~Susan~
Pearl Clutcher
You need to check your boobs, mine tried to kill me!!!
Posts: 3,258
Jul 6, 2014 17:25:32 GMT
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Post by ~Susan~ on Jan 3, 2020 6:24:44 GMT
Thanks for continuing these threads. I am going to do my best to contribute more. As for decluttering, I am going to pick one area at a time and thoroughly go through it. I think I even have convinced my DH to get on board with this. I will update as I go along. How did you convince him? That's great, I hope you all are sucessful in your decluttering! I think my husband would declutter more, but he has been busy with work, and has no desire to declutter on his days off. I am a sahm, so I have all the time to declutter and I have to keep reminding myself that most people don't have all the free time I do. I have offered to declutter for my family but they aren't interested! I think he is more on board with it this time because we are only doing like a drawer at a time or a shelf at a time. Before I would designated a room or another large area to work on for hours and he would lose interest.
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Post by maryland on Jan 3, 2020 14:11:31 GMT
How did you convince him? That's great, I hope you all are sucessful in your decluttering! I think my husband would declutter more, but he has been busy with work, and has no desire to declutter on his days off. I am a sahm, so I have all the time to declutter and I have to keep reminding myself that most people don't have all the free time I do. I have offered to declutter for my family but they aren't interested! I think he is more on board with it this time because we are only doing like a drawer at a time or a shelf at a time. Before I would designated a room or another large area to work on for hours and he would lose interest. Yes! That's what I learned over the years also. I told my husband even if he spends 5 min. or less a day decluttering one drawer (even if it takes a week to do one drawer), then that is still a great way to declutter! It's funny, but his office/desk at work is almost perfect. It's just at home where it's chaos! But I do agree that work is more important, because that is what supports us!
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,318
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Jan 3, 2020 15:15:07 GMT
I'm going into 2020 the way I ended 2019....maintaining the spaces I've already decluttered.
The house looks good and I plan to keep it that way. My 1 project for the winter is to go through my seasonal décor items and pull out some to donate and then do a little straightening up in the basement. My goal for 2020 is to have a low spend year.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Mar 29, 2024 11:23:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 3, 2020 18:35:16 GMT
How are you approaching your 2020 goals? I have printed a few goal/habit trackers that have the whole year on a page so I can see at a glance how I'm doing. I will track walking, yoga and meditation. The yoga is a new one this year and I hope to take a class at least once a week. My big January decluttering and organizing project is to take on the office/craft room. I already use Evernote to inventory my stamps & dies and want to add embossing folders, stencils and embellishments into it as well. As always, I need to get ruthless about clearing out supplies that I haven't used in forever and won't miss if they are donated. Can you expand on that a little, please? One of my goals this year is to use evernote more effectively. My other goals: I want to use Stacy Julian's idea of 20 in 20 (minus the class) to get those lingering scrapbook projects done. They include photo sorting and scanning for the years before digital, making family photo albums for each year between 2010-2019, completing some trip albums that are almost done but need things added, etc. I've got a list of those items started so I can devote a couple hours per week to getting them done. We've already taken Christmas decorations down and I was able to get rid of some ornaments and other items because I just don't like them anymore. I use January to clean out paper files, electronic files, prep for taxes, clean out kitchen cupboards and the attic.
