Not quite a horder - decluttering
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Saw this on FB tonight on FB and love this list. I regularly eliminate many of these things, some new things to consider too. I especially like #48
http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/cleaning/g427...
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Thanks, all.
Jazzy--great article, thanks for sharing!
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Hi ladies,
I'm more of a minimalist, but I have been slowly going through my personal items, clothes, fabric, yarns etc. I'm a hoarder when it comes to yarns it seems. Think I will call the aged care home tomorrow and see if any of the residents still knit or crochet, second choice is the op shop. Packed up a couple of boxes of canning jars, really can't see DH using them
Business suits, heels and most handbags went to a charity that helps women getting back into the workforce and can't afford the initial outlay. I agree, it is much better for things to be useful rather than end up as landfill.
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Freya, I noticed your name because my great nephew and his wife named their baby girl Freya. She's their 4th child. I really hope they quit soon. I can't imagine the stress of 4 children that close in age. They have a 3yo, 1yo twins, and now Freya (the first girl). I wonder if they've priced school supplies. They should start saving now for those.
A woman who volunteers for my senior center crochets lap blankets for people in rehab. They take them with them when they leave. She haunts thrift stores for yarn. Another group knits hats and scarves for the homeless. The paper had an article several years ago about a woman who was in the hospital permanently. She spent her time knitting hats for preemies. It's nice to know someone can get use out of our discards.
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Ohmygosh, that list, Jazz! I have gotten rid of, literally, about 40 things on that list this year as I was decluttering to have my garage sale. I put excess plastic hangars into an old IKEA shopping bag and sold it all for a buck. Old plastic jewelry, old nailpolish, excess mugs, candles I do not use, magazine collections...and also sold the series of piano book lessons my son used growing up, novelty appliances, old paint...,.
I am feeling good about all that. I am spending some of my time at the pool this summer and not feeling guilty about it since I did so much decluttering the past six months. It really does pay off.
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Wrenn, I feel tired just reading about 4 children 3 and under
I used to crochet rugs and beanies for kids going through chemo. I always used bright and cheerful colours and designs. Unfortunately my hand cramps up very quickly these days, so struggle with any crafts.
Enjoy your pool time Divine. It is winter here, a very dry and warm winter so far, it doesn't even look like snowing any time soon.
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You know, giving up the sewing materials and crafts has been harder than I expected it would be. My mother made almost everything we wore and I used to sit beside her on a chair and do the small handwork for her--my feet didn't even touch the floor, I was so little. She and my grandmother taught be how to sew when I was 11 years old. After that, I made most of my clothes and some of my sisters' clothes, too.
About 3-4 years ago I took up sewing little girls' dresses for a mission group called Little Dresses for Africa; they send dresses all over the world for girls in communities where women and girls struggle. A yard of material, or a pillowcase, plus a yard or less of trim, ribbon, and elastic, and voila! A little dress is born. None of my dresses are alike. I have made dresses for babies all the way up to teenagers (they take about 2 yards of material.) It is probably the most satisfying project I ever worked on, but I haven't made a dress in over a year. It's time to move on.
DH is really pushing me to get rid of my sewing machine. It's not fancy or valuable. I paid about $100 for it at Montgomery Ward in 1978. It's an old lady workhorse. But I just can't let it go yet. Maybe if he gets rid of his power tools that he hasn't touched in over 10 years, we'll have enough room in storage for my little sewing machine, LOL.
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Poodles, sewing is almost a lost art. I don't know too many people who do it. My mother sewed amd I wonder how she even found time raising seven kids!! But I remember all kinds of outfits she made for us. My three older sisters learned to sew and made many clothes, too. I never learned to put together something from a pattern, I think there were too many others wanting that machine and I got bumped out of the learning sessions. I sew the occasional things like curtains or pillowcases and mend some on the machine and hem and sew buttons by hand. My machine is a portable one that tucks nicely in the closet when not in use.
I dont see why you would need to unload your sewing machine. Especially given that your dh has all the power tools. Is there a reason you no longer make the dresses?
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I think I just got side-tracked with breast cancer in 2015-2016, and then with my mother's illness in 2016-2017 . Now I'm in the throes of cleaning out both my mom's house and my own, getting them ready for sale, and executing her Will. And I still need to get started on reconstruction. I get so overwhelmed, I just want to sit in a dark room and surf the internet for hours.
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Under the circumstances, I think that's a perfectly reasonable thing to do. It's hard to keep your mind on your troubles when it's otherwise occupied.
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Dumpster emptied for the the first time yesterday. Spending an hour starting the refill today. Not much more than that due to the heat and humidity, but with another hour tomorrow I should have fill #2 ready to go!
