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Post by bunnyhug on Jan 16, 2020 3:54:45 GMT
I’ve been using shredded paper as mulch in a ‘hidden’ area of our yard—it eventually breaks down. I use pretty cedar mulch in the places I can see, and shredded paper between the garage and the alley!
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Post by natscraps on Jan 16, 2020 11:42:54 GMT
DH finally took the 3 large boxes of garbage I had piled at the bottom of the basement steps for months and put them out with trash last night. He hates putting stuff in the trash because he feels bad for the trashman :eyeroll:
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Post by tentoes on Jan 16, 2020 17:36:30 GMT
Today so far I've packed up 2 big boxes of photo albums for my move in July, and gotten rid of 2 items in that closet. I'm not finished yet--Hope to get through this one closet today.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 16, 2020 17:53:26 GMT
Today so far I've packed up 2 big boxes of photo albums for my move in July, and gotten rid of 2 items in that closet. I'm not finished yet--Hope to get through this one closet today. My favorite organizational guru, Peter Walsh, has a new book out that specifically addresses downsizing. I’ve just started it, but I was thinking of you as I read it. He addresses the emotional issues faced when downsizing for various reasons. And how it might affect other people in the family and the tension it can cause. I’ve recommended his original book countless times, and I still get something out of it when I reread it. When I do these kind of self help books I keep a pen and highlighter with me and write down my questions and thoughts as I read it, highlight my favorite sections. If something he says motivates me to donate a specific item, I write it down right then. Or of it makes me think of possibilities to donateI write those down along with my initial thoughts about why I am hesitant. It really helps me absorb the material, almost like studying. Even though I haven’t finished it I’m confident recommending his books in general. Anyway, if you are interested, here is the link. And here is the original one, It’s All Too Much. That one has a workbook to go along with it. This is the book that is my decluttering bible, and helped my pack rat DH finally get on the decluttering train. It’s really motivating to read about your ongoing progress and reminds me that it’s okay to do bits at a time. That concept used to come naturally to me, but as my anxiety gets worse I find it harder to do. So, thank you for the inspiration. It helped me go through the cabinets and drawers in our master bathroom bathroom yesterday and also do just a small section of the shelves in my closet without becoming anxious that I wasn’t doing the whole thing!
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Post by dewryce on Jan 16, 2020 18:07:20 GMT
DH finally took the 3 large boxes of garbage I had piled at the bottom of the basement steps for months and put them out with trash last night. He hates putting stuff in the trash because he feels bad for the trashman :eyeroll: Did you ask him why he felt bad for the garbage man for doing his job, which will add just a couple of minutes to just one of his workdays to load extra boxes...but not for the wife that has to deal with it every time she enters a space in her home for months? I can’t stop giggling at that thought process.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 16, 2020 18:09:30 GMT
Today so far I've packed up 2 big boxes of photo albums for my move in July, and gotten rid of 2 items in that closet. I'm not finished yet--Hope to get through this one closet today. My favorite organizational guru, Peter Walsh, has a new book out that specifically addresses downsizing. I’ve just started it, but I was thinking of you as I read it. He addresses the emotional issues faced when downsizing for various reasons. And how it might affect other people in the family and the tension it can cause. I’ve recommended his original book countless times, and I still get something out of it when I reread it. When I do these kind of self help books I keep a pen and highlighter with me and write down my questions and thoughts as I read it, highlight my favorite sections. If something he says motivates me to donate a specific item, I write it down right then. Or of it makes me think of possibilities to donateI write those down along with my initial thoughts about why I am hesitant. It really helps me absorb the material, almost like studying. Even though I haven’t finished it I’m confident recommending his books in general. Anyway, if you are interested, here is the link. And here is the original one, It’s All Too Much. That one has a workbook to go along with it. This is the book that is my decluttering bible, and