2015 Declutter and Get Organized Thread

[Deleted]

Busy why are you leaving town?! I hope it's only to take your DD to her internship!

I have been in a state of shock with the recent events here, and not doing much besides what I've needed to do. I replaced Bunny's water bottle on Sun and realized on Wed that either he didn't know how to use the new one or he didn't want to know, but THANK GD I listened to DH (the hoarder) and didn't chuck out the old one when when I bought the new one. THANK GD Bunny is fine!

I have kept up with dishes and laundry but otherwise frankly I'm a mess. I worked Tues, I've made it to two rehearsals, had the plumber again, gone to DS3's parent teacher confs, but otherwise, all I do is watch the news. 

My semester starts on Monday so I absolutely need to regroup before then, especially because I have new classes. 

[Angel!]

Glad your bunny is ok debt, that is scary!

Went through a bunch of my clothes in my dresser and closet and added to my donation pile. A lot of what I got rid of was stuff my ex had bought me that I never wore. Not sure why after the first spandex pants that I never wore he thought that I needed 4 more as gifts. Also managed to throw quite a bit of junk out.

I am frustrated because I still feel I am keeping way more than I should. I am just not good at parting with stuff where I can see potential use someday. Or I have sentimental attachment to items, like a shirt my grandma gave me or something.

[Saving4Norway]

Debt, I've been thinking about you non-stop since I heard of the French newspaper shooting... 

[Chocolate Lover]

Jan 9, 2015 0:39:21 GMT -5 Saving4Norway said:

Debt, I've been thinking about you non-stop since I heard of the French newspaper shooting... 

  

[Chocolate Lover]

Jan 9, 2015 0:28:32 GMT -5 Angel! said:

Glad your bunny is ok debt, that is scary!

Went through a bunch of my clothes in my dresser and closet and added to my donation pile. A lot of what I got rid of was stuff my ex had bought me that I never wore. Not sure why after the first spandex pants that I never wore he thought that I needed 4 more as gifts. Also managed to throw quite a bit of junk out.

I am frustrated because I still feel I am keeping way more than I should. I am just not good at parting with stuff where I can see potential use someday. Or I have sentimental attachment to items, like a shirt my grandma gave me or something.

You made a start, it's an improvement. You can revisit stuff later and see if you're over it yet.    Don't ask me how many years I drug old VHS tapes around with me.

[Saving4Norway]

More sad news from France this morning... 

[Jaguar]

@debthaven2 , how are you and yours doing ? I'm so very sorry.

[Deleted]

Hi Sugi. I'm thankful it's finally over but we are devastated by these tragic losses. And unfortunately they think there will be more to come. Thanks for asking. 

[dakota4600]

I haven't done much the last two days, but tonight I cleaned off the kitchen table and microwave. Hopefully tomorrow we will get the trees taken down.

[bobosensei]

I'm getting rid of some extra barware today.  It's been clogging the wine cabinet for a while now, and I just decided that we will never use some of the pieces even for a party.  DH will be glad because it is getting difficult to store what we need.  I regret buying it.

[Angel!]

Cleaned up the kids toy room a bit. Actually got them involved and they picked out some toys they didn't want or need anymore. I was surprised how well that went, so we added to the donation pile.

I am surprised, when I started this 2015 items seemed impossible. Counting what is in the donation pile I'm almost 10% there. I'm sure it will get harder as the year proceeds, but it suddenly seems like a very doable goal.

[busymom]

Hi Kids! What a whirlwind of a day! I took DD shopping to get a few more "career" clothes for her internship. I now believe she has enough to get her through a week without having to do laundry. And, if she does a little mixing & matching with her blouses, she should get a bit of variety with her wardrobe.

I'd planned that today would be the last load of laundry I'd deliver to Mom before leaving town, but, as happens sometimes, her hamper was full, so I'm going to hurry & do her laundry tonight, & deliver it before we leave.  I still have other things to accomplish, so I get the feeling the rest of the weekend is going to fly by.

Go Angel!!  I wasn't sure either back in 2014 that I had that many items to get rid of, but when you've got a lot of things to sort through, it's doable to hit that goal number. 

