Author Topic: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2  (Read 1249390 times)

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #900 on: July 02, 2018, 01:55:38 PM »
@zygote, I just sorted through old greeting cards too.

I am the family historian/genealogist too, so my rule is to keep papers that tell part of my relative's (or my) story.  A random greeting card with someone's name scrawled on it doesn't usually do that.  A card with a handwritten message that was tailored just for me - that tells part of both of our story. 

I'm also keeping all of the letters that my grandmother and my dad had sent me, and the postcards that I sent to my now-deceased uncle.  (He had Downs Syndrome and could not read but LOVED to get mail.  When I turned 16 I started buying postcards and sending him one a month with a short message for my grandmother to read him.  He kept every single one in a wooden box on his dresser, and he'd get them out every few weeks and look at the pictures.  When he died, she gave them all back to me, and I treasure them.)

****
I did a pass through the file cabinets again this weekend.  I found half a drawer worth of old genealogy papers that I don't need, and a few folders full of papers that I had forgotten I had and need to deal with.  I threw away a bunch of other types of files too.  I've emptied one of the 3 drawers, and I think I can get rid of about 1/3 - 1/2 of the rest.

My husband actually did more in the attic.  I filled a lawn trash bag with trash, and had a small box of things to donate and another small box of things to recycle.  That's major progress for him....I hope that more will go as he continues this process and realizes it is not so devastating to get rid of things.  We also agreed that the 4 ancient computers and monitors in the attic will only stay for 12 more months.  If he doesn't have them working and ready to sell by then, I'm taking them to the electronic recycling.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #901 on: July 02, 2018, 01:59:57 PM »
I toss all greeting cards, but then I'm not the sentimental type.
...
Strange as it is, I have old pay stubs in my sentimental items & will deal with them at the appropriate time later.

Well, which is it?  If you have paystubs in your sentimental items, I say you're sentimental (over odd things -- but no judgment, I have old paystubs in my sentimental items too :D ).

Bird In Hand, lol! It's more accurate to say I am not conventionally sentimental.

@formerlydivorcedmom excellent news about  your husband. It can be a learning curve.

plainjane

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #902 on: July 02, 2018, 03:59:51 PM »
I am the family historian/genealogist too, so my rule is to keep papers that tell part of my relative's (or my) story.  A random greeting card with someone's name scrawled on it doesn't usually do that.  A card with a handwritten message that was tailored just for me - that tells part of both of our story. 

I'm also keeping all of the letters that my grandmother and my dad had sent me, and the postcards that I sent to my now-deceased uncle.  (He had Downs Syndrome and could not read but LOVED to get mail.  When I turned 16 I started buying postcards and sending him one a month with a short message for my grandmother to read him.  He kept every single one in a wooden box on his dresser, and he'd get them out every few weeks and look at the pictures.  When he died, she gave them all back to me, and I treasure them.)

This is how I managed my cards too - if there was any kind of note, I kept it. If it was just my name, then I didn't. At one point I wrote monthly notes to both my grandmothers. A couple came back to me afterwards, partially annotated. It would have been lovely to get them all, but the annotations were wonderful to see.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #903 on: July 03, 2018, 04:25:32 AM »
We have 3 old computer hard disks saved in the house. We took them out when we ditched the computers. I want to throw them away after making them unreadable.

DH thinks that hitting them with a hammer or pickaxe and boiling in water would make them at least very difficult to read. Very specialized software might be able to retrieve something, but the chance of someone doing that is maybe not so big.

Someone else who has good idea about it that do not require connecting it to a computer?

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #904 on: July 03, 2018, 05:02:15 AM »
Linda, what about magnetic wipe?

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #905 on: July 03, 2018, 05:12:31 AM »
Linda, what about magnetic wipe?

@mspym
Can you do that with a small magnet? I have some small ones.

Mezzie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #906 on: July 03, 2018, 07:02:46 AM »
@zygote
The card instance is one where taking pictures might make things easier.

