Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1850093 times)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5500 on: December 03, 2017, 02:35:50 AM »
Cleaned up my balcony, and threw out 6 old plastic pots from plants that I'd repotted.

Also removed all traces of paper from my living room. That makes a huge difference to the look and feel of the room.

Good stuff!

ThreeCarbsNoGrains

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5501 on: December 03, 2017, 06:12:44 PM »
Any suggestions on how to dispose of a sofa?  I have a reclining leather sofa that is peeling badly and looks terrible.  I posted it on Facebook Marketplace and CraigsList for free but no interest.  I need to get rid of it within 30 days (I’m moving) and can’t put it out at the street as I live in an apartment complex.  Putting it at the apartment dump is a no-no (although technically I could do that).  1-800-Go-Junk charges $140 to come get it and dispose of it.  Any suggestions?

When I lived at a house I just called the local trash service and asked which days they picked up furniture and put it on the street that day.  With apartment living there seems to be no such option.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5502 on: December 03, 2017, 06:17:54 PM »
Inventoried all of my random (international) coins that I've had sitting around. Finally researched which was which, bagged, labeled & took about $25 USD (equivalent) for my work trip. Will use it all, and/or donate whatever's left.

With This Herring

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5503 on: December 03, 2017, 08:04:47 PM »
Any suggestions on how to dispose of a sofa?  I have a reclining leather sofa that is peeling badly and looks terrible.  I posted it on Facebook Marketplace and CraigsList for free but no interest.  I need to get rid of it within 30 days (I’m moving) and can’t put it out at the street as I live in an apartment complex.  Putting it at the apartment dump is a no-no (although technically I could do that).  1-800-Go-Junk charges $140 to come get it and dispose of it.  Any suggestions?

When I lived at a house I just called the local trash service and asked which days they picked up furniture and put it on the street that day.  With apartment living there seems to be no such option.

If you've posted it on CL, make sure to renew/refresh/bump (NOT REPOST) your post to the top every day or two.  If there is a FreeCycle website for your area, post it there as well.  Finally, can you put up a few fliers around your complex?  This will catch people who wouldn't normally look for free sofas on CL because of transport issues.
Quote
FREE SOFA!  Resident of apartment 26A is moving away December 31 and wants to give you a free sofa!  [photos of sofa]  It's peeling, but it is leather, really comfy, and it reclines!  My home has (no) pets and (no) smokers.  I will be taking these posters down when it is gone, so if you see this poster it is still available!  Leave a note in my mailbox/text me at XXX-XXX-XXXX.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5504 on: December 04, 2017, 08:40:42 AM »
Dug into the Christmas decorations and discovered the storage area under the stairs is packed full of stuff that Hubs cleared out of the main area of the basement.  It made getting the bins out really difficult.
Will be pitching a bunch of Christmas light that no longer work.  Feeling bad about the volume of waste.  They were the first generation of LED bulbs so they are probably nine years old.  Hopefully they have some recyclable components.
I casually mentioned to Hubs that I was not allowing a couple of pairs of underwear back into his drawer - they were now dusting clothes.  I added : your drawer looks really full so I am sure you have enough.  He ended up going through the draw and pulling out several pairs from deep in the drawer.  He was in awe of how the elastic waist band just disintegrated when he tested them to see if they would still fit. 

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5505 on: December 04, 2017, 09:45:17 AM »
We had a hugely productive weekend.  I had to make two trips to Goodwill to get everything out of the house.

I got out all of the Christmas decorations yesterday and told the family there was one rule - you can only put something on the tree or on the walls if you personally love it.  Everything that was left on the floor at the end of the decorating party went in the Goodwill box.  We managed to get rid of 2 boxes of Christmas village stuff (40% of it), and probably 10% of the rest of the ornaments and other decorations.

On top of all that, middle daughter finally agreed to clean out her room.  For the first time EVER, D's closet doors can close.  It freaked her out to see them.

Somehow her room became a spectacle for the entire family - the other kids were offering her tips that they used when making choices in their rooms.  H kept offering his opinion on whether or not she wanted an item before she had a chance to say a word.  He told me "I know my girl"; I responded that SHE needs to be able to make these decisions for herself and kicked him out of the room. 

