2017 Declutter and Organization Thread

[debthaven]

They sure do

[debthaven]

I just wrote to the WIFE of the couple that wants to buy our studio. I wrote to her because her DH and my DH have hit a stalemate. The husband wrote to us last weekend reiterating their (lowball) offer, and saying it is only valid until 1 Dec. But it's the only offer we've had in a year!

I don't disagree with DH, over time, they would probably have gone up. But maybe not, since the studio is proving hard to sell.

We'll see. I can eat 2.5K if we sell, but I can't eat more than that.

But I need some good news, and we need some money in the bank.

ETA: We also need to make sure that they didn't first visit it through the RE agent, because that's all we need, to take a loss on it and then owe a commission. They claim they heard about it through their friend who is our PM. So I just wrote to the RE agent asking her for the names of the two parties who visited about 2 months ago. She answered very quickly and promised to send the names tomorrow.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 28, 2017 13:12:52 GMT -5 debthaven said:

ETA: One of the reasons the lawyer called is that the opposition says there is no proof I ever went to the hospital to visit DH, take him to his doc appts, etc. So now I have to ask my posse to rally round and write letters saying that I went to the hospital, that they cooked for/fed/looked after my kids BECAUSE I WAS AT THE HOSPITAL VISITING DH. Although the younger ones were old enough not to need babysitters, they still needed love/attention/food and my friends gave them that. I my posse but it's VILE that we have to write these letters ... 6.5 years on, to boot. The older ones were busy visiting DH themselves in the evenings, so they could pick me up from the hospital and drive me home so I didn't have to drive myself home at night.

 

This is ridiculous!   

They think you didn't visit?  Why would they think that and how do you prove it?

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

The rain managed to stop for a few hours so I could get the weeding done. 



 I'm so sorry, debt. It really is not a fantastic round for you right now. I do hope you enjoy London and the baby. (That's where the grandbaby is, right?)

[startsmart]

Started holiday decorating today and it's looking good! My goal is to finish and get the empty boxes back to the garage before the weekend. I also have a few boxes to put up in the hall closet. 

[TheOtherMe]

Since I am home finally, I need to unpack my suitcase today.  

Then I am going to look around for some things to sell on the Facebook garage sale sites.  Don't want to mess with eBay in December.  

Whether I wanted to or not, I am now washing my comforter.  When I went to go to bed last night, I discovered Lucy had puked on it while I was gone.  

I will put up a few decorations today.  That is all I do for Christmas.

[Iggy aka IG]

Wednesday already!  I'm glad this week isn't crawling by like I thought it would.

Items out of the house:
Last night:  Incorrect electric toothbrush heads returned to the store
Today:  Return a cell phone accessory I don't need, and forward 2 read magazines to my sister
Tomorrow:  Returning an empty wine bottle back to a home wine making friend
Monday:  Donate the bag of clothing I've had in my truck for several weeks now

Items in:  Fresh produce last night, and a few more stocking stuffers and Sam's Club haul later today.  I want to get the latter done before the bad weather hits.  When that will be, who knows?

Chores:  A load of laundry and those ever loving dishes tonight

[moneysquirrel]

Thanks for all of the comments on the bracelet.  I did delete the photo a few minutes ago. 

Nov 26, 2017 20:47:04 GMT -5 Sharon said:

moneysquirrel I love that bracelet.  I am curious as to how long it takes you to do much beading?

Sharon -- I don't really keep track of time.  I do know that I worked on it a few hours at a time for about 5 to 7 days.  Somewhere between 20 and 25 hours I guess.  A lot of that time was spent trying to thread the needle.  I always did some type of needlework while the tv was on as a way to relax.  This is just another type of needlework.

Jaguar -- I really prefer doing off-loom weaving instead of using the loom.  I have done a few pieces on the loom but not my favorite.

debthaven -- So sorry to hear about the circles that you are having to jump through about the incident several years ago.

