2024 Organize & Declutter

[Iggy aka IG]

Congratulations on dropping off the donations, startsmart.  I always feel lighter after I do.

This morning, I:
-Took out the trash
-Dropped off veggie scraps to the neighbors for their goats and chickens
-Went to the ATM
-Stopped in at the fairgrounds
-Liquor store for the weekend
-Picked up the mail

Tonight is the club meeting.

I hope everyone is doing well with the heat and/or smoke from all of these fires. 

[finnime]

I hope you're well and able very soon, Debt!

[Rukh O'Rorke]

sending you good juju debthaven!!!

feel better soon!

[jerseygirl]

I’ve started to sell some books on Amazon. Did this maybe 20 yrs ago. Not as easy now
As daughter of a librarian we have LOTS of books!

[Rukh O'Rorke]

A marathon weekend. Aching all over Still working on clearing out my mother’s house….

I’m horrified at the number of boxes and larger items snaking into the car to my house!

I’ll have more work later……to sort out at my house.


In other news, thankfully I gave my first floor a good scrubbing before the litany of house clearing began!

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 27, 2024 18:35:40 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

I’ve started to sell some books on Amazon. Did this maybe 20 yrs ago. Not as easy now
As daughter of a librarian we have LOTS of books!

jerseygirl I'd never thought about doing this!  Please tell us more regarding the process.

This weekend was productive:
-Stopped by a friend's wedding celebration
-Had supper with a different set of friends
-Stopped by the fairgrounds
-Helped a neighbor make supper. And I brought them one of the entrees I baked and froze earlier this year to eat sometime this week. (Two of the adults in their HH are down with leg injuries.)
-Fluffed, folded and put away last Monday's towels
-Did four loads of laundry including our sheets
-Cleaned all 3 toilets
-Emptied and refilled the dishwasher twice
-Made cold brew, boiled eggs, a cream cheese-based dip, and prepped food for this week's breakfasts and lunches
-Neatened up the refrigerator and wiped down the shelves
-Added a few things onto the grocery list
-Meal planned for suppers
-Picked up my side of the closet and straightened up the jewelry shelf
-Made a delicious pancake, egg and bacon brunch
-From the procrastination list:  At home pedicure and cleaned the dried bit of frosting off of the back of the powder room door from months ago.  The neighbor kiddos helped decorate cookies.  
-Played with the kittens for hours.  Last Friday we adopted a third one, which is the brother of the little female we adopted last month.  He's settling in nicely and helped the little calico DH adopted from the shelter come out of her shell.

[TheOtherMe]

3 kittens.  How exciting!  I have had 3 cats at once but never more than 2 kittens.  They have so much energy and then they crash.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 29, 2024 13:09:41 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

3 kittens.  How exciting!  I have had 3 cats at once but never more than 2 kittens.  They have so much energy and then they crash.

They really are rambunctious and it's difficult to corral them when it's time to come in for the night, LOL.  We have two 3-month-olds and one two-month-old.  I feel very "loved" when I step out to spend time with them.  Today after work I'm going to multi-task by getting my walk in around the house exterior and having them join me.  Wish me luck with all of the steps and three littles underfoot.  12 paws.  That's a lot. 

[soupandstew]

I want to sit down with DH sometime in the week ahead and cull through our very large CD collection, most of which we haven't listened to in many years.  I will throw the discards up on a neighborhood FB page and if there are no takers, they will be off to Goodwill.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 29, 2024 17:26:07 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I want to sit down with DH sometime in the week ahead and cull through our very large CD collection, most of which we haven't listened to in many years.  I will throw the discards up on a neighborhood FB page and if there are no takers, they will be off to Goodwill.

soupandstew, DH and I made about $100 by selling some of ours to Dclutter.com (not a typo).  You download their ap, scan the ISBN, and it tells you how much money they are willing to buy it for.  They then will email a shipping label to you.  They pay for shipping and of course don't buy everything.  I posted a picture of the ones they didn't buy and one of my fellow music loving friends took them off my hands.  

