2018 Decluttering Thread

[snafu]

Well done on clearing a box of parental papers, readying for shredding. Did your Marie Kondo reduction result in any long term change?

It took us more than 4 months to work through the KM categories as we followed the order recommended on the online print-out. The process was shockingly revealing of early childhood 'rules' and routines, our different educational backgrounds and consumer patterns. The long term result has been a huge change in spending and buying. The first two or three months I was checking and rechecking to make sure all bills were paid because there was so much money left in the chequing account! Without discussion, DH and had abruptly stopped buying for anticipated future events and were only buying what would be used during the pay cycle. The question before we approach the cashier is ' will this morph into clutter ?' It is so much easier and faster to keep up with house keeping and home management tasks.

Have other SA participants followed KM or the new Swedish book?

[disneysteve]

Did your Marie Kondo reduction result in any long term change?

I think the whole decluttering journey has led to long term change. We are much more critical of what we buy and bring into the house at this point. Really, we have pretty much everything we need. If we're going to buy something new, it needs to be replacing something or really be getting us something meaningful and useful that we don't already have. We don't buy things just for the heck of it anymore.

Another area where we used Marie Kondo's system was with kitchen utensils - spatulas, wooden spoons, can openers, etc. We gathered every single one we could find, spread them all out on the table, and picked out the few that we really like and use regularly. All of the rest, which was a fairly large pile, went into a box and off to Goodwill. That was quite a while ago and I don't think we've bought a single utensil since then.

[Thrif-t]

Well I regret decluttering something! I got rid of a topper that I had used in my bathroom. It had been sitting in a box. I used to change things up all the time, but the older I've gotten, I just don't have that kind of energy to be going around changing everything out for different looks all the time. Anywho, the topper I got rid of would've been perfect for my college daughters college apartment. Her color scheme and everything! Oh well it's gone and her window is blank save for her blinds. Que sera sera..

[disneysteve]

I've read a good rule of thumb is that if something can be easily replaced for $20 or less, toss it. If you ever find you really need it again, you can go buy another one. I've followed that rule when clearing out electronics accessories and cables, for example. I had multiple identical cables, like HDMI or Ethernet cables. So I kept one and tossed the rest. They are a few dollars on Amazon. If I ever find myself in need, I'll buy one. Just the other day when I got rid of the bedroom VCR, there were also a couple of sets of RCA cables (I'm not even sure what they were from). They went straight into the trash. I have no current use for them and if I ever come upon a use, they are under $10 online.

[scfr]

The pre-move purge has begun!
Listed 15 items on the local FB garage sale page today. 4 items were picked up today, and 2 more are scheduled for pickup in the next 2 days.
Made a last-minute decision to have a garage sale next Saturday, so started piling stuff up to sell at that after sorting through a couple rooms.

We're moving from a house to an apartment. The last time we moved to an apartment, it was a temporary thing (until we bought a house) and only DH was working from home. This time it will not be just a temporary thing, and both DH & I will be working from home so we'll need work space for both of us. This time, I won't be happy to have boxes stacked in a corner, and I won't be happy using a side table in the corner for eating. We'll be looking at making a real home out of a place that will be less than half size of what we have now. And we want to make this happen as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I feel ready and I've done this drill before.

As positive as I am about this move, I will add that it is harder physically than it was the last time. In fact, I'm about to go soak in an epsom salt bath to ease my aching muscles ... and the process has just begun!

[james.hendrickson]

The pre-move purge has begun!
Listed 15 items on the local FB garage sale page today. 4 items were picked up today, and 2 more are scheduled for pickup in the next 2 days.
Made a last-minute decision to have a garage sale next Saturday, so started piling stuff up to sell at that after sorting through a couple rooms.

