Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249200 times)

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3950 on: August 14, 2020, 12:39:13 PM »
Got rid of some stuff sitting in a corner.

I need to tackle some papers that have been piling up and need to be filed. I think I need to make myself a fancy coffee and put on some music for this.

ZsaZsa

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3951 on: August 14, 2020, 01:20:23 PM »
I finally got around to listing some things on Ebay...some of it was my Mom's, so there was some grieving, angsty stuff contributing to the delay. I finally feel good about it, so now is the time.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3952 on: August 14, 2020, 02:48:49 PM »
@ZsaZsa - that sounds like a really positive step in the grieving process.

I've come to the realization that it's so much easier to live in a house, clean a house & just generally feel "in control" & "organized" when your house is tidy & decluttered. We are in the midst of numerous home projects, so nothing is where it belongs, and stuff is strewn about everywhere you move. It's both stressful, as well as really hard to clean & tidy. I am pretty clean, but have found myself throwing my hands in the air, because getting on top of it is such a giant project. I'll be very happy when this phase is complete.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3953 on: August 14, 2020, 09:36:06 PM »
I’ve been in that “the house is a disaster” phase too due to lots of outdoor work getting done and no time for the inside.  It was making me so stressed.  Not being able to find things, shuffling things around to make room to move around and just looking at all the stuff laying around drove me nuts.  Made me realize that, in spite of getting rid of a lot of things last year, there’s still too much stuff.  So once all the outside work is done and the weather turns, I need to get back at it again.  Plus, Covid cases are starting to increase, so I won’t be eager to go out much.

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3954 on: August 15, 2020, 06:37:54 AM »
@ZsaZsa - that sounds like a really positive step in the grieving process.

I've come to the realization that it's so much easier to live in a house, clean a house & just generally feel "in control" & "organized" when your house is tidy & decluttered. We are in the midst of numerous home projects, so nothing is where it belongs, and stuff is strewn about everywhere you move. It's both stressful, as well as really hard to clean & tidy. I am pretty clean, but have found myself throwing my hands in the air, because getting on top of it is such a giant project. I'll be very happy when this phase is complete.

We're there too.  Feels like half the house is unusable - either a war zone of demo and construction, or stuffed full of furniture that belongs in the first category rooms.  We're sleeping in the smallest bedroom, the office and dining room are full of furniture that doesn't belong there.  The living room has been turned into a work-from-home space for DH.  Basically the only room functioning as intended is the kitchen (and bathroom).  Cannot wait for this project to be done.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3955 on: August 15, 2020, 12:33:08 PM »
Banner de-cluttering week here.

 - Returned three paintings and a large piece of glass to my sister that she asked me to store for her while she moved - 9 years ago!
 - Sold a little side table that I painted and fixed up quite a while ago. Never got around to putting the top coat on, but it still sold in 20 minutes.
 - Put a crapton of stuff out on the lawn for free, and listed on FB buy/sell sites. About half is gone already.
 - DS listed an old monitor that I had.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3956 on: August 15, 2020, 02:57:09 PM »
Oh yes, I totally get the mid-project mess. I've got 4 house projects in process, in 4 rooms. One of these projects involved moving everything out of a room into another room. Plus, we had a bad storm and I moved a bunch of stuff out of the storm shelter closet to make more room just in case. And the sewing machine cabinet is laying down in the living room because I'm treating each leg for cat urine, then it needs to dry. It's just a mess. The handyman is coming this week to work on a bunch of things that I don't have the skill to do. But basically, my house is a mess.

To add insult to injury there - there's a box of stuff that is to go away, but the thrift store I want to take it to isn't taking donations yet.

Edit with an update:
Got the prep work I had to do for the handyman done (saving money!). Now I have oil primer all over me. Yuck. I've never found an effective, non-skin damaging way to get oils off, so I'll be spotted for a week or so while it wears off. I also have 3/4 of a quart of oil primer still. I will need to prime the repair with it, then will probably give the rest to my neighbor who will be doing significant work on his garage soon.

