|
|
Post by Spongemom Scrappants on Feb 15, 2024 18:14:57 GMT
Just read through the last several pages of posts catching up on everyone's progress. I continue to work on maintaining the decluttering we've done and push for even more. It's amazing how often on the second or third pass through an area you end up getting rid of items you thought for sure you needed to keep the time before! started Evernote way back when before they charged anything beyond purchasing it. And I have so many long term notes in there. Even to use it free I have to decline the option to pay for options that should be (and some that were) part of the original package every.single.time I enter Evernote. So I’m looking for different options for that as well. I could have written this. So dang annoying. But the files I have in Evernote are used frequently and I'm an expert now at swiping through all the sales pitches to get to what I need. If you find something similar that you like better, tag me. I'd be willing to try it. |
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Feb 15, 2024 21:34:13 GMT
wow - sounds like tons of decluttering and organising going on - well done everyone.
I've pulled TWO laptops out of my room and added to the electronics recycling pile - maybe on Saturday I can get DH to help me drop it all off?
|
|
|
|
Post by dewryce on Feb 16, 2024 12:37:04 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Go through printer stand.
Does photo paper expire? Even if not officially, does it get to a point where you won’t have good results using it? I’m going to go through all of my specialty paper and see if there is anything I can get rid of. We don’t have a printer stand, but I have a magazine holder with our printer supplies.
|
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 16, 2024 14:26:29 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Go through printer stand. Does photo paper expire? Even if not officially, does it get to a point where you won’t have good results using it? I’m going to go through all of my specialty paper and see if there is anything I can get rid of. We don’t have a printer stand, but I have a magazine holder with our printer supplies. I don’t know if it expires exactly, but some of the coated types tend to get discolored / yellowed around the edges over time. If that happens I recycle it or cut it down to a smaller size. I have a Selphy sublimation printer for photos that uses special paper and as long as I keep it in the bag it seems to be okay. |
|
|
|
Post by crazy4scraps on Feb 16, 2024 14:36:57 GMT
wow - sounds like tons of decluttering and organising going on - well done everyone. I've pulled TWO laptops out of my room and added to the electronics recycling pile - maybe on Saturday I can get DH to help me drop it all off? Make sure that you wipe the data from them first before you drop them off. I have a really old iPad that won’t even charge anymore so I’m not sure what to do with that. I was able to charge up my last one enough to do a factory reset and wipe all of my data off of it, so now that one can go. |
|
|
|
Post by alsomsknit on Feb 16, 2024 14:48:42 GMT
Do I consolidate the files for the vehicles, for the critters? What can be moved to the storage room file cabinet? Thinking small for the time being. Files that could be moved to storage room might include anything you don't access more than once or twice a year. In my case that could be my car files because other than annual tags and a service once or twice a year those files aren't active. As for consolidating files, think about how you would sort by car/animal within that file. If the total papers are few, then consolidation could work. Another option to consolidated files is to use Classification Folders. These have dividers within the folder that you can label and use to sort. They are available in both letter and legal size. My house files, as well as remodeling project files, are stored in these. Examples of how house files can be divided: Appliances, HVAC, Maintenance, Taxes, etc. Thank you! The car files should go to the storage room file cabinet. However, DH has to be considered in the equation. So, I was hoping to figure out a compromise. *sigh* I do like the idea of the folders in the link. They would be super convenient for the storage room file cabinet. |
|
|
|
Post by alsomsknit on Feb 16, 2024 14:56:54 GMT
I have approximately half of my desk sorted and cleaned. Still need to do the file drawers. Plan to do that in 2 sessions. Need to rethink the files. Do I consolidate the files for the vehicles, for the critters? What can be moved to the storage room file cabinet?Thinking small for the time being. For things like that, I like box bottom hanging folders with tabbed manila folders inside for the individual items that I might need to access specifically. This is a good reminder that I need to go through the other lateral file cabinet and pull out the oldest files for purging now that I’m almost ready to move the rest of last year’s business and tax stuff out of the desk and into the lateral file. Since the pets info is limited, this method would work best. Bonus, I already have the folders. I have always enjoyed the beginning of the year, when all of the previous year’s documents can be organized and moved to the storage room. Unfortunately, the 2023 medical receipts are messed up in the receipts meant to be burned. It’s going to be a PITA to go through. It’s DH’s fault, but I will be the one to fix it. Grrr! |
|
|
|
Post by alsomsknit on Feb 16, 2024 15:06:08 GMT
wow - sounds like tons of decluttering and organising going on - well done everyone. I've pulled TWO laptops out of my room and added to the electronics recycling pile - maybe on Saturday I can get DH to help me drop it all off? Jay’s old laptop has been wiped and dropped off at Staples. Still need to do the same with mine. I need a flash drive first. There is a paper I had written for an English class that I hope to retrieve from the laptop. It is about my hometown. Poured a lot of memories into that paper. Wouldn’t bother otherwise. Jay has plans to set up his old PC for me. It has its pros and cons. The biggest con is making room on the desk in the family room. I tend to use that one for manicures. All my nail polish and tools are there. |
|
|
|
Post by mikklynn on Feb 16, 2024 15:19:23 GMT
I cleaned out the pantry, dusted it, and reoganized it. It's a walk-in pantry again!
