View Full Version : Purge 2015 March Declutter or 100 Item
Another month for us to chart what we decide we don't want in our lives.
The more you have, the more you are occupied. The less you have, the more free you are. - Mother Teresa
I think I'll try to start adding in a few clutter/simplicity quotes as we go along.
iris lilies
3-1-15, 2:15pm
What a great quote by Mother Theresa. That is exactly how I feel, always straightening and cleaning and organizing the damned STUFF.
Our friend keeps saying that we should build a 3 season porch, and my response is hell no. I love my patio with no walls or roof because wHen there are no walls or roof, that other housekeeper, Mother Nature, takes care of it. Cleaning the patio is HER responsibility. Sure DH does leaf cleanup a couple times each year and we pull weeds in the cracks of the bricks, but in the main, I enjoy the space and do not dust it.
http://www.simplelivingforum.net/attachment.php?attachmentid=1471&stc=1
Ooohhh .... Shiny new thread :-) I've been getting things together for a fundraising jumble sale for a local charity .... So into the charity bag today, three pairs of jeans, all the rubber stamps I don't use, some old games and some books. Plus, I made the Mr go through the computer "stuff" that he has accumulated and a load of that went in the trash ....
edited to add .... I also turned a pile of costume jewellery (my nan's and my mum's) into a heart shaped picture so more sentimental stuff where I can enjoy it ....
That turned out really well, Ali. Be sure to write up a provenance and include it somewhere in or on the collage, for future reference.
Chicken lady
3-1-15, 7:27pm
Ali, that's lovely!
All I purged today was the food my son left with and a lot of digital pictures - well over 100. But they don't take up space.
We've just been uploading everything from the camera for 15 years and today dh said " you know, there's a good chance we could lose these. You need to edit them down and print them out or move them somewhere else.". So this week step 1 is "delete unwanted photos". He says I can have $500 for step 2. Currently there are 12,786 photos left (down about 10% but I'm not done), so unless somebody knows where I can get prints for 4 cents each....
I'm a little frustrated that I'm about to have more physical things, but I don't want to lose my photos, so I at least need them on CD or something - ideas?
Chicken Lady, I'd get a small external drive to store them on (like a flashdrive only bigger, about 1"x4"x5", $75 or so, "Passport" is one), and then maybe back them up online. Printing 12,000 pictures and storing them in albums sounds like my idea of hell!
A gal here in town has a nice business running consignment sales a couple of times a year. I signed up this time. I've tagged almost 90 items! I keep finding more and more. You have the option of noting that the item can be discounted the last day of the sale and donated if it doesn't sell. You get 70% of the sale price and that can increase if you volunteer for the sale. I'll see how it goes. Looking forward to getting the stuff out of the house and maybe making some bank, too.
iris lilies
3-2-15, 6:52pm
That turned out really well, Ali. Be sure to write up a provenance and include it somewhere in or on the collage, for future reference. That's a great idea! This piece of art with family jewels will be even more value to whoever gets it with this information.
iris lilies
3-2-15, 6:58pm
... but I don't want to lose my photos, so I at least need them on CD or something - ideas?
This many photos can't be useful for browsing, can it? Musing here, I can't see how one could use that many. If you make digital copies, you can share with everyone in your family.
The kindest thing you can do for you children is to pick out the best images, label them with the date of the image and a note about contents (who are the people in the image? where was it taken. What was the occasion?) Copy them in digital form for all of your kids to have.
You can't imagine the number of people who have come on this site over the years talking about how they need to organize their photos into albums, and people seldom do that because it's a daunting, and hugely boring task. Having had to do that with my mother's boxes of unlabeled photos after she was dead, and she wasn't around to tell me which ancient relative was who--I can assure you that the labels are far more important than having 32 fuzzy images of essentially the same event.
Yesterday I sold a radiator to myneighbour, it had never been used and had sat in my garage for over two years.
ApatheticNoMore
3-3-15, 3:28am
11 net out, less than end of Jan. Ah well haven't had much time. 47 things out total this year. Yea as always the ins include things like 3 pens as 3 items :~). Didn't know whether to count a handheld blender part as an "in", but decided not to because I can't use the handheld blender without it. I suspect I lost it at my mom's a few months ago, and that means it's not likely to show up, so I figured I'd better replace it.
