January Decluttering [Archive] - Simple Living Forums

flowerseverywhere

1-3-12, 11:27pm

I thought we were doing really good in the decluttering department until we were looking for some old photos tonight. We searched in a forgotten closet and found years of old receipts and bank statements. Like over 30 years old. Does it really matter what we paid in utility costs in 1983? So now I have a stack of shredding and another of recycling.

Tomorrow is half price book day at salvation Army so I have a pile of things to donate and I will peruse the kids books. I am the book grandma so it is OK to buy kids books. The other grandmas are shop at the mall grandmas. Especially since the books run than $.50 and mostly brand new.

Float On

1-4-12, 8:45am

Today I'm taking two big rubbermade boxes full of books to the used bookstore. What they don't take I'll drop off at the thrift shop.
Also for the thrift shop we've got (in the back of the truck) about 4 boxes of clothes, magazines, dvds/cds, a mini-trampoline, an oil heater, and various other things.
We plan to drop off 2 bikes to the local "Jesus was Homeless" yellow bike program. We have a large population of people living in hotel rooms with no transportation other than these free use bikes.

flowerseverywhere

1-4-12, 9:34am

Float on, good for you. We also have a bike program here and they actually give away thousands each year. So many kids have the freedom to get back and forth to school (otherwise they would not be able to participate in after school activities) and so many adults to work etc. through our program.

Shredding shredding shredding this morning.

Stella

1-5-12, 1:59pm

I am brutally attacking my children's clothes. OMG! It's like they breed! In reality they have just grown so much it's already time to switch things out, get rid of stuff they've outgrown and reorganize.

I am also tackling the girls room today while Zach is tackling the garage. We are really pushing to get things decluttered before he gets back to school next week. We have several big projects, like flooring and changing out the awful paneling in the family room for drywall that I want to complete in the next few months before the baby comes and Zach goes back to work, but decluttering is the first order of business.

Stella

1-5-12, 5:24pm

Happy Dance! The girl's room and garage are done! Done! I am particularly impressed with the job Zach did on the garage. It looks AMAZING! I may tackle the boys room tonight if I get a chance.

Tomorrow I'm going to give the homeschool stuff a once-over and Zach is going to keep working on the clothes. I think we'll have this place on auto-pilot for cleaning by Monday when Zach gets back to school.

jania

1-7-12, 10:08am

I finally decided to let go of my electric typewriter (from college!) as well as my camera (I was given a digital camera last year as a gift). I also dropped off some dishes that I haven't used in years and a couple of items of clothing, plus some more "decorating" items that have never come out of the closet. It felt good to see these boxes in my rear-view mirror.

After all my decluttering and letting-go I am amazed that I can wake up some mornings and still see more.

Float On

1-7-12, 11:18am

It's Saturday. A great day to attack and declutter something. Since the weather is so nice I think I'll attack the yard first. The bushes need decluttered of christmas lights and I need to declutter the garden of some last hold out lettuce as well as a few weeds. I need to sort some yard and garden tools, pots, stuff that has piled up under the porch. I also plan to pull everything out of one kitchen cabinet (food cabinet). I may make a bag for donation to the food pantry, cull expired, and organize it so I know where stuff is. Would be great if I could get all the canned/boxed goods back into one cabinet (some of it is in a hall closet).

KayLR

1-7-12, 12:18pm

Omg jania! I am so impressed you got rid of your camera. I have such nostalgia toward mine I don't think I could part with it. Good for you.

Rosemary

1-7-12, 5:17pm

Cleaned out the pantry today. Bag for food shelf.
Cleaned out the linen closet yesterday. Bag of excess old towels for the cat shelter.
Last week, I took 3 bags of books to the used book store.

lhamo

1-8-12, 12:39am

Major purge this morning -- attacked DS's room and had him help me sort through his 4th grade and last semester's school work to decide what to keep and what could go. thankfully most of it went. Then reorganized/dusted his desk and bookshelves, and also tossed a whole stack of old magazined that were cluttering up the bookshelf.

I also did a major closet reorg last week -- didn't get rid of anything, but tidied things up a lot.

lhamo

happystuff

1-8-12, 9:38am

Attacked my dresser and closet shelves last night... 2 big bags going to the thrift store and a xerox box started.

Have set my sights on the pantry!!!

Stella

1-8-12, 11:43am

I'm hitting the pantries next too. That is my project for next week.

flowerseverywhere

1-8-12, 8:16pm

Stella, when I read your last post I thought you wrote "panties"

Yikes

still working on shredding, almost done. A big accomplishment.

Fawn

1-8-12, 9:22pm

Stella, when I read your last post I thought you wrote "panties.

