Decluttering - How are you doing in February?

[Tradd]

I have the wooden toy box that was handmade for me when I was 5. It's nicely made, and has a big wooden letter on the front that is my first initial. It's sat at the bottom of my bed for years, or been used as a coffee table, but I just toss stuff into in a heap, or I pile clothes and towels on it for days. I offered it to my goddaughter's mom. Goddaughter has the same first initial as I do, and this will be a good addition to the girls' bedroom. They just have to drive out to the burbs from the big city to get it.

[Bastelmutti]

Jemima, hope you feel better!

I did a bit of electronic decluttering today, too - unsubbed from some company and organization e-mails I had been receiving. I will do more of that as new e-mails arrive.

Keep on truckin!

[JaneV2.0]

I'm nearly ready to take another car load to the thrifts. To make up for all the fine duds I've been bringing home from there lately.

[rosarugosa]

Spent a few hours at Mom's house today and brought home 3 big bags of clothes to be laundered and donated, and a pile of stationery items, some of which I'll keep and some of which will be donated. Mom doesn't think I should have to take the clothes and launder them, but I pushed for it because I will do it and be done with it, and it will make me happy to get the stuff gone! She seems to feel like she is burdening me, when it's actually a pleasure to pull that clutter out of her life. I would say we're almost finished with two of the three bedrooms. It's a little hard to define finished, because her standards of acceptable clutter levels differ from my own. I have to keep reminding myself that it's her house
We also found some wonderful old family photos from prior generations that we really enjoyed looking at together, and she gave me a nice silver & amethyst pin that I'll enjoying wearing on the lapel of my work suits.

[Stella]

We are getting dead serious about decluttering in the next few months. We are on a mission to get rid of all of the stuff that isn't working for our family in this house and replace it with stuff that does.

After a tip from Fidgiegirl that a local charity is badly in need of furniture, we are going to get rid of both of the girls' beds, their (empty) dresser and a desk. We'll be replacing the beds with loft beds and the living room desk with a desk that actually works for a computer. We're also getting rid of a chest and possibly the train table (to be replaced by a smaller, more multipurpose table) and we gave Dad the dresser from James' room because he needed it and James doesn't. We're getting rid of two odd shelving units from the garage and building inexpensive, but custom shelving that actually holds what we need it to hold.

Best of all, we are finally, finally after 25 years of living with the hideous stuff, "decluttering" the salmon pink paneling in the family room and replacing it with drywall.

[rosarugosa]

Good for you Stella! Pink paneling would not be my cup of tea either!

[Stella]

Thanks Rosa! My mom painted that paneling pink when I was about 7 or 8 years old and I have never liked it. Normally she has good taste, so I don't know what that was all about. I am so ready to get rid of it!

[EarthSky]

I've been decluttering, updating my YMOYL everything-owned items list, and packing in and labelling bins as I go - preparing to probably put my house on the market soon due to still-unemployed-desperately-seeking-job status. (I say 'probably' even though it's inevitable, but haven't Quite Let Go yet!) Any encouragement from those going through the same thing is welcome!

[EarthSky]

We're moving again in a little over a week. Kiddo (14) and the pets will be staying with my family in north Texas for a few months (this is just tearing me up - ugh), and hubby and I will be staying in my parents' empty house that's on the market in Austin. We'll have only the basics and will have to make it look like no one is living there when we go to work each morning.

I'm thinking this will be a perfect way to declutter. Almost everything we own will be in storage for a couple of months, and I'll see what - if much of anything - we actually miss. When we have our own place, I'll only bring into it those things we'll love and use.

Sorry you have to be separated from part of your family, folkypoet. I've had to do that too much in my life. But thanks for the inspiration - love your commitment to, "if it's not missed, get rid of it" !!

[Float On]

I think I ended up taking February off from Decluttering, about all I managed to do was clean up my 'favorites' list on my computer.
March will have to be some serious decluttering in the laundry/sewing room.