2018 Get Organized & Declutter Your Stuff

[Sharon]

For the first time in months my kitchen is clean.  The floor is intact, there are no random tools on the counter, table or where ever.  Everything is where it belongs and there isn't anything extra, like a piano.  It feels so good to be able to walk in the kitchen, be able to access whatever and have it look nice.  OK it probably needs a really deep clean of wash down the walls but for now I am happy the microwave is where it is supposed to be, the table is in its spot and the table top is cleared off, the counter tops are cleared off.

It was either the end of May or the beginning of June when I took the notion to start ripping up my kitchen floor and it has been chaos in the house ever since then.

[busymom]

Hi Kids!  We didn't get a huge amount of work done this weekend, but we did manage to unbox some more stuff, and we did a bit of holiday decorating outside.


I'm not getting as much done on the house as I probably should, but I've been putting more time & effort into making sure I get in some exercise, every day.  My own health has been on the backburner for too long, and it's high time it was higher on the priority list.  


debthaven, I'm so glad you've made it through a difficult semester.  Now, hopefully you can catch your breath.



We had a Menard's in the last community we lived at, and frankly it was my first choice when we needed hardware.  We don't have them here, and I miss them, but I do have choices:  Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace Hardware, all within 4 miles of my house.

[countrygirl2]

They are building one on the south side of the city where we go
to shop.  The only Menards was on the north probably 40 miles at least from the house.  Hubs can  hardly wait, this will make it about 20 to 25 miles to it which is great.  To get to the other had to drive completely through the city then north up and around.

[Sharon]

And it looks like the plumber scraped the new vinyl when he reinstalled the toilet.   I hadn't looked too closely at it, yeah the toilet was were it belonged, ok good.  I was also told to not use that toilet for a day while whatever was setting up.  I mostly use the other bathroom anyway.  Tonight I was taking a bath, to soak away the stress of last week, and notice this nice arc that follows right along the base of the toilet about 1 1/2" out.

[debthaven]

Ouch Sharon. I'm sorry.

Glad you see you're taking care of yourself busymom ! You're right, it's important.

[debthaven]

This week
- participation marks x 11/Mon
- Quickbooks appt/Mon
- call new boiler guy/Mon
- get Secret Santa gift/Mon
- lunch w P/Tues
- pick DD up from airport/Tues
- all-day meeting Job 2/Wed

- all-day meeting Job 1/Thurs

Problem solved with Quickbooks! What a relief!

[startsmart]

Hello from the Caribbean Sea where it is very windy and choppy! On my trek back to the mainland for a bit more fun time before heading home. Today’s goal is to find all the souvenirs I want to buy and, if there’s sun, go to the beach.

I want to spend some time planning out the next 3 months too, house projects, personal goals, work goals - all that good stuff!

[bean29]

CountryGirl2 your husband will like Menards. We have Menards, Home Depot and Lowes all basically across the street from each other. All the guys say they go to Menards First, then Home Depot or Lowes.
Menards is consistently Cheaper. They prefer Home Depot to pick Lumber though b/c Menards Stores it outside.

[TheOtherMe]

Happy to hear the Quickbooks problem is solved.

The remaining Christmas decorations that were not in good enough condition are now in the trash bin.

My computer desk lost a wheel so I had to clean it off to fix it.  That resulted in a few more items leaving the house.

Will load up the trash bin with kitchen stuff after the regular trash goes out.

[Iggy aka IG]

Lizard Queen

TheOtherMe congrats on the win!

This weekend from the long-standing list:

Washed the shower curtain

Wiped down shower tiles

Emptied and cleaned the cast iron skillet

Scrubbed the stove burner grates.  I hate that job.

Deep cleaned the stove top

Still need to clean the oven for the first time since moving in.  DH found the manual the sellers left so I can learn to do this safely.

