Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1850102 times)

Debts_of_Despair

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3300 on: March 30, 2016, 06:29:33 PM »
This weekend I took a pair of pants that were too small, and a blouse that was too big to the consignment store. It's not big money, but it helps a little bit.

Money in your pocket is better than something sitting in your closet that just takes up space.

SuperSaver

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3301 on: March 30, 2016, 08:06:27 PM »
I bought the LifeChanging Magic of Tidying Up in February and read the book. My fiance and I decided to move in April so I have spent the past 25 days or so decluttering and packing up. Our goal is to declutter as much as possible the next three weeks and pack up all of our belongings. Then as we unpack do a second wave of decluttering.

KonMari has been revolutionary for me. I was raised by a serious packrat  and a hoarder lite. I have always struggled with getting rid of "stuff" (donate, trash, recycle or sell) because I would think: 1) It was a gift 2) It was expensive 3) I  bought it myself 4) I might not be able to replace it easily 5) I've owned it a long time or 6) I might use it someday for something

After reading KonMari I am so much happier. I have been decluttering wholeheartedly. I have given away 50 liters of "Stuff", a box of books (which is practically a first- I have 4 bookshelves and a Kindle), donated 5 bags of clothes, and donated 1 bag of textiles to H&M's Close the Loop initiative. I have also had to take out my trash and recycling every couple of days. The crazy thing is- we live in 615 sq. feet. I keep telling my fiance I don't know where all this stuff is coming from since we tend to keep a fairly neat house and it's not an overly large space. I am looking forward to donating another box of stuff, my vanity and an oversize desk this weekend. If I can I'd like to fill up a second box before our drop off on Saturday afternoon.

My fiance is of the belief that every time you move try to only keep half.He has already gone through his clothes, the box of electronic components (cords, chargers, etc), his books, cds and helped me with round one of kitchenware. He is super encouraging and happy that I am finally finding happiness downsizing because I have always been the one to hold onto items. He is also super pleased I sorted through ALL of the paperwork in the house and shredded a couple boxes worth, recycled a couple bags worth and now all of our paperwork can fit into a portable file cabinet (it is ruthlessly organized and has a handle on it)!

I have lent the book to a coworker who was interested in the book, but there was a long waiting list for it at her library.

edited: In the past week and a half I have read through all 69 pages of this thread and the 6 pages of the KonMari review and reading everyone else's decluttering efforts has been super motivating to me to always try and find *one more thing* to get rid of!
« Last Edit: March 30, 2016, 08:08:26 PM by SuperSaver »

Cressida

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3302 on: March 30, 2016, 09:25:01 PM »
I have given away 50 liters of "Stuff",

haha  :)

a box of books (which is practically a first- I have 4 bookshelves and a Kindle), donated 5 bags of clothes, and donated 1 bag of textiles to H&M's Close the Loop initiative.

I googled this but it wasn't obvious to me how it works. What exactly did you do? Sounds like a great idea.

Warlord1986

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3303 on: March 31, 2016, 07:39:14 AM »
This weekend I took a pair of pants that were too small, and a blouse that was too big to the consignment store. It's not big money, but it helps a little bit.

Money in your pocket is better than something sitting in your closet that just takes up space.

That's what I think too. Plus the lady who owns the consignment store is lovely and I enjoy her company, and it's close to the library.

SuperSaver

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3304 on: March 31, 2016, 09:41:16 AM »

a box of books (which is practically a first- I have 4 bookshelves and a Kindle), donated 5 bags of clothes, and donated 1 bag of textiles to H&M's Close the Loop initiative.

I googled this but it wasn't obvious to me how it works. What exactly did you do? Sounds like a great idea.

It's very exciting that it's one less thing to throw away!

