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Decluttering support thread

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  • @Graven Image OOoooooo -- tea towels! I like that! And I think we have at least a dozen in one of the pantry cupboards, with a snazzy bright blue stripe down the middle. What a great idea!

    And @Lily Pad Now, there are indeed days I'd be pleased to rent Husband out -- heck, it would just be a generous loan to another Shippee. He's not high maintenance, but he is the best cook in the house -- he makes real meals, while most of mine look like 'glop on top' -- so I'd need him back by supper time.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Brilliant GI

    The clean-up continues. I have until sometime on Sunday. I was on-track, but I have to be available for friend whose having an angio-gram. They will only release him post procedure if he has a responsible adult with him. So tomorrow I'm playing Lets Pretend. :wink:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    I don’t line drawers at all - just vacuum and wipe with anti-b when I clear them out. :)
  • I no longer use paper to line drawers and cupboards. Several years ago I found a deal on a large bundle of cotton tea towels. Now I use them, and I also line drawers in the refrigerator. When the time comes I dump them in the washer and dryer and return to use again. So easy, just fold to fit. No cutting and purchase of more paper.
    This is a brilliant idea! Must try it.

  • That's a great idea, the cotton towels. Now if only I can find some that aren't thick and fluffy!
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Cheap ones are probably not too fluffy.

    Decluttering continues here. It won't be complete when my visitors arrive on Sunday, but the place will be clearer and cleaner. It's all relative (including the guests :smiley: ).

    Even better a local women's craft group will benefit from. the clearing out of stuff
  • Wow, already??? Well done, Huia! Best wishes for a wonderful visit.
  • @Huia if I may make a suggestion from painful experience, give yourself 24 hours between stopping the preparations and your guests arriving. I didn't over the new year when I had a guest and really suffered for it
  • I agree with you, ThunderBunk. Huia, I hope you can do something nice and low key the day before they arrive so that you can really enjoy them. You've accomplished so much!
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    A whole day????? When I have visitors, I'm still decluttering up to a minute before they arrive! :blush:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    I’ve decluttered the dog cupboard over the last four days.

    Hurrah and Hallelujah!

    :mrgreen:

    Next, the dog drawer. That won’t take long - motivation is everything, as my Dad used to say.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Because of the print size on my Tablet, the first line of that read "I've decluttered the dog".

    Poor wee dog.

    Mind you, it doesn't get much better when you talk about dog cupboards and dog drawers - haven't you got a kennel? :mrgreen:
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    :tongue:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    @Huia if I may make a suggestion from painful experience, give yourself 24 hours between stopping the preparations and your guests arriving. I didn't over the new year when I had a guest and really suffered for it

    Um, this is the day before they arrive.

    I am stopping for a rest every now and then to pace myself and I have decided put sheets on the beds (so they get ones that fit) then let them choose their own bedding because I hate making beds, and different people prefer different coverings.

    Today and tomorrow the forecast is for hot weather, so I will have a salad ready for whenever they show up. I'm not sure which coast they are driving down so arrival time is unknown.
  • Huia wrote: »
    Um, this is the day before they arrive.

    I feared it might be, given the time difference. Hope all is well and that you and your overlady are well.
  • Whoo hoo! Have a wonderful reunion!
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    edited January 2020
    Well apart from a panic this morning as I had no hot water (I had bumped the switch accidently halfway to off when I was emptying the bucket yesterday. I didn't realise until this morning I flicked it fully off then on, then left the house. I found it burbling away happily when I got home.

    Whew!!!!
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    edited January 2020
    {{{{{{{Everybody}}}}}}}

    Very much YMMV:

    ...so, for my own reasons, I did a DuckDuckGo search on "How to get your life together in a year".

    I've only glanced at the results, but it looks like there's all sorts of advice for people in all sorts of situations. I figured since we're all trying to sort out our homes, we (individually) might also want to do a little of the same for our lives.

    Not pushing this. I'm looking into this for myself. Just thought you folks might want to know, too.
  • I've had a burst of energy the last week or so with my decluttering. I don't know where it came from or how long it will last, but I've been accomplishing quite a bit. I took a car load to my favorite thrift shop a couple of days ago, and I'm headed to my city's hazardous household waste facility later this morning, and to another place that will take paper for shredding/recycling. I also have another box of clothing headed to the thrift shop next week. Tomorrow I hope to tackle my shed.
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    Well done, Pigwidgeon! :)
  • PigwidgeonPigwidgeon Shipmate
    edited February 2020
    Well, I tackled my sheds.* One contains a lot of gardening stuff, left-overs from home improvement projects, etc. And I hauled a lot of it to the trash.

