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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 19, 2024 1:23:14 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter your purses, wallets and handbags. I went through these when I did our master closet earlier this year and got rid of one that I was in love with, but never used. I have my everyday bag, a small black and small brown bag, a clear one for sporting events, a beaded black clutch for evening use, and an old silver mesh one of my Granmaâs. But itâs so small I donât know that Iâd ever really be able to use it so I need to think long and hard about keeping it. If there is another one I didnât think of off the top of my head then I probably should consider letting that one go too! Fess up, who has more purses than shoes? Finally something else Iâm already caught up on!  LOL. I recently decided it was time for a new purse. I had all the materials collected together and had a free day so I whipped up a new one. I really like the Vera Bradley triple zip hipster style purses and I cobbled together a pattern from a few different YouTube tutorials to be exactly the size, shape and number/type of pockets I like. I didnât want to get rid of the old one but it did need a good washing (which is a huge bonus for this kind of purse, it can be tossed in the washer). Once the new one was made I went through all the junk that had collected up in the last one and cleaned house, tossing all the old receipts, gum wrappers and random stuff and only put the stuff I actually needed in the new one. I definitely have more shoes than purses, but I donât really have a whole lot of either. I usually would only carry around one purse until it fell apart and then Iâd toss it. The last three I made myself and theyâre so well constructed that they arenât even close to falling apart. |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 19, 2024 11:32:57 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Declutter your belts.
I donât actually own any belts so Iâll go through the accessories hanger with DHâs belts, ties and the few scarves I have. Plus more work on my craft room, hopefully I can get through 3 more small drawers.
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 19, 2024 12:48:39 GMT
We just got back from vacation last night. While on the plane I went through photos from 2022-now and deleted a bunch.
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Post by lg on Mar 20, 2024 23:47:28 GMT
Another declutter the to do list day:
- recycled cans and got $30
- replaced battery in car remote which cost $25
- used expiring points to get school socks for ds - paid 30c for $11 socks
- used expiring voucher at local plant nursery to get a plant - paid $3 more than voucher
- booked car in for a service
So didnât spend more than I earned and got everything done!!!
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Post by dewryce on Mar 21, 2024 1:16:16 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Organize your belts.
Better late than never? Woke up after 6 and completely forgot until I came across the thread.
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Post by dewryce on Mar 21, 2024 1:22:34 GMT
As for my decluttering, Iâm still working on digital decluttering ( iamkristinl16 great use of down time!), and slowly going through my craft supplies. I didnât have any scarves I wanted to get rid of, and although DH has more belts and ties than seem appropriate for how often he wears suits, he has the variety he needs if that makes sense. One black one dark brown belt, a somber dark tie for funerals, a yellow/blue tie to go with a light blue shirt for normal dress up occasions, and 3 or 4 ties with purple on them, plus matching pocket squares for most. Iâm keeping those for two reasons. 1) Because I often wear purple so when we dress up he likes to wear it, and 2) because he has a few purple shirts and if I die itâs what heâll want to wear. Morbid? Maybe. But I donât want him to have to do any thinking or preparing of something we can already have handled. |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 21, 2024 14:54:26 GMT
I *finally* remembered to return the car seat covers DH bought at Costco and didnât like. The box sat in the garage for probably two weeks where I kept walking past it and forgetting it, then I moved it to my car where I forgot about it for another week. Yesterday I made it all the way to the checkout when I realized the box was in my car, so after I checked out and loaded all my groceries into the car, I hauled that box back in to do the return. Yeah, itâs such a small thing but Iâm so happy to not have that hanging over my head anymore!
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Post by dewryce on Mar 21, 2024 16:32:37 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Declutter clothes that donât fit or look good.
I think a lot of us have at least attempted this. Since your decluttering muscles are stronger now take another look and see if there is anything else you can let go.
