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Post by cmhs on Jul 3, 2014 11:24:44 GMT
Clutter! DH and I will be attacking the garage which hasn't housed a car in nearly 10 years. I feel like I am drowning in paper and fabric -- my basement is overflowing with both. I have battled this problem for years and I am so tired of it. My house doesn't look messy for the most part but there are stashes of paper everywhere and it is creating so much anxiety in my life that I cannot take it any more. (Have to add that the dining room is a disaster -- dd moved back home from college in May for the summer and parked most of her stuff there, and there it sits. She will be moving out again in August.) My mom is in the process of emptying the home she's lived in for 40+ years and there is so much stuff. Even after all the kids have taken what we want, even after many purging sessions, there is still so much stuff. I just don't want my kids to have to go through this when I am old/dead. So, I guess by making a public proclamation, I'll feel the need to follow through.  What's different this time is that DH has committed to helping. Wish me luck -- I am going to need it! Any success stories to encourage me would be greatly appreciated!  UPDATE 8/2:
Updating to keep myself accountable and motivated. In the month since I started this thread we have: taken a van load of stuff to the dump purged half the garage of unneeded stuff (will work on the other half next weekend) built nice storage shelves in the garage purged and donated fabric to a church that makes quilts boxed up about 4 large trash bags with clothes to donate boxed up 6 (so far) large boxes of misc. household and decorative items I don't love/use to donate (truck is coming to pick up next week) filled 2+ large lawn bags with paper that has gone to recycling had my kids go through their toys -- they got rid of so much! used up or got rid of half empty paint cans put a ton of stuff on the curb which all found new homes within 24 hours. The basement looks so much cleaner, open and uncluttered. Still have a ways to go. I hate filing and that job seems to be the one I am still procrastinating. I think I'm going to pay DS to shred the papers that need to be shredded. I am still plugging away at it and am determined to see it through! |
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,277 
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Post by lindas on Jul 3, 2014 11:43:19 GMT
Good luck decluttering. Paper is the worse! DH was a paper hoarder, he saved everything. I finally convinced him to at least let me scan it. So far I've eliminated 2 file cabinets full and have two more to go. I just sit there in the morning for 1/2 hour with my tea and scan.
My basement needs a major overhaul too but I'm saving that job for fall. I refuse to waste good summer weather cleaning the basement.
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amom23
Drama Llama
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Post by amom23 on Jul 3, 2014 11:56:44 GMT
It's going to be a lot of work, but if you are in the right frame of mind you'll get it done and feel so much better afterwards! I agree about not wanting to leave a house stuff full of "stuff" for my kids to have to deal with when I'm gone. Best of luck to you! Glad to hear your DH is onboard!
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clarita
Junior Member
Posts: 79
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Post by clarita on Jul 3, 2014 12:00:11 GMT
Good luck! I struggle with having too much stuff and papers that accumulate on flat surfaces but I am also determined to get better. It is causing me too much stress.
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grinningcat
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,663
Jun 26, 2014 13:06:35 GMT
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Post by grinningcat on Jul 3, 2014 12:03:59 GMT
I have started the process of decluttering and purging as I prepare to move in the fall. I'm doing it in baby steps because it's overwhelming. I've left it for so long and I hate housework so much that it can only happen a little bit at a time.
Good luck.
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Post by Scrapbrat on Jul 3, 2014 12:13:05 GMT
Good for you!! I've also thought about not leaving huge amounts of crap for my kids to deal with but I'm not at the proclamation stage yet.
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Post by Kelpea on Jul 3, 2014 12:14:16 GMT
Do little sections at a time. Don't get overwhelmed. Keep to the little tasks at hand. It'll be less stressful that way! Then adhere to the adage of "if something comes in, something else has to be tossed."
Don't forget you can donate your stuff or sell it on online yard sales sites, too. And Freecycle.org is awesome as well.
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wellway
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,024
Jun 25, 2014 20:50:09 GMT
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Post by wellway on Jul 3, 2014 12:25:50 GMT
Take photos before you start and as you progress and finish. You are likely to feel you are not making progress and the photos will prove you are. Like a morale boost.
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BarbaraUK
Drama Llama
Surrounded by my yarn stash on the NE coast of England...............!! Refupea 1702
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Location: England UK
Jun 27, 2014 12:47:11 GMT
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Post by BarbaraUK on Jul 3, 2014 12:27:37 GMT
I suddenly realised one day how much clutter we had in each and every room of this big old house even though the rooms didn't look messy and decided a gigantic declutter operation was well overdue! The thing that kept me going was the fact that the finished rooms looked so good and were easier to clean and by the time I got to the last room I was delighted about deciding to start decluttering!  I wish you the best of luck with your decluttering and hope that it isn't long before you can look round the garage and say 'I've done it!!'. |
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Post by scrapqueen01 on Jul 3, 2014 13:04:19 GMT
I am right there with you. I was looking around my house and there are stacks of papers everywhere. Dd draws so her drawings are usually all over her desk in the kitchen or the island. Dh has little notes and pieces of paper with passwords all over the place. It's driving me crazy. I'd like to go paperless or at least semi-paperless.
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purplebee
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,792
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Post by purplebee on Jul 3, 2014 13:20:33 GMT
Good luck! It's summer vacation for me, I'm a lunch lady. I don't have piles of stuff, but do have closets and a room that desperately need sorting/reorganizing. It's just getting up the ambition to start that's hard for me.
