Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1850109 times)

Penny Lane

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2950 on: December 22, 2015, 03:01:30 PM »
I consigned several of DH's beautiful wool sport jackets--herringbone/BrooksBros/ navy; he still has some he will keep, but as we are retired, he just doesn't need many.  I felt a little sad about it; he did not.  There may be a few more we can part with...

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2951 on: December 22, 2015, 05:04:53 PM »
I came across this Wait But Why post recently (it's a great post), and I was struck by how accurate it was. I'd previously printed out the Life in Weeks chart and tracked my life so far, but I hadn't thought about the time that I have left.

Quote
Not counting Wait But Why research, I read about five books a year, so even though it feels like I’ll read an endless number of books in the future, I actually have to choose only 300 of all the books out there to read and accept that I’ll sign off for eternity without knowing what goes on in all the rest.

I read about 10 books a year, which gives me about 600 books for the rest of my life, although FIRE will boost that number greatly. It definitely puts things into perspective when you have a concrete number. I used to finish reading every single book that I'd started even if I lost interest or didn't like it; I really hated leaving things unfinished (sunk cost fallacy). But as I got older, I realized the time spent slogging through a terrible book could have been better spent doing something else instead. Similarly, I find myself being more and more willing to let go of things (donating old clothes, useless trinkets that were presents from family and friends, etc) as I learn what's important to me.

And on that note, I reorganized the ebooks on my Kindle. It had gotten to the point where I had >30 unread books, and when I turned on my Kindle, I'll get analysis paralysis trying to decide which one I should read first. Now I'm down to 10 books, ordered in a to-read priority list, hopefully I'll get through a few of them during all the holiday traveling.

tofuchampion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2952 on: December 25, 2015, 09:30:25 PM »
I need to get back into this. I don't know if it's the holidays (so much more kid stuff everywhere!), the fact that my 1yo's favorite way to "play" is to throw toys around the room, or what, but everything feels so cluttered lately. My clothes are still nice & neat, but there's a ton more areas I need to attack. Mr Tofu is off all weekend, I believe (a very rare occurrence!), so may be tomorrow and Sunday we can start a proper KonMari-ing.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2953 on: December 27, 2015, 02:02:33 PM »
Got home yesterday afternoon after a few days away for Christmas.

I took an hour to go through a few drawers and the bathroom, and tossed 37 things. I don't go back to work for a week, so if I do that every day I will start the new year in a good place.

My husband is finishing up with his company in a few days and has four boxes of business cards here at home. I suppose it would be cheating to count those individually... :)

Cassie

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2954 on: December 27, 2015, 02:37:23 PM »
Worked on my kitchen today and got rid of extra stuff and cleaned out my pantry and reorganized so I can easily find everything.   A few days ago I filled my car and went to thrift store. I like to have some extra space so if I buy something I don't have to worry abut where to put it.

smalllife

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2955 on: December 27, 2015, 03:56:53 PM »
Husband went through all of his clothing today - prompted by a sock gift (thanks mom!). Four bags to goodwill and one to the landfill. A gift card replenished socks and undershirts, so now he's much lighter in the clothing department.  Big win as he had a LOT of clothes, mostly because any culling would be all at once and he never got around to it. I facilitated as best I could and didnt try to sway one way or another. Very proud of him and happy with the state of our closet :-)

Three bags went to goodwill yesterday after my annual post Christmas freakout - we tend to exist on the high end of my admittedly low "stuff" tolerance, so even the minimal gifts put me on edge.

We rearranged a room to make a crafting corner, as some of the gifts - needed - meant that items needed a home.

It's only two days after and all holiday errands and after holiday errands are complete.

Happy holidays :-)

Melody

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2956 on: December 27, 2015, 06:18:09 PM »
I came across this Wait But Why post recently (it's a great post), and I was struck by how accurate it was. I'd previously printed out the Life in Weeks chart and tracked my life so far, but I hadn't thought about the time that I have left.