The usual:

5 loads laundry

Dishes

Prepped food for the work week

Planned suppers

Read 4 newspapers

Cleared out several DVR hours

Clipped coupons

Scrubbed 2 toilets

Rearranged 2 freezers to make room for the half pig we bought

Started 2019 strategic planning for my business

[debthaven]

Have fun startsmart!

Good job Iggy aka IG

[bean29]

Dec 9, 2018 20:13:34 GMT -5 busymom said:

Hi Kids!  We didn't get a huge amount of work done this weekend, but we did manage to unbox some more stuff, and we did a bit of holiday decorating outside.


I'm not getting as much done on the house as I probably should, but I've been putting more time & effort into making sure I get in some exercise, every day.  My own health has been on the backburner for too long, and it's high time it was higher on the priority list.  


debthaven , I'm so glad you've made it through a difficult semester.  Now, hopefully you can catch your breath.



We had a Menard's in the last community we lived at, and frankly it was my first choice when we needed hardware.  We don't have them here, and I miss them, but I do have choices:  Home Depot, Lowe's or Ace Hardware, all within 4 miles of my house.

good for you on prioritizing your exercise. I have been finding it easier to make time on my lunch hour. I really intended to go to a Yoga class on my way home Friday, but decided I had neglected too much at home. I went home intending to do a yoga class online or via youtube, but DH brought home fried fish/French fries and onion rings. I have sworn off eating fries b/c they so often make me sick, but I decided to eat them as I was "at home". I got sick, but my one Dog thought I should take him outside, even though my DH had taken him out already (he did this to me 2 x Friday night). I finally told DH he was going to have to take the dog out again, I just could not do it. No more restaurant prepared fried food for me. (It is corn oil/corn syrup I can not tolerate). I did clean my kitchen and Mop the bathroom floor before we ate, so at least I got a few things done.

Iggy congrats on all you got done! Did you wash the plastic liner too?  I have done that, but I think I am due to buy a new one.

Debt- glad to hear your Quick Books Issue is resolved.

[debthaven]

You people are making me feel like a slacker for having a regular cleaner (but I'm keeping her lol).

The new boiler guy didn't call me back, but it's only been one day.

This week's list (updated)
- lunch w P/Tues
- pick DD up from airport/Tues
- all-day meeting Job 2/Wed
- all-day meeting Job 1/Thurs

I just have one class's marks to do but I left part of what I need at Job 2 so I'll get it on Wed. I'm caught up with the rest (for now ... I still have a ton of final exams coming in.) I pick up 39 more on Fri.

 

[debthaven]

For now bean29 lol. I have to start all over but I'm absolutely fine with that. I REALLY hope I can get the hang of it because DH needs someone to do it, he'll be paying me the equivalent of 3 classes/year, and that is huge for me in terms of (less) marking.

DH claims he will never retire (and I believe him). So it would be fantastic for me to learn how to do this. There's more info on my thread on YM, but basically the accountant said (as you did) that he thinks I may well struggle to set it up, so either I manage or he'll do it for me, but that once I get the hang of it I'll be fine. He told us he's never used QB but he's always been curious about it, so this is a good reason for him to look into it.

So there is hope.

[TheOtherMe]

The most difficult part is setting up the Quickbooks.  When I worked in accounting firms, I helped businesses do that but we had a lot of pro formas we used for various types of businesses.

My cleaning people are a necessity of life for me.  

[debthaven]

This week's list (updated)
- lunch w P/Tues
- pick DD up from airport/Tues
- all-day meeting Job 2/Wed

- all-day meeting Job 1/Thurs

Roof/boiler guy's wife called ... he's coming in early Jan. Looks like we have a new boiler guy.  

I have to prepare something for the pot luck work lunch on Thursday. It won't be anything elaborate ... I usually make tuna salad, and it always goes.

[debthaven]

More nused car angst ...

The price went down on a car I've been tracking. It's SO tempting! I'm wondering if we might get a super deal because it's Dec. Next semester I'll be driving through the forest 1 day/week, not 2 days/week.

