April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Share your decluttering activities and ideas.
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Twins' Mom
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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby Twins' Mom » Wed Apr 24, 2019 1:35 pm

I can count working in dd's office as my declutter project today. OY! There was a lot that just needed to be throw away or put away somewhere else. She shares a large closet and has room to put a lot of project materials away but hasn't. I moved some stuff there so she could put away a very large box of the sunday school water bottles - it's been sitting in her office I don't know how long. (The closet needs a sorting also.) We gathered up the purim stuff and got it into a box for storage for next year. I got her table top cleaned off and physically cleaned. Got her to put away stuff stuck at random on top of her bookcase. She says other people bring things in there and leave them - I'm sure that Sunday school and Hebrew teachers do that some, as well as members. There are some little games that someone probably found at a yard sale.

Not sure she will invite me back...
Be at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let every new year find you a better [wo]man. Ben Franklin

blessedw2
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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby blessedw2 » Wed Apr 24, 2019 2:30 pm

"Not sure she will invite me back"... and "OY!" d twins that made me a big smile! :D
I know she will be relieved to have space again that frees her mind!!! wonderful
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Harmony
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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby Harmony » Wed Apr 24, 2019 4:03 pm

Twins, she will appreciate your work more as time goes on. At least that's the way I feel usually.

We talked about cleaning out a room today and DH said something like "there's so much c__p back there" so of course I said I'll help you clean it out... and we were both on our way!

10 shelves completely gone through. Wire rack 5 shelves bare now. Double bookcase nicely organized. The recycle bin is so full the wheels were groaning. Some things in the donation bin, which is getting pretty full. The garbage bin is half full and already very heavy. Wow. I asked him if he felt "lighter" and he said no, just different, he could feel the "change".

He has a stack of blueprint rolls to take to people, if they want plans of their houses fine, if not they can throw them away. He took a set to someone nearby. He took a whole batch of product samples to a company.

Now he is working on the broken typewriter. That is usually my first step to getting it out into the garbage can (when he finds things unfixable). :lol:

editing to say: MY HUSBAND IS A GENIUS. HE FIXED THE TYPEWRITER. TOOK IT APART, TOOK 4 SCREWS OUT LOOKED AT IT, SHOOK IT A BIT, PUT IT BACK TOGETHER...NOW IT WORKS. WE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT...AND I"LL NOT KEEP IT PLUGGED IN WHEN NOT IN USE THE 1 TIME A YEAR I USE IT!!! : :o :shock:

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby blessedw2 » Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:22 pm

hi d harmony! how awesome is that - the two of you helping each other! wow on all of your work together. and yes your dh is awesome.. well done on repair!

hi d twins!
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby blessedw2 » Fri Apr 26, 2019 5:27 pm

yesterday was my official declutter day. I still find the process draining but I stuck with it.
3 season room looks much better. - I sent dd younger pictures of her shoes for her to pare down. lol I haven't heard from her yet. I will give her a week to think about it but give her a date that they have to be pared down.

worked 2-1/2 hours in garage today - It wasn't my plan but with the inclement weather coming our way and the amount of stuff that hasn't been put away - I felt it was necessary. The garage is not done but the floor is not cluttered. dh just drops things in the corner. He has gotten much better at letting me going through things; as he knows I will ask him.

He still has the bottoms of a couple of our christmas trees (over the years) that he won't get rid of but who am I to complain as he is easier going during the declutter process of his garage.

Lots donated this week.
garbage was filled to the top.
Last edited by blessedw2 on Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby Harmony » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:41 am

BWTG, blessed. Sounds like good progress.

Got Mari Kondo's book from the library today. She says cleaning out causes those around us to start doing the same. I'll bet that doesn't work for everybody, but DH once in a while will surprise me. Like Wednesday in the office.

Had quite a time at GW today. Helped a nice young lady empty my full bin into their rolley carts. On top of my piles was my big teddy bear I finally gave up. Before I left I picked him up and rubbed his head and gave him a hug and put him back down. She asked if I was sure I wanted to leave him and I said, "yes, somebody will love him". This is one really cute bear, like brand new. I've never had these feelings over anything I've given up.

Not sad really, just thoughtful. I was given this at a rough time in my life. But it's outlived its usefulness to me, and I don't want it around, but felt bad leaving it. I'm not really a sentimental person...so this is surprising to me. I'm thinking there is some unfinished mental business stuck in me from that difficult time of my life.