Quote
Not counting Wait But Why research, I read about five books a year, so even though it feels like I’ll read an endless number of books in the future, I actually have to choose only 300 of all the books out there to read and accept that I’ll sign off for eternity without knowing what goes on in all the rest.

I read about 10 books a year, which gives me about 600 books for the rest of my life, although FIRE will boost that number greatly. It definitely puts things into perspective when you have a concrete number. I used to finish reading every single book that I'd started even if I lost interest or didn't like it; I really hated leaving things unfinished (sunk cost fallacy). But as I got older, I realized the time spent slogging through a terrible book could have been better spent doing something else instead. Similarly, I find myself being more and more willing to let go of things (donating old clothes, useless trinkets that were presents from family and friends, etc) as I learn what's important to me.

And on that note, I reorganized the ebooks on my Kindle. It had gotten to the point where I had >30 unread books, and when I turned on my Kindle, I'll get analysis paralysis trying to decide which one I should read first. Now I'm down to 10 books, ordered in a to-read priority list, hopefully I'll get through a few of them during all the holiday traveling.
I have smashed through 4 novels on this vacation already!!! (Less than 10 days in)... And it's been an active vacation with lots of hiking, driving etc, and only an overnight flight (I will typically read over half a novel on a four hour flight) so I never feel bad about leaving something unfinished (as it's pretty rare, when you read this quickly you don't tend to loos interest). You have made the right choice not to waste time on books you don't like, although I really hope you can read more than 600 books in your life time, because there are so many great ones :-)

brooklynmoney

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2957 on: December 27, 2015, 08:32:59 PM »
So I have been gifting friends like mad nice things I just have never really used -- a set of champagne glasses, a leather briefcase, a cute makeup bag, a purse and I even brought a big bag of tea to my friend's Xmas tea today. I am mostly upfront that the gifts are hand me downs. No one cares.

KiwiSonya

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2958 on: December 28, 2015, 12:06:26 AM »
I askef for no presents this year from our extended family given our decluttering efforts this year - and I suddenly find myself being treated as a decluttering guru on my holidays. My mum has decluttered a few bad corners before I arrived and was keen to show off her work. My sisters in law have cleaned out sheds in my presence and my very messy Mil has done an amazing job on her house. Still lots to do but I've promised to help. Everyone, the word is getting out!

Squirrel away

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2959 on: December 28, 2015, 02:40:00 AM »
Now the house is decluttered of Christmas things I have been going around and throwing away random stuff. I can't even remember what all the things were, some chives I didn't like, some outof date cream etc...

YogiKitti

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2960 on: December 28, 2015, 03:32:07 AM »
This evening I watched some minimalist youtube videos and am inspired to get rid of more stuff! I already have some unwanted Christmas items in the donate pile and just posted several other items for sale. I know I'm ready to part with more stuff than that, but need the approval from Mr. Meowstache before anything else gets the boot.

KiwiSonya

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2961 on: December 28, 2015, 10:42:02 AM »
Hi Meowstache, I was in a similar position,  needing hubby's approval before getting rid of lots of shared stuff. I just filled some big boxes and then asked  him to review them for anything he thought needed to stay. He found 2 things out of about 300 so I was happy with that!

Feminine Mustique

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2962 on: December 28, 2015, 01:08:00 PM »
Hi there~ jumping in here!

I've struggled with keeping stuff since I was a kid. Committing to slowly, steadily, going through our house from top to bottom in 2016. I actually sometimes do Clutterers Anonymous phone meetings for the support and focus.

I've spent some time the past few days going through crap in the basement. Got rid of a lot... still have a lot to go. I took a big box to the Salvation Army and several boxes of recycling to a recycling drop off. Secretly purged some of the kids toys... stuff they won't miss. Also purged some old files from houses we no longer own. It's amazing how much stuff piles up. Feels great to be getting rid of stuff.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2963 on: December 28, 2015, 01:48:51 PM »
Am super proud of myself for getting rid of a huge bag of fabric scraps that I was never going to use to make anything.
It is HARD to let craft supplies go, because I often go digging for just the right thing for a project. But this would never be the right thing!

