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

[Sibley]

I decluttered the yard of 3 trash cans full of yard waste and 2 huge piles of leaves (plus another 2 piles of leaves that were in my neighbor's front yard). Trash day is Thursday. Yes, they send yard waste to the landfill rather than composting. The leaves are composted I believe. I think the leaf vacuum truck will be around on Wednesday.

Not all the leaves are down, but the big maple dropped 90% and the oak about half. The other 3 trees are much smaller, and are in varying states of dropping their leaves.

Also working on consolidating all the Christmas presents to one location, from which I can organize and wrap. Have to ship everything this year, so trying to get stuff sent out by early December.

Edit: sigh. Overnight, a smallish tree dropped something like 60% of its leaves.

[SimpleCycle]

We did a lot of cleaning and organizing yesterday - getting to the point where there is less to get rid of when I clean/organize/declutter a space.  I did the kitchen yesterday, and all that I got rid of were some miscellaneous food containers that someone on Buy Nothing wanted.

We had a bunch of boxes cluttering up the entryway/dining room that we'd never broken down and recycled, so DW did that yesterday and they're in the car waiting to go to cardboard recycling.  We also had some random kid craft supplies that someone gave us early in the pandemic - some were decent so I put them away and the rest were trashed because they weren't really donatable.

I've been focusing a lot on the things I can control in our house without the cooperation of DW and the kids - it's done wonders for my sanity to let go a little.

[MayDay]

Today I cleaned out most of the hall closet. Mostly got rid of packaging and actually put stuff away properly, not TOO much to throw away.

Right when hand sanitizer started becoming available I'd buy a bottle each week. Now we have 8 bottles and the virus is mostly airborne. Oh well! Will hold onto those until this roller coaster is over.

[Prairie Gal]

Not a lot of de-cluttering happening here lately (actually I've been letting too many things in the door, but that is another matter), but I did turf some old pots. Put some books in the donation box, and have an old oil painting out to list for sale. I also have a wok type thing that is meant for the BBQ out, and I will either donate or try to sell it. Probably just donate as it is probably only worth $5 even though it is brand new. I also have a vintage window frame with a wreath on it that I am going to try to sell. Already sold one for $50.

[Sibley]

Well, my neighbor is decluttering. He came over and asked if I want a 17 year old new in box track light that's been in his garage. Yes, I took it. I have no need for it so I will discreetly donate it. This guy really needs to do declutter, so I'll give him a hand.

[oneday]

Was given a cute mug yesterday. Fitting this into my cupboard helped me realize I didn't need a tumbler I've been holding on to for two years. Talk about one in, one out! :)

[slackmax]

Was given a cute mug yesterday. Fitting this into my cupboard helped me realize I didn't need a tumbler I've been holding on to for two years. Talk about one in, one out! :)

Thanks for the segue. Today at the flea market I sold a beer mug and a coffee mug. It is SO hard to sell glassware! Woohoo ! 

[okisok]

Today I made a sweep through and filled up a donation bag. In addition, decided to get rid of a couch cover/pet protector I'd bought that didn't quite fit the couch and a pair of jeans that I never wear.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Organized our toiletries yesterday. Didn't get rid of anything, but reacquainted myself with what we have, which will prevent future unnecessary purchases.

[middo]

Organized our toiletries yesterday. Didn't get rid of anything, but reacquainted myself with what we have, which will prevent future unnecessary purchases.

After buying herbs we already had last weekend, this may be a good idea for me too.

[okisok]

Actually dropped the donations off at Goodwill today! I did pull one pair of jeans out of the bag when I realized they would make great shorts as the legs were the part that didn't fit right.

Found a few items that can go to SO's house that I no longer need but he would use.

The nine-day power outage decluttered my fridge and freezer for me. :/ Luckily, I'd been participating in the Eat All the Food in Your House challenge in another thread, so it could have been much worse. A couple of pounds each of meat, fruit, and vegetables, and a couple of leftover meals I'd frozen for later meals. I cleaned it out completely and wiped out fridge and freezer with a vinegar solution and aired it out until the power came back on. As Ma Ingalls would say, "There's no big loss without some small gain".