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Post by dewryce on Mar 21, 2024 16:34:41 GMT
I *finally* remembered to return the car seat covers DH bought at Costco and didnât like. The box sat in the garage for probably two weeks where I kept walking past it and forgetting it, then I moved it to my car where I forgot about it for another week. Yesterday I made it all the way to the checkout when I realized the box was in my car, so after I checked out and loaded all my groceries into the car, I hauled that box back in to do the return. Yeah, itâs such a small thing but Iâm so happy to not have that hanging over my head anymore! Iâm impressed you went back in, I would have been done after walking around the hard warehouse floor for so long! Does someone typically ride in your front seat? Thatâs where I have DH put stuff he needs to remember, itâs hard to miss it there. |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 21, 2024 16:47:39 GMT
I *finally* remembered to return the car seat covers DH bought at Costco and didnât like. The box sat in the garage for probably two weeks where I kept walking past it and forgetting it, then I moved it to my car where I forgot about it for another week. Yesterday I made it all the way to the checkout when I realized the box was in my car, so after I checked out and loaded all my groceries into the car, I hauled that box back in to do the return. Yeah, itâs such a small thing but Iâm so happy to not have that hanging over my head anymore! Were they the "wetsuit" seat covers? I bought two boxes a few months ago and just finally got around to trying them. I didn't like them, either and returned them a few weeks ago. Let me know if he finds some he likes better! |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 21, 2024 16:50:09 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter clothes that donât fit or look good. I think a lot of us have at least attempted this. Since your decluttering muscles are stronger now take another look and see if there is anything else you can let go. I took two t-shirts on vacation to wear around the house or to bed. They are the same brand, just different color. They are too low cut for me so they went in the donation bag. Looks like DH also went through his clothes while the kids and I were gone, which is good. I'll have to do another pass before I take it to Goodwill. I am hoping this weekend I can get through some of my scrapbooking stuff and at least one cabinet in the kitchen. I don't have a lot to purge in the scrapbooking area, but need to organize my cabinet better. Mostly pictures that either need to be scrapbooked or put in my extras box. |
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Post by alsomsknit on Mar 21, 2024 18:23:03 GMT
Finally able to do a few chores regularly. Mostly spent time reading this past week.
With DH being in charge of the puppy, he was able to get his teeth on a good pair of socks and destroyed them. So, they were tossed. But, I went out and bought 3 more pair. So, one of my next chores is going to cull the sock drawer. I only have about a dozen pair I wear regularly.
Also, the refrigerator needs to be sorted. Pulled out a bottle of salad dressing that was dated March 2023. đ€Šââïž
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761 
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 21, 2024 18:46:52 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter clothes that donât fit or look good. I think a lot of us have at least attempted this. Since your decluttering muscles are stronger now take another look and see if there is anything else you can let go. I've added some clothes that are too big to the donation pile. Does it count though if I previously bought the same thing for 2 of the shirts, just in smaller sizes? đ€Ł |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 21, 2024 20:52:33 GMT
Also, the refrigerator needs to be sorted. Pulled out a bottle of salad dressing that was dated March 2023. đ€Šââïž Last weekend I was trying to find space in a fridge drawer for DH's spinach. In rearranging and tossing, I noticed a tub of GF panko crumbs. Looks like I used it once. Expiration date? March of 2020.  . The fridge has been gone through numerous times in the past 4 years. How it was overlooked all those times is beyond me!  Does it count though if I previously bought the same thing for 2 of the shirts, just in smaller sizes? đ€Ł Absolutely! It falls under the heading of "One item in, one item out!" |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 21, 2024 21:07:16 GMT
Does it count though if I previously bought the same thing for 2 of the shirts, just in smaller sizes? đ€Ł Absolutely! It falls under the heading of "One item in, one item out!" Oh, good! I really like those tops and I was a little sad that they were too big, so I had purchased one on clearance from Talbots and one off of Ebay. I also added two sweaters to the donation bin. I wore them out this past week and I decided were too big and boxy to keep. LOL, I need to find the one dress that I own to see if it fits to wear on Easter Sunday. Just not sure where it is hiding. đ€Ł |
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Post by crazy4scraps on Mar 22, 2024 3:41:50 GMT
I *finally* remembered to return the car seat covers DH bought at Costco and didnât like. The box sat in the garage for probably two weeks where I kept walking past it and forgetting it, then I moved it to my car where I forgot about it for another week. Yesterday I made it all the way to the checkout when I realized the box was in my car, so after I checked out and loaded all my groceries into the car, I hauled that box back in to do the return. Yeah, itâs such a small thing but Iâm so happy to not have that hanging over my head anymore! Were they the "wetsuit" seat covers? I bought two boxes a few months ago and just finally got around to trying them. I didn't like them, either and returned them a few weeks ago. Let me know if he finds some he likes better! Yes, they were. I think he said they didnât fit because the headrest and seat in his work truck are all one piece. |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 22, 2024 17:05:20 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Declutter clothes you donât like.
Can you take it even farther than yesterday?
