Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1850036 times)

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5300 on: October 30, 2017, 04:32:59 PM »
I need to be in this thread more and decluttering more. I did a little this weekend:

This weekend I found some perfume and perfume samples in my bathroom. I never wear perfume. I gave them away on our FB buy nothing page and they were gone in an hour.

I threw away a bunch of old makeup and filled another bag with 'make up to throw away the next time I decide I don't care about makeup but can't bear to throw away today'.

Maybe this has been asked and answered: Do you guys scan all your old photograph prints? I have all these old photo albums I have pulled the photos out of. But I think I'd like to scan them and make them digital but that seems so overwhelming and time consuming compared to just throwing them in a box. Any ideas?

Another item stumped me. It's a music box from when I was a kid. It seems to no longer work. It was bought in Switzerland (I was born in Europe) so it's a nice antique. I was thinking I would give it to my daughter when I found it wouldn't work. Can these be repaired? Or should I toss it? Anyone know?

Also, any suggestions for people who have plenty of space to store this junk but still want to get rid of it? This is the hard part for me. My junk 'fits' in my closet. But my closet is HUGE. Or kitchen stuff, etc. How can I motivate myself when I can hide everything behind doors and it's still neat?

About the photos, it would be time consuming. If you want to get rid of the physical photos but don't have the time, there are probably services out there. Or if they are family pics, maybe there's a teenager in the family who you might pay to do it?

The music box, I have no idea myself but here we have a couple of volunteer staffed places where they try and fix things (to keep them from landfill). Do you have anything like that?

With the cupboards - if you know it is really junk, leave the doors open the whole time and you might feel motivated to deal with it!

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5301 on: October 30, 2017, 04:41:47 PM »
honeybbq

For photos, I just keep them in the box.  It is so easy, easy is very good! and every 5-7 years, I pull them out and look through them.  I prefer the printed versions to online because I never look at photos more than 7 years old online.  And it is so much easier.  They are all stored in a 1/2 trunk, so together and out of the way.

Music box -- I have one from Germany, too, from when I was about 13 and bought with my own money on a trip.  Kids broke it about 10 years ago, but I keep it because it brings me good memories, even broken.  DD wouldn't want it the same way, she liked it when she was small and while it worked.  I would get rid of it if YOU don't want to keep it... But yes, these can be fixed, as simple as buying a new music mechanism on-line and replacing the old one.

I have a ton of space...  It is hard to get rid of stuff, but easier in some ways, too.  I ask myself "Have I touched this in the past 4 years?".  If the answer is no, it is an easy item to purge.   I can wait until I "feel like it" to go through things.   I can only do this easy purge because I have 4 years of stuff and so much room.   Sometimes I keep good things that I don't use... but then after 2 years, I can bring myself to chuck it.   (I am looking at you, inflatable mattress! Your day has come!). 

Off to my camping storage...   That is a hard one for me because I love so much of it and have used it, but when is it truly worn out enough to not want to use it again.. or could I use it a few more times if I patch, but should I get rid of it because I have a different item that overlaps the same role, but maybe it is not quite as good in HEAVY rain after all, and just in case??  Also, I randomly need to outfit more people than I ever thought (kids + friends for a backpack trip?! )  I can spend a lot on camping each year prepping to fill holes in my "needs", so when I have lots of used stuff to choose from, i don't spend nearly as much, and I know this, so I store a lot more than I need to.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5302 on: October 30, 2017, 04:55:10 PM »
I cleaned out the pantry on the weekends and parted with some empty spice jars (I have more than enough to keep reusing).

After looking for the right size box to organise a few things in the bathroom (our vanity is one big drawer), I finally came to my senses and started using a spare toiletry bag. Saved money and put something to use, win win.

Threw out four very faded cushion covers (after saving the cute buttons) that had been outside, plus one of the cushions that was getting past it.

Tossed out five magazines and my 2007 diary (as in, planner diary, not journal diary).

That leaves 2008-2016. I have no concrete reason to keep them, except for a tiny voice that says I might need to check the dates of something. At the very least I could toss up to 2012 and keep the past five years for tax reasons.

For all my decluttering, stuff seems to be piling up twice as fast:
- FiL stayed on the weekend and left a pair of hiking boots because he couldn't fit them in his luggage to go home
- bottle refund scheme starts in December so I'm saving bottles in the laundry
- a friend gave me a bag of baby clothes for another friend
- I have a birthday present for one friend, and a growing stash of presents put away for Christmas

firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5303 on: October 30, 2017, 05:31:16 PM »
Honey BBQ, I followed the konmari method and ask myself if an item brings joy. If your music table does, maybe repair and keep it. If not, since it's an antique, museums might be interested.

