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

[mspym]

Have some baby stuff to my sister.


Because my sister is having a baby!!!! :):)

WOO HOO! BEST REASON!

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

Rather than taking items to Goodwill, I contacted a friend of mine who volunteers at the local homeless shelter. Not only do they feed their guests (so need plates and silverware and such), but when people are ready to be in a house/apartment, they put together "welcome kits" that include the things many of us have in abundance - dishes, glasses, mugs, even table linens. A car load went with her to go to the shelter. Goodwill is a fabulous place to rehome items; this felt even better.

[Shinplaster]

Put a plastic patio table, some pieces of shelving, a small wooden shelving unit, and an old WorkMate workshop table at the end of the drive today.  All gone within an hour.   We're moving (finally!!!), and there won't be room or need for these where we're going.

[okcisok]

I got so much stuff taken care of yesterday, because I really wanted to write this post:

-Two old pairs of glasses, two opened boxes of contacts, and a bag of empty contact lens blister packs (for recycling) to a local optometrist

-Dead batteries, old A/V cords, and empty computer ink cartridges to a battery store for recycling

-Took a pile of items to be mailed to the post office

-Dropped off a bag of packaging at Target for recycling

-Emptied three containers from the bathroom cabinet and put them in the recycling bin

-Two old credit cards shredded

So much stuff gone! All those niggling little items rolling around in the trunk and in my mental to do list are outta there :)

[Prairie Gal]

I have been getting so many plastic bags since covid. I get curbside grocery delivery, and honestly, sometimes they will put one small item in a bag. I use them for garbage, and I also supply them to my Dad for the same, but I probably have enough for the next year. And just when I was getting into a good routine with re-useable bags.

Started a new donation box and it is half full already.

[midweststache]

I love FB neighborhood groups. In the last two weeks we've given away or recycled:
- a floor lamp we never use
- a children's wagon we haven't used in 3+ years (given to us, so we passed along for free)
- a variety of clothing I don't wear now and won't when I'm back in-office
- two knit blankets (cheapie Target purchases) from college that have giant holes in them

My sister is expecting her first, who will be about a year younger than our littlest one, so the timing is perfect for moving out a fairly steady stream of baby supplies. (Though I might have cried a little when I gave her our K'tan - no more babies to kangaroo carry!)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Re: bags, we typically don't take one & load items in the cart. Wheel the cart out to our car, and unload from there. This wouldn't work if you were hauling groceries from your car over a distance, or had a large purchase. We shop at Costco (no bags) & then fill in with smaller orders at the local store.

For us, I've listed an item on eBay I'm hoping to save from the landfill. My husband's motorcycle jacket was damaged in our shed, but the armor inside the jacket is in great shape. I don't think it's recyclable, so hoping it serves a need to someone else. If not, I'll have to get more creative about disposing of it.

I also sold another eBay item (son's shirt he grew out of & wore 1x), & packaged it in a repurposed Amazon pkg.

So happy to say that the motorcycle armor sold in a day! It's packaged & ready to go for tomorrow's post office pickup. Saved from the garbage, and in the hands of someone who will be able to use it!

[SunnyDays]

Just saw a new HGTV show last night called Hot Mess House.  The host, Cas Aarssen, puts people into 1 of 4 "clutterbug" categories, then designs a system that works best with whatever category they fall into.  All done virtually, of course.  There's some amazing changes made.  It just might inspire me to do another round myself.  Off to take the quiz ........

[diapasoun]

Using up stash yarn on gifts for others. It feels so nice to get the extra space back!

[KBecks]

Not exactly decluttering, but I finished the taxes yesterday. Woo.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Have someone coming this afternoon to look at an old motorcycle jacket found when we were cleaning our sheds. Fingers crossed it gets out of the house
-Sold a book on eBay, and already mailed it
-My sister is less familiar with eBay, so I took a few items from her, and sold one yesterday. Frugal win for her, and now fewer things for me to store

Our house is an absolute wreck right now, thanks to the remodel & kitchen items being spread everywhere. It's not in a great state for decluttering. That said, when we're putting things back, I'll take yet another pass through all of our kitchen items. Once they are put away, I'll continue to work my way through the rest of the house

[slackmax]

I found an old 8 by 3 foot mattress, only 2 inches thick, moved it out of the closet I was decluttering, into the living room so I would keep seeing it every day, as I was sure I'd think of a use for it now or in future. Well, after 2 weeks of not coming up with anything, I finally felt OK with taking it to Salvation Army. Gone. 