[lazycow]

I keep a drawer in my ensuite for Zero Waste stuff like used metal razor blades, old contact lenses and packaging, plastic tubes for shampoo etc that are not recyclable in normal bins, old plastic toothbrushes and toothpaste tubes, and (urgh, I know, used biodegradeable silk floss and hair clippings as I regularly trim my hair - head hair I mean!) This drawer of disgustingness is now full and I need to take everything out to: metal recyclers, The Body Shop (plastic and empty makeup containers), and our local council takes old oral hygiene stuff, and my compost bin for hair and floss.

[PMG]

@lazycow That is awesome!!  Thank you so much for going to that effort.

Around here we have small wins:

While making dinner I found we had two partial containers of curry spice.  Combined them in to one.

The bulb on the porch blew and when I went to replace it tonight the first bulb I tried was blown as well. It was an old one we'd removed from another fixture that had multiple bulbs and was far too bright. Both are gone now. How long have we been storing a dead lightbulb!? hah!

Our big win recently was using a pile of lumber that "came with the house" to rebuild the platform for the washer and dryer. Our basement is so much tidier and there is so much space now! 

We've got the old pieces outside now and will need to get it into the trash a little at a time.  Some of the old wood was non-treated so we'll burn it the next time we have friends over for a bonfire.

We finally completed some plumbing projects we bought parts for months ago.

We're inching our way closer to significant closet clean outs, I'm mentally letting go of a few things, but the weather has been fantastic so we've been spending time outdoors and will save that work for a rainy day.

[SimpleCycle]

Decluttered and organized our upstairs hall closet yesterday.  Posted 20 things on Buy Nothing and got takers for 15 of them.  Now I just hope everyone comes and gets stuff.

[Dutch Comfort]

Sold a few outgrown children's clothes and some books. Will be in the mail and out of the house today. Unfortunately, the first holiday presents will be delivered today, which I will need to hide somewhere. Hoping that the other family members will stick to the wishlists I sent them for the kids and not give them junk......

[diapasoun]

I finally put a list on our fridge door of what vegetables we have in the fridge. I don't know why I didn't do this ages ago. Turns out it really helps with the fridge clutter and not letting any veggies go to waste.

[mspym]

I finally put a list on our fridge door of what vegetables we have in the fridge. I don't know why I didn't do this ages ago. Turns out it really helps with the fridge clutter and not letting any veggies go to waste.

I do that and also make a note on my shopping list of what vegetables we have plenty of so I don't accidentally re-buy. [It turns out we eat a lot of frozen peas, but we don't need 5kg in our freezer] The other thing I do is have the rough meal plan on the shopping list which helps me not over-purchase fresh produce that doesn't have an associated meal.

[diapasoun]

I finally put a list on our fridge door of what vegetables we have in the fridge. I don't know why I didn't do this ages ago. Turns out it really helps with the fridge clutter and not letting any veggies go to waste.

I do that and also make a note on my shopping list of what vegetables we have plenty of so I don't accidentally re-buy. [It turns out we eat a lot of frozen peas, but we don't need 5kg in our freezer] The other thing I do is have the rough meal plan on the shopping list which helps me not over-purchase fresh produce that doesn't have an associated meal.

I actually used to do the rough meal plan thing, but with COVID and the way it's changed our grocery shopping habits, it's definitely fallen to the wayside. I actually like not having much of a meal plan, but there's been an adjustment period in making sure we're not accidentally leaving things in the back of the fridge. I was starting to feel kind of harried about keeping the fridge in order and now... I'm not.

[Goldielocks]

I have craigslisted my piano.   Arranged for a truck rental and a couple of helpers to get it out of my home for Friday.   Offering delivery seems to give interest to people, although they have to get it from their driveway into their homes themselves (I just cite Covid but really, less moving I personally do, the better, I am getting too old for that).

We'll see if I can get it gone before my move at the end of Dec.

[slackmax]

I have craigslisted my piano.   Arranged for a truck rental and a couple of helpers to get it out of my home for Friday.   Offering delivery seems to give interest to people, although they have to get it from their driveway into their homes themselves (I just cite Covid but really, less moving I personally do, the better, I am getting too old for that).