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby blessedw2 » Sat Apr 27, 2019 9:57 am

I have found that, at first, cleaning my things out caused my family lots of stress (more of a push back not to do the work). For years I stopped moving forward on the work on the house and cleaning out things because they were not the happiest campers, dh especially. . Now that i don't let him do that to me any more (he really stressed out and was pouty for a bit).

Last January I decided to declutter all year round, at least once a week from 15 minutes to 1 hour. You would think I was torturing my family.

. I have gotten very good at being kind but saying no with a smile and say the work needs doing. Stubborn :D 8-) ;) I have gotten much stronger at saying no.

I am finding that with less stuff here that dh is so much happier and the house is easier to clean and clean faster. (he still balks, dd's still balk, d mom can't believe I would get rid of anything she has given me (that she didn't want herself ;) ).

lol I am sure making my family happy aren't I :shock: :o 8-) :D :D :D
Last edited by blessedw2 on Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:04 am, edited 1 time in total.
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby blessedw2 » Sat Apr 27, 2019 10:03 am

d harmony
lol I am sure that not everyone is on board with decluttering :D :D :D

I know someone will love that bear especially with all the love that you have stored in it over the years. I am sure it represented comfort in an uncomfortable and challenging time. Such a special gift to someone else.

really amazing d Harmony - well done on your donations to GW
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Harriet
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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby Harriet » Sat Apr 27, 2019 12:19 pm

Harmony, if that's true about the "business", then you've been able to move that business to a more accessible place in your mind. Now you can deal with it differently - maybe not perfectly (who knows if anyone does) but it is not stuck any more in a place that needs a protector/barrier. You can just handle it. Or, hey, maybe the only thing that happened is that you felt like you could let go of an item, and there's nothing more philosophical to it than that! Either way, big applause on a large declutter day.

I had gotten the companion book from Kondo, called Spark Joy. More practical, maybe? (I only glanced at the A-river pages of the first one, so not sure.) Specifics, though, I think. I like it. I like that it is compact even though there are a lot of pages - like an old-fashioned diary size. It is called "illustrated" and what that means is line drawings of how she suggests storing various things - how tos.

blessed, that's great that you have an official declutter day. Also I noticed in PWYC that you're planning particular declutters ahead. That reminds me of the old "countdown" on the boards where we'd have a card-full of named stacks/boxes/piles around the house and see how long it took to get through them. That has helped me several times over the years. I might try that again.

Dd has set declutter decisions from her room out into the hallway. This is NOT going to last much longer, I can't stand it. She keeps having to rush away without deciding on things - very little time at home. Sigh. I know what it is to have good intentions, work on a project and have frustration when you're only partly done. But it's not okay when the people you're living with have to step around it! I may have to do as blessed does and start working on this by phone with her. We've got to have a safe passable hall!

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Re: April Declutter and Organization, 2019

Postby Harmony » Sat Apr 27, 2019 4:36 pm

I've been reading the Kondo book (the first one) and I find much to agree with and much to disagree with. I find her "spirituality" of things and the home as odd, or maybe the viewpoint of someone who is Japanese and not Christian. However, the conclusions she reaches are the same as mine, just that I get there a different way. Thanking something for its service to us is odd, being grateful for having had something useful for a time and being able to provide that for ourselves is more what I think...but both points of view get our brain in the right mode for thinking their usefulness is gone and it's time to move on.

Thus my thinking with the bear. Its usefulness to me is gone... but I am grateful for what it once meant. As I was reading the book, not thinking particularly about my experiences with the bear... it came to me what the attraction was. One hugs and holds a bear. This one was very soft and pretty to look at, just the right size for one's arms... so it came to me how that felt like unconditional love and affection. Something I feel I could use more of these days. So now I know how to address this, hard as that may be.

People that hold on to things I feel (and the author also said) are holding onto the past and/or afraid of the future. I think we all must be sure of our ability to manage whatever the future holds and survive and thrive in spite of uncomfortable changes. We must trust ourselves. Holding onto everything from the past does nothing to aid in this. It keeps us stuck in the past, both good things and bad. Our memories of all that remain in spite of where the items end up. If the memory fades, it was not that important to begin with.


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