2020 Declutter Stuff & Organize Your Life

[empress of self-improvement]

Jan 9, 2020 19:20:48 GMT -5 ners said:

One more thing out the door.

I have something I'd like to get out the door. Unfortunately he'd just bitch and moan the whole time and it is so not worth it!

In the case of inanimate objects, on the other hand, this weekend is supposed to be in the 60s! So I think I'll take the crap out of the basement over to Savers. I have a table, 2 crock pots, a rice cooker and some other shit I don't need. (I still have one crock pot and I got an Instant Pot for Christmas). Then I may fart around down there. I want to do some projects but I'm the nerd who has to have everything just so before she'll do it. That and I'm thinking-plotting-whatever-on ways to empty off the fugly yellow rack down there so I can put it in the shed. Currently I'm using my old refrigerator for storage out there. Don't ask.

I am looking for a program for foster kids that will take DH's suitcases. I read about one and I've been looking ever since. Maybe I should just ask Jordan's Furniture since they are a big advocate for the Mass Adoption Resource. I just have to make sure they get taken out via the basement door and not the kitchen door.He'll get all pissy about me giving them away. This, from the guy who refuses to leave the house and HATES TO TRAVEL!!!!! I just don''t get it.

[startsmart]

TheO & debthaven - for my parents it's very much if something is successful, then they are the cause. If anything goes wrong, you messed it up. Them not wanting to do all that much and leave everything on my shoulders - even when I specifically ask for their help and they are fully capable - is one of the many reasons I'm moving 2-3,000 miles away. It just boils down to my dad not wanting to do something and making it my fault because I have too much stuff and my stuff is in the way of all his stuff. 

Anyway. 

This weekend I'm going to finish trimming the last of the rose bushes, get the green waste can filled up for Tuesday and do some planting in the flower pots I kept. Then get the car out of the garage for a drive (if the weather holds since the top is down) and clean up the garage. I would like to sell all of my shelving units this weekend and that will go a long way to having space for boxes and to make the garage look bigger. 

[TheOtherMe]

Sounds like the some of the reasons I moved 700 miles away all those years ago.  I'm sorry.

[TheOtherMe]

hitenney  Thank you

[debthaven]

This weekend (updated)

- create 3 Sem 2 class spaces/Sat

- supermarket/Sat

- book trip
- return stroller?

[Sharon]

I am actually in the mood to be going through things and getting rid of stuff but not sure if that will happen.  This morning I am taking my car in to be serviced then I need to take Mom grocery shopping to two different stores.  By the time we get through that I will probably just collapse.

[bean29]

Our roads are really bad this am, two expressways closed with semi’s jackknifed. I am going to clean up my old cell phone so I can send it back.

[Malarky]

The weather is a balmy 64 degrees in the burbs of Boston.  The sun is shining, the doors are open and the heat is off!  

I took the opportunity to clean out and vacuum my car this morning.  Apparently I spend an enormous amount of time weaving my hair firmly into the floor mats while grinding sand in to make sure the hairs don't escape. I also cleaned out enough flour to bake a loaf of bread!   

I'm taking a short break before figuring out what all that crap from the car is and what am I going to do with it.  One thing is that I need to learn to bring my dirty, flour covered sweatshirts in every day instead of tossing them in the trunk or the back seat.  I don't wear them home because then my jackets get full of flour.
   

I do have 5 really old reusable bags that are getting tossed.  There are 15 more sturdier ones still in my trunk.  Plus a tote of 5 canvas bags.  It seems excessive but I sometimes forget to bring them back out to the car and I always have spares when I need them.

Anything else that needs tossing is yet to be determined.  I just took armfuls of crap out and threw them in laundry baskets without looking and now I have to go to the kitchen and deal with it...break over. 

[chiver78]

Jan 11, 2020 12:49:25 GMT -5 Malarky said:

The weather is a balmy 64 degrees in the burbs of Boston.  The sun is shining, the doors are open and the heat is off!  

I took the opportunity to clean out and vacuum my car this morning.  Apparently I spend an enormous amount of time weaving my hair firmly into the floor mats while grinding sand in to make sure the hairs don't escape. I also cleaned out enough flour to bake a loaf of bread!   

I'm taking a short break before figuring out what all that crap from the car is and what am I going to do with it.  One thing is that I need to learn to bring my dirty, flour covered sweatshirts in every day instead of tossing them in the trunk or the back seat.  I don't wear them home because then my jackets get full of flour.
   

