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

[oneday]

@MaybeBabyMustache ah, the weather is being so cooperative!  Good to hear your area is less threatened. I was never less than 10 miles from any fire, but that is still pretty close!

That's some pretty good synergy the selling is bringing you!


@MountainGal hope you are safe as well!  Air quality has gotten a bit better here; hope the same for you.

[mspym]

@slackmax bonus points for the footstool! That's awesome stuff

My minor declutter today was using up a small carton of almond milk we had been given on our breakfasts. Now I have to work out what to do with a bottle of pomegranate molasses. I wonder if it makes a nice spritzer

[lazycow]

@slackmax yay for you! I am such a sticky beak: I'd love to see your before and after photos:-)

@mspym can you use the molasses for salad dressing or on rice? I am sure it is one of Ottolenghi's top 10 ingredients! Yes, here is a link: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/shortcuts/2016/jul/12/yotam-ottolenghis-top-pomegranate-tips

I decluttered many, many raspberry canes that magically sprung up over the years from just 3 canes. Gave them to a guy who has started a market garden and he gave me a heap of perpetual spinach plants, with the promise of whatever vege plants I want over the coming months, plus some giant sunflowers. I also pulled out a rogue tree that is basically a weed. It was huge, but brittle so easy to do.

I have 5 small mailing boxes waiting for someone to pick up. They are perfect for mailing care packages. I know it would be much easier just to break them down and use in the compost bin but it is nice for them to be reused at least once.

[halftimer]

Lots of tiny decluttering wins lately. I offered some hobby supplies to a friend who was very excited, so I added a few more items when we did our masked trade off. I also was able to gift a number of small items to little family members, and put more things on the local free trade table. Decluttering lots of food this week as well.

@mspym I'm jealous of the pomegranate molasses, I have been trying to find it locally for years since I had it in a fantastic salmon recipe (on each salmon piece - 1/4 cup of onions and carrots cut into matchsticks and cooked in the oven in foil packets with a drizzle of oil, and balsamic mixed with pomegranate molasses or juice)

[Poundwise]

@mspym I've seen (and eaten) pomegranate molasses in a lot of Afghani and Syrian recipes, though not cooked with it myself.
https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/muhammara-10982

[Frugal Lizard]

I have been putting household goods that my son needs for his first apartment into a bin for him to take to university. I have also been more rigorous on the garden accessories - if it is really not in good shape:  out it goes. 

We also started a family challenge around menu planning to prevent food waste as part of living lighter on the planet group with our congregation.  That will also involve going through the freezer and the pantry. 

[okisok]

@slackmax-congrats on your newly available 5' or 6' feet!

[LinneaH]

I vacuumed up the rug that got exposed in the archipelago, and moved some other stuff together, and now have pushed the archipelago a good 5 or 6 feet back towards the wall.   More open space!

Sounds great @slackmax!

I should do similar, the living room is a mess. But in our case, partly due to moving in October. However, this could be much better and we do need to live her for over a month still. We have some moving boxes and we can easily get more. We also have a "storage room", quite big and nearly empty, where we have started to put things in two piles (his and mine, so easy too keep separate when moving).

I am working from home today, until approximately noon, and I hope to get to clear ut a couple of mini categories today and during the weekend. Will taget plant pot and other smaller garden stuff. Also two overhead cupboards in the laundry room (those are already partly dealt with before open house so not too bad). And of course the living room. I believe 2 * 15 minutes in there will result in a smaller miracle.

[midweststache]

Decluttering the refrigerator :) I'm kinda bad at hiding perishable items, which then go bad, so had an omelette for breakfast with the dregs of my egg white carton, some hidden mushrooms, and mini peppers. Leftovers planned for lunch and dinner to help clear out the fridge before this weekend's grocery run.

Did another once-over on our books - our shelves now look manageable! (Trying to find a place ini reasonable distant to donate niche academic books with graduate student notes throughout.)

Went through the boys' clothes, and made another bag of hand-me-downs for my sister's impending little one. Got rid of what she didn't want through a local Buy Nothing group.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Cleaned up the last of the soccer cleats that were used for 2 games last season, but outgrown due to COVID. Listed for sale, and will donate if that doesn't pan out.

[okisok]

Went through the kitchen drawers and found a large, sharp fork that's a companion to a carving knife. I don't know why I have this. I don't cook large joints of meat, and I never host holiday gatherings. Why do I have this, and why have I moved it several times??