Cressida- You take a plastic bag (say a grocerystore bag), you fill it with castoff clothes and textiles (I had pjs so ratty I couldn't even make them rags and sweaters darned too many times), you take the bag to the cashier at H&M (any of their stores), they put a sticker on your bag of discards and you get a 15% off coupon that lasts for a few months and then you drop the bag off in this special recycling bin that looks kind of like a trash can. The clothes and home textiles you donate get recycled or repurposed. From my understanding it becomes insulation or some kind of filling or new clothes. IF the clothes are in better condition they can be reworn. You can donate as much as you want but you only get one coupon per day.

http://about.hm.com/en/About/sustainability/commitments/reduce-waste/garment-collecting.html

horsepoor

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3305 on: March 31, 2016, 07:12:50 PM »
I keep seeing this thread come up and experience a twinge of guilt for slacking lately on the decluttering.

But today, I stoked up the burn barrel and decluttered the yard.  All the nasty cuttings from my climbing rose are now ash, along with a bunch of twigs and laste year's sunflowers. 

I also sold my old horse's saddle last week, so I'm finally down to just the two I need/use.

Maybe this weekend I'll post my espresso machine and Kitchenaid mixer on Craigslist again.  And my bicycle. and get the last couple bridles from my retired horse posted on eBay at sure to sell prices.  I also have two very nice winter coats set aside because I no longer want them, but need to decide what to do with them.  Might hang on to them until the Rescue Mission does its fall coat drive, so they go to someone who really needs a warm coat.

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3306 on: April 01, 2016, 09:14:17 AM »
My roommate and I have temporarily cluttered the basement. Here's why.

The next building up from us has someone in it who's been throwing out tons of stuff. Almost every week, there's a massive pile of trash put out. For about the last 6 months. This week, I stopped and looked at the pile, and got angry. I grabbed 2 boxes of BRAND NEW UNOPENED diapers.

Drove home, took my stuff and the diapers inside, and found that my roommate had already pulled a microwave and speaker set. We took my car back to the pile, and filled it up.

End result:
microwave
2 boxes diapers
speaker set
2 rugs
2 baby gates
very nice, new comforter bed set.
ironing board
car stereo, new in box and accessories
handful misc books
bag of the plastic farm toys
2 packages of pads, opened and 1-2 pads missing. Here's the kicker - in the bag with them, I found the receipt from Target when they were purchased. On 3/13/16.
bed side table

We didn't even look in most of the bags, and we didn't grab the bed frame & headboard cause it was buried under bags of stuff. The sheer wastefulness has me really angry - this stuff is new or nearly new, in perfectly usable condition.

Are now posting stuff on Craigslist. We'll be checking the piles in the future.

Edit: 6 months, not 60
« Last Edit: April 01, 2016, 05:22:12 PM by Sibley »

dandypandys

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3307 on: April 01, 2016, 09:48:22 AM »
wow, wonder if someone was getting kicked out. You might want to check on that somehow.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3308 on: April 01, 2016, 11:58:10 AM »
I bought a copy of "Spark Joy" by Marie Kondo without having read her first book; I'm hoping the second one is enough to get me by. I plan on tackling my clothes this weekend.

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3309 on: April 01, 2016, 05:23:00 PM »
wow, wonder if someone was getting kicked out. You might want to check on that somehow.

It's been going on for months. All winter, at least. Now, a hoarder, I can see - except this stuff is in good shape.

riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3310 on: April 02, 2016, 12:39:44 AM »
wow, wonder if someone was getting kicked out. You might want to check on that somehow.

It's been going on for months. All winter, at least. Now, a hoarder, I can see - except this stuff is in good shape.

That's super strange.
Glad you're profiting at least.

Squirrel away

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3311 on: April 02, 2016, 02:49:04 AM »
Paperwork is all up to date and (finally) everything not needed has been chucked out of the house. The new tax year starts here very soon so it's nice to have everything up to date and organised.