We'll see if I can get it gone before my move at the end of Dec.

Good luck, Goldielocks.  I was able to get $100 for a nice old piano (Bradford? Bradbury?) that was still in tune. Two college girls bought it, and they paid for a delivery service get it out of the basement into the truck. 

I saw a few pianos listed for free on Craigslist at the time.   

[NotJen]

I re-posted all my old FB Marketplace listings yesterday to try to renew interest, and bit the bullet on offering to ship through them (they are offering free shipping on the first 10 items I sell).  Success - I sold 3 things right away!

[happy]

I have craigslisted my piano.   Arranged for a truck rental and a couple of helpers to get it out of my home for Friday.   Offering delivery seems to give interest to people, although they have to get it from their driveway into their homes themselves (I just cite Covid but really, less moving I personally do, the better, I am getting too old for that).

We'll see if I can get it gone before my move at the end of Dec.

I need to sell my piano also: I have been putting that off for a while. In my area  costs at least $300AUD to get a piano moved even a short distance, ...so I can imagine offering delivery would help to get it sold and out. Fingers crossed for you.

[happy]

2 small bags of clothing and a small bag of books went into the donation bins yesterday :)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Went through our shoe bins in the bench/shelf unit in the garage. Found three pair of shoes the kids have outgrown. Put two in the donation pile, as there is a lot of life left. One needs to be washed first, so they are drying & when ready will add to the donation pile.

Listed another suit on eBay. They are fancy suits (Hugo Boss) & my husband both no longer is in sales & needs that type of wardrobe, but also has lost 30 lbs. Wish there was a better option for finding someone who could use them. We have 6 of them. I've sold one, so at least that's matched up with a buyer.

[Poundwise]

Since Big Brother/Big Sister closed down their collection station in our area, all the local clothing bins benefit scummy for-profit companies masquerading as charities. So I have been accumulating a lot of clothes and housewares. Yesterday a friend organized a collection for earthquake victims in Honduras, so I was more than glad to offload a lot of nice clothing, including several pairs of hardly worn sneakers that I bought from the internet but did not fit my kids well.

[NotJen]

Today has been a good day.  I took 3 boxes of documents to a local shred-day event (I missed the last two years, otherwise I would have only had 1 box in my "system").  I also dropped off some blankets, a winter coat, and a bunch of scarves for a blanket drive for the homeless.  And sold another item on Marketplace, which will go out in the mail tomorrow.

[Roadrunner53]

Since Big Brother/Big Sister closed down their collection station in our area, all the local clothing bins benefit scummy for-profit companies masquerading as charities. So I have been accumulating a lot of clothes and housewares. Yesterday a friend organized a collection for earthquake victims in Honduras, so I was more than glad to offload a lot of nice clothing, including several pairs of hardly worn sneakers that I bought from the internet but did not fit my kids well.

Poundwise, have you tried calling Vietnam Vets? Great organization and they will come right to your home to pick up stuff. I have not donated in a long time but I was regularly putting stuff out in garbage bags with a label marked VNA. They come and take anything that is marked VNA. They don't take large furniture because it is just mostly one driver and they can't do heavy stuff by themselves.

[Poundwise]

@Roadrunner53 They are in my area and friends swear by them. However I saw the following article where it's said that not as much of the donations go to programs as they claim.

If I wanted to just get rid of stuff quickly, I would just post it free on Craigslist or Buy Nothing, and it would be gone in a day.  But if I want to give to charity, I prefer to give as directly to the end user as possible... Just my preference.

[Plina]

@Roadrunner53 They are in my area and friends swear by them. However I saw the following article where it's said that not as much of the donations go to programs as they claim.

If I wanted to just get rid of stuff quickly, I would just post it free on Craigslist or Buy Nothing, and it would be gone in a day.  But if I want to give to charity, I prefer to give as directly to the end user as possible... Just my preference.

I don’t know how Vietnam Veterans specifically operate but I think many underestimate the cost of running charity stores.  If you add the cost of pickup, wages, rent and disposal  costs of all the unsellable junk that people dump at these kind of stores, because they can’t make themselves throw away the stuff, the expenses add up pretty fast. You see posts in this thread when someone has not been able to sell something for a long time finally decides to give it to charity. What they really are doing is giving the organisation an expense instead of a gift.