Also, my goal is to have less stuff to deal with, period. When I move I want to have an easy and light move. I also now feel sad for things that are not used regularly. That spurs me to let go of more.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5304 on: October 30, 2017, 05:37:58 PM »
One item sold.  Interest in the second item. 
Toys are going to my brother's kids on Sunday. 
Have to drop off the table to a friend once the toys are gone.  So so close....

Goldielocks

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5305 on: October 30, 2017, 08:48:06 PM »
Camping items in garage now sorted and put away.  Two large bins worth for sale or donation.   Still have inside camping items (sleeping bags) to go through.  Moved the utility trailer back into garage, and tomorrow will get the car in there, too.

I have a severe problem with loving bags and backpacks of all types.   Can't seem to toss those.  Other than that, I think I was pretty straight forward.  It helps that I did this 2 years ago, and tossed a lot of pure crap then. 

Next problem -- should I actually have a mini craigs-list one day sale with all of the stuff? (Each room cleared adds another bin's worth to the pile.. the pile is growing).  Some items are worthy of selling individually on craig's list, and many others would get taken away for free. Hmmmmm....

Nederstash

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5306 on: October 31, 2017, 02:47:56 AM »
Camping items in garage now sorted and put away.  Two large bins worth for sale or donation.   Still have inside camping items (sleeping bags) to go through.  Moved the utility trailer back into garage, and tomorrow will get the car in there, too.

I have a severe problem with loving bags and backpacks of all types.   Can't seem to toss those.  Other than that, I think I was pretty straight forward.  It helps that I did this 2 years ago, and tossed a lot of pure crap then. 

Next problem -- should I actually have a mini craigs-list one day sale with all of the stuff? (Each room cleared adds another bin's worth to the pile.. the pile is growing).  Some items are worthy of selling individually on craig's list, and many others would get taken away for free. Hmmmmm....

Wow, well done, congratulations on your progress! I can understand that having a large 'Get Rid Of' pile is a new challenge. First challenge is going through everything and deciding whether you want to keep it or not, but then... do you sell, donate or throw away? Such a hassle! In my experience, some thing I thought would definitely sell haven't sold and things I was planning to donate got sold quickly. It's a strange market... What I've done with a similar heap: post *everything* online with the price you'd like to get. Ten days later, reduce the price of all items that are left (I mostly cut the price in half). Ten days after that, reduce to 'free pickup'. Ten days after that: donate whatever's left. At that point I'd rather have my space and time back.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5307 on: October 31, 2017, 06:57:52 AM »
Camping items in garage now sorted and put away.  Two large bins worth for sale or donation.   Still have inside camping items (sleeping bags) to go through.  Moved the utility trailer back into garage, and tomorrow will get the car in there, too.

I have a severe problem with loving bags and backpacks of all types.   Can't seem to toss those.  Other than that, I think I was pretty straight forward.  It helps that I did this 2 years ago, and tossed a lot of pure crap then. 

Next problem -- should I actually have a mini craigs-list one day sale with all of the stuff? (Each room cleared adds another bin's worth to the pile.. the pile is growing).  Some items are worthy of selling individually on craig's list, and many others would get taken away for free. Hmmmmm....

Wow, well done, congratulations on your progress! I can understand that having a large 'Get Rid Of' pile is a new challenge. First challenge is going through everything and deciding whether you want to keep it or not, but then... do you sell, donate or throw away? Such a hassle! In my experience, some thing I thought would definitely sell haven't sold and things I was planning to donate got sold quickly. It's a strange market... What I've done with a similar heap: post *everything* online with the price you'd like to get. Ten days later, reduce the price of all items that are left (I mostly cut the price in half). Ten days after that, reduce to 'free pickup'. Ten days after that: donate whatever's left. At that point I'd rather have my space and time back.
I like the methodology.  Wish I had done it that way.

Maybe for the next round.

ThreeCarbsNoGrains

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5308 on: October 31, 2017, 07:21:50 AM »
This thread is so motivating for me!  Well done, everyone.  I've been following but haven't posted in a while.

Preparing for move after the holidays. 
Yesterday I listed a couple of lamps, a printer, and a cabinet on the FB Marketplace.  Sold the cabinet in a matter of minutes!

 I also rounded up some books that don't belong to me and I'm going to return those to their rightful owners this weekend. 

I further culled  my already small DVD collection (if I haven't watched it in five+ years, I'm not going to watch it again)

I ordered a bag from ThredUp to mail in some of my nicer clothes I need to get rid of (bridesmaid dresses and the like). 

I'm also planning to start the Project 333 for the month of November.  Only wear 33 items for three months (only I am only going to do it until I move so it's more like two months).  I'm going to pull out my 33 items to wear and pack up the rest. 

honeybbq

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5309 on: October 31, 2017, 10:19:37 AM »
I need to be in this thread more and decluttering more. I did a little this weekend:

This weekend I found some perfume and perfume samples in my bathroom. I never wear perfume. I gave them away on our FB buy nothing page and they were gone in an hour.

