December purge

[iris lilies]

Holiday decor edition of The Purge


I reported earlier about nearly all of our greenery being appropriately distributed.
i kept one tree, decorated it, and will find a home for it next year. Same thing with one wreath.


Next stage of decluttering holiday decorations: lights and ornaments.

I have completed appropriate disposition of nearly 6 ft.³ of these things. I threw in the dumpster boxes of ornaments I have pulled out of dumpsters over the years, along with strings of lights (probably 20 ) that are out of their packages. Some work 100% but I didnt test them all.I used about 8 sets of lights on the tree I decorated. Also tossed misc thingies that only I would find useful for decor.

I put all remaining hot pink ornaments in a bag, photographed it, photographed our tree decorated with extras, and advertised them FREE on Nextdoor. Someone will come to pick them up in an hour.

I found vintage Tikki patio lights that I think may sell at our Park’s fundraiser booth next June, so
i will store them until then.

i am winnowing down ornaments to those i truly love and will move to Hermann. That is two groups, a 14” box of misc great things, and a box of various kinds of hand blown clear ornaments that look like bubble and icicles. My goal is to get them all to fit in one plastic bin, dont know if I can accomplish that.

I will admit to having an uncomfortable “in-between” stash still on my living room floor. Can I use these for floral design? Maybe. Should I keep yet one more plastic bin for a total of two Xmas bins? Perhaps.

TLDR: I am making progress in jettisoning Xmas decor, big progress.

[Tybee]

Holiday decor edition of The Purge



I will admit to having an uncomfortable “in-between” stash still on my living room floor. Can I use these for floral design? Maybe. Should I keep yet one more plastic bin for a total of two Xmas bins? Perhaps.

TLDR: I am making progress in jettisoning Xmas decor, big progress.

Give yourself a Christmas present and get rid of these things now!

[iris lilies]

Give yourself a Christmas present and get rid of these things now!
sigh. You are probably right. I may not comply though ha ha

[happystuff]

Holiday decor edition of The Purge


I reported earlier about nearly all of our greenery being appropriately distributed.
i kept one tree, decorated it, and will find a home for it next year. Same thing with one wreath.


Next stage of decluttering holiday decorations: lights and ornaments.

I have completed appropriate disposition of nearly 6 ft.³ of these things. I threw in the dumpster boxes of ornaments I have pulled out of dumpsters over the years, along with strings of lights (probably 20 ) that are out of their packages. Some work 100% but I didnt test them all.I used about 8 sets of lights on the tree I decorated. Also tossed misc thingies that only I would find useful for decor.

I put all remaining hot pink ornaments in a bag, photographed it, photographed our tree decorated with extras, and advertised them FREE on Nextdoor. Someone will come to pick them up in an hour.

I found vintage Tikki patio lights that I think may sell at our Park’s fundraiser booth next June, so
i will store them until then.

i am winnowing down ornaments to those i truly love and will move to Hermann. That is two groups, a 14” box of misc great things, and a box of various kinds of hand blown clear ornaments that look like bubble and icicles. My goal is to get them all to fit in one plastic bin, dont know if I can accomplish that.

I will admit to having an uncomfortable “in-between” stash still on my living room floor. Can I use these for floral design? Maybe. Should I keep yet one more plastic bin for a total of two Xmas bins? Perhaps.

TLDR: I am making progress in jettisoning Xmas decor, big progress.

All I can say is... WOW! Congrats!

[catherine]

sigh. You are probably right. I may not comply though ha ha

We got rid of ALL our lights--we sold them to a neighbor who does her house up big--inside and out--so the more lights the merrier for her.

I managed to save some of my favorite Christmas decorations, and I definitely kept all the "keepsake" ornaments we bought for milestone occasions ("Baby's first Christmas", "Our First Christmas Together") and souvenirs from places we've been and ornaments gifted to us by friends. But I won't use them this year :(. Meanwhile my DD just decorated her tree and she doesn't have ENOUGH decorations, so maybe I have to start "sharing" mine.

It's very tough to do. I still don't know what kind of a weird Christmas we're going to have. DH and I might join the non-Christmas-celebrators who go to Broadway plays on Christmas Day. It seems very bizarre to me, in almost a Twilight Zone way, that after 41 years of doing Christmas in a big way, we are going to be alone.

