2021 Declutter Stuff & Organize Your Life

[snapdragon]

I managed to get my e-cycling out of the house on Saturday! So nice to have those items out of the house. 

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 19, 2021 10:45:46 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Today's plan is to go through all of the non-important mail that accumulated while I was gone.  

I went through what looked like important stuff the day after I got home.  The letter from Social Security was the best letter in the mail.

Done

[empress of self-improvement]

Paper is all shredded and shredder sort of still works. I think I'll take debthaven's advice and just burn them next year. Jeez.

Currently working on listing DH's Spookytown buildings to get them out of my house. I decorate with skulls year round. I don't need these dust collectors. Then after next Tuesday I will be decluttering a pair of cats at some point. Ares comes off house arrest and they can be put up for adoption. I love them but I can't keep them while Hera is still alive.

[Lizard Queen]

Sorry you have to divest of the cats Empress.


I have a story of decluttering hijinks. My DH is awesome, and cleaned up the house before I returned from my trip. His DB and nieces were over Friday/Saturday, and I guess there were big nerf gun fights with my kids. So, during my recent cleaning scramble, he refused to pick up/put away stuff because I "always complain that I can't find things" afterwards. TT had one shinguard missing when he was heading to soccer practice today. Looked all over the logical places. He finally had him wear one old, smaller shinguard so he wasn't too late. I asked DH if he had put anything in the basement when cleaning up. Only the nerf guns, he said. You can guess the rest.

[finnime]

Oct 19, 2021 8:21:33 GMT -5 plugginaway22 said:

Finnime, our 18 year old hot tub, which we used a lot, was taken away by a junk man this past Spring and he charged only $300. He actually had to saw it into 4 pieces to get it out of our fenced back yard, but it was wonderful to gain that space back beside our deck/garden!

Thank you! That's heartening to hear.

[TheOtherMe]

Oct 19, 2021 17:27:18 GMT -5 empress of self-improvement said:

Paper is all shredded and shredder sort of still works. I think I'll take debthaven 's advice and just burn them next year. Jeez.

Currently working on listing DH's Spookytown buildings to get them out of my house. I decorate with skulls year round. I don't need these dust collectors. Then after next Tuesday I will be decluttering a pair of cats at some point. Ares comes off house arrest and they can be put up for adoption. I love them but I can't keep them while Hera is still alive.

The cats are fosters, correct?

[TheOtherMe]

I am going to work on opening boxes that came while I was gone.  

This plan may get waylaid.  I had called about a new garage door opener and was told they would call me back with a time.  Well, the installers called about 20 minutes ago.  They are not taking out the old one.  Depending on how much of my time they need will determine how much of my plans happen.

[Lizard Queen]

Oct 20, 2021 9:39:25 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I am going to work on opening boxes that came while I was gone.  

This plan may get waylaid.  I had called about a new garage door opener and was told they would call me back with a time.  Well, the installers called about 20 minutes ago.  They are not taking out the old one.  Depending on how much of my time they need will determine how much of my plans happen.

I'm not sure how old yours is, but my handyman (as he was repairing ours) basically said they don't make the new ones as good as the old one we have. But, it could be supply chain issues. Almost every Wednesday morning meeting I have, there's news about the latest difficulties with the supply chain.

[startsmart]

This week is flying by and I have not done much from my weekend to do list. Thankfully work is keeping me busy and I have at least 1 new client project starting this week and a few that might kick off in November. 

Here's what I'd like to accomplish by Saturday: 
 - paint the first half of my closet 
 - touch up paint around bathtub surround 
 - wash the dog blankets and sheets at laundry mat 
 - plant the rest of the tulip bulbs 
 - empty the pool before it rains again
 - move the rest of the boxes to the 3rd floor 
 - clean up broken glass on 2nd floor 

Should be totally doable and yet it feels like I have no time. I have been working on my purple quilt and it's coming along nicely. I'm about halfway done and would love to finish it by the time I leave for NY in November. 

[anciana]

Thank you, debthaven, but I had to laugh at myself. I had started one project only to move on to something else before finishing the first one. I am totally contemplating starting yet another (the dreaded basement, since it's driving me crazy) instead of finishing either two started ones, lol. I am hoping that by putting it in writing, I can hold myself down to just plugging along with the two bigger projects I already have on hand (and hoping it doesn't mean I just stop posting again instead). And maybe just limit the basement on taking out stuff that I have a place for every time I go there for whatever reason, that just might be doable. The things we (need to) do, to trick ourselves 

[debthaven]

DH picked up my dressings from the pharmacy today. 

Per my boss's suggestion (after my recent meltdown) I rescheduled a class to give myself a morning off during a very rough week. It's now scheduled for another, easier week.   

The things we (need to) do, to trick ourselves

Exactly anciana ! That's how I'm trying to get through my semester lol. 

I have to get up at dawn o'clock tomorrow for my pre-op covid test. 