Also managed to declutter my to-do list. No significant improvement in the overall mess in the house, but that's not really going to happen for a few weeks. The cats are NOT helping. I've got toys everywhere, and Rosie redistributes them regularly.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2020, 08:56:27 PM by Sibley »

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3957 on: August 15, 2020, 09:48:24 PM »
I live in a small apartment in a big city. Pre-covid I would go to the grocery store 2-3 times a week, and just get what I needed for the next few meals. When covid hit, I started shopping weekly instead. I also started getting back ups of a few things to be able to stretch out the shopping or make up for availability issues. The one cabinet for pantry items quickly got out of control, and my "pantry" was basically 5 grocery bags sitting on the kitchen floor.

I got fed up and took everything out of the cabinet and the bags, got rid of a few things that were out of date, and reorganized everything. I still have 2 grocery bags on the floor, but I can deal with that. The ones that were most in the way are gone now, and everything is much easier to find.

lazycow

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3958 on: August 16, 2020, 01:36:27 AM »

I want to start relearning the piano and I need to have a clean house and clear brain with nothing nagging at me and the photos were the last project. I bought at full weighted keyboard and donated the mini one I started with to a friend.

I have been procrastinating about learning to play my Casio piano keyboard. I even have a book of popular piano music I can reference. I must get to it soon. I think my problem is that, in my 'real' feelings, I consider it a waste of time (even though it isn't).

Why do we feel like that slackmax? Music is such a wonderful gift to ourselves. I am going to make it my September goal to allow 30 minutes a day to practice (time - let's face it - that would otherwise be spent scrolling through my phone).

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3959 on: August 16, 2020, 08:58:01 AM »

I want to start relearning the piano and I need to have a clean house and clear brain with nothing nagging at me and the photos were the last project. I bought at full weighted keyboard and donated the mini one I started with to a friend.

I have been procrastinating about learning to play my Casio piano keyboard. I even have a book of popular piano music I can reference. I must get to it soon. I think my problem is that, in my 'real' feelings, I consider it a waste of time (even though it isn't).

Why do we feel like that slackmax? Music is such a wonderful gift to ourselves. I am going to make it my September goal to allow 30 minutes a day to practice (time - let's face it - that would otherwise be spent scrolling through my phone).

I think, with me, it's leftover from the days of having only x amount of energy, all of which had to be used for working and saving money and any 'luxury' was a waste of energy.

I just have to get out of that mentality. I'm retired now.

Even before I read your latest post, I was planning to plug in the casio and play for at least 15 minutes, using the book of music I found. 

OK, right after I get offline, I'll plug in the casio.   

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3960 on: August 16, 2020, 11:53:20 AM »
Well, this has been a hell of a weekend for decluttering.
 - Moved a pile of items from the repair/projects bag to the donate bag - including the bag I was using to store them :P
 - Got DH to finally go through his clothes, he added a few things to the pile
 - DH agreed to get rid of an end table that was waiting for a repair - we have plenty of end tables, and it was a complicated fix\
 - Disassembled a desk to salvage the nicest pieces of wood, chucked the rest

Not really decluttering, but we had contractors out to do mold remediation - stripping the walls, floor, and ceiling down to studs, treating everything for mold and dry rot.  Once that's done, we can seal up some holes, add insulation, and rehang drywall and put in the new floors that we've been planning for a year now.  It'll be such a relief to 'declutter' tasks that have been waiting months.

Downside, one of the contractors put his foot through the ceiling of our bedroom, so we're now sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the living room (which is also DH's work-from-home office) until further notice.  And I don't dare cook anything until they're done and we can clean up all the contaminated dust.

Loretta

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3961 on: August 16, 2020, 01:53:23 PM »
Before I donate some more sheets to Goodwill, does anyone have any tricks to make pilled up microfiber sheets less annoying?  Or a trick to make the silicone-y feel of microfiber sheets go away in the wash?  I think I have washed these things in every detergent at my disposal this year to no real avail.  I washed them in Oxiclean and white vinegar Saturday and have them backwards-side-up so the slightly pilled up part is away from my skin. 

