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Post by dewryce on Jan 28, 2024 4:50:29 GMT
linda getting photos scanned and digitally organized is one of my big items to do. When you’re done with yours it’ll be like second nature, wanna come do ours? 
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Post by Linda on Jan 28, 2024 6:28:41 GMT
linda getting photos scanned and digitally organized is one of my big items to do. When you’re done with yours it’ll be like second nature, wanna come do ours? most are scanned - I'm currently at the organising/labelling/identifying/dating stage and I'm not sure if I'll EVER be done and this is year 4 of the project... I finished that box and found another box of 4x6s - they appear to be mostly 2000-2015 and partially labelled so should go faster (lets not talk about the box(?boxes) of vintage photos ...) |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 28, 2024 8:36:07 GMT
linda getting photos scanned and digitally organized is one of my big items to do. When you’re done with yours it’ll be like second nature, wanna come do ours? most are scanned - I'm currently at the organising/labelling/identifying/dating stage and I'm not sure if I'll EVER be done and this is year 4 of the project... I finished that box and found another box of 4x6s - they appear to be mostly 2000-2015 and partially labelled so should go faster ( lets not talk about the box(?boxes) of vintage photos ...)Yeah, I’ve got ours, my mom’s, my grandparents’, and a lot of DH’s grandparents’ photos to do this with, and other than ours nothing is digital. Or labeled. Or organized. Well, a good chunk of mom’s is organized, but I have a shoebox worth that I have to try and put into some sort of order. I think I’m going to be pretty selective about what gets scanned, because there is no way I want to scan and label all of everyone’s photos. It really seems like you’ve got a procedure down that’s working for you, and are continually posting progress. Eventually I’m hoping to be where you’re at, which is in the middle of the project taking bites out of it most days. But I don’t feel like I’m in a good place to tackle that right now, too many other things to do and the photos will take up more time than I’m willing to dedicate to them right now. You’ll probably be finishing when I’m starting up  |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 28, 2024 8:37:57 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
I think everyone will be happy to complete this task today!
Take a nap.
If you’ve done that and are looking for more inspiration, consider going back and finishing any of the earlier tasks from this month.
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Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Jan 28, 2024 11:38:20 GMT
Late last night I decluttered two pairs of jeans, two too big pairs of shorts, a bathingsuit, and a shirt.
They had been sitting in a Maybe bag for.... awhile. A long while. And hadn't been worn. I only even saw them because I was looking for something else when the bag caught my eye. So out they went, right that minute. No takesie backsies!
I've decided that this year I only want to own clothes I will actually wear. Not back-up clothes that will do in a pinch. Not It Almost Fits Me clothes. Not It's Only A Little Too Worn Out clothes. Just clothes that feel good, & fit right then.
I started writing a list of what to toss once spring comes (winter stuff that has seen its last season), and things I want to buy for myself.
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Post by Linda on Jan 28, 2024 14:50:29 GMT
Week 2 Living Room- Begin by washing the outside of the windows in this room. You will appreciate being able to see outside when you sit down at the end of the week in your beautiful, clean, and organized living room!
Take everything off walls, dust it, and set it aside. Dust or wash the wall, vacuum or dry-clean draperies and blinds. Get your favorite cobweb killer and sweep down ceilings, corners and tops of doorways.
Take cushions off furniture. Vacuum thoroughly, replace cushions, spot treat any stains and shampoo if necessary.
Wooden furniture (and anything with drawers/shelves): Empty, sort and throw away what you really don’t need. Put the rest where it belongs. Dust/polish the piece you’ve finished with and repeat with other pieces. Don’t forget the maintenance on piano.
Baseboards: depending on condition they’re in, dust or wash them.
Coat closet: empty, sort clothes (by family member, season). Remove any “off-season” items and decide whether to trash, donate, or store elsewhere. Replace only those items which should be in your coat closet.
Clean the TV screen (if you have a set in this room). Don’t neglect the stereo items either. Re-organize tapes/records/videos as per your needs.
