July Clutter Control

Share your decluttering activities and ideas.
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Harriet
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July Clutter Control

Postby Harriet » Wed Jul 01, 2009 6:50 am

We are at the
EXACT HALF POINT OF THE YEAR!

What a wonderful time to start something anew, to make a plan, to dream a little dream of what could be by 2010. :idea: Join us for at least 15 minutes a day, set aside as a decluttering appointment with your lovely home!

And share with us "where you are" with your own decluttering in relation to the 2009 calendar! How will you keep track of "where you're going" with your decluttering for the next half-year? Will you track, calendar, schedule, MAP :D , or perhaps weigh those outgoing bags?



~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you’d like some partners while working:

Something that's been working well for several of us this first half-year :idea: has been a weekly room/area rotation together. During each current week, those who choose to can declutter "together" in the upcoming week's Focus Cleaning room as a first step toward lovely spaces. We know cleaning is efficient if clutter is not in the way - we can almost have fun with it. But clutter can discourage or stop us if we can't find the surfaces in the first place. Decluttering is a preceding step that can (literally) make cleaning a glide instead of a stumble.

You’ll find some July declutter partners in these rooms:

Week of 6/29 closets
Week of 7/6 laundry
Week of 7/13 storage
Week of 7/20 outdoor
Week of 7/27 kitchen

Substitute a different room or area whenever it will match your home’s needs best, and change back and forth from this plan to your own anytime.

blessedw2
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby blessedw2 » Tue Jul 07, 2009 9:38 am

dharriet I thank you so much for this thread. it has been a brilliant idea that has helped so many of us especially myself!
thank you again.

I kind of think of this 1/2 year point as getting ready for the holidays. do I want junk around when I want a beautiful holiday. nope.
My dmom just gave me stuff and that means I either donate it or I get rid of stuff. dd13 also got a couple things and she really needs now to do the same).
it is always a joy to be here with you!

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Nancy
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Nancy » Fri Jul 10, 2009 10:23 pm

Still decluttering:
another box of stuff is in the trunk and
mags. to return to dear son and books to be donated to the library.
Another pile went to dd earlier in the week.

Paper taming has been on going here this week
and I'm about half way done with
the creativity room aka my office.
Closet is cleaned yea!

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Harriet
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Harriet » Sun Jul 12, 2009 8:31 pm

With our laundry area being so small, I have moved my efforts to papertaming this past week, an area that was just desperately in need. Things look better and I will post about that in Papertaming thread.

Still, in laundry baskets, I made an effort to get extra lol done that have been being put off because they are odd, small or unnecessary this season. That is a form of clutter, too!

So thinking of "storage" now and how I can use my time wisely in those areas in the coming week!
If you don't believe in miracles, you're not being realistic.

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Sadie
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Sadie » Mon Jul 13, 2009 7:36 pm

Thought I would add to this thread as a motivation for me.

I've been working on decluttering my kitchen cupboards for many months. No my kitchen isn't that big, I do one cupboard a week and some weeks I haven't gotten to them.

I'm working on the dreaded bottom of the bottom cupboards. I did one cupboard tonight. Ended up throwing out one very ancient plastic bowl that saw it's best days at least a decade ago. Also the bottom of a microwave popcorn popper. Have a new one with top and bottom, so who needs a bottom. :?:

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Harriet
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Harriet » Mon Jul 13, 2009 9:05 pm

Very brave of you, Sadie. Good job. That area is dreaded for me, too. I like to use a garden kneeler when I deal with it (foam pad).

I had once saved the top of a popcorn popper because it was so see-through and spacious like a dome and had air holes at the top! It was the perfect lizard catcher!!! LOL! (Set dome down over lizard, slide onto a flat something, slide the flat something out the door!) I usually managed it without lizard panicking and losing tail. This happens to us a lot, can you tell? :D (Shady concrete front porch and they rush in to avoid our feet when we open door.)

While deep cleaning our bath, I tossed quite a few toiletries. I was ruthless - not asking if they had value but if they had value to US anytime soon. Several things being kept out of guilt or something! :roll:

Recycle storage container recommendation -
(Ya'll know how I love these)
Thai Pavillion single-serve meals are on the "oriental" shelves at our local groceries. They are not frozen. They are microwavable, but boxed like rice. The white inner plastic microwavable container is sturdy, rectangular, stackable, top-rack-dishwasher-safe and about 5x7x1.5 inches. The see-through lid fits well and reseals again and again, (although notice that it does have small air vents built in). HRH likes the Spicy Pad Thai one, but what I like ;) is that I can reuse the container so many ways! Oddest use right now is in a bathroom drawer to corral first aid ointment and cream tubes - so neat and any greasiness doesn't get on my wood. HRH mentioned crafts items storage would be smart. I would also think jewelry type uses, office supply stuff. For crafts I would tape on scotch tape at a side and Sharpie-marker a temp label for each as I stacked.
If you don't believe in miracles, you're not being realistic.

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Harriet
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Harriet » Wed Jul 22, 2009 8:06 pm

:idea: Anybody else prepping Outdoors with me this week? :idea:

It's the perfect weather for it here. HRH got very interested in spiffing our front porch. He decluttered it, pressure washed, and put sealant on some of the furniture, rearranged! How nice.

We have on our shopping list new straw for the hens and some other outdoor-chore helps. A brick needs to be replaced at one corner of our kitchen steps and he bought the mortar-stuff to do that today.
If you don't believe in miracles, you're not being realistic.

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Nancy
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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby Nancy » Sat Jul 25, 2009 4:22 pm

I spend time each day this time of year out side
with some sort of clean up;
picking up wind fall apples;
weeding pruning,
mowing,
watering and the like
it's looking better but seems
there is always some thing else to do.

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Re: July Clutter Control

Postby blessedw2 » Mon Jul 27, 2009 11:39 am

cheering all of you as you work!!!!

great job Nancy, harriet sadie and all working hard each day!
it is always a joy to be here with you!


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