[Poundwise]

I'm helping my mother empty her house. She spent 50 years shopping.  Right now my puzzle is what to do with her furs.  She has four coats (mink, silver fox, etc.) that were hardly worn, but I hear that they dry out over time if not stored in a special way.

[ysette9]

I'm helping my mother empty her house. She spent 50 years shopping.  Right now my puzzle is what to do with her furs.  She has four coats (mink, silver fox, etc.) that were hardly worn, but I hear that they dry out over time if not stored in a special way.

Hmmm I wonder if there would be a market for that on eBay or vintage clothing stores? I know I bought this cool fur-lined wool coat at a vintage store when I was a teenager that I had for a long time.

[Sibley]

I found an old 8 by 3 foot mattress, only 2 inches thick, moved it out of the closet I was decluttering, into the living room so I would keep seeing it every day, as I was sure I'd think of a use for it now or in future. Well, after 2 weeks of not coming up with anything, I finally felt OK with taking it to Salvation Army. Gone.

Slackmax, I encourage you to talk to someone about this. Because that sounds awfully like how a hoarder thinks. I know your girlfriend was a hoarder, but I've been reading your posts for some time and I'm worried that you're struggling with the same problems.

[Sibley]

I'm helping my mother empty her house. She spent 50 years shopping.  Right now my puzzle is what to do with her furs.  She has four coats (mink, silver fox, etc.) that were hardly worn, but I hear that they dry out over time if not stored in a special way.

I've heard of animal rehab places that use furs to help with orphaned baby animals.

[former player]

I found an old 8 by 3 foot mattress, only 2 inches thick, moved it out of the closet I was decluttering, into the living room so I would keep seeing it every day, as I was sure I'd think of a use for it now or in future. Well, after 2 weeks of not coming up with anything, I finally felt OK with taking it to Salvation Army. Gone.

Slackmax, I encourage you to talk to someone about this. Because that sounds awfully like how a hoarder thinks. I know your girlfriend was a hoarder, but I've been reading your posts for some time and I'm worried that you're struggling with the same problems.

Nah, a hoarder wouldn't have got rid of it after only two weeks.  And things are leaving the house at a regular rate, either by sale or donation., entirely of the poster's own volition, and space is being created, and appreciated, in their house.  I think they are doing fine.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Saved old motorcycle jacket from the landfill. Someone stopped by & bought it yesterday
-Sold two clothing items & a book on eBay
-Listing at least one item/day for sale

[Frugal Lizard]

More old pots went into the bin. 

I am also using up a lot of seeds.  I have been regularly doing succession planting of herbs and greens and have had very poor germination rates of a lot of the seed so I just keep planting it heavily and getting it out of the seed box. 

I was rooting around in the basement and found a whole area that is going to need some attention when I have time.  Right now I am so focussed on gardening and trying to clear out the freezer, cold cellar and pantry because this season's harvest is coming along.  I am also calibrating how much I put away.  Tomato sauce is just about all used up but some canning will last until next year. 

[Sibley]

I found an old 8 by 3 foot mattress, only 2 inches thick, moved it out of the closet I was decluttering, into the living room so I would keep seeing it every day, as I was sure I'd think of a use for it now or in future. Well, after 2 weeks of not coming up with anything, I finally felt OK with taking it to Salvation Army. Gone.

Slackmax, I encourage you to talk to someone about this. Because that sounds awfully like how a hoarder thinks. I know your girlfriend was a hoarder, but I've been reading your posts for some time and I'm worried that you're struggling with the same problems.

Nah, a hoarder wouldn't have got rid of it after only two weeks.  And things are leaving the house at a regular rate, either by sale or donation., entirely of the poster's own volition, and space is being created, and appreciated, in their house.  I think they are doing fine.

Oh agreed! But there's a spectrum, and if slackmax is feeling discomfort at times, that is something that they could get some assistance with. If someone was suffering and a bit of gentle encouragement would help, I'd feel badly if I didn't try to provide it.

[SailingOnASmallSailboat]

We put some random leftover building stuff (bricks, fencing, rebar, tiles, bamboo flooring) on the local buy nothing group and people snapped it up for really cool projects (building a treehouse was one!)

