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

[slackmax]

I didn't feel like going to the car boot sale today, so I am spending this morning going through more plastic bags full of clothes, in the bedroom.  Getting a bag of donatable clothes together. I don't feel bad about donating these clothes, for some reason.

Also picked out some empty cardboard boxes to take out of the basement, and recycle. The latest thing at the recycling center is that they are now refusing any cardboard that has any mold on it! So one of the boxes is going into the garb.

The living room is getting more and more floor space visible as I move stuff into the basement or donate it.   Just gotta keep at it.   

[Frugal Lizard]

Three loads gone. We have a leaf so not the largest hauler but not shabby.  We still can't park two cars in the garage but we are getting closer.

[Prairie Gal]

Once again I am thinking about downsizing to a condo, so that has motivated me to start de-cluttering again. Gone in the last few days. Two counter height stools, 2 little end tables, a bag of clothes, 2 frames, a "Family" photo holder thing and a few small décor items. Thought I had a buyer for a living chair that has been in the basement for the past couple of years, but she was a no show. Hate it when people do that. I may just end up donating it. If I really do end up moving to a condo I will have to get a lot more serious about getting rid of stuff. Oh, I almost forgot DS is home and he got rid of a weight bench and a small desk from the basement also.

Next on the hit list:
 - antique foot stool
 - bench thing that is in the laundry room
 - more frames and misc décor items

This is all stuff that I should be able to get a few dollars for, and I am putting all of it in my vacation fund.

[slackmax]

Went through a 3 foot tall plastic set of storage drawers and threw out some of the contents and recycled the rest. Mostly old bank statements, glossy newspaper inserts, etc.

Still have the 3 foot tall unit sitting there, but now I can, in theory, store some useful and needed stuff there, lol.

Having a hard time donating clothes lately. Congratulations to those folks who can do it easily. I have a bunch of bags of 'perfectly good clothes' sitting around the place, waiting to be 'abandoned' to the Salvation Army, lol.   One of these days. 

[Frugal Lizard]

Last weekend was epic for decluttering.  We have to get the area around the electrical panel cleared out so I was ruthless on the bankers boxes stashed in there.  There were four and now there is one - and it is full of extension cords and power bars.  I ditched the other random cords into the new e-waste disposal that re-started in the garage.

I ventured into the cedar closet and to my glee - three giant bins are completely empty.  We are so much closer to being able to return SIL's bins to her than I thought.  Hubs borrowed a number of them when we started the basement reno and just filled them with random junk or so I thought.  Three never got filled.  I am hoping this weekend means they can all go back to her place and this will be a noticeable spaciousness.

The garage is coming along.  Hubs is getting almost ruthless.  He finally opened the box with a stand for his chop saw.  He has been working all summer and fall with the chop saw on the floor even though he had purchased a stand in the spring and it was sitting in the garage awaiting assembly. He bought the chop saw about 20 years ago and has been using it on the floor ever since.  His back told him he needed a stand a while ago and he saw one on sale at Rona in the spring.  But for some reason he has been kneeling on the floor for five more months.  I don't understand him some days.

He made a shelf to store his and Son's hockey stick collection - but first he got rid of all the broken ones and the ones that fit five year olds. 

He went through the shelf full of chemicals and took all the bottles that he hasn't touched in four years to the toxic waste disposal.

There is a pile of old copper pipes in another corner. 

He relocated hooks so I can hang up the lawn mower and the giant snow bucket.  Both can be accessed now without moving bikes or cars. 

I have gotten a system for my mason jars.  I had run out in September of empty jars or so I thought.  But through this de-cluttering, I have found about four dozen jars of various sizes. And family members are returning my jars to me since I mentioned that I was done canning because I was out of jars.  I now have one area to consolidate all the empty jars now that we are starting to eat the canned goods. 

The squirrels have been helping me purge clay pots.  I have no trouble disposing of broken pots and they have been pulling them down of the shelf I thought looked like a good display option. 