DagobertDuck

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2964 on: December 28, 2015, 03:25:22 PM »
Finally got rid of a nice chunk of my stuff at my parents' house today.
Lots more to do though...

... and did some more these holidays! Felt good, I'm inspired to do more in my own house!

Nice read on clutter btw (Found via The Minimalists fb)
« Last Edit: December 28, 2015, 03:27:21 PM by DagobertDuck »

Cassie

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2965 on: December 28, 2015, 05:19:06 PM »
I spent all day in my office and the linen closet so filled my car once again. It feels good to open a closet and have everything be neat and not falling out.  Congrats to everyone for doing such a great job!

YogiKitti

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2966 on: December 28, 2015, 09:54:11 PM »
So I showed the minimalist youtube video to Mr. Meowstache and we talked about how calm and lovely the home tour was. That inspired us to go through lots of our joint stuff and a bit of our individual stuff. I am SHOCKED! My living room is full of piles and piles of stuff and I feel so disgusted that we ever had that in the first place. And this is AFTER We did a massive purge last year.

I have some things that I could sell, but it is so overwhelming I'm donating most items. Madness!

riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2967 on: December 28, 2015, 09:59:01 PM »
So I showed the minimalist youtube video to Mr. Meowstache and we talked about how calm and lovely the home tour was. That inspired us to go through lots of our joint stuff and a bit of our individual stuff. I am SHOCKED! My living room is full of piles and piles of stuff and I feel so disgusted that we ever had that in the first place. And this is AFTER We did a massive purge last year.

I have some things that I could sell, but it is so overwhelming I'm donating most items. Madness!

Sounds like progress- keep up the good work Mr. & Mrs. Meowstache.

Prairie Gal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2968 on: December 29, 2015, 08:09:04 AM »
Sold a dress yesterday on a FB garage sale site. It has inspired me to sell more of my excess clothing. Especially stuff that has never been worn, and is just hanging there because I might wear it some day. I am off work this week, and will list at least one item/day.

riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2969 on: December 29, 2015, 12:23:18 PM »
Future hubby and I moved a couple weeks ago & he's finally donated some clothing. And  he's finding a little more since we've moved... Decluttering is not his thing, but at least moving is a little motivation.
He and I were living separate and with our combined kitchen things, I've recycled a dozen or so Tupperwares with a top or missing a bottom . o definitely wouldn't say we hav a lot of things between us but a little more than what fits comfortably in our 500sq. foot apt.. Closet spaccs are pretty packed (he's filled the big one with his hoards of clothing and shoes and a couple shelves in the linen closet. My small closet is very modest with clothing, but filled otherwise to the brim with completed art- great motivation to keep selling! Omg

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2970 on: December 29, 2015, 04:26:01 PM »
Went through the bathroom cabinets and tossed a few things. Put away a few clothing items for consignment. Filed paperwork that was gathering dust for the last month or so. Went through my cc bill and tossed the receipts. Had to call about a couple of fraudulent charges - nothing huge but I'm getting charges from Netflix Mexico under an old account number that apparently was compromised and closed about a year ago!  What gives???  The cc company was trying to tell me that I need to call Netflix Mexico and stop them from charging me!!!  Ugh!  It took an hour and conversations with 3 people to make them understand that I had nothing to do with the charges and it was the cc company's problem for accepting random charges to an account that they closed and deactivated a year ago!

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2971 on: December 29, 2015, 05:10:18 PM »
Time to wake DH up so we can go through our clothes :) love the holidays...

horsepoor

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2972 on: December 29, 2015, 06:22:13 PM »
I just went through all the old paint that was taking up valuable space in the garage.  About 60% of it was too old and dried up to use.  Moved what was left down to an out of the way basement cabinet that was empty as a result of previous decluttering.  Now have a handy place for the air compressor so we don't have to lug it up from the shop if a car tire needs air.  MUCH less messy to look at when pulling into the garage, too.  Now to clean up the other side where all my horse gear lands on it's way to or from the stable.