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Post by bc2ca on Jan 3, 2020 22:59:47 GMT
My big January decluttering and organizing project is to take on the office/craft room. I already use Evernote to inventory my stamps & dies and want to add embossing folders, stencils and embellishments into it as well. As always, I need to get ruthless about clearing out supplies that I haven't used in forever and won't miss if they are donated. Can you expand on that a little, please? One of my goals this year is to use evernote more effectively. In Evernote, I set up a Notebook called "Stamp & Die Inventory" and then added a Note for each stamp and die in my collection. If it is a stamp & die set, they are set up as one Note. The Note's are titled with the company & stamp/die name like this: - PTI Feather Finery stamps & dies
- MFT Jingle All the Way stamps & dies
- Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls stamps
- Hero Arts Antique Engravings stamps
When setting up a new Note, I type in the title and then pull in a screen shot of the stamp and/or die and then Tag the heck out of it. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP because you search through the tags. Hero Arts Antique Engravings is tagged: animal, antique engravings, beach, bird, butterfly, dragonfly, hero arts, hero arts antique engravings, hummingbird, seashell, shell Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls is tagged: branch, christmas, deck the hall, greenery, jolly holly days, lawn fawn, lawn fawn deck the halls, pine needles, pinecone, snowflake Evernote puts the tags in alphabetical order. I always tag the company name first, then the company name plus set name, then the set name only, then the images, then the full sentiments*, then generic tags (animal, beach, christmas). *You can always add more tags later. I've learned it is worth it to put in a full sentiment like "you're on the nice list" instead of just the generic "christmas". It took a while to get things set up, but is so easy to add in new stamps/dies and a dream to search through for the perfect sentiment or forgotten image. Hope this helped. FWIW, I set it up and always enter new inventory while on the Macbook and search almost exclusively on my phone.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Mar 29, 2024 11:23:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2020 0:43:56 GMT
Can you expand on that a little, please? One of my goals this year is to use evernote more effectively. In Evernote, I set up a Notebook called "Stamp & Die Inventory" and then added a Note for each stamp and die in my collection. If it is a stamp & die set, they are set up as one Note. The Note's are titled with the company & stamp/die name like this: - PTI Feather Finery stamps & dies
- MFT Jingle All the Way stamps & dies
- Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls stamps
- Hero Arts Antique Engravings stamps
When setting up a new Note, I type in the title and then pull in a screen shot of the stamp and/or die and then Tag the heck out of it. THIS IS THE MOST IMPORTANT STEP because you search through the tags. Hero Arts Antique Engravings is tagged: animal, antique engravings, beach, bird, butterfly, dragonfly, hero arts, hero arts antique engravings, hummingbird, seashell, shell Lawn Fawn Deck the Halls is tagged: branch, christmas, deck the hall, greenery, jolly holly days, lawn fawn, lawn fawn deck the halls, pine needles, pinecone, snowflake Evernote puts the tags in alphabetical order. I always tag the company name first, then the company name plus set name, then the set name only, then the images, then the full sentiments*, then generic tags (animal, beach, christmas). *You can always add more tags later. I've learned it is worth it to put in a full sentiment like "you're on the nice list" instead of just the generic "christmas". It took a while to get things set up, but is so easy to add in new stamps/dies and a dream to search through for the perfect sentiment or forgotten image. Hope this helped. FWIW, I set it up and always enter new inventory while on the Macbook and search almost exclusively on my phone. Thank you for the detailed description! You are so kind and I am very grateful! This gives me a great place to start creating my inventory.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 4, 2020 2:35:17 GMT
I have my decorations taken care of, but the pre-lit tree is still up --without any decorations. I can't seem to figure out how to disassemble it. I have help coming tomorrow. I have everything in 5 boxes. (Christmas red and green--not the huge black ones with the yellow tops! Still a lot of stuff, but a lot less than I had!! I have three boxes of Christmas stuff out in the shed that I can now get rid of. One of my daughters is coming to visit on Sunday afternoon. She will be here until Thursday, and she plans to help me prepare for my upcoming move. I'm going to send stuff home with her. We are going to go through my scrapbook supplies that I haven't touched in about 11 years because I switched to digi. Hope she takes a LOT of it home!!
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Post by dewryce on Jan 4, 2020 2:57:40 GMT
I’m still trying to decide what my goals will be this year, not in a head space to make decisions right now.
