Decluttering and organizing goals, week 2

[DawnM]

Ok, I can't find the other thread to link it, but here is Week 2.

I got sick Friday and had to forgo my plans to declutter with the Organizer this weekend.  

But today I was able to fill 3 more bags for donation and 2 for trash.  All of this was from the attic.  there is so much up there!  YIKES.

 

Trash day is tomorrow so I am hoping to get both of them filled up.

 

This week's goals:

 

• Go through one box per day in the basement.  Sort into trash, donate, keep, and sell piles  (boys will bring up a box a day to the sort room (dining room) and I will sort
• Clean laundry room
• Organize shelves in Sunroom (13 year old can do this)
• Have each boy go through their clothes and shoes for donation, get it OUT
• Go through at least two cabinets in the kitchen (SO MUCH to toss in there!)

[Carol in Cal.]

I took 9-10 books to a local Little Free Library yesterday.  Only brought 2 home, and those will go right back after I read them.

 

Also threw away approximately 2 garbage bags full of old junk, and identified some more clothes for donation to the local hunger nonprofit.

[Annie G]

My goal this week is to get my family on board. Dh is a pack rat and doesn't want to get rid of much. The two adult kids still living here are just like dh. The two adults who have moved out left virtually none of their things behind- like a shoebox would hold their stuff.  But the two left here seem to think that we'll hold on to it for them. 

 

So that's my main goal...unlikely that I will make any progress.   So I'm going in a different direction with my time this week- I need to clear out the room I'm working on and put the final coat of paint on the ceiling, paint the walls, and figure out baseboard trim for the room.  Also need to make a window sill for the window in that room- the old one was unusable when it was removed. 

 

Decluttering- I hope to do our walk in closet this week. It will take some time but I'm doing sections at a time so it's not overwhelming. 

 

On the bright side, since last week's trip to Goodwill I have four more bags of stuff plus at least six boxes of books ready to take.  I'm having ds load it in the car today so there's no excuse not to drop it off. 

[mommyoffive]

I have a bag ready to go, I need to bag or box up the huge pile in the garage.

 

I got my box from Swap.com yesterday and already have it filled.  I need to drop it off.  

 

 

 

I need to get some goals to accomplish during the week.

[DawnM]

My kids loaded up the car and DH and oldest took the haul to the Goodwill!  YAY!

 

Now to get each kid to bring up a box from the basement so I can start sorting those.

 

But the trash cans are full, which was my goal, but I have to now wait until tomorrow when the trash trucks come and empty them.

[DawnM]

The KITCHEN is going to be the hardest for me, but my organizer wants to tackle that next visit.  I am a kitchen gadget queen.  I love them!

 

Considering getting rid of my KA mixer.  Last Thanksgiving I conducted an experiment and made everything with my hand mixer.  It was fine.  I got several of those Rachel Ray "trash bowls" for Christmas (early) and used those and they were perfect.  

 

I need to make a list of things I won't give up, stuff I am not 100% sure about, and stuff I don't really use but hate to see go.....and let go.

 

 

[Annie G]

Dawn, I'm the same about kitchen stuff being hard to give up. But my issue is vintage stuff. Vintage pyrex and vintage Autumn leaf china bowls...and other kitchen antiques.  

 

About three years ago I boxed up my rarely used kitchen gadgets and put them in the basement. Then I waited two years to see what was taken back out and used. A few things were taken out but I was able to part with about 80% of what I had packed up. That was a good exercise for me.  The two things I took out that I use fairly often are a lemon squeezer thing and a bench knife for dividing dough.  I'm glad I still have those but it was hard to part with stuff that I paid Pampered Chef prices for...that kind of hurt. g

[school17777]

The KITCHEN is going to be the hardest for me, but my organizer wants to tackle that next visit. I am a kitchen gadget queen. I love them!

 

Considering getting rid of my KA mixer. Last Thanksgiving I conducted an experiment and made everything with my hand mixer. It was fine. I got several of those Rachel Ray "trash bowls" for Christmas (early) and used those and they were perfect.

 

I need to make a list of things I won't give up, stuff I am not 100% sure about, and stuff I don't really use but hate to see go.....and let go.

 

I would keep the KA mixer! Even if you don't use it often now, you might in some years when your boys get married, or they might want it then. That's an expensive piece to replace, if you change your mind.

[DawnM]

Dawn, I'm the same about kitchen stuff being hard to give up. But my issue is vintage stuff. Vintage pyrex and vintage Autumn leaf china bowls...and other kitchen antiques.  