He wanted her to keep lots of stuff that had sentimental meaning for him (gifts from people he loved) that she has never played with and is most definitely too old for it now. She agreed to keep one book inscribed from a grandparent she's never met and asked that the rest go. 

H ended up taking the Beanie Baby bears out of the giveaway box and moving them to his desk.  (He doesn't believe me that they are essentially worthless now.)

He helpfully pulled a few other boxes of mostly my stuff out of the attic while he was digging out the Christmas stuff, so I'll go through those this week.  My goal is to be done with the first pass through the house by the end of the year.  Then I'll re-evaluate and set goals for the second pass.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5506 on: December 04, 2017, 03:49:38 PM »
Yesterday was a day for dealing with books.

I decluttered my books hard a few years ago, but a few others had crept in (usually freebies).

I brought those to work and gave them away in five minutes.

Then a colleague dumped about 20 books on my desk before he went on leave, so I grabbed four for friends who will appreciate them, and put the rest out for people to help themselves.

TheWifeHalf

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5507 on: December 04, 2017, 05:48:31 PM »
We recently remodeled our kitchen and though the dishwasher worked, it didn't 'match.' It's been sitting in our garage and last week TheHusbandHalf said we had to do something with it because it's not good for the motor to freeze. I told him we can take it to the HH Restore and he said first he'll just stick it out front and see if someone takes it.
It was gone in 15 minutes.
That's the way to get rid of stuff!

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5508 on: December 04, 2017, 08:39:28 PM »
We recently remodeled our kitchen and though the dishwasher worked, it didn't 'match.' It's been sitting in our garage and last week TheHusbandHalf said we had to do something with it because it's not good for the motor to freeze. I told him we can take it to the HH Restore and he said first he'll just stick it out front and see if someone takes it.
It was gone in 15 minutes.
That's the way to get rid of stuff!

Are you lost?

Goldielocks

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ZiziPB

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5510 on: December 05, 2017, 05:25:38 AM »
Sold the propane tank from my grill which brings my recent CL and consignment sales to over $140.  I have 4 more listings on CL but no takers for months now, so I will donate these things. 

oldtoyota

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5511 on: December 08, 2017, 08:48:21 PM »
I love how I can put stuff outside and it disappears! It is wonderful magic.

I have rid our house of games, clothes, books, kitchen stuff we were gifted and never used. Now I am planning to eBay some vintage items. I see people are buying them on ebay, so maybe I will make $40.
« Last Edit: December 09, 2017, 08:37:12 PM by oldtoyota »

Bracken_Joy

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5512 on: December 08, 2017, 08:55:41 PM »
I saw on the forum, someone (LWTG?) said that, when they put out christmas decor, rather than just adding it to whats there and having everything bare feeling after the holidays, they take a lot of their regular decor DOWN, and store it, then put the christmas stuff up. That gives them a chance then to clean and minimize stuff when they go to return to the regular decor, and you get less of the "post holiday funk". This sounded like a fantastic idea, so that's my approach this year!

Prairie Gal

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5513 on: December 09, 2017, 06:52:48 AM »
I gave away a small fiber optic Christmas tree to a lady who's aunt is in an assisted living facility. She messaged me some pictures and said her auntie loves it. That was one of those declutters that really gave me the good feels.

stashgrower

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5514 on: December 09, 2017, 06:58:58 AM »
Started the decluttering (again). One room mostly done, one small box of stuff to give away to op shop or friends. Back in the ring tomorrow.

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5515 on: December 09, 2017, 09:44:42 AM »
Trash pickup was after DH left for work, so I was able to add some broken baskets and junk items that he would have deemed salvageable. ;-)

oldtoyota

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5516 on: December 09, 2017, 08:38:35 PM »
I recycled a stack of papers, and I have two boxes ready to donate.

This past month, a neighbor was able to take some of our unopened games and give them to families in need through a program at her work. I was really happy about that. =-)

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5517 on: December 09, 2017, 08:50:09 PM »
Got a big pile ready to put in the car and take to Goodwill. Also working on finding appropriate boxes for some light fixtures so I can put them on ebay and attempt to sell.

