Not quite a horder - decluttering
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Mara, look how trendy you are.
“Tiny house living” seems to be a thing. MinusTwo, I started reading old letters and realized why Marie Kondo says to leave sentimental things for last. It could derail the whole project.
Good for you, Mae. It has been a little over a year since we downsized (DH, YA kid, and I) To about 40% of the space we had. It has made things simpler and more manageable. Like you, we feel that if we have a place to tinker and a place to garden, life is good. Please explain she-shed beach bar!
But I still have boxes, fatigue, and no staging area. I’ll keep chipping away. Does anyone know of an authoritative source that will tell me how long to keep various types of papers? For example, bank statements, (Tiny) retirement accounts , paid bills, paperwork from sold houses, old jobs, etc.
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I do think that 7 years is as far back as anyone can be audited for anything. Any house paperwork (deeds) will be with the county records if you ever need to access them you can get them either online or by calling. (I worked in mortgage for years)..
I know when my mother-in-law passed away we burned through I think 4 shredders with checks she had saved from back in 1970 from banks that were not even in business even!! No reason to have them but we did not want to just put in the trash.
I know getting rid of stuff you have had for years is hard but also know how hard it is on family who has to clean it out too afterwards since we have been there too already.
I know I labeled stuff that my kids might think is crap but might be worth something at least so they would know or if it is special because it super old and in been our family a long time and is a family heirloom. Anything else can go. An hopefully can be donated and maybe that will be a possibility and I can hang on that long before this is over!
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Hi ladies- catching up on everyone's posts. I did a lot of decluttering this spring, took some things to Goodwill (my fav charity has not been taking and think they are cleaning out and may be done). Got some more closet things to go, but....
I am working on my garage now still and going through some containers of decorations this weekend. My fav season to decorate is the fall and usually start that around Labor Day and leave it all up through Thanksgiving time. I am not much of a Xmas person, usually go away and rarely have anyone in, and this year it's all out. My favorite hot spring I used to go for Xmas here caught on fire a few weeks ago and it is not totally destroyed but very damaged so it will be closed for the foreseeable future. I will keep my fav Xmas things and let go of the rest for families who won't have much to spend this year for Xmas.
I have not found consignment to be as good as it used to be. People are going to be working remote for the longer term. Here in New Mexico, we have no indoor dining still, no events allowed like weddings, funerals, concerts, etc. I tell myself only buy what I plan to use and wear out. I think most of us are going to find some of the things we have won't be of as much use going forward. I have started wearing some nicer clothing out for lunches with friends just to wear some things before the summer season ends.
Ill- your corner vs. your husbands, lol. Sounds like the plans for the move are underway!
Shetland- I keep paper records for myself and my business back 7 years for audits (longer if required contractually for my business). If you live in the US, the IRS is 7 years to retain tax records and related docs, but if you don't, check to see what your government agency requireds for audits history, etc. As so much has moved to digital in the past decade, more boxes of things are being shredded and files kept on line. You may find the same is possible too?
Mara- what a great accomplishment to reduce to a small space. When I first moved out on my own years ago for grad school, I had a space that was about that much square footage. It was perfect for a busy grad student that was not home much, but eventually got a bit bigger apart (maybe 800 square feet). I often think about how little I lived on and with in the past. Good job friend.
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Shetland, I always planned to have my own space on the mountain, so a large garden shed would work but I’m not looking for a place to read or sew, I do, however, love the beach and cocktails. The back wall will be beach wallpaper, decorating will be beach photos/nautical items and one side will have a bar/stools and the other, a sitting area. I have an above ground pool, which will be set up just outside and it’ll be a hangout for me and friends. Here’s a pic of some of my plans.
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illimae, that sounds lovely!
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That view is lovely Mae. I pack more like your DH.
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I agree about saving letters for last - but I'm getting really close to that. The only other thing I haven't tackled at all is pictures. I thought I was in pretty good shape but realized there are four moving boxes full of pictures from my parents house in the top of my son's closet. Not ready for that even if I could lift them. It was very hard to get rid of my baby brother's baby pictures. He died in 1994 w/o a wife or children and there's no one but me who cares what he looked like at age 2 & 4 & 6.
Shetland I agree about winnowing away at the paperwork. When my parents died at 90, my Mother had kept every letter she ever received from anyone. And all the gift cards that came with flowers, and... My Dad had kept every tax return since 1920, with all of his check stubs. I had 2 weeks in a different state to clean out everything. It would have been fun to read it all, but there is never any time.
Yes, seven years for bank & tax records - but don't forget to save any paperwork from the purchase of a home or repair & upgrades to the house, and things like water heaters or a new roof, or purchase of a car.
Jazzy - so sorry to hear that your spa burned. I loved seeing those pictures over the years. Of all the years you'd really like to have that retreat !!!
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Illimae, I love the fun and creativity of your beach hut. I suppose the signs will point to famous beaches of the world?
Thanks Colorado, MinusTwo, and Jazzy for the paperwork advice.
