2014 Decluttering Thread

[snafu]

Is it true? Do we wear 20% of our clothes, 80 % of the time? Scottish Girl, good on you getting through a huge amount of clothes. How do you get DH to clear out clothes? Do your charity outlets pick up? While SFH get door pick up, condo/apartment dwellers here, have to haul recyclables to giant green bins at shopping centres.

Joe, so kind of DSIL to send 6 boxes full and terrific to get DKs to go through the lot, cherry pick the stuff they'll wear and forward the rest to bless others who will wear and enjoy. Do you get DKs to likewise review their closets and bureau to pass down or donate/trash?

We've not bought much this winter, we're wearing layers so nearly all hangers have reversed since the start of the season.

[scottish girl]

Is it true? Do we wear 20% of our clothes, 80 % of the time? Scottish Girl, good on you getting through a huge amount of clothes. How do you get DH to clear out clothes? Do your charity outlets pick up? While SFH get door pick up, condo/apartment dwellers here, have to haul recyclables to giant green bins at shopping centres.

Joe, so kind of DSIL to send 6 boxes full and terrific to get DKs to go through the lot, cherry pick the stuff they'll wear and forward the rest to bless others who will wear and enjoy. Do you get DKs to likewise review their closets and bureau to pass down or donate/trash?

We've not bought much this winter, we're wearing layers so nearly all hangers have reversed since the start of the season.

Yes I think it's true, for me anyway. Everything I'm getting rid of I haven't worn in years. There's some more that I'm debating about donating too. I just left him to it.

[Ashcroft]

I just tossed a garbage bag of clothing items that are worn out and not really worth donating, as well as a few other junky items just cluttering up the house! It felt great! I just need to take out some time to motivate myself to do more of that.

[kennySang]

Now, if I could only get the gf to toss all of her "papers" (she's a teacher) and bills. Junk piled up in every room. She saves even her grocery receipts. Nothing's organized. It's all in piles here and there. I think she's a hoarder.

[creditcardfree]

Now, if I could only get the gf to toss all of her "papers" (she's a teacher) and bills. Junk piled up in every room. She saves even her grocery receipts. Nothing's organized. It's all in piles here and there. I think she's a hoarder.

My sister is a teacher and she too has quite a few papers! She is also incredibly busy and just doesn't have time to deal with the piles. Could that be the case with your girlfriend? Would she take your help?

[creditcardfree]

I just tossed a garbage bag of clothing items that are worn out and not really worth donating, as well as a few other junky items just cluttering up the house! It felt great! I just need to take out some time to motivate myself to do more of that.

Great job! Some charities don't mind worn out clothing with stains and holes. They actually sell them as rags for other uses. Next time check into that before adding to the landfill.

[scottish girl]

I just found a huge pile of papers and notes dated 2005 from when I was at university. They're in the recycling now. They were in a three-drawer cardboard storage. It's tempting to throw it out but I think I will put some recent paperwork/SG's drawings in it for now.

[snafu]

Scottish girl, terrific to rid yourself of university paperwork 2005, no used, not needed and repurpose the 3 drawer storage for DD's art treasures. If you've clothes in the 'debating' category, it's helpful to reverse their hangers and re-evaluate at the end of the season if still not worn. You've got so much done! take a bow.

[snafu]

kennySang, seems all teachers are pack rats as it's so much work to re-do material or research. What's frustrating is the search for a specific paper and the clutter in the face of others. Does GF have a scanner? That gives her the opportunity to use her computer as an efficient tool, find what she seeks in a nanosecond. Alternatively, perhaps you could devise a plan or outline now, before the holidays of how materials can be stored more easily if she is open to your help. hope the link works

http://www.pinterest.com/alicia_eyer/organized-teacher-materials/

[scottish girl]

Scottish girl, terrific to rid yourself of university paperwork 2005, no used, not needed and repurpose the 3 drawer storage for DD's art treasures. If you've clothes in the 'debating' category, it's helpful to reverse their hangers and re-evaluate at the end of the season if still not worn. You've got so much done! take a bow.

Thanks!
I think I will do that with my clothes. Just found some more paperwork and recycled that. Decided to get rid of (aka have council pick up) our old vcr. Also going to list our bedside unit on FB since there's no space for it. (we got a new bed)

[scottish girl]

Just switched to paperless catalogue statements. Whenever I get the statement through each month I don't have to read it because I've already checked online the first day that it updated.

[disneysteve]

Cleaning that section of the basement is different than the work I did previously in the garage because this stuff requires my wife and I both to go through the stuff. So I'm starting by eliminating the stuff that is outright trash or definite give away and then the two of us will go down there together to sort through what remains.

Just did the next round in the basement with my wife. We went through the one section that I had cleaned up a few days ago. Together, we filled two 30-gallon trash bags with trash, another one with stuff to give away, got rid of a couple of empty boxes from items that are stored elsewhere and used regularly, and made a pile of stuff for our next yard sale in the spring (that I then moved into the garage).

We could have done more but I know DW's allergies can't put up with being down there for too long at once. If we can devote even 30 minutes each week to working down there, that will make a huge difference in no time. Plus I can do more down there on my own.

[snafu]

Wonderful that both DW and you are tackling clutter. 2, 30 gal bags of trash + another bag of donations is major work. I think you both deserve a reward. Since you also moved stuff to the garage for your spring yard sale, it sounds like you had more downstairs than you realized. If you have a lot of items you no longer use or no longer need, you may be making a lot of extra work for both wife and yourself by delaying decision. Granny kept things because she genuinely thought they would use the stuff she stored [just-in-case] but our generation never seems to go back and retrieve stuff from 'deep' storage.

We've 'secondary' and seasonal storage under the basement stairs and a wall of shelving units in the garage because there is limited storage in the condo. Downsizing was a major milestone for us as we could only take what we used regularly and loved. Even so we've had to purge about 1/3 more so that there was a place for everything and everything could Easily be put back in it's place.

I've no idea if you're 90% through the basement review or 50% but I hope to encourage you to continue to build on what you already accomplished. By your spring sale, you should see remarkable results in recapturing both basement and garage space. Will DD be surprised when she return home for the holidays? Do you all get away from winter? You did good

[disneysteve]

Wonderful that both DW and you are tackling clutter. 2, 30 gal bags of trash + another bag of donations is major work. I think you both deserve a reward. Since you also moved stuff to the garage for your spring yard sale, it sounds like you had more downstairs than you realized.

No, I think we are well aware of how much stuff we have. That's why we are finally working on it.

I've no idea if you're 90% through the basement review or 50% but I hope to encourage you to continue to build on what you already accomplished. By your spring sale, you should see remarkable results in recapturing both basement and garage space. Will DD be surprised when she return home for the holidays? Do you all get away from winter? You did good

We're probably 2% through in the basement.

DD was already surprised when she came home and saw what I had done in the garage, and I'm not finished in there. The basement won't be as big a deal to her because she never goes down there.

[disneysteve]

DW worked on the dining room cabinet today. Not visible clutter but still clutter. She cleared out a pile of placemats and table linens that we don't use so those will be sold or donated.