Our screen porch is now a joy to look at and when warm weather returns it will be nice to sit in again.  We couldn't use it once this summer because Hubs had filled it with large bins of stuff from the rest of the basement.  When he saw my handiwork this past weekend he noted that it would be nice to sit in there if it was warm enough.  And then he realized that he had made that impossible for the entire summer this year.  He promised he would try to keep it nice for next summer.

I have to put the clothesline in the shed today.  Snow is in the forecast for tonight.

[Sibley]

I'm on vacation this week, and have been knocking out house projects. The living room and dining room are DONE.

-3 cans of paint used up and in the garage to dry
-Got carpet finally, and installed the toe molding (quarter round). So then I put all the furniture back where it belongs, and am putting the stuff I took out of the desk, cabinet, etc back in. In the process, am collecting random stuff that needs a home/needs to go/something into a box so I can then sort and deal with it.
-It's Halloween, so handed out candy. It looks more like Christmas though, so I have a ton left over, and have made arrangements to donate it to a local veteran's group that does goodie bags for older vets in the area. Leaves tomorrow afternoon.
-Various other supplies used for the utility room project, which means a bag of stuff is no longer sitting around.
-Returned various unneeded supplies to the store, so another bag of stuff is no longer sitting around.
-Found a stash of boxes that I have no memory of, and do not need, so into recycling they went.

The house is looking presentable!

[diapasoun]

Donated a book to the library resale shop.

[Prairie Gal]

Things that left the house this week:

 - brown living room chair ($100 for the vacation fund. Yay!)
 - single bed that I don't need anymore - gave to a single mother in need
 - table and chairs that DS made in shop years ago - gave to the same single mother
 - recycled a bunch of old newspaper clippings, souvenir programs, etc. Took pictures of some to keep as memories.
 - some barn boards
 - a couple of jackets. need to go through my jackets again, still way too many.
 - some miscellaneous décor items
 - breadmaker is out on the counter. I just need to wipe it down and find the manual and then it will get donated.
 - recycled a bunch of Christmas tins

Seems like there was more, but I can't think of what it was.

Listed the vintage foot stool, but so far no takers.

Hit list this week:
 - Finish the laundry room so that at least one room feels "done"
 - Ensuite bathroom

I went and looked at a condo, and it was actually really cute, but OMG, a major purge would need to happen before I could move into something that small. It does have a single car garage that could store some seasonal stuff like Christmas tree & decorations. etc.

[RetiredAt63]

I went and looked at a condo, and it was actually really cute, but OMG, a major purge would need to happen before I could move into something that small. It does have a single car garage that could store some seasonal stuff like Christmas tree & decorations. etc.

I went from a 1200 sq. ft. house with a big garage and a fully furnished basement.  I thought a 900 sq. ft. apartment with parking and a small locker would be ample, there was so much of the house I wasn't using.  Wrong!

[Sibley]

Well, I go back to work tomorrow after my week off. I got even more projects done, so even more stuff used.

Reassembled the drop ceiling in the utility room and put the new ceiling tiles in, which removed a bunch of pieces of the frame from the garage and the 2 boxes of tiles. I have one tile left over, which I will save for now in case we destroy a tile in the rest of the project. Also had a couple shorter pieces of frame that I didn't need as I simplified a few sections. My neighbor keeps a scrap metal pile and periodically takes it to the junk yard, so donated those to him.

I dropped off a load of stuff at Goodwill, then came home and put another box together.

[Frugal Lizard]

A few more items left the house - but only made it to the garage. Still my office, the kids bedrooms, our bedroom and the living room get better and better.

[SunnyDays]

Went through a 3 foot tall plastic set of storage drawers and threw out some of the contents and recycled the rest. Mostly old bank statements, glossy newspaper inserts, etc.

Still have the 3 foot tall unit sitting there, but now I can, in theory, store some useful and needed stuff there, lol.

Having a hard time donating clothes lately. Congratulations to those folks who can do it easily. I have a bunch of bags of 'perfectly good clothes' sitting around the place, waiting to be 'abandoned' to the Salvation Army, lol.   One of these days. 

