Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249470 times)

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4800 on: March 01, 2021, 09:26:58 AM »
Thanks, NotJen.  I just remembered I did have some luck, once, selling an old book. It was a Scrabble dictionary and I got 50 cents for it at a flea market, lol. 

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4801 on: March 01, 2021, 10:31:12 PM »
An old metal box that was made to be a slide storage container, similar to this, I inadvertently offered to Room Mate. We both have a "thing" for storage containers. Since the slides are now digital, this box can leave my life. As I was lamenting that she just made a run to the donation station for both of us, of course I find this one thing that could have also gone. And she might want it. But might not. So it sits on the coffee table while she decides. Sigh.

It can only be my problem for 2 more weeks, max. Hopefully less.

Success! RM indicated she really did want the metal box, so it's is no longer in my household, even though it didn't take it anywhere! Lol

I will simply leave it behind when I move tomorrow. 😁

More luck: RM decided to keep the dust mop that neither of us used while we lived together. lol

ETA: Forgot to mention the excess packing material that I successfully Craigslisted yesterday. I'm re-building the stash as I unpack, so this will be an ongoing category for a while.
« Last Edit: March 01, 2021, 10:32:49 PM by oneday »

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4802 on: March 03, 2021, 07:09:59 PM »
Manga dude is getting a bargain and I am getting another 70 books out of the house.
Another book to the street library. It's starting to feel like I am getting down to my core books.

draco44

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4803 on: March 03, 2021, 08:38:08 PM »
Manga dude is getting a bargain and I am getting another 70 books out of the house.
Another book to the street library. It's starting to feel like I am getting down to my core books.

That's fantastic. Sell the manga books as a set to that buyer will save you so much time vs. individual sales.

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4804 on: March 04, 2021, 08:58:09 AM »
Speaking of books, I'm going to list my old mainframe computer books again, on Craigslist. Probably ask $3 each or something like that.

Amazingly, I see employment ads for mainframe programmers still. (Mainframes are the big old-fashioned computers that have lots of old style programming languages running on them). Might be a programmer out there who could use a textbook for Fortran or Cobol, lol. 

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4805 on: March 04, 2021, 09:18:04 AM »
Speaking of books, I'm going to list my old mainframe computer books again, on Craigslist. Probably ask $3 each or something like that.

Amazingly, I see employment ads for mainframe programmers still. (Mainframes are the big old-fashioned computers that have lots of old style programming languages running on them). Might be a programmer out there who could use a textbook for Fortran or Cobol, lol.

Much of the banking system underpinnings is ancient - and Cobol. Most big companies that have been around for a while have older programs, so do governments. May or may not be on mainframes still, but there is a demand for Cobol still.

okisok

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4806 on: March 04, 2021, 06:39:07 PM »
Tidied up the car yesterday. A coworker almost needed a ride home and it made me realize how much crap was in it. The random clothes came inside to be washed. The damaged umbrella got trashed and one in good shape went into donation. Now I have one umbrella.

I tossed the window shade that was a few inches too short and was a pain to put up. Same with plastic carrier bags that were too damaged to use as dog poop bags. Tossed all the random bits of paper that had accumulated. Put the reusable shopping bags in the deep trunk with the spare tire. I haven't needed them since I've been doing grocery pickup.

Filled the trunk with more donations. One box had been sitting in the garage for over a year because the specific charity wasn't accepting donations. Off to the one that does! Along with a very nice gift that I already had a duplicate of. It's still in the box and will make someone very happy. Some new toiletry items will go to the little giving library. That's a box out of the entryway that's been sitting there since December, awaiting my decision-making.

Went through the hall closet and pulled a couple of items to add to the donations.

Put all of my paper couponing supplies in recycling. I think I save more money when I make a careful list of the items I need/like instead of chasing deals.

Dumped a potted plant on the compost pile. It had never thrived and I didn't want to keep fussing with it.

Had to declutter the garage after some water damage from a burst pipe. Out with some old gardening supplies. There are a few more bags of recyclables that will go into the bin next week after pickup.

Went through the stationery again. I feel like I keep doing it! I received several gifts of cards lately, so I'm trying to get rid of the older ones I haven't used and send out the new ones.

