b) Yarns bought for specific projects, which are now separated and stashed together as befits each project. These are mostly yarns for large, showy afghans that take me a long time to finish. (Stained glass afghans, I tell you!)

(c) My pile of Cascade 220 left over from other projects, which will be repurposed into various hats, slippers, and other small projects that can be good as gifts; I'm very lucky that almost all of this yarn color-coordinates well.

(d) My pile of other nice yarns, mostly leftovers again.

(e) My cheap Christmas-y yarns (good for presents for some family members who like twee things).

(f) Other miscellaneous cheap yarns, which will likely go into hats/scarves for my local homeless shelter.

I feel okay right now in keeping yarns b-f, but I need to work harder at getting projects finished and out of the house.

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1109 on: August 16, 2018, 04:11:27 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...

I've begun my yarn decluttering. It is divided into:

(a) Yarns I will never use and am definitely getting rid of (apparently I accidentally decluttered some yarns previously that I thought I'd had still stashed, so this pile is smaller than I thought it would be; many of these yarns were leftovers given to me by destashing friends/family).

(b) Yarns bought for specific projects, which are now separated and stashed together as befits each project. These are mostly yarns for large, showy afghans that take me a long time to finish. (Stained glass afghans, I tell you!)

(c) My pile of Cascade 220 left over from other projects, which will be repurposed into various hats, slippers, and other small projects that can be good as gifts; I'm very lucky that almost all of this yarn color-coordinates well.

(d) My pile of other nice yarns, mostly leftovers again.

(e) My cheap Christmas-y yarns (good for presents for some family members who like twee things).

(f) Other miscellaneous cheap yarns, which will likely go into hats/scarves for my local homeless shelter.

I feel okay right now in keeping yarns b-f, but I need to work harder at getting projects finished and out of the house.

I've been in a yarn declutter mode too.  Some of the yarn I have given to friends or the thrift shop, typically stuff I know I am not going to use.

For some of the smaller balls of leftover yarn I have, I have been making newborn baby hats to donate.  They take about 30 minutes to whip up, it gives me a chance to try new stitches without the commitment of a larger blanket, and I feel good about my donation.  I recently dropped off 36 baby hats.

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1110 on: August 16, 2018, 04:13:25 PM »
I've been in a yarn declutter mode too.  Some of the yarn I have given to friends or the thrift shop, typically stuff I know I am not going to use.

For some of the smaller balls of leftover yarn I have, I have been making newborn baby hats to donate.  They take about 30 minutes to whip up, it gives me a chance to try new stitches without the commitment of a larger blanket, and I feel good about my donation.  I recently dropped off 36 baby hats.

This is a fantastic idea for some of my scrap acrylic -- I've been wondering what to do with it, and here we go! Does your local hospital have a program, or are you using one of the larger online programs?

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1111 on: August 16, 2018, 04:19:29 PM »
I've been in a yarn declutter mode too.  Some of the yarn I have given to friends or the thrift shop, typically stuff I know I am not going to use.

For some of the smaller balls of leftover yarn I have, I have been making newborn baby hats to donate.  They take about 30 minutes to whip up, it gives me a chance to try new stitches without the commitment of a larger blanket, and I feel good about my donation.  I recently dropped off 36 baby hats.


This is a fantastic idea for some of my scrap acrylic -- I've been wondering what to do with it, and here we go! Does your local hospital have a program, or are you using one of the larger online programs?

No official program.  When I have a shoebox full of hats, I just take them to the maternity wing and drop them off.

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1112 on: August 16, 2018, 04:26:25 PM »
I've been in a yarn declutter mode too.  Some of the yarn I have given to friends or the thrift shop, typically stuff I know I am not going to use.

For some of the smaller balls of leftover yarn I have, I have been making newborn baby hats to donate.  They take about 30 minutes to whip up, it gives me a chance to try new stitches without the commitment of a larger blanket, and I feel good about my donation.  I recently dropped off 36 baby hats.


This is a fantastic idea for some of my scrap acrylic -- I've been wondering what to do with it, and here we go! Does your local hospital have a program, or are you using one of the larger online programs?

No official program.  When I have a shoebox full of hats, I just take them to the maternity wing and drop them off.

