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Post by mikklynn on Jul 22, 2023 12:37:43 GMT
My win was taking a 3 day road trip and only buying book mark or smaller items for souvenirs. Many thanks to the Pea that told us she buys book marks on vacation and puts them in a bowl to look at occasionally. I'm SO copying you!
In the past I would have picked up some mugs, Christmas ornaments, or other items that take up space.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 22, 2023 14:01:45 GMT
My win was taking a 3 day road trip and only buying book mark or smaller items for souvenirs. Many thanks to the Pea that told us she buys book marks on vacation and puts them in a bowl to look at occasionally. I'm SO copying you! In the past I would have picked up some mugs, Christmas ornaments, or other items that take up space. Definitely a win!
I used to buy souvenirs too.
Now I try to go the "flat" route. Love the bookmark idea. I usually get postcards.
And my biggest gift to myself is taking selfies. And asking my kids to snap one of me.
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Post by dewryce on Jul 22, 2023 14:44:17 GMT
My win was taking a 3 day road trip and only buying book mark or smaller items for souvenirs. Many thanks to the Pea that told us she buys book marks on vacation and puts them in a bowl to look at occasionally. I'm SO copying you! In the past I would have picked up some mugs, Christmas ornaments, or other items that take up space. We were the same. As a matter of fact, the last time we went to DisneyWorld it took an entire (small) suitcase plus shipping tube to bring back our souvenirs. We ended up framing 2 really nice prints among a ton of other stuff we bought. We’re going again next summer and my planned souvenirs are a charm for my travel charm bracelet, an ornament for our sentimental Christmas Tree (we got married 3 days before Christmas and started purchasing vacation ornaments on our honeymoon), and a pair of mouse ears to wear while I’m there and then give to my niece before we leave. I will buy those without guilt, and anything else I come across I will make myself think long and hard before I decide to bring it home. |
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Post by cecilia on Jul 22, 2023 15:19:22 GMT
Couldn't get anyone at the door for the school so I still have the craft stuff. May try another building Monday after home vet visit. My Dad brought the power washer to the back porch (I can't carry it that distance) so I can wash back porch. Was mainly going to power wash baker's take/plastic shelving unit that's outside.
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Post by cecilia on Jul 22, 2023 15:22:41 GMT
My win was taking a 3 day road trip and only buying book mark or smaller items for souvenirs. Many thanks to the Pea that told us she buys book marks on vacation and puts them in a bowl to look at occasionally. I'm SO copying you! In the past I would have picked up some mugs, Christmas ornaments, or other items that take up space. Definitely a win!
I used to buy souvenirs too.
Now I try to go the "flat" route. Love the bookmark idea. I usually get postcards.
And my biggest gift to myself is taking selfies. And asking my kids to snap one of me.
Random postcard story: I bought a lot of postcards off eBay. It was apparently from siblings selling off deceased parent's items, based on the handwritten note. most of them had notes on the back like, "saw this (place on card) on (date). We stopped on the way to (city, state), traveling in RV. |
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Post by ntsf on Jul 22, 2023 18:15:25 GMT
my adult child cleaned out her closet (she has been decluttering all summer).. a bag to go to good will and a bag to go to a giveaway I will go to.
clearing out some books in the basement today.
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Post by lg on Jul 23, 2023 11:40:37 GMT
I just looked at some of my Disney craft items and realised I don’t like them. I will never like them. I bought them as they were all that was on offer at the time but since then I’ve found collections I like WAY MORE that I am excited to use.
And so I got all the items together and listed them for sale as a bulk lot today and got them out of my pile that I’m trying to use for a current album.
It feels soooo good.
And instead of adding to my tbr pile I’ve actually read two of the books and have them in my donation pile ready to go out the door.
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Post by alsomsknit on Jul 23, 2023 13:12:16 GMT
The sofa table arrived on Friday, which means the family room had a slight readjustment. The Boy picked it out. Prime Days brought it back into reason, money-wise. Was able to bring some of the books from the office to the family room. Found 2 books to donate.
