What did you declutter today? Part II

[snafu]

Good going mh, 27 knit shirts will be appreciated by recipients. When putting clean clothes in closet/cupboard/drawer, it's helpful to have a quick look for clothes you've not worn all summer. Anything stained or whose elastic has expired, can go. If it needs repair, set a time limit like 2 pay cycles, if it doesn't fit or flatter, forgive yourself and consider sending it to consignment or e-bay. If there is little market for used clothes in your community, there are many charities who appreciate your generosity.

[snafu]

Fridge control

An easy way to keep the fridge from holding/preventing foods going slimy or gross is to make it a habit to quickly review the shelves and bins the night before trash pick-up. If you're holding a damp microfibre cloth [cheaper at the automotive department of a discount store] it's easy peasy to wipe the shelves and bins. Vinyl waffle cloth, often used as shelf liner helps limit mess in bins.

We've been limiting leftovers to one shelf with mixed results. Teens know they're free to scarf down anything on the shelf but that's not their preferred fare. Buffet Friday has been more successful. All leftovers are set out with fresh pita bread and pizza sauce. We've seen some pretty creative mock pizzas lol. I didn't know soon-to-expire fruit makes wonderful toppings. I'm listing meals that can be created from pantry/freezer with only small additions needed.

[SnoopyCool]

I have about 10 bags/boxes of unwanted things sitting on my front porch waiting for pick-up. The kids' rooms are organized and clutter-free. So are the hall closets. Feeling very free!

[marvholly]

I actually went over a 2nd box of stuff on Thur. I now have 20 shirts to SA, 13 to Dad's caretaker and 13 to my Dad. Just need to get all this stuff OUT of my house.

[snafu]

Time to toss anything tatty! Orphan socks, stained T's, expired underwear, items with expired zippers, missing buttons or too tight to wear. Release the old...make room for new things to come into your life

[My English Castle]

I took a large load of stuff to the charity shop this afternoon. It's great to have it off the office floor!

[Krazykat]

What a perfect thread, thank you!

I threw out the beat up gift bags I had been saving to "reuse" for two years. With a tropical storm coming this weekend and looking for things, I figured I better give in and toss the things that are useless. I also gave a bag of old toys to an age appropriate child that will use them, it felt great!

[Krazykat]

I took a large load of stuff to the charity shop this afternoon. It's great to have it off the office floor!

Don't forget to keep a receipt so you can get a tax break on them =) I don't because I don't make enough money to use the tax break, but for anyone who does, they should go for it!

[My English Castle]

Thanks KK--and I did get a receipt. I also took five bags of paper to the shredders yesterday, and swapped a bag of outgrown clothes for a bag for a friend's daughter.

[disneysteve]

Hi. Remember me? I started this thread way back when and have fallen off and climbed back on the wagon numerous times since then.

Well, I'm here to put myself back on track. This time, the driving force has been the recent storms including Hurricane Irene last night. Two weeks ago, we were on vacation and returned to water in our basement. While not a rare occurrence, having the water sitting there for a week in a hot house did bad things and additional water last night didn't help. We are finally going to start looking into fixing the problem, improving drainage, mold remediation, etc. Doing that will almost certainly mean emptying out the basement entirely and tearing out built-in storage shelves to allow the work to be done. In turn, stuff will need to be stored in the garage which simply isn't possible right now. In fact, I had enough trouble making space in there to bring in the lawn chairs and trash cans before the storm.

So I'm going to move ahead with a dual focus: the basement and the garage. They both need to be cleaned out and organized. After cleaning up the water today, I threw out a number of items that were either water or mold damaged or simply not needed. And yesterday, pre-storm, I got rid of some stuff in the garage. Hopefully, some cooler weather will come soon and I can start working in the garage more seriously because doing it during the heat of the summer just isn't feasible.

[snafu]

DS, Glad Hurricane Irene didn't advance to havoc predicted and presume you retained electricity. Loss of electric power had potential for fridge, freezer, deep freeze food contamination. Sorry you returned to water in the basement which has escalated a 'need to do' task to a 'must be done' before the situation becomes critical.

Does the fire dept in your community help residents pump out water from basement or garages? Do you have/have access to a wet/dry vacuum? Getting standing water out and the garage dried out might make the hot weather a benefit. If you can post your progress we'll all cheer you on!

[creditcardfree]

I worked in my basement today, too. There were several items tossed in the trash, garage sale pile, and even the recycling bin! I'm rearranging in preparation for selling the house. Date still unknown. Consolidating things on storage shelves is a must, as well as, presenting it in the best way.

[snafu]

ccfree, have you designated a specific date for your garage sale? A target date is a huge motivator and allows for an advertising plan [on-line, bulletin/community boards, Dollar Store poster boards on the main road etc.] Can you get your neighbors to join in? It creates more traffic/potential buyers.

Suggestions for storage shelves: do you really need/use that stuff? It's a lot of work and expense to move stuff you haven't used in a year. Try to organize stuff with 'like' items together for example all... sports equip, yard/seasonal items, electronics, painting accessories, auto stuff in same sized 4 cu. or 6 cu boxed/bins & labeled. To improve presentation, staple a flat sheet/piece of fabric at front of your shelving. [buy a top sheet from Goodwill or Salvation Army type outlet for a dollar.] My neighbor bought a couple of cheap, used, pull down blinds at a garage sale, attached them to the ceiling in her garage for a neat, out-of-the-way disguise for ugly storage.

[disneysteve]

Does the fire dept in your community help residents pump out water from basement or garages? Do you have/have access to a wet/dry vacuum?

We do have a shop vac (two of them actually). We use those to get the water out. We don't get anywhere near enough water to involve the fire department. Not even enough to cover the floor.

[creditcardfree]

ccfree, have you designated a specific date for your garage sale? A target date is a huge motivator and allows for an advertising plan [on-line, bulletin/community boards, Dollar Store poster boards on the main road etc.] Can you get your neighbors to join in? It creates more traffic/potential buyers.

Suggestions for storage shelves: do you really need/use that stuff? It's a lot of work and expense to move stuff you haven't used in a year. Try to organize stuff with 'like' items together for example all... sports equip, yard/seasonal items, electronics, painting accessories, auto stuff in same sized 4 cu. or 6 cu boxed/bins & labeled. To improve presentation, staple a flat sheet/piece of fabric at front of your shelving. [buy a top sheet from Goodwill or Salvation Army type outlet for a dollar.] My neighbor bought a couple of cheap, used, pull down blinds at a garage sale, attached them to the ceiling in her garage for a neat, out-of-the-way disguise for ugly storage.

Yep...we have a date for the sale. The end of September. I'm a pro at the garage sale thing. They always go off without a hitch.

I'm definitely keeping the haven't used it in a year or more in mind, as I declutter. And like is with like for the most part. I have matching metal shelves. I intend to get as much stuff into bins as possible and then have the organized space be the show!