Interesting! That's great that they'll accept them -- I'll have to find a way to contact my local NICU and/or maternity wing to see if they'd take some. Thanks so much for this idea, I'm excited! :D

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1113 on: August 16, 2018, 07:38:44 PM »
@diapasoun wow you are so organized!  One day I'll get there.  That is a future project.

@MrsDinero great tip!  If I lose touch with my knitting friend who collects the donated items, I'll go straight to the maternity ward of my local hospital.


=============================================================

Milestone reached!  If anyone remembers, I'm dealing with paper clutter right now.  I've been working on this one piece of paper on which I've written a ton of user ID's an passwords.  I checked on my flickr password & found I had pictures from 2004-2007 on there.

So why do I even have this any longer?  Of course being thorough, I had to go through all pictures on the website to be sure I had them locally before I shut down the account.    Finished today!  Account shut down!  Woo!

Back to dealing with that paper...

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1114 on: August 16, 2018, 09:06:44 PM »
Woo hoo @oneday ! That is *fantastic work*

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1115 on: August 16, 2018, 09:31:13 PM »
WOW, oneday!!!! What perseverance!!!! HOORAH HOORAH!!

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1116 on: August 16, 2018, 09:54:48 PM »
mspym & ms floofeefloo, thanks!  Couldn't have done it without you.  The One Song Wonder thread kept me going on the task.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1117 on: August 16, 2018, 10:11:29 PM »
Not quite out of the house yet but manga series are boxed up for their respective peoples and ready to go. This feels like progress.

AND I am taking one of my favourite bags that I just cannot wear any more [thank you nerve damage] on my weekend jaunt and hope to find a new home for it while I am gone.

Mezzie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1118 on: August 17, 2018, 09:28:18 AM »
For you yarn people: my mom knits hats for kids and adults with cancer. She even got a ribbon for her work at the local county fair. It's MUCH appreciated by the recipients.

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1119 on: August 17, 2018, 10:57:36 AM »
Congrats on your paper decluttering milestone, @oneday!

@Mezzie, thanks for another tip -- I think we have a cancer center at our hospital, as well as a NICU, so that's a lot of good chances for getting hats to people who can use them.

Cassie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1120 on: August 17, 2018, 11:06:04 AM »
I knit scarves for the homeless. I drop them off at Xmas time and they let people pick out what they want.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1121 on: August 17, 2018, 02:22:41 PM »
Congrats on your paper decluttering milestone, oneday!

Thanks!  Feels nice to be released from that task.


I knit scarves for the homeless. I drop them off at Xmas time and they let people pick out what they want.

This is what my knitting friend does!  She collects up all the scarves knit by us and gives them to the charity to distribute.  It's really nice to have her as a facilitator for that.

SimplySueLoo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1122 on: August 18, 2018, 07:37:37 AM »
For 4hrs a week I'm a volunteer cashier at a local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.  It's fun, and I have gotten in the habit of taking stuff with me each week to donate. 

That's a good thing, but the best part has been seeing how the customers appreciate the low prices and what they can find (a lot of decent furniture, housewares and building materials).   Witnessing the clutter/stuff go to good use has helped me disconnect from whatever sentimentality or hesitation I have from letting my things go.  Giving stuff away feels great!  I also feel confident that if we ever move, I could completely refurnish a household with cool stuff for less than $1000 via thrift stores.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1123 on: August 18, 2018, 09:01:06 AM »
I finally got the puzzle rug living room trip hazard out of the house to a new home. Today I will take the kids outgrown play costumes to donate. We traded them for some older never used sheets from a closet. They can now happily make tents without dismantling their beds every day, a bonus since putting those back together in the evening was a source of conflict.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1124 on: August 18, 2018, 10:50:38 AM »
@diapasoun - Gigi from The Knitmore Girls podcast donates premie hats to her local neo-natal, and I think she's in California. If you check on Ravelry they might be able to suggest a hospital near you that is taking donations and any special considerations.

Charity knitting needs to be careful about yarn composition. I've looked into it before, but I don't work with much superwash or acrylic, so the shelters are not encouraging.

[I should not be posting here about yarn, I just bought 9 skeins at my LYS' annual sale]

Mezzie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1125 on: August 18, 2018, 11:18:13 AM »
I gave away some furniture to a fellow teacher (and got some fabric for my wall from another teacher for a pin exchange center I want to set up in my classroom corner; I found out last year some of my students who will have me again love pins and buttons. I have a ton. It'll get them out of my house and be a fun before & after school socializing thing).