Good going.  How are you finding the conditions once you move stacks of stuff?  I keep envisioning some of those Hoarders homes that are rotting away under them. Shudder.

If you're having a hard time with the clothes, are there any women you could ask to help you?  They might have a more objective opinion on the worth of various items.  Usually, run of the mill clothes have no second hand value and you're wasting your time and energy trying to sell them.  High end, relatively new clothes in good condition might be sellable, so maybe just go through it all and look at labels.  If you don't know what is "good stuff" you could ask someone at a consignment shop.

[slackmax]

Most of the stuff is on top of carpet, and all you see when the stack is removed is a clean carpet, maybe with a temporary ridge left where a box was placed.   

However..... there are eighth-of-an-inch thick layers of dust on * top * of some stuff, which I just vacuum off, or wipe off.   

About the clothes:  I see the same types of clothes for sale at flea markets for $1 each. Women's shirts, blouses, skirts, tops of all sorts, on display on long, long rows of hangers.  Maybe they sell very slowly, or not at all, who knows? Not me.

Maybe it's a regional thing. I've read websites saying that clothes sell well at garage sales. Not around  here!  Maybe they need to be high end. Oh well. 
When I get sick enough of them, off they'll go to donation.   

Yesterday I got luck in my decluttering of the bedroom. I found a lot of actual junk that I could toss into the garbage can, and not worry about the value of. Empty deodorant sticks, half-used cosmetics, empty plastic bags, etc. Yay!     

[SunnyDays]

Most of the stuff is on top of carpet, and all you see when the stack is removed is a clean carpet, maybe with a temporary ridge left where a box was placed.   

However..... there are eighth-of-an-inch thick layers of dust on * top * of some stuff, which I just vacuum off, or wipe off.   

About the clothes:  I see the same types of clothes for sale at flea markets for $1 each. Women's shirts, blouses, skirts, tops of all sorts, on display on long, long rows of hangers.  Maybe they sell very slowly, or not at all, who knows? Not me.

Maybe it's a regional thing. I've read websites saying that clothes sell well at garage sales. Not around  here!  Maybe they need to be high end. Oh well. 
When I get sick enough of them, off they'll go to donation.   

Yesterday I got luck in my decluttering of the bedroom. I found a lot of actual junk that I could toss into the garbage can, and not worry about the value of. Empty deodorant sticks, half-used cosmetics, empty plastic bags, etc. Yay!     

Yay is right!  No thought required for that stuff.

You're a patient man - how long do you think it will take you to get sick of the clothes?  You've been at this a couple of years, no?  LOL.  Around here no one even looks at clothes at garage sales, etc. so I don't even try.  Off to the thrift store they go, even brand new condition items.  Just not worth the effort to try to sell them.

[slackmax]

Most of the stuff is on top of carpet, and all you see when the stack is removed is a clean carpet, maybe with a temporary ridge left where a box was placed.   

However..... there are eighth-of-an-inch thick layers of dust on * top * of some stuff, which I just vacuum off, or wipe off.   

About the clothes:  I see the same types of clothes for sale at flea markets for $1 each. Women's shirts, blouses, skirts, tops of all sorts, on display on long, long rows of hangers.  Maybe they sell very slowly, or not at all, who knows? Not me.

Maybe it's a regional thing. I've read websites saying that clothes sell well at garage sales. Not around  here!  Maybe they need to be high end. Oh well. 
When I get sick enough of them, off they'll go to donation.   

Yesterday I got luck in my decluttering of the bedroom. I found a lot of actual junk that I could toss into the garbage can, and not worry about the value of. Empty deodorant sticks, half-used cosmetics, empty plastic bags, etc. Yay!     

Yay is right!  No thought required for that stuff.

You're a patient man - how long do you think it will take you to get sick of the clothes?  You've been at this a couple of years, no?  LOL.  Around here no one even looks at clothes at garage sales, etc. so I don't even try.  Off to the thrift store they go, even brand new condition items.  Just not worth the effort to try to sell them.