PMG

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3962 on: August 16, 2020, 02:01:52 PM »
Goodwill is the only solution for microfiber sheets.

shrimpwd

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3963 on: August 17, 2020, 07:14:30 AM »
Sold one item I listed last week. Haven't gotten much traffic on the others. I'll give it another week or so and then drop the prices 10%. I'm not going to let them sit beyond the end of the year.

Still waiting for the porch to get cleared - a bit annoying, having to wait for others before I can do my own organization...

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3964 on: August 17, 2020, 09:28:10 AM »
Goodwill is the only solution for microfiber sheets.
I agree.  I hate anything that pills.  I can barely tolerate flannel but my partner loves it so I cope.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3965 on: August 17, 2020, 11:17:51 AM »
Closet cleanout continues. I am forcing myself to wear all summer clothes. If they don't fit properly, don't fit my COVID life & I can't imagine wearing them in the next two years, are too young for me (I'm 44, and have a bunch of stuff that's 15+ years old, etc)... it's all getting donated or sold.

-Another tank top to the donation pile
-A dress to the sell pile, and already listed on eBay

MountainGal

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3966 on: August 17, 2020, 11:43:51 AM »
This weekend:

~Moved 2 boxes and 3 grocery bags of tax documents into my home office closet where they make more sense
~Put the grocery bag tax documents into a box for neater storage
~Tossed 2012 tax documents into the burn bin
~Neatened up my documents in the fireproof safe
~Ordered a soda can and one other bin for the fridge
~Made room for the above bins
~Tossed the old bottle cleaning brush

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3967 on: August 17, 2020, 12:23:30 PM »
This weekend we started a list of household items my son is going to need for his apartment at university.  He is moving into off campus housing on the labour day weekend and is going to need to cook and clean for himself.  Or should I say eat and live in something less than squalor with his four room mates.  I am going to go through the cupboards and outfit him as much as I can from our stockpile.  YEAH!

catlady

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3968 on: August 17, 2020, 12:51:38 PM »
I am slowly putting babe's old clothes for sale. We have no friends with babies so nobody to pass them on. On one hand I love decluttering on the other this is end of a chapter. I now have a toddler :)

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3969 on: August 17, 2020, 01:54:22 PM »
Gave 2 partial gallons of primer to a neighbor. These are specialized primers, and are left over from specific projects. I don't foresee any other projects requiring or tolerating these specialized primers. Neighbor is starting a project which will use these. Out of my house.

Same neighbor was also kind enough to help me with a small project, I don't have the skill to cut the material and he does. Cut, installed, done.


lazycow

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3970 on: August 18, 2020, 07:38:08 AM »
After spending a couple of hours Googling how to fix my inoperable laptop keyboard (it *is* 8 years old, so possibly expecting too much from it?) I threw in the towel and consigned it to be donated to my local e-waste recyclers, along with the above-mentioned digital camera. I performed a very satisfying smashing of the hard drive first. So now I have 1 Android phone and 1 laptop, and that is all I need.

The next project will be to ferret out the VCR player my husband has stashed in the shed, along with our 28 year-old wedding video and see if it will still play. If not, they are both for recycling.

PMG

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3971 on: August 18, 2020, 08:07:42 AM »
@lazycow I’m gonna make a suggestion, but obviously it’s an internet stranger suggestion, so likely irrelevant.

A cheap Bluetooth keyboard might pair with the laptop and make it useful again? If not for you, then for someone doing homeschool this year? I’m guessing it’s less crazy in Australia than here in the states, but laptops are in demand right now.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3972 on: August 18, 2020, 09:40:11 AM »
3 bags of books gone with a friend for sale at the next church coffee morning, whenever that is.  Given that the friend is storing them and they are out of my spare bedroom, it's still a win for decluttering.

I've also decluttered some of my fabric stash into two new facemasks for a total of 4.  I needed the extra as we now have to wear them in shops here in the UK: if I ever do the sort of shopping trip that involves more than two shops at a time I will be properly prepared.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3973 on: August 19, 2020, 07:27:13 AM »
Lazycow,

I found some 20 year old VHS videos of relatives, and they played beautifully on my VCR. Amazing how long the tapes last if stored properly.