I'm trying to stick really hard to Erica Lucas' 20/20 decluttering rule. If you can replace the item in less than 20 minutes for less than $20, let it go.


Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4807 on: March 05, 2021, 11:08:46 AM »
I'm changing jobs, today is my last day at old job, and I'm in the office for the first time in a year to clean out my desk, etc.

-trashed various paper
-donating the box of plastic silverware to the office kitchen. no idea where that came from
-found a can of Sprite in my drawer. Don't need to buy a drink at lunch!
-brought the stack of magazines with me to the office to read. plan to toss them out before I go home.


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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4808 on: March 05, 2021, 11:34:40 AM »
Tried on all of my dresses yesterday. I've lost ~15 or so during COVID, so things fit differently. Dresses, as opposed to pants, are more of a challenge, as I've lost a lot from my chest & the dresses hang if they don't fit properly. Found a couple to attempt to sell, and two to donate. I re-ordered my favorite dress a size down, so I hope that works. I suppose the math then works out to four out, one in, for a net loss of three. I still have a few more I'm on the fence on & don't fit totally properly, but I'm a) picky about dresses, and b) not looking to rebuild that part of my wardrobe from the ground up.

okisok

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4809 on: March 05, 2021, 06:54:22 PM »
@Sibley Congrats on the new job! That last-day office clean out has always been so satisfying to me.

Actually took the donations in today! They were in my trunk less than 24 hours! Some kind of world record for me. Also took an outfit to the cleaners the day after I wore it. There was a stain issue that I was afraid my usual at-home cleaning solution wouldn't take care of.

Asked a friend if they wanted some stationery and the answer was affirmative. Out that goes tomorrow so that it all fits in the shoebox I have designated. Used up a spool of ribbon and a mailing envelope that just came in.

Tossed a portfolio from an old job. It was pretty and I had used it every day, but it holds bad memories from a very stressful job that I don't need. So out it went.

Tossed four notebooks. Why do I always have so many notebooks?? Gathered up a baggie of pens/pencils to take to a teacher friend. Just looked at the holder on the desk next to my computer and pulled out another handful. Is is a sign of age that you like a very particular kind of ink pen?

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4810 on: March 05, 2021, 07:31:15 PM »
Woot woot! Manga is all gone! Time to take the ad down.

@okcisok I have been using up all the spare notebooks like a champion and also putting all the pens that I Do Not Like back in the stationery cupboard at work. Life is too short for poor flow, random inkblots, bad ergonomics or bleeding the moment the ink gets wet.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4811 on: March 05, 2021, 07:45:27 PM »
Threw out the pair of shoes that had been at the office. No idea what happened to them, but they were ruined. However, they were getting worn out so not a big loss.

I did indeed throw out all the magazines I took to the office. I still have a stack of Reader's Digests at home, but the total stack is significantly smaller at least.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4812 on: March 06, 2021, 08:48:39 AM »
@MaybeBabyMustache I know what you mean about rebuilding a wardrobe! What a pain. I am currently holding on to a bunch of ill-fitting clothes for that reason.

Yesterday, gave excess pet supplies and a Styrofoam cooler to random people from the internet. Craigslist for the win! I know there is a reputation for high flakiness on CL, but I find it to work "well enough."

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4813 on: March 06, 2021, 04:15:02 PM »
@oneday - that's interesting, as I haven't had any success on Craigslist in years, and from your profile, it looks like we're generally in the same area.

 I listed one of the nicer dresses on eBay, and it looks like they sell well. I also called another one, and put it into the donation pile. I went out and bought two new bras today, and will toss a like amount.

NotJen

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4814 on: March 06, 2021, 08:53:31 PM »
Small win today - I finally returned a book to a friend, about 5 years later.  He gave me a stack to read, which I did and returned.  The one I still had was one I hadn't asked for, and was never really interested in, so I kept forgetting to take it to him.

I have 2 items that are supposed to go out to FB Marketplace buyers in the next couple of days, hopefully they both work out.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4815 on: March 06, 2021, 09:09:05 PM »
Four more books to the street library. We are down to the donation dregs at least until I try all the books I picked up from various libraries and decide whether to keep them.

meadow lark

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4816 on: March 06, 2021, 10:10:37 PM »
Finished transferring almost all of my spices that were in plastic jars into glass jars.  I had been saving the glass jars as I used up the spices in them.  They are a lot cheaper in round plastic containers, but the square glass jars fit better on the risers I have in my cabinet and the round plastic ones sometimes fall when I mess with them.  So I got rid of 8 plastic containers.