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Feb 16, 2024 15:44:34 GMT
wow - sounds like tons of decluttering and organising going on - well done everyone. I've pulled TWO laptops out of my room and added to the electronics recycling pile - maybe on Saturday I can get DH to help me drop it all off? Make sure that you wipe the data from them first before you drop them off. I have a really old iPad that won’t even charge anymore so I’m not sure what to do with that. I was able to charge up my last one enough to do a factory reset and wipe all of my data off of it, so now that one can go. Our local computer shop takes the electronics and will physically destroy the hard drives for us and then recycle - you just have to drop off while they are open if you want them to do that. If you don't or you're dropping off non-hard drive compenents, they have an outside drop also. |
|
|
|
Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 17, 2024 11:16:34 GMT
Yesterday we made great strides with the book situation in DH's office. There are still four book boxes of his books in the guest room that need to be dealt with. Got him to agree to go through one box yesterday. He wanted to keep it all but his bookcases are full, so he started pulling books that could be donated. He ended up going through all the shelves of one bookcase. There was a lot that went into the recycle bin (filled an empty 90 gallon bin 1/3 full!) and a ton of books to donate. Those were loaded straight into my car and will be dropped off later this week. We also filled a 13 gallon trash bag. So much of it was books from his college days in the 1970s. After clearing off the selves of stuff he no longer wanted or needed and adding the books from one box he still has a couple of empty shelves. Hopefully next weekend we can tackle the other bookcase. The space he frees up on the second He also has a credenza with two generous storage areas below. Cleaned out one of those, trashed a good bit and now he has an empty shelf in there. The other section is filled with piles of old cards and papers so I'll pull that out later this week so he can work on that next weekend. Seeing how much he got rid of I was inspired to go through the cookbooks in my office. I did a purge a few years ago, but decided I was ready to let go of more of them. There are 22 books that will be donated along with his books and I added one small craft book to my quilt guild garage sale bin. I have a bit more breathing room on the shelves in my office and it feels so much better! That is so inspiring to me.
Even though a bag of kid's books made it out of the house this past week, I still have two bins mocking me. Why do I feel such guilt with books?
I've already decided that these particular books have served their purpose and are leaving the house.
Good for you, with all that free space and decisions made. I think that's really the hardest part, making the decisions.
|
|
|
|
Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 17, 2024 11:31:52 GMT
Our family members must wonder where these bursts of energy come from. I went through a bunch of papers etc and came across a birthday card with cash in it. Blue recycle bin will be full again this week. Also need to list a couple of things for sale. If any of my family were to ask me, I would tell them I just want the house tidy.
But the truth is that I'm afraid of leaving a huge, ungodly mess for my kids to somehow have to wade through and deal with after my death. And I don't know when I'm going to pass, but it somehow feels much closer now than it did just a few years ago even.
|
|
|
|
Post by LavenderLayoutLady on Feb 17, 2024 11:39:30 GMT
This past trash day, along with the huge preschooler toys and bag of 30+ kid books, I hauled an air conditioner and huge box of ceiling tiles out of the basement. These were items my family put in there as "Just in case, and we'll find a place" items.
No. No we won't find a place for tiles that literally don't fit any ceilings in the house.
No. If the ac doesn't work well enough now, today, this very moment, then it's not going to be any better in five, ten, fifteen years.
I hauled these things up the basement stairs, then down the outside stairs to the curb.
Heavy fricking work.
But they're gone, and my kids won't ever have to deal with them.
I can gladly say that within twenty minutes of me putting that stuff out, a guy took some of the toys, the ac, and the box of tiles.
|
|
|
|
Post by alsomsknit on Feb 17, 2024 11:43:36 GMT
Our family members must wonder where these bursts of energy come from. I went through a bunch of papers etc and came across a birthday card with cash in it. Blue recycle bin will be full again this week. Also need to list a couple of things for sale. If any of my family were to ask me, I would tell them I just want the house tidy.
But the truth is that I'm afraid of leaving a huge, ungodly mess for my kids to somehow have to wade through and deal with after my death. And I don't know when I'm going to pass, but it somehow feels much closer now than it did just a few years ago even.
