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

[mspym]

Omg slackmax!! That's amazing!!!! You badass.

+1!!

-1 so your overall supply doesn't increase!

[oneday]

Go @slackmax ! That's amazing.

[nessness]

Omg slackmax!! That's amazing!!!! You badass.

+1!!

-1 so your overall supply doesn't increase!

lolol

Great job slackmax!

[slackmax]

Thanks, guys! You are so nice!   

[Shinplaster]

You've done so much work slackmax - way to go!

I finally got a big bag of clothing off to donation.   Picked up a bag my son had ready at his house too and added it to mine.   Next up are some 40 year old dining chairs we can finally get rid of.  We'd kept them because it was the only chair my 90+ Mom could sit on comfortably, but now that we've moved and she's in a retirement home, we don't have to keep them anymore.  Time for an upgrade!

[diapasoun]

Did a big closet cleanout -- I think I've gotten rid of something like 30 items, all of which no longer fit but which I had sequestered away somehow in my closet.

Also got rid of something like 15 books, got another 15 or so which are gonna be on their way out soon.

[Dutch Comfort]

DD cleaned out her book shelve. 10 books already found new readers (and DD had some money in her pocket, happy teen!).
Sold 4 bikini's which she outgrown and...... drum roll...... we sold old camping gear for 100 euro! That was a BIG BIG BIIIGGGG box which left my house!

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Stayed with my sister for a few days, and inadvertently stumbled into a decluttering project. Helped her get rid of about 15 closet items & maybe 50 pieces of (costume) jewelry. We went in stages, as we were also doing other stuff, and the trip wasn't intended as decluttering. ;-) She was very surprised by how much she had, as she said she declutters regularly, & found it helpful to have another opinion. We have more to do on my next trip!

[slackmax]

I was looking for wood putty and caulking to use on a project, and found a tube of both, but they were both hardened up inside their tightly sealed containers.

I was less sad about it than I was happy, since I could now throw them both out!

 

[LaineyAZ]

I was looking for wood putty and caulking to use on a project, and found a tube of both, but they were both hardened up inside their tightly sealed containers.

I was less sad about it than I was happy, since I could now throw them both out!

It's funny because I've had the same satisfaction in tossing out this kind of stuff.  I related to someone else who said how much they actually liked being the one to toss the bottles of ketchup, or shampoo, or other household stuff when they used it up.  Do we humans actually like generating trash, or is it because we now have the thrill of being the first one to open the new bottles of ketchup, etc.??

[Prairie Gal]

I found out that my town is having a Re-use Rendezvous again in September so I started a box of things for that. I think there are some things in the basement that can go.

I also gathered up some "wishful thinking" things from my closet for my sister to try on as she is returning to working in the office in September.

Gave my son a couple of fans for his place.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Went through all of my eBay listings, decided what to adjust pricing, what to donate & what to give away on Buy Nothing. Made a list of other items that can still be listed. Updated my eBay tracker. I feel much more organized now

[mspym]

- Two books off my TBR pile and into a street library
- One less glass in the household (shattered)
- One container of moisteriser used up

We've also been working on using up things in the cupboards and maintaining less of an inventory. I am really enjoying the additional whitespace in our cupboards.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Gave away 30 serrano peppers from the garden (I'm counting it. Waste makes me nuts)
-Someone posted on my Buy Nothing looking for soccer gear from the club my kids played/play in. (I posted about this up thread, as I couldn't find any good method of donating.) So happy that our outgrown stuff will be going to another player.
-Sold an item on eBay
-My son is switching desks, and cleaned out a bunch of junk from his prior desk. I've listed his old one on Buy Nothing

I need to walk three books I just finished down to the book share on my street. A friend gave them to me a week ago, so clearly I enjoyed them,& they were the perfect in & out of my house in no time.

[slackmax]

I was looking for wood putty and caulking to use on a project, and found a tube of both, but they were both hardened up inside their tightly sealed containers.

I was less sad about it than I was happy, since I could now throw them both out!