I went through the tool boxes the other day and threw away a few bits and pieces. I couldn't even tell you what they were, or what they were for, so I have no idea why we were keeping hold of them! I found a strap for a cat carrier that was binned. The tools and pet stuff are kept outside in the back garden so that explains why there was still some clutter out there.

« Last Edit: April 02, 2016, 02:50:49 AM by Squirrel away »

Rural

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3312 on: April 02, 2016, 12:24:48 PM »
Does anyone know if old prescription eyeglasses can be donated? Googling tells me that they are best recycled or thrown away, since they're not easily reusable, but I wanted to double-check before throwing them out. If it helps, I'm in California. I've also got some disposable daily-use contact lenses, but I don't know if those can be donated either.


  The Lions Club here keeps a donation box out at the public library specifically for prescription glasses. Definitely they can be reused unless there's some California law or something?

Grant at Retire CRAZY Good

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3313 on: April 02, 2016, 04:16:04 PM »
When my wife and I vowed to live without regrets, we didn't really have a clue where that would take us. Ultimately, we downsized from a home of roughly 3600 square feet to about 800 (the apartment section of the building we purchased). Clutter doesn't even begin to describe what we experienced on our quest to live our BIG DREAM.

We used the equity from selling our old place to buy a 1906 building in a small town with ultra-low taxes...we call it loft-living in the country. That was part of our effort to not only declutter, but to do all the things we dreamed about doing before our clock ran out. And, we did it on pennies instead of big bucks.

My wife and I are nothing special, so if we can, so can others. That's what I love about Mr. Money Mustache's website and post. Way practical if you've got the boldness to get up and do.

Now we make most of what we need for our home, workshop, and gallery. We loosely follow a "steampunk theme" to go with the style of the 100-year-old building. (Yep, it's got those old 16-foot tin ceilings, row after row of ceiling fans, and long-leaf-pine flooring.)

As to our decluttering process: give away, trash, or keep. No storage building rent for us! We put a real emphasis on trashing or donating. If you have an interest and want to read more about how we did it, here's one of my recent posts: [MOD EDIT: Spam link removed.]
« Last Edit: April 05, 2016, 01:32:36 AM by arebelspy »

OneDollarAtATime

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3314 on: April 02, 2016, 06:31:06 PM »
Sold $550 worth of "stuff" the last 3 weeks.  Feels great -- more space, less clutter, more freedom...and extra cash in the bank!

Selling things at a loss is a gentle irritation that's quickly smoothed over by the fresh cash in hand.  Plus, some people genuinely have needs for the things I sell to them.

Whatever doesn't sell in the next month goes to the dumpster in the annual HOA 'Spring Cleaning' (to encourage residents to clean out their garages and actually park their cars in it).  Making money on it is a bonus.

Chranstronaut

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3315 on: April 02, 2016, 07:39:13 PM »
We sold a set of antique lawn decorations for $100 on craigslist last week and used the money to replace the house's mismatched outlets and light switches.  So proud of my house for paying for some of its own upgrades!  The old owners left us a ton of crap when we bought the house, most of which had to go straight to the dump :\

I've just finished reading Marie Kondo and made it through clothes and books.  I only got rid of one large box of clothes with her method but this is after clearing out two large boxes of clothes when we moved last summer.  I've got half of a box of books to donate or sell, but I'm struggling to let three textbooks go.  They make me happy, but they aren't particularly useful or my top favorites from my degree program.  I've decided to put them aside in a closet and revisit them during the memorabilia cleaning at the end of the KonMari method.

RetiredAt63

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3316 on: April 03, 2016, 05:56:14 PM »
Another half car load out - one full box and two big bags.  Little by little, bit by bit.  Most of this was DD's.

Chranstronaut

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3317 on: April 03, 2016, 06:15:10 PM »
Made it through KonMari's paper sorting mission. I was really dreading this, but it turns out that I don't have as many different piles of papers as I expected.  I've got a hanging file box for critical papers, loose papers in the same closet as the filing box and a few bags of papers that had never been unpacked last year. 

