Author Topic: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!  (Read 1851250 times)

Squirrel away

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2500 on: August 31, 2015, 09:32:36 AM »
I didn't find anything to declutter today in the DIY boxes as my hub says we need everything there. Annoying.:(

jooles

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2501 on: August 31, 2015, 12:46:49 PM »
Selling something today and making $$.  I LOVE getting rid of stuff.

jordanread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2502 on: August 31, 2015, 12:53:46 PM »
For those of you who like the Raptitude blog, his latest post is all about decluttering.

http://www.raptitude.com/2015/08/konmari/

DagobertDuck

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2503 on: August 31, 2015, 01:24:25 PM »
Raptitude is great!

Rosy

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2504 on: August 31, 2015, 05:14:59 PM »
^^^ great article on raptitude - I have been waiting for that Kon Mari book for two months now. I'm digging in my heels and waiting for it to arrive from the library - one of these days. I will not buy it, until I know it will click with me.
Meanwhile, I am stuck - just stuck, looking at the damn paper clutter boxes and feeling bad and inept, every time I look at them.

firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2505 on: August 31, 2015, 09:47:09 PM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2506 on: August 31, 2015, 09:53:33 PM »

Wow, 2,000 is A Lot of books. You cut down from 2,500?
So I'm curious to know more about these books. What sort of books, have you read most of them, how you came to hav them, etc.
I've always been an avid reader (and collecter) as well, but recently cut back to approx 30 ( with a lot of encouragement from this thread and gauntlet called Read your Bookshelves ). A few years ago I must hav had 300+ and steadily dwindling.

My husband and I both read a lot and both are book people. I love books. Many books I have read (and re-read) are like old friends to me. I rarely get rid of books (until now). It doesn't bother me to have a lot of books, if they carry good feelings.

My husband has a lot of 20th-century US literature, from classes he took, and math books. I have a lot of dictionaries and word books. We have a ton of books for learning foreign languages. We both really want to learn more languages when we aren't working so much.  I have lots of old medical books. History. Politics. Sociology. Memoirs. Fiction. English. References of all kinds. Etc.

The funny thing is, I am ALSO an avid user of the library. I haven't bought more than a fraction of all the books I've actually read.

The books I'm discarding now are generally ones that I felt I *should* read, or should have read, or that I wish I had read back when I was interested in the subject--they create in me feelings of guilt, of falling short, and so on. Books that I feel I must preserve as a duty to my past, or my parents' or grandparents' past.

I'm not trying to be minimalist. My goal for now is to purge the things that actually make me feel *bad*.

NoraLenderbee

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2507 on: August 31, 2015, 09:55:03 PM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

They allow you to experience the joy of giving gifts easily and spontaneously?

1967mama

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2508 on: September 01, 2015, 12:48:45 AM »
I have a truck coming to pick up thrift store donations Sept 8th -- a great way to get me moving on decluttering!

Anje

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2509 on: September 01, 2015, 03:04:52 AM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(
I have a gift box as well as the "trimmings": cards, envelopes, gifttags and wrapping paper, on hand at all times. While they do not exactly give me joy they do provide me with calm. I've done the "running around in panic" trying to get gift together for a family who are all of the type to invite me saturday night for a birthday party on sunday afternoon. And backup gifts makes me verry, verry happy when that invite comes.

So perhaps your gift box is the same? Either in regards to stress saved, money saved, time saved or worry saved the fact that you have them on hand gives you a positive feeling?

I continue the tidying of old things left at my parents house. Went through my (large) collection of cuddly toys this weekend. Kept only a select few. Also keeping good-quality toys that will last another generation or 3. Next out is clothes. So hard since a lot of the clothes I wore were hand-made my my grandmother. She was a great seamstress, but the clothes still are outdated. And also they make me fell fuzzily happy just to look at. Oh, well...

