View Full Version : June 100 Items or General Decluttering Thread
fidgiegirl
5-26-14, 9:58pm
Finally starting to feel more myself and we had a great weekend of weather and decluttered some big stuff!! I know it's not quite June but I want to try for 100 items again by the end of June.
Charcoal grill + charcoal + chimney starter = 3
Tile underlayment + partial bag mortar + box of grout + tile threshold = 7
Several items up for sale on neighborhood FB group or CL, but not many bites. :( Will give it away otherwise. Going to donate some personal school stuff I had hauled home (ugh) back to school and need to get started on that because there are only about 9 days left to send things in with my DH (we worked in the same building and he still works there).
Also NEED to quit buying on same said neighborhood FB group. :(
Who else is in?
I probably can't do 100 items, but I'm going to freecycle the weight set my adult son left behind. He also left behind a metal garage tool chest. We had put both items in our garage sale last year but neither sold. At this point I'd rather have the room then the cash.
I'll join in again in June. I think we completely skipped May but I did just sell our art show display system yesterday. Several years back we had some potter friends who told us they really wanted to buy our display and we tucked their card away in a file. When we quit for good I found their card and made contact and was surprised they were still interested since it had been years since we'd seen them. On their way back to Chicago from the winter/spring FL shows they made a detour to come see us yesterday and buy the display. Typical show style we had to load their trailer in the rain (seems like rain always follows the art shows).
More space in the studio and money in our pocket.
Prince Kong
5-27-14, 7:39am
Flatmate had a HUGE flee market type thing at out place last weekend. Because of the mess though it seems like we have even more stuff now!
Gardenarian
5-27-14, 8:20am
I'm going to try and do 100 items TODAY. Cleaning out the attic. ~cue ominous music~
fidgiegirl
5-27-14, 1:35pm
I should add that people should join in even if they aren't going to aim for 100 - let's just get rid of some junk!
Fidgiegirl
I am in for sure, I am suppose to be doing the garage and hazardous waste stuff in there (Dh had garage/car stuff that I
have no idea the age of it all) it all needs to go. I should be able to do 100 items in there hope so.!
June1
---3 magiznes to recycle
---A full size Queen bed frame repurposed to a raised garden box (not food grade but will be great for flowers/gourds) and
it has left a large space in the garage.
That is a total of 4 so far...
and if I can just not bring in too much from yardsaling the Net effect would be great.
2 Dresses
2 pants
1 shoes
1 hat
2 magazines
1 dead coffee machine
1 broken hose sprayer (will have to replace)
1 broken sprinkler
Total: 11
1 roll of rosin paper = 8
1 rocking chair = 9
4 boxes of instructional materials and one roll of posters (probably over 100 items here alone, but did not count - will count as 5 to keep myself motivated) = 14
Organized materials I had brought home from my classroom. Kept my own cultural stuff that is irreplaceable and sending the rest back to school for the next teacher (they are resurrecting the program but I'm not going back).
Organized Norwood's clothes by size. He has gotten a lot of gifts and hand-me-downs. So far we have not had to buy hardly him any clothing ourselves, only a few things here or there to fill in the gaps. What a gift. But it is so much that it requires what feels like constant attention or stuff will end up packed away until he outgrows it, or we'll buy things we already have in storage. So that feels good!
Next up: coping with my own sad, sad wardrobe - time to rotate out winter stuff, pack away preggers stuff (or burn it . . . :devil:), and evaluate what I need to buy. I am alllllllmost back in pre-pregnancy clothes, can use all my stretchy stuff again but not my button and zip pants/shorts. So I may have to buy a few little things to make it through the summer. And then once it's time to go back to work, ugh, will have to do a big shop because a lot of my items have been worn out and don't look good at all anymore.