Thanks! Every time I hear someone say they can't sell clothes, even brand new condition  clothes, it makes it easier for me to donate them. I have 2 large plastic garbage bags full of newish clothes I was saving to attempt to sell.  Now I'm thinking of dropping one of them off at Salvation Army.    Yes, I'm doing it incrementally. Slow but sure. 

In order to make myself sick of them, I put the bags in a place where I'll see them, and after seeing them just sitting there long enough, I get sick of them, and off they go! Endorphin rush!  And a less cluttered house!

[Roadrunner53]

I buy some clothes from ebay. Typically, name brand and a size that I know is tried and true. I have bought some things that are an off brand and the size is off typically either too big or too small. So, I am trying to limit my purchases to what I know should fit. Jeans are typically a good seller on ebay. Name brands like LL Bean and men's workwear sell good. I see a guy on ebay that sells mostly sport jackets and suits. He seems to be making a decent business of it. I do believe he has access to upscale thrift stores.

[diapasoun]

I also don't try to sell clothes, even pretty decent things. It's just not worth my time. To the thrift store it goes.

[middo]

I don't try to sell clothes either.  By the time I stop wearing them as "painting clothes" no-one wants them, so they become my car repair rags.

I also try to make sure I don't buy any more clothes than I need, so there is nothing to give away.

[Sugaree]

I've never really tried to sell my clothes, though I kind of wish Poshmark had been around right after I divorced my first husband.  His mother had expensive taste and didn't think I dressed well enough, so she bought me tons of Ann Taylor and J Crew stuff.  I probably could have paid for an hour or two of my attorney's time.


I send my kid's stuff to consignment sales a couple of times a year.  I designate almost everything that doesn't sell to be donated, so I make a few bucks and get it out of the house at the same time.  I can't believe how much stuff some people schlep back home after it's over. 

[slackmax]

I also don't try to sell clothes, even pretty decent things. It's just not worth my time. To the thrift store it goes.

I worked my plan. I got tired of looking at the 2 big bags of 'perfectly good, new-looking clothes'. (All T shirts and lightweight sweaters) and put them in the car and drove them off and plopped them down in the covered outdoor donation place. 

 edit to add:   I had a quart Ball jar full of sedimentary layers of oatmeal-raisin cookie making ingredients, and instructions glued to it,  on my kitchen table forever. Putting off what to do with it. Today I finally used it all, except for the raisins, which I threw out, to make oatmeal cookies. Eating them now. Now have empty Ball jar which I can sell at car boot sales, or use for whatever.     

[Frugal Lizard]

I did my drawer in the bathroom.  Have of the stuff in there was really old junk - polysporin that expired in 2016, nail files with no grit, nearly empty hotel shampoo bottles..... and why do I have two hair brushes when I may brush my hair once every couple of days?

[diapasoun]

I worked my plan. I got tired of looking at the 2 big bags of 'perfectly good, new-looking clothes'. (All T shirts and lightweight sweaters) and put them in the car and drove them off and plopped them down in the covered outdoor donation place.

GOOD JOB!!!!

[mspym]

Woot woot @slackmax you are getting it done!

My recent victories include taking my shorts to the tailor to get the waist taken in instead of having to find and buy new shorts. I also cleared some space in our bookshelf headboard (spilled water boo) and am rather liking the look of the uncluttered shelf so it might be time to move the books to the main shelves and keep the bedroom clearer.

[SunnyDays]

I worked my plan. I got tired of looking at the 2 big bags of 'perfectly good, new-looking clothes'. (All T shirts and lightweight sweaters) and put them in the car and drove them off and plopped them down in the covered outdoor donation place.

GOOD JOB!!!!

Way to go, Slackmax!  Isn't it a relief?

[Tyson]

I worked my plan. I got tired of looking at the 2 big bags of 'perfectly good, new-looking clothes'. (All T shirts and lightweight sweaters) and put them in the car and drove them off and plopped them down in the covered outdoor donation place. 

Here's something to consider - the people receiving the clothes from your donation.  Think about how much happier someone will be to get almost new clothes.  When you donate nice things, the people that get them are much happier than if you donated crap.  Something to consider when you're looking at your piles of 'perfectly good' clothes.

