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

[Goldielocks]

I have a printer...
What's the best way to get rid of it?

Poundwise,  the best way is to an electronics recycler, where environmentally hazardous parts and anything of residual value is stripped before disposal.  We have them here, check your directory or call the landfill to ask where to find them.

[Poundwise]

Thank you @Goldielocks, I just googled and found that Best Buy will recycle it. That will do!

[okisok]

Getting a box together to put on the curb:
-two small parts still in the package that weren't needed for a project
-two notebooks
-brooch
-three drawstring bags
-metal recipe box with cards
-stand mixer
-two pillows
-plastic storage bin
-pencil sharpener



Some items are from a work cleanout. I brought them home thinking they might be useful but it's been a month, so out they go!

[okisok]

^^^ This was written Saturday afternoon, but I neglected to actually hit 'Post'.

All of the items were gone by 8PM!! Even the cardboard box holding it all. It probably helps that there are several houses for sale in my neighborhood, and a holiday celebration in the nearby park this weekend. Wish I'd done it sooner! My closet is so much more spacious now! The next morning my immediate neighbors put some items on the curb, and several of them are gone. I started something!

Went to the consignment shop this morning and got $10 for two items. They didn't take one, so I'll probably donate it. Then I returned a piece of a project that was the wrong size--I even managed to find the receipt for a cash refund.

Had to wait about 20 minutes for my turn at the consignment shop. Looked at the whole place and didn't find a single item that tempted me out of my 'no new clothes in 2020' challenge from another thread.

[KBecks]

Does it ever feel not right when things are clean?  Yesterday was my son's birthday and I took all my paper piles and put them in the bedroom.  Now my dining room table, kitchen table and kitchen counters are almost empty, and it feels weird.

I'm going to go through the papers at least 20 minutes a day.  I realize that my problem is that I hate filing. Hate it.

I also need to get rid of stuff that I think I 'might read or use' much quicker.

Also my spouse piles up junk mail for me rather than pitching it himself.

I need to get the filing cabinet in better shape so it is more nice to use.

[Sibley]

Does it ever feel not right when things are clean?  Yesterday was my son's birthday and I took all my paper piles and put them in the bedroom.  Now my dining room table, kitchen table and kitchen counters are almost empty, and it feels weird.

I'm going to go through the papers at least 20 minutes a day.  I realize that my problem is that I hate filing. Hate it.

I also need to get rid of stuff that I think I 'might read or use' much quicker.

Also my spouse piles up junk mail for me rather than pitching it himself.

I need to get the filing cabinet in better shape so it is more nice to use.

Tells me that your "normal" is set to "cluttered".

Can you reduce the paper coming in? Don't need to file the water bill if it's online. As for the junk mail that your spouse won't throw out, have a conversation.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

We weren't able to bring all of our decluttered items from our vacation house home (ran out of space in the car), so a few things are left in the garage. Feeling sad about that, because it just leaves junk in the garage. Ah, well. It's out & ready for next time we're there.

I spent yesterday unpacking from our trip, and didn't declutter anything new. Just unpacking, opening & tossing mail (trying to prevent clutter, to an earlier point) & sold three items on eBay. Junk out, money in.

I received three giant bags of clothes from my sister, so I need to go through all of that & decide what to keep.

[RetiredAt63]

Does it ever feel not right when things are clean?  Yesterday was my son's birthday and I took all my paper piles and put them in the bedroom.  Now my dining room table, kitchen table and kitchen counters are almost empty, and it feels weird.

You have "surfacitis".  It is a recoverable affliction.    ;-)

[Frugal Lizard]

I have been working on the clutter for a long time and all of a sudden it becomes noticeable.  At a certain point you hit a critical threshold and closets and cupboards are no longer packed to the gills and there is a place to put things away.

@RetiredAt63 - nice one.  Is there a corollary condition when there is too much paper on every surface and you want to burn down the house?

[RetiredAt63]

I have been working on the clutter for a long time and all of a sudden it becomes noticeable.  At a certain point you hit a critical threshold and closets and cupboards are no longer packed to the gills and there is a place to put things away.

@RetiredAt63 - nice one.  Is there a corollary condition when there is too much paper on every surface and you want to burn down the house?

