lurkyloo
Junior Associate
“Time means nothing now,” said Toad. “It is just the thing that happens between snacks.”
Joined: Jan 8, 2011 11:26:56 GMT -5
Posts: 5,975
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Post by lurkyloo on Jan 11, 2015 11:41:12 GMT -5
I built an oversized garage because there was no way I was going to park outside in the frozen tundra I live in. I required it be attached and very well insulated too. Mine is 3 car with a 12x12 shop in front of one of the bays and it has a walk door on the garage door facing side which adds another 3 or 4 feet to the width. I easily fit the camper, a 3/4 truck and a car and still had lots of room for things like bikes and tools and such. Can I have your house? Actually, just the garage. We have a 2.5 car and we do in fact park 2 cars in there...but it has a work bench along one wall, shelves along the other and a full wall of cabinets in back, all of which are neatly organized and full. DH has a crapload of tools and his father has a nasty habit of ordering him a new giant bench top tool every Christmas (think 3'x3' footprint). I have no idea how we're going to manage to move so I just don't think about it. Lalalala. Also, an 8-lb baby requires roughly 300 lb of stuff as far as I can tell. I'm not ready to give up on the idea of a second kid, so I'm not willing to get rid of most of it yet.
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Apple
Junior Associate
Always travel with a sense of humor
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 15:51:04 GMT -5
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Post by Apple on Jan 11, 2015 12:35:21 GMT -5
Honestly? Crap. But, I'm in purge mode so working on that. The things I will be keeping that require storage: Canning stuff (jars, canners, lids, rings, "accessories"--like the jar lifter). These are things I use every year and things like the canners take up a lot of space. Roaster-- I've only used it for making tomato sauce, but when we do canning it's a big help since it can be left on overnight (don't like to leave the stove on overnight). Books-- I will be getting rid of a bunch, but I love to read, so there will be a lot that stay. Seasonal stuff-- clothing, gear, snowboard, stuff like that Clothing-- right now I have to keep the "nice" stuff in case I have to work in the office, and the "cotton" stuff for working in the field. Hopefully can get rid of most of one of those "piles" soon. Blankets-- I have them, no point in getting rid of them, I'll probably never have to buy one again though The nice ones get rotated, and as they are less nice, they are used for the dog (she tears them up, so she goes through more than she should) Same with sheets--I already have them, so no point in getting rid of them. Will send bedding stuff with DS when he moves (probably two sets). Towels-- I kind of hate that I have so many, but when I lost the hot water heater and the sewage backed up, they were a life saver. Craft stuff-- Material, yarn, wood, "rustic" stuff. I do still have plans for them, so they'll get used. Reminds me though, I need to build a garden sink for my mom this summer. We already bought the sink (for $2 at a Habitat for Humanity store), just need to build a table and hook up a garden hose. ETA: Christmas decorations... I don't decorate like I used to so need to start trimming that down as well. I also have a lot of movies/CDs/games/etc. Will have to transfer the CDs to computer files and just make sure i have backups, then I can probably get rid of a bunch of those. I've been working on getting rid of stuff, and it's nice to see progress.
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Deleted
Joined: Sept 5, 2024 20:57:05 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 13:29:10 GMT -5
This Christmas was great. The local families who lost homes in the fires asked for donations of Christmas stuff. I finally went through the boxes and donated a bunch. I had a paper box that a mouse had set-up home in, so I dumped that into the trash. Christmas clutter - solved. I have been going through possessions for the last couple years, ever since DH passed away. I have gotten to the point where most of the rubbish is gone, and I have lots of free space. Now I am working on the house and finally donating those "hard to part with" items that I am continually sticking in a box. My end goal is shelving units with wanted items, and no random items in boxes. The cool stuff goes on the shelves, the rest goes to the thrift store. Our garage took an entire Uhaul to move... DH had every tool known to man...and woman...and dog.... I use a lot of tools, so I see their value. But, at some point I have some things that need to go. I am waiting until DS1 moves out because he wants some of the larger tools that I have no use for. My biggest barrier to decluttering now is my desire to go hiking and rock hounding far outweighs my desire to hang out and work around the house....
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sesfw
Junior Associate
Today is the first day of the rest of my life
Joined: Dec 21, 2010 15:45:17 GMT -5
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Post by sesfw on Jan 11, 2015 13:47:00 GMT -5
I want to move but I would miss having everything I might ever want.
Oh geeeeeeeez
You are a lady after my own heart.
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Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
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Post by Bonny on Jan 11, 2015 16:58:18 GMT -5
I'm decluttering like mad because we are moving but it's interesting to see how much my life has changed since DS and DH. Before I just needed boxes for books, clothing, and cookware. I think I had two pairs of sheets and a few towels. Now I have hobbies like knitting, and scrapbooking, and boxes of thank you cards because I write a ton a year, and file drawers full of actual important stuff. Glassware for entertaining and holiday linens and summer party stuff. Did you find a house yet?
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Deleted
Joined: Sept 5, 2024 20:57:05 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 18:35:05 GMT -5
Right now I think I am glad for my little 1,366 sq. ft. house because that and my $79.95/mo. 6X8 storage locker has to hold everything, period! We do have a little bit of attic storage but I am deathly afraid of ladders and heights so it's off limits to almost everything. Plus, the attic temp in South Texas reaches 120+ in the summer which definitely means "don't put the leftover Christmas candles up there", a lesson my neighbor learned the hard way. Of course, the termites will never, ever, eat her attic floor . DH and I are having a serious discussion right now because we agree that we want to declutter and redecorate, but he just can't agree to let go of the paintings we bought in the 70's and 80's. And I just can't agree to paying for air-conditioned storage for them. Trust me folks, they aren't Rembrandt's.
