Not quite a horder - decluttering
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Wow! I started a new job today and boy does that office need some TLC and decluttering. I really can't make any changes until I become permanent in 12 weeks, but it is something to look forward to.
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It was too funny when my boss told me they had to squeeze a lot of files in the cabinets, so the drawers don't say what is really in them. I asked "But they could, right?" He nodded as if he never thought of that!
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Just found this tread tonight...it is wonderful! I have started my own de-cluttering of a closet in guest room this week and found some boxes stuffed in back that have been there NINE years and not opened since we moved to this house. I have a friend who says "cinch by the inch, hard by the yard".....so I am going to work on one area a week until I get through the whole house....I have already gotten rid of two boxes and three trash bags...I guess it didn't accumulate overnight...but it does seem to reproduce itself when no one is looking.....thanks ladies for all the tips. Will try to keep you posted on my progress.
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The website FlyLady.com has some very useful tips. Yes, it did not get this way overnight and it will not get undone over night. One hint I often used was set a kitchen timer for 15 minutes and tackle one job. You can do most anything, including cleaning toilets... for 15 minutes.
Since I live alone (widow) I used to leave clean laundry piled in clothes baskets. Kept buying new baskets instead of sorting and folding and putting away. One day I did the 15 minutes and just about got it all put away. Not sure if it is laziness or procrastination or whatever, but bit by bit it you can make a dent in it.
Yesterday I did 3 15 minutes spurts of sorting summer clothes. All done now and pile to donate to Salvation Army and closet is nice and organized.
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PS, and YES, I have way too many clothes... still.
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Hello,
Oh thank god I am not the only person this has happened to! Thank you for the decluttering advice, I am slowly, slowly, starting to declutter my house. Boy does my office space need it as well. Too many papers on breast cancer. I have Just junk taking up space. I especially like the clothes hanger technique since I am a clothes horse. Ive put weight on since taking steroids and debate as to getting rid of tight clothes or wating on weight loss. I know the weight will come off, it has to. Thanks for the web site.
Agada
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I second Teka - welcome to everyone. FYI - I finally put the fly lady website at the top of the page - I thought I had already done that! It's there now.
I really like the 15 minutes of a task. It breaks up the chore. I'll be at my computer too long and then realize I need to be productive so I'll set the timer and do 15 minutes of chores and then I get to go back to my computer. I've also been known to declutter during commercials if I'm watching a TV show. Do all you can during the commercial - it works really well (if you remember to do it)
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Hi all - one of my biggest problems is clothes. I have so many clothes that unfortunately I can't fit into any more and just can't give them away. I don't know if I see dollar signs at the money I've spent or if I hope I'll get back into them one day? It's so stupid to keep them...they're just taking up too much room and reminding me of the size I used to be. Anyone else???
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Hi Spendygirl,
I used to have that problem too then someone (like Dr. Phil or Oprah or someone like that) said to get rid of the clothes that don't fit anymore. I can't remember the rationale but my rationale was that if I was ever larger or smaller those clothes wouldn't be in style anymore so I might as well get rid of them and buy new ones if I needed to. I will admit that I keep one pair of jeans, one pair of dress slacks and one dress in my larger size in case I gain more weight but that's better than the whole wardrobe. I hope someone else chimes in with their story.
Teka, I think my husband and yours must have gone to the same house cleaning school!
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i am currently doing my Spring celaning and regrettedly sent a bunch to good will last month pre-diagnosis. I wish now I had kept my ex-hubby-to-bes stuff and mine to add to my yard sale. We are going to be having a yard/bake sale combined wiht a Dog Wash to raise funds for a local cancer charity group. All the funds stay in our county and go directly to cancer paients. I already put in an application to recieve help with transportation to my radiation treatments.
and YES I will admit I am an OCD Hoarder, not to the extent they show on tv shows, but an emotional hoarder none the less....LOL
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American Cancer society paid me a bit for mileage to my treatments. I hope you get the help you need, bluewillowsky.
Now that I have less time at home, I REALLY miss the opportunity to to stuff around the house. I have got to get myself on task and maybe do two 15 minute stints a day at whitling away at my clutter.
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Good for you meece, getting a start. Remember it did not get that way over night, so it "ain't" getting undone over night...!!!
IF only someone had told me about the cleaning crew for cancer patients... 4 rounds of dose dense AC then 12 rounds of Taxol and Herceptin. I got very reduced curb to curb van transport (they do not call it door to door) and reduced parking stickers for when I could drive myself. If you do not ask, they cannot say no, and they might even say yes !!
The yard -bake -dog wash sounds like fun, blue (can I abbreviate ?). Fingers are stiff this morning and after cataract surgery on Monday, I will get to the hand surgeon for evaluation of the many nodes sprouting on my fingers.
My next project is going to be taking slacks, capris, or other bottoms and match up with 2 tops, sweaters, blouses and put the others aside for possible donation. From time to time I have found a person who needed nicer clothes for job/work and/or who was on/in hard times. The women's shelter is always appreciative of clothing and shoes. Don't forget to get a donation receipt for tax deduction.
Have a good day, don't work too hard, enjoy, relax, Hugs, Nancy
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bluewillowskys: what a wonderful idea for a yard sale and dog wash! Keep us posted on your results.