[moneysquirrel]

Updating my list:

Nov 26, 2017 17:15:06 GMT -5 moneysquirrel said:

Upcoming week: No particular order


Usual chores -- dishes, laundry, etc  Currently up to date
Beading: one small order plus a new project  Done - will try for a second new project as the first one was easy.
Exercise -- aiming for at least 2 times , hoping for three Been to the gym four times so far and make be able to add to the total
Garage door -- call for repair --  Repair completed Tuesday
Craft Show -- Saturday
Decorate for Christmas -- begin the process Started but more to do
File the pile -- Finished

No Action started on these.
Activity with friend -- Thursday
Organize/declutter -- aiming for at least two areas
Christmas Gifts -- need to begin thinking about this.  Tired of doing gift cards for most of family.  Will do some but want to come up with other ideas if possible.
Craft Show -- Saturday

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe because they want to discredit us/our lawyer

Knee Deep in Water Chloe yes, baby is in London!

Home
- pharmacy/Mon
- conference call w DH's lawyer/Tues
School
- Group A: 18 grammar tests/Tues
- Group B: 22 grammar tests/Wed
- MSc: 2 group reports/Th-Fri?

I finished the second set of grammar tests so I shouldn't have any marking this weekend.

ETA: The RE agent confirmed, this couple did not first see the studio through her.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 29, 2017 14:02:16 GMT -5 debthaven said:

TheOtherMe because they want to discredit us/our lawyer

This many years later, this is ridiculous.

Hope you and the wife of the couple can work out a deal on the studio.  

Twice I have had to take losses on real estate to get a home sold when I was moving for work.  Once I ended up selling to my employer's agent who gave me what I had paid.  I lost money on the sales costs but it was too far to drive for work.

The other one did not involve the employer, but I could not pay two mortgages.

[wvugurl26]

So sorry debt that this is still dragging on.

I didn't get as much decluttering done as I wanted before moving. I'm putting together a box of electronics to be recycled so that gets odd items out of the house.

I've gotten a good bit of stuff moved in my car. My body rebelled after Sunday and my breathing is still recovering.

I'm going tonight to finish packing up. I'm hoping to get it all done so we just have to load up the truck Saturday morning. And once we get it empty we can reload it with the stuff because that is on the way to the truck drop off.

We've got some stuff put away. We finally have shelves and racks in the master closets. The old dishes have been swapped for the new ones. It's a slow work in progress.

[Iggy aka IG]

Nov 29, 2017 11:03:26 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Wednesday already!  I'm glad this week isn't crawling by like I thought it would.

Items out of the house:
Last night:  Incorrect electric toothbrush heads returned to the store
Today:  Return a cell phone accessory I don't need, and forward 2 read magazines to my sister
Tomorrow:  Returning an empty wine bottle back to a home wine making friend
Monday:  Donate the bag of clothing I've had in my truck for several weeks now

Items in:  Fresh produce last night, and a few more stocking stuffers and Sam's Club haul later today.  I want to get the latter done before the bad weather hits.  When that will be, who knows?

Chores:  A load of laundry and those ever loving dishes tonight notes below

Got home after 8 last night, but watching my niece's basketball team was worth it.  Woke up at 6 this morning and did dishes.  I'll do a few loads of laundry tonight.  Well, that's the plan, anyway. 

The wine bottle return will have to wait until next week.  I am still so behind here at the office.

Had a good day running errands in the big city yesterday.  I stayed on budget for the stocking stuffers and Sam's run, and returned the phone accessory.  The sales person didn't seem thrilled about it, and offered me $30 store credit.  No thanks.  I'm hooked up with new electronics for awhile. 

Hope you feel better soon, wvugurl26.  

[debthaven]

Take care of yourself wvugurl26 , don't overdo it.

This weekend
Home
- read lawyer's conclusions
- see A for letter
School
- oral B marks X 3/Thu
- oral D marks X 3/Thu
- MSc: 2 group reports

Semester countdown: 13/14 weeks done. One week left.

We have concert tickets for Fri night (DS2's present ) and our best friends' party on Sat night. I'm seeing A Sat morning to do the letter with her. Very glad I cancelled Fri lunch and declined my former boss's open house on Sun. (He's having another one in Dec so we'll go to that one.)
 

[TheOtherMe]

You can get through one more week!  

[azucena]

debthaven - can you have one of the doctors write a letter assuming he/she can vouch for seeing you during rounds, consultations, etc. Or maybe a nurse would remember you?  Did you have to sign in/out in a visitor log?  Pay for parking?  Just trying to think of other ways to vouch for yourself so you can bury them in proof.

