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Post by lg on Jul 17, 2022 5:14:28 GMT
Question - where do you store your vacuum? mop? broom? Steam cleaner? I don't have a hall closet (well we do butits opposite the stairs so the ground isn't flat). Looking for idea's as I can't stand them just sitting in the laundry room! So I redesigned my whole laundry when we renovated it so I specifically had a cupboard that fit my stick vacuum and ironing board. Yep, I designed the whole room around where to put my vacuum cleaner…. I even had an electrical outlet installed inside the cupboard so I can put it in and charge it out if site. I have a special kind of weird in my head 😁
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Post by lg on Jul 17, 2022 5:38:48 GMT
I am very proud of ds, we went through her closet and got rid of three bags of clothes to donate to a younger cousin, and another bag full of other clothing items to go to the local donation bins. I reminded her I won’t buy new clothes when the drawers won’t shut as they are sooo full already, and that was motivation enough to have her clearing things out at a frenetic pace. She also decluttered (with me helping to keep her motivated and so it didn’t just sit on the floor) three full bags of paper from her various craft projects she no longer needed. Got five things from her room I’m listing on eBay shortly as they are brand new and never used so I’m hoping to get a little cash back for selling them (they were purchased when I was in fantasy me mode, reality me is slowly taking over and emptying the house of things we have and will never use no matter how useful or good they are). Another bag full of craft items for the local preschoolers to play with and we are done.
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smartypants71
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,815
Location: Houston, TX
Jun 25, 2014 22:47:49 GMT
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Post by smartypants71 on Jul 18, 2022 12:53:56 GMT
I feel like I have stepped back about 5 years in my organization process. We are in the process of selling our other house, so we finally made the move to empty the house out. Furniture hasn't been an issue because we sold a lot of that, but the "other season" clothing, all the bathroom stuff, kitchen stuff, etc is now under one roof. It's going to be a lot, and I am so busy with work and school right now. One day at a time, i guess!
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Post by tentoes on Jul 18, 2022 23:22:52 GMT
I again tackled one of my closets. Although I didn't get rid of a LOT of stuff, it sure looks better. When I was getting ready for my trip, I didn't really look what I was doing when I packed. I really messed up my closet because I packed in a hurry even though the trip was planned for several months. I'm not sure what made me wait until the last minute, but I did. Well, I ended up getting rid of three pair of shoes, and a dog bed, and some summer t-shirts that I haven't worn this summer. I also got rid of some rags from the rag bag, and some Easter eggs that I bought for the Easter Egg hunt at our church and I didn't get to attend. I did reorganize the closet. I put colors together. I did this not too long ago, and I really liked it, and it looks so good like that!! I still have another closet, but it has warmer clothes in it, so I don't want to deal with those right now. It's over 100 degrees outside!! I want to go to Costco and get some summer pajamas--mine are looking a bit worn.
ETA: I also got rid of a pair of white jeans.
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Post by calgaryscrapper on Jul 19, 2022 20:14:24 GMT
Went through another cupboard in the kitchen today. dh is going to help me adjust a couple of shelves when he gets home so we can re-arrange things,
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,403
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Jul 21, 2022 23:54:34 GMT
Today I finally defrosted the upright freezer. I typically do this 2x a year, but didn't get it done this past Spring. I also try to eat down the freezer before defosting, but that seems impossible to do too these days. I really only tossed a couple things so that's good right? Anyways it's now frost free and tidy.
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Post by Linda on Jul 25, 2022 22:44:01 GMT
not sure how much this counts but our old couch/loveseat/recliner went to the dump last week....and have all been replaced. They were not in donation condition - we had wanted to replace them when we moved last year but there was no availability.
But I'm so pleased that DH took them to the dump RIGHT AWAY - I was half expecting them to sit in the screen room or the garage for months.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jul 25, 2022 23:08:13 GMT
My mother died in our home earlier this month after moving her in with us five months ago. That move basically consisted of a suitcase and some personal items due to the status of her health at that point. She had been sharing a home with my oldest son and his wife in another town for almost ten years.
He brought me all her jewelry, papers, file cabinet, keepsakes, and so so many old photos. I’ve been sorting and categorizing all that as part of settling her estate.
I’ve donated all the clothes she had at my home and my son has done the same at their home. I requested one piece of furniture which he brought me and I’m leaving the rest to their discretion to use or donate.
It’s been a trip down memory lane to recall the significance of various items. But I’m okay with picking only a small number of meaningful items. I don’t need to keep it all.
I did take my mother’s diamond (a 1.06 carat pear shape) to the jeweler to be cleaned and resized. I’m giving it to my first daughter-in-law married to my oldest son. They are the ones who lived with her. Plus they are expecting and it will be our first girl in the family. So the ring will go from my mother to me to my daughter-in-law to my first granddaughter. So fitting.
