2017 Decluttering thread

[StormRichards]

One thing that I've really tried to work on in recent years is eliminating activities that simply don't accomplish anything realistically. Clipping coupons is a good example. If you regularly clip coupons but rarely actually use them, just stop doing it. You're not saving any money anyway and you're wasting time and creating clutter. Just stop. Toss all of the coupons you already have in the recycling bin and move on.

This is one that I can definitely relate to. When I was REALLY into couponing, it was more than worthwhile. Our savings was significant.

For multiple reasons, I just didn't spend enough time on it for it to be beneficial. I would clip coupons but not organize them, then mistakenly buy something I had a coupon for but didn't know it. Coupons would expire that I would have used had I remembered I had them.

I can't really say though that I made a conscious effort to stop. The cost of a Sunday paper went up so I stopped buying it. We used to get coupon inserts in the mail every Wednesday, but for whatever reason we don't get them consistently. I still have a coupon holder on the table beside my recliner. Probably time for me to get rid of it.

[disneysteve]

Another example along the lines of coupons is some online rewards and survey programs. This isn't physical clutter but clutter in my email inbox and wasting my time.

There was a survey program tied to my airline reward program so I earned frequent flyer miles. I used to do quite a lot of those surveys. The problem was that we very rarely fly, so the points weren't of much use to us and they accumulated so slowly that it would take many years to earn a free flight.

So I just stopped doing the surveys, unsubscribed from the emails, and freed up some time.

[msomnipotent]

One thing that I've really tried to work on in recent years is eliminating activities that simply don't accomplish anything realistically. Clipping coupons is a good example. If you regularly clip coupons but rarely actually use them, just stop doing it. You're not saving any money anyway and you're wasting time and creating clutter. Just stop. Toss all of the coupons you already have in the recycling bin and move on.

Same for recipes. The internet has every recipe you could ever possibly want. There is no reason to buy cookbooks or clip things out of newspapers and magazines. It's clutter simply for the sake of clutter. I'm willing to bet that you have rarely if ever actually gone back and used any of those recipes that you cut out and saved.

I LOVE my cookbooks and cooking magazines. I use them a lot, although not as much recently do to my wrist. I like having them near me when I'm cooking, just for reference. I can't lug my desktop into the kitchen, and I haven't been impressed with 95% of the recipes I have found online. I usually cook all three meals from scratch or mostly scratch, but I have been using a lot of premade things lately. I stopped bothering with coupons for a long time but now I'm using things that have coupons again.

Ironically, the reason why I have coupons, cookbooks, and magazines all over my table is because I was trying to get organized and make a 2 week menu. I just haven't been able to get someone to help me go grocery shopping yet, so I have to keep updating the shopping lists with the new sales.

[msomnipotent]

A lunch table of 8 with several cliques within the clique.

That's the problem in a nutshell. There are 3 grammar schools filtering into this jr high, so new alliances are being made at the lunch table. My daughter introduced her best friend to another girl and now they are best friends and icing her out, and so on. I keep telling her that she probably won't even be friends with any of these girls when she is an adult, so tell them all to bounce. I never liked the negative attention girl anyway. Something about her is just off, and she is a giant busybody.

[StormRichards]

I LOVE my cookbooks and cooking magazines. I use them a lot, although not as much recently do to my wrist. I like having them near me when I'm cooking, just for reference. I can't lug my desktop into the kitchen, and I haven't been impressed with 95% of the recipes I have found online. I usually cook all three meals from scratch or mostly scratch, but I have been using a lot of premade things lately. I stopped bothering with coupons for a long time but now I'm using things that have coupons again.

Ironically, the reason why I have coupons, cookbooks, and magazines all over my table is because I was trying to get organized and make a 2 week menu. I just haven't been able to get someone to help me go grocery shopping yet, so I have to keep updating the shopping lists with the new sales.