As I read, the books I will not read again are also donated.
Doing well on using the excess cleaning supplies up. No buying, just using up what already exists in the storage area.
Discovered the stack of tins that was supposed to have left the house a couple of months ago. *sigh* This is why DH needs not be part of the process.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jul 23, 2023 13:32:59 GMT
Went into the basement to see what can go. Realized that there was still a big black bag that was supposed to go out last week, that I forgot to bring up. :  :
I went through the Halloween things, and Easter things. Both are down to one small tote each. Tossed old bunny ears, three old egg dying kits that don't work anymore (found that out this past Easter when another kit from the same lot didn't work. Should have tossed them then). Tossed cheapy photo props that I used when my kids were much younger, and haven't used in a long while.
I put aside a bunch of toddler/ very young kid toys that the kids haven't used in years. I'm going to ask them today what they want to keep and what can go.
Last night I realized that I never bought a durable storage for my artificial Christmas tree. It's still in the original cardboard box, and I really don't want that (I find cardboard attracts bugs).
What do you store your fake trees in?
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Post by lavawalker1 on Jul 23, 2023 14:08:49 GMT
Definitely a win!
I used to buy souvenirs too.
Now I try to go the "flat" route. Love the bookmark idea. I usually get postcards.
And my biggest gift to myself is taking selfies. And asking my kids to snap one of me.
Random postcard story: I bought a lot of postcards off eBay. It was apparently from siblings selling off deceased parent's items, based on the handwritten note. most of them had notes on the back like, "saw this (place on card) on (date). We stopped on the way to (city, state), traveling in RV. I just got back from a trip visiting 2 national parks and 2 national monuments. I bought a coaster at each place as my souvenir, and have done that a few times before, so I’m getting a nice collection now! |
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Post by allison1954 on Jul 23, 2023 14:10:29 GMT
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 24, 2023 11:39:52 GMT
LavenderLayoutLady I use giant duffel bag type storage for Christmas trees. I buy on Amazon, but I've seen them at stores. I need to use 2 for my big prelit tree.
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Post by MZF on Jul 24, 2023 12:27:50 GMT
My win was taking a 3 day road trip and only buying book mark or smaller items for souvenirs. Many thanks to the Pea that told us she buys book marks on vacation and puts them in a bowl to look at occasionally. I'm SO copying you! In the past I would have picked up some mugs, Christmas ornaments, or other items that take up space. I started buying magnets, instead of anything else that takes up a lot of space. I love them on the side of the refrigerator, and I also put some on the garage refrigerator. I love the bookmark idea, too .
Decluttering/donating has slowed down here, as we've done a lot of that the past few years. I have a bag in the garage that has a few items to go, and I've got some craft items on FB marketplace, but pretty slow going here.
Oh, and a bit of 'backwards' for me--I bought a smaller version of my sewing/embroidery machine so I could tote it to classes and friends for sewing together. The day it was delivered, I was on a live feed from a site I frequent, and guess what? I won a sewing machine! Still to be delivered, and I plan on selling it NIB, unopened as it's not one I'd pick, but how funny it that? |
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Post by Linda on Jul 24, 2023 14:09:50 GMT
our trees are stored in their boxes still but I would like to transition them to bags. LavenderLayoutLadytrip souvenirs - we tend to buy Christmas ornaments as our souvenirs. We're done magnets in the past - they're on the freezer in the garage. I've mostly stopped buying postcards except to mail to friends/family. We went to IKEA this weekend - got a Kallax to replace a bookcase that's falling apart, two monitor stands (one for my monitor and the other for my cricut). That was the win. The 'backwards' - we also went to a library book sale and I ended up with more books. But I'll read and donate. I'm still working on organising photos. 1984-2019 are now done and I'm working on 1980-1983 Decluttering/donating has slowed down here, as we've done a lot of that the past few years same - I'm a decade into my decluttering journey and the low-lying fruit is long gone. It's more a case of maintaining and also of looking more closely at stuff that has survived previous purges and of course, limiting what comes in |
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Post by magenta on Jul 26, 2023 20:33:13 GMT
Dipping my toe into this thread after reading through all 22 pages. You're all so inspiring! I have two main goals for my home, both of which call for major decluttering which I'm doing slowly and unsurely. There's so much I want to keep but I know I shouldn't. I want to move our office/(little used)craft room to an area in the family room. Then younger DD will move out of the room she shares with her sister and have her own room. It's been an on-going plan for years, but I hate losing the office, because DH works from home a few times a week and he'll be out in the open now. Also, I don't like having our personal computer and private stuff in an open area... but DD really needs her own room.