But for those of you working with your DHs on decluttering, I do something with mine that you might consider asking yours if it would help them. Or, just do it once and see the reaction you get. I presort for him, or basically come up with suggested piles and he gets the final say. Now, he’s completely on board with decluttering, so it is rare that my suggestions don’t stick. It is not rare for him to add to the “go” pile, even from the “I’m sure you’ll never part with this pile.” I’m careful not to push him too far, and I really look at things from his perspective. For the “go” and “I think it should go but you probably don’t piles I list my reasons as I show him the items. For example “this shirt is too tight around your midsection and even if it wasn’t I don’t think the color is flattering, you have (such and such) similar shirt that already looks amazing on you.”
I am careful to make it a quick process and I don’t push him, just quickly move on to the next stack. This works for us because it takes so much less physical and mental effort on his part. Well, less physical effort when he isn’t as into it. I’d rather his energy was spent making decisions so during those periods I use his time for that and I put everything away. It also seems to go better when I am doing a lot of like things together. When he sees that he has multiples of something and that he prefers some more than others it is easy for him to let go.
Again, my DH is on board and already a good declutterer but sometimes he’s just not in the mood so I find I’m able to keep moving (painlessly) forward using this technique. But perhaps it would be a good starting point for some of your partners/children? It was super helpful before he built his declutter muscles because he was so overwhelmed and didn’t have a process for thinking through his decisions. When I told him how I made my decisions, it clicked. (Eta: So did reading It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. For some reason that book more than any other book/article/show clicked with him.)
Good luck!
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,432
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jan 4, 2020 10:00:35 GMT
I'm glad you're running this thread again this year as I've decided I need to go through and declutter again. I'm currently in the overwhelmed, where do I start stage as all I can see is how much I want to go through, and I have a DH who hates to get rid of anything.
There's a minimalist challenge on the scrapping board to get rid of something every day which I'm playing along with to get me started but I'm going to need all the motivation I can get from this thread to keep me going.
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
Jul 12, 2014 21:58:10 GMT
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Post by pridemom on Jan 4, 2020 12:47:25 GMT
Our goals are to declutter, pare down for a move, and get the house ready to list for sale. Last night we had the girls go through their clothes and they got five bags between them. Worked on our storage room. I have prom dresses to list on Facebook groups, so we might make a little bit. Today I am working on my craft room.
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artbabe
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,011
Jun 26, 2014 1:59:10 GMT
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Post by artbabe on Jan 4, 2020 13:59:40 GMT
I'm a borderline hoarder is some areas so I've been working like crazy these past two weeks to dig out of the situation I've got myself in. I'm a teacher so I've had the time to devote to full days of cleaning out rooms and putting things away. I tend to cover every horizontal surface with stuff so it has been a big job to see table tops. I haven't gotten to organizing drawers and cabinets yet. I figure I can make it a goal to organize one drawer or cabinet every day after work. I need to go through my clothes closet, too, but I'm currently losing weight so I don't want to get rid of my smaller size clothes just yet. I'm trying to be optimistic. My situation is really different than some of you because of my extremely messy tendencies and the fact that I live alone so there is no one to keep me in check. But I'm working on it and I've been really excited about my progress.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jan 4, 2020 14:01:18 GMT
But for those of you working with your DHs on decluttering, I do something with mine that you might consider asking yours if it would help them. Or, just do it once and see the reaction you get. I presort for him, or basically come up with suggested piles and he gets the final say. What a great idea! I've been presenting my husband with small tasks -- like we're just dealing with your hanging clothes today only or just your sock drawer. We have a deal that he makes the piles of keep-or-toss and then I put all the keepers back neatly and deal with the donations. But this takes that one step further. It would really appeal to my DH as he likes the final say, but not necessarily to commit the chunk of time it takes to sort it all. Thanks, dewryce! This may be a game changer.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jan 4, 2020 14:03:16 GMT
My situation is really different than some of you because of my extremely messy tendencies and the fact that I live alone so there is no one to keep me in check. But I'm working on it and I've been really excited about my progress. Keep yourself accountable by posting here. We really like to hear about each other's progress and we'll celebrate with you as you achieve your goals!
