Making Progress on Decluttering

Hubby and I have been talking for awhile now about getting a storage unit to store stuff in since we don't know where we are going to be after his graduation. Whether we stay in Boise or not, this makes good sense for us. So last week during spring break, we found a place that had a half price deal for the first month and not bad prices for the rest.

Today we took 6 boxes to our little unit and stacked them inside. And no I don't have a picture, I forgot to take my camera to record the occasion! But let me tell you even in our small space they looked forlorn and lonely.

But what this did back at the apt was clear out some space so that I could rearrange a few things and get back into some corners hitherto buried. This makes me happy. I took out my spring wardrobe items, culled thru my winter clothes, and started a new bag of "to be donated" stuff. I'm making progress again!

We found a few puzzles and games that had been squirred away that we realized we don't want to hang onto. And I found some old jeans that I'm going to remake into shorts for the #1 son. I made shorts for him a couple years ago out of some old maternity items I no longer needed and weren't fit even for donation and with some judicious cutting they turned out great.

Up next is to pack up books, culling again what we don't need to hold onto, and move them into the unit. I'm not going to know what to do with all the space I'll have in a month or so.

Til next time ....

Decluttering Challenge: Slow Going

As you may or may not have noticed, I haven't given you an update in the last couple weeks on how the daily decluttering has been going. Mainly because its been petering out. Yes, I have another box slowly filling up with stuff to take to the thrift store, but there is so much more potential in my home.

Life has gotten busier. But hasn't it for everyone? And with spring on the way, Michael's graduation, challenger baseball for the #1 son and walks on the trail after dinner, life will continue to be busy. But if I believe that decluttering is essential for my well being, for a smoother move this May/June, for the good of the planet, well then I must make time for it.

And so I press on. My friend has a teenage son who has been working for a man who sells alot of stuff on ebay, so I'm looking at hiring "J" to sell some of the valuable stuff I want to declutter. Instead of giving it away, I will recoup a little bit of $$. And since some of these things are bigger pieces, I may make a bit more room in our small apt. Yippee!!

So how are you doing on your decluttering endeavors? Have you petered out at all? Or still going strong?

Til next time ....

Books, Cd's Dvd's: Do You Buy Them?

When we knew that we would be moving from our house to student housing 2 years ago, we got rid of alot of stuff which you can read about here. There was just no way that we were going to be able to keep it all. I purged about 50% of our book collection which was extensive. As well as donating alot of videos that #1 son no longer watched. Recently I purged our cd collection and was able to weed through about a third of what we still had.

Once we moved into our tiny campus apt, I had no desire (nor much money) to buy books, cd's or dvd's to replace the ones we got rid of. Instead, I decided we would just make do.

Wow, what a concept! (insert twinkle in eye)


Instead we searched out the library and found wonderful books to read, dvd's to watch, and even cd's to listen to. And it only cost me the fines I racked up forgetting to take them back on time! But seriously, the small amount of money and the fact that I didn't have to store them was a great incentive for me to reform my buying ways.

Eventually when money wasn't such an issue, we renewed our netflix acct in order to enjoy an even more diverse amount of dvd's. And my sister gave me an itunes card for my b-day. As for books, I'm very judicious about what I will buy now. For a book to be invited to find a home in my bookshelf, it has to meet the following criteria:

1) Is it a book that I can't seem to find at the library and I know I will read it over and over again? This might be because it is a rare or old book, a niche book that only a few people are interested in, or maybe self published. I kept a set of mystery cozies when moving just for that reason. I think I've read them all at least 3x and some more than that. And I never see them at any library. Believe me, I've looked!

2) Can I find the same info for free on the internet? If so, its not worthy of my money or my space. Cookbooks come to mind. Only one cookbook has come to live with us in the last 2 years, and that was a gift I asked for, "Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day". I had searched for the recipes and the secret to their method since hearing about this book a couple years ago, but came up empty. So after some not so subtle hints, I got it. And I'm not disappointed. Tho I did notice that last months Mother Earth News had an article on the book and gave away a couple of their recipes! So if you're curious about their breadbaking method as I was, check out the magazine first.

3) Is it a "referance book" meaning will I refer to it over and over again? Whether that's a craft/sewing book, medical journal, or a spiritual book that has changed my life. These books may or may not be in the library, but if they are I dont' want to be checking them out every other month or so. They have passed the test that I will use them over and over again.

For cd's we just don't find we need to own them anymore. We have found a wondeful music site called Pandora. It's like a radio for your computer and you even get to create a station according to your personal music tastes.

So there's my tale, how bout you? Do you still buy cd's dvd's and/or books? I'd love to hear why or why not. Leave a comment and tell me your story.

Til next time ....

How Do You Declutter?