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Deleted
Joined: Sept 5, 2024 20:57:05 GMT -5
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Post by Deleted on Jan 11, 2015 20:32:47 GMT -5
See for me having to pay for a storage locker means I need to get rid of stuff. If I don't have room for it I can't afford it.
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jinksd1
Established Member
Joined: Aug 25, 2011 7:25:50 GMT -5
Posts: 310
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Post by jinksd1 on Jan 12, 2015 2:53:31 GMT -5
We aren't people who keep things we don't have a need for...no old furniture, nothing broken that we haven't gotten rid of, no old decorations that we "might use again someday", no boxes of off-season or wrong-size clothes, etc. But we still wanted a house with a fair amount of storage.
When we bought our house, several closets and other spaces were not fully utilizing their potential storage capacity. As an example, one closet had a 1 1/2-foot deep niche to one side of the door that we added shelves to all the way down the entire space. The former owners used that room as their master bedroom, and I can't imagine why they didn't make this simple fix. It would have been the perfect place to store shoes, handbags, sweaters, or the like in an organized, off-the-floor fashion.
We also added a huge shelving unit to walk-in closet, shelves to the laundry room walls, a high shelf to the coat closet, a custom-built cabinet that serves as our linen closet (since we don't have a closet in the bathroom), and many shelves and a work bench to the garage. Then a couple of years ago, we rebuilt the shed that was in poor shape, and we added some shelves to the walls in there. I have found that a lot of closets and other storage spaces in many homes just don't utilize the higher places in the space that would be otherwise unusable once things are stored on the floor.
Why do I "need" all this storage? The inside storage is mostly needed so that I don't have to store much of anything in the basement, garage, or shed that isn't a tool or doesn't naturally belong in those spaces. I don't want to haul everything to the unfinished basement after taking down the Christmas tree, or store my few precious momentos in an environment that isn't friendly to them. I don't want to get my canning supplies from the shed when I need them, or switch out in-season and off-season clothes in my closet twice a year.
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jinksd1
Established Member
Joined: Aug 25, 2011 7:25:50 GMT -5
Posts: 310
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Post by jinksd1 on Jan 12, 2015 3:19:24 GMT -5
Oh, and about our garage. It's a narrow one-stall garage probably built around the turn of the LAST century. I'm pretty sure it was only ever meant to hold a car the size of a Ford Model T. Additionally, it's pretty much impossible to turn a car into that part of the driveway. When the house was built in 1903, a brick driveway to the garage led in a straight line to the street, half a block away. Sometime over the years, the original property was split, and the lot in front of us that used to be part of this house's land was sold off and a house built on it (that house looks like it was built in the '40s or '50s, so probably around then...definitely before 1963, since we have a photo of the house dated 1963 that shows the newer driveway in use). A new driveway was created at a 90-degree angle to the old one. The two driveways do connect, but the space is so tight that it would really take some careful manuvering to get a car to the garage. As an aside, when we bought the house, the old brick driveway was partially buried under a couple inches of soil (I think from decaying leaves and such that weren't removed and then turned into soil, so from neglect, not on purpose). I painstakingly uncovered the brick driveway, which now just leads a few yards to a shed opposite the garage. Then I used other bricks found on the property to create two brick beds in that "corridor" between the garage and shed. Then we rebuilt the shed and put a brick bed around it and made it look like a cottage, with a window box for flowers, curtains, a red door with door knocker, and some decorations. I am slowly filling all the beds with flowers and bushes, and it's an adorable space now. I get compliments on it all the time.
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Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
Posts: 7,459
Location: No Place Like Home!
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Post by Bonny on Jan 12, 2015 17:53:43 GMT -5
Yes. We are waiting on inspections and financing but our offer was accepted. Looks like we are going to be turning a basement/crawlspace area into a shop for DH which is cheaper than the alternatives. The house is in the same town as your MIL. Oooooh nooooooo!
Wouldn't you like some koi to go with that new house?
On a more serious note, I think you'll enjoy it. She really likes it and to be honest I don't think she's ever going to move despite all of her talk.
Good luck and I can't wait to check out the new digs!
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Formerly SK
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 27, 2011 14:23:13 GMT -5
Posts: 3,255
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Post by Formerly SK on Jan 12, 2015 19:16:20 GMT -5
Yes. We are waiting on inspections and financing but our offer was accepted. Looks like we are going to be turning a basement/crawlspace area into a shop for DH which is cheaper than the alternatives. The house is in the same town as your MIL. Nice! I think the schools are better there, right? Would you go public school?
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Apple
Junior Associate
Always travel with a sense of humor
Joined: Dec 17, 2010 15:51:04 GMT -5
Posts: 9,938
Mini-Profile Name Color: dc0e29
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Post by Apple on Jan 12, 2015 19:28:15 GMT -5
I hate that you are all so close, yet so very far away! I'm stuck in the "big city" almost daily, but can't get out and drive around
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Bonny
Junior Associate
Joined: Nov 17, 2013 10:54:37 GMT -5
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Post by Bonny on Jan 14, 2015 12:10:11 GMT -5
@anne81 BTW If you need a good pond guy MIL does have the sweetest guy ever.
How he puts up with her I don't know but he constantly saves her from doing (even more) stupid things. When you're ready PM or e-mail me and I'll get the info for you.
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