I threw away a bunch of old makeup and filled another bag with 'make up to throw away the next time I decide I don't care about makeup but can't bear to throw away today'.

Maybe this has been asked and answered: Do you guys scan all your old photograph prints? I have all these old photo albums I have pulled the photos out of. But I think I'd like to scan them and make them digital but that seems so overwhelming and time consuming compared to just throwing them in a box. Any ideas?

Another item stumped me. It's a music box from when I was a kid. It seems to no longer work. It was bought in Switzerland (I was born in Europe) so it's a nice antique. I was thinking I would give it to my daughter when I found it wouldn't work. Can these be repaired? Or should I toss it? Anyone know?

Also, any suggestions for people who have plenty of space to store this junk but still want to get rid of it? This is the hard part for me. My junk 'fits' in my closet. But my closet is HUGE. Or kitchen stuff, etc. How can I motivate myself when I can hide everything behind doors and it's still neat?

About the photos, it would be time consuming. If you want to get rid of the physical photos but don't have the time, there are probably services out there. Or if they are family pics, maybe there's a teenager in the family who you might pay to do it?

The music box, I have no idea myself but here we have a couple of volunteer staffed places where they try and fix things (to keep them from landfill). Do you have anything like that?

With the cupboards - if you know it is really junk, leave the doors open the whole time and you might feel motivated to deal with it!

Re: the music box - actually I think I saw something on facebook the other day.  A Tinker-er shop or something like that. Good idea!

honeybbq

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5310 on: October 31, 2017, 10:21:24 AM »
I'm also going to use Thredup after reading this thread. Thanks!

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5311 on: October 31, 2017, 10:37:15 AM »
Sold a mystery box on ebay for $5 + shipping.  10 items out the door.

With This Herring

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5312 on: October 31, 2017, 03:45:02 PM »
After deliberately sorting through my clothes for probably the first time in my life, I have gotten rid of a lot.  That, plus going through my scrap fabric/old clothes for pieces stash left me with 1.5 trash bags to donate and 2 trash bags for cloth recycling.  The local Goodwill accepts fabric for recycling, which is awesome!  Now it is all out of my closet/dresser and my car trunk as well.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5313 on: November 01, 2017, 07:20:54 AM »
Cloth recycling is so great!  Our city started doing it last month.  I've already put 3 bags out on the curb, and I have another to put out this week.

I put my box of "opened pretty smelling stuff I don't want anymore" on the front porch last night with a sign that said "Free stuff".  By the end of trick-or-treating, it was all gone!


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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5314 on: November 01, 2017, 06:22:45 PM »
Wow, nice surge of activity recently, everyone!  So inspiring, especially the folks who have had a hard time letting go in the past.

I surprise-decluttered my cat costume (ears, tail and gloves).  I say surprise because I had put it in the donation box, but a co worker wanted the costume for next year.  I brought it to her today.  Win!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5315 on: November 01, 2017, 06:31:53 PM »
I surprise-decluttered my cat costume (ears, tail and gloves).  I say surprise because I had put it in the donation box, but a co worker wanted the costume for next year.  I brought it to her today.  Win!

I surprise un-decluttered something from the donation box this week, too.

I wanted light, summery pants to wear one evening this week. My beach pants were in the wash, and I remembered I'd thrown a pair in the donation box. I had thought, oh, they're sort of duplicate, I don't really need them. Rescued them, wore them, they're not going back in the box. I like them too much. But I still feel like I need to rationalise keeping my own pants...

oneday

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5316 on: November 01, 2017, 07:15:41 PM »
I surprise-decluttered my cat costume (ears, tail and gloves).  I say surprise because I had put it in the donation box, but a co worker wanted the costume for next year.  I brought it to her today.  Win!

I surprise un-decluttered something from the donation box this week, too.

I wanted light, summery pants to wear one evening this week. My beach pants were in the wash, and I remembered I'd thrown a pair in the donation box. I had thought, oh, they're sort of duplicate, I don't really need them. Rescued them, wore them, they're not going back in the box. I like them too much. But I still feel like I need to rationalise keeping my own pants...

Whoever says you can only have 1 pair light summery pants, tell 'em to shove off. :)

Maybe 2 is the right number for you & your lifestyle.  If it is, please let go of the guilt.  You are actually using them, after all.  It's not a mustachian move to declutter to the point that you have to go out and buy replacements of some of the things...or to live in a state of deprivation.

Rowellen

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5317 on: November 01, 2017, 07:41:28 PM »
I put my box of "opened pretty smelling stuff I don't want anymore" on the front porch last night with a sign that said "Free stuff".  By the end of trick-or-treating, it was all gone!