Clean/change the silk flower arrangements as per seasonal needs. Wash/trim any live plants in this room.
Other items needing attention if your room has them:
Fireplace/mantel/chimney/glass doors
Lamps (does the shade need dusting or replacing?)
Electrical cords (check for frayed wires)
Mirrors (items framed w/glass) get out the Windex
Doorknobs/drawer-handles (are they clean?)
Now is a good time to measure furniture pieces and windows, to enter in your planner or Household Notebook and keep on hand for shopping for necessary items.
Stacks (of anything!): Take time now to use the sorting method of trash/donate/store elsewhere. Now put these new piles where they belong.
Vacuum the carpet and clean if necessary.
Hang the items back on walls, if you haven’t already and take a good look around. It should look pretty good by now. Take out camera and take pictures for inventory.
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Post by Linda on Jan 28, 2024 14:58:00 GMT
eah, I’ve got ours, my mom’s, my grandparents’, and a lot of DH’s grandparents’ photos to do this with, and other than ours nothing is digital. Or labeled. Or organized. Well, a good chunk of mom’s is organized, but I have a shoebox worth that I have to try and put into some sort of order. I think I’m going to be pretty selective about what gets scanned, because there is no way I want to scan and label all of everyone’s photos. It really seems like you’ve got a procedure down that’s working for you, and are continually posting progress. Eventually I’m hoping to be where you’re at, which is in the middle of the project taking bites out of it most days. But I don’t feel like I’m in a good place to tackle that right now, too many other things to do and the photos will take up more time than I’m willing to dedicate to them right now. You’ll probably be finishing when I’m starting up It's definitely an undertaking. I have my photos, mum's, my maternal grandparents, and my great aunt's - the only ones I haven't scanned of some of mine (pre-digital) but the inherited ones - only some are labelled with names or dates or places - and most of those are incompletely labelled. Found one last night that is from Eisenhower's Presidental Campaign - and I'm 90% sure one of the men in the group is my great uncle and initial research makes me think October 1952 and either NY or RI but I'm going to try and find out more - I think it might be a print of a newspaper photo. I've decided that this year I only want to own clothes I will actually wear. Not back-up clothes that will do in a pinch. Not It Almost Fits Me clothes. Not It's Only A Little Too Worn Out clothes. Just clothes that feel good, & fit right then. I started writing a list of what to toss once spring comes (winter stuff that has seen its last season), and things I want to buy for myself. Good for you! I'm working towards that myself. The biggest question mark for me is winter clothes - I rarely wear them here in Florida BUT I'll need them when travelling to colder places. And they'll be hard to replace. |
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Post by alsomsknit on Jan 28, 2024 15:34:28 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: I think everyone will be happy to complete this task today! Take a nap.If you’ve done that and are looking for more inspiration, consider going back and finishing any of the earlier tasks from this month. That has occurred. LOL! |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 28, 2024 15:34:36 GMT
I started writing a list of what to toss once spring comes (winter stuff that has seen its last season), and things I want to buy for myself. I do this every season when I change out my wardrobe. Every item gets a thorough once over before being stored and/or hung up. If something has stains or repairs needed, then I put them in a pile to be dealt with before they ever go back in the closet/storage. If I haven't worn it, it no longer fits or is worn out, out it goes. My storage space is too valuable to waste on anything stained or worn out, doesn't fit or isn't my style any longer. or stains or repairs needed |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 28, 2024 17:07:37 GMT
Lg,if you have any more cracked Tupperware contact a Tupperware rep. It is guaranteed not to break and will be replaced. If you then don’t want it you can donate it. They were cracked as I dropped them (so not covered by the warranty) and in Australia Tupperware is almost dead/bankrupt due to their shoddy business practices especially around replacements of “lifetime” items. I bought them as they have a lifetime guarantee but decided to recycle them and end the relationship. I tried the replace in the past but the item they replaced my collapsible bowl with (key word being collapsible!) was nothing like the original (large, not collapsible, no lid when mine had a lid etc so did not function at all the same as the original) and was in an offensive orange colour (no wonder they had it spare in the factory) AND I had to pay $20 postage for the privilege. Nope, no way, never again. And I say this as a person who