Declutter challenge - 90 days - clean up in 2016

[Rosy]

This is a challenge to de-clutter as much as possible during the next 90 days. You can join in at any time throughout the year and set your own specific goals for a 90 day purge.

My goal is to tackle the entire house and two storage sheds during the next 90 days - starting Jan 5 through Apr 5.

I made good progress de-cluttering the utility room from hell and the carport plus six huge storage boxes of paper in 2015, but illness and life's obligations, not to mention the holidays kept me from finishing the job and de-cluttering the house. So I decided on a major push to get rid of junk, re-organize and rejuvenate the space.

My plan is to start early tomorrow morning:

1. The bedroom closet - massive donation and re-organization.
Re-evaluate wardrobe, try on every item for fit and consider alterations or hems as needed.
Make a list of items needed to update or complete remaining wardrobe.
Sort by dresses, skirts, pants and tops - clean below, add lavender for a good scent and install a light so I can see better. 

2. Finish up re-organizing the utility room and put up a new shelf. Mop floor and wash window and donate that large box of electronics that we haven't touched in three years while Mr. R. is at work - he'll never notice, but if I ask he'll want to keep it:)

3. Re-organize my jewelry - I ordered some pretty jewelry boxes for that purpose for my birthday and I'm looking forward to placing each one of my jewelry sets in it's own box. Separate out the few expensive items and take them to my safe deposit box at the bank along with the gold and silver coins.

4. Make a copy of all my credit cards and take along originals and copies of important documents for safe keeping.
Last year I managed to organize all my important papers, I can now put my hands on anything of importance within seconds - a major accomplishment:), but never got around to saving some records to a CD or make copies to hold at another place. We live in Hurricane country and I've been through a fire and I know this is an important measure - never mind considering the possibility of a burglary with it's own devastating effects.
I plan on creating an emergency folder and another in case of death - may take an afternoon so I can have it all in three different places.

Anyway, that is only the beginning and truth be told, I am looking forward to most of it including purging the kitchen cabinets. The only thing that intimidates me and overwhelms me is the paper tiger. So I am considering doing that next - before I tackle Mr. R's bedroom closet or his ever growing collection of T-shirts or the linen closet or the china cabinets or the bookcases or that dreaded space under the bathroom sink:)

When I was young(er:) we moved a lot, so the purging took care of itself, now it has become a battle, circumstances, illness, Mr. R's stuff and my endless hobbies have conspired to defeat my efforts at an orderly house - but no more - I am declaring war on clutter! I need space and room to breathe:)

I am not a minimalist, but I find myself craving a clean, beautiful and well organized, spacious home free of clutter - so come join me - one closet, one drawer and one room at a time:).

I will be back to look for your comments and progress reports and maybe even post pictures of my progress.
So far I have found that KonMarie method is not my thing, I do best if I can dedicate at least 3-4 hours at a time or two full days in a row with a break on the third.
If I am desperate and just need motivation to get going again - setting a timer for 15 minutes to work on something that feels overwhelming works great.
Since all I promised I'd do is 15 minutes - anyone can do that at anytime and I don't need to feel guilty about quitting. I can do another 15 minutes when I'm ready and more often than not, once I started I really want to put a bigger dent in it:)

[Rosy]

Day one for me - my side of the closet
late start, slow going, but progress nonetheless.
I decided to allow myself time to play mix and match and see what jewelry and accessories work well with my latest clothing purchases. Things have been so busy I haven't even had time to do that - felt good to play and appreciate what I already own:).

Only one dress for donation so far and 4 cotton tees that are going into the wear only when painting and gardening pile. Mended a seam and sorted out two items to be steamed and ironed.
 
Last week I did a 10 minute purge for donation in my closet, I read somewhere that this is a helpful method for getting going with your declutter project and find it works for me whenever I am stuck or just can't get going. I can quit after ten minutes if I want to and not feel guilty or overwhelmed by the project.
I ended up with 8 items that I never wear incl a dress with the price tag still on it. Shameful I know and the first time in my life that has ever happened.

Did I mention after I packed up the car to the max when I cleared out the carport the donation place was closed and I was stuck driving around for five days with books and stuff in my car - yup, gave me time to reflect upon the idiocy of owning too much stuff and the senseless consumerism not to mention financial mismanagement I engaged in by not returning that damn dress.
Well, since it obviously wasn't meant for me, I hope some lucky lady will enjoy it. It is about the only thing I agree on with KonMarie, objects do have energy and I guess this one was just all wrong for me:)

Well, break is over and I plan on working for another 45 minutes - it would be nice if I finished clearing the upper rod in my closet today:)

[Cassie]

I have found it easier to go at it for entire days. It seems that you can really get into the process and make big change. That is funny about having to drive around with it for days:)).  Now when I buy something I ask myself if I will just be taking it to a thrift store in a few years and it really makes me think. Good luck!

[Trudie]

Decluttering is a constant challenge for me.  I do reasonably well, but need to keep after it.  I don't feel that I buy a lot of things, but new stuff (through my husband) has a way of finding its way into the house.  I try the old "one thing in, another out" method... and it helps a lot.  But I will get after it between now and April 15 (I need a few extra days.)