I understand your preference to give directly and maybe there is some organisation that gives to families in need in your area. Many of the donations to the foreign countries ruin the local markets and take away the possibility for people to earn their living. Even if the thought is good, there are often secondary results that we are not always aware off.

[MayDay]

^^

This is why I try to give things away right away rather than hanging on to them just in case... By the time "just in case" arrives the town is often worthless and goes into a landfill.

[happy]

^^

This is why I try to give things away right away rather than hanging on to them just in case... By the time "just in case" arrives the town is often worthless and goes into a landfill.

This is a big driver in my decluttering quest too. My folks were "keepers" and had huge amounts of stuff stored under and in their house because it was "too good to get rid of" and "just in case" they might need it one day. When they both had died, we had to clear it all out and nearly every item was severely damaged/deteriorated and had to go straight to landfill. Such a waste! So ironic!

[NotJen]

You see posts in this thread when someone has not been able to sell something for a long time finally decides to give it to charity. What they really are doing is giving the organisation an expense instead of a gift.

I'll definitely think about this before I donate any unsold items. 

My assumption was that different people might want the items who don't use Marketplace or eBay.  But my goal is to get stuff to the people who want/need it - not to contribute money to an organization through a donation of things.

Sometimes it just takes a while to find a buyer.  Yesterday I sold something that I had listed on eBay 2 years and 2 months ago!  Since I started decluttering with no end-date, I can hang out and wait for that to happen.  Hopefully reducing the amount of trash I have to deal with when I finally move.

[PMG]

We have our little old IKEA loveseat disassembled and in our tiny little car to drop at goodwill  I guess we’ll reassemble in the parking lot. I was surprised they accept soft furniture but they said yes when I called to check!  I also have a small bag of household odds and ends and a small bag of clothing.

[Plina]

You see posts in this thread when someone has not been able to sell something for a long time finally decides to give it to charity. What they really are doing is giving the organisation an expense instead of a gift.

I'll definitely think about this before I donate any unsold items. 

My assumption was that different people might want the items who don't use Marketplace or eBay.  But my goal is to get stuff to the people who want/need it - not to contribute money to an organization through a donation of things.

Sometimes it just takes a while to find a buyer.  Yesterday I sold something that I had listed on eBay 2 years and 2 months ago!  Since I started decluttering with no end-date, I can hang out and wait for that to happen.  Hopefully reducing the amount of trash I have to deal with when I finally move.

It is a nice feeling to be able to donate or sell something that is of use to someone else. As a private seller it is possible to hold on to things a lot longer while waiting for it to be sold. The charity shops can not do that because they have limited amount of space and they have to have a turnover of stuff. To hold on to something like you have been able to do would mean that it takes space from stuff that could be sold and make money to whatever their goal is.

 They have a pretty good idea of what is sellable and what is not. All those stuff that are not sellable in one way or another end up at the landfill or energy recycling.

I am giving to charity shops to not have to deal with the hassle of selling if it is not items of little higher value.

[okisok]

SO and I decided to go a different way on some holiday gift items, so I immediately took the ones I'd already purchased back to the store for a refund. I still had my receipt and got full price back. One of the items wasn't with me at the time, so I will still need to make time to take it back. Posting here to make myself accountable.

Got this done. Now I have another bag of items to return that we didn't use for a project. Tried to do it last weekend, but I noped right out after I saw all the people streaming into the store. I'll try again.

Was given a holiday gift early that won't work for me, so I looked up the store where it came from and how much it cost. I have a plan for the gift card I can get for returning it, to replace some clothing items that are wearing out.

[SunnyDays]

@AerynLee, funny you should mention a pink bathtub.  When I bought my house in 1993, the original blue bathtub and sink from 1971 were still in the bathroom.  In my desire to have neutral ones instead, I exchanged a heavy, iron (?) tub that held the heat like crazy for a flimsy, tin (?) tub that gets cold in 15 minutes.  I so wish I had just had the blue one repainted.  So if I lived near you, I might just take that pink tub off your hands!