It's funny because I've had the same satisfaction in tossing out this kind of stuff.  I related to someone else who said how much they actually liked being the one to toss the bottles of ketchup, or shampoo, or other household stuff when they used it up.  Do we humans actually like generating trash, or is it because we now have the thrill of being the first one to open the new bottles of ketchup, etc.??

For me it's the '1930's Depression mentality' even though I wasn't alive then.     Can't throw it out if you can make use of it sometime. But you CAN throw it out if it's broken or unusable.  And it's one less thing to worry about.   

[SunnyDays]

I was looking for wood putty and caulking to use on a project, and found a tube of both, but they were both hardened up inside their tightly sealed containers.

I was less sad about it than I was happy, since I could now throw them both out!

It's funny because I've had the same satisfaction in tossing out this kind of stuff.  I related to someone else who said how much they actually liked being the one to toss the bottles of ketchup, or shampoo, or other household stuff when they used it up.  Do we humans actually like generating trash, or is it because we now have the thrill of being the first one to open the new bottles of ketchup, etc.??

For me it's the '1930's Depression mentality' even though I wasn't alive then.     Can't throw it out if you can make use of it sometime. But you CAN throw it out if it's broken or unusable.  And it's one less thing to worry about.   

Well, everything "might" come in "useful" "someday," but do you want to have to live with it all in the meantime?  And while it's sitting there unused by you, it could be useful to someone else.  And what is so rare that you wouldn't be able to get another one if needed?

[MountainGal]

~Tossed some reading material after I finished it
~Threw away a well worn plastic container that had no lid
~Gave 6 peaches to a neighbor
~One more use of hair conditioner and that container will be finished
~An empty box went to the recycle bin
~Upcycled 3 magazines to my sister, and one to a neighbor
~Deleted 75+ shared photos and gifs from my cell phone

[Prairie Gal]

Whoo hoo! Sold a lens for an old camera that I don't have any more.

Read three books on vacation and rather than bringing them back home I left them on the book shelf at the Air BnB for someone else to enjoy.

[SunnyDays]

I've read and participated in this thread for a while now, and it just occurred to me today that there is a difference in getting rid of items temporarily and permanently.  For example, clothing will continue to come and go, as will papers, and books, in my case.  So I wonder how much of our decluttering is a permanent reduction in stuff and how much is just churn?  I'm hard pressed to estimate these categories myself - I'd have to give it more thought, does anyone else want to hazard a guess on their own efforts?

[draco44]

I've read and participated in this thread for a while now, and it just occurred to me today that there is a difference in getting rid of items temporarily and permanently.  For example, clothing will continue to come and go, as will papers, and books, in my case.  So I wonder how much of our decluttering is a permanent reduction in stuff and how much is just churn?  I'm hard pressed to estimate these categories myself - I'd have to give it more thought, does anyone else want to hazard a guess on their own efforts?

That depends. There are many types of decluttering. Sometimes you give something away if you've upgraded to a replacement object that does more or less the same thing, which I think may be what you are thinking of when you talking about "churning" possessions. But sometimes your life situation changes in a fundamental way and you no longer need a certain type of item at all ever again. Or you just want to own less overall. Or sometimes you give something away and later realize you need a replacement. There's reducing your overall load of possessions, but there's also adjusting the tally of what you own to changing life circumstances.

Also, if when you need objects you buy them used, instead of only buying new then giving away, it's sort of like you are tapping into a collectively maintained cloud or river of used possessions, none of which were manufactured specifically for your use, but that become available to you when you need or want them.

[mspym]

I've read and participated in this thread for a while now, and it just occurred to me today that there is a difference in getting rid of items temporarily and permanently.  For example, clothing will continue to come and go, as will papers, and books, in my case.  So I wonder how much of our decluttering is a permanent reduction in stuff and how much is just churn?  I'm hard pressed to estimate these categories myself - I'd have to give it more thought, does anyone else want to hazard a guess on their own efforts?

