2019 - Organize Your Life & Declutter Your Stuff

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 9, 2019 11:48:53 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Remember the cleaning people I hired for a one time before Christmas and she told me she would be able to add me to her regular schedule in January?  She called this morning and I am now on the schedule.  It's a tad cheaper when you are on the regular schedule.

Now I have a date that is the goal for doing some things.

happy for you!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Regarding mail: So, this is not a good solution in several senses, however: I've stopped picking up the mail on a daily basis. We pick it up once or twice per week. Then, it comes in all at once when I know I'll have time to sort through it. DH picked it up today, and it was a pretty big pile. I'm not sure we'd picked it since last weekend. Anyhoo, five minutes of sorting, opening, putting one pile in the trash, one pile in the shredder, and one pile to file/ deal with. 

Regarding hanging clothes: clothes with dust on them--get rid of them! That's an interesting way of looking at that. My scarves hang in my bathroom. I've recently noticed they have dust on them. I did think that was an indicator to purge a few; I suppose I should follow through now that Peter Walsh has commanded it!!!

bean29, I keep nice bags and some boxes also. Then I end up with waaaaayyyy tooooo many that I'll never use!

startsmart, it's been four hours; how'd it go?


imanangel, did you get to the pantry?


debthaven, I'm sorry your sister is still struggling. 

[startsmart]

I am making a good dent in the papers. About 70 went right into recycling or the shredding box and I am now going through loose papers to determine if I still need these notes or not. Bills are all in one place and I’ll drop those off tomorrow since I FINALLY got my replacement debit card 2 weeks after it was cancelled.

And it’s a good thing I stayed home to do it, next town over there’s an active shooter who shot a cop and hasn’t been found. I’m gonna stay inside thank you! Hoping he is caught quickly without any other injuries and the cop pulls through.

I also got about half the magazines to the kitchen to begin sorting. I’m going to ask my editor if she wants any of the issues herself since she’s done some big stories (doubt she will but I’ll ask).

[CCL]

Jan 10, 2019 22:33:34 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I got both bank account binders up to date. Somehow I am still missing 2 statements from 2017. I made a weak attempt to find them again. I did find several piles of old bills. The most recent ones have been filed and the old ones are ready for shedding this weekend.

One day I will finally get rid of all the old stuff. At least I keep making progress.

Why do you need to save bank statements? Can't you access them online? I haven't even received one in at least 15 years.

I don't keep old bills, either, except credit card statements. Those I keep for 2 years since mine usually extend warranties for the 2 years and I would need a copy for that. A couple of them won't let me access online statements because I won't sign up for paperless billing. I'm trying to eliminate papers, but for most of my bills that's the only way I can keep them all straight and be sure I've paid them on time.

[imanangel]

Knee Deep in Water Chloe No  I spent the day cuddling and playing with my grand baby. I couldn't help it, he is really stinking cute and I can't resist his little giggle and smile. He was very chatty yesterday as well. He had a lot of stories to tell me. 

I will get to the pantry this weekend. My DIL and grand baby have gone home. I don't plan on going anywhere because I am trying to not spend money....so it looks like it will just be me and the pantry. 

[bean29]

I managed to shorten 2 pr. of pants tonight. One was a pair of soccer pants with zippers at the bottom. They were a good 6” too long, so I was walking on the zipper. I took a seam ripper and removed the zipper, then sewed the legs back up and hemmed the pants. I think Pat is smarter-sometimes it would just be easier to make the whole garment prom start to finish.

I also had a pair of skinny leg jeans I shortened. I put my machine and my sewing box back in my closet.

I need to whip my house into shape-DD and her boyfriend are leaving on Vacay Saturday, and flying out of O’hare. So I need to make sure to do dishes and clean off table, clean bathrooms etc. We are going to dinner with friends after we drop them off.

I should be working all weekend, not going to happen. Hopefully I can work at least 4 hours Saturday.

[wvugurl26]

Jan 11, 2019 3:48:34 GMT -5 CCL said:

Jan 10, 2019 22:33:34 GMT -5 wvugurl26 said:

I got both bank account binders up to date. Somehow I am still missing 2 statements from 2017. I made a weak attempt to find them again. I did find several piles of old bills. The most recent ones have been filed and the old ones are ready for shedding this weekend.

One day I will finally get rid of all the old stuff. At least I keep making progress.

Why do you need to save bank statements? Can't you access them online? I haven't even received one in at least 15 years.

I don't keep old bills, either, except credit card statements. Those I keep for 2 years since mine usually extend warranties for the 2 years and I would need a copy for that. A couple of them won't let me access online statements because I won't sign up for paperless billing. I'm trying to eliminate papers, but for most of my bills that's the only way I can keep them all straight and be sure I've paid them on time.