Also got the Christmas presents wrapped up. Need to box up 2 of them and ship out, drop off some at the recipient's house near me, and the rest are being sent home with my mom. But it will be nice to get those out of the house too.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5518 on: December 10, 2017, 06:52:02 AM »
Went through three of the boxes that I had been dumping stuff into for years as it was loosely associated with flower arranging or decoration making.  Now there is one much smaller box and all the dust and random garbage that made even opening these boxes unappealing is properly sorted into the correct bins.  All the mixes materials are broken down so they can be recycled or composted and the remainder to the dump.  This is one zone that I have been postponing for ever.

Hubs went through a box of work out gear that smelled beyond awful.  It had been hanging out in the garage.  Much of that went to the correct bins.

We are getting to a point where we can see how our pack rat habits have caused us to not be able to properly take care of our stuff.  This is really helping me not to want to buy stuff.  Being wasteful by not looking after things hits harder than be wasteful about spending money that I should be saving. 

ThreeCarbsNoGrains

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5519 on: December 10, 2017, 03:45:56 PM »

Well done, everybody!  It feels great to be letting go of things while I see these advertisements urging me to fill my house with more things. 
  I
Finally received a bag from ThredUp (which I ordered back in October).  It’s a huge bag and I filled it almost all the way up.  That will be dropped at the UPS store tomorrow.

Additionally, one whole bag of other items went to Goodwill today.

I culled my Christmas decor down to one Christmas tree, one wreath, and two Rubbermaid bins of decor.  The remainder (two full Rubbermaid bins and small tree) went to someone at work who needed decor for a military family day.  Now it’s going to someone else she knows who needs it for a military ball of some sort.  I love to see my old stuff put to good use and to know that they didn’t have to buy any new decorations.

I paid someone to dispose of my giant peeling sofa today and it was worth every penny and is out of my house!  Hurray!

Brought several items to my parents who wanted and can use them: Patio string lights, bird feeder, etc.  They are redoing their patio and the items will all be put to good use!

Only a few items remain before I move!  So relieved at my progress.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5520 on: December 10, 2017, 04:35:29 PM »
Chucked an old eye shadow & makeup brush that have been lingering in the back of one of my drawers forever. Told myself when we moved (last winter), that if I hadn't worn it in 2017, it was going to the garbage. Close enough! Also, in my search for a couple of dressy work outfits for my trip last week, stumbled across a very nice dress that doesn't fit me properly. Put it aside in my donation pile.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5521 on: December 10, 2017, 09:57:52 PM »
Another bag to charity (see earlier discussion, husband should not have brought this stuff home from a recent event).

A friend gave me a mug for Christmas - I'm donating it to the mug collection at work.

I've nearly finished writing Christmas cards. Once I'm done, the leftover cards can go into my normal card box. (Usually Christmas cards have their own box since I buy them on sale and stash them for a year. Not doing that next year.)

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5522 on: December 11, 2017, 06:13:13 AM »
The basement is looking pretty good - but there is a pile accumulating in the garage again.
I am going to have to drop out of decluttering for a spell while I pull off Christmas. Although using up the odd ingredients in the pantry for those once a year recipes will actually help out the pantry clutter.

haypug16

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5523 on: December 11, 2017, 08:32:25 AM »
Dropped off some Books, CDs, and clothes to Savers this weekend. DH is getting on board. He sold his car (the extra one that's been sitting in the Driveway) and teased me that he has therefore cleared out more space than me. So now this is turning into a fun competition for us. Though he is at an unfair advantage since he has so much more stuff than me. I never met a guy with more clothes in my life. He has like 3 dressers full and can never find anything to wear.

Car Jack

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5524 on: December 11, 2017, 08:46:57 AM »
Well, I should have known better.  I was on a trek to find a pair of hiking boots and a pair of work boots that were last used last winter.  Our basement is full of bins and plastic bags of clothes packed away for the next appropriate season.  In the process of working through these, I put things that we would obviously never use again (pants too small for either of the kids....onesies.....our youngest is 17....shoes the kids long outgrew).  I should have kept these donation bags in the basement where they wouldn't be seen, but I felt they were so obvious that they should just go.  So 3 garbage bags full near the door and the wife says "So these are for me to look through".  AAAAAARGH!!!  If I were to hand my wife 3 onesies, it would take her literally a month to decide that these should be donated away.  So now we have 3 huge bags sitting in the bedroom next to the plastic bins of crap that I already earmarked for trash that have been there for 3 months now.  Yes, my wife is the hoarder wannabe.  Well, back to the basement and I've learned my lesson.  Wait till I'm alone at home, then bring bags out to the trunk of my car.