Are you methodical, going through a group of items at one time, sorting out the duds from the keepers? Or do you use the haphazard, scan the room approach? ya, that looks good, I think I'll toss it?

Me, I use the latter method.

I would love to be methodical but I'm not. After 40+ years you'd think I'd accept that about myself, but no .... But I'm trying. Trying to be true to who I am, instead of the self imposed standards of who I think I should be.

What does this have to do with decluttering? Probably not much, except that I know that by not being methodical has resulted in having alot of stuff that I now need to sort thru and toss.

Regardless, I am doing well, even with the haphazard method. Last week was wimpy since I had alot of other stuff on my plate. But this week I've already tossed a old blanket chewed up by one of the dogs we no longer have, an old beach towel that is so worn out to be pathetic, even by my standards. I've tossed some clothes from both my closet and hubby's closet into the "take to the thrift store" box. Along with a bedskirt that doesn't have the other stuff, and some batman wall paper border. #1 son would much rather have clone wars stuff.

So how bout you? How are you doing on your decluttering process?

Til next time ....

Why Declutter?

Laura, over at I'm an Organizing Junkie had a great post about purging. She is getting ready to move and has decided to get rid of as much stuff as possible.

I love the 3 questions she raised:

1. Do I really need/love this that I want to PAY to move it? (moving is expensive!)

2. Would I rather deal with all of this stuff now or on the other side of our move where chances are good we’ll be living in a much smaller house?

3. How easy would this be to replace on the other side of our move if I really need to?

This was so good for me since we WILL be moving after Michael graduates. At this point we don't know where we will be heading, but that matters less at this point than the very plain fact that all our stuff will be in boxes and either in storage or moved to our new location.

So for me, I have been pondering question #1 alot. As I declutter, stopping to ask myself if I really want to pay for this to be moved has made it much easier to toss that item. And question #3 has shown me that alot of what I hold onto isn't worth the cost to move since it would be so easy to replace. This is esp helpful in case we have a cross the country move or have to put our stuff in storage for 4-6 months.

So how bout you? Have you moved recently? Planning on moving in the next year? What has helped you in deciding what to keep and what to toss?

Til next time ...


PS: I had another fantastic week of getting rid of stuff. Threw out the broken dvd/vcr and the rest of the vhs tapes, a few old mags and a couple other misc items.

Decluttering Update: Week 2

This has been so fun for me. Challenging myself to find one thing a day to put into the box or the garbage is easy enough and painless enough that I find myself suceeding.

This week I tossed the french coffee press in the thrift store box, a couple sets of twin sheets we don't need anymore, a pair of mom jeans that I don't think flatter me, and a couple other misc pieces of old clothing. I also threw away a kind size sheet that developed a huge rip, but on the flip side, I went to the store to replace it. So that doesn't really count on my decluttering side.

So how did you do at your home? Is this fun for you or painful?

First Week Decluttering Update

My mom and I talked over Christmas about going thru our cd collections, so that's where I started with my decluttering. I was able to get rid of 20 cd's that we no longer listen to. What a sense of satisfaction.

I also threw out a few odds and ends from the makeup drawer and set aside a clock that has been bugging me. Unfortunately hubby saw the clock before it made it to the thrift store and snagged it. I guess that will happen from time to time.

Next up, I'm tackling my closet. I have clothes that havent' been worn in years that need to go.

So how did you do? Get any decluttering done around your home this week?

Til next time ....

The 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge

I found this yesterday, but didn't have time to blog about it. But that's ok, cuz from the original website, you can start any day of the year. Which is good for those of us who have a bit of a trial starting anything on a holiday!

From the blog of my online friend, Trish, she says:
Simply put, the 365 Days of Decluttering Challenge is a commitment to “donate, sell or toss one unused item from your home every day for a year.” Isn't that great? And so doable.

I have been decluttering for a couple years now, but I have decades of clutter accumulated, so I can stand doing this for the next 365 days! And I love the concept of doing it daily, rather than in spurts like I have done before.

Like Trish I will be putting stuff daily in a box to take to the goodwill when the box fills up. Or things can go in the trash. And maybe a few items will go on craigslist to sell.

So any of you decluttering? Anyone want to join the challenge?


Til next time ...

decluttering

Yay me! I got rid of our small sofa that we didn’t need any longer. Our church has an email newsletter that people can use to list things for sale, or for free, services and products offered, homes for sale or rent and other things. So I listed our small sofa and a young couple called to take it off our hands. I am so excited that it is out of our living room. It opened up quite a bit of space and now I am hatching ideas in my mind how to rearrange the furniture we have left.

Since last year I have been weeding thru clothes, toys, books, videos and other misc items, a bag at a time. Donating them to our fav thrift store run by one of the churches in town. But getting rid of a large piece of furniture really makes it feel like I’ve accomplished something.

Anyone else on a decluttering spree?