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

[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.

[okcisok]

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.

[AerynLee]

This week we moved into our new house. We got rid of a ton of stuff last time we moved, 5 years ago, and have kept things pretty minimal since then. But as always there's more that can go. Even though our new place is bigger (1800sqft vs 950sqft) I'm being very selective as I unpack trying to decide what we actually want to keep.

Already in the donate bin is ~5 tshirts that are either from events I've done (running/biking) but didn't like the look of, or some I bought 12+ years ago that never fit but that I loved and hoped one day to. Plus two tumblers from we were given from our mortgage company at closing that I know we will never use.

There's a few things in the basement and a lot of stuff in a couple of outbuildings that were left by the previous owners that we'll need to toss. We figure once we get settled in and have a chance to sort through what could be nice to keep (it's a 100 year old house so original doors and flooring are keepers) and what needs tossed and we'll probably have to rent a small dumpster to get rid of it all. Unless someone wants a pink bathtub :)

[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!

[AerynLee]

@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

[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.

[okcisok]

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.

[Loretta]

I drove 60 miles one way to deliver 4 bags of unwanted soft housewares and clothing to my cat's rescue.  The bags came from a friend and myself.  Her bag was full of clothing with the tags still attached.  The rescue will be paid by the pound.  Here's hoping the FUNdrive is big $$$ for them.  https://www.facebook.com/MountainCatsTNR/ if you need cheered up by cats in these crazy times. 

[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!     

[okcisok]

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 :)

[okcisok]

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

[oneday]

The Pile Of Doom is gone! 🥳

The Pile of Doom™ is back.

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.

This would be helpful. Maybe even 30 minutes a month? Hmm....

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 :)

I will keep this in mind as I dig into the pile more. There might be enough to justify a Time Will Tell basket.


@happy ouch, painful discovery! Let's level up out adulting together, along with all out friends on the declutter thread! :)

[MayDay]

The Pile Of Doom is gone! 🥳

The Pile of Doom™ is back.

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.

This would be helpful. Maybe even 30 minutes a month? Hmm....

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 :)

I will keep this in mind as I dig into the pile more. There might be enough to justify a Time Will Tell basket.


@happy ouch, painful discovery! Let's level up out adulting together, along with all out friends on the declutter thread! :)

I have a friend who swears by this system. She previously struggled a lot with paper. I know there are paid options for her whole program but I think all the Sunday basket info is free.

https://organize365.com/the-sunday-basket

[SimpleCycle]

I use a slightly adapted version of Freedom Filer for my paper clutter and it works great.  The trick for me is monthly folders - it gives me a place to put "not sure if I need to keep" items along with "keep for a limited time" items, and they get purged when that month comes around again.  I think Freedom Filer recommends two years worth but I only have one year worth and that's enough.  Having a designated place to keep receipts (the monthly folder) has saved my butt a few times.  This article roughly describes it.  https://www.freedomfiler.com/pages/filing-system-university I set it up without buying any of the special products they offer - just regular hanging files and color coded tabs.  It takes about 2 minutes a month to maintain the system.

Freedom Filer only takes care of the reference part of the filing system though - I still have two paper trays on my desk, one for action items and one for unopened mail that I know is important but I haven't taken care of yet.  I love the idea of a designated day to attend to those items, will check out the Sunday Basket idea.

[oneday]

I have a friend who swears by this system. She previously struggled a lot with paper. I know there are paid options for her whole program but I think all the Sunday basket info is free.

https://organize365.com/the-sunday-basket

This system seems useful. I have good systems for archive and permanent papers. It's the action papers that are the struggle. Between Sibley's suggestion and this system, it may be time to schedule a recurring task (probably not Sunday, tho :)

I use a slightly adapted version of Freedom Filer for my paper clutter and it works great.  The trick for me is monthly folders - it gives me a place to put "not sure if I need to keep" items along with "keep for a limited time" items, and they get purged when that month comes around again.  I think Freedom Filer recommends two years worth but I only have one year worth and that's enough.  Having a designated place to keep receipts (the monthly folder) has saved my butt a few times.  This article roughly describes it.  https://www.freedomfiler.com/pages/filing-system-university I set it up without buying any of the special products they offer - just regular hanging files and color coded tabs.  It takes about 2 minutes a month to maintain the system.

Freedom Filer only takes care of the reference part of the filing system though - I still have two paper trays on my desk, one for action items and one for unopened mail that I know is important but I haven't taken care of yet.  I love the idea of a designated day to attend to those items, will check out the Sunday Basket idea.

This is complicated, but I think I do a version of it for my reference papers.  Fortunately, I do follow this advice for Trash...get rid of ASAP!

Inspired by this conversation, I've gotten the pile down quite a bit. I think the Time Will Tell basket and scheduling the work should be my next steps.

[Sibley]

FWIW, my system is:

-immediately open all mail. Discard junk. Anything that's just for filing goes into the filing pile. Anything I need to deal with gets put into the desk.
-Each weekend, I grab my checkbook and anything I need to deal with from the desk, pay bills, balance as needed, etc. If something needs dealing with during business hours, it junks up my little table by the couch so I remember to get to it.
-I divert a lot of paper from coming in by switching most bills to online only.

The desk is usually a mess, but it closes so you can't see the mess. The filing pile tends to sit until I feel like dealing with it, I need to get into the files, or am moving the file box for cleaning. Whichever comes first.