Also threw away 8 partial boxes of ancient tea.
« Last Edit: March 06, 2021, 10:26:29 PM by meadow lark »

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4817 on: March 07, 2021, 08:23:24 AM »
@MaybeBabyMustache it's not that I don't get flakes...I do! But I just re-post and try again. Mostly I use it to give away free stuff, not sure if that's the difference?

@meadow lark your spice cabinet looks great!

Yesterday's attempt to give away stuff was different. Tried to return a doorstop from the prior residence to prior room mate, but turned out it was broken and already replaced, so I tossed it instead. That door stop has been among my posessions, waiting to be reinstalled, for a year and a half. I'm kind of embarrassed that I didn't notice it was really trash all along. 😵

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4818 on: March 07, 2021, 08:33:18 AM »
@oneday - ah, that makes sense. I use a local Buy Nothing to give things away, as the FB element makes people a lot more responsive.

I returned a pair of shoes that didn't fit (COVID makes buying shoes for quickly growing teens a bit of a challenge). I only had them in my house for one day before I turned around & got them back out, so I'm considering that a win.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4819 on: March 07, 2021, 08:39:50 AM »
@MaybeBabyMustache in my old location, I didn't have a buy nothing group. One day turn around is pretty fantastic, actually!

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4820 on: March 07, 2021, 08:49:12 AM »
Started looking through a bag of financial records to see what I could recycle. So far I'm recycling about 50% of them! Hope this percentage continues as I go farther into the bag. I'm finding a lot of informational blurbs that are no longer relevant. Easy to toss.

meadow lark

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4821 on: March 07, 2021, 09:32:54 AM »
Thanks!  My wife made the risers with some scrap wood we had and I covered it in contact paper.  I love spices so she made the first one about 3 houses ago and every time we move she makes me a new one.

Decluttered 9 bags (plastic grocery bag size) of clothes and books into the trunk of my car.  Threw away 2 bags of worn out clothes, fabric scraps, craft stuff that went wrong, old papers.

A bunch of what looks like clutter it’s stuff I need to hang on the walls.  I just hate doing that stuff!

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4822 on: March 07, 2021, 09:25:18 PM »
Today's declutter:

-a small cache of no-longer-needed boxes and packing material

-returning the Rug Doctor to the store

-a massive drawer organizer tray (like for silverware) that is far too big for any of the drawers in the new place, given back to prior room mate. Not sure this one counts, as she in turn have me the smaller one she has purchased but found inadequate for the cavernous drawers there. At least it wasn't a net gain of items. I may keep it and donate the one I have.

The first two mean that for the first time in weeks, I can put the back seats up and replace the cargo area cover, making my car feel "normal" again. Yay!

ETA: Forgot that on Saturday I donated a bunch of towels to the SPCA! I want "credit" for that, lol :)
« Last Edit: March 07, 2021, 11:08:41 PM by oneday »

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4823 on: March 08, 2021, 05:50:41 AM »
Yes!!!! finally decluttered my childrens' closets. Lots of clothing now out of the closet and currently on a pile for me to sort by size and decide whether to sell/donate/toss. First 3 sales of clothing (around 20 items in total) already in the hallway ready for pickup. And a good reminder to only shop with a list, since they had WAY TOO MUCH clothes!

Also sold a backpack on Craigslist and donated 5 pairs of shoes which I have not worn in the last 2 years and will probably not wear again.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4824 on: March 08, 2021, 08:21:18 AM »
@Dutch Comfort - whenever I clean out my kids closets, I come to the same realization. I'm not sure how the shirts and shirts multiply, but they do. Both of my kids are going through a growth spurt, and my 15 year old will no longer wear whatever I pick up on sale at Costco. So, the good news is that his desire to have things he's selected corresponds with my awareness that he generally just needs "less". Because, what he wants is often more expensive than what I would have found on sale at Costco. ;-) The irony is that he's still at home (no school), so no one is seeing these much nicer clothes. Hopefully in a month or so.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4825 on: March 08, 2021, 09:10:26 AM »
@MaybeBabyMustache I find that they have a minimum of 20 sets of clothing, while they only wear 5-6 of them. So this is definitely a work in progress! And I too find that as they grow older, they need less (my girl is now 13 and she only wears her fav's and has a very specific fashion taste, fortunately for me, she loves 2nd hand clothing for environmental reasons, this seems to be a hype at school now. I do not complain!!!!).
 