Same thing.  My neighbour and I joked, when we were decluttering in preparation for selling our houses, that it would be so much easier if they would just burn down.

I got 6 stuffed file drawers plus a box of paperwork down to 4 half full drawers.  Getting as much paperwork as possible in electronic format helps a lot.  No more paper bank statements, Hydro bills, etc.  Makes a huge difference in the long run.  Unfortunately I have 10 years worth of car maintenance work orders in the file cabinet, they get kept until the car goes.

[okisok]

I returned a book borrowed from a friend the very day I finished it! That's some kind of record. I had so much momentum built up from my other declutters.

The buyer for the desk I put on FB is supposed to pick it up tomorrow. That's the last of the 'for sale' items. I just really hope they pick it up when they say they will.

Now I'm down to two work items I need to return to a worksite and the dress the consignment store wouldn't take.

[lazycow]

When I picked up my reservation from the library, I dropped off my old batteries and light globes at the recycling station there. So satisfying!

[mspym]

Dress I am returning taken to the post office. I was thinking about donating my first edition of Microserfs to a street library and Ofpym was 🤔 how muhh is this worth? (answer: $5) so off it will go.

I have also been half-heartedly pottering in the cupboards, including the dreaded Cable Drawer. Like, leaving aside the do we have the cable/will it start up/be recognised by our modern laptops, if we have never looked on this hard drive for NINE YEARS does it really contain any info at all that we will ever need?

[KBecks]

re: reducing paper - the other thing that is cluttered is my email inbox - I should not say how many emails I have kept -- 10,000?  I clear out a little bit every now and then because a relative will send me huge files and I am out of space.

Also, my phone memory.  My phone is 7 years old but I often do not have memory to take new photos, so it is becoming un-functional.  I am thinking of getting a new phone anyway.  Part of me wants to resist.

I need to sell a pair of outgrown hockey skates before they sit around too long.  Maybe I will try FB marketplace?

I also need to return a pair of shorts.

And I need to finish the taxes.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

re: reducing paper - the other thing that is cluttered is my email inbox - I should not say how many emails I have kept -- 10,000?  I clear out a little bit every now and then because a relative will send me huge files and I am out of space.

Also, my phone memory.  My phone is 7 years old but I often do not have memory to take new photos, so it is becoming un-functional.  I am thinking of getting a new phone anyway.  Part of me wants to resist.

I need to sell a pair of outgrown hockey skates before they sit around too long.  Maybe I will try FB marketplace?

I also need to return a pair of shorts.

EBay is also a fabulous place to sell stuff like that.


And I need to finish the taxes.

[okisok]

The buyer for the desk I put on FB is supposed to pick it up tomorrow. That's the last of the 'for sale' items. I just really hope they pick it up when they say they will.

He showed up early and paid promptly! That's the last big item to go, and the last item that was worth selling. It's such a weight off my mind. That box loomed a lot bigger in my psyche than the actual space it took up in the garage. Now it's not a failure to plan properly, or daily reminder that I misread the return policy from the store, or a reminder of my procrastination in selling. It's off to its new home to be properly put together and used as intended.

[Sibley]

re: reducing paper - the other thing that is cluttered is my email inbox - I should not say how many emails I have kept -- 10,000?  I clear out a little bit every now and then because a relative will send me huge files and I am out of space.

Also, my phone memory.  My phone is 7 years old but I often do not have memory to take new photos, so it is becoming un-functional.  I am thinking of getting a new phone anyway.  Part of me wants to resist.

I need to sell a pair of outgrown hockey skates before they sit around too long.  Maybe I will try FB marketplace?

I also need to return a pair of shorts.

And I need to finish the taxes.

You're a digital hoarder. The first step to recovery is acceptance.

As for the phone - move all the pictures to the computer, then delete them off the phone.

[Prairie Gal]

I agree that digital bills are great. However, I do print my credit card statements and keep a copy. Flyers and other junk mail go directly in the recycling bin without hitting the counter.

My friend is supposed to be coming over today to pick up some pants, and then I might take a break for a while. Until the next wave of motivation hits.

