2019 - Organize Your Life & Declutter Your Stuff

[debthaven]

Good point NastyWoman . This said, it seems to me that even if they are no longer working, you don't often hear about actors or actresses having dementia. Maybe it's kept secret? That's certainly possible. I do think there's something to it though, because actors can still work and do smaller roles as they get older. Unlike much of the population, they don't necessarily stop working when they hit retirement age. They can always do a cameo or smaller role. I freely admit that's just my impression, I haven't researched it.

They cancelled tonight's rehearsal because of the snow. Luckily the roads had been cleared and I was able to get home without much difficulty (the last mile or so was tricky).

[moneysquirrel]

I am keeping up with the day to day items and trying to get to organizing something every day.  Things are pretty much in good shape currently but I do still have things that I am sure that I can get out of the house.  Dropped off a few school related things at my former school this morning while I was in the area.  Small progress but better than none.  

I am continuing to work with the yarn that I received from my late aunt.  Recently started another scrap  afghan to be later used as a gift.  The one I was working on last month has been finished and now has a new home with DS.  My sister has been hinting for one so she might be the one receiving this current one.  

My volunteer class (computer) and where I also take classes (craft related) starts again this week.  So that will get me out of the house for a few hours a week. There has been a few days recently where I didn't leave the house.  Several reasons -- bad weather and not having to get anything needed at the moment -- encouraged me to just stay put.  Of course, staying home encouraged me to get some household chores done which is why that house has been in good shape these last few days.  I also got some beading done as well. I almost have another beading item finished from the patterns I purchased this past summer.  Got a lot of little items completed as well -- mostly earrings and a bracelet or two. I also took a few naps. (Think I will take one once I finish on the computer.)


Iggy aka IG -- Take care of yourself.  Rest and don't do too much.

[laterbloomer]

Okay, I don't post here much but I follow you guys when I can (this thread grows FAST!) Anyway, I got a low profile over the range microwave!!!! That has opened up so much kitchen counter space for me!!! I got rid of the counter top microwave and moved my knife block and toaster and utensil canisters to the corner where it has been and I have this HUGE counter space to prepare food on! It's glorious!!!

[debthaven]

Hurray laterbloomer! And welcome! Hope you'll post more often.

[TheOtherMe]

I'm surprising myself in that I don't have a lot of pre-cleaning to do before the cleaning company comes on Friday.  I am chalking that up to stuff that no longer exists in my house and picking up after myself better.

I'm hoping my neighbor is going to plow my driveway tonight.  I've turned on the porch and garage lights.  If he doesn't, I'm in a world of hurt.  He has done it every snow this season and I pay him once a month.  If he isn't going to do it, I hope he would tell me so I could make other arrangements.  I know it's just after 5 PM and he may not be home from work yet.

I need to take dad to the store tomorrow so I do need to get out by morning.

ETA:  Neighbor is plowing my snow now!!!

[debthaven]

TheOtherMe that is wonderful! Both about not having to "prep" for the cleaner and for your neighbor plowing.

I've been on this thread for years. Eventually you get to a point where it's "maintenance" rather than "actively decluttering".

We still have our "hotspots" too. I still HATE the basement and all the Stuff DH has down there. But I've learned to live with it. DH's side of the desk is a mess again. We have too many books.

But you know what? Tonight I told DH, wow, your half of the desk is a huge mess again. And DH said, "I know, I'm sorry, I will do it tomorrow. I was hoping to do it today before you got home, but I promise, I'll do it tomorrow." I hope he does, but even the fact that he's aware of it is MAJOR progress. If he doesn't, we'll do it this weekend.

I'm so glad you are getting to the point where you can live with your Stuff too.

To me the bottom line is that we all deserve a neat, well-organized home where we can rest and enjoy our lives and take "shelter from the storm" of the outside world.

Our homes should be a haven, for us.

[TheOtherMe]

It's nowhere near done with decluttering stuff, but the areas where I spend my time are mostly cleared of stuff.  The stuff is behind closed doors and there is a lot to do.

I want to get to the place where I do feel like my home is a haven.