What a brilliant idea. I might steal that one for next year.

firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5318 on: November 01, 2017, 09:50:18 PM »
I put my box of "opened pretty smelling stuff I don't want anymore" on the front porch last night with a sign that said "Free stuff".  By the end of trick-or-treating, it was all gone!

What a brilliant idea. I might steal that one for next year.
+1 I have a lot of stuff that would've been gladly taken away by our trick or treating visitors. Oh well! Next year for sure

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5319 on: November 02, 2017, 04:50:55 AM »
Honeybbq, I also have plenty of storage space too but I do get a lot of joy out of empty drawers and cabinets :-)

I have two boxes of decor items waiting for me to bring them to consignment - I'm planning to do that tomorrow.  And then a whole bunch of things for donation, which I will do this weekend.

When my DD comes home for Thanksgiving, we will bring the remainder of her things to her dad's house and we're also planning to go through our books to see if she wants to keep any.  Anything she doesn't want will leave my house, except for a few favorites of mine.  Although I may even get rid of them too, because all of them are classics, available for free downloading on the internet. 


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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5320 on: November 02, 2017, 06:49:32 AM »
One more unused item gone.  Courtesy of Craigslist, I sold my 1974 custom built racing bike.  Haven't ridden in at least a year and when I do ride, I take out the mountain bike.  A little sad to let go a thing I built myself in high school but again, I don't ride it anymore and have access to my son's road bike if I wanted to use it.  The shed now has one empty hook for a bike. 

ThreeCarbsNoGrains

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5321 on: November 02, 2017, 08:10:03 AM »
One more unused item gone.  Courtesy of Craigslist, I sold my 1974 custom built racing bike.  Haven't ridden in at least a year and when I do ride, I take out the mountain bike.  A little sad to let go a thing I built myself in high school but again, I don't ride it anymore and have access to my son's road bike if I wanted to use it.  The shed now has one empty hook for a bike.


When I give away or sell items which were expensive and/or very meaningful to me at one point in time, I like to imagine the new owner enjoying the item instead of it sitting in storage.  I gave a couple of business suits to Goodwill and I like to imagine someone looking for a suit for a job interview and finding a great deal at goodwill.  It's kind of silly but it helps me let go of things.  I tell myself I'm being greedy for keeping something I'm not using.  The item has already served me well and now it's time For it to serve someone else.

With This Herring

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5322 on: November 02, 2017, 05:12:51 PM »
Storage question!  Ladies who wear molded-cup brassieres:  Where do you keep them?  Before going through all my clothes, they lived on a random bookshelf in the room (with the rest of my clothes living on that shelf, in the dresser, in the teeny hanging-only closet, on top of the dresser, and on my chairdrobe).  Now that everything fits in the dresser and the closet, where should the bras go?  I don't have dresser drawers big enough to store them without crushing them, so I have been hanging them on a hook rack on the inside of the closet door.  I'd rather not have them in the open.

Is there some regular storage place that people have?

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5323 on: November 02, 2017, 07:45:45 PM »
I have them all in a drawer, but in a stack, where the cup behind sits inside the cup in front. So they sit vertically in the position you'd be wearing them, and they all keep their shape with no folding of the cups. Does it make sense? The straps are just folded behind. It's the Marie Kondo way I think. I googled it and there is a KonMarie video, but the front image of it sort of shows what I mean.

Step37

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5324 on: November 02, 2017, 10:07:13 PM »
I’m hoping that joining this thread will inspire me to go through my clothing and my basement storage area. I’ve read a couple of recent pages and it’s pretty motivating.

Last week, I felt good about donating some stationery items, shoes and clothing to a school in Africa (a friend is taking a group on a tour and they can each take a certain amount of extra baggage, so he put out a wish list of donations). I always like passing stuff on that I know will be used and appreciated.

Just need to get into the right headspace to let stuff go. This will be my goal for 2018 (and I’m decent about goals when I commit in writing).

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5325 on: November 02, 2017, 10:43:35 PM »
Welcome Step37!

I also posted this at the end of the minimalist October thread, I'm continuing doing the thing where you get rid of a number of items corresponding with the day of the month. 1, 2 etc. It totals almost 500 at the end. This month I'm doing it with business merch in the hope that I can store the car in the garage in December. I can only do it on weekdays but it will still remove about 8 boxes from the garage.

Day 1 and 2 have gone to plan :) Let's see if I can remember today.

I might do the same thing in December but with only digital clutter...

Primm

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5326 on: November 02, 2017, 10:46:31 PM »
I spent a considerable time yesterday going through my inbox, unsubscribing to everything apart from bare essentials, and then deleting to Inbox Zero.

That counts, right?

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5327 on: November 03, 2017, 05:48:40 AM »
I like the KonMari questioning 'does this spark joy?' or Brooks Palmer's question 'do I love and want to keep this?' where any answer other than an emphatic yes means no, get rid of it. For practical useful things, I prefer to focus on annoyance level.