[slackmax]

I worked my plan. I got tired of looking at the 2 big bags of 'perfectly good, new-looking clothes'. (All T shirts and lightweight sweaters) and put them in the car and drove them off and plopped them down in the covered outdoor donation place.

GOOD JOB!!!!

Way to go, Slackmax!  Isn't it a relief?

It's not the perfect solution, which would be to sell them all, even for 50 cents  each. But yes, it is a relief not having them around anymore!   

[SunnyDays]

I've been diligently working away to continue decluttering and here is my new list.  Aiming for 25 items by Christmas, but ore would be better.  I think I was a bit delusional in thinking I was close to my click point!

1. Paperback - going to animal rescue garage sale.
2. Plastic water bottle - same.
3. Glass canister - same.
4. Plastic Sieve - same.
5. Unopened bag of latex gloves - same.
6. 3 VHS tapes - same.
7. 2 cans of expired drink powder - garbage.
8. Mother lode of plastic bags - garbage.  (Hate to throw out plastic, but I won't live long enough to use them all!)
9. Broken dog tie out cable - garbage.
10. Odd sock found behind dryer - thrift store for fabric recycling.
11. Screen remnants - thrift store.
12. Unopened face lotion - same.
13. 2 rubber grips for opening jars - same.
14. Length of wire cable - same.
15. Food Saver bags - same.
16. Yet another plastic plant pot (hopefully the last) - same.
17. Cat toys my cats don't play with - drop off at old work place for cat-owners.
18. Surplus vegetable seeds - same.
19. Unopened can of peppermint tea - dropped off at food bank bin.

Since it's getting more difficult to just stumble across thing in the course of the day, I've taken to picking an area and emptying it, cleaning it thoroughly, then putting back whatever I want to keep.  It's nice to see some cupboards half empty and motivates me to get more ruthless in my efforts.  I'm realizing I have a drinking glass and cup fetish though - soooooo many!

[AnnaGrowsAMustache]

I've been diligently working away to continue decluttering and here is my new list.  Aiming for 25 items by Christmas, but ore would be better.  I think I was a bit delusional in thinking I was close to my click point!

1. Paperback - going to animal rescue garage sale.
2. Plastic water bottle - same.
3. Glass canister - same.
4. Plastic Sieve - same.
5. Unopened bag of latex gloves - same.
6. 3 VHS tapes - same.
7. 2 cans of expired drink powder - garbage.
8. Mother lode of plastic bags - garbage.  (Hate to throw out plastic, but I won't live long enough to use them all!)
9. Broken dog tie out cable - garbage.
10. Odd sock found behind dryer - thrift store for fabric recycling.
11. Screen remnants - thrift store.
12. Unopened face lotion - same.
13. 2 rubber grips for opening jars - same.
14. Length of wire cable - same.
15. Food Saver bags - same.
16. Yet another plastic plant pot (hopefully the last) - same.
17. Cat toys my cats don't play with - drop off at old work place for cat-owners.
18. Surplus vegetable seeds - same.
19. Unopened can of peppermint tea - dropped off at food bank bin.

Since it's getting more difficult to just stumble across thing in the course of the day, I've taken to picking an area and emptying it, cleaning it thoroughly, then putting back whatever I want to keep.  It's nice to see some cupboards half empty and motivates me to get more ruthless in my efforts.  I'm realizing I have a drinking glass and cup fetish though - soooooo many!

Do you not think thrift stores and food banks use plastic bags?!

[SunnyDays]

I've been diligently working away to continue decluttering and here is my new list.  Aiming for 25 items by Christmas, but ore would be better.  I think I was a bit delusional in thinking I was close to my click point!