[megaptera]

Jan 21, 2019 12:09:53 GMT -5 megaptera said:

Jan 19, 2019 9:58:30 GMT -5 megaptera said:

This weeks goals:
1. Vacuum the stairs.
2. 3 loads of laundry
3. Clean all bathrooms.

Ladies, I'm not doing well; only 1 load of laundry so far, and it's already Wednesday evening.   Maybe I'll have (make?) the time tomorrow when the kiddos are in school. (We homeschool about half-time.)

I feel like I'm close the point where I'm done decluttering. Just when I think I'm done though, I accumulate a few more large bags to donate. 

[TheOtherMe]

It's too cold and too much snow for me to stop at Goodwill tomorrow when I take dad shopping.  I'm a diva.  At this Goodwill, I have to get out of the car and take the stuff inside.  No problem in halfway decent weather.  At the one in the bigger city, they come to the car and unload it.  

There is supposed to be blowing snow and fierce winds tomorrow making for a below zero windchill.  I just want to go to the grocery store and come home.

[countrygirl2]

Went to town and bought 10 20 gallon containers the bigger ones were all gone.

I have been in the basement sorting through and labeling containers and sorting through stuff. I have made progress. I have about 5 boxes to throw away. Dropped off some stuff at the donation center, have a few more things.

I am not getting rid of throw rugs, curtains, and shower curtains of various colors, they can be changed out when I get tired of them. Also lots of sheets and quite a few quilts of MIL's. I'm just keeping this stuff so I have packed them. I brought the inflatable down and packed it. Hopefully tomorrow I can get in the mechanical room and straighten holiday decorations.

I have one big box of Christmas lights to take to DIL on our next trip up or them down.  I finished packing a box and package to her of lots of fabric from bolts, its sheer decorative stuff I had bought for Halloween costumes for DD.  Here there is no place to go so I won't be making her more Halloween costumes from this fabric. She can use it for some of her crafts.  And it clears out a few little things.  

Moving along with sorting and decluttering.

Hubs is putting the railing for the ceiling up in the sewing room, he has it all painted, so ductwork and ceiling is it.  I need to paint the door and trim.  He bought me the latch door handle instead of knob, he said it will be easier to open. And I need to put the floor base trim around the edges of the room.  That will be one nice looking room down there.

[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 - under the sink.

Day 12 - Clear out old magazines, catalogs, flyers, etc.

Day 13 - Gift wrap

Day 14 - space underneath your bed

Day 15 - Getting the fridge & freezer organized.

Day 16 - "The Lower Third Technique"! (For those notmwatchint the videos on Facebook, it’s basically to take a stack or pile of clothing and focus on the bottom 1/3 of the stack, as you’ll likely find you can donate most of that part of the pile).

Day 17 - Bills & Receipts.

Day 18 - back in the kitchen dealing with the cupboard that holds your cups and mugs.

Day 19 - Today I challenge you to tackle just one small area of your garage... it's all about just getting started!

Day 20 - has us back in the kitchen with a challenge about keeping flat surfaces clear.

Day 21 - Books (Don't start screaming yet)! This is always an emotional topic! I love books too but if your books are never going to be read and are covered in dust, perhaps today's the day to deal with them.

Day 22 - Linen Cupboard. Towels, sheets, blankets and more!

Day 23 of #31Days2GetOrganized is all about your "unmentionables"... and your socks too! Let's go where no other organizer will go... ten minutes and you'll be amazed at the result! #Socks #Undies #ItsAllTooMuch #LetItGo

#31Days2GetOrganized

[startsmart]

It's only been a couple of days since I started clearing out my storage unit but I've got 30 boxes at home and they're mostly organized. I need to box up some books in the living room and I have about 6 more boxes to move all full of books (my whole collection has been downsized several times but I still have over 1,100). I can move 10-14 boxes at once in my small car but I need to give more notice so I'll be fully moved out by mid-February. 

Other things to complete: 

Move small appliances out to the garage 
Move empty UHaul boxes to bedroom (under bed) 
Finish boxing up books in living room
Move more magazines out to the car
Clean out the fridge 

[debthaven]

DH cleaned up his side of the desk today!

This weekend

- mark 19 essays/Fri

- mark 9 essays/Sat

- afternoon rehearsal/Sat

- mark 9 essays/Sun

Lines are ongoing.