[Captain FIRE]

I found an old 8 by 3 foot mattress, only 2 inches thick, moved it out of the closet I was decluttering, into the living room so I would keep seeing it every day, as I was sure I'd think of a use for it now or in future. Well, after 2 weeks of not coming up with anything, I finally felt OK with taking it to Salvation Army. Gone.

Slackmax, I encourage you to talk to someone about this. Because that sounds awfully like how a hoarder thinks. I know your girlfriend was a hoarder, but I've been reading your posts for some time and I'm worried that you're struggling with the same problems.

Nah, a hoarder wouldn't have got rid of it after only two weeks.  And things are leaving the house at a regular rate, either by sale or donation., entirely of the poster's own volition, and space is being created, and appreciated, in their house.  I think they are doing fine.

Oh agreed! But there's a spectrum, and if slackmax is feeling discomfort at times, that is something that they could get some assistance with. If someone was suffering and a bit of gentle encouragement would help, I'd feel badly if I didn't try to provide it.

+1, I've expressed concern about Slackmax's need to maximize "value" when the stuff is taking over so much control of slackmax's life. 

Slackmax, if it makes you feel better re the decision to give away the mattress, in my state, resale of mattresses is prohibited (to the extent that if you return a new mattress during the return period, you still pay a hefty fee because they can't resell it). 

[ysette9]

I'm helping my mother empty her house. She spent 50 years shopping.  Right now my puzzle is what to do with her furs.  She has four coats (mink, silver fox, etc.) that were hardly worn, but I hear that they dry out over time if not stored in a special way.

I've heard of animal rehab places that use furs to help with orphaned baby animals.

What a lovely use for old furs!

[Loretta]

This morning I sorted out some of my bedroom miscellania. I need to rearrange some furniture next.

This afternoon I donated a smallish handful of miscellaneous housewares to my second-favorite thrift store today.  I also threw a bag of recyclable trash into my condo building’s recycling bins.  I’m not confident it gets recycled wherever it goes next, but I did my part I guess. 

[slackmax]

Had a pretty good day yesterday selling stuff at the flea market.  Got rid of some bulky items. 

Donated 4 big wicker baskets to salvation army, since they didn't sell at the flea market. Nobody wants wicker!

The removing of the wicker has opened a nice 8 cubic foot area in the living room.

While rooting through the living room (lots of clutter) I came across a bunch of neat record albums I had been  ignoring due to 'clutter blindness' and now I have a bunch of new music to listen to on my stereo.   

[Dutch Comfort]

Finally got to the point to discard my old sewing patterns. There were baby clothes patterns in there for my niece, who will turn 18 in 3 months........ so glad I finally got rid of these!

[Loretta]

Finally someone came through from my Facebook Buy Nothing Group and took away a mirror I had hanging in my bathroom.  It was too cheaply made and too fanciful for my taste and I replaced it with a round mirror from Amazon that looks so much better over the bathroom sink.  There is a lesson here:  cheap stuff often works poorly. 

I am also returning 2 boxes to Amazon today.  They contain shite I cannot assemble with my current level of patience.   

The goal for this week will be to use up more random stuff.  Toiletries and supplements are a weakness for me.

[Poundwise]

I'm helping my mother empty her house. She spent 50 years shopping.  Right now my puzzle is what to do with her furs.  She has four coats (mink, silver fox, etc.) that were hardly worn, but I hear that they dry out over time if not stored in a special way.

I've heard of animal rehab places that use furs to help with orphaned baby animals.

What a lovely use for old furs!

Thank you-- I will look into this!  Found this link.
https://www.investopedia.com/articles/personal-finance/092415/how-get-most-money-your-fur-coat.asp

[KBecks]

I am making a little bit of progress on some home improvement projects. Not quite decluttering but it will make our space so much nicer.

[LaineyAZ]

Dropped off a small bag of items to the local Goodwill, including a sheet with corner pockets that were not deep enough for my mattress and mattress pad. 
Browsed briefly and bought a slender crystal vase for $1.49 on sale.  So, one item in but 4 items donated.

(and good news:  Goodwill requires all staff and customers to wear a mask and observe the 6' distance, and while I was there everyone did so.)

