September, 2012 Declutter Strategies

[blessedw2]

lol dharmony - my still gives us stuff, mostly to ddyounger who tends to keep everything. Nice thing is she is now sending things to my dcousin who is the same size. She recently gave us paintings from her house she sold in wisconsin however she gave us some we didn't ask for and are expensive. So I may send the one painting to my cousin in arizona as long as it's okay with my mom. She has her house so organized it hurts my brain.

I wish I had that wisdom dharriet ....that is why I follow you - I need your insights and your consistency <3

Look at you DEJUNKERS - wooooo hooooo!!!!

today: donated wall paper rolls, some beautiful cloths that I kept for "one day"
tossed 2 large garbage bags of stuff. I knew it looked cluttered but boy I didn't realize.
putaway is being done next and winter gear matched

[Harriet]

She has her house here so organized it hurts my brain.

I know that house.

I saw that 2 Horaders were coming on, back to back, early Sun afternoon, so I recorded them. I believe one of them may be the one Harmony watched when it aired and then started in spiffing her house. They do have that as a value!

I was hopeful for these, since the "buried alive" versions had disappointed lately. I watched the first (I guess it was older) Sun night when I had a chance and it was the Buddist lady who had been raped, and the elderly man who had to sit in a rolling chair. The man began with confusion issues just like my father would have if we were trying to change something, and was way too sad to me to witness his daughter's hopelessness. So I had to make up my mind I couldn't watch his story and I fast-forwarded through his parts and actually have no idea what it was. The lady's home got Matt as an organizer, which should have been great, but it was, unfortunately, just another "unbelieveable filth" story, with people vomiting as they entered and finally everyone going over to gas masks. I don't really think those kinds are too helpful as programming because the circumstances are so rare that few can identify. But I'm glad someone is documenting that there is still help even when it's that bad.

So, 0 for 2 on those two stories. I'll watch the other show when I get the chance this week. Maybe it will have a better info-to-emotion ratio!

[Harriet]

sherinjoy, I looked up Clean Sweep as a DVD series, which might be nice, but evidently doesn't exist. Oh, well. Did find this instructional DVD by Peter Walsh, which is a 90-minute DVD but not shows - tips, instead. Thought it might help someone to know it was still available, though limited.

Also came across "Clean House" which starred Mark Brunetz, Niecy Nash, Matt Iseman. Remember that one? It was exclusively about families who needed to have a yard sale, and the stars would help them through the yard sale process and then use the proceeds to get things done around the house. I don't think it had much to do with a need for cleaning really {so in that way was mis-named), but with taking what people already had and decorating or storing better.

[blessedw2]

I understand about Hoarders, being sad at times. Some people have gotten so lost that they loose all hope and it gets to that level. Most seem not to be able to handle the house physically or emotionally; I can see how easy it is to happen. Those type of hoarding shows depress me and I can not watch but the collectors and shoppers ones where they place items in basements, storage units and even stores they rent help me realize that I don't want the stuff in my life. Also the show clean house is on in the middle of the night in my area... I think Mr. Walsh makes sense and that's why I like it; but dejunking a house in such a hurry sometimes doesn't address the issues of too much stuff.

For me my stuff represented all the dreams I had and the thought I could do all of. Quilting, decorating, kid activities, my own activities were so many I couldn't have 3 to 5 life times to do what I wanted to do. To me, others looked like they could do it all but I found they stuck to one thing at a time until finished. I had more projects going at once that it was litterally impossible to do. I also would get depressed because nothing would get done as I get bored very very fast(especially in my youth). My kids did have fun but only after I let go of so much. I also have a lazy attitude once tired where my mom only sleeps 4 hours a night and is a mini dynamo. Also at first I went like crazy at the house with no plans for family time. that doesn't work either. Balance is so difficult for my she personality especially when life is so busy lol.

my goal today: toss the garbage from that closet (I had to run out yesterday), dejunk my drawers (which I get to once a month with mini skim and toss). hopefully get to hall closet as well.

Today:

[Harriet]

blessed, that's how I have often been with creative things. We are sidetrackable, aren't we? When I have had a deadline, like the baby showers, I have worked to completion on one creative project, and that's been better for me. Now, after decades of building up a library and fabric collection for quiltmaking, though, things changed in my life to offer almost zero time for the craft. So I am asking myself - how much calendar time will I give this current situation before I need to question it as a clutter problem? Sad but true.

I got to watch the second recorded episode and it was so much more informative. This was the 20,000-garment clothes hoarder Debra with 4 teen sons and the older lady Patty who had to walk with a cane, who had 2 big adult sons. Even though the footage of clean-up was still in the minority, at least it was there, along with explanations of who was doing which work. I very much appreciated that they included time-lapse photography of a room declutter in the older lady's home. I appreciated that Matt tried to identify varmint sounds for her in the night - just the fact that he couldn't do it was a real slice of life and showed why the clutter was so dangerous for an elderly person.