I do have 5 really old reusable bags that are getting tossed.  There are 15 more sturdier ones still in my trunk.  Plus a tote of 5 canvas bags.  It seems excessive but I sometimes forget to bring them back out to the car and I always have spares when I need them.

Anything else that needs tossing is yet to be determined.  I just took armfuls of crap out and threw them in laundry baskets without looking and now I have to go to the kitchen and deal with it...break over. 

I was just about to post almost exactly this. 

I also turned off the heat and opened the windows. it got cloudy about an hour ago and now it's freezing, so things will be getting buttoned up soon. I was able to declutter a full-grown golden retriever from my car, with some help from yours truly.    the extra wasn't flour for me, but sand. so....much......sand......

as far as the crap in my car, it's all contained to the trunk. I should probably go through the reusable bags to see if I should be tossing any. there's a ton of crap I need to go through, buried under some collapsible camp chairs I cart around for summer Cape league baseball. it is January, I can probably bring those in to the basement safely enough... 

up next on the agenda is to make a pot of minestrone soup. that will declutter the pantry of two cartons of broth (one each veggie and unsalted chicken), half a box of shells pasta, and three cans of beans. 

[Sharon]

Got Mom out and got her shopping done and I don't even need bail money.  We are supposed to get snow next week and she is well stocked so no reason for her to try and get out.  After I dropped her back at her house and had the groceries etc all unloaded into the house she tells me that she is going to spend the afternoon downstairs finishing wrapping those presents.  That tells me that the family room is still a horrid mess with the Christmas wrapping supplies still out and strung all over the place.  I don't understand why you can't clean up the Christmas paper/bows/tags etc and just leave the few things you need for the birthday presents.

[startsmart]

I really need to get outside and get my Yardwork done before the sun goes down. I slept poorly and have been working on quilt fabric this morning along with some packing.

Also trying to set a boundary with my mom to go see a therapist with my dad. I don’t want to hear all their issues via text anymore if she’s not going to work with him to resolve things.

[mollyanna58]

I have been working on a large shopping bag full of mail, receipts, and odds and ends of paperwork from 2017 over the past week or so.  Most had to do with my mother's finances.   It is now empty   A few things were just filed away, but most of it has been dealt with, record keeping done, scanned or downloaded, etc.  Tomorrow, on to the next paperwork stash.

I also found a place to put away something that has been perched on top of a china cabinet for a year. 

[busymom]

This morning I did a bit of painting, here & there, in 3 rooms of our house (I was repairing damaged paint due to us taping up sheets to use as curtains when we first moved in).   We'd already spackled the damaged areas, and DH finally did the sanding this morning, so I got to finish the job.  It DOES look better.  

We've also begun a new charity pile.

[startsmart]

Somewhat productive afternoon!

Final rose bushes cut back
More grass seed put down out back
Trip to Walmart done
Returned Christmas gift
Emptied more of the shelving units
Purchased cheap white towels for staging


I have someone who wants to come tomorrow to buy 1 or 2 of the shelving units, hoping I can get them cleared off and cleaned up by then.

I’m washing pillows, blankets and planting flowers tomorrow.

[nidena]

Jan 10, 2020 20:07:22 GMT -5 hitenney said:

I have been a infrequent poster, but frequent lurker over the years here (can it truly be years!?).  This year I want to become more active and accountable for my goals, and hope that will help me reach them.  This year I am aiming for 2020 items gone.  I have been reading "A Slob Comes Clean" blog, but of course, I need to stop reading about decluttering and actually start doing it.  Hope you will let me join in your lovely group.  The Other Me - my condolences on your loss.  I too worry a lot about my living situation in the future.  I came late to home-owning (57) although it was always a tantalizing goal.  Now at 65, I feel like I can't keep up with anything, and I'm worried about the roof, termites, painting, everything!  I have one friend that literally counted up close relatives and friends, and moved to Florida, as that was closest to the highest number.  I have Vancouver, WA, in my head.  WA has no income tax, and it's right across the river from OR, which has no sales tax.  Prices look much more reasonable than here in Hawaii, so if/when I do sell the house, the money will go much further.  But first, I have to get rid of all this junk!  Thanks for listening.  

There's a name I haven't seen in awhile...not since the Grocery Challenge days more than a decade ago.  

[chiver78]

I'm up early this morning, placed my last order for dog poop bags for this house (it's a 1000ct package, it had better be my last order lol!!) and a couple cans of Cafe du Monde coffee. currently working my way through the newspaper while I wait for the pups to come to so I won't feel like an asshole making noise

on tap for today is more decluttering in the basement. my parents are coming down again, Mom is going to paint the walls and ceiling in the big bedroom. not sure what Dad will be doing, I had figured he could occupy the pups in the backyard all day but it is raining sideways here today. hoping for some more productivity for sure. 