So some of the issues I'm having is how to get rid of stuff I just don't want to throw away. I've tried to donate and many places won't take these items. If you've had to get rid of these, how did you do it?
1. Old pens, pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters. A lot of unused stuff, but they're incomplete sets or loose items from giveaways or open packages. Schools around here seem to want only brand new items or complete sets.
2. Notebooks, notepads, blank sheets of paper, like open binder paper or construction paper packs. I have some notebooks that have a few pages torn out, but still usable with plenty of pages left. The other stuff is mainly from giveaways or freebies from the mail. I don't mind putting it all in recycling, but who knows if it will still end up in a landfill. I also seem to have an excess of different sized envelopes.
3. Gift bags. I have too many gift bags still in reusable condition. I only use them if something is odd sized, otherwise I wrap gifts. I'll keep a few but I have stacks taking up space. Not even sure where I would donate these.
4. Cleaning supplies. Again, no place will take liquids or household cleaners. These I really don't want to toss or pour down the drain, but I have a big bag that's been sitting in the garage for over a year.
Anyone have any ideas? TIA!
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Post by dewryce on Jul 26, 2023 21:30:07 GMT
magenta This is a great place for inspiration, glad you joined us! 1 & 2) For the school supplies that aren’t new, do you know any teachers? While the school itself asks for new items, perhaps a teacher would be willing to take them. Or a preschool/daycare. Maybe a woman’s shelter could use a box of those supplies. Or a family you know. 3) The gift bags. Friends, family (esp the elderly) might be able to use them. Free cycle or your local neighborhood page might get you a taker. You can always post that you’re putting it on your front porch and the first one there can have it. 4) An animal shelter might be able to use some of the cleaning supplies, maybe a woman’s shelter. Our waste management company has a service that will pick up a lot of the hard to dispose of items including dried paints, cleaning supplies and other chemicals as long as they are labeled (doesn’t have to be original label) and not leaking, old electronics including some appliances, batteries, etc. My husband actually just scheduled them yesterday. If yours does this I’d call and get a list of what they take and gather everything you can, I don’t think it’s meant to be a frequent thing. In my Grandad’s area, they have a monthly drop off for many of these items. Good luck with your decluttering! LavenderLayoutLady Most of ours are in their original boxes on a shelf hanging from the ceiling of our garage. Never had any bug problems. Of course oddly, I don’t think we have bugs in our garage. A couple of smaller trees are in plastic totes. I think it depends on where you store them and who gets them out. If our attic was usable, I’d store them there in plastic totes because DH can get them up and down fairly easily. Space wise, if it would be better to stack them with other items I’d also use a sturdy plastic tote. If you have the space and need them to be easy to move from room to room I’d either use a plastic tote on wheels or one of those bags above with wheels. linda We are in the same boat as you, limiting what comes in makes such a big difference! But there are times, like when I’m hypomanic, DH is in a shopping mood, or it’s Christmas (we love to decorate) that I find that so much harder than decluttering. MZF I wouldn’t call that backwards, you have a plan for it as soon as it comes to your home. Congratulations on getting some fun money!