helped my pack rat DH finally get on the decluttering train. It’s really motivating to read about your ongoing progress and reminds me that it’s okay to do bits at a time. That concept used to come naturally to me, but as my anxiety gets worse I find it harder to do. So, thank you for the inspiration. It helped me go through the cabinets and drawers in our master bathroom bathroom yesterday and also do just a small section of the shelves in my closet without becoming anxious that I wasn’t doing the whole thing! Thank you for the suggestion, and thanks for letting me know I am motivating you! That motivates me! The "small" stuff adds up. My son and ddil are coming over on Saturday to "help" me! We've realized that with my planned "out of town time" we have about 1/2 of the time between now and July to actually get the job done. It's not time to panic yet, but if I don't get things gone through, panic will be next on my list.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 16, 2020 18:27:18 GMT
Thank you for the suggestion, and thanks for letting me know I am motivating you! That motivates me! The "small" stuff adds up. My son and ddil are coming over on Saturday to "help" me! We've realized that with my planned "out of town time" we have about 1/2 of the time between now and July to actually get the job done. It's not time to panic yet, but if I don't get things gone through, panic will be next on my list. I am pretty sure that if you schedule your panic attack it will be okay So...3 months. You can do that with your consistent effort! One thing I did when we moved into our first home that really helped me was to get all of the things I was absolutely sure were going packed and in a corner in the garage out of sight and out of mind. We packed over several months because we wanted to be really intentional about what we kept, so we did some serious decluttering as we went along. Everything was also cleaned & fixed before it was packed. Such a good feeling! PROS * I already had things packed so that took quite a bit of weight off my shoulders because the task was underway, instead of something that I hadn’t even started. * It physically removed items from our spaces so that it was easier to really see what was left. CONS * If your stuff isn’t already gathered together you end up with a lot of misc boxes instead of ‘books’ and ‘movies’. I used bankers boxes for some of my super heavy items, so this wasn’t an issue because I could just lift up the lid. We packed according to room things would be in our new place rather than where they currently were. So I did end up with a ‘misc.’ box per room of items we unearthed as we got farther in the packing process, that worked out really well for us. We just lined the open boxes in an inconspicuous but easy to access spot. * There’s a possibility you need something you packed but I don’t remember this happening to us.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 16, 2020 19:19:13 GMT
thank you dewryce for the suggestions. I will probably keep the boxes in the house for now. I only have a few. My husband's train room is currently full of used furniture for my grandson when he gets married in May!! He actually gets custody of the house they will be renting by the end of this month, so that will become where I will be putting my filled boxes. So far, all I have packed is the photo albums, and since I haven't looked at them in a few years, I can leave them packed. I did mark the two boxes. I still need at least one more box to put the rest of them in. I did mark the boxes, so that is good!! I have about 36 photo boxes full of photos to pack too. those are in the scrapbook room. I think I'll have a box full of vcr tapes--(family movies) and another couple of boxes of books from the scrapbook room. My scrapbook albums are in my wall unit in the living room--and that whole unit will be moving with me, but will have to be packed up for the move--but not yet!! I have to decide what to do with my doll collection. Part of it is in the wall unit, and part of it is in a big box in the shed. I'll definitely have to reduce the size of it!! I'm sticking my head under the pillow right now!! I guess I need to read the book!!
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Post by tentoes on Jan 16, 2020 21:16:12 GMT
so far from the closet, I got rid of a new set of sheets (queen size) I don't have that size bed anymore! 4 tablecloths, 4 pairs of shoes, 4 pairs of slippers, a bunch of papers that I'm not sure where that came from! My husband's terry robe, an Origami book??? Not sure where that came from! and 2 purses. I haven't carried a purse in ages. I haven't reached the top 3 shelves. Not steady enough today to be on a ladder--so will hold off for help with those. Besides the small closet, I also cleaned off the shoe shelves in the room.