And I used to see VCR's at Goodwill for $10. Haven't seen any lately, though. And, lastly, around here in eastern Pa you can even get your VCR repaired, probably for $50, if it's just belts being replaced.   

 
« Last Edit: August 19, 2020, 07:30:54 AM by slackmax »

midweststache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3974 on: August 20, 2020, 12:37:53 PM »
We moved a receive almost four years ago, intending to hook it up to our "new" place's surround sound.

That never happened. I have someone coming by to pick it up later today. HALLELUJAH!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3975 on: August 20, 2020, 01:54:02 PM »
Found a pair of shoes to donate, & two tops to sell. The pandemic is definitely making me re-evaluate all of my clothing, & realize how much less I actually need.

okisok

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3976 on: August 20, 2020, 10:32:06 PM »
Dumped out all of my dog's toys to see which ones she actually likes to play with. Washed and dried to whole batch, then sorted the keepers. Put the discards in a bag to donate, as they're all in great shape but just not loved any more. Now her toys all fit in the basket instead of spilling out all over.

Continuing the stationery declutter by sending out postcards and cards to friends. It's so nice to get mail that isn't junk or bills.

happy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3977 on: August 22, 2020, 08:39:55 PM »
I'm trying to ride the momentum of big council cleanup late July, and then the chemical cleanout in early August. After that a big pile of boxes/bags with items to donate quickly accumulated in the place reserved for such things. This is good, but I didn't get long to enjoy the clean space I'd created.  Instead of filling me with glee every time I looked at it, I just felt depressed at the thought of yet another ginormous load of stuff to remove. I sulked for a week or so, but now have pulled myself together. I have decided to declutter an hour a day, capped at 5 hours a week. Time spent removing the rubbish/decluttered items will be included: hopefully this will help as I often find actually getting stuff of the premises is what is slowing me down.  I'm gunning to go room by room, section by section if necessary and not stop until I've done a complete sweep of the house. 

LaineyAZ

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3978 on: August 23, 2020, 08:38:17 AM »
I'm trying to ride the momentum of big council cleanup late July, and then the chemical cleanout in early August. After that a big pile of boxes/bags with items to donate quickly accumulated in the place reserved for such things. This is good, but I didn't get long to enjoy the clean space I'd created.  Instead of filling me with glee every time I looked at it, I just felt depressed at the thought of yet another ginormous load of stuff to remove. I sulked for a week or so, but now have pulled myself together. I have decided to declutter an hour a day, capped at 5 hours a week. Time spent removing the rubbish/decluttered items will be included: hopefully this will help as I often find actually getting stuff of the premises is what is slowing me down.  I'm gunning to go room by room, section by section if necessary and not stop until I've done a complete sweep of the house.

I think that you've got a good plan, happy.  Good luck with everything, and come back here in a few months to post progress so we can congratulate you!

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3979 on: August 23, 2020, 12:14:56 PM »
Happy, good luck. It sounds like you are getting a lot of big stuff off the premises.

 

 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3980 on: August 23, 2020, 07:37:26 PM »
I'm trying to ride the momentum of big council cleanup late July, and then the chemical cleanout in early August. After that a big pile of boxes/bags with items to donate quickly accumulated in the place reserved for such things. This is good, but I didn't get long to enjoy the clean space I'd created.  Instead of filling me with glee every time I looked at it, I just felt depressed at the thought of yet another ginormous load of stuff to remove. I sulked for a week or so, but now have pulled myself together. I have decided to declutter an hour a day, capped at 5 hours a week. Time spent removing the rubbish/decluttered items will be included: hopefully this will help as I often find actually getting stuff of the premises is what is slowing me down.  I'm gunning to go room by room, section by section if necessary and not stop until I've done a complete sweep of the house.

Keep fighting the good fight!  The goal is in sight! Or is it more correct to say the goal is to get stuff out of sight?