Chicken lady
3-3-15, 7:26am
The photos are divided by year and event, with dates and titles, so actually they're pretty easy to browse in the computer. We homeschooled, so there are 100's of "documentation" photos. Yesterday for example, I opened a file and deleted 37 pictures of chickens and kept one cute picture of my child with a chicken.
The worst ones are the boyscout photos. everybody sent all their pictures around - so my son went hiking in maine for example, and now we have 1200 pictures of the maine trip and 999 of them are just scenery. But I want to flip through them so I can save the one or two nice pictures of my son with his best buddy....
I'm going to try to cull those today.
another funny thing that happened - when the kids were little I made craft products for an online store that later closed. I keep finding product photos and deleting them and dh - who never wants to save anything - is actually concerned "don't you want to to save any record of that?" - this from the man who threw out his original dissertation because "the school library has a bound copy."
I have to confess that yesterday was an "in" day - I got a a 6" doll in a plastic case in the mail and all I got rid of was electronic pictures.
Ali - you did a really nice job on that jewelry heart. What a great way to see everything at once.
beckyliz - that consignment sale sounds really interesting.
chickenlady - last year I moved every photo off 3 computers onto storage devices. Just in time too, not 2 months later 2 of those computers crashed or died. This year I need to copy them onto the laptop and be ruthless about deleting some of them and saving some to a special file to print large scale.
1. extra dog water dish
2. pair of boots
3. Dr Who puzzle
4. 2 nail polish
5.-15. DS#2 cleaned out his closet, 10 shirts to consignment
The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. - Hans Hofmann
We continue reducing the "load" getting ready to down-size our home. Yesterday we tackled our socks. By the time we finished, and added to the Goodwill box (which is on-going each week), we had 47 items for Goodwill and tossed 9 pair of socks and 2 sets of shoulder pads (from the 80's). Total: 58
Chicken lady
3-8-15, 7:12am
I'm backsliding.
added one doll (she is now in a box with the three other dolls I now have the parts to make into one doll, but I don't know when I'll get to it)
and two baby goats. and I washed the towels. I had to bring them in the house for the first 24 hours and I forgot how many towels that uses! I will try to do better when I get some more sleep.
Two small cartons and 1 shopping bag dropped off at Salvation Army today.
Dumped out a bunch of liquor, things like the bottle with two tablespoons of kirsch, creme de mente, etc. This is stuff we don't drink & that has been around for years.
ApatheticNoMore
3-8-15, 3:29pm
this week: took a printer part to my mom I though was from a printer she uh, let's say permanently borrowed, but turns out it doesn't' fit anyone's printer anymore. Got rid of cleaning supplies that were never mine anyway. Got rid of some recyles took them to the recycle place, but I don't' really count those as "outs" anyway, but still have a ton more recycles to take away (yes it would be more efficient to do them all at once, but it's overwhelming. @#$#ing recycling!!!). Since my "outs" are more than but do not seem to grow vastly more than my "ins", maybe I'll just say I'm aiming at a steady state here rather than decluttering, as that's more or less true I suppose :~)
Tossed out eight really really old bottles of oil from cupboards. Rancid. Note to self: Stop buying products where age is critical and then not using them.
Set aside a whole copy paper box of designs, magazines and such to take to a stitching group at the end of the month. Thought about selling on ebay as lot and realized i did not want to have to go thru and describe the items, post them and worry about shipping. Not enough value.
Pulled out a whole black garbage sack of quilting fabric for a friend. That leaves the house on Tuesday.
Side note: Decided to work on projects at hand and stop going shopping to be tempted to buy more to add to the stack. There will always be new products.
Good day.
Chickenlady - what sort of dolls do you collect?
Chicken lady
3-9-15, 3:19pm
They are mostly old play dolls, 1940's and on. not really anything fancy although some are now "antiques". I have a few fancy ones that were my grandmothers plus two that I bought, but most aren't really collector dolls, just dolls I like. I'm not too picky about condition as long as they aren't broken, or original clothes, and I prefer no box - it brings the price down and what I'm supposed to do with the box just stresses me out. I kind of like fixing them up but I want something that was solidly made to start with so it's worth it.