I'm getting more and more critical about things, like WHY do I have a 3-hole punch?  I'm not a student and haven't been for over a decade, so I can't imagine needing a 3-hole punch.  If I ever do, I can just use the one at the office.  I also had literally 8,000 staples and two staple pullers in a little plastic box in the office.  Decided one small box of 1,000 staples will probably last me the rest of my life, and I only need one staple puller, if that.

Sold an iPod on eBay.  Made sure to use as much of my bubble wrap stash as possible when packing it.

Have two more boxes overflowing with stuff to donate.

Horse gear just isn't really moving right now, so I think I'm going to just set aside what I want to get rid of and take another run at selling it in the spring.

Sadly the scanner I thought I could use for my photos is worn out and isn't feeding photos properly and is making everything streaky, so I think I'll just sort through and take everything worth scanning to a shop to have it done professionally.

The shop is really cluttered, but it's hella cold, so I doubt I'll get out there and clean that up.  I suppose I could bring in the various tool chests and things and sit by the fire sort through them.

I need to finish breaking down the aquarium and list that and my espresso machine on Craigslist.  I'm ready to sell them cheap just to get them gone.  I'm even considering selling my KitchenAid mixer since I don't bake anymore, but I'm afraid I'll regret that one later.

I've been in and out of stores a lot the last few days because I've been doing some house projects and I'm happy to say that the only potential clutter I've brought home is a new toy for the dog, but she loves it, so I don't mind.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2973 on: December 29, 2015, 06:22:54 PM »
Cleaned out the pajama and tshirt drawer. Got rid of a good amount.
Still held on to some that don't fit but I have an attachment to, but there's room in the drawer so I'm okay with it.

Prairie Gal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2974 on: January 03, 2016, 03:51:21 PM »
I'm on a roll today; so far I have given away a stereo receiver, CD player, DVD player and two hockey helmets. A lady is coming tomorrow for two bar stools.

ArcadeStache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2975 on: January 03, 2016, 04:56:02 PM »
Took a ton of misc stuff to Goodwill the other day...suits I don't wear anymore, an old laptop bag, lots of glassware cluttering our kitchen cabinets, random throw pillows sitting in the basement, old landline phones we'll never use again, etc. Also took some books to a used bookstore traded for some store credit I'll use to by my 2 yr old some cheap books. Also listed more items on eBay. Man, I love this feeling....it's kind of like losing weight!

halftimer

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2976 on: January 03, 2016, 04:59:07 PM »
Good progress lately during time off work: took electronics including speakers, cords and CDs to a reuse collection on campus; sorted through hobby supplies and hosted 13 people over to make up projects using whatever they wanted from the pile; also gave a high end digital camera and signed camera book to a high school student who is very excited about future photo projects; gave away kitchen ware to neighbours new to the country.  A few items have recently been purchased online however, so need to process more clutter to go out and find worthwhile homes.  Hosting friends was the biggest success. Everyone brought their kids and snacks to share and lots of supplies became finished projects that day.

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2977 on: January 03, 2016, 05:40:13 PM »
Time to wake DH up so we can go through our clothes :) love the holidays...
We got rid of about 25% of his clothes and 10% of mine. He's back at work now, so I'm sorting through things for his approval in the evenings :)

nessness

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2978 on: January 03, 2016, 07:26:20 PM »
This thread is so inspiring to me. Decluttering with a toddler around is slow going (as she can pull stuff out of bags as fast as I can put it in), but I filled three grocery bags of stuff to donate and threw out some trash.

I've been challenging myself to either use stuff or get rid of it, which has been helpful. Like if I notice a shirt I haven't worn in a while, I'll tell myself to wear it the next day. And if I don't want to, why not? Sometimes the answer is because it's seasonally inappropriate or something, but more often it's because it's unflattering, or I don't have anything to pair it with, and into the donation pile it goes. I've started doing that with books too. I had a book that I got for my birthday a year and a half ago that I hadn't read, so I made myself start it last night. And it was terrible! The author's writing style was horrendous! So that went into the donation pile too.

