2014 Decluttering Thread

[creditcardfree]

On the shelf under our computer, I had boxes from an iPhone 3, iPhone 3G, two iPhone 5's, an iPhone 5S, and 3 iPod Touches. Instead, I now have a trash bag filled with Apple clutter and a lot more space on the shelf.

Yes, I have learned to get rid of boxes after awhile. They just take up too much space!

[snafu]

Thanks DS for the laugh, did you get the new iphone? To help us get rid of the boxes & packing materials product come in, we've been writing the purchase date with a Sharpie on the side of the box 9/20/14 for example. If the items are still working after 3 months we are comfortable trashing/recycle.

[disneysteve]

Our yard sale was yesterday and was FANTASTIC! It was a gorgeous day here and the turnout from buyers was excellent. In terms of volume of merchandise sold, I think it might have been the best sale we've ever had. We've had times when we made more money, but the goal of this sale was to move the stuff out and we priced things accordingly. We sold a lot of big bulky items that were really hogging space like the lawnmower, an old suitcase, an old abdominal exercise thingy, and tons more. During the course of the sale, I even found buyers interested in some stuff I had in the basement and sold about 3 cartons full of that stuff.

In the end, we earned $180. We had zero expenses as one of our neighbors paid for the newspaper ad. I put up signs but I reuse them every year so no cost there.

The best part is that once it was all over, I packed up almost all of the unsold merchandise, loaded the van, and took it straight to Goodwill. Very little came back into the garage. We donated 10 cartons of stuff plus one suitcase and a few assorted loose items that didn't fit in boxes so they'll be a nice tax deduction as well.

And the really best part is that we now have an area about 8x10 foot of totally clear floor space in the garage that didn't exist yesterday morning. I need to upload my before and after pictures to share. I'm actually excited to do another round of cleaning in there but the soonest that will happen is October 5 as we're busy next weekend. I want to keep the momentum going and eventually make the garage useful storage space instead of just a dumping ground.

[disneysteve]

Okay. Let's see if this works.

Garage before I cleaned last week:


Garage after I cleaned last week:


Garage after yesterday's yard sale:

[creditcardfree]

DS, Congratulations on your successful yard sale. Pricing to get rid of things is the best way to do a sale, as it really does move things on. And even better to cart things off to charity after completion. I can see the improvement in your garage. High five for all your effort and hard work. Do you have the goal of being able to park a car in there?

[disneysteve]

Do you have the goal of being able to park a car in there?

Nope. Not an option in our household. We experienced the joy of a car fire in our driveway years ago. We would never park in our garage as a result.

[creditcardfree]

Nope. Not an option in our household. We experienced the joy of a car fire in our driveway years ago. We would never park in our garage as a result.

Interesting how our past influences future decisions. My parents had a major water event in their home due to a failed water hose on their washer while out of town. Now we ALWAYS turn off the water to the entire house when we leave for an extended period of time.

[QuarterMillionMan]

I've been lurking but haven't posted anything in a while but after seeing disneysteve's improvement in decluttering I had to come out and say that's awesome, good job.

[disneysteve]

I've been lurking but haven't posted anything in a while but after seeing disneysteve's improvement in decluttering I had to come out and say that's awesome, good job.

Thanks! I appreciate it.

Doing this really does give you momentum to do more. Now when I walk through the garage I'm much more aware of what remains and I want to work on it as soon as I can.

[snafu]

Great job! you've cleared out a lot of floor space. We've little secondary storage for items not in use nearly daily so we were forced to make up a criteria for what we keep in the garage since it's prime use is for two vehicles, a deep freeze and two 'Wardrobe' boxes for out-of-season clothes necessary in this climate.

Would you consider using a 'cradle hook' that screws directly into a 2x4 on the wall for those long lawnmower type extension cords? We've a similar gizmo that hangs bikes and outdoor chairs on the wall for even more floor space. Coincidently we've the same IKEA type shelving unit down one side which has potential to hold an incredible amount of stuff.

[disneysteve]

Would you consider using a 'cradle hook' that screws directly into a 2x4 on the wall for those long lawnmower type extension cords?

Coincidently we've the same IKEA type shelving unit down one side which has potential to hold an incredible amount of stuff.

I do have a few hooks on the walls. Once the cleaning is further along, I'll be able to access them easier so I can actually use them for cords and things.

I'd also like to increase the shelving once I have somewhere to put another unit. You can't see it in the photos as it's on the other side of the room but there is an old microwave cart and hutch that is really not efficient storage. I ultimately want to get rid of that and replace it with a shelving unit.

[creditcardfree]

I'd also like to increase the shelving once I have somewhere to put another unit. You can't see it in the photos as it's on the other side of the room but there is an old microwave cart and hutch that is really not efficient storage. I ultimately want to get rid of that and replace it with a shelving unit.

I highly suggest decluttering completely before getting another shelving unit. Shelving creates a place to accumulate and store more stuff, also the less you have the less storage units you need. At least that has been my experience.

I made a run to Goodwill today with the items I recently decluttered!! Less stuff in the house. Tomorrow, I'm going to return some items I recently bought as I realized I don't need to add more to the clutter!

[disneysteve]

I highly suggest decluttering completely before getting another shelving unit.

Absolutely!

There is actually two rows of shelving that runs the width of the garage along the back wall. I know that most of that stuff will eventually be eliminated, freeing up that space to store things we actually want. Also, the IKEA shelving and a metal shelving unit next to it will get totally redone and become useful storage space.

As we also work in the basement, there is shelving down there that will ultimately get cleared of unwanted items so that it also becomes useful space.

In the end, I'm hoping not to need more shelving. What I might do is move a shelving unit from the basement to the garage.

[disneysteve]

Got a bid today on one of my eBay items. It's another thing found while declittering our computer room.

[snafu]

Yesterday, with cooler evenings and fall here, we checked the gutters and drains. With care on a ladder we've 'de-cluttered' gutters of leaves, twigs and ran the hose to clear dirt and make certain drains remain attached and do not leak at joins. If you don't feel ok on ladders, it's smart to hire out the job.

This AM I reviewed the entry closet, set up a sturdy bag for items we didn't like, were uncomfortable, didn't wear, don't need, to donate to Goodwill for others to use and enjoy. Fall outerwear has replaced rain gear, sandals, sun visor hat gizmos etc.