[TheOtherMe]

I took dad on his two errands today without him falling on the ice.  I have never been so happy to get him back to his apartment in one piece.  

It's nasty outside.  The temperature is dropping and the wind has picked up and is blowing yesterday's snow in to drifts.

I was stopped to turn on to a main road and dad told me to "go, you can beat them"  Uh, no.  There's ice on the road.  That's why the cars were leaving so much distance between the next car.

Now I can do my stuff at home.  

[nidena]

Jan 24, 2019 12:05:50 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I took dad on his two errands today without him falling on the ice.  I have never been so happy to get him back to his apartment in one piece.  

It's nasty outside.  The temperature is dropping and the wind has picked up and is blowing yesterday's snow in to drifts.

I was stopped to turn on to a main road and dad told me to "go, you can beat them"  Uh, no.  There's ice on the road.  That's why the cars were leaving so much distance between the next car.

Now I can do my stuff at home.  

It's raining here.  Has me choosing to play hookie from school and just take care of stuff around the house.

[finnime]

We've got rain and just now the wind really picked up. We're expected to see temperatures plunge, too. Wild weather.

[debthaven]

Has me choosing to play hookie from school

I'm jealous, I can NEVER play hooky from school.

[nidena]

Jan 24, 2019 12:50:23 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Has me choosing to play hookie from school

I'm jealous, I can NEVER play hooky from school.

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I'm impressed that I made it through nearly two whole weeks but it helps that last Monday was a snow day and this past Monday was MLK day.  Tomorrow, I have only one scheduled class but am doing a number of extracurricular stuff: adverting for my student org meeting, tutoring, and something else that escapes my brain.  

[countrygirl2]

I did good, laundry room redone, lots of towels and rags out and in a box in the basement. Room in the closet for hubs boots so we aren't tripping over them.  All the plastic bags DIL insisted I save while here that I do not use.  But hung them up in my store room just in case, along with my bag of dryer lint.  Firestarter stuff, yeah its a prepper thing, LOL!  My laundry room is looking good!!

Put the guest room together, hubs put up my curtain rod yesterday and the curtains.  I have a little cabinet in the corner that is going downstairs when he is done.  Had it for some of little guys clothes before we got the dresser, but on carpet its unstable and I'm afraid if he were here and pulled on it, it might fall on him, so to my sewing room.  I am now ready to catch up my ironing in there.  First time that room has been pretty since we lived here.  The other owner had an old cheapy rod that came down and I patched the wall where she put it.  Hubs put these brackets in the header so won't mess up the drywall.

DD's room is cleaner, I also have mattress protector, sheet, second protector and sheet.  So if we have more issues I can just strip it and not in the middle of the night be trying to redo it.   The second set is big enough to do that.  Washed DD's throw rugs.  Washed her windows the other day, I actually have her room cleaned enough to be able to paint in there when I get ready, YES!

I'm getting ready to make cookies. found my little cookie maker while cleaning the laundry room, I have a wall of cabinets in there and countertop with sink, like a mini kitchen.  And I will straighten my office this evening.  Also some more stuff out of our bedroom, I like to go through drawers and things in there about once a month to keep it under control.  I buy socks upon socks, my braces eats them up.  Only certain kinds feels good inside this brace, I can't stand anything with ribs, they hurt.

Hubs wore down today, he is putting up the drop ceiling and has been cutting pieces, cutting wire and hanging it today.  I can't work above my head like that for long, he does better, but he said he had enough for today. He drove down to buy hamburger buns.  He loves cheeseburgers but only on buns.  And no matter how well I bag and seal them or double bag for some reason they get hard and none of us like them.  So he gets them fresh if I don't.

Ok, off to bake my cookies, been quite awhile since I have made any, will have a happy little family.

[startsmart]

Rambling about Storage Stuff...

I just counted and have so far brought home 45 boxes from the storage unit. There's nothing I've come across where I immediately thought "don't need that, throw it away!" but I do want to go through all the boxes when I Kon-Marie things later this year. Right now all the U-Haul book and small size boxes are in my living room, neatly stacked. I will make room in the closets or garage once the storage unit is empty and I know what volume I'm looking at. Thankfully every box is numbered clearly and I have 2 spreadsheets, one that details what's in each box and where the box is located and one just for the books so I could find a particular book in any of those boxes. 