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pridemom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,843
Jul 12, 2014 21:58:10 GMT
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Post by pridemom on Jan 4, 2020 14:20:41 GMT
I’m still trying to decide what my goals will be this year, not in a head space to make decisions right now. But for those of you working with your DHs on decluttering, I do something with mine that you might consider asking yours if it would help them. Or, just do it once and see the reaction you get. I presort for him, or basically come up with suggested piles and he gets the final say. Now, he’s completely on board with decluttering, so it is rare that my suggestions don’t stick. It is not rare for him to add to the “go” pile, even from the “I’m sure you’ll never part with this pile.” I’m careful not to push him too far, and I really look at things from his perspective. For the “go” and “ I think it should go but you probably don’t piles I list my reasons as I show him the items. For example “this shirt is too tight around your midsection and even if it wasn’t I don’t think the color is flattering, you have (such and such) similar shirt that already looks amazing on you.” I am careful to make it a quick process and I don’t push him, just quickly move on to the next stack. This works for us because it takes so much less physical and mental effort on his part. Well, less physical effort when he isn’t as into it. I’d rather his energy was spent making decisions so during those periods I use his time for that and I put everything away. It also seems to go better when I am doing a lot of like things together. When he sees that he has multiples of something and that he prefers some more than others it is easy for him to let go. Again, my DH is on board and already a good declutterer but sometimes he’s just not in the mood so I find I’m able to keep moving (painlessly) forward using this technique. But perhaps it would be a good starting point for some of your partners/children? It was super helpful before he built his declutter muscles because he was so overwhelmed and didn’t have a process for thinking through his decisions. When I told him how I made my decisions, it clicked. (Eta: So did reading It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh. For some reason that book more than any other book/article/show clicked with him.) Good luck! My husband works on the things stored in our basement this way. We were just talking about how it works best for us this way. I really don’t miss the stuff he tosses, but would question if I was present. I then go through the questionable piles with him and he helps me discern whether to keep or toss. It’s a team effort and I know my weakness.
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Post by iteach3rdgrade on Jan 4, 2020 15:22:28 GMT
How to you manage memorabilia? That seems to be my issue. I started to deal with some over break, but then I can’t seem to get rid of the memories. I guess it helps me remember things I’ve done that I might otherwise forget.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 4, 2020 16:00:14 GMT
How to you manage memorabilia? That seems to be my issue. I started to deal with some over break, but then I can’t seem to get rid of the memories. I guess it helps me remember things I’ve done that I might otherwise forget. Photos! Lots of photos. If it's flat and small, i might tuck it into a scrapbook. My kids have truly endless amounts of projects and drawings and creations, from school & home both. There are a few pieces that I display because they are that good, or that sentimental. But everything can't be special, because then nothing is.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 4, 2020 16:14:31 GMT
Today I tackled 7 Rubbermaid bins of toys.
Tossed 3 kitchen trashbags worth of them.
You would not believe the amount of toys from a relative that were "only a little broken" when they were given in the first place. (Yes, thrifting is great. No, it's not a great deal if one wing doesn't work and the leg keeps falling off).
The rest of the throw aways were junky toys that were forgotten an hour after getting them. Dentist toys (from the treasure chest after a visit), things from school for good behavior or gift bags that parents send on their kid's birthday, etc.
I organized the bins by type of toy.
Trains
Little People & their accessories
Play food
Action figures, dinosaurs, Mr. Potato Head
Imaginext large vehicles
Two miscellaneous bins
Also gathered all summer toys together (bubbles, chalk, sand toys.
I have a smallish grocery bag of nice toddler toys to donate to thrift.
I feel so much better about it all. The bins are neat and stacked & I know what's in them.
