2013 Declutter & Organize Thread[{locked}]

[Saving4Norway]

Jan 16, 2013 22:18:28 GMT -5 startsmart said:

This Week:
Sand the ENTIRE guest room ceiling until it's smooth
Patch rough spots on the ceiling
Sand again
Dust off the fan, the ceiling, walls
Take down the AC vent and clean it (repaint or replace)
Buy 2 gallons of ceiling paint at Home Depot
Pick up a new vent so I can...
Replace the AC vent in the main bathroom
Buy a new MDF shelf to replace the bathroom shelf that's broken
Paint the guest room ceiling
Touch up blue wall paint
Clean the fan blades
Clean up the drop cloths
Steam clean the guest room carpet 100%
Clean the guest room blinds
Wash the window
Re-hang the blinds
Rotate the guest room bed frame
Move in the bookshelves and restock
Move in the file cabinet
Wash the curtains
Rehang the curtains
Rehang the lights
Bring in the mattresses and remake the bed
Rehang the pictures and mirror

THEN I can:
Catch up on laundry
Sort box of clothes in the guest room (donate/consign/keep)
Call consignment shop to find out what season they're taking
Go through hallway and consign 3 jackets/vests
Iron and hang up clothes going to consignment
Add 10 DVDs to trade-in on Amazon
Finish sanding and spray painting bench "arms"
Flip bench frame and sand/spray paint the bottom bars
Re-hang cabinet doors in the bathroom - halfway done
Paint 5 more cabinets in the bathroom and add vinyl
Replace the last shelf in the bathroom cabinet - paint and add vinyl
Find all pictures (closets, baskets) and do a major sort
Send all family pictures home with Mom
Organize my photos into scanned/not scanned
Check my stock of paint leftover from projects and find a better way to store it in smaller cans
Trade in books in Sacramento

SLEEP

Friggin' over-achiever. 


Yea, yea, yea, I'm full of bologna - the truth is - I think she's awesome, I'm just jealous.

[startsmart]

norway - the weird thing is I've felt stuck all week until tonight. Bad cramps + bad nights of sleep wiped out all my energy. So now just cleaning up in the guest room so I can get that room put back in order before my parents arrive in, oh, 48 hours!

After I finished painting the ceiling and started cleaning up all the dust, I noticed that the baseboards had not been caulked yet so I'm hauling out the gun and cleaning those up tonight so they can dry over night. I cannot WAIT to be done so I can air out the house. The dust from the ceiling has tracked everywhere so my office is dusty, the living room is dusty, the hallway is a mess. Oy vey.

The ceiling didn't turn out great, there are a lot of little bumps and it's not as smooth as I would like but it's an improvement! I don't even want to talk about crown molding just yet because the idea of another thing to buy, paint, cut and install makes me want to cry big dramatic tears!

okay, enough whining, back to work

[sbcalimom]

The last few days have been a HUGE battle in my house with DD1. She's suddenly decided to morph into a little demon child that doesn't listen to anything. Needless to say, all my energy has been taken up by that battle and trying to keep my head above water with work. I haven't gotten to declutter or organize but I did at least get the DVDs for Amazon mailed off and a return I had that needed to be mailed off also got dropped off! So I consider that a big win since both will get rid of stuff and bring in some $$.

[startsmart]

sbcalimom- hang in there. if all else fails turn the crib upside down and create a cage let me know if there's anything I can help you with on the client side since I don't live close enough to babysit anymore.

Updated the list again but I won't repost it on this page since it's so long I might have energy in the morning to clean the mini blinds.

First priority for Thursday is treating the wood on the headboard and moving at least one bookshelf into the guest room. I can't wait to have my living room back!

[Wisconsin Beth]

I did a load of laundry and cleaned the kitchen, including scrubbing the stove top. Vacuumed it too and swept the living room.

I think it's time for the coffee table to come back to the living room and the little kid table can go in the basement.

I don't think anything is getting done tonight (well, maybe laundry because that's daily, basically.) The kids tag teamed me this morning. I've been up with one or the other since 3:30am. So we're all having early bedtime tonight.

[WholeLottaNothin]

I got a little bit done last night, not as much as I'd have liked but oh well.