[jerseygirl]

Iggy about selling books on Amazon. Of course that’s how it originally started. 20 years ago I sold lots of paperback science fiction and fantasy that DSs didn’t want anymore.
Now with many people reading online with kindle not sure if any will sell.
If you’re interested, go to Amazon seller central. Directions are pretty clear. Using the book’s ISBN number is easiest. Something new that I didn’t contend with 20 yrs ago. Some publishers don’t allow resales unless you have a long list of documentation. Seem to be a minority . Those I’ll give to goodwill as I have been doing, or local library. However local library is so erratic about timing for when books are accepted, I usually don’t do this

[soupandstew]

Jul 29, 2024 18:02:16 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jul 29, 2024 17:26:07 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I want to sit down with DH sometime in the week ahead and cull through our very large CD collection, most of which we haven't listened to in many years.  I will throw the discards up on a neighborhood FB page and if there are no takers, they will be off to Goodwill.

soupandstew , DH and I made about $100 by selling some of ours to Dclutter.com (not a typo).  You download their ap, scan the ISBN, and it tells you how much money they are willing to buy it for.  They then will email a shipping label to you.  They pay for shipping and of course don't buy everything.  I posted a picture of the ones they didn't buy and one of my fellow music loving friends took them off my hands.  

I will definitely be checking that out.  I don't care about the $$ as much as keeping them out of a landfill and letting someone enjoy the music.  I know most younger people are just streaming their music these days, but not all music is available that way so I hope to share my goodies

[TheOtherMe]

soupandstew  I donated a lot of CDs that I felt I could part with to the hospice that took care of mom and dad.  As they are dealing with more patients in my age group, they requested CDs from the 60's and 70's.   I have plenty of those.  

[jerseygirl]

Exactly, I try as much as possible to recycle or keep things out of landfill

[countrygirl2]

I need to be here. I thought we got rid of a lot but we are in trouble. Somehow the house looked bigger when I was looking at it. Our furniture is going to be too big in the living/dining room. Right now not sure what to do. Can give son the very good table and chairs but then have to buy something else. It needs to be smaller. We gained room in the bedrooms and kitchen but think we lost it in the living room Lots of angles that don't fit things well.

And I kept too much stuff. I think we are going to be decluttering for some time. And now its going to cut into things I really want to keep.

 Since DD and I turned up with COVID not sure how much energy I have to do things. Maybe a little. If I can get our Xfinity transferred will move over there. Problem with it is, son and hubs set it up while I was not here so having trouble with passwords and sign on, not sure what they used.

Well hope to sort that out tomorrow. And hope to get on the path to recovery.

[Opti]

Jul 29, 2024 18:02:16 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jul 29, 2024 17:26:07 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

I want to sit down with DH sometime in the week ahead and cull through our very large CD collection, most of which we haven't listened to in many years.  I will throw the discards up on a neighborhood FB page and if there are no takers, they will be off to Goodwill.

soupandstew , DH and I made about $100 by selling some of ours to Dclutter.com (not a typo).  You download their ap, scan the ISBN, and it tells you how much money they are willing to buy it for.  They then will email a shipping label to you.  They pay for shipping and of course don't buy everything.  I posted a picture of the ones they didn't buy and one of my fellow music loving friends took them off my hands.  

Nice. I may check this out. Thought I still had some LPs I rescued that I needed to get rid of, but I do have some music CDs and some DVDs that should go to make room for those that need to be filed/put away.

[soupandstew]

One big change I made a few years ago that helped with kitchen storage clutter was not buying sets of dishes or cookware.  The last time around we bought open stock dishes and chose just the pieces we need for our lifestyle.  We don't need family-size serving platters or 8 coffee cups with saucers and such which previously took up a lot of cabinet space.  And the sets of cookware always had some size or type of pot we never used.  Buying individual pieces may cost a little more originally, but in my small home cabinet space is priceless.  

[soupandstew]

Jul 30, 2024 3:49:56 GMT -5 countrygirl2 said:

I need to be here. I thought we got rid of a lot but we are in trouble. Somehow the house looked bigger when I was looking at it. Our furniture is going to be too big in the living/dining room. Right now not sure what to do. Can give son the very good table and chairs but then have to buy something else. It needs to be smaller. We gained room in the bedrooms and kitchen but think we lost it in the living room Lots of angles that don't fit things well.