Overall, there is a permanent reduction of total number of objects in our house. There is some churn but most things that are entering my house now also have an exit plan, instead of continuing to accumulate.
- There are some areas where I have hit my balance point in terms of both number and item specifics so no more churn. (Most clothing, cook books & gear, gym gear)
- There a couple of areas where I have hit my balance point for number but not quite specific items so I'm doing more thinking and planning before bringing new items in in the hopes of reducing that churn. (Shoes, some clothing categories)
- There are other areas where no new purchases are being made so numbers are slowly trending down as I use things up or decide that a thing hasn't earned a permanent place. (Hobby stuff, work clothing, TBR pile, games)
- There are some things that I can repurchase once something is used up, keeping the number static (personal grooming, food stuffs)

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I've read and participated in this thread for a while now, and it just occurred to me today that there is a difference in getting rid of items temporarily and permanently.  For example, clothing will continue to come and go, as will papers, and books, in my case.  So I wonder how much of our decluttering is a permanent reduction in stuff and how much is just churn?  I'm hard pressed to estimate these categories myself - I'd have to give it more thought, does anyone else want to hazard a guess on their own efforts?

Some of both for us. We have kids. They grow, and need new things. They switch hobbies, stop playing with toys, etc. I pass them on. Mail/papers come in, we recycle and save what we need. That doesn't stop.

However, we've also drastically reduced the amount of things we have in our house. We don't keep things we don't regularly use, I comb through my closet and probably have less than 1/2 of what I had a few years ago. Same with many other house hold objects. I stay on top of the "ongoing churn" stuff, because if you don't, that builds & gets really messy. But, I also just like/need/want substantially less. Clutter makes me anxious.

[Zamboni]

I'm not very good at this. It's so slow for me, in fits and starts.

Tomorrow I'm gonna actually do something I really struggle with: throw some things away. Not donate. Not resell. Trash.

Towels with big holes? Trash.
CD's we burned back in the day? Trash.
Toiletries that were manufactured in 1996? Trash.

Why am I so bad at that? Literally I have accumulated various piles of these things . . . even though I know they are trash.

[oneday]

@Zamboni you can do it, I have faith in you! You don't need to exist with this trash infringing on your living spaces. (Even if it's in cabinets, it's taking space from useful things.)

[Zamboni]

Okay, I've watched some design videos, and decided that I'm going to push everything in my home towards a Zen/Scandanavian/Minimalist vibe.

And you know what isn't in that vibe?

Trash.

Yep . . . out with the trash. Out with the piles of garbage that I've not been throwing away for some reason.

[shadesofgreen]

I got rid of a really bulky carpet cleaner yesterday. So happy to have that gone! It was no longer working very well and had been passed down.

I will be writing things up to get out of the house when cooler. There is a heat wave/dome over me until next week.

[PMG]

@Zamboni if you’re needing encouragement you might enjoy the Minimal Mom’s YouTube channel. I find her videos so relaxing and empowering. She’s got one about the sink cost fallacy and cleaning out old product from the bathroom. And I really appreciate her inventory approach. “Do I want to spend my time managing this inventory?” Or “this inventory is out of date, it’s time for it to go.” 

[Fomerly known as something]

Well I kind of forced myself to go on a huge purge.  I’m moving from a Midwest 3 bedroom house to a west coast 2 bedroom apartment.  This time no drawer or storage bin is being spared.  Some things are being thrown out (Eason salts that haven’t been used in more than 4 years), some sold goodbye snow blower and lawn mower, much donated furniture that wasn’t selling quick enough (a couch with a $20 price just to keep the flakes away), clothes, the last 4 original water glasses I could no longer match.

[Fomerly known as something]

In other news, I’m supper happy the manual coffee grinder had survived the do I really need this purge (along with the camping teapot and French press) since I might be without power for 5 days.  Also I am super happy my current stove is natural gas.

[oneday]

Okay, I've watched some design videos, and decided that I'm going to push everything in my home towards a Zen/Scandanavian/Minimalist vibe.