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Post by natscraps on Jan 4, 2020 16:18:07 GMT
Hi everyone. Been lurking and following for awhile and finally took the time to make an account so I can jump in. My goals for this month are to put shelving up in the basement. We've been in this house for almost two years and still have boxes everywhere plus a storage unit. I also need to finish going through all the holiday bins and get them stored properly. I teach preschool so this includes all my holiday bins for work too. My other goal is to get through the stacks of work paperwork on my office/scraproom floor and get it back into files. I ordered an area rug for that room so its time to get the piles off the floor. How to you manage memorabilia? That seems to be my issue. I started to deal with some over break, but then I can’t seem to get rid of the memories. I guess it helps me remember things I’ve done that I might otherwise forget. For memorabilia I have a set number of small storage totes and limit myself to what will fit in the tote. For example I have one for things that were my Dad's, one for my mom, one for my childhood stuff, and one for my son's baby stuff. I also took pictures of things like trophies and then tossed the actual objects. For paper memorabilia, I pared it down to the really important stuff and have it in a file box by year. I still scrap so hopefully a lot of it will eventually make it into albums. I take pictures or scan of a lot of things I tossed and have those in a separate file on my computer.
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Post by ameslou on Jan 4, 2020 16:27:59 GMT
Today I'm working on organizing my scrap related stuff. This is my "dining room", so it tends to collect some other stuff. I've thrown away a bunch of junk mail, rounded up all the 2019 memorabilia (not yet scrapped) and put it in a couple of page protectors in the back of the 2019 album. Up next is putting away various "inventory".
@gobananas, thank you for mentioning Stacy Julian's 20 in 20. Sounds like an interesting idea .. I'm going to check out her podcast. Thanks!
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Post by ntsf on Jan 4, 2020 17:57:56 GMT
I'm getting my inspiration from visiting my 93 yr old dad.. his place is small and not too bad.. but he has papers all over his dining table and half the kitchen counters. we have been dealing with all sorts of small problems.. but after trying to get him to recycle file or deal with it with his papers.. I am ready to throw out more!! he couldn't find his new credit card that arrived two weeks ago cause it was in a pile.. and it looked like an ad to him.. he never took it out of the envelope. then he has problems with stuff like utilities cause he can't hear very well on the phone and doesn't deal well with these things anymore. he wants to keep receipts.. though he knows he doesn't need them.. and statements for everything that is paid automatically. I went through all his photos.. looking for photos of a friend.. and found many I am taking home.
when I go home I start getting rid of tons of stuff.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jan 4, 2020 18:42:33 GMT
Been lurking and following for awhile and finally took the time to make an account so I can jump in. So glad you're here! Welcome.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 4, 2020 19:08:15 GMT
Y'all are going to laugh at me, but I finally tackled a 6" wide magazine holder of paperwork that needed filing/ shredding.
It had accumulated during a really busy work season about a year and a half ago, and I've just ignored it, giving it dirty looks whenever I walked into the room.
It's been a good day for decluttering here. Now just to keep that momentum going.
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MsKnit
Pearl Clutcher
RefuPea #1406
Posts: 2,648
Jun 26, 2014 19:06:42 GMT
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Post by MsKnit on Jan 4, 2020 19:10:03 GMT
My kitchen sink/drain sprung a leak. Since that cabinet is spartan, I have decided to set up part of it for my Kombucha making supplies. Bottles & Mason jars.
Debating tossing all my school notes and most of the work. Read somewhere that all that needs kept is the syllabus for each class. Thinking Psych 101 syllabi is long gone. That professor was horrid.
At the least, I will start with 2 classes.