This week we donated 3 bags of stuff:
- a skirt I got in a clothes swap earlier this year but realised I didn't actually love it
- from DH, a belt, a pair of shiny shoes barely worn, several short sleeved shirts that no longer sparked joy
- a couple of old watches
- some plastic containers in as new condition but I can no longer open them due to some injuries
- a lingerie washing bag that turned out to be made of rough fabric
- a storage box that didn't work for what I wanted it to (solved this by rearranging where some things got stored)
- a magazine
- a small torch that used AAA batteries (we normally only have AA batteries on hand)
plus a few other bits and pieces

I also realised that now that we've pretty much switched to LED lightbulbs we don't need spare bulbs in the cupboard. LED bulbs last for ages plus when they fail, they tend to fail slowly (ie you have plenty of time to go out and buy a replacement). So we got rid of 1 old dim CFL globe, donated 5 x 50W halogen globes (in perfect working condition) and through out a bunch of empty light bulb boxes.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5328 on: November 03, 2017, 05:50:12 AM »
I spent a considerable time yesterday going through my inbox, unsubscribing to everything apart from bare essentials, and then deleting to Inbox Zero.

That counts, right?

Yes it does!! Virtual stuff is too often missed, but there is still that relationship.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5329 on: November 03, 2017, 10:33:44 AM »
I think I might be overly obsessed with clearing out clutter.

When I put away my shoes last night I noticed a dress in the closet that fits and looks okay but I don't really like it.  I dreamed about the stupid dress, and the first thing I did when I woke up was take it out of the closet and put it in the box I'll be sending to Dress for Success.  I felt so much better as soon as it was out of the closet.

I never imagined I'd get to a point that a dress would annoy me that badly.

Nederstash

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5330 on: November 03, 2017, 01:07:57 PM »
I think I might be overly obsessed with clearing out clutter.

When I put away my shoes last night I noticed a dress in the closet that fits and looks okay but I don't really like it.  I dreamed about the stupid dress, and the first thing I did when I woke up was take it out of the closet and put it in the box I'll be sending to Dress for Success.  I felt so much better as soon as it was out of the closet.

I never imagined I'd get to a point that a dress would annoy me that badly.

it's the Decluttering Curse... once you start to see all the useless things you have, you just can't unsee it. You might've bypassed a pair of jeans for years, once you get the decluttering curse, that thing will haunt you like a denim demogorgon

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5331 on: November 04, 2017, 03:58:49 PM »
So, what do you do when each individual thing you pick up *does* spark joy, but you've still got way too much stuff and need to ditch it? We already got the easy things (another 6 full bags to the thrift store today) but I'm now finding myself going through the same closet/bookshelf/cabinet again and again, annoyed with the clutter but with nothing to happily part with. Just finished reading "the life changing magic of tidying up" and found it inspiring, but am still stuck at a slow trickle of maybe 1-2 things a day to part with. We aren't hoarders by any means, but I still dream of open space in the cabinets (and no embarrassing pile of craft supplies with no home in the spare bedroom).

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5332 on: November 04, 2017, 05:38:06 PM »
So, what do you do when each individual thing you pick up *does* spark joy, but you've still got way too much stuff and need to ditch it? We already got the easy things (another 6 full bags to the thrift store today) but I'm now finding myself going through the same closet/bookshelf/cabinet again and again, annoyed with the clutter but with nothing to happily part with. Just finished reading "the life changing magic of tidying up" and found it inspiring, but am still stuck at a slow trickle of maybe 1-2 things a day to part with. We aren't hoarders by any means, but I still dream of open space in the cabinets (and no embarrassing pile of craft supplies with no home in the spare bedroom).

One of these might work, depending on the type of stuff:

Find alternative ways of accessing the things you love
Try getting rid of some of your books with the understanding that next time you want to read a certain have permission to buy the e-book or can borrow it from the library. Check to see if your favourite movies are on Netflix, then donate your DVDs.

Use up the consumables
You mentioned craft supplies. Is the joy in the owning or in the using and then giving away the finished product? If the joy is in the using, then commit to working your way through the stash. Then when the hoard is at an acceptable level, set yourself a limit, e.g. all craft supplies must fit in this plastic tub, or this cupboard, or this shipping container, whatever space you think is suitable. Then you know you can't buy more till you've used up some of what you have.

Get creative with how you store memories
Drowning in kids' artwork? Take a photo and get rid of the piles of craft paper and pipe cleaners.

Take some time then start again
Now that you've offloaded a lot of stuff, you need to adapt to this new base. In time, you might find yourself reassessing what you decided to hang onto. Yes, it did spark joy, but for whatever reason it doesn't anymore. Or maybe now that you've gotten rid of the stuff you don't like, you can better discern between the things you like and the things you love.

