January's Dynamic Declutter

[Lynlee]

I've been slack 2 days on round robins.
Harriet - ty. I was making it easier getting like with like - all headed the one way. I can see the difference already. I grew up w the depression mentality too. Fortunately I don't buy too much. lol. not enough money.

Maybe if I do it in one room . It might be easier once I get started.

[Smile*Lee]

:*: Space for My Dreams :*:
~ creative credit to Harriet ~

January Dynamic Decluttering!
Daily goal :15

• Focus zone 1 - round 1:
• 

• Focus zone 2 - round 1:

Zone 1 Entries: porch, foyer, mudroom hall, just outside door into garage, stairwell landing that leads to patio.
Zone 2: Bedrooms: master, guest, ds18's

I finally got to some more decluttering yesterday. Hauled all of ds18's Arkansas mission base stuff downstairs that has been sitting in the foyer since a week before Christmas. wow! It looks bare! Also did a round of in the mudroom hall. I'm anxious to start on the next, but I'll contain my enthusiasm and stick to zone 1 for today and tomorrow.

[Nancy]

This week I sorted a box of school supplies and tossed the crayons
that were not Crayola broken etc. in the storage zone.

I also emptied out with a little help from dgd the plastic
cups and plates the grands use. I'll be sorting them later on.

Delivered & donated a load in the trunk to the thrift shop this week
that felt great!

Got some empty containers out to the trash now that Christmas is over
no longer need them for cookies!

In review I realized that I'd had a productive week here!
Yea me!!!

[Harriet]

One more TKG bag out, of a bedspread and a fat blanket that had been relegated to the spare room long ago. I know my mom had the idea that she would get to them later and they'd still be usable. But they're now far past using and were just taking up space - lots of it. With the box they were in broken down, I was able to stand against the east wall of that room for the first time during this declutter or the '07/'08 one, at least. I just stood there a while and appreciated it!

[Smile*Lee]

WTG Nancy & Harriet!

I did it! I did 3 more :15's in the entry areas: coat closet, secretary (actually in the dining room), mudroom hall, corner cabinet, right outside the mudroom hall around the door that leads out to the garage, stairway landing, end table. I even got to some cleaning! woohooo!

I'm ready for the bedrooms!

[Nancy]

Thanks Smile*Lee!
WTG Harriet glad you could enjoy that cleared spot for a bit!

[Harriet]

It really was enjoyable, yes! Now I need to get menfolk to help me pull the bed 1 foot away from the wall so that it will be easy to change linens frequently, get to the window/curtains for cleaning, etc. I am allowing "things" to get pretty thick on the 2 bookshelves in that room, which are not visible from the hall. It is my trade-off right now for having space to deal with the rest of the room and the closet.

[sherinjoy]

I haven't been visiting this forum lately because I have been forming a plan of action, not actually decluttering, other than daily maintanence.

Harriet - I am so happy to see your progress as you move through your parent's house. You are an inspiration in your determination to make a dent in a huge task. I can very much relate to your journey, because I have done it with in-laws and now my parents' home and paperwork.

Big cheers for blessed, smile, lynlee, harmony and nancy as you fight the good fight - clutter can't win or we'll be buried alive!

My big news is I rented a storage space for the first time in my life. I just couldn't face the garage any longer and need to move stuff out to make room to sort and organize. It is just jammed packed with in-laws and parent's stuff that needs to be sorted thoughtfully, and I can't think in there with no room to breathe. So I rented a 10' x 15' space and will move in shelving and a sorting table to work on. And then move in an orderly way the dozens of boxes of paper and stuff to be dealt with. I will schedule appt. to work and reduce the amt. to a reasonable number of boxes. I plan to accomplish this within 6-8 months and given myself a firm date to discontinue the rental, so that doesn't become a warehouse for infinity. It felt like a failure at first, to admit my garage had become so out of control, but I had to take radical measures (renting) to deal with it. I am committed to making this work, or try something else later if it doesn't. Thanks for supporting me by listening, and I'll give you updates. I have taken pictures, so I'll have a before and after story to tell others who need motivation.

See ya later.

[Nancy]

Found some fabric that's been hemmed that
maybe will work for dgds to have bed coverings with.
If not we can have fun with a theme party!

[Harriet]

sherinjoy that really is big news, especially the part where you are going to keep us informed of how things are going! One of the roadblocks we run up against in decluttering is that we do best with a surface for sorting. I have found that just for a large drawer or shelf I am looking around for a surface the size of a made bed, for instance, to be able to sort it all well. So obviously, with tough decluttering, when we are forced to declutter in cramped spaces sometimes, it can feel pretty boxed in. We get one space decluttered so that we can use it for sorting (cluttering it up again - yikes!) for another space. So it is fascinating to hear you got a dedicated room for your big project. Yes, we will be so interested to hear your successes.

"Forming a plan of action "- that is part of decluttering work.

I tried to get a space heater back into use and donated. I turned it on and it was running fine. Unfortunately, the element never came on, so it was just blowing. HRH said it was hopeless - the $ required to get it fixed was greater than the purchase price of a brand new one that would also be safer, so not a candidate for Goodwill, etc. Sigh. Anyway, about 3 square feet freed, and the thing was so low to the ground that about all of that was floorspace.

I do have a donation bag going, but it is not filling very fast.