[empress of self-improvement]

It's raining? Huh. It's partly cloudy and windy as hell up here. And supposed to get to 70. Then right back to freezing our asses off tomorrow. Remind me again why I supposedly love New England?

[moneysquirrel]

Good morning all!

I managed to go through two major areas yesterday and have several items to add to the donation box that I started a while back.  I am sure that as I progress through the rest of the storage areas that I will hopefully add more to that box.  I have been doing a much better job of keeping the flat areas in the BR clutter free.  Still have a few too many items out but slowly working them into other homes.

This week:
*I managed to get all of the Christmas items packed away.
*Reorganized the garden flags
*Fixed the base of the floor lamp
*Grocery
*Dentist -- 6 month visit
*Gym -- twice
*Filled up the car
*Roomba(ed) several rooms
*Mopped the kitchen and bath
*Kept up with dishes and laundry
*Repotted several plants
*Paid several semi-annual bills 
*Had lunch with a friend
*Did a little beading and crocheting each day
*Reorganized two areas and added items to the donation box
*At least several other things

I only made it to the gym twice last week but that is still better than the last several weeks.  I discovered that my Fitbit is dead again.  Thinking about getting a new one while they are on sale.  The old one seems to eat the batteries and don't stay alive as long so I may bite the bullet and see what is available locally.

I have been doing a little beading each day.  Most of what I have been doing is remaking items that I have sold in the last few craft shows that have been good sellers in the past.  I find that in my area we celebrate everything so I have been doing holiday earrings.  Slowing getting a few done each week.  Currently working on a few Easter ones.  Think I am ok on Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Need to work on the most popular Halloween ones but they take more time so I want to get the others done first.  Trying to do a few other things between the routine ones as well.  Tried out a new earring pattern this week and really like the way it looks.  Trying to get things done now as I have two retreats coming up this spring/summer and I know that I will come home with at least 6 to 8 incomplete projects that will need to be finished.

The crocheted afghan is coming along.  I have 21 of the 37 color rows done  (Each color row =2 rows of crochet).  I am trying to use yarn I have on hand as much as possible but may need to pick up a new skein of something to give it more variety.  Two of the balls of yarn I tried yesterday did not have enough in them to complete the rows they needed to complete so I ripped the out and tried again with another color.

I will be back with my list for the week later.
    

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 10, 2020 20:07:22 GMT -5 hitenney said:

I have been a infrequent poster, but frequent lurker over the years here (can it truly be years!?).  This year I want to become more active and accountable for my goals, and hope that will help me reach them.  This year I am aiming for 2020 items gone.  I have been reading "A Slob Comes Clean" blog, but of course, I need to stop reading about decluttering and actually start doing it.  Hope you will let me join in your lovely group.  The Other Me - my condolences on your loss.  I too worry a lot about my living situation in the future.  I came late to home-owning (57) although it was always a tantalizing goal.  Now at 65, I feel like I can't keep up with anything, and I'm worried about the roof, termites, painting, everything!  I have one friend that literally counted up close relatives and friends, and moved to Florida, as that was closest to the highest number.  I have Vancouver, WA, in my head.  WA has no income tax, and it's right across the river from OR, which has no sales tax.  Prices look much more reasonable than here in Hawaii, so if/when I do sell the house, the money will go much further.  But first, I have to get rid of all this junk!  Thanks for listening.  

I'm glad you're here!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 10, 2020 21:05:33 GMT -5 empress of self-improvement said:

Jan 9, 2020 19:20:48 GMT -5 ners said:

One more thing out the door.

I have something I'd like to get out the door. Unfortunately he'd just bitch and moan the whole time and it is so not worth it!

In the case of inanimate objects, on the other hand, this weekend is supposed to be in the 60s! So I think I'll take the crap out of the basement over to Savers. I have a table, 2 crock pots, a rice cooker and some other shit I don't need. (I still have one crock pot and I got an Instant Pot for Christmas). Then I may fart around down there. I want to do some projects but I'm the nerd who has to have everything just so before she'll do it. That and I'm thinking-plotting-whatever-on ways to empty off the fugly yellow rack down there so I can put it in the shed. Currently I'm using my old refrigerator for storage out there. Don't ask.