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Post by refupea on Jul 3, 2014 13:22:34 GMT
I'd like to declare my independence from tiling, but I want this project done!!! We bought a new stove which require a range hood. Before we may install the range hood, we had to remove the cabinet and microwave that were above the former stove. That meant getting a new microwave, but I didn't want one on the counter. My husband built a cubby recessed into the wall of our pantry. It also meant removing the microwave vent that went to the outside and patching the hole on the outside, only to have to create a new one for the range hood. Since my husband had the wall open, we also decided to install a pot filler faucet. Do you see where this project is going? LOL!
I have been wanting to tile our back splash since we built our home eleven years ago. I knew that if we didn't do it now, we would never remove the hood to do so in the future, so...my brand new, beautiful stove sits in our garage while we tile.
I commend you on decluttering! Paper is my enemy!!
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 3, 2014 13:25:03 GMT
Good luck!
You can do it!!
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Post by deshacrafts on Jul 3, 2014 13:28:38 GMT
After inheriting 2 houses of stuff and getting a lot of stuff from my parents downsizing, I decided I didn't want my kids to have to go through that and have been slowly purging stuff for about a year now. I still have a bunch of stuff to go through, but it is definitely better than it was. Paper was the worst. I have that finally under control. I have two file drawers of information and a bankers box of tax returns and that's it.
Good luck with your purge, you will feel so much better once you get started.
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Post by deshacrafts on Jul 3, 2014 13:29:22 GMT
After inheriting 2 houses of stuff and getting a lot of stuff from my parents downsizing, I decided I didn't want my kids to have to go through that and have been slowly purging stuff for about a year now. I still have a bunch of stuff to go through, but it is definitely better than it was. Paper was the worst. I have that finally under control. I have two file drawers of information and a bankers box of tax returns and that's it.
Good luck with your purge, you will feel so much better once you get started.
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Post by cmhs on Jul 3, 2014 16:02:14 GMT
Thanks for the encouragement, everyone! I spent a few minutes at work this morning laying out my plan of attack for the garage and basement. I broke each space into zones and will work one zone at a time, especially in the basement, so as to not become overwhelmed. I only worked a half day today so after lunch, I begin!
I can so relate -- nothing is ever as simple and clear cut as we hope. Good luck!
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Post by MonkeysInk on Jul 3, 2014 16:27:05 GMT
We just moved to a house that's about 500 square feet smaller inside and has two fewer garage spaces. I had the movers put everything either in the upstairs room or in the garage - nothing in the attic - and I'm going through it all before it goes into the attic or into storage in the garage. I'm sure the neighbors think I'm a total hoarder, but I found all sorts of crazy crap that we've moved several times now and I'm putting it out for trash/recycle.
Some highlights:
Half used shampoo/conditioner from when the military packed my husband's apartment, all carefully bubble wrapped, then wrapped in paper. WTF?
300+ pounds of textbooks and notes from college/grad school. We did find my husband's sea project from undergrad and all of his pictures from when he sailed as a cadet (he went to a military academy and I've heard the stories, just never seen the project or the pictures, so that was cool.)
Five bins of stuffed animals that my daughter insisted we keep because she was going to love them forever. We opened them and she was like "where did these come from?" I dunno, but I know where they're going!
One thing I've realized from all of this is that I want to buy a high speed scanner that pulls the pages through. I have some big stacks of things I could scan, then shred, but I'm not doing it one page at a time on my flatbed scanner.
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Post by cmhs on Aug 3, 2014 0:00:31 GMT
I updated in my OP - not sure how to update the thread title. I'm still plugging away and making real progress. If you are decluttering, how is it going?
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Post by cadoodlebug on Aug 3, 2014 0:04:32 GMT
Great thread! DH hired a house cleaner for me to come in once a month to do the deep cleaning. BUT before they started, I needed to declutter two of the bedrooms that started looking like my closets! I know y'all can relate. You dump anything you don't know what else to do with in a spare room. It's been two months now and I am really liking this new look! But I still have a ways to go ~ boxes of stuff in the closets need to be dealt with.
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marianne
Pearl Clutcher
Not my circus, not my monkeys. . . My monkeys fly!
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Jun 25, 2014 21:08:26 GMT
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Post by marianne on Aug 3, 2014 0:10:42 GMT
I updated in my OP - not sure how to update the thread title. I'm still plugging away and making real progress. If you are decluttering, how is it going? whoa, you've been busy... and accomplished a bunch! congratulations, keep up the good work! |
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Post by cadoodlebug on Aug 3, 2014 0:12:57 GMT
I updated in my OP - not sure how to update the thread title. I'm still plugging away and making real progress. If you are decluttering, how is it going? |
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Post by cmhs on Aug 3, 2014 0:34:38 GMT
I updated in my OP - not sure how to update the thread title. I'm still plugging away and making real progress. If you are decluttering, how is it going? That makes sense. It let me type "U" and nothing else. |
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Post by cmhs on Aug 3, 2014 0:40:56 GMT
I really need to get to my bedroom soon. I have a blanket chest that is covered with clothes that I haven't worn in a long time. I need to be ruthless and bag them up to donate. I will focus on that tomorrow. I feel that as long as I do something everyday, it makes a difference. Some days, I spend hours at it and other days 20 minutes. Every little bit is progress!
Thanks for the encouragement!
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Deleted
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Oct 7, 2024 8:23:25 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2014 0:43:42 GMT
Good for you! I have big plans to do some major decluttering this month and it's inspiring to hear from someone who has accomplished so much.
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
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Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Aug 3, 2014 0:47:29 GMT
Way to go cmhs. It sounds like you've made great progress. Keep up the good work.
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What's different this time is that DH has committed to helping. Wish me luck -- I am going to need it!
