Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1850070 times)

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5400 on: November 15, 2017, 08:18:13 AM »
*snipped luggage Tetris*

This really must be thrilling for you all to read.

You say this, but it is stories like this that make someone realize than can fix their own storage woes by revisiting their default arrangements.
It made me smile - it is nice to know I am not the only one devoting brain power to these types of problem.  And just think of all the time you saved with this optimization.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5401 on: November 15, 2017, 12:35:38 PM »
Ack!  I'm still finding clothes in my closet that I don't love. I put two work tops and a blazer in the donate box today.  One of them I've never worn.  It looked way better in the store.  Sigh.

When I changed jobs 8 months ago I stuffed everything in my office into 3 boxes and brought them home.  I have a tiny desk now, so no room for most of it at work.  The boxes have just been sitting at home for months.  I've decided that while I wait for the kids to brush their teeth at night, I will pull at least one item out of the box and deal with it.

Last night I pulled out an intro book on project management that I got from a class in 2000.....I'm now certified in project management, with way more technical reference material.  I laughed to my husband that I've been carting this overly simplified book from job to job for 18 years; he scolded me because he's taking a project management class in college right now, and this book is a perfect study companion that he could have really used last month.  At least now he has it to study for finals!  And then we can give it away.


oneday

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5402 on: November 15, 2017, 02:23:52 PM »
Yay, I get to jump back into the fray. Finally took the last extra hard drive from an old computer and a kaput thumb drive to the computer recycling place.  My desk is starting to show up again!

mustachepungoeshere, I go through those kind of thought processes, too.

BlueHouse

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5403 on: November 16, 2017, 02:40:58 PM »
I just read that the average person spends 40% of their cleaning time on things they don't even use.  I'm so inspired to start getting rid of things!

Rowellen

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5404 on: November 16, 2017, 05:43:06 PM »
I thought I might have to buy a new dress since my weight has been fluctuating lately. I tried on my dress from last year and it still fits. So I'm set for the office Christmas party. I have also pulled out 2 dresses that I no longer wear to be donated. Double win.

shadowmoss

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5405 on: November 17, 2017, 07:33:35 AM »
I cleared out one large tote that was Christmas decorations.  Winnowed it down to a smaller tote, and my Mom gets to give away the rest.  She was obviously excited to give them to her neighbors in the senior housing.  Discovered that my Lodge wants any and all empty totes for storage.  Great motivation to clear out some more.  I'm clearing a 10' x 20' storage unit as I live in my motorhome now.  This has been a years long project, but I'm making progress I can see now.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5406 on: November 17, 2017, 07:37:11 AM »
I live in a foreign country. Currently cleaning out my basket of cook books. Many are written in Dutch and no Norwegians can read it. But I asked the Dutch cook at my job if he wanted to receive a pile of Dutch cookbooks. He said he would love to receive them.

For some of the cookbooks that I am keeping, we are just not using them enough. DH says we should look into more, because we keep making the same dishes. So I have put one of the cookbooks on the kitchen counter. My task is to find a recipe, buy the ingredients, and prepare it. And write the tasting result in the cookbook.

I took a look into one of the books I originally put in a bag to donate. And on the second recipe I found a note that said "tastes good". So I put this book back. Now I only donate the books I really don't ever use or the ones that only contain super exclusive ingredients that I don't want to spend money on. Then I will give the rest of the books another chance before deciding to donate them.

If there's just a handful of recipes in a book, copy them then donate the book. Get a binder with plastic sleeves and put them in there, or write on index cards and keep in an appropriate sized container.

That might be a good idea. I have started trying them out.
I might also just remember the combination of ingredients of the good and simple recipies and make them from memory next time, depending on what it is.

ACyclist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5407 on: November 17, 2017, 08:09:25 AM »
Guess I can get rid of this tail light, now.  HA!

Prairie Gal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5408 on: November 18, 2017, 01:53:03 PM »
Put four pairs of shoes and some odds & ends in the donate box. This hurts a little because I had intended to try to sell two pairs of shoes that were never worn, and still in their boxes. But, since I never seemed to get around to it, I decided to just get them out of the house.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5409 on: November 18, 2017, 02:37:51 PM »
We have an office chair that recently broke. This afternoon we bought a second hand good quality replacement. Now I need to bring away the old chair that is now standing in the (hall)way.

