Not quite a horder - decluttering
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My kids were home for the holidays and did me a huge favor--they went through their closets and removed the clothing that has been sitting there since they went away to college. I never knew what they wanted to keep and what they did not want any more. I now have a closet with room in it rather than one where the doors could not be shut.
Wishing us all a wonderful new year of heath, happiness and serenity and with a less clutter than the year before.
Hugs,
Mandy
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Good one, Mandy!
Several years ago, DH and I packed up all the adult kids' stuff and trucked it off to their houses. They each owned homes, so it made no sense for them to keep using our house as a mini-storage!
We unloaded the truck at each of their homes, and let THEM decide what they wanted to keep!
Diabolical, but it worked...
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DS has always made fun of us for having so much stuff. Imagine how much fun it was when he came for a visit and we were looking for an extra blanket--we found 3 boxes of his stuff and made him take it away. I do have to say that he's doing well avoiding clutter at his own home.
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I took a bag to Goodwill.
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Yea Dunesleeper! Go you!!
Ginger
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Teka - Been working on my "edible clutter". Those Mexican sauces have gone in everything couple of tablespoons at a time. More edible clutter - have leftover buttermilk from making scalloped potatoes. Have to get that used up soon. But have been working on magazine clutter. At least they are mostly in one place now instead of scattered around 3 rooms. Now to get them read.
Sorted thru a million pairs of white socks. Going to DD if she wants some but then on to Goodwill. Have 2 bags out in the car ready to go Friday.
I agree. We all need a gentle 2013.
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I am glad I am not the only one with mgazine clutter. I only have 1 year left of A Taste of the South and all of Paula Deen to go through. Yeah!!!
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I went through my Taste of Home mags before Christmas and found some duplicates, gave them to DIL. It is tempting to invest in one of those scanners they advertise on TV, you know the one that organizes everything you scan? If it worked, I could get rid of all my magazines that I have saved for some reason or another.
We were gone out of town after Christmas, and the decorations have to come down. I took the ornaments off the two big trees yesterday and packed most of them up. I am trying to only put away ornaments I actually used. It doesn't help that I had a bout of stomach 'flu' on New Year's Day. What was worse was the 11 hour drive home the following day.
Today I plan on getting the rest of the decorations ready to go in the attic.
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I took my recipes and taped them into a spiral notebook for each magazine group. I now have 4 notebooks.
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I need to do that. I keep the whole magazine just in case. Just in case...right!
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Meece that is how I ended up with 250 saved magazines. I now keep the previous year only. Of the 200 magazines I went through I only cut out about 30 recipes. I was keeping the entire magazine...just in case. That is only 30 pages of the notebook instead of all those magazines. I could recycle them but I prefer to take them to my Dr apts, beauty salon etc. That way people can enjoy and take them home.
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I went through a magazine I had subscribed to and only found 2 things I wanted to save. Obviously, I cancelled that subscription. My Mom saved recipes, but I'm not sure she ever made any of them. DH cooks and we have an entire bookcase full of cookbooks. Of course, he now goes online for recipes.
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A few years ago, I bought a Kindle. Didn't matter...I still shopped at thrift and used book stores, bringing home books by the sackful!!!
Last year I got an iPad. How wonderful that would be, I thought...I could transfer all my magazine subscriptions to electronic versions and not be stuck with stacks and stacks of old magazines!!! WRONG....I still renewed my subscriptions, so now I have BOTH - print AND e versions.
I did notive that a mouse chewed into a box of old - I mean ANCIENT - magazines in a corner of the garage...now THAT was enough incentive to trash several boxes!!!
p.s. The good news is that I never keep the used books I buy - I read them, then donate them back to the hospice thrift store where I get them, so they can sell them again.
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Hey everybody, this is Wonderland. In the original post, Suzwes posted the decluttering rules that I found. Sounds like everyone has discovered the joy in cleaning out the clutter in your homes. I work on it daily/weekly/or monthly. Dh likes to accommulate so I have to overlook his stuff. Eventually he goes through it, which makes me happy!
This past year I really went through the house decluttering. I really don't know how more things show up to take up space!
Some days it's overwhelming and I wish I had the guts to get rid of half the stuff I have. One day, maybe. Now it's a little at a time - that's better than nothing!My new project is wondering what to do with my grandmother's dishes that have been boxed up for 29 years (according to the newspaper I used to wrap them in). It just never stops, does it.
Keep up the good work ladies! We're all in this together!
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I love dishes, and have two sets of china, two sets of daily dishes, a set of crystal dishes, and a set of Christmas dishes. I love changing up the dinner table. I actually cleared out a cupbaord in my laundryroom to put one of the sets which has settings for 20. When there's a will, there's a way. The way I see it, they were made to use, so I use them.
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I find it easier to just go online and search. Much easier than pulling out one recipe book after another trying to find the recipe you are looking for. When I like a recipe, I put a Post-it on the page, so at least I can tell which books have something I've used.
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After forty eight years we have too many cook books and everything else. Trying to get up the energy to just give it all away.
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Ok so I have lost my mind but I just bought another cookbook. I had to order it from QVC and it is a crockpot one. I use my crockpot a few times a week. I did dump 2 more today so 1 in and 2 out.