[slackmax]

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.

There are plenty of things the Salvation Army would want, and be able to sell, that simply don't sell at flea markets or garage sales.

One example is 3 ring paper binders. You see them for sale at Walmart for $3 to $5 apiece. I have sold some of these for 50 cents at a flea market last year. This year no one wants them, for some reason.

But at least I know I can get rid of them by donation to the S.A.  I have actually seen a guy buying one of these binders at a Goodwill store  at the register. It was $1, I think.     

I don't worry too much about whether the donated item will have to be thrown out. At least it will probably be in a full dumpster, so the diesel fuel burned to hoist the dumpster around will be efficiently used, lol. 

[NotJen]

There are plenty of things the Salvation Army would want, and be able to sell, that simply don't sell at flea markets or garage sales.

One example is 3 ring paper binders. You see them for sale at Walmart for $3 to $5 apiece. I have sold some of these for 50 cents at a flea market last year. This year no one wants them, for some reason.

But at least I know I can get rid of them by donation to the S.A.  I have actually seen a guy buying one of these binders at a Goodwill store  at the register. It was $1, I think.     

I don't worry too much about whether the donated item will have to be thrown out. At least it will probably be in a full dumpster, so the diesel fuel burned to hoist the dumpster around will be efficiently used, lol.

I sold a ton of 3-ring binders in February - a garbage bag-full of them through FB Marketplace.  I had them listed as "as many as you want" for $5, and someone wanted them all - I was happy to be rid of them.

I assume that thrift shops can sell things for less than I'm willing to - the effort for me to sell something for $1 is probably more than it's worth for me and the buyer, but people shopping at a thrift shop would be more willing to purchase these things in combination with others.

Since my last update, I've sold another 4 things on Marketplace by offering shipping and increasing my "audience".

[Cassie]

Locally our thrift stores won’t accept china cabinets, armoires and entertainment centers because they cannot sell them.

[PMG]

I took the apple box back to the orchard when I was in the area for something else.  Alas. They are out of apples for the season but that means we won’t have any more boxes hanging around the house.

[Goldielocks]

I am now trying to sell our workshop full of wood tools.   At least the tools worth $40-$200 at bargain used prices.  There are a lot, as we are moving to a place without a workshop space.   Normally I would have a tool garage sale, but with Covid, any ideas?  CL will take a long time and they are too heavy to reasonably ship.

[SunnyDays]

Locally our thrift stores won’t accept china cabinets, armoires and entertainment centers because they cannot sell them.

People don’t want armoires?  Huh.  I love them - they create so much more floor space than a dresser and hold tons of stuff.  China cabinets and entertainment centres I can understand.

[slackmax]

I am now trying to sell our workshop full of wood tools.   At least the tools worth $40-$200 at bargain used prices.  There are a lot, as we are moving to a place without a workshop space.   Normally I would have a tool garage sale, but with Covid, any ideas?  CL will take a long time and they are too heavy to reasonably ship.

Those tools are the sort of thing that would sell quickly at a flea market, if you have any nearby.

By the way, I don't see why you couldn't have an outdoor yard sale to sell them, with social distancing and masks on. Are yard sales prohibited where you live?

And you might get lucky with Craigslist, if you give it a try.

Good luck.

[oneday]

[snip]

I had been looking for a different paper in the paper stack (only one stack these days, woot!), and felt up to dealing with these & another envelope that arrived not too long ago.

Ha, ha! Two years ago, I was so excited to have just *one* stack of papers. Now with hedonic adaptation, I'm irritated to have one whole stack of papers.

FWIW, my system is:

-immediately open all mail. Discard junk. Anything that's just for filing goes into the filing pile. Anything I need to deal with gets put into the desk.
-Each weekend, I grab my checkbook and anything I need to deal with from the desk, pay bills, balance as needed, etc. If something needs dealing with during business hours, it junks up my little table by the couch so I remember to get to it.
-I divert a lot of paper from coming in by switching most bills to online only.

The desk is usually a mess, but it closes so you can't see the mess. The filing pile tends to sit until I feel like dealing with it, I need to get into the files, or am moving the file box for cleaning. Whichever comes first.

I definitely get rid of junk ASAP and also have all bills not only delivered online, but paid automatically.

Made good progress today.

• Paperwork from opening a checking account discarded or filed*
• Paperwork from turning slides into USB discarded or stored with USB*
• AAA's magazine flipped thru & discarded
• Almost-used-up notebook excavated & put back into "to use" pile
• Random paperwork filed*

*adulting delayed

[Goldielocks]

I am now trying to sell our workshop full of wood tools.   At least the tools worth $40-$200 at bargain used prices.  There are a lot, as we are moving to a place without a workshop space.   Normally I would have a tool garage sale, but with Covid, any ideas?  CL will take a long time and they are too heavy to reasonably ship.

Those tools are the sort of thing that would sell quickly at a flea market, if you have any nearby.

By the way, I don't see why you couldn't have an outdoor yard sale to sell them, with social distancing and masks on. Are yard sales prohibited where you live?

And you might get lucky with Craigslist, if you give it a try.

Good luck.

Not prohibitted, but people are on stepped up "locked down" - masks in public are mandatory, told not to socialize outside of your household for a few weeks, eliminate non-essential travel.  My guess is to flatten the curve before christmas season is here.  It will be hard to keep people apart for all of the holiday.