[Yppej]

A fleece jacket that repilled the first time I wore it after using a razor to remove the pills. That method didn't work for me.

[Tybee]

We got rid of ALL our lights--we sold them to a neighbor who does her house up big--inside and out--so the more lights the merrier for her.

I managed to save some of my favorite Christmas decorations, and I definitely kept all the "keepsake" ornaments we bought for milestone occasions ("Baby's first Christmas", "Our First Christmas Together") and souvenirs from places we've been and ornaments gifted to us by friends. But I won't use them this year :(. Meanwhile my DD just decorated her tree and she doesn't have ENOUGH decorations, so maybe I have to start "sharing" mine.

It's very tough to do. I still don't know what kind of a weird Christmas we're going to have. DH and I might join the non-Christmas-celebrators who go to Broadway plays on Christmas Day. It seems very bizarre to me, in almost a Twilight Zone way, that after 41 years of doing Christmas in a big way, we are going to be alone.

First, kudos on the lights. I am down to a couple of strings of blue for the outdoors, on our fence, which I need to get up today, and a couple of whites for the tree, and a couple of antique multi-color strings that I picked up for the cool boxes but that do work--too cool to discard, so I admire that you got rid of all of them.

I have two rubbermaid boxes total, including the lights. I so wanted to get down to one box, but two is better than four, and maybe I will work gradually to one.

Question--why cant you put up a little tree at the rental and put out your ornaments? IKEA used to recycle the trees--you bought the tree there and they gave you a coupon when yo urecycled it, so the tree was essentially free. Maybe they still do that.

Can you do something Christmassy with the NJ kid, AND go to a Broadway play on the day itself?

Or go to church on Christmas Day--that is lovely and peaceful and not many people, so it is kind of special--a simple Christmas mass.

[Tybee]

A million decisions-- yesterday we were out in the shed and I said, Let's get rid of the walker (acquired when husband shattered his pelvis), take it to goodwill. Then thought, he is looking at hip replacement surgery, so why get rid of walker now? Then thoght, I can get a new one for 10 dollars at the Goodwill in the future if he needs one. Then thought, why risk it?

So where would you declutters come down on the walker. Unfortunately, this ambivalence is multiplied by the number of things I own, it seems, which scares me--is this how frugal millionaires are born, or hoarders?

[sweetana3]

We kept the walker and crutches and even a Rollator fancy walker. Gave the walker to Mom when she started to need one and then followed with the fancy walker. No additional money out of pocket. The crutches are in the ceiling storage in the garage and will be useful maybe but they are not taking any useful space. It is true that you can usually find a thrift store walker. Loads for sale on Facebook marketplace also and not something you would need to worry about working.

[Teacher Terry]

Catherine, once all our 5 kids lived here so holidays were with them and often we invited friends without family and would cook for 25 people. Now only 1 kid lives here and they usually work holidays. When this happens we go to a movie and nice dinner. Last year I invited 10 people for Xmas day. Each year is different and I learned to go with the flow. This year my kids aren’t working and will go to their house. I have 2 boxes of Xmas stuff left and not sure if I want to decorate anymore. Catherine give the ornaments to your daughter.

[iris lilies]

Broke a family heirloom butter dish today. Am secretly happy about it.

[happystuff]

A million decisions-- yesterday we were out in the shed and I said, Let's get rid of the walker (acquired when husband shattered his pelvis), take it to goodwill. Then thought, he is looking at hip replacement surgery, so why get rid of walker now? Then thoght, I can get a new one for 10 dollars at the Goodwill in the future if he needs one. Then thought, why risk it?

So where would you declutters come down on the walker. Unfortunately, this ambivalence is multiplied by the number of things I own, it seems, which scares me--is this how frugal millionaires are born, or hoarders?

Personally, I fall on the side of - if you KNOW you will use it in the near future, keep it! Otherwise, bye-bye. It's not like you won't be able to get another, should the need arise.

[Teacher Terry]

Decided to get rid of half of what is left for Xmas and have it in my car for goodwill. I decorated with the rest.

[JaneV2.0]

I'm hoping to deliver a large bag of gift wrap, and maybe an artificial tree, to a charity this week.

