Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249493 times)

MayDay

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4450 on: December 26, 2020, 12:42:58 PM »
We had a lovely Xmas. Somehow through the years (maybe just as a result of kids getting older) many relatives have either stopped giving our kids gifts or give money instead. And the kids also now prefer a few more expensive items like a new cell phone, vs. many toys.

I did receive two kitchen items- a kettle and an instant pot. The old kettle has been listed on buy nothing, and instant pot is being debated. H received a new pan, and an old one will be going out.

I also cleaned out a few other random items: a stack of small plastic jars which are nice for dressing and sauce in lunches,  lightbulbs in a bright white blueish hue, etc.

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4451 on: December 26, 2020, 01:18:50 PM »
...our big gift to ourselves was a (full!) set of (matching!) silverware to replace our thrift store mismatch set.  We were tired of running out of spoons.  Old silverware is packed up and in the donate box.  I'm running laundry today, then the old napkins can join them...

Nice progress! If you haven't donated the old silverware yet, think about if you ever need to pack lunches and keep 1-2 spoons and/or forks from the mismatched set for this purpose. That way your nice new complete set is always for only at home and your mismatches are for travel/lunches away and potentially picnics

Good thought, I do always pack my work lunches so I'll stick a set in my lunchbox before we donate the lot.  Thanks!

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4452 on: December 26, 2020, 01:28:19 PM »
Three more books out to the street library, three books back to the actual library. Boys did their annual room swap yesterday and now there is a pile of outgrown clothing for donation. [I scored a sweet puffer jacket from G that he could wear 3? years ago?] I did a bit of rearranging in our room and got rid of a bedside table that is barely used. It's feeling clearer in here.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4453 on: December 27, 2020, 08:12:39 AM »
More progress!

I am putting together a big box of maternity clothes / post-partum supplies / baby supplies for a friend of ours who is expecting her first child in May. I had a baby back in February and we were given lots of toys, supplies, etc. which we never got around to using or were duplicates, so I'll be sharing the love. She's also excited to borrow our bassinet which is awesome because it's taking up a disproportionate amount of space in the basement right now, and I'll be throwing in a brand new changing pad & sheets that never worked for us. I'm also pulling together a big bag of used kids books (mostly board books) for their baby shower gift. All of these are from little free library boxes or already handed down from other friends / family members. I get to wrap them in some lovely baby shower wrapping that we had saved from all of our baby shower gifts. I like getting stuff out of my house but it's also really nice to just keep paying it forward. It legitimately gives me the warm fuzzies :)

I also gifted some gently used items as Christmas gifts (branded college sweatshirt, a few scarves, homemade soap from my mom, cookbooks) and all of the recipients claim to like them, so wins all around! I was pretty careful to only give things which I thought the recipients would genuinely enjoy - not just trying to dump stuff on other people - and it was a lot of fun to figure it out.

We replaced some of our worn out kitchen pans as a present-to-self this year, so the old pans plus a secondhand blender which we didn't use are all packed up and ready to go to Goodwill once we get around to it. I'm also working on downsizing our towel collection, and planning to save the really worn out ones for cleaning.

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4454 on: December 27, 2020, 02:11:08 PM »
Tired of the freezer door banging into a box next to it, so I allowed myself to 'just move stuff around' in the kitchen. I would much rather actually get rid of stuff than just move it around, but it made sense here. I put a few things under other things, inserted stuff into empty containers, and now  they take up less space.

And I can open the freezer door easily now.

Went though a drawer full of expired medicine and nutritional supplements and tossed some  of it. For some reason, that is difficult for me to do.   

I wonder if your difficulty getting rid of old food and food-like items is because they don’t go through the “try to sell it first” process?  You seem able to get rid of things that have passed through the flea market and not sold, maybe because other peoples’ lack of interest confirms in your mind that the items are not valuable?  If so, then remembering that no item is valuable if you’re not getting use out of it or if it’s detracting from enjoying your environment may be helpful.

