MerryMom
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,538
Jul 24, 2014 19:51:57 GMT
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Post by MerryMom on Dec 30, 2015 16:57:07 GMT
Kitchen drawers and pantry, will probably finally sell or donate my old cake decorating items. I haven't used them for decades, but held on to them due to fond memories of learning to decorate cakes back in the 70's when I was in girl scouts.
I keep my scrapbook items pretty well purged as I don't buy too much, but I already started going through craft items left over from prior projects from being a room parent, PTO, booster parent, cub scouts, day camp, boy scouts, training leader, etc. Also crafts I really won't do anymore like beading and jewelry.
I might tackle my hutch next and I collected some Roseville Pottery and I might just sell that. I have some dishes in the hutch that I will probably get rid of so that I can move my Fiesta dishes to the hutch. That will lead me to the area in the basement where I store fancier service items, I really need to purge all that. I bet I use only 15% of what I have. Speaking of the hutch, I haven't bought any new candles or those wax melts for over a year as I had an entire drawer full of them. I've been using them up and down to a half drawer.
I got rid of seasonal items I used to put out (place mats, those gel stickie things, ceramic doo-dads) a few years ago and I just have maybe 8 wreaths left.
As my son is a senior, all items related to being a track and field booster rep will be turned over to the new rep in a few months. All the items related to the 5K race will be turned over as well. That covers about 12 tote containers in my basement. Hooray!!
Oh and I purge water bottles continuously, but seem to have more every time I turn around. I think after each campout, instead of putting the extra water bottles back in the camping gear totes in the barn, my husband shoves them in the kitchen cabinet. They are good quality and when we going on hiking trips, each of us needs about 4-5 of them in order to tote the water.
I do try to do a drawer or a closet or an area each month or every other month. It's amazing how items just creep into drawers or a shelf somewhere just to "put it somewhere". I do find that I have to be in the right mood to get through it. It also helps that my son will help me carry items to my car and I take it straight to Good will.
If I do all of the above, I'll reach 2016 items in a month!!!!
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Post by kellybelly77 on Dec 30, 2015 17:02:03 GMT
Can anyone recommend a good app for keeping track of something like this? I just created a spreadsheet. One column for trash, one fore donate and one for sell. Then I just applied formulas to add up each column and then a grand total of all. I also notated who got rid of the item. So I could track which family member donated more. It was me!!
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Nanner
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,968
Jun 25, 2014 23:13:23 GMT
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Post by Nanner on Dec 30, 2015 18:32:56 GMT
Can anyone recommend a good app for keeping track of something like this? I just created a spreadsheet. One column for trash, one fore donate and one for sell. Then I just applied formulas to add up each column and then a grand total of all. I also notated who got rid of the item. So I could track which family member donated more. It was me!! I suppose I could not be so lazy and do up a dreaded spreadsheet. The more I think about doing this, the more gung ho I'm feeling. Will have to talk to DH about it once DD goes back home tomorrow. My problem is that we got rid of our storage unit we'd been renting and brought it all to our basement. It's a bit scary down there right now.
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Post by cecilia on Dec 30, 2015 18:56:23 GMT
I need to go through clothes and donate a lot of them.
I don't consider this clutter but overstock. A lot of overstock. I have about 30 cases of hot wheels in my room. (72 cars per case times 30 equals 2,160 hot wheels.) We bought a collection during the summer. We have sold and donated a lot of it already but still have a ton left. Hopefully we make more progress on it. We also bought a model train collection so we are working on it too.
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PaperAngel
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,324
Jun 27, 2014 23:04:06 GMT
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Post by PaperAngel on Dec 30, 2015 19:22:08 GMT
NOTHING!
I've got a go-big-or-go-home type attitude when it comes to decluttering. My project this late spring/summer was to touch every single item in our (4,000 heated sq ft) house. Our home is now filled only with the things we use, love, & want to keep long-term. The bulk of our clutter was papers (e.g. paid invoices, school stuff) which were recycled, & unused or gently used items that were donated & are now actually being used or stored by someone else. While our home looks exactly the same to guests, every cabinet/drawer/dresser/shelf/walk-in-closet has been decluttered, deep cleaned, & organized. We have several drawers throughout the house, a few kitchen cabinets, a couple walk-in-closets, & an entire storage area that are completely empty. While it was time-consuming & sometimes frustrating (I took a load to Goodwill &/or the recycling center every day, except Sundays, for 5-6 weeks), the results are worth every minute!
