Not quite a horder - decluttering
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mine are in a wastebasket right in my liv rm!!!gets me to goodwill much quicker.. im finding as i go aslong, i can't stand stuff just cluttering about.. maybe there's hope yet!.3jays0
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Put them in the car trunk. When you don't have room for the groceries you will drop them off. Or make a call, or go online (where avalable) for a pickup from your home (Lupus, Salvation Army, American Red Cross to name some). That way you set an appointment and then are committed to have stuff ready outside when they are scheduled to pickup.
My days of garage sales are over.
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I love Habitat for Humanity. They have a huge resale store in our town in NC and I call them up and they are out with their truck the next day to pick up almost anything. In Fl it's Goodwill or Salvation Army.
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Kaara: there's a habit for humanity in fort lauderdale, they do alot for the homeless, so that helps, when "chucking stuff" too.......3jays0
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Good to know 3jays. Didn't realize they had a resale store there.
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I'll have to check if Habitat picks up here in NJ also. Thanks.
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I don't know if it's spring, but I sure have the itch to change things and get more organized with my "stuff." We bought a new refrigerator for Christmas, and I tried to get the old one given to someone who needed it. Called Habitat for Humanity and another local charity several times a day for several days, but could not get anyone to pick up the phone or give me a call back. Asked a lady at church who is also a local political representative if she knew of anyone in need. It was actually almost new - I just hated it since we got it with the house 4 years ago - the previous owners included it. So I ended up sending it with the guys who delivered the new one - they told me they don't know for sure but it probably ended up trashed or for parts. The manufacturers don't like "old" models on the market as they want to sell new ones. I felt bad, but I did try, and I did NOT JUST KEEP IT IN MY GARAGE IN CASE I MIGHT NEED AN EXTRA ONE!!
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Oh, yes, and the sequel to wanting to get more organized: I found my dream home!!!! I think this is just crazy talk, but it had space for EVERYTHING that I need and use on a daily basis to have a home. I have been looking at houses off and on for years, and this one just said "welcome home, honey - you belong here!" Now THAT would force me to look at all my stuff again just to move, and might encourage me to get rid of stuff I don't need.
Problem now seems that the things I use every day are stored somewhere else, so they don't get put away, but just accumulate on the kitchen table and counters all mixed together - bills, catalogs, magazines, textbooks, computer, dirty dishes, food prep mess..... hard to separate it all out once a week for cleaning.
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I hit the Macy's sale yesterday with my star rewards, treated myself to some new smaller clothes, so now I definitely have to stay with my program and rid my closet of some old ones to free up some hangers! I won't buy more hangers for that reason alone..it forces me to eliminate something.
Linda: I always do keep an extra refrigerator in my garage...we use it for drinks and things that we don't use on a daily basis. It comes in handy when I'm entertaining to cook ahead and store.
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Kaara, we used to do that with an extra refrigerator, too. Unfortunately, this house we have does not have a basement and the garage is 2-car with NO space for storage except hanging on the walls for tools and bikes.
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Linda and anyone who may have large appliances they want to get rid of but are still in decent condition, you might try and look up a local used appliance store who may take it off your hands. I've done that before because many times landlords will buy used to replace brolen appliances in their apartments
Kaara, that's an excellent idea about not buying more hangers.
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Hi everyone... I've been away for this thread for a while. Took the time to see what you're all up to and see that things are getting cleaned out.
Kaara, I found someone at work that took my old refrigerator.. he's using it in his hunting cabin. Also, a good way to get rid of appliances that still work but you don't want to sell is list them on Craig's list as a giveaway. Put it out at the street if it's something you can do in your area (regrig's have to have door off here when they're at the street) but chairs, tables etc don't last long when they're put "out".
Still working on my garage... seem's it's a place that just collects stuff. I did finally "bag" up my Xmas tree - the charlie brown one and put it on the shelf. Now how long did that take me... approx 3 weeks!
Teka, hope you're not feeling so blue. I live 15 min from a beach and haven't gone lately either. Too many people right now and traffic is crazy. I just enjoy the pictures from my Beachie friends and sit by the lake at work. Here we have tons of man made "lakes" so it's not a big deal.
Plan on working in the kitchen tomorrow... painted the walls a month or so ago, now I want to change it up a bit. My counters get so cluttered with the vitamins, olive oil jars and fruit bowl, etc, etc, etc.... I did put a shelf in the closet that all the canned/boxed goods are in so that gave me a place to put the DGS juice boxes. I want more organization!
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Someone probably already has brought this up (lot of pages here to read!), but I learned on www.flylady.com about the 15-minute declutter route. That you can do anything, clean anything, if you are willing to work on it for 15 minutes at a time until it is done.
My favorite hint from that site deals with the refrigerator and cleaning it. This is a horrible job, right? But flylady pointed out that nobody has to clean the WHOLE thing at one time. Just do one shelf. Then at another time, tackle another shelf.
I've spent a lifetime being the world's worst housekeeper, but I'm working it now...15 minutes at a time.
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samsue: That is too funny about putting things out by the curb. We live in a gated community now, so it doesn't work, but when we lived in E. Ft. Lauderdale, we would put all the stuff out by the curb the night before and within minutes it would be gone...taken by people who collect junk and sell it at garage sales, etc. I put some old paintings out there once and heard some commotion outside. Two people were fighting over the paintings...thought we were going to have to call the police! One man's junk is another man's treasure for sure!
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Kaara, I've done both... found this really great wooden chair by the road, it was old and had the rounded top which worked perfectly for my "shabby chic" desk. The best thing it was painted green, with cream and some other colors under it and it was chipped just like I wanted... perfect! 0
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Samsue, things don't last long at my curb either. Friday is pickup day for large items but long before the township gets there the stuff is usually picked over and/or gone. Funny really.