Squirrel away

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2510 on: September 01, 2015, 03:43:02 AM »
I threw away some toiletries as they were used up. I'm decluttering some hair later, getting a haircut.:P

midweststache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2511 on: September 01, 2015, 05:55:30 AM »
Threw out an old medicine (expired) and put six more books in the donate pile (books continue to be my single biggest struggle).

Now to figure out how to get four giant bags of stuff to the donation center 2 miles away... without a car! (Maybe I'll hit up a driver friend in exchange for making him/her dinner.)

jordanread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2512 on: September 01, 2015, 06:07:21 AM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

I'll let David from Raptitude speak for me (from the article above).

Quote from: David Cain
The process isn’t perfect. You find a lot of things that you need to keep, yet spark no joy. To help address this I keep a running list of things I eventually want to replace with a more pleasing version.
[...]
It’s easy to forget about the joy criterion once you’re in the middle of it, and slip back into asking “Should I keep this or not?” which is not the same question as “Does it spark joy?” If you forget what you're doing, you might end up keeping things because you think you should, or because they are “worth something”, or because you “might need it”, and suddenly you're getting nowhere but not realizing it. Trust the process, and don’t forget the purpose. The real benefits are emotional, and so the process is all about assessing your emotional relationship to each thing.
[...]
Probably the most common reason people keep things they’re not using is because they “have value”— meaning they once cost money. But the real value in things is the experience they create for us. Even things with a monetary value can lower the quality of our experience in a lot of ways, by making us feel guilty, taking up space, or keeping us preoccupied with goals we’re not really committed to. And the money is already gone anyway. The important question is always “What does it feel like to own this?”

I'm a red panda

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2513 on: September 01, 2015, 07:52:31 AM »
Our old microwave (our house came with a new one) went to Goodwill.
I had a buyer but they flaked for 3 days and so I said screw it!

I wanted to take it to the consignment shop (it works great, is clean and looks fine) but they said only if it was less than 3 years old.  That seems insanely brand new.

PMG

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2514 on: September 01, 2015, 08:31:50 AM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

Do those generic gifts give joy to the recipient?  Do they nod a smile politely then put it in their thrift store donation box? Is there a way you can change your gift giving to make less clutter for both you and the recipient? 

Consumable gifts?  Experiential gifts?








firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2515 on: September 01, 2015, 11:38:41 AM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

Do those generic gifts give joy to the recipient?  Do they nod a smile politely then put it in their thrift store donation box? Is there a way you can change your gift giving to make less clutter for both you and the recipient? 

Consumable gifts?  Experiential gifts?
Almost all gifts give the recipients joy. Most of them are toys or books - I try to get educational ones but some kids prefer the noise blasting ones. It definitely saves me time and effort and running around at the last minute. I guess I'll cull out down to a smaller box and stop at that!!

firelight

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2516 on: September 01, 2015, 11:39:15 AM »
I konmaried most of my house and the feeling has been great. I'm now sorting the gift box. This is a box where I keep generic gifts and toys for last minute gifts and toys. Having the box saves me so much time and effort in not having to worry about getting gifts. I regularly use the gifts from the box and replenish them as well. Once this challenge started I've been gifting exclusively from the gift box. Though I've made a dent I've got a long way to go. How do I konmari the gift box? All are good useful things but they don't bring me joy. But since they are not meant for me, do they have to give me joy to be in the house? Seems very confusing to me :(

Do those generic gifts give joy to the recipient?  Do they nod a smile politely then put it in their thrift store donation box? Is there a way you can change your gift giving to make less clutter for both you and the recipient? 

Consumable gifts?  Experiential gifts?
Almost all gifts give the recipients joy. Most of them are toys or books - I try to get educational ones but some kids prefer the noise blasting ones. It definitely saves me time and effort and running around at the last minute. I guess I'll cull out down to a smaller box and stop at that!!

pachnik

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2517 on: September 01, 2015, 01:44:41 PM »
I did some kondo'ing of the sentimental stuff today.  So I am sending a small Ming tree, I think it is called, to the thrift store.  It was from my grandpa who died 20 years ago.  I have other things from him and grandma.  Little ornaments that I still enjoy and that spark joy.