I don't have (much) difficulty throwing out old food.  I reread my post, and see that I  ambiguously worded it. I was rearranging things * outside * of the fridge, not inside. The box the door was banging against was outside the fridge, too.


Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4455 on: December 27, 2020, 05:50:34 PM »
Per discussions over Christmas with friends I decided that it was best to do a big stock up grocery trip now, hopefully before all the idiots are contagious from Christmas gatherings. So I did a cleanout of the pantry of items which I haven't eaten over the past 2.5 months and had no desire to eat. Not replacing those items. I've located a food pantry to drop it all off at this week, just need to call tomorrow and ask if they can accept frozen items (I hope yes!). The grocery trip reminded me why I'm trying to avoid people - the number of chin diapers, etc.... Yes, it's a fairly red area.

Also grabbed some stuff for the animal shelter from around the house, including a blanket which I got for Christmas. Dropped that load off today.

And my friend came over earlier today and helped me move all the furniture. I got the book room painted!!! The book cases moved back in, the desk and chair went in the book room as well. The sheets/towels dresser moved from one wall to another in the back bedroom, the sewing machine moved from the living room to the upstairs bedroom, and the door to the book room is now in the living room for me to scrape and do wood patching as needed. Goal is to get that done by Tuesday night and move the door, ready for sanding, into the utility room where it will stay until it warms up enough to take it outside for sanding. Then, Wednesday, the carpets and couch are getting cleaned.

Stuff out of the house, and lots crossed off the to-do list. :)

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4456 on: December 27, 2020, 07:55:08 PM »
We painted our living room last week, which meant that we had to pull the books off the shelves. We ended up identifying three bags of books that don't need to continue owning, and I recycled a third, and donated the other 2/3 to the local "little free libraries" near us.  Just in time for the kiddos to get a bunch of new junk for Christmas. phew.

Loretta

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4457 on: December 28, 2020, 03:24:30 AM »
I have a lady from Buy Nothing coming today to pick up a bag of small toiletries. 

Steeze

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4458 on: December 28, 2020, 08:17:48 AM »
Made it through the box of memorabilia yesterday. Was able to toss the majority of my keepsakes no problem. Got it down from an entire storage tote to just a shoe box.

In retrospect I should have photographed the letters, cards, report cards, art work, etc. before I tossed it. Oh well. Been carrying around a tote full of artwork for years, most of which was created during times of my life that are better forgotten. Nice to know I do not need to re-live those moments again.

So far we have reduced the horde from 20 totes to 16, have liberated 2 cabinets and the bottom of 1 closet. The vacuum finally has a home in the closet instead of the corner of the room!!!

Also, going down to just 2 sets of dishes, silverware, and pots has made doing the dishes a breeze. Sink has been clean for days!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4459 on: December 28, 2020, 01:54:36 PM »
Tired of the freezer door banging into a box next to it, so I allowed myself to 'just move stuff around' in the kitchen. I would much rather actually get rid of stuff than just move it around, but it made sense here. I put a few things under other things, inserted stuff into empty containers, and now  they take up less space.

And I can open the freezer door easily now.

Went though a drawer full of expired medicine and nutritional supplements and tossed some  of it. For some reason, that is difficult for me to do.   

I wonder if your difficulty getting rid of old food and food-like items is because they don’t go through the “try to sell it first” process?  You seem able to get rid of things that have passed through the flea market and not sold, maybe because other peoples’ lack of interest confirms in your mind that the items are not valuable?  If so, then remembering that no item is valuable if you’re not getting use out of it or if it’s detracting from enjoying your environment may be helpful.

I don't have (much) difficulty throwing out old food.  I reread my post, and see that I  ambiguously worded it. I was rearranging things * outside * of the fridge, not inside. The box the door was banging against was outside the fridge, too.