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Post by ntsf on Jul 26, 2023 21:40:08 GMT
in our area, we have an art supply recycle place.. I make donations of crayons, paper, fabric etc. to them.
and our waste company has drop off or pick up of hazardous materials..which are cleaning supplies. I would look at day cares also for material donation.. as they are on a tighter budget and may be less picky.
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Post by callmenutz on Jul 27, 2023 3:20:45 GMT
If you are on Facebook there are all sorts of groups looking for stuff. Look for your city and surrounding areas and I’m sure you will find a group. Also search for Free sites, Buy Nothing, etc. People will put things that they are searching for but can’t afford to buy. I donated all of my Christmas decorations to an immigrant family celebrating their first Christmas in our country.
I gave a lot of my old scrapbook supplies to an activities director at a nursing home.
I see pictures of cleaning supplies on Facebook groups and they are usually claimed, plus art supplies, etc. A mom doesn’t care if a few pages or crayons are missing.
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Post by mikklynn on Jul 27, 2023 11:35:09 GMT
Random postcard story: I bought a lot of postcards off eBay. It was apparently from siblings selling off deceased parent's items, based on the handwritten note. most of them had notes on the back like, "saw this (place on card) on (date). We stopped on the way to (city, state), traveling in RV. I just got back from a trip visiting 2 national parks and 2 national monuments. I bought a coaster at each place as my souvenir, and have done that a few times before, so I’m getting a nice collection now! I love that idea, too! |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761 
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Post by mich5481 on Jul 27, 2023 11:59:20 GMT
Super slow progress here, but I tossed a few face oils yesterday. One expired in 2019, another in 2020, and one had no date, but was purchased the same time as the other two. They should have never left my old house when I moved up here. 😳
I also went to return a few items on Saturday- returned a couple purses and a pair of shoes that didn't quite fit right. Granted, I bought a pair of faux shearling lines Michael Kors loafers (on clearance for $17.08 including tax), but based on how cold my feet were the past winter as I worked from home, these will be used a lot this winter! I also bought a pair of Tory Burch sandals that remind me of mermaid sandals, so I'm not entirely immune from shopping.
I have about half a bookshelf of books I've read that I don't intend to read again. I need to take them to church to see if anyone wants them - they are Christian fiction, so someone may want to read them.
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amom23
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,447
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Post by amom23 on Jul 27, 2023 13:29:20 GMT
Dipping my toe into this thread after reading through all 22 pages. You're all so inspiring! I have two main goals for my home, both of which call for major decluttering which I'm doing slowly and unsurely. There's so much I want to keep but I know I shouldn't. I want to move our office/(little used)craft room to an area in the family room. Then younger DD will move out of the room she shares with her sister and have her own room. It's been an on-going plan for years, but I hate losing the office, because DH works from home a few times a week and he'll be out in the open now. Also, I don't like having our personal computer and private stuff in an open area... but DD really needs her own room. So some of the issues I'm having is how to get rid of stuff I just don't want to throw away. I've tried to donate and many places won't take these items. If you've had to get rid of these, how did you do it? 1. Old pens, pencils, crayons, markers, highlighters. A lot of unused stuff, but they're incomplete sets or loose items from giveaways or open packages. Schools around here seem to want only brand new items or complete sets. 2. Notebooks, notepads, blank sheets of paper, like open binder paper or construction paper packs. I have some notebooks that have a few pages torn out, but still usable with plenty of pages left. The other stuff is mainly from giveaways or freebies from the mail. I don't mind putting it all in recycling, but who knows if it will still end up in a landfill. I also seem to have an excess of different sized envelopes. 3. Gift bags. I have too many gift bags still in reusable condition. I only use them if something is odd sized, otherwise I wrap gifts. I'll keep a few but I have stacks taking up space. Not even sure where I would donate these. 4. Cleaning supplies. Again, no place will take liquids or household cleaners. These I really don't want to toss or pour down the drain, but I have a big bag that's been sitting in the garage for over a year. Anyone have any ideas? TIA! Depending on where you live - how about just putting like items together in a box labeled free and set them out curbside? When decluttering I think it's important not to get hindered by those "Somebody might be able to use this." thoughts. I know the mental side is hard. It does get easier the more you declutter and let items go. |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Jul 27, 2023 13:56:32 GMT
While I have two boxes left for Barkbox, I went ahead and disabled the automatic renewal. I've also cut down on how many add ons I get each month.