And I kept too much stuff. I think we are going to be decluttering for some time. And now its going to cut into things I really want to keep.

 Since DD and I turned up with COVID not sure how much energy I have to do things. Maybe a little. If I can get our Xfinity transferred will move over there. Problem with it is, son and hubs set it up while I was not here so having trouble with passwords and sign on, not sure what they used.

Well hope to sort that out tomorrow. And hope to get on the path to recovery.

I'm so sorry your realtor or even your son couldn't provide room measurements before you spent so much time and $$ moving stuff you can't use.  

[moneysquirrel]

Sorry I have been mia for a few days/weeks but have been dealing with a lot of home repair issues.  The sandpumping under the house has been completed and then I discovered water leaking.  The plumber was called and we discovered that there was a broken pipe in the wall.  It was in the garage and will need to get drywall replaced in the future.  It is too hot to have anyone work in there this time of year.  Plus all the repairs have created a big dip in my home maintainence/repair sinking funds and I would like to build that up a little before I schedule that repair.  Really don't want to touch other sinking funds if I can avoid it.

Currently I just started laundry.  I will have at least two loads today and the first one has been started. I have managed to get some small beading projects done and started spending some time on that third project from my retreat.  

 I need to update my list:

New Goals and some repeats (July 23 - 31):
*Sand pumping is scheduled for tomorrow -- $$$ leaving acct as well
*Projects -- Earring - MG 1, MG2
*Project 3 from Retreat -- Ongoing
*Meeting -- Tuesday PM
*Snacks for Meeting
*Maintain flat areas, keep things organized, and make progress in letting go of items that I don't need.  Ongoing
*Keep up with laundry and dishes  Ongoing
*Continue to eat out of freezer -- hurricane season is upon us.  Ongoing
*Work on presentation for future meeting  -- Almost finished
Additions:
 * Inventory of items for upcoming craft shows
 * Photos of items to put a few new items on Etsy -- have been neglecting this.

Good wishes for all that need them.  Keep up the good work all!


 

[countrygirl2]

It's really not hard to replace a piece of drywall like that. Have done it many times and its cheap. I bet you can find some utubes telling you how to do it. And in a garage would be a good place to practice.

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 29, 2024 18:50:42 GMT -5 soupandstew said:

Jul 29, 2024 18:02:16 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

soupandstew , DH and I made about $100 by selling some of ours to Dclutter.com (not a typo).  You download their ap, scan the ISBN, and it tells you how much money they are willing to buy it for.  They then will email a shipping label to you.  They pay for shipping and of course don't buy everything.  I posted a picture of the ones they didn't buy and one of my fellow music loving friends took them off my hands.  

I will definitely be checking that out.  I don't care about the $$ as much as keeping them out of a landfill and letting someone enjoy the music.  I know most younger people are just streaming their music these days, but not all music is available that way so I hope to share my goodies

And something I thought about last night:  My e in the business word was placed incorrectly.  It is Decluttr.com

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 29, 2024 18:43:59 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

Iggy about selling books on Amazon. Of course that’s how it originally started. 20 years ago I sold lots of paperback science fiction and fantasy that DSs didn’t want anymore.
Now with many people reading online with kindle not sure if any will sell.
If you’re interested, go to Amazon seller central. Directions are pretty clear. Using the book’s ISBN number is easiest. Something new that I didn’t contend with 20 yrs ago. Some publishers don’t allow resales unless you have a long list of documentation. Seem to be a minority . Those I’ll give to goodwill as I have been doing, or local library. However local library is so erratic about timing for when books are accepted, I usually don’t do this

Thank you very much, jerseygirl!

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 29, 2024 14:11:14 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jul 29, 2024 13:09:41 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

3 kittens.  How exciting!  I have had 3 cats at once but never more than 2 kittens.  They have so much energy and then they crash.