TabbyCat

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5410 on: November 18, 2017, 03:21:52 PM »
Question for parents - what age did your kid like blocks and/or a rocking horse, or never? 2.5 yo is not at all interested in either, but I'm on the fence as to whether that means we should tuck them away for 6 months, or just donate now. Possibly relevant - we have no flashy/talking toys - just wood toys, books, a few puzzles - I try to keep the toys both minimal and open-ended.

TabbyCat

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5411 on: November 18, 2017, 03:29:50 PM »
All good input. Our biggest category is kid stuff - clothes and toys saved for the next kid, clothes and toys handed down to us that don't fit yet. I've been whittling this down, but most of it is not in deep storage because I'm reluctant to buy totes for the garage, and the 2yo pulls stuff out of closets - it might be time to get it moved into the garage, or move beyond the simple door nob cover for keeping the kid out of things. It still isn't a huge amount (we still have less than half the toys of anyone else I know with kids and what we do have is pretty open ended, not talking toys, etc) but it needs a better solution.

I wouldn't classify clothes and toys your child has grown out of or hasn't yet grown into as items that spark joy - they're just necessities. And that's ok.

In that case, you might get something from reading some of what Rachel Jonat (The Minimalist Mom) has written on the subject.

She has three children but is not a big believer in stockpiling clothes for future kids because you can't predict sex, sizing or seasons, so what you keep might never get worn.

She is also a big proponent of minimalist wardrobes, even for children.

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2011/09/paring-down-for-fall-toddler-clothes/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2015/04/bye-bye-baby-stuff-2/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2016/01/week-4-kid-clothes/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2012/06/childwardrobe/

Good stuff, thank you! I think I'll haul the three totes of baby stuff and clothes in from the garage today and try to cut it in half. I do want to save stuff for the next kid but we don't need ALL of it. I think with the next kid it will become clear what's worth saving vs. just planning to buy again later to a degree, but since we didn't find out gender in advance the baby stuff is 50/50 girl/boy (people still bought clothes even not knowing). At this point the toddler grows so slowly she wears out all her cloths and the only things that get saved for later are bigger items like snow pants and nice coats. Also, we live in a climate where you can pretty much have the same wardrobe for 75% of the year and you just don't use the heavy winter coat for all of that - ha! So if the next kid is born in the opposite season we'd still make use and only need to buy a handful of summer things in whatever size was needed for those few months.

Edit to add - I just bookmarked this blog after readying a few entries - thanks! As you can see, I am often torn between wanting to be minimalist and HATING buying something again that I had donated in the past which makes it hard not to stockpile. Still looking for the happy medium.
« Last Edit: November 18, 2017, 04:05:47 PM by TabbyCat »

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5412 on: November 18, 2017, 03:36:07 PM »
We had 10-15 stress ball type promotional objects (shaped like lightbulbs, frogs etc from various companies). They are all GONE!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5413 on: November 18, 2017, 04:32:15 PM »
All good input. Our biggest category is kid stuff - clothes and toys saved for the next kid, clothes and toys handed down to us that don't fit yet. I've been whittling this down, but most of it is not in deep storage because I'm reluctant to buy totes for the garage, and the 2yo pulls stuff out of closets - it might be time to get it moved into the garage, or move beyond the simple door nob cover for keeping the kid out of things. It still isn't a huge amount (we still have less than half the toys of anyone else I know with kids and what we do have is pretty open ended, not talking toys, etc) but it needs a better solution.

I wouldn't classify clothes and toys your child has grown out of or hasn't yet grown into as items that spark joy - they're just necessities. And that's ok.

In that case, you might get something from reading some of what Rachel Jonat (The Minimalist Mom) has written on the subject.

She has three children but is not a big believer in stockpiling clothes for future kids because you can't predict sex, sizing or seasons, so what you keep might never get worn.

She is also a big proponent of minimalist wardrobes, even for children.

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2011/09/paring-down-for-fall-toddler-clothes/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2015/04/bye-bye-baby-stuff-2/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2016/01/week-4-kid-clothes/

http://www.theminimalistmom.com/2012/06/childwardrobe/

Good stuff, thank you! I think I'll haul the three totes of baby stuff and clothes in from the garage today and try to cut it in half. I do want to save stuff for the next kid but we don't need ALL of it. I think with the next kid it will become clear what's worth saving vs. just planning to buy again later to a degree, but since we didn't find out gender in advance the baby stuff is 50/50 girl/boy (people still bought clothes even not knowing). At this point the toddler grows so slowly she wears out all her cloths and the only things that get saved for later are bigger items like snow pants and nice coats. Also, we live in a climate where you can pretty much have the same wardrobe for 75% of the year and you just don't use the heavy winter coat for all of that - ha! So if the next kid is born in the opposite season we'd still make use and only need to buy a handful of summer things in whatever size was needed for those few months.