[Sharon]

I made a perfect trade today.  DD is in town for the weekend and I was procrastinating on cleaning the bathrooms.  That is not my one of my favorite jobs and today I really did not want to do it.  DD was procrastinating on getting her car cleaned out that she is going to put up for sale, so we traded jobs.

I took her car down and got it all vacuumed out and spot cleaned the carpet and she cleaned my bathrooms.  Win-Win for us.  I still think I got the better end of the deal.

[startsmart]

I've just about filled up a container with items for donation, I only need 100 items to donate or throw out in January. Since I finally got my car back I can leave the house - yay! 

Some really huge opportunities are showing up right now which is giving me anxiety and also exciting me. There are some potential major changes to everything from my business, health, maybe a move abroad... I think I need a drink and someone to pinch me! 

So instead of having a mental breakdown I'm slowly organizing my life, starting with the big 2015 projects. Each major project got its own folder and I've been adding notes, measurements and budgeting for everything I want to do. 

Having brunch with a friend tomorrow and I'll be getting a bunch of items out of the house then (some tubs she needs and Christmas gifts). 

debthaven - so glad you and your family are alright. With millions of people in Paris I figured the chances were low but it's so good to hear that you're indeed safe. 

[ilovedolphins]

I don't believe it is already 11 days into the new year and I haven't done anything but recuperate from the holidays. My parents are needing more help so I am not at home as often as I used to be. And I am spending more time at the gym to try and get in shape to take care of my parents.

This morning I did the dishes and put together my new Aerogarden that has been sitting on my kitchen table since after Christmas. Last night I did get the Christmas tree down and put away.  I am washing my bedding and doing other laundry.  I want to at least put 10 items away in my bedroom which currently looks like a hoarder's room.

For the people who count the items they get rid of how do you count them - say as piles of paper?  I need to start counting so it makes me feel as if I am gaining some ground.

[Sharon]

I have done some minimal decluttering but my house overall is looking cleaner and nicer.  The shite pile in the kitchen is being kept under control, the newspapers are being dealt with every day.  If I can keep the overall house looking nice maybe then I can deal with what is lurking in the drawers, cupboards, attic, garage etc.

[busymom]

Ok, well at least my clothes are packed.   I'm just taking a small bag, since I'm not "dressing to impress" on this trip.  I'll probably have to dress a little nicer in the Spring when I pick DD up again.

Please pray for clear roads for me & DD!  The forecast out East keeps getting worse.  I just asked on another thread, but I'll ask here too:  do you know anyone on the boards who lives in the Indianapolis, IN or Columbus, OH area?  I'm wondering how well they salt the roads after an ice storm.  They both might get hit tomorrow, before DD & I drive through those communities.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I'd like to join this year. I feel the clutter creeping up throughout the house. I've been ill since Dec 31, and I'm just starting to feel like I can accomplish things other than making it 3/4 of the day at work. 

These are in random order. Some will take about 15 minutes on one day; others will take a few hours each day for several days. I will probably add to this specifics to this list as the year goes on. 
Declutter these rooms: 

• Kitchen
• Office 
• Living Rooms
• Laundry Room
• Master Bedroom
• Garage
  
• Girls' rooms

The garage will probably be my last attempt for two reason: It's the biggest challenge, and it's cold right now. I'll want to wait until it's warmer out there! 

So, this week, my goal is to take care of the living rooms. Neither should take more than 30 minutes. 
I want to: 
1. Label the cords; get rid of unnecessary cords
2. Purge the unnecessary picture frames
3. Clean out the baskets that are holding goodness knows what
4. Clean out the blue bowl (supposed to be for keys and earbuds. They seem to have mated and produced weird things.)
5.

[3catslady]

I finally got the tub of tablecloths washed and folded.  I was called into work last week so I did not get the boxes gone through.  One of the people I worked with just up and quit without a notice or anything.  I went in and covered her shift and her Friday night shift.  The boxes are on my list for this week.  Hopefully I'll get 3 or more done.  I brought 3 into my room so I can start on them anytime.

