2024 Organize & Declutter

[azucena]

Christmas has been put away, both decorations and new gifts. Started another donation bag.

Today's task is to work on the girls' bathroom. Pretty sure neither of them are interested in the kiddie type hair things. Likely some products they don't like/want anymore either. I've tried teaching them that if they don't like something, don't keep it.

[anciana]

First week of the new year has barely started and I already feel behind. I like to keep my tree up till later in January but the last date they’ll pick it up is this Friday. So, I need to take all the ornaments down to get the tree outside tonight the latest (too busy Thursday night), even if they don’t get put away in boxes. It makes me sad that part of the holidays is already over.

[startsmart]

Today I tackled the coffee cart which had gotten very dusty. It’s where I store my electric kettle and Keurig as well as my teas and coffees. It’s all cleaned up, only change is donating an old waffle maker I haven’t ever been able to use properly.

Last of the Christmas mugs is wrapped and I to the storage bin, now I need to find the labels I want to use.

[saveinla]

Jan 3, 2024 14:39:04 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

We took the first of two loads of Christmas stuff to the storage locker before lunch.  Second load will have to go this weekend because I'm tied up with the plumber tomorrow and Friday is 100% chance of rain. I also went through a compartmented organizer in the office and ditched assorted recipes I'll never make, business cards, flyers to events attended last year etc.-it filled a plastic grocery bag.

I dont even save recipes anymore - I just figure I can google them if and when I ever get any time to try new things 

[soupandstew]

Jan 3, 2024 16:59:27 GMT -5 saveinla said:

Jan 3, 2024 14:39:04 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

We took the first of two loads of Christmas stuff to the storage locker before lunch.  Second load will have to go this weekend because I'm tied up with the plumber tomorrow and Friday is 100% chance of rain. I also went through a compartmented organizer in the office and ditched assorted recipes I'll never make, business cards, flyers to events attended last year etc.-it filled a plastic grocery bag.

I dont even save recipes anymore - I just figure I can google them if and when I ever get any time to try new things 

I totally agree as I've wasted too much paper and space printing out and saving recipes I will never, ever, ever make.  That's part of my new mindset, being okay with not doing stuff, whether it's cooking or joining a group, or whatever.  

[Sharon]

My furniture was delivered today and I'm quite pleased.  It does take up more of the room than I thought it would so cancelled the order for the second chair but did add a second end table. 

DD came over to check out the new furniture and she did take home 2 of her totes of stuff that was in my garage.  That's a huge win in my book.  There is at least one more tote if not two still out there, but it is a start.  She doesn't have enough room in car with 4 car seats to take it all at once.

We also talked about having a 1 day only garage sale in January and make it just come and make an offer, we want it gone sale.

[anciana]

Well, the ornaments are off the tree and it’s now up to the rest of the fam to take the tree outside. The tree is still in its spot so not too sad just yet. I’ll keep few of the other decorations around for a bit, maybe till the weekend and then put it all away.

[debthaven]

We normally take the tree down on 6 Jan, but I'd like to take it down before the cleaner comes tomorrow ...

For the regulars, I had great news yesterday. Work is extending my current contract rather than giving me a new one. I don't have to sign up with my complementary health insurance again, my coverage just continues!  

DS1/DDIL/E/I leave this afternoon, so there's a lot of laundry in my future. We will miss them but it'll be nice to have a bit of quiet lol.

[finnime]

Good idea on using the guest room closet, debthaven. I'm going to do just that. I bought some totes at Costco in which to store various prints and supplies that can go in the closet. It will help.

[debthaven]

Very pleased you found a solution finnime !

DS1/DDIL/E/I left this afternoon. I've already washed/remade the 4 beds that were used in the past two weeks. The towels are in the dryer.

I also ran/emptied the dishwasher. DH went to the bottle bank and to return a package.

Now I can collapse on the couch LOL. 

[Rukh O'Rorke]

Jan 4, 2024 8:53:42 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Very pleased you found a solution finnime !

DS1/DDIL/E/I left this afternoon. I've already washed/remade the 4 beds that were used in the past two weeks. The towels are in the dryer.

I also ran/emptied the dishwasher. DH went to the bottle bank and to return a package.

Now I can collapse on the couch LOL. 

you are a powerhouse debthaven!

[Knee Deep in Water Chloe]

I was quite lazy yesterday evening. However, this morning, I've made up for it a bit. I've stayed home from work in order to take DH to the doctor. 
I have used the last hour to catch up on putting the Christmas decoration boxes out into the garage and took the broken down cardboard to the recycle center. 

[Iggy aka IG]

I am pleased to announce my photographer, donkey loving friend and I finally connected.  He took the bag with the remaining picture frames and the two Eeyores yesterday.