Not leaving all the mess for my son was the reason I began this journey, too. He has been a huge help in making decisions when I get stuck. I’ve already apologized for the things I feel compelled to hang on to. He doesn’t have a sentimental bone in his body. So, most is heading for the dumpster, inc. the pictures. 😬 It’s why I quit arguing over picture taking and scrapbooking. Side benefit was the house is easily managed for cleaning and systems in place. It has made it easy for Jay to help which increased his willingness to help. |
|
|
|
Post by **GypsyGirl** on Feb 17, 2024 19:54:51 GMT
Why do I feel such guilt with books? Books used to be considered precious and owning them was something special. That is the feeling that was passed down to me and I suspect other of my generation. I have several books that belonged to my mother in the 1940s. They are in poor condition and unreadable. I also have a bin of readers my great aunt used in her classroom from the 1940-50s. Many of those are also in poor condition. Realistically I know I should just toss them all, but it feels like I am desecrating their memories somehow. Ridiculous I know but emotions are funny things! But the truth is that I'm afraid of leaving a huge, ungodly mess for my kids to somehow have to wade through and deal with after my death. And I don't know when I'm going to pass, but it somehow feels much closer now than it did just a few years ago even. Yes, to both thoughts! We have had to deal with the estates of all four parents and it was definitely eye opening! DD is an only and after watching what I went through asked us to start getting rid of stuff! I do run things by her but there is very little that she wants. |
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 17, 2024 20:42:35 GMT
|
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Feb 17, 2024 22:17:16 GMT
|
|
mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761 
|
Post by mich5481 on Feb 17, 2024 23:40:51 GMT
Looks good, iamkristinl16! I personally like the blue artwork better - then again, I prefer blues! :-) |
|
mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
|
Post by mich5481 on Feb 17, 2024 23:47:14 GMT
My mom went through some clothes today, and agreed to get rid of about a trash bag full. I took it downstairs. After I take pictures and list it out, I'll put in my car to donate.
She's bought a fair amount of new clothes recently, as she has lost quite a bit of weight, and the old stuff was falling off of her. Her old stuff actually fits me now, but I didn't see anything that really caught my eye.
I found another old CK book (a 288 page one on Journaling Solutions for Scrapbookers). I'm going through it to see if there's anything I might copy or might serve as inspiration, and then I'll donate it.
If we go to church tomorrow (depends on the weather/how my mom is feeling), I'll bring a stack of Christian fiction books to leave there. I know someone from the church will want them, and if not, they'll use them for the shut in ministry.
I need to see if they'll do another ladies night swap party. They did one in 2022, and we took quite a bit of stuff with us. We only took 2 or 3 things home, but I saw several people took a bunch of the things we brought. Whatever was left over at the end of the night was donated to a local ministry. My mom wants stuff to go to people who really need it/will use it, so it is an easy way to get some of the more difficult things out of the house. The only bad part is not getting the donation tax write-off for my parents, but at this stage, I want stuff gone.
|
|
|
|
Post by dewryce on Feb 18, 2024 0:14:08 GMT
iamkristinl16 It looks great! I’m envious of your plants, mine never look that healthy. They’re a nice touch in the room. For the art, I actually love the one you just got and think it looks really good with the paint colors. Also, the rug is pretty bold and the overall feel of the room to me is more bold so I think it works well. And while I wouldn’t hang them close to each other, I think they’re both fine in the same room.
|
|
|
|
Post by dewryce on Feb 18, 2024 0:17:43 GMT
Sorry I’m running so late with this, I thought it was Sunday and knew the task for that day is minimal and self-care so I wasn’t in a hurry  Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Clear off any bulletin boards of old things. Does your refrigerator serve as a bulletin board? |
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 18, 2024 0:50:20 GMT
Sorry I’m running so late with this, I thought it was Sunday and knew the task for that day is minimal and self-care so I wasn’t in a hurry Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Clear off any bulletin boards of old things. Does your refrigerator serve as a bulletin board? I try not to have much on the refrigerator, especially the front. But every once in awhile someone puts something there and I move it to the side. If you look closely in the pics you can see that while I was getting the painted room put back together, my living room got pretty junky. I got that cleaned up and have a trunk load of stuff to take to Goodwill. Prior to painting I had our dumbells stored on the side of the desk so I could grab them while exercising. But I liked how it looked without them there so I cleared out the bottom of our game closet and they fit really well in there. Hopefully I can get them out as easily as I think I should be able to. So part of what I am donating is some games and books. I am going to sit down and do some work now but tomorrow will continue cleaning and finishing up with my décor. Get the Valentines stuff put away and decide which of the décor I have bought recently will be returned. |
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Feb 18, 2024 0:54:21 GMT