I am looking for a program for foster kids that will take DH's suitcases. I read about one and I've been looking ever since. Maybe I should just ask Jordan's Furniture since they are a big advocate for the Mass Adoption Resource. I just have to make sure they get taken out via the basement door and not the kitchen door.He'll get all pissy about me giving them away. This, from the guy who refuses to leave the house and HATES TO TRAVEL!!!!! I just don''t get it.

Can you call your local Child Services office? They may just take them. 
Another thought is to ask a local school if they have a clothes closet you can donate them to.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 11, 2020 9:35:42 GMT -5 bean29 said:

Our roads are really bad this am, two expressways closed with semi’s jackknifed. I am going to clean up my old cell phone so I can send it back.

Sounds like a good day to stay home. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 11, 2020 12:49:25 GMT -5 Malarky said:

The weather is a balmy 64 degrees in the burbs of Boston.  The sun is shining, the doors are open and the heat is off!  

I took the opportunity to clean out and vacuum my car this morning.  Apparently I spend an enormous amount of time weaving my hair firmly into the floor mats while grinding sand in to make sure the hairs don't escape. I also cleaned out enough flour to bake a loaf of bread!   

I'm taking a short break before figuring out what all that crap from the car is and what am I going to do with it.  One thing is that I need to learn to bring my dirty, flour covered sweatshirts in every day instead of tossing them in the trunk or the back seat.  I don't wear them home because then my jackets get full of flour.
   

I do have 5 really old reusable bags that are getting tossed.  There are 15 more sturdier ones still in my trunk.  Plus a tote of 5 canvas bags.  It seems excessive but I sometimes forget to bring them back out to the car and I always have spares when I need them.

Anything else that needs tossing is yet to be determined.  I just took armfuls of crap out and threw them in laundry baskets without looking and now I have to go to the kitchen and deal with it...break over. 

I am of the mindset that I clean my car out every day. It's a visceral response to the way my mother just left so much trash and crap in her car. But, if that doesn't work for you, what if you kept a small laundry basket in the back of your car? You could put the sweatshirts in there and take them in the house on the last day of your work week? 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Jan 11, 2020 16:29:32 GMT -5 Sharon said:

Got Mom out and got her shopping done and I don't even need bail money.  We are supposed to get snow next week and she is well stocked so no reason for her to try and get out.  After I dropped her back at her house and had the groceries etc all unloaded into the house she tells me that she is going to spend the afternoon downstairs finishing wrapping those presents.  That tells me that the family room is still a horrid mess with the Christmas wrapping supplies still out and strung all over the place.  I don't understand why you can't clean up the Christmas paper/bows/tags etc and just leave the few things you need for the birthday presents.

Well, good, now I can spend the money I set aside on your bail on something else. 

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Today’s list was hastily written yesterday.
Time to get going on it.

[Sharon]

Mom did get 4 presents wrapped last night.  Then she got stuck because the next birthday on the list was a great granddaughter 1st birthday and she realized she hadn't bought a gift for her yet.  The birthday is in May.  Apparently you can't wrap presents out of birthday order.  We did get some of the mess cleaned up last night.  She had me carry a large box of ribbon and stuff upstairs.  Not sure where it belongs but Mom wanted it upstairs on the kitchen table so that is where I left it.  She is having me line up all the birthday presents in the shop in order and I was told it will be my job to get them distributed when the time comes.

Yesterday I did get the sheets changed on the bed and the shite pile dealt with.  I just got laundry started this morning. 

Right now I am planning on spending Monday night at DD's, that will cut my commute in half so need to get things ready for that.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Hey Organizers and Declutterers!

I've been meaning to return to the fold and the new year/thread seems a great time to do that, but I am having an issue. I feel like I've been cleaning and organizing my entire life and I don't want to do it anymore! I am splurging on a weekly cleaners (still!) but it still seems too much for me. I've been doing really good with keeping kitchen in good order, but once that's done, I can't get any further.....unless guests are imminent or the cleaner is coming and then I am tossing things around to get into order/clear the way for the cleaner....

Any advice?

I think it is just one aspect of a larger issue (similarly not interested much in work! My innards are saying it's time to retire, bank account, not so much).

But how do I get back on track?

[startsmart]

Sold 1 storage unit this morning so that makes 23 items out for the year. I am slowly putting all the staging stuff in place and have a ton of crap in my kitchen to pack today (all from the garage). I still need a few larger boxes but I’m going to get all I can into the boxes I have and then pick up what I need next week.

This coming week is going to be busy busy so the more I can prep today, the better.