I was actually referring to your drawer full of expired medicine and nutritional supplements.  (Not sure if those are expired too.)  Any meds that are more than 6 months past the date should probably be tossed, because chemical composition can change with age and create toxicities, so not wise to take them.  Any pharmacy will safely dispose of them for you.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4460 on: December 28, 2020, 05:15:18 PM »
Listed 32 Auctions on ebay today! Hoprfully most of them will sell and earn me a few extra dollars and free up some space.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4461 on: December 28, 2020, 09:14:44 PM »
The longer I telework, the more I'm putting work clothes in the donate bag. I still like many of my work clothes, but after all these months, I know I won't be able to tolerate wearing anything even mildly uncomfortable, and will likely only be going back 1-2 days a week, so when I see something I don't feel enthusiastic about wearing again at some point, into the box it goes.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4462 on: December 29, 2020, 12:00:05 AM »
Decluttered two perfectly serviceable mugs because I got two super-fun mugs for Christmas!

Also will be tossing a brand new insulated coffee mug because it's leaky.  It's cheap, plastic and not recyclable :(

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4463 on: December 29, 2020, 09:20:20 AM »
More kitchen decluttering and moving stuff around.

Moved some dry foodstuffs from floor into already decluttered lazy susan. Had been leaving lazy susan empty for months, thinking putting anything new into it would be   "REcluttering". Maybe I was just enjoying having it empty, ha ha. 



 

MayDay

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4464 on: December 30, 2020, 06:12:19 AM »
We have decided to declutter our stored food.

With Covid we stocked up much more than previous out of concern that cases would be so bad we would choose to stay home completely, or concern that we would all be sick, or concern that we would be unable to get items.

Now that vaccine rollout is starting and curbside pickup is much more robust, we decided to spend Jan (and maybe longer) intentionally decluttering/eating down the pantry and deep freeze. This will correspondingly clean out some cupboards.

So far I made a soup with split peas and thawed a pack of frozen sausage.

I also gave away shoes and two shirts and a bag of small jars on buy nothing.

YellowCat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4465 on: December 30, 2020, 07:09:00 AM »
This thread has inspired me - I just consolidated and reorganized all of my yarn and knitting supplies. Things should be easier to find now and I was able to free up a container to be my son’s toy box.

I also went through closets and chucked some stuff that's been sitting around from the previous homeowner since we bought the house (wood mostly). We'd done a major garage clean out last year and dumped tons of wood scraps but there was also some inside. Yay for progress!

I’ve got some new clothes coming and I’m planning to donate at least as many items as I’ll be getting new (I.e. one in, one out). Planning to get everything washed all at once & hit the clothing donation box before returning to work on Monday.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4466 on: December 30, 2020, 09:47:44 PM »
I dropped off a box, 2 paper bags, 1 big plastic bag (not a good choice) of pantry foods and a small plastic bag of frozen items to the food pantry. some random personal care items in there as well. All perfectly good, I just don't want to eat it right now, or am perfectly capable of buying replacements. There's a lot of hunger in my community right now, and every little bit helps.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4467 on: December 30, 2020, 10:59:24 PM »
I guess throwing out the umbrella that broke while I was using it counts as a bit of a declutter.
More positive steps are not going grocery shopping and deciding to use up the produce we have first.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4468 on: December 31, 2020, 07:11:06 AM »
Took the opportunity while the house is decorated for the holidays to de clutter Xmas decorations. I went to our basement and looked through the decorations that are not displayed. Bringing a bag to charity today.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4469 on: December 31, 2020, 08:39:52 AM »
Took the opportunity while the house is decorated for the holidays to de clutter Xmas decorations. I went to our basement and looked through the decorations that are not displayed. Bringing a bag to charity today.

How much is left in storage that you didn't use this year?

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4470 on: December 31, 2020, 08:56:26 AM »
Donated  4 shirts and 3 knick knacks.   

Started using up a bag and a half of lentils I found while decluttering kitchen. Made lentils and onion yesterday. Pretty good. Will make more today. Will not buy more lentils ever, probably, even though I like them.  Not tasty enough, I guess.     


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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4471 on: December 31, 2020, 10:29:52 AM »
I did not get many Christmas presents this year, so only one new item to get rid of - a themed potholder.  It was cute, but realistically I would never use it.  It went on FB Marketplace on the 26th, and left the house the 29th.