has a whole pantry decked out in Tupperware, my craft items are stored in super rectangle modular mates, I stalked USA eBay listing for the door mounted pantry spice rack from the 80’s and I ordered the half sized oval modular mates just because from the USA too - I love the stuff and even had my kitchen tea as a Tupperware party. The ship has sailed on this loyal customer. I was going to say much the same. By the time you pay for postage for the replacement piece, you could just go to the store and buy something else you can use the same day. I have some Tupperware microwave bowls that I used to love, but over time the lids have hardened and they don’t seal the same as they used to. I probably should just get rid of them because the lids they sell now aren’t the same as the ones I liked. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 28, 2024 17:18:19 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: I think everyone will be happy to complete this task today! Take a nap.If you’ve done that and are looking for more inspiration, consider going back and finishing any of the earlier tasks from this month. For once I’m a day ahead of schedule! 🤣 |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 28, 2024 17:28:32 GMT
I joined a Facebook group called declutter 365 because I thought it was the one that Dewryce has been posting. I don’t think it is, but some of the ladies over there must have depression era parents because they try to find a way to salvage any tiny—even if you are donating. For example, someone asked about what to do with old sports trophies. People gave a few different ways to donate (like finding a trophy shop or giving to Girl Scouts or something). I appreciate the intention of not throwing things away, but if I had to think about where to donate every little thing, it wouldn’t get done. I’m trying to get in the mindset of just get it out of my house asap because I really struggle with that part. The Depression era parents thing is REAL. My dad was born in 1921 and my mom was born in 1927. They lived through it when they were young and it made a huge impact on their lives. They were both very much of the “use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” mindset and that was how I was raised too. I will also agree that it’s hard to get over the fact that sometimes you just have to get rid of stuff in whatever way is most efficient. I’ve really been liking the Buy Nothing group because it isn’t too often that the items I’ve posted haven’t been quickly claimed by someone who wants them. |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jan 28, 2024 17:36:49 GMT
I joined a Facebook group called declutter 365 because I thought it was the one that Dewryce has been posting. I don’t think it is, but some of the ladies over there must have depression era parents because they try to find a way to salvage any tiny—even if you are donating. For example, someone asked about what to do with old sports trophies. People gave a few different ways to donate (like finding a trophy shop or giving to Girl Scouts or something). I appreciate the intention of not throwing things away, but if I had to think about where to donate every little thing, it wouldn’t get done. I’m trying to get in the mindset of just get it out of my house asap because I really struggle with that part. The Depression era parents thing is REAL. My dad was born in 1921 and my mom was born in 1927. They lived through it when they were young and it made a huge impact on their lives. They were both very much of the “use it up, wear it out, make do or do without” mindset and that was how I was raised too. I will also agree that it’s hard to get over the fact that sometimes you just have to get rid of stuff in whatever way is most efficient. I’ve really been liking the Buy Nothing group because it isn’t too often that the items I’ve posted haven’t been quickly claimed by someone who wants them. My mom is like this as well. She doesn’t buy as much as I do so that helps, but she keeps things forever. She only has a few makeup products but some of them are things from when I was in high school. Their house is clean and tidy but they definitely do not declutter. I was going to skip the valentines decor this year but decided to get it out. So I’m in the process of putting away the rest of the winter decor. We are also having three rooms in our house painted in a few weeks and I’m trying to make a final decision on the colors. As well as flooring for the basement and kitchen. I need to just make a decision and stick with it because it is taking up too much time and brain space. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 28, 2024 20:47:51 GMT
The decluttering and organizing of the guest room has officially begun! I got in there this morning and rearranged the chaos and there is now space to work. DD came over to put the 3 large Bernina boxes (empty) into the attic for me so that opened up even more space. Also added another stack of boxes to the recycling bin and tossed a large platter that was chipped. A few things were added to the donation box in the foyer.