I am so excited to be home next week!!! It's fall break at Job 1, so I only have Job 2. My friend is replacing me on Monday, so I only have one full day online (+ 3 faculty/staff hours).  

[empress of self-improvement]

Oct 20, 2021 9:37:37 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

Oct 19, 2021 17:27:18 GMT -5 empress of self-improvement said:

Paper is all shredded and shredder sort of still works. I think I'll take debthaven 's advice and just burn them next year. Jeez.

Currently working on listing DH's Spookytown buildings to get them out of my house. I decorate with skulls year round. I don't need these dust collectors. Then after next Tuesday I will be decluttering a pair of cats at some point. Ares comes off house arrest and they can be put up for adoption. I love them but I can't keep them while Hera is still alive.

The cats are fosters, correct?

Correct. They just had an extended stay because one needed to be confined for a wound of unknown origin aka make sure he doesn't have rabies.

[TheOtherMe]

New garage door is installed.  It's so quiet.  I'm pleased.

Not much progress on the package opening, but I'm about to do a few openings now.

[debthaven]

Covid test was negative.

There was a windstorm here last night. A lot of train tracks were blocked by trees, including my line. For once Job 1 let me do my class on Zoom. 

Semester countdown: 9/15 weeks done! Just 6 weeks left!

I'll make a to-do list after my surgery. (I know it will include DH's Quickbooks and my Shitepile.)

I'm only working 9h next week, all online!!!  

[busymom]

Best wishes on your surgery, debthaven.  Friday it'll be 2 weeks since mine, and I'm moving forward, but perhaps not quite as quickly as I'd hoped.      But, I'm betting yours will go smoothly.  


Saturday DD is going to help me get Speedy in to "declutter" some length on his toenails.  I've never owned a dog whose nails grew so quickly.      And they're sharp, too.  I think he's part cat...

[Sharon]

I have been following along but haven't had much time to post an update.

debthaven best wishes on your upcoming surgery.

This past weekend I made two round trips to new place.  That was around 4 hours of driving each day Friday - Monday.

Monday I considered walking away from the entire deal.  This week I have come crashing down.  I need some down time but don't see being able to get what I need for some time.

Yesterday I did take a bunch of hotel soap bars (I always bring those home) and some unopened packages of feminine hygiene projects to a local church that is doing great work with the homeless population in our town.

[wvugurl26]

I went with the good enough trick on Tuesday evening. The stove needed cleaned so I sprayed it down while the rice was cooking in the rice cooker. 2 burners are not perfectly clean but it's a huge improvement. I needed to put the stove grates back on so DH had counter space to shred the chicken in the crock pot for dinner. We have so little counter space.

It killed my back but all of the junk mail is opened and ready to shred. That took 2.5 hours. Catalogs and ads went in the recycle bin on the curb for trash night.

I also began the process of dumping the old beer DH's sister left here when she moved to Florida. I put this on my list in August to do 10 cans per week. Of course it was delayed by DH who said do it later. The recycling had not been picked up when I came downstairs this morning so I hurried and dumped 11 cans out.

[anciana]

Good luck with your surgery, debthaven! Hoping the recovery goes smoothly and provides the downtime you need!

Sharon, moving is exhausting, and having to sell and buy a house can be frustrating. Hopefully it will all be done in a few weeks and you will be all settled in by the holidays!

TheOtherMe, I thought you were just getting a new remote for the old garage door opener but it seems like it was more than that. Glad you're happy with the outcome!

startsmart, please, share the picture of the purple quilt when finished!

finnime, good luck with your big projects! It sounds like you are just plugging away at them!

Lizard Queen, glad you were able to find the lost shin guard, it's been a painful realization few times when we couldn't find the things we knew we had because there seems to be just too much stuff everywhere.

[TheOtherMe]

I decided to go all in and the new opener works so much better than the old one.

[startsmart]

First coat of paint in the closet is done (well half the closet) and I hope to finish it up by tonight. Then I need to take out the floor boards so I can buy and install the closet system. 

Not feeling 100% today so it feels like good progress and enough for now. Resting and working a bit before tackling the next thing. 

[debthaven]

Hugs Sharon !!! Please hang in there, since I know your goal is to move closer to your DD and grandkids.

Can you take it a bit slower? Or take a few days off? Or push yourself and then take a week off to recoup and set things up once the move is done? Wishing you the best. 

Hope things are looking better for your incision busymom !

[moneysquirrel]

debthaven -- Wishing you a good recovery after your successful surgery tomorrow.  

I plan to catch up on laundry tomorrow.  Only have two or three loads and with my schedule this week I decided to wait until I had a day that I didn't have a class.  I take several classes each week over zoom and two in person plus the one I teach.  The zoom classes are all exercise classes and this way I don't have to wear a mask.  If I took them in person that would be a requirement. 

I am continuing to add a few items back into the Etsy shop.  A lot of the items that I make are not there yet and I need to work a little more on that part of the system.  I should focus of that more than I do.  