Best wishes for a productive & prosperous new year!
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Post by jamielynn on Dec 30, 2015 22:49:45 GMT
This is a great thread - thanks for starting it. I feel motivated reading all the little things everyone is finding to go through. Those are many items/areas I could stand to go through as well.
I find around Christmas I always feel the urge to get rid of things. So much is coming into the house that I buy for gifts - and so many gifts are received.
This week I did a bunch of returns I have had sitting to be done for a few weeks - I have one more return to put in the mail tomorrow and those should be complete. Its amazing the volume of space some of those things were taking up.
I went through my two closets - and got rid of about a trash bag full of clothing - the recipient seemed really excited to go through them.
I went through a guest bathroom where I store a lot and threw several things away - and put several unopened items in the food shelf bag we have - as they collect hygiene items.
A friend is expecting a baby and I put together a bag for them (after asking if they had any interest) and some of those are large items.
Every bit out feels good - I can't wait to keep going.
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Post by lancermom on Dec 31, 2015 0:54:18 GMT
I love this idea. It is so hard to get rid of stuff. But by counting each item makes it sound like it is a lot. No problem counting each magazine, pair of socks, etc.... I am going to talk to family and make it a game. My kids keep clutter too, maybe this will encourage them to pick up more too! Can not wait!
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Post by pjaye on Dec 31, 2015 1:50:42 GMT
I have had a *huge* decluttering year. I had the floors of my apartment redone so had to pack up everything and move it into a moving container downstairs, then I had new floor to ceiling cupboards installed along the entire length of the lounge. As I unpacked everything to put it into the cupboards I had a major clean out.
My scrapbooking stuff, I kept about 50 papers I really loved (for the occasional craft projects), kept a box of ribbons, some stamps, some inks and a shoe box size of misc. items. I got rid of everything else, almost 500 pages of paper, alphabets, other embellishments. There were 2 big boxes, I was going to sell them on eBay but a friend of mine still paper scraps and she bought the lot for $300. Same friend took half my scrapbook magazines (I had about 100) the rest I donated to the OP shop...I only kept the ones I'm in (about 6) and a few special additions.
I gave away all my old sequins, crystals, fabric, trim etc (used to ballroom dance). gave that away on a FB site, a girl who makes costumes for an amateur theatre company took all of it.
Various other crafty things - general papers, pencils etc also went on the FB group to a Kindergarten teacher. Another friend took my last few balls of wool (only had about 10) and she knitted a small blanket and donated it to the animal shelter.
I got rid of almost all of my books, I have one shelf left of books I truly love...the rest went to a combination of the OP Shop and a Little free library near me. gave away 90% of my cookbooks, kept about 5 that are pretty to look at. I most get recipes online now anyway.
I went through all my papers and shredded 90% of them, all bank statements, credit card statements, old bills, pay slips etc ...all gone.
All old study material, notes, course notes - gone. Things change in medicine quickly, things I learnt 10 years ago are often now out of date, I can easily look them up on the computer now anyway.
Old towels and blankets went to the animal shelter.
Also cleaned out my alcohol...I don't drink much but had a collection of wine I'd been given as gifts...gave some away, invited a few friends over and drank some. Not a single bottle of wine left - will buy one when I need to. Also tossed a few ancient bottles of spirits I'd forgotten I had.
Massive bathroom cleanout, put all similar items together, and pledged to use everything I own before buying anything new. I haven't bought toothpaste, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner and hand soap all year! I discovered I am a bit of a 'stockpiler' which is ridiculous. That's going to stop. Once I use up my stash I'm only buying one thing at a time.
I've also tackled half my wardrobe, have done all the hanging clothes, now I still need to do the folded/dresser items. I also did the bra collection...gave those away to the Uplift Project - there's links further down the page for USA and UK sites.
Honestly my life feels so much "lighter" I had got sick of living with so much stuff. Now everything has it's place and it is so easy to put things away.