What I've found, though, after five years of serious decluttering, is that I have not regretted anything. I keep one item per deceased relative; that one item has proven enough to spark a wealth of memories.

That said, I do keep a drawer full of thank you notes and cards from students. On a bad day, they give me the strength to go on, so they serve a purpose. In this case, the amount matters: if that many people can thank me for specific ways I have helped them, then I must not totally suck. Those may be the only things relatives will have to really sort through when I die, and I'm okay with that. If your cards serve a real purpose for you, then making space for them might also be okay. The goal, as far as I can tell, is to find out what truly brings us joy and make room for those things.

dashuk

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #907 on: July 03, 2018, 07:20:02 AM »
Got a box of stuff (mostly kids clothes) actually out of the house.

Main achievement though was moving stuff around. There is now (pretty much*) nothing in our loft space that we don't need/want. Basically what's left is.

 - Kids clothes which #1 has grown out of and #2 will grow into**, plus a bit of 'next size' stuff for #1. Stuff #2 has outgrown is being ruthlessly purged.
 - Toys which are not currently 'in play' (we have a rotation so everything isn't out at once).
 - OH's craft supplies.
 - Camping gear.
 - Out of season sports clothing

There is still a load of surplus stuff, but it's all downstairs in our utility room. My reasoning is:

 - If we need it occasionally, we won't mind going up to the loft for it.
 - The junk is somewhere we can see it, and if we want the utility space back we've got to get rid of it.




* Only obvious thing is a sofa-bed we were hanging on to because we were thinking about extending, but we've kicked that several years down the road.

** We were cunningly 'storing' this with friends who have a child in between our two, but their child is small for age, our #2 is big for age, and they're now too close in size for the once or twice a year we meet up.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #908 on: July 03, 2018, 12:02:21 PM »
@zygote
The goal, as far as I can tell, is to find out what truly brings us joy and make room for those things.

This is what I'm aiming for.   I like the "brings joy" criteria better than simply "it makes me happy" because, in my mind at least, it's a higher bar for what to keep.  It helps me let go of things that are good, but not great.

@dashuk what a great concept, to get all the keep stuff in it's final home, and make the surplus live in an easily accessible place.  Let us know how it works for you over time!

Nederstash

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #909 on: July 05, 2018, 01:49:40 PM »
Guys, I had the best decluttering week ever. Due to complications my very pregnant colleague started her maternity leave one day early. The result: utter and complete chaos at her desk. I'm talking stacks of files scattered on her desk, in her filing cabinet and around her desk on the floor. Dozens and dozens of post it notes on anything and everything. She gave me her log in codes for her e-mail (she had active cases that needed to be distributed to other people).

She apologized for not being able to clean up on her last day. Now, I adore her, she's incredibly sweet, but she would've never managed to clean up and get all her case files in order in just 1 day. She's a tasmanian devil on a good day.

Y'all... I'm still working on it. And I consider myself a ruthless and highly efficient declutterer. But I do love it. Pulling everything out of the stacks and the mailbox to complete the case files, get them to a new lawyer and out of my sight! I have cleared ALL the non-digital clutter in one week. Every single damn case file, loose paperclips, notebooks. Even her personal items are neatly boxed up and tucked away until she returns in January.* All there's left to do, is to get her email folders in order.

It feels soooo good to haul stacks upon stacks of outdated regulations, closed files and whatever else there was and archive or chuck them.


* Yes, January. 6 months of maternity leave, 4,5 of which are paid. I'm waiting for some immaculate conception because I want in on that.

SunnyDays

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #910 on: July 05, 2018, 02:04:30 PM »
@Nederstash, maybe you should move to Canada - we get a year of mat leave here, paid at 70% of income!

Mezzie

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #911 on: July 05, 2018, 07:23:11 PM »
I decluttered the living room yesterday; the mail and my lesson planning papers had taken over. For once what clutter remains is NOT MINE.

