April's Declutter Challenge- change one small thing.
 

Hello

I got a call from the local Diabetes Association and they want to come pick up stuff from me early May I have not dne a thing towards decluttering in my home since the last thread ended and so I am starting anew, with a change for this year. I'm going to create monthly declutter threads (though this is a short one now!). My intention is to post ONE small goal to complete in a month.

Will you join me in setting a goal to move one more babystep toward a more useful environment which helps support our health vs. adding to daily stress?

My Task this month: clothing
 

OK Declutters! I am posting here that by the end of the month my intention is to sort through all my clothes and to keep only as much as I can store. With a permanent overflow on the floor in front of the bed it is getting very depressing as I am actually living out of laundry baskets and nevermaking it into the dresser I have or the closet.

This is DIRECTLY related to my weight as I continue to say to myself "When I am thinner I might want to wear this," or "I need this as a reminder from when I was thinner that I actually was that thin and could get here again," or I just have a belief that if I get rid of my smaller clothes I am telling my subconscious that I will *never* be smaller and I have given up on it.

REALITY CHECK HERE: if having smaller clothes DID motivate me, I would be wearing them not filling up my valuable storage space with them. Having smaller clothes is not a magical pill.

I am a sometimes contributer here :) I have not read The Beck Diet Solution but I embrace ladies who have clutter problems as I do!

I will list2 goals at least, because I have almost 3 weeks off and have no excuse not to.

1st - emptying completely, a junked 7 passenger van that has been dead in our driveway for..lord, almost FOUR years..my husband then started putting stuff in it, treating it as storage..ugh..I would take a peek and then think NO way, because it wasn't even my doing :( but it wouldn't get done. It took up a huge space in our driveway, we had to shovel around it in winter, we have to drive 3 motorcycles and 3 cars all around it in summer..it's nuts! :tantrum:

I have learned to do some "pre-de-cluttering"..I have to be not hungry or thirsty..I have to wear comfortable clothes and boots/sturdy shoes (because of climbing in and around the van, the side door nor rear hatch don't work!) I have to bring out a big box for Save, a big box for Re-Use, and a big trash bag for trash; and I have to STOP after no more than 2 hours so I don't get discouraged and crabby. And I have to be prepared to haul away a good portion so it looks like I made a difference, so the Re-Use center has to be open and my car has to be ready to accept.

So I started yesterday, quit after 2 hours, and saw that I could easily finish in another day or 2! Got almost everything out today; took a load to Re-Use and recycling center (cost - 50 cents!) bags of garbage tied up and ready for Tuesday pickup; and did have to bring some boxes into the storage area of the house, but I'm okay with that. Called local junkyard and arranged for hauling away of van on Monday, and I get $100 :)

I will be so happy to have that hulking eye-sore beast dragged out of here!

Second - my closet. I swear I do it every year but I guess that's kinda normal. Go through each hanging item and decide on it's fate. I also have my 'fit' clothes and my 'frumpy/chubby' clothes..I buy alot of clothes from Goodwill so I don't care about price. And go through shoes/boxes on the floor.

Hope it's okay I'm being a butt-insky :)

So I am coming in from the shadows and posting my goals for the month.

I have gone through my closets and other clothes storage areas and I have put everything in boxes ready to go out.

So my goal is to actually get the boxes and bags out of the house. I get anxious over this as I am always wondering if I am throwing out something useful. So now I pack things up and put a use by date on the box. If I haven't gone through the box to look for something specific by that date it gets sent away. So far I only miss one item that may be in the boxes, so I will sort through for it and take the boxes away as they are done. Phew, that will make the spare room habitable again and only the bathroom cupboards are left for me to rummage through and 'discover' what is in them, get it organized and useable again.

Things are still messy, but this will give me space to start sorting out more things again.

I am pleased with my progress though. New things are not creeping in like they used to. Old things are either being out to use or put aside rather than taking up cupboards space.

Most of the clutter is surface clutter now, looks bad but is not as overwhelming as it was before.

Onebyone I heAr you on not wanting to throw out the thinner clothes, I did manage that and that was part of the motivation for starting the weight loss. Giving up the old thin me kickstarted the ability to lose weight again. Plus none of those clothes were going to be 'fashion' by the end of my weight journey. I do have a box of sentimental favorites such as bridesmaids dresses. But one box only. If I want to add to it I have to take something out.

It's the big clothes that I am holding onto at the moment, but I have been in maintenance for about 11 months now. It is time.

committing to:
 

Hi

Welcome Electro and welcome back VermontMom. It's nice to have some company here.