I still have to do the kitchen...hopefully will renovate in the next 6 months or so and will do the cleanout then too.
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Post by padresfan619 on Dec 31, 2015 1:54:30 GMT
We got a new pot and pan set for Christmas so I ditched all of our old omes, except for our cast iron skillet. I can see everything at a quick glance now! The real purging starts this weekend.
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Post by mikklynn on Dec 31, 2015 1:55:48 GMT
kellybelly77 Like the link you posted, but glass, not plastic. I bought a rectangle set and a round set. I would buy only rectangles if I had it to do over, they store easier. I think I bought them at Costco.
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Post by mikklynn on Dec 31, 2015 2:03:37 GMT
I love this thread.
I also purged all my coloring books and all but one box of crayons. I swear I cleared up an entire drawer with just that. The grandkids don't enjoy coloring. I have plenty of paper they can draw on if needed
And, I cleaned my garage! I'm going to take another run at that in the spring. I am sure I can get rid of one entire set of shelves.
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Post by Dori~Mama~Bear on Dec 31, 2015 2:23:21 GMT
IF I had clutter I would join in but we purged so much when we moved in June I don't have anything I would part with now. Through out the year when I come across something that I no longer need or want I get rid of it right then.
I have learned in the past if I wait until I get a box full I never get rid of anything.
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Post by mari on Dec 31, 2015 2:31:40 GMT
I always clean/purge after taking down my Christmas tree and decor.
I cleared out a tote of magazines that I'd been planning to read. I still have more to clear, but I am happy that I got started. I also sorted through the pile of mail that I brought back from my mom's house after my Christmas visit.
I sorted through my walk-in closet. I took out every single item and was careful about what was packed back into it.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Dec 31, 2015 2:39:07 GMT
I would like to organize the walk in closet at the top of our stairs first. It has kind of become a dumping grounds for stuff I either need to get rid of, or just didn't have the time to go through when we moved here in 2012. There are 2-3 huge bins of clothes and shoes that I need to do something with, either pull them out and wear them or get rid of them. The shoes will be easy because the ones still in the bins don't fit anymore. Then there are two tall shelves in there that I was going to use in DD's room, but they didn't really fit and I didn't want her to climb them so they got shoved into the closet where they also don't fit. I could probably use them in the basement for storage, or they could just go away.
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Post by melanell on Dec 31, 2015 2:40:54 GMT
I'm totally on board with this. DH & I have already been planning on pulling out all of our Christmas decor and purging and reorganizing it all. So that's where I'll likely start. That and my desk of doom. And we have de-cluttered so many times before, but with 4 people, stuff is always coming in. Always. Especially via the kids. So, de-cluttering for us is a never-ending thing. We could get rid of 2016 this year, and 2-17 the next year for years to come I'm sure. DS #2 brings home 2-10 papers per day. At the end of the week that's 10-50 papers...all on my desk. He brings home stickers and erasers and books and medals and ribbons all of the time. And this stuff just accumulates so quickly.
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Post by originalvanillabean on Dec 31, 2015 2:44:08 GMT
-extra coats in coat closet -all old UL (uppercase living) stuff - donate -pants in her closet -pants in his closet (had to list them separately, don't want him holding me back) -guest room closet -craft room closet -get rid of old books
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Post by originalvanillabean on Dec 31, 2015 2:45:14 GMT
NOTHING! I've got a go-big-or-go-home type attitude when it comes to decluttering. My project this late spring/summer was to touch every single item in our (4,000 heated sq ft) house. Our home is now filled only with the things we use, love, & want to keep long-term. The bulk of our clutter was papers (e.g. paid invoices, school stuff) which were recycled, & unused or gently used items that were donated & are now actually being used or stored by someone else. While our home looks exactly the same to guests, every cabinet/drawer/dresser/shelf/walk-in-closet has been decluttered, deep cleaned, & organized. We have several drawers throughout the house, a few kitchen cabinets, a couple walk-in-closets, & an entire storage area that are completely empty. While it was time-consuming & sometimes frustrating (I took a load to Goodwill &/or the recycling center every day, except Sundays, for 5-6 weeks), the results are worth every minute! Best wishes for a productive & prosperous new year! what an awesome accomplishment - great job!!