[MayDay]

@AerynLee, funny you should mention a pink bathtub.  When I bought my house in 1993, the original blue bathtub and sink from 1971 were still in the bathroom.  In my desire to have neutral ones instead, I exchanged a heavy, iron (?) tub that held the heat like crazy for a flimsy, tin (?) tub that gets cold in 15 minutes.  I so wish I had just had the blue one repainted.  So if I lived near you, I might just take that pink tub off your hands!

Haha, I learned from reading Snacky's journal here that for bath lovers, old cast iron ones are great. I'm not a bath person and get board even before the cheap plastic-y tubs get cool, so I may even rip out the newish bath and replace it with a large walk-in shower (eventually....).

But yeah, if you happen to be in the midwest you're more than welcome to my pink bathtub. And the purple toilet with matching purple laundry sink that are still installed in the basement. And I'm pretty sure there was some other pink fixture in one of the outbuildings :P

Definitely post the sink, toilet, and tub on CL..if you can find local vintage groups, people will probably want them!

1. We need a mint green toilet, anyone in Mpls have one?
2. You can't buy a good heavy duty laundry sink anymore, they just don't exist, I'd take a purple one!

[SunnyDays]

@AerynLee, funny you should mention a pink bathtub.  When I bought my house in 1993, the original blue bathtub and sink from 1971 were still in the bathroom.  In my desire to have neutral ones instead, I exchanged a heavy, iron (?) tub that held the heat like crazy for a flimsy, tin (?) tub that gets cold in 15 minutes.  I so wish I had just had the blue one repainted.  So if I lived near you, I might just take that pink tub off your hands!

Haha, I learned from reading Snacky's journal here that for bath lovers, old cast iron ones are great. I'm not a bath person and get board even before the cheap plastic-y tubs get cool, so I may even rip out the newish bath and replace it with a large walk-in shower (eventually....).

But yeah, if you happen to be in the midwest you're more than welcome to my pink bathtub. And the purple toilet with matching purple laundry sink that are still installed in the basement. And I'm pretty sure there was some other pink fixture in one of the outbuildings :P

Alas, I am in Canada.

[Goldielocks]

I have craigslisted my piano.   Arranged for a truck rental and a couple of helpers to get it out of my home for Friday.   Offering delivery seems to give interest to people, although they have to get it from their driveway into their homes themselves (I just cite Covid but really, less moving I personally do, the better, I am getting too old for that).

We'll see if I can get it gone before my move at the end of Dec.

I need to sell my piano also: I have been putting that off for a while. In my area  costs at least $300AUD to get a piano moved even a short distance, ...so I can imagine offering delivery would help to get it sold and out. Fingers crossed for you.

Piano is GONE!  Happy dance.  I got $350 for it.. It was in good shape but 1976 vintage.

We rented a large commercial style cube van with a lift gate for $150.  We used the van to move heavy furniture to a new condo in the day, and the piano at night.  Without the piano, I would have rented a uHaul with a ramp, which would have been harder to load / unload the heavier furniture, so it was a win.

[slackmax]

Way to go !!

[oneday]

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.

The Pile of Doom™ is back. I'm sure none of the mail from Sept 8 is still around, but I just don't process the new stuff as fast as it arrives (postal mail and other sources of paper).  Work on this is resuming: sorting, phone calls and checking things online. It's frustrating that nothing can be tossed yet, but I'm determined to vanquish the Pile of Doom by Nov 30. Posting for accountability.

[Sibley]

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.

The Pile of Doom™ is back. I'm sure none of the mail from Sept 8 is still around, but I just don't process the new stuff as fast as it arrives (postal mail and other sources of paper).  Work on this is resuming: sorting, phone calls and checking things online. It's frustrating that nothing can be tossed yet, but I'm determined to vanquish the Pile of Doom by Nov 30. Posting for accountability.

What is coming in that you can stop from coming in? That would help slow the accumulation. At the same time, can you change up your routine to help deal with at least some of it faster? If you throw all the mail into a pile, yet 2/3 of it is the junk flyers and can be tossed, set the routine to throw out the junk immediately.