DH has agreed to let go of all the clothes he's had hanging on a rolling rack for the past 10 months. I've checked with a local shelter and it turns out they have an urgent need for XXL clothes, especially dress shirts and jackets. Those will all be dropped off this week. Recently I brought back a 30" rolling suitcase from storage that is filled with all his old boots. Will try to get him to look at those this afternoon so I can donate those as well.
I also need to run by the storage unit and put a few things in there until we redo the room. Things like pillows, comforters, quilts. Also need to add a few things to the cedar chest that is in storage.
There are 7 book boxes full that we need to go through and will over the coming weeks now that we can get to them. The best part is that this will give me the space to work on the photos/scrapbooks/memorabilia stuff in there. Our goal is to get it all done by Spring so that we can redecorate that room and have a proper guest room - even though we never have guests!
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Post by dewryce on Jan 28, 2024 23:30:55 GMT
The decluttering and organizing of the guest room has officially begun! I got in there this morning and rearranged the chaos and there is now space to work. DD came over to put the 3 large Bernina boxes (empty) into the attic for me so that opened up even more space. Also added another stack of boxes to the recycling bin and tossed a large platter that was chipped. A few things were added to the donation box in the foyer. DH has agreed to let go of all the clothes he's had hanging on a rolling rack for the past 10 months. I've checked with a local shelter and it turns out they have an urgent need for XXL clothes, especially dress shirts and jackets. Those will all be dropped off this week. Recently I brought back a 30" rolling suitcase from storage that is filled with all his old boots. Will try to get him to look at those this afternoon so I can donate those as well. I also need to run by the storage unit and put a few things in there until we redo the room. Things like pillows, comforters, quilts. Also need to add a few things to the cedar chest that is in storage. There are 7 book boxes full that we need to go through and will over the coming weeks now that we can get to them. The best part is that this will give me the space to work on the photos/scrapbooks/memorabilia stuff in there. Our goal is to get it all done by Spring so that we can redecorate that room and have a proper guest room - even though we never have guests!Yay, I bet that feels good! Can you use the hanging rolling rack in your sewing room? Have you considered using the room for something else? Like a project room or proper storage room? I ask because we’ve been using ours as a project room and it has been absolutely amazing. So helpful, while keeping the rest of the house is great form since everything that’s there belongs there and is in good shape. At the end of this year (hopefully) I will have completed enough that I don’t need the entire room to be a project room and the idea was to turn it into a guest room. But we also don’t have guests very often. Almost never. So I’ve been giving some serious thought to keeping a project desk in here and turning the rest of it into storage. Our attic space is unusable and we don’t have a basement. We’ve got 2 sets of floor to ceiling hanging shelves in the garage, but no room for our holiday items. So I could free up the floor space to actually put a vehicle in the garage. Something Peter Walsh has said was to figure out the cost of the space you’re not using. (I find this logic works really well on a lot of men in my life when they don’t otherwise care about clutter and unused space). So guess the approximate square footage and take that as part of your mortgage. Ouch. So I’m fighting my natural inclination to have a guest room versus a room I will use and benefit from daily. Would love to hear everyone’s points of view while we chew on this idea. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 28, 2024 23:51:39 GMT
Yay, I bet that feels good! Can you use the hanging rolling rack in your sewing room? Have you considered using the room for something else? Like a project room or proper storage room? I ask because we’ve been using ours as a project room and it has been absolutely amazing. So helpful, while keeping the rest of the house is great form since everything that’s there belongs there and is in good shape. At the end of this year (hopefully) I will have completed enough that I don’t need the entire room to be a project room and the idea was to turn it into a guest room. But we also don’t have guests very often. Almost never. So I’ve been giving some serious thought to keeping a project desk in here and turning the rest of it into storage. Our attic space is unusable and we don’t have a basement. We’ve got 2 sets of floor to ceiling hanging shelves in the garage, but no room for our holiday items. So I could free up the floor space to actually put a vehicle in the garage. Something Peter Walsh has said was to figure out the cost of the space you’re not using. (I find this logic works really well on a lot of men in my life when they don’t otherwise care about clutter and unused space). So guess the approximate square footage and take that as part of your mortgage. Ouch. So I’m fighting my natural inclination to have a guest room versus a room I will use and benefit from daily. Would love to hear everyone’s points of view while we chew