[Deleted]

Safe trip Busy! I would think that both cities are used to having snow and dealing with it quickly.

You are all doing do well! 

Sorry I haven't been on much with the recent events here. My second semester starts tomorrow. I'm all caught up with laundry, dishes and Shitepile, so hopefully I'm ready for the craziness. 

I'd like to thank you guys again for this thread which has helped me so much in getting my house into shape.  It's one less thing to worry about during each short (14 week) but crazy semester.  It's not perfect, but it's in good shape. 

Anne, congrats on the new house!

I am worried about the terrorist threat here, namely in the transport system. But with the new semester, I will no longer have the time to watch / read the news 24/7 as I tend to do (former print journalist here), which is probably a good thing. 

[Deleted]

Welcome Chloe! :-)

To all of you newcomers to the thread (or those returning) I would REALLY urge you to stay even slightly active. You can post as often as you want. For those who tend to start out strong and fade, set a goal for yourself: post once a week, or once a month, or once a quarter.

You may not do everything you hope or plan to do, but I can pretty much guarantee that if you decide to post regularly (even if it's not often), you'll do more than if you just "disappear" from this thread. 

Whether you do one tub / drawer / closet / shelf per week or month or quarter, it's still progress, and it adds up! Like Busymom says, you have to eat the elephant one bite at a time. 

Good luck to all of you! :-)

[plugginaway22]

Well I want to get back in action!  Returned from visit with DS, am sick as a dog, but as soon as the meds kick in, you will see me posting progress!
Had wanted all Christmas away before we left, but some is still left and that was not fun to come home to!
Hugs, Debt, we have been following the news closely and have thought about you and our exchange student from France. 
Welcome to all the newbies, it does help to post whenever you can, to keep the motivation going!

[Deleted]

So sorry you're sick Pluggin, but I'm sure you had a fantastic time seeing your DS! 

[tcu2003]

Debt posted about Peter Walsh last year, and I did most of his #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge then.  He's doing it again this year, so my goal is to get through that to start the year off right.  He started it last Monday, so here's the list so far:

DAY 1 - FOLD YOUR LAUNDRY!

DAY 2 - GET RID OF ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG IN YOUR MASTER BEDROOM!

DAY 3 - SET UP A DONATION BIN!

DAY 4 - TACKLE YOUR PLACEMATS AND TABLE LINEN!

DAY 5 - INSPECT THE LOWER THIRD!*

DAY 6 - DEMOLISH JUST ONE STACK ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOME!

DAY 7 - CONQUER PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS

*Explanation since this one is a little non-descriptive: Everyone has piles of clothes on their shelves or in their drawers – many that you just don’t wear. Today’s the day to tame them! First, look at your piles of folded items - T-shirts, sweaters, undies, jeans - chances are that the bottom third of the piles are items that you just don’t like that much and seldom wear. Inspect the lower thirds of clothing stacks – if you don’t love and wear the items then let them go!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was traveling last week, so I did most of this list yesterday and today, but none of it took long (then again, I'd already done 4 and 7 when we moved last summer, so that helped speed those items up).

DH and I also organized all of the baby clothes we have that DS has outgrown into barrels in our basement.  While doing so, I pulled out ones I know I'll not want if we have another boy, so those are now in the donate box.

I'm also working on the kitchen - for whatever reason, keeping the counters clear in their is a near-Herculean feat for me.

[startsmart]

Today has been so weird, I stayed up for 30+ hours (never fell asleep last night), had a good brunch date and then got a 2 hour nap and nearly missed an appointment this afternoon. Still, I don't feel really tired and I'm just hoping I can sleep well tonight.

Tomorrow is a long day, I need to head out of town for a few appointments and I need to fast so I can get blood work done at the lab. 

Found a few more things to donate and I've been working to keep the house clean after Mom came up Friday. 

Sold 9 items today (old storage tubs) to a friend who is moving this month and I still need to count all my January items so far. I picked up a few cans of paint because while tomorrow is crazy and Tuesday is almost worse, I have the day off from working Wednesday and I'm hoping to cut and paint the pegboard for the garage. So much to do out there! 