There are a few options I'm considering: 
a) Just stack up the boxes in the garage, I know what's in them so fragile stuff can be secured in case of earthquakes.
b) Turn the 4 closet doors I took down into a storage unit with some 2x4 framing which could take a couple weekends to build.
c) Buy another metal shelving unit ($55-90) and use that to preserve space. 


Other things: 
-I have 24 boxes of books, since they're the smallest boxes due to weight. Of those, 4 are odd sized and I would like them to be in uniform sized boxes. With an average of 42 books per box I'll need about 4 more boxes for the rest of my collection anyways. 
-Same for other stuff, about 23 boxes of "odd" shapes mostly Amazon boxes I reused. When I go through those I would like to re-pack into U-Haul boxes which I have plenty leftover and ready to be used.
-I'm already seeing that there are some unfinished projects in these boxes so it's going to be my goal to reduce those substantially. 

Overall, most of the things I've packed are heirloom or newish items that I would like to use in my next house but don't fit well in this one. Things that could be easily and cheaply replaced are already donated so I'm probably not going to unpack all the boxes and re-integrate things into the house OR donate a bunch of stuff. Right now I'd much rather have a more minimalistic home with a slew of boxes in the garage and in closets than any other option. I have another 40 boxes or plastic bins to transport home so I think I'll do one more run today. 

[debthaven]

startsmart maybe it's time to look for your next home? Only because you seem to be storing a lot for it. Maybe it's time to move on the timeline? Dunno, just a thought.

Otherwise I'd buy the shelves and leave those boxes in the garage. JMO of course. But personally I wouldn't bother to make room for those things in the house if they are just "temporary".

[vetswife]

TheOtherMe   You might try calling the local hospital for a recommendation for a social worker.  Home health agencies might have one on staff also, or be able to recommend where you could find one.  Hope you can get some help.

[debthaven]

I opted out of my book club this year because of the play. The play is 15-17 Feb.
`
So I offered to host the next book club on either 28 Feb or 7 March. I did NOT want to host the week after the play.

Turns out both dates are public school holidays (most of us are teachers but I'm not in the public system and I teach university.) So they all decided it would be at my place on 21 Feb (even though I didn't offer that week). But, they promised to bring all the food. Generally the hostess does the main dish and the others bring the rest.

I told them I'd try to do the main dish but I wasn't promising, and that I ordered the book but I doubt I would be able to read it by then. The irony is that I've REALLY wanted to read that book (Educated by Tara Westover).

Plus, they've all planned an Book Club outing to see the play.

I don't know whether to laugh or cry. 

[nidena]

Jan 24, 2019 16:47:14 GMT -5 debthaven said:

startsmart maybe it's time to look for your next home? Only because you seem to be storing a lot for it. Maybe it's time to move on the timeline? Dunno, just a thought.

Otherwise I'd buy the shelves and leave those boxes in the garage. JMO of course. But personally I wouldn't bother to make room for those things in the house if they are just "temporary".

This made me think: When I move, as little as possible is going with me.  As it is, in my 3/2 house, I have only enough to fill a 2/2 apartment and, if it has a "dining room/area", I won't need that second bedroom for my desk, computer, and paperwork that I can't throw away.  I have a ton of books but I see no reason to take more than my absolute favorites with me.  That's what libraries are for, right?

[debthaven]

DH just offered to cook the main dish for my book club.

[TheOtherMe]

I will not own another home.  When I leave it, it will definitely be to a smaller place, probably some kind of senior living place.  

[nidena]

Jan 24, 2019 18:17:00 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I will not own another home.  When I leave it, it will definitely be to a smaller place, probably some kind of senior living place.  

If I was 15 years older, that would be my first choice.  Wherever I move, I hope it's inexpensive enough to afford but expensive enough that nobody has kids.  