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Post by mom on Dec 31, 2015 2:51:32 GMT
I am planning on having (atleast) one box a month to donate/give away.
I've already made a plan about what areas I want to cover each month from now thru June.
January- scrapbook room/boys bathroom February - closets w/ decorating crap in it March - Kitchen & pantry April - clothes closets May - Laundry room June - Both Boys Rooms
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Post by utmr on Dec 31, 2015 3:13:55 GMT
6 white kitchen size garbage bags to goodwill today and just loaded the car up for tomorrow. 10 black big garbage bags, a bicycle, a chair, a laundry sorter and an ottoman. Two dressers, a sofa and a chair waiting to go as soon as I figure out how to get them there.
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scrapnnana
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,137
Jun 29, 2014 18:58:47 GMT
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Post by scrapnnana on Dec 31, 2015 3:34:00 GMT
We're getting ready to put our house on the market so we can move halfway across the country. No way am I moving all the stuff we have, so I am purging everything that can be easily and inexpensively replaced, along with a lot of stuff I know we will probably never use again.
Today I have been sorting books for purging (a very hard thing for me to do, since I love books), and I did some shredding.
I also looked into PODS and Pack-Rat storage containers today. We need to empty rooms for painting and replacing the flooring, and I am planning to box up what we want to keep but can live without for a few months while we are clearing the rooms. The boxes will stay in the container unit, and the furniture we want to keep for showing the house will be brought back inside after each room is renovated. We'll probably junk most of our furniture and buy new on the other end. Most of our furniture was never that great to begin with, and after having survived 5 kids through the years, it's time to junk a lot of it anyway.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Dec 31, 2015 6:05:51 GMT
I havent started yet but my list of areas to purge is growing. I was looking in Our closet and realized it needs a good purge.
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Post by shelby on Dec 31, 2015 6:06:01 GMT
I have a huge plastic container full of beanie babies that I am giving to the sheriffs dept. to carry in their cars for children in troubling situations. Several large boxes of cassette tapes, dvd's, puzzles, board games, and sewing supplies all sitting by my back door to go tomorrow. We had a hide-a-bed in our family room that was in excellent condition that we wanted to replace. We were planning on selling it on Craig's list but after a couple of scary, very weird men came to see it who seemed to be more interested in what we had in our house than actually buying the couch, we decided to donate it. Thing is, no place will take any donations that have a mattress because of the bed bug scare. We put it out on the curb and attached a sign that said FREE TO A GOOD HOME and it was gone in an hour. We are happy to no longer have it and we hope who ever took it are just as happy to have it.
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Post by myboysnme on Dec 31, 2015 12:54:49 GMT
I have a huge plastic container full of beanie babies that I am giving to the sheriffs dept. to carry in their cars for children in troubling situations. Several large boxes of cassette tapes, dvd's, puzzles, board games, and sewing supplies all sitting by my back door to go tomorrow. We had a hide-a-bed in our family room that was in excellent condition that we wanted to replace. We were planning on selling it on Craig's list but after a couple of scary, very weird men came to see it who seemed to be more interested in what we had in our house than actually buying the couch, we decided to donate it. Thing is, no place will take any donations that have a mattress because of the bed bug scare. We put it out on the curb and attached a sign that said FREE TO A GOOD HOME and it was gone in an hour. We are happy to no longer have it and we hope who ever took it are just as happy to have it. We tried to get a sofa like this for our son's apt but by the time we got back with a truck it was gone.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Dec 31, 2015 13:13:54 GMT
Two dressers, a sofa and a chair waiting to go as soon as I figure out how to get them there. Salvation Army and other donation places will send a truck out for a special pick up if you call them. Okay, so now I'm finding stuff to purge everywhere I look. I tossed quite a few dollar store toys that were fun for five minutes, then forgotten. Or broken. I tossed magazines that were in the bathroom. Eww. I mailed a thank you note. While not exactly purging, it was written and just sitting there, taking up space, soon to be forgotten. I got that sucker into the mailbox. I love your responses, ladies. It gives me good things to think about. I think I am going to make an effort to sort through my clothes. I need to get rid of anything that doesn't make me feel positive about myself when wearing it. Why am I holding onto a tee shirt with paint speckles all over it, and holes in the hem? Why do I still own a pair of jeans that are too short for me and the zipper won't stay up?