I recycled three plastic grocery bags of papers and have another bag's worth to shred.

Tick-Tock

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3318 on: April 03, 2016, 07:15:30 PM »
Does anyone know if old prescription eyeglasses can be donated? Googling tells me that they are best recycled or thrown away, since they're not easily reusable, but I wanted to double-check before throwing them out. If it helps, I'm in California. I've also got some disposable daily-use contact lenses, but I don't know if those can be donated either.

I always donate old eyeglasses at Lenscrafters when I get new ones (I keep the pair I just replaced, and donate the pair from before that).  I believe it's for Lions Club or some other charity that takes the glasses overseas. 

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3319 on: April 03, 2016, 10:16:20 PM »
I'm re-reading through Paper Flow by Bennie & Hinneberg in anticipation of helping DH for through his uni paperwork and putting in place a filing system we will both use. I'm hoping "your primary reference source is books and the internet" will have great sway. I'm also going to offer to scan whatever he thinks is really important, because I don't mind doing it and if it helps him, then I'll be thrilled to do it!

I'm a red panda

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3320 on: April 04, 2016, 06:41:45 AM »
This is silly- but 3 things left my house this weekend I am really happy about.
A book I've needed to return forever, and 2 cans of formula that I've felt guilty about throwing out and finally took to the crisis center to donate.

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3321 on: April 05, 2016, 11:56:57 AM »
Does anyone know if old prescription eyeglasses can be donated? Googling tells me that they are best recycled or thrown away, since they're not easily reusable, but I wanted to double-check before throwing them out. If it helps, I'm in California. I've also got some disposable daily-use contact lenses, but I don't know if those can be donated either.


  The Lions Club here keeps a donation box out at the public library specifically for prescription glasses. Definitely they can be reused unless there's some California law or something?

I used to live in CA, I think I remember seeing a donation box for the Lions Club at my eye doctor's office.

MoustacheKnittah

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3322 on: April 05, 2016, 01:29:23 PM »
wow, wonder if someone was getting kicked out. You might want to check on that somehow.

It's been going on for months. All winter, at least. Now, a hoarder, I can see - except this stuff is in good shape.

That's super strange.
Glad you're profiting at least.

I live in a college town, and some of the students are super wasteful and fill the curbs with decent furniture and household items every July. We have lots of "pickers" in town, so you have to be on top of it & have a truck!

maco

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3323 on: April 05, 2016, 01:35:20 PM »
wow, wonder if someone was getting kicked out. You might want to check on that somehow.

It's been going on for months. All winter, at least. Now, a hoarder, I can see - except this stuff is in good shape.

That's super strange.
Glad you're profiting at least.

I live in a college town, and some of the students are super wasteful and fill the curbs with decent furniture and household items every July. We have lots of "pickers" in town, so you have to be on top of it & have a truck!
They don't have the cash to store it in a storage unit over summer or any way to transport it back home on the plane/train. They might make an attempt at Craigslist, but when you absolutely have to be gone within 24 hours of your last exam, waiting around for several weeks for someone to finally bite isn't really an option.

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3324 on: April 05, 2016, 01:55:12 PM »
While on vacation in China with my DH and 3 kids we got rid of 35 pairs of ratty underwear, 10 sets of ratty PJs, 5 flip flops, and 35 ratty pairs of socks....Our hotel maid must have though we were crazy.  Unfortunately, we added 3 new shirts, a dress/costume, two statues, and two kite reels as "stuff". 

YogiKitti

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3325 on: April 05, 2016, 06:34:19 PM »
My eye doctor keeps a bin out to donate your old glasses so I know it's a thing, but I don't know where they get donated to.

halftimer

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3326 on: April 05, 2016, 09:05:07 PM »
Lots of small wins this week. Had put aside a set of champagne glasses with other things to donate, and they became a nice gift for a friend complete with original box and gift bow from my supplies. Also found homes for a handful of other awkward but nice items (3 food items we don't like, 2 kitchen items, and some small hobby supplies). Every tiny thing that leaves this house makes me happy since the inevitable move still looms large.