So far I've sent 2 grocery store bags to the thrift store with at least 2 more to go.  My bedroom closet looks great. 

CU Tiger

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2518 on: September 01, 2015, 09:09:18 PM »
This Saturday I will be taking as much stuff as I can to the Germantown Park n Ride flea market. It it will fit in my 2009 Honda Fit, I am going to try to sell it.
I do this with a friend. What does not sell will be donated to the WARL thrift shop. If you are a DC area resident and find yourself there, stop by and say hi. Look for two women and the cutest dog ever!

NinetyFour

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2519 on: September 02, 2015, 05:56:02 AM »
Took about 8 boxes of stuff to the thrift store yesterday.  This included some t-shirts, candles, mugs, glasses, cassette tapes, placemats, crockery, and other random kitchen stuff.  I also took another box of books (6 total this summer) to the library.  My house feels better!

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2520 on: September 03, 2015, 02:52:32 AM »
Still plodding on. I cannot believe there is still stuff that needs to go. I am now up to 1500 items out of the house this year.

I've also used up a few things which were bugging me - an eyeliner I loved and didn't want to finish because it has been discontinued, a handcream which was too greasy, and some reels of thread which were bad quality. It felt good to finish and discard of the remainders of those things (they don't go on my checklist by the way. Only things I throw away or donate, not stuff that gets used up).

I am down to three bottles of shampoo (that sounds like loads, I know, but I used to have three or four on the go at once, AND ones in stock). I am feeling kind of anxious because one is very low, and another is a tiny bottle. But I will wait until I am down to two before restocking. Yes, it would be nice to only use one, but I have sensitive skin, and too much of one thing leads to eczema, unfortunately.

Squirrel away

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2521 on: September 03, 2015, 03:31:56 AM »
I am using up the last of my bath salts tonight, I won't buy that brand again as they were quite crap.

I threw away some handles, they were handles to the cat carriers I have but I never use them so out they went.


Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2523 on: September 05, 2015, 05:44:28 AM »
Still plodding on. I cannot believe there is still stuff that needs to go. I am now up to 1500 items out of the house this year.

Wow! Well done.

But I will wait until I am down to two before restocking. Yes, it would be nice to only use one, but I have sensitive skin, and too much of one thing leads to eczema, unfortunately.

Oh yes, I know this well. I have a variety of different sunscreens in the cupboard because I will often get a rash on my face if I use the same one too many days in a row (it's not eczema - just stupidly sensitive skin). Going without sunscreen in summer is not an option in Oz.

SarahMD428

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2524 on: September 05, 2015, 12:58:35 PM »
This month was a winner.  I ended a relationship and then moved out; got rid of stuff while I was packing
Good for you. It sounds like you are freeing a lot of blocked energy!

CU Tiger

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2525 on: September 05, 2015, 05:39:43 PM »
At the flea market today I made $33, had a delightful day with a friend and her cute dog, and got rid of about 50 things! Win, win, win!

tofuchampion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2526 on: September 05, 2015, 06:58:51 PM »
I finally managed to make some money from my old stuff! I sold my daughter's Pack & Play for $40, my Fitbit that I never use for $70, and I have someone picking up baby clothes for $10 on Monday. I also have a bunch more baby stuff on craigslist, but if it doesn't sell by the end of the month, it'll go to consignment.

I've also cleaned out the kids' closet and toys - filled up a huge black trash bag with stuff. I don't know where it all comes from. I have 2 kids sharing a 11'x12' bedroom. One kid isn't even here most of the year - he lives with his dad during the school year. But during breaks when he's with me, he accumulates a ridiculous amount of stuff. The baby stuff isn't so bad - yet.

This week, I need to list more stuff for sale (camping gear and a couple of Thirty-One brand things) and take some kids' books to consignment.