 

About three years ago I boxed up my rarely used kitchen gadgets and put them in the basement. Then I waited two years to see what was taken back out and used. A few things were taken out but I was able to part with about 80% of what I had packed up. That was a good exercise for me.  The two things I took out that I use fairly often are a lemon squeezer thing and a bench knife for dividing dough.  I'm glad I still have those but it was hard to part with stuff that I paid Pampered Chef prices for...that kind of hurt. g

 

I have a full box of Pampered Chef in the basement that I have packed up since June of last year.  Guess that can all go.

 

Sigh.

[KathyBC]

Considering getting rid of my KA mixer.  Last Thanksgiving I conducted an experiment and made everything with my hand mixer.  It was fine.  I got several of those Rachel Ray "trash bowls" for Christmas (early) and used those and they were perfect.  

 

I need to make a list of things I won't give up, stuff I am not 100% sure about, and stuff I don't really use but hate to see go.....and let go.

I was given one, but just had no room in my small kitchen. I found a home for it with a close relative, which was satisfying. And I suppose if I changed my mind, I could ask for it back, though that seems unlikely. 

 

Now that I think about it, that solution worked well with another large item I had trouble parting with - a close friend stored it for me, and ended up using it. It's in a good home and being used! 

[Baseball mom]

I boxed up some pots and pans, left the box in an easy to access spot.  Over a year later I hadn't opened the box.  I was getting ready to have a yard sale so I put everything (except 1 piece) in the sale.  The one piece I kept because I it actually went with a pot I used all the time.  I had forgotten the strainer came with the pot and was considering buying one.

 

Need to do my clothes and be ruthless.  I wear about 5 maybe 10% of what I have. The rest doesn't fit or I just don't like.  I keep hoping I will lose weight :lol:  (yeah right)   Dh needs to do the same.

 

I did clean up a trouble spot this weekend :hurray:  Got rid of some stuff and organized some.  We can walk though there and find stuff now. :thumbup:

[Baseball mom]

You know I think my biggest problem (after being sentimental) is thinking what it cost me to buy in the first place.  Then worrying if I had to replace it later how I would come up with the money.

[Evergreen State Sue]

Last week I took about 20 bags to donation - 8 were from my sister, but boy did that feel good.  We also did a van full of stuff to the dump.

 

This week my goal is to fill the van for things to Goodwill - I know I have an old desk, a baby cradle, an old artificial Christmas tree, wall hangings, and more odds and ends.

 

I also need to fill my yard waste container by Tuesday night, so that means a couple of hours out in the yard. 

[DawnM]

I would keep the KA mixer! Even if you don't use it often now, you might in some years when your boys get married, or they might want it then. That's an expensive piece to replace, if you change your mind.

 

 

I got it 2nd hand, for $100.  It is a big nice one, but it doesn't fit under my counters.  I even considered selling it and getting one of the smaller ones with the tilt, as it would fit under my counters.  But I have no idea what my new house will be like in terms of cabinets.

[DawnM]

A bit of a new plan.

 

I am realizing I need to go through the attic before it gets hot.  If we end up moving this summer, the attic will be the last place I want to spend time.

 

So, this week is the attic.  Most of it can be donated or tossed.  I am hoping to get down to just boxes (boxes the TVs came in so we can move them safely), luggage, and a few storage boxes (Christmas, some empty ones for future packing, etc...)

 

If I still have time, I will start in the basement.  Or I can do that when the Organizer comes later this week.  Although I think she wants to attack the kitchen.

Edited March 6, 2017 by DawnM

[Lecka]

Today I need to do lamps. None of our lamps have bulbs in them and we have some lamps just lined up against a wall. One lampshade got a little dinged up and I need to decide if it is fine or not.

 

I have a small filing cabinet I need to decide to keep or not. I don't seem to really have a place for it here, but it is small and it holds our old tax returns, and they need to go somewhere.

 

It has turned out our bathrooms here have a lot less storage and I have gotten rid of some stuff that didn't fit. Some things of my daughter's I am letting be under the sink instead of cleaning supplies. So then cleaning supplies are bumped to a hall closet that is very convenient to both bathrooms and larger than the little hall cubby thing we had for cleaning supplies before (that didn't have much space and wasn't convenient, so I kept cleaning supplies in a bathroom and the kitchen).

[DawnM]

I have decided to make a space on the shelves in the basement with "this stuff will go IF we move but stay if we don't."   The basement storage area is where we have our make-shift pantry, so kitchen gadgets I am not quite ready to part with will go there, in boxes, ready to donate if I choose.

 

That seems  like a workable solution for now.

 

I have to tell myself that if we move, my kitchen will be even smaller and I don't need all this stuff.

[Annie G]

You know I think my biggest problem (after being sentimental) is thinking what it cost me to buy in the first place.  Then worrying if I had to replace it later how I would come up with the money.

