Not quite a horder - decluttering
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Bunkie, so sorry to hear about your vertigo! What a difficult problem! But you are really on fire with the house. It's wonderful that you found a family that really needs what you had. I love that. However, I would have a hard time paring down my wardrobe much. It would mean doing laundry more often, which would be work for me, since my husband does it! He says he likes it. He tackles everyone's laundry every weekend, but it would be up to me if I needed things sooner. Kudos to you if you can weed unnecessary extras out of your wardrobe though. It's a great goal.
I could not function without all the stuff on my fridge, which is not stainless: phone numbers, the kids' sports and rehearsal schedules, takeout menus, coupons, shopping lists for various stores, and much more. I am sure that there are other places to keep those things, but I learned from the book How To Be Organized In Spite Of Yourself that I'm an "everything out" organizer, which means I have to see my stuff rather than have it put away. So we go with it. Before the party I had last month, my sweet and mellow 13-year-old son--who had done very little to help--suddenly said, "This fridge looks awful!" and got a box (good boy!) and put all the pieces of paper on the front of the fridge into the box. Then he arranged the photos and pretty magnets neatly for the party. Funny that that was the thing, out of everything cluttered in the house, that jumped out at him. We've slowly been taking things back out of the box and putting them back on the fridge. Interestingly, he left the side of the fridge alone, which was and is much more messy than the front.
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Bunkie, Let your doctor know about the vertigo. There are little crystals in your ear. If they get in the wrong place you'll have vertigo. The cure is a couple of exercises that put the crystals back where they belong. Vertigo is awful - can't imagine decluttering while dizzy.
I'm thinking one of the magnetic pockets made for file cabinets would corral loose paper stuff and still be accessible on the frig. Ours has coupons on the side and grandchildren photos on the front along with the calendar for recycle pickup. Putting anything in your garbage that could be recycled is against the law in Seattle.
I'm trying to decide what to do about clothing. I have a stack of size 14 on the bed. I'm too superstitious to get rid of them and need to get them into the attic for storage. I'm even wearing some of them because I wouldn't have any clothes if I didn't. I think I need another run to the thrift store for more capris.
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RunFree - Sounds good. I have a hard time with clothes also. How on earth did I get that many white v neck t shirts? I started today but kept it low key. My dizzies are a bit better but still there. That basement stuff makes me crazy. My contractor says he spoke to a mold expert and all my paneling in the basement has to come out and the walls treated for mold. Then it needs a sump pump to stop more water. Then a sealant for the walls and on and on. let me talk to the mold expert. You make no money on basement remodels but my contractor could make a mint between me and the insurance. I am going to get a Realtor in here and see what I can do to sell it as is. I will take care of a few issues so it will pass an inspection if need be from the city and I am done. So I need to keep downsizing because all the two bedroom apts I looked at on line are about 1000 sq ft and my house is 1600. Yikers!!!
Wren44 - Thanks for that advice. I wish it was that easy. I have had the dizzy crystals flip flop done at least 13 times and it never helps. The vestibular specialist at the U of Mi said my tests are inconclusive. In other words they don't know so go home and live with it. I keep searching for answers. as with the bc never give up the fight.
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Years ago when my vertigo was really rampaging, my ENT did some tests that indicated that my vertigo was not responsive to those exercises, that, in fact, they would make it worse. For me, I had to limit head movement. Of course, I also had allergy shots and meclizine. And a housekeeper. And went on disability for a couple of years. It was slow, with quite a learning curve, but it worked.
The worst side effect I still have is a terror of paperwork. Whether filing or paying bills, anything to do with paper involves moving hand, eye, and head repetitively. It's the repetitiveness that does it. The reason I'm here on this board is anything that involves decluttering, or pre-clutter management, for that matter, involves repetitive motion. I'm pretty good now at holding my head still while my hands do the work, but it's 20 years of training that protects me. Right now my office is an absolute mess, with papers piled rather than filed. Fear. And, let's face it, dislike, disinterest, and post rads funk.
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Brookside - Thanks for that info. I am going to try it. It seems I do better when I don't move my head much either but it hurts my neck after awhile. I am also on disability for it. I will PM you and maybe get some more ideas.