We're moving from a house to an apartment. The last time we moved to an apartment, it was a temporary thing (until we bought a house) and only DH was working from home. This time it will not be just a temporary thing, and both DH & I will be working from home so we'll need work space for both of us. This time, I won't be happy to have boxes stacked in a corner, and I won't be happy using a side table in the corner for eating. We'll be looking at making a real home out of a place that will be less than half size of what we have now. And we want to make this happen as quickly as possible. Fortunately, I feel ready and I've done this drill before.

As positive as I am about this move, I will add that it is harder physically than it was the last time. In fact, I'm about to go soak in an epsom salt bath to ease my aching muscles ... and the process has just begun!

Three moves is as good as a fire.

[disneysteve]

I finished clearing out the box of old paperwork in the garage that I started on last night.

I also went into a closet that I hardly ever go in and found a bag and a carton of various Disney magazines and catalogs (I collect Disney memorabilia). Included among them were about 40 more issues of a collectors magazine that I used to subscribe to. I've sold almost all of the issues I thought I had. I just sold one this week actually and thought I only had a few left. Now I've got a few dozen more to sell. They move fairly well so after we get back from an upcoming vacation, I'll start listing those. There are also a bunch of other great paper items in that carton that I can probably sell.

I also cleared out a few files in my file drawers today.

[scfr]

Three moves is as good as a fire.

Haha - so true!

[disneysteve]

I spent a little time in the garage today and focused on a large milk crate (the rectangular ones) filled with old soda and beer cans. These are things I had kept thinking they'd be valuable in the future and that just never really happened. It was time to dump them. Most were empty. About a dozen were still filled and had to be emptied. So I got that crate completely emptied out. I also picked up/threw out various trash that was around that same area including some books that were missing covers and not in donatable condition.

When we went out for something else this morning, I dropped off a box of 20 books to Goodwill.

While in the garage, I came across a bag where I've been collecting CFLs for recylcing. I took them over to Home Depot where they collect them.

[disneysteve]

There were a few random things that DD had left for us to take care of when she moved back home. It's "only" been 5 months but I finally went through them and put them all where they belong. The power strips went in the basement with my tools and other electrical items like that. The can of WD-40 and bottle of bug spray went in the basement also with the others. The door stop actually went into our dining room because we recently made some changes there and now need one where we didn't before. A few things went in the Goodwill pile.

The result is newly opened floor space in our computer room which looks much better now.

[MooseBucks]

Went through some of my clothes today and donated about 10-12 shirts and a jacket. Also went through and organized all the kids clothes with DW and packed away the stuff that was too small. Right now we have 12 66quart bins full of kids clothes. It will be bittersweet when we can start getting rid of some of those in the next year or two. I have a feeling they will be just replaced by bigger clothes so we will not see the space freed up for many years to come.

[disneysteve]

we have 12 66quart bins full of kids clothes.

How many kids do you have? Are you saving those 12 bins as hand me downs for younger kids?

12 bins sounds like a lot but we only had 1 kid so we never had anything to save or store when she outgrew something and she never owned all that many clothes at any one time.

[Thrif-t]

Oh man my basement used to be full of bins of clothes for my kids. I have 3...and then I'd get hand me downs from my siblings for my oldest in bigger sizes. Glad those days are over! I had a regular children's store down there..but it saved lots of money not having to buy coats, boots, shoes..etc...

now I have bins of shoes...summer sandals, flip flops, boots...all my girls off season shoes they have a ton! I will be so clutter free when they move out of the best and take all their stuff with them!!

Oh and back in the day I had bins of sport shoes. Soccer cleats, basketball shoes, track cleats...man no wonder I was so poor!

[MooseBucks]

How many kids do you have? Are you saving those 12 bins as hand me downs for younger kids?

12 bins sounds like a lot but we only had 1 kid so we never had anything to save or store when she outgrew something and she never owned all that many clothes at any one time.

3 kids. They’re all being saved for hand me downs.

[disneysteve]

3 kids. They’re all being saved for hand me downs.

At least you have everything organized and stored well. Plus you're saving a ton of money not constantly buying new clothes.