I forget who posted this upthread, but I'm trying that 13-space accordian folder thing, and so far it's a HUGE help.

I just decluttered the living room, and most of it wasn't my stuff! Yay!

I do have a meditation cushion coming in in hopes it helps me get into a more arthritis-friendly position. If it doesn't, I know the local meditation center will take it. Per my one in, one out rule, I'll be donating a stack of books of comparable size.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1126 on: August 18, 2018, 03:42:09 PM »
@Mezzie I am using the accordion folder to organize my daily to-do papers...is that what you are refering to?  In any case, YAY I am glad you found something that helps you!

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1127 on: August 18, 2018, 07:15:33 PM »
Finally got the damn light fixtures out of the house. 3 of them. Donated them to the ReStore. Mom wanted to sell them, but I've had them for 6+ months and haven't made a move. I'll send her money for them without telling her I donated them.

There's another light fixture somewhere I can donate, but I can only find the globe. When I find the other half I'll donate it.

Also got rid of a huge box and a big trash bag of packing peanuts. The UPS Store doesn't take them anymore. Probably corporate trying to make more money, selling them. Goodwill took them. Not sure if they all will, but they did today.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1128 on: August 18, 2018, 09:12:12 PM »
I'll send her money for them without telling her I donated them.

Brilliant :)

Nederstash

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1129 on: August 19, 2018, 05:35:28 AM »
Such a worthwhile weekend of decluttering! Yesterday I took a big bag of books (8 or 9) to a friend's house and got Harry Potter socks in return (the left says "Master has given Dobby a sock" and the right: "Dobby is free!". Yes please. Good trade.

Today I've packed up an unused vacuum and tupperware box to give to my brother. Not much, but he said he'd like to have them.
 
I've been scraping the bottom of the barrell, I can't really think of much more to get rid of. Books will go as they get finished. Clothes will be needing a jolly good sifting but my weight is doing weird things now. It'll settle - in a positive way, I hope.

marion10

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1130 on: August 19, 2018, 07:25:06 AM »
Big box of work pants and some structured jackets - that I only held onto for interviews. Since I am retiring in a year- there will be no more interviews. They went to a halfway house for women recently released from prison.

Mongoose

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1131 on: August 20, 2018, 07:37:35 AM »
Guest bedroom is nearly done. I sorted the kids summer art and put what I am keeping to foist on them later in a bin. They want to keep everything so this is the compromise. DH got a shelf from me to organize his home office.

We had tried me switching from the always messy desk I've used for household administration stuff to a shelf with an inbox and some storage. I became super stressed out and was unable to keep track of the bills. Just can't switch to a new system of keeping track. Desk is back in service. This weekend I decluttered 30 gallons of paper from it. All cleaned out and neat now. All the wayward bills have been found and paid. I need to keep on top of the paperwork if I want to keep it neat but at least this way I won't miss payments if things do get messy.

We have 2 boxes of books and 2 boxes of miscellaneous kid stuff to donate. They will leave tomorrow.

I'm still amazed at the amount of stuff remaining given how much stuff has left.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1132 on: August 20, 2018, 08:37:45 AM »
Minor progress this weekend:

Gave away
- 4 camisoles I never ever wear
-6 scrunchies that are too thin for my hair
-6 fitness headbands that anchor on the forehead and I hate
-a pack of hairnets that i used to have for ballet.

The nice thing is none of this got trashed.

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1133 on: August 20, 2018, 09:00:58 AM »
I'm still amazed at the amount of stuff remaining given how much stuff has left.

This is how I feel too.

This weekend, I took a giant bag of stuff that we gathered during the mouse hunt last weekend down to goodwill. Even though the decisions were made already, it felt great to actually get it all out of the house.

I also started a new bag, which currently includes:
-3 3-wick bath and body works candles I don't like the smell of anymore
-3 tank tops I used to love that no longer fit right

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1134 on: August 21, 2018, 10:15:16 AM »
I'm back. Glad to see so many of you have kept up with your decluttering.

