2022 Declutter & Organize Your Life

[nikiz628]

Someone in one of my declutter Facebook groups posted their list to help them each year. I love the way she broke it down, and I really love that she included her phone. I just used it to make my own plan of attack for 2023.

ibb.co/7W5JqQm

[debthaven]

I hope everyone had a good Christmas! 

By miracle, my niece and her kids made it despite so many cancelled flights. We had a lovely Christmas but it's been extremely hectic here.

Niece is in Paris now instead of in an AirBnB down the street. 

Unfortunately, DS1 has Covid. I'm really hoping the rest of us don't get it. But at least we didn't have to cancel like we did last year.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

Dec 27, 2022 21:21:57 GMT -5 nikiz628 said:

Someone in one of my declutter Facebook groups posted their list to help them each year. I love the way she broke it down, and I really love that she included her phone. I just used it to make my own plan of attack for 2023.

ibb.co/7W5JqQm

I de cluttered phone contacts last week.
Went from 517 to 437!

[moneysquirrel]

debthaven -- Glad you had a great Christmas with family including extended family members.  Bummer on your DS1 with the rona.  Hope that the rest of you remain healthy and that his case is mild.

Managed to go through some additional drawers in one of the dressers.  A few more items were tossed and some more were added to the donation pile.  A few items will also be homed in better locations.  Also emptied the dishwasher and got a few random things done. 

Got a request through Etsy but not sure if I can do it.  Need to see if I have the required supplies and work it up to see the results before I reach out to the possible buyer of said item.  

[Iggy aka IG]

nikiz628, thank you for the list.  I bookmarked it for future reference.

debthaven so glad your family made it.

Nice decluttering work, moneysquirrel.  

[finnime]

In another POV, the New York Times posted an article titled, Clutter Is Good for You. Here is an excerpt (it's behind a paywall):


Several years before she died, my mother began sending me things — ostensibly significant objects. These included expected items like jewelry and photographs and also puzzling ones. For example, one afternoon I opened a package containing a carefully wrapped eight-inch-tall ceramic leprechaun that I don’t recall ever having seen. (My family has no connection to Ireland.) Not long after, she announced that she wanted to send along her collection of bird figurines, in which I had never expressed any special interest.



Clearly this was no longer about handing down heirlooms. It was about getting rid of objects — basically, a form of decluttering. I had to put a stop to it, and not just because these objects didn’t actually mean anything to me. Much more important: They did mean something to her. In fact, what I most enjoyed about her accumulation of bird figurines and ceramics and sand dollars from Texas beaches was her enjoyment of these things. Her un-self-conscious confidence about what she liked was one of her most admirable traits.


The article goes on to describe clutter as adding meaning and humanity to people's lives. It's pretty good!

[TheOtherMe]

Mom's bell collection meant a lot to her.  I was only interested in the few I gave her.  One, in particular, was special to me.  I got it for her when I toured Buckingham Palace.  She loved that bell.

Mom was convinced her bell collection was worth big dollars.

[Sharon]

Today I took down some of the outside lights.  It wasn't raining, snowing, or freezing so it seemed like a good time. I will leave the ones on the house up until the weekend.  I need to start going through stuff AGAIN.

[TheOtherMe]

Went through the Christmas cards and stack of mail.  Kept some cards, letters and photos and the rest are in the trash.

Slowing getting ready for the cleaner to come a week from Friday.  

[Sharon]

I have started some of my end of year things.  I totaled up some of my 2022 spreadsheets and got new ones started for 2023.  Just some little things to start getting organized for the new year.

[TheOtherMe]

I entered my numbers in to Turbo Tax.  Didn't like the result so I went to the OPM website to change my withholding

[debthaven]

Lots of progress being made, but not by me lol.  

All the kids have left (for now ... DS3 comes back on Tues for a few more days. ) I have a mountain of laundry to do. 

DS1's van broke down (on Christmas Day) so they had to leave it at the garage and go home by Eurostar. DH took them to the station early this morning.  

As always, we had a wonderful time, but I am exhausted. I go back to work on Tuesday (on a reduced schedule). I'm dreading it but I'll probably feel better after a quiet weekend. 