Edit to add - I just bookmarked this blog after readying a few entries - thanks! As you can see, I am often torn between wanting to be minimalist and HATING buying something again that I had donated in the past which makes it hard not to stockpile. Still looking for the happy medium.

Glad you find it useful.

I don't have kids but I've followed Rachel's blog for years and always get a lot out of it. I've also given a couple of copies of her book The Minimalist Mom's Guide to Baby's First Year as baby shower gifts to friends who I think can still be saved. :D

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5414 on: November 18, 2017, 04:38:03 PM »
I have a ceramic pot from the last time someone sent me flowers.

I don't need it but it would be a waste just to throw it out, so I'm going to ask the local florist if she can re-use it.

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5415 on: November 18, 2017, 04:46:33 PM »
We had 10-15 stress ball type promotional objects (shaped like lightbulbs, frogs etc from various companies). They are all GONE!

I don't know anyone that actually uses those things! They make me stressed not less stressed because I have a hand injury and they remind me I have no strength, ha ha. I have used them in the past for dog toys (my dog is small and a light chewer and doesn't swallow bits).

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5416 on: November 18, 2017, 08:57:58 PM »
Did musical rooms today, my parents are coming for Thanksgiving so I need the spare bedroom for them, not the cat's litterbox. In the process, did a bunch of cleaning and started some house repair (scraping bubbled paint off the wall. Leak is fixed though). While doing all that, I gathered up the pile of stuff to go away and got it ready to take to the drop off.

I also got the Ikea boxes out of the living room. I bought a dresser to use for sheets/towel storage as I don't have a linen closet, but since I knew I'd be doing all this stuff, I wanted to wait until after I'd done the cleaning to put the boxes in that room. I've been lazy and haven't put it together, but I figure that my dad may be able to help with that. I'm capable, but it makes him feel good to be needed, and I think he's still able to do this (dementia sucks).

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5417 on: November 18, 2017, 09:01:10 PM »
I have a ceramic pot from the last time someone sent me flowers.

I don't need it but it would be a waste just to throw it out, so I'm going to ask the local florist if she can re-use it.

I took the pot with me when I walked to the shops to buy groceries, and the florist was happy to take it.

Win!

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5418 on: November 18, 2017, 09:47:45 PM »
Yay mustachepungoeshere!

We had 10-15 stress ball type promotional objects (shaped like lightbulbs, frogs etc from various companies). They are all GONE!

I don't know anyone that actually uses those things!

We do! Or rather, the cat does. She has 4 or 5 of them and she plays soccer with them. She's very good at dribbling them at extreme speed from one room to another. I haven't seen any for a few days so I assume they're all under the couches and spare bed. I would totally take spares for kitty.



Yesterday when I was looking up the modular mates in the Tupperware catalogue I suddenly realised I was over the cereal container/dispenser thingy that I store my All-bran in because it always goes stale and bleah before I finish the packet (and I eat it nearly everyday). So I found a spare large Tupperware container that wasn't being used and repurposed it as my cereal holder (actual Tupperware, not generic plasticware). Yay! Old cereal container that I bought cheaply when I was first setting up my own place when I'd just left the ex is now in the donate pile.

I've also decided to take unopened sachets of cup-a-soup and sugar-free jelly to work and hopefully someone will take it home.

With This Herring

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5419 on: November 18, 2017, 09:54:17 PM »
Question for parents - what age did your kid like blocks and/or a rocking horse, or never? 2.5 yo is not at all interested in either, but I'm on the fence as to whether that means we should tuck them away for 6 months, or just donate now. Possibly relevant - we have no flashy/talking toys - just wood toys, books, a few puzzles - I try to keep the toys both minimal and open-ended.

I can only answer this as a former child (haha), but my siblings and I were using a rocking horse until we were told we were too big for it, and the blocks were in use for many years to build houses for dolls, Lego guys, and stuffed animals.