So here are some 2016 accomplishments so far:
Gave old standard def TV to a friend's kid (no landfill; no disposal fee)
recycled old computer tower; donated computer components to Goodwill
Gave away bread maker (never liked the thing) to my sister who will use it

In January I will embark on the "low-hanging fruit" of decluttering -- my clothes and the stuff in storage closets my husband will never miss.

[Cassie]

My husband does not like to get rid of stuff so I give him messy zones. These include his office, garage and shed. Nothing can spill over into the rest of the house and I can close the door to his office when we have company. I agree your hubby probably won't even  notice  some stuff being gone.

[Rosy]

@Cassie
Good idea about the messy zones - never worth arguing about. I am the messy one, he somehow always manages to keep the basics clean and organized, thank goodness. He does like to hang onto things, but can be surprisingly reasonable about letting things go when I am purging.
 
I swoop in with the big projects, create hellacious havoc - then fix it, design or re-design it and I'm happy:) until it is all a mess again, because I become all absorbed into my newest hobby or the spring garden or whatever:) I do try, but it is just not in my genes, so it is a very good thing that he keeps the ordinary part of living under control.

Mr. Rs. main problem is definitely the paper tiger, that man cannot part with a scrap of paper. I plan to tackle my own paper tiger first and believe me it is roaring out of control.

@ Trudie
I agree, decluttering is a constant challenge, sometimes I wish I could waive a magic wand and transport every item to the backyard. Then I'd like a week to allow only the useful, beautiful and needed items back into the house - again with a magic wand of course:)

[MicroSpice]

I am up for this challenge, and I am a decluttering fiend. It's pretty much my hobby at this point, much to ManSpice's dismay. That said, I never toss anything of his without his permission, and he usually agrees with me when I suggest that something can leave the house. I haven't read Marie Kondo's book yet (I'm next on the list at our library!), but I think I am really going to like it. And that ManSpice may finally lose it.

I have already gotten a jump on this, as we had a bit of a winter break from work. There's a sizable pile in the corner of our office that is designated for donation, containing several random things - clothing, shoes, glassware, cups, baby toys, baby clothes, baby everything, books, knick-knacks, ice trays, cookware/utensils, office supplies, blankets, towels, old cell phones (like, 5 of them!), etc.

I also managed to scan ALL the paper and daycare art pieces that had piled up on the desk and have a Rubbermaid bin full of stuff to be shredded. We don't have a shredder, so I may have to find someone locally to just dump it off with for a fee? Suggestions welcome.

So, our remaining decluttering goals are:
 - The linen closet
 - ManSpice's clothing/shoes
 - The bathroom cabinets
 - The coat closet
 - Some miscellaneous storage furniture (trunks, a sideboard)
 - BabySpice's room, as needed (this is a constant project, as she outgrows clothes and toys - did a big purge the day after Christmas)
 - The outdoor shed and backyard
 - The dreaded garage. We have big plans for this, though. After taking a bunch of stuff to ReStore, we're going to see about moving the attic access door, consolidating the shelving, moving ManSpice's workbench, and maybe - just maybe! - we can park our car in our one-car garage.

Good luck, everyone!

[sisto]

I am down for this challenge. The office has been on my to do list for quite some time. I just can't seem to get it finished. I make a big dent in it and get it almost done, but then I come upon the items that I don't know where they go. So the process stops and then slowly the office gets all cluttered up again.

[Rosy]

@MicroSpice - welcome to the challenge:) your list is impressive - I'm ready to engage you for my "cheering on" corner, I am into it, but I could use a good dose of "git-er-done" now type motivation:) I know the tortoise makes it to the goal too, but I need more focus - laser focus that is.
Linen closet is on my list too, but still far, far away and right now that bedroom is looming large.

@sisto - Welcome to the challenge - I know, I know, the study is definitely my nemesis - I can't even envision it anymore without piles of papers that need to be sorted, shredded and organized. How I managed to actually have a working cabinet for my important papers and keep it from totally overwhelming me I don't know.
It will be February or with luck the last week of January before I can start on the study and I am not looking forward to that project. I wonder if it would help if I played my Mozart CDs for that particular project:)

Well - day two and three have come and gone with mixed results. Yesterday I got sidetracked by the arrival of the five jewelry boxes I had ordered. I spent about four blissful hours decluttering the top of the dresser and the jewelry catch all and undoing and redoing about five different jewelry boxes - so I'm rather pleased with myself about that.
I didn't really need one of the boxes I ordered and another two did not quite work out as planned, so I am returning one and gifting the other two. I planned on making a necklace for a friends birthday anyway so presenting it in a pretty jewelry box will be a nice touch.
But that means I still need two boxes with a glass lid so I can see my jewelry collection contents at a glance - so off to the HSN outlet store next Tuesday for senior discount day:).

Today was a total loss - got sucked into the computer and some necessary budget reviews and actions. But I managed to slash the phone bill and find a bank with a $250 bonus (yeah) plus an extra $28 in interest along the way - so it's all good in the end:)

So wish me luck tomorrow in finishing at least my half of the closet tomorrow - I plan to hit it bright and early no if's ands and buts - coming here to keep track will hopefully help me in staying focused and on track.

So how are you coming along?

[MicroSpice]

Thanks for the warm welcome!