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3327 on: April 06, 2016, 04:34:27 AM »
I ditched 400 emails today. yeouch. Got another 500+ to go. My work inbox is nearly empty. I'm working on my system to store the information so I can let go of the emails.

EngineerYogi

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3328 on: April 06, 2016, 09:56:25 AM »
I bagged up 6 bags of clothes and shoes and Kondo'd my closet and dresser. I do have to say opening my drawers now is amazing every time.

I also boxed up books, but I don't know where to take them? Any recommendations?

NinetyFour

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3329 on: April 06, 2016, 10:15:49 AM »
I bagged up 6 bags of clothes and shoes and Kondo'd my closet and dresser. I do have to say opening my drawers now is amazing every time.

I also boxed up books, but I don't know where to take them? Any recommendations?

I took several boxes of books to our public library.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3330 on: April 07, 2016, 04:29:07 AM »
Went through our utensil drawer in the kitchen as it is getting difficult to open / close. Got rid of two things.

MoustacheKnittah

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3331 on: April 07, 2016, 03:08:11 PM »

I live in a college town, and some of the students are super wasteful and fill the curbs with decent furniture and household items every July. We have lots of "pickers" in town, so you have to be on top of it & have a truck!
They don't have the cash to store it in a storage unit over summer or any way to transport it back home on the plane/train. They might make an attempt at Craigslist, but when you absolutely have to be gone within 24 hours of your last exam, waiting around for several weeks for someone to finally bite isn't really an option.

I buy that for some students, but not most. The residence halls actually do a good job of dealing with the stuff problem. Apartment turnover happens in July, so if you live off campus (about 2/3rds of students), there's not a rule that you have to vacate your residence after exams. Most of the college students live within a few hours drive, and the vast majority have vehicles, friends, garages, family in area, etc. etc. Some stuff ends up on the curb at May, but they don't really deal with their stuff until they have to move apartments in July. The bulk of it is poor planning, at least in my town.

MountainGal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3332 on: April 08, 2016, 02:24:35 PM »
Spring has arrived!  Woot!

Yesterday:

Returned two Mason jars from last year's canning season to a chicken owning friend.  I also gave her a stack of egg cartons.

Up-cycled two magazines and a catalog to my sister.

I neglected to bring used toner and ink cartridges for recycling.  Bummed.

This weekend I'm (finally!) going to go through old (clean!)  towels and sheets to donate to the local animal shelter.

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3333 on: April 08, 2016, 04:15:56 PM »
I'm getting rid of a skirt and a dress (both pink!), pyjama shorts and a mug.

Dexterous

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3334 on: April 08, 2016, 05:15:49 PM »
I saw this thread a few years ago.  After a LOT of work, we've managed to get rid of all of our junk and unneeded items.

We began with a 2 bedroom + storage closet + 2 car garage apartment 2 years ago.  All of those spaces were entirely full.  We now live in a 1 bedroom apartment with no garage, and only 1 storage room in the apartment is full (tools, fishing gear, and car cleaning supplies).  It feels good, and will make moving easier in the future!  We plan to live aboard a sailboat in the distant future too, so being accustomed to having less stuff will be helpful for that as well.  Thanks for the inspiration everybody!

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3335 on: April 08, 2016, 05:41:20 PM »
In the last week I donated, sold or threw away 47 items.  My goal was 5 items a day.  My dogs got into the challenge and chewed up two items (not items I initially wanted to get rid of - but I can live without them! :)

And so it begins...there is so much more, but I feel better already!

Thrifty Snail

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3336 on: April 09, 2016, 08:02:15 AM »
I sold 180 dollars worth of stuff I had lying around.


