2021 Decluttering Thread

[disneysteve]

On the negative side, I just ended 4 ebay auctions. I was attempting to sell several lots of old car magazines. There are successful prior auctions for issues of this magazine so I thought they'd go well. They haven't. Rather than list them a year's worth at a time, I'm going to repackage and put a few years together into larger lots and see if I can sell them that way.

I just listed the first rebundled lot for 39 issues spanning 4 years. I'll see how that goes.

[disneysteve]

Cleared out some financial paperwork. I realized (and confirmed with our accountant) that we no longer needed statements from DW's 401k and 403b accounts that we rolled over into her IRA last year. I'm just holding onto the account opening papers and the final statements showing the last balance and the transfer leaving zero balances. That was a stack of papers about 1.5" thick that went into the shredding box.

[disneysteve]

Listed 2 lots of 4 magazines each on ebay

Unpacked a battery operated LED lantern that I brought home from Florida. With Henri approaching, we may need it in the next couple of days. We already have a lantern but it can't hurt to have another if the power goes out.

[disneysteve]

I went to put some stuff in the file box with papers from my cousin’s estate and realized how jam packed it was. So I took some time going through the folders and eliminated a bunch of paperwork that I no longer need.

[disneysteve]

I listed 72 magazines on ebay today in 18 lots of 4 (18 year's worth of issues). I priced them lower than other current listings so hopefully they will attract some interest.

[disneysteve]

I listed 72 magazines on ebay today in 18 lots of 4

I sold one lot today.

[disneysteve]

We're going on vacation next week so I haven't wanted to start any new ebay listings. My account will be on a vacation hold until we get back so I don't get any sales when I'm not able to ship them. But I realized I could still create listings and save them as drafts for when we get back (or actually I can reactivate my account and add new listings a day or two before we return). So I just photographed and created listings for 4 items so they are all ready to go as soon as I'm ready to put them up.

[disneysteve]

I just got $110 on Marketplace for a set of pneumatic tools I brought home from my cousin's house. I had tried to sell it while I was there without success. I knew it was of value but just needed to find the right buyer.

[scfr]

More organizing and tidying (putting things back where they belong) and sorting resulted in 2 more large tote bins full of clothes dropped off at Goodwill following another decluttering day at mom's yesterday. Found a couple items of fall clothing Mom has been wanting to locate. Now that we've cleared out enough clothes that we have some space, we bounced ideas back and forth about setting up a clothing clutter prevention system using resources already on hand. My mom has a lot of physical limitations, and they are not getting better with age. What we are probably going to do is move a sofa table that is in the family room in to her bedroom, where she can sit and fold laundry, near where the laundry should be put away (probably put away by me when I visit if I'm being realistic but at least it won't wind up on the floor where it is a tripping hazard or where things get lost in the pile). In other words, convert something that is mostly decorative to something more functional and badly needed.

And there was the usual book rotation: library books swapped out, plus some book discussion and more books added to the "to borrow" list. Mom went through pages she had torn out of publications that mentioned books she wants to read ... then those pages went in to the recycling tub that a couple years ago I placed on the floor next to the sofa where she reads her mail, newspaper, magazines, etc. That tub, and the use of library books, are a couple of the "clutter prevention" tools that I've implemented in her house since moving near her to help. Not all of my ideas have worked or stuck, but the recycling tub was a definite winner. Less paper piling up and none winding up on the floor. No paper on the floor. No books purchased.

Mom gets a charge out of the decluttering because she can see physical changes ("look at how that pile has shrunk!").
I enjoy the satisfaction of effective systems put in place that prevent the clutter in the first place and save both effort & money.

[GordFelcon]

I have sold a lot of my clothes that I don't wear anymore a week ago. Finally my closet feels better-emptier)))

[disneysteve]

Sold an item on Marketplace today.

Started the four ebay auctions that I saved as drafts before we went away.

[scfr]

Today I dropped off accumulated plastic bags and shredded paper at the recycling center.The shredded paper included things I will be taking to my grave on my mother's behalf (family secrets & professional papers she had no business holding onto that I found when sorting through all of her stuff), so I guess you could say that I partially offloaded emotional baggage today! I also dropped off 1 small bag of items at Goodwill (1 item of mine, the rest were my mom's).

[james.hendrickson]

I threw out a couple of old red vases that had been on one of my shelves for years, gathering dust. It felt great to get rid of them.

[bjl584]

A friend of mine is moving and will be having an estate sale this weekend.
He told me that I am free to bring anything that I want over to try and sell as part of the sale.
I've gathered a few things up to take over.

[disneysteve]

Got a bid on an ebay item that ends on Tuesday.

Listed an item on Marketplace that I've had on ebay without success. I figure I've got a better shot at selling it there since postage kind of kills the deal on a low priced item.

ETA: Got rid of 3 books on the bookcase. Went into the hall closet for something and ended up tossing out a number of expired products.

When we get back from vacation in a few weeks, I plan to start aggressively listing and selling things. I've been dragging my feet recently because I knew we were going away. Also, by mid October the weather should start being cooler consistently allowing me to spend time working in the garage (though there is plenty to do in the house as well). And on or before December 1, I will be switching to part time at work so I'll have more time to devote to the decluttering efforts.