[horsepoor]

I sold a bridle today.  30 minutes after listing it on FB it was sold, so maybe I should have priced it higher, but meh, I got a good price and didn't have to spend a bunch of time dealing with people.  That lit a fire under me to clean up all my other extra horse stuff and post a long list of sale items in a couple places.  Three other small items are sale pending now.  If I can sell half of it, that will cut way down on my clutter and cover the cost of the new riding boots I'm planning to purchase.

[lazycow]

Husband and son cleaned out one of the sheds to make room for their home gym. So 2 big wooden bins will be cut down for firewood, and a heap of random junk went to the tip (stuff that no one could reuse or repurpose, I *hate* chucking stuff into landfill, sigh). Soooo happy about this as I have been wanting a clear out for years. And bonus: they trash-picked a glass light attachment for our oven which would have cost more to buy than the $15 cost of the tip! Just wish the tip had a shop attached where the useable stuff could be resold, like in some other regions.

[Prairie Gal]

Sold an antique window on FB Marketplace for $10. The lady is supposed to come pick it up on Wednesday. I have another one, so hopefully I can find a home for it too. Some of this stuff I would just give away, but I find charging a few dollars cuts down on the no-shows.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@Prairie Gal - same thing. If you are giving something away for free, for whatever reason, I get a ton of no shows & 20 people interested, no one coming buy. When buying, I suppose people feel like it's a more valuable item?

[Prairie Gal]

@Prairie Gal - same thing. If you are giving something away for free, for whatever reason, I get a ton of no shows & 20 people interested, no one coming buy. When buying, I suppose people feel like it's a more valuable item?

That, and I usually ask them to send me an e transfer so I can just leave it on the doorstep.

[okcisok]

Sold some kitchenware on FB marketplace. I was given the kitchen stuff, but I realized shortly after accepting that I didn't need it, as what I already had worked just fine. Sold it for cash that I ended up needing for some dental work.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

That's great, @okcisok

When we are back in our kitchen, I'll be much more thoughtful of what I put into the cupboard. I found a few things to sell & donate, but have a feeling that living without the majority of our stuff for a month+ will also remind us of other things we don't need & use.

For me today, I've cleaned up kids soccer cleats (x4 pair) that weren't used much, due to COVID. Teen boys have rapidly growing feet, so they no longer fit. A COVID friendly soccer practice is supposed to start in a few weeks, so I've ordered new cleats & will sell the old ones. I also found a couple to donate.

I need to organize my "selling" closet, where I keep all of my mailing supplies, random boxes, & envelopes. It's exploded a bit.

[Shinplaster]

2 bags full of decorative cushions, odds and ends and an old monitor off to Goodwill this morning.   

[happy]

The council cleanup is supposed to come tomorrow. I put a big pile of stuff out on the weekend, and as, usual, some of it got collected by passersby. So I was able to add more 2 days in a row ( there's a limit on the volume that can be put out). Some of the stuff is my mothers, some of the stuff is left by the previous owner, and some of the stuff is mine. I'm looking forward to seeing the back of it. 

I haven't packed it all up yet, but I have items for the next car-load of donate already in mind. A box of misc, some of mother's china, and several boxes of books.

[oneday]

Finally able to clean up my entryway a bit. Library returns are now possible, so that got done today (4 books). Two other items were returned to the car. Not a big declutter; just what I could squeeze into a small amount of spare time today. The entryway looks better even though there are still items out of place there.

[ysette9]

I am diligently working at decluttering these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies I have piled up in the kitchen right now.

[mspym]

I am diligently working at decluttering these chocolate chip oatmeal cookies I have piled up in the kitchen right now.

Keep on soldiering on, I believe in you. 🤣

[Frugal Lizard]

I started canning this season's harvest and have been de-cluttering the supplies at the same time.  Any jar ring that is just too rusty to tighten on lickety split goes in the recycling.  I used to leave the rings on the jars until I opened them.  However, they rusted in the cold cellar and became next to impossible to use.  Now I just use them to get them processed so I don't need one for every single jar I fill - just for the batch of whatever I am making at the time.  And canning takes long enough without having to wrestle a ring onto a very hot jar and make sure the snap lid is perfectly in place.  It is just a small thing...but it makes life a little easier.

[Raenia]

I started canning this season's harvest and have been de-cluttering the supplies at the same time.  Any jar ring that is just too rusty to tighten on lickety split goes in the recycling.  I used to leave the rings on the jars until I opened them.  However, they rusted in the cold cellar and became next to impossible to use.  Now I just use them to get them processed so I don't need one for every single jar I fill - just for the batch of whatever I am making at the time.  And canning takes long enough without having to wrestle a ring onto a very hot jar and make sure the snap lid is perfectly in place.  It is just a small thing...but it makes life a little easier.