I filled a canvas tote with 5 winter themed stuffed penguins (some are wearing scarves, some earmuffs, etc.) of various sizes which I'll bring to the Sheriff station later today.  (Stuffed animals are used in a first responder situation.)

That's 10 more items out of the house/my truck.  

[soupandstew]

I used the 1/2 hour extra time waiting on the plumber this morning to start purging the large file drawer on my desk.  It was amazing the amount of useless paper I found, and I'm only 1/2 way through the folders there.  I even found a Valentine card I obviously bought for DH at some point and carefully hid away 

I'm trying to remember to use little bits of time to nibble at larger projects rather than saying "I don't have the time to do the whole thing."  If I empty 5 folders, it's better than 0 folders I think.   

[nikiz628]

Jan 2, 2024 9:27:28 GMT -5 Knee Deep in Water Chloe said:

Jan 1, 2024 13:42:04 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I got a jump on decluttering for the year but I need to borrow my dad's truck to get it all hauled to good will. Will call him in just a few minutes to get going on that.

I'm going to really focus on my stuff, what my parents have left here, and keeping my kids on track before hounding dh on his stuff. But his stuff cannot expand either, and my patienceisnt endless.

Does anyone have a pre-made bullet journal or printable bullet journal they like and would recommend?

I think it depends on what you mean by bullet journal. 
Erin Condren and Happy Planner have great stuff that is both organized and pretty. 
Full Focus planner is plain but excellent regarding zeroing in on goals. 

I have used a Happy Planner since 2017- this is the first year I just opted for a random brand planner I found at TJMaxx instead. We shall see if I like it lol. 

[nikiz628]

I did a HUGE clothing clean out last January and I am pretty proud to say, I have kept my side of the closet very organized since then. I also made sure if I bought a new piece, an old piece left to make room. So, doing a reset and clean out on my clothing yesterday took less than an hour total. I got rid of several pieces that were never worn last year. Everything is neat and tidy again for another year. 

I also gave my desk nook a little facelift. My desktop computer crapped out awhile back, so H found me an old one at his work that was getting tossed (he works IT for a school corp). It's in perfect condition, just surplus equipment so he cleaned it up and brought it home for me to us. Its AMAZING! I bought some peel and stick wallpaper squares at Dollar Tree and put them on the wall behind my monitor (7 total squares were needed so super cheap upgrade). I bought a new wireless keyboard and mouse with an amazon gift card (so free!) and a new cork board ($8 at walmart). The final upgrade was a clear acrylic makeup brush spinning organizer for all my colored pens that I use in  my planner and what not. $9 at TJ Maxx. I am so happy with my new and functional space! 

[debthaven]

Great job nikiz628 and Iggy aka IG and soupandstew !

I'm so glad you're happy with your new furniture Sharon ! 

I hope your DH feels better very soon Knee Deep in Water Chloe .

I'm WFH tomorrow morning, then the cleaner comes. I've changed all the bedding but the house needs a good clean! I'm hoping to get the ornaments packed up and the tree outside after my Zoom, before the cleaner leaves. 

[snapdragon]

I'm in for this year!

Been offline for the past several days. I need to work or getting things done inside the house and garage. 

On Sunday one of my BFF's helped me get a taller ladder and we managed to put up several pieces of art on the walls of the shore house! It's a huge difference on how the house feels just having pictures and sculptures up. It also helped some on the interior of the garage. I put together the other 2 barstools and got them in place before my company arrived. Not everything has been put up but it's a really nice start in the  hallway, dining room and kitchen.

I need to organize and figure out what my plan is for this coming year.

Today I did the following - 

1 - Replaced my furnace filter.

2 - Gathered all the trash and it's going out in the morning. This includes the shredding that I did last week. 

I will be putting what little holiday stuff that is up away this weekend.
I need to put the new tabs on the car and call my insurance co about the umbrella policy.
Need to try and get ahold of someone for my landscaping still. Hopefully I will get a call back from someone since it's after the holidays.

[Opti]

Currently decluttering footwear and boxes. My new Aetrex boots are definitely too small, so a new pair is on its way. The new pair will likely arrive before the label to ship this pretty pair back, but I am on my way in having boots for winter work and walking to and from bus stops. 

Aetrex is a new brand to me and it looks like it might be in my new go to list. I'm hoping so as the death of Aravon left a hole for work appropriate shoes that fit well. Christmas stuff except the wreath will come down to be replaced with Valentine's day stuff this weekend. I had been leaving the latter out in hopes of a male companion that is not a pet. Might get cheap stickers to decorate their cages, last year's found permanent homes in my place after valentine's day.