[iris lilies]

Off loaded 4 spools of ribbon to someone who has a bow maker.

[ApatheticNoMore]

I would keep the walker if pretty much everyone who gets hips surgery uses one for awhile, I'd get rid of it maybe if it's a rare complication. I guess I'd lean toward keeping it although I am also of the philosophy of only keeping what you are likely to use but that seems the case?

I probably should have a few xmas decorations as I always seem to be gifted a mini tree nearly every year, no I wouldn't buy them new.

[rosarugosa]

Major win: We had 3 defunct laptops in the cellar. The plan, such as it was, was to let the pile grow and let someone else deal with it after we die and are no longer concerned about anyone accessing our information. So pathetic, I know. Found out that a trusted friend of a trusted friend breaks them down and recycles them with his sons for the scrap value and he destroys the hard discs. He just picked them up and they are gone from my life, and I have his contact info for the future.

[happystuff]

Major win: We had 3 defunct laptops in the cellar. The plan, such as it was, was to let the pile grow and let someone else deal with it after we die and are no longer concerned about anyone accessing our information. So pathetic, I know. Found out that a trusted friend of a trusted friend breaks them down and recycles them with his sons for the scrap value and he destroys the hard discs. He just picked them up and they are gone from my life, and I have his contact info for the future.

I've found that broken/older tech can be very hard to get rid of, so that is a major win! Congrats!

[rosarugosa]

Thanks, Happystuff!

[Yppej]

Gift bags that got damp in the basement and smell musty.

[Tybee]

Will keep walker "for now". (Ugh.)

Yesterday went through Christmas stuff and put together two small bags of stuff to give away, and a box of old family ornaments to send to my son for his son. He's the most sentimental of the kids, and so he ought to have them. If he wants to pitch them, that's fine.

Will try to do this every year until assisted living time, when will have one tiny tree.

[rosarugosa]

Good reminder - I should go through my gift bag collection and see if I can give away a bunch of holiday gift bags on our local FB giving site.

[iris lilies]

Good reminder - I should go through my gift bag collection and see if I can give away a bunch of holiday gift bags on our local FB giving site.
You are a better woman than I. I just toss the damn gift bags, so irritating to me, I don’t want them around, I don’t wanna have to fuss with them.

We went to one of those “crap tons of crap giveaways in gift bags as prizes” events on Sunday. I managed to give away while there one bag, and we came home with two. One had an object I immediately tossed. The other held Lindt chocolates, yay!

I will admit to giving away my own piece of crap at this giveaway.

[Teacher Terry]

I reuse the gift bags.

[rosarugosa]

I have always reused them, but now that I have finally extricated us from gift exchanges, I need to find another way to get rid of them.
That reminds me - I thought this was the cutest thing:

3049

[JaneV2.0]

I have always reused them, but now that I have finally extricated us from gift exchanges, I need to find another way to get rid of them.
That reminds me - I thought this was the cutest thing:

3049

Love that cartoon.

[Teacher Terry]

Now that you mentioned it I have a ton of bags because I only give a few gifts a year locally. The ones I mail I don’t bother. I think I will offer them on Nextdoor.

[happystuff]

I have always reused them, but now that I have finally extricated us from gift exchanges, I need to find another way to get rid of them.
That reminds me - I thought this was the cutest thing:

3049

Shhhhh.... our cats are getting brand new paper grocery bags for Christmas!!! ;)

[rosarugosa]

Now that you mentioned it I have a ton of bags because I only give a few gifts a year locally. The ones I mail I don’t bother. I think I will offer them on Nextdoor.

I posted the offer and already have 5 people who want them, so I'll be drawing a name tomorrow.

[rosarugosa]

Shhhhh.... our cats are getting brand new paper grocery bags for Christmas!!! ;)

I won't give away the surprise!

[iris lilies]

You people are cheap.

our cats got, back in that day when we had cats who actually moved, an assortment of boxes.

haha.

[catherine]

I reuse the gift bags.

I am a bit of a wrapping hoarder. I have a drawer in my old secretary/desk dedicated to wrappings I rescue: gift bags are definitely in the mix, and woe to the person who throws real ribbon (i.e. grosgrain or satin) in the trash! I love ribbon! I also keep old Christmas cards from the year before, cut them up and use them as gift tags.