 

That's been really hard for dh to overcome.  Things we haven't used for YEARS he wants to keep 'in case' because we've already spent the money to buy it. And I'm calculating how much it's going to cost us to move all this stuff and keep thinking that if we have to rebuy 50% of it (which is wildly overestimating how much we'd want to rebuy) we could with the money saved from moving it.  The man is an engineer- started as an industrial engineer- he KNOWS this. But combining his sentimental side with his 'I've already spent money to buy this' is making it super hard to get rid of stuff. 

[Desert Strawberry]

I'm joining in. 

We are at the point in our house journey where we are ready to start replacing the "just for now" furniture with more permanent items. 

We are kind of up in the air over what is happening when. D bought a new computer yesterday. He moved his old one to my desk, which is nice. But I want to downgrade this desk. Either move it into D's office or sell it. I'd rather D keep it. It's a nice piece, just not well suited to my space. 

Before I can move it out, though, we need bookcases/cabinet/ something to store his office junk and my school/office junk in. So bookcases were next on the list. An industrial shelf and storage bins for the boys' clothes. Their room is a disaster due to a lack of clothing storage. 

But. Last night, the shower handle on the cold water broke. Scalding hot showers are not refreshing. So that's now the priority. And I asked that D install a bathroom sink/vanity while he's in there. So now that is at the top of the list. 

In the meanwhile, I donated a bag of baby toys, a bag of outgrown/ill-fitting/ unstylish clothes. I'm putting together a second bag today. I will be rearranging the spare clothing storage in my closet. 

I had the boys clean everything out of my van. I don't even know what was in there, but it is so nice and clean and empty now. I moved the stroller to the rear. 

My newest project is hanging baskets for the bunk beds. Each kid will have a little hidey spot to keep their small items- a toy, a reading light, a book, etc. Then I might make one for myself as well, as the crib is pressed up against my bed with no room to stash my glasses. 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Desert Strawberry

[Annie G]

Boo for shower knob breaking!  But it's usually the same here- I set my weekly goals and then some household repair is needed and my plan is delayed.  Hope you're soon back to taking warm but not scalding showers again!

[Evergreen State Sue]

That's been really hard for dh to overcome.  Things we haven't used for YEARS he wants to keep 'in case' because we've already spent the money to buy it. And I'm calculating how much it's going to cost us to move all this stuff and keep thinking that if we have to rebuy 50% of it (which is wildly overestimating how much we'd want to rebuy) we could with the money saved from moving it.  The man is an engineer- started as an industrial engineer- he KNOWS this. But combining his sentimental side with his 'I've already spent money to buy this' is making it super hard to get rid of stuff. 

 

My dh keeps things just in case, and then he can't find what he needs and ends up buying that missing tool or whatever again!  I'm thinking we could save money just by getting rid of unused things so we can see the things we actually might use!  Anyone else have to buy something you needed because you couldn't find it in the mess?

 

[Annie G]

My dh keeps things just in case, and then he can't find what he needs and ends up buying that missing tool or whatever again!  I'm thinking we could save money just by getting rid of unused things so we can see the things we actually might use!  Anyone else have to buy something you needed because you couldn't find it in the mess?

 

 

When we were knee deep in raising kids, yes, we did rebuy things because we couldn't find what we thought we already had. But now that they are grown, I admit that I clean and organize our workshop and tools and other stuff because dh would totally rebuy stuff if he couldn't find it. I had to train him to ASK me what he's looking for...recent things he needed that he thought we were out of: wood shims, 4d nails, wood glue, spray polyurethane, wood filler, and Brasso.  This is just in the last two weeks!  

 

We have plenty of space for our stuff, but we still need to get rid of unused stuff. But organizing it is super important. I love dh and he has a ton of skills but he is not organized. So I keep us organized and it saves us money and time.  

 

If I can only convince him to get rid of stuff we don't need....

[Storygirl]

I didn't make much progress last week. I had six meetings/appointments to attend in five days, including two IEP meetings for my kids with LDs. Followed by a busy weekend of activities and homework for the kids. So no wonder!

 

My plan for the weekend was to supervise the kids as they cleaned out their toy closet in the basement. That will have to happen this next weekend instead. Now that they are all tweens and teens, they don't play with many of their toys, but they are still reluctant to part with them. I don't know if it was this thread or another, but someone suggested buying old toys back from your kids, which might be a strategy to try. My kids never have money, so that might inspire them. Of course, then they will pester me to take them out to buy new toys!

 

I set April 1 as my decluttering goal date, but I think I'll need to change that to a later date. We're going out of town for almost a week this month, and I'll have to spend a fair amount of time getting ready to go and packing. I decided that instead of pulling out the summer clothing and sorting through to find things to pack, I would buy the kids some new t-shirts. Which is the opposite of decluttering! But it will make things easier for me, and they are shirts they can wear all summer.