I am at 78/2013

[sheilaincali]

Last night DH and I got our bedroom updated-  I had bought new sheets, bedskit, down comforter, duvet cover, etc for our bed.  Finally got them on last night and have the others items being washed today so they can be donated to GW. 

Didn't get a whole heck of a lot else done last night. Tonight I am only going to go to dinner with my friend so I should be home at a decent time.  Hoping to catch DH and get him to go through the pots and pans cupboards with me tonight.  Because if we don't tackle it tonight our next chance will be Sunday.

Today:
Mail out DVD (sold on ebay)
Fold the laundry that DH is supposed to wash and dry today
pack up old bedding so it can go to goodwill
purchase paint for the master bathroom
GO THROUGH THE POTS AND PANS (I caps because this one I really need to do).  Is really two full cupboards and the doors on the one barely close the darn thing is so full.  Too many old pots and pans that we no longer use and need to go bye bye.

[moosmommy]

Okay I have a quick question. For the 2013 challenge what exactly do we count? I have been counting clothes, household items and toys. Should I be counting the papers I shred or through away?

[sheilaincali]

moosymommy- I don't count paper because that's just way too many individual items. I did count each individual magazine that DH agreed to donate/get rid off because those had been taking up space for ever.
So far I have counted- clothes, books, magazines, the remotes and receivers I set back, dvd's, items donated to goodwill, etc.

This weekend I will add the paint cans that have been cluttering the garage (and are finally dry enough that we can throw them in the trash - as per Waste Management), any pots and pans that we either throw out or donate.

I consider junk mail part of my regular weekly garbage so I don't count it.

Hope that helps. I think we are basically all making up our own rules. If paper is the biggest mess you have then I guess you could figure out a way to count that like 1 item for the old bankstatements you shred or one item per folder you empty? maybe? I don't know.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I don't count the junk mail either but I will be counting the shredding I do - not per piece but more like 3 bags of shredded paper out, something like that.

[startsmart]

oh I'm tired today! I have a 4 hour client block that starts in a few hours so I think before then I need coffee, a shower, to wash the blinds, and lunch. Ambitious, I know

[Waffle]

I'm tired - so I probably won't be doing a lot tonight, but I still have a little list.

Go to Post Office (trip I didn't make yesterday)
Enter YTD ebay sales into the 2013 spreadsheet - the plan is to stay current with sales this year instead of letting months of info pile up.
Remove things from the Ebay room that don't belong there (I know for example, that I've got dvds and vhs tapes in there, that need to be put away)
1 load of laundry
I'd love to add some more things to my eBay store, but I think I might be too tired to write the listings, we'll see.

[Deleted]

No change in the basement, we both worked today. But I had book club tonight so I got the old books out of my car and into my friend's car!

[moosmommy]

85/2013-Not going to get much done tonight. Powers on and off from snow. Took me two hours to get home from work instead of the usual 40 minutes

[startsmart]

I am sooo out of the loop on news of the nation. Where's the big snow storm happening? It's sunny and cold here in California so I'm loving it

Finally made major progress on the house tonight. Guest room is once again in decent condition and I'm just working on all the little side stuff. Like boxes of legos! I did a little more steam cleaning tonight (last part of the guest room and living room rug) but my bedroom really needs to be done too. I'll be back sleeping in there tonight and it'll be nice to have the dogs sleeping in their cages, not on me

Tomorrow my parents may be up in the evening so I still need to clean off the kitchen table, put away stuff in the guest bathroom, sweep and mop the hallway and make some soup.

[startsmart]

Talked to Mom tonight and apparently my dad is "borrowing" my car on Saturday but wasn't going to mention it until he arrived. Silly Dad. So I need to clean that out before they arrive. Updated list:

