July CHALLENGE and Declutter Strategy, 2024

[Harriet]

For Monday and Tuesday
Clothes and More Clothes

If the objective was organizing, consolidating, making spaces more livable, I succeeded.
If measured by actual items traveling out of the house, nope. There was not much of that.
HRH says I am already so frugal that I buy very little and then take good care of it. (drip-drying, etc.)
Maybe. Or maybe I'm scared to let go of clothes because I hate going to clothing stores to replace.

Of course, we still have the delivery of daybed frame today, and getting that built. That can then be followed by HRH moving a chest of drawers into the small bedroom again, from which he wants me to help him with declutter of out-of-season clothing. So more may still happen.

On to underwear tomorrow - how can that be just one drawer? Gee, my drawers must be small! I think someone was forgetting that bras can get really 3-dimensional sometimes. They have differing personalities.

[Nancy]

Took the trash to the curb that counts right! LOL!

[Nancy]

Dgson came by and got the TV yea I did not have to haul it or carry it off.
Counting this for my decluttering this week.
He can use it.

[Harriet]

That's ideal, Nancy. The best result is when someone else is able to get use out of what we let go. Even better when it's our kids.

Underwear day here
The small drawers in which I keep undergarments look almost square on the front, only 6 inches deep, although wider. This is a longer chest of drawers (dresser?) with 4 of these small drawers across the first row. I've set them up for underwear from the top of me to the bottom the far left is bras. The second is panties and a very few other things. The third is socks and hosiery footwear. The fourth at the righthand end is nightgowns and some exercise wear.

My sock pairs are folded twice and lined up. (Someone taught that you could stretch the elasticity of the ankle or whatever if you turn them on themselves the way I used to do for years. Was it Marie K who taught that?) I fold panties once and stand "upright" like soldiers with dividers in the drawer so that all you really see is circles of color in rows. Bras that have more oomph/shape to them are nestled into each other in a stack and flimsy bras are tucked beside that. Nightgowns fold like any t-shirt, mostly. I have one nylon nightgown that will slip and slide in a drawer, so it hangs in the closet. Other than that, I know all undies are at one place.

There may be a little unused space in a drawer or two, but I see no way these can be consolidated to make any better help for me, so I'm not going to worry about it. I have been able to cull a few things and with some extra laundry done today, have done a good organization day for them. Decided to re-order one bra that has proven to be a good choice and did that soon after finishing.

[Ramblinrose]

Once again I’m ahead of the game… redid my undies and sox drawer the other week.

[Harriet]

We have to get up pretty early in the morning to get ahead of you, Ramblin'! You're doing so well around your house.

For yesterday's accessories day, as I gathered my barrettes, I realized I've misplaced some, or possibly allowed others to borrow too often, lol. Summer hair, for me here in our humid climate, desperately needs taming. Plus, for ordinary use I've grown fonder of comfortable fully-resin barrettes rather than those on a metal clip, on the chance of breakage, ease of use, never jamming. So now that all hair items are corralled only in one shallow drawer at top of my tall chest, I decided to order some I saw online. I think I see a way to customize them, but if that doesn't work, I like the simplicity anyhow.

Today on Shoe Day, one pair went into the trash. Another is on the verge, but I'm going to try again with hard pressure lint-rolling and wiping up. If they don't look significantly better, they can go.

The weekend holds work in Junk Drawer, which I do sort of have, and Garage, which I definitely don't, so I may get to some Craft decluttering as bittersweet suggested. That could be never-ending.

[Nancy]

I am envious of your dresser project but alas I am decluttering kitchen utensils.
I have sorted some out and they need to go so deciding if I will put em in the shed and in what a bag I suppose.

I am considering diff. baskets I have collected on display in the basement on a shelf and some thing
different would be good not sure what but the baskets can go now.
I have other things I have I can put there now.

[Ramblinrose]

I keep my car in really good shape. I have two hooks that face the back seat from the headrest. This is where I hang two light weight sweaters..one black and one white. I keep them there so I can grab them when I go into the grocery store or restaurant. I also have a hat that sits on the back seat in case I want to open my sunroof when it’s not too hot.

I keep a bag with my weights and gym things on the floor behind the drivers seat since I use it 3 times a week. I don’t eat or drink in my car so I have very little trash in my car. I do keep emergency things like extra money, brush, lipstick, bandaids and a few other things in a cosmetic bag in my glove box. And in the console I have extra reading glasses, a phone cord and an emergency tool that can cut seat belts and break windows if needed.

In the pouch behind the drivers side I have two umbrellas and in the pouch on the passengers side I have folded paper towels and a couple of folded plastic grocery bags.

I carry extra water in the side pocket of my driver side door which I change out every Friday and in my trunk I have an emergency bag with plastic sign that calls for help, a flashlight and a few other things.

The P&P sisters box had a card to clean your car on Fridays and it’s a habit that I still do.

[Ramblinrose]

I have a small 4 drawer dresser in my closet. My top drawer has three plastic boxes. One for my folded undies, one for the pads I use most days and one for my exersize socks. The second drawer has my everyday jewelry. A divided craft box’s for my every day silver, another on for gold and another one for things like Christmas and other things.

Third drawer has two bins…one for nude colored bras, the other for black and the bottom drawer has my seasonal pjs which I switched out and bathing suits.

I have those wire shelves and those boxes that you can buy to go on them. I do the same … one each for leggings, exercise bras, exercise shirts, shorts and sweat type pants. I don’t fold them… just pull a box out and grab and go :

I have a shoe organizer that’s wooden and has 18 cubby holes and the shoes I wear most dats sit on the floor in front of it. I hang my nighties. Sweatshirts.. I don’t wear a robe..and my camisole on two hooks on my door and wall.

And I hang up my pants and dresses when I take them off… the only things that lands on the floor are usually the shorts and shirt I’ve worn that day in the house cause I usually put them back on the next day if they aren’t dirty, otherwise I put them in my clothes hamper which is in my closet

[Harriet]

I took Sunday off this time, although, since it was Garage Day, of which I have none, I did take some of bittersweet's advice to concentrate on the sewing room.

Yesterday's car day was, oddly, a day of rain, surprising many. Some was hard rain. So outside, the car's quite shiny. Front seat, check.

Dd25 says she will get her clothes out of the back seat soon - it doesn't bother me like it does her Dad. I simply neatened the stack to one side only, then covered with its plainest grey textile. None of it is anything but cloth, whatever it is, and I'm certainly not taking it back in my house after she got it that far, not hiding it in trunk to be forgotten further. Also not kicking her when she's down as far as all the work she continues to do to get the two of them moved from lifetimes with their parents to a distant house, with limited time and vehicle space.

Baskets - yes, I also have some basket decisions coming up at "Entryway" day.

Clothes for tomorrow - agreed. I have a chair onto which I sometimes toss potential items that are likely for the next day.