[happy]

The buyer for the desk I put on FB is supposed to pick it up tomorrow. That's the last of the 'for sale' items. I just really hope they pick it up when they say they will.

He showed up early and paid promptly! That's the last big item to go, and the last item that was worth selling. It's such a weight off my mind. That box loomed a lot bigger in my psyche than the actual space it took up in the garage. Now it's not a failure to plan properly, or daily reminder that I misread the return policy from the store, or a reminder of my procrastination in selling. It's off to its new home to be properly put together and used as intended.

Excellent news. Now you're free!

[happy]

I had a donation breakthrough this week. I found a drop off spot much closer to home, that accepts a range of items and donated a couple of bulky items that were cluttering up my car boot.   A lot of our charity stores only take books and clothing as these are the most marketable.  I still have more to go sitting in the donate corner of the room.

I still have a few items sitting outside under the eaves that I was going to clean up and donate. However at the moment, I'm finding that the hardest part is physically getting rid of things, not the decision to let said items go. I'm gathering up things that are basically rubbish for a free council cleanup and have decided these items can go when this happens. Once the pile is on the street people will go through it and take all sorts of things, so I'm just going to hope these things find a home without me wasting more time cleaning them up.

[mspym]

@happy council clean up time is the best! We have used it to get rid of so much stuff - people take it away before the truck comes! And we have got so much awesome stuff from it. My bike wheels have gatorskin tyres on it that came off clean up pile wheels.

[happy]

Me too! I've had some good finds over the years.

[SunnyDays]

You can stop flyer delivery by either contacting your postal service or any private company that delivers them.  Keeping them out of the house entirely is the easiest solution to that added clutter, plus if you don’t see the ads you miraculously don’t “need “ those items.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I sold a bike on Facebook marketplace yesterday. It was great to get it out of the house, and into the hands of someone who will use it. As a side note, bikes are in incredibly high demand right now, due to bike shops not being able to get much inventory (COVID) & people wanting to get exercise for themselves/family. If you have old bikes, now is the time to sell them!

I clearly should have listed the bike for more, as the listing received 1200 views in 4 hours, and I had 36 people reach out before the buyer could swing by. Nuts!

I listed another 20 items on eBay yesterday. For today, I plan to clean the steamer we found in an old shed we're tearing down. It needs some love, but then I'm hoping to retake photos of a few items that were very wrinkly when I posted them on eBay.

[KBecks]

Good tip on the bikes, I think we may have an extra kids' bike around. 

I will list the hockey skates today and get some tax prep done.

I am keeping the kitchen counter, kitchen table, and dining table mostly cleared.  It's been 3 days!

Also, I am unsubscribing to the marketing emails that seem to collect very easily.

[ysette9]

I sold a bike on Facebook marketplace yesterday. It was great to get it out of the house, and into the hands of someone who will use it. As a side note, bikes are in incredibly high demand right now, due to bike shops not being able to get much inventory (COVID) & people wanting to get exercise for themselves/family. If you have old bikes, now is the time to sell them!

I clearly should have listed the bike for more, as the listing received 1200 views in 4 hours, and I had 36 people reach out before the buyer could swing by. Nuts!

I listed another 20 items on eBay yesterday. For today, I plan to clean the steamer we found in an old shed we're tearing down. It needs some love, but then I'm hoping to retake photos of a few items that were very wrinkly when I posted them on eBay.

I did something similar as I had an old u used bike I decided to get rid of. I had no idea of the demand so I underpriced it and was inundated with messages within minutes. I sold it to a lady who offered me over asking price and picked it up immediately.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@ysette9 - it's wild how in demand they are! Good work getting a good price, & out of your hair quickly.

[KBecks]

Listing things on Ebay is a PITA.  I listed the hockey skates  ($100 obo) and am listing some shoulder pads ($4.99 start bid) but maybe I'm better off just donating the shoulder pads? But WTH, they are getting listed, and I will package their awkward shape and ship them off if they sell.

The point is to get this stuff out of the house. I hope the time put in feels worthwhile.