Does part of your lawsuit involve your time off work too? Maybe not my business, but I'm curious why visiting would come up.

[debthaven]

Azucena I didn't keep any parking tickets, food receipts, etc. I wish I had but who could have imagined I'd need them one day?! I used to buy DH magazines, and the kids candy, snacks, etc. I also would eat at the hospital cafeteria sometimes at lunch. I don't know if the staff is still the same and would really not want to bother them with this when they have more important things to do. We're talking 6.5 years ago ...

S (my friend/former neighbor who is a doctor with the memory of an elephant) wrote a fantastic two-page letter for me, on hospital stationery.

I think it is beyond ridiculous. But the lawyer says that if we don't prove their statement wrong, the judge could decide it's true. That's too paranoid even for me, but we're paying her and we need to do what she says.

ETA: azucena thank you!!! Writing to you reminded me of a desperately sad FB photo that comes up every year as a "memory" of me and DH and DS3 in the hospital courtyard with DH holding a portable drip. Every year when FB decides it's time for a happy memory (not) it comes up it and we're all "oh, no, it's THAT photo again!"

ETA2: Found it!!!

[Blonde Granny]

I now have 2 things in a large box in the garage. Not much but at least it's a start.

[saveinla]

Nov 30, 2017 12:45:46 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Azucena I didn't keep any parking tickets, food receipts, etc. I wish I had but who could have imagined I'd need them one day?! I used to buy DH magazines, and the kids candy, snacks, etc. I also would eat at the hospital cafeteria sometimes at lunch. I don't know if the staff is still the same and would really not want to bother them with this when they have more important things to do. We're talking 6.5 years ago ...

S (my friend/former neighbor who is a doctor with the memory of an elephant) wrote a fantastic two-page letter for me, on hospital stationery.

I think it is beyond ridiculous. But the lawyer says that if we don't prove their statement wrong, the judge could decide it's true. That's too paranoid even for me, but we're paying her and we need to do what she says.

ETA: azucena thank you!!! Writing to you reminded me of a desperately sad FB photo that comes up every year as a "memory" of me and DH and DS3 in the hospital courtyard with DH holding a portable drip. Every year when FB decides it's time for a happy memory (not) it comes up it and we're all "oh, no, it's THAT photo again!"

ETA2: Found it!!!

DH,  Sorry to hear about this and that some judge would even think this is true.

If you used your credit card, and have downloaded the statements, you can go through them and see if you have any receipts from the hospital during that time. You can also get the statements for a small fee if you charged them.

[TheOtherMe]

Nov 30, 2017 12:45:46 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Azucena I didn't keep any parking tickets, food receipts, etc. I wish I had but who could have imagined I'd need them one day?! I used to buy DH magazines, and the kids candy, snacks, etc. I also would eat at the hospital cafeteria sometimes at lunch. I don't know if the staff is still the same and would really not want to bother them with this when they have more important things to do. We're talking 6.5 years ago ...

S (my friend/former neighbor who is a doctor with the memory of an elephant) wrote a fantastic two-page letter for me, on hospital stationery.

I think it is beyond ridiculous. But the lawyer says that if we don't prove their statement wrong, the judge could decide it's true. That's too paranoid even for me, but we're paying her and we need to do what she says.

ETA: azucena thank you!!! Writing to you reminded me of a desperately sad FB photo that comes up every year as a "memory" of me and DH and DS3 in the hospital courtyard with DH holding a portable drip. Every year when FB decides it's time for a happy memory (not) it comes up it and we're all "oh, no, it's THAT photo again!"

ETA2: Found it!!!

Who would think you would need receipts this many years later?  As difficult as it is to look at that photo, I'm glad you found it.

[azucena]

Yes, I was thinking you could find records from your credit or debit card purchases for parking, cafeteria food, or gift shop.

I'm definitely sorry you're dealing with so much. Keep your chin up!

[startsmart]

I am so weary right now. Projects are coming to a close even as other ones pick up and it feels like I've been running 100 mph for months and I'm about to hit a brick wall. 