My update is pretty much no update - it's difficult to get much decluttering done when working the 9-5 and trying to squeeze in some family time at the end of the day. That said, I'm quite pleased with my success in staying on top of mail and paper that's been coming in the house. Since I take a look at YNAB every night at my desk in our office, I have also been bringing in the mail and kid stuff and dealing with it IMMEDIATELY rather than letting it pile up. I mean, my "to shred" pile is still in that Rubbermaid bin, but the desk surface is actually clear!

And we do have a plan for this weekend. We have an appointment bright and early tomorrow, and after that, we'll make the following rounds: drop off hazardous household waste at proper site; drop off donations for the ASPCA thrift store; and deliver the corpse of our ten-year old Dyson to a vacuum shop that will take it for parts. We're also exchanging some gifts for BabySpice that she got for Christmas, since they don't fit properly.

I plan on spending BabySpice's nap time (which is blessedly long) attacking the linen closet and the storage furniture I mentioned earlier. ManSpice will be banished to the garage to start tending to that craziness. Luckily, he sees the value in getting the garage cleaned up because he would like to start doing more DIY around the house, and the garage is the best place for him to get that type of work done.

@Rosy - good luck on the closet!

[monstermonster]

I'm totally in! I did a big declutter last April, so luckily I am not that bad off but I have the following things to tackle:

1) All of my "important papers" - discard, sort, and scan where appropriate
2) Old electronics - have 5 hard drives to go through and declutter/back up plus a bunch of "vintage" electronics I need to disassemble and turn into robot parts
3) Front closet - we moved and essentially just "shoved everything in" to the front closet which means it currently contains 1) a large container of cat food the cat didn't like  2) a pile of things to be donated 3) everything you would need to survive camping in -15 degree temperatures by bike for 2 months
4) Decanters- I have a bunch of decanters for infusions sitting on my desk because they don't have a home
5) Pictures + Maps - 2 small boxes of an assorted nature
 

[sisto]

I don't have much of an update, but made a slight dent in the office. If I can just do a bit everyday I should be in good shape.

[LosAngelesFire]

I also managed to scan ALL the paper and daycare art pieces that had piled up on the desk and have a Rubbermaid bin full of stuff to be shredded. We don't have a shredder, so I may have to find someone locally to just dump it off with for a fee? Suggestions welcome.

Check on www.staples.com/coupons each week. They often have free shredding deals (but not this week, I just checked).

Hello and count me in! My DH and I have a 2 bedroom apartment, which I think is excessive for just 2 people. We looked into a smaller apartment (within biking distance of my work!), but it was *very* small, but mostly we didn't take it cause it was the same price as our current place, so we'll keep looking.

Last weekend I went through the whole kitchen and made a pile of duplicates, gadgets I don't use, etc. We regularly donate (and I do have a big pile I need to take in), but some of these gadgets and small appliances are cash worthy. Problem is I'm in an apartment, or I would def have a garage sale.

We do have some people in the neighborhood who set up tables on the sidewalk and hawk their wares. DH looked at me a little funny when I suggested that. He'll have to deal...  I'll try to get a bit more together this weekend and in a couple weeks, give it a try. Getting him to make some progress with the books and comics will be the hardest part.

[Zamboni]

Good challenge! I'm going to tackle getting the already sorted stuff over to charity, ship some family furniture to my brother at his request, and at a minimum get rid of the pet supplies/containers for long gone pets and cull the plastic kitchen containers.

[FausseBourgeoise]

I need this challenge in my life. I have paper clutter from work -- some of it does need to be kept -- and I have 16 rubbermaid totes which are being stored at my parents' place.

I need to
-get those totes out of their place and go through them
-find a better storage system for my office supplies
-get some bookcases to put my books away properly
-get a dresser to hold my clothes

[ahoy]

I seem to be constantly decluttering.  I actually enjoy it.  However, we do have a reasonably small house with pathetic storage.   My DH and I have been working on decluttering the garage the last couple of days.  It does feel good.  I took a bit to the 2nd hand store, but also walked out with a few things... ooops.   

[Mongoose]

I'm in but I'm not sure about 90 days for the timeline. I have a list of zones to organize by the first of July but only gave myself one per week due to all the other stuff we have going. I started with the kitchen cabinets with an eye towards also painting the lime green back walls while all the crud was out but only did one since I wasn't sure I liked the new color. Stopped for DH to weigh in (was supposed to be tan and may be somewhat pink...ugh).

We are not trying for minimalism but less stuff to clean/move/store. And to get the stuff we dumped when me moved sorted so we don't move the already packed boxes a third time (it can't be that important).

[LosAngelesFire]

We are not trying for minimalism but less stuff to clean/move/store. And to get the stuff we dumped when me moved sorted so we don't move the already packed boxes a third time (it can't be that important).

I hear you. I have boxes I've moved twice and haven't been opened in at least 5 years. What's in them? WHO CARES!? I can't possibly need them. I think I will start there today.

[horsepoor]

I like this.  I've been following along in the Clearing out clutter thread for a long time, but putting a timeframe on it is a great idea.

I'm actually in pretty good shape since I spent the better part of a week over the holidays cleaning and reorganizing, AFTER taking a truckload to Habitat ReStore and a truck load to the local thrift.  I have several more boxes ready to go to the thrift store as soon as I go through the sets of sheets in the basement.  A friend tipped me off yesterday to a drop-off spot for fabric recycling, so anything the thrift shop won't want to sell can go there.  Today I just listed several items on Craigslist. 