The one bank doesn't give me online statements. I keep receipts for a few months. It has saved me a few times when I needed to make returns. I have sheet protectors in the binders and the receipts get dropped in there by month. After a few months, most can be shredded. Any for large purchases that may have warranties are transferred to a different sheet protector.

Bills are saved for a month or two so I have the full account number because many online statements do not show the full number. There's a folder for each account in my file cabinet.

It works fine when I'm caught up and filing monthly. I got behind in 2016/2017 with all of my wedding planning and preparation. Then I moved to my DH's house at the end of 2017 without time to sort everything.

2018 I was sick until June with multiple sinus infections. I've done a couple massive shredding sessions so far. There can't be that much stuff left to find. The current stuff is caught up so I feel good about that.

[nidena]

Yesterday, I dropped the carpet remnant off to the ReStore.  Tuesday, I was able to help a friend start her declutter process.  We got rid of a stack of papers about a foot high.  I tell you, it's gonna be a "road" to get through her stuff.  She wants to keep so much for sentimental reasons example: We came across her approved app for a store credit card (well known lingerie brand) and she wanted to keep it because it was from when she bought some goodies for a rendevous with a beau.  They barely dated.  "Dude, in the trash!"  She was satisfied with taking a picture.  lol.  Then, everything is a walk down memory lane.  When I'm sorting, I'm on a mission: Point A to Point Z as quick as possible, decide what stays and what goes, no loitering.  I had to redirect her back to the task SO.MANY.TIMES.  lol.  And we didn't even get done before she had to be somewhere else.  We'll continue next week.

[TheOtherMe]

At times, I have gotten totally hung up on something being sentimental.  For some totes and boxes, I'm on the third pass.  Now it's take a photo and get rid of it.

I keep 90% of my financial stuff online.  I receive very little mail because I don't receive any from banks, credit cards, etc.  I get the daily emails from USPS that shows me what's in the mail.  If it's junk, I don't get it that day.  My recycle bin is in the garage, next to the door in to the house.  Junk mail never gets in to the house.  

Since I stopped getting the newspaper, I don't have nearly as much recycling.

[Iggy aka IG]

Been on Prednisone thanks to the asthma.  This means despite the fact I'm not at 100% yet, I have "energy".  7 this morning found me organizing the pantry door shelves.  If you know me, you know I'm not a morning person, so this is indeed strange behavior, LOL.  Last night I organized the back hall washroom shelves.  Total items tossed between the two were at least 5, including a battery leaked flashlight.

[wvugurl26]

Some things get easier to toss over time. I found some receipts last night from wedding stuff. I originally wanted to total it up so I kept all of them. Very easy to toss in the shred pile last night.

I do keep final statements. I could probably scan them at some point. Right now I'm still finding things to toss, donate and shred.

Not being sick constantly and finally getting enough sleep in the past week have done great things for my energy.

[busymom]

Hi Kids!  Sorry I haven't been on here much, but I've been dealing with health issues with DS, so I've got no real progress to report.  Although, with DH getting a day off from work, we DID get over to a couple of furniture stores to look at kitchen table & chair sets.  Our current house is a lot smaller than our previous one, so we've gotta get something small, as in no more than 4 chairs, and we might've found our winner yesterday.


Today I need to get caught up on errands and do some grocery shopping.  Also, my paper pile has grown, and I need to tame it.

[nikiz628]

The forecast for this weekend looks like we could end up with a significant amount of snow. I wouldn’t mind getting “snowed in” for a few days (it’s not that significant- I’m seeing anything from 4-7”). It would be a good excuse to start tackling the smaller declutter/organizing projects like the pantry or the junk drawer.

Our oven element decided to stop working last night, right in the middle of baking dinner. Thankfully we have an air fryer, and i was able to throw the chicken into it to finish it. H thinks a replacement should be in stock at a local supply store. If not, it’s going to be a few days without an oven. Im glad most of the meals on my meal plan this week will not require one.

[bean29]

Jan 11, 2019 10:05:53 GMT -5 nidena said:

Yesterday, I dropped the carpet remnant off to the ReStore.  Tuesday, I was able to help a friend start her declutter process.  We got rid of a stack of papers about a foot high.  I tell you, it's gonna be a "road" to get through her stuff.  She wants to keep so much for sentimental reasons example: We came across her approved app for a store credit card (well known lingerie brand) and she wanted to keep it because it was from when she bought some goodies for a rendevous with a beau.  They barely dated.  "Dude, in the trash!"  She was satisfied with taking a picture.  lol.  Then, everything is a walk down memory lane.  When I'm sorting, I'm on a mission: Point A to Point Z as quick as possible, decide what stays and what goes, no loitering.  I had to redirect her back to the task SO.MANY.TIMES.  lol.  And we didn't even get done before she had to be somewhere else.  We'll continue next week.