DH and I are going to convert a shallow cupboard in the kitchen into a pantry (it currently houses an ironing board!). That will help our kitchen organization tremendously because all the small stuff can do in there, freeing cupboard space for larger items. It's a small project, really, but has been on the back burner with trying to survive. I expect once DH is done with school it will get done quickly and then we can organize the kitchen, start eating down the food (once we can see all of it!), and hopefully get rid of a few things, too.
I'm in again for this month, not sure I'll get to 100 items, though. Starting today with a bag of socks. I made the mistake of buying cheap socks, and they wore out very quickly. So I have a whole pile of "ones" - well, at least that's my thought. If I can't make pairs, they're going; all blacks and navy, so they're not much good for crafts...
fidgiegirl
6-2-14, 11:11am
14+
1 dresser = 15
1 bag of pump parts that won't work with mine = 16
TOTAL = 16
Oh I'm in! I've been away from the boards for <cough> years, but I'm feeling the need to get back into to decluttering.
I really need to go through old clothes and craft projects and get rid of that which is never going to be used again.
11 socks- out! and the rest paired and put away for the summer. Feels great to have that done.
12. crazy big hat from Disney
13. frame
14-15. framed posters
16-18 books
19-22 movies
can you tell we had a teenage break-up? Son decided to clear out some gifts he'd rec'd from his girlfriend.
23 black leather purse (but I bought a new one)
23 dh's pair of shoes
24 handful of make-up I was tired of
25 broke a pottery mug :(
June1
---3 magazines to recycle
---A full size Queen bed frame repurposed to a raised garden box (not food grade but will be great for flowers/gourds) and
it has left a large space in the garage.
That is a total of 4 so far...
and if I can just not bring in too much from yardsaling the Net effect would be great.
June 4
--3 more magazines to recycle
--1 large piece of wood from garage floor that smelled mouldy to curb (someone picked it up)
--1 old broken outdoor torch light to curb
--1 part of broken blind to curb
--7 tops/sweaters to give away
Total to date 17....yeah
I am in.
So far 18: 2 bags, t-shirt, pyjamas, 4 empty notebooks (my sister took those), hat, some over the counter drugs well past their
expiry date, jacket (wanted to donate but sister was happy to keep it), 2 skirts (donated), 5 pairs of socks
Still need to declutter, clear and re-organize the kitchen, what remains of jewlery and gifts and finish the wardrobe. Books &
Magazines need to be sorted as well. Should also find someone who could use all of my clothes and other equipment from the
times I could still do historical fencing but I find it so much difficult to let that go.
Meri, I have seen people frame some of their fencing clothes and equipment. That would at least keep it out of a drawer or box and put it on the wall for art and good memories.
fidgiegirl
6-5-14, 11:26am
1 broken foaming soap pump
TOTAL = 17
Teacher Terry
6-5-14, 6:24pm
I really did not think that I had anymore stuff but a friend had a garage sale so I gave her about 20 items for it. Also cleaned out my kitchen pantry & got rid of duplicates of stuff that we rarely use & expired stuff. It feels really nice not to have that stuffed to the gills anymore.
fidgiegirl
6-5-14, 11:34pm
Incredible how that happens, isn't it, Teacher Terry? Just when we think we've gotten rid of all of it, there is always something more. Well done!
happystuff
6-8-14, 10:05am
Just had our summer town wide yard sale yesterday. Had a decent amount to put out and got rid of about half. The best was finally selling two xerox boxes of baseball cards that have been stored for over 25 years. Guy who bought them got a deal, but I think I ended up with the best part of the sale... they are gone! Such a sense of... relief, freedom, not sure how to word it. But it feels great and is another motivator to keep decluttering!
fidgiegirl
6-9-14, 11:29pm
Previous total = 17
15 items of maternity clothing (good riddance!!) = 23
12 pairs socks = 35
1 food storage to recycling = 36
1 packet herbs gifted = 37
TOTAL = 37
I should add that I have decluttered one gardening commitment at my parents' house (they are fine with the beds being fallow for the year, we'll try again next year possibly) and also have cut back on my crochet for Team Yarn. I love doing it, actually, but have a lot less time where both hands can work together. I'll get back at it, but have told myself it's ok to take a break right now.