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4826 on: March 08, 2021, 10:35:59 PM »
A few aluminum pie tins to recycling, a few dishes into the donate box. Nothing actually out of the house, but I may have a full donate box by this weekend, that would be nice.

When I moved in, there were a lot of extra drawers and shelves for the fridge. Most of them don't fit. I've gathered them together and put them in the storage shed the landlord uses for extra tiles and other construction items. This way I don't have to decide if/how to dispose of them, lol!

Also forced myself to list something that I was dreading because I think it will get little or no response, but if so, then I guess it's trash. Also reached out to the prior CL ad responder with a few extra pet supplies that I found hidden behind some other stuff. Hopefully they will respond quickly and I can get that out too. Doing those things was hard, but I don't have the space to let things linger.

NotJen

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4827 on: March 09, 2021, 12:23:36 PM »
Wrestled a bookcase down to the garage, listed it on FB Marketplace, and sold it all before noon today!  I've been stood up so many times lately, I'm glad that I can still reliably get rid of (cheap) furniture at least.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4828 on: March 09, 2021, 03:08:15 PM »
And people actually picked up 2 other items.  Color me surprised.  And I sold my house today! (Well, accepted an offer.)  Not a bad day to get rid of things.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4829 on: March 09, 2021, 03:13:54 PM »
And people actually picked up 2 other items.  Color me surprised.  And I sold my house today! (Well, accepted an offer.)  Not a bad day to get rid of things.
Woot woot! 🎊

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4830 on: March 09, 2021, 04:05:30 PM »
What started out as a basic task - shred taxes from 10+ years ago, replace with 2020 taxes (I do this every year, as you only have to hang on to 10 year's worth), became a much bigger paper project because... I couldn't find our 2020 tax paperwork. I've already filed, and I know I once had everything, but I went through & organized & cleaned along the way. I eventually found my paperwork, and have a couple of large stacks ready for shredding. The amount of paperwork generated through a mortgage refi is staggering.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4831 on: March 09, 2021, 05:26:54 PM »
My 31 things to declutter in March hit a bit of a wall but I did chuck the chewed up dog toys today and yesterday I returned something to a shop. Now I don't have to move an empty storage box off the printer everytime I want to scan something.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4832 on: March 09, 2021, 07:16:23 PM »
Quart-sized bag of pens, pencils, and random office supplies to a teacher friend for their classroom.

Brand-new sweater to a friend that will actually wear it.

Put six bags of aluminum recycling in the bin. I had been storing them in the garage thinking I would take them to the scrap metal place for cash. One Hoarders show marathon knocked me right out of that 'someday' and 'they're worth something' thinking. That's exactly the justification the people on the show used to keep housefuls of worthless items.

Tossed an old makeup palette in the trash. I realized it's several years old and all that is left are the colors I don't like. No more buying large selections of makeup in one tray.


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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4833 on: March 10, 2021, 08:15:17 AM »
Took a serious look at the 50 or so cookbooks I have in a bookshelf. Getting myself ready to donate some or them, or try to sell at the flea market.

I've been good about donating books in general . I've donated at least 100 to my library. It's hard to sell books, I find, but I'll see what happens at the flea market.

Relisted a lot of crafting supplies on Craiglslist that were selling OK a few years ago, but not since then. Also listed an antique electric clock. If I can't sell the clock on Craigslist my plan B is to sell it to a local antique clock store (yes, they exist) where I sold another antique clock last year. 


 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4834 on: March 10, 2021, 08:27:08 AM »
I wore a sweater yesterday that turned out to have a couple of holes in it.  Since the sweater is ill-fitting anyway, I threw it away instead of mending the holes.

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4835 on: March 10, 2021, 10:35:39 AM »
Am spring cleaning. Lots of dust and dirt out.