[flowerseverywhere]

I visited a sister in her brand new much smaller retirement home. In the corner of the living room was a dirty old wooden tomato crate. They moved it halfway across the country because the cat liked to sit in it. In fact he was sitting in it facing the wall with his ears back most of the time when we were there. I don’t think he likes strangers in his kingdom.

One of my friends has asked another close friend and I to help her in the new year. Her husband died and she is going to sell/donate much of the old family silver, odd coins, huge china set, clothing and so on. No one wants it in the family. She has physical limitations so can’t bend, lift but wants to clean out so she can go to an apartment close by. Any suggestions on what to do with old coins, China and silver?

[Tammy]

I’m reading “second hand: travels in the global garage sale”. Old china has almost no resale value. Same for almost everything in our homes.

[happystuff]

You people are cheap.

our cats got, back in that day when we had cats who actually moved, an assortment of boxes.

haha.

Self-preservation - I tend to trip over the boxes; at least I can step on the bags without throwing myself off balance. LOL

[rosarugosa]

I visited a sister in her brand new much smaller retirement home. In the corner of the living room was a dirty old wooden tomato crate. They moved it halfway across the country because the cat liked to sit in it. In fact he was sitting in it facing the wall with his ears back most of the time when we were there. I don’t think he likes strangers in his kingdom.

One of my friends has asked another close friend and I to help her in the new year. Her husband died and she is going to sell/donate much of the old family silver, odd coins, huge china set, clothing and so on. No one wants it in the family. She has physical limitations so can’t bend, lift but wants to clean out so she can go to an apartment close by. Any suggestions on what to do with old coins, China and silver?

I cashed in some coins a couple of years ago. I looked online for local coin dealers and then read reviews to see who seemed best. I think IL can weigh in on the silver and china. My sister has a nice set of china she doesn't want, and it looks like we could make a little bit of money on eBay (I'm sure a lot less than was paid for it, but something). I guess it depends on the china.

[Tybee]

Sell the coins and silver to a coin dealer. Sell the china to an antique dealer, as it will be an ongoing pain to try to box and sell it, if yo udo find a buyer. If you can't then donate it to a charity that means something to her.

[iris lilies]

I visited a sister in her brand new much smaller retirement home. In the corner of the living room was a dirty old wooden tomato crate. They moved it halfway across the country because the cat liked to sit in it. In fact he was sitting in it facing the wall with his ears back most of the time when we were there. I don’t think he likes strangers in his kingdom.

One of my friends has asked another close friend and I to help her in the new year. Her husband died and she is going to sell/donate much of the old family silver, odd coins, huge china set, clothing and so on. No one wants it in the family. She has physical limitations so can’t bend, lift but wants to clean out so she can go to an apartment close by. Any suggestions on what to do with old coins, China and silver?

Send sterling silver to Replacements or Silverqueen. Snap a clear photo of the pattern and send query to their buying department. They will respond with their offer. For the coins, any reasonably big city will have coin buyers. They may only pay face value and likely will do that.

There are buyers for both. Don’t put them in the same category as a set of china which is likely worthless. You can always query Replacements, however, to see if they are buying that pattern, but by the time you ship it you wont get much money u less it is something in high demand.

I assume the silver is sterling. Silverplate is worthless.

[iris lilies]

This is funny/sad:

I have 6 of these stemmed water goblets sitting high in my kitchen cupboard. They really are WTF.
I do not plan to offload them before we move, but I will have to be so freeking’ careful about packing them to move that isnt’s funny.They are soooooo beautiful! I really do appreciate the exquisite artistry of the makers. But man, they are kind of a beast to own.

how does someone middle class acquire crap like this, you might ask? Well, my mother had a few delusions of grandeur and would buy them for me back decades ago. They retail foe $585. Each.


https://www.finebrandsales.com/details.asp?item=SLOSWTHISTGO1&gclid=CjwKCAiAxMLvBRBNEiwAKhr-nO-EVONHSp-3GSHtfBwcsnYJiANJs97C1E8VDSdQBh-zCydHhNU4TRoCguIQAvD_BwE

[Teacher Terry]

Wow they are beautiful!