on this idea. We have a guest room that is infrequently used by guests, but since we do sometimes have out of town family stay with us we wouldn’t want to change the room away from that function. BUT I will say that I sometimes use that room to triage outgoing clothing or other things for donation because it is a clean, out of the way place where I can leave something I’m working on in progress. Generally speaking, we don’t ever have spur of the moment guests. We pretty much always have some notice so if the room is needed for putting up guests, I can get it cleared of whatever random stuff I have in there fairly quickly. For example, right now there’s a pretty good sized pile of clothes on the bed and a couple laundry baskets full of stuffed animals that need to be sorted out for donation that I just haven’t taken the time to do. But if my sister called and said they are planning to be in town in a couple weeks, I could have that stack of stuff out of there in a pretty short timeframe. It probably wouldn’t be boxed up and ready for donation, but it would be out of the living space at least so guests could use the room. I’m incredibly lucky that I already have a really nice sized work space in my basement studio for projects and also a nice (now cleared out and open) utility room that I can use if I needed more space for something a little more messy (if something needed to be sanded, etc.) that has a concrete floor so it’s easier to clean up. |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 28, 2024 23:52:36 GMT
Thank you for posting week 2 of the Cleaning Grand Plan linda , its so motivating and really appreciate it. And my mind is on decluttering right now and this will help bring some focus to the deep cleaning aspect of our home. I’m going to copy it and customize it to our needs, maybe even find those lists I made so many years ago and combine them. I don’t have the bandwidth to do all of that in one week, my body would give up in protest. So I think I’ll pick the top 5 priorities for me so I don’t feel too overwhelmed and give up before I start. Between that and the declutter challenge it should be a week of good progress! And then a week where the space doesn’t apply to our home I can circle back to this one. I was going to skip the valentines decor this year but decided to get it out. So I’m in the process of putting away the rest of the winter decor. We are also having three rooms in our house painted in a few weeks and I’m trying to make a final decision on the colors. As well as flooring for the basement and kitchen. I need to just make a decision and stick with it because it is taking up too much time and brain space. Yes, I feel this heavy on my shoulders! Don’t forget to go through your Valentine’s decor as you take it out and out it away to decide if y’all really love it or just display it out of habit. Late last night I decluttered two pairs of jeans, two too big pairs of shorts, a bathingsuit, and a shirt. They had been sitting in a Maybe bag for.... awhile. A long while. And hadn't been worn. I only even saw them because I was looking for something else when the bag caught my eye. So out they went, right that minute. No takesie backsies! I've decided that this year I only want to own clothes I will actually wear. Not back-up clothes that will do in a pinch. Not It Almost Fits Me clothes. Not It's Only A Little Too Worn Out clothes. Just clothes that feel good, & fit right then. I started writing a list of what to toss once spring comes (winter stuff that has seen its last season), and things I want to buy for myself. Glad you’ve been able to start getting back in the groove! And you’re right. You deserve well-fitted clothing and accessories that you love. It's definitely an undertaking. I have my photos, mum's, my maternal grandparents, and my great aunt's - the only ones I haven't scanned of some of mine (pre-digital) but the inherited ones - only some are labelled with names or dates or places - and most of those are incompletely labelled. Found one last night that is from Eisenhower's Presidental Campaign - and I'm 90% sure one of the men in the group is my great uncle and initial research makes me think October 1952 and either NY or RI but I'm going to try and find out more - I think it might be a print of a newspaper photo. Good for you! I'm working towards that myself. The biggest question mark for me is winter clothes - I rarely wear them here in Florida BUT I'll need them when travelling to colder places. And they'll be hard to replace. That photo sounds really cool, you’ll have to let us know what you find out. DH meets some of the most fascinating people at the skilled nursing facilities he works at. One of them men was showing him a photo of himself in the background at the meeting between Churchill and Roosevelt that was the beginning of the of the Atlantic Charter. I have the same issue with winter clothing, especially outerwear. There are some years I never wear it. But when it’s needed for out of the ordinary winter days and/or travel, it’s really needed. I don’t even own a coat that fits. I have an old leather one I still love, maybe it’ll fit next winter as I’m currently losing weight. But I’ve made several scarves, and have yarn and patterns for many more. I can’t bring myself to get rid of most of it. |
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Post by mikklynn on Jan 29, 2024 0:52:25 GMT
A tiny win, but every beginning of the new year I try to replace all of my underthings. Socks & underwear especially.