Paper clutter is the worst. I still have about 60 cookbooks I can not let go of...down from 160 I think. I bought some cardboard boxes in red from Ikea for the other paper clutter. I have one for recipe cuttings, decorating ideas, greeting cards, you name it. I even have one that says "stuff" that I dump into. I go through these about once a year. I also bought several under the bed plastic bins for keeping records I might need later and a tall file cabinet type for holding all that other stuff. I get about 30 magazines a month I subscribe to and now I go through them as they come in. I had about 300 of the old Taste of the South, Southern Living etc magazines I was saving. Finally went in and tore out whatever page I wanted to keep and donated the rest to Dr offices. This has been a 2 year struggle for me.
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Bunkie, you are so brilliant labelling those boxes. I keep trying to organize with unlabelled containers and, after the first day, forget what goes where and that's the end of that!
As for closets: When my first husband moved out the first thing I did was move into his closet. When my second moved out three years ago, same thing. Just the other day, I realized I now have two walk-in closets and one regular one all stuffed with my clothes. Worst offenders are T's and turtlenecks that I keep think I'll need and do not. I keep dropping stuff into thrift shop, repair, and, of course, need a different size containers, but, without labels, nothing happens.
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Brookside - Yup the labels work well. I just got those sticky 3m kind and I can find everything most days. I have one big messy box left that I am waiting for probate to end on moms stuff to clear out. It is about 3 years of things I probably do not need but have. I also found a box of record albums in the basement. Going to donate them too. It all has to go. That is funny. I have 2 walk in closets and a cedar closet still full of stuff but much better now. Weeding every few weeks. You are right about the tees. Why do we buy so many?
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A real quick comment: If you ever go to a dr. office and start to read an article, only to find that someone has torn out the page it was continued on, you can appreciate this. If I find a recipe or something I want to remember from a dr office magazine, I whip out my cell phone and take a picture of it. No clutter except on my sim card! I told my doctor what I was doing last week and she said that I could always ask the girls up front to make a copy for me, too. I thought that was cool!
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Hi, CC. Nice to know about the Mount Vernon and Mount Vesuvius methods (yes, I looked up the websites you mentioned). If it ever cools down I'll try one or both. My son came last weekend and helped me move furniture, which required moving more furniture out of the way. All is exactly where we left it. And he's coming back tonight. Ughhh.
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Hi cc - welcome!I love the messies anonymous phrase. I admit it- my name is Jan and I am a clothing piling addict!
I had stuff all clean, well pretty much, except for my area that has all the chemo and now radiation junk and it is quite a mountain. I threw some lovely sheeets over it which helps but I know it is all still lurking under there.
And to make matters worse I started piling clothes over the chair that is next to it. Couldnt make it worse, right?
My husband enables me by saying it does not bother him, I can tackle it later.
Help!!!! I need an intervention!!!0 -
I was working every day throughout both chemo and rads. I don't know that I had chemo or rads clothes. I would drive to rads on my lunch hour do rads, and head right back to work.
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I had a standard uniform for rads. Men's white t shirt and cut off capri jeans. No bra and bandanna on my head. Now that I think of it I still dress like that except for my t shirts are my own and I wear a genie bra. Whole closet full of clothes and that is what I wear.
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Hi all, I have been too ashamed to post because i have done nothing with my messy chemo/surgery/rads junk corner in the workout room.
Good point about "warding off" - Maybe I do think it is some kind of talisman against my skin getting worse the last week of rads.
I am targeting getting this cleaning done in two weeks when I am through the last of my rads and may be getting some energy back.
Baby steps right?
Now that I am using the exercise equipment again, slowly but surely, it is bugging me, so I do have motivation to get it done.0 -
Baby steps it is Sciencegal! No shame, no shoulds, just wants. Rads makes us tired and also takes a bunch of time and bandwidth. You may still have fatigue when you're done, at least for a while (and it could get worse before it gets better), but you will have more time and one less thing to focus on. It's so great that you're exercising, way to go!
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Seems like now that I downsized to only 1 freezer in the basement I am not doing much decluttering. Need to get on it and get some more clothes out of here. It has been a year that I have stayed at my size 10/12 so I can dump all the 14/16 stuff I have. For some reason I want to keep some jeans. I have no idea why.
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I totally understand the idea of keeping a few things in the bigger size. I kept things in my smaller size. I kept my size 14 pants and tops after I grew out ot them. Two huge tote bins. Lost 20 pounds recently. Tried on tops and pants. NONE of the pants fit and only a couple of tops fit. I'd kept mine because when I lost the wieght I was going to have these clothes to wear. NOT. My wasistline is bigger, my behind is smaller and my boobs aren't there anymore. We all entertain the idea of "someday."