+1

Now that I store the jars without the ring on, I only need enough rings for a single batch, or two batches at most.  I can't fit more than 8-9 jars in my canner at a time anyway, fewer for wide mouth.  No reason to keep rings with even a spot of rust.  Each time I can, I check the rings and toss any blemished ones in the recycling.

Made a beautiful batch of peach butter yesterday :)

[Frugal Lizard]

I started canning this season's harvest and have been de-cluttering the supplies at the same time.  Any jar ring that is just too rusty to tighten on lickety split goes in the recycling.  I used to leave the rings on the jars until I opened them.  However, they rusted in the cold cellar and became next to impossible to use.  Now I just use them to get them processed so I don't need one for every single jar I fill - just for the batch of whatever I am making at the time.  And canning takes long enough without having to wrestle a ring onto a very hot jar and make sure the snap lid is perfectly in place.  It is just a small thing...but it makes life a little easier.

+1

Now that I store the jars without the ring on, I only need enough rings for a single batch, or two batches at most.  I can't fit more than 8-9 jars in my canner at a time anyway, fewer for wide mouth.  No reason to keep rings with even a spot of rust.  Each time I can, I check the rings and toss any blemished ones in the recycling.

Made a beautiful batch of peach butter yesterday :)

 
When I do tomato sauce, I go big and may do six full loads, so I like to have enough for at least four loads so I am not touching them until they are super cooled down.

[MountainGal]

Made room on the office back counter today!  A friend finally picked up the 5 pairs of sunglasses she said she wanted on a social media post at least a month ago, and I packaged up for mailing purposes a graduation gift I bought for a friend's daughter.  It will go out this evening.  I should mention the gift includes a picture frame collage of a few pictures of her over the years, as well as her graduation announcement.  Recycle, reuse, repurposed things I either would have tossed immediately, or saved in the past, only to end up tossing decades later.

Last Saturday at the house, I "decluttered" about a billion dust mites via vacuum and dust rag.  ;)  And, only I could get excited about the new Swiffer delivered yesterday, LOL.  Going to buy new vacuum bags from a mom and pop store to try to keep it as local as possible.

[Poundwise]

More suggestions needed: what to do with outdated designer clothing? My mother has a number of coats, blazers, etc. with massive shoulder pads. Including a suede coat from Italy... They are in great shape, I just hate the style, which I feel is over the top.  Just donate to thrift shop and let them sort out if somebody wants it?

[I'm a red panda]

More suggestions needed: what to do with outdated designer clothing? My mother has a number of coats, blazers, etc. with massive shoulder pads. Including a suede coat from Italy... They are in great shape, I just hate the style, which I feel is over the top.  Just donate to thrift shop and let them sort out if somebody wants it?

Maybe something like ThredUp might take them?

[MissPeach]

Here we got a tax on single use plastic grocery bags so that you now have to pay about 60 cents per bag, prEvioulsy it was about half of that. I read that the sales of plastic bags had dropped with 50 % in two months.
[/quote]
In normal times plastic bags are banned and reusable bags can be purchased if you forgot to bring your own. Early in the covid crisis though most grocery stores banned you from bringing in your own bags, so the stores I shop at (mostly TJ’s) give you paper bags for free. I did one non-TJ’s run and got a bunch of plastic bags. It felt very retro.
[/quote]

Same thing here. But Covid numbers are up and they rolled back the things that have opened.

The frustrating part is they went back to charging for bags but you aren't allowed to bring them. So I have to have them scan them, put them back in the cart, and then bag it myself from the cart to avoid the fee.

If the state doesn't want us to use reusable bags and initially suspended the charge, I think they should have extended this period when they rolled back the reopening.

[ysette9]

More suggestions needed: what to do with outdated designer clothing? My mother has a number of coats, blazers, etc. with massive shoulder pads. Including a suede coat from Italy... They are in great shape, I just hate the style, which I feel is over the top.  Just donate to thrift shop and let them sort out if somebody wants it?

Maybe something like ThredUp might take them?

I’m pretty sure ThredUP only wants current stuff, as in the past five years or otherwise timeless styles.