Tomorrow I am going to make decisions about the clothes in the laundry baskets. I may have 3 baskets. Maybe 2. Some are clean. Some are dirty. I have a lot of clothes I don't like much. What's dirty I'll wash. I'm going to start a give away bag, and have a garbage bag on hand for the stuff that just isn't any good. By the end of the day I want those baskets empty and stored somewhere.

Hope you accept tiny accomplishments.

Just cut up some five large cardboard boxes with assorted support cardboard to go out in three full recycle bins.

Seems that I have a habit of saving the boxes from a purchase thinking, in case we have to return it. A good idea - for a short spell. But after we've cooked on the grill, put the TV on the console, and used the light since Christmas, it's time to let the city sell the cardboard to the recycle folks.

Small steps.

Good morning!

With the extended family. Today I'm going to my uncle's (87) and will remove 4 bags of rubbish. Moved one last night. At my mother's (89) will move an old blind and some other things. Move = take to tip. Finish breaking up fencing panels for kindling (the DB, almost 14, is leading on that, using ninja skills.) Text builder who's left stuff in garage for two years to say we need space by Wednesday.

You're all doing very well! Holly, I've got out a flag to wave when your old wreck is towed away today.

My goal for this month should really be building a house for my ducks but as the weather is getting cooler at night, i don't think the danger is so great as it was. I 'm going to put that goal on hold to be done before September though.

My goal for this month, is then , um, make a success of my wrap dress. I'm sewing this dress for my market stall. Its based on one i bought but altered a bit. i've made a fair start but have stalled a bit on it. I know it will be great for my stall when its finished but its sort of tough going.

Anyway if i could finish the current one this week and make a few extras in different sizes for my stall, i would be totally thrilled because i am confident it will sell well.

Electro, the 'use by' date is a very good idea to put on boxes! A box is just a box, unless it has a message on it that prods us :)

onebyone, hope you are successful with your goal today about the laundry baskets.

Bill, oh those empty cardboard boxes! Yes they are extremely useful if you need them to return items..and then they are forgotten. Thank goodness they break down flat and don't cost anything to recycle!

SliverBirch, I am LOL'ing at the visual of the DB using ninja skills to break down the fence into kindling :D Thank you for being ready for that flag to wave :) And I will post here when it is hauled away today (and I get $100, remember when we had to pay to have a junker hauled away?)

Pattience, hope you get your dress done as you wish.

Hi everyone!

I'm short on time, mainly because I slept in and decided NO CHOICE to my 3 essentials....laundry, dishes, make bed. Credit.

We started working on clearing space at our other house for a bedroom for DD and kids. Everything of my hubbys got moved elsewhere, excepting his closet. We ripped old carpet and I put in vinyl. I did a pretty good job. Yay. Now it's making space for everything else. I took the lead and sorted through a living room bookcase so DH could now share. I got rid of a lot of books...someone else will enjoy them. I made a small pile to bring to the other house, mostly cookbooks. Now he can go through his this week. (He's there, I am here LOL)

:wave: everyone! I've got to head to work.

Re:clothes
onebyone, as I've lost weight I have found that most of the clothes I "saved" for a smaller me have not been appealing to me when I got to that size. They are gone. The only items I really found that I have enjoyed wearing at each smaller size were really special items I had purchased when I was originally at that size....really nice things. I also purchased some really nice items (4 or 5) at super sale prices that I wanted to fit into. I really like all those. My take is that I have changed as I've come down in size and my tastes have changed, too. Since I'm still not at my ideal weight I purchase very little. When I have an occasion, like last summers wedding, I go and purchase the bare minimum of what I need. I'll do that again this summer when we head to KeyWest for memorial for my BIL.
It feels so great to have a space for everything at my current weight.

Best wishes as we all declutter and Bon Voyage to the van!

Hi Lexxiss and Bon Voyage, the blue van has SAILED outta here! :carrot: and they gave me a check for $150, 50 more than I anticipated, woohoo :D

Took 6 bags from my uncle's + one tin can, 5 glass jars and 3 plastic containers (small). And 2 rusty saws. Failed to get him to ditch a two foot high pile of newspapers, 3 cardboard boxes or 2 dirty carpet tiles. But I did better than I thought.

Took that + my mum's stuff to the tip. Car boot full again with broken glass from her greenhouse and garden waste. That's another trip for tomorrow or Wednesday. Wood is all broken or sawn up, ready to move when I've got space in a vehicle. (Had to buy a new saw - long story.) Builder is coming tomorrow morning (fingers crossed).