I decided that I had an excess of working on the house sweaters. I do not need 10 of them. Kept 4, trashed the rest.

Going to drop off a Harry Potter wand to my friend, been meaning to give that to her for at least a year.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4836 on: March 10, 2021, 12:14:41 PM »
My mother is finally going through a basement full of stuff because they may move in the next year. Instead of throwing away some of my old stuff she brings it to me, a tub or grocery sack at a time. I politely accept it and throw 99% of it away after our visit is over. I'm 35 years old and have received:
- a hat and t-shirt from my first job at a fast food restaurant
- old books given to me in 3rd grade
- a sack of elementary school papers including grade cards from kindergarten and other miscellaneous "artwork"
- a flyer from a turtle race that I entered and won at the county fair!!!
- old baseball cards, that despite my hopes as a 10 year old are worth about $5 now
- sheet music from my time in the high school marching band
- an old youth small sweatshirt that I had autographed by members of the local college basketball team
- congratulations cards that they received when I was born

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4837 on: March 10, 2021, 02:47:48 PM »
I’m getting rid of my work flats that are all scuffed up and give me blisters even through socks.  Also returning some stuff to Amz  that didn’t work out. 

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4838 on: March 10, 2021, 03:46:54 PM »
Today, I cleaned out one of my bathroom vanities. It is amazing how much stuff was under there and had not been used in years and years! Cleaning products, room freshners, soaps, long forgotten. I threw out two 13 gallon bags and one plastic grocery bag full! It is ridiculous how much stuff gets shoved under cabinets! There was a woman I used to work with years ago and she was very rigid on using up cleaning products and would not buy another product till she used up the one that was open. I used to laugh at her 'rules' and thought she was out of touch. Well, today I thought of her and said to myself, she was right and boy was I wrong! To have all those products that were years and years old and due to age I just threw them out. I still put quite a bit of stuff back under there but I have these bins that make it all so organized now! One more bathroom to go! UGH, just the thought of hoeing out that bathroom vanity makes me cringe!

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4839 on: March 10, 2021, 04:33:18 PM »
@racquetcat, I've been there. About 15 years ago, my parents built their forever home. They told us to come and get all of our stuff *we* were storing at their house. They had told us repeatedly over the years that they were going to throw out what we didn't take. We knew it was, like yours, 99% crap, which is why we left it there! :)

It was sweet to see some of the old items like a poster I drew that won a prize, old craft project, etc. But my parents had worried about it, dusted it, sorted it out, organized it, etc for years. And we spent about 30 seconds talking about said item before tossing it in a trash bag when I finally went through it.

That's why I tell people who are saving things for their kids that they probably don't want it. Maybe one storage tub of a selection of artwork, sports memorabilia, etc. But if it can be used by someone NOW, why put it away until it's trash? (I'm looking at you, dried up paint sets and terribly out of date clothes my parents saved :)


mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4840 on: March 10, 2021, 05:17:40 PM »
Right now I am feeling grateful that 20 years ago, I realised it was unfair of me to leave My Stuff with my mum and expect her to cart it around for me, went back home for a visit and ruthlessly sorted everything. I decided that if *I* wasn't prepared to move it around with me, it needed to go. My mum ended up being The Last One Standing from her family and it was an additional burden on her when she was downsizing that she had to go through all her stuff but also everything she had "inherited" from multiple family members.

racquetcat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4841 on: March 10, 2021, 06:43:48 PM »
@racquetcat, I've been there. About 15 years ago, my parents built their forever home. They told us to come and get all of our stuff *we* were storing at their house. They had told us repeatedly over the years that they were going to throw out what we didn't take. We knew it was, like yours, 99% crap, which is why we left it there! :)

It was sweet to see some of the old items like a poster I drew that won a prize, old craft project, etc. But my parents had worried about it, dusted it, sorted it out, organized it, etc for years. And we spent about 30 seconds talking about said item before tossing it in a trash bag when I finally went through it.

That's why I tell people who are saving things for their kids that they probably don't want it. Maybe one storage tub of a selection of artwork, sports memorabilia, etc. But if it can be used by someone NOW, why put it away until it's trash? (I'm looking at you, dried up paint sets and terribly out of date clothes my parents saved :)

I can't bring myself to throw it away in front of my mom, but I think she knows that most of it eventually ends up in the trash.