And you know what isn't in that vibe?

Trash.

Yep . . . out with the trash. Out with the piles of garbage that I've not been throwing away for some reason.

@Zamboni how'd this go? You doing OK with it?

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Got rid of a huge desk that had been blocking our entry way for almost two weeks. We moved a desk from our vacation house (that we sold) to our other house, and had an extra desk to get rid of. I posted it on Buy Nothing and not even a peep. Posted it on  my neighborhood alias, and got two asks within an hour. We gave it away for free.

So happy to have it out of the house, and into the hands of someone who needs it!

[draco44]

Got rid of a huge desk that had been blocking our entry way for almost two weeks.

Well done! Re-homing large objects can be especially challenging.

I'm facing the opposite problem, where I have some small objects that aren't moving. I tried Buy Nothing first but have switched over to posting on the free section of Craigslist today for another try.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Got rid of a huge desk that had been blocking our entry way for almost two weeks.

Well done! Re-homing large objects can be especially challenging.

I'm facing the opposite problem, where I have some small objects that aren't moving. I tried Buy Nothing first but have switched over to posting on the free section of Craigslist today for another try.

@draco44 - one thing that works pretty well for me on BN. I gather a bunch of small objects, and list them all at once (each with their own photo/number). People are much more likely to swing by if they are picking up a few small items - it's less tempting to drive even 10 minutes out of the way for something small.

[draco44]

@MaybeBabyMustache That's a good reminder - I've had success with that method in the past.

[mspym]

Not quite Death Cleaning but similar, I am making ongoing passes through my things asking "do I want to move this?"

Today I took 4 books to the street library (2 of mine, 2 of Ofpym's) and when I got back, I found 6 more that I am now ready to let go of plus another 2 that I want to re-read before releasing them.

[Plina]

Not quite Death Cleaning but similar, I am making ongoing passes through my things asking "do I want to move this?"

Today I took 4 books to the street library (2 of mine, 2 of Ofpym's) and when I got back, I found 6 more that I am now ready to let go of plus another 2 that I want to re-read before releasing them.

I have moved pretty frequently so I have asked myself if I want to pay to have this item moved. It works really well. Last week was the first time I missed some stuff that I had sold but it is cheap to replace so no harm done.

[slackmax]

Photographed a big golf bag and some clubs, will try to sell them on Facebook Marketplace.

Also, decided I'm going to donate a hardback book to the library. Tried selling it for a long enough time. 'The Road Less Traveled'.

[oneday]

Traded stuff: unexpectedly, a friend of mine needed pink yarn. I had some and offered it. Happy to have that particular yarn out of the house!

But friend found a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $7.50 in a thrift shop & gave that to me. It was not meant to be an exchange for the yarn (I am to make her cookies), but it kind of feels like it now!

[mspym]

But friend found a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $7.50 in a thrift shop & gave that to me. It was not meant to be an exchange for the yarn (I am to make her cookies), but it kind of feels like it now!

WHAT BLESSED LUCK IS THIS???

[oneday]

But friend found a Kitchen Aid stand mixer for $7.50 in a thrift shop & gave that to me. It was not meant to be an exchange for the yarn (I am to make her cookies), but it kind of feels like it now!

WHAT BLESSED LUCK IS THIS???

I know, right?!?!?!?! It was even half off the normal price of $15. She says she sees them all the time. Although she is a recreational shopper, and spends far more time in those shops than most others, so her "all the time" is not really a typical experience.

It just occurs to me that neither of us have tried to turn it on. Tomorrow.

The shine/finish seems to be worn off the upper body (but not the paint), so it may be harder to keep clean. Maybe someone used abrasive on it. Well, that just means quick wipe ups immediately after every use. I can do that. It could be the reason it was disposed of...too hard to keep clean. It came from a very posh town's thrift store. The type of place where people would get rid of a all expensive appliances that didn't match their newly remodeled kitchen, and replacement would just be thought of as part of the cost of the remodel, if it was thought of at all.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

-Gave away a pair of outgrown soccer cleats in BN. Happy to keep them back in circulation, as my son outgrew them after a month
-Listed soccer shinguard sleeves on eBay. My kids won't wear the sleeves, and I've successfully sold them before.