1. Paperback - going to animal rescue garage sale.
2. Plastic water bottle - same.
3. Glass canister - same.
4. Plastic Sieve - same.
5. Unopened bag of latex gloves - same.
6. 3 VHS tapes - same.
7. 2 cans of expired drink powder - garbage.
8. Mother lode of plastic bags - garbage.  (Hate to throw out plastic, but I won't live long enough to use them all!)
9. Broken dog tie out cable - garbage.
10. Odd sock found behind dryer - thrift store for fabric recycling.
11. Screen remnants - thrift store.
12. Unopened face lotion - same.
13. 2 rubber grips for opening jars - same.
14. Length of wire cable - same.
15. Food Saver bags - same.
16. Yet another plastic plant pot (hopefully the last) - same.
17. Cat toys my cats don't play with - drop off at old work place for cat-owners.
18. Surplus vegetable seeds - same.
19. Unopened can of peppermint tea - dropped off at food bank bin.

Since it's getting more difficult to just stumble across thing in the course of the day, I've taken to picking an area and emptying it, cleaning it thoroughly, then putting back whatever I want to keep.  It's nice to see some cupboards half empty and motivates me to get more ruthless in my efforts.  I'm realizing I have a drinking glass and cup fetish though - soooooo many!

Do you not think thrift stores and food banks use plastic bags?!

Yes sure and I do donate grocery type bags, but these are just odd bags like from dog and cat food, water softener salt bags etc.  I use what I can for yard waste and such, but can’t keep up with the supply.  I hate sending them to the land fill, especially empty, because they must take centuries to break down, but they aren’t recyclable here.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Sold another couple of items on eBay
-Gave my dad all of my read mystery books. He brings them home & shares them with friends, as they don't have a local library

[Frugal Lizard]

Only a small thing - but big psychologically - I decluttered tubes of watercolour paint.  Don't use them (they are not professional quality pigments) so finally got brave enough to admit I am a paint snob and someone who is less experienced or snobby than I could get some enjoyment from these.  Bye bye.

One too small raincoat and two winter coats made it to the donation pile. 
A too small big disappeared from the sidewalk.
The large useless metal storage cabinet is now at the metal recyclers.

[horsepoor]

This weekend I cleared off two areas that have been piling up detritus over the busy spring and summer seasons:  my desk and the workbench in the garage.  Went through the pile of papers on my desk and burned most of it last night (along with a couple pieces of scrap wood too small to use for anything). 

I gave a hay net to the stable where my horses live.

Used some old bedsheets  to make tail wraps for the horses.

Last week I sold a pair of boots on eBay.

Project for this week will be getting the shop cleaned out an organized, which it desperately needs.

Going to box up some extra canning jars and give them to a co-worker whose son is raising bees and selling honey.

Have several outdoor plant pots I need to give away.  Might just curb them with a free sign.

[former player]

I'm clearing out the spare bedroom in expectation of guests after Christmas, so -

5 boxes/bags of books now in the car ready to go to the charity shop.

4 paintings waiting to go to the next local art auction.

Fabric remnants and old sheets with holes to go to fabric recycling, along with a few metal bits and pieces.

Still work to do on clothes and various oddments.

[slackmax]

Was going to take about 100 huge CVS plastic bags to recycling, but decided just to take the ripped ones (about 15) and just stuff all the rest into one of the bags, and keep them for who-knows-what. They really do compress a lot!  I may use them somehow in my car boot sales next year. Don't want to ever be short on huge CVS bags, lol. 

Donated a book to the senior center. Dropped off a 3 feet by 3 feet book case at salvation army.

Currently eying some old technical IBM work manuals full of 'invaluable nostalgic interest' to someone on EBay, perhaps. (Not).... Every so often I take a few more down to recycling, dump the paper contents, and keep the binders. 

[horsepoor]

Tidied up the basement yesterday.  My telework space is there, but it had turned into a bit of a dumping ground over summer, so I've been avoiding telework due to the mess.  Got rid of:

Old mattress pad
Bag of batting

To go to H4H Re-Store:
Fireplace screen/door thing
Several pendant light covers

To go to the Youth Ranch thrift shop:
An old saddle
A food mill I haven't used in several years
Excess canning jars

Considering selling: 
My weight set and 50# kettlebell
Large coffee table

[shadesofgreen]

3 boxes of kitchen things and shoes donated on Monday.