My goal for this weekend is to put the house back together, remake the 3 beds, and not leave the house. We were invited to a NYD gathering tomorrow, I declined. 

PS The 3 beds were remade 2h after they left this morning ... that's a new record. 

[finnime]

I've been culling pictures from online album and selecting some for a free photo book. I have a crazy number of pictures.

[debthaven]

Plus, you take beautiful photos finnime , so it's probably even harder to choose.

[finnime]

I guess I'm up. I'll turn over the laundry then sort through Christmas wrapping paper. I think I have the guest room pretty well cleared up. I've asked DSis to come spend the night. We have an after-8 dinner reservation and we may (probably not!) stay up until the ball drops. If she stays she won't have a late-late drive to her home.

[debthaven]

So much for not leaving the house this weekend ... I went to the post office to return a package and buy stamps. At least the package is out of the house.

I also:
- Vacuumed (quickly)
- Finished/put away all the laundry  
- Washed the collapsable laundry basket (in the dishwasher)
- Did Shitepile (quickly)
- Created 4 online class spaces 
- Cleaned out the fire pit
- Put some boxes in the basement
- Sorted the shopping bags

That's all for today. The house is back to normal. It could be cleaner but hey. 

[startsmart]

2023 thread is up! This thread will stay up through Tuesday if you want to post any recaps or final counts. 

New thread here: ymam.proboards.com/thread/66610/2023-declutter-organize-life

[debthaven]

Thanks startsmart !

[moneysquirrel]

Thanks, startsmart.

Have been busy a little this morning. First load of laundry is completely fonished and the second is in the dryer.  Ran a few errands this morning but nothing major.  I am continuing to go through the spaces again in the effort to eliminate some more items.  Adding to the donation pile in the garage.  

The only thing I decluttered was money from my account as I made the final payment on the cruise and I also paid for the plane tickets.  Still have to decide on the excursions I want to take and will be saving for the few extra days at both ends of the cruise.  

I want to wish all of you a very Happy New Year.  I hope to see all of you on the 2023 thread as well.

[startsmart]

It’s been a hodge podge sort of day around here.

I found turkeys on sale 50 cents a lb so I’m roasting a bird (didn’t have one for thanksgiving or Christmas) and about to start stuffing and mashed potatoes.

Laundry is going and I am working on the throw blankets and dog blankets which will take a few days.

Cleaned out the fridge, trying to eat out of the freezer and clean it up.

I counted all of the hexagons I’ve made for quilts and my goal is to use up at least half of them on projects next year.

Christmas is all packed up in new bins and out in the garage.

I typed up all the names from sign in sheets from 2022 meetings and sent a mass email for our next party meeting in January. Now I need to follow up with calls or texts to everyone who didn’t give an email.

One of my clients sent me a bottle of champagne so I might open that tonight.

[laterbloomer]

Dec 30, 2021 14:14:27 GMT -5 laterbloomer said:

1. Paint inside my bedroom closets and armour.
2. Wash living room rug.
3. Paint downstairs bathroom.
4. Get on demand water heater then finish laundry room.
5. Do garden and yard this spring.
6. VPL flooring for upstairs.
7. Laminate flooring for GW's room

So I got 1 & 2 done, 3 is pushed back to this spring, changed my mind about the water heater in 4, 5 got done but not really as planned, 6 got bumped again and 7 will be done after GW moves out in February.

[Sharon]

Today has actually been fairly productive. 

Sheets Changed on the bed

Dishwasher ran and emptied

5 load of laundry done and put away

Caught up the day to day shredding

Vacuumed the main parts of the house

Made a dessert for when the kids come over later this afternoon

Made a batch of chex mix

The kitchen is clean, all things that needed to be hand washed are washed, dried, and put away.

The tub that my Mom used to ship gifts has been taken out to the shop and put with the other tubs.

The bags to store the Christmas trees have been brought from the shop and are now in the garage.  I would have started taking the trees down but the kids coming over this evening was a last minute plan.

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

[ners]

Dec 31, 2022 20:58:15 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Love this.