[startsmart]

debthaven - while I would love to be looking for my next home it's not financially feasible yet. It doesn't bother me, I've learned to be okay with staying where I am for now as I work toward that goal. Being here for awhile longer gives me the chance to make the updates I want (kitchen, guest bath, fireplace, gutters, landscaping and back door to name a few) so I'm balancing living comfortably with planning for the future. 

nidea - if there's one thing I've learned from all the Tidying Up memes it's that everyone has their own preferences with books! Many of mine are series that I've collected, read and re-read and some of them are also vintage so getting replacements or library copies is not that easy. I don't mind keeping them and may consider passing some of them on to my niece when she's old enough. Off the top of my head I have Nancy Drew, Boxcar Children, Trixie Belden, Mandie series, Hardy Boys, plus a lot of Bearstein Bears, Dr. Seuss and Beverly Cleary in my "kids" collections. 

TheOtherMe - my parents are moving into their retirement home and not downsizing at all but I totally get where you're coming from about planning for that next stage. For me, I'm 34 and do not want to live in California forever so when it's feasible I'm looking for a larger house that's in a rural setting, probably in the midwest. I know that there will be expenses in moving (truck or pod + hauling out my convertible!) but it's worth it to me. 

Anywho, I hope my post didn't come off as whining, it's actually going quite well and there were a couple of things I wanted to use that were packed away. A friend and I do a puzzle swap every couple months and now I have a greater stack to pull from as we plan our next swap! In all, I've brought home 55 boxes and it doesn't feel overwhelming. 

Assuming the weather stays nice this weekend I will pick up a few 2x4s to start framing out the shelving. I am hoping to keep it under $50 in supplies and will need to demo a very old china cabinet that is falling apart but it should be able to fit in the trash over a couple of weeks. 

[paynointerest]

This week I used some of the frozen meet in my freezer and got rid of a bag of t-shirts that was sitting in my work office.  Small progress but at least it is progress.

Home Office

Shred documents that are over 10 years old and no longer needed
Organize my tax documents
Clean off my desk

Home Kitchen

Focus on making meals that use ingredients that have been sitting in my cabinets/freezer for a long time

• Use the lentils/split peas
  
• Use frozen meat that have been in freezer for almost a year
  
• Use frozen mixed veggies, throw out old veggies
• Use rice noodles
  
• Use sauces 
  

Get rid of cooking items that I don't use anymore

• Clean out misc items drawer (far left)
  
• Clean out and organizing baking pans cabinet
  

Work office

Throw out papers that are over 5 years old that I will never read again
Shred old exams cluttering my file drawers
Organize my files related to the program I direct -- throw out any unnecessary paper work

Organize the files on my desktop computer

Throw out t-shirts

Home (misc)

Recycle magazines that I have not read in years
Organize photo albums and donate or throw away albums that are not filled
Donate books that won't be read or are no longer needed

Organize the linen closet

Organize my t-shirt drawer

Recycle / shred unneeded papers (phase 1)

[TheOtherMe]

Jan 24, 2019 19:12:41 GMT -5 startsmart said:

TheOtherMe - my parents are moving into their retirement home and not downsizing at all but I totally get where you're coming from about planning for that next stage. For me, I'm 34 and do not want to live in California forever so when it's feasible I'm looking for a larger house that's in a rural setting, probably in the midwest. I know that there will be expenses in moving (truck or pod + hauling out my convertible!) but it's worth it to me. 

Anywho, I hope my post didn't come off as whining, it's actually going quite well and there were a couple of things I wanted to use that were packed away. A friend and I do a puzzle swap every couple months and now I have a greater stack to pull from as we plan our next swap! In all, I've brought home 55 boxes and it doesn't feel overwhelming. 

 

Your post did not come across as whining to me.  

While I don't care for the weather in Iowa (winter or summer), the cost of living is definitely lower here in the Midwest.  When I moved here in the summer of 2009, I had to use a mover who would do an individual move.  He was a contractor from one of the big moving companies.  I had downsized because I was living in a 2 bedroom apartment so none of the big moving companies were interested.  

He used a U-haul and I drove my car.  He then rented a car and drove to Chicago to fly back to Denver.  He hired day labor in Colorado to load.  I did all the packing.  At this end, he hired my nephews. 

At that time, I couldn't find a place so I could use a pod to move to a rural location.

Going through the small portion of mom's things motivated me to get started on getting rid of stuff that nobody in my family will care about.