I'm working on my next pile of things to give away on Buy Nothing. As mentioned above, for smaller items, I find I get a lot more interest/traction when giving away a bunch of small things, as people are more likely to take 2-3, and it's worth the drive to pick up. Or, I offer garden goodies with each. ;-)

[MountainGal]

~6 cups of shredded zucchini went to a friend
~I finally used up a bottle of conditioner
~Some reading material was tossed
~Threw away a lip balm responsible for burning the crap out of my lips

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I went through my 14 y.o.'s dresser when he was at school today, and got rid of so much! I don't know how he hides this stuff. The dresser is now actually usable, and I have a stack of things to pass on via Buy Nothing, some stuff to donate, and a large stash of things to recycle/toss. Woohoo! I'm guessing 20+ items out of the dresser.

[SquashingDebt]

Had an extra mattress from combining households with my partner.  Got a friend from work to take it!  No landfill/waste and now he has a 6 month old mattress and a foundation instead of a very old futon mattress on the floor.

Also took my very old couch to the dump this week.  I'm really enjoying my partner's fancy couch that reclines, etc.  Glad I stuck it out with my old couch this long, so we didn't have to get rid of a new-ish couch too, along with the new-ish mattress.

[mspym]

Today I took 4 books to the street library (2 of mine, 2 of Ofpym's) and when I got back, I found 6 more that I am now ready to let go of plus another 2 that I want to re-read before releasing them.

6 books now moved to their new homes
1 jar of gifted jam consumed
1 sewing pattern moved to the donation pile

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Big box of the odd school supplies that used to always crop up on the kid's list and then never get used (looking at you, weird triangle ruler with a set of markings not on the most common ones, still in the original packaging). She's 22 now! Also sealed ink cartridges for a dead printer, both disposed of on freecycle. Now I too need to find someone to give 30 serranos to, I have enough pickled for a year of taco tuesdays and a quart bag full in the freezer... they love this hot summer.

@rockeTree - I have your serrano problem, probably times 5x. Do you by chance have a pickled serrano recipe? I tried a jalapeno recipe & they were insanely spicy.

[rockeTree]

I was referring to your post above with the thirty, I actually may have more than that (but not 5x!). I use a jalapeņo recipe but with some carrot slices and shallots to even out the heat a little. Every now and again a jar will still be real intense but usually it's fine.

I *think* I started with this recipe and have tweaked it over the years, mostly by making the vinegar half cider and half white and by cutting the sugar a little. https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/50384/local-experts-dish-on-the-art-of-pickled-peppers

[MaybeBabyMustache]

I was referring to your post above with the thirty, I actually may have more than that (but not 5x!). I use a jalapeņo recipe but with some carrot slices and shallots to even out the heat a little. Every now and again a jar will still be real intense but usually it's fine.

I *think* I started with this recipe and have tweaked it over the years, mostly by making the vinegar half cider and half white and by cutting the sugar a little. https://www.kqed.org/bayareabites/50384/local-experts-dish-on-the-art-of-pickled-peppers

Awesome! I will give that a try. Thanks.

[MaybeBabyMustache]

Had the kids go through our two "sports equipment" bins in the garage. Got rid of the broken down container, tossed a bunch of old junk, gave away two skateboards, listed one for sale. Listed another bunch of items on Buy Nothing. The area looks so nice & tidy now.

And, my husband put up our outdoor lights, which have been in boxes in the garage since our house painting project last summer. No more loose wires, and stuff out of the garage!

[RetiredAt63]

I just sold a spinning wheel - living in an apartment I just don't have the space for 4.  Now I am down to 3.  The sale of this one covers the cost of #4, which is a wheel I love to use.