On the bright side, I put up 2 pairs of xc skiis and 3 pairs of downhill skiis with poles and some tennis rackets and a ski bag with a "take it all" price for craigslist of $25 and have a buyer who just needs me to be home for him to come get it all.  That'll be a nice unloading of crap that hasn't been used since at least the early 80's.
« Last Edit: December 11, 2017, 08:49:15 AM by Car Jack »

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5525 on: December 11, 2017, 11:13:18 AM »
Car Jack - it's the story of my life in reverse! DH is the hoarder.  I used to take things over to the neighbor's until collection. Sadly, that neighbor moved. I now have to put them in the garage attic until trash day....and then hope he leaves before they collect the trash. ;-)

Today I unloaded a mini air hockey table that sat under our pool table for years.  Yay!

The car is loaded up with a charity run and set of returns for my daily shopping run.  I have a back seat full of American Girl dolls to go to a family cousin for xmas.  In 15 minute increments I am getting through things.

Each weekend I ask the family to go through stuff in the basement - each weekend they don't, I throw away a bag of goods I deem trash/give away a bag of goods I've reviewed as being charity items the following week.  Petty, but I wonder when they are going to figure out my MO. I'm at the point where I want to hire some moving guys to move things around where I want them to be.  I wonder if they'd notice then?

PMG

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5526 on: December 11, 2017, 01:06:36 PM »
We keep all of our clothes (and a whole bunch of ther stuff in a big cabinet/wardrobe thingy.  I reorganized my drawers and designated one for dirty laundry. We'll see how it works.  Hopefully it means no more pile in the corner but we'll still have then pile of stuff to be reworn on the side table.

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5527 on: December 11, 2017, 01:18:01 PM »
We keep all of our clothes (and a whole bunch of ther stuff in a big cabinet/wardrobe thingy.  I reorganized my drawers and designated one for dirty laundry. We'll see how it works.  Hopefully it means no more pile in the corner but we'll still have then pile of stuff to be reworn on the side table.

I don't think it's good for dirty laundry to be in a drawer. Not enough air circulation-and it might make the clean clothes smelly.
2 thumbs up for organizing things!!!

PMG

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5528 on: December 11, 2017, 03:42:40 PM »
We keep all of our clothes (and a whole bunch of ther stuff in a big cabinet/wardrobe thingy.  I reorganized my drawers and designated one for dirty laundry. We'll see how it works.  Hopefully it means no more pile in the corner but we'll still have then pile of stuff to be reworn on the side table.

I don't think it's good for dirty laundry to be in a drawer. Not enough air circulation-and it might make the clean clothes smelly.
2 thumbs up for organizing things!!!

Yeah.  Considered that.  It isn't a tight cupboard. Definitely as much airflow as a wicker hamper. Gym clothes are stored separately anyway, so will try this and see how it goes.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5529 on: December 12, 2017, 08:03:09 AM »
Found four bottles of super old nail polish while digging out the thermometer for a sick kiddo. Threw those away. We got rid of A LOT with both of our moves, so we don't have a ton of extra stuff, and I try to stay on top of it every day. However, in 2018, my plan is to go room by room again, & ensure we're using everything.

formerlydivorcedmom

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5530 on: December 12, 2017, 10:24:19 AM »
MaybeBabyM, how are you going to track that you're actually using all of those things?  I'm very interested in systems for things like that.

This weekend I found the collector book for the American state quarters.  I remember sorting through my change looking for new quarters when these were first released.  WHY did I (or any of us) care so much?  So much wasted effort.  My son spent half an hour reclaiming the quarters (they went straight into his piggy bank) and then threw the book away. 