I like having the cookbooks as well but have way too many of them. What I really think I need to do is create a recipe binder. That way I can page through the books and photocopy recipes I want to keep, and then donate the book to the thrift store. I probably have several books with only a couple recipes I actually want to keep.

[StormRichards]

That's the problem in a nutshell. There are 3 grammar schools filtering into this jr high, so new alliances are being made at the lunch table. My daughter introduced her best friend to another girl and now they are best friends and icing her out, and so on. I keep telling her that she probably won't even be friends with any of these girls when she is an adult, so tell them all to bounce. I never liked the negative attention girl anyway. Something about her is just off, and she is a giant busybody.

I am sitting here wondering how many "best friends" my DD has had already. Just recently she was reluctant to verbalize the change. Kept wanting to refer to a girl as her best friend despite the fact that she barely talked to her anymore. Now she has her ranked #3 I will be happy when she is no longer on the list at all because I think she is trouble.

[disneysteve]

I had a slow moment at the office so I just decluttered one of my desk drawers. Even though I've done that numerous times, I'm always shocked by what has accumulated in there. A bunch of junk. I tossed out everything I didn't need or don't use and recycled anything that I could. Maybe I can manage to keep it this way from now on.

[msomnipotent]

I had a rare burst of energy this week end and completely cleaned out the guest room and closet, including all drawers. I'm almost done with the linen closet and I started on the spare bedroom that we use as a second office.

I finally decided to throw away a gumball machine that I had since I was a kid. It has been sitting as a decoration because one of the teeth on a gear is broken. My husband decides to open it to make sure there isn't any change inside and finds almost $30. My daughter has been eating gumballs that are older than her, and she will be 12 this month. So that brings the total of random change I found around the house and car to almost $50. My daughter is campaigning to keep the gumball machine. I threw the gumballs away, at least.

So far, I have a box large enough for me to sit in completely, filled with stuff my sister is going to sell. I'm expecting to double that once I get to my daughter's room.

[StormRichards]

A decluttering effort over the weekend led to some disagreements. DH wanted DD to get rid of something she says she still uses. It became a target because she wants the love seat that we will be replacing in the near future. I told her she needed to make the space for it, so something is going to have to go.

Last night she tackled her collection of stuffed animals. The 8 she is donating barely scratches the surface.

[msomnipotent]

I'm trying to figure out what to do with 35 lbs of rough semi-precious gemstones. I think we had about 100 lbs at one point, but then I started filling up baggies and giving them away. I'm sure a lot of them can be turned into jewelry, but it can get rather costly. I'm thinking of just using them as gravel in the fish tank.

We had a stuffed animal discussion this weekend, too. She wants to keep her stuffeds and give away the American Girl stuff. Ohhhh, hell no!!!

[disneysteve]

that brings the total of random change I found around the house and car to almost $50

This is just one reason why this thread fits in a financial forum.

I have also found quite a bit of money. DW also found a number of unused gift cards when she cleaned up.

[disneysteve]

I'm trying to figure out what to do with 35 lbs of rough semi-precious gemstones.

Ebay. Put them in little bags and sell them that way.

She wants to keep her stuffeds and give away the American Girl stuff. Ohhhh, hell no!!!

Well the stuffed animals have no value. If she wants to sell the American Girl stuff, I'm sure you can get good money for that.

[StormRichards]

We had a stuffed animal discussion this weekend, too. She wants to keep her stuffeds and give away the American Girl stuff. Ohhhh, hell no!!!

Literally LMAO on this one.

[disneysteve]

I sold a Game Boy game on ebay last night. I have to ship that out. It's not much but it's one less thing lying around.

[disneysteve]

Forgot to mention that I did do a bit yesterday. I was kind of blah all day. I think I was tired and it was gloomy and raining all day. I did go through a couple of drawers in the living room wall unit. Threw out 2 old calendars and a few other assorted items. Found a few collectible items that I may either sell or donate. Not my most productive time but at least I accomplished something.