This Week:
Sand the ENTIRE guest room ceiling until it's smooth
Patch rough spots on the ceiling
Sand again
Dust off the fan, the ceiling, walls
Take down the AC vent and clean it (repaint or replace)
Buy 2 gallons of ceiling paint at Home Depot
Pick up a new vent so I can...
Replace the AC vent in the main bathroom
Paint the ceiling in the main bathroom
Buy a new MDF shelf to replace the bathroom shelf that's broken
Paint the guest room ceiling
Touch up blue wall paint
Clean the fan blades
Caulk the seams of the baseboards - about 1/4 done b/c I ran out of caulk
Clean up the drop cloths - moved outside and beaten once. still need to run through washer
Steam clean the guest room carpet 100%
Clean the guest room blinds
Wash the window
Re-hang the blind
Rotate the guest room bed frame
Move in the bookshelves and restock
Move in the file cabinet
Wash the curtains
Rehang the curtains
Rehang the lights
Bring in the mattresses and remake the bed
Rehang the pictures and mirror
Sweep and mop the hallway
Sweep and mop the kitchen/dining
Steam clean the living room
Steam clean the master bedroom
Clean out my car

THEN I can:
Catch up on laundry - working on it
Sort box of clothes in the guest room (donate/consign/keep)
Call consignment shop to find out what season they're taking
Go through hallway and consign 3 jackets/vests
Iron and hang up clothes going to consignment
Add 10 DVDs to trade-in on Amazon
Finish sanding and spray painting bench "arms"
Flip bench frame and sand/spray paint the bottom bars
Re-hang cabinet doors in the bathroom - one more to do
Paint 5 more cabinets in the bathroom and add vinyl
Replace the last shelf in the bathroom cabinet - paint and add vinyl
Find all pictures (closets, baskets) and do a major sort
Send all family pictures home with Mom
Organize my photos into scanned/not scanned
Check my stock of paint leftover from projects and find a better way to store it in smaller cans
Trade in books in Sacramento

SLEEP


Okay, off to put away a load of laundry so I can sleep. Early morning interview that I have to be ready for bright and early!

[Deleted]

Start is back in action LOL!

I just did something that makes me very happy! As you know DS1's bedroom is next door to the storage room. DH gave DS1 his old English dresser years ago, but kept use of the bottom drawer for DH's (unused) art supplies. I just put them in a box on the basement shelves, and now DS1 has use of the entire dresser!

It's the little things lol. I'm still waiting for DH to help me finish us the last two shelves, hopefully today.

[ners]

Well here is my list for Friday
1. Wash dishes
2. Wash bathroom floor


I am thinking about trying to throw out 2013 things.

Very slow start 1/2013

[constanz22]

Jan 17, 2013 10:31:59 GMT -5 moosmommy said:

You can count ANYTHING you want! Really, it's just a way to help you/us start getting that clutter out if our life, no matter what it may be! One of the other groups I'm on that's doing it, some people even count "digital clutter" (getting rid of emails). I admit, I almost never delete emails and probably have over 20,000 in my yahoo account, and it doesn't really bother me. I could get 2013 in an hour if I chose to count that, but, it's the clutter in my house that I need to focus on. Everyone is different. There are no "rules" for the 2013 in 2013. You make your own!

Someone else asked about mail/paper. I haven't counted it by piece yet. I have a paper grocery bag that I try to throw junk mail in and so far have counted it by bag when it goes to recycling. But, I may start counting the piece. Mail/paper clutter is a BIG issue for me. I never deal with it. When I moved 5 years ago, I had no less than 10-12 BIG tubs and boxes of old mail and paperwork. I had to go through every blasted one because I refused to move them. I had moved everything out of my house, but hadn't closed yet and I was there for DAYS sitting in the one chair in an empty house, sorting through mounds and mounds of old mail and paperwork. It HAD to be done, even though 99% of it was trash. I filled less than one tub that was important stuff I needed. And I'm doing the same thing here. I get sick of looking at the piles, or need to "clean up" when people are coming over, so I throw it all in a box and throw the box in my spare bedroom. Then I NEVER LOOK AT IT AGAIN until I need something, which is almost never. I'm sure there are 2-3 tubs in there now that need to be dealt with....

It's been a rough week here, didn't get anything done really. I've slept horribly all week. I got a few things out of the house. I will think about my to-do list for the weekend and post later. I've had major issues with the site since the upgrade. Can't use it at all at work now

[Deleted]

Constanz crazy thought maybe but do you have a close friend with the same problem? Tubs of mail are transportable. Maybe you could watch a film with a friend and both go through your mail? Or have a "junk mail clean out" and go out to dinner afterwards?

