BS: De-cluttering - part two

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 02:12 PM

Liz, you sound a lot like me--I love storage boxes, envelopes, and containers of all kinds. There are lots of them (including some of your Really Useful Boxes) in my crafting room, and they're all full of Really Useful Stuff, of course. Need to weed some of that out and get it out of the house...yea, another project!

Having a crafting room is such a luxury for me. I spent years doing everything on the kitchen table; now I actually have a place to store fabric, scrapbooking paper and tools, art supplies, sewing and embroidery notions, etc., not to mention the loom I have yet to set up and my "mobility scooter" which is sitting in the middle of the floor until I need it next. Crowded, yes, but still a lot more room than I ever had before we bought this house.

SRS, none of my magazines are New Yorkers--nothing so intellectual I'm afraid. Mostly Country Living, Country Home, Herb Companion, and lots and lots of quilting magazines which I just cannot get rid of because of the patterns for all the gorgeous quilts that I might make some day. Of course, first I'd have to FIND the pattern...

Onward and upward. Maybe the only solution is to move?

Lin

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 12:11 PM

I may have found a solution for those hard to find little bits that take up all the flat surfaces....

Doesn't this look fab?

Now all I need is somewhere to hang it....

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 11:55 AM

... and the last item to rehang was "the one" I was SURE I would not fit into-- feeling so fat-- it was barely wearable and very tight last summer-- but it actually HANGS, on ME! Today is also the last day of the aquatics class I've taught this year (just a short break until new classes), and it will be GREAT to share this success with the ladies as we contemplate next goals and summer plans.

Remember the Wicked Witch of the West? "I'm mellllltinnnnnggg...."

"I'm shrrrriiiiinkkkinnnnggggg........" :~)

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: wysiwyg
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 11:25 AM

Been stowing winter items.

It never ceases to amaze me how strongly old "overwhelmed" feelings can slow down present-time action. Yes, my brain KNOWS I set up that great closet, but the hamper-full of winter items has been sitting for a week-- looking so big, so completely overwhelming.

Today I finally made myself stand in the closet to start stowing as much as would fit. I did NOT need to drag a tray table into the tight workspace to hold the hamper-- I'd left myself a small stepstool in that closet, DUH! Instead of a tray table, I was crowded with joyous doggies.

I had resignedly figured I'd deal with whatever didn't fit by hiking it upstairs to the other closet, where I'd spied some open shelf space before I came down this AM. To my shock, the hamper is now empty (ready to catch dirty laundry piling up), and the DOWNstairs closet is not overstuffed at all. There was room for a whole pile of wear-only-to-hockey-games stuff. I had enough hangers, I had enough hanging and shelf space, and I still have enough space in there to handle the spring/summer hanging items I know are in the newly-organized UPstairs closet of offseason stuff.

I'm so tired of the winter colors and textures-- uggghhh!! And I know there are fresh and colorful things to re-discover upstairs. I do NOT need to buy a lot of new stuff! What a relief-- the catalogs are full of crap styles and crap colors this year.

Heck, I think I can even unpack the garment bag that still has unworn contents from a month ago! :~) Good thing, too, as now I need to restock it for a weekend retreat.

===

Another handy little solution-- since I keep losing my carefully-crafted grocery lists, I looked online and found one I liked. Already made and ready to print, with check-boxes for everything I might ever want. I checked off some boxes, Hardi checked off some boxes-- who knew he wanted that stuff?-- and it's too big to lose so easily before I go USE it.

===

We CAN do this.

~Susan

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 10:08 AM

Andrea, you've taken on a huge challenge in a timely and much more mature way than a lot of us (or at least, me). I have stuff from my parents' estates that is still packed after nearly 10 years. Each time I moved it was simply easier to move and store the box again than it was to open it, examine the part of a life it represented, pay respect, and throw, give away, or sell the items and move on.

My hat's off to you!

I'm going through the estate stuff along with my own clutter (plus the antiques from several great aunts and a great grandmother). This is far easier than going through your husband's articles. Feel free to continue to enumerate your de-clutter accomplishments; writing it down really does help each of us to see our forward progress.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: mouldy
Date: 29 Apr 08 - 04:39 AM

I've been putting off joining in with this - just like the decluttering. After Ian died I got rid of the majority of his stuff quite easily. I was relieved to at last be able to get the detritus from his flat in China out of the spare room. It had only been in there 3 years.

I am in the process of gradually getting the house brought up to a saleable standard. Part of this involves chucking out. It's been a gradual process, but I got a box of small stuff off to an,auction house last month, stripped out some old wardrobes from the spare room, most pieces of which are at the tip now. Problem is, I "acquire" things that might be useful for fancy dress... they are all piled up in another bedroom now, as their wardrobe is gone.
I got rid of a desk to the tip this weekend, as well as an old tent, but this is only scratching the surface, if I have to downsize.