:):cool::|(;):D

redfox

1-9-12, 2:47am

I sorted kitchen towels down to one drawer full, spices organized, old ones composted. New coolio (craigslist find) shelf hung by Santa Baby (aka my darling husband) for colanders, mixing bowls & etc. to be hung or stacked for easy access. We cook a lot, and I love having the tools at hand.

Linen closet next! Sorting & re-folding all sheets into actual sets, and bagged in their proper pillowcase. Then laundry room shelves, which seem to be where weird objects migrate to and are not seen again. Like rocks - I love groovy rocks, we have them in many places in the house... but the laundry room? I guess those are the shy ones...

This spring... hopefuly sooner! we're emptying the one car garage out; it's DH's art studio, the garden center, and my office (in an 11x20 space!), building out a U shaped space with walls & a pocket door to contain the garden tools area, then finish the space for an office/guest space. Yay. It means DH will be offing his art studio, as he is now a photographer, not so much a painter any more. Bless him! He got our DD's bedroom in the house as his office/studio, and I get the garaoffice.

We are taking advantage of our ample house... 3 bedrooms, omg, and carving out super functional combo work spaces & guest spaces. We can presently house 3 couples each in their own modest double beds in private spaces, and two singles on pallets. We've got a 64sf garden house in the back yard that has been the respite place for two friends, each half of different couples we know going through divorce. Last spring & summer one person set up there off & on for a month, and just this week, a dear friend took us up on our offer of a bed 5 nights a week for a few months while he & his wife figure out how to seperate. They are both unemployed, so we are essentially supporting him. We've let him know that he can be fed & housed without worry. It feels so good to share our warm, calm, safe place with him... so I'm living with two guys! Unprecedented.

I like home decluttering & refreshing... We'll be painting inside this year too, and hopefully getting rid of the ugly, dirty beige carpeting. Yech. Our houseguest is an architect & builder, and has offered to help on the buildout. All around win!

Bastelmutti

1-9-12, 12:54pm

redfox

1-9-12, 7:14pm

Today I did a return at Goodwill, and left with cash intact. That is a good thing!

flowerseverywhere

1-10-12, 9:01am

finished my shredding- it was a big job. But got rid of a huge pile of unwanted papers.

I had gone through my kids papers as well since they are in their thirties- down to two small piles. I saved a few things to show them and they had no interest.

cleaned out my cabinet of plastic containers I save for storage etc, recycled about half of them and moved the rest to a more convenient location.

I have a 2 bags ready for Salvation Army and a few dozen books, I'll drop them off tonight when I have a car to use. We share one car and once we made that decision my retired DH was contacted to work a six month contract he couldn't refuse, so I am learning to survive with a car only one day a week.

Every week my house is easier to clean, the closets are almost all done, the cabinets are almost done. I always think if we ever decide to move, would I pay to have this stuff moved. plus I know our live is much calmer and pleasant without a bunch of stuff around.

I can't imagine what it is like for people who like to shop. We avoid shopping as much as we can, yet somehow we have ended up with so much stuff!

Bastelmutti

1-10-12, 9:45am

The stuff is out on the curb awaiting pick-up: 2 bags of clothes, 1 box of books, 1 bag of costume jewelry and misc., 1 old piece of electronic equipment, 1 bag of kids' dress-ups. I'm happy with my wardrobe right now, even though I will probably unload a few more things in the spring. I am going for "minimalist" in general, although I didn't pick an arbitrary number like 33.

Lainey

1-10-12, 10:30pm

redfox, that is very generous of you and your hub to offer temporary housing to family and friends. I have done this over the years and it can make a huge difference in helping someone get back on track.

There are some people who do this, but only grudgingly and with a lot of strings, in what I think is at best half-hearted and at worst a mean-spirited way. I always keep in mind how tough it must be for an otherwise functioning adult to have to ask for this big favor, and think "there but for the grace of God ..." and so act as I would want if I were in their shoes.

Bastelmutti

1-13-12, 11:52am

Some of you probably know this site already, but I just started looking at it for inspiration:

http://www.365lessthings.com/

The Mini Missions look helpful:
http://www.365lessthings.com/tag/mini-missions/

Bastelmutti

1-13-12, 2:24pm

Decluttering score today! Two things I have thought about in the last couple of days were cloth napkins and new curtains for the kitchen and dining room. While putting away towels in the bathroom closet, I got up on a ladder and moved stuff around and took stuff out to make space...and found a set of cloth napkins and three matching curtains long enough to cut down for dining room windows and use an extra piece for the kitchen window. Whoo hoo!