Poundwise

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3981 on: August 24, 2020, 05:00:12 AM »
Time spent removing the rubbish/decluttered items will be included: hopefully this will help as I often find actually getting stuff of the premises is what is slowing me down.  I'm gunning to go room by room, section by section if necessary and not stop until I've done a complete sweep of the house.
So true, I have lots of stuff that psychologically I said goodbye to, eons ago... yet they still linger in the house! We must just set our jaws and give items the old heave ho. Good luck!!

In addition to my own unbanished clutter, the aftermath of emptying my mother's house last month continues to disrupt my own home... while we upgraded a lot of our own items, three rooms in my house are still cluttered almost unusably with items that I couldn't bring myself to toss or donate, like family memorabilia and expensive items like two sterling silver flatware sets, one of them completely unused (value probably $3000).  I actually ended up giving away her fur coats to a friend of her house cleaner, to give an idea of the type of things I did let go. 

Our garage is still half full to the ceiling with boxes and furniture as well, though this is an improvement from where we were last week. I got poor Mr. Poundwise to deliver our old hutch to one of our refugee families... delighting the wife but I'm afraid many bad words were said by my husband and her husband as they wrestled the furniture into her home. Mr. P thinks he now knows Syrian for, "WTF??" Welcome to America!

Over the weekend, I gave a box full of my mom's everyday dishes and glasses to a friend who is a neighbor... this way, I get to visit with them on occasion, without having to actually own them myself. This morning I woke at dawn and decided that if I wanted space again on my kitchen counters, I could start by giving away my slow cooker (just learned that the Instant Pot will slow cook if I use a different lid).

I spontaneously gave away our family tricycle and scooter to the neighbors across the street. Have been trying to find more refugees to take housewares as well.  I have been just spewing stuff at people!

So I slog on.   The only way I can really tolerate it is to pick one end of the mess, and try to progress as a moving front from one end of a room to the other.
« Last Edit: August 24, 2020, 05:03:51 AM by Poundwise »

shrimpwd

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3982 on: August 24, 2020, 07:12:19 AM »
I managed to sell another item. Wish the rest would sell faster. I have a few different piles that keep moving around... It's really the only (noticable) clutter in the main house.

Helped set up some shelves at mom's place. This should help get my porch cleared off faster. Found out I have a small leak in the acrylic roof (I think it is where the nails go through, but I can't check until the stuff is gone)... Nothing should get ruined, but I definitely want to fix the problem before it gets worse.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3983 on: August 24, 2020, 11:55:32 AM »
If you have lots of stuff to get rid of thrift stores will send a truck. I have done that. Filled my car and garbage can today.

happy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3984 on: August 24, 2020, 04:02:14 PM »
@LaineyAZ , @slackmax@One Day, @Poundwise ...thanks for the encouragement- I hope to post updates.


@Poundwise - I know about emptying the family home...I was going quite well on my own house, until my mother died nearly 2 years ago and We had 60 years worth of clutter to deal with. We tossed and recycled and donated huge amounts ( like over 500kg of paper into recycling), but  it got to the point where I got cleanout grief...so many of those items my brother and I would say "Oh, I remember this"- childhood memories etc...but neither of us wanted it. So the more precious items came home to my house. I've since donated a lot of them. I too had a carport full of stuff, as well as boxes lining any free wall in my house. Its taken that amount of time, but I've nearly cleared most of it now.

Keep going, you can do it. Little by little, or in massive lots, it doesn't matter.

.

Loretta

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3985 on: August 24, 2020, 04:15:22 PM »
Today I’m returning some miscellaneous Amazon purchases that didn’t pan out.  I didn’t really buy any unnecessary stuff today, just more masks and some cat meds online. 

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3986 on: August 24, 2020, 07:25:09 PM »
Today I recycled an old journal, in which I recorded the antics (not the fun kind of antics) of my ex.  It was started a few years before my divorce, for the purpose of reminding myself of said antics.  I did not think antics were forgettable, but apparently I was capable of forgetting.  Maybe it was a defense mechanism so I didn't go wack-a-doodle while we lived together?

Example:
me: I programed Certain Station into my car radio so I can keep up with new music.
him: You're a weirdo.

Anyway, I no longer need to remember the crap he dished out.