[NewGig]

More books out, of course. Actually sold a few this month, much to my surprise!

A batch of clothes are ready to be donated to the dump’s swap shop/Salvation Army. Found a hanging jewelry thing in the bedroom, it’s slated to go away, and the jewelry stored on it has been culled down too. Two fancy wire baskets and other things are slated to go to the antique store tomorrow. Two pairs of slippers have gone away.

In the local paper, one of the local college’s career department is setting up a wardrobe section where the kids can get interview clothes. DH has agreed this will be a great way to cull his closet, we just have to get it done.

if we’re going to live downstairs, and that’s the next goal, we need less furniture. I have an appt. with a consignment shop 12/28.

so now that things are starting to get back to normal here, much that was planned for the past 2 months is getting underway!

[happystuff]

Donation pickup out on the porch right now. 20 scarves, 5 pieces of clothing, 5 reusable bags, LOTS of miscellaneous tools,etc., a lunch bag and a plastic canteen. Probably more little stuff as well. The donation corner is empty once again!! LOL.

[rosarugosa]

Used the local FB giving page to gift the following:
10 burlap drawstring bags - these are cute bags that my amaryllis bulbs come in. Great gift bags for wine, etc. but I had more than I could use. The recipient said she and her friend were going to do some crafting to decorate and use them as gift bags.
A bunch of holiday gift bags - the recipient said she was so excited because she never gets picked as a recipient, so that made me happy. I used a random name picker tool I found online.
Made people happy and got stuff out of my cellar - win/win!

[Teacher Terry]

I always give to the first person that contacted me.

[rosarugosa]

I always give to the first person that contacted me.

Admin on this site has asked that we at least consider doing otherwise, because some people might not see right away due to work schedule, etc.

[Teacher Terry]

That makes sense but I am all for what works best for me:))

[kib]

Just a sidebar here: are you guys feeling the difference? I've been decluttering for a long time and at some point I decided to take it further, cataloging and boxing up anything I wasn't using in the moment but didn't feel was time to part with, to the point of minimalism. For a while I felt like I wasn't really seeing an improvement, somehow I still felt cluttered and confused, but this week I packed for a trip and for the first time, it was So Easy. I packed up 90% of what is "out" and being used, which fit on my person plus a carry on plus a small backpack, and that was it! I basically didn't have to make a single decision, I was ready to go in 20 minutes, even my electronics and paperwork, and I could move easily through the airport with my life's Stuff more less in my arms.

Having been at my destination for about a week, I find I didn't forget so much as a hairclip, and I'm actually using everything I brought (as opposed to the usual thing of stuffing the suitcase and then wondering what I thought I was going to do with a tee shirt, an oversized sweatshirt and seven pairs of capris in December.) Wishing you all some holiday clear! :cool:

[razz]

Sounds very efficient, Kib. Nice to hear from you.

[kib]

Sounds very efficient, Kib. Nice to hear from you.Thank you. I'm delighted to see some of the familiar faces. It's been a pretty messy time for me, it's so nice to be welcomed home for a new decade.

[catherine]

Just a sidebar here: are you guys feeling the difference? I've been decluttering for a long time and at some point I decided to take it further, cataloging and boxing up anything I wasn't using in the moment but didn't feel was time to part with, to the point of minimalism. For a while I felt like I wasn't really seeing an improvement, somehow I still felt cluttered and confused, but this week I packed for a trip and for the first time, it was So Easy. I packed up 90% of what is "out" and being used, which fit on my person plus a carry on plus a small backpack, and that was it! I basically didn't have to make a single decision, I was ready to go in 20 minutes, even my electronics and paperwork, and I could move easily through the airport with my life's Stuff more less in my arms.

Having been at my destination for about a week, I find I didn't forget so much as a hairclip, and I'm actually using everything I brought (as opposed to the usual thing of stuffing the suitcase and then wondering what I thought I was going to do with a tee shirt, an oversized sweatshirt and seven pairs of capris in December.) Wishing you all some holiday clear! :cool:

Hi, kib! Nice to see you!

Not sure if you've been lurking, but I downsized last spring--drastically--in order to transition to my full-time 700 sq. ft. house in Vermont. Boy, HAVING to purge (as opposed to voluntarily taking on purging as a project) is tough but effective!