DH's half of the basement is FINALLY DONE!!! OMG I am SO happy and relieved!!! It took us nine days from beginning to end!

[dogmom]

Debt, that's HUGE! I really wish they would have kept the karmas...I'd send you a dozen for that! Congratulations.

[Deleted]

DS1 wanted to get rid of a set of shelves I like because he bought furniture in the Stans. So I replaced an Ikea shoe rack on our basement landing with those shelves, and I replaced DS1's smaller Ikea shoe rack with ours.

So I saved those shelves, and now both basement landings have an extra shelf for shoes. Win win!

[sheilaincali]

Debt- Congrats on finishing DH's half of the basement !!!!!!!!

[sheilaincali]

Yesterday's List: 
Mail out DVD (sold on ebay)
Fold the laundry that DH is supposed to wash and dry today
pack up old bedding so it can go to goodwill
purchase paint for the master bathroom
GO THROUGH THE POTS AND PANS

Didn't have time to get the paint- which isn't a huge deal since DH won't be painting until next week so we'll try to pick that up tomorrow before DH's tournament.  Same with the pots and pans cupboard. His tournament doesn't start until 11 and it's in town so he won't have to leave our house until 10:45. 

Thinking of canceling on the friends that want us to come to a party tonight.  DS has a big Shakespear video project due next week and he has a group of friends coming over today after school to work on it.  They get out at 1pm today because they have finals today but who knows how long it will take them to "strategize" before they get to the actual filming of their scene.

[Deleted]

Thank you Dogmom and Sheila! I wish we still had K too lol.

Sheila, that project sounds like fun!

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jan 17, 2013 14:43:26 GMT -5 Waffle said:

I'd love to add some more things to my eBay store, but I think I might be too tired to write the listings, we'll see.

What kinds of things to you sell in your eBay store?  And how did you start?  And do eBay stores buy consignments or lots from people and sell them?  DH has a crapload of 1970s Star Wars stuff and Johnny West stuff.  Neither of us really wants to set up an eBay store, we don't really want the stuff and we know there's "some" value there so we can't just toss it.  I did a tiny big of research into online auctions when I first started dealing with my comics.  

[sheilaincali]

Debt-  They picked the scene from Romeo and Juliet in which Romeo kills Tybalt after he kills Mercutio (or the other way around I don't remember).  So DS is Mercutio, his little female friend is Tybalt and another kid is Romeo.  I can't remember who the other girl is playing.  Anywho.  It's due on Wednesday.  So today is film the scene at the local nature park (fortunately it's supposed to be in the 40s today) and then Monday since they have the day off from school they will do the editing and add music and sound effects. The teacher is letting them do whatever they want and that's what they picked.

Proud mom moment.  So Megan and Lucas were explaining the project to the teacher and she was all "That's sounds pretty ambitous are you sure you can do it?  Who else is in your group?"  They said "Stephen" (who's my son) and the teacher said "Oh, you'll be fine then" 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Way to go Debt! Make sure you give your H a big hug for busting though it, with your excellent help.

Did nothing last night but chase kids back to bed, repeatedly. DH took over at 2am when DS was wandering around the house.

Not sure what we'll get done this weekend. DH has to work all day Sat, and I'm taking the kids to a v-ball tourney. We'll see how that goes. Sun. I have to work for a couple of hours. I really need to deal with the kid paperwork I was complaining about earlier. It's taking over the kitchen table, the top of the CD/DVD rack AND a shelf in the china hutch I'm using as a curio cabinet....

[moosmommy]

Smart - I live in TN and we got about 5 in. We do not get snow a lot so no one is ever prepared lol. Didn't go to work today because if the black ice. Hopefully will get some stuff done here.

[Deleted]

Sheila he really sounds like a fantastic kid! It's incredible what some kids can manage to do these days. The other two are lucky to be in his group lol.

Beth, DH definitely deserves a big hug (he's already gotten several and he'll get more)! Can you put the artwork all in one box / drawer / shelf for now until you decide on a plan?

I have two more bags for Goodwill in the car. I will drop them off at some point this weekend. Other than that, I'm taking the weekend off from decluttering! I may try to do some paperwork, we'll see.