amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,330
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Oct 4, 2018 17:48:53 GMT
What a productive week so far. I finally tackled our unfinished basement. We have some long term storage down there, but it also becomes a catch all. It is not perfect, but I did toss a lot and I have a big donation pile. My décor items (along with the holiday stuff) has been purged and reorganized. What a big relief to have done as much as I have.
I purged and cleaned what little is stored up in our attic and the closet underneath the attic staircase. Now I am doing another pass through of my bedroom closet. Also, finished cleaning some windows and put away some yard stuff before winter arrives.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Oct 4, 2018 18:12:59 GMT
amom23 - You have been busy! I'm sure you'll appreciate all the hard work when it comes time to pull out the holiday decorations. I've decided that the best way to get motivated on household organization is offer to host a group at your home. I have a group coming over on the 16th and have been working like crazy the past few weeks. Still work to do but so much has been accomplished! There have been weekly donations made. Another one is going out today. About 12 bags of stuff as well as a pair of end tables. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't add something to the donation bag. Every single drawer/shelf/closet is at risk of purging! The good thing is that once this is done, Thanksgiving/Christmas will be a cake walk! This past weekend I went through my file drawer as well as one of the boxes of old papers from the garage. Over 3/4 of that box ended up in the shredding pile. I'm using the app Scannable on my phone to scan receipts/papers and saving them to files in the Cloud. Then I shred most of the stuff once it is saved. Still haven't tackled the backlog of photos and memorabilia, but hopefully soon. I'm also getting some household projects done. They are painting my front bathroom today, hanging new towel bars, hanging artwork. Since I'm stuck at home I've been going through more things. New rug has arrived, new chairs to be delivered next week hopefully. All the old stuff is out the door as soon as the new stuff arrives. Loving how much lighter the house feels now with more open space and less stuff piled up in corners and behind closet doors. Last weekend DD was over and told me Thank You. I asked for what. She said "for getting rid of all this stuff now so that I don't have to deal with it".
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Post by Linda on Oct 4, 2018 18:14:59 GMT
well done amom23not much here - but I did get rid of the pile of cardboard boxes from the living room and I have a bag of binders waiting for Tuesday when I'll pass along to a friend for her school and some GS supplies waiting to be passed along on Tuesday as well to another volunteer.
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Post by Linda on Oct 4, 2018 18:15:59 GMT
**GypsyGirl** -woohoo! Yes- my mum is (slowly) starting to go through her stuff (she'll be 82 next month) and I'm very grateful because I know when the time comes, it'll be my job to deal with it
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 13, 2024 3:40:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Oct 4, 2018 18:23:01 GMT
Okay, when I can, I will read every post here!!!
I found an article on AOLnews about decluttering and I am SO happy I began. Normally our place is pretty neat, but these ideas really helped:
*Put a tension rod in cabinets under sinks and hang all cleaning products from there. Under there, place a few fabric storage bins, and put microfiber cloths, etc. in there for easy storage. I did this in my bathroom cabinet and it's GREAT! All of my hair spray bottles are there, along with cleaning products and the bins have everything I need. *Add a short shower caddy to the inside of the cabinet door(s) with a Command hook. Put your go-to items in there! My bathroom caddy holds makeup remover pads, quick hair-bands, etc..... Another caddy is holding my eye pads/patches & medical tape. Makes it easy!
*Put your cookie sheets and muffin tins standing up in a magazine holder (I need to find a few!!)
*Put your canned foods/items in a mesh magazine holder for pantry (I've been looking for them too!)
Eager to read everyone's ideas!
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 13, 2024 3:40:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 3, 2018 20:43:43 GMT
So,
I threw out magazines, at least 50 or so.
I gave away 15 pairs of dress shoes.
Old papers, dealt with and awaiting their final fate. ( bonfire starters )
I have finally rounded up all of my son’s clothes, out of my new me room. Those few things will go with him on Monday!