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2979 on: January 03, 2016, 07:36:59 PM »
Sold some hand tool cases on ebay.  These were the cases that wrenches originally came in but I keep all my tools in a large tool chest anyway, no need for a case.  Got a few bucks for them and they are out of my basement.

Maya

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2980 on: January 03, 2016, 07:40:00 PM »
Made great progress today.

15 cookbooks, 15 kids books, reorganized a few cupboards and sold some stuff on varagesale. Starting to see extra space which is so nice.

Tomorrow want to go through my clothes and then take a load to the donation centre.

Then time to store away the stuff waiting to be sold. Going to give it a couple months if it doesn't sell, it won't and time to donate the rest! So freeing!

tofuchampion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2981 on: January 03, 2016, 10:09:16 PM »
I have 3 bags of kid clothes and one bag of toys going to consignment tomorrow. A bag of my clothes is going to Goodwill along with whatever kid stuff the consignment shop doesn't want. Also have a few things ready for eBay, and one book already listed.

I don't understand how my kids have so much stuff...

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2982 on: January 04, 2016, 05:05:58 AM »
So, my final update for 2015 in 2015... did I manage to get rid of 2015 things? Kinda...

I was about 150 items short by Christmas. My husband asked how I was going and I said I didn't think I was going to make it. I'd fallen behind since November, so even with a ruthless push in December I was coming up short, and I really had pared down so much I didn't think I could find enough stuff.

Well, how cute is this, he said, "If I go through my box of electrical cables, I bet I could find you close to that number". I have hated this tangled mess for years, and used to mention it periodically as a source of annoyance for me. Once I woke up to myself at the beginning of 2015, and decided to get my own metaphorical house in order first, I never mentioned it (or anything else I thought my husband could stand to get rid of), again.

Through the year he's shown more and more interest, every so often volunteering and item and telling me I can check it off my list, but I was really touched that he was prepared to go through the dreaded box just so I'd make my goal :)

That said, we kept meaning to go through it together, and we totally forgot until 1st January! So on New Year's Day, we went through the box, got rid of loads of things, and were about 18 items short of my 2015 goal. We went through the house finding an odd pen we could take to work, a leftover Christmas bow we could bin and so on, until we made it!

So I did get rid of 2015, but technically it wasn't all in 2015. I'm calling it a win though!

Thanks so much for all the support through the year. I'm not stopping now, I'm sure as time goes on I'll find more stuff, but it feels odd not to 'count' (yes, I went through the Christmas gifts ruthlessly already). For the time being I'm 'done' but I know full well I haven't reached Marie Kondo's state of happiness with the number of items I own. Good luck everyone for a less cluttery 2016!

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2983 on: January 04, 2016, 05:39:17 AM »
So I finally got rid of my storage unit just before xmas (which I may have mentioned). Found uses or a home for damn near everything, but still wound up with two giant boxes filled with paperwork that must be destroyed. So I borrowed my little brother's fire pit yesterday, and we're going to have a fun little bonfire to get rid of it all!! And before you ask, I did sort through to make sure it's just paper good for burning. No plastic or any of that noxious crap (my neighbor burns enough of that).

MountainGal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2984 on: January 04, 2016, 12:37:42 PM »
So I finally got rid of my storage unit just before xmas (which I may have mentioned). Found uses or a home for damn near everything, but still wound up with two giant boxes filled with paperwork that must be destroyed. So I borrowed my little brother's fire pit yesterday, and we're going to have a fun little bonfire to get rid of it all!! And before you ask, I did sort through to make sure it's just paper good for burning. No plastic or any of that noxious crap (my neighbor burns enough of that).

Congratulations!  What an awesome way to begin the New Year!

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2985 on: January 04, 2016, 04:45:21 PM »
So I finally got rid of my storage unit just before xmas (which I may have mentioned). Found uses or a home for damn near everything, but still wound up with two giant boxes filled with paperwork that must be destroyed. So I borrowed my little brother's fire pit yesterday, and we're going to have a fun little bonfire to get rid of it all!! And before you ask, I did sort through to make sure it's just paper good for burning. No plastic or any of that noxious crap (my neighbor burns enough of that).

