April Decluttering

[fidgiegirl]

I can't believe it's April 15 and I can't find the decluttering thread. Did I miss something?

I threw away a pair of pants that was wearing through in the inner legs (boo - that always happens).

I want to get rid of a LOT of stuff. It's feeling suffocating.

For example, the kitchen. I'd like to almost get rid of all our dishes, utensils, pots and pans and start over. But I think the frugal side of me would have a very hard time with that, not to mention the husband side of my household. !Splat!

[Rosemary]

DD selected a pile of books from her bookcase to take the the used book store.

[Float On]

You didn't miss it, I didn't start one because someone started a 100 fling thread for April.
Happy tossing!!!
Tomorrow is free day at the transfer station. We're doing a serious clean out in the studio of things that can't be recycled or sold. If I can't find the correct seal available on-line for my old dishwasher it may go as well.

[fidgiegirl]

Lots of papers and magazines in the recycling. I had been letting papers build up and normally I am super disciplined about that because it's so much easier than doing what I just did!

Phone chargers bagged up to go in the bin at Best Buy. Phones in one of those prepaid charity mailers and ready to drop in the mail.

I let go of a project mainly my DH wanted me to do and threw the parts in the garbage.

Thinking a lot about the "uniform" and having fewer, better clothes. So attractive. I hate shoving all my clothes in the drawers like they are right now. Also thinking what are the minimum linens we need. DH thinks 6 bath towels, I think 4. Anyway, fewer than what we have now! Sheets? I think I'd like to go back to one set. I did that for a long time when I was single and it was great. I didn't take them off unless I was going to put them directly into the washer and dryer and back on the bed. It was great.

[fidgiegirl]

Forgot - I really need to call the place where I'd like to bring the computer and spare hard drive for recycling to ask a few questions. We are off work on Friday so we can bring both in that day. They need to leave big time.

[lhamo]

We donated a stack of books to the booksale at my kids school.

I sold a large package of Eucerin that we weren't using -- person who bought it was thrilled that her daughter's dry skin is resolving after just two days of use, so I am happy about that.

I need to do my closet swap, putting winter clothes on the higher rack and shifting spring/summer clothes down to the lower rack where they are easier to reach. May find some stuff I can get rid of in that process.

lhamo

[leslieann]

One pile of clothes for the clothes bin: a small pile, only eight items. But I think if I look around here a bit more I'll be able to add to it!

Leslie

[Maxamillion]

I traded some books at the used book store. I've got a whole wall of books to go through. I was going to sell some books on half.com but none of them were worth much and it just seems like too much hassle for books that are only selling for 75 cents each. I just want them out.

[fidgiegirl]

@Max, I find that too. In the end, it's just easier to give them away. Occasionally I will post books on Paperbackswap.com, but since there are not that many I want to get off of there, I try not to have too many credits available at any one time because it just means I have had to pay to send that book to someone else.

[Greg44]

It's feeling suffocating.

I hear you - this is the exact feeling I get. I need to start tossing to "relieve" the feeling!

It is so satisfying to have new found "empty" areas!

...and I would be HAPPY with only 6 sets of bath towels. We have 25+!! :0!

[fidgiegirl]

I pitched some stuff from the freezer. We need to go on a major pantry cleanout. We can't even fit all our food in there and I don't like that. It's ok if we've gone on a Costco run to stash a little in the basement, but today I had to bring a bag into the basement simply because we ran out of room in the cupboards. Maybe I'll start a pantry challenge thread.

[Reyes]

I posted on Craig's List left over flagstone and stepping stones. They were gone within hours. Also posted a stand-alone basketball hoop and it too was gone in hours.

[Maxamillion]

I think I have four towels to my name, but only one that I use regularly (I mean, you're clean when you get out, right?) :laff: Two are beach towels and one is a fancy towel that my mom gave me when I moved out; the fancy towel gets saved in case of a guest.

[tgardella]

Also thinking what are the minimum linens we need. DH thinks 6 bath towels, I think 4. Anyway, fewer than what we have now! Sheets? I think I'd like to go back to one set. I did that for a long time when I was single and it was great. I didn't take them off unless I was going to put them directly into the washer and dryer and back on the bed. It was great.