Today I helped my dad declutter a dot matrix printer (!) that my husband wants to use as a prop in his art project, and he took my electric lawnmower that I don't use since hiring a gardener (the disability precludes heavy yardwork). The latter is technically a loan, but he can keep it as long as he needs.

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #912 on: July 05, 2018, 08:10:04 PM »
This weekend is the donate everything that is in the donation pile* weekend. I will also send my sister the book I promised her two weeks' ago, stymied only by timely access to a post office.  I'm also going to kondo the shit out my manga collection and email the list to a friend who knows people who will want it.

*no clothes but working pressure cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, rad satchel bag that my old self would snatch up in an instant if I saw it.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #913 on: July 06, 2018, 02:58:29 AM »
*no clothes but working pressure cooker, slow cooker, yogurt maker, rad satchel bag that my old self would snatch up in an instant if I saw it.

Slow cooking at normal pressure can also be done in a normal pan, as well as making yoghurt if you use a thermometer.

On my wish list are a bread making machine and a smoothie maker. Of course, you can bake bread in the oven, but you'll need to make the oudh yourself. And smoothies can be made in a normal kitchen blender, but it is challenging to pour from a round container into a glass without making a mess (like I did yesterday).

My DH doesn't want these extra machines. In my kitchen cupboards there are already the following apparatuses:
- an old an small kitchen blender (used often)
- a hand blender (used regularly)
- an ice cream maker (used occasionally)
- a stone grill (never used)
- a waffle maker for Norwegian waffles (used regularly)
- a waffle maker for Dutch waffles/stroopwafels (used sometimes years ago, now just filling cabinet)
- a slicer (used occasionally)
- a cake carrier tray with lock (used occasionally)
- a orange squeezer (never used in recent years)
- a good quality knife sharpener (used seldom)
- a coffee machine (used occasionally)
- a pasta maker (used occasionally)

As I sum it up it shows some possible candidates for leaving the house if we are going to live smaller.

I think the orange squeezer should go first. Fresh oranges are just so expensive here compared to orange juice in packs that I never make fresh juice. I could buy a very small manual manual squeezer, like the one I have at our cabin. But it should be a little easier to use, because I hate that specific model.

Also the stone grill can go, almost not used. It feels like a waste to ditch something so little used. But it needs a type of fuel for the flame that is not easily available in Norway. Therefore we never use it. We also have several charcoal grill alternatives for outside which could even be used in winter.

The Dutch waffle maker is a hard one. You can't make these waffles without such a machine. On the other hand, we seldom eat those now, because we miss them less than before and because of lack of time. Maybe it would sufficient to buy some packs of waffles once a year when we visit the country. It would also hurt to ditch this one, my MIL spent quite some time many years ago to find it for us. Also, in FIRE we would have plenty of time to use it.

The knife sharpener is a tool that increases the lifespan of your knives. This should be a stayer.

The pasta maker would be used more often if I had more time. Therefore: keep it for after FIRE.

The coffee machine is something you just need to have, I guess, from a social aspect. Offering powder coffee with hot water is probably not the same for a coffee drinker.

The cake tray is only practical for carrying a cake somewhere else als is quite difficult to do without a fitting lock. I don't know whether we would do this more in the future. Maybe keep it for the time being.

The ice cream maker can stay. We love homemade ice cream and this machine makes it so much easier..

The slicer is practical from time to time. Let's keep it for the time being.
« Last Edit: July 06, 2018, 04:08:54 AM by Linda_Norway »

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #914 on: July 06, 2018, 06:34:47 AM »
For coffee - I'm assuming that Norway has access to pour over coffee, right? That is much smaller space-wise than a full machine, and if you need to make a big batch, you can just pour over into a big teapot or carafe. ;)

I find it hard to get rid of kitchen things; kudos to you for trying....