You might try the parenting section of the forum for more opinions, if no one else answers here.

TabbyCat

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5420 on: November 19, 2017, 09:29:17 AM »
Question for parents - what age did your kid like blocks and/or a rocking horse, or never? 2.5 yo is not at all interested in either, but I'm on the fence as to whether that means we should tuck them away for 6 months, or just donate now. Possibly relevant - we have no flashy/talking toys - just wood toys, books, a few puzzles - I try to keep the toys both minimal and open-ended.

I can only answer this as a former child (haha), but my siblings and I were using a rocking horse until we were told we were too big for it, and the blocks were in use for many years to build houses for dolls, Lego guys, and stuffed animals.

You might try the parenting section of the forum for more opinions, if no one else answers here.

Thanks. It's tempting to ditch all the toys she isn't going for right now but after sleeping on it I feel like we should keep these and just hide them for a few months while she grows into them, since they are simple classics.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5421 on: November 19, 2017, 07:13:43 PM »
Two cars are parked in the garage.  Hubs went inside at 12 noon after a couple hours of putting away furniture, summer tires and sorting through another load for the dump and loading the car trunk for donating.  I went into stealth mode while he ate lunch and increased the load for the dump.  He left for three hours and when he returned DS and I had finished clearing out the garage and I had (more impressively) backed the van into the van side of the garage so that he could pull into the car side.  He was all "how did you do that".  I also put away a ton of stuff on the porch.
A whole load of old garden pots are ready for dropping off at the nursery that will reuse them.  All the broken hoses and old feedbags are sorted.  Another load of old sports equipment is ready for donation
And I made 50 bucks selling too small winter clothing. 
My house is looking better and better.

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5422 on: November 20, 2017, 07:31:01 AM »
Finally got the pile of stuff that was sitting and waiting in the garage to Goodwill.  There was a comforter and some decorative pillows, a large bag of clothes, several pairs of shoes, a set of glasses, some unused kitchen gadgets and a bag of random things.  What a relief to get this all out of the house. 

I also cleaned out the cabinet under the kitchen sink and tossed a couple of empty soap containers. 

After a couple of years of decluttering, I am really enjoying the vastly emptier and simplified house.  Cleaning is a breeze now.

DS

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5423 on: November 20, 2017, 07:54:16 AM »
Popped open another trash bag to leave by closet. Slowly add to it as I realize things aren't being worn until it fills, then take to charity-based thrift store. Boom!

horsepoor

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5424 on: November 20, 2017, 05:23:26 PM »
Gave away a bag of beads to a friend who is on a crafting kick.

Put some old scrapwood to good use this weekend and cleared out the chicken supply storage, which I suppose counts as decluttering.

I have a small box of things to be donated, but think I've almost reached decluttering equilibrium; I just don't have the big boxes of stuff to clear out like in years past, which means less money is being wasted on crap I didn't need or really want.  Win!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5425 on: November 20, 2017, 05:35:16 PM »
I have a small box of things to be donated, but think I've almost reached decluttering equilibrium; I just don't have the big boxes of stuff to clear out like in years past, which means less money is being wasted on crap I didn't need or really want.  Win!

I love this.

ADV_CJ

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5426 on: November 21, 2017, 06:29:04 AM »
Cleaned out two junk drawers in the kitchen.  50 items in total went in the trash.  Threw away numerous items in the garage that was just laying around, taking up space.  Decided to go digital on my media (movies/video games) and sold 17 video games for $200. 

67+ items gone = $200 in my pocket

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5427 on: November 21, 2017, 07:25:13 AM »
Cleaning out the garage - mostly reorganizing as opposed to "getting rid of", but I did get rid of the following: broken snow blower, broken yard trimmer, hovercraft (yes, hovercraft), 3 sets of kids' golf clubs (well these are in my trunk to be given to a cousin at Thanksgiving), charcoal briquettes (we have gas grills now), and cleaning products (donated to cleaners). 

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5428 on: November 21, 2017, 08:53:02 AM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5429 on: November 21, 2017, 11:58:52 AM »
Husband and I are almost done decluttering our bedroom.  As part of this, the treadmill went away yesterday!  One of my neighbors was absolutely thrilled when I gave it to him for free.  My mom had passed it down to me for free 10 years ago, and I used it heavily for years.  My exercise habits have changed, and I'm just glad it will be used now.  That, and it's out of my house.