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Post by Linda on Jul 26, 2022 0:17:01 GMT
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Post by deafpea on Jul 26, 2022 19:51:42 GMT
Hi all, I am going through stuff in preparation for back to school. I have soooo many crayons, colored pencils, writing pencils and pens that are still good. The crayons and pencils are obviously used, but they are not broken or colored down to tiny stubs.
Anyone have some ideas of organizations that might benefit from these gently used items?
Merilee
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Post by ntsf on Jul 26, 2022 22:11:28 GMT
well.. my husband has been out of town for weeks.. so between this week and last week.. I organized not all but most of my scrapbooking supplies. not ordering anything for a long time.
then I seriously tackled the disaster that is the basement. I cleaned off a set of shelves, put two big bags in the garbage, cleaned off the shelves of the mouse poop.. sent a picture to the family.. I have not cleaned these shelves for at least 15 yrs.. they could hardly believe it. all the stuff off shelves is on the floor.. but significant progress happened and I have a plan to tackle the rest. i spend about 1 hour a day on it. went through all my dad's photo prints and made album for sister, and put bundles of pictures together to take to them when I can.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,640
Member is Online
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 27, 2022 9:13:02 GMT
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,640
Member is Online
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 27, 2022 9:16:38 GMT
I suggested to DH a week ago that he might want to use his bonus this year to upgrade our old tv. We ended up buying a new tv unit as well as a tv (it's been on my to be replaced list for at least the last 3 or 4 years). I'll be listing the old unit on my local buy nothing group this week and DH possibly has someone at work to take the old tv.
It also forced a clean out of the old unit and the gentleman's wardrobe that sat next to it. I've got a bag of old videos to be tossed, and I got rid of a bunch of now useless cables. We still have a small pile of things to sort through after the changeover but we're only putting things back that we actually want to keep.
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Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Jul 27, 2022 12:42:23 GMT
The crayons and pencils are obviously used, but they are not broken or colored down to tiny stubs. Anyone have some ideas of organizations that might benefit from these gently used items? We run across large quantities of these from some houses doing estate auctions. They don't generally sell even for $1 for a huge box. Hating to throw them away, one employee spent some time calling around to schools and recreation facilities looking for some teacher or activity director that would want them. No one did. One person said that new crayons and pencils are simply available too inexpensively to take 'used' ones. You might have better luck, but we basically just end up trashing stuff like that.
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Post by Linda on Jul 27, 2022 13:32:31 GMT
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jul 27, 2022 15:07:53 GMT
Great information! deafpea - If you can't find a school or daycare program that wants them, perhaps a homeschool organization? List them on your neighborhood Freecycle type of website? You might also bag them up and donate to a local thrift store. I often see bags of crayons in decent shape, as well as pens and pencils for sale at our thrift store - and they sell.
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Post by Legacy Girl on Jul 27, 2022 15:37:38 GMT
Had a bag of DD's barely worn clothes in my dining room but kept forgetting to ask if anyone in the moms group I mentor might need them. I had lunch with a good friend last week and I asked her if her single DD and GD might want them. She said they really needed them. I checked the sizes and they're perfect for her. Win! DH delivered them last night.
Dear brother is still hospitalized and my parents are dog sitting with his yellow lab. Parents need a respite today so canine niece is visiting me for the afternoon. You know what they say about the fastest way to organize is to have someone over on short notice? Yep. That! Thankful for DD who helped me power through last night and organize our forever- problematic dining room so that the dog can't get to the food items in our makeshift pantry.
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Post by lg on Jul 28, 2022 23:16:31 GMT
Just sold another few things on eBay… might have already spent the money on craft supplies BUT I’m okay with swapping something I never use with something new and exciting. Listed a few more things today, hoping they make their way out of the house soon. Also got a whole bag of graphic novels to the school library as donations (kids have outgrown them) and a bag of Lego too (my son build them but doesn’t want to play with them) so the school Lego club will have some new pieces to play with. Three bags out of the house yay!
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Post by ntsf on Jul 28, 2022 23:55:04 GMT
making slow but steady progress in the basement. moved a bunch a stuff around, took stuff to garbage can, cleaned out some bins, and got contact paper for the shelves and some other misc stuff. my dh is so thrilled I'm tackling this. a new lateral file cabinet is arriving next monday.. I am happy with that.. so all papers can be filed and not in bins around.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 29, 2022 14:50:35 GMT
Today I am cleaning my office. I've let too much pile up on my desk since moving. I also have a stack of shredding piled up after having DGD staying in the office for the last 3 weeks. I usually shred immediately.