EngineerYogi

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3337 on: April 09, 2016, 03:41:19 PM »
Sold 16 clothing items to a consignment shop and left with 2 new to me pairs of pants and $40.

Dropping off 2 boxes of books and 6 trash bags full of clothes at Goodwill today.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3338 on: April 09, 2016, 04:26:59 PM »
Took six boxes of stuff to church garage sale. Mostly my stuff - but some kids toys they have outgrown.
I realized that I couldn't de-clutter all by myself, I live with three other pack rats. I read The Magic Art... from the library a couple of months ago and had a revelation, if the other pack rats read this book too, it might be easier.  I was going away for a conference so I bought the book and left it on hubbies pillow.  He was on page 22 when I got back and he is continuing to read it.  It has become a source of good material to mock me with but he went into DD's room last night and told her she must read the book when he is finished (I didn't think he would read as much as he has - and he plans on finishing it!!!!!!)  My DH is not a big reader so this is epic.  My son is just observing from the sidelines at this point but he is the tidiest of us all so no big deal.  This morning while getting some laundry my hubby says "this room would be huge without all those toys'  I am dreaming of spaciousness!

Prairie Gal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3339 on: April 09, 2016, 05:16:13 PM »
Gave away an old thermos to someone looking for one on a facebook group.

www.montanahappy.com

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3340 on: April 09, 2016, 07:01:42 PM »
Took six boxes of stuff to church garage sale. Mostly my stuff - but some kids toys they have outgrown.
I realized that I couldn't de-clutter all by myself, I live with three other pack rats. I read The Magic Art... from the library a couple of months ago and had a revelation, if the other pack rats read this book too, it might be easier.  I was going away for a conference so I bought the book and left it on hubbies pillow.  He was on page 22 when I got back and he is continuing to read it.  It has become a source of good material to mock me with but he went into DD's room last night and told her she must read the book when he is finished (I didn't think he would read as much as he has - and he plans on finishing it!!!!!!)  My DH is not a big reader so this is epic.  My son is just observing from the sidelines at this point but he is the tidiest of us all so no big deal.  This morning while getting some laundry my hubby says "this room would be huge without all those toys'  I am dreaming of spaciousness!

Yes Frugal Lizard - it is amazing how much stuff we all have. I went through one bookshelf and found a book I distinctly remember buying at the bookstore.  It was 21 years old.  I never read it, but just hauled it around and dusted it for 21 YEARS!!  Read it in one night and donated it.  Goodbye forever.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3341 on: April 10, 2016, 06:13:55 PM »
I bagged up 6 bags of clothes and shoes and Kondo'd my closet and dresser.

I love this phrase. May I steal it?

I, too, Kondo'd a closet yesterday. Actually, I did one closet, and my husband did another. Evidently, that was our Saturday Date Night...and the glass or two of wine I had made it a little easier to declare certain things didn't bring me joy. :)

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3342 on: April 10, 2016, 06:31:32 PM »
NDQ HQ is getting ready for a garage sale this month. We are going deep into every square inch of the home and finding things to sell, donate or trash/recycle. It's been a great weekend of finally seeing more space in this small place. I don't mind a smallish home, but the extra stuff that makes its way in the door was too much.

I'm definitely a Marie Kondo fan and this would make her proud.

NDQ

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3343 on: April 11, 2016, 07:42:38 AM »

Yes Frugal Lizard - it is amazing how much stuff we all have. I went through one bookshelf and found a book I distinctly remember buying at the bookstore.  It was 21 years old.  I never read it, but just hauled it around and dusted it for 21 YEARS!!  Read it in one night and donated it.  Goodbye forever.

The Kondo method helped me to not feel guilty about stuff.  I was kind of paralyzed because of the embarrassment and guilt of opening up those drawers, boxes, closets and seeing my wasted money and poor decisions.  Getting started and feeling the lightening of the load is so rewarding.  I can see this might get additive.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3344 on: April 11, 2016, 08:00:45 AM »
Donated my old dictionaries to the library (7 volumes) - they seemed happy to take them. 