90 days should be plenty to get across the finish line and make sure I finish this before the weather turns to gardening and horse activities.

Still to do: 

• extra glass to the recycling station
• scrap lumber either burned or thrown out, depending on chemicals involved
• craigslist/eBay items actually SOLD and out of the house
• find a home for my old tablet, maybe with a co-worker's kid
• donate extra horse gear to a non-profit
• donate boxes that are in the garage
• hazardous materials all grouped up together so I can take them next time they're doing a collection at the fire station
• go through contents of guest bedroom closet; organize so all the useful stuff is easily visible
• see if I can get DH to get rid of a few things
• give away weed eater that needs some work

[RetiredAt63]

It's always good to have a quick check - I read of someone who did exactly that, and realized later her passport had been in the box of un-needed paperwork!  But if you start knowing the odds are 100% of it can go, you won't be tempted to hang onto something for just in case.  Remember, Justin Case lives at my house, not yours  ;-)

I hear you. I have boxes I've moved twice and haven't been opened in at least 5 years. What's in them? WHO CARES!? I can't possibly need them. I think I will start there today.

[MicroSpice]

@LosAngelesFire - thanks for the tip re: shredding. I'll keep checking in on our local Staples to see when they have a promotion.

I wasn't quite as prolific as I'd hoped to be this weekend, but we did get the following done:

- Dropped off hazardous household waste
- Purged the linen closet
- Purged the coat closet
- Purged the storage furniture
- Bagged some additional donation items

While the donations and the vacuum cleaner are still in my house, they're now consolidated and have been moved to the garage, which should help in prompting ManSpice to assist in ridding ourselves of them. I also didn't make it to the store to return BabySpice's Christmas gifts, but we will stop by on our way home from work this week, since it's en route.

Left to do:
- ManSpice's clothing/shoes
- Garage
- Shed
- Backyard
- Bathroom cabinets
- ManSpice's desk

[Squirrel away]

I will join the challenge.:)

I have done quite well already this year and got rid of some stuff.

I have a 0% credit card and realised I have been keeping the statements for no apparent reason so they were shredded and binned. I am also trying to get rid of the very last of my paper books, I only have one left but that will be read and then donated to a charity shop this week.

[Ready2Go]

Joining. I did a ton of decluttering last year, but we're moving in June so it's time to get real serious.  This weeks plan: purge all old financial records to min required.


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[MrsDinero]

I'm joining this challenge!  I did a massive purge years ago, but still have too much "stuff".  I have a lot of clothes and shoes I don't wear anymore, stacks and stacks of papers just collecting, and lots of teeny odds and ends that I have no idea what to do with.

I've decided some things I am going to sell and others I'm going to either toss or donate.

Edit: I forgot to add that I read "the life-changing magic of tidying up" by Marie Kondo and my goal is to have the house decluttered in 90 days.

[horsepoor]

I like this.  I've been following along in the Clearing out clutter thread for a long time, but putting a timeframe on it is a great idea.

I'm actually in pretty good shape since I spent the better part of a week over the holidays cleaning and reorganizing, AFTER taking a truckload to Habitat ReStore and a truck load to the local thrift.  I have several more boxes ready to go to the thrift store as soon as I go through the sets of sheets in the basement.  A friend tipped me off yesterday to a drop-off spot for fabric recycling, so anything the thrift shop won't want to sell can go there.  Today I just listed several items on Craigslist. 

90 days should be plenty to get across the finish line and make sure I finish this before the weather turns to gardening and horse activities.

Still to do: 

• extra glass to the recycling station
• scrap lumber either burned or thrown out, depending on chemicals involved
• craigslist/eBay items actually SOLD and out of the house
• find a home for my old tablet, maybe with a co-worker's kid
• donate extra horse gear to a non-profit
• donate boxes that are in the garage
• hazardous materials all grouped up together so I can take them next time they're doing a collection at the fire station
• go through contents of guest bedroom closet; organize so all the useful stuff is easily visible
• see if I can get DH to get rid of a few things
• give away weed eater that needs some work

Made good progress this weekend.  Should be able to do a dump run for the scrap lumber and hazardous stuff within the next week, and tackle the guest closet next weekend.

Craigslist is not doing much for me right now, but I'll keep trying.

[TRBeck]

Okay, I posted a long time ago in Clearing out Clutter, but never did it. I do well with deadlines. Here's where I'm headed before the 90-day mark:

- Ebay sale of some assorted running shoes I never used (I run, but these were bought on clearance in the pre-MMM days when I was hoarding shoes and....yeah, I just won't ever use them)
- Donate used tricycles and stroller now that daughter has grown out of them
- Donate bunches of kids' clothing
- Use up fragrance oils in some batches of soap
- Sell slow-moving soaps (side business) on clearance and condense storage space
- Sell off homebrewing supplies, probably on CL
- Closet clean-out, focused mainly on old shirts I don't wear anymore
- Sell off gear from wetshaving hobby (still a wetshaver, but no need for extra gear these days) - primarily selling through various shave forums, most likely

Looking forward to this. Soaps I will put on sale tonight, and probably will photograph the shoes, shave gear, and homebrew stuff.

[Rosy]

Welcome to the challenge everyone - glad to see you slaying the dragon. It helps to have a deadline, but having so many of you show up and join the fun:) is a big motivator too.