So... good stuff: 
-productive workouts this week and I'm scheduled for the rest of Dec + early January
-I have a massage booked this weekend 
-I was able to fix 35 videos that broke (thanks software glitch!) 
-4 gifts delivered/mailed already which is, honestly, most of them
-living room halfway decorated 
-I've been burning candles so at least the house smells good while I'm stressed

Still to conquer: 
-another 28 videos need to be fixed
-I've got to copy the dog vaccination records for the kennel
-another gift to mail out tomorrow + 3 to hand deliver in the UK 
-follow up on 12 sales calls from leads who didn't buy
-call and notify my bank of travels
-get quotes for gutter installation
-finish putting away the 2 boxes that have been on my kitchen table for 2 weeks
-client who wants to talk Saturday 
-cash in some coins to load up my Kindle with new books 
-transfer all the photos off my phone to make space 
-finish packing my bags and make sure they're not overweight for the airline

Whew. I'm going to need some coffee. Like, a vat of coffee.

[busymom]

So sorry you're STILL dealing with this debthaven.  Hang in there!  


I've been running around trying to get as many errands done as possible before sNOw arrives next week.  We're supposed to get the double-whammy:  both sNOw AND cold.  I must admit we've been fortunate so far this Winter, but all good things come to an end.  DS has a long weekend from his job training stuff, so I'll need to help keep him entertained until things start up again on Tuesday.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Iggy, what kind of electric toothbrush do you have? DD#2 desperately wants one. The ones at Costco are only sold in pairs. I just don’t need a second one.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Sigh. I actually have free time right now, but I have no energy. I took a sleeping pill last night. I forgot to only take half. I’m still groggy almost 24 hours later. 🙄

[debthaven]

Knee Deep in Water Chloe might DD1 want an electric toothbrush too?

[NastyWoman]

Another thing to consider Knee Deep in Water Chloe is the price of the replacement brushes. They are almost like printer ink -> horribly expensive if you can only use the brand name. I have one with those small round brushes and use the off brand brushes. They are $15/8pcs. Buy the originals and they are $22/4pcs. I don't know whether all brands have generic brush heads available so it may be something to look at before you decide.

[debthaven]

This weekend
Home
- read lawyer's conclusions/Fri
- see A for letter/Sat
School
- oral B marks X 3/Thu
- oral D marks X 3/Thu
- MSc: 2 group reports/Fri

[Iggy aka IG]

Nov 30, 2017 21:54:20 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Iggy, what kind of electric toothbrush do you have? DD#2 desperately wants one. The ones at Costco are only sold in pairs. I just don’t need a second one.

Thanks for asking, Knee Deep in Water Chloe.  It's a Sonicare.  DH bought it for me several Christmases ago.  He has a different brand-I'll check it out this weekend if I remember.  It's my first one, and I was skeptical at first, but now I don't use a manual brush (unless we're camping or traveling).  They keep our dental hygienist happy. 

[Waffle]

Yesterday as one of mom's home health care workers (occupational therapist) was leaving the house, she looked around and said "How do you keep this big house so clean?"

I said "it's not easy".  I could have said - you haven't seen upstairs, or the garage or the basement. HA!

I have tons of things I'd like to do this weekend - I know I won't get to all of them, but here's a list of possibilities.

Straighten master closet

Declutter master bedroom

Declutter/organize laundry room shelves

Declutter/organize pantry

Relax hair.

Clean (dried) paint from 3 season room floor.

Rearrange antique mall booths - cut prices on several big pieces.   (I'm going from two booths to 1 at the end of this year and I don't want to have to bring any of the furniture home.)

Price some things to take to the local antique mall. (Yes, I have items in two malls).

Catch up on laundry.

Clean mom's bathroom.  (I hate cleaning bathrooms).

Clean out freezer (kitchen)

Clean out freezer (laundry room)

Find the extra cordless phone - so I can put it in the family room.

Go to grocery store.

List some things on Ebay.

Work on business bookkeeping. 

Cancel paper delivery.

Reorganize/clean ebay room.

This started as a weekend list and just ended up being more like a things that need to be done whenever possible list. The "big 2" garage and basement - I'm not even going to worry about anytime soon.