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Post by calgaryscrapper on Jul 30, 2022 0:59:51 GMT
We went through a couple of boxes of old toys yesterday. Two toys that use batteries don’t work so out they go. Nose is drying out and cracking on a big old teddy of dh’s and the bear is worn out so it is gone too. Had an old mattress pad in the storage room (maybe to cover things). Called the SPCA and they will take it for the dogs and cats. We did some errands and went to drop it off. They would not take it as there was elastic around it. Dh pulled most of off then I suggested to cut the rest off with our hitch. Sure is freeing to go through things. Now I need to convince dh to part with an old fish tank.
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Post by ntsf on Jul 30, 2022 1:15:24 GMT
back to the basement today. contact paper will not stick to my wood shelves.. so have to return the other three rolls. but I pulled out shelf and swept up.. wiped down shelf.. and ready to put it back in place.. three more things my dh said put on the curb!!
my new lateral file arrives monday morning!!! I am excited about that. the basement has been a black hole for over a decade.. it is not like nice pictures.. it is under my sloping house.. and half is meant to be a garage, front part has laundry, rough concrete all over, exposed framing all over..the upper half was a foundation.. that was destroyed by a previous owner and a "room" made (you have to step on piece of timber and go up three ft to get to "room" --also has furnace and hot water tank on upper level.. and it is all damp, and not protected from mice particularly.
and since our house is not big, all sorts of stuff there in bins and lots and lots of camping equipment, tools, boxes of books, stuff my husband keeps for burning man (like old bikes), and currently stuff that came off our sailboat when we sold it 2 yrs ago.
I find now that I took apart my dad's two condos, I am better at getting rid of stuff. our retirement has clarified more what we will actually do in our lives.
I have 15 more boxes to bring down to my house of dad's stuff.. much of it is stuff my kids want. I am just transporting it.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,640
Member is Online
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 30, 2022 1:48:25 GMT
The old tv just got picked up, they are surprisingly large and unwieldy when sitting in the middle of the floor so I'm glad to have it gone. I've continued to work my way through the stuff that came out of the old tv cabinet and have added some more things to the donate pile and another couple to the toss pile.
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Post by calgaryscrapper on Aug 2, 2022 2:28:49 GMT
Pulled out the box and there was a large and small fish tank with supplies in it. Posted it for free and someone responded within 10 minutes. He picked it up first thing this morning and is going to introduce his nephew to fish
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Post by ntsf on Aug 2, 2022 2:52:22 GMT
I put 4 things on curb sunday.. three disappeared and one didn't so I put it on nextdoor. someone I know said her husband wanted it.. so I ran over and gave it to them. bike rack in perfect shape. he was thrilled, gave me a bottle of wine.. and more stuff out of basement.
my lovely file cabinet arrived.. wrapped in cardboard. it is so heavy I can't move it off the packaging, so will have to wait for my son to come over and help me put it in place. more garbage/recycling out of basement. shelf back in place and clean. my husband is coming back to town after aug 12. so I have a target date and will need to start working faster in basement.
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Post by Linda on Aug 2, 2022 3:08:30 GMT
well done everyone!
we managed to get the recycling taken out this weekend (we don't have kerbside) so that was a plus. I tosed a few stickers I'll never use while scrapping tonight. That's really all here lately
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Post by cecilia on Aug 2, 2022 7:26:26 GMT
I am going to haul off some of the recycling today.
We took some stuff to the landfill last week and will likely need to make another trip. Also been trying to go through craft stuff.
I still don't know if or when my aunt's graveside service will be (she was cremated). I am assuming my aunt in PNW is going to stay with us when there is one so I am really trying to declutter 'my end' of the house since she will likely sleep in the room across the hall from me. ("My end" is my room, TV room, 1 bathroom, and a hallway).
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Aug 2, 2022 12:29:17 GMT
so I ran over and gave it to them. bike rack in perfect shape. he was thrilled, gave me a bottle of wine.. An excellent trade!
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,403
Jun 27, 2014 12:39:18 GMT
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Post by amom23 on Aug 2, 2022 13:21:27 GMT
WE helped move DS into his college apartment yesterday. The big pile of "stuff" from his dorm room and for the new apartment is now out of the house. DH also helped me take another load of stuff to the dump. That opened up the spot in the garage. I have another pile of donations started.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Aug 2, 2022 15:16:49 GMT
Amazing to see all the progress everyone is making! Still nothing much going on here due to construction. The good news is they are running a bit ahead of schedule (a miracle!) and think they will be done by Labor Day! We will still be waiting on backsplash tile and appliances, but everything else will be done and my house will be free of workers!!! Once that happens things will come out of storage and the "fun" begins! There will be more to share at that point I'm sure.
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