The only remaining physical product subscription I have left is Paper Person/Kelly Purkey. I'm going to finish out the year, and then quit. It's a little painful, as I subbed to the KP shop for years and I signed up for PP when she opened the shop, but I've been disappointed this year with the smaller stamps in so many of the monthly kits.
Between quitting all of those subs and paying off my car, I will have extra money next year. I need to remember to stay in a mindset of saving for the future/investing in experiences and not frittering my money away.
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Post by cecilia on Jul 27, 2023 19:25:26 GMT
Been adding more to supply donation for teacher. Hopefully I can drop it off tomorrow for her after my Dr appointment.
Rolled most of the coins I had saved to pay for vet bill for Baby (aka rescue/outside dog). The total is over $400. Looks like I will be listing more on eBay and putting more at flea market to help.
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Chinagirl828
Drama Llama
Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 6,688
Jun 28, 2014 6:28:53 GMT
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Post by Chinagirl828 on Jul 28, 2023 10:28:45 GMT
I really need to get back into it, but I did make some small progress this week by cleaning out some out of date salad dressings from the fridge while waiting for my lunch to cook.
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Post by cecilia on Jul 28, 2023 18:33:40 GMT
Been marking stuff for booth and putting stuff in GW box. I am exhausted so it's hard to get myself going.
I have also been going through old photos and tossing blurry ones
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Post by Linda on Jul 28, 2023 19:50:53 GMT
I've gotten the 1980s photos sorted, labelled, and organised
Currently dealing with a stack of photos and memorabilia on my desk - labelling sorting putting away. I've tossed some that I didn't need to keep
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Post by ntsf on Jul 29, 2023 1:47:04 GMT
went to the dump today.. not a lot.. but enough.. the guy said.. you know it is a minimum $50--I said I just want it out of my house. and got rid of a bunch of hazardous waste.
my child did more cleaning in her room ..and got rid of more stuff!!
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Post by Linda on Jul 29, 2023 3:50:17 GMT
I've gotten the 1980s photos sorted, labelled, and organised Currently dealing with a stack of photos and memorabilia on my desk - labelling sorting putting away. I've tossed some that I didn't need to keep and that pile is dealt with - a bunch was tossed, some photos went to the photo boxes after being labelled, some photos got organised into page protectors in binders for future scrapping, a few needed scanning first and that was done. I've ordered photos to go with a recipe I had set aside to scrap. I've ordered photos for a set of memorabilia that needs to be a trip album. And I've set a small group aside to work on actually scrapping this weekend. Next organisation project is mum's 1970s photos - maybe next week? |
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Post by magenta on Jul 29, 2023 4:07:44 GMT
We dropped off three large bags full of clothes and linens, and several smaller bags and boxes of books, toys, kitchenware, DVD's and CD's. Unfortunately there is still another pile I need to go sort through, but I assured DH the pile is bigger than it looks! I felt like a lot has left the house and I do feel better.
I've also been going through my old stack of scrapbooking magazines, thinking to myself it's been so many years since I've looked through them I'd only keep a few. Then my keep pile ended up bigger than my toss pile. So I'm going through them more carefully and trying to be more selective about what to keep. Okay, I confess... I enjoy going through these magazines. All the older styles and product was fun to see, and I'm happy I still remembered some of those scrappers from back in the day. But I want the space more than the magazines. Of that I'm sure!
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Post by dewryce on Jul 29, 2023 4:10:45 GMT
linda I’m really impressed with your photo organizing/downsizing, and a bit jealous! This is the thing I think that would positively impact my scrapbooking the most.
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