Gave away four boxes of my daughter’s clothes as play clothes. I think most of it went to goodwill. I am staying out of goodwill for awhile.
All work clothes with stains and holes.....out
Books. At 50 ....gone.
All the quilting magazines and books fit into a kitty litter box. Whew it’s nice to have those out of site and it will fit under the sewing table!
The big plan now is to give daughter all of our expensive glassware and dishes if she ends up in d.c. she and her boyfriend will end up entertaining a lot.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,330
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Nov 3, 2018 22:15:26 GMT
This past Wednesday I loaded up my vehicle with everything I had put aside to donate and dropped it off at Goodwill. It was a big load and I'm so happy to have it gone. I'm feeling really good about all the decluttering I've accomplished.
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Post by tentoes on Nov 3, 2018 22:30:14 GMT
What a fun thread!! Good for all of you!! Very inspiring. We are in the process of getting our Christmas decor out. While we do that, I'll be going through them to make sure I'm still in love with them, and giving them away if I'm not. We went through our home this year and got rid of a ton of things. We still need to get through the things in the shed. We also cleaned out the garage and I got rid of terribly outdated food (I know, I felt bad about that!) and brought in the rest so I can use it up before it gets that outdated. We got rid of so much stuff that now my husband has room to work on things. He can find his tools, and his woodworking things now. I still have cupboards out there to store things in--like extra paper products, our camping equipment, and extra kitchen things I don't have room for in the house. I also have a box of kitchen things in the shed! I SHOULD get rid of all my cookbooks. (except the one my daughter made for me with family recipes in it!) I don't use them anymore. I'll think on that one!
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Post by Linda on Nov 4, 2018 22:09:10 GMT
We dropped off 3 more boxes at Goodwill, 2 bags of binders with a friend and DD12 just went back through her bookcases and filled two milkcrates with books to donate to a local elementary school (teachers have first choice for their classrooms and then the rest go on a free table for kids - many of whom don't have books at home - to take).
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 4, 2018 23:35:39 GMT
It looks like quite a few of us are still working on our decluttering and organizing! I have gotten rid of a few more bags of things, mostly odds and ends from around the house and kitchen. The biggest dent in my guest room has been from me finally listing things on eBay. I'd been putting it off for ages. Definitely worth the effort though as I made enough this month to cover my spending at Quilt Festival later this week! That's always a nice feeling. There is still a good amount to list. That will be priority after I get back on Friday. That guest room needs to be in shape by Christmas so I can invite my sister for visit for a couple of days.
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janeinbama
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,174
Location: Alabama
Jan 29, 2015 16:24:49 GMT
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Post by janeinbama on Nov 5, 2018 2:43:08 GMT
I have been working on purging as we are moving in 2 weeks. We have been here 15 years and I'm beginning to think is has been twice that long since we moved. Moving is like labor, you do forget the pain and suffering after a few months (years)!!! I am hauling 3-4 boxes 5 days a week, donating, giving away, mailing to my cousins, ETC. Dh had a pile of items from his workshop for the girls to pick through, then he let the nieces and nephew go through stack. Three trailer loads went off on the same weekend.
I cannot make myself look at Estate Sales or Yard Sales. I thought we were in better shape - I was taking items out as I brought things in, DH on the other hand, just keeps things. He has parted with shirts that have been in the closet for 15+ years.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
May 13, 2024 3:40:31 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Nov 20, 2018 4:59:47 GMT
So we have getting rid of junk for the past two weeks. I use to bake cupcakes for a group that my daughter was in and last spring I quit. This weekend I threw out all the cake mix.... 2 garbage bags. Some of it expire and some on the verge. I can not believe have much space that the cupcake stuff it took up. Have an entire pantry shelf emptied. Now if I could only sell all the toppers.