I have friends who complain about how they're drowning in stuff. But I love more than 90 per cent of what surrounds me at home. I love my doona cover, I love my favourite chair, I love these two little aqua bowls I have. I live in an apartment, so like doesn't really cut it anymore.

Sloeginfizz

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5333 on: November 04, 2017, 10:10:15 PM »
I’m curious about the best way to get rid of alcohol i don’t want any more. My husband and I were always light drinkers but now he isn’t drinking at all and I’ve decided to limit myself to one drink an evening, if I’m out and it seems right at the time, but not drink at home. I have several nearly full bottles of hard liquor (bourbon, gin, and of course, sloe gin) and eleven bottles of vintage port. Most of the people I know who would take this stuff should not be encouraged/enabled in their problematic drinking. I already contacted one place that buys vintage port but they aren’t interested because it wasn’t professionally cellared. We don’t entertain often.

There has to be something less wasteful than pouring it all down the sink, right?

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5334 on: November 04, 2017, 10:45:28 PM »
So, what do you do when each individual thing you pick up *does* spark joy, but you've still got way too much stuff and need to ditch it? We already got the easy things (another 6 full bags to the thrift store today) but I'm now finding myself going through the same closet/bookshelf/cabinet again and again, annoyed with the clutter but with nothing to happily part with. Just finished reading "the life changing magic of tidying up" and found it inspiring, but am still stuck at a slow trickle of maybe 1-2 things a day to part with. We aren't hoarders by any means, but I still dream of open space in the cabinets (and no embarrassing pile of craft supplies with no home in the spare bedroom).

One of these might work, depending on the type of stuff:

Find alternative ways of accessing the things you love
Try getting rid of some of your books with the understanding that next time you want to read a certain have permission to buy the e-book or can borrow it from the library. Check to see if your favourite movies are on Netflix, then donate your DVDs.

Use up the consumables
You mentioned craft supplies. Is the joy in the owning or in the using and then giving away the finished product? If the joy is in the using, then commit to working your way through the stash. Then when the hoard is at an acceptable level, set yourself a limit, e.g. all craft supplies must fit in this plastic tub, or this cupboard, or this shipping container, whatever space you think is suitable. Then you know you can't buy more till you've used up some of what you have.

Get creative with how you store memories
Drowning in kids' artwork? Take a photo and get rid of the piles of craft paper and pipe cleaners.

Take some time then start again
Now that you've offloaded a lot of stuff, you need to adapt to this new base. In time, you might find yourself reassessing what you decided to hang onto. Yes, it did spark joy, but for whatever reason it doesn't anymore. Or maybe now that you've gotten rid of the stuff you don't like, you can better discern between the things you like and the things you love.

I have friends who complain about how they're drowning in stuff. But I love more than 90 per cent of what surrounds me at home. I love my doona cover, I love my favourite chair, I love these two little aqua bowls I have. I live in an apartment, so like doesn't really cut it anymore.
This is fantastic! Definitely saving to read later.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5335 on: November 04, 2017, 10:50:16 PM »
I’m curious about the best way to get rid of alcohol i don’t want any more. My husband and I were always light drinkers but now he isn’t drinking at all and I’ve decided to limit myself to one drink an evening, if I’m out and it seems right at the time, but not drink at home. I have several nearly full bottles of hard liquor (bourbon, gin, and of course, sloe gin) and eleven bottles of vintage port. Most of the people I know who would take this stuff should not be encouraged/enabled in their problematic drinking. I already contacted one place that buys vintage port but they aren’t interested because it wasn’t professionally cellared. We don’t entertain often.

There has to be something less wasteful than pouring it all down the sink, right?

I would definitely gift anything unopened at Christmas. You said most but that means not all your drinking friends were problem drinkers! I love port, give it to me!

Otherwise I'd investigate cooking uses eg stews and desserts with port (the alcohol will burn off), pickling veg, household cleaning/ fabric or air freshener and mouthwash.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5336 on: November 04, 2017, 11:00:14 PM »
This is fantastic! Definitely saving to read later.
Thanks. I should have re-read it and fixed mistakes before you quoted it!


mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5337 on: November 04, 2017, 11:08:49 PM »
I’m curious about the best way to get rid of alcohol i don’t want any more. My husband and I were always light drinkers but now he isn’t drinking at all and I’ve decided to limit myself to one drink an evening, if I’m out and it seems right at the time, but not drink at home. I have several nearly full bottles of hard liquor (bourbon, gin, and of course, sloe gin) and eleven bottles of vintage port. Most of the people I know who would take this stuff should not be encouraged/enabled in their problematic drinking. I already contacted one place that buys vintage port but they aren’t interested because it wasn’t professionally cellared. We don’t entertain often.