I bought all new yesterday, and tossed the old. I don't know exactly why, but there is always a little voice in my head that I have to fight so hard, saying, "But there's still some use in thissssssss......"
Thankfully there is also a voice that tells me that I deserve things that are not totally worn out, and with holes starting.
You sure do! I hope you treated yourself to some pretty undies! A small win for me. I scanned some vintage photos and put the originals in the mail to my mom's cousin, who is thrilled to have them. I have a second bunch scanned that I need to get to another cousin. |
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Post by Linda on Jan 29, 2024 1:31:45 GMT
Something Peter Walsh has said was to figure out the cost of the space you’re not using. (I find this logic works really well on a lot of men in my life when they don’t otherwise care about clutter and unused space). So guess the approximate square footage and take that as part of your mortgage. Ouch. So I’m fighting my natural inclination to have a guest room versus a room I will use and benefit from daily. Would love to hear everyone’s points of view while we chew on this idea.We are blessed with a big house for just the three of us (and four cats) that live here so we have not one but two guest rooms BUT they are basically libraries with a bed in them. The fiction library is also where I do my virtual Physio and display some photos of ancestors and will have some family history memorabila displays (once I get that organised) and the non-fiction library's closet holds my labelled iris photo cases and the bed is the staging area where DH puts artwork that needs to be framed or hung etc... so far our only guests have been the older kids(which is why we need two guest rooms - they often visit together and can't really share a room) and my sister/BIL and that's only a handful of days in the year. So I don't see the point of having the two rooms be basically un-used for 90+% of the year so they are multi-purpose |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Jan 29, 2024 1:45:57 GMT
Well, it's Sunday night and as usual I don't feel good about what I got done this weekend. But, it is what it is. I am going to do some paperwork now and sit down.
While I was cleaning the kitchen tonight I decided that for February I need to refocus my time and energy. I have been spending too much time, energy and money on deciding the paint and flooring and looking for some new décor. I have what I need (and more, will need to return a few things once the painting is done) and need to save money for the big things. I also am sick of dealing with boxes and other items that need to be recycled, put away or returned. For February I am challenging myself to spend as little money as possible (in all categories, including food), and focus on decluttering, deep cleaning and organizing. We have a lot going on the next few months so if I am going to get anything done before baseball season is in full swing I need to get to work.
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Post by dewryce on Jan 29, 2024 2:46:05 GMT
Thought I’d take the day off, I but I had the declutter tickle going. Finished decluttering all 3 bathrooms. Tonight and tomorrow I’m hoping to finish wiping down all interior surfaces, what’s in them, and thoroughly clean the containers I have items stored in. But if not, at least the decluttering aspect is finished. A tiny win, but every beginning of the new year I try to replace all of my underthings. Socks & underwear especially. I bought all new yesterday, and tossed the old. I don't know exactly why, but there is always a little voice in my head that I have to fight so hard, saying, "But there's still some use in thissssssss......" Thankfully there is also a voice that tells me that I deserve things that are not totally worn out, and with holes starting.