We are keeping 1 tub of stuff for each of my two children, so far it's worked well although they are younger so they haven't accumulated too much yet, hopefully we can keep it up as they get older!!

racquetcat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4842 on: March 10, 2021, 06:47:44 PM »
Right now I am feeling grateful that 20 years ago, I realised it was unfair of me to leave My Stuff with my mum and expect her to cart it around for me, went back home for a visit and ruthlessly sorted everything. I decided that if *I* wasn't prepared to move it around with me, it needed to go. My mum ended up being The Last One Standing from her family and it was an additional burden on her when she was downsizing that she had to go through all her stuff but also everything she had "inherited" from multiple family members.

Good on you for doing that, it's something I should have done years ago, but I never got around to it. Now my parents have my grandmother's stuff plus stuff from 3 kids.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4843 on: March 10, 2021, 07:07:52 PM »
My dad moved twice after us children left home but the clincher for getting rid of anything superfluous was when he was renting his house while he travelled. He wasn't about to lug unnecessary stuff into the loft! A lot of our childhood books had been kept for potential grandchildren but he decided that they were unlikely to materialise and heaved the lot. My sister was so upset but I couldn't care less! Moving his stuff on will be a fairly simple task when he passes or moves somewhere smaller again, he's a ruthless minimalist. 

I cleared out my personal belongings when my mum passed and the family home was sold while I was still at uni. Then when I went on extended travel overseas a few years later I dumped boxes of household stuff at my friends place :/ It was all a bit of a rush and badly organised and eventually he kindly got rid of a lot of it for me! When I went back to pack and ship stuff to Australia (now husband & I decided to emigrate while on that extended trip) I culled again - winter coats were donated... Living here in Aus it's so humid that most memento things of mine got ruined and you just can't keep a lot of extra stuff unless you have climate controlled storage. Photos got scanned and now I have just 2 photo albums left. I've wasted too much time cleaning mildew off things I don't use. Wouldn't have done anything differently with hindsight, sometimes you need a few passes over stuff to let it go.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4844 on: March 11, 2021, 12:33:35 AM »
Right now I am feeling grateful that 20 years ago, I realised it was unfair of me to leave My Stuff with my mum and expect her to cart it around for me, went back home for a visit and ruthlessly sorted everything. I decided that if *I* wasn't prepared to move it around with me, it needed to go. My mum ended up being The Last One Standing from her family and it was an additional burden on her when she was downsizing that she had to go through all her stuff but also everything she had "inherited" from multiple family members.
Good on you for doing that, it's something I should have done years ago, but I never got around to it. Now my parents have my grandmother's stuff plus stuff from 3 kids.
It's not too late! You could book a day to go through your childhood detritus and Deal With It... (these ellipses are meant to be enticing)

Maybe it's just me getting older but it feels a bit like leaving someone else to clean up your mess? (I moved out! it's no longer *my* problem! dusts hands with air of satisfaction)

@Fresh Bread Some of my stuff got ruined by flooding after the Chch earthquakes. I was sad for a bit and then it felt freeing.

LinneaH

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4845 on: March 11, 2021, 01:39:17 AM »
My parents divorced long ago. They have taken somewhat different routes with our and their stuff.
I have a sister, and while we don't agree on everything, this is an area where we have co-operated well.

Mum + husband have a total of six kids from previous marriages, lives in a house that is slightly big for them, but nice when we visit. Their decided that they don't want anything in the attic and other storage areas except for Christmas decorations, so "kids, you are grown up, come get your stuff, you have two years from now bc that is when we retire and then we want this completed". We all came, sorted and tossed, together with them as they also went though theirs. Lots of nice everyday stuff in good condition from grandparents etc to charity.  They have kept certain smaller items, which they display (Mum: if I want to keep it, I want to display it). Mum has put notes under some inherited things, so we know if is from her side or her husbands. They do have quite a lot of stuff, but if we ever need to sort out their house, it will be quite easy.