Also a shot glass and a fitted sheet that used to go over the loveseat I sold.

[lazycow]

Got rid of a single bed doona cover. It was on the spare bed and I was lying underneath it, having a rest and it felt gross and slippery with too much wear. The op shops here take this stuff and cut it into rags to sell in large bags, to tradesmen.

This one is more pantry-related, but I am attempting to use up a jar of hemp powder I bought for my son's protein shakes. He hates it, so I am adding a small spoonful each day to my morning porridge and it is quite pleasant, in little doses.

[mspym]

It's been a weekend of 5-minutes declutter tasks.
- Another quick whisk through the drawers and there's a small pile for donation again. Not sure how this lot escaped previous purges but that's common.
- I moved all the cables from various locations to the cable drawer
- Two minor clothing repairs complete and I am one found storage container lid away from completely clearing the sewing table. It looks so clear right now!
- My embroidery threads are now too many for the old casserole dish I have been keeping them in so that's next - sorting through them, finding a new place to keep them and donating the pyrex. It's beautiful but I am never going to the effort of making a two-serving casserole.
- I'm pulling off all the files from my old Galaxy s6 - gorgeous electric blue colour!- in anticipation of donating or recycling it. First I need to wipe it and also investigate if donation is an option.

Just overall, there's a LOT more clear surfaces in the house, without it feeling like an onerous weekend of chores.

[Raenia]

Finally got my pandemic decluttering pile out of the house yesterday - we loaded up the car and did a run to the Salvation Army, which is finally accepting donations again.  Such a relief to have those boxes out of the house!  I might even be able to vacuum the laundry room now - they were taking up so much floor space I couldn't clean properly.

Time to keep an eye out for a new box to start again.

[SunnyDays]

@mspym, women's shelter's will often accept old cell phones.  Even if the recipient can't afford a plan, they will all allow 911 calls as long as it's charged, and sometimes that's all someone needs to stay safe.

[lazycow]

An upright lamp which has a too-wide, and rather ugly shade. I bought it 2nd hand so no great financial loss. Will send it back to the op shop from whence it came, when said op shop reopens.

[slackmax]

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.   

[Poundwise]

I have been prioritizing the largest items since we need the floor space!  Some people have expressed a wish to buy the giant armoire that ended up in our garage. They may have it at a deep, deep, discount, and they will get my blessings with it.  They claim to be coming to pick it up this afternoon and I have my fingers crossed.

The giant armoire is gone!! Sold it to a Craigslist guy for only $130 (probably was $2K originally, but it's been for sale for almost two months.  I feel like we can breathe again!  So he's happy and I'm happy.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I've made a few eBay sales, after a quiet period. Sold a sports bra, dress, pair of workout pants, fishing float, & wine chiller. Also sold our old fridge. Our microwave/convection oven is the only kitchen remodel still outstanding.

I need to get back to my "trying everything on" from summer stuff, & putting things I won't use or wear in the donation pile.

[brooklynmoney]

I moved to a new town and there are little libraries all around and I am driving around dropping off my books. Also there’s a bigger donation bin at the library I’m going tk check out. Goal is to reduce from 200 to 20.

[Plina]

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

[Dutch Comfort]

Gave away 2 lunchboxes and 2 matching cups which my daughter did not want anymore (pink is no longer fashionable when you're a 12yo). Have to restart the decluttering efforts after the holidays. Will start with clearing out the kids' winter clothes to see what they have grown out, so I can start reselling / donating these (and buy some "new" clothes for them from Marketplace/E-bay).

[slackmax]

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer. I bet they could get $5 or $10 for it.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Continue to search daily for an item to: toss, donate or sell. I listed a running jacket that doesn't fit properly on eBay, added two pair of kid pants to the donation pile, and found one pair of NWT kid pants that I'll list tomorrow.

[slackmax]

I've made a few eBay sales, after a quiet period. Sold a sports bra, dress, pair of workout pants, fishing float, & wine chiller. Also sold our old fridge. Our microwave/convection oven is the only kitchen remodel still outstanding.

I need to get back to my "trying everything on" from summer stuff, & putting things I won't use or wear in the donation pile.

Congratulations on the eBay sales. 

Craigslist has suddenly come to life for me. I just sold a big gas powered weed whacker and a box of ancillary stuff, that my Dad gave me.  Good to have that gone!  It was too big, overkill for the landscaping I have. All I need is my handy electric weed whacker.   