You sure do! I hope you treated yourself to some pretty undies! A small win for me. I scanned some vintage photos and put the originals in the mail to my mom's cousin, who is thrilled to have them. I have a second bunch scanned that I need to get to another cousin. For me, those types of things are big wins. They may not take as much time as some bigger tasks, but the mental weight is huge. Yes, cleaning out the pantry has more impact day to day, but these are priceless family memories in your hands, ya know? |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 29, 2024 3:04:49 GMT
Something Peter Walsh has said was to figure out the cost of the space you’re not using. (I find this logic works really well on a lot of men in my life when they don’t otherwise care about clutter and unused space). So guess the approximate square footage and take that as part of your mortgage. Ouch. So I’m fighting my natural inclination to have a guest room versus a room I will use and benefit from daily. Would love to hear everyone’s points of view while we chew on this idea.We are blessed with a big house for just the three of us (and four cats) that live here so we have not one but two guest rooms BUT they are basically libraries with a bed in them. The fiction library is also where I do my virtual Physio and display some photos of ancestors and will have some family history memorabila displays (once I get that organised) and the non-fiction library's closet holds my labelled iris photo cases and the bed is the staging area where DH puts artwork that needs to be framed or hung etc... so far our only guests have been the older kids(which is why we need two guest rooms - they often visit together and can't really share a room) and my sister/BIL and that's only a handful of days in the year. So I don't see the point of having the two rooms be basically un-used for 90+% of the year so they are multi-purpose I love that you need two libraries, and they you have them separated by category  I agree, if we do end up with a guest bedroom it will need to serve multiple purposes. We used to have family stay a lot more frequently so it made more sense to have one. But as our parents get older they want to travel less and less. His parents do a lot more than mine, but they stay at a hotel now. Our bedrooms are all upstairs and my mom won’t even attempt them anymore. And my brother likes to stay up super late watching TV so he always crashes downstairs on the couch. We have a 4 bedroom house for the 2 of us and I don’t want to downsize. Actually, I’d love a place just a bit bigger. Currently we have good sized master bedroom, workout room, good sized craft room and a project room. I’d love a permanent project room/storage room (bigger than we have) and guest room, not have to choose between the two. We also need a much bigger workout room (DH also has half of our garage). And it would all be one story. We moved in 16 years ago and I’ve had tons of physical issues crop up since then. I’m old! Oh, and bigger storage closets/pantry. I don’t ask for much.  It’s not even that we have too much stuff, for the most part we don’t. I just like a lot of breathing room in my drawers and storage spaces. |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 29, 2024 3:12:53 GMT
Well, it's Sunday night and as usual I don't feel good about what I got done this weekend. But, it is what it is. I am going to do some paperwork now and sit down. While I was cleaning the kitchen tonight I decided that for February I need to refocus my time and energy. I have been spending too much time, energy and money on deciding the paint and flooring and looking for some new décor. I have what I need (and more, will need to return a few things once the painting is done) and need to save money for the big things. I also am sick of dealing with boxes and other items that need to be recycled, put away or returned. For February I am challenging myself to spend as little money as possible (in all categories, including food), and focus on decluttering, deep cleaning and organizing. We have a lot going on the next few months so if I am going to get anything done before baseball season is in full swing I need to get to work. Keep in mind you work and don’t you have 3 or 4 boys too? Try not to be too hard on yourself! I like your plan for the next several months, sounds like a really good idea. Also, you may change your mind on what you want once this wave of redecorating is done and you’ve made good progress in decluttering and deep cleaning. My taste in decor has gotten much more simple because the white space is so calming. I knew that before, but clearing out so much has really driven the point home. Whereas I used to want a lot more decor on the walls and shelves now just a little bit of color and a lot of space is how I lean. |
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Post by dewryce on Jan 29, 2024 12:31:02 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
When someone asks which restaurant you want to go to, be honest.
If you’d like a task to complete today consider getting rid of all of your take-out menus, they’re likely pretty out of date. You can bookmark menus from your frequently visited restaurants for ease of use, and you’ll know they’re always current.
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 29, 2024 13:27:47 GMT
A tiny win, but every beginning of the new year I try to replace all of my underthings. Socks & underwear especially.