I listed a couple other things from around the house this week, but no bites yet.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4472 on: December 31, 2020, 02:26:53 PM »
Took the opportunity while the house is decorated for the holidays to de clutter Xmas decorations. I went to our basement and looked through the decorations that are not displayed. Bringing a bag to charity today.

How much is left in storage that you didn't use this year?

About 1/2 as much as was there yesterday :)  which equals out to about 1/2 a large bin. DH is very sentimental about most everything so I could only move along items I knew he wouldn’t care were missing. Baby steps. Also there are a couple of platters that might have been used if we had been able to have friends over and also 4 brand new holiday mugs I think my youngest wants..

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4473 on: December 31, 2020, 06:31:26 PM »
Took the opportunity while the house is decorated for the holidays to de clutter Xmas decorations. I went to our basement and looked through the decorations that are not displayed. Bringing a bag to charity today.

How much is left in storage that you didn't use this year?

About 1/2 as much as was there yesterday :)  which equals out to about 1/2 a large bin. DH is very sentimental about most everything so I could only move along items I knew he wouldn’t care were missing. Baby steps. Also there are a couple of platters that might have been used if we had been able to have friends over and also 4 brand new holiday mugs I think my youngest wants..

not bad. I didn't decorate inside this year, just put some lights up outside. I probably have lights I don't need. However, my parents are moving to the area this year and if they need lights, they can have whatever I don't need.

Steeze

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4474 on: December 31, 2020, 07:22:09 PM »
Opened a suitcase which had what I thought was blankets in it, gifts from my in-laws which we never opened, because we don't need any more bedding. Turns out I have an Alpaca hide fur rug. Who knew? Fancier than me though, too scared to ruin it to actually use it!

Loretta

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4475 on: December 31, 2020, 08:40:03 PM »
I saw a Facebook meme to flip closet hangers tonight so as to easily see what's in use and what is not being worn. 

Weisass

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4476 on: December 31, 2020, 10:33:23 PM »
I saw a Facebook meme to flip closet hangers tonight so as to easily see what's in use and what is not being worn.

I’ve done this in previous years and it is illuminating.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4477 on: December 31, 2020, 11:25:13 PM »
Love a New Year's Day declutter!

Got rid of 2 fabric tote bags. Filled them with all the stuff I
didn't get a chance to take to the op shop late last year.

Have a pair of worn out jeans that are even too disgusting for gardening, so they will go to the local textile recycling bin along with a pit-stained, no longer black linen top.

The Christmas tree gets dismantled this afternoon and will be stored in the attic crawl space along with 1 big plastic box of decorations. Proud to say that is all that is stored in there so access is a breeze.

MayDay

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4478 on: January 01, 2021, 05:45:09 AM »
I saw a Facebook meme to flip closet hangers tonight so as to easily see what's in use and what is not being worn.

I’ve done this in previous years and it is illuminating.

Maybe I'm a neurotic wierdo... But all my work clothes are hung in order and I wear the one in front, then hang it in the back. If I re-wear something I flip the hanger so I know to wash it the next time.

I don't do it for most casual clothes because I have a small enough number, but I do for t-shirts- clean t-shirts get put on the bottom of the pile and I always wear the top one. If I find myself skipping a t-shirt, into the bin it goes!

SotI

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4479 on: January 01, 2021, 06:17:29 AM »
PTF as I am planning to de-clutter lots of things this year.
Just being sick of "stuff" ...
Maybe I will even start this weekend, once all my yearend accounting is done.

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4480 on: January 01, 2021, 09:17:31 AM »
Found 4 small plastic baggies of powdered kelp in the kitchen. Researched powdered kelp on the internet. Possible high heavy metal content, which scared me away from it. Also has high iodine content, and can cause problems with thyroid gland.   

Had thought about using it up slowly by adding it to tea, once a day, but of course don't want heavy metals. So I found an 'excuse' to just throw it away!   