[Raenia]

I forgot to mention I was finally able to return the huge stack of library books that's been waiting on my hall table!  I have access to three different library systems (courtesy of DH being a university employee) and the last holdout finally opened the book drop to accept returns.  Now there's only one book that was borrowed from a family member, that I need to see if she wants back or I should donate.

[Plina]

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer. I bet they could get $5 or $10 for it.

I prefer to called it realistic. I haven’t seen anybody use a typewriter in 25 years.

[slackmax]

I have been prioritizing the largest items since we need the floor space!  Some people have expressed a wish to buy the giant armoire that ended up in our garage. They may have it at a deep, deep, discount, and they will get my blessings with it.  They claim to be coming to pick it up this afternoon and I have my fingers crossed.

The giant armoire is gone!! Sold it to a Craigslist guy for only $130 (probably was $2K originally, but it's been for sale for almost two months.  I feel like we can breathe again!  So he's happy and I'm happy.

Way to go, Poundwise! You got some real money for it, and it is out of your house.  Very tough market for used furniture lately.

[Poundwise]

Thanks, slackmax!! A secret is that I probably would have been willing to PAY $130 to get it out! It was indeed a lovely piece of furniture, solid light hardwood, nice clean lines.

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer. I bet they could get $5 or $10 for it.

I prefer to called it realistic. I haven’t seen anybody use a typewriter in 25 years.

Coincidentally, my husband just said he'll take my dad's old Selectric off to his office because he finds it more convenient for typing addresses on envelopes.

[oneday]

Thanks, slackmax!! A secret is that I probably would have been willing to PAY $130 to get it out! It was indeed a lovely piece of furniture, solid light hardwood, nice clean lines.

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer. I bet they could get $5 or $10 for it.

I prefer to called it realistic. I haven’t seen anybody use a typewriter in 25 years.

Coincidentally, my husband just said he'll take my dad's old Selectric off to his office because he finds it more convenient for typing addresses on envelopes.

In my last office, the Payroll department had an electric typewriter for cutting checks to terminated employees.  In California, whether the employee quits on the spot, gives notice or is terminated by the company, they are to be given all their salary, vacation or any other pay they are owed by the end of that business day.  Payroll could fulfil that obligation without disrupting the normal Payables process, and also without revealing salary or other sensitive info.

[Plina]

Thanks, slackmax!! A secret is that I probably would have been willing to PAY $130 to get it out! It was indeed a lovely piece of furniture, solid light hardwood, nice clean lines.

Calling up one more reselling shop to see if they will buy my old electronic typewriter. Sort of hoping they will say no, like the other places, so I can just donate the thing to the salvation army, and be rid of it.

On Sunday I went by the S.A. dropoff place, and it was packed to the gills with stuff! I hope they continue to accept stuff well into the future, since I have a lot.

Maybe, you can put it in the electrical recycling. I doubt it is sellable, which is also verified by your efforts with the reselling shops. By donating it to salvation army you are giving them en expense or something to get rid of instead of a gift.

Oh, don't be such a Debby Downer. I bet they could get $5 or $10 for it.

I prefer to called it realistic. I haven’t seen anybody use a typewriter in 25 years.

Coincidentally, my husband just said he'll take my dad's old Selectric off to his office because he finds it more convenient for typing addresses on envelopes.

In my last office, the Payroll department had an electric typewriter for cutting checks to terminated employees.  In California, whether the employee quits on the spot, gives notice or is terminated by the company, they are to be given all their salary, vacation or any other pay they are owed by the end of that business day.  Payroll could fulfil that obligation without disrupting the normal Payables process, and also without revealing salary or other sensitive info.

Did you get your salary by check? I haven’t seen anybody using checks in 20 years. I find it fascinating that US has some of the world largest tech companies but still use checks.

[oneday]

In my last office, the Payroll department had an electric typewriter for cutting checks to terminated employees.  In California, whether the employee quits on the spot, gives notice or is terminated by the company, they are to be given all their salary, vacation or any other pay they are owed by the end of that business day.  Payroll could fulfil that obligation without disrupting the normal Payables process, and also without revealing salary or other sensitive info.

Did you get your salary by check? I haven’t seen anybody using checks in 20 years. I find it fascinating that US has some of the world largest tech companies but still use checks.

No, but it was an option. I'm pretty sure it's legally required to offer paper checks...not everybody in the USA has a bank account.  I'm sure some employees did opt to get checks.  Those employees would have their checks handed to them by their manager on payday (like in the olden days), so those checks would be prepared ahead of time by the outsourced payroll company.