    The other two had mostly junk (which I disposed of) -- but also signs of roof rat intrusion, and possibly even human intrusion. My handyman is coming in this week to re-do my bathroom floor, so I'll talk to him about just tearing both of them down. They're not much sturdier than Trump's wall, so it shouldn't take much effort.

    *Unlike Arthur '2 Sheds' Jackson I'm actually Pigwidgeon '3 Sheds'.

    And of course I shed a tear when I watched this video just now. :cry:
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Three sheds and your own handyman??? There's posh! :mrgreen:
  • Piglet wrote: »
    Three sheds and your own handyman??? There's posh! :mrgreen:

    You haven't seen my sheds! They were all cheap to begin with and are about to fall down. They came with the house.

    My handyman is not "my own." I trust him, and he charges less than hiring a specialist in every area that I might need help. A lot of other single women at my church use him now, thanks to my recommendation (I should get a referral fee).
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    A good handyman is worth his weight in gold. When the former château Piglet developed "issues" (just after D. died), I phoned the estate office and got their handyman, who understands about mini-homes and their construction, and he was utterly brilliant.
  • A suggestion to anyone wanting a good handyman -- ask a Realtor. That's what I did. They usually know handymen and all sorts of repair people.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    After hiring a useless plumber I rang my insurance company to see who they used and got a brilliant referral.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    YaY am decluttering a load of craft stuff. A freecycle bloke has a partner who runs a women's craft group. Amongst other things they collect milk bottle tops, which has saved me from putting them in the wrong bin as they now can't be recycled. Christchurch takes its recycling seriously and there are council workers whose job it is to check the bins before they're collected. Seriously - they even award a gold star if you get it right. They can refuse to collect if you get it wrong though (what happened to the naughty step?)
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    Yay, Huia! :) Hmmm...the naughty step? I think that's what Jo the nanny used on her reality show. (Here, sitting on a chair in corner is more traditional.) I'm imagining Jo showing up at the homes of people not complying with recycling rules/laws.
  • I've just discovered an Australin network ("Aussie bread tags") for collecting and recycling those hard plastic tags that come on some plastic-wrapped bread. The proceeds are sent to South Africa to buy wheelchairs for those who cannot afford them. I have quite a stash of tags and now know where I can take them. Maybe I'll now sort out the shelf where I've been piling them.
  • PigletPiglet All Saints Host, Circus Host
    Huia wrote: »
    ... what happened to the naughty step?
    It's clogged up with the dustbins of People Who Got It Wrong ... :mrgreen:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    All the craft stuff I'm donating was picked up this afternoon. I have an open invitation to join the group at any time and I think I might have a special card made by someone in the group to sent to my brother with Parkinson's. They also have a fruit dehydrator I can borrow if I want to try one before possibly buying one for myself. I've always wanted to try using one.
  • I was dreading clearing out the Dowager's room at the care home - I feel as if I have already shifted more than a lifetime's worth of old lady's clothes - but the home were happy for me to leave them all. As one Administrator said to me 'sometimes we get residents who arrive with practically nothing'.

    How deeply, deeply sad.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    edited February 2020
    What a good solution,

  • TubbsTubbs Admin Emeritus
    Slightly unrelated but ... anyone else binge watching Tidying up with Marie K on Netflix?
  • Well as now we of a certain age are home bound until 8 weeks at the moment they say, I expect to get a lot of sorting out done. When the Virus passes I expect to have a very organized house, my taxes done, my bills paid, my garden weeded, and who knows what else done.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    I hope your self-discipline is better than mine. :wink:
  • How is everyone getting on with our Organizing?

    Distraction for me......
  • I thought about it and took two naps yesterday. Today I did work in the guest room. It is all done except an old chest in the closet that belonged to my mother-in-law. I have no idea what all is in it.
  • I'm doing some slow decluttering and organizing, now that I turned in my income tax stuff yesterday.

    A few weeks ago I had my laundry room floor re-done, so I had to empty three fairly large storage cabinets so that they could be moved out. I did a lot of decluttering both as I emptied them and as I put things back, and I organized everything that I put back. There's a lot of Christmas and other holiday stuff in them, as well as hardware, tools, and miscellaneous "stuff." I also had an old, very large, television in one of them. My handyman put it in my car for me and I took it to our city's household waste drop-off.

    The following week he re-did my bathroom floor and replaced my medicine cabinet, which also led to a lot of decluttering and organizing.

    I'm slowly getting there...
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    I’m really busy! With Mr Boogs away I have all the dog walks to do. Now that Echo is enormous I walk them separately as I have shoulder problems.

