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Post by Jessica on Feb 27, 2021 5:05:48 GMT
There is some great progress being made! I've been trying to get back on track and and you ladies are providing lots of inspiration!
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Post by ntsf on Feb 27, 2021 5:24:24 GMT
I am at our new condo.. and I kept about 5 bins of kitchen stuff when I emptied out my dad's stuff (he lived winters here for over 30 yrs). so this was stuffed in our storage closet. I got all the bins out, kept some stuff to put in new kitchen, put together 2 boxes for thrift store, one box for my regular home, and ended up with 3 empty bins!! kept the hangers..put in the closets.
we are waiting to get my mother in laws good china.. but keeping the old set together til I get rid of all of it.. so 2 bins in closet are just waiting for us to get the good china over here. we are trying to keep a minimum of stuff at the condo. next week, the art will all go on the walls.
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Post by Linda on Feb 28, 2021 3:31:16 GMT
we were back over at the old house today - still packing up DH's stuff mostly. I filled a bin with various things that had seen better days - hanging shoe holders with torn pockets, a shelf from the bathroom sink, stuff like that. Hoping to have everything* out of the house this weekend. Then we'll just have the sheds and carport to deal with.
I went through the basket of Christmas cards and tossed the generic ones. Saved some and will take apart and upcycle others.
And tossed a handbag that was falling apart. I'm not thrilled with the one I grabbed from the basket in the closet - it's a little smaller than I would prefer - but I'll give it a fair try and see if it grows on me.
*except the heavy furniture we're leaving for the movers to deal with
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 1, 2021 17:22:06 GMT
They say March comes in like a lion. I'm hoping that March brings lots of decluttering and organizing mojo with it for everyone! We should know by the end of the month if we are going forward with the kitchen/office update. That decision will decide what comes next in my decluttering efforts. Meanwhile, I continue with the photo/slide project and general purging. Sent two bags of odds and ends off this week. If the weather cooperates later in the month, I plan to go through all the old paint cans and get rid of much of it. We did it about 8 years ago and now it looks like it never happened. How is everyone coming along with their goals? Linda - Good luck at finishing up the move! You must be so happy with your new house!
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Post by Linda on Mar 1, 2021 19:22:57 GMT
**GypsyGirl** - yes, very happy but looking forward to having all the furniture here and everything being in its place. We lost 3 bookcases in transit - they were cheap flatpacs that had moved at least once before and simply fell apart. Not sure if that counts as decluttering since we'll be replacing at least one of them
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PLurker
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Post by PLurker on Mar 1, 2021 19:32:11 GMT
As the weather/cold is finally breaking I am hoping to finish unpacking/putting away/organizing the stuff that didn't get done after I was put on hold from injury. Most of what needs attention is in the garage. It was kind of just placed haphazardly by us and movers as I was going to "get right to it" until fate, my dog and injury stepped in.
I have the vehicle out of the garage now that it isn't so bitterly cold. We'll have room to move and go through stuff. A new washer and dryer comes tomorrow so I will keep the path clear as it is the most direct route then I can continue and finish the mess. DS will help cuz he's a good guy and I still can't reach over head etc
Hopefully everything in it's place soon. or soon enough anyway. Ready to be done like I was just days from, months ago.