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Jan 16, 2020 21:40:15 GMT
**GypsyGirl**, they do accept shredded paper in our recycling. I usually keep it in boxes and mark the boxes so it's known what's inside. I looked in the bin this morning and noticed that it's not 35% full, it's more like 60% full. I'm definitely going to meet this weeks recycling goal.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 17, 2020 14:55:56 GMT
In case anyone needs a little something to get you started...today’s decluttering calendar prompts are: * Declutter papers from My Simpler Life. But that one is not very specific so I will add one from earlier in the month. Any bras that have lost all elasticity? * Declutter shelf stable food from pantry or cupboard shelves from Home Storage Solutions101. There is also a link to a cheat sheet from her Declutter calendar. This is supposed to be a 15 minute activity so no need or pressure to take everything out and rearrange your pantry. If prompts like these help you because, like me, sometimes you get so overwhelmed and don’t know where to start they both have calendars you can print for free. The woman who runs the first website is doing a 6 Week Declutter Group starting Monday. I haven’t decided if I am going to do that yet. It seems a lot of it is through Facebook, which I no longer use.
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Jan 17, 2020 18:24:33 GMT
I've been traveling some, but it is time for me to get started.
My goal is to get my house on the market this spring, as that is when military orders go out (I live in a heavily military area, so that is when home prices are highest).
I have a TON of work to do, especially since I will be downsizing wherever I go.
I'm having a shingles flare, so I have zero energy, but I need to get stuff done. My goal for today is to clean out and organize the closet in my guest room. My guest room is the least cluttered space in my house, so I want to start there to have a big victory.
The weather is fairly nice right now, so I need to work in my garage some this weekend. I'm aiming for 3 2-hour sessions in there before Monday.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 17, 2020 19:58:16 GMT
Do any of you have a label maker that can print 1” or 2” labels? I have an old p-touch downstairs that is still going strong, and a brother label maker upstairs that I love. But when I was going through all of our billion Christmas boxes last night I couldn’t read them unless I was super close, and thatnposed serious challenges. I have found this one, which looks pretty good.
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Post by MissBianca on Jan 17, 2020 21:07:37 GMT
Finally finished the linen closet. All the different baskets for stuff have been reorganized. I tossed old meds and stuff we just don’t need anymore and filled a small plastic grocery bag. While I was at I sorted the baskets under the sink in the bathroom too. Those combined helped me get all the random stuff out of the bathroom that tend to accumulate. You can now see the ledge on the back of the sink, the top of the toilet and the window sill. We also pulled the drawers out of the bottom of a cabinet in the linen closet. They were empty because the vacuum is in the way. But now the open space is perfect for storing toilet paper and tissues.
I also sorted my night table drawers and part of the top. Have a small box of stuff that needs to go to other rooms.
And DH sorted under the bed (it lifts for storage). We both purged a bunch of shoes. He purged old socks and shorts that are to small.
We are aiming at small spaces for now. With the kids back in college (I drive them every day) and DH traveling a lot, we just don’t have time to do a whole room at once so we are back to doing a box/drawer/shelf every day.
Oh and yesterday I cleaned my fridge. It was long over due. Something was funky in there but we couldn’t figure out what so I did a massive purge and cleaning. Now I just need to do the meat and cheese drawer but DH has to help with that.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 17, 2020 22:41:17 GMT
I got three more boxes packed for the move. Got rid of some papers I don't need. I did some "general housecleaning" Not too happy with the downsizing part so far today--but did wash the kitchen floor and ran the vacuum cleaner. Filed some tax stuff that came in the mail. Paid some bills and got them in the mail. Visited with my grandson when he came over to drop off some boxes! That was the best part of the day. I love that young man!!
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Jan 17, 2020 23:45:44 GMT
In case anyone needs a little something to get you started...today’s decluttering calendar prompts are: * Declutter papers from My Simpler Life. But that one is not very specific so I will add one from earlier in the month. Any bras that have lost all elasticity? * Declutter shelf stable food from pantry or cupboard shelves from Home Storage Solutions101. There is also a link to a cheat sheet from her Declutter calendar. This is supposed to be a 15 minute activity so no need or pressure to take everything out and rearrange your pantry. If prompts like these help you because, like me, sometimes you get so overwhelmed and don’t know where to start they both have calendars you can print for free. The woman who runs the first website is doing a 6 Week Declutter Group starting Monday. I haven’t decided if I am going to do that yet. It seems a lot of it is through Facebook, which I no longer use. Looks like I'm going to be going braless now. hahaha The only thing worse than going through papers is trying on new bras.