In other news I have been staring at our FUGLY built in china cabinet that I have hated for 20 years.  I am going to take the sliding glass doors out, paint it, put in new shelves and I think I am motivated.  I sketched up some ideas for divided shelves, and then I looked at these little easel displays you can put your fancy china on and dang, they are expensive for little pieces of plexiglass.

My husband just took the sliding glass doors out.  I think I will donate them to a  REStore.  The glass shelves, too once I get the new shelves figured out.

[ysette9]

I’ve sold things like laptops on eBay in the past, but I am almost incapable of shipping anything unless under duress, so I much prefer Buy Nothing and FB market place/Craigslist.

[slackmax]

@ysette9 - it's wild how in demand they are! Good work getting a good price, & out of your hair quickly.

Thanks for the tip on the bikes.  I have 2 adult bikes that might go for $200 each, according to the Craigslist ads I am seeing. Wow.

I was really kind of stuck, grinding away at the other decluttering chores, and now I think I will check out the bikes, maybe even ride one of them, and get some exercise. Maybe sell one!       Woohoo! 

[okisok]

Reading everyone's posts is so motivating!

I cleaned up the kitchen cupboards again, and found another set of items to sell. They are on FB right now! I'm hoping with all the COVID cooking going on right now that it will be quick sales.

[mspym]

This morning I didn't let myself get side tracked (promising myself I Will Get To It only to fail) and put one book in the street library and bananagrams, an uno deck and the unopened Articulate that the boys gave us 4?5? Christmases ago which we forgot we owned into the street library by the play centre. Toys, games, art supplies go super quickly from there.

Next step, I am gathering up all the scissors in the house and putting them on the kitchen table to choose which ones to keep. Everywhere I look - more! scissors!

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!
also about 20 non-working pens/sharpies and the backup coffee thermometer that we have used in 4 years.

[Plina]

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!
also about 20 non-working pens/sharpies and the backup coffee thermometer that we have used in 4 years.

I have to admit, I had to Google what a coffee thermometer was used for because I didn’t even know they existed.

[Dutch Comfort]

Hope to get some motivation from this group.
I'm quite good in getting clutter out, unfortunately my SO is a "just-in-case" type of person. We try to make it work!
Today I already got rid of a sewing project that I will never finish (oops), a child toy that was used as a prop for the school play and some old paperwork.
Want to get more done during the coming weekend. Next week, kids will have their final school week before summer holiday starts, so I just hope they do not come home with loads of paper workbooks and art-work that they want to keep.

[ysette9]

Hope to get some motivation from this group.
I'm quite good in getting clutter out, unfortunately my SO is a "just-in-case" type of person. We try to make it work!
Today I already got rid of a sewing project that I will never finish (oops), a child toy that was used as a prop for the school play and some old paperwork.
Want to get more done during the coming weekend. Next week, kids will have their final school week before summer holiday starts, so I just hope they do not come home with loads of paper workbooks and art-work that they want to keep.

My husband grew up with "just in case" tendencies due to his parents, father especially, being what I consider to be hoarders. Well, to be fair not actual hoarders, just breathtaking amounts of duplicate, usually inexpensive stuff. Lots of stuff.

My husband has slowly been moving closer on the spectrum of having less stuff. Part of it is us working on developing a more critical eye on deciding if we really need things or not before acquiring them. Two big factors also are FB marketplace/Buy Nothing/Craigslist and moving. Moving is a clear motivator because it you want to sort and purge before to not end up wasting time and money moving things you don't need. With FB Marketplace and the like it makes us realize that we can easily get rid of things AND easily get things back if we ever realize we need item X again in the future. So that greatly reduces the urge to keep things "just in case" because you can, in a sense, use FB marketplace/Buy Nothing as storage for those items.

[LetItGrow]

re: reducing paper - the other thing that is cluttered is my email inbox - I should not say how many emails I have kept -- 10,000?  I clear out a little bit every now and then because a relative will send me huge files and I am out of space.

Also, my phone memory.  My phone is 7 years old but I often do not have memory to take new photos, so it is becoming un-functional.  I am thinking of getting a new phone anyway.  Part of me wants to resist.

I need to sell a pair of outgrown hockey skates before they sit around too long.  Maybe I will try FB marketplace?

I also need to return a pair of shorts.

And I need to finish the taxes.