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Came to get inspired and I see some kindred souls-especially the cookbook thing. Not only do I have my own collection 2 of my mom's friends gave me their mothers when they died. Iam bringing a stack in every night to look thru and have hauled of quite a few. I am a sucker for church fundraiser ones and anything that has handwritten notes in it. My goal is to fit what I keep all in one bookcase. The ones going in the donate box seem to be more of the "coffee table" type.
I did get thru the entire bathroom-since I haven't had hair in so long the hot rollers, flat irons, hair dryers and all the kindred products ect all went bye-bye. Amazing how much space it was taking up. Also went thru the pill cabinet-lots of outdated vitamins, supplements, and assorted cancer drugs. They are having a pill disposal thing next saturday so I am ready for them. Makeup???? What's the use really? Don't need mascara or eyeshadow for sure. NowI have room for extra toilet paper-since every drug they put me on gives me Big D. So it was all to the good.
Christmas stuff by the attic full but it will have to wait for a while-too cold up there.
Thanks for spurring me on ladies
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I've been lurking..looking for inspiration. What I really need to do, is rent a bulldozer!!!
Blessings
Paula0 -
Well, the ornaments and decorations are all put away. I have a box on my kitchen table for the boys to go through. I threw away some damaged and broken ornaments, and DH helped thin a couple out by accidently breaking them. I have two boxes of ornaments which may not be used next year, but sometime in the future. I also kept a couple of decorations out to see if I could reproduce them as gifts for next year. My guestroom still looks like an explosion at a gift wrap factory, which I should go get taken care of today.
I was good this year. I used up a lot of extra old wrapping paper, and some of the newer stuff, but this year I only purchased three rolls of paper in the after Christmas sales.
I think this week I will hit the dresser drawers for stuff that does not fit. That's a lot since my hips have expanded and I can't keep them under control.
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I have been doing good the past couple of days.
Yesterday I sent a small telescope and a box of collectable bottles which belonged to DS2, home with him. Today I cleaned out some boxes in the garage and shredded a bankers box full of outdated paperwork. It felt so positive!
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I finished up the Paula Deen magazines. Repeat recipes in several. They are all gone and my under bed area is great now. Next I start on those magazines you pick up when you stand in line at the grocery store. The special ones on casseroles, Mexican food etc. I also have about 125 of them. I can not believe how good it feels to get rid of that stuff. I called it collecting but it was really hoarding.
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We sent 8 bags and boxes away with the big truck on Tuesday. Somehow I am on a phone list for the charities and get a call every week or two for pickup! I quit work on July 7 after 35 years of nursing. I had already started on my master plan of a huge decluttering. We have been in the same house and I have trouble letting my dead relatives things go........well July 17 the diagnosis of bc ruined those plans. Just now getting started again. I am going to try to read this thread daily for the great inspiration! Beatmon
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I just want to say that this is one of my favorite threads. Many magazines now have online access to their archives so even though you are getting rid of paper clutter, you may still have access to those older magazines. It may require a subscription.
I no longer subscribe to mags for recipes. I've gone to using Pinterest to pin recipes I want to try for later. I can always print them out when I want to use if needed.
Just some suggestions.
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I used to be a Creative Memories consultant at the beginning of the scrapbooking craze (many years ago).
There was a minimum amount of "product" you had to purchase every quarter. Of course, I bought more than I actually sold...
Consequently, I have TONS of supplies, including paper, scissors, rulers, stickers, punches, glues, and other embellishments and tools. I was wondering what to do with all the excess (much of it still new and in the original packaging)....
With all my other interests, I just don't do any scrapbooking any more, and what I DO plan to do has more to do with "heritage" scrapping, using copies of antique photos of family members. That kind of page doesn't need cute stickers or wavy rulers or seasonal punches.
Happily, the family that our church sponsors as missionaries in Colombia, South America, came home for Christmas, and we had a chance for a wonderful visit last weekend.
They have a club for teenage girls who would otherwise be on the streets. A huge part of the draw is all the crafting they do when together.
The mom would be THRILLED to have these supplies, and I would be just as thrilled to know they are being put to such good use.
SO - just have to box everything up and send it off!!!
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You could donate it to a school for art projects or maybe sell the supplies on Etsy.
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I've been lurking here looking for tips. I have a question. Do any of you have a bulldozer I could borrow?
My surgeon absolutely refused to let me use my arm on mx side to do anything. He gave me 4 drains for a single mx, and insisted on removing 1 per week, and I wasn't to use it or even drive until the last one was out for a week. So, by the time I could use my arm chemo started. AC followed in march with 12 weekly taxol.
So, come ladies I really need a bulldozer!!!
Blessings
Paula0 -
A lot of us are starting with magazines and books. Since you are the one armed bandit.....1 book at a time.
Ok just kidding.... maybe a sock drawer or something that you could do with one arm. Bulldozer I do not have.
That reminds me. When I inherited this home from my parents I replaced the lawnmower and snow blower with really nice new ones and they sit in the garage. I hired a service and they have their own equipment. Think I will sell them.
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