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #915 on: July 06, 2018, 07:32:11 AM »
For coffee - I'm assuming that Norway has access to pour over coffee, right? That is much smaller space-wise than a full machine, and if you need to make a big batch, you can just pour over into a big teapot or carafe. ;)

I find it hard to get rid of kitchen things; kudos to you for trying....

Yes, I remember a pour over coffee filter from what my parents used to bring along when camping. That might indeed be a good alternative. The coffee machine takes up quite some space in the cupboard.
And no, I will not pour coffee into my tea pot.

And we can (as long as it lasts) order stuff from all over the world without import fees up to 38 USD or so. A coffee filter should fit in that category.

Car Jack

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #916 on: July 06, 2018, 08:12:27 AM »
We have 3 old computer hard disks saved in the house. We took them out when we ditched the computers. I want to throw them away after making them unreadable.

DH thinks that hitting them with a hammer or pickaxe and boiling in water would make them at least very difficult to read. Very specialized software might be able to retrieve something, but the chance of someone doing that is maybe not so big.

Someone else who has good idea about it that do not require connecting it to a computer?

This can be done with parts in the disk drive itself.  If you have the tools, disassemble the drive.  You'll find 2 very strong neodymium magnets near the base of the heads.  Once you pull the disks themselves out, get out the 2 magnets.  Place one magnet on a surface, the disks on top and the other on top of the disks.  Feel free to move all this stuff around.  The disks themselves are aluminum so won't provide any resistance to the magnets.  You could certainly just use one magnet on each pile of disks.

I e-scrap so have a pile of maybe 25 disks with microwave magnets.  I've yet to bring them to the e-scrap yard because I know from talking to one of the guys who used to work in data recovery that he's been able to recover files on a disk that had a hole drilled in it and that was bent 90 degrees.  For the 5 cents I'll recover from my pile of disks, I'll likely never let the platters out of my house.  The rest of the drive.....sure.  The aluminum housing is the bulk of the value anyways.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #917 on: July 06, 2018, 09:03:09 AM »
I've taken a few more loads of stuff to the consignment shop. 

Now that the baby is a toddler, the cleaning out has really hit a hard stop. She just gets into everything! Most weekends though I try to find at least 5 things to toss or donate.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #918 on: July 06, 2018, 08:38:16 PM »
@Nederstash, maybe you should move to Canada - we get a year of mat leave here, paid at 70% of income!

Not all of us do!

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #919 on: July 06, 2018, 08:39:52 PM »
Went on a trip. Whenever I'm away from home, I like to do a mental scan of my home and stuff, as from the fresh perspective it's easier to identify what can go. I think this was the first time ever that NOTHING came up!! I seem to be down to my preferred balance :)   YAY!!

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #920 on: July 07, 2018, 03:54:09 AM »
DH wanted to keep the coffee machine. But he suggested to ditch the bread toaster that we use once a year. We can use the oven for those occasions. My list was also missing the hand mixer, which is regularly use.

So today I threw away the stone grill, but I keep the stone a little longer. I made a box with the bread toaster, juice sqeezer, 2 old MP3 players, a broken male brooming device and a bunch of old batteries and lights. All can be delivered at stores that sell the same stuff.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #921 on: July 07, 2018, 01:04:42 PM »
I've been trying to ditch a bunch of outgrown kids clothes, and find that it's hard to sell even the nicer pieces one by one. Instead, created a lot & it was gone in under a half hour. 13 items out of the house, and made $15. Less than I would have made if I'd sold a few of the nicer items one by one, but just thrilled to get them out of the house. And, the $15 pushed me over my 2018 goal of $1000 in sidehustle! Woohoo!

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #922 on: July 07, 2018, 02:41:01 PM »
And, the $15 pushed me over my 2018 goal of $1000 in sidehustle! Woohoo!

Hey, nicely done!! :)))))

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #923 on: July 07, 2018, 04:46:18 PM »
And, the $15 pushed me over my 2018 goal of $1000 in sidehustle! Woohoo!