Now that we ONLY have what we need and truly love, I do find just what you are saying. It's easy to find things and make decisions. A decluttered environment definitely makes for a decluttered mind. I was just tidying up this morning and see a few things I can now recycle back to the local thrift store, so that I can try to prevent "clutter-creep."

[rosarugosa]

Hey Kib! I am not a minimalist and don't even really aspire to that, but I do like a well ordered environment. Although I am hard-wired to keep things pretty organized, I find that too much stuff in too little space does not feel well ordered. I need a little bit of "white space" around the stuff, if you know what I mean. I would say that in the last year or so, I've finally achieved that with our closet. It is still pretty full, but not jam-packed and it is much easier to find things. We were also able to store a couple of fans and air conditioners in there, which would never have been possible in previous years. For me, the key to success with clothes has been to challenge myself to make sure more goes out than comes in. I keep a spreadsheet because I am real fun like that, lol.
I still cannot get over the fact that in the past week I've had 3 people come to my door to take away stuff I wanted to get rid of and they were very grateful to me! What could be better than that in the wonderful world of decluttering?

[happystuff]

kib, congrats! I firmly believe that when I have "less", things like packing and travel (and other things!) get easier. I've been decluttering for years and I sort of see a difference, but still have so much, that I know there is more to do. I DO strive to be a minimalist, unfortunately, I do not live alone at the moment and the desire is not necessarily shared by those I Live with. :(

[kib]

I'm definitely not a minimalist, but I decided to try experimenting with packing up all the "maybes". So I have a lot of white space, but i also still have a bunch of things that I actually do break into and "shop out of" on occasion. Maybe some day I'll really let go. I thought that I would maybe not want to part with anything I left out, but in fact it's become easier to decide as the selections diminish. I have four sweaters, which should I choose? This one makes me look pregnant. When I was 25 pounds overweight I looked fat and pregnant, when I was 10 pounds underweight I looked ill - and still pregnant. This is just never going to be the sweater for me no matter how good it looks on the hanger, and no matter how many or how few other sweaters I have. Bye bye already!

[kib]

Catherine, that's great. I haven't been lurking - yet. Just can't keep my mouth shut when I come here. Lol. Many congrats on working through your stuff and winding up 'tiny'!

[kib]

Happystuff, I don't live with a minimalist either. I really, really don't. And I know, being a minimalist Household would be easier than doing it alone. What I've mostly done is to isolate small areas that "belong" to me - a bit of shelf space, one closet. THOSE areas are where I focus my efforts, and I can feel in control and pleased with my efforts when I do that. Maybe someday I'll re-address Other Clutter, but that's a whole different issue. ;)

[happystuff]

kib, yes, definitely working on those areas that I "can" declutter. I know it is a continuous work-in-progress.

[Teacher Terry]

I have been decluttering for years and am pretty happy at where my spaces are. My husband’s office, garage and shed are another matter.

[rosarugosa]

I spent the afternoon with Mom and we purged 4 trash bags full of shirts that didn't fit or were unflattering. We have now been through all of her shirts and have reduced by more than 50%. I think this will make it easier for her to manage her wardrobe, and it will certainly make it easier for me when she needs my help in choosing what to wear.

[Teacher Terry]

Rosa, that’s great news!

[rosarugosa]

From my wardrobe: 3 prs socks, 1 camisole, 2 shirts and a jacket. My shirt count is now down to 111. I should see if I can let go of one more and get it down to an even 110.

[rosarugosa]

OK, 2 more shirts, a hoodie and a bracelet. I'm offering the bracelet on our local FB giving page and there is already interest, so it should end up in a good home. It was a gift, something trendy 4 - 5 years ago and never really my cup of tea.
Shirt count now at 109, so still not a round number, but ahead of my goal so I'll take it.
I might try offering some more costume jewelry on the FB page. I have a lot more than I need now that I don't dress up anymore. It isn't valuable enough to sell and it would be nice if someone else could use it.

[Teacher Terry]

Our thrift stores have big jewelry sections so that’s where I took most of mine.

[rosarugosa]

Our thrift stores have big jewelry sections so that’s where I took most of mine.