There has to be something less wasteful than pouring it all down the sink, right?

I would definitely gift anything unopened at Christmas. You said most but that means not all your drinking friends were problem drinkers! I love port, give it to me!

Otherwise I'd investigate cooking uses eg stews and desserts with port (the alcohol will burn off), pickling veg, household cleaning/ fabric or air freshener and mouthwash.

Other recipes: the bourbon can be used to make vanilla, or it's great in place of amaretto in whipped cream; the port can be used in puddings or trifles, very handy with Christmas coming up.

If you're not comfortable giving it to friends who drink, could you barter with friends, use it for thank you presents, get to know your neighbours...

I get it though. People love giving me wine, but I don't drink wine, so I'm forever rifling through the booze cupboard trying to find the stuff I actually drink.

I have been making an effort to use up these endless bottles of red (so much pasta!), but they're being replaced faster than I cook my way through them.

Rowellen

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5338 on: November 05, 2017, 03:44:20 AM »
Heaps of stuff has left my house this weekend.

2 large plastic storage drawers to my SIL.
2 broken terracotta pots.
DVDs and booklets from a seminar I attended 11 years ago.
Lots of kids crafts and projects. (Some scanned or photographed first)
An old modem
Several power cords/phone cords that don't have anything to connect to anymore.
Dried up felt pens (thanks DS)
Crayon bits and paper wrappers.
Pencils that won't sharpen (I have blisters on my fingers from testing them so had to stop. Have about a quarter of the basket to go.) Still have another 3 pencilcases to sort. Where do they all come from!
Some items to be returned to FIL ate at the door ready to go.
Halloween decorations pulled down and put away.

I've also been cleaning, tidying and washing all weekend so my house is feeling much lighter and fresher.

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5339 on: November 05, 2017, 04:19:48 AM »
Reposted a bunch of things on CL.  If they don't sell by the end of the month, they will be donated.

Also prepped two large batches of things for consignment and donation.  I still need to go through a bin in the basement that held my skiing stuff and that to the right piles.  Will bring the donation in today and consignment on Monday.

I have a tea/coffee set that I've been debating getting rid of for a while now.  I removed it from the cabinet in the kitchen and packed it up a year or so ago but haven't been able to part with it completely.  So yesterday I pulled it out and said to myself that if I want to keep it then it shouldn't be packed away.  But when I tried to put it back into the kitchen cabinet I had an immediate and very strong feeling of doing something wrong :-)  I felt that the cabinet that now has plenty of empty space was choked by the addition.  Since I haven't used the set in years and it evoked such a strong negative reaction when going back into the cabinet, I think it's time to finally let it go!

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5340 on: November 05, 2017, 04:30:59 AM »
I like the KonMari questioning 'does this spark joy?' or Brooks Palmer's question 'do I love and want to keep this?' where any answer other than an emphatic yes means no, get rid of it. For practical useful things, I prefer to focus on annoyance level.

This week we donated 3 bags of stuff:
- a skirt I got in a clothes swap earlier this year but realised I didn't actually love it
- from DH, a belt, a pair of shiny shoes barely worn, several short sleeved shirts that no longer sparked joy
- a couple of old watches
- some plastic containers in as new condition but I can no longer open them due to some injuries
- a lingerie washing bag that turned out to be made of rough fabric
- a storage box that didn't work for what I wanted it to (solved this by rearranging where some things got stored)
- a magazine
- a small torch that used AAA batteries (we normally only have AA batteries on hand)
plus a few other bits and pieces

DH also got rid of a few short sleeved shirts that he hadn't worn in a while and there's now a pile of magazines at the door ready to be donated to a different charity fundraiser.


Linea_Norway

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5341 on: November 05, 2017, 05:30:32 AM »
I did unvoluntarily clear out another piece of clothing. One of my woolen vests was so dirty that I wanted to wash it. I did not choose wool program in the washing machine and it came out filted and children's size.

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5342 on: November 05, 2017, 08:17:06 AM »
I’m curious about the best way to get rid of alcohol i don’t want any more. My husband and I were always light drinkers but now he isn’t drinking at all and I’ve decided to limit myself to one drink an evening, if I’m out and it seems right at the time, but not drink at home. I have several nearly full bottles of hard liquor (bourbon, gin, and of course, sloe gin) and eleven bottles of vintage port. Most of the people I know who would take this stuff should not be encouraged/enabled in their problematic drinking. I already contacted one place that buys vintage port but they aren’t interested because it wasn’t professionally cellared. We don’t entertain often.

There has to be something less wasteful than pouring it all down the sink, right?

Do you know anyone who is hosting for the holidays? Even if they are not drinkers themselves (or much, or picky), they likely would appreciate good drinks to serve to their guests.

