2015 Declutter and Get Organized Thread

[Martivir]

I have a question about old bras. I gained a fair bit of weight and ended up going up in bra size. The gain didn't last that long( I started anxiety meds) and now I have a few great condition bras that I'm getting rid of. Should I donate them? Or just toss? 

And somehow my plan of doing nothing decluttering wise turned into me cleaning out my dresser. Two grocery bags of clothes gone. And for some reason I had DS's clothes in with mine. I can see the socks because the kid has big feet and we had a similar style. But his shirts?

[sp08]

I would toss the bras.  Donating underwear just seems wrong, even though a good bra can be so expensive.

We just went through 2 more boxes.  This is becoming obsessive.  I can't believe the crap we've been storing.  I also can't believe how good it feels to purge. 

[Malarky]

About the bras...women's shelters would be a great place to donate gently used bras.  They'd be going to people who might have run without anything but the clothing on their back.

You should be able find out where to donate through either the local police or hospital.

[Deleted]

Tomorrow is my last day off before going back to work on Tues so I've got a lot of appts.

- coffee date (work) 11 am
- lunch date 1 pm
- dentist 5 pm
- vet Tues 6 pm

Bunny needs his nails cut so I'll call the vet first thing tomorrow morning. I'm hoping to get an appt for Mon or Tues.  

[Saving4Norway]

Jan 4, 2015 15:02:16 GMT -5 Martivir said:

I have a question about old bras. I gained a fair bit of weight and ended up going up in bra size. The gain didn't last that long( I started anxiety meds) and now I have a few great condition bras that I'm getting rid of. Should I donate them? Or just toss? 

And somehow my plan of doing nothing decluttering wise turned into me cleaning out my dresser. Two grocery bags of clothes gone. And for some reason I had DS's clothes in with mine. I can see the socks because the kid has big feet and we had a similar style. But his shirts?

The thrift store I volunteer at would certainly take them. Especially since they're in good condition. If they don't sell in a few months they get re-donated to the Clothing Bank that's part of the same Ministry.

[Deleted]

I spent a LOT of time on the phone and on email today, but I decluttered a HUGE problem that was taking up a LOT of space in my head! 

My DS3 goes to a school about 25m away. We have a carpool to the bus stop that gets the kids to school for 8 am classes (we also have a local bus, but that one gets the kids there for 9 am). In Sept there were 4 families in the carpool, then one family moved in late Nov and another dropped out right before Xmas. So there were only 2 families, and the mom in the other family travels A LOT. I have to get my train (in the opposite direction) at the same time the kids have to be at the bus stop.  

So we both told our kids, well, you'll need to take the train half the time, but that train line is VERY unreliable. So DS3 found somebody who lives just a block away from the other family, so now we are 3 families again! The new mom has been doing it on her own for 5 years, so she is absolutely thrilled too! It is SUCH a huge relief for us!!!

[Deleted]

I would donate the bras too, Martivir. I know where I donate, if they don't want certain clothes, they sell them per pound to a group that recycles the fabric. 

[dakota4600]

Hi everyone!  I want to join the organization fun for this year!  I haven't been active on the boards for a while, but have missed the community. 

We are off to a good start, so far I've gone through 2014 papers and shredded 2013.
Cleaned out my closet
Cleaned up DS room
Cleaned out the hall closet (I lose lots of gloves I've discovered)
Got a storage rack for the basement room , so I can begin to organize it.  We moved in over 2 years ago and it is still a mess.

I'm not counting items, just shooting for 15 mins of organizing a day at minimum.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I tossed a bunch of junk from the basement on Friday.  Crushed all the soda/beer cans too.  Re-arranged some stuff in the furnace room so we can see the drip spots better.  And loaded a couple of things into my van to go to Mom's house.  She's doing a Goodwill run soon and willing to add my bits and pieces to it, if the neighbors don't want any of it (there's a small amount of kid crap in there.)  Trash and recycling bins are both full now.  So of course it snowed on Sat. and Sun. so DPW plowed and salted, which means trash and recycling pickups will be delayed. 