I just filled a small bag with some jewelry to go to the thrift store. I filled another bag with stuff I might offer on FB or maybe try to sell as a batch on eBay - undecided.
I threw away my personalized name/date baby shoes. Mom gave them to me so she doesn't want them, I don't want them and I don't have any kids so out they go! However, I did keep a crappy little baby spoon of mine that says "my jello spoon" because I think that is hilarious. Imagine, a dedicated spoon for jello because it is such wonderful stuff! I can taunt my sister because she does not have a jello spoon. I am easily amused. :laff:

[iris lilies]

I just filled a small bag with some jewelry to go to the thrift store. I filled another bag with stuff I might offer on FB or maybe try to sell as a batch on eBay - undecided.
I threw away my personalized name/date baby shoes. Mom gave them to me so she doesn't want them, I don't want them and I don't have any kids so out they go! However, I did keep a crappy little baby spoon of mine that says "my jello spoon" because I think that is hilarious. Imagine, a dedicated spoon for jello because it is such wonderful stuff! I can taunt my sister because she does not have a jello spoon. I am easily amused. :laff:
This *is* funny. Obviously you are superior to your sister because jello spoon.

[Teacher Terry]

Even if you had kids they wouldn’t want your baby shoes. Funny about the spoon:))

[rosarugosa]

We first-borns get all the good stuff!

[rosarugosa]

I know Terry, what was I thinking? If I had kids, they would run away screaming if I offered them my baby shoes!

[happystuff]

I threw away my personalized name/date baby shoes. Mom gave them to me so she doesn't want them, I don't want them and I don't have any kids so out they go!

I am one of many and my mom had a necklace with these type of little shoes, each with each child's birth date on it. When she was done with it, she gifted child with their own shoe on a necklace. I don't care if my kids want to keep mine or not, but I do love that I have it.

[NewGig]

The Great Furniture Purge~

The neighbors came and retrieved the bed they'd loaned us on Christmas. I've had an appointment to take things to the local furniture consignor since before Thanksgiving. That happened yesterday:

To consignment shop 1: chair/ottoman, short bookcase, marble table with wrought iron base.
To used stuff shop where I had a booth for many years: 2 metal end tables.
Designated to go to dump today (Sunday): Plywood bookcase.

We still have more to get rid of. However, Making clear pathways for DH in the walker to use resulted in stacks o stuff around the edges. The furniture removal helps some of that, but not enough. The next step is going through some of those boxes to make yet more room.

Today is dump day, we aren't taking anything big except the plywood bookcase today. I'll have more to go on Weds.

[Yppej]

Got rid of the cheap plastic crap I received this Christmas.

[Teacher Terry]

New gig, that’s great progress. When we downsized from 1800 sq ft to 1400 I sold half our furniture on Craigslist. For one thing we no longer had 2 living rooms. But we lived in town so easy to do. Then after moving in we realized we still had too much stuff so sold some more. I was surprised at the number of people that wanted to buy. Our next door neighbors are hard working but poor so now I offer them things first. Our couch was 11 years old and not so comfy. They took it and took their’s to the dump.

[Tybee]

Have been purging files for the past two weeks. Have burned several bankers boxes worth. Reorganized files and came up with a better system for handling/purging in future.

Let go of a lot of paper that tied us emotionally to the past. Hope it will help us to move forward into a happier future.

[rosarugosa]

I am one of many and my mom had a necklace with these type of little shoes, each with each child's birth date on it. When she was done with it, she gifted child with their own shoe on a necklace. I don't care if my kids want to keep mine or not, but I do love that I have it.

Happystuff: What I had were actual little white leather shoes that went on my little feet. One sole had name and the other sole had date of birth. Necklace potential dubious, lol.

[Tybee]

I have my kids' little white shoes, too. I think I gave one son his--he actually got a kick out of it to show his son.

[Teacher Terry]

I have moved over 30’xs so no way I have any of that stuff.

[NewGig]

Never had the shoes. Still have the beaded bracelet with my first initial and maiden name.

[happystuff]

Happystuff: What I had were actual little white leather shoes that went on my little feet. One sole had name and the other sole had date of birth. Necklace potential dubious, lol.

Lol. Sorry. Didn't pick up on the size.