[tcu2003]

Emily Ley 2020 Simplicity Challenge


www.facebook.com/emilyleypaper/


Our Annual Simplicity Challenge is HERE!#ASimplifiedLife #SimplicityChallenge2020. 1 step every day for 30 days. Each one takes 15 minutes or less.


Day 1 - Walk your home with a trash bag or five. Be ruthless. Papers. Receipts. Tags. Empty bottles. Go.

Day 2 - Clean out your fridge. Check expiration dates and throw things away.

Day 3 - Clear the clutter from your nightstand.

Day 4 - Simplify your phone. Delete old contacts and unused apps. Refresh your lock screen.

Day 5 - Make a list of anything that needs restocked in your bathroom. Restock what you can from items you already have in your house (if possible), or add to your next grocery list.

Day 6 - Make a list of anything that needs restocked in your pantry. Restock what you can from items you already have in your house (if possible), or add to your next grocery list.

Day 7 - Walk your house with a donate bag. Schedule a pick-up or drop it off as soon as the bag is full.

Day 8 - Don’t let all of your laundry pile up throughout the week. Find a laundry system that works for you stick with it.

Day 9 - The tone of your morning impacts the rest of your day. Set a recurring alarm for every weekday. If you’re letting your kids wake you, set it one hour earlier.

Day 10 - Make it a habit to clean out your car every time you fill it with gas.

Day 11 - Create a perpetual birthday list of friends you’d like to reach out to on their special day.

Day 12 - Put your number on the do not call list. While you’re at it, turn off the notifications on your phone, too.

[debthaven]

Rukh maybe try to clear out and organize one room a month? Once it's really done it's easier to keep up with. Can you ask your kids to help?

One thing I do is every night, no matter how tired I am, I spent 10 min putting things away where they belong. It's much easier when everything has a place, especially since you no longer have little kids at home either. That means the last glass or mug goes in the dishwasher, the laundry gets put away, etc.

You can do this!

DS2 + GF stayed over last night so I made lunch today. They left around 3, and I just chilled for the rest of the day.

Back to a full schedule tomorrow. This semester I'm working all day Mon/Tues/Wed + Thurs afternoons. Exceptionally I'm working all day next Saturday.

ETA: For Rukh O'Rorke , as an illustration. My DH is AWFUL with paperwork. We used to spend 2 SUPER long days at the end of Dec going through a year's worth of mail. I'm serious, we did 24 hours of mail/filing over 2 days! I finally successfully organized a filing system for him. (It took several attempts before I created a system that worked.)

DH's mail still piles up, but now we spend 30-40 min every 3-4 weeks dealing with it. Now that we have a system, it's no longer a big issue. Junk mail goes into recycling/the fireplace immediately. 

The other option is organizing the house by item ... ie paperwork, clothes, linens, etc.

It doesn't matter what system you choose. The important thing is to get started.

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Jan 12, 2020 16:47:16 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Rukh maybe try to clear out and organize one room a month? Once it's really done it's easier to keep up with. Can you ask your kids to help?

One thing I do is every night, no matter how tired I am, I spent 10 min putting things away where they belong. It's much easier when everything has a place, especially since you no longer have little kids at home either. That means the last glass or mug goes in the dishwasher, the laundry gets put away, etc.

You can do this!

DS2 + GF stayed over last night so I made lunch today. They left around 3, and I just chilled for the rest of the day.

Back to a full schedule tomorrow. This semester I'm working all day Mon/Tues/Wed + Thurs afternoons. Exceptionally I'm working all day next Saturday.

ETA: For Rukh O'Rorke , as an illustration. My DH is AWFUL with paperwork. We used to spend 2 SUPER long days at the end of Dec going through a year's worth of mail. I'm serious, we did 24 hours of mail/filing over 2 days! I finally successfully organized a filing system for him. (It took several attempts before I created a system that worked.)

DH's mail still piles up, but now we spend 30-40 min every 3-4 weeks dealing with it. Now that we have a system, it's no longer a big issue. Junk mail goes into recycling/the fireplace immediately. 

The other option is organizing the house by item ... ie paperwork, clothes, linens, etc.

It doesn't matter what system you choose. The important thing is to get started.

I'll put this thread on my morning read, and try to get more motivated and take some baby steps.

On the positive side - the kitchen has been an issue for me forever, and I've finally conquered that. Even if it gets a little hairy now and again, I know how to do it and usually do it quickly - the kitchen update in 2013 really helped. Could still use more cabinet space! But I can get everything cleaned, put away, and wiped down. I'll do that now and start dinner and then think about next step tomorrow - with coffee.