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Shetland, it’ll point to some beaches but mainly notable places for me like where I’ve lived (Huntington Beach, CA & Houston or Galveston TX) and favorite destinations (Bahamas, Destin, FL, etc)
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That’s even better.
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MinusTwo- the historic bath house is what burned, which is where they do some of the treatments, but more importantly, housed the pumps for the springs. They have said they are going to rebuild, and glad they will but think it will be awhile until they are open again. Yes, you have seen some photos of that place on other threads.
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Illi-oh, my what a difference in packing styles!
Minus--What a treasure trove of a glimpse into history those letters must be! I understand the intricacies of who should see what, though.
Lots of good info about keeping records.
The hard thing about pictures is that it can be impossible to identify the who/when/where after time has passed. My cousin has posted literally hundreds of pictures her mother took during her lifetime, and fewer than a third of them can be identified with certainty, and most of those are pictures taken after the technology got to the point of printing a date on the picture.
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NM, it’s funny, if we have a weekend getaway, my weekend bag is packed days in advance and completely organized. DH throws some clothes in a plastic grocery bag with his meds on the morning we leave. I spend a lot of time shaking my head, lol.
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Illimae, I think our DHs are related. I can go 2 weeks and 2 climates in a carryon. DH takes 5 coats to our son's house in Hood River (4.5 hr away) so he'll have the perfect one for any situation. I take one and a sweater, figuring I can make do with those in most circumstances. Needless to say we always have checked luggage and it's not mine.
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Wren, I love packing! I also never check luggage. Last year DH and I spent just over a week in Vermont, Rhode Island and Mass. I pre-planned mix/match clothing, pj’s, swimsuit, shoes and toiletries in 1 weekend bag, it’s like real life Tetris.
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Funny about pictures, my sister just sent me a photo in the mail of us with our parents and all it said on the back that it was for Father's Day and the location. But I knew when it was based on something I was wearing, as I had a red sweater on that my mother had bought me earlier that spring at Neimen Marcus. I was in grad school in TX then and my parents came to visit me during my March spring break, and we went to Neimens in Dallas (it was the place to have something from back then in the early 1980s) and my mother bought me that red sweater for a birthday gift. My big 1980s perm gave it away too. I date a lot of unlabeled pictures by the fashion and hair styles/color.
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Jazzy, I’ll always know what trip that was because I wore my Jaws shirt on the walking tour of Edgartown, MA aka Amity.
So, I have way too many clothes and I’m going to go through some boxes to reduce them further.
Question: what do you all think is a reasonable number of shirts, jeans, coats, sweaters, shoes?
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There's a website that does 30 items per season. I think it depends on whether you have 1-4 seasons. I have a couple pair jeans and long sleeve shirts for winter; capris and short sleeve shirts for summer. Here I only need a raincoat most of the time, but have a consignment ski jacket to visit my son where it snows. I haven't dressed up in a long time. My last working wardrobe was jeans. I keep one summer and one winter dressy outfit for weddings and funerals.
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For jeans and shirts and other things worn regularly, I base it on the laundry cycle. So I figure eight of each kind is a good number if laundry is done once a week: eight short-sleeved T-shirts, eight long-sleeved T-shirts etc. Half that number for sweaters. For coats, one neutral color one of each kind; for example, a raincoat, a casual jacket, a barn/camping/yardwork jacket, a dressy coat. For shoes, same thing, a neutral pair in each category; for example dressy, casual, barn/camping/yardwork, hiking. Then add in anything special like colorful shoes or coat if there is room. For things I only wear once in a while, such as dressy outfits, I figure two for warm weather and two for cold weather.
My new, modest-sized house was built in the 1950s, and the closet space provided gives me the distinct impression that typical 1950s people had much smaller wardrobes than we do now!
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illimae, part of me is jealous! Actually, I'm so happy for you! I hope you post photos of your new place when you get settled. According to my local Vons, Halloween is right around the corner. At least that's what I'm assuming from all all Halloween candy displays. Sheesh!
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Mae, that is very organized packing. I also envy you moving to your cabin. It will be lovely for sure.
When it comes to clothes, I have kept far less than I used to have. I keep my current clothes in one drawer each of my dresser. I roll them so I can fit quite a few of each. I am also heartless when it comes to donating or getting rid of them in the form of rags. I have quite a few yoga pants but they roll up. I am still purging some and when I buy new clothes, something old must go. I just don't have the room and I don't need a lot of clothes. 5 pairs of identical jeans. I plan to pick up another dresser for the bedroom from amazon. There are some nice ones that are not too deep. Still a work in process.
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Okay, I have a real find. I’m trying to weed down 30 years of stuff so I can pack as little as possible - I am going to sell my house and move back to my hometown so I can spend more time with my sister and mom and be of more help.
Anyway, I LOVE cooking and baking and have hundreds and hundreds of pages of printed off recipes. I found Paprika recipe “clipping” app ($4.99 one time purchase) and it is very slick! I’m going through the stacks and downloading to Paprika so I can throw all these huge piles away. It takes less than a minute to find, clip and save. Cuts all the jabber paragraphs and pictures out and distills down to ingredients and instructions. I’ve added 130 recipes to it this evening while I half watched TV.