Nidena - Wanna moonlitght as my organizer?  Paper/Filing and deciding what to keep and what to get rid of is my own downfall.  I am not that bad though.  I keep receipts for tax purposes, and I tend to keep all the old ones I never managed to go through in boxes for years.

I do have my bank statements turned off and my Electric/Gas bills.  I just print them at year end and file them all at once.  I also get e-receipts from Macys.  So I don't have to file them and they are easy to find on my phone if I need them.  Really I should do the same with Kohl's - does anyone know if they do that?  I was going to say Target...but I do buy stuff there that is tax deductible for the business.

[moneysquirrel]

I hope that all of you that have been ailing are now feeling better.  Some of you have been quite busy in spite of your illnesses. 

After looking over my last list I realized that I have done everything on that list plus a few more except exercise.  With all of the housework, taking down the tree, moving it to the garage, storing all of ornaments and other decorations upstairs plus doing a little rearranging in the garage that will count as my exercise this week. 

I also got to the post office to get stamps before the price goes up on the 27th.  Figured I would get an extra pack or two to hold me for most of the year.  Also got to the grocery as I decided that I wanted to get a few things cooked and in the freezer for future meals.  My volunteer work/classes start up again in a few weeks and I will lose some time going across town for those.  

Today: 
One load of laundry
Crock pot with chili started
Clean and mop the bath
Clean and mop the kitchen
Emptied the dishwasher
Roomba the LR

Goals for coming days and next week: (as of now)
Maintain progress 
Keep up with laundry and dishes
Cook at least one additional meal with intended leftover for the freezer
Meeting -- Tuesday
Roomba -- BR 
Roomba -- Bead Room
Continue work in rearranging garage
Start a new box for donations
Start new bead project
Add at least one new item to Etsy
Pay house insurance
Continue to go through items and evaluate them

debthaven -- I also am happy that I have not had to do the list of Peter Walsh challenges so far.  Had just done a bunch of them a few weeks ago as I was trying to get things packed up for the donation pickup. Sure there will be a few I will have to do. 

LOL on the plastic -- as I get rid of a lot then as my family need them for the leftovers and I tell them that I don't want them back.  I will get more as I use a product that comes in plastic reusable containers but I either use them for one of my classes or for something else.  As it gets closer to Thanksgiving I let them build up and what is not used is then disposed on.

Will check in later.  

[tcu2003]

Peter Walsh’s 31 Days to Get Organized Challenge:


Day 1 -Set up a donation bin. And, everyone in your house finds 5 items to place in the bin.

Day 2 - Shoes. Gather all of your shoes up from your closet. If they have dust on them, don’t fit, etc, put them in your donate bin. Only keep shoes you love, wear, and that fit you well.

Day 3 - Home Safety. Being organized is not just about closets and files, it's also about ensuring the best life for you and your family. The New Year is a great time to check smoke detectors in your home. Make this your 10 minute challenge for the day and make your family a little safer in the process!

Day 4 - This year’s challenge Mantra is “No more later” aka stop procrastinating. Today's challenge is to contact someone, preferably by phone, that you’ve been putting off. It could be a friend, family member, for more coworker, etc, but do it today!

Day 5 - The Junk Drawer.

Day 6 - Holiday Decorations. The holidays are over and it's time for the decorations to come down.

Day 7 - Bathroom cabinets! Pick one bathroom cabinet, and get rid of anything too old, expired or you don’t use, and put everything away in its proper space.

Day 8 - Plastic Food Storage Containers.

Day 9 - Hanging Clothes. In his video, he says that anything that has dust on it needs to go.

Day 10 - the mail. If you have mail pretty much all over your house then today's the day we're going to get that sorted out.

Day 11 of #31Days2GetOrganized - under the sink


#31Days2GetOrganized

[startsmart]

Ugh, I was up way too late last night tracking the situation in town. Short version: there was a 3-car accident and a rookie cop responded. For some reason one of the men involved shot her and fled on foot. She was taken to the hospital but died of her injuries (she was 22 yo) and it took about 5 hours to find the shooter who went into someone's house where it appears he killed himself. The whole community is reeling, this is the first officer related death in 60 years and she was so young. 


Today I am back to the paper pile and magazines trying to catch up on my list.