The children have started to comment on the fact that the surfaces are emptier...except that every surface I clean off my H then fills with electronics parts.   They want the electronics to go away.  :) 


marielle

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5531 on: December 12, 2017, 10:29:24 AM »
MaybeBabyM, how are you going to track that you're actually using all of those things?  I'm very interested in systems for things like that.

This weekend I found the collector book for the American state quarters.  I remember sorting through my change looking for new quarters when these were first released.  WHY did I (or any of us) care so much?  So much wasted effort.  My son spent half an hour reclaiming the quarters (they went straight into his piggy bank) and then threw the book away. 

The children have started to comment on the fact that the surfaces are emptier...except that every surface I clean off my H then fills with electronics parts.   They want the electronics to go away.  :)

With clothes, you can do the hanger method where you hang everything one direction to start then turn the hanger opposite when you put it back in the closet after wearing and washing it. I don't use a dresser so not sure how you would handle clothes in a dresser.

I guess with everything else it's just memory based. Maybe put things you think you don't use or need in a box and everything that's still in the box after a set amount of time gets donated.

I also had the quarter thing many years ago. I'm pretty sure I eventually took the quarters out because I realized it was ridiculous.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5532 on: December 12, 2017, 03:13:03 PM »
MaybeBabyM, how are you going to track that you're actually using all of those things?  I'm very interested in systems for things like that.

This weekend I found the collector book for the American state quarters.  I remember sorting through my change looking for new quarters when these were first released.  WHY did I (or any of us) care so much?  So much wasted effort.  My son spent half an hour reclaiming the quarters (they went straight into his piggy bank) and then threw the book away. 

The children have started to comment on the fact that the surfaces are emptier...except that every surface I clean off my H then fills with electronics parts.   They want the electronics to go away.  :)

With clothes, you can do the hanger method where you hang everything one direction to start then turn the hanger opposite when you put it back in the closet after wearing and washing it. I don't use a dresser so not sure how you would handle clothes in a dresser.

I guess with everything else it's just memory based. Maybe put things you think you don't use or need in a box and everything that's still in the box after a set amount of time gets donated.

I also had the quarter thing many years ago. I'm pretty sure I eventually took the quarters out because I realized it was ridiculous.

We've moved 2x in the last four years, so the easy wins are out of the way. We're left with the somewhat regular upkeep stuff:

-Clothes people have torn or outgrown (hopefully the kids on the latter, but sometimes I get realistic with my own size)
-Trash, homework, & general school stuff that finds its way home, and into the kids rooms
-Toys/games that the kids no longer play with. We're really in the home stretch with this one, but expect that upcoming Christmas & birthdays will bring a new round of options.
-Seasonal decorations & general house stuff that we just don't use. We've greatly simplified our holiday decor. I tend to travel a lot for work over the holidays (and we don't spend Christmas at home), so it's just a pain to get everything back up & down again

For everything else, I like to deep clean the rooms, which leads me to finding random things I've forgotten about & just haven't used in a while.

I do try & keep an inventory of things like: toiletries, cleaning products, plus our food (pantry, fridge, freezer), as keeping a regular rotation on that prevents waste. But, for everything else, I integrate the de-cluttering into my standard cleaning processes, and then with the kids rooms, just do quarterly full clean outs.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5533 on: December 12, 2017, 03:24:09 PM »
MaybeBabyM, how are you going to track that you're actually using all of those things?  I'm very interested in systems for things like that.

This weekend I found the collector book for the American state quarters.  I remember sorting through my change looking for new quarters when these were first released.  WHY did I (or any of us) care so much?  So much wasted effort.  My son spent half an hour reclaiming the quarters (they went straight into his piggy bank) and then threw the book away. 

The children have started to comment on the fact that the surfaces are emptier...except that every surface I clean off my H then fills with electronics parts.   They want the electronics to go away.  :)

With clothes, you can do the hanger method where you hang everything one direction to start then turn the hanger opposite when you put it back in the closet after wearing and washing it. I don't use a dresser so not sure how you would handle clothes in a dresser...

Free up one drawer.

As you wear something, put it in that drawer.

Continue until you have drawers of things you wear and drawers of things you don't wear (label if necessary). Donate.

Goldielocks

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5534 on: December 12, 2017, 06:04:32 PM »
I am deep cleaning my home this week in preparation for a large holiday party this weekend.