Hey, nicely done!! :)))))
+1!

mspym

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #924 on: July 07, 2018, 04:48:33 PM »
Pressure cooker is off at its new home AND I got to see pal and her not-so-wee-anymore baby. Next steps are putting the remaining items in the car for taking to the Vinnies.

Maybe today is sort through the manga day?

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #925 on: July 07, 2018, 07:14:01 PM »
@i'm a red panda, as long as your 5-things a week at least keeps up with the incoming volume, you will succeed!  Taking care of your little one is more important right now.

@jooniFLORisploo wow that's awesome!  What a great place to be.  You win the thread!

==============================================================

In the last week I've worked a lot of overtime, with little energy left over, so I lost focus on the papers.  However, last night I decided to at least put a token effort in.  I was rewarded.  There was a tipping point or a breakthrough or something that happened and I whizzed through the last boxes, deciding to keep very little.  Of the 2 boxes I started with yesterday, 1/4 will be shredded in the coming few days, 1/4 is related to the condo I sold this year, so will keep until the taxes are filed & make a determination at that time about how much of it to keep. 1/4 is permanent/indefinite keep or scan and 1/4 is filing supplies.  Yes, I have a volume of filing supplies that is equal to papers needing filing!  So that will be the next thing to be decluttered.

I had to return the Kondo book to the library because someone had a hold on it. So I'm going to stay in paper-land for a bit and turn my focus to scanning, which leads to more shredding, which leads to being able to file what's left and then decluttering the filing supplies.  If I'm motivated, that could all be done by tomorrow!  Although it took me 2 weeks to get to this point, so I don't have my hopes up too high.

==============================================================

I'm killing me.  I forgot I started this post last night.  Lots of new good stuff on this thread today!  Shout out to @Linda_Norway @MaybeBabyMustache and @mspym for progress!

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #926 on: July 07, 2018, 07:55:05 PM »
Thanks, all! I'm thinking of listing the kids books (we mostly use the library, but they do accumulate through gifts, etc) in a big batch lot. I also have a Waterford pitcher I've been meaning to list on eBay as well. Getting rid of things!!!

Fresh Bread

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #927 on: July 07, 2018, 08:26:21 PM »
Glad to see so much progress here, well done everyone!

I will share a win with you all - I had our architect over (we are doing a big reno) and I was saying that I thought it would be too hard to paint the walls while we have all our stuff/ are living in the house and he said: "you don't have a lot of stuff compared to most people..." I don't know about that, but I think this means our place doesn't look cluttered :)  Dirty and untidy most of the time, but not cluttered ;)

Also, hubby is working his way though a bunch of hobby parts to sell. It's so he can make another purchase, but it's a lot of things out being replaced by one thing so it sounds good to me. 

HappierAtHome

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #928 on: July 08, 2018, 05:00:39 AM »
I will share a win with you all - I had our architect over (we are doing a big reno) and I was saying that I thought it would be too hard to paint the walls while we have all our stuff/ are living in the house and he said: "you don't have a lot of stuff compared to most people..." I don't know about that, but I think this means our place doesn't look cluttered :)

I would take that as a real compliment :-)

SunnyDays

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #929 on: July 08, 2018, 11:10:48 AM »
Alf91, this is what I would do:  one album at a time, take all the pictures out.  Put the very best ones aside for possible displaying (a wall gallery is nice), throw out any that are poor quality or just pointless, give other people ones you think they might want, and put the rest in a photo box.  This takes up a lot less room than albums, and can be put into cupboards where they won't get dusty.  If you periodically look at them again, continue to reduce the quantity as you go.  If you can get the collection down to a manageable size, then you could scan them onto a thumb-drive.

I have a relative that has probably tens of thousands of photos, I kid you not!  I pity her son when he "inherits" those.

shadowmoss

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #930 on: July 08, 2018, 02:22:00 PM »
What SunnyDays said, except I would go ahead and scan a few as I went along.  Maybe not all of them on the first pass, just a few as you go. That way those that have been scanned can be put back someplace separate or even tossed. 