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Post by jennrs on Nov 20, 2018 14:48:44 GMT
I cleaned out our attic a couple of years ago and have sent my DH and son up there to get and return Christmas stuff, Halloween stuff and other storage stuff. I finally got up there myself last weekend and OMG! What a mess! What. A. Mess. I just started throwing stuff down to get rid of. I had it so organized and I’m so frustrated. I just need to get rid of a bunch of it. It’s hard because some of it is stuff my mom gave myself or my daughter and she’s gone now.
I did get rid of a set of old children’s books, some old toys and old electronic stuff. I need to go through the Christmas decorations next. I have to get it done now or I will forget my plan. I want to go into the new year with that area of house organized.
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Post by tentoes on Nov 20, 2018 16:06:11 GMT
When we put up our Christmas tree last week we got rid of about a box full of "stuff" from our stash. That means we only have 11 boxes instead of 12 boxes to contend with next year. I'll go through it all again when we put it away and see if I can reduce it again. We didn't really "get in the mood" to get rid of stuff when we started!! So maybe I can reduce it to 10. We'll see. Merry Christmas everybody!!
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Post by Linda on Nov 20, 2018 17:17:57 GMT
DD12 went back through her bookcases and donated 2 milk crates worth of books to a local elementary school. I went through my GS shelves and donated a paper bag of pringles tins, a couple of dozen GS pencils, a couple of vests and sashes and some random other GS stuff to another GS leader.
Went through my files and tossed a bunch of stuff we didn't need any longer
I really really need to spend some time in the shed sorting it out and getting rid of stuff but until DH brings the loft bed pieces to the foster care closet...I can't get INTO the shed. Hopefully this weekend....
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Post by tentoes on Nov 20, 2018 20:15:09 GMT
OK, I just got home from Walmart from picking up my meds, and have to confess to buying two Christmas decorations I probably didn't have to have. The first is VERY small. It matches two things that are on a shelf in my entry, and looks way cute--and you have to have THREE of things right? The other is bigger, but flat, and this snowman winked at me when I went by, and he looks so cute by the wall unit. My husband didn't even complain when I came home with them. So, even though we are trying to downsize, sometimes ya just gotta have a new thing or two. I'm loving my two new decorations. I WILL, however, stay out of Walmart, though until after the holidays so nothing else winks at me!!
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Nov 27, 2018 16:41:24 GMT
I had to go dig this thread up to share my big purge. The Habitat Restore truck just pulled out of the driveway. I took a whole pickup truck full of stuff to them a few months ago. And I have been stacking and piling in the utility room for a few weeks to make another donation. In the meantime, my husband got on board and we decided to let go of a few big items. I called them last week and arranged the pickup for today -- which was a great motivator. We spent the weekend being pretty ruthless about adding stuff to the pile. Sooooo glad to have so much more gone.
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Post by farmgirl on Nov 27, 2018 17:21:34 GMT
Last year I got rid of 2017 things...that didn't include food and papers.
This summer I read "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up." I had already purged my closet, or so I thought. I now have everything I wear in my bedroom closet. That includes coats (kind of a coat whore, I won't lie, it KILLED me to purge those), purses, and suitcases.
I just got through papers...two and 1/2 large garbage bags full, taking a 4 drawer filing cabinet stuffed to two drawers with room. I would love to get those two drawers down to one.
I have a lot of things I have kept because I inherited them from my hoarder mother. In beginning to go through this, I've realized I'm keeping things because I either would feel guilty pitching them or I feel guilty HAVING them. I had made up this whole thing in my head that I needed to separate things out, take pictures of it, and offer it to my cousins, because my mom went through my grandma's house and grabbed EVERYTHING before anyone else could. Then I would have to GET it to them. All of that was just too much, so I had stalled out.
A friend of mine was visiting this weekend and fell in love with an ugly (to me) oil lamp of my grandma's. I grabbed it off the cabinet, blew the dust off of it, ripped the tag that said, "Grandma Clair" off, AND the THREE PENNIES taped to it (have NO CLUE why those were on there), handed it to her and told her to ENJOY. The weight that lifted off my shoulders as she walked out with a big smile, cradling that lamp was tremendous.