    So four dog walks a day, feeding myself, downtime online are taking up all of my day.

    Best laid plans ...
  • NenyaNenya All Saints Host, Ecclesiantics & MW Host
    I finished work this week which was meant to be the start of great plans to sort and declutter the house and do some serious gardening. All that can happen, of course, but I'm struggling to find a good routine at present. I need a Plan. :smile:
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Me too Nen, I have one thing timetabled in my day - and that's it,

    I decided yesterday I was spending too much time online, so I put on several more layers of clothes and went outside to continue attacking the convolulus (bind weed), ivy and elder seedlings that have sprouted in a corridor between the fence and the house. It was very physical and satisfying work which included playing with Aroha when she 'hunted' the ivy vines. Today is just as cold, with rain threatening, so I am going out to tackle it again.

    The other bonus was that the yellow rose Freisa,which I planted in memory of Dad is in full bloom.
  • I have a list of things to do - or make Mr S do - when I'm bored, and one of them is to clear out the filing cabinet. This has been so successful that our three compost bins can take No More shredded paper! (Seriously, why we still had papers relating to the rebuilding of a conservatory attached to a house we no longer own, I cannot tell!)

    Our garden, which isn't very big, is now so neat that we resorted to going down and working in Miss S's, about a third of an acre and capable of absorbing as much gardening time as you can give it - I cleared weeds from the raised beds so she can plant vegetable seeds with The Intrepid Grandson, and Mr S mowed grass.

    (They were all indoors, btw)

    Mrs. S, still exhausted!
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    {{{{{{{Everybody}}}}}}}

    I'm catching up on stuff, but there's so much to do.
  • HuiaHuia Shipmate
    Don't wear yourself out Golden Key. I too have so much to do but, on the advice of a friend, my goal is one thing a day until I have more energy. In the depths of winter here with some kind of ear infection for which I am hoping my doctor has a miracle cure. :confounded:
  • Miss S's garden has benefited greatly from my attentions, although they have had to license a second green waste bin (even that isn't keeping pace with the brambles and nettles I am decluttering from their borders!)

    The raised beds are full of vegetables and the fruit area now contains blueberry bushes as well as the raspberries and cherry trees :grin: I am hoping that if we can get it substantially under control now it will be easier for them to deal with in coming years.

    2 hours is enough to finish me for the day, though!

    Mrs. S, not as young as she used to be
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    edited June 2020
    I’ve started on the spare bedroom. Most of the clutter is mine but there is the odd thing of Mr Boogs (Odd being the right word!) they are sort of antiques which really need a visit to the Repair Shop!

    So I’m bringing them down one at once with the label ‘charity shop, loft or bin?’ and it doesn’t move until it’s in one of those!

    My clutter is stupid stuff like old coats which should have been binned months/years ago. I also need to sort out the many photo albums. I want to digitise them and then have them printed in photo books - much neater.

    I’m determined to have a room with bed, cot, shelves, toy box and nothing else in hope of a (one day) visit from my son and family.

    :mrgreen:
  • Golden KeyGolden Key Shipmate, Glory
    Boogie--

    Have you seen the film "Field Of Dreams"? Much of it is about a baseball field, built on the basis of "if you build it, they will come". (I won't say more!)

    So I hope that if you declutter, they will come, as you wish.

    Good luck!
  • BoogieBoogie Heaven Host
    Golden Key wrote: »
    Boogie--

    Have you seen the film "Field Of Dreams"? Much of it is about a baseball field, built on the basis of "if you build it, they will come". (I won't say more!)

    So I hope that if you declutter, they will come, as you wish.

    Good luck!

    Thank you!

    💕

  • Boogie wrote: »
    I’ve started on the spare bedroom. Most of the clutter is mine but there is the odd thing of Mr Boogs (Odd being the right word!) they are sort of antiques which really need a visit to the Repair Shop!

    So I’m bringing them down one at once with the label ‘charity shop, loft or bin?’ and it doesn’t move until it’s in one of those!

    My clutter is stupid stuff like old coats which should have been binned months/years ago. I also need to sort out the many photo albums. I want to digitise them and then have them printed in photo books - much neater.

    I’m determined to have a room with bed, cot, shelves, toy box and nothing else in hope of a (one day) visit from my son and family.

    :mrgreen:
    That is the best motivation: last year I created a space like this for my beloved grandson when his parents brought him to stay - and they will come again one day. I had to sort my 'stuff' as well that of my dear late husband. Four charity shop loads and three rubbish tip loads later my study is still full of the leftovers, waiting for me to finish the job.
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