[NewGig]

Trying to figure out wtf to do now? DH is using the car to go to a customer, his previous normal on Monday. Except for the fact that I’m car less, this is the first time since he broke his leg in Oct. and went on travel in Sept. before that... I don’t have a routine for this anymore, it’s been too long. First the travel, then the medical emergency then the new heating system and holidays. Three months of disruption, omg enough to set a habit, but break one too!

The boxes along the edges, definitely, vacuuming upstairs sure. But... ?

[Tybee]

Put the tree away yesterday and it was so great to have the pared down storage boxes--everything put away really easily and stored neatly for next year! Then we took out train to see if we could get it running--we need a part which I ordered and boxed it back up and put it back in basement until we get the part.

We will get it up and running for a few days, and then next year, assemble the train around the tree. This year, easier to do it in stages, after Christmas. Get it figured out and have the full deal next year.

Similarly, brought out Christmas puzzle yesterday, after the big holiday meal done, so we have the table back for puzzles.

My basement storage is really coming along--easy to work with, and know where stuff is now.

[Teacher Terry]

New gig, the book decluttering at the speed of life is great. It’s written by a woman that calls herself “a slob that comes clean.” I found her book helpful. She also has a blog. Are you not used to having one car?

[iris lilies]

Last night I dreamed that our attic (both sides—we have lots of storage up there) and our basement were completely cleaned out.

that was a dream, not reality. >:(

[Teacher Terry]

IL, get a dumpster and make it a reality. I think your subconscious wants it gone. I love to declutter big. It feels so good.

[iris lilies]

Oh I am already planning the stuff I will donate to our Park Conservancy sale in June. It is collectible and includes some great yard furniture that I know will not move with us to Hermann, so I might as well start to get rid of it.

some of the yard stuff requires a new coat of paint, and planting them up. Fortunately I have lots of plants to be divided, and I know what is in bloom that sale weekend in June. We are donating 3 giant pots that DH will have to wrestle into his truck, but if we promise free delivery to nearby houses, they will sell.

In the next two years I want to generate a minimum of $500 for that sale from our household stuff, not including one large piece of furniture.That’s my goal, $500. We shall see if that happens.

[NewGig]

We have been looking at a low dresser at the same shop where we got rid of the metal tables, since the day they put it out — right around when DH broke his leg. We have a baker’s table that is nearly he same size and have been back and forth about so we want the dresser or not. Decided to talk about it pro and con then make a decision by Friday.

if we get it, it will probably depend on the shop being willing to take the bakers table on consignment, there’s no way we can keep both!

[rosarugosa]

Put the tree away yesterday and it was so great to have the pared down storage boxes--everything put away really easily and stored neatly for next year! Then we took out train to see if we could get it running--we need a part which I ordered and boxed it back up and put it back in basement until we get the part.

We will get it up and running for a few days, and then next year, assemble the train around the tree. This year, easier to do it in stages, after Christmas. Get it figured out and have the full deal next year.

Similarly, brought out Christmas puzzle yesterday, after the big holiday meal done, so we have the table back for puzzles.

My basement storage is really coming along--easy to work with, and know where stuff is now.

Tybee That sounds great! I am finding it easier to locate things in the cellar due to the decluttering and rearranging that I've done, but still have a ways to go!

[Tybee]

Tybee That sounds great! I am finding it easier to locate things in the cellar due to the decluttering and rearranging that I've done, but still have a ways to go!
I do, too, but we are making progress, and it's not nearly so stressful down there now.

[mschrisgo2]

Sewed up, sold and/or gifted a whole bankers box of fabric in December! I made table runners and folded fabric ornaments for the craft sale at my church, then I made table runners for my 3 cousins, my daughter, and 2 friends for gifts.

Since August I have reduced my fabric stash from 12 boxes to 7, as I had shared 4 boxes with my cousins (we sent the leftovers to Salvation Army). I have another box full ready to sew, as I sorted it out for various projects while I was doing the Christmas things. As soon as I finish putting Christmas away, I will get my sewing table set up again.

Net reduction of fabric will be by one half!

[razz]

Really impressed with your downsizing of a fabric stash so much. I have a stash as well and keep raiding it so my reduction is very gradual.