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RedSquirrelUK
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,703
Location: The UK's beautiful West Country
Aug 2, 2014 13:03:45 GMT
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Post by RedSquirrelUK on Jan 4, 2020 19:30:49 GMT
After 7 years, I've managed to persuade DH that we need to reorganise "my" airing room, the tiny box room that we keep a dehumidifier in to dry our washing, and which also collects clutter. I'm so happy! The new furniture arrives on Tuesday.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 4, 2020 20:48:58 GMT
Hi everyone. Been lurking and following for awhile and finally took the time to make an account so I can jump in. Glad that you are here with us! I hope that you post often and tackle your clutter in the process! But everything can't be special, because then nothing is. Excellent words of wisdom. I need to print this out and post it where I can see it! A big part of my problem with memorabilia is that I am sentimental and view everything as special. How to you manage memorabilia? Memorabilia is definitely a weakness for me. Just today I opened a large trash bag of things from my parents' home (3.5 years later) and discovered some award plaques given to my parents. They are personalized and I have no idea what to do with them. I'm glad you're running this thread again this year as I've decided I need to go through and declutter again. I'm currently in the overwhelmed, where do I start stage as all I can see is how much I want to go through, So glad to see you here! That overwhelmed stage is the worst. Just pick a drawer or shelf and work on that. I find that when I do, it snowballs. I'm going into 2020 the way I ended 2019....maintaining the spaces I've already decluttered. The house looks good and I plan to keep it that way. You are our inspiration - and proof that there is light at the end of the tunnel of crap! Way to go!
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 4, 2020 21:19:47 GMT
Finally got all the Christmas decorations boxed and in the garage yesterday afternoon. This morning I have cleaned out the foyer closet. Added a fleece to the donation pile, relocated the old letter jackets (3) to a cedar closet, moved 11 slide carrousels to my office to scan, relocated tablecloths/mom's wedding dress/leftover wallpaper/steamer. After moving all that, had room to put the reusable gift boxes I bought this year. Now I can mark the foyer off my list!
Am in the process of working on the small walk-in closet that hold luggage, DH's boots and many of my purses. Added 3 old prom dresses, a couple of nice suit hangers, and old 26" suitcase of DD's to the donation pile. I also pulled out a large trash bag that I brought back when I cleaned out my parents' house in 2016. It hasn't been opened until today. All the stuff in there came from a trunk that my dad kept all his old Masonic Lodge and Shriner gear in. Most of the stuff I'll keep on a shelf in the closet, got rid of a pair of coveralls, and trying to decide what to do with the personalized award plaques. Any ideas?
Have just started on the eBay pile and added a Vera Bradley tote bag to the donations. The zipper is broken and I don't want to deal with it. After my break is over I'll tackle that a bit more.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Mar 29, 2024 11:23:15 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 4, 2020 22:35:34 GMT
Award plaques: I would photograph them then toss.
I reorganized kitchen cabinets to make room for more canned,dehydrated and stap!e food. (See cyber attack thread) I didn't really get rid of any thing because I did a big clearing out last year of pots,pans,etc. I have a whole section ready for my new stockpiles that I've ordered from grocery pickup.
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Post by belgravia on Jan 4, 2020 22:47:24 GMT
I hope a scrapbooker hits my goodwill because I just sent my husband there to drop off 99% of my crap!! It feels so good to have it gone.
I cleaned out the two big closets in my guest room, and organizes all my Christmas stuff. I need to keep going. I swear, my house is 4100 square feet, there are three of us, and it’s bursting at the seams. How can that be?
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 5, 2020 0:14:15 GMT
**GypsyGirl** How big are the plaques & how much do they mean to you? If they are small, I might be tempted to make a shadow box with the plaque, photo of person awarded, & other related memorabilia. If not, I'd probably take good photos and toss.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 5, 2020 0:56:02 GMT
**GypsyGirl** How big are the plaques & how much do they mean to you? If they are small, I might be tempted to make a shadow box with the plaque, photo of person awarded, & other related memorabilia. If not, I'd probably take good photos and toss. Probably about 9" x 11" at the most, with one being about 6" x 8". As for how much they mean? Zilch. These were for things they did in retirement, long after I was out married and out of the house. Where I get hung up is feeling guilty for getting rid of something that was theirs and meant something to them. Funny how I was able to sail through dismantling the house and basically rip the bandaid off. Now over 3 years later I'm hung up on silly plaques. Grief and guilt strike when you least expect it. Taking photos and tossing is probably the best option.
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