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Post by dewryce on Mar 1, 2021 21:42:30 GMT
This weekend we donated a car full of stuff. To be specific, I have a Highlander mid-sized SUV so it was quite the load floor to ceiling. Yay! We did also meet our goal of stuff out front for the bulk item pick up. And we got tons of work done in the garage, including gathering and starting to organize anything that doesn’t fit in our double decker Craftsman toolbox. Now to find permanent solutions for this stuff. The one thing I really wanted to get done but we couldn’t is get some construction materials out the door. I thought they could go with the bulk items but they won’t pick those up. And our dump doesn’t take them and the place the waste management suggested we take it is not accepting it at this time. I just want it gone! I also got a lot of small things done that have just been sitting there waiting for me to take the 5 minutes to get them completed. Some of it just stupid easy to do, but instead i out them on my project table. For example, adding velcro to the top of one of my grocery bags to keep it closed so that all of the other grocery and produce bags stay contained within it. My goals for this week will be to complete more projects like this. Because an item is clutter unless it is functioning and/or being enjoyed. *eyes scanner sitting on table* It feels weird but I’ve gone through every single drawer and cabinet and box in the house to declutter*** Now all that is left is maintenance and projects like the above where I might find one or two items to donate in the process, but not much. I love watching boxes of things leave the house so it’s a bit depressing that it will take so long to fill a box again This was the best declutter cycle we have ever gone through, we got rid of a lot that we held on to tightly for years. But, that just goes to prove that even though I’ve decluttered an area before doesn’t meant there can’t be improvement. That’s where those declutter calendars are going to come in handy from now on. They’ll serve as a reminder to go through that area/type of item with a critical eye and see if I can cull it even farther. *** save scrapbooking supplies, those are very well organized but need to be culled
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Post by MissBianca on Mar 1, 2021 22:04:58 GMT
Not much to report for last week. It rained all weekend so we didn’t get a run to goodwill. They won’t put the boxes out if it’s raining and they are doing contactless drop off so it won’t go inside either. But I did get a pile of books sorted for the used book store. I recycled some torn kids books and got a box to take to sell. I also have 3 garbage bags of clothes for goodwill too. I swept the basement stairs and reorganized the overstock of cleaning supplies on them. Now the stuff I use more frequently is at the top. We also replaced all the hooks for the brooms, mops, etc. The plastic organizer we had kept breaking so we put different hooks up. It looks so good. Then I started to organize one of the workbenches in the basement. I just couldn’t stand looking at the mess while on the treadmill.
Today I’m working on writing in 2 digital scrapbooks that were converted from traditional. Trying to get rid of the traditional pages.
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Location: Behind the Cheddar Curtain
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Post by PLurker on Mar 2, 2021 0:24:56 GMT
Today I’m working on writing in 2 digital scrapbooks that wer e converted from traditional. Trying to get rid of the traditional pages. I admit I would have a hard time with that. I like the tactile feel of real. Although I have informed the kids they are under no obligation to save them when /if they come to them. I still scrapbook some and instead of the large 12x12 pages, I'm going to change to 8x8. Especially for the one (or 2) photo layouts that tell a story and no need to be large. Is shrinking decluttering, purging, or organizing? Maybe not but it DOES fall under "downsizing". Yeah, that's it!
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 2, 2021 1:37:14 GMT
The one thing I really wanted to get done but we couldn’t is get some construction materials out the door. I thought they could go with the bulk items but they won’t pick those up. And our dump doesn’t take them and the place the waste management suggested we take it is not accepting it at this time. I just want it gone! Is it the sort of stuff that you could advertise for free and leave by the street for someone to pick up?
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May 11, 2024 22:15:59 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Mar 2, 2021 2:39:03 GMT
Just wanted to jump in here. Today I turned on a podcast (Bitch Sesh) and went to town on 3 bookcases in my bedroom. I was an English lit major, so I have a lot of books. Not just because of school but because of who I am as a person lol. My kids' school district is doing a book drive so they're going to get used by someone else, which made saying Goodbye much easier. And now the owner's suite sitting room doesn't feel "heavy" and bogged down in Stuff, if that makes sense.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 2, 2021 2:52:48 GMT
Just wanted to jump in here. Today I turned on a podcast (Bitch Sesh) and went to town on 3 bookcases in my bedroom. I was an English lit major, so I have a lot of books. Not just because of school but because of who I am as a person lol. My kids' school district is doing a book drive so they're going to get used by someone else, which made saying Goodbye much easier. And now the owner's suite sitting room doesn't feel "heavy" and bogged down in Stuff, if that makes sense. Glad to have you join us! It's great to be able to downsize our belongings while helping others out. Like you, I find it takes the sting out of getting rid of things. Enjoy that lighter feeling of your sitting room!
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Post by MissBianca on Mar 2, 2021 3:25:43 GMT
Today I’m working on writing in 2 digital scrapbooks that wer e converted from traditional. Trying to get rid of the traditional pages. I admit I would have a hard time with that. I like the tactile feel of real. Although I have informed the kids they are under no obligation to save them when /if they come to them. I still scrapbook some and instead of the large 12x12 pages, I'm going to change to 8x8. Especially for the one (or 2) photo layouts that tell a story and no need to be large. Is shrinking decluttering, purging, or organizing? Maybe not but it DOES fall under "downsizing". Yeah, that's it! It’s a Disney album from 2010 that I never finished. Every trip turns into 2 traditional books but our house is small and the kids all want to live in tiny homes. I’m still doing their school and kid books traditional but the vacations need to go to some other format. I think once the kids books are finished, I’m done scrapbooking though. The kids don’t seem to really care either way. And yes shrinking is downsizing! 8x8 takes up less space. I can’t have my 12x12 albums in the bookcase because then the shelves above are to short for anything else.