1 Finish chapters 4-6 of my book
2 Write down quotes from last year’s books
3 Take donation to goodwill
4 Cull magazines
5 Finish scanning loose pictures
6 Touch up front door paint
7 Begin planting bulbs

[debthaven]

OMG startsmart I saw that on the news! Absolutely tragic.

wvugurl26 there will always been more old stuff! You are making great progress!

moneysquirrel I'm glad I'm not the only one LOL. I've been doing them from the beginning. I actually started in Year 2 but then went back to do the first year.

I didn't do much today either. We heard from QB, A still hasn't resolved the issue but she's working on it. Now their CS is closed till Mon. I was hoping it would be resolved today so I could get up to date but there are only the CC items left. There aren't many and they are easy to categorize.

I picked up the spare tire, it's a relief to have one again.

We had a nice lunch with DD today. Poor DD is still working nights. We  have lunch together a couple of Fridays a month since I don't teach on Fridays.

My very close friend A has been away for 2.5 weeks. She's back, so I'll see her Sat morning. I'm not proud of this but frankly it was a relief to have a few weeks off. She is my friend whose DH committed suicide 3 years ago. (OMG 3 years already?!) Am I a terrible person for considering using this "break" in our regular habits to go down to every third Sat morning?

QB is still ongoing but since nothing will happen over the weekend I'm not listing it for now.

This weekend (updated)
- pick up spare tire/Fri

- lunch with DD/Fri

- see A/Sat

- lines (ongoing)
 

[nikiz628]

Jan 11, 2019 13:45:27 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh’s 31 Days to Get Organized Challenge:


Day 11 of #31Days2GetOrganized - under the sink


#31Days2GetOrganized

I was just thinking to myself that it was a hot mess under our kitchen sink..... 

[chapeau]

Jan 11, 2019 15:07:29 GMT -5 nikiz628 said:

Jan 11, 2019 13:45:27 GMT -5 tcu2003 said:

Peter Walsh’s 31 Days to Get Organized Challenge:


Day 11 of #31Days2GetOrganized - under the sink


#31Days2GetOrganized

I was just thinking to myself that it was a hot mess under our kitchen sink..... 

Peter Walsh knows ...

[debthaven]

That totally cracked me up chapeau ! Yes he does LOL!

I must be the old 59YO I know who is planning to buy child-safety cabinet locks again. I don't care if Baby! empties food out (as he did over Christmas). We tied the pantry cabinets together to stop him. But the cabinet under the sink is full of cleaning products. I know I could switch things around and put those out of his reach, but frankly I'd rather install a child safety lock on that one cabinet. 

[startsmart]

I am nearly done with the book quotes, maybe 2 more books to go before I can box up the ones that are going into storage. 

I did text my editor and she's going to check their archives on Monday to see if they need any of the magazines I'm donating. 

I have a couple of things going out in the mail today, if I can get the addresses together before my afternoon appointment. 

[WholeLottaNothin]

I'm almost to 100 items and it's only January 11th. I've done my dresser and a half assed attempt at one shelf. I don't know whether to be proud of my progress or disgusted we have so much stuff.

[debthaven]

Be proud WholeLottaNothin :-)

[chapeau]

Jan 11, 2019 17:45:26 GMT -5 WholeLottaNothin said:

I'm almost to 100 items and it's only January 11th. I've done my dresser and a half assed attempt at one shelf. I don't know whether to be proud of my progress or disgusted we have so much stuff.

Be proud.
I confess, I have several boxes and bags of stuff to donate, but I have a donation mystery shop scheduled for February, so that stuff will sit in my dining room until then. I’m only counting stuff I’ve pitched out right now.

[TheOtherMe]

Be proud.  

I am managing to keep the living room, dining room, kitchen and my bedroom under control.  That does not mean there is not more to be done there, but those areas are presentable.

The other areas come off in layers.  

[imanangel]

Today the pantry and I have a date......  I hope it goes well, but every time I open the door, I get overwhelmed and a little afraid of what I am going to find....

[imanangel]

Ok, it is done! I have cleaned and organized my pantry. It seriously sucked and I threw away a lot of stuff. Ugh, what a waste. But, it is done now. 
On that note, off to Pinterest to find recipes for 5,000 cans of tomato sauce and tomato paste.....(ok, maybe not that many, but a lot.)

[finnime]

Definitely don't recommend it, but I 'decluttered' 5 lbs this past week with the virus I had.

Today I'm feeling well enough to tackle the Coat Situation. We have the usual mix of seasonal and other jackets due to Maryland having such variable weather. Decided to limit the buildup to 3 each: for cold, for warmer weather and for rainier. Plus one dressier winter coat for me, because I have ambitions of not looking homeless when I run errands.

[chiver78]

Angel, chili!


I'm about to head down stairs into the basement. not sure what or how much I will accomplish today, but wish me luck. and, if I don't post back in a few hours, send help! 😉