I like to keep 2 sets of sheets for each bed so that I can strip the bed and make it up again immediately. I usually wash the sheets right away, but it gives me some leeway if I don't get to it. I also have a 7yo and while it's rare, there is still the occasional "accident".

I just decluttered my linen closet the other day and could not believe how many mismatched and old sheets and towels I found. I kept the full sets of towels that are still in good condition and sent the rest packing. It felt great!

[babr]

cleared out most of the stuff that had to be shredded; try not to overdo the shredder; want it to last; got four full bags to go to the recycling center; yea!

[Gardenarian]

I spent 6 hours going through piles of dd's art work, discarding or boxing. Whew! We set up a new system for her to keep her stuff organized; maybe this time it will work!

[fidgiegirl]

Going through the jars in the cupboard. Some will leave (so we only have wide-mouth ones left, not some narrow and some wide) and some were packed away for canning season rather than kept in our limited kitchen cupboard space. Others will be repurposed for the Halloween Bazaar.

Found a Nalgene bottle missing for quite some time and given up for lost. It was in the water bath canner, for whatever reason, and so when I went to stash jars in there, I found it. Woohoo!

Made a disappointing discovery when I pulled down our old laptop box to send the dead laptop off to Apple's recycling service. There were cables and adapters galore in there! I hadn't cracked that box since removing the laptop when I got it six years ago. I had even gone and bought those adapters. Grrr. Now I will see if I can resell online or at least maybe we can use them at school.

Several cookbooks are in the giveaway box, and several more in the outbox for DH to think on further. Also antique mason jars which cannot be used for canning have left to the outbox. We will see what he decides on those. They are cute . . .

Some clothes to be given away later on once they are washed. I wore them recently and did not like them anymore. Too much cleavage concealment effort required. :laff:

[fidgiegirl]

I spent 6 hours going through piles of dd's art work, discarding or boxing. Whew! We set up a new system for her to keep her stuff organized; maybe this time it will work!

I am kind of a nerd in the organizational systems department. It's interesting how one can work in one setting and not in another. For example, I had a very efficient system at home for my personal paperwork, but it doesn't work for me at work. And it doesn't work for me at home either now since I'm married and have no desk of my own. If we move, that's going to be a must, but we have yet to figure it out in this house.

I found that with any system that ever actually worked for me, the key was the disclipline to use it and frequent check-ins to maintain it.

What did you and DD decide to do? How is it going so far?

[fidgiegirl]

I think I have four towels to my name, but only one that I use regularly (I mean, you're clean when you get out, right?) :laff: Two are beach towels and one is a fancy towel that my mom gave me when I moved out; the fancy towel gets saved in case of a guest.

We need to get a fancy hand towel or two, for sure. It's amazing how what seems fine for us to use suddenly seems wildly insufficient when someone else is going to use it!

[fidgiegirl]

Just packed up all peripherals for the old computer. None are worth anything on eBay except possibly the manuals and restore discs which I have just listed. Otherwise I am taking all to school to see if our tech guy can use them for the similar old PowerBooks that people are still checking out and using there. Otherwise he can probably just throw them all in the school's electronics recycling pile since it's only a little bit of stuff, and if that can't happen, I can drop them at Best Buy in their bin in the entrance. It will be nice to have all of that gone.

[fidgiegirl]

On a roll!! Just went through my clothes and sent some to rags, some to giveaway, some to the winter box.

FOUND a cute 3/4 length black tee that I forgot I had! Geez!

[Kat]

Have fun looking adorable in your forgotten treasure, fidgie! Sounds timeless and versatile! :-)

[Maxamillion]

I pulled out a shirt and a pair of pants that I can't wear anymore and put those in the discard box. Went through a couple of boxes that's been sitting since the move...threw out some stuff that needed to go. I'm thinking of having a yard sale if I can put aside enough stuff for one, though I'm not really sure it'd be worth the hassle.

[babr]

welled i pulled everything out of the utiltiy room; and threw away alot of stuff trying to get rid of mouse urine; now need a day to put it back together; with still the smell of mouse urine; but couldn't get rid of it so going to let it go; much to my husbands delight; he grew up on a farm where when you pulled out a drawer there were usually mouse droppings; so he is used to the odor