stack of magazines (literature 10, running 21) - paper recycle
3 t-shirts - not good enough to donate, husband used them to wash and polish his car
4 socks (pieces not pairs ... I don't mind pairing and wearing slightly different socks but those just did not match at all in colour, height, material and that they can do somewhere else, not in my pile of clothes to pair or to repair)
2 CD cases
a shelf
The Squire's Daughter
kitchen clearance phase 1: glass container, package of starch and a package of polenta (moths included but don't count)
that makes 45
total this month 63
I also got in touch with the historical fencing group I used to belong to and they ll be happy to take and use my equipment
which is great. Less clutter, less painful memories and the things which are really good quality will actually get used again for what they are intended for. Now the only thing left is to stop holding on those reminders of who I used to be and finding time to take it all to them. End of June sounds like a good deadline for that.
fidgiegirl
6-13-14, 11:26am
meri, I have a few items like that, too, and have also let some go in the past. It feels really good, but it is really hard. Congrats on making the arrangements.
fidgiegirl
6-14-14, 3:44pm
Minor decluttering win for my hubby for Father's Day . . . I tried to install the bike rack that's been sitting around for FIVE YEARS - we could never figure out how to install it on his bike. After two weeks of unsuccessfully trying to hire someone to install it, then lots of sneaky research and two trips to the bike store, he now has a new rack. :laff: Turns out the other one was never going to work on that kind of bike, it wasn't just our inexperience. :) Anyway, now I can sell that one. I also installed a mirror he'd had around since Xmas two or three years ago as well as some reflectors I found in a cupboard. So we still have the stuff, but now it's fulfilling its original purpose instead of just laying around. Too bad there wasn't any money saved in the process - the new rack cost more than what I can sell the old one for. Boo.
Blackdog Lin
6-14-14, 8:05pm
Everyone here is doing so well.....I've just been kind of accidently decluttering this week, but that's pretty darn good for me.
(1) looking for an old pair of jeans to cut off for summer, and found DH's old armrest and sling he wore after his shoulder surgeries in a drawer. Why is it still here and taking up space? Ditched it to the Goodwill pile.
(2) Saw my old (like from 1977) vinyl folio-thing that I've always put receipts in, under the desk. Why do I still have it taking up room? Moved the top 2" of receipts :) to a file for the file drawer, and threw the rest of the mess away.
(3) Looked up at a shelf in my closet and noticed the two crocheted shawls that I've never been able to part with. Why? Haven't put one on since 1974. If I haven't gone for the hippie look by now I don't think I ever will, so they would only be suitable for a Halloween costume at this point, and I haven't had an occasion to dress up for Halloween in 20 years. Threw them in the Goodwill pile.
(4) And then since that shelf looked cleaner, decided to spend the 15 minutes needed to go through my purse pile and got rid of all but 5 of them, to the Goodwill pile.
Said pile is too big and in the way, but will get them there eventually - and feeling very good about the accidental decluttering.
I love that phrase "accidental decluttering." Reminds me of that book, I think the title is Mini-Habits? The author said how life-changing it was for him when he only had to commit himself to a tiny habit change - like one push-up a day. And of course once you do one then you figure you might as well do more, and that's exactly what happened.
Maybe that's the key to the whole decluttering is just to commit to one clothes drawer, or one table top, or one pantry shelf, and then ... keep going, or not, but its the steadiness of the tiny habit that will ensure you won't give up.
I've been working on the little habit step for keeping the flower beds in check- decluttering weeds if you will- and it worked quite well last year, so I've made the chart for this year- each flowerbed individually and large beds divided into smaller sections on the list so that nothing is overwhelming. I date when I weeded each section and amazingly last summer the most I had to weed each bed ( starting in July with recordkeeping) was 5 times- only 20-30 minutes at most! Now I am excited even though the rain has made the weeds lush! I also washed 4 windows yesterday. If I would do 4 at a time just think how they would sparkle!
fidgiegirl
6-15-14, 4:45pm
One pushup a day, even I could handle that!