Melody

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2527 on: September 05, 2015, 10:59:33 PM »
My decluttering got to a "good space" where I didn't feel overwhelmed by stuff and then stopped in its tracks. After reading the thread, time to try again. I know there are still lots of things that are neither beautiful not practical in my house. 26 days into my no repeat work outfits challenge might also be the right time to consider the items which havent made it out of the closet yet and consider why as well as the items I didn't feel worked when I did wear them.

Anatidae V

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2528 on: September 06, 2015, 03:44:09 AM »
I anxiously asked the family member who gave us our dining table today if we could get rid of it. I've been trying to do this for the last 3 years,  but I assumed it was significant... Nope! She said go ahead and give it away! If we can sell it on Gumtree, great and keep the money! Wow that is a BIG relief!

We have a kerbside pickup in 4 weeks, so we're pushing to work out exactly what we want to get rid of before then.

Melody

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2529 on: September 06, 2015, 07:51:52 AM »
2 pairs of underwear and two tops in the trash. The undies were gifts I didn't like (and that's one thing there is no second hand market for!) And the tops were old, one had a number of holes, the other just looked super "tired".

Rural

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2530 on: September 06, 2015, 10:43:15 AM »
We keep and reuse more than most here, but I'm going through drawers and tossing everything that hurts to wear. I am now  officially too old to suffer for fashion, have been for years but haven't done a full purge (and if I were honest, a lot of things hurt now that wouldn't have a few years ago because of...resettlement of mass). :)

NataliaDuma

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2531 on: September 06, 2015, 12:47:10 PM »
If you are getting rid of your stuff, consider bringing them to consignment shops and even get the chance to earn even for a much lesser price from what you may have shelled out to buy that item. You can not only free up on your space at home but you can also add up to your savings in a way.

ADV_CJ

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2532 on: September 06, 2015, 12:57:25 PM »
I just got rid of a set of wheels & tires and a truck bed tent that's been sitting in my garage for the last four years.  We don't even own a truck anymore, so it was time to see this go bye bye.  My parents came visit this weekend, so they hauled them home.  They have an 92 Silverado that would benefit from both of these. 

brooklynmoney

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2533 on: September 06, 2015, 05:55:52 PM »
Two garbage bags of clothes and shoes to Salvation Army today, woohoo! Last week I threw out tons of plastic food containers. I love decluttering!

C. K.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2534 on: September 06, 2015, 08:34:16 PM »
 YESTERDAY'S DE-CLUTTERING

UNEXPECTED CASH

1. I de-cluttered the desk in my home office. Found a gift card that is 3 years old and still has cash on it. Used it to pay the cell phone carrier.

NO JUNK MAIL

2. I'm still pretty good at not bringing junk mail to my desk. I sort it near the kitchen trash can. The next best thing would be to have a trash can or recycle bin near the mailbox so that the junk mail never makes it into the house.

REMEMBER THE DEAD, BUT STILL LIVE YOUR LIFE

3. Sorted through a VHS collection and brought 2 bins down to 1 by ridding myself of the ones from a deceased colleague. Nice guy, but the very idea of his belongings in my house... Well, I didn't like that feeling. All of the movies of his that I would want to keep are available on DVD or digital download, so to the donation bin they go.

I hadn't dealt with this in years. Meanwhile, I've packed that collection with my other stuff and moved to a new place... twice! What baggage! You find ways to commemorate your friends other than keeping unwanted possessions.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

4. Last year, I knocked down my bins of childhood memorabilia by half. Yesterday, I knocked it down by half again. I opened the last remaining one for the first time in a decade or so. The school papers meant little to me, which was a relief. It was easier than I thought to let them go. I kept a few pages on which an instructor had left a nice note, but otherwise, it is now gone. My storage space is much nicer to see.