I am going through my own box of pictures and tossing a bunch.  Old boyfriends from 20-30 years ago and their kids, especially if it ended badly.  Sadly I considered myself a fair photographer.  The evidence shows otherwise.  Lots of fuzzy focus landscape and flower pics that I have no idea what or where they are.  I'm also tossing all negatives.  I won't go through and look and won't make any further prints.  So, out.


MrsTuxedocat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #931 on: July 08, 2018, 03:14:43 PM »
Mr. TC has gone through his scrubs and got rid of 3 shirts and 2 pants that he doesn't wear/like.

Raymond Reddington

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #932 on: July 08, 2018, 03:33:04 PM »
I've managed to shred two 10 ten gallon bags worth of unnecessary paperwork from my job, get rid of a bunch of old magazines I've never read, throw out some things that don't actually work anymore, and find a $50 Amazon gift card I never used in the process which I redeemed on our account. I've also organized the stuff I'm keeping a lot better, so things aren't as all over the place anymore. In addition, we got rid of a ton of cardboard boxes we don't need and a bunch of stuff from the yard that we don't need or want and has no value. My wife has spent the better part of the day listing things online that have value in the hopes of selling them. And we claimed EnergyStar credit from the local utility for the two air conditioners we had to purchase this year as well as the washing machine we purchased last year to replace the old one we are selling. The new one has higher capacity and uses less energy, which will reduce the electrical costs of doing laundry, plus it uses less water per item of clothing. Both air conditioners have the ECO option and will stop running when they reach the set temperature, whereas the old would just cycle off the compressor and continue to run the blower.

joonifloofeefloo

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #933 on: July 08, 2018, 03:38:44 PM »
WOW, Raymond Reddington! Great going!!! Must feel good :)))

halftimer

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #934 on: July 08, 2018, 10:32:54 PM »
Everyone's progress here is so motivating! We just got a box of items out into my neighbors garage sale, plus a patio table and 2 chairs. I'm already finding more to join it. Also they borrowed my folding table, so in moving that out of the room, it looks like a good time to go through the items it was obscuring in my living space. And, we finally hung a picture that we bought last year! (It took a long time to decide the best way to hang it on the brick, we just had it leaning close to it's spot for most of this time)

MrsDinero

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #935 on: July 09, 2018, 07:27:14 AM »
I've been carrying around about 4 trash bags full of donated items in the car.  This weekend I finally dropped them off at the thrift shop.

I have another 2, moving boxes full of stuff to drop off and I took pictures of some furniture to ask the thrift shop if they want it.

Not to derail the thread but part of my decluttering is finding a home for everything we are keeping. This is tough because in some areas we don't have enough practical storage, like smaller drawers, etc.  I've taken all the smaller, plastic drawer systems we have and put them in the basement and I bought a label maker.  So far it has been very helpful. 2 of the drawers I labeled first and filled was "packing tape" and "measuring tapes" those are the items that bring the most frustration when we can't find them.  I even put a label "put back in drawer when done" on them :)

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #936 on: July 09, 2018, 07:38:14 AM »
Advice please! I inherited both parents' sets of photo albums and now including my own, I have almost 40 altogether (about 3 are mine). I am completely overwhelmed by this and they have just been sitting on a shelf for some time now. I do look at them sometimes, but they are taking up a lot of space and the dust seems to collect on them! I'm not sure how to tackle them.


Here is a service that will scan your photos. I have never used it but may in the near future: https://www.scanmyphotos.com/services/photo-scanning.html

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #937 on: July 09, 2018, 10:08:47 AM »
Advice please! I inherited both parents' sets of photo albums and now including my own, I have almost 40 altogether (about 3 are mine). I am completely overwhelmed by this and they have just been sitting on a shelf for some time now. I do look at them sometimes, but they are taking up a lot of space and the dust seems to collect on them! I'm not sure how to tackle them.