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Post by dewryce on Mar 2, 2021 5:35:47 GMT
The one thing I really wanted to get done but we couldn’t is get some construction materials out the door. I thought they could go with the bulk items but they won’t pick those up. And our dump doesn’t take them and the place the waste management suggested we take it is not accepting it at this time. I just want it gone! Is it the sort of stuff that you could advertise for free and leave by the street for someone to pick up? I don’t think so. Plywood (not full size), painted but dented moulding, and a pallet. If it was 2 or 3 years ago I bet I could have found a taker for the pallet, someone building furniture or something creative
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Post by Linda on Mar 2, 2021 16:22:00 GMT
dewryce - I bet someone might still take those for free - can you put on your neighbourhood page or buy-sell-trade page and offer up for free kerbside collection? If someone takes it, great! And if not, well, you're in the same boat you're in now. I know in my area those would be snatched up in a heartbeat. Does it count as decluttering if I just set it aside for DS29 to get next time he visits us or we visit him? 4 cast iron frying pans and a pressure canner - none of which will work on my new-to-me glass top stove but that he can and probably will use (his new house has a gas stove).
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Post by dewryce on Mar 2, 2021 17:39:16 GMT
dewryce - I bet someone might still take those for free - can you put on your neighbourhood page or buy-sell-trade page and offer up for free kerbside collection? If someone takes it, great! And if not, well, you're in the same boat you're in now. I know in my area those would be snatched up in a heartbeat. Does it count as decluttering if I just set it aside for DS29 to get next time he visits us or we visit him? 4 cast iron frying pans and a pressure canner - none of which will work on my new-to-me glass top stove but that he can and probably will use (his new house has a gas stove). That’s a very good point. As long as he has consented to taking them then it absolutely counts! We keep an empty box so that anytime we have something to donate we can toss it in there. When it’s full it goes into the back of my vehicle so that we can drop it off anytime we are near a Goodwill, no planning needed. But we also maintain a drawer near the front door where I put items my friends and family have said they want, when I will be in their area I gather everything into a bag and bring it with us. And you can bet that I count both of those as being decluttered!
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Post by tentoes on Mar 5, 2021 6:11:53 GMT
tentoes - I continue to be impressed by your decluttering, by your cheerful adaptation to living with family instead of in your own house, your perserverance! Thank you Linda. I'm much happier here. Not sure how I would have done alone in my own house during this shutdown! I've loved being here with the grandkids. Being around them has really helped me heal from my grief of losing my husband. I still have a long way to go, but "all in all" I'm doing much better.
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Post by Linda on Mar 5, 2021 14:57:23 GMT
3 baking pans GONE (ok - I replaced them with new ones but I didn't keep the old ones just in case)
1 ironing board and 1 broken rake gone
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Post by jenjie on Mar 5, 2021 15:20:11 GMT
The stackable laundry baskets arrived! You can see they JUST fit. I actually have to place them IN and lift them OUT, I can’t just slide them in and out. There is no room. These are by Sterilite. I don’t know why the container store was the only place to find them, but I was happy with the price - $12 each. Don’t ask why I ordered so many. I was thinking I can fold into one separate baskets for each person, plus a couple extra. But my repairman friend (actually a friend who repairs washers and driers) told me not to fill the machine past halfway, (specific to issues I’m having with my laundry) so I’m doing a load a day and don’t see the point in making 4 different trips with the baskets. 😂🤷🏻♀️
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 5, 2021 15:20:47 GMT
tentoes - So nice to see you and hear how well your move has gone. It's good to have the family so near to you as you process your DH's passing. Linda - The "one thing in, one thing out" really does help to tame the clutter if you stick to it! Spent some time in the guest room yesterday, organizing and doing some sorting. It had become a massive mess during the freeze when I had to pull out lots of blankets and comforters. I finally parted with a framed print my parents had given me almost 40 years ago. It was one of many prints they had from a local artist and had always been my favorite. At one point in time I absolutely loved it, but it is no longer my style nor do I have a place for it to hang. The amount of guilt from getting rid of that thing has been ridiculous! As much as I have agonized about it, I know that in a few months I won't even think about it again. Emotions are weird things. Also got rid of a couple of enormous soup bowls covered in flamingos. Another one of those gifts from a well meaning friend. They were cute, but I've used them and it was time for them to go. Also in the donation bag was a old stained wine decanter, a plastic colander (have a nice stainless one already), an almost new candle with a scent that didn't wow me, and a large piece of polar fleece left from one of DH's projects. Little things, but if something goes off every week, it does add up! Getting ready to circle back to the photos/slides/scrapbook organization. Have finally decided how I want to reorganize the cabinets/shelves by the dining table. I think having a plan will help me stick to the project now.