It was a surprise to the crew at the clothes hoarder's house when she hated the redecoration of the home. However, the crew just painted every interior wall white while she was away without letting her know they were going to do it. She considered it a loss of all her decorating. She was saying that a wallpaper they tore down had cost her $1,000, plus her color choices of paint were painted over now. Assuming the walls weren't hurt by a mostly-clothes hoard, and I can't see how they were, the crew really should have asked. Like blessed said, it happened so fast, so did it address her problem, really, or just shock her.

Anyway if these are rerun again, I could recommend the Debra/Patty episode from season 6. The transformation from downcast to happy on the older lady's face when she could live in her home again was just amazing. They really helped her, no doubt she will live longer, and her sons are not in turmoil any more. And they showed much more than usual of what cleaning they did and how they did it.

[Ivy]

I have a huge Ziploc Big Bag for ARC. They were supposed to pick up my donation from my porch on August 27, but they never made it. They've always found my house without a problem before. So the big bag is in the entry way and I'll just await their next phone call to remind us of the donation, to try-try again. So they probably won't go out in Sept., but early Oct., but the bag's ready.

When I watch hoarder shows or "Clean House" (if it's still airing), I get all this super energy to want to declutter, clean, put out hot spots, and make everything company ready, even though no company's coming.

Has anybody decorated for Autumn yet? I did it in August right before 2 grandsons came to have week-long sleepovers with us on 2 different weeks. I wanted things to look festive for them, but they probably didn't even notice.

[blessedw2]

I bet you they did notice but thought it was normal for that time of the year. divy great job on getting the bag of stuff together... do you have a drop off spot so you don't have to keep it in your hall. (lol if you are anything like me - the bag will become part of the furniture lol)

"how much calendar time will I give this current situation before I need to question it as a clutter problem?" Boy do I understand that dharriet . I do great with an end result too now but I am ready to let go of more. I have some fabric that is smocked that I have held on to for future baby dresses (but with no babies anymore lol) - that may mean its time to let go... I have had 20 years of dreaming of making dresses for sale. I think 20 years should tell me something especially when I need so much work in my house.

I am going through the keep sakes and was able to toss 2 large garbage bags of who knows stuff . I have the boxes of the girls keepsakes down in the dining room for both girls to look at. And BOY OH BOY I have SO MANY PHOTOS in misc. boxes that are not put together that its embarrassing. I have them in 3 separate closets so when I have the energy I will put them all in that closet for me to work on. I really am embarrassed by this as everyone depends on me for the family history. (I think I am going to have to make a plan - break it down into smaller projects - ie great great grandparents, grandparents, family history, dparents dating, friends, wedding and then my girls and then dh and I -- I will have to pretend it's homework)

I also find making decisions makes me cranky - to me that means I have too much stuff to appreciate. so back to work I go.

Cheering you dejunkers on...

[Twins' Mom]

Oh, my, I'm glad I read this thread today! Yesterday I started a "new" Goodwill box - I simply have to move stuff out of here somehow. I have a ton of "organizing" plastic baskets and small containers that are unused. Yes, I do sometimes find that I have just the right one for what I need to organize, but this huge stack is a source of clutter too. I hate to let them upstairs for fear it will be too hard to evict them eventually.

Harriet, your questions about your hobby are very apropos also. I don't remember the last card I made - I did declutter a bunch of stamping stuff when we moved but I have so much, and in two months here I haven't even unpacked it yet. I tell myself that when my term as temple prez is over I'll get back to it, but that's a year and a half away.....is it worth even unpacking all that stuff now if I'm not going to use it?

Anyway, I'm kind of wandering the village checking out some other threads 'cause I usually stick to PWYC. Oy, I need to declutter more!

[blessedw2]

hi twins: I didn't realize you became your Temples president - Congratulations!!!

I have 2 things I want to work on but I know it's not the right time for me. So they sit, lonely, in a drawer waiting for me to pay attention to them. lol

ddolders closet: I found something disgusting in ddolder's room. She had many items on the floor of her closet which old kitty decided to use as a litter box. we couldn't figure out where the smell was coming from. her room is clean so that was the rub. I ended up tossing the things, of course after I talked to her. so so gross.

[Nancy]

I'm loading stuff in the utility trailer to haul off got one wheel burrow load in it last night. Today I'll be working on more as I pick up the yard and so some clean up from the run build and patio expansion we've had going on here this summer.

Leaves are starting to come down a bit so I've been trying to keep up with those a bit each week for now I can keep up with them. Chickens will love them!