But the requirement to pay an employee out on their last day necessitated a paper check cut by the internal payroll department.  The direct deposit system was either too expensive or too inflexible to handle a same-day transfer.

The company I worked for was 80 years old.  I guarantee that typewriter had been purchased new by the payroll department back when it was current tech.  It's still in service because it's not been heavily used. 

[Loretta]

I was up early this morning and procured a prescription through the CVS drive-through and then I was the UPS Store's first customer to return some poorly fitting masks and a poorly fitting dress to Amazon.  I have now removed my card info from the website and I AM OFFICIALLY BREAKING UP WITH AMAZON. 

[oneday]

Way to go, @MoolahLula !

[Weisass]

I was up early this morning and procured a prescription through the CVS drive-through and then I was the UPS Store's first customer to return some poorly fitting masks and a poorly fitting dress to Amazon.  I have now removed my card info from the website and I AM OFFICIALLY BREAKING UP WITH AMAZON.

You are living the dream.

[oneday]

Just recycled a piece of paper from the Pile of Doom (hat tip to @happy ).  There are 3 papers left! It's not my only cache of papers, but other stuff just needs scanning. I may have a victory post of my own soon.

[happy]

Good work @oneday, only 3 to go! I look forward to your victory dance post. I burnt all the confidential papers from the Box of Doom this evening, and put the rest of the discards into the recycle bin. There's about 2 inches of pile left inside the box and I have a plan for those which I hope to execute tonight.

[Frugal Lizard]

My son moved out yesterday.  He took two car loads of stuff.  I have stockpiling stuff for him since May.  After he was off I spent the afternoon collecting the garbage piles he left in his bedroom.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Awesome wins, @MoolahLula @Frugal Lizard @oneday ! Progress everywhere.

I've recently:
-was on an incredibly terrible call recently, & spent the time organizing my son's dresser (I work out of his bedroom). Found a few things to donate, & a few to sell. Found dirty laundry under the bed (now in laundry). Also, gross
-Promptly returned two items that didn't work out (running shoes that were too big)
-Donated extra toiletries (including quite a few travel sizes, which were a request) to a neighbor collecting for a homeless shelter
-Got rid of our old microwave/convection oven that didn't fit after our remodel. I'd wanted to donate that + the fridge to a good charity, but it was quite hard to get that together. Instead, sold on FB & then made a donation to the wildfire fund. Done, and done!
-Continued to unpack kitchen (post remodel) & getting rid of things we no longer need. It's been a useful process to pack (dumped a bunch of stuff at that time) & then unpack. Why do we have six colanders, of various sizes, for example? I did stop my husband from buying a second package of cutting boards. We already have 8. He wanted to buy another 3 pack...

Speaking of my husband & progress, he grew up without a lot & immigrated alone to Canada at 16. So, he has some clutter/accumulation issues from a time when he truly had no belongings & lived in poverty. We hit a delicate balance at home, with me being driven nuts by clutter, and trying to be respectful of him.
Last night, he asked me to get rid of his old suits! He has a bunch of very, very nice suits from his role in sales (8+ years ago). We are both now in tech, and will never wear them again. I'm going to find a nice charity. I also suggested selling our old digital camera, and he agreed to that as well! Woop!!

[oneday]

Thanks @happy, right back atcha!  I have a feeling the last 2 inches will feel soooo satisfying to dispose of.

@Frugal Lizard no more garbage piles, yay!

@Sun Hat sounds like your trash was their treasure. Score!

@MaybeBabyMustache I can feel the triumph for you both when your husband agreed to sell the camera. Yay!


lol, forgot my update.  Two of three papers gone! One dealt with, the other in my calendar for later this week.  The last page has info I need to make a phone call on Tuesday.  That is also in my calendar.  In two days time, the pile of doom should be gone!

[shrimpwd]

I've managed to get a good number of loads over to my mom's shed from the back porch/room over the past week.
I even cleared up some of my temporary piles that needed to move out to that room.

However, until that last bit of stuff goes to her place, I can't set the room up to do as I'd like. Been nearly 4 years, you'd think I could wait until Thursday. (If it actually happens then...)

Part of this move is to get space so that I can go through my things again. I needed more space to lay it all out to sort. Some of my stuff has been shoved on shelves for years without me using it. Hopefully soon!