Besides laundry I hope to get a few other things accomplished around the house.  I know that some items need to be chopped for the freezer and I need to do some baking.  Will also try to straighten a few things that got a little mussed up with me looking for items.  I will try to pack away some of the summer dresses and other items like that if time permits and energy is there.

I also need to pack the car tomorrow as I have a craft show on Saturday. This week I realized that one of the Christmas earrings that I make was in short supply so I have been working on adding a few more of those to my inventory.  Most of the items that I make are one of a kind.  One of the few exceptions to that are the holiday earrings.  I think that I have most holidays covered.  Some holidays have muptiple designs to pick from.  I am still working from supplies that I have on hand and hope to continue to use up items from my stash.  Most of the craft show materials are in old suitcases with wheels and are easy to load and unload.  Table is another issue but have a system for it as well.  

Had several long days recently and am beginning to fade.  Til later.

[ners]

debthaven Good luck with your surgery.  

[TheOtherMe]

Hope your surgery goes well today debthaven

Doing laundry today.  I don't mind doing the laundry but I don't like folding the laundry.  I will do it and do it today.

[debthaven]

thanks for the good wishes everyone.

the surgery went well and i'm home. i'm very tired but now i can rest.

(i cant use my left hand so no caps)

[anciana]

Oct 22, 2021 9:08:10 GMT -5 debthaven said:

thanks for the good wishes everyone.

the surgery went well and i'm home. i'm very tired but now i can rest.

(i cant use my left hand so no caps)

So glad to hear the surgery went well! Now, please, just rest and recuperate for a good, long while!

Maybe you can use this time to touch base with friends who are in similar situation with work and life balance as they approach retirement. See what they're doing and get some ideas. I thought you had a well thought out plan in your other thread but life, or better yet, pandemic, got in a way big time so plans changed. It could be a good time to revisit it. I am sure there are ways to get back to the plan, massage it a bit, work out timelines that fit better with where you are right now and the current situation at work. Would your old boss who knows you be a good resource to talk things over? Does anyone in your circle have any experiences with the HR person and has an idea if she would be a good person to talk to? I would explore all the avenues, maybe put it all on paper and once armed with as much information as one can get, see about coming up with another plan or two to figure out the next couple of years. Many, many hugs to you! 
(please, let me know if you would prefer I delete the last paragraph)

[snapdragon]

I got home last night and shredded a bunch of mail. It felt nice getting that pile gone.

[finnime]

So glad it went well, debthaven. Now, rest!

[startsmart]

debthaven - so glad your surgery went well and you get this time to rest. I know you're trying to decide what to do next semester as you work toward retirement so feel free to use your surgery as the excuse. It's hard to argue with "my surgery and required resting time taught me that I need to be more deliberate in choosing my schedule. For the Spring semester, here's the maximum I can work..." 

snapdragon - thanks for reminding me that I have a pile of papers to shred too! Maybe this weekend I'll get my scanner up and running and get the pile of papers scanned and shredded! 

TheO - I'm not a fan of folding either so I try to divide it all up. I'll pull stuff out of the clean basket/bag and make a pile for towels, shirts to hang, pajamas, socks/panties, etc. Then I only have to do one smaller pile at a time until it's done. Now, I do have a chair full of sheets and blankets that I washed this week and have yet to fold so mileage may vary  

I got adjusted at the chiropractor this morning so I'm feeling better but sore. I have one longer meeting this afternoon and then I can rest. I would like to make 3 trips upstairs to move boxes and at least get the newer tulip bulbs in the ground tonight in case it rains tomorrow. 

Closet needs another coat of paint so that'll be on the to do list tonight after I change out of work clothes. 

I've also decided that my random quilt will be king sized so nearly 4,000 pieces. Instead of working on that I need to finish the purple quilt top first so I can use the last 6 weeks of the year to quilt and finish binding this series. And yes, I will post pics when they're done! 

[debthaven]

thanks friends!

excellent ideas anciana and startsmart ! no need to delete anciana :-)

thank you for encouraging me to go to my old 'work less vs retirement' thread! i found this from sept 2020: 

After reading your comments, my plan to go down from my current 4 days/week to 3 days/week next school year, either in Sept (Semester 1) or in Jan (Semester 2), see how that goes, and take it from there. (There is always less work available in Sem 2, so I may decide to do one more "hard" fall semester after this current one.)

in retrospect i should have reduced my hours in sept, but hindsight is 20/20. in jan i will go down to 3 days/week at school instead of 4. i'll go in mon to wed instead of mon to thurs. (i also do some faculty/staff classes online on my days "off".)

ps i've made a follow-up x-ray appt, a follow-up appt with the surgeon, and booked my first 4 PT appts. i'm grateful to have all this available but it's so time consuming! the surgeon likes to take the stitches out himself but he'll be away, so the visiting nurse will do it.