That's when I realized, none of my cousins have ever been to my house. They have no idea what I have and what I don't. They have lived this long without asking about anything. Maybe I DON'T need to feel guilty about any of it, and just let it go.
My goal is to walk out of my house with about 3 pieces of furniture and my clothes, so I have a LONG way to go, but think I'm back on the wagon...
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 27, 2018 17:40:24 GMT
farmgirl - Inherited belongings can really be a burden. Good for you for finally turning the corner and being able to start letting go. DH and I have been doing this for the past year. I won't lie, it's really hard to do at first but once you get into the mindset that in the end it really doesn't matter if you pass these things along it becomes much easier. One of the best things I did when mom passed 2 years ago was tell all my cousins to come and get what they wanted. My sisters and I took what we wanted but there was so much furniture and things left, so I just opened the door and said have at it. What was left was donated to the local Habit for Humanity thrift store. Spongemom Scrappants - Such a relief to be rid of all that I'm sure! After a major household purge, I feel like I've lost weight. Emotional weight usually, but weight loss is weight loss! I have been taking a break from the purging/decluttering to get some other things done around here. Working on a Christmas wall hanging quilt for DD which is taking more time than I anticipated. Once that is done it is back to decluttering and listing on eBay. Made a big dent in the eBay pile over the past 2 months but more to go. There are still some boxes of papers to purge in the garage. Now that the weather has cooled off I can add that to my to-do list.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Nov 27, 2018 17:42:41 GMT
The weight that lifted off my shoulders as she walked out with a big smile, cradling that lamp was tremendous. That's the payoff, isn't it? It's amazing how good it feels to let stuff go.
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Post by mikklynn on Nov 27, 2018 17:45:28 GMT
Over the weekend, I pitched a full trash bag of Halloween lights. Seriously, why was I keeping those? I think it's out of sight, out of mind. I also purged Halloween decorations, some old sheets, and mattress pads.
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Post by tentoes on Nov 27, 2018 19:45:44 GMT
Got rid of 2 strings of lights, and several tree ornaments that we didn’t put on the tree. We have the tree ina corner this year, and we couldn’t get to the back. I like it there, so plan on putting it there from now on. It looks great coming into the house, and we can both see it better from where we normally sit, and ew don’t have to move anything except a chair. Much better than where we used to have it.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Nov 27, 2018 20:00:02 GMT
I've given myself a deadline of nye to either finish selling the pile of stuff in my bedroom, or donate the rest. I am so tired of seeing it.
This year I was given "family heirlooms" by my aunt. She kind of just dropped them off one day. They don't take up much room, thankfully, but I'm at a loss as to what to do with them.
This year i'm trying to keep Christmas less material. Smaller footprint gifts, that take up less space. Consumables. Wearable gifts.
Come new year's day, I am bagging up the "to sell" items in my bedroom, and donating them.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Nov 27, 2018 20:25:36 GMT
I've given myself a deadline of nye to either finish selling the pile of stuff in my bedroom, or donate the rest. I am so tired of seeing it. I'm right there with you. I'm tired of this taking up so much space and mental energy just looking at it. There will be a big donation coming in January I suspect. I have more than enough to pull from in the house to sell later on if I want to.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Nov 27, 2018 20:38:54 GMT
Last week I reorganized the cabinets that hold my dishes and glassware. I have lots of sets. I really do use them though. But, I recently acquired a new set of dishes and decided I would force myself to make some choices. If a set comes in, I can get rid of a set. So I chose a set of old German china to let go of along with 10 water stems of Fostoria crystal. While I was on a roll today, I took those boxed sets of china and crystal to a local consignment shop that specializes in furniture, home decor, and antiques/vintage. I signed the contract for them to be donated if they don't sell in the three-month period. I also dropped off a bag of clothes for donation at Salvation Army.
More stuff out the door - yay!