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This weekend I finally asked for help getting my 18 year old queen bed to the dump. Now a twin bed fits in a little alcove in my studio apartment, and have the whole floor almost empty. I felt the air flowing and fluttering through the empty space last night. So refreshing on a summer evening.
Gone so far: dining table and six chairs, Ikea sofa with a broken arm, coffee table, bookcase, huge bed, huge table lamp, and a 24" round pet bed that my previous cat had died in (! - why didn't I get rid of that immediately? Guess I wasn't ready.)
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Dumpsters emptied, old beds to the dump, you rock ladies!
I am working on my garage this week. I have some shelving with two sets of cabinets at the end and a small area at the end to store taller items. Cabinets and tall storage area done and working on the big area in the middle next. Things going in to the dumpster, in bags for donations, etc. Will share the final ta-da soon!
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Inspiring posts!!
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Yes, great to hear the progress in continuing to declutter, simplify, toss out, pare down and get rid of all that is no longer necessary.
I'd like to share a little epiphany I had today. This summer, dh and I got a pool pass, very cheap, only $50 total. The pool is seven blocks from home, and they have adults only swim from 10 till 12:30. Now that the weather and water are so warm, I've been going quite a lot and dh goes with me on the weekends. Dh works in a power plant that gets so hot in summer and also likes going for a swim after work.
As we enjoyed the water this afternoon, I realized that by simplifying numerous areas of our life over the past couple years, we had made space for exactly this: spending time at the pool. We sold a rental house, helped moved his mom into town across the street from us and got her house sold, decluttered our house and held a large garage sale. We got rid of the old things we never used anymore, like our 10 speed bikes. It was hard to sell them, but now we have pool noodles that we use all the time for an activity we love that fits our lifestyle (meaning less strenuous!). I understand even more now how holding on to old, unused things can lead to depression because it keeps you in the past. Letting go off those things creates a vacuum where, when the right thing comes along, you then have room for it in your life.
It makes all the work worth it
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Divine- I have been swimming more this year myself, and as a result, I have gained far more fitness and strength than I have in previous years coming through cancer and other health issues. Having less time to deal with "stuff" results in more time to enjoy the things that make you happy. For me, the pool is part of that.
I am right with you on your ephiphany and do feel things from the past can hold us hostage. That is not just material items, but grudges, bad memories and feelings about people or situations that did not go right, rehearsing things about what you want to say to people who wronged you, etc. I have let a lot of that go in the pool this year as I swim. The pool is helping me in more ways than you can imagine (and down 20 lbs since Jan too!)
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Jazzy, congrats on the weight loss. Very impressive, 20 lbs. I've been walking just about every day for a month (pushing thru the discomfort as Arimidex gives me achey joints and sore feet), also watching what I eat and am down six lbs. It takes an effort to lose weight, and then the effort must be kept up to keep it off! So I think you are doing great!
Thank you for making that very good point about letting go of grudges, bad feelings and situations that did not go right, ect. That really resonates with me. I plan to keep that in mind for awhile to see if I have some decluttering to do with those type of immaterial things.
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Y'all just keep on inspiring me! I spent all last week working at my mother's house. Got all the furniture moved to the hardwood floor areas and had carpet cleaners come in to do battle with the 30 year old Berber carpet. I really thought it was too far gone--dirt, pet stains, mud, food stains, etc. But they turned that stinky carpet from gray to cream in about an hour. Best $125 we've spent so far. The rest of the house is coming along. I re-grouted the tub--it was moldy and HORRIBLE. Gack! We pulled up the indoor-outdoor carpet in the sunroom--it was full of cat pee and mildew. Carried a cat-pee mattress set to the dump, along with a pickup truck-load of garbage bags. Took 4 carloads of stuff to Goodwill. Found some rusted pipes behind a wall--crap. And two electrical outlets had burn marks behind the plates. Yowza! Gotta get all that fixed. Then we need to repaint, clean up inside and out, and put it on the market.
Whew!. So I came home two days ago and my house is an utter disaster area. The painter is mostly done, except for getting the paint out of my carpet--grrrr. DH is interviewing hardwood floor refinishers this week, hoping to get that started next week. What??!! We have to move ALL the furniture and boxes out of the downstairs for three days. And we have to leave too. Did I mention he wants to do this next week?! So, I rented a storage unit today. Gotta line up movers to move the piano, my big oriental rug, and as many boxes as we can get packed this weekend. Hopefully, I can get all that ready and have the movers come on Monday. But of course, here I am, surfing the net, LOL.
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Sometimes denial is necessary when facing the impossible. Surfing is probably keeping your mind from screaming.
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Wren, I agree. Surfing is sort of like a smoke break, without the cigarette. I have a game on my ipad (Toy Blast) I play that gives me that kind of escape for a few minutes here and there thru the day. I won't even call it a guilty pleasure because it helps me stay even keeled.