You guys rock - I know it ain't easy to declutter while you are still a 9 to fiver, but hey, think of the wonderful end result - space to breathe!:)

Anyway - here is my latest update:

1.
 
My girlfriend heard me talk about getting rid of tons of picture frames and asked if she could have them. Heck yeah - jackpot 20 frames going to a good home to actually be used.
So I ended up with my dining room stacked a foot high with papers to organize/trash - took me three days. But, oh how lovely to have empty drawers and who knows I might manage to deal with all the pics within this 90 day challenge too. For now, I am just happy it is sorted out to fill one drawer with photos - maybe this can be my next challenge/project.

Bonus - found money - old 401K papers for my son - $800 win for him:)
Bonus - found some old bank account papers I had been looking for, looks like $15 or so found money for me - not much, but hey:)

2.
 In the process of hunting down more frames I realized I had forgotten about several boxes of donation items that for some reason (probably an impending party) were shoved into the shed. Since I was at it anyway - famous last words:), I organized and sorted out several more items, like a big mirror etc and added three more boxes for donation. Not bad at all.

Result: One car filled to the hilt, sitting in my driveway to be dropped off today:)


3.
Plus I emptied a nice big see through storage box to now hold all my canning supplies - nice and orderly - in our utility room and I somehow managed to tackle a bit more organization while I was at it.

4.
Mr. R. added one more big, long shelf for storage in that utility room - success:)

So overall good going, I do feel on track time wise and hope to start back up on the bedroom closet again, hopefully tomorrow. [/b](Green - because hope springs eternal:)

Good luck everyone - keep the momentum going!

[Squirrel away]

I am using up the last of a bottle of hair oil as body lotion/hand lotion as it doesn't suit my hair. I am keeping it on the bathroom sink so I remember to use it all up.

Bracelet given to me by a friend has gone into the bag I'm keeping by the front door to go to a charity shop. It's nice but I have never worn it.

[MrsDinero]

What I have sitting next to the door to take to the thrift shop:

-3 trash bags full of clothes and I am aiming to fill another this evening.
-1 gallon ziploc full of fashion/costume jewelry


What I am going to try to sell locally
-Canon EOS Rebel 6.3 MP Digital SLR Camera w/attachments
-Black & Decker Blender base with 2 blender bowls
-A mirrored decorative table
-A painted Ikea cabinet without a back

[MicroSpice]

@Londoner38 - This is something I am going to start doing, as well. I realized - after going through the linen closet and purging our backstock toiletry drawer - that we have lots of perfectly nice toiletry items that I should use, but I don't because they are "special." So dumb. So I am moving items into my bathroom and using them up before moving on to the next product.

And a thing that I forgot to mention, but which is totally ridiculous and had to share. When I went through our storage furniture in the dining room last weekend, I knew I was going to find cloth dinner napkins, but I had no idea that I had two sets. They were all crumpled and tossed in a storage trunk, so I washed (and ironed!) all of them before putting them back. That's when I realized I had

32 DINNER NAPKINS

32. I currently have a table that seats four people. I decided to get rid of one set of 16 and keep the other set (we are hoping to have a table that seats 10 by the end of the year). Such insanity.

Here's the plan for this (3 day) weekend:
- Drop off the donations at the ASPCA thrift store
- Drop off the old Dyson
- Purge the bathroom cabinets
- Purge the filing cabinet
- Wipe an old laptop and give it to my sister (along with an old laptop case that we've had laying around for a while)

Tonight, I'm going to post a nice handbag I've never used (that was gifted) on Craig's List and see if I can snag some cash for it. Great work, everyone!

[Mongoose]

I finally found a paint color that I like with enough leftover from another room to cover the lime green cabinet backs in my kitchen. So, today is decluttering/painting my upper kitchen cabinets. It is taking forever, a lot because I am painting too. Already have a bin to trash/donate.

Back to work...

[Rosy]

I finally found a paint color that I like with enough leftover from another room to cover the lime green cabinet backs in my kitchen. So, today is decluttering/painting my upper kitchen cabinets. It is taking forever, a lot because I am painting too. Already have a bin to trash/donate.

Back to work...

@Mongoose My favorite type of project - declutter-paint-re-decorate:) Hope that new color works great for you. We had ours painted a light buttery yellow - love it! ... although we will need to add additional coats to the cupboards I use most often as paint is coming off in places when I wipe them down.

Anyway - fun update: Just wanted to share my good fortune - that bonus find of money in an old bank account of what I thought was $15, turned out to be $12 - but - when I called the bank they said it went to unclaimed property in Florida when they closed my account.

So I looked on line, but found $90.03 from my old credit union instead - just filled out the claim form this morning to be mailed today:) Yeah!

How is that for motivation to clear your paper clutter?

No record online of the bank with the $12 - maybe they misspelled my name or sumptin', I'll call them again today or tomorrow.

 

[NoraLenderbee]

32 DINNER NAPKINS

You could use a fresh napkin every day and not have to launder them for a month!

[Mongoose]

Thanks for the encouragement. I personally am not very keen on decorating and I loathe painting. But the walls at the back of the cabinets were lime green and have black scuff marks that won't wash off. The tan paint is a big enough improvement to make it worthwhile.