[Dutch Comfort]

Sold our old dining room table and its 6 chairs! That really was a relief to see it leaving the house.
Cleaned out our son’s closet and made 3 piles: junk / give away / sell. Already sold a few items (will be picked  up tomorrow)and will donate the give away pile tomorrow (Spare sets for kindergarten, the teachers there love to have a few spare sets of clothes in case of accidents.....)!
Now my daughter’s closet......... (12yo tween with her own style......😜)

[okisok]

I took a weeklong break from the internet, so I had a bunch of time to declutter:

-last bits of elastic to a friend to fix a facemask. Mailed them off in some of the stationery stash.

-took apart an old photo album. Mailed some shots to my nephew that had his family in them. Put the rest in an existing memory box. Cover went into trash. Paper pages are being turned into a sketch book. Beaded decoration turned into a doll necklace.

-doll necklace and mended doll's clothes to SO's daughter and out of mending pile.

-reorganized kitchen cabinets and put plastic packeted items into glass jars. Tossed or recycled packaging. Pared down the glass jars to just the Mason or Kerr jars, rest in recycling.

-more stationery out in notes and letters. There's room in that cubby now!

-repurposed a yoga mat strap into a hairclip holder

-put a box on the curb with previously mentioned carving fork, shot glass, sheet, plus added a paper towel holder, sunhat, and bath pillow. SO took the sun hat and the rest was gone in 24 hours

-turned an unfinished sewing project and its scraps into a usable project, down to small scraps. Too-small scraps and threads went into the compost pile (100% cotton).

-came home from a family visit with a trunk load of stuff. Most of it went straight to the recycling bin (old magazines, catalogues, etc). They live in a rural area with very few recycling options, so I'm happy to bring them back and put them in my recycling bin to keep them out of the dump. The trick is to get them out immediately and not leave them in my car or mudroom for days, weeks....

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Once again, a three hour "listening" training (e.g. no face time) resulted in me cleaning out my son's dresser. (His room is my "office.) Found a few things to donate, a few to sell. Also found a bunch of dirty clothes in his soccer bag... he last had a soccer game in February (pre COVID). Sweet lord. Tossed everything in the laundry, hope to salvage stuff.

Sold a few items on eBay - items out of the house, money in.

In non household items, I picked a bunch of jalapenos, and put them out with a free sign to share with neighbors. While I was at it, added giant packages of disposable cups/plates & silverware, leftover from our kitchen remodel. They were gone to other neighbors who are also remodeling or hosting a few socially distanced family meets. Win!

[oneday]

@shrimpwd sounds like there's a tangle of Family Stuff at your place.  Best wishes for getting that sorted out ASAP!

@Dutch Comfort well done with all the selling!

@okcisok I do the same thing with a family member's recycling 😁

@MaybeBabyMustache I am fascinated and repulsed by what you find in your "office"

The Pile Of Doom is gone! 🥳 In its place is today's mail, which will sit for a few days for decontamination.  This will be an easy pile to get through, so I'm happy to declare No Doom Pile even though there is still a stack rather than a clear spot on the counter.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

@oneday - nice work getting rid of the pile of doom!!! Awesome progress.

What I really need to do is move my "office" to another child's room during long call days & start working through his stuff. Because, that guy is a real clutter bug!

[Sibley]

The handyman is here today to work on the utility room. Which means that:

-all the lumber for the new window trim will be installed and not in the way
-the countertop will be installed and not in the way
-the shelving will be cut to length and ready for installation (the brackets are MIA so there will be a hunt later for those)
-the old dryer vent will be gone, hole closed up and the supplies for that used
-leftover drywall can be offered to people
-leftover lumber can be offered to neighbor for his garage work
-unused items purchased for the project can be returned to the store for a refund
-finally, I'll be ready to call the plumber to get the plumbing stuff finished up.

Once I find the shelf brackets, then I can get all the stuff that should be stored in the utility room out of my hall closet and bedroom and kitchen and dining room and properly stored where it belongs.

I'm really excited. :)

Edit:
Handyman is done!

[Poundwise]

@Sibley  The decluttering that comes with finishing a project is very very satisfying!!

[Frugal Lizard]

The garbage bin was emptied this morning and DH half filled it with more garbage. 
The recycle bin is completely full and won't be emptied for a week.  I am wondering if I can stalk the garbage truck and have a box of recycling ready for a second dump?

[LinneaH]

@Sibley that sounds wonderful! So much stuff on the way out or to it's proper place!