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NineTwelve--I can imagine the air flow feels wonderful in this summer weather! Good for you! You have moved out some really big items. The pet bed I understand. I know that I have a box of collars/leashes/bowls/fav toys of dogs that are gone now that I will be coming across as I clean out the basement, not sure what will happen when I get to that one. It may stay, it may go, I'll deal when I get there. But I know I can't toss that stuff right after losing the pet, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Jazzy--Can't wait to see the final ta-da for you! I'm currently negotiating with my cousin to take a few cy off her record since she had help (me, among others). Friendly competition, helps with motivation!
Mrs. M--I never thought about holding on to things leading to (or adding to) depression by keeping us in the past. That is too, very true. And to think that I am making room for something else to come along is very inspiring!
Poodles--Wow, your list of things to do and have done sounds overwhelming! But you are making progress, important to remember that. A little of distraction and denial going on in your mind, can certainly see why. A bit of distraction lets your mind rest, and your mind needs rest just like your body!
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I don't know if someone has already said this (this is a long thread!) but ask the resale shops in your area if they accept clothes, etc that are not in good enough condition to sell as-is. They can pass this stuff on as textiles to organizations that are able to use them in some fashion. I don't know the details about what happens to the stuff, but at least it keeps it out of landfills.
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Good idea!
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Here's another place for donations: ask your local high school if any of the National Honor Society students are having any donation drives. We have a very active chapter of the National Honor Society and here are some of the recent donation drives, each for area low-income schools:
gently used Halloween costumes
gently used Prom dresses
gently used books
new school supplies
Also, our local elementary school take gently used books for grades K-8. The teachers give out the books as reading material, and prizes/incentives throughout the year.
The local VNA Thrift shops takes both consignment and donations. I donated a bunch of winter weight children's pajamas that were "not good enough" for consignment, but had plenty of wear left in them. (My kids had outgrown them, or gotten tired of the characters on the PJs.)
Pingpong: many of the big donation boxes in the parking lots take the "not good enough condition" clothes and pass it on to organizations as textiles. I've seen it written on some of the boxes.
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Sometimes getting rid of material clutter and emotional clutter coincide. That's why I like organizing expert Marie Kondo's question, "Does this bring me joy?" If an object reminds me of a disappointment, a painful time, or a not-nice person, it definitely goes out.
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Movers come in the morning to get the piano, oriental rug, China cabinet, camping gear, and about 25 boxes. Gotta get the floor cleared for refinishing on Thursday. I can't believe how much bigger my house looks already. Even my basement!
We sorted through 6 boxes of Christmas ornaments that havent been touched in at least five years. Great googamooga! Someone at the thrift store hit the jackpot today!
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Poodles, wow, you have to feel good about letting go of all those things!!! I am so proud of you.
Shetland, so true about the emotional and physical clutter colliding. I am learning to pay attention to those certain unfavorable feelings that "things" sometimes create and letting go of the things and feelings together.
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Good evening ladies- interesting experience working on some of the final shelving reorg in my garage. I was working in an area where I have some boxes of misc photos stored (some of mine, others from when we cleaned out my parents house). Sometimes when I look at photos, I see so many there that have gone before and it gives more of a feeling of sadness. But today, what fun I found!
I found a box of MY photos spanning the 1980s into the early 1990s. Some great photos from college, grad school, first job, car, lots of trips, music things, friends and famiily, etc. Made me remember some great times, and people, and places along the way. And many of the people in the photos with me ARE still around and was able to get some of them shared on FB with them too (ha ha, I tried to avoid posting the less than flattering ones....)
For me, the weight of life with family losses, my own health issues and other challenges the past few years has resulted in some of those memories taking over as dominant. I forgot about some of these great experiences from earlier days, and felt renewed to take a look back at the ride during that time. Sometimes it helps to go back and remember the whole journey, especially when recent events have sort of "taken over."
So my suggestion to you is to take time to look at your pictures next time you declutter. You might be like me and find some pleasant surprises that do your soul good!
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Jazzy, I have unearthed a treasure trove of pictures at my house. I thought I didn't have all that many pics of my 2nd and 3rd child (you know, I have dozens of the first one!), but I found a LOT. In fact, I have completely filled a large Rubbermaid container~! I don't have time now to go through and organize them, but I will eventually. But just getting them all into the same place was a big accomplishment. And I was really surprised how many pics there are of MY childhood. I thought my mother had them all.
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ShetlandPony--very good point about physical and emotional clutter coinciding.
Poodles--amazing how much bigger a space looks without the stuff in it!
Jazzy--What a wonderful, happy discovery! It is important to remember that there are still a lot of people we know that still live, and maybe it's time to start reconnecting with them.
Poodles--what fun organizing those pics will be!
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