I have reached another conundrum. My pot/pan cabinet has a couple of really heavy enameled cast iron pots that I never use. They seem hard to clean. And I have a few cast iron skillets that I also never use. I feel like I should favor cast iron but I've never gotten the hang of cooking in it or am lousy at seasoning them or something. We never had any when I was learning to cook. My dilemma is whether to keep or re home them. There is not a storage problem other than the general annoyance of storing/moving stuff I never use.

Suggestions?

[ZiziPB]

I'm not too crazy about cast iron skillets (have one, use it rarely), but I do love my cast iron enameled dutch ovens (I have two)!  Use them all the time for stews, chili, curries, roasting meat in the oven... 

I'd say, make a greater effort to use them for a month or two, but if you still don't, get rid of them.

[Ready2Go]

Joining. I did a ton of decluttering last year, but we're moving in June so it's time to get real serious.  This weeks plan: purge all old financial records to min required.

-Started the records purge.

-Gave DH a challenge: 10 items a day to toss/donate.  Four days of success so far!

-Going to try a moving technique I read somewhere on the forum: map everything to your new house.  We have eyes on a townhouse and I have the floor plan. This should help DH with his stuff, as he is REALLY suffering with the declutter process.

-I started on 1/11 so...

86 days to go...


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[LosAngelesFire]

Ok I sucked and did nothing last weekend, but I have managed to stay on top of the mail and junk piles. Busy with family this weekend, but making cleanup plans for following week.

[Mongoose]

I cleaned out all of my kitchen cabinets and painted all the cabinet wall backs yesterday. Found 3 boxes of donations. Yay!

[Rosy]

Thanks for the encouragement. I personally am not very keen on decorating and I loathe painting. But the walls at the back of the cabinets were lime green and have black scuff marks that won't wash off. The tan paint is a big enough improvement to make it worthwhile.

I have reached another conundrum. My pot/pan cabinet has a couple of really heavy enameled cast iron pots that I never use. They seem hard to clean. And I have a few cast iron skillets that I also never use. I feel like I should favor cast iron but I've never gotten the hang of cooking in it or am lousy at seasoning them or something. We never had any when I was learning to cook. My dilemma is whether to keep or re home them. There is not a storage problem other than the general annoyance of storing/moving stuff I never use.

Suggestions?

I'm with ZiziPb - I've tried the true cast iron and while I envy those who seem to do fine with it - I've given up on it. I do use an enameled cast iron dutch oven - oval shape that fits on and lives on my glass cooktop.
No matter what I cook - I start with: Go once around the pan with olive oil (pour in motion) and often add about four slices of butter, it keeps things from sticking for the most part. I actually stopped using my oven and roast and even layer and bake casseroles right on top of my stove - soups and stews, yes of course, great for chili.
One reason why it lives on my cooktop is that it is heavy and as an old lady I have major arthritis issues and it hurts me trying to lift a heavy pot.

Clean up using "Barkeepers Friend" sprinkle the bottom and the sides and rub with a wet sponge- rough side. The enamel does discolor after a while, but it doesn't hurt anything. Just consider it seasoned and keep on using:)

All my other cooking gear is stainless steel and I treat it the same way - once around the pan with olive oil and clean with Barkeepers Friend. It only has one ingredient and it works great on rust stains, safe on glass cooktops, countertops and in the bathroom in general and does a nice job on your outdoor furniture too - plus it is cheap:) Get it at the grocery store.

No point in hanging onto cast iron if you can't get the hang of it - I gave all mine to my DIL, including several new pieces like an enameled cast iron frying pan that was too hard for me to maneuver, too heavy.
You might keep a large pot of the enameled cast iron variety and start using it like I mentioned above - otherwise good riddance, there is plenty of good cookware out there - find something that looks good, works well and makes you happy:)

 

[Rosy]

32 DINNER NAPKINS

You could use a fresh napkin every day and not have to launder them for a month!

LOL - good idea. I was thinking quilt:) - pillow cases - little girls top ... I recently won a set of really pretty Laura Ashley cloth napkins and paper goods and I plan tu use my cloth napkin on a couple of the outdoor tables. It will make for a pretty accent.

[Rosy]

Ok I sucked and did nothing last weekend, but I have managed to stay on top of the mail and junk piles. Busy with family this weekend, but making cleanup plans for following week.

Family first:) - just staying on top of mail and junk piles does it help a lot, so good job on that! Have fun this weekend and tackle some of that clutter next weekend! You can do it - challenge yourself to do something for fifteen minutes set the clock and before you know it you are into it and on top of it!

[jooles]

The declutter challenge is on at our place this weekend.  I have 15 boxes that have been in storage for almost a year.  It's time to open them all and pare this stuff down.  Wish me luck.

[Mongoose]

The declutter challenge is on at our place this weekend.  I have 15 boxes that have been in storage for almost a year.  It's time to open them all and pare this stuff down.  Wish me luck.

Good luck! I hope you find stuff you don't need that can be easily sold. I love finding "money" and getting rid of clutter.

[RNwastash]

I'm in!! Today will be my first day of the 90 days.  I will start with my fridge and then my kitchen cabinets.  Wish me luck!! Thanks OP for starting this challenge.  I also have bought the latest book from Marie Kondo for inspiration. 

[MicroSpice]

Everyone is making great progress!

