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Post by MZF on Apr 3, 2022 16:21:17 GMT
Got my fabric all sorted out--not perfect but as good as it's going to get. And while doing taxes, I shredded all older tax returns, keeping from 2009 (due to a business venture) to present. And got rid of lots of paperwork pertaining to older items we no longer have. This morning I went through my clothing again and put over a dozen items in the donate bag. I'm hoping DH will do his this afternoon so I can take to EDD and Goodwill tomorrow.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 5, 2022 1:22:21 GMT
Being less than 6 weeks out from a move after living in your current house for 35 years is a great motivator! That is definitely a motivator! Good luck with getting everything done before the big move. I love this thread, it gives me more ideas. Although I'm at the point where my house is super organized (so I just re-organize like a dork) so I've started offering to organize friend/families homes cause I love it so much. It's always fun to find new ideas to organize things. Your family and friends must really appreciate your talent! While DD does, many years ago I was banned from organizing my mom's house - and kitchen in particular - because she said she couldn't find things when I left. Let's just say the organizing gene didn't come from her! Thanks ladies for the good wishes. I'm not doing terrible. I will be getting an MRI of my shoulder this coming week that got "jammed" when I fell a few weeks ago. My knee got a cortisone shot and is feeling much better. I had already had a cortisone shot in the other knee before the fall!! So sorry to hear that you are dealing with health issues. Hopefully the MRI will let the doctors know what the specific issue is and you can get some answers soon! Any kind of pain from joints, muscles and bones is never fun. I’m hoping joining this thread will keep me in pace. Welcome! Glad to have you along for the ride! Sometimes it helps to just list what you've done. Then later when you feel stuck it's easy to go back and see just how much you've already accomplished! I haven't done much since my second hospitalization. Too scared to get HR up/get around allergens. I need to though. I hope that you are feeling better soon and your health improves. I hope to get out into the shed for a few mins today. I pulled out a paint can a couple of weeks ago and discovered the contents had dried up, so I want to check all the other leftover tins to see if there are any others I can get rid of. Paint cans are my nemesis. In fact they are on the list to tackle this week. Many of mine are partially full though. My plans are to pick up some cheap kitty litter tomorrow and then use it to absorb the paint in the cans. Once it hardens, we can put the lid back on and add to the regular trash. I am really worried he is beginning to have hoarder tendencies since his mother passed away last April. I've offered to dispose of my late MIL's medications and medical supplies, even telling him where I could donate the supplies. He didn't respond, so I dropped it. He has filled a bathtub with all of it. I'm so sorry you are having to deal with this on top of everything move related!
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 5, 2022 1:35:37 GMT
Finally have a chance to report on what I've gotten accomplished in recent weeks. Mid-March I had a root canal, followed by hand surgery (for trigger finger) so I was sidelined for a few weeks. This week DH had an unexpected business trip come up, so I have the week to myself. Today I've managed to sort through all the needlepoint canvas and threads stash, being brutally honest about the likelihood I'd ever use them. I also acknowledged that I don't dig through stash for project threads, but head to the shop instead and get new specific for that project. I kept a few canvases and a bit of thread, but the rest of it is going to the needlepoint guild at church on Wed. They will use what they can and then pass the rest along to a group that teaches people to needlepoint.
As I have been getting new things in for the spring/summer wardrobe, I've been putting old things into the donation bag. Although it isn't an equal swap because I did a major purge in the Fall. Last week at Container Store I picked up some more of the sea grass baskets. I'll use them to organize the last two drawers on my side of the wardrobe.
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Post by bc2ca on Apr 5, 2022 2:17:33 GMT
I finally purged a few drawers this morning. It was mostly workout stuff and knowing that the back half of the drawer hadn't seen the light of day for a year or so that inspired me. The drawers are reorganized and a stash of tops, yoga pants and sports bras that don't fit or never quite fit right are mostly being donated. Some were put directly in the trash. I wasn't ready to stop, so also pulled a few hanging tops from the closet and tidied everything into long sleeves, short sleeves and sleeveless sections. My next project is the never ending office/craft room reorganization. I'm using the lame excuse that a Kallax insert I want is out of stock at Ikea to keep putting it off, but realize I need to get it done. I'm buying duplicate needles because I have them stashed in a few different spots and need to bring them all together in one space.
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Post by Linda on Apr 5, 2022 17:30:44 GMT
I spent 12 HOURS cleaning up my SVGs and cut files - deleted probably probably 3/4 or more, organised and labelled the rest
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Post by bc2ca on Apr 5, 2022 20:11:41 GMT
A few more things purged and organized this morning. Three purses were added to the donation pile including 2 red purses which were never used. One was bought at Coach on a road trip up the I5 almost 9 years ago but I felt too guilty to give it away all these years. Red is definitely not my purse color.