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finaledition
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,896
Jun 26, 2014 0:30:34 GMT
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Post by finaledition on Dec 31, 2015 16:26:09 GMT
For the last few years I clean out clutter by doing a 40 bags in 40 days challenge with a couple friends. I already have my list of things to tackle. First bag was some winter outerwear. Today I'm taking down the holiday stuff. I have a bunch of stuff I did not put out this year so I'm going to get rid of a lot of it.
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Post by melanell on Dec 31, 2015 17:58:50 GMT
So I made progress today with a few items that are typically issues for me. I took a photo of our Christmas cards all hung up and then got rid of them. Some years I have scrapbooked them, which is fine, and some years I just banded them up and kept them, which isn't so good, because my scrapping is so far behind. God knows if I'll ever get to them. So I got rid of this years and I think I'll even go ahead and hang the ones I have bundled up, put up a card with the year showing, and take photos of those, too. That way I don't feel I have to scrap the ones I have saved. And I started a bag of stuff for Salvation Army, too. So far it only has about 10 things in it, but it will accumulate really quickly, I know. There are misc. toys, a bib (every so often baby stuff still pops up around here. My youngest is 5. ), and some sunglasses DS outgrew.
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The Birdhouse Lady
Drama Llama
Moose. It's what's for dinner.
Posts: 7,165
Location: Alaska -The Last Frontier
Jun 30, 2014 17:15:19 GMT
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Post by The Birdhouse Lady on Dec 31, 2015 18:05:40 GMT
I am going to tackle my craft room and get rid of all the old crafting supplies I haven't used in years including bottles and bottles of acrylic paint! I want to clear the closet so I can put my scrap stuff in there (not that I use that much either).
I have had plans to re-do that room for awhile but every time I look in there I get overwhelmed and walk away!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Dec 31, 2015 18:16:10 GMT
Well, I tossed old fitted sheets that are all stretched out and worn. And the jeans & tee that aren't flattering.
Some time this week I'll (hopefully) list a bunch of baby clothes on eBay.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Dec 31, 2015 18:56:37 GMT
I find around Christmas I always feel the urge to get rid of things. So much is coming into the house that I buy for gifts - and so many gifts are received. I get rid of things all throughout the year as opportunity arises, but Christmas does spur me to do more than usual for that very reason. I also get that way in Spring when it's warming up, the windows are open and there's so much more light coming into the house. I want to clear and clean then in response to it all. That's my goal for January. I have an entire double closet full of TOO MUCH scrapbooking stuff. My BFF and I have plans to attend at least two weekend crops this year after not having been to one for over 5-6 years. I want to make my supplies more "lean & mean" so I can not only grab and go, but it also is just not so overwhelming. Right now, I open the closet doors, sigh, and just close them back. Lol. Not a single bottle of wine left Ack. Now that's taking things entirely too far.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 12, 2024 21:40:48 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Dec 31, 2015 19:12:43 GMT
IF I had clutter I would join in but we purged so much when we moved in June I don't have anything I would part with now. Through out the year when I come across something that I no longer need or want I get rid of it right then. I have learned in the past if I wait until I get a box full I never get rid of anything. That's the approach I need to take for my stuff! My "white elephant" is my entire unfinished basement. I'd say it's about 500 square feet (not sure) divided into 2 areas. The goal would be for most of the crap to be on the smaller side and I could have an office space on the bigger side. My problem areas are paperwork, kids toys, and my husband who doesn't want to get rid of things. I have some Christmas money and I DO love practical gifts. I am going to buy 2 large rubbermaid containers for my 2 oldest kids. Anything that won't fit will be donated or thrown away. Once they are on their own, I'm putting a big bow on top and giving them their crap! I plan to ask my husband to go through one box at a time and pick what he wants to keep, throw away, or donate. If he doesn't cooperate, I'll put it back in a box with his name in big letters and put on the back of shelves behind the stuff that is useful. I would LOVE to go full force and get lots done in one day, but I get overwhelmed. So, I'll have to do it in small steps.
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