@Rosy - Unfortunately, I don't have a crafty bone in my body, so it wouldn't (and didn't) occur to me to make something out of those napkins that I got rid of, which were just a solid ivory color. Hopefully, someone else can get some good use of them.

I *finally* took the Dyson corpse to the vacuum repair shop yesterday, and a carload of Goodwill donations. As ManSpice was helping me load up the car, he tossed in a few things that were laying in the garage for good measure. So, a small victory.

Today, I'm kind of taking it easy, but I've been scanning more paper and tossing/filing as needed. I am really finding that it is a daily - or at least weekly - beast that needs to be tackled. I now understand how it got so out of control in the first place.

And even though I already took a bunch of stuff for donation, I've already started another box that currently has 3 items in it. After I do some laundry and tidying up around the house, I'll get after those bathroom cabinets like I said I would.

[Mongoose]

Ok. Maybe signing up for this challenge was not a great idea?!?!? (Half kidding...). Yesterday I went through our clothes dressers and consolidated enough to remove 2 from the master bedroom. WTF were we doing with 2 extra dressers of stuff?!?!? Our closest is tiny but still! I hate shopping so it was mostly gifts and old free t-shirts. We are down to one from 3 (all free but we have moved them several times).  Also rearranged DDs room to improve the air flow (got her bed away from the air vent). I almost never rearrange furniture. This is an almost frenzied level of purging and rearranging for me.

DH got home from work and all his clothes and a lot of the furniture had been moved (we had talked about it before I tore into it). I'm not sure exactly what happened but he has abruptly changed from wanting to keep everything to wanting to get rid of a lot of stuff. Today I have moved the queen size guest bed into the master and split the pseudo king we had into two xl twins for the guest room. The king seemed monstrous and we never liked it. I also found a full set of expensive (replacement resale of maybe ~$200 each) glasses in pristine condition salvaged from a grandparent's estate. Not sure how easy it would be to offload them or what specifically we could realistically get for them. Definitely going to try to sell those suckers soon though! Another shelf of books have been selected for donation.

We could also donate 2 dressers, 2 bin organizers, 2 bed frames, and a bedside table. They are currently empty and unused. I'm starting to feel weird about it all. Our bedroom was quite crowded and now seems vastly empty. I'm starting to feel poor, which seems like an irrational reaction to getting rid of junk. But there it is. The nearly empty room (12'x12 with only a queen bed and a dresser) reminds me of the poor grad student days when we had nearly nothing. I'm keeping the stuff we value and rearranging so it is all "in-service". It's not like I'm getting rid of things of value to us. It probably doesn't help that we actually are poor right now as DH is badly underemployed and I just started a temporary contract after a long time off and haven't gotten paid yet.

My dream is to move out of the much hated rural, don't-like-outsiders wee dinky town where we currently live. Less crap would make moving much easier. My current biggest fear is getting stuck here long term. The kids are getting into it and talking about wanting to pare down and donate some of their toys??!!??! It almost seems like this process is taking on a life of its own.

Too much change/decluttering or no such thing as long as we keep things we value/use? Donate or shove them in a corner of the basement? Stop decluttering or damn the torpedoes (or in this case the irrational feeling of poverty...however true it might currently be)?

[horsepoor]

I like this.  I've been following along in the Clearing out clutter thread for a long time, but putting a timeframe on it is a great idea.

I'm actually in pretty good shape since I spent the better part of a week over the holidays cleaning and reorganizing, AFTER taking a truckload to Habitat ReStore and a truck load to the local thrift.  I have several more boxes ready to go to the thrift store as soon as I go through the sets of sheets in the basement.  A friend tipped me off yesterday to a drop-off spot for fabric recycling, so anything the thrift shop won't want to sell can go there.  Today I just listed several items on Craigslist. 

90 days should be plenty to get across the finish line and make sure I finish this before the weather turns to gardening and horse activities.

Still to do: 

• extra glass to the recycling station

Dammit, I found more in the crawl space (extra homebrew bottles)

• scrap lumber either burned or thrown out, depending on chemicals involved
• craigslist/eBay items actually SOLD and out of the house

Craigslist is nearly useless lately; need to try Facebook maybe

• find a home for my old tablet, maybe with a co-worker's kid
• donate extra horse gear to a non-profit
• donate boxes that are in the garage
• hazardous materials all grouped up together so I can take them next time they're doing a collection at the fire station

Found out this is the first Wednesday of the month, so it will get done then

• go through contents of guest bedroom closet; organize so all the useful stuff is easily visible
• see if I can get DH to get rid of a few things
• give away weed eater that needs some work

Made good progress this weekend.  Should be able to do a dump run for the scrap lumber and hazardous stuff within the next week, and tackle the guest closet next weekend.

Craigslist is not doing much for me right now, but I'll keep trying.

Making more progress. Got the guest bedroom closet cleaned out, as well as the antique (read: tiny little drawers) dresser.  Put an extra blanket and set of sheets in the dresser and I'm basically getting rid of all the other bedding/linens that were down there.  Four sets of sheets, a comforter, a blanket from my childhood - all going to the thrift store.  Letting go of the irrational idea that someday we'll have a bunch of house guests in the dead of winter - has never happened and if it did, we have this thing called central heating.  Will repurpose the down comforter by stuffing it in the dog's bed that's gone flat.  Lucky dog with a featherbed! 