THE OUTFIT CONTROLLED MY LIFE TOO MUCH

5. There is this one outfit that I would store with my out-of-season clothes. Twice a year, I'd take it out and think of the great moments I had in it, then put it away again. I no longer wear it and this ritual was depressing. It was as if I was telling myself life cannot get any better in that area than those few moments spent in this ensemble so many years ago. I carefully folded it and placed in the donation bag. You'd think it was the national flag, I was so solemn while folding it. Yes, THE OUTFIT needed to go.

jordanread

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2535 on: September 06, 2015, 10:13:57 PM »
@C.K. that was an amazing way of looking at things. Thank you for that.

riverffashion

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2536 on: September 06, 2015, 10:44:56 PM »
YESTERDAY'S DE-CLUTTERING

UNEXPECTED CASH

1. I de-cluttered the desk in my home office. Found a gift card that is 3 years old and still has cash on it. Used it to pay the cell phone carrier.

NO JUNK MAIL

2. I'm still pretty good at not bringing junk mail to my desk. I sort it near the kitchen trash can. The next best thing would be to have a trash can or recycle bin near the mailbox so that the junk mail never makes it into the house.

REMEMBER THE DEAD, BUT STILL LIVE YOUR LIFE

3. Sorted through a VHS collection and brought 2 bins down to 1 by ridding myself of the ones from a deceased colleague. Nice guy, but the very idea of his belongings in my house... Well, I didn't like that feeling. All of the movies of his that I would want to keep are available on DVD or digital download, so to the donation bin they go.

I hadn't dealt with this in years. Meanwhile, I've packed that collection with my other stuff and moved to a new place... twice! What baggage! You find ways to commemorate your friends other than keeping unwanted possessions.

CHILDHOOD MEMORIES

4. Last year, I knocked down my bins of childhood memorabilia by half. Yesterday, I knocked it down by half again. I opened the last remaining one for the first time in a decade or so. The school papers meant little to me, which was a relief. It was easier than I thought to let them go. I kept a few pages on which an instructor had left a nice note, but otherwise, it is now gone. My storage space is much nicer to see.

THE OUTFIT CONTROLLED MY LIFE TOO MUCH

5. There is this one outfit that I would store with my out-of-season clothes. Twice a year, I'd take it out and think of the great moments I had in it, then put it away again. I no longer wear it and this ritual was depressing. It was as if I was telling myself life cannot get any better in that area than those few moments spent in this ensemble so many years ago. I carefully folded it and placed in the donation bag. You'd think it was the national flag, I was so solemn while folding it. Yes, THE OUTFIT needed to go.

That's am interesting perspective of belongings of a deceased friend- which I respect and also of course decluttering is awesome.
I upcycle a substantial amount of old clothing, lace, blankets etc into couture dresses and handbags- much of which were given to me from friends - from there deceased loved ones. So, to each his own . :)

mustachepungoeshere

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2537 on: September 06, 2015, 11:02:01 PM »
We're now a week into spring down under, so it's time to turn out the cupboards and see what can be tossed!

Over the weekend I pulled out and lined up all my shoes, then all my husband's.

I tossed one pair of worn out work shoes I had forgotten about (I had saved them in case I had trouble wearing in my new pair).

My husband relinquished one pair of shoes for charity (barely worn skate shoes, not really his style, and his next birthday is 30), two pairs for the bin, and discovered one pair that he forgot he had and had been planning to 'replace'.

Vacuumed the carpet in the bottom of the wardrobe, washed the shoe hanger, returned everything to its place, and am still in the stage of admiring my handiwork whenever I open the cupboard.

I rounded up a few items of clothing and made up a bag which we dropped to a charity shop.

And I sorted a couple of drawers and produced two bags of paper rubbish.

The next thing on my spring clean agenda is to clean the windows (I woke up this morning in a real hurry to do that but had to, you know, get ready for work), but after that, I will be sorting out our folded clothes.

I have also found a new home for two underbed storage tubs that are empty because decluttering always beats organising systems. The tubs are going to live with people who have not yet learnt that lesson. I'm happy, because it means they're not going to waste, and not taking up room under my spare bed that could be filled with glorious, peaceful ... nothing.