When I "inherited" a large amount of various alcohols when a relative moved, I ended up gifting them through my neighborhood's Buy Nothing Project. I just did one bottle per person, so it's not like I was dumping a huge amount onto any one person, and got to 'spread the love'.

Goldielocks

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5343 on: November 05, 2017, 12:08:08 PM »
I did unvoluntarily clear out another piece of clothing. One of my woolen vests was so dirty that I wanted to wash it. I did not choose wool program in the washing machine and it came out filted and children's size.

OTOH, I have purchased extremely dense, beautiful cashmere sweaters at the thrift store for this very reason -- Size L but fits a Size S.! 

Goldielocks

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5344 on: November 05, 2017, 12:18:02 PM »
Okay,  I have a lot of items up on Craigslist right now, and on my way to getting $40 before lunch.
Man, there is a huge volume of things I want to sell / give away.   Next weekend, it will be "free giveaways", then the last of it to thrift store, I guess.  Seems like a lot of work, which is why I can declutter (to the garage staging area),then I stop.

Each room I enter, I now have the urge to declutter and the garage pile will start to grow quickly.  It fills the utility trailer right now.

Kids items are worth quite a bit (scooter / pogo stick, like new downhill biking helmet)..  maybe I will need to wait until spring to sell those...  argh, the challenge is what to do with a kid's (the helmet) item that cost $90, that was worn about twice.. giving it away seems like such a loss of $$'s.


Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5345 on: November 05, 2017, 12:32:24 PM »
Hopefully a kijiji pick up happens today. 
Half a van load left this morning for my brothers house and for his little kids.  So far much of the hand-me-downs have hit the bulls eye for happiness making for niece and nephews. 

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5346 on: November 05, 2017, 07:26:28 PM »
If you are trying to use up Port, google 'venison with port and apricots' by Mary Berry. Fabulous stew and uses up about 250ml of port if I recall correctly each time, and you could easily sub beef for the venison.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5347 on: November 06, 2017, 07:33:04 AM »
No kijiji sales materialized yesterday.  Maybe today - two parties are interested or maybe it is just one party pretending to be two.  I have dropped the price to $15 bucks.  Sheesh - this weekend I am taking it to the Bibles for Missions - enough already.
I would have done it last weekend but it was crappy and the van keeps getting a flat so I while I inflate the tire at home, I don't want to be away the compressor I know how to use with a flat.
Maybe the person will show up at 12 and we will be done with it.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5348 on: November 06, 2017, 09:41:43 AM »
So, what do you do when each individual thing you pick up *does* spark joy, but you've still got way too much stuff and need to ditch it? We already got the easy things (another 6 full bags to the thrift store today) but I'm now finding myself going through the same closet/bookshelf/cabinet again and again, annoyed with the clutter but with nothing to happily part with. Just finished reading "the life changing magic of tidying up" and found it inspiring, but am still stuck at a slow trickle of maybe 1-2 things a day to part with. We aren't hoarders by any means, but I still dream of open space in the cabinets (and no embarrassing pile of craft supplies with no home in the spare bedroom).

I've definitely found myself making "rounds" of cluttering.  Husband and I sorted our bookshelves this summer and got rid of more than 100 books.  I was satisfied that everything else I really *had* to keep.  This weekend, I got rid of 100 more books.  I suspect that after Christmas, I'll be able to get rid of 50 more (which still leaves me with more than 1k books, but now they won't be crammed every which way).

As you get peel off each layer of things that have outlived their purpose, give yourself time to see if there are more layers.  The key for me was to focus on the konmari point of thanking my things for the past happiness they had brought me - now I'm able to let things go without feeling guilty.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5349 on: November 06, 2017, 09:50:12 AM »
This weekend, I made my 11-year-old sort through her closet.  She doesn't want more than half of her clothes.  Granted, a lot of them she had outgrown, but there were multiple things with the tags still on that she didn't want anymore.  We had a nice heart-to-heart, and she confessed that although she likes the idea of those clothes, she really hates wearing X, Y, and Z type clothes.  Simple fix - we aren't buying those types of garments anymore. 

It was also reallllly irritating to find a few nice skirts and blouses crammed into a drawer.  Those would have been appropriate for a funeral we had to go to recently; instead, we spent $100 buying a dress at the last minute (I literally had 20 minutes to shop, so I bought the first thing that fit her).   

Now, we can see into her drawers and her closet and know exactly what she has!

I took her with me this weekend to drop 2 bags off at Goodwill, to sell the nicer clothes at the resale shop, and to sell 100 books at the used bookstore.  She was SHOCKED at the tiny amounts of money we got for what was easily more than $1k worth of stuff, bought new.  It was a nice teachable moment about why I'm suddenly refusing to buy stuff.  We're being wasteful.

I'm going to do the same exercise with middle daughter next weekend, and maybe I can pin son down sometime during the week to make him go through his closet too.