We've rearranged the other furniture and repainted the accent wall to a color we both like.  The room feel so much more spacious now, and now when I walk in I feel soothed and not assaulted with clutter and crappy colors.  We still have a few small projects to finish in the room, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.

For this room anyway.  The rest of the house is in varying stages of decluttering/reorganizing.

My plan for Black Friday is to get rid of stuff instead of bringing more into my house.  I have another trunkload for Goodwill, a big bag for the recycle center, and a big basket of craft supplies I'm hoping the elementary school art teacher will take.  It doesn't seem to matter how much stuff I get rid of - within a week there's always another huge box full of crap I don't want in my house anymore.

Cassie

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5430 on: November 21, 2017, 12:37:06 PM »
A charity was asking for kitchen stuff, towels, blankets and warm jackets to help set up people in housing. Just when I think I have nothing left to get rid of I search and found a big box of stuff to donate.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5431 on: November 22, 2017, 08:42:42 AM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

Love this. When I started clicking unsubscribe I couldn’t believe how quick and easy most websites make it. I thought it would be arduous but in the time it would take me to delete the email I stopped the flow forever. I can attest my inbox is so much easier to manage now. Keep at it!

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5432 on: November 22, 2017, 09:47:40 AM »
I tossed a broken can opener I found in the cupboard while cleaning the kitchen. I composted a bag of unshelled peanuts my wife got from a coworker who I'm guessing couldn't bear to throw them away herself. They have been sitting on top of our refrigerator since last year. I also composted a box of gluten free crackers my wife opened then never finished because they didn't taste very good. The top of the refrigerator is now nice and clean.

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5433 on: November 22, 2017, 10:04:02 AM »
Daughter is coming home for the weekend and we're planning to go through the remainder of her things in the closet in her room (I will ask her to bring the things she wants to keep to her dad's house where she has a room with a closet).  The goal is an empty closet at the end of the weekend :-) I also want to go through books and some miscellaneous things with her - there's not much left of it so it won't take long.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5434 on: November 22, 2017, 02:40:46 PM »
Cleaning out the garage - mostly reorganizing as opposed to "getting rid of", but I did get rid of the following: broken snow blower, broken yard trimmer, hovercraft (yes, hovercraft), 3 sets of kids' golf clubs (well these are in my trunk to be given to a cousin at Thanksgiving), charcoal briquettes (we have gas grills now), and cleaning products (donated to cleaners). 

Cleaned out two junk drawers in the kitchen.  50 items in total went in the trash.  Threw away numerous items in the garage that was just laying around, taking up space.  Decided to go digital on my media (movies/video games) and sold 17 video games for $200. 

67+ items gone = $200 in my pocket

You two are killing it!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5435 on: November 22, 2017, 02:43:45 PM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5436 on: November 22, 2017, 03:19:23 PM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

It's helped a lot. It usually comes from websites I have purchased things from in the past.

I just wish I could do that with the physical junk mail I get. Junk mail is a waste of time, paper, and the energy used to print and transport it. The vast majority of I get goes directly in to the recycling bin.

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5437 on: November 22, 2017, 03:35:00 PM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

It's helped a lot. It usually comes from websites I have purchased things from in the past.

I just wish I could do that with the physical junk mail I get. Junk mail is a waste of time, paper, and the energy used to print and transport it. The vast majority of I get goes directly in to the recycling bin.
Actually, there is way to reduce it. Someone recommended it a while ago but I don't remember the website now.  I'll look for it.  My junk mail got reduced by over 50%.

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5438 on: November 22, 2017, 08:25:26 PM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

It's helped a lot. It usually comes from websites I have purchased things from in the past.

I just wish I could do that with the physical junk mail I get. Junk mail is a waste of time, paper, and the energy used to print and transport it. The vast majority of I get goes directly in to the recycling bin.
Actually, there is way to reduce it. Someone recommended it a while ago but I don't remember the website now.  I'll look for it.  My junk mail got reduced by over 50%.
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

2microsNH

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5439 on: November 23, 2017, 04:36:05 AM »
I just sold my 12-year-old snow tires (great condition) for $200, and this weekend I'm going to post a bunch of old cycling stuff that's in great condition, but which I don't use anymore. I'm really paring down and I love the simplicity.

I recently encountered this quote by Socrates: "How many things there are that I don't want." Indeed.

ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5440 on: November 23, 2017, 04:57:37 AM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

It's helped a lot. It usually comes from websites I have purchased things from in the past.

I just wish I could do that with the physical junk mail I get. Junk mail is a waste of time, paper, and the energy used to print and transport it. The vast majority of I get goes directly in to the recycling bin.
Found the thread.  I used the recommended links and my junk mail went down significantly. https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/receiving-(almost)-no-junk-mail/msg591429/#msg591429

Monocle Money Mouth

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5441 on: November 23, 2017, 05:01:20 AM »
I've been working on unsubscribing from marketing emails. I spend way too much of my day deleting them on my phone as they arrive.

I'm doing this with my team's generic email at work (think info@company.com.au).

We get ungodly amounts of marketing rubbish and spam, and I'm the only one who blocks spammers or unsubscribes from mailing lists.

Colleagues: But it takes longer.

It takes a second longer, and it saves us all time in the long run!

It's helped a lot. It usually comes from websites I have purchased things from in the past.

I just wish I could do that with the physical junk mail I get. Junk mail is a waste of time, paper, and the energy used to print and transport it. The vast majority of I get goes directly in to the recycling bin.
Found the thread.  I used the recommended links and my junk mail went down significantly. https://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/receiving-(almost)-no-junk-mail/msg591429/#msg591429

Thanks ZiziPB! I'll look into that. We do a pretty good job recycling what we can, but it would be much better to just not get it to begin with. It boggles my mind how much stuff in the world gets produced just to be thrown away pretty much immediately.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5442 on: November 23, 2017, 05:50:15 AM »
I have been calling the addressee on the addressed ad mail and for the most part that has worked well - except for Rogers.  Now instead of my name or the previous homeowners name, the junk mail is addressed to 'Resident'.
But all the others have stopped.

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5443 on: November 23, 2017, 02:22:32 PM »
Do you all think youth biking accessories (new) and snow shoes (with tags youth size) would qualify for "Toys for Tots"?  Otherwise I'll donate them to the local middle school....We always seem to receive triplicates of things because of having 3 kids, but 1 or 2 are all we use at a time so one stays "new" until it's too late to use them.  Kids school is having a toy drive, and work is also having a toy drive. I see snow shoes and bike gear as big kid toys, but maybe I'm just scroogey....

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5444 on: November 23, 2017, 03:55:55 PM »
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

What is this "buy" thing you speak of? :D

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5445 on: November 23, 2017, 04:03:21 PM »
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

What is this "buy" thing you speak of? :D
Or make? I don't generally see them going for free! And I don't have the stuff to make one. And I can't just write on the letterbox (renting)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5446 on: November 23, 2017, 04:11:51 PM »
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

What is this "buy" thing you speak of? :D
Or make? I don't generally see them going for free! And I don't have the stuff to make one. And I can't just write on the letterbox (renting)

I'm just taking the piss. ;)

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5447 on: November 23, 2017, 04:41:24 PM »
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

What is this "buy" thing you speak of? :D
Or make? I don't generally see them going for free! And I don't have the stuff to make one. And I can't just write on the letterbox (renting)

I'm just taking the piss. ;)
Haha oh whoops! I was thinking "what magic source do they have that I don't? Must know!"

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5448 on: November 23, 2017, 08:07:48 PM »
I knew husband was getting low on aftershave so I mentioned it to family who asked about a Christmas present for him.

Husband then dramatically announced yesterday that he had run out of aftershave (expecting, what, me to rush out at 6am and buy more? I don't know.)

I wordlessly pointed him at the plastic tub of spare toiletries, including more than a dozen Bvlgari mini aftershave bottles that will more than tide him over till Christmas.

He was fascinated by the tub. "Hey, there's some great stuff in here!"

How many times have I mentioned triaging what goes in that tub, and he apparently had no clue it existed. >.<

Anyway, that's a roundabout way of saying the aftershave collection will be decluttered naturally.

Plina

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5449 on: November 24, 2017, 11:31:40 AM »
Here I can just buy a "no junk mail" sign and stick it on my letterbox.

What is this "buy" thing you speak of? :D
Or make? I don't generally see them going for free! And I don't have the stuff to make one. And I can't just write on the letterbox (renting)

Paper were you write ”no junk mail” and tape that you use to cover the paper works fine. You can take it away when you move.