Getting rid of a storage unit is almost as great as compounding interest.  Nice job!

jordanread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2986 on: January 04, 2016, 04:56:26 PM »
Congratulations!  What an awesome way to begin the New Year!

Getting rid of a storage unit is almost as great as compounding interest.  Nice job!

Thank you both. In my journal, I broke down the 'savings' of not having it. It was ridiculous. $207/month saved.

Maya

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2987 on: January 04, 2016, 06:14:22 PM »
Went through my closet and got rid of a garbage bag or two full of stuff (5 kitchen garbage bags lol) Took another load to the charity drop off. Really starting to see progress around here!

riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2988 on: January 04, 2016, 06:14:35 PM »
Congratulations!  What an awesome way to begin the New Year!

Getting rid of a storage unit is almost as great as compounding interest.  Nice job!

Thank you both. In my journal, I broke down the 'savings' of not having it. It was ridiculous. $207/month saved.

Wow! Great savings.

firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2989 on: January 04, 2016, 09:48:45 PM »
Sold our media center and donated a few more things around the living room. It's starting to look more spacious and spartan. If I can have my way, I'd want to remove things from a shelf and convert it into a toy shelf. We have too many knick knacks. Baby steps!

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2990 on: January 05, 2016, 05:18:50 AM »
Looks like I have a buyer for one item I listed on Craigslist.  This inspired me to renew two other listings I have.  And I am going to list an armchair that I replaced recently. 

I have gathered several more items for the consignment store.  I will bring them in by the end of this week.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2991 on: January 05, 2016, 07:03:30 AM »
So I finally got rid of my storage unit just before xmas

Awesome!  If you don't have any debt to pay off, you should direct whatever you used to pay straight into your investments; don't change your budget around to spend more now that you 'found' money

wkumtrider

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2992 on: January 05, 2016, 07:21:20 AM »
My wife sold our playstation rock band set.  That thing took up a lot of space in the closet.  Now got to get rid of the PS 2.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2993 on: January 05, 2016, 04:33:29 PM »
I've been working on clothes and linens - today I took 6 blue recycling bags to donate plus a box of "stuff".  The car was full.  This was all easy stuff (outer skin of the onion?), but it cleared the way for seeing what else is not needed.  I also donated all sorts of craft items over Christmas, so say 8 containers total.

A few years ago, because of work, I was living in town during the week and coming home on weekends.  As I look at my stuff I am realizing that I have a lot of duplicates from that time, including a second set of metal dog dishes!  Even after having DD take whatever she wanted when she was setting up her own apartment, I still have way more than I need.  So I need to figure out how much I really need,and how much is just being held on to "in case".  Plus I know I have things that I need to keep simply because they are pretty (bedspreads, things like that), that I will use when I stage the house.  But for now they can go into deep storage.

Rosy

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2994 on: January 05, 2016, 05:07:15 PM »

So, my final update for 2015 in 2015... did I manage to get rid of 2015 things? Kinda...

I was about 150 items short by Christmas. My husband asked how I was going and I said I didn't think I was going to make it. I'd fallen behind since November, so even with a ruthless push in December I was coming up short, and I really had pared down so much I didn't think I could find enough stuff.

Well, how cute is this, he said, "If I go through my box of electrical cables, I bet I could find you close to that number". I have hated this tangled mess for years, and used to mention it periodically as a source of annoyance for me. Once I woke up to myself at the beginning of 2015, and decided to get my own metaphorical house in order first, I never mentioned it (or anything else I thought my husband could stand to get rid of), again.

Through the year he's shown more and more interest, every so often volunteering and item and telling me I can check it off my list, but I was really touched that he was prepared to go through the dreaded box just so I'd make my goal :)

That said, we kept meaning to go through it together, and we totally forgot until 1st January! So on New Year's Day, we went through the box, got rid of loads of things, and were about 18 items short of my 2015 goal. We went through the house finding an odd pen we could take to work, a leftover Christmas bow we could bin and so on, until we made it!