I know I will be working on paperwork too this weekend as the weather is supposed to be wintery and possibly slippery.

[Opti]

Jan 1, 2024 21:24:23 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

There are some books I have not been able to get rid of.  They mean too much to me.

Then you should keep them IMO. I keep weeding since I need to do if one comes in ones goes out, but for stuff you really love it should be part of what you keep. I am still shedding a few things that have not enough good associations because they are former wedding gifts or things I used during our marriage that I think negatively about it. Those I am releasing and hope to have them all out of my place by the end of 2024 or sooner.

Its hard to get rid of perfectly good things given my current income, but I think its holding me back much like me not doing enough to move forward financially. So Zazzling this weekend is on the table. (Easy free tshirt design)

[debthaven]

The Christmas ornaments have been put away, and the tree is out of the house. 

[daisylu]

Jan 3, 2024 16:59:27 GMT -5 saveinla said:

Jan 3, 2024 14:39:04 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

We took the first of two loads of Christmas stuff to the storage locker before lunch.  Second load will have to go this weekend because I'm tied up with the plumber tomorrow and Friday is 100% chance of rain. I also went through a compartmented organizer in the office and ditched assorted recipes I'll never make, business cards, flyers to events attended last year etc.-it filled a plastic grocery bag.

I dont even save recipes anymore - I just figure I can google them if and when I ever get any time to try new things 

I save them in an app in my phone. There are many to choose from, I use Chef Tap. I can save 100 for free, which I reserve for tried and true recipes, if you want unlimited storage it is $20/year. I have had it for 3 years and have 50 recipes saved. It is so easy to use that I will pay the $20 if/when the time comes. On a website I just click the share button, click the app, and the app downloads the recipe. It clips the recipe and instructions and also includes a link to the OP.

[raeoflyte]

Thank you again for the planner suggestions!  I'm going in another direction for now.  I'm ordering this: www.amazon.com/Lamare-Habit-Tracker-Calendar-Accountability/dp/B085N7ZBX2/ref=sr_1_5?crid=1AG3WUVWXH0F0&keywords=goal%2Btracking%2Bcalendar&qid=1704461286&sprefix=goal%2Btracking%2Bcalenda%2Caps%2C126&sr=8-5&th=1

But I have some of the others tagged that I am thinking about for more in depth business goals and looking through the suggestions I found one that I could make a customized workout journal that is very tempting.  

[finnime]

Thanks for the recommendation for Chef Tap, daisylu. I'll have to check it out. It sounds perfect for me.

[wvugurl26]

Purging my recipe binders is on my list this year. There are some that will never be used and duplicates of others from the time we were dating/engaged before I moved into DH's house. Some of them I do like having printed out. Others are just online but some pages have so many damn ads and crap that it seems to crash halfway through my cooking the recipe.

[seriousthistime]

The end of last year was crazy for me.  A family emergency arose in early November, necessitating a hastily-arranged trip out of town, for a whole month, then home, then followed by another trip back there for 10 days at the end of December.  And because the family situation is located somewhat near where I will spend the next three months, I decided to drive myself (4 days on the road) rather than fly down and back a second time, only to return with the car a week later. 

In the past month I have spent, 9 days in my family member's home, 4 nights in different hotel rooms, 9 days in a VRBO, and soon to be 3 months in a seasonal rental.  So my decluttering and organizing efforts have been sidetracked because I have not been home.

My kitchen is going to be remodeled while I'm gone, so for the 14 days between the two family trips when I actually was home, I had to pack up my entire kitchen.  My house has lots of closet and storage space so I organized a walk-in closet in the third bedroom and a utility closet to free up shelf space to put all my dishware and glasses in, cleaned/tossed out items in the fridge (except for the freezer), and boxed up all the pantry items. When I get home I'll have to organize it all and move it into the new kitchen.  The new cabinets are 42" uppers rather than the 30" cabinets there now.  The arrangements will better store the items I keep, and of course I have more items than I use so I'll post some items on Buy Nothing in the spring.  I will have way more kitchen storage than I need, but why keep extra stuff I don't use? 

In preparation for the remodeling, I organized the attached garage a bit better in case the contractor uses it to store materials or construction-related activities.  I got rid of a Ruggable-type rug (Tumble is the brand, less expensive than Ruggables) that I bought when my dog first arrived, in heat and incontinent. The rug is completely waterproof and machine washable/dryable.  The woman who took was very happy to have it to place over the concrete floor in their basement play room.  Win-win, I'd say.  The garage has built-in shelves on one side, and a small workbench in one corner.  It could use a coat of paint, just a quick whitewash, and maybe a few more shelves.  There's no real organization in there at this point.  Gardening stuff is on a few different shelves, mixed in with paint stuff, a stash of cardboard boxes that I like to keep on hand for mailing things, etc. The garage will be on the list for 2024 as well. 