One side of the room that is supposed to be my office but is a wreck in the basement is the planet of the dolls. the dolls are on shelves ready to come down at a moment's notice and join a kid at the play kitchen and doll furniture. My grandmother had an entire room like that on the third floor and my cousin and I would stay over, sleep in the adjoining room, and only come out for meals. some of the doll furniture is from there. I love having my desk where I can look at the dolls and toys and hope to someday have children playing there, but I need heat, and I need to clean up the books, files, papers, knick knacks, mending, towels, extra real furniture, crafts, projects, etc that are in the way.
the dolls I'm still looking for are higher end (for me) kathe kruse and Heidi Ott, which is part of why I'm still looking. but every now and then I also fall in love with something I wasn't actually looking for and if the price is good... A few of those I've fixed up, kept for a while, and then tired of and passed on to goodwill or a visiting kid, others I still have. One of my favorite dolls was a dollar at a flea market when I was a kid.
mschrisgo2
3-10-15, 12:11am
2- shipping boxes, complete with styro peanuts to my neighbor
2- pairs of gloves
1- pr shoes
21- pieces of clothing, all to Goodwill
Subtotal: 26
16-20 several crochet/knit tools that are duplicates I don't need
21 pottery tray
22-30 spring clothes I don't want
31-34 4 pair of shoes (going to consign)
35 broke a earring (tossed)
36-40 purged my socks I didn't wear this winter
41-45 magazines
46-50 kitchen drawer junk items (roll of tape, adding tape, rubber bands, batteries) to my church office drawer since they are items I'll use there
Did a big cleanout of my pantry. Removed everything and discarded expired food items which totaled about 1 garbage bag full. Painted shelving and returned the good food items.
But kind of mad at myself that I didn't keep an eye on expiration dates because I could have donated some of that food prior to its expiration date.
I did manage to collect a shopping bag full of still-good food and donated it. Our local Savers is now collecting used items like usual, plus they keep a box for the local food pantry for food donations.
A boot load of "stuff" to the recycling centre and a pile of towels, blankets and a sleeping bag to the Dogs Trust.
A friend on facebook posted a few photos of her 10'x20' walk in closet. I can't believe the amount of clothes, scarves, jewelry, shoes. All those photos did was give me anxiety. Too much for one person to ever wear in a year. I think I'll clean out my little 5'x3' closet again.
Chicken lady
3-22-15, 8:54am
omg! that "closet" is twice the size of my son's bedroom!
mschrisgo2
3-22-15, 4:13pm
Seriously? 10x20?!? That's bigger than my living room!
Sooo glad I don't have that much closet space and stuff in it!!
Yes. 10'x20'. It is stuck in my mind - just can't imagine having that much stuff to wear. Apparently her last house was an old farm house that had one closet that was 3' wide in the entire house. So I sort of understand her going overboard on space when they built this house, but I don't understand the overboard of stuff to fill it.
mschrisgo2
3-26-15, 6:53pm
previous subtotal: 26
Today:
7- pieces of a "doll tea set" DD made in clay class when she was 10, boxed. She wants it ;)
14 - misc. plastic and glass containers, to recycling bin. I keep this stuff, but don't need/use it.
7 - perfectly good/new reusable lunch bags. I'm using a small bag from the 99cent store, folds flat when empty. The bulky bags/boxes just bug me, so they are going to the thrift shop.
New subtotal: 54
lessisbest
3-29-15, 6:31am
Loaded up our son's car with things he can use that we need to eliminate -- including LOTS of freeze-dried food in #10 cans, a vacuum cleaner, a non-electric washing machine and a box of Charlie's Soap (80-loads), and clothes pins (already has a clothes line).... Come back soon --- and take more!!!