Having less stuff this year certainly makes a large difference in the time it takes -- I am focusing on cleaning and minor maintenance, not on finding a place to put "stuff".   Even the "stuff" I have taken down to make room for holiday decor is easy to put away -- open a drawer and it is empty!  Put away.

Car Jack

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5535 on: December 13, 2017, 12:40:29 PM »
No Rant Wednesday for me today :D.

The Craigslist guy and I worked out last night as a workable common time and he came and for $25 took away 3 pairs of late 70's downhill skis, 2 pairs of xc skis, a gaggle of ski poles and 3 random tennis rackets.  This is a great clean up win for me.  I haven't ski'd since at least the 80's (a knee injury had me stop then) and I think I only kept this stuff because it was top of the line, expensive stuff when I bought it.....even on my barely out of high school earnings working at the ski shop.

Time to look for the next craigslist listing.

couponvan

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5536 on: December 13, 2017, 01:14:45 PM »
11 propane canisters of varying states of fullness (2 for sure new) were donated to our local scout master. They camp even in winter, so this should help.

Our 3rd car is now barely parked in the 3rd car garage for winter.  The first real snow is expected today.  Avoiding a morning idle and snow clearing each morning of winter more than offsets the cost of the canisters.  Our neighbors will be happy not to have to look at our 2005 Honda minivan with the rear end dented any longer. ;-) Yes, the third car is wasteful, but all the cars are paid off and 5 years, 9 years, and 12 years old respectively.  Baby steps.

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5537 on: December 16, 2017, 04:26:42 PM »
This is different decluttering, but I think it counts? It's certainly less in the closet! I've got around a dozen gallons of paint sitting in the closet since I'm planning on painting the entire house. I've been painting this week.

Emptied 2 quart cans and 1 gallon of paint, those are dried and put out in the garbage.
1/2 gallon of paint left of one color, will be used when I find a painter to do the hallway. (I'm not falling down the stairs.)
Got another gallon down to about 1/4 full, and that will be used up with the 2nd coat on the closets. Granted, the house looks awful because I've completely emptied and disassembled 2 closets and stuff is all over, but it's temporary. No idea how much woodwork paint I have, but I'll use it up and need more once I get around to doing all the wood work and 4 doors.

In other news, you should periodically paint closets. More than every 30 years at least. House is about 100 years old, and it looks like 2, maybe 3 coats of paint in the closets. I wouldn't be surprised if the closets were last painted in the 50s, the colors are about right for then. The closets are soaking up 2-3 times the amount of paint as is typical. Luckily, I started with 4 gallons of paint I can use for them, and I might use just about all of it.

Even better, I have friends who are teachers, and one of them hooked me up with the local drama teacher. They love getting paint. Whatever is left that I don't want to save for future I can easily donate.

Since I pulled everything out of the closets to paint, when I put it back I can be more organized, and also get rid of a few things. I just moved earlier this year, so they're not too bad, but one of these closets is also the main long term storage area in the house. It will be full, but I'll pick away at a few things.

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5538 on: December 16, 2017, 06:25:16 PM »
Gave three jars to a friend for candles.

I can't bring myself to throw away or recycle "good" jars, so this makes me happy.

Enlisted another cute jar in putting together a Christmas present, and using up my stash of cloth and satin ribbons on gifts.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5539 on: December 17, 2017, 06:02:25 AM »
Received yesterday an umbrella from a supplier as a Christmas gift.

3 hours later a friend visited me and I asked him if he needs this umbrella. He took it.

Fasted stuff giving ever.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5540 on: December 17, 2017, 08:42:40 AM »
As a combo "odd chore of the day" & cleaning out clutter, finally organized our three tiered tray. It's where everything that can't be immediately thrown away or recycled goes. And, I stay on top of it pretty well, but every few months, it needs a deep clean. Took care of that yesterday, & there are just a few things remaining in the pile. Woohoo!

horsepoor

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5541 on: December 17, 2017, 02:06:21 PM »
I decluttered the bathroom cabinets today.  I had several empty containers in there, thinking I'd use them someday to make my own lotions and things.  Spoiler alert: that never happened.