Shoes are next on my list.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Apr 6, 2022 13:03:37 GMT
Yesterday I scraped super old wallpaper in preparation for repainting a long upstairs hallway. To do this, I had to empty three huge shelving units that are used for linens and toiletries. at the very top, I found several pillows, throws, curtains, and tablecloths that has been chucked up there years ago. I moved them tl a better place (for now. Their fate is TBD). The whole shelving area looks so much cleaner and more organized without stuff in bags just taking up space all the way to the ceiling.
Today I am trying to organize a shallow bedroom closet that is shared by two kids. It is small. It is shallow.
It has gobs of unusable space. The shelf has about six feet above it, but only one foot clearance from the doorway.
It is too shallow to run a bar horizontally from the left to right side of the closet, so there are two 9" mini bars hung from the front to the back (yeah, the closet is about 11" deep total.)
There is unusable space on the far left and far right once you hang any clothes on those bars.
And being so shallow, nothing much wider than a shoebox fits in that unseen, inaccessible space anyway.
Very frustrating.
So far I've emptied the entire closet, vacuumed, and wiped every surface I could reach.
There is a back of the door pocket shoe storage thing that I hang to face inside the closet.
And two 3 drawer Sterilite storage units that sit directly in front of where the door opens. They hold the school uniforms. They fit side by side, but I'm going to see if I like them better stacked (and if they'll fit at all that way). But then it might block the hanging clothes too much.
I'll be back.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Apr 6, 2022 15:58:56 GMT
Closet is as done as it will get.
It holds only clothes/coats and shoes/boots.
Those Sterilite drawers do not work well stacked, so side by side they remain.
I relocated three empty bookbags & a trashbag full of stuffies.
Pulled outgrown clothes off the rods, put aside for donating.
Lied to myself that son will ever wear any of the four dress shirts I hung back up. 😂😂
Too big hand-me-down clothes, and too big uniform clothes are sorted & labeled by size in jumbo Ziploc bags, and stored neatly on the shelf.
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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 Apr 6, 2022 18:38:40 GMT
DH and I have our own walk-in bedroom closets. Needless to say he is not a neat freak. Not even a little bit. Every so often I go in there and try to organize, etc. The other night I got him to go through his shoes. DH got rid of 6 pairs. I was hoping for a few more and maybe he'll decide to do another round. In the meantime I did purchase another shoe rack and at least cleared more floor space. DH is only allowed to mess up his office and bedroom closet. He does appreciate a clean house so doesn't give me any grief about my cleaning and decluttering.
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 7, 2022 13:29:14 GMT
LavenderLayoutLady Wow! You are on a mission. I'm very impressed. Taking down wallpaper is NOT a fun project, but it is rewarding in the end. I told my BFF I am playing a new game: pack or pitch. I am thinking about every single item I pack. Do I really need it or want to find a place for it? I have another trunk load of stuff to go to Goodwill and a load to take to BIL's trash can. (He's not staying at his house right now).
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Apr 7, 2022 17:26:43 GMT
Yay for all the Peas making progress! mikklynn Pack or pitch! Love that! Today has been another day moving forward with decluttering and organizing. The youngest two still have toy overflow in the basement, in Rubbermaid bins. Today I went through all of them, and put like items with like items, then LABELLED the bins!!😁 There was actually very little to toss, because since the pandemic started, the dentist & doctor offices stopped giving out crap plastic toys. Then I also labelled the bins that hold extra new school supplies (that I buy at the beginning of the year to replace what is used up/broken throughout the year), and put all the kids craft & school project supplies in a separate bin. Labels are key. I'm really happy with my progress. So much stuff, and so many bins, overwhelm me. But the stuff all has a place in our lives right now.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 7, 2022 18:51:41 GMT
. Baskets or bins inside drawers is another key to keeping things organized. I recently did DH's drawers because I got tired of having to search for things he swore he couldn't find. . Caught up on my shredding this week. Also bought a cute basket to hold the bags of loose tea DH is using now and tossed the box they were in. Put new drawer liner and baskets in my cedar drawers in the armoire (we have a wall of built in armoires in our bedroom). Nothing got donated, but now I can find things. I did note that I need to quit buying red/black buffalo check winter skirts and pants, as there are more than enough in there! What can I say, I like tartans and checks! Had some space in the recycling bin so added a couple of boxes that were hanging around in the garage. I've nearly cleared out all the shipping supply stash from my eBay days, thankfully! Really annoyed with Amazon. I ordered another Art Bin thread storage container. It showed up yesterday and while it was labeled thread holder, it was anything but. Nothing but some vertical dividers. So will return that and just drop by JoAnn's for one instead.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Apr 7, 2022 19:33:24 GMT
**GypsyGirl** Love little bins to divide drawers! That's how I have my kitchen drawers, so that they don't become junk drawers.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 7, 2022 20:27:41 GMT
Just read something that resonated with me as far as decluttering goes. It's from this week's newsletter from James Clear (author of Atomic Habits). An interesting thought to the clutter and stuff that we own.