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Jan 17, 2020 23:49:31 GMT
mich5481, I hope your shingles flareup clears up soon.
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Jan 18, 2020 0:00:03 GMT
mich5481, I hope your shingles flareup clears up soon. Thank you! Fortunately, it isn't a huge area (just at the nape of my neck), but I am ready for it to be healed.
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Post by ntsf on Jan 18, 2020 4:34:23 GMT
btw, those who know would like us all not to throw away meds in the trash. often, pharmacies will collect them for you.
anyway, we are going on vacation sunday, so of course, my dh decided to clean up and out mass of stuff./clothes living in our bedroom. he did have the sense to pile stuff on the bed stuff we should get rid of that is my stuff. so tomorrow, in addition to packing and deciding what to take.. I get to clean out another pile. not complain but. couldn't he have done this like three days ago? or maybe put away clean clothes? oh well.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 18, 2020 14:39:55 GMT
I haven't decluttered but I have actively not brought things in that will just sit.
Even though they were cute.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 18, 2020 19:28:46 GMT
I haven't decluttered but I have actively not brought things in that will just sit. Even though they were cute. This has been a big challenge for me - not bringing in more wonderful things without serious thought and consideration. I no longer visit the thrift stores on a regular basis, and when I do I try to avoid the urge to "save" all the wonderful things I find. It's been a big mind shift for me. Just this morning I woke up to a message from a cousin. She and her husband took my mother's sewing machine when I was clearing out the house 4 years ago. They have realized it isn't the machine for them and wanted to know if I wanted it back. After thinking about it and discussing it with DH, I've made the decision to let her pass it along to someone else. It's hard to let it go (it was the machine I learned to sew on 54 years ago), but I have 5 other machines, including my grandmother's Featherweight.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 18, 2020 20:20:37 GMT
I haven't decluttered but I have actively not brought things in that will just sit. Even though they were cute. This has been a big challenge for me - not bringing in more wonderful things without serious thought and consideration. I no longer visit the thrift stores on a regular basis, and when I do I try to avoid the urge to "save" all the wonderful things I find. It's been a big mind shift for me. Just this morning I woke up to a message from a cousin. She and her husband took my mother's sewing machine when I was clearing out the house 4 years ago. They have realized it isn't the machine for them and wanted to know if I wanted it back. After thinking about it and discussing it with DH, I've made the decision to let her pass it along to someone else. It's hard to let it go (it was the machine I learned to sew on 54 years ago), but I have 5 other machines, including my grandmother's Featherweight. Yes, I validate you--that would be hard, but proud of you. My sister got most of my mom's stuff when she died because she lived in the same city. I lived across the country. I got some tea cups--which I love and use almost every day. ((HUGS)) It's the sentimental stuff that kills me to get rid of.
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Post by tentoes on Jan 18, 2020 20:27:50 GMT
My son and ddil came over this morning and we went through a whole room of stuff. (My husband's train room.) I already had all the grandkids here to pick trains, but I had a whole room full of stuff left. He had a remote control car and a droan that my little grandson thought was wonderful, so he took them home! Got stuff packed up for my move in July. Got rid of a couple boxes of stuff. One room down. That was a hard job. I'm glad I had help with it. The room is ready to paint now.
I packed up all the stuff I already went through this week--and my whole trunk is full of stuff now to take to church tomorrow to donate.
I am currently going through the medicines in the kitchen. There is still some things from my husband, and stuff that is outdated. I will finish up that job today. I packed up all my chocolate chips and some baking goods and sent them home with my ddil. I won't be baking anything between now and July. I gave my mixer to my daughter when she was here!
