March Clutter Control, 2015

[Harriet]

We switched gears around here and rented a "roll back" container (dumpster) and tackled the storage barn now that we have good weather. The entire loft has been cleared and swept - it's actually empty right now for the first time since it was built. The stairs have been improved with a new railing (although they could use a lot more attention), and the entire downstairs has been reorganized. Dstepson built us a "corral" for all handled garden tools like rakes and shovels.

[Harmony]

Boy I could use a corral like that. We have 2 racks on the wall with hooks but most stuff gets jammed into an empty 20 gallon garbage can - and then gets all tangled up with each other and takes a whole lot of time and energy to get out.

My declutter this past week has been mostly paper. Lots and lots shredded. Whole pile of magazines in the recycle. And everything from outside is in the garbage can waiting for pickup. DH took a bunch of stuff he brought home to the metal scrap place. Sometimes it sits around here waiting for enough to make the trip, but this time it got out of here timely. The scrap money went to a couple at our church who use it to feed some people in some ministry in Africa.

[Harriet]

Upstairs declutter has yielded more space for us. Now I can see places dusting has been neglected. lol.

Harmony, it is just leftover 2x4s, attached to the exposed studs of the barn and coming out from the wall about a foot, like a rail fence around a 4-foot-wide corral. Comes up to the height of our shortest long-handled tools, the axes, so the tops of their handles just peek over the top. So far, so good.

Dstepson has been a great help to his Dad in the storage barn declutter as well as upstairs. He took me in his truck to help me get the things I had ready from my parents' house, too.

I really should mention the Ta-Da that I had collected what ended up being a small pick-up truck load of items to be tossed from my parents' house. Very few donations, since we are really way past the donate-able stuff now, and that's positive.

Dd35 and I continue, back and forth, making decisions there. I was so pleased to see she had decluttered and organized so much in kitchen, now able to claim almost all of the upper cabinets for her family's needs, has already claimed both bathroom's closets/cabinets. And she will be pleased to see that I disappeared a whole rickety tall metal bookshelf plus most contents, into the dumpster, and cleared the upper part of another bedroom closet.

Ds30 tried to help by moving everything he is storing into one bedroom - not as much help as you would think, because he blocked a closet in which I have some things a friend of my ddad's has asked to receive. And that is the bedroom in which HRH was planning to install bunk beds for the boys. Sigh. "Too many cooks in the kitchen." However, what ds has done will likely win approval from dd35, in that the front areas of the house are really looking great, and until she opens that bedroom door, she won't see "evidence" of her brother's use, lol. She'll like that.

[Harriet]

Something I found on the way to looking up other things.

Ways to use cheap tension rods for organizing/storing around the house.

[Harmony]

Cute idea to use the tension rods.

I'm in a clean-out mode. Things and areas I've been thinking about.

In a box, to give away, I've put:
1 skirt
1 dress jacket
8 tops
1 dress
6 placemats
1 small candle
1 sewing/ironing notion
1 small basket with liner and 2 candles
1 chocolate treat maker (to melt chocolates)
1 pair of sox

I threw away:
4 tshirts
pair knee high trouser sox (top was stretched out)

Box I was using is too small. I washed out a random bin DH brought home from that house he cleaned out and when it dries I will use that. Tomorrow I have an errand to run in the building right beside GW. I will give everything away then.

editing: bin worked out well, bigger and easier to carry. I added to it before I took it down today:
1 decorative halloween serving bowl, 1 "coke" glass, 1 Christmas mug, 1 painting.

After I did the purging yesterday, I wasn't feeling 100% comfortable. But by today, when I looked at the bin and the now-empty closet space, it gave me a glad feeling and I was able to look around the house for these additional items. Getting rid of stuff does bring up feelings, even if one doesn't have a hoarding problem. I think knowing we will be able to retire someday and maybe not have a horrible time getting there made it easier for me to do this.

[Nancy]

I am decluttering stuff from the out side, deck, patio & carport areas. Put a free sign by some stuff in the lawn. It feels great. I tossed a feed bag of odds & ends. Continerized other items and put chick feeders in to the shop for next time. Improvement is happening slowly but surely around here.

[Harmony]

Great job, Nancy. Do you have much success putting things out with a free sign?

I've been really seriously thinking about this. We have lots of cupboards, cabinets, extra rooms, etc., and our place does not look especially cluttered all over. However, it would be a challenge to move all this stuff and keep it in a smaller place. Currently, that is our plan - for someday - and that could change. We believe we have lots of time to do this sort of stuff, but I don't know it would be a huge task.