I'm thinking about moving again and this time I would really like to pare down by belongings to the essentials. I've been dragging my feet on selling items, so I think I'll start with donations and recyclables/trash. Not sure how I'll structure my decluttering. I have found that if I don't structure it, I tend to forget about it. :)


Serendip

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1135 on: August 21, 2018, 10:36:19 AM »
Again: inspired by this thread and the updates.
I have a few hours this afternoon and would like to minimize a few cluttered spaces/drawers/cupboards. Will check back in tonight :)

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1136 on: August 21, 2018, 02:54:38 PM »
In honor of this thread, I am gonna go burn down a candle in my very slow burn-all-the-candle-stash project I have going... thanks y'all. ;)

letsdoit

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1137 on: August 21, 2018, 03:04:00 PM »
We have a tiny pile near the door that doesn't seem to be shifting because it needs to go to specific people, but the books and clothes are an easy discard and leave on a regular basis.  The big one for me is the ~400 manga that I want to get rid of. I am TOO LAZY to try ebay it, it doesn't seem to be accepted by 2nd hand bookstores and yet, some of these are really difficult to acquire and would be really appreciated if only I could work out how to find their people. I know I know, just donate.

I paid someone 50% to sell my coins on ebay.  I certainly did not have time to do it myself

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1138 on: August 21, 2018, 03:45:02 PM »
In honor of this thread, I am gonna go burn down a candle in my very slow burn-all-the-candle-stash project I have going... thanks y'all. ;)

I maintain candles are the ultimate decor. You can burn them instead of dusting. Really, that's my idea of home decor: flammable.

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1139 on: August 21, 2018, 04:13:33 PM »
In honor of this thread, I am gonna go burn down a candle in my very slow burn-all-the-candle-stash project I have going... thanks y'all. ;)

Last year I got rid of a candle I bought almost 20 years ago.   It sounds weird but I was really sad to see it go.  I got it when I was married to my 1st husband but on the verge of separating.
 It had always been displayed in the living room of  my 1st  two apartments (post divorce) , then 1st house, then 2nd house, then carried it with me when I moved to 2 different states and finally married my current husband. 
« Last Edit: August 21, 2018, 04:24:06 PM by MrsDinero »

FIRE_guy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1140 on: August 21, 2018, 11:20:05 PM »
Yesterday's purge victim: the file folder we use to store all of our important docs. Apparently, it wasn't just for "important stuff" anymore. Threw out about 1kg of paper.

Today's purge target: an old bookshelf full of junk papers/trinkets.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1141 on: August 22, 2018, 12:01:03 AM »
Four more books to the free library - Scott Pilgrim 3-6.
Ofpym seems to have got the bug too - the basement is becoming clearer everytime I look at it!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1142 on: August 22, 2018, 01:58:16 AM »
One of my female colleagues tidied up at home and found a jacket that belonged to her father who died some time ago. The jacket was good quality and only used twice. She gave it to a male colleague who could try if it fitted him. He looked pleasantly surprised.
Nice to see other people decluttering and reusing good items.

CrustyBadger

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1143 on: August 22, 2018, 12:05:10 PM »
Hi! I need some quick help and encouragement or advice from master declutterers in dealing with kid stuff (kids are now teens).

I've done a good job with old artwork and schoolwork.  I've recycled most of it. TONS!   I keep a few pieces from each year of their lives that are in some way meaningful or showed some kind of creative effort, or that they cared about.  I keep NOTHING that is 3D though (unless they want to keep it, in their rooms.  Dioramas, pipe cleaner sculptures etc... thrown out after one year of admiration.)   Schoolwork -- we keep just the final year report card (our schools don't have lovely handwritten comments from the teachers that would make it meaningful to keep anything else.)  I keep any significant honors (but not honor roll or attendance certificates).  I put all the papers in a big three ring binder... one per child.

But how do you declutter:

- old board books your kids used to love as babies?  (I'm so sentimental)
- toys your kids loved to play with? (Again with the sentiment... maybe they will have kids and the grandkids will come and play with the VERY SAME TOYS their mom did?)
- old baby clothes
- blankies and stuffed animals that the kids loved for a brief period of time in their lives and from which they could not be separated?



formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1144 on: August 22, 2018, 12:32:54 PM »
But how do you declutter:

- old board books your kids used to love as babies?  (I'm so sentimental)
- toys your kids loved to play with? (Again with the sentiment... maybe they will have kids and the grandkids will come and play with the VERY SAME TOYS their mom did?)
- old baby clothes
- blankies and stuffed animals that the kids loved for a brief period of time in their lives and from which they could not be separated?