Well, I did it. I went downstairs to The Basement and attacked it today. It took twice as long as I thought it would. I have a few boxes for dh to go through (he was away today).
Two more major areas that need my attention are part of the garage and the small workshop area. They will be for another weekend!
Keep working ladies. Getting rid of clutter means less stress.
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The rocking chair and neat green wing back chair are gone.... donated them. Didn't want to find the right person for them so I just dropped them off at our local charity. Whew, I was really procrastinating with that issue! Also went thru my closet and filled three shopping bags of clothes. I'm ready to get something else. The shirts/pants/sweaters are at least 3 years old and I don't think I wore them much in the last three years...Time for them to go.
I'm going to go thru the linen closet and see if I can get rid of excess towels or "junk" I've been saving. I might be really tired of sheets that I haven't used in a while. I'm liking the 400 count sheets anyway. One really good pair is really all I need and maybe a pair for spare.
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samsue, if there is a pet shelter or animal hospital nearby, you can donate linens - especially towels - as long as there are not loops or snaggy parts. Even throw rugs that are not flaking off of the rubber backs.
Teka, too bad we can't get on that show " what not to wear " to help weed through the clothes. But then I do not know if I could go to bingo in a designer outfit like they often end up with. Ended with a preposition, but you get the drift...!!! LOL
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I have certain clothing I would not want to give up. Since I wear these items, they would catch me on the hidden camera so they would make me give them up for sure.
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Meece, like your new avatar... who's your friend?
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Samsue, that's my pal "Chet" you might know him as Chester Cheeta of Cheetos fame. We were on the survivor's lap at RFL. Well, I was, he just stepped out because he recognized me from the Middle Aged Women's thread.
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Well got rid of 3 large bags of clothes. Let's hope this is the beginning of a 'decluttering relationship' between me and my townhouse. I looked at Flylady.org - nicely done but way too organized for me (which is why I have so much clutter to begin with - lack of organization!).
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OK, I got the three bags of clothes, odd's and ends from the bathroom closets and a few thing I gathered from the garage into my car.... they've been riding around with me for a week now! I just can't seem to get them to the collection site. UGH. Every time I go around the corner one of the tin's hits against something else just to remind me they're still back there! I have a SUV so I can hear them playing back there.... Probably growing more, and more.... Now I have to de-clutter my car!
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suzwes, thanks for starting this thread! You have motivated me to begin my own decluttering! The 15 min. rule will probably work pretty well for me because I continue to have fatigue by the time I get home from work, and my neuropathy bothers me so that it's difficult to get a lot of hands-on things accomplished, but I can certainly do 15 min. at a time!
I worked with a professional organizer before we moved last time, and it was exceedingly helpful. You can check the NAPO website to see about professional organizers in your area.0 -
Welcome n3ypb! I really like the 15 minute rule too, it also gets me moving rather than sitting on my bottom all night after work! Thanks for sharing the professional organizer website.
Good job Patoo! Flylady is also way too organized for me but I do look at a couple of items and try to take baby steps!
Samsue, did you get your stuff dropped off and out of your car yet? That sounds like what I do!
Good luck ladies, make it a productive decluttering week!
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Yesterday I wore a pair of shoes to work that I have only worn twice before. When I got home, I took them off and told DH that they will have to go, as I peeled bandaids from my feet. He took the shoes from my hands and place them in the kitchen garbage can. He is behind me on this!
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I finally put 2 pairs of slacks (previous favorites) in the donate bags yesterday. I have had them for many years, hoping they would fit again one day. Well, they sort of do now, actually are TOO large now (I need to gain a little weight back), but they are so baggy and I realized I would like new ones. So out they go!!!
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I am a bit excited there is a bi weekly Flea Market and I can unload some of my excess. There is not a lot, but if I can sell 3 tables, kind of antiques, I will get a barrister cabinet, I think. I got each of them for very little and they had been perfect for my other apartment since it was larger. One is like an end table with 3 shelves, other one is like a desk with one large drawer across the width and 2 smaller side drawers. The 3rd one is a drop leaf table. Then the wicker hope chest I had used as a coffee table with a tray on top. And some odds and ends of dishes and serving pieces that I have not used in years but thought they might come in handy at a later time. It is later now and I have no use for them.
I love the 15 minute rule and have passed it on to many. Fly Lady does have a pretty rigid "schedule" and I am more laid back and basically lazy....
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I have been looking for a barrister cabinet for my recipe books in my kitchen. No luck finding an afforadble one yet. Maybe I just need to see about selling some stuff and using the money to up my budget.
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meece, that was my thought - sell some stuff I don't want, don't like and use it for something I want or add it to my "budget".
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I need to just put that concept in action. I need to figure out what I will sell though.
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I consider "downsizing" and wonder how to do it. We moved nearly 3 years ago, and I half-heartedly tried then to not move everything with us, was very attached to some very large furniture. Now I would like to get rid of a lot of it, but know I will never get the $$ I put into it, and don't really know how best to get rid of it. Am a little paranoid about Craig's list and eBay because I don't really want strangers coming into my home.... any suggestions? Thanks.
(the pants were a major breakthrough for me, and I don't want to lose momentum!!)
Linda
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I have a weaving loom I would like to sell, and Craig's list is probably the best place for it, but like you, I am nervous about having people come to my house. It would be too big to put on ebay because I would have no idea how to ship it.
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