Thinking if something health-wise happened to one of us, how would we deal with it. Barring that, perhaps if DH DID retire we'd have not only his big shop to clear out / sell / get rid of (think clearing a small warehouse) at the same time we'd be trying to sell a house or two or even building a wee house for us one last time - or moving to apartment.

Keep in mind, DH has been traumatized by losing most of his stuff 3 times. Once it was a house fire where he only had some tools in a truck and 1 sweater left. He doesn't hoard per se but clearing out is not first on his mind. So, a little at a time around here is doable. I think anything I can do ahead of time will be a bonus.

In the GW bin today I placed:
a stainless steel coffee carafe
a pair of shorts
1 pair of trousers
adding since noone has posted: into the bin I put one of those big picture frames with the multi-picture matts. I'd had it on a wall in other house. I took all the pictures out which were old by now and took all the tape off them and put them in the photo box. The only picture I have of our wedding of myself and DH is about 4x6 and I put that in a frame and sat in the bookcase. I don't think I'd ever redo the pictures and hang it.
White blouse I soaked and bleached and washed came out beautiful and after it dries it will go in the bin too.

To the garbage
1 tshirt
1 annoyingly loud toy
1 stack of old nebs forms that had the wrong address and the box.

to the recycling bin
1 empty jigsaw puzzle box. Why did I keep that, the puzzle is glued to a board and is hanging up!

[Nancy]

Not much success this time but I have in the past. Works better if there is a sale up the street.

[Harmony]

Yeah, I get that, Nancy. When we lived in the old house, the street was busy with a lot of service people driving back and forth. Anything we put out was gone within 24 hours. Old tires with wheels, just anything. We put an old stove out there one time and someone stopped and took it apart to get parts they needed!

Today I dropped off the bin at a resale place. I also took a big fireplace log holder that we were given by a neighbor. We had used it one time and for years it sat in the garage. I also took that antique highchair that was slowly getting ruined because DH kept setting stuff on it. Tried to leave a particle board shelf unit that I've tried to use lots of places but never worked...and he wouldn't take it. My job this afternoon is to bang it apart and put in the garbage bin. I won't miss it. Guy at that place was sorta picky about what he'd take. The stuff in there didn't look very nice anyway.

2nd resale shop was really really nice. The furniture was stuff I could have easily put in my house and not be ashamed of. There was a 3-tier wurlitzer organ inside the door, and it looked pristine and sign said it worked. Now, I'm not going to buy an organ, but I'd really be in trouble in that place if I was a hoarder, the things were that nice! Came home today with nothing. I consider that an accomplishment.

Shelf is taken apart and in the garbage. 13 plastic plant pots are in the garbage. Empty paint thinner container in garbage. I am rethinking just how neat we are around here. It appears we've expanded to fit the spaces! Yikes!

[Harmony]

I seem to have taken over this thread! Last night I worked a bunch more.

Recycling: 15 magazines and catalogs.
Garbage: 2 old vinyl portfolios with broken zippers. A 2012 calendar. A bunch of old toys that weren't worth donating. A bunch of papers scribbled on by DGSons. Was fun to look at them before I tossed. A bag of old print cartridges I have no idea if they were full or empty (I used to refill).
To the GW Bin: Toys no longer used but ok to donate. A huge amount. 1 checkbook binder. 1 11X17 bulletin board (1 of 2 I found) and 1 6x10 white board. 1 hanging folder frame.

I have a stack of stuff in garage that I've listed but no room in the rolling bin. The recycling bin is full also. I have read about other people running out of space...and always thought, good grief how much stuff did they have...and now I'm right there. We always hear, "you can't organize clutter" - well I'm here to say sometimes that might not be entirely true. All this stuff was put neatly away somewhere. I'm appalled at what I'm finding. Also, rethinking 1st decisions (even when I don't know I'm thinking about things again) has me going back to spaces pulling more out. This has been an interesting experience.

So, here I am again. More to the garbage: 1 pair old tennis shoes. Batch of odd envelopes. Computer power supply (DH kept when we had new one installed - kept for parts ) but he said ok toss.

In the GW bin, cheese knives, a diet kit, 1 picture frame, and drumroll 81 vhs tapes. I kept 24, will probably get rid of those too when I get tired of looking at that box!

Loading up was hard. I couldn't move the big tape box so had to divide into smaller boxes / bags. Oh, I also took the little push lawnmower (toy) and much-used big wheel bicycle. DH requested I take those. He knows I'm doing this and is ok with it so far.

I went inside the shop this time. It was really funny seeing my stuff on the shelves with prices attached. No qualms at all, made me smile. I almost bought a tray to replace a metal one (rusted) we use every day but I could not bring myself to bring it home!