So I can say that chapter of my life is closed, almost literally!  It felt surprisingly anti-climactic.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3987 on: August 24, 2020, 09:30:06 PM »
Woohoo @oneday! You don't need to hold any space for him at all!

okisok

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3988 on: August 24, 2020, 11:47:28 PM »
So much encouragement here! I was really looking forward to posting:

-Cleaned out the garage today. Tidied all the holiday decoration boxes and tools in the small storage closet. (Will probably go through the boxes again, but I'm very good about winnowing the holiday stuff when I'm putting away at the end of said holiday.) Swept out the leaves and dirt. Put hiking boots in bike basket to keep them up off the floor.

-Put two insulated coolers, an outdoor throw pillow, and some reusable shopping bags on the curb. Half was gone when I got home from work. I'll take the rest to a donation center if they aren't gone in the next few days.

-Organized the gardening stuff and composted old items. Opened a bag of topsoil and dumped it in the flowerbed unceremoniously. That bag had been leaning against the garage for three months...four? Every time I pulled in I saw it and felt guilty. Feelings into action today! Dead vines pulled out of garden.

-Cleaned out my car and tossed all the collected detritus. Took work items back to work. Washed the liner I use to (theoretically) keep the dog debris off the seats. Organized the trunk area, finally utilizing the cargo net to hold the two reusable bags I kept (ruthless!!). Even replaced the dead batteries in the emergency trunk flashlight. Washed the floor mats and cargo liner.

-Mended a work outfit so that it is back in rotation and not cluttering up my sewing table. Wore it today. Felt very virtuous.

-Tomorrow is trash/recycling day, so containers are on the curb. Have done a sweep to make sure that every single item that needs to be tossed is in the appropriate container.

To Do-return a borrowed book and give that friend a couple of books I've finished with.

okisok

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3989 on: August 25, 2020, 09:02:57 AM »
Went through my cookbook, which is a three-ring binder with clear plastic pages to tuck recipes into. Got rid of 1/3 of them, straight into the recycling. Added the new recipes that had been stacked on the kitchen countertop. Only kept ones I've actually made, enjoyed, and will most likely make again. No aspirational recipes.

ETA:  found my old Apple TV, still helpfully Command-taped to the back of the TV. Apple has a mail-in recycling program, so I've requested a pre-paid address label and asked SO if he has a bubble mailer in his stash. More OUT!
« Last Edit: August 25, 2020, 09:44:40 AM by okcisok »

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3990 on: August 25, 2020, 09:57:54 AM »
Awesome job, @Sun Hat  and @okcisok ! Lots of great progress. My goal during the WFH/shelter in place is to list one item for sale every day. It's been quite fun to see what I can come up with. As things slowly move to the "sale" bin, out of the house, or eventually to the donation, I've loved to see us slowly whittle down our belongings. I've also done major clear outs to make quicker progress, but the slow & steady kind gives me a daily goal that i enjoy

Poundwise

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3991 on: August 25, 2020, 11:28:57 AM »
Keep going, you can do it. Little by little, or in massive lots, it doesn't matter.

Thank you so much for the encouragement, @happy! I am managing resentment that I have worked so hard to manage my own junk, then get drowned in this wave of my family's clutter.  We plucked all the low hanging fruit, so the items that made it to our house are the hardest to get rid of.  But it does feel good to make space, especially when I manage to give it away to somebody who appreciates the items.

MountainGal

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3992 on: August 25, 2020, 02:07:54 PM »
Everyone is doing a fantastic job!  Very nice.

Over the weekend I decluttered 3 expired condiments and apple cider into the trash, donated unopened bottles of mayo and OJ to a neighbor, used free samples for an at home facial, used up a large bottle of white vinegar, and huge tub of pork rinds.  The latter two freed up significant space in the pantry.  Oh, and DH "decluttered" the wildfire ash from the two AC unit filters.  Yuck.

I love this thread.  :D

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3993 on: August 25, 2020, 03:57:33 PM »
Thanks, @mspym I *though* I was holding on to that notebook for myself, to not forget.  But I don't need that kind of garbage in my life, even in compact form hidden in the back of a closet.