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 22, 2024 18:02:03 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter clothes you donât like.Can you take it even farther than yesterday? I got an email that my church's ladies group is doing a clothing and accessories swap night on April 9th. Good excuse to get rid of some more stuff, and hopefully not come back with a bunch more! I did get annoyed when I asked one person if we were doing another swap night a few weeks ago. She said something like are you and your mom going to actually swap stuff or are you just going to get rid of stuff? I'm sure I made a face, but I told her she could ask her husband, but I don't need more stuff (he helped unpack the moving trucks when I moved a few years ago). So judgmental!! |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 22, 2024 19:27:29 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar: Declutter clothes you donât like.Can you take it even farther than yesterday? I got an email that my church's ladies group is doing a clothing and accessories swap night on April 9th. Good excuse to get rid of some more stuff, and hopefully not come back with a bunch more! I did get annoyed when I asked one person if we were doing another swap night a few weeks ago. She said something like are you and your mom going to actually swap stuff or are you just going to get rid of stuff? I'm sure I made a face, but I told her she could ask her husband, but I don't need more stuff (he helped unpack the moving trucks when I moved a few years ago). So judgmental!! Why does it matter one iota to her? If your goal is not to come back with anything, or with very little, you could be proactive and go through what you have and make a list of items you would like to procure. And be specific so you donât just try and get something to check off the list. Decide to only get it if youâd pay full price at the store. Remember your end goal right now is less stuff in your house. Donât let her judgement derail you! |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 22, 2024 19:29:32 GMT
If your goal is not to come back with anything, or with very little, you could be proactive and go through what you have and make a list of items you would like to procure. And be specific so you donât just try and get something to check off the list. Decide to only get it if youâd pay full price at the store. Remember your end goal right now is less stuff in your house. Excellent advice! |
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 22, 2024 21:15:43 GMT
I got an email that my church's ladies group is doing a clothing and accessories swap night on April 9th. Good excuse to get rid of some more stuff, and hopefully not come back with a bunch more! I did get annoyed when I asked one person if we were doing another swap night a few weeks ago. She said something like are you and your mom going to actually swap stuff or are you just going to get rid of stuff? I'm sure I made a face, but I told her she could ask her husband, but I don't need more stuff (he helped unpack the moving trucks when I moved a few years ago). So judgmental!! Why does it matter one iota to her? If your goal is not to come back with anything, or with very little, you could be proactive and go through what you have and make a list of items you would like to procure. And be specific so you donât just try and get something to check off the list. Decide to only get it if youâd pay full price at the store. Remember your end goal right now is less stuff in your house. Donât let her judgement derail you! Oh, I won't let it derail me. I just was really annoyed by it. I brought home very few items from the last swap, and part of the reason was there were very few items that would have fit me at that time. If anything, I'll look for some jeans or pants in my new size, but not much else. I don't need more stuff! I did feel better when I asked someone else about it, and she was excited for it. She took some stuff home that we had brought to the last swap. One item was a cooler bag from a sub box - the first one had some relatively minor stitching issues, so they sent me another one. I took the first bag to the swap, and she snagged it. She said she thinks of my mom and me every time she uses it. â€ïž |
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Post by ntsf on Mar 22, 2024 22:08:43 GMT
I was gone for 2 months .. and because my cleaner has worked for me for years, and I have an adult child at home.. the cleaner.. without asking.. cleaned out my messy linen closet and folded everything neatly. she folded clothes and areas of my bedroom..
so next week, it will be easy to go through and get rid of stuff. my dh said last night I want to get rid of all my suits. (he has custom suits.. many 30 yrs old).. I said I would do that but I will keep one black suit.. just one. and his tux. he is totally now on board to not just comment on getting rid of stuff but actually doing it.
so being gone for 2 months. helped. we were at our condo that has very little stuff in it.. and he really wants home to look more like it. I want to get rid of several beds, our entertainment center and some other stuff.
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Post by lg on Mar 23, 2024 0:26:12 GMT
mich5481 I go to the markets every MONTH with a car load of items Iâm decluttering and everyone there is happy to see it all as they know I want to get rid of it so donât ask a lot of money for it/give it away for free. At the moment there a lot of people that are really struggling financially so being able to get a new toy for a kid or a cheap birthday present is a real blessing for them, and for me, as all the items did was sit in my house unopened making me angry and resentful of something that was meant to bless my family. Sounds like someone is jealous of the progress youâre making health and home wise - like the friend that sees your weight loss and buys you a huge block of chocolate to âcelebrate.â Maybe next time offer to help her if sheâs ever wanting to go through a declutter like you are? You must have a real âdeclutter glowâ shining through! There is nothing wrong with being disillusioned and unhappy with the rampant materialism in society, and wanting to go back to a simpler way of life surrounded by what you need, and being strong in the ability to say no to what you want. Itâs almost like itâs in the bible or something đđ€
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Post by dewryce on Mar 23, 2024 0:41:40 GMT
I was gone for 2 months .. and because my cleaner has worked for me for years, and I have an adult child at home.. the cleaner.. without asking.. cleaned out my messy linen closet and folded everything neatly. she folded clothes and areas of my bedroom.. so next week, it will be easy to go through and get rid of stuff. my dh said last night I want to get rid of all my suits. (he has custom suits.. many 30 yrs old).. I said I would do that but I will keep one black suit.. just one. and his tux. he is totally now on board to not just comment on getting rid of stuff but actually doing it. so being gone for 2 months. helped. we were at our condo that has very little stuff in it.. and he really wants home to look more like it. I want to get rid of several beds, our entertainment center and some other stuff. Itâs so great that heâs on board, thatâll make such a big difference in how quickly and completely youâre able to declutter your home! One of the suggestions I keep seeing is that even if youâre not sure you want to declutter that deeply, consider boxing up more than you think and live with it for a while. Donât donate what youâre not certain of, but get it out of your sight and living spaces. You might find you enjoy the space in your home and how much easier it is to maintain and decide not to bring most of what you boxed back into the home. We did our kitchen but reading your post reminded me of the hotel concept so I think this weekend Iâll see if DH (our chef) is willing to go a bit further. |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 23, 2024 15:47:59 GMT
Daily declutter task from My Simpler Life Declutter Calendar:
Store out of season clothes.