They really are rambunctious and it's difficult to corral them when it's time to come in for the night, LOL.  We have two 3-month-olds and one two-month-old.  I feel very "loved" when I step out to spend time with them.  Today after work I'm going to multi-task by getting my walk in around the house exterior and having them join me.  Wish me luck with all of the steps and three littles underfoot.  12 paws.  That's a lot. 

Following up.  Two of three followed me around the first corner of the house with a bit of hesitation on their part.  As I approached the back of the house, an area they've not been, they became very vocal.  As we continued walking, I talked with them the whole time and looked back occasionally.  After we were almost finished completing our journey, they realized where we were and caught up with me.

Later, when removing cat3 (Charm) from the open garage fridge, I mistakenly stepped on cat1 (Tiger) who unbeknownst to me was behind me.  I'll never get used to their yowls.  I waited until she reappeared from hiding, picked her up, apologized and pet her for a bit.  Meanwhile cat2 (Asia) not wanting to join the drama, didn't move from her spot.

[TheOtherMe]

I think I feel worse than the cats when I step on a tail.  It's often in the dark when I can't see them and have no idea they are in the area.

[anciana]

Jul 30, 2024 14:01:40 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

Jul 29, 2024 14:11:14 GMT -5 Iggy aka IG said:

They really are rambunctious and it's difficult to corral them when it's time to come in for the night, LOL.  We have two 3-month-olds and one two-month-old.  I feel very "loved" when I step out to spend time with them.  Today after work I'm going to multi-task by getting my walk in around the house exterior and having them join me.  Wish me luck with all of the steps and three littles underfoot.  12 paws.  That's a lot. 

Following up.  Two of three followed me around the first corner of the house with a bit of hesitation on their part.  As I approached the back of the house, an area they've not been, they became very vocal.  As we continued walking, I talked with them the whole time and looked back occasionally.  After we were almost finished completing our journey, they realized where we were and caught up with me.

Later, when removing cat3 (Charm) from the open garage fridge door, I mistakenly stepped on cat1 (Tiger) who unbeknownst to me was behind me.  I'll never get used to their yowls.  I waited until she reappeared from hiding, picked her up, apologized and pet her for a bit.  Meanwhile cat2 (Asia) not wanting to join the drama, didn't move from her spot.

So adorable! Thank you very much for sharing your experiences with the kittens, love it all!

[Iggy aka IG]

Jul 30, 2024 15:06:39 GMT -5 TheOtherMe said:

I think I feel worse than the cats when I step on a tail.  It's often in the dark when I can't see them and have no idea they are in the area.

Thank you, azucena.  

TheOtherMe same about feeling worse.  And I've adopted the "penguin shuffle walk" in order to reduce the chance of stepping on one/kicking them when walking and they are underfoot.

[debthaven]

Iggy there was an elderly man in my neighborhood who always took an early morning walk with his adult cat.

No leash involved. I loved seeing them walk around the neighborhood.

[debthaven]

Rukh I’m sorry you’re dealing with this. Try not to bring too much home.

Moneysquirrel I’m glad the repairs went well!

Countrygirl since I started reading here about 14 years ago, you’ve been accumulating Stuff. Like they say about weight… you didn’t accumulate it overnight, and you won’t get rid of it overnight. You’ll get there eventually, as long as you stop buying more.

[TheOtherMe]

Jul 30, 2024 16:47:09 GMT -5 debthaven said:

Iggy there was an elderly man in my neighborhood who always took an early morning walk with his adult cat.

No leash involved. I loved seeing them walk around the neighborhood.

My first roommate out of college had a cat that we took on walks without a leash.  I have never figured that out.  I did figure out collars on these two.  None of my other cats have worn collars.  I have never attempted a leash.  

[TheOtherMe]

I have to find a new cleaning person.  My current (now former) cleaner sent me a text last night that the main cleaner's son was in a golf cart accident and is in critical condition at a nearby out of town hospital.  If he makes it, he will have a long road of therapy ahead, so she can't work at the present time and has no idea when she can work.

The other person is her grandmother's caretaker and was only doing the books and scheduling.  So they are done for the forseeable future.

I hate this.  I really, really like these people.  They were in and out in an hour and did an excellent job with two people.  I don't want one person coming here for 3 hours.