2016 Slackers Club

[Deleted]

This thread is for those of us who fail at organizing and decluttering our lives.  However, to belong, you must be actively trying to do the organizing/decluttering.  

We all need a confessional thread to explain why we bought six rolls of wrapping paper after working so hard to use up every single roll only two weeks ago.

[Jaguar]

Oh my, I'm home !

[suesinfl]

I'll join as soon as I've decided which comes first, my head or my house....both of which are sadly in need of repair.

[Malarky]

Here and prepared to do nothing.  

[whoisjohngalt]

Wow, I the queen of wanting to declutter and not doing it.  I've done it for the past 2 yrs!

[GRG a/k/a goldenrulegirl]

There is an easy solution.  Just let a neighbor's tree drop on your house followed by 5 inches of rain through the holes in the roof.  

The best part?  With the right insurance, they pay you for all that clutter you were going to toss or give away!!!!  (how on earth do we not have a money icon or emoji??!!)

The bad part is that you don't really get a chance to rescue the sentimental stuff or the valuable stuff that would be worth keeping.  

So, while I am running fairly lean and mean at the moment, I need to keep things that way, so I will absolutely join you all in recovery.  

[busymom]

I must confess that I've already bought 6 boxes of Christmas cards. On sale. For next Christmas. (Where do I sign up?)

[debthaven]

Haha! 

[suesinfl]

Why, oh why, did I just put 4 empty shoe boxes in the closet to save for hiding presents for next Christmas

Much more to come  

[MJ2.0]

My people!!!!!! Yes!!!!!

[dogmom]

Sign me up.

[tcu2003]

Jan 3, 2016 6:19:13 GMT -5 dogmom said:

Sign me up.

Ditto!

[NastyWoman]

So since SS said we had to first try before we could slack off, I can report my first success on this thread: I got up this morning fully intending to take the Xmas tree down. After spending over an hour on the phone with DSis2 while looking at those wonderful lights, I have decided that doing this next weekend will serve me better. SCORE!!! A real honest to goodness slacker move 

[MJ2.0]

I bought some memo boards and envelopes so I can keep better track of unopened mail/paper bills/receipts/etc. This morning I put the Christmas gifts away and went through a box and determined what I was keeping and what was garbage/getting sold. I think I've done enough work this month.

[bean29]

I am telling myself I have to leave the tree up until the Epiphany (January 6th). Hopefully it will come down next weekend.

I am working right now. 6 hours yesterday, 4 so far today. I will prolly be here till 7 or 8 and I don't have anything done I wanted to do this weekend. If I wouldn't have made a mistake on a report I did, I wouldn't be doubly behind.

My project (for DH) is the Garage.  I really can't do it for him - His stuff, he has to decide what to relocate/get rid of.

I shortened 3 pairs of pants on New Years eve/day then I had to put my sewing machine away b/c my Mom was coming over for dinner.  I still have at least 2 more to do - 1 for me and one for DS.  DS may have more in his room, and I also have a pair to take in at the waist (need to go buy matching thread).  Hopefully I won't put this off for another 6 months.  One pair for DS that I did not do yet I am thinking we bought at a "father's day sale" and one I did not do yet for myself I bought at a resale shop on Labor Day weekend .

ETA.  I bought 2 Christmas gift bags and 2 pkgs of gift tags to add to the collection for next year.  I did add boxes to my box collection.  I could not bring myself to throw them away as many stores are not giving them out or they are charging for them now.  I prolly have 50 gift boxes in my store room of varying sizes. 

[NastyWoman]

Jan 3, 2016 17:34:32 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I am telling myself I have to leave the tree up until the Epiphany (January 6th). Hopefully it will come down next weekend.

I am working right now. 6 hours yesterday, 4 so far today. I will prolly be here till 7 or 8 and I don't have anything done I wanted to do this weekend. If I wouldn't have made a mistake on a report I did, I wouldn't be doubly behind.

My project (for DH) is the Garage.  I really can't do it for him - His stuff, he has to decide what to relocate/get rid of.