[PMG]

I dropped a huge box of instant oatmeal packets off at a little food pantry.  They've been hanging around our house for 6 months and we occasionally choke one down. I feel so wasteful getting rid of good food just because we don't like it, but we ought to be giving more back to our community! I might as well at least give this away while it's within date and someone might enjoy it in winter!

I also took some red beets we had in the pantry to a friend who's been talking about craving beets but not finding them in the shops.  Fun to make her day and chat through the window. 

Tonight I'm wrapping my spouses birthday gifts in scrapbook paper I've had for... 15 years? I've kept it because I use little bits each year to make greeting cards, but now I've found a website I like to print cards from, so I think it's time to let the other paper go. Such small successes.

eta: While re-hiding the birthday gifts I pulled out two items I need to return and got them packaged up with mailing labels so I can send them off tomorrow.

[okisok]

Way to go on the piano, @Goldielocks! Impressive efficiency with using the rental truck for multiple tasks.

Finally threw out an ailing houseplant and repurposed the glazed pot to hold kitchen utensils. Then I was able to put the two glass containers I had been using for utensils in the donate box. Three items out! (The plant went into the compost--it wasn't ill, but got too cold when my power was out.)

Pulled a pair of pants out of the closet that just don't fit right.

Taking a surplus wax warmer to work since coworker mentioned they wanted one. 

Selling some gifted perfume to a FB Marketplace buyer tomorrow, fingers crossed.

Waffling on putting a couple of decorate items and a large mirror on FB, but they're on the radar.

Contacted a charity that will pick up my old mattress. It's in great shape but it's not right for me. I really hated to throw it in the landfill. They are supposed to pick up on Thursday.

[oneday]

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.

The Pile of Doom™ is back. I'm sure none of the mail from Sept 8 is still around, but I just don't process the new stuff as fast as it arrives (postal mail and other sources of paper).  Work on this is resuming: sorting, phone calls and checking things online. It's frustrating that nothing can be tossed yet, but I'm determined to vanquish the Pile of Doom by Nov 30. Posting for accountability.

What is coming in that you can stop from coming in? That would help slow the accumulation. At the same time, can you change up your routine to help deal with at least some of it faster? If you throw all the mail into a pile, yet 2/3 of it is the junk flyers and can be tossed, set the routine to throw out the junk immediately.

Junk mail is chucked ASAP, thankfully. I am a paper hoarder and give too much significance to anything printed or written on dead tree pulp. In this pile are various "action item" papers:

• coupons (need to find a time to go to the drug store to use)
• statement from therapist - needed a phone call, done today
• various ID documents needed for RealID, but DMV is not making appointments right now
• various documents needed to renew passport - will get photo after T-day
• dunno what else

It's all random stuff. Even though I called the therapist, I need to keep the paper because she didn't answer and I couldn't resolve the issue that piece of paper represented.

The problem is I don't want to adult. So the Pile builds until I can't stand the mess.

[Sibley]

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.

The Pile of Doom™ is back. I'm sure none of the mail from Sept 8 is still around, but I just don't process the new stuff as fast as it arrives (postal mail and other sources of paper).  Work on this is resuming: sorting, phone calls and checking things online. It's frustrating that nothing can be tossed yet, but I'm determined to vanquish the Pile of Doom by Nov 30. Posting for accountability.

What is coming in that you can stop from coming in? That would help slow the accumulation. At the same time, can you change up your routine to help deal with at least some of it faster? If you throw all the mail into a pile, yet 2/3 of it is the junk flyers and can be tossed, set the routine to throw out the junk immediately.

Junk mail is chucked ASAP, thankfully. I am a paper hoarder and give too much significance to anything printed or written on dead tree pulp. In this pile are various "action item" papers:

• coupons (need to find a time to go to the drug store to use)
• statement from therapist - needed a phone call, done today
• various ID documents needed for RealID, but DMV is not making appointments right now
• various documents needed to renew passport - will get photo after T-day
• dunno what else

It's all random stuff. Even though I called the therapist, I need to keep the paper because she didn't answer and I couldn't resolve the issue that piece of paper represented.

The problem is I don't want to adult. So the Pile builds until I can't stand the mess.