Does your refrigerator serve as a bulletin board? No - that was one of the things I changed when we moved in here. All the souvenirs magnets now live on the freezer in the garage - we still get to see them but no one puts papers etc... on that freezer. However DD17 asked recently if I could post my weekly menu on the fridge. I said yes and put it on the side facing the counters - easy to access but still leaves a clear front of the fridge. She has moved it to the front. But that is the ONLY thing on my fridge |
|
|
|
Post by dewryce on Feb 18, 2024 3:52:12 GMT
Does your refrigerator serve as a bulletin board? No - that was one of the things I changed when we moved in here. All the souvenirs magnets now live on the freezer in the garage - we still get to see them but no one puts papers etc... on that freezer. However DD17 asked recently if I could post my weekly menu on the fridge. I said yes and put it on the side facing the counters - easy to access but still leaves a clear front of the fridge. She has moved it to the front. But that is the ONLY thing on my fridge The only thing, besides fingerprints, that goes on the front of our fridge is a recipe if we are prepping something right next to the fridge. Otherwise I’m the same as you, items go on the side. We have some metal conversion doodads there now. DH might keep a timer there, I’ll have to ask because Alexa is our timer(s) now. Maybe something we can get rid of! No decluttering today but we did finish hanging the holders in my craft room. Oh, I did get rid of some perfume samples. These are some I liked enough to keep the samples, and most of them to consider purchasing. I’m going through them one at a time trying to really narrow it down to 5 favorites, if that. Today’s sample was DG Light Blue. The first time I put it on it became top 5 favorites of all time right away and that was just verified today every time I catch the scent. eta: And I threw away a lip color that when I put it on decided wasn’t one of my favorites. I'm liking the idea of a Top 5 for items where you have options. This wasn’t a top 5, why wouldn’t I wear one that looks better? I deserve better than okay or fine. |
|
|
|
Post by Linda on Feb 18, 2024 4:01:11 GMT
not much decluttering here either - I did put a binder and 5 pieces of flair (I think that's what it's called) into the donation bin. I did label two months worth of digital photos though. |
|
mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
|
Post by mich5481 on Feb 18, 2024 5:40:37 GMT
And I threw away a lip color that when I put it on decided wasn’t one of my favorites. I'm liking the idea of a Top 5 for items where you have options. This wasn’t a top 5, why wouldn’t I wear one that looks better? I deserve better than okay or fine. I like this concept a lot. I need to put it into action! |
|
used2scrap
Drama Llama
Posts: 6,097
|
Post by used2scrap on Feb 18, 2024 7:46:11 GMT
I continue to unpack and edit what fits in my new bedroom and smaller scrap corner. Painted a high wall nook today that will get some limited decor, as well as continued on a custom painted cabinet that will display my Haunted Mansion collection. Hung some hooks behind my bedroom door today to hang and display a few practical and collector bags. Sold a Loungefly bag and mouse ears set today and have several others set aside to list already in the appropriate sized shipping boxes…
More importantly, my sister and cousins have realized my dad isn’t being a good steward of my deceased grandmother’s house for the trust, so we’re all meeting this week for a way forward before he gets her house even close to a condemnable level hoard like his own house. 😬🤞🏻
Which gives me a ray of hope as well as continues to motivate me to keep editing my belongings so I’m nowhere near hoarding level of collecting…
|
|
|
|
Post by dewryce on Feb 18, 2024 13:15:13 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Call an older relative.
|
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 18, 2024 13:45:57 GMT
I like the "Top 5" idea as well. I kind of do that when going through clothes. I have so many sweaters that I like but don't really wear anymore now that I don't work in an office or school several days a week. Or dressier shirts (although I got rid of most of those as it is). I ask myself if I did decide to wear one, would I choose this? Or would I choose one of the others that I like even better? I have my makeup in something similar to Ikea Alex drawers and I have a whole drawer full of lip products that I never use. It isn't really hurting anything or taking up space that something else would be in, but I probably should just get rid of most of them or decide which would be my top 5. Most days I wear Tarte juicy lip balm because it feels so good and gives just a little color. But at times I might want a gloss or actual lipstick. Having the favorites handy would be easy.
|
|
|
|
Post by iamkristinl16 on Feb 18, 2024 13:49:42 GMT
iamkristinl16 It looks great! I’m envious of your plants, mine never look that healthy. They’re a nice touch in the room. For the art, I actually love the one you just got and think it looks really good with the paint colors. Also, the rug is pretty bold and the overall feel of the room to me is more bold so I think it works well. And while I wouldn’t hang them close to each other, I think they’re both fine in the same room. I kind of ignore that rug when I go into the room, but now that you mention it and I look at the pics, maybe I will keep an eye out for something that goes with the new décor better. I'm hit and miss with plants. I just got rid of a fern because it was just a mess and I didn't know how to really care for it. I had it outside in the summer but it just was not working inside. Some of these plants are relatively new (Target had some really cute ones already in planters for a good price) so hopefully I can make them work. |
|
started Evernote way back when before they charged anything beyond purchasing it. And I have so many long term notes in there. Even to use it free I have to decline the option to pay for options that should be (and some that were) part of the original package every.single.time I enter Evernote. So I’m looking for different options for that as well. 