Here is a service that will scan your photos. I have never used it but may in the near future: https://www.scanmyphotos.com/services/photo-scanning.html

I've been tempted to use a service like this.  I inherited my grandmother's and my dad's pictures - I have 5 giant tubs of photo albums that I have been meaning to sort through the last 5 years.

I'm concerned with a service like this that the pictures come back with just random numbers or letters as the filename.  My grandmother did an excellent job of writing on the back of every single picture when/where it was taken and who was in it, and I don't want to lose that information. 

I started sorting one tub of the pictures a few weeks ago.  I realized that the albums were totally random.  I pulled all the pictures out and sorted them into decades (1940s, 1950s, etc) as best as I could.  That makes it easier to go through and throw a bunch away - I realized there were a lot of duplicates or pics that were similar enough I didn't need to keep all of them. 

My plan is to go through each decade once or twice more and throw away even more....and then I'm going to have to set myself scanning goals with rewards.

***
I was home alone this week so I turned the junkyard that was our "front room" into a formal dining room.  (The breakfast room is now missing a table, but I'll fix that problem later.)  I repainted, bought new curtains, and sorted everything in the room.  Two pieces of furniture went to the garage to be gotten rid of.  I  have two big boxes of things that I want to give away that my husband needs to sort through (I promised nothing would leave the house without his approval - he hates decluttering - except for the fugly curtains that were here.  They were long gone when he got back.) 

The room looks SO MUCH NICER and so much bigger with less than half of the knick-knacks and furniture in it.  Fingers crossed that he'll actually let go of the things in the boxes so that I can keep the room this way.

meghan88

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #938 on: July 09, 2018, 12:23:13 PM »
I listed 30 items on kijiji in the last few weeks; loads of antiques and other quality stuff.  No bites so far on some of it, but I am not the most patient person.  Can't wait to get rid of it all.  (Yes, it is priced fairly.)

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #939 on: July 09, 2018, 01:24:47 PM »
I too have dealt with some paper. Got rid of an entire plastic file tub of papers -- lots of old medical stuff, financial stuff, etc that I simply didn't need to have around, and am now down to one plastic bin of neatly filed paper! I'm quite happy to have only one bin of paper; I'm down to essential records and a small number of mementos.

I'm sitting with a separate pile of papers trying to figure out what I want to do with them. All of them have, at the very least, extreme sentimental value; some also have actual value. Some are old and rare academic materials; although I'm not currently working on those topics, I haven't ruled out starting again on my own time. Some of it is old language learning materials that need a better storage system than just "in a file folder." Some of it is old creative output that I no longer have digital access to.

The language learning materials will probably go into a binder; I think that would work very well, and it would allow them to sit neatly on my bookshelf next to my language books. I'm not sure what I want to do with the academic materials (keep all of them? some of them?) or the creative output (keep all/some? in what format?). Some of it probably needs to be let go, but it's something I think I really do need to sit with for a bit.

oneday

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #940 on: July 09, 2018, 10:56:08 PM »
@MrsTuxedocat kudos to Mr. TC!  Are you further reducing your wardrobes, or are they at a good place now?

Everyone's progress here is so motivating!

Agreed!

@MrsDinero 6 bags/boxes in the last several weeks...well done!

@formerlydivorcedmom I'm sending good thoughts your way so that you can keep your dining room beautiful!

@meghan88 not quite the same, but I listed a loveseat on Craigslist & Facebook on Saturday.  No interest yet and I'm getting impatient too!

@diapasoun fight the good fight (papers)!  Great progress.  My own experience in the last few years (going from 7 to <2 boxes) is that yes, sitting on it & coming back later does help.  You seem to have a very good solution for the language learning papers, so that is your win for now.

==========================================================

Apropos to a discussion on scent in another thread? Today I decluttered a can of air freshener which didn't really freshen the air or mask bad odors.  Took it to the bathroom at work, it seems to work better there probably due to the larger area & better ventilation.  I got it when first moving into the new place & didn't have any incense, but now I have incense & a burner, so...