I remembered some modular plastic shelving that's been in the crawl space, so pulled that out and put it in the guest bedroom closet and organized the camping gear.  Lots of extra shelf space left with all that bedding out of there too.  Irritated that we have three tents and four sleeping bags even though we never almost never go camping.  I rediscovered my Christmas decorations in the crawl space after not decorating the last few years.  I think I'll go through, consolidate that down to a bin or two, and store it where it's easy to access.  If I don't have the urge to get a tree or anything this year I'll donate the rest of it.

I also discovered two bins of basically electronic garbage in the crawl space.  Need to sort this out by items potentially containing personal data and things that can go to the hazardous waste drop off.

I also went through some magazines I've been saving and put most of them in a bag to leave in the office break room.

[Squirrel away]

We could also donate 2 dressers, 2 bin organizers, 2 bed frames, and a bedside table. They are currently empty and unused. I'm starting to feel weird about it all. Our bedroom was quite crowded and now seems vastly empty. I'm starting to feel poor, which seems like an irrational reaction to getting rid of junk. But there it is. The nearly empty room (12'x12 with only a queen bed and a dresser) reminds me of the poor grad student days when we had nearly nothing. I'm keeping the stuff we value and rearranging so it is all "in-service". It's not like I'm getting rid of things of value to us. It probably doesn't help that we actually are poor right now as DH is badly underemployed and I just started a temporary contract after a long time off and haven't gotten paid yet.

My dream is to move out of the much hated rural, don't-like-outsiders wee dinky town where we currently live. Less crap would make moving much easier. My current biggest fear is getting stuck here long term. The kids are getting into it and talking about wanting to pare down and donate some of their toys??!!??! It almost seems like this process is taking on a life of its own.

Too much change/decluttering or no such thing as long as we keep things we value/use? Donate or shove them in a corner of the basement? Stop decluttering or damn the torpedoes (or in this case the irrational feeling of poverty...however true it might currently be)?

I had the same reaction when I first started really decluttering. We had workmen in our house and they asked us if we had just moved in and it made me feel like we looked like we couldn't afford to buy stuff.

I try to make my home feel as nice as possible with the things we have left and the feeling has passed for me so hopefully it will once you get used to it.

[ZiziPB]

We could also donate 2 dressers, 2 bin organizers, 2 bed frames, and a bedside table. They are currently empty and unused. I'm starting to feel weird about it all. Our bedroom was quite crowded and now seems vastly empty. I'm starting to feel poor, which seems like an irrational reaction to getting rid of junk. But there it is. The nearly empty room (12'x12 with only a queen bed and a dresser) reminds me of the poor grad student days when we had nearly nothing. I'm keeping the stuff we value and rearranging so it is all "in-service". It's not like I'm getting rid of things of value to us. It probably doesn't help that we actually are poor right now as DH is badly underemployed and I just started a temporary contract after a long time off and haven't gotten paid yet.

Too much change/decluttering or no such thing as long as we keep things we value/use? Donate or shove them in a corner of the basement? Stop decluttering or damn the torpedoes (or in this case the irrational feeling of poverty...however true it might currently be)?

I don't even have a dresser in my bedroom ;-)  I think the trick is to make sure you that your space is as nice and cozy as you can make it with what you have - a headboard for the bed, a couple of pictures on the wall, curtains on the windows, lamps on the nightstands. 

I donate or sell everything I don't need.  My goal is to have nothing stored in the basement except for seasonal stuff (xmas decorations) or things that get only occasional use (suitcase, backpack, etc.)  Still some way to go....

[alleykat]

We could also donate 2 dressers, 2 bin organizers, 2 bed frames, and a bedside table. They are currently empty and unused. I'm starting to feel weird about it all. Our bedroom was quite crowded and now seems vastly empty. I'm starting to feel poor, which seems like an irrational reaction to getting rid of junk. But there it is. The nearly empty room (12'x12 with only a queen bed and a dresser) reminds me of the poor grad student days when we had nearly nothing. I'm keeping the stuff we value and rearranging so it is all "in-service". It's not like I'm getting rid of things of value to us. It probably doesn't help that we actually are poor right now as DH is badly underemployed and I just started a temporary contract after a long time off and haven't gotten paid yet.

Too much change/decluttering or no such thing as long as we keep things we value/use? Donate or shove them in a corner of the basement? Stop decluttering or damn the torpedoes (or in this case the irrational feeling of poverty...however true it might currently be)?

I don't even have a dresser in my bedroom ;-)  I think the trick is to make sure you that your space is as nice and cozy as you can make it with what you have - a headboard for the bed, a couple of pictures on the wall, curtains on the windows, lamps on the nightstands. 

I donate or sell everything I don't need.  My goal is to have nothing stored in the basement except for seasonal stuff (xmas decorations) or things that get only occasional use (suitcase, backpack, etc.)  Still some way to go....

Just recently I was trying to get rid of my bedroom furniture but realized I need it for now.  But, I am getting rid of one piece so that is a start.  I want all my clothes to fit in my closet.  Have a little paring down to do still.

Yes, me too. I would love to get to this place too - to just have seasonal stuff stored and things you need but just not everyday.  I am getting close but have a ways to go.  I have the difficult decisions remaining and my decluttering has slowed down considerably but I am still making progress every week.