Jemima

1-14-12, 8:32pm

In the fall, signing up for a charity pick-up really helped with my decluttering, because I had a fixed deadline to get stuff out to the curb. Well, next one is tomorrow! Today I already took 2 bags of kids' books to the thrift shop and cleared out 3 cardboard boxes & one bag to fill up today. Although I don't have tons of clothes to begin with, I am aiming for a minimalist wardrobe this year to cut down on laundry, so between my stuff and DD2's I should fill one box. Another box will be books from my office and living room shelves, and the third probably random stuff like jewelry from my bedroom and a few kitchen things. The rest will be stuff leftover that didn't make it into the last pick-up. I have until 7am tomorrow to get this stuff to the curb!

Don't you love it??? This past year Purple Heart starting picking up in my neighborhood, and they've gotten every small appliance, extra clothes, and books that I've decluttered. I wish they'd pick up furniture! None of the other thrifts around here pick up, in fact, Salvation Army moved to an even farther location on a badly designed, very old state highway which I avoid as much as possible.

I've been decluttering like mad since I retired in September, but I'm also making a special effort to get rid of plastics and anything made from fiberboard. My allergies got a lot worse right after I moved into my house eleven years ago. I bought quite a bit of cheap furniture the first year because I'd moved from a one bedroom apartment which was rather minimalist. I understand this stuff off-gases formaldehyde indefinitely and that can't be good.

flowerseverywhere

1-15-12, 9:25am

Cleaned out all the areas where we have binders that are no longer used, pens, pencils and paper in the house and put them all in one place. Threw away a bunch of pens that did not work, and neatly arranged the rest. Big bag of stuff to go to my friend who works in a very poor school.

Another bag ready for Salvation Army, miscellaneous shoes, a jacket and other items that we no longer wear. I used to work in an office and have been gradually getting rid of the shoes and clothes I no longer wear as I only work on call with special ed kids and wear jeans and sneakers when I do that.

babr

1-18-12, 9:51am

Bastel; the site looks interesting; i have been doing most of flylady; but maybe a change would be good for me; and i like the one thing a day idea

for my decluttering progress; we dropped off two bags of stuff

also have been doing the yearly gleaning of our files; so i have a big bag of shredded paper to go to the recycling station this weekend

i will sell the sewing machine i have; just need to know how much to charge

Stella

1-22-12, 11:01am

Zach is tackling the big dump-all closet in the basement today. The ultimate goal is to rehome the Christmas stuff and camping stuff in the garage, tear the walls off of the closet, which is built into an odd space between the stairs and the wall, and put in some shelving to use it for clothing storage.

I still haven't gotten a chance to reorganize my pantries so I am going to work on that.

flowerseverywhere

1-22-12, 1:13pm

well I just spent three full days cleaning out my sewing/craft room. for all you quilters/sewers/snitters/scrapbookers etc. you know what happens. Buttons, zippers, threads, papers, you name it, I had more than I will ever use in my lifetime. My purchases were always well intended.
I had two very large bags that went to the crafters at my local Christmas bureau. They meet year round and were happy to get it. A large bag of yarn to the knitters in the group that do mittens and hats year round so each person gets a new hat and pair of mittens.
large stack of books to the library book sale
big bag to the garbage.

Every surface in my house now is clear of clutter, everything neatly in closets or drawers. All junk drawers cleaned. This has taken years to accomplish and I don't even shop.

We made a decision that the next clean out will be the basement! Luckily I have no attic or that would be next.

cynergyou

1-26-12, 8:14am

i've started working on decluttering the house. i'm selling some big ticket items online and through craigslist, and i'm donating/recycling stuff that we no longer need. i've made good progress but there is a lot more to do.

Rosemary

1-26-12, 8:19am

I've been working my way through the house, as I do every January. Just two areas remain, other than the garage, which will wait until spring and warmer temps: the crawlspace, our primary storage, and the bookshelves. I plan to complete these by 1/31. Had some friends over yesterday and got rid of some toys and clothes DD had outgrown. Growing pile for donation in one closet; after I drop that off, I'll have some empty closet space!

Stella

1-26-12, 10:21am

I'm taking a gentle approach this week and here and there I am looking for 10 things to get rid of. Yesterday I was in the bathroom burshing my teeth and got rid of a bunch of bottles of hotel lotion, a lip balm with a cover that sticks so bad I can never get it open and a few other things. It actually made things look much neater in there.

Later I did the same thing in the upstairs bathroom when I was done with my bath. I combined two shampoo bottles and tossed one, got rid of an all-but-empty container of sunblock and stuff like that. Again, it made a pretty big difference.

When I was making dinner I went through my little mail sorter thing in the kitchen and tossed some stuff.