I bought all new yesterday, and tossed the old. I don't know exactly why, but there is always a little voice in my head that I have to fight so hard, saying, "But there's still some use in thissssssss......"
Thankfully there is also a voice that tells me that I deserve things that are not totally worn out, and with holes starting.
You sure do! I hope you treated yourself to some pretty undies! A small win for me. I scanned some vintage photos and put the originals in the mail to my mom's cousin, who is thrilled to have them. I have a second bunch scanned that I need to get to another cousin. A few years ago I scanned all of the photos that came from my mom’s house and sorted them into folders of who was primarily in them, then burned a master CD of all of them for each sibling. I gave the originals and a copy of the CD to each of my siblings and kept the originals of me for myself as well as the photos that had multiple people in them. Thankfully I had the help of one sister which made it go a lot faster, but it was still a grind to get it all done while she was visiting. It’s a huge chore! I still have a bag full of really old negatives and I’m not really sure how I can process them. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 29, 2024 13:39:19 GMT
Well, it's Sunday night and as usual I don't feel good about what I got done this weekend. But, it is what it is. I am going to do some paperwork now and sit down. While I was cleaning the kitchen tonight I decided that for February I need to refocus my time and energy. I have been spending too much time, energy and money on deciding the paint and flooring and looking for some new décor. I have what I need (and more, will need to return a few things once the painting is done) and need to save money for the big things. I also am sick of dealing with boxes and other items that need to be recycled, put away or returned. For February I am challenging myself to spend as little money as possible (in all categories, including food), and focus on decluttering, deep cleaning and organizing. We have a lot going on the next few months so if I am going to get anything done before baseball season is in full swing I need to get to work. I hear you on the seemingly endless influx of cardboard and recycling, ugh. DH saves a considerable amount of money by buying the parts he needs online and he pretty much reorders what he uses as he uses stuff, so we get UPS deliveries almost every single weekday. It’s a LOT. He will empty out the boxes and then just leave them sitting wherever. In his defense, I sometimes keep the bigger ones to use for collecting up donations since it’s easier to get rid of stuff if I can drop off the whole box load. But the many, many smaller ones all have to be flattened and put in the outside cart which is a PITA. His primary local wholesale place where he gets the rest of his stuff stopped letting people put their big piles of cardboard in their recycling dumpster, so now one whole can ends up getting filled with big piles of flattened cardboard making it hard to fit in all of the household recycling stuff because it only gets picked up every other week. |
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Nanner
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,987 
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Post by Nanner on Jan 29, 2024 14:42:12 GMT
I finally organized my pantry on Friday. It was in terrible shape! I have ordered these to keep my quilt along print outs. linkMy next goals are to reorganize the following places: walk-in closet in bedroom front door closet linen closet |
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Post by Linda on Jan 29, 2024 14:51:58 GMT
I still have a bag full of really old negatives and I’m not really sure how I can process them depending on how old - there are negative scanners that can handle 110, 126, 35mm negatives at a minimum |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Jan 29, 2024 15:04:53 GMT
so now one whole can ends up getting filled with big piles of flattened cardboard making it hard to fit in all of the household recycling stuff because it only gets picked up every other week. Honestly? In that case I toss any boxes that don't fit into recycling into the regular trash. Once you do a little research on how much recycling turned in is actually recycled, you shouldn't feel badly about it either. Having control of my home and space is more important to hanging on to recycling that may or may not actually end up recycled. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Jan 29, 2024 15:32:09 GMT
I still have a bag full of really old negatives and I’m not really sure how I can process them depending on how old - there are negative scanners that can handle 110, 126, 35mm negatives at a minimum These are way older than that. These are mostly a weird size, like almost 3”x5” and all black and white. My guess is that they date back to the 1920’s or 1930’s. They came from my aunt’s house so it’s very likely they were my grandma’s. |
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It’s not even that we have too much stuff, for the most part we don’t. I just like a lot of breathing room in my drawers and storage spaces. 