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Mellisa, that app sounds like a great idea. Certainly would save a lot of space.
One way I have made a night table was by putting a small rubbermaid tote and a piece of melamine laying around on top of my wee tumble dryer. It now can dry clothes. Store another type of heated dryer I bought previously and my lamp and a few things.
My bed is on risers so have some storage space underneath. Cannot see the items underneath as the bedspread reaches the floor.
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Mara, the most efficient and best thought out space I ever lived in was a (brand new) 543 square foot apartment. It had lots of kitchen and laundry nook cabinets and a huge deep walk in closet with lots of shelving in the bedroom. The laundry nook at the end of the kitchen had full size washer and dryer. It was bright and clean and energy efficient so I could keep it nice and cold during our hellish summer and still have a dirt cheap utility bill. I just had to be careful not to accumulate junk.
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So, clothes purging is hard but I did manage to set aside 25 tops (mostly camisole and tanks) but I still have about 40 favorites. 5 sweaters can go too but I think that leaves me with 15 or so. My hesitation is two things, 1) my weight fluctuates by about 30-40 lbs, right now I’m at the lowest due to surgery complications but I feel like I need to keep some fatter clothes, 2) is the weather at the cabin, which is cooler and windy with a microclimate at an elevation of about 7,000 ft that is similar to Southern California but my current wardrobe is largely hot weather items since the highs/lows in Houston are in the 95/80 range for a good 6 to 7 months.
Anyway, progress is still progress.
Melissa, that app sounds great, thanks for the tip 😁
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Melissa, a full size washer would be nice. I purchased a portable twin tub washer. Has the washer side and a smaller spin dryer. Next purchase was a drying rack that you zipped up a heater in a tent and dried clothes that way. They did get dry but really lacked the softness only a tumble dryer could give. Then instead of using the washer and dryer for blankets that don't fit in the portable spinner, I purchased a larger panda spinner for the blankets. The way it works for me is the portable washer lives in the tub. I have to take it out of the tub to shower but it is only around 30 lbs so easy to tuck around the corner. After the shower, I just put it back in the tub. Prefer to use in the tub because I don't have to worry about leaks at all. The larger spinner, tent dryer rack and larger spinner are stored in the bedroom as well.
Unfortunately my place does not have good storage. The largest storage is the linen closet which I use to house laundry supplies. I will admit I am quite the hoarder of those, especially the washing soda I make out of baking soda by cooking in oven at 400 for an hour and oxiclean. I like both generic and name brand oxiclean. Laundry is a passion for some reason. Never liked it as a younger person or adult but it is the cat's meow now.
Clothes are for the most part contained in my 5 drawer dresser, a few things are hung up in the tiny closet. I do use storage above the kitchen cupboards and in future, plan to have some boxes installed above door frames but this can wait as I may not need to do this. We will see. I do like having the kitchen stove AND my breville oven if I need to cook something else. Getting there, donated a bunch of stuff to goodwill I washed as I don't wear the items. I enjoy finding the space. Don't have any books, everything is digital or audiobooks. Laptops instead of desktop computer. Sold the desktops before moving here. Have 3 laptops and I just use those on my lap. Works well.
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Mara, the house I live in and bought 29 years ago is a typical 1300 sq ft 1954 ranch with crappy little tiny unlit closets and few electrical outlets. Just like the house I grew up in. I don’t know how four of us lived in that house, but bigger families certainly did. Things and what people find important and use change a lot in sixty five years.
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That is so true. Laundry, laptops and electronics and being independent are tops for me. I have time to purge everything I think I need to and after that is done, I can stop to figure out what I may or may not need. I may not need to invest in major storage. I have 3 or four shelves behind my sofa functioning as hidden storage as well. Still have not filled it up yet. I may just need a few nice boxes or something like that to hide food in, who knows. I still have to get rid of unused things in the kitchen including old plates I don't use anymore. Have 3 or 4 large plates, a large bowl, 3 small plates and 4 small bowls. Use an underhang storage rack to store that. Once my cupboards are clear, I'll move the unused papertowel elsewhere. TBH, I don't often use paper towels to clean up messes, just my microfiber cloths. They are easy to clean and quite durable. If I don't start using them, I will give them to my older brother so they do not go to waste.
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Illimae, that definitely sounds like progress on clothes weeding. Do you think what is left, the things you wear a lot, will fit in your new closet space? A box of other-size clothes can be stored in a less prime location. I have a box of of other-size jeans and a box of wigs, hairpieces, scarves, and caps on the high shelf since weight and hair fluctuations are part of the stage iv life.
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Illimae, I keep one size larger in a bin. If I fluctuated as much as you say you do, I would keep more sizes, especially jeans. Your cabin must be somewhere in the Davis Mts or Big Bend area. I have found fleece to be my good friend since I'm allergic to wool. I have a Totes jacket that's nylon lined with fleece that I wear 3/4 of the year. It's good in light rain, but not in a downpour.
I hope you south TX people aren't hit hard by the hurricanes. The rainfall could be way too much.
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