I shortened 3 pairs of pants on New Years eve/day then I had to put my sewing machine away b/c my Mom was coming over for dinner.  I still have at least 2 more to do - 1 for me and one for DS.  DS may have more in his room, and I also have a pair to take in at the waist (need to go buy matching thread).  Hopefully I won't put this off for another 6 months.  One pair for DS that I did not do yet I am thinking we bought at a "father's day sale" and one I did not do yet for myself I bought at a resale shop on Labor Day weekend .

ETA.  I bought 2 Christmas gift bags and 2 pkgs of gift tags to add to the collection for next year.  I did add boxes to my box collection.  I could not bring myself to throw them away as many stores are not giving them out or they are charging for them now.  I prolly have 50 gift boxes in my store room of varying sizes. 

Bean, is DS still growing? If so, the most efficient way to deal with his pants is just do nothing. He'll grow into them 
And this is slacking at its best: disguised as efficiency 

[bean29]

Jan 3, 2016 18:20:04 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Jan 3, 2016 17:34:32 GMT -5 bean29 said:

I am telling myself I have to leave the tree up until the Epiphany (January 6th). Hopefully it will come down next weekend.

I am working right now. 6 hours yesterday, 4 so far today. I will prolly be here till 7 or 8 and I don't have anything done I wanted to do this weekend. If I wouldn't have made a mistake on a report I did, I wouldn't be doubly behind.

My project (for DH) is the Garage.  I really can't do it for him - His stuff, he has to decide what to relocate/get rid of.

I shortened 3 pairs of pants on New Years eve/day then I had to put my sewing machine away b/c my Mom was coming over for dinner.  I still have at least 2 more to do - 1 for me and one for DS.  DS may have more in his room, and I also have a pair to take in at the waist (need to go buy matching thread).  Hopefully I won't put this off for another 6 months.  One pair for DS that I did not do yet I am thinking we bought at a "father's day sale" and one I did not do yet for myself I bought at a resale shop on Labor Day weekend .

ETA.  I bought 2 Christmas gift bags and 2 pkgs of gift tags to add to the collection for next year.  I did add boxes to my box collection.  I could not bring myself to throw them away as many stores are not giving them out or they are charging for them now.  I prolly have 50 gift boxes in my store room of varying sizes. 

Bean, is DS still growing? If so, the most efficient way to deal with his pants is just do nothing. He'll grow into them 
And this is slacking at its best: disguised as efficiency 

Unfortunately, DS is 22 so he is done growing.  We are a short family.  DH and DS are all of 5'4 or 5'5 and should probably wear a 28 or 29 length pants.  Unfortunately, we can not find those length inseam in the store most of the time it is 30 or longer.  DS told me he should probably learn to use the sewing machine.  Once you get the machine out, jeans are pretty easy to do.  I got stuck b/c one pair DS had were 32's and we can probably get 29 or 30 length pants.  everyone in the family agrees if you take too much off the bottom, they don't look right at the knee. 

[NastyWoman]

Jan 3, 2016 18:31:14 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Jan 3, 2016 18:20:04 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Bean, is DS still growing? If so, the most efficient way to deal with his pants is just do nothing. He'll grow into them 
And this is slacking at its best: disguised as efficiency 

Unfortunately, DS is 22 so he is done growing.  We are a short family.  DH and DS are all of 5'4 or 5'5 and should probably wear a 28 or 29 length pants.  Unfortunately, we can not find those length inseam in the store most of the time it is 30 or longer.  DS told me he should probably learn to use the sewing machine.  Once you get the machine out, jeans are pretty easy to do.  I got stuck b/c one pair DS had were 32's and we can probably get 29 or 30 length pants.  everyone in the family agrees if you take too much off the bottom, they don't look right at the knee. 

Shoot nothing for it then. I used to have the opposite problem: needed 36 length pants for my sons but they were hard to find and often more expensive. Once they bought their own clothes (with their own money) they ofter wore " high water" pants 

[PauletteG]

As someone who just found her liquid 5000 IU Vitamin D3 drops after dropping $20 for 5000 IU Vitamin D3 caplets, let me embrace you all.

The way I see things, I need a place for items worth keeping, and a system to determine what those items are, a place for culling items not worth keeping, and identifying appropriate exit points (recycle bins, second-use stores, city ) for those items. I have the timer and quantifying items concepts mastered.