Itâs been cooler this week that it has been for a while so I think Iâm going to hold off on this task. But, I will pare it down to the bare essentials and donate the winter clothes that are the biggest on me that I kept instead of replacing them. I didnât want to waste the money buying things that wouldnât fit next âwinter.â Eta: Apparently I did a better job of this when I went through my clothes fairly recently than I realized. But I did choose a sweater and a long-sleeved button-up shirt to donate.
DH agreed to put more in the âtime will tell binâ for our kitchen! I made good progress with my paper crafting embellishments yesterday so Iâm hoping to build on that. And make another pass for my crafty âtime will tell bin.â I did it the other day but feel like I probably wasnât as honest with myself about what needs to go in there as I should have been.
What are yâall working on this weekend?
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 23, 2024 17:43:07 GMT
I tried on about a dozen shirts today to see if they fit. I'm donating 2 and taking 4 or 5 to the swap night at my church in a few weeks. If no one claims them, they are going to be donated as well. I found several pairs of pants I need to try on, will try to do that today.
I've been reading the reddit declutter posts, and that has provided some inspiration.
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mich5481
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 2,761
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Post by mich5481 on Mar 23, 2024 20:49:34 GMT
Thought some of y'all might appreciate this NY Times article: www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/well/family/organization-mess-relationships.htmlDid some more work around my room this afternoon - put away the clothes that are a size (or two, depending on the cut/fabric) too small away, added some more things to both the donation and church swap piles, and found some gas gift cards. Random question - what did y'all do with your fabric face masks? I had a wide variety of them, most from Etsy and a few from places like Tory Burch. |
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Post by dewryce on Mar 23, 2024 20:59:16 GMT
Thought some of y'all might appreciate this NY Times article: www.nytimes.com/2024/03/23/well/family/organization-mess-relationships.htmlDid some more work around my room this afternoon - put away the clothes that are a size (or two, depending on the cut/fabric) away, added some more things to both the donation and church swap piles, and found some gas gift cards. Random question - what did y'all do with your fabric face masks? I had a wide variety of them, most from Etsy and a few from places like Tory Burch. Unless you are using them to protect your surgical/N95 face masks from wear they arenât very affective. (Better than nothing, for sure). So, even should another need arise for masks, the surgical/N95s are what youâd want. So you could keep a few if you donât have any of the other so youâre not caught with nothing like so many were last time. I'm keeping a few of DHâs favorites to attempt to scrap with them. |
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Post by **GypsyGirl** on Mar 23, 2024 21:22:52 GMT
Random question - what did y'all do with your fabric face masks? I had a wide variety of them, most from Etsy and a few from places like Tory Burch. Tossed every last one of them, with the exception of a Bernina one I was given at Quilt Festival. I made so many and was sick of looking at them - and knew we would never use them again. If you are a crafter or quilter and wanted to memorialize the pandemic with a project there might be a way to upcycle them. |
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Post by iamkristinl16 on Mar 23, 2024 22:39:00 GMT
I started to go through some of my scrapbooking stuff while listening to DS's game on the radio. I have a ton of pages that are finished or almost finished. I need to get them completed and put into albums. I usually try to have the albums in chronological order but at this point I just don't know if I have the desire to mess with that. I have been jumping around in regards to which photos I am scrapping and have some pages that are more current, some that are older, etc. And lots in between that needs to get done. My friend has started to do an album for each year (she also has a lot of older pages that aren't done, but in the last few years has focused on newer photos where I have done a combination of new and old). I think I might do that going forward, but would I regret if I just put the older pages in albums (I have albums for each child and also family and sports albums) in no particular order? If any of you still scrapbook, what have you done? And mich5481 I just found some fabric masks in my scrapbooking supplies. I decided to toss them. I don't know why they were in there but I decided if we ever needed masks I would likely use the paper ones instead of fabric. |
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LOL.