[RetiredAt63]

Another 3 boxes of books gone, 2 moving boxes worth of stuff, and my ancient desktop.

[LaineyAZ]

….   Currently eying some old technical IBM work manuals full of 'invaluable nostalgic interest' to someone on EBay, perhaps. (Not).... Every so often I take a few more down to recycling, dump the paper contents, and keep the binders.

slackmax, I would definitely consider posting that technical material on eBay.  Besides nostalgic retirees, there are archivists and also law firms who are always looking for that material.
I've heard of at least one person who fished some of that type of documentation out of a dumpster from a car manufacturer.  It included blueprints for making car parts from discontinued models. He used that info to make reproduction parts for serious car restorers and ended up with a very successful business. 

[Shinplaster]

Two boxes of books, a box of glassware and cookie sheets, and a bag of odds and ends out of the house.

[slackmax]

….   Currently eying some old technical IBM work manuals full of 'invaluable nostalgic interest' to someone on EBay, perhaps. (Not).... Every so often I take a few more down to recycling, dump the paper contents, and keep the binders.

slackmax, I would definitely consider posting that technical material on eBay.  Besides nostalgic retirees, there are archivists and also law firms who are always looking for that material.
I've heard of at least one person who fished some of that type of documentation out of a dumpster from a car manufacturer.  It included blueprints for making car parts from discontinued models. He used that info to make reproduction parts for serious car restorers and ended up with a very successful business.

Thanks! I guess it wouldn't hurt to try putting it online.

[Sugaree]

I'm experimenting with the number of dishes a family of three actually needs.  I have packed up all but a small handful.  Once I find the right number, everything else goes away.  I have nice China for guests.


  Truth be told this is in response to my becoming overwhelmed with the amount of dirty dishes that my family generates.  It seems that no one in my house likes to unload the dishwasher.  Not only that, they will take a clean dish out of the cabinet instead of taking a clean one out of the dishwasher, creating more work.  I feel like if we only have a single dishwasher load of dishes I'll be able to get a better handle on them.  And it might even force people to wash a dish by hand if they really need it...

[Prairie Gal]

Still plugging away at de-cluttering my laundry/storage room. There was a lot more crap stuff in there than I imagined. By the end of this weekend I vow to have it ship shape, and all the piles of stuff that came out of there dispatched to either the thrift store or the garbage.

Tidied up the hall closet where the brooms, mop, etc live. Need to buy a couple of new hooks to hang things. Went through all the cleaning products in there and threw out some old ones that I don't use.

 - One giant bag of clothes (mostly coats) ready to donate. Clothes are hard for me too.
 - Sold a vintage foot stool for $40. I think it cost me $30, so that was a win. I always re-list a bit higher because most people will try to dicker you down.
 - Listed some ladder back chairs that I was going to fix up, but never did. Story of my life.
 - Gave away my Mom's old bread maker. *sniff*
 - Managed to accidentally break the glass in a frame, so threw that out.

ETA: Someone just came and picked up a mudroom bench that I gave away. Amazing how fast you can get rid of stuff when you give it for free. lol.

[Fresh Bread]

We move house from about 100sqm to 60sqm in less than two months!

I need to motivate myself to do another decluttering push. Any ideas for gaming the declutter that starts on 17 November? Otherwise I'll be waiting til Dec to do one on 1 Dec, 2 on 2 Dec etc. Any games that don't involve calendar days?

Husband is away next weekend so maybe I could do a massive Kondo then. Or I could do the calendar thing but start with digital files to get the numbers (I've got two computers that I want to move on).

[horsepoor]

You guys:  I can't believe how much storage space I've opened up by reshuffling and getting rid of just a few things this week.  I have a glorious amount of open shelf space in the laundry room, and even extra space in the kitchen cabinets.  Small items in the closets are corraled into baskets.  It's so nice.  I'm headed out now to start tackling the shop and load the truck up with things to donate tomorrow.