 

We just moved two years ago, but we brought many things that we have just stashed in storage and not used since. One of my stumbling blocks with organizing is that it makes more of a mess before it gets better. Which triggers anxiety for me.

 

Today my organizing goal is to decide what I will tackle this week. I'll be out of the house all afternoon, so I won't be here to take on a task today, but I can use my time driving in the car to think through my plans.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Storygirl

[historically accurate]

I took 9-10 books to a local Little Free Library yesterday.  Only brought 2 home, and those will go right back after I read them.

 

Also threw away approximately 2 garbage bags full of old junk, and identified some more clothes for donation to the local hunger nonprofit.

 

What a great idea to get rid of books. I've been donating to the library, but then we go to the library sale and one of my kids will inevitably buy back our own book. 

 

My kids' assigned school has a little free library in front of it. I think the picture books will be going there (my youngest is 10 as of yesterday).

[DawnM]

My dh keeps things just in case, and then he can't find what he needs and ends up buying that missing tool or whatever again!  I'm thinking we could save money just by getting rid of unused things so we can see the things we actually might use!  Anyone else have to buy something you needed because you couldn't find it in the mess?

 

 

That would be ME......sigh.  But it is getting better.

[Garga]

I'm in a weird place where the stuff left to declutter is big and/or broken. Like, big broken floor lamps in the basement. Can't donate them to goodwill and the trash won't pick them up. I've already gotten rid of 90% of the usual clutter. It's just these big items that are living in my basement/garage/screened in back porch.

 

In Maryland, there were dumps. You would drive your truck or car to the dump and pay some sort of fee and they'd take the stuff. That's not the case here in PA. I honestly don't know how to get rid of biggish items like broken chairs and lamps and things. I think we can call our trash pickup people and sort something out, but it's a hassle. (The local guy who owns the company is a big grouch.)

 

We're considering getting a little dumpster that we fill up and someone takes away. There are so many odds and ends of broken things that have piled up over the past 14 years living in a state without dumps you can drive up to. We haven't known what to do with the stuff. (Broken treadmill, broken plastic outdoor chair, broken changing table...)

 

If we could get rid of that, what a relief! I think in the spring I'll work on figuring out how to get a dumpter for the driveway, and also how to get some strong people to get the stuff out of the basement. DH has neck problems and I can't lift some of the stuff alone.

Edited March 6, 2017 by Garga

[ksr5377]

I'm in a weird place where the stuff left to declutter is big and/or broken. Like, big broken floor lamps in the basement. Can't donate them to goodwill and the trash won't pick them up. I've already gotten rid of 90% of the usual clutter. It's just these big items that are living in my basement/garage/screened in back porch.

 

In Maryland, there were dumps. You would drive your truck or car to the dump and pay some sort of fee and they'd take the stuff. That's not the case here in PA. I honestly don't know how to get rid of biggish items like broken chairs and lamps and things. I think we can call our trash pickup people and sort something out, but it's a hassle. (The local guy who owns the company is a big grouch.)

 

We're considering getting a little dumpster that we fill up and someone takes away. There are so many odds and ends of broken things that have piled up over the past 14 years living in a state without dumps you can drive up to. We haven't known what to do with the stuff. (Broken treadmill, broken plastic outdoor chair, broken changing table...)

 

If we could get rid of that, what a relief! I think in the spring I'll work on figuring out how to get a dumpter for the driveway, and also how to get some strong people to get the stuff out of the basement. DH has neck problems and I can't lift some of the stuff alone.

 

We got a small dumpster when we were doing a small bathroom renovation, but that hardly filled it.  I then filled it was so many random things from around the house and garage. Broken 5 gallon bucket, old mop, broken TV etc etc.  We had it for about a week and I was constantly looking for things to fill it with.  I think getting a dumpster is a great idea!

[DawnM]

We got a small dumpster when we were doing a small bathroom renovation, but that hardly filled it.  I then filled it was so many random things from around the house and garage. Broken 5 gallon bucket, old mop, broken TV etc etc.  We had it for about a week and I was constantly looking for things to fill it with.  I think getting a dumpster is a great idea!

 

 

How much was it?  What I am seeing here is around $400 for 10 days of rental.   That is a huge expense to get rid of stuff IMO.

[Storygirl]

A little update -- I had a little time to spare before I had to leave the house for the afternoon, so I cleaned out my sock drawer. A made a pile of socks that are still good but that I don't wear any more. The girls can look through them to take any that they want, and I'll get rid of the rest. The socks that weren't worth keeping are in the trash.

 

Just a little job, but I feel good about it! And I'll keep appreciating it whenever I open my drawer to get a pair of socks, because I will no longer have to sift through a mess to find the ones I want.

 

 

Edited March 6, 2017 by Storygirl