A decluttering mindset sure does spill over into other areas. Last night and today I tried to use up some things from the cupboards and freezer because DH wants to defrost the deep freezer. Finished: partial bag rice, frozen andouille, frozen peppers, frozen celery, fresh celery on the edge of going bad, fresh carrots that needed used up, 1 bag frozen veggies, pulled out two frozen pork tenderloins, pulled out some spices to give away (we never use them and I have no interest in learning how - we have soooo many others already). So that was pretty fruitful!
After our big trip in May I tackled many organizational projects that did not get done during my usual cleaning time, which is winter, because I was buried in course work for the classes I was taking. A charity came to pick up a large pile of stuff a few days ago. Among other things, I boxed up and gave away the lead crystal of my aunt's that I was given... because I will never, ever use it and even having it sitting unused in a container in the crawlspace felt like a weight to me. I'm not a crystal type of person. It's too fussy. I'm continuing to clean out clothing as we go through the season. Throughout the house, my goal is to get everything uncluttered in a serious way - that is, having less stuff everywhere than we have space for. I've sold and given away a lot of books; recycled a lot of paper items; cleaned out closets and linens and baby toys etc etc etc. Still on the agenda is crafting items. Now that I am spending a significant amount of time during the winter on classes, and my summer is as always occupied by landscaping and garden work, I would like to get rid of crafting things that we are unlikely to use. DD and I still do this together, but we have less time for it and don't need to have as much as we do in our small home.
Interesting, Rosemary. I have a larger amount of craft items that I'm unlikely to use, and I just found out last weekend that a friend of a friend, who is going into her 2nd year of teaching kindegarten in a poor area, is looking for art materials. That's motivated me to search for things I have which may be suitable for that age.
I agree it's better to give these things a new home and enjoy our cleaner space.
All these months of sending out 100 items and I've finally decided to try an antique/flea market store booth. I'm just doing a small booth to give it a try. Glad that it's a month by month and I don't have to commit to a year but between my house and my mother's....we've got lots of good things.
rosarugosa
6-29-14, 12:48pm
I'm cleaning out the shed today - so much stuff in such a little space, that we cannot see what is there or get to anything. Those plastic pots must procreate when we're not looking! I'm also much more conscientious about buying fertilizer than actually applying it, which doesn't do the plants much good.
Float On: Please let us know how you make out with your flea market booth!
I took several boxes, bags and large items to charity last week. Now I'm starting a new pile, with particular concentration on books. I have two bags ready to go and will probably end up with at least two more; I've thinned my quilt books considerably. I'm also winnowing quilt fabric and consolidating what's left into big clear bins so it's contained but visible.
rosarugosa
6-29-14, 8:06pm
I completed the cleaning of the shed, so that feels like a good accomplishment for the day. :cool:
I've started another box for donations and it's mostly full already. Started decluttering craft stuff. Giving away stuff that we've tried but don't especially enjoy more than most of our other pursuits. Have realized that just because I *can* use a material to make something, doesn't mean I have to do that and/or keep the object for future use. There is just too much of everything.
I've taken several bags of books to the used book store over the past 6 weeks or so. Instead of accumulating large quantities, I'm taking them a bag at a time - it gets them out of the house sooner and I think I get more cash from the store for them (even though it's still a pittance).
mschrisgo2
6-30-14, 2:19pm
I've been sorting,shreding, filing, papers. Last week I had to find documentation from 1984!!!! for having passed a test (I'm a teacher). That involved me ripping through 6 cartons of, well, you know, just too damned much paper!! I have now carefully completed 5.5 cartons; these are bankers boxes and were each from a different era of my life and stuffed full. I have just a little bit to go and will finish it before I go to bed tonight - I have promised myself that I won't get up to this again tomorrow. Amazingly enough, I have only saved about 6 inches altogether, and even that needs to be thinned again. It really feels good Not to have all those boxes of paper. Most of it came out of a 5-drawer filing cabinet that nobody wanted to carry up the stairs when I moved 4.5 years ago...guess what? It's now mostly been moved out to the recycling bin. YAY!!!