I did get my tree boxed and put out of sight but the lighted houses etc. only made it into their individual boxes and are sitting some in the garage, some in the dan, waiting for me to put them in storage containers and away. At least I can see the dining room table.
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Patoo, I think it's funny too. Craigs list actually has a curb alert for those checking out what people throw away.
I went to my favorite GW today to donate and well yes, buy.... got some great shorts for the GS's and found a couple of books. I was looking for a carafe for my coffee maker. I dropped the one to my coffee maker on the floor.... ugh. I really like the one I have so will try to find something that will work. If not, then the whole thing goes to the trash.
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we were "at it" today.. seems to be; the only way my DH mur, gets going is a fight... i can't move much, between le, and the hypo.. so, sat the day here.. but, always is a fight.. he even took some cds i shredded OUT of the garbag" i can recycle those at work" the only problem is, they never make it to the bin at work!!!thats' why i can't use the trunk, or car, till GW. he hangs onto it there, also.. "snuck" a bunch of stff in my neighbors today while he "rested: had to go 2 doors down.. he now cks my next foor neighbors tradh!!!! men!i love him, but grrr can't stand this part of him.........3jays0
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3jays: I hear you! Mine doesn't want the cleaning lady to touch his office and in the meantime it's getting filthy because he isn't cleaning it! I suggested the other day that he might want to think about cleaning up a bit in there because it was starting to smell...not a good suggestion:(
I'm just going to ignore it from now on. When he's gone, I close the door so it doesn't bother me. I don't need stress in my life right now, and conflict causes me stress. Thank goodness it's just one room and I can close it off from my view! The rest of the house looks great.
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3jays and Kaara - remind me again one of the reasons I stay single - thanks.
(just kidding - I'm sure they are both extra-super great guys). 0 -
patoo: We've been together going on 14 years, but we're still single. I swore off marriage after the last one went south! For a long time I had a bumper sticker on my car that read "Love is grand...divorce is $150,000 grand!" Seriously though, he's great and has really supported me through this mess.
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mine's great, also. has never faltered in 21 years, but the "cleaning" stuff is driving me batty!!!i LOVE that saying, Kaarra.. aint it the truth!hahaha 3jays0
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3jays: Glad you're feeling a little better...hope that synthroid brand works for you...it did for me. They always try to give me the generic but I refuse!
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I heard a pretty interesting discussion last night on Diane Rehm's show, about the growing number of singles/singles with partners in our country and the changing image from being a person who is lonely to being a happy individual. One even mentioned the joy of being able to be a minor clutterer at her location while her partner's location is minimalist. The author being interviewed has a book titled "Going Solo". (Klinenberg, not Roald Dahl's book by the same title).
A.A.
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Hi Teka, glad to hear about you daily cleaning and decluttering. I'm working at it too.!
I had an unsettling experience a couple of weekends ago. My husband and I were out in the garage with all our Christmas boxes spread out and stuff scattered everywhere. Tossing more & grouping like items together. We were trying to sort out stuff between our kids and make a box specifically for them of stuff they wanted to keep from younger years. The floor was covered. We had empty paper boxes, packing wrap and a couple of tables piled up high too. Our garage door was up as it was warm here in Arizona. Then my neighbor drives up our driveway on her bicycle and proceeds to quizz us "Are you having another garage sale?" "What in the world are you doing?" "How did you get so much stuff?" "I put my Christmas away on New Year's." blah blah blah. Then . . . "This looks like a hoarders garage." I was speechless. Then she went on to talk about the TV show. YIKES ! That's not me and not any of my friends. But now if you've got a pile of papers or a mess are you a hoarder? I don't think so. Makes me mad. So, how do you feel?
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Just like cooking makes a mess while you are in the middle of it, sorting through a major source of "stuff" can be a mess while you are in the middle of it. The finished product is worth going through the mess.
Hoarders keep adding to the mess rather than ever getting it cleaned up and put away. The question is was the Christmas assortment in better shape at the end of your work than before you started? Did you manage to throw away or give away the things that you no longer want or need?
The problem isn't yours, it is your neighbor's. If she has to have Christmas cleaned up and put away on New Year's Day, she may have the cumpulsive disorder that is just the other side of the same coin as hoarding.
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Hot and Cold isn't it nice to know your neighbor isn't your friend?
I have often wondered how people manage in AZ with minimal storage space in their homes. In the North we have many homes with basements that slowly fill over the years. Mine certinly did. Which is better, I don't know? It does creep up on you in a basement where you don't have to see it everyday. I use an extra room for seasonal storage now that I have no basement. I need somewhere to put the Christmas and boxes for certain items.
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WOW...what a rude and inconsiderate neighbor! She should have said "can I help with anything?".
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Been AWOL from here for months, but need to come back.
I am surprices at your neighbor H&C! I am afraid what our neighbors must be saying when they see our garage! I still have two sons who don't have places to store all their stuff. I still need to get some of my boxes sorted out from my series of moves when I had BC.
I really need to make some sort of a goal to get things honed down. Here in CA we don't have basements so much. It was one thing I wanted to have when we built the house but they just don't do it. After Christmas this year, DH made an attic access so all the Christmas stuff could go up there. Now I have a small storage shed that only houses the Christmas trees, so maybe I can clear up some boxes from the garage and put them in there.
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Oh, and last year when we discussed turning the hangers backwards...well, I checked last week and there are about 30 items still turned backwards. Looks like I need to take a trip to Goodwill!
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