Got DH to agree that we do need to do something about the leaks as there are 2 distinct problem areas.  One is from the tub piping.  The 2nd is (I think) more leaking from the kids overflowing the tub, finding the lowest point of the bathroom floor and seeping though. 

Started taking down Christmas stuff and putting the rest of the kid toys in their rooms.  Need to find some space for what I'm calling 'activity toys' for DD in her room.  For now, the boxes are on the floor. 

Tree is still up and decorated.  I'm going to start on that tonight I think.  I've also saved 2-4 sturdier boxes to exchange with a less sturdy box of Christmas decorations.  And I'm going to put the Halloween stuff in 1 of those boxes too.  I'd rather have a plastic tub/bin but this is what I've got right now. 

Also waded though the leftover Halloween/St. Nick/Christmas candy with the "help" of my 5 year old.    I brought a 1 gallon ziplock bag full of candy to work for the dispatchers.  We've got almost that much at home still, with the stuff Cabe wanted to keep.  He'll forget about it in a couple of days. 

I'm not sure if I'm going to do a count or not but I'd guess I'm at 25 items out on Friday. 

[Wisconsin Beth]

Jan 4, 2015 15:02:16 GMT -5 Martivir said:

I have a question about old bras. I gained a fair bit of weight and ended up going up in bra size. The gain didn't last that long( I started anxiety meds) and now I have a few great condition bras that I'm getting rid of. Should I donate them? Or just toss? 

And somehow my plan of doing nothing decluttering wise turned into me cleaning out my dresser. Two grocery bags of clothes gone. And for some reason I had DS's clothes in with mine. I can see the socks because the kid has big feet and we had a similar style. But his shirts?

A well endowed friend would buy bras, decide after 1-2 wearings that she didn't like them (comfort, color or style issues) and would sell them at her rummage sales.  There were among the first things to go.  So if they've been VERY gently used, I'd donate them or rummage sale them.  But there's a fine line between VERY gently used bras and the ick factor. 

My son has outgrown his size 6 pants when I wasn't looking.  So I need to arrange some sitting so I can hit Kohls and get him a bunch of sweat type pants.  And look for a new 6 muffin pan.  We did an egg thing at Christmas for DH in ours and that egg mixture stuck like cement to the sides, even though it was Teflon! 

[Deleted]

Dh and I are downsizing this year and, while we made a good start at pitching/donating/selling, that vague deadline of "sometime after the first of the year" is here if we want to get the house on the market in the spring.

Late last year I scraped the "popcorn" texture off the last 2 rooms that had it, as well as the entranceway. It's still in a couple of areas with cathedral ceilings and there it will stay. I don't do ladders that high.  DH is 76 so he doesn't, either.  As of yesterday, the one room (my office) is done; smooth, gleaming white ceilings and a fresh coat of white on the walls.  The hardest part, I swear, was cleaning up all the dust.  Today I'm working on finishing up painting a small bathroom white; I'd whimsically painted it a deep blue and the realtor says that has to go.  Big pain; multiple coats of white.  If there's time today I plan to start painting the ceiling of the guest BR, too. 

Over the last few weeks I got rid of 2 FitBit Zips plus multiple accessories on e-Bay.  There's a little tiny USB "dongle" you use to upload workouts to a computer and we had 5 extras (every time we replaced a FitBit we got all the accessories we didn't need) and they've sold for $14-$18 each on e-Bay.  A case went for $15.  It won't pay the mortgage but it feels like free money to me!

And now I'm going to attack some tax paperwork.

[tcu2003]

I got 3 more boxes unpacked in our office/scrapbook room yesterday. We also bought some storage totes for Christmas decorations instead of the cardboard boxes everything has been stored in, so DH was working on transferring everything over to those.

[startsmart]

athena - I've done those popcorn ceilings too and you're right, the dust is the worst! I did my cathedral ceilings (12' at the peak) in the living room last year and am so glad it's done. Are you using a primer on the bathroom walls? I just painted my house much, much lighter than before and a good primer is essential to covering those dark colors. 

Well, I didn't get the garden pots and such sorted much, it's too dang cold in the garage. I did fill up a tub with costumes for the dogs   and they got so excited when I pulled them out. There's a ton of stuff around the living room that I need to clean up, especially since I picked up a few canvases and started painting last night. 