I am being very strong minded for me, honest!

Andrea

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Alice
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 08:52 PM

Cleaned out a big dresser drawer yesterday, all the mismatched socks, old tee shirts, etc. I got rid of 2/3 of what was in that drawer!

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 07:20 PM

A challenge to each of us, before the possible three-day shut down of Mudcat while Max moves to a new town.

I'm going to keep a text file of my activity. I'll pare it down so it isn't 2 volumes hardbound after three days, but reporting to this thread has really been helpful, and if it isn't here, I can write for when it will be back. The rest of you need to give yourselves the same kind of boost if you need it.

This afternoon while waiting for my lunch to cook I started looking at the antiques over my kitchen cupboards. I could see that there was stuff up there that isn't antique, it was just stuck up there for looks or to get it out of the way. So I pulled down a mended tea pot (won't ever be used again) and a couple of other things that had been kept for no good reason and put them in the trash or the recycle bin. I'm going to rearrange that area, maybe move something extra up there. I really like the museum look some of these things have, and it needs to be refreshed.

I also finished re-spacing and attaching (with carriage bolts) some redwood boards on a table I picked up at the curb about a year ago. Someone else's trash has been on my front porch not exactly usable for all of this time, but now it is on it's way. I need to clean it then prime a few spots and I'll paint it with the dark brown trim paint we used on my house last fall. Before and now. Not finished yet. The rock is one I uncovered in the tall grass when I transplanted a couple of things. It had been put down when the grass wasn't in the garden and decorative rocks were decorative!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 12:58 PM

As I reported above and on the diet/accountability thread, I moved fence slats over the last couple of days. The latest batch have been moved, not removed. Yet. I'm considering renting a chipper, if they grind the wood and aren't bothered by nails. Otherwise, it's out to the curb. So I'll see what is available in the chipping department. Meanwhile, there is a big BONUS!!!

The wood was over an old veggie garden plot I abandoned when the dogs arrived as big pups. They were in and out of the old garden all of the time. I'm going to till up that area, surround it with a wire fence (4 feet) and do some more veggies in there. Yes! A garden plot I didn't have to hand dig first! Such riches!

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 09:56 AM

When I was a child my mom routinely dried clothes on lines in the back yard. Woe to the child who got the clean laundry dirty, but running between the lines was such a cool sensation when everything was still damp. In winter she had lines in the basement. Now I wish I had a clothes line in the house or out. I'm sure I'd have to fence off my area to keep the dogs away from it, but the toughest part would be convincing my son that his jeans won't stand up by themselves for more than a couple of minutes once he has put them on!

Last night the Am Staff terrier turned up lame, though I couldn't find an injury. She recovered use of that limb after a while, but I think she stepped on a nail on the pile of fence boards in the back. I started hauling them out to the curb last week, and must have left a nail exposed. I noticed she paused and sniffed around the stack last time she was near it. I'll be lucky if I don't end up with an expensive vet bill before I finish hauling this off--I've been lucky up till now that when they run around and cross and leap from this stack they haven't hurt themselves (I did check it for exposed nails when I first made the stack).

I decided to hurry this process and took the equivalent of 5 or 6 fence panels (broken down) out to the curb last night. Each panel has three backers and 26 slats. I have probably 10 more panels that I'll break down this week for Thursday and again next Monday--they can be piled on the drive and away from the dogs until they go in the trash. Our bulky waste pickup is in early June and I don't want to wait, hence the staging of the process.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: maeve
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 08:10 AM

A new washer, Alice? Sigh...Good for you! I suppose it's time to move out my wringer washer that needs a replacement agitator. That would at least give me a staging area to use for things we're getting rid of. Hmmm.

Still working on getting yard and greenhouse things cleared and organized. If the rains come I'll take another whack at it inside. I have gotten rid of quite a few magazines and catalogues. I need to work on my files, most of which must be gone through and shredded for compost. Most of the birdhouses we've been given over the years are now up where they can be used.

I need to figure out a new clothes drying line and catch up with the laundry somehow.

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 06:43 AM

Of course, I still haven't put up that shelf for Limpit - she's worse at decluttering than I am!

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 02:50 AM

Ah yes... the joys of a digital camera, a flat bed scanner and a paper shredder...

Much as I like to have these old keepsakes, it really is time to photograph or scan them to the Xdrive and send them to recycling. That way, I still have the keepsake, but it isn't cluttering up a box file on a shelf. Also, should the worst ever happen, and we have a fire here - all this paper and fabric should keep it going for a good few hours - I could just grab the external hard drive and run.... clothes and bank statements may be replaceable but those photographs and drawings are not.