C. K.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2538 on: September 07, 2015, 03:20:05 AM »
@C.K. that was an amazing way of looking at things. Thank you for that.

You're welcome, jordanread.


That's am interesting perspective of belongings of a deceased friend- which I respect and also of course decluttering is awesome.
I upcycle a substantial amount of old clothing, lace, blankets etc into couture dresses and handbags- much of which were given to me from friends - from there deceased loved ones. So, to each his own . :)

I would take the items of a friend's deceased relative if I were not close to that person. There would be no memories attached.

I'm still discovering how not to clutter my life with certain family rituals for the deceased. While these rituals are cathartic for everyone else, they grieve me more. I leave with a heaviness that I cannot describe. And I'm expected to participate regularly. I wish they would let me mourn in my own way.

But not to participate means to them that you neither care about the dead nor about those remaining. In short, a mild form of disdain for you shows up in the family. The only thing to do is be extremely busy or move far enough away that they don't expect you to show up every time. I'm going for the latter, by January.

Astatine

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2539 on: September 07, 2015, 04:01:29 AM »
This is my favourite thread on this forum. <3

I've been given a LOT of stuff in the past month (have some health issues, have been given lots and lots of gifts). It's all been a bit overwhelming. So I've set up a new donation box next to the front door which is helping with the feelings of being overwhelmed with stuff. I've been given lots of brochures about the health issues I have too. Also not helping with the feelings of Too Much Stuff. Reading about other people giving stuff away is vicariously calming for some reason.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2540 on: September 07, 2015, 04:39:10 AM »
This is my favourite thread on this forum. <3

I've been given a LOT of stuff in the past month (have some health issues, have been given lots and lots of gifts). It's all been a bit overwhelming. So I've set up a new donation box next to the front door which is helping with the feelings of being overwhelmed with stuff. I've been given lots of brochures about the health issues I have too. Also not helping with the feelings of Too Much Stuff. Reading about other people giving stuff away is vicariously calming for some reason.

Sorry to hear about your health issues Astatine. Hope you get things under control soon.

I decided to sort through my vases on Friday night. I'd been putting it off for a while, then all of a sudden I needed to do it -now-. I was amazed at many I have collected over the years, through deliveries and gifts of flowers, and how few I actually liked. Rounded up a lot to be donated. Listed a couple of things on Ebay - they get one shot then off they go.

I'm finding myself with less tolerance for relisting things. I guess it's because of the high value stuff is gone. But also because there is a mental cost to having the ebay box sitting there.

Along with the vases were decorative candles. One I've kept as I like the scent and will use it up. The rest I got rid of. I don't like burning any candles other than beeswax in the house, and I make those myself for cheap.

I was also struck by how gross most of the vases were because they weren't in constant use. I keep them on a high shelf in the utility room, and many of them had dead bees in them etc and lots of cobwebs. More proof that stuff I don't need and use but keep is only to my detriment.

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2541 on: September 07, 2015, 04:15:21 PM »
I heard from ThredUp! For my bag of clothes . . . $9.32. Oh well, $9 beats having unwanted clothes in the closet.

I'm visiting my brother's house. It feels so different from mine. There is a lot of art--and a lot of clean surfaces with maybe a vase or a photo on them. I'm realizing yet again that we have way too much crap just sitting out. The space is full of stuff and furniture and stuff I don't even like. Oh, when I get back home . . . I don't even mind having the stuff (some of it), but I really don't need to look at the coffee mugs and the decanter and the corkscrews and the old espresso pot and the small tray of Euros and the . . . every single bloody day.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2542 on: September 08, 2015, 03:41:40 AM »
NoraLenderbee, I can so relate to loving the clear surfaces.

I cleared off the top of a bookshelf (not even the top shelf, just the top), and, so no-one would put anything else on it, I put a wedding photo on it. I love seeing it. It gives me such encouragement that I have been able to maintain that one spot as only for that photo.

I'm spreading that approach and introducing clutter free shelves one at a time (up to 3 now). Feels like such progress!