frugal-one
6-30-14, 2:25pm
I've been sorting,shreding, filing, papers. Last week I had to find documentation from 1984!!!! for having passed a test (I'm a teacher). That involved me ripping through 6 cartons of, well, you know, just too damned much paper!! I have now carefully completed 5.5 cartons; these are bankers boxes and were each from a different era of my life and stuffed full. I have just a little bit to go and will finish it before I go to bed tonight - I have promised myself that I won't get up to this again tomorrow. Amazingly enough, I have only saved about 6 inches altogether, and even that needs to be thinned again. It really feels good Not to have all those boxes of paper. Most of it came out of a 5-drawer filing cabinet that nobody wanted to carry up the stairs when I moved 4.5 years ago...guess what? It's now mostly been moved out to the recycling bin. YAY!!!
Very inspiring!!! I retired 3 years ago and still am having difficulty getting into my office and going through all the paperwork. I am working in the bedroom now... cleaning out corners where I have stuffed things. I used to be so organized. Time to get back to just the basics!!!
I got my antique/flea market booth set up this afternoon and made $55 between when I set up and when they closed an hour later. The owner called me to say "hey, you had a good first day" and I said "first day? how about first hour?" Lots of pottery, and other art in my booth. We just did so much trading over the years with other artists and I have too much, especially if I want to downsize next year.
3 items gone and my booth fee for the month paid. It's a small space 2x8 endcap with side walls.
iris lilies
6-30-14, 9:57pm
I weeded 3 flower beds and in the process, pulled out about 20 iris plants, to the compost they go.
Fun happenings on this thread this month in the world of decluttering!
I have now lost count, but continue to try to do more . . . have sold a few items on our neighborhood garage sale group on FB, did some shredding yesterday, organizing and evaluating baby items. I also need to put a focus on decluttering some small projects by letting them go and/or completing them. I have a lot of mental energy seeping out about projects I haven't been able to do . . . trying to hold them all in my head. Maybe time for another master list of all the projects I want to do, a la Getting Things Done.
Cellar clearance:
3 packs of narcissus bulbs, 3 packs of chives seeds, 1 pack of garden parsley seeds (in-laws took them all to plant in their garden)
rusty adjustable spanner, extremely rusty small saw (recycling bin)
Almost done with wardrobe clearance (donated):
2 skirts, jeans, 2 t-shirts
Handed over the historical fencing related stuff:
2 linen dresses, woolen cloak, wooden bowl and 2 spoons, 2 knives, sabre, belt, 2 buckles, hat, 3 pairs of foot cloths or whatever the correct word for them is, leather boots, sandals
Cannot count 4 old bath towels that husband and brother in law immediately re-purposed as wrappers to transport dirty bicycles inside the car ... somehow those rags have appeared in laundry basket yesterday even though I did throw them into a garbage bag to be taken out. Oh well.
total 32 + 63 makes for 95 in June. Not a hundred but it still feels good. I need to tackle the kitchen but it needs to wait till August when my husbands first wife will be visiting for couple of days as she wants to take some things that her brother will use in his new apartment. I hope he needs a lot of things ... it just feels a bit wasteful to throw usable things away even though nobody has used them for years and we have no need to keep them.
I am also determined to go through the DVDs, CDs, cassettes and LPs. There is plenty of them I know I do want to keep and that I will keep but some are damaged beyond repair and some we don't and won't listen to. What I am hesitant about is music that I love but which we in digital format. It's so easy to lose digital data and so much better to play the music "real" and hear the white noise and that little skip of a note where there is a scratch on your favorite LP but ... most of the data is replaceable and it's probably not necessary to keep more than the most treasured records.
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