Today's goals: 
clean the kitchen and put away all the dishes
fold and put away the clean laundry
clear the kitchen table


Mom is coming up to swap cars (since I've had the truck all week) and so I need to get more wood at Home Depot before she arrives and finish steam cleaning so she can take that home. Also, put the handle back on the guest room door...
'

[Deleted]

Jan 5, 2015 13:45:47 GMT -5 startsmart said:

Are you using a primer on the bathroom walls? I just painted my house much, much lighter than before and a good primer is essential to covering those dark colors. 

Yes, and it's still going to need more than the primer + 1 coat in places although it's looking much better. No more dark colors ever again!

[Sam_2.0]

Big Brothers/Big Sisters of KC is the charity winner! First place to send me a postcard so I am scheduling my pickup now. They will give me a receipt, so I am guessing all I need to do is inventory everything first? And take a pic too (love that suggestion - thanks!!)

[Wisconsin Beth]

I might be asking about paints that guarantee/promise coverage of dark paints with one coat - so you can get a refund for it not working! 

[Chocolate Lover]

Rule of thumb the charity my mom works for uses on donated bras, if the tag still looks new, they'll sell it. I've gotten a few from them, I'm one of those extra blessed folks who could spend a small fortune on supportive ones, so when a huge one came in Mom would set it aside and check with me. lol

[sp08]

Hit a snag...need help!  So we were making great progress on cleaning the basement.  Did 6 more boxes tonight.  But...now we are down to boxes of china and silver from parents/grandparents.  Not our style, no place to store it, but can't get beyond some stupid mental anguish.  This is probably how people become hoarders.  How do I work this out of my system. Although this stuff means nothing to me, I feel so bad "discarding" pieces that meant something to loved ones now gone.  Uughhh

[busymom]

sp08, could you keep one piece from each set, & either sell or give the rest away?  I agree that sometimes it's difficult to give up a memory.

Working on a box in the basement, I'd found a box of stuff my Dad had cleaned out of my Grandma's house.  I'm thinking I'll offer some of it up to my Cousins, to "keep it in the family".

[sp08]

I would love to offer some to family, but we have none.    That's how it all ended up with us.  You hit the nail on the head - it is giving up the memory.  I am trying to convince myself the memory is in our heart, not in the object.  But apparently it is not that simple.

[Jaguar]

When my mum died and all my siblings were arguing over her stuff, I was asked why I wasn't arguing with them. My response was simple "the greatest gift that mum gave me was my life, no material item can compare to that".

I let them have it all.

[kjto1]

Jan 5, 2015 20:32:57 GMT -5 sp08 said:

I would love to offer some to family, but we have none.    That's how it all ended up with us.  You hit the nail on the head - it is giving up the memory.  I am trying to convince myself the memory is in our heart, not in the object.  But apparently it is not that simple.

Would you be able to part with it if you took a picture of it?

[Sam_2.0]

Sp08 - what if you sold it, and donated the money to a cause that was special to your family members in their honor?

[dakota4600]

Good to know about the bras, I have some that just don't fit me right, so I might just toss them in the donate pile.

Sp08-  That is tough.  Are there any pcs that you could incorporate into home to display them.  If not, I'm sure your parents/grandparents would prefer that the articles be used (even if not by family) than sit in a box in your basement.  They might become another family's heirlooms.  Be sure you check and see if they are collectible so you know what to ask.  Maybe you can buy something more your style to remember them.

We do take in everyone's cast offs, but only if we like it and can actually use it.  I'm sitting surrounded by my grandpa's leather recliner, my MIL's parents buffet, my FIL's parents bookcase and dining room set.  Our guest room has the brass bed and amoire that was in my grandparents guest room, where I always slept.  What we don't take are knick knacks (my grandma has a huge Hummell collection), Silver (we won't ever polish it) and anything else that will collect dust.  I was offered my grandma's everyday dishes, but they don't fit our lifestyle, way too formal and we have a 6 year old boy.   If he breaks what we have, not a big deal.

I have 2 collections I need to go through and decide what can be displayed somewhere and get rid of the rest.  