I'm finding that taking the perspective of, "what are 10 things I could get rid of" is working better for me than evaluating each item based on whether or not I might someday use it or other criteria. It makes it kind of like a game, and I know I'll never miss that stuff.

babr

1-27-12, 5:12pm

thanks for the 365 less things; i really like the concept and needed something fresh to use; so each thing i toss etc. makes me feel good; even better if i go for two things lol

lhamo

1-27-12, 10:02pm

Rockin' it on the organization front today! Besides tidying up some moderation stuff here on the forums this morning I have also:

1) Moved all the CDs from where they were in the bedroom (stacked up, not well organized) into our new media cabinet in the living room. Dusted and alphabetized them while shelving them. Probably close to 200 cds, so I'm pretty chuffed! And now I can listen to music on the xbox, with the good speakers attached. DS moved the speakers from our CD player in the bedroom into his room, and doesn't really like to listen to our cds, so there was no point in keeping them there anyway. Listened to Nora Jones while doing the task, and now bopping along to REM.

2) Sorted through, reorganized and decluttered four drawers in our master closet, and bagged up a bunch of the kids old clothes to get collected by the second hand guy later today. Huge bag waiting to go by the front door. When DH gets back I will arrange pickup of the old crib, which had been filled with these outgrown clothes, so that we can get DD a desk to put in that space in her room.

3) Rinsed off the oven cleaner and the layers of old finished it had removed from my cast iron pan, and resprayed the spots with stuff still needing stripping. HOpefully this layer of oven cleaner will do its stuff by tomorrow and I can reseason the pan before DH gets home with the kids.

I still need to take down the Christmas tree and I MIGHT try tackling the laundry room and the kids old schoolwork/artwork this afternoon, but may leave it until tomorrow. I still have to go to the gym and do some shopping, and I've been up since 3am so maybe I have done enough for one day!

Feels good to have made so much progress. Or maybe that is just my third cup of coffee talking....

lhamo

Update: Still haven't tackled the Christmas tree or laundry room, but I DID do a clean sweep of the pantry and fridge/freezer and threw out anything past the use by date. Some things probably still could have been used, but they were things we didn't need to eat anyway (cake mix, a can of frosting, some crisco I bought when I thought that was all you could use to season a cast iron pan, etc.) so probably better just to get them out of the house and free up space for healthier, whole foods.

Tiam

1-29-12, 1:09am

In a fit of inspiration from this thread I cleaned the bedroom closet. In the box to go to Goodwill. A Cat scratcher, Space heater, several sweaters and items of clothing, some dansko shoes, notebooks. a medieval shield made of wood from my boys boy scout days. several bags, purses, piles of yarn, a mouldering shelf, a small foot stool, old wrapping paper, several bits and bobs. It's going to be a great closet when I'm done. Well, the bottom part. I'm not going for the top shelf yet. I also used a divided box and organized nails, tacks, clips, and screws, washers and whatnot.

lhamo

1-29-12, 2:37am

Christmas tree put away and ornaments decluttered. Was going to tackle the laundry room, but it is just too much for me to do myself -- all the laminate is peeling off the face of the cabinets and it is just a mess in there. Need DH's help on that one so saving it for later.

I still haven't tackled the kids school/art work and I think I may just let that be for awhile, too. I am making good progress with reseasoning my cast iron fry pan, so between that and the other stuff I accomplished yesterday I think I have done enough! I'm going to sit back and enjoy listening to the Rhino records compilation of '80s alternative music my friend gave me for the rest of the day -- 4 cds of music I forgot how much I missed! Nice reward for getting the CD collection whipped into shape....

lhamo

happystuff

1-29-12, 8:04am

Took two boxes to donate to the thrift store yesterday. Had two bags of clothes to go also, but as it turns out, the Girl Scouts will be making "rag pililows" and I can now provide some stuffing!

Sort of frugal in a round-about way... we don't use a dryer, but drying racks instead. I have several very functional ones and a monster one that I inherited. Have been looking for a new one to replace the monster, but haven't been satisfied with the ones I've encountered. Well, I finally found a replacement yesterday - good functionality, good construction and good price! The monster is sitting out front for "free" as I'm hoping someone can get a little more use out of it.

Still haven't tackled the pantry, but still have hopes to get to it soon!

jania

1-29-12, 9:47am

I got rid of my last loom last week. This actually feels good now. For years and years I was going to be a weaver and own a weaving shop. I worked in a weaving shop years ago and with the encouragement of the owner felt it was possible to some day have my own. Well, that dream and the many years of pleasure the dream gave me is now gone. For me I know that at this point in my life a weaving store has no place in reality for me and as I have been really paring down the last few years the looms became just that.....looming, and not in a good way. I think it can be hard to part with dreams but now that this one has been let go I can move forward with others.