June Declutter Strategy, 2020

[Harriet]

Never feel you are alone if you have clutter struggles. We know where you are because we've been right there (and then have faltered after decluttering and ended up there again… … twice or three times ). We know the same prospect looms for our future if we don't stay vigilant! Clutter is picking a fight with ALL of us. We are with you.

[Harriet]

Cluttery thoughts ( )
This week is only-trash week, so no recyclable duty except for consolidating. Got that done.
Some planting-things clutter left the porch.

Dd has been identifying some clutter and letting go. Her room is much more conducive to her art than it used to be, possibly because large projects for school have given way to smaller ones.

I got rid of some shoes today.

Certainly do miss Nancy's and blessed's examples of smart thinking in this thread!

[Harmony]

I might not make up for Blessed or Nancy, but here I am!

HEADS UP: I saw today on TLC they are making another program soon to be on called Hot Mess House. It showed a room all hoarded up, but I could still see the furniture there...and I got the idea from that short snippit that it was going to be more like what Walsh did years ago...or so it seemed. Those not able to get TLC, sometimes these things turn up on utube.

I'm making progress out in the garage. So far I have 2 big huge bins of papers to burn and I'm still pulling stuff out of the army trunks. Prior years, after 10 years passed, I'd been throwing receipts away but keeping bank, tax, payroll stuff forever. I RS information says 7 years tops for it all. I've quit keeping prints of spreadsheets, ledgers, quarterly reports, bank statements ad infinitum. We've never once been audited and at this point doubt it would happen now.

I keep cost basis papers for our house and loan / satisfaction papers for houses we've built and sold, even though that stuff is in the public record.

I have one small stack of papers to bring in and see if I want to keep any of that... but there's not much and I doubt I'll keep any...

Tried to weigh a bin. It was too heavy for the scale!

Went back out and finished the paperwork. Got another 1/3 of the 3rd bin filled. 1 Army trunk completely empty. I have room out there now to completely clean out everything in the office and stuff I need to keep can go out there. That won't happen for a while, but nice to know I can when I'm ready.

Oh, by the way, in a plastic bag, with my hammer, the porcelain thing that's been sitting here probably 6-7 years is pulverized and in the garbage. Yay, that felt good.

[Harriet]

LOL! As in, wishing we were seeing them regularly again.

I looked up that show and it looks like a possible winner, doesn't it? It seems to be concentrating on young people with children for a few first households she's visiting, but that doesn't mean the rest of us won't get something out of it. Looks like only a half-hour show, which already seems too short, lol, but who knows. Thanks for the heads-up.

I haven't thought of or heard of that plastic bag method of disposal - cool!

[Harmony]

Took that bin to the donation spot. Before I left I filled it to overflowing. Couple things from the kitchen, and curtains and valences from our old house (thought I'd use them someday, probably not ever). On the way, thinking about all this, I made a couple more decisions. That stuffed folder I kept was stupid - that's going as soon as I can get a burn going. And a BIG box of something DSMIL gave me that she didn't want... no I'm never going to be making stuffed sausage etc. etc. No, she'll never ask or know which is why I kept it in the first place. I hope she doesn't give us anything else.

Mon afternoon: I'm still tossing stuff. I went through 1 file cabinet and found lots of old stuff in there not relevant any more to toss and a small bit of that had personal information so that went out to the burn piles. I found some stuff in the closet that was before the 7 years so I put that in the burn bin also.

In the family room, a big box of old maps got tossed in the recycle bin. Another dream bit the dust. Cut up that box for recycle too. I even looked at the bookshelves and put a handful in the donate bin.

I'm just feeling 'done' with lots of stuff. I had hung on and hung on here. When DH had his ankle surgery, I felt sure when he was all recovered he'd realize it was time to let it go. Now that he's back to work and seems to want to make this permanent, I just feel detached from it all. I don't care any more. He can do what he wants to do but somehow he'll need to figure out how to leave me out of it.