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I just finally got around to moving about 5 things out of my closet to the spare closet today. I doubt I ever fit them again, but I'd like to aim for that as a goal.
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I am happy to report that I have started sorting out my big pile of chemo, surgery and rads "junk" that I have accumulated during treatments. meds, surgical supplies, blankets, paperwork, teddy bears, cards, flower vases, hats, totes, clothes, cold cap supplies, it goes on and on!
Time to start moving forward toward "the new normal".
I have a new bike that I want to store in that corner of the exercise room so that was the motivation to get started.
Amazing how much junk can get stacked up in one year!
cheers everyone0 -
I love what you're doing, Sciencegal! New normal it is!
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Hotand cold - Same thing happened to me. Lost my butt, gained some stomach, legs like toothpicks. I tried on some size 14s today and they were so big!!. I am just afraid that I will gain weight from some meds and then need some of these size 16s. I must be crazy because I am a solid size 12 right now.
Sciencegal - Very smart to get rid of that stuff. I dumped all that rads stuff too over the winter.
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I am continuing to plug away at it- got a bit more done today. woohoo!!!!
I am sending my caps and a wig I never wore to a nice girl in England who is on these posts- that helps with some of it. She is so sweet, glad she can use that stuff.
The paperwork I am just sealing up in a box for the garage. along with my peak chemo weights that are at the tops of some of the appointment follow-up pages- I hope no one EVER sees those! afraid to shred them for some reason.
Plugging away....feels good.0 -
That is so great, Sciencegal! Maybe there's hope for me too!
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There is HOPE for all of us.!!!!
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Teka- I just gave away 6 houseplants too. One was my moms that she had from when I was in my 20s. It is taller than my ceiling. I have a friend who has a sun-room with really tall ceilings. He was also a friend of my moms. Once I sell this house it can not go with me anyway so minds well dump it now. I have a really large dogs tail cactus that is absolutely huge. All my friends have pieces and it needs to be in something bigger. That will be work but I have 4 big plants now and not 10. I also need some touch up painting in my kitchen from the flat-roof leak. Always something.
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I decided I could grow plants after visiting a friend in Alaska. They had a cabin outside Anchorage, lots of snow on the ground, and she had a window with grow lights and an enormous assortment of plants including tropicals. Disclosure: I killed a lot of plants learning, but now my thumb is at least light green.
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I have one cactus that I dug a hole in the ground outside and planted when I moved here in 04. It goes dormant every winter and in spring blooms and keeps growing. It is the only one that seems to survive outside.
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Ok we have been quiet for a bit. I am wondering what everyone is up to. I have been sifting through all my fall and winter clothes to see what needs to go out. I have a pile started on the bed. It is amazing how many black sweatshirts I have. My winter standard wardrobe is jeans, boots, sweatshirts and a black bandanna. I have 10 coats so time to get down to 5.
Teka - How you feeling?
ScienceGal - How are you coming along?
RunFree - I know what you are doing. Don't scratch!!
Wren - I am down to 4 big plants. Nobody can believe the size of my Fern. It sits in the corner on my moms table and looks like a shrub. I need to trim it but not sure how. It is huge. We repotted and thinned my rats tail cactus and it seems to be adjusting.
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Ok we have been quiet for a bit. I am wondering what everyone is up to. I have been sifting through all my fall and winter clothes to see what needs to go out. I have a pile started on the bed. It is amazing how many black sweatshirts I have. My winter standard wardrobe is jeans, boots, sweatshirts and a black bandanna. I have 10 coats so time to get down to 5.
Teka - How you feeling?
ScienceGal - How are you coming along?
RunFree - I know what you are doing. Don't scratch!!
Wren - I am down to 4 big plants. Nobody can believe the size of my Fern. It sits in the corner on my moms table and looks like a shrub. I need to trim it but not sure how. It is huge. We re-potted and thinned my rats tail cactus and it seems to be adjusting.
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Bunkie, finally something that made me laugh about my crazy itching! I am officially registered for our town-wide yard sale. My house will be on a map and people will come. It's next Saturday--yikes! I have things basically assembled, but not organized or priced. I am telling myself I might have to do this every year for a while until I winnow down all the kids' stuff and other things we're not using. Better now than well in the future when we really do have to downsize. I've never had a big yard sale--any tips?
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