Tonight was productive for me.  I've joined a FB group called declutter 365 and this week's mission is to clean up the kitchen counter and sink.  I started on it, but that is pretty tough.  

I did empty a tub of bathroom stuff from when we remodeled our master bathroom about a year ago!  then I cleaned out the drawers of the vanity in our bedroom.  Found our wedding program and some napkins with our names and wedding date.  My give a way pile is growning.  I'm staging it all by the piano, because that is the biggest thing that is going away!  It is a beautiful old piano, but when i've called restoration companies, they won't even try to restore it because it wasn't well made 100+ years ago and they couldn't guarantee it would stay in tune and quoted over $5K to do the work. So DH has agreed it will go.  We have an electronic piano, not a keyboard, that we can put in its place.

[stillmovingforward]

I LOVE Sam814's idea. I don't have family beyond my 5 kids and my mom. None of the few past family members saved anything so I'm not faced with many 'family special' items. I know my dad would have loved this idea though!

Mom already got rid of most of her items when she downsized from a huge house to her apartment. She's in 600 square feet. I read some of the stories here about cleaning up after parents and I go over to her place, look around, and give her a big HUG and a THANK YOU! For caring enough about me and my kids to do this.

Cute story:
I was cleaning kitchen cabinets tonight. DS2 walks in: "what are you doing mom?" Me: "cleaning the cabinet" DS2: "why" Me: "because it bugs me" DS2: "way to debug mom!" And wanders out as only a teenager can. Mind you, he is a jock, not a geek (I've got one of those too!).

So, I have a total of 6 kitchen cabinets de-cluttered. Only 12 cabinets and 18 drawers to go! I think I'll do the bathroom in February. It only has 1 cabinet!

[startsmart]

sp08- I'd take some pictures or keep a single piece like a bowl or creamer that you like and sell the rest. Remember that your family would want you to have things that you love and appreciate. 

One of the questions I really like is "what are you holding onto?" and it's such a good question. Like all the scrapbook stuff I have because "someday" I'm going to have a thrilling life with tons of free time to document it all in 12x12 books.... I really need to sell it all. 

I too have a whole set of China I need to sell. This year is the year, for sure. I'm just certain that it'll all get smashed to pieces if we have an earthquake over 5.0 and I'll lose it all.

Still need to do the laundry tonight but the dishes are just about done  

[plugginaway22]

Regarding dishes:  DHs mom left us his Grandmas set of china from the 30s-40s?  Knew it had value, so just put it in basement bins all the years raising 3 kids.
When DD2 first saw it in her early 20s she went crazy for it!  So now we are holding it for when she has a real place to store it.  Glad we held onto it!

[Wisconsin Beth]

Ok, I've got a task for tonight.  Go though all the blankets in the basement toy boxes.  We have a lot of baby/smaller sized blankets and afghans.  Work is doing a homeless blanket drive and will redistribute blankets rec'd to several different agencies.  So I'm going to pack up some of them and bring them in.  I've been trying to figure out how to donate some of these for a while. 

[startsmart]

I am still working on the living room and started a new box for donation last night. I'm thinking of using the dozens of boxes in the garage as storage for my craft stuff in the guest room. That will help clear off the kitchen table of projects. 

Unfortunately, I can't really go anywhere until Thursday because the truck I've borrowed is low on gas and I can't get the caps off the gas tanks (yes, there are 2). After struggling with it for 20 minutes I said "screw it" and went home where I shall remain. At least gas prices are going down so it shouldn't take $60 to refill the truck for my parents. 

Revised list: 
Clear off and wipe down all the kitchen counters
Wash and put away all dishes
Scrub the sink
Fold and put away clean clothes
put away projects on kitchen table until the weekend
put away extra bags/purses
Make up my bed
Put away DVDs
Shred one bag of paper for recycling
Put out as much cardboard in the trash as possible

[kittensaver]

Coming out of lurkdom here to share this article:

www.houselogic.com/blog/home-improvement/clutter-depression/#.

I'd like to get rid of 2015 things - but I don't think I actually have that many! But I do have *some* clutter that I feel holds me back sometimes (that's why this article spoke to me).

Does junk mail count? If it does, I could probably easily reach 2015 items . . . .