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Post by natscraps on Jan 19, 2020 2:20:16 GMT
After thinking about it and discussing it with DH, I've made the decision to let her pass it along to someone else. It's hard to let it go (it was the machine I learned to sew on 54 years ago), but I have 5 other machines, including my grandmother's Featherweight. That had to be hard. I finally parted with my grandmother’s sewing machine last year. I inherited my mother in law’s several years ago which is what I’ve been using, but now debating what to do with my mother’s which is the one I learned on. Today I took advantage of the 4yr old being out of the house and tackled the family room (or toy room as he calls it). Large quantities of toys made their way to the trash/resale store/save for work bin (I teach preschool). Almost everything now fits nicely in the walk in closet with room to grow. The only toys I now have to look at are his train table, hot wheels track, and duplo bin. We also got the office closet demo’d so I can spackle and paint before the new shelving goes in. Bye bye stupid flimsy wire shelves that weren’t screwed into studs and hello shelving rated for 600lbs per shelf! This is the closet where all the photos and files are going to be stored so I needed something heavy duty.
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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 19, 2020 2:29:42 GMT
Today, we decluttered outside. The over abundance of rain we have received in the last few years has/is killing our pine trees. Plus, DH had two felled in order to save them falling through the roof of the decided to fall with help from Mother Nature.
So, today, we eliminated some of the lower branches on 4 of the pines and cut one down completely.
There was a crap ton of dragging branches, ricking wood, and cleaning up the small debris. This culminated in burning the brush pile, which between the icy rain and the already ice encrusted wood was a monumental task. Fortunately, we had wood that needed to be burned through a source outside our fireplace. If it weren’t for that wood the brush pile would still be there.
Also, last week, I cleaned out the office desk. Eliminated quite a number of unnecessary items. Plus, removed the 2018 & 2019 paperwork to the long term storage.
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,500
Oct 2, 2017 23:20:46 GMT
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Post by mich5481 on Jan 19, 2020 2:53:21 GMT
I spent some time working in the garage this afternoon. I mostly focused on moving some boxes around that are already packed. I also went through an under the bed box with some rubber stamps in it. I pulled about 40 or so to get rid of.
I made the mistake of telling my mom I had two identical Egyptian stamp sets, so I was getting rid of one. She asked me if she had it, and when I said I didn't know, she asked me to hold onto it for her. I feel like this happens all the time - I pull stuff to purge, and then she keeps it (and usually at my house too).
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Post by crittsmom on Jan 19, 2020 5:52:41 GMT
after seeing my sister in law move after living in a house for almost 40 years with her pack rat husband and how much hassle it was, my dh and I are ready to get started. I'd like to have everything decluttered by summer but I'm still working full time so it will by the end of the year. Or when my sil comes to visit with the u haul to get the stuff they left in storage.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 19, 2020 16:38:56 GMT
My youngest just went up a size in clothes, so I took all the too small clothes & bagged them for donation.
Then I pulled all the handmedowns in his new size out of the closet & put them in his drawers.
Which then led me to neaten up the closet, and write a list of items I'll need to buy for the two youngest this spring & summer.
I also organized the hand me down shoes by size in the over the door shoe holder, clearly labeling each pair by size (so i don't have to pull them out to see what size they are).
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Jan 19, 2020 20:35:58 GMT
I've noticed some people mentioning cleaning out their old medications. Our police department allows you to drop them off there. It might be worth checking to see if your police department does it as well.
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mlana
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,523
Jun 27, 2014 19:58:15 GMT
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Post by mlana on Jan 19, 2020 20:57:41 GMT
I’ve been using shredded paper as mulch in a ‘hidden’ area of our yard—it eventually breaks down. I use pretty cedar mulch in the places I can see, and shredded paper between the garage and the alley! I do this! I use the shredded paper in my worm bins and in my garden beds. The shreds tuck in really nice around the plants and, once dry, they form a mat that keeps weeds at bay. I add water to the bag I have the shreds stored in and then mold them around the plants out far enough to leave an area for water to soak in. So far, termites haven’t been a problem, but that’s because i keep the beds moving. My termite company did warn against using this mulch up against the house, in my other beds. I’m not out there moving that soil around very often and the termites could be an issue there. Marcy
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