"Look around your environment.
Rather than seeing items as objects, see them as magnets for your attention. Each object gently pulls a certain amount of your attention toward it.
Whenever you discard something, the tug of that object is released. You get some attention back."
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Post by Linda on Apr 7, 2022 21:17:24 GMT
**GypsyGirl** -that quote is a very interesting perspective. Kind of an expensive decluttering for me. I had two floppy discs of photos from my mum's house - minimal labelling on the disc. I do not have a computer that can read floppies. Brought them to my local computer guys and for $37 (ouch) they were able to extract the photos, convert to jpg, and return to me on a flash drive. It wouldn't have been so much except they were in a proprietery format and they had quite a bit of work to convert them to something readable. But they are on my computer now, backed up by Carbonite, and on my Google Drive shared with family. And I've tossed the two floppy discs. I did manage to figure out the who/what/when for the photos so they are now labelled as well. Working on a SD card of mystery photos now. First up appear to be from Jackson Hole Wyoming - I know I have other photos from her two trips there so hopefully can narrow down which trip... PSA PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE label your photos with WHo WHEN and WHERE
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luvnlifelady
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,428
Jun 26, 2014 2:34:35 GMT
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Post by luvnlifelady on Apr 8, 2022 0:05:50 GMT
I've been going through our place some recently. My mother recently passed away in CA. My brother is now on his way to me (he's driving). He is bringing me stuff and then I'll pick up more stuff when I go there in June. We have very little storage. I'm trying to make room and clean things out. Even with that though, I may not to get at least a temporary storage unit.
We're thinking of moving, but I dread it. More space would be nice though. I'm getting my mom's Madame Alexander dolls and I would love to display them somewhere.
I did recently organize my earrings. I am getting some of those from my mom too. I put 70 pairs in little baggies. I may put them in a binder eventually. They are already much easier to find.
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Post by Linda on Apr 8, 2022 2:38:01 GMT
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Post by Linda on Apr 8, 2022 2:41:59 GMT
four camera memory cards have been emptied and are in a baggie - they will go in the next box we mail to the older kids - they'll fit DS30's camera. The photos are in the month/year folders with the general place identified. I still need to go through and label more specifically.
But first I need to dig out a laptop and see if I have a card reader for the 10 smaller memory cards - the others fit my camera so I could transfer via usb. They might fit DD21's camera - if so, they'll got to her once I empty them.
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Post by Linda on Apr 8, 2022 23:19:38 GMT
And the 10 memory cards have had all photos transferred to my computer and added to year folders - further labelling still to come. And DD21 has confirmed they will fit her camera so they'll be (hopefully) mailed tomorrow
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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 Apr 11, 2022 8:29:01 GMT
I'm still working my way through painting and associated tasks. After reinstalling curtains on one of the windows I decided I really dislike them, so DH and I have agreed we'll change this window over to holland blinds (roller blinds for my US friends ). I listed them on my local buy nothing group yesterday and have someone coming to pick them up on Wed. I feel like I've been walking through a work zone in my house for the last few weeks, so it's nice to finally see things going out the door and the mess coming under control.
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Post by tentoes on Apr 11, 2022 15:12:43 GMT
I got my wall unit dusted and looking good yesterday. Had to take over 100 scrapbooks off shelves so I could dust them. My shoulder is killing me today. It does look a lot better. I went through the drawers and straightened them out. Mostly what I for rid of was just papers stuck in the wrong places. I think I did take a few of my nic-nacs out, Not enough to make a dent though.
My goal today is to go through my hanging things yet again--to see if I can't get rid of that fur shawl that was my mom's. I haven't yet mustered up the courage. I think it's the last thing I have of my moms. I just remember her being so proud of herself for buying it with money she earned herself. She looked great in it. Fur jackets aren't my thing--
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 11, 2022 15:40:59 GMT
to see if I can't get rid of that fur shawl that was my mom's. I haven't yet mustered up the courage. I think it's the last thing I have of my moms. I just remember her being so proud of herself for buying it with money she earned herself. She looked great in it. Fur jackets aren't my thing-- Have you considered having the jacket made into a pillow or throw? I have even seen stuffed animals made from old fur coats. If she had her name embroidered inside (a common practice) be sure to save that to include in some format. It would be a way to keep the fur, but in a form that you could use or see daily to remind you of her. I inherited my mother's fur stole and her rabbit jacket. DD wore the stole to a New Year's Eve party. It if weren't for her liking (and wearing it), I would have it remade.