Last night I threw out 4 sample tubes of glue we got free. It just didn't work. Seriously. I read the instructions, did everything right, and yet every single thing I tried to glue it didn't hold, so it's gone.

I'm a red panda

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2543 on: September 08, 2015, 07:04:00 AM »
I heard from ThredUp! For my bag of clothes . . . $9.32. Oh well, $9 beats having unwanted clothes in the closet.


I've been going through my closet and I'm not sure it is going to be worth sending to ThredUp. I don't have anything that is a brand name.

pachnik

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2544 on: September 08, 2015, 10:12:48 AM »
Okay, I am pleased to post that I Konmari'd my dresser, including the underwear drawer.  I can't believe I am this excited about tidying up.  I always liked decluttering but not the straightening out what was left part of this.  So my dresser and closet are done.   

4alpacas

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2545 on: September 08, 2015, 10:22:23 AM »
I just joined our neighborhood's Buy Nothing FB group.  I'm going to try to start rounding up some of our stuff to give away.  Woohoo!

midweststache

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2546 on: September 08, 2015, 10:47:17 AM »
Got DH to take a first swipe at his clothes (man, has he been holding out). Threw out three shirts since none were salvageable for the thrift store. They NEEDED. TO. GO. It was all I could get him to part with for now.

I have three bags of stuff, plus three pots and pans and a pair of shoes, to take to the thrift store. Now to see if I can finagle a friend with a car into "going thrifting" with me...

ash7962

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2547 on: September 08, 2015, 11:00:56 AM »
Woo! just caught up to this thread after leaving off months ago at an early 20s page.  Its taken me about 2 weeks to read all the posts, and it has been amazing for my decluttering.  You guys have inspired me to do two things: first while going through KonMari steps 1-3 I had been placing things in garbage or paper bags so I finally got most of it out of the house totally, and second I finished the sorting part KonMari's Komono section.  So thanks everyone for that!  Now I'm left with another set of items on my entry way table to get out of the house, but I feel like I have the end in sight.  The best thing about all the decluttering is that I'm starting to feel like my apartment's natural cleanliness level has increased.  Now that I don't have to spend as much time putting things away before I get to the cleaning (or.. moving it to another surface for a few minutes), I can clean more easily and more frequently without feeling stressed or burnt out by it all.  I feel like I'll have another bump up in cleanliness once I fully finish the decluttering and I can redirect that energy.  Not to mention the fact that I won't constantly have the "on the way out" pile sitting around. 

Final steps for me will be to finish getting rid of my last "out" pile and then getting rid of the large plastic storage totes I'm no longer using!  I also need to ponder is how to reorganize the things I've decided to keep (especially knitting supplies).  They currently sit in an ugly, out of place 3 drawer plastic storage unit I got for free, but I have so much shelf space now I'm thinking about just decorating an old amazon cardboard box to be pretty and using that.

FunkyStickman

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2548 on: September 08, 2015, 11:14:12 AM »
Hadn't done anything for a while, but with the appearance of a new clothing drop-box nearby, we've been back at it. Dropped off 4 bags of clothes this weekend, got more coming.

I'm going to buy jeans that actually fit me, and get rid of everything that doesn't.

theadvicist

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Re: Getting rid of stuff / Clearing out clutter!
« Reply #2549 on: September 09, 2015, 08:46:20 AM »

Final steps for me will be to finish getting rid of my last "out" pile and then getting rid of the large plastic storage totes I'm no longer using!  I also need to ponder is how to reorganize the things I've decided to keep (especially knitting supplies).  They currently sit in an ugly, out of place 3 drawer plastic storage unit I got for free, but I have so much shelf space now I'm thinking about just decorating an old amazon cardboard box to be pretty and using that.
I've had good luck covering cardboard boxes with either cheap fabric or wall paper from the charity shop and strong double sided tape (I think it was carpet tape). I found I had to do the inside as well to give it a finished look. They've held up very well, but it's not stuff I access that often.