Wow, @okcisok you've had a decluttering extravaganza! I love that you even decluttered the old flashlight batteries.

@Sun Hat awesome breakthrough!  I've gone up & down in size significantly over the years. What to buy & where to find it is trial and error...it will take some time but you'll eventually figure out some rules of thumb.  My best advice is to try on anything that has even 1 thing about it that you like.  Then note how it makes you feel, if it looks better or worse on you than a piece you already own, see if you can figure out exactly why.  I once tried on a top I didn't like the fabric or cut, but the pattern was nice.  Turned out, the cut actually looked nice when worn, but didn't appeal while it was on the hanger. Later I found several more tops with a similar cut and they all looked nice.

@MaybeBabyMustache have you kept a count of items out of the house? 

@MountainGal I did a double take.  First read your post as "3 expired condoms" hahaha!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3994 on: August 25, 2020, 04:12:24 PM »
@oneday - hello, fellow bay area mustachian.

I've sold 150+ items, and probably donated a similar amount.

happy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3995 on: August 25, 2020, 04:44:43 PM »
Keep going, you can do it. Little by little, or in massive lots, it doesn't matter.

Thank you so much for the encouragement, @happy! I am managing resentment that I have worked so hard to manage my own junk, then get drowned in this wave of my family's clutter.  We plucked all the low hanging fruit, so the items that made it to our house are the hardest to get rid of.  But it does feel good to make space, especially when I manage to give it away to somebody who appreciates the items.
@Poundwise - I am over it now, but I too had a lot of resentment about being landed with all my folks clutter, that they had stubbornly refused to deal with over the years in spite of offers of help. Ironically a good deal of their "precious" things stored under the house were mouldy or bug infested or just plain falling apart with age. If they had let go of them decades ago someone could have gotten some use from them and the old photos wouldn't have been in such poor condition.  I am nearly done with their stuff except for old papers and photos. Its definitely been a life lesson for my brother and I...their full house was a major reason why I started reducing my stuff some 15 years ago. My brother has always accrued more stuff than I, as he is gregarious and likes to host big parties and so on, but now even he is weeding stuff out.

familyandfarming

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3996 on: August 25, 2020, 05:59:27 PM »
I highly recommend painting all of your walls in your house! Start with a room if you wish. This forces you to move everything out of the room, scrutinize each item and perhaps get rid of it! We just finished our basement. Not only did we paint ceilings and walls, we scrubbed floors and cleaned carpets. The contractor who finished the basement for us 20+ years ago stopped by last night. He asked if we did some additional work. Nope, just got it to clean and essential.

Always ask yourself, “Do my kids really want this crap?” I’ll save you time. They don’t!

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3997 on: August 25, 2020, 06:15:26 PM »
To make it less boring, I allowed myself to play a record or two while I slowly and deliberately looked at the stuff in the 'archipelago of stuff' in the living room.  I am so used to it being there, it seems like one big blob, not a collection of many different things.

What I identified in the archipelago, once I forced myself to stare into it for a while,  was a big ugly upholstered chair, well worn, and taking up tons of space. It would feel good to give it the old heave ho, and have some *noticeable* new  space in the living room.     

I plan to donate it tomorrow.  Means I have to unload tons of stuff from my car, to get the chair in, but that's OK.     

SunnyDays

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3998 on: August 25, 2020, 08:17:22 PM »
@slackmax, before you do that, try putting the couch on the curb first.  Might save you a lot of trouble.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #3999 on: August 25, 2020, 08:43:41 PM »
@oneday - hello, fellow bay area mustachian.

I've sold 150+ items, and probably donated a similar amount.

Hello! I did not realize you were close!  Hope you are safe & breathing freely these days.

That's quite a load out the door.  Were you successful in selling items in the early days of the pandemic? 


@slackmax I am saddened that you have an archipelago of stuff in your living space.  But amused by the name.  Good going, finding a HUGE thing to move out the door!
« Last Edit: August 25, 2020, 08:46:26 PM by oneday »