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4481 on: January 01, 2021, 09:23:22 AM »
I finally have buyers for two items I had listed on Nextdoor - ski boots that my 13 year old outgrew, and a cargo mat we discovered for a car we no longer have.

I brought a bunch of stuff back from our vacation house that I'll either give away (no Buy Nothing group in that area), sell or find another way to donate. I need to go through it all today & inventory it.

horsepoor

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4482 on: January 02, 2021, 08:43:13 AM »
I went through my closet and drawers last night with the premise of only keeping office clothes I might wear if I go in 2x a week and put several items into the donate pile.

This still leaves me with plenty of stuff should to wear to week-long meetings or even if I take a detail at some point, but gets rid of all that stuff that is a little worn, never fits right, only goes with that one other thing, etc.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4483 on: January 03, 2021, 01:11:56 AM »
Diploma case, gift bag and jingle bells into the donation bag today.

Can I share a bit of frustration? I have 6 boxes of old-school paper photographs and jointly purchased a scanner with Mom. She took the first turn with the scanner because she's semi retired and has more time. However, she finds it to be a boring task and has not made much progress. If I'd had the scanner, maybe I wouldn't need to move 6 boxes of photos (I'll be moving end of February). Again. Thanks for listening.

Raenia

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4484 on: January 03, 2021, 07:16:25 AM »
In the fall when I switched over to my winter wardrobe, I had placed a few of my more worn sweaters aside to see if I missed them.  I haven't, even when I was going into work full time before the holidays, so I moved them to the donate box.

We had a few homemade cordials in the liquor cabinet that we never liked much and don't seem to use.  Decided to dump them - we don't drink much, and if we do want a cocktail, better to reach for something we like rather than trying to use up failed experiments.

Also "decluttered" an open bottle of wine last night ;)

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4485 on: January 03, 2021, 07:42:59 AM »
Diploma case, gift bag and jingle bells into the donation bag today.

Can I share a bit of frustration? I have 6 boxes of old-school paper photographs and jointly purchased a scanner with Mom. She took the first turn with the scanner because she's semi retired and has more time. However, she finds it to be a boring task and has not made much progress. If I'd had the scanner, maybe I wouldn't need to move 6 boxes of photos (I'll be moving end of February). Again. Thanks for listening.

I am with your mom. I tried scanning a ton of pictures and found it to be extremely boring and gave up. Here is another idea to store pictures. I keep thinking about buying this but have not done so yet: https://www.containerstore.com/s/iris-16_case-4%22-x-6%22-photo-and-craft-storage-carrier/d?q=iris&productId=11004246

Steeze

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4486 on: January 03, 2021, 08:23:59 AM »
Diploma case, gift bag and jingle bells into the donation bag today.

Can I share a bit of frustration? I have 6 boxes of old-school paper photographs and jointly purchased a scanner with Mom. She took the first turn with the scanner because she's semi retired and has more time. However, she finds it to be a boring task and has not made much progress. If I'd had the scanner, maybe I wouldn't need to move 6 boxes of photos (I'll be moving end of February). Again. Thanks for listening.

Takes some time, but you can do this with the notes app on your iPhone pretty easily if you have one

zygote

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4487 on: January 03, 2021, 10:51:41 AM »
I decided to do a refresh of my stuff in the Konmari order for the new year. I did the full blown Konmari method two-ish years ago, so this is more of a check-in to make sure that what I chose to keep is still applicable. Got through clothes and books already. I only got rid of a few pairs of worn-out underwear and didn't get rid of any books. I have gotten rid of some clothes throughout the year, though, and I don't keep very many books on hand to begin with.

Clothes are a little complicated right now because the pandemic has really affected what I wear. Clothes for work meetings and going out have sat unused for the last year. I still like the items I have and am looking forward to wearing them again, but I don't always know how I feel until I actually use them. Trying them on in front of a mirror at home isn't the same as wearing them out in the world for a specific activity. So I'm leaving a few maybes for now, with the caveat that I will donate them if I don't enjoy wearing them when those activities come back.