[Happy prose]

I'm in. I did put away my tree and decorations. We also got a call from the super of our garden complex- all tenants are losing access to the basement storage. Must be emptied by Feb1. Yikes! I don't have a ton of stuff down there, but my closets are bursting. And I did nothing. 

[Jaguar]

I was purging two under bed storage units for craft stuff and broke two nails, I give up. I don't do crafts anymore but yanno, I never know when I might take it up again.

[dannylion]

Yay! My people! I'm home!

I long to be organized and decluttered. I brought home too much stuff when I cleaned out my dad's house after he passed away. It is now jamming all the rooms in my house that I don't use regularly. My own stuff is jamming all the rest of the rooms because I simply have too much stuff.  I am slowly training myself to prioritize and throw stuff away or donate things, but it is a monumental task.  Also, I like purple Coach bags and shiny things and am powerless when purple Coach bags and shiny things are on sale.  Also kitchen gadgets.  And books.  And things that look useful.  Did I mention books?  And I have 7 sewing machines.  (In my defense, I inherited 2 of them).  Sigh. 

I do a little bit each week, but the results are barely noticeable.  It will be nice to be among others who are trying but not always succeeding. I read the WIR decluttering thread faithfully, but everyone is so motivated and accomplishing so much that I am embarrassed to participate with only tiny increments to report.

Maybe my tiny successes will be more appropriately reported here among others more like me.   

Last month I packed up 3 boxes of stuff (mostly kitchen utensils and gadgets) to donate, and I have persuaded myself to donate the pile of laminate floor tiles I was saving for, well, who knows what. 

However, this week I will take delivery of 2 new purple Coach bags.  And I got a new dragonfly pin from the Metropolitan Museum of Art because it was shiny and I liked it. 

I'm beginning to wonder if there is any hope for me. 

[busymom]

If it's any consolation dannylion, my house was getting in pretty good shape until I had to empty out my parent's house (into mine).  Then, a relative of mine was moved into a rehab center, & is waiting for a room in the attached nursing home, but apparently spaces for men are more difficult to get than for women, so right now I'm sitting on his stuff, too, after cleaning out his place.    Once he gets a room, I'll be bringing over his television, some books, & a bunch of clothes, but I've still got too much stuff! 

I'll bet if you advertised, you could sell some of those sewing machines.  I'd buy a good used one myself, if I could find one...

BTW, I'm a sucker for books, too.  At least I'll have something to do when I retire. 

[Jaguar]

People, stop me please I broke yet another nail while I was de-cluttering my craft storage boxes, I need an intervention or something......oh yes wine will do the trick.

[NastyWoman]

Jan 3, 2016 22:47:38 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

People, stop me please I broke yet another nail while I was de-cluttering my craft storage boxes, I need an intervention or something......oh yes wine will do the trick.

Jaguar please embrace your inner slacker and stop this madness. It takes more time to regrow a broken nail than it takes to drink a glass of wine -> drinking the glass of wine is by far a more efficient use of your time.  Bottoms up 

[Jaguar]

Jan 3, 2016 23:20:48 GMT -5 NastyWoman said:

Jan 3, 2016 22:47:38 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

People, stop me please I broke yet another nail while I was de-cluttering my craft storage boxes, I need an intervention or something......oh yes wine will do the trick.

Jaguar please embrace your inner slacker and stop this madness. It takes more time to regrow a broken nail than it takes to drink a glass of wine -> drinking the glass of wine is by far a more efficient use of your time.  Bottoms up 

Sorry, my inner slacker ran away from home, what the hell am I suppose to do.

[NastyWoman]

Go get him of course. He may be hiding at the bottom of that glass of wine 

[bean29]

Jan 3, 2016 22:47:38 GMT -5 Jaguar said:

People, stop me please I broke yet another nail while I was de-cluttering my craft storage boxes, I need an intervention or something......oh yes wine will do the trick.

Jaguarprincess, I vote you take a break from decluttering and go get your nails done.

[Malarky]

Damn you people!  You inspired me!  I've done nothing but clean and declutter since last I was here.  

Off to the other thread, I don't belong here today.  

[Ombud]

I've had the same to do list for 4 months but I finally hired the contractor