One of the most valuable things I took from Marie Kondo's book was the idea to not buy any more storage pieces.  In the past, when I'd undertake an organization project, I'd often buy new storage tubs and things.  Now (given I have lots of that stuff), I pretty much always find a storage solution by cleaning, reorganizing and repurposing.

[SunnyDays]

We move house from about 100sqm to 60sqm in less than two months!

I need to motivate myself to do another decluttering push. Any ideas for gaming the declutter that starts on 17 November? Otherwise I'll be waiting til Dec to do one on 1 Dec, 2 on 2 Dec etc. Any games that don't involve calendar days?

Husband is away next weekend so maybe I could do a massive Kondo then. Or I could do the calendar thing but start with digital files to get the numbers (I've got two computers that I want to move on).

Why not start with 17 items on the 17th, 18 on the 18th etc, if you have enough stuff to get you through the month?  Otherwise, just pick a set number of items per day and work toward that.  Amazing how it all adds up.

[mspym]

We move house from about 100sqm to 60sqm in less than two months!

I need to motivate myself to do another decluttering push. Any ideas for gaming the declutter that starts on 17 November? Otherwise I'll be waiting til Dec to do one on 1 Dec, 2 on 2 Dec etc. Any games that don't involve calendar days?

Husband is away next weekend so maybe I could do a massive Kondo then. Or I could do the calendar thing but start with digital files to get the numbers (I've got two computers that I want to move on).

How many rooms or zones do you have in your current place? Can you pick a corner a day and find at least 5 things to declutter?

[slackmax]

For some reason I was keeping about 100 big brown paper grocery bags in my kitchen closet, with about 25 smaller sizes tucked in there too. They were taking up a lot of space.

I finally just took them all out, stuffed them all into just 2 of the big bags, and put them all down in the basement. I Thought about recycling half of them, but big paper grocery bags are hard to come by these days, so I kept them (just in case, of course, lol).

So now I have much more room for stuff in the kitchen closet.

Also, actually digging items out of the closet, and looking at them, instead of avoiding them forever, and sometimes finding easy stuff to throw out, recycle, donate, or eat.    Found about 100 plastic utensils, already in baggies, that I will happily donate.       

[mspym]

@slackmax put some of the paper bags by the door/bike/car so they are there for the next time you buy groceries?

[Fresh Bread]

We move house from about 100sqm to 60sqm in less than two months!

I need to motivate myself to do another decluttering push. Any ideas for gaming the declutter that starts on 17 November? Otherwise I'll be waiting til Dec to do one on 1 Dec, 2 on 2 Dec etc. Any games that don't involve calendar days?

Husband is away next weekend so maybe I could do a massive Kondo then. Or I could do the calendar thing but start with digital files to get the numbers (I've got two computers that I want to move on).

How many rooms or zones do you have in your current place? Can you pick a corner a day and find at least 5 things to declutter?

Yes, this could work. I could pick a wall every day. I count 22 zones this way, so if I tackle 13 before end November then I can switch in December. Getting 65 items out will be great. I'll combine that with the calendar method for digital clutter, plus my goal of making something every day to clear the garage and yard materials.

It sounds like a lot but I could do the five things in the early morning, the making a thing in late arvo, and the digital after dinner.

At some point I'll have to declutter the garden - it needs reorganisation!

[Fresh Bread]

We move house from about 100sqm to 60sqm in less than two months!

I need to motivate myself to do another decluttering push. Any ideas for gaming the declutter that starts on 17 November? Otherwise I'll be waiting til Dec to do one on 1 Dec, 2 on 2 Dec etc. Any games that don't involve calendar days?

Husband is away next weekend so maybe I could do a massive Kondo then. Or I could do the calendar thing but start with digital files to get the numbers (I've got two computers that I want to move on).

Why not start with 17 items on the 17th, 18 on the 18th etc, if you have enough stuff to get you through the month?  Otherwise, just pick a set number of items per day and work toward that.  Amazing how it all adds up.

I'm going to start with 17 digital items or it's too big a leap! And go with mspym's suggestion of five physical things a day as that sounds achievable.