===============================================================

So glad I just cleared out the papers!  I have such a small stack now, and it came in handy today.  I was online chatting with a customer service rep & couldn't find my account# in email.  So I sifted through the papers real quick & found it there!  I'm making a case that the internet service at my old place was/should have been turned off on May 8, not July 3...if I win the decision that's $120+ bucks back in my pocket.  So glad I found that account # and related documentation!


dashuk

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #941 on: July 10, 2018, 02:19:38 AM »
As part of the Great Shuffling Around of a week ago, I brought mine and OH's university notes (a combined seven years worth of maths and engineering degrees, maybe about 25 lever arch files) down from the loft and dumped them in our bedroom.

Intended to just strip all the paper out and lob it straight into the recycling. None of it has been looked at since 2005.

Then the first file I opened happened to contain a couple of the more interesting modules from my final year...

Sigh.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #942 on: July 10, 2018, 09:12:58 AM »
Got a copy of Marie Kondo's first book from the library. Let's see if this gives me some inspiration. There's a chance DH and I will move back to the city and sell our house we bought a couple years ago... this will require extreme downsizing, especially if we go back to an apartment rather than a house. We had to acquire all the trappings of suburban life, plus some hobby stuff (home gym, gardening equipment, so on). If I can at least thin stuff now, while we wait on making any moves, it'll be good no matter what. But especially so if we list the house!

shadesofgreen

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #943 on: July 10, 2018, 10:23:47 AM »
I was able to add a few more things to my box for donation. I believe that I will be doing a haul and drop either this weekend or next. I am actually looking forward to this because when it happens within a day or two I end up finding things I didn't realize needed to go so I start another box.

MrsTuxedocat

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #944 on: July 10, 2018, 11:35:39 AM »
They are at a good place now! We just moved a few months back and had got rid of a lot of clothing.

diapasoun

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #945 on: July 10, 2018, 01:33:59 PM »
I started tackling the books a bit. I'm a wee bit data obsessive, and I keep a spreadsheet of my books, including the percentage read. I worked out the percentage read by genre, and it is... indicative. There is a set of books I acquired during grad school, intending to read/cite as a Good Grad Student, and I just never did. At this point? Most of them need to go. I'm going to take a break from work this afternoon and sort through that shelf.

Raymond Reddington

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #946 on: July 10, 2018, 01:35:14 PM »
re: tax writeoffs for donated items. It is typically limited to clothing, or are there other categories of items that can be taken to a goodwill / salvation army type place and generate some tax savings?

"asking for a friend"

lots of trinkets and tchotchkes that may not sell via ebay/amazon/CL

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #947 on: July 10, 2018, 03:57:51 PM »
re: tax writeoffs for donated items. It is typically limited to clothing, or are there other categories of items that can be taken to a goodwill / salvation army type place and generate some tax savings?

"asking for a friend"

lots of trinkets and tchotchkes that may not sell via ebay/amazon/CL

You can write off almost anything that could be sold....DVDs, jewelry, books, etc.  Just be realistic about the value.  If you can't sell it via all of those methods - is it priced too high?  What could Goodwill conceivably get for the item?

Roadrunner53

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #948 on: July 11, 2018, 06:57:57 AM »
I don't think many of us will be able to deduct charitable deductions under the new tax plan.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/your-money/tax-plan-donations-charities.html

Linea_Norway

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Re: Continued: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter! PART 2
« Reply #949 on: July 11, 2018, 06:58:14 AM »
I still have the kitchen machines that I want to get rid off standing in a box in the garage. Because we have no shop in the vicinity of our house where I can deliver it. And the public delivery place is a bit far driving. I tried giving it away to colleagues at work. But one mentioned that close to where I live, there is a deposit for the next flea market. Once a week they will receive this kind of goods there. That will help.