You're a digital hoarder. The first step to recovery is acceptance.

As for the phone - move all the pictures to the computer, then delete them off the phone.

Then find the twenty you actually would look at ever and delete the rest off the computer....

I have made a big push unsubscribes the past couple weeks. While it is nice to get mail, it is also nice to not get mail.

[Need2Save]

Next step, I am gathering up all the scissors in the house and putting them on the kitchen table to choose which ones to keep. Everywhere I look - more! scissors!

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!

I had to laugh at this. We have the opposite problem.  I can never find scissors when I need them even though I feel like a buy a few new ones every year.  Our home is not very cluttered either. They just seem to sprout legs and walk away on their own.  Totally agree though to not keep bad ones around. That's frustrating unless you have the ability to sharpen them.

[Need2Save]

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!
also about 20 non-working pens/sharpies and the backup coffee thermometer that we have used in 4 years.

I have to admit, I had to Google what a coffee thermometer was used for because I didn’t even know they existed.

me too!

[Plina]

re: reducing paper - the other thing that is cluttered is my email inbox - I should not say how many emails I have kept -- 10,000?  I clear out a little bit every now and then because a relative will send me huge files and I am out of space.

Also, my phone memory.  My phone is 7 years old but I often do not have memory to take new photos, so it is becoming un-functional.  I am thinking of getting a new phone anyway.  Part of me wants to resist.

I need to sell a pair of outgrown hockey skates before they sit around too long.  Maybe I will try FB marketplace?

I also need to return a pair of shorts.

And I need to finish the taxes.

You're a digital hoarder. The first step to recovery is acceptance.

As for the phone - move all the pictures to the computer, then delete them off the phone.

Then find the twenty you actually would look at ever and delete the rest off the computer....

I have made a big push unsubscribes the past couple weeks. While it is nice to get mail, it is also nice to not get mail.

I have also unsubscribed from most of the newletters or offers. For those that I chose to keep I made a special folder and made a rule that sends the email directly into the folder. So when I am going to book airline tickets I look into the folder and see if there is an offer that I can use. Actually, I have folders and rules to all my common emails or order confirmations so they end up in the right place immediately.

[horsepoor]

Sold a saddle yesterday!  Packed it up and shipped in a box that was also cluttering the basement.  I don't mind the extra $1,000 that is now cluttering my bank account instead.

I made a big pile of horse stuff I am not currently using, and could potentially sell.  It's going to be hot today, so this afternoon I'm going to get it all cleaned and photographed and posted to a couple local FB groups.  I'm sure at least a few items will sell so I can consolidate the rest of it.

[okisok]

Used up a gifted tube of lotion. Didn't love the smell, but it moisturized and it's gone.

Bagged up and located a drop-off for contact lens recycling. The site won't be open until Monday, but I was able to put the container I was gathering them in into the recycling bin and out of my bathroom.

Gathered up a bag of shipping materials to drop off at the store recycling site.

Dropped off items from a job site I won't be visiting any more, in the other job site's interoffice mail area at our central location. Way simpler than doing a separate trip just for those two things.

Finally finished the garden project I'd had materials for for over a month. They were just lying in the garden, reproaching me every time I was out there. Today I dug in and finished it. In the way of most procrastinated projects, it took much less time than I was expecting. I pulled out some sickly plants and now the garden is cleaned up.

Now to figure out where to donate my old eyeglasses. The charity I usually mail them to isn't accepting donations right now, and the public libraries where there are Lions Club donation boxes are closed. Any ideas?

[Plina]

Now to figure out where to donate my old eyeglasses. The charity I usually mail them to isn't accepting donations right now, and the public libraries where there are Lions Club donation boxes are closed. Any ideas?

Here some stores that sells eyeglasses also accept donations.

[SunnyDays]

Now to figure out where to donate my old eyeglasses. The charity I usually mail them to isn't accepting donations right now, and the public libraries where there are Lions Club donation boxes are closed. Any ideas?

Here some stores that sells eyeglasses also accept donations.

Yes, same here.  Any optical store should take them.

[mspym]

4 DVDs out to the street library and while walking last night I found several more that had spaces for books in them. I have been making a pile of manga that I am ready to let go of and I accept that I am very unlikely to try sell them so maybe I just put them all out for donation?