------------ Edited to add: I work part-time for friends who own an auction company. I pick up these new sets of dishes & glassware very inexpensively at auction. Because it's really tempting, I've made myself that new rule. I can bring a new set in IF an old set goes out.
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Post by brenda89 on Nov 27, 2018 20:39:06 GMT
Today I'm getting rid of 2 copy paper boxes full of stuff that my 15YO DD was hanging onto for some reason. They were in her old room though, she'd moved her room to the basement about a year and a half ago. I think she'd forgotten all about the stuff so was ok with letting go. Yeah!!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Dec 1, 2018 18:45:48 GMT
I took two huge Rubbermaid totes out of my bedroom and put them where they actually belong.
One was books that I love and re-read about once a year.
The other - on my gosh, don't laugh - was kids school lunch items. When the kids were younger, they would "sneak" them, especially juice boxes, if I left them in the back pantry. So I kept them in my room. Now that they are older, they more understand why they need to leave it alone.
I also have been decluttering like a fiend. Four cardboard shoe boxes in the recycling. I was holding on to them for school projects, but heck with it. When they need them, I'll go hit up a shoe store.
I emptied the trinket dish, putting away what needed to be put away, trashing what was not good. I guess at some point I started emptying my pockets into it, because I had errand lists and receipts in it.
I moved my wall calendar to a more accessible, eye level area. Makes sense, ya know.
I tossed the saddest, most beat up pair of sneakers.
Something has clicked in me recently. I thought I had been doing well keeping my stuff in check, but lately I feel like it is suffocating me.
I just took pics of four Spellbinders die sets that I don't use. I'm going to list them cheap, hopefully this week.
I'm going to go through my scraps and make journaling spots from what I can, and just recycle the rest.
Something I really want to look into is making a capsule wardrobe for myself this year. I feel like a sloppy mess in the shirts and jeans.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Dec 1, 2018 23:23:54 GMT
While I really need to be sewing, instead I got busy in the kitchen. It started with trying to find a home for my new roasting pan (Black Friday deal). That lead to reorganizing a drawer for pans and 2 drawers for serving pieces. Pulled all my pink Pyrex to take photos so I can list on eBay. I've enjoyed them but it's time for them to make someone else happy. Also added a few things to the donation bag. Next up was the spice drawer and the drawer where I keep all my oils and baking ingredients. Tossed a good bit and reorganized both drawers. Now I'm all set for Christmas baking!
Forgot to mention that yesterday I worked the armoire in my office. It mainly holds eBay supplies and items, but the bottom has 2 smallish drawers. One is my gift drawer. The other one hold gift bags, boxes, and tissue. Added a couple of the older gifts to the donation box, and gave DD the Mikasa Christmas wine stoppers. She will use those for her gift exchange gifts, adding to a bottle of wine. Weeded out the gift bags and donated some that I received gifts in years ago and have never reused the bags. Time to pass those along.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Dec 6, 2018 19:10:14 GMT
I worked on decluttering my sons' room today.
Tossed a couple puzzles missing some pieces.
Tossed ratty clothes.
Rotated some toys with others from basement storage.
I've been mindful when Christmas shopping to not buy big toys. And I'm also buying more practical gifts. A couple sets of pajamas. Books. Smaller Lego sets.
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Post by fredfreddy44 on Dec 6, 2018 21:12:10 GMT
Great job everyone!
I am trying to sell some higher end items through facebook now that Christmas is near. Time consuming and rather frustrating but the money is nice.
I have bags of clothes to get rid of and I need to organize the grandson toys under the stairs since he is now 3 and some of the toys are too young for him.
Overall through the house is so much easier and bigger since we got rid of so much back in April.
At work I did the post summer clean out of the break room, all the cabinets, and the storage closets. I love getting paid to organize! I also went through the paper closet and got rid of anything from before 2011. One of those large shredder trucks came to work and shredded 10 boxes worth in 5 minutes. Fun to watch!
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