So I did get rid of 2015, but technically it wasn't all in 2015. I'm calling it a win though!

Thanks so much for all the support through the year. I'm not stopping now, I'm sure as time goes on I'll find more stuff, but it feels odd not to 'count' (yes, I went through the Christmas gifts ruthlessly already). For the time being I'm 'done' but I know full well I haven't reached Marie Kondo's state of happiness with the number of items I own. Good luck everyone for a less cluttery 2016!

Wow, that is an awesome accomplishment. CONGRATS:)

I just started a 90 day challenge to deal with the house and two sheds - if I don't focus on a deadline, 2016 will be over without any progress. I made good progress in 2015, but I'm ready for the finish line.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2995 on: January 07, 2016, 04:04:01 AM »

Wow, that is an awesome accomplishment. CONGRATS:)

I just started a 90 day challenge to deal with the house and two sheds - if I don't focus on a deadline, 2016 will be over without any progress. I made good progress in 2015, but I'm ready for the finish line.

Thanks Rosy! Ironically, I became so attached to the sheet where I logged each item I got rid of (a spreadsheet with little boxes) that I didn't want to throw it out when I was finished! Ha ha. I took a picture of it and let it go.

I also got rid of a load more stuff yesterday - three large shopping bags full. I'm not counting this year, but I'm glad my appetite for decluttering is still going strong. I am high on the extra space and compliments about how neat my house is looking!

Good luck with your challenge, I found it so helpful.

MountainGal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2996 on: January 07, 2016, 02:48:11 PM »
Donated magazines to the VA home this morning.  (Someone, we don't know who, has gifted magazine subscriptions to DH for several years now.  Each year it's a different magazine.  Last year it was Men's Health.  The year prior it was Maxim.  This year it's ESPN and GQ.)  If you knew my DH, you'd know how very un-sporty and GQ he is.  Yet, he won't call the magazine to ask who is sending them, LOL.

Cleared out the pantry from holiday cooking and baking.  Asked the VA if they would accept an unopened 5 LB bag of flour.  Nope.  So it's going to the food bank.

cheddarpie

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2997 on: January 08, 2016, 11:36:41 AM »
I donated a carload of stuff to Goodwill, sold some unnecessary furniture and other stuff on Craigslist for over $450, and gave away some old veterinary prescriptions on Buy Nothing. I've got a couple of drawers in my bedroom left to edit (and don't get me started on the storage shed!), but otherwise I am feeling CLEAN. It is so liberating to know exactly what I own, where it is, and that I use or otherwise value all of it. :)


riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2998 on: January 08, 2016, 12:15:02 PM »
I donated a carload of stuff to Goodwill, sold some unnecessary furniture and other stuff on Craigslist for over $450, and gave away some old veterinary prescriptions on Buy Nothing. I've got a couple of drawers in my bedroom left to edit (and don't get me started on the storage shed!), but otherwise I am feeling CLEAN. It is so liberating to know exactly what I own, where it is, and that I use or otherwise value all of it. :)

Baby steps for the fiancé- several beanies as well as a couple work shirts (he has a uniform) donated.
I'm steadily recycling some old drawings etc as I work on a new project.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2999 on: January 08, 2016, 12:38:05 PM »
Donated magazines to the VA home this morning.  (Someone, we don't know who, has gifted magazine subscriptions to DH for several years now.  Each year it's a different magazine.  Last year it was Men's Health.  The year prior it was Maxim.  This year it's ESPN and GQ.)  If you knew my DH, you'd know how very un-sporty and GQ he is.  Yet, he won't call the magazine to ask who is sending them, LOL.

New goal once I catch FIRE: Pick some random person, and then subscribe magazines for them. It should be fun. Every now and then, I'll find their weakest spot, and find a corresponding magazine. Oh yes.