Also, collecting up random things from cupboards for discarding - a metal jug, two fancy glass oil/vinegar bottles, a preserving jar with a latch I hate. So close to getting rid of all the wine glasses buuuuut once a year I host book club. We are getting into the various book shelves and drawers at this point, since most of the obvious surface stuff is done. Less visually satisfying until you open a drawer and it's not a mess and you can put things away in it.

[ysette9]

Next step, I am gathering up all the scissors in the house and putting them on the kitchen table to choose which ones to keep. Everywhere I look - more! scissors!

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!

I had to laugh at this. We have the opposite problem.  I can never find scissors when I need them even though I feel like a buy a few new ones every year.  Our home is not very cluttered either. They just seem to sprout legs and walk away on their own.  Totally agree though to not keep bad ones around. That's frustrating unless you have the ability to sharpen them.

So how do you sharpen scissors? Our kitchen scissors are pathetic and can barely cut a plastic bag now.

[Fresh Bread]

I have also unsubscribed from most of the newletters or offers. For those that I chose to keep I made a special folder and made a rule that sends the email directly into the folder. So when I am going to book airline tickets I look into the folder and see if there is an offer that I can use. Actually, I have folders and rules to all my common emails or order confirmations so they end up in the right place immediately.

Excellent idea, I might do this.

[SunnyDays]

Next step, I am gathering up all the scissors in the house and putting them on the kitchen table to choose which ones to keep. Everywhere I look - more! scissors!

UPDATE: SIX PAIRS OF BAD NO GOOD SCISSORS, BEGONE!

I had to laugh at this. We have the opposite problem.  I can never find scissors when I need them even though I feel like a buy a few new ones every year.  Our home is not very cluttered either. They just seem to sprout legs and walk away on their own.  Totally agree though to not keep bad ones around. That's frustrating unless you have the ability to sharpen them.

So how do you sharpen scissors? Our kitchen scissors are pathetic and can barely cut a plastic bag now.

If they're good quality scissors that you want a proper job done on, take them to a knife sharpener.  Otherwise, anything like a sharpening stone or a Wilkinson knife sheath can be used at home.

[mspym]

If they are outgrown children's safety scissors with poorly designed flimsy handles, you just throw them out...
I'll save sharpening for my sewing scissors.

[Need2Save]

We sold a hitch mounted bike rack that we replaced about 3/4 years ago but hadn't found a buyer yet. Admittedly, we only tried a few times to sell it, but this time it worked. The guy who bought it was so thrilled about the quality of it (really heavy metal base).  He got a great deal at $75. It was a great rack, but the one we bought to replace it is easier to use to get bikes in and out of.  It was such a huge thing in our garage. I'm particularly excited to get rid of the old one and place it in a good new home.

In other recent wins:
- Reduced about 10 folders we had for various accounts into one and shredded all the unnecessary paperwork in those files
- Sorted through our 'important papers'/fire retardant pouch and got rid of about 1/3 of the papers. Not sure whey some of it was saved or deemed 'important'
- Used scrap wood in our garage to make a bird house for the garden (reducing said 'scrap' pile a little)
- Earlier this summer we used other scraps to make a new raised garden bed instead of buying new boards

I'm challenging myself to use up all the little travel size/samples that I have in my toiletry stash.
 

[okisok]

Now to figure out where to donate my old eyeglasses. The charity I usually mail them to isn't accepting donations right now, and the public libraries where there are Lions Club donation boxes are closed. Any ideas?

Here some stores that sells eyeglasses also accept donations.

Yes, same here.  Any optical store should take them.

I'll check with my optometrist when i have an appointment next week!

As to scissor sharpeners, I have a handheld version of this guy that I bought at a craft store. I've had it for over a decade.
https://www.amazon.com/Fiskars-Universal-Scissors-Sharpener-198620/dp/B00UY11D0Q/ref=sr_1_7?crid=7DVC0QNCVA6N&dchild=1&keywords=scissor+sharpener&qid=1594561605&sprefix=scissor+sharp%2Caps%2C241&sr=8-7