This week's list: 
hang the TV using the new hardware
cut, paint and hang the first pegboard in the garage
cut back the rose bushes
clean out fridge and freezer by Sunday
take box of stuff to donation
pick up mail at PO box
vacuum and clean the car

[Jaguar]

Yanno talk about good storage......When I moved here 14 years ago my late sister brought me a wheeled tower like this for all my beads and crafting stuff.




It wasn't the most practical thing cause it had to be out in plain view of everyone. My place is only 502 square feet.


So I got 2 of these on sale and they are fabulous. 2 fit perfectly under the bed out of sight of everyone. And these 2 fit more things than the 5 drawer tower.




Keep your eyes peeled for good storage solutions.

[Wisconsin Beth]

I am reporting progress of a sort!

On Friday I took 2 hrs. of VAC and went home and took the tree down.   I repacked some of the ornaments into a different box and dumped a crappy cardboard box into recycling.  All lights went back into their container.  All containers are back downstairs in the proper spot.  There's a few odds and ends of Christmas stuff I missed though. And the tree stand needs to be scrubbed so it's in the small bathroom right now.  THEN, I hauled the table from the basement upstairs and shoved a ton of living room furniture around to make it fit.  Our house is a ranch with a living room that's maybe 30 feet by 12 feet?  All 4 of us really like the table where I now have it.  We're unsure about the rest of the room.  TV has to stay where it is due to cables.  The purpose of the table is a place where the kids can do homework, color, play games or I can work puzzles.  We can also eat there, if we wanted to.  The kids love having a place to do these things.  I like them not doing them on the living room floor where I step on either the kid or the crayons...

ON SAt. tree was taken (with tears on my 6 year old's part) to be mulched at a park.

Tonight I will take down the cards.  I tape them to the linen closet door and I forgot about them.  I may shove furniture around some more. 

[Chocolate Lover]

My only progress was at Mom's house. This past Saturday was the 's free day of the year. Dad took 2 trailer loads there and a 3rd to donate. Still can't tell we did anything but it's slowly getting gone. Very slowly. 

[Sam_2.0]

Found this today and thought it was good to share here

www.earlybirdmom.com/blog/2015/01/3-dangerous-words-can-sabotage-decluttering/

[Saving4Norway]

Jan 11, 2015 22:04:55 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Debt posted about Peter Walsh last year, and I did most of his #31Days2GetOrganized Challenge then.  He's doing it again this year, so my goal is to get through that to start the year off right.  He started it last Monday, so here's the list so far:

DAY 1 - FOLD YOUR LAUNDRY!

DAY 2 - GET RID OF ANYTHING THAT DOESN'T BELONG IN YOUR MASTER BEDROOM!

DAY 3 - SET UP A DONATION BIN!

DAY 4 - TACKLE YOUR PLACEMATS AND TABLE LINEN!

DAY 5 - INSPECT THE LOWER THIRD!*

DAY 6 - DEMOLISH JUST ONE STACK ANYWHERE IN YOUR HOME!

DAY 7 - CONQUER PLASTIC FOOD STORAGE CONTAINERS

*Explanation since this one is a little non-descriptive: Everyone has piles of clothes on their shelves or in their drawers – many that you just don’t wear. Today’s the day to tame them! First, look at your piles of folded items - T-shirts, sweaters, undies, jeans - chances are that the bottom third of the piles are items that you just don’t like that much and seldom wear. Inspect the lower thirds of clothing stacks – if you don’t love and wear the items then let them go!

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I was traveling last week, so I did most of this list yesterday and today, but none of it took long (then again, I'd already done 4 and 7 when we moved last summer, so that helped speed those items up).

DH and I also organized all of the baby clothes we have that DS has outgrown into barrels in our basement.  While doing so, I pulled out ones I know I'll not want if we have another boy, so those are now in the donate box.

I'm also working on the kitchen - for whatever reason, keeping the counters clear in their is a near-Herculean feat for me.

TCU, thank you for posting this! I wanted to do this again this year but I don't have the energy to hunt down his postings.