Ah. I understand. There are times I also don't want to adult, luckily mine aren't frequent enough to cause this problem. You might find it helpful to designate 30 minutes to tackle the need-to-adult pile on a weekly basis or whatever. That limits the time spent (though you can certainly extend it once you start), yet also keeps the need-to-adult pile under control.

[happy]

As I declutter, I've discovered that I am really bad at putting things away when I'm done with them. All these years I thought it was my kids! Now faced with incontrovertible evidence I also need to adult up.

[slackmax]

I'm going to call this decluttering. I combined 2 car trips into one.

I was initially planning to drive to the cable co to pay my monthly bill in person with cash  (save the stamp and check cost. Don't want to use credit card, they charge you $3.00 extra for that!)

I was OK with wasting the gas and mileage since I just wanted to get out of the house anyway. But... after paying the bill, I remembered that Aldi's food store  was close by. Hopped over to Aldi's and scored big on cheap good food, in same car trip. For the Win!     

[okisok]

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.

The Pile of Doom™ is back. I'm sure none of the mail from Sept 8 is still around, but I just don't process the new stuff as fast as it arrives (postal mail and other sources of paper).  Work on this is resuming: sorting, phone calls and checking things online. It's frustrating that nothing can be tossed yet, but I'm determined to vanquish the Pile of Doom by Nov 30. Posting for accountability.

What is coming in that you can stop from coming in? That would help slow the accumulation. At the same time, can you change up your routine to help deal with at least some of it faster? If you throw all the mail into a pile, yet 2/3 of it is the junk flyers and can be tossed, set the routine to throw out the junk immediately.

Junk mail is chucked ASAP, thankfully. I am a paper hoarder and give too much significance to anything printed or written on dead tree pulp. In this pile are various "action item" papers:

• coupons (need to find a time to go to the drug store to use)
• statement from therapist - needed a phone call, done today
• various ID documents needed for RealID, but DMV is not making appointments right now
• various documents needed to renew passport - will get photo after T-day
• dunno what else

It's all random stuff. Even though I called the therapist, I need to keep the paper because she didn't answer and I couldn't resolve the issue that piece of paper represented.

The problem is I don't want to adult. So the Pile builds until I can't stand the mess.

Ah. I understand. There are times I also don't want to adult, luckily mine aren't frequent enough to cause this problem. You might find it helpful to designate 30 minutes to tackle the need-to-adult pile on a weekly basis or whatever. That limits the time spent (though you can certainly extend it once you start), yet also keeps the need-to-adult pile under control.

I just discovered the Minimal Mom YouTube channel today. She has a very simple organization system for paper clutter. The thing that stood out to me was the 'Time Will Tell' basket. It's for all those coupons and flyers that you *might* use, but don't have a home. Then once a month you go through and trash/recycle the stuff you didn't use. Might be a solution for the need-to-adult pile until you get the motivation :)

[okisok]

Went through the closet AGAIN today and found two more bags of clothes and shoes. If I didn't wear it this summer, out it goes, it's not going back in the tub for next summer. Found a few kitchen items and a dozen hangers that I don't need now that the closet is pared down.

The old mattress is on the porch for donation pickup tomorrow along with a moving blanket they might be able to use for future pickups.

Drove across the metro area to meet up for a FB sale for a higher-dollar item. I mapped out all the errands I needed to do (except the Goodwill drop-off since they were already closed). I made a giant loop that involved returns to Target and a department store and stopping in at Aldi for a little grocery shop and gas at Sam's Club. No back-tracking and no wasted mileage.

I popped into Dollar Tree but they didn't have what I wanted so I popped right back out. Nothing purchased at Target either--just a refund and dropped off the plastic bag recycling. At the department store I returned a gift and was able to get a new clothing item I needed plus some on-sale treats (I didn't want a gift card with like $0.32 hanging out in my wallet, so I was ok with spending $1.29 for *chocolate*. That I will *of course* share and not eat all by myself. Fingers crossed.)

So I netted over $100 and got rid of several items that were piling up to be returned or recycled. Once I drop off the truckload at Goodwill tomorrow afternoon, I should be good!

But I've said that several times upthread and keep finding more stuff :P