Overall, it's nice to feel like I have generally reached the click point of stuff in those categories and am maintaining them okay.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4488 on: January 03, 2021, 11:34:16 AM »
PTF as I am planning to de-clutter lots of things this year.
Just being sick of "STUFF" ...

100% this (the bold and caps are mine).   

I did some Marie Kondo'ing last year to my kitchen, bathroom and closet and it felt wonderful. But I just stopped before any of those areas were completed and there is SO MUCH MORE to do. I didn't even touch paper. Photos and paperwork is so daunting to me. Hopefully joining/reading this thread will get me moving again. I still like some of my stuff and they do bring me joy but when I look around my place that only represents a very small portion of my masses of stuff. How did I let myself accumulate so much STUFF and why is it so hard for me to get rid of it?

Steeze

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4489 on: January 03, 2021, 01:50:24 PM »
Had a video game for PS1 I bought a few years ago just to display as memorabilia.

Sold on eBay today for $120.

Blissful Biker

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4490 on: January 03, 2021, 02:17:48 PM »
The sporadically do a deep declutter area by area but the linen closet has never made it to the top of the list.  Today I pulled it all out and only put a third back.  Phew!

Frustratingly I found good clothes for the kids we had purchased on sale and stored in the linen closet for them to grow into.  Now they are too small!  Argh.  An example of clutter and disorganization costing money.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4491 on: January 03, 2021, 02:36:53 PM »
Diploma case, gift bag and jingle bells into the donation bag today.

Can I share a bit of frustration? I have 6 boxes of old-school paper photographs and jointly purchased a scanner with Mom. She took the first turn with the scanner because she's semi retired and has more time. However, she finds it to be a boring task and has not made much progress. If I'd had the scanner, maybe I wouldn't need to move 6 boxes of photos (I'll be moving end of February). Again. Thanks for listening.

I am with your mom. I tried scanning a ton of pictures and found it to be extremely boring and gave up. Here is another idea to store pictures. I keep thinking about buying this but have not done so yet: https://www.containerstore.com/s/iris-16_case-4%22-x-6%22-photo-and-craft-storage-carrier/d?q=iris&productId=11004246

I agree with you, it is *deadly* boring. I didn't mean that to come across judgy, rather simply as the reason that progress has been slow. And I empathize with that!  At the same time,  I feel the frustration of having to move these boxes once again. Deep breath, oneday. This too shall pass.

Diploma case, gift bag and jingle bells into the donation bag today.

Can I share a bit of frustration? I have 6 boxes of old-school paper photographs and jointly purchased a scanner with Mom. She took the first turn with the scanner because she's semi retired and has more time. However, she finds it to be a boring task and has not made much progress. If I'd had the scanner, maybe I wouldn't need to move 6 boxes of photos (I'll be moving end of February). Again. Thanks for listening.

Takes some time, but you can do this with the notes app on your iPhone pretty easily if you have one

Alas, I am an Android gal.

@SunniD take heart! My best success has been with paper. Went from 7 boxes at the low point to fewer than 7" today. It can be done! But takes time and focus. You are in the right place. A tip I picked up from Marie Kondo is to start with what is easy for you and build up the decluttering muscle before you ta old the hardest stuff. And remember the tortise: slow and stray wins the race!

@zygote how wonderful that you've reached that click point! (What a great way to phrase that).

Zygote makes me wonder: what are everyone's tidying resolutions? One of mine is to deal with the photos, another is to move/merge households with BF and retain both our sanity and good relationship 😊

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4492 on: January 03, 2021, 03:24:54 PM »
Do you actually want to scan all those photos? I have one small box of pictures, but I know there's duplicates in there. If you have multiple boxes - how many duplicates or near duplicates, out of focus, or pictures of random places or people that you don't want are in those boxes? Spending some time to decrease the volume will make the move easier, as well as reducing later scanning time.

happy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4493 on: January 03, 2021, 03:47:19 PM »
Zygote makes me wonder: what are everyone's tidying resolutions? One of mine is to deal with the photos, another is to move/merge households with BF and retain both our sanity and good relationship 😊

My main resolution is just to keep at it on a regular basis! I made good progress with the house last year, I think will start off this year with areas outside the house:
- carport...bigtime dumping ground
- collection of plants in pots awaiting planting. I have banned myself from buying anymore. They are just maintenance the way they are...need watering and collect fallen leaves etc.
- cleanup sheds. In particular one that stuff got dumped in when I moved here and hasn't been touched since.