DH wants me to pay off the kitchen loan with savings so we can get the car, but I won't do that. We spent too long without savings, with all the anguish that went with it.

DH also pointed out that we paid 253 euros/month for the dishwasher in Oct/Nov/Dec with no problem. So he says we CAN manage both the kitchen loan and a car loan. BUT we didn't have property taxes in Nov and Dec (we pay monthly from Jan-Oct so we generally pay little in Nov and nothing in Dec.)

I'm terrified of things being tight again. But I also REALLY want a car that I'm not constantly worried about!

We only have 12 months left on the kitchen (down from 30 months! The kitchen is 2.5 years old and we took out a 5-year loan.) With double payments (hopefully) that's just 6 more months. If we get the car of course there will NOT be double payments on the kitchen loan.

I guess I should just keep on keeping on until either the kitchen loan is paid off or the car dies ...

In your experience, do dealers do screaming deals at the end of the year? Even on used cars?

ETA: I just emailed the garage to ask if they do trade-ins LOL. Now I regret it. 

[nikiz628]

Dec 9, 2018 17:10:40 GMT -5 Lizard Queen said:

Dec 9, 2018 15:17:19 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

Didn't know that, may have to reconsider.  They are opening a new Menards north of us in the next few months.  They are building it now.  I figure they will have some great opening sales.

We love Menards. They often have great sales.

Their 11% rebate sale has been a lifesaver with our home addition and all the reno. To date, we've received $1,370.26 back in rebates. That's covered a lot of material! 

[nikiz628]

Dec 9, 2018 22:54:19 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

They are building one on the south side of the city where we go
to shop.  The only Menards was on the north probably 40 miles at least from the house.  Hubs can  hardly wait, this will make it about 20 to 25 miles to it which is great.  To get to the other had to drive completely through the city then north up and around.

Idk if you've ever said where you are from, but reading this makes it sound like you are in my extended area. We have 1 Menards, which is north in the city, but they are currently building a new location on the south side. 
Now I am sitting here wondering if it's just a crazy coincidence lol. 

[Sharon]

debthaven one year I bought a used car on Dec. 30th in the evening.  I got a great deal they all wanted out of there and it was one more car off the lot and not counted for end of year inventory, and yes it was used, even several years old used.

My scuff spot on my new vinyl turned out to be a weird reflection from the mirror/light.  Even the plumber guy kept feeling it and looking at it and yeah it made an arc like the toilet base but not quite exactly the same.  He turned on his phone with the flashlight option and it went away.  Then he put his coat over the toilet and it went away.  If you just held a hand over it, like to make a shadow it doesn't go away.  He took the light bulb out on the one side of the fixture nearest the toilet and it went away.

[nikiz628]

Sharon- Glad to hear the vinyl scuff was a fluke! I can just picture your plumber playing scuff detective on your floor! 

[debthaven]

Haha Sharon good news about the toilet!

[finnime]

debthaven IME dealers do offer huge deals at year's end, yes, used and new. I've gotten two great deals at the very end of December in my life, one for me and one for my DD. Mine was used, hers was new. Both New Year's Eve purchases, saved a lot and got some stuff thrown in, too. If you're ready to walk away it works well.

[finnime]

New Miele vacuum arrived yesterday. Today is cleaning day, and I'm looking forward to it. Going to go through house with two trash bags, too, for give-aways and trash, rather than move and put back Stuff.

[busymom]

I've always been told, debthaven, that the end of any month is a great time to buy a car from a dealership, because they're trying to hit their "numbers", and feel more pressure to do so at month's end.


Yesterday was very busy here, as I ordered what they call "plantation" shutters for my large kitchen window (it faces east, and in the Summer we're going to deal with bright sunlight and heat there), and from a different place (to save around $400) I ordered blackout honeycomb blinds for all of the bedroom windows.  (Excellent for those of us who suffer from migraines, to keep out bright daylight).  So, it was an expensive day, but a lot was accomplished.   It still feels strange to me, living in a house that is all on one level.  I don't miss the stairs, but I want to regain the feeling of privacy.