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Post by jenjie on Mar 5, 2021 15:29:34 GMT
**GypsyGirl** I hear you on the emotions. This week I threw away a return address stamp with mine and dh names on it. I had forgotten about it but when I saw it in the mail bin I thought, “well I don’t need this anymore...” and promptly threw it in the trash. And pulled it out just as quickly. I thought about it a minute and did end up getting rid of it because it was right for me at this point in time, but there was still a twinge.
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Post by jenjie on Mar 5, 2021 15:36:16 GMT
It’s funny when I started this round of decluttering there are things I moved to the basement “for now.” And saw other things that I don’t necessarily need but I have room for them down there. And I kept them.
DD’s fiancé was able to transfer to our area. They are in process of looking for an apartment for him to move into in the next month. He doesn’t need to buy a bunch of stuff because they will be receiving things as gifts and/or setting up housekeeping together later this year, but he needs some stuff to get by until then. So I have some goodies for them and then when they don’t need them, they can pass them on.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 5, 2021 18:21:43 GMT
I thought about it a minute and did end up getting rid of it because it was right for me at this point in time, but there was still a twinge. Thank you for posting that thought. It is exactly what I need to be telling myself while going through the last of the family things, as well as parting with furniture and things we've owned for many years. Getting rid of them is right at this point in time.
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Post by jenjie on Mar 5, 2021 19:11:27 GMT
I thought about it a minute and did end up getting rid of it because it was right for me at this point in time, but there was still a twinge. Thank you for posting that thought. It is exactly what I need to be telling myself while going through the last of the family things, as well as parting with furniture and things we've owned for many years. Getting rid of them is right at this point in time. {{{hugs}}} it’s hard. Decluttering things that have memories attached to people who are gone is a whole different ballgame.
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Post by tentoes on Mar 6, 2021 0:30:20 GMT
Do you ever just get bogged down in "I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO THIS?" I guess that is where I've been the last couple of weeks. I've been putting off spending time in the barn and paring down stuff out there. I also have to make room in my space in the house to put the rest of my photo albums from long ago. I don't want them in the barn with the temperature extremes. Soon it will be too HOT to go out there, so I have to get with the program and get the job done. Ugh.
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Post by Scrapper100 on Mar 6, 2021 0:47:58 GMT
Saw a posting about wanting donations for a local food bank and took several bags of stuff from my FILs. It was mostly can foods that we weren’t going to use. It felt so good. I then realized they were asking for hygiene items so added those to a couple bags today and dropped off more. So 6 bags of stuff gone. I had been meaning to list the items for free and saved myself having to do that .
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 6, 2021 1:30:56 GMT
Do you ever just get bogged down in "I REALLY DON'T WANT TO DO THIS?" All.the.time! I've been bogged down with my eBay pile for the past 6 months. I look at it, think about listing and then ignore it. Really can't do that anymore. We need a challenge here! I'm trying to get myself to list just 5 items a day. If I could stick with that for a week, that would be 35 items! I'm thinking after a week or so I would get back into the groove, because I really used to enjoy seeing what things would bring in the past. Scrapper100 - Good for you that you were able to get rid of 6 bags AND help others at the same time. Definitely a win-win!
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Post by alsomsknit on Mar 6, 2021 1:37:20 GMT
Broke down the boxes in the garage that were in need. Not quite decluttering, but it will make it quick and easy to get the boxes out of the garage and into the truck.
2 candles used up over the past couple of weeks. And, I tossed a horrible shaving gel as I refused to ever use it again.
Hoping DH and the Boy will haul off the recycling and old dishwasher this weekend. The 2 coffee makers could go too, if he goes to the dump.
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Post by ntsf on Mar 6, 2021 1:39:31 GMT
took two boxes of kitchen stuff I don't need off to the thrift store today!!! one more thing out. course, I also got a box of some new stuff I needed for the kitchen. but everything I got has a place..
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Post by mikklynn on Mar 6, 2021 13:09:11 GMT
I went through 2 catch-all baskets in my scrap area yesterday. I tossed or put everything in the proper place.
I also combined all my extra office supplies (tape, pens, etc) in the same place and labeled the boxes.
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