I'm guessing in the second half of the year I'll have another go through the house.

There is the issue of photos. I've been avoiding this since I hit a wall very quickly the last time I tried it. ( and in the grand scheme of things photos were just a few boxes) . I now have a lot of my parent's photos to deal with as well.

These were the issues last time:

- what sort of scanner to buy
- whether to keep negatives or not - does one scan those too?

Finally I never actually look at photos I've taken. The only time I do this is when I am thinking about organising/culling/moving them, or, if on the odd occasion I am looking for something very specific like those occasions when one is requested to produce a baby or embarrassing photo from one's past. I know people agonise over photos, but if I lost them all in a house fire I'm not sure it would bother me that much. So maybe I should do something daring  like an extreme cull?

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4494 on: January 03, 2021, 06:03:28 PM »
Made a little progress with de-cluttering this weekend:
 - gave away and old, tube style TV.
 - took my old printer out to the garage. I need to find out where I can recycle it.
 - gathered up a bunch of decor items that I am not using and I will try to sell them.
 - gave a few kitchen items to DS when he was here.
 - put a couple of books in the donate bag.

Steeze

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4495 on: January 03, 2021, 08:08:19 PM »
Re: photos

I set mine to rotate on my background photos on my PC, iPhone, and TV. That way I can enjoy them more frequently. Also, after culling a lot of my keepsakes, it is nice to now see photos of that stuff occasionally instead of it being locked in a box for years at a time.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4496 on: January 03, 2021, 08:15:01 PM »
That is an excellent idea @Steeze and one I may yoink.

MoseyingAlong

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4497 on: January 03, 2021, 08:36:27 PM »
Re: photos

I set mine to rotate on my background photos on my PC, iPhone, and TV. That way I can enjoy them more frequently. Also, after culling a lot of my keepsakes, it is nice to now see photos of that stuff occasionally instead of it being locked in a box for years at a time.

@Steeze Can you give a quick guide on how you did this?
I've been talking about it for years but don't know how to get started.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4498 on: January 04, 2021, 12:18:54 AM »
Do you actually want to scan all those photos? I have one small box of pictures, but I know there's duplicates in there. If you have multiple boxes - how many duplicates or near duplicates, out of focus, or pictures of random places or people that you don't want are in those boxes? Spending some time to decrease the volume will make the move easier, as well as reducing later scanning time.

Oh, it's for sure there are many rolls where duplicates were ordered. It would be silly to scan two of the exact same image, lol! I've done some organization in the past, so know what I'm up against. A good chunk of it is in chronological order, at least. Then there are a lot of the ex's photos (as in, things he photographed that I'm not interested in), and photos from the time period with the ex. I'd rather not open those doors at the moment. It's all tucked safely away until I'm ready to deal with it.

@Sibley what are your decluttering goals for 2021?




@happy  modest but achievable goals! You might be interested in a thread I started a while back on the photo scanning topic: https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/ask-a-mustachian/who-has-advice-on-photo-scanning/msg2694985/#msg2694985

With your attitude about photos, you might be able to get away with a more radical cull than I would be comfortable with.
« Last Edit: January 04, 2021, 12:23:38 AM by oneday »

lazycow

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4499 on: January 04, 2021, 03:26:39 AM »
Decluttered a gingerbread house cookie cutter kit. It was an impulse buy a couple of years ago and when I went to use it last week I realised I'd have to make about 3 x the usual amount of gingerbread: it makes a HUGE house! I will stick to my own measurements for making 2 small houses for the kids to decorate, and just use a ruler and a knife to cut out the shapes.