LTS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 12:55 AM

Lin, if you have any New Yorkers from 1997, let me know, I'm looking for a couple. Have JunK look through them before he carries them out to the recycle bin (I have to keep that great moniker going in this thread--it's too priceless!)

This weekend has been more about catching up in housework but I've gotten some de-cluttering in. I had a shoebox full of stuff that needed to be handled piece by piece. I'd say I was able to comfortably discard 1/2 to 2/3 of it. It's that kind of stuff like early kids' drawings and old correspondence with addresses, the last one known for someone you've been meaning to get back in touch with. . . it is probably time to let go, but I'm not quite there yet.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: katlaughing
Date: 28 Apr 08 - 12:20 AM

Me, too, Lin.

We cleaned up the front yard some more. Rog cut the grass, whacked the weeds and even did a little bit in the backyard. I painted the old wicker rocker that sits on the front steps. It's been needing new paint for years and years. THAT felt good. I also only have FOUR more shutters to paint! Did two of them, each got three coats, over the weekend.

I also cleared out my house plants and moved out the wobbly table some of them were on. They are large enough to sit on the floor. It looks a lot less cluttered without the table gathering dirt, leaves, etc.

Still a lot to do and we haven't even contemplated the shed and the old van-turned-storage-unit, but I have hopes of Rog taking a week off for a massive assault!**bg**

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Lin in Kansas
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 11:54 PM

Sorted a whole fairly large box of books plus a sack to take to my sister-in-law when I go visit next time. And her quilt is nearly done. Delivered a finished quilt to my stepdaughter the other day. Have another box of books to take to the used book store as soon as I can talk JIK into carrying it out to the truck for me. Am trying to get motivated to recycle some of the hoard of magazines I have been saving for no good reason--would clear out a lot of room in my crafting room if I can get to that!

Keep the de-cluttering going, ladies. Just knowing someone else is dealing keeps me inspired.

Lin

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 02:06 PM

I have to pull up the Linoleum squares and put tile down in mine one of these days.

Just pulled out a few bathroom mats I'm not going to use any more. They're in good shape so they're in the donation bag. That gets rid of a little stack in the corner on the hall--I never got around to putting them in the cupboard but couldn't get around to putting them back in the bathroom.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Alice
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 01:10 PM

... and I have to repaint the cement floor in there.

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 01:03 PM

I did that a couple of weeks ago, Alice, and found an amazing number of things I'd accidentally bought in duplicate. I don't think I'll ever use that many 3-prong adapters, but all of the energy efficient light bulbs mean I can ignore the sales for several years. I found a lot of things that had gone missing, and was able to donate or toss enough of the contents of those cupboards that there is enough space to see everything that's in them now.

Cleaning your laundry room is also very good for your spirits--it's easy (generally) to take a damp rag and clean up the linty dust that has accumulated on everything in there over time. The room sparkles after relatively little effort.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Alice
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 12:11 PM

I have to replace my washing machine, which has served well for almost 21 years!
The new washer is being delivered next Saturday afternoon, so the declutter project this week is to finally organize the tools, potting soil, pots, and odds and ends stored in the laundry room.

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 12:00 PM

This is the first decluttering thread:

the old thread

It is a rainy day so I'm kind of house-bound. It's time to re-assign some of these newly empty cupboards with things that 1) are worth keeping and that 2) I'll remember how to find once they're in these new cupboards.

SRS

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: maeve
Date: 27 Apr 08 - 11:14 AM

Good for you, Liz! That's a lot accomplished or begun!

Subject: RE: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 03:20 PM

Computer clutter--that virtual stash has a cost too, doesn't it?

SRS

Subject: BS: De-cluttering - part two
From: Liz the Squeak
Date: 26 Apr 08 - 02:34 AM

In the interests of de-cluttering my computer - here's the second part.

This week I have cleared 2 bags of paper to the recycling - most of it old envelopes from bills, old shredded statements and 6 months worth of junk mail. I've re-organised my shelves to accommodate the comb binder and I've comb binded a heap of printouts to make them easier to store.

I've re-organised a few folders on the computer so that I can delete duplicate documents, scanned about 50+ photos onto the external hard drive we have, organised the other 400+ loose photos into category envelopes and bundled all the loose negatives together in one place. I'm hoping to spend some time today in putting up a shelf for Limpit, so that will be off the table here, and when that's gone, I can sort the craft stuff onto the table before putting it into the proper boxes.

First of all though, I have to go and buy the boxes. Before that, I have to get dressed. Will it never end?

LTS