December Clutter Control

[sherinjoy]

Congratulations to all the decluttering going on here!

Harriet - Wow, I am so impressed with your activity at your parents' home. I know how hard it is to declutter so much accumulation of old stuff, especially with them living in the house and trying not to disturb them. You are doing a wonderful job of chunking away at it. A good example of making a difference, one box at a time.

Nancy - You amaze me too with your determination to just keep doing it, even when your health has been an issue this year. I like to read your progress reports.

Harmony - Books and bookcases - my worst enemy. We all love books here and it is hard to keep them neat and tidy, when no one wants to let them go! Good job and cleaning out and spiffing up.

I'm plugging away at decluttering, but have slowed down this winter with all the other activities and weather challenges (my garage is too cold to work in now). I'm on Day 348, still trying to declutter at least one thing a day. The accountability of daily logging has helped me to stay on track this year. I'm not sure if I'll do it next year, or find another way to keep the motivation throughout the year. End of the year paper needs to be my next focus, with 3 sets of taxes again - DMom's, DIn-laws estate, and ours. I may schedule some time during the 2 week school break, when I'll be home and less driving around.

Thanks for reporting in here - it is inspirational.

[Harmony]

The current odd glassware I purged from my kitchen / china closet has been dropped off at donation center.

I just cannot say how much pleasure I am getting from being able to look at my decluttered spaces, my bookcases, my office closet and now my kitchen.

I spoke with DH about getting my big picture frames hung up and he had totally forgotten about all that (it's only been a week). I sure don't miss all those pictures all over my piano and bookshelves.

I can say a few of my decisions were hard ones and I frowned as I gave stuff away, but in my head I knew it was the right thing to do. I can also say after all that was done, the peace I feel completely wipes out any doubt I had and I don't miss a thing!

[Harriet]

sherinjoy, it has been such an encouragement to "watch" you declutter through this year.

Very well said, Harmony - the visual of clear spaces is so good for us. Sights for sore eyes.

Another tall-kitchen-garbage-bag out from my parents' house. Another is filling with donations - just about "ripe".

Half of storage-bedroom's closet is now vacuumed. That allowed me to start the redo of closet storage there and now I move in the room more freely. Notice I didn't say "around the room" - that wouldn't be accurate yet.

Ds24 and dstepson took my parents' recycling away - it had been cluttering their "mud room". That will translate into a little more help for the dining room when I can get to it.

[Nancy]

OMG I got the Christmas dishes upstairs and we have not used them
it's now or never this week!

Guess what we are using for lunch dishes?
Hint they have trees on them! LOL!

Thanks sheerinjoy!

[blessedw2]

yeah everyone

again before putting away Christmas I am going to go through and see what I don't use.
this year I cut my losses: we didn't do ginger bread houses, or the village and it was okay. we survived and had a blessed christmas even without those things. so I feel like I was able to let go of things I couldn't do and I liked the control

[Nancy]

Good Job blessed!
I let go of a lot of stuff this year and did not miss it and it was nice to have less to use sort etc.
I was SO glad I went through the hats that I'd made up and it was cold this year so every one
had fun wearing their hats last night when they opened this gift!

All the gifts seemed to be a hit this year yea!
With the economy every one has scaled back so our gifts were not
as tacky as I'd fears they would be.

One more celebration the first week of Jan. for dson's and dgds bday
so we have one more gift to get ready.
Dgds is ready to wrap or bag up.
Hoping hubby can help with the card & gift for dson!

[Harmony]

I continue to get the magazines out to the recycle bin. Tonight I got about 6 read and out. We do not subscribe to any now, but these trade ones keep coming. I read the stuff about business economics and what's going on right now in our industry, changing regulations etc., and then out they go.

I guess doing little bits of decluttering isn't a big thing and doesn't add a lot of happy feelings, but it is easier keeping up that way. Slow and steady.

I can report that I saw Sunny's decluttered file cabinets. Lots of empty files and space, it really looked wonderful and I could tell she had done a lot of work. Shhh, don't tell her I told.

[Harriet]

Feeling the control is a great motivator, blessed.

Good story about the hats, Nancy, and nice gifts.

Gee, Harmony, I just got 2 magazine subscriptions for Christmas! But I will keep after them with decluttering.

Just reporting one more tall Kitchen garbage bag out from my parents' spare/storage room to trash.

Tomorrow is trash day and our 2 cans for 2 houses are chock full but will close. But in the morning after the night is past I'll feel confident putting more to overflowing (don't like to do that at night because of varmints).

Is anyone joining the lines at donation sites? I was reading that this is their biggest time of year because people are getting their donation receipts gathered for tax purposes. Last year local Goodwill here had a tractor-trailer pulled up to take all the excess.

[Harmony]

You know, I never bothered with the tax receips. Do you all think it's worth the time and effort?

[Nancy]

I have put a bag of donations in the trunk of the car.

Harmony: Yes, I put the stuff from the bank in a box or brief case for income tax time;
one year h. did it and did not keep them in a special place as they came in
and I had a "I tried to tell you" moment when he was scrambling to find stuff.
Now he has a spot for every thing saves us a lot of time!
We have a file for my meds. now too.
But when we just did the short form we did not have to keep track of as much.