[countrygirl2]

Looks like I'm going to need a vacuum, I have looked at all kinds.  Not getting another Kenmore, not because I don't like it but don't think I can get parts if I need them.  Looked at Electrolux and Miele, anyone know a really good one that will suck the carpet up good and really get the dirt out like my old Kenmore.  I ordered the piece I needed and its smaller so the sweeper head doesn't run right.  So aggravating.  We were going to try to fix the cracked piece but hubs doesn't think it will hold. Otherwise its an excellent sweeper, we can use it for hard floor sweeping and cleaning out the vehicles, but none of them I have now clean my carpets good. The new piece is to small and keeps letting the motor in the head go off and on, I tried wedging stuff in the frame and things but it hits and misses.

[startsmart]

I'm home again! Got in late to SFO and stayed with my parents and then headed home to get the dogs this morning. Everything arrived safely except 1 bath bomb which is now bath dust. I'll have to upload a picture of what I brought home tonight, Imgur is being difficult right now. 

Back to my unpacking! 

Got the laundry started, gifts sorted, most of the luggage is empty and all I have left is the toiletries bag and then packing everything away.

Let's see if I can get this image to post: 

link

[TheOtherMe]

I know you will "get" this here, even though it isn't about decluttering.

DN1 contacted me today.  His wife is visiting her parents after attending a conference in Europe.  He asked if it would be okay to visit Grandpa on Friday and would I go with him.     Yes and yes!  

I don't know where my sister fits in to his plans or if she does, but I won't say anything to her if he doesn't want me to.  Dad will tell her because he will be so happy.

[bean29]

DD was home the other day and asked if I still had "that little tree". "We" have a small Tree that DD bought one year for her bedroom. I don't think she ever put it up, but I appropriated it and put it on a table by the basement door. It is perfect for the basement b/c we live on a corner and some family members will come in the back door when they visit.

Since it is DD's tree to begin with I was all set to send it off with her. I went down, got the tree and the ornaments that go with it and brought it up. She then proceeded to leave without it. She said she would be back to get it. her last finals for the semester are tomorrow.  I was on my way to Target when she left and I was actually crazy enough to buy a replacement for the one I was sending with DD.  I brought it home and DH said Why did you buy that?  I loaded it back in my car and took it back yesterday.    DH does not really care that I spend $$, it is more because I have talked to him some about decluttering. He also is on a pay off debt kick, and I am fine with that too.

We need to decorate outside. It is supposed to be in the 40's this weekend, so I think we will do it this weekend. I also need to clean the inside of my house and put up the tree and wrap the presents I have purchased.

[debthaven]

Congrats on ordering the shutters busymom and on the vacuum finnime !

That sink is absolutely stunning startsmart !!! I LOVE ethnic items and I LOVE ceramics!

That's so nice TheOtherMe ! I'm sure they'll be so happy to see each other.

This week's list (updated)
- all-day meeting Job 2/Wed
- all-day meeting Job 1/Thurs

- work out third-year marks/Thurs (I got the info I needed today.)

One more day, then end-of-year meetings are over. Then just 3h/week of teaching and 111 finals to mark (I've already marked 72). I get the next batch of 39 on Fri, I'll do them this weekend.

Unfortunately I will get the last 72 finals on Monday afternoon. It is not humanly possible to mark them before DS1/DDIL/Baby! arrive on Wed morning. I'm hoping to have only 34 left. My plan is to mark ONLY when the kids are out. It should be fine. In a worst-case scenario I do them after Christmas. I have time but I like getting them done and having a clear head.

I'm SO stressed out, about the play (I don't know my lines)/finals/gifts. The car dealer didn't get back to me, so we'll probably leave well enough alone because it's just more stress at this point. But thanks so much for your posts! I will make sure we go at the end of the month/quarter when we finally pull the trigger.