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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 Apr 11, 2022 16:01:58 GMT
Went through a big purge of my spring/summer clothes from last year, and got rid of the majority of it. We are selling one of our houses, so we're gathering up lots of stuff for a garage sale. So far, I've gathered up all of the small kitchen appliances I don't use as well as my old Calphalon pots/pans. Feels to get rid of all that crap I'm not using. Next is bathroom cabinet organization and purging.
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Post by tentoes on Apr 11, 2022 16:20:48 GMT
to see if I can't get rid of that fur shawl that was my mom's. I haven't yet mustered up the courage. I think it's the last thing I have of my moms. I just remember her being so proud of herself for buying it with money she earned herself. She looked great in it. Fur jackets aren't my thing-- Have you considered having the jacket made into a pillow or throw? I have even seen stuffed animals made from old fur coats. If she had her name embroidered inside (a common practice) be sure to save that to include in some format. It would be a way to keep the fur, but in a form that you could use or see daily to remind you of her. I inherited my mother's fur stole and her rabbit jacket. DD wore the stole to a New Year's Eve party. It if weren't for her liking (and wearing it), I would have it remade. Several years ago I considered making a stuffed animal out of it, but never did it. Yes, she has her initials on the inside. So far, it made it to the get rid of bag, but hasn't made it to the garage yet. Then I have to wait for the pick up--so there is still time to rescue it. I know I will never use it. Maybe I'll ask my sister if she wants it before I get rid of it. It's more 'her style' if you get it! I'm more a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt type.
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Post by lily on Apr 11, 2022 20:00:34 GMT
Why can I not throw out an old bra when I get a new one? They are the exact same kind and the old one is stretched out some....maybe it's the comfort thing? ?
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Post by tentoes on Apr 12, 2022 1:12:41 GMT
Well, the fur stole is in the bag still. I can't say there weren't a few tears shed, and not positive it will stay in the bag, but at least it's a start. I found a lamp in the bottom of a pile of blankets, so got rid of that too, and a few shirts that come down too far in the neckline for me. So, that's a start!
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Post by mikklynn on Apr 12, 2022 11:20:20 GMT
tentoes If getting rid of your mom's fur made you cry, I think you should take it out and keep it. Purging and downsizing does not mean we can't keep things that are meaningful to us, even if they are not useful.
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Apr 12, 2022 14:41:06 GMT
tentoes If getting rid of your mom's fur made you cry, I think you should take it out and keep it. Purging and downsizing does not mean we can't keep things that are meaningful to us, even if they are not useful. . It doesn't sound like now is the time to get rid of her fur. I vote you save it from the donation box. If you really want it gone, then offer it up to your sister or the grandchildren. As much airtime as the anti-fur movement gets, you'd be surprised at the number of the under 40s crowd that still enjoy a fur - and particularly a family heirloom.
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Post by Linda on Apr 12, 2022 15:59:54 GMT
As much airtime as the anti-fur movement gets, you'd be surprised at the number of the under 40s crowd that still enjoy a fur - and particularly a family heirloom. and many of them ONLY want pre-owned fur because of ethical reasons
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Post by tentoes on Apr 12, 2022 16:55:04 GMT
tentoes If getting rid of your mom's fur made you cry, I think you should take it out and keep it. Purging and downsizing does not mean we can't keep things that are meaningful to us, even if they are not useful. . It doesn't sound like now is the time to get rid of her fur. I vote you save it from the donation box. If you really want it gone, then offer it up to your sister or the grandchildren. As much airtime as the anti-fur movement gets, you'd be surprised at the number of the under 40s crowd that still enjoy a fur - and particularly a family heirloom. I will ask my sister if she wants it. It fits her personality more than it does mine. I'm sure none of my grandchildren would want it though. Thanks for the suggestion. I'll be seeing her next month, so I could take it to her. I guess sometimes I'm just a bit sentimental. It really just represents how strong my mom was. She was a young widow, and got a job to make sure we had a roof over our head, then bought this stole I think just to say to the world "I got this." Being a widow now, I can see how strong she was, and wish I could be more like her. I'm not a "young" widow, and thankfully had all my children grown up and married by the time I became a widow. I think THAT is why this stole means so much to me. I haven't worn it ever--it's just a symbol of her strength.
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