Also went through my side of the garage and cleaned up.  Some empty plastic bins are going out to the shed, and some things from my job are headed back to the office.  Now I need to go through all my extra saddle pads and take the ones I no longer want to the stable to give away.  Feels nice to be able to see the top of the work bench again.

A couple of the plastic bins from the garage turned out to be perfectly sized for storing canning and brewing supplies in the laundry room, and resulted in way more space and less clutter in those cabinets.

My husband has been out of town, but is getting assigned to declutter some of his zones when he gets back.  I've spent too much time this week swearing at him under my breath for his little trash heaps.  Because he doesn't clean his trash heaps, he starts encroaching on other areas in the house even though he has tons of space that I've agreed to turn a blind eye towards.

Sibley

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5542 on: December 17, 2017, 02:09:44 PM »
Another can of paint empty, just waiting for it to dry out and I can toss it!

Zaga

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5543 on: December 17, 2017, 05:42:43 PM »
We've been renovating the basement.  Today we tossed 3 garbage bags full of debris, plus burned a good sized pile of scrap wood, all oak pieces and non-treated pine.  There are still 3 more bags of debris to go at least, but I can park in the garage again after a 3 week push to finish the basement floors and cabinets.  It's looking good!

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5544 on: December 17, 2017, 06:02:44 PM »
I went through a couple more boxes in the garage and got rid of a few things.  Good bye non-functioning Christmas lights, some building supplies and one box of total junk are now sorted into the right disposal stream.  The tarps are now stored.  The garden tools are hung up.  The hoses are rolled up and in one location.  The empty bins are washed out and stacked.  I have now emptied six bins so next summer I can go one more pass through all the zones and purge another round. One of the bins contained some really good clothing for tiny girls so I am now washing them and will give them to nieces this week.  If nieces don't want I will try and sell on kijiji. 
I sorted through the mess in the closet under the stairs and while most of it is still there - there is some logic to it and all of the spare house parts are now together on one side.  The Christmas decorations are all on the tree and the broken bits of junk are broken up and sorted into the correct waste stream. 
A number of items from the freezer are now used up.
Hubs returned some purchases we didn't use and that freed up a large space on the work bench.
A large pile awaits the restore and a dump run. 
The house is looking better and better.  And the garage is looking way better as well.  It feels totally amazing to deal with this stuff.  Most of the stuff is not stuff we bought. We found it, or accepted it as hand-me-downs or it was gifts.  This sense of scarcity that I have has really made me feel weighed down with all these acquisitions that I can no longer manage.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5545 on: December 17, 2017, 07:51:22 PM »
-Got rid of a holiday shirt that was too small. (Donated)
-Donated a pair of ski boots that no longer fit

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5546 on: December 18, 2017, 02:03:53 AM »
So we have this site here where people post odd jobs and I bid for them. I just scored my first decluttering gig, v excited! I love love love sorting out shit.

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5547 on: December 18, 2017, 02:20:03 AM »
So we have this site here where people post odd jobs and I bid for them. I just scored my first decluttering gig, v excited! I love love love sorting out shit.

Ooooh. That sounds really interesting! Please let us know how it goes! (in as much detail as you're comfortable with)

Fresh Bread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5548 on: December 18, 2017, 02:48:48 AM »
So we have this site here where people post odd jobs and I bid for them. I just scored my first decluttering gig, v excited! I love love love sorting out shit.

Ooooh. That sounds really interesting! Please let us know how it goes! (in as much detail as you're comfortable with)

Will do! I'm on holiday for a week after Chrimbo so good way to spend time. Hope client's got aircon tho.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #5549 on: December 18, 2017, 09:57:12 AM »
Well done, everyone!   I feel like the constant barrage of holiday advertisements is motivating me even more.

Sold my patio set on CraigsList!  The couple who came to get it were so excited. 

Took a large load of stuff plus a crappy old office chair to Goodwill.  Further purged my drinkware collection. 

Replaced my crappy old office chair with a VERY nice used office chair I got for $30.

Completely emptied a small storage closet since we won’t have a storage closet at the new apartment.

Also deep-cleaned my stove and oven so it will hopefully only need a wipe-down when we move in a couple of weeks.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!