My tweens keep dumping the board books in and the stuffies in the Goodwill box and I keep retrieving them.  I am keeping 3 stuffies - one my 12-year-old has never been without, and the Mickey and Minnie dolls that participated in my wedding to current H (then-3-yr-old S REFUSED to walk down the aisle without holding them, and during the vows, he and his stuffies were wedged between me and now-H.)  I've pared to the half-a-dozen books that I have memorized because the kids loved them so much.

I sorted through my box of baby clothes recently and was surprised to see how many were really not in good shape after 7-10 years in a box.  I'm down to the outfits they came home in and 2 others.  The kids helped me pick which ones to save.

All of the toys went away.

It helps to remember when my mother and MIL tried to give me things they had saved from when we were babies.  I did not want any of it and was frankly horrified at the idea of my kid having to wear some of those outfits.

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1145 on: August 22, 2018, 12:33:00 PM »
Hi! I need some quick help and encouragement or advice from master declutterers in dealing with kid stuff (kids are now teens).

I've done a good job with old artwork and schoolwork.  I've recycled most of it. TONS!   I keep a few pieces from each year of their lives that are in some way meaningful or showed some kind of creative effort, or that they cared about.  I keep NOTHING that is 3D though (unless they want to keep it, in their rooms.  Dioramas, pipe cleaner sculptures etc... thrown out after one year of admiration.)   Schoolwork -- we keep just the final year report card (our schools don't have lovely handwritten comments from the teachers that would make it meaningful to keep anything else.)  I keep any significant honors (but not honor roll or attendance certificates).  I put all the papers in a big three ring binder... one per child.

But how do you declutter:

- old board books your kids used to love as babies?  (I'm so sentimental)
- toys your kids loved to play with? (Again with the sentiment... maybe they will have kids and the grandkids will come and play with the VERY SAME TOYS their mom did?)
- old baby clothes
- blankies and stuffed animals that the kids loved for a brief period of time in their lives and from which they could not be separated?

I can't speak to the books or toys because I don't keep any of those, but I do have a problem with those special clothes or blankies.  What I am doing my littles is keep the very special ones the ones that make me tear up with memories and I plan to make it into a quilt for them to have in their homes.

Not everyone is a quilter, but there are people who will do this for you.  you can also find them on Etsy.  It might be a nice gift for them to have in their homes.

CrustyBadger

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1146 on: August 22, 2018, 12:52:11 PM »
It helps to remember when my mother and MIL tried to give me things they had saved from when we were babies.  I did not want any of it and was frankly horrified at the idea of my kid having to wear some of those outfits.

OK, good point there!   It's just *I* remember the babies when they were so little, they fit in those outfits.   But I can at least cut it down to what will fit in one box or something.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1147 on: August 22, 2018, 01:27:38 PM »
I let my kid decide which of his stuff goes, but I did keep one baby onesie, his hospital hat, his preemie soother, and his favourite baby toy. i.e. More "representations" than volume.

TabbyCat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1148 on: August 22, 2018, 02:49:18 PM »
I haven't posted here in ages because we've just been busy with life, but we have gotten rid of TONS of stuff in the last year and no longer have a room dedicated to storage (I know, shame on me that there ever was). We're in the middle of having kids, so there is a ton of baby stuff in closets and the garage that I just can't wait to get rid of as soon as we're done. I know many advocate for not saving things between kids, but I don't want to deal with selling and then re-buying it all so it stays.

One thing that helped lots was getting family on board with not giving us random things all the time (hand me downs, too many toys, random stuff they picked off buy nothing and thought we would want).

CrustyBadger

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #1149 on: August 22, 2018, 03:56:44 PM »
I took note from @formerlydivorcedmom and went through 3 boxes of baby/toddler books I had been saving.  I donated any book that I didn't know well enough to read by heart, once I opened it and saw the first page.

Now I'm down to just one box!  The other books I lugged to two of our town's Little Free Libraries (ones dedicated to children's books) and loaded them up.  It was a good feeling!  I still have a lot of board books left, but they are obviously ones that had meaning to the kids because they requested them so often.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!