Did a run to Goodwill-
31 books/cookbooks
1 pair of women's shoes
2 men's belts
6 m/w shirts
4 pr. w/pajamas
6 misc. kitchen items
Why, oh why do I need to hang onto a notebook/portfolio of pictures of window and store displays I did while working as a window display artist in a department store (long since bankrupt) in the mid '90's? I don't even list that position on my resume anymore! I got a good laugh at the clothing styles though! But really, do I need to hang onto this for any reason? That was almost twenty years ago!
And why do I need to hang onto the congratulations letters from winning various photography awards in the 1980's.....aren't copies of the winning photographs enough to keep?
iris lilies
3-29-15, 8:29am
And why do I need to hang onto the congratulations letters from winning various photography awards in the 1980's.....aren't copies of the winning photographs enough to keep?
I plan to toss rosettes I won for major competitions. I've been keeping them around for a few year and they were fun to line up on my bulletin board for a while, but I'm now over that display.
When I win more, I'll just turn them back into the plant society that awards it.
Agreed, keeping a photo of the winning display along with the ribbon awarded to it is good enough.
but your photos of window display--that is creative work that might give you pleasure to review. But if not, toss them!
lessisbest
3-29-15, 10:31am
Why, oh why do I need to hang onto a notebook/portfolio of pictures of window and store displays I did while working as a window display artist in a department store (long since bankrupt) in the mid '90's? I don't even list that position on my resume anymore! I got a good laugh at the clothing styles though! But really, do I need to hang onto this for any reason? That was almost twenty years ago!
And why do I need to hang onto the congratulations letters from winning various photography awards in the 1980's.....aren't copies of the winning photographs enough to keep?
I'll join you.... I took pictures of every known and accessible cemetery in our county when I was a cemetery sexton of a small country cemetery. I gave copies to the genealogical society and the local library research room, and now I really DO need to get rid of them. Thanks for a gentle reminder.
I've got a huge box of photos and newspaper cuttings that I inherited from a friend who was a newspaper photographer ... I've kept them for 11 or so years. The plan (now) is that they will go to the museum that is local to where he lived as part of their collection ....
mschrisgo2
3-30-15, 2:08am
Previous subtotal: 54
I couldn't think of a category to declutter today, so I just took a bag and started walking around my place, putting everything in it that was just taking up space on a flat surface, unused and no place to put it: books, stickers, boxes, bags, shirts, notebook, "cute little things that I couldn't throw away" - filled 2 bags! Then dumped them out to count for this thread: 52!! so I'm adding 49, to make a total of 100, plus 3 for the third month of the year. YAY!! (and I'll start April with 3 things in the bag)
Previous subtotal: 54
I couldn't think of a category to declutter today, so I just took a bag and started walking around my place, putting everything in it that was just taking up space on a flat surface,
Good job. I will probably do the same thing tonight. It's been a busy month and I still have 50 to go. It gets harder to find thing to declutter but I'm game to try.
In the back of the car to be taken to Goodwill: A bunch of partially-used wide-ruled spiral notebooks that my kids won't use anymore, an inexpensive art set and several binders, extra items that didn't sell at the consignment sale last week. I sold about 80 items at the sale, made almost $190! Can't wait for her next one in August.
I took beckyliz's lead and went through the hall closet (where all the school supplies are).
A ton of colored pencils, pens, regular pencils, note cards, notebooks, binders, glue sticks, tape, rulers, etc. Way more than 50 individual items but I also found a couple belts, an old license plate, a few sewing items, some music books.
In the kitchen a few items I've never used and some food items that I'll donate.
I'm going to say that puts me over 100 again.
Teacher Terry
3-30-15, 7:03pm
One thing I did in the past with nice antique or newer dolls that i was tired off is I donated them to people that were having fundraisers for their loved ones that had cancer, etc. Some of my dolls were huge & brought in good prices for them which made me feel good. I have also donated jewelery, nice pics or made wine baskets with stuff I already had such as the baskets, fancy wine glasses, etc. It was a way to declutter & do something good. I took a bag of stuff to charity & gave away a huge garbage bag of clothes to a friend because I lost a lot of weight. WE have a closet that is 8 x 10 but not full. We have an old house & our bedroom had no closet but was attached to a small bedroom so we made it into a walk in closet. The rods are half empty but much of the floor space is occupied. WE don't have many closets in this house so that was really useful.
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