Dad is different. He is somewhat of a hoarder. Nice things like decorative glass, paintings etc, but still. Way too much, it would look a lot nicer with less. Sis and I were asked (in a nice way) to pick up our things from in-house storage as he"needed more space". We went through together, had fun and tossed most. Dad was looking at what we tossed, commenting "but you shoould keep that..." - lots was crap from school. So sis and I agreed that we needed to dispose of everything ourselves bc "if we leave in the bin, he may want to go through and pick out things..."
After, dad commented that even though we took our things, it didn't make much if a difference. Well, no surprise as most stuff in storage was his anyway.....
Sis and I say to each other now and then that this house will be tough to take care of... but it is not a lot that we want to keep so that makes it easier. It's mostly things he bought, no family history and not our style.

Anyhow, it feels really great to know that I don't have a lot of stuff that is mine at either place. I have all my belongings where I live now, had a storage unit for a couple of months during moving/showing the house, but emptied that when I moved. I still have some items in my own storage to go through but it's getting better by the day. Currently going through papers, it is tough, but it's already better.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4846 on: March 11, 2021, 04:51:33 AM »
How is everyone doing with changing the habits that got you in this position in the first place?

I am doing pretty well but obviously there's always room to improve. With kid stuff the biggest issue is my parents buying then things, and I am getting more and more ruthless as the kids get older that THEY have to make decisions and can say "no thanks grandma, I won't use that" instead of taking everything.

For general household stuff I will admit this is harder.

My H remains the biggest packrat in the house.

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4847 on: March 11, 2021, 10:29:44 AM »
How is everyone doing with changing the habits that got you in this position in the first place?

I am doing pretty well but obviously there's always room to improve. With kid stuff the biggest issue is my parents buying then things, and I am getting more and more ruthless as the kids get older that THEY have to make decisions and can say "no thanks grandma, I won't use that" instead of taking everything.

For general household stuff I will admit this is harder.

My H remains the biggest packrat in the house.

I stopped adding to the clutter many years ago, and have been decluttering constantly since.  However, I do find that I'm emotionally attached to more things than I thought (often just because I've owned something for a long time - it's like a friend), and I tend to have opposite warring sides:  the need for simplicity versus the attachment.  Unfortunately, the attachment seems to be winning more than I would like.

slackmax

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4848 on: March 11, 2021, 11:35:40 AM »
How is everyone doing with changing the habits that got you in this position in the first place?

I am doing pretty well but obviously there's always room to improve. With kid stuff the biggest issue is my parents buying then things, and I am getting more and more ruthless as the kids get older that THEY have to make decisions and can say "no thanks grandma, I won't use that" instead of taking everything.

For general household stuff I will admit this is harder.

My H remains the biggest packrat in the house.

Not habits, but a personality that doesn't want to get rid of anything, and also doesn't want to decide about it. Decisions.

I have lots of clutter left over from my girl friend living here before. I just plug away at it. Sometimes I make myself delve into an area I thought I had already gone through, and find more stuff I can 'allow' myself to donate or sell or throw out.

My mind says item x is junk, just throw it out, but something else is getting all stressed out thinking about throwing item x out. Some things are easy, some are hard, some I just keep for various reasons. 

I am definitely NOT bringing any new stuff into the house, never had that problem in the first place. thank goodness.   

Sibley

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #4849 on: March 11, 2021, 01:14:54 PM »
How is everyone doing with changing the habits that got you in this position in the first place?

I am doing pretty well but obviously there's always room to improve. With kid stuff the biggest issue is my parents buying then things, and I am getting more and more ruthless as the kids get older that THEY have to make decisions and can say "no thanks grandma, I won't use that" instead of taking everything.

For general household stuff I will admit this is harder.

My H remains the biggest packrat in the house.

Not habits, but a personality that doesn't want to get rid of anything, and also doesn't want to decide about it. Decisions.

I have lots of clutter left over from my girl friend living here before. I just plug away at it. Sometimes I make myself delve into an area I thought I had already gone through, and find more stuff I can 'allow' myself to donate or sell or throw out.

My mind says item x is junk, just throw it out, but something else is getting all stressed out thinking about throwing item x out. Some things are easy, some are hard, some I just keep for various reasons. 

I am definitely NOT bringing any new stuff into the house, never had that problem in the first place. thank goodness.   

Would a neutral 3rd party be helpful in clearing the excess stuff? It might cost money to hire a professional, but it might be worth it for the peace of mind of having a neat and tidy house with just the belongings you need and want.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!