Went through my spring/summer clothes and put away 3 pairs of pants that are now too small.  I am continuing to gain weight :-(  I now have several pairs that have been in the "need to lose 10 lbs" pile for over a year but so far I haven't been ready to let go of it...

Put away a couple of items of clothing for donation and a couple for the consignment store.  I still feel like I have too much stuff in my closet, even after reducing by about 50% over the last couple of years.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3345 on: April 12, 2016, 11:06:02 AM »
Big item went out the door yesterday - a piano.  Sent it to my brothers house.  His daughter wants to learn and we had two pianos because I just couldn't bring myself to give either away.  I kept thinking one of my three brothers will want a piano.  Finally five years of two pianos done!

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3346 on: April 12, 2016, 01:05:16 PM »
A couple years ago, a friend's wife left him and left 2 vintage sewing machines with cabinets/tables. He told me they were working but would go to the landfill unless I found them homes. I took them (well, ok, one set is at my dad's). We've been using one of them as a side table in the living room, but we want to have a side table under which a rolling coffee table can nest (we're building those), so the sewing machine cabinet has to go. We listed it on Craigslist yesterday, and we'll see what happens.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3347 on: April 13, 2016, 10:17:37 AM »
I'm in. I've been trying to sell stuff on Craigslist and on Facebook groups for a long time - in some case, reposting over and over again for a year or two! (books, clothing, holiday items, that sort of thing.) I have come to the conclusion that perhaps no one wants to pay money for these items, and I should get them out of my house by whatever means necessary. Especially since we are setting a goal to move next year.

Immediate goals:
- Dispose of large stash of prescription meds that were my father's. He passed away seven years ago. Why are these still in my house? There are drop boxes for disposal of these at police stations in my city, so I will do that.
- Donate old pairs of glasses. I found out my eye doctor will take these and pass along to Lions Club. I have at least 3 old pairs.
- Clean out spice shelf in my pantry. I have lots of dupes - apparently I bought more without realizing what I already had? The shelf is a mess and I can't find anything.
- Dispose of large ugly dresser that has drawers that do not close. Unclear on how to do this, as it is really heavy and I'm not certain we can get it down 3 flights of stairs even with drawers removed. At this point I'm fine "donating" it to the alley (which is common in my city; people put all sorts of perfectly good stuff there for others to take.).

Does anyone else have elderly parents that keep giving them things to sell online? My mother does this - she doesn't have a computer so cannot do it herself. I have two big rubbermaid bins of her crap that she does not want to donate, she wants money for them because "they're collectibles." Sigh. No, mom, they are not. I've been trying to sell some of this for years but no takers. I would donate them but she's got a memory like an elephant and keeps asking me whether they've sold. And reminding me that I am not to give them away/take less than her stated price. At this point, I want to just throw some cash at her, tell her they sold, and dump them. On one hand that seems ridiculous. On the other hand, she struggles with hoarding and it was huge for her to even decide to give them to me to sell, and I want to be supportive of her having less crap in her house. And this stuff is NOT being taken with us when we move, so one way or another I've got to deal with it.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3348 on: April 13, 2016, 10:52:33 AM »
Tris- I highly recommend listing the dresser on freecycle and state that pick-up is required.

I've managed to get people to remove all sorts of junk from my house if I gave it to them free :)

Tris Prior

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #3349 on: April 13, 2016, 11:14:00 AM »
Iowajes, really? My experience with Freecycle is a) they never show up, or b) they get REALLY REALLY pissed that I am not available during the workday for pickup. Even when I put in my listing that I can only do evening or weekend pickup. Which, whatever, their loss, but I got so tired of the angry texts and emails. So I stopped even bothering with it years ago. It's too bad because you'd think this would be an efficient way of unloading stuff!

 

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