And then - clothes.  My closet is well organized with plenty of empty space.  But I look at the stuff in there and think I don't really have anything to wear!  Am I just bored with what is there? Do I need to make changes to my style? Do I have too many outfits I don't wear because they are more oriented to a work or special event wardrobe? I think I need to revamp it, get rid of stuff that suits my retired life now, and just keep what I need.  The bigger problem is my dresser and chest of drawers. They are both packed to the gills.  I got rid of most of my race t-shirts a while back but I've accumulated new ones.  And then there's my usual problem - I want a new body before I start buying different clothes. 

But all that will wait until April. 

About recipes . . . when I see one on my phone, I take a screenshot of the name of the recipe and the website it's from so I can go back and find it. It's imperfect though, because those screenshots are mixed in with all my photos.  I need to clean out my photos.  I can declutter my phone between now and April, at least. 

[moneysquirrel]

Welcome to all the new members of our little group.

I have started picking up Christmas a little. Two rooms have been cleared of holiday items and a third is almost done.  However the bulk of my items are in the LR and I just started taking a few ornaments off the tree in there.  Will do a little more today and work on it a lot this weekend.  

Other than that since my last posting:

*Hair cut
*Trip to Sam's mainly for once a year supply of some cleaning supplies as well as a few snacks
*Dentist appt
*Met a friend for lunch
*Changed bed linens
*Several loads of laundry
*Picked up a few items at the grocery 
*other random stuff and errands

Next week:
*House cleaners -- Monday
*HVAC service -- Wed or Thurs (Can't remember which) Need to change filter but will have them do it while they are here.
*Memorial service -- Friday
*Payment for trip due
*Grocery Run 
*Several monthly bills will be coming in
*Following week my classes begin again.

[Sharon]

Jan 5, 2024 7:02:20 GMT -5 Opti said:

Currently decluttering footwear and boxes. My new Aetrex boots are definitely too small, so a new pair is on its way. The new pair will likely arrive before the label to ship this pretty pair back, but I am on my way in having boots for winter work and walking to and from bus stops. 

Aetrex is a new brand to me and it looks like it might be in my new go to list. I'm hoping so as the death of Aravon left a hole for work appropriate shoes that fit well. Christmas stuff except the wreath will come down to be replaced with Valentine's day stuff this weekend. I had been leaving the latter out in hopes of a male companion that is not a pet. Might get cheap stickers to decorate their cages, last year's found permanent homes in my place after valentine's day.

I know I will be working on paperwork too this weekend as the weather is supposed to be wintery and possibly slippery.

Rockport bought Aravon and you can find some of their things on the Rockport website but under the Rockport name rather than Aravon.  I have also found some Aravon on Amazon and bought 2 pairs of my favorite flats last year.

[Sharon]

This afternoon I put several things up for sale on FB, fingers crossed they are gone soon.  I also sent up pictures etc of the 3 types of crystal I have to replacements.com.  My sister says she will take the wooden game board that was our Grandma's.  I will take that with me the next time I go see Mom.

[Opti]

Jan 5, 2024 20:25:15 GMT -5 Sharon said:

Jan 5, 2024 7:02:20 GMT -5 Opti said:

Currently decluttering footwear and boxes. My new Aetrex boots are definitely too small, so a new pair is on its way. The new pair will likely arrive before the label to ship this pretty pair back, but I am on my way in having boots for winter work and walking to and from bus stops. 

Aetrex is a new brand to me and it looks like it might be in my new go to list. I'm hoping so as the death of Aravon left a hole for work appropriate shoes that fit well. Christmas stuff except the wreath will come down to be replaced with Valentine's day stuff this weekend. I had been leaving the latter out in hopes of a male companion that is not a pet. Might get cheap stickers to decorate their cages, last year's found permanent homes in my place after valentine's day.

I know I will be working on paperwork too this weekend as the weather is supposed to be wintery and possibly slippery.

Rockport bought Aravon and you can find some of their things on the Rockport website but under the Rockport name rather than Aravon.  I have also found some Aravon on Amazon and bought 2 pairs of my favorite flats last year.

I'm aware and I think Rockport actually dumped the Aravon line. The fit was not as good as before and they remade Portia, a Mary Jane, into a sleeker look. If you go to Rockport's website they just list Cobb Hill (doesn't work for me), Rockport, I think Dunham etc. but no longer Aravon. I have one pair of the Mary Jane's left but I want to lose my Covid acquired weight so they last longer.
When I gain too much weight, my feet get wider.