Have also descaled the kettle and will run the washing machine to clean it tomorrow. Got the DB to dust up high and the SO decided independently to clean kitchen thoroughly as well as making all the meals, in association with Mum.

Phew. Tomorrow is a day of errands but it will doubtless have its fair share of cardboard and weeds in it.

Good luck, everyone! Holly, $150 is wonderful!

Hi all!

Glad to be back on this thread with an intention to declutter. My goal is to let go of 4 bags of clothes for goodwill. I would like that done by Thursday of this week. I have 2 bags from my daughters closet that will go to a resale shop. Not sure if they will take any of it but it will be on its way out.

I plan to accomplish one thing off the standard cleaning plan each week. I have this all or nothing mindset sometimes and never get to the "extra" areas that need focus. I plan to hold myself accountable on here and hopefully have at least 4 posts a month with some type of goal.

Here I go…….

Attachment 46144

Done for the week, Now to the next small thing to change….:carrot:

credit.
 

Declutterers:

I'm here to report that I completed emptying 1 laundry basket. I've put it underneath another basket so I don't get tempted to fill it again. It was 1/2 dirty clothes, 1/2 clean.

I put the clean clothes into my dresser drawer.
There were some winter clothes in it: scarves, mitts, hat, stuff I could have used a month ago. I have no real place to store that stuff yet so I moved it onto the futon in the other room for now. I'll be able to get at the closet when I finish clearing the stuff off the floor.

The dirty clothes are being washed now.

I started a donate bag. I have 6 or 7 things in it now plus I am donating the bathroom toiletries set that is too big and clunky for the small side cabinet I have.

I also started a garbage bag and put in my only pair of jeans that I (sadly. sigh) wore through at the inner thigh. I had thought I would out grow these jeans before that happened. Out grow as in they would have been way too big by now. Instead they were getting tight again. Oh well. That's my reality for today.

*credit moi for getting at it. 5 days until it gets picked up.

Another laundry basket tomorrow.

Another week to meet our goals or set a new small one!
 

helping rachel Great start! Kudos for getting the job done in one fell swoop! Thanks for the visual. It is always great to see anyone's triumph over clutter. What's your next challenge?

silverbirch Wow great job at your uncle's and your mom's. Love that you listed every little thing, especially the tin can. Somehow that tickled me. It is important to account for all of it. You mention so many things that I think of as British: a kettle, a greenhouse, the car boot and "the tip". Is the tip the dump, or the junkyard? Kudos. Hope you are continuing to move ahead!

VermontMom:wave: Bu-bye van! Hello $150 bucks! Great job! Have you begun the closet adventure?

Lexxiss I was a little envious when I read you had laid vinyl flooring! That surprised me. I am wishing I had a place of my own to work on. I DO have a place of my own to work on though. Just not that kind of work. I do admire all your home improvement knowledge. I am sure it is hard won. Kudos! What's next on the room re-do at your other place?

Thanks also for your words about clothing. I feel that I can let go of several things now I couldn't before. I have come to some kind of self acceptance lately so I am glad I am facing this now while my intention is clear.

Pattience Are you a market vendor? I'm a market vendor too but may be taking a break this year. I have to decide in the next few days. But even if you are not a vendor, have you made progress on your dress? How's it going?

BillBlueEyes DH saves boxes as does BIL. I've come to think of it as a male thing, except that I have had an overflow of boxes myself and wow they take a lot of effort on my part to break them down so I recognize your accomplishment as one that is not-so-small. Kudos.

Electro How are you doing with getting the boxes out of your place? Great job getting stuff into the boxes btw. And kudos for figuring out an inbetween step to help deal with the anxiety of "what if I get rid of something I need". That's great. Thanks for this thought: I think this is really wise and I think the idea of my old self, the one that existed for less than one year, has been haunting me. It's like you can't go back in other areas of your life, why would you even think you could go back in this one? I think it is holding me back. Thanks for that.

OnebyOne:

I like the idea of putting the laundry basket under the other one. I tend to want to collect containers instead of reduce clutter. Just say'in. I bag my winter scarves and mittens all together put them with coats. I just want to say I am so happy that you can bag them up as maybe winter is really over. It was a long hard winter in the midwest. I am always surprised when the tulips come forth.

I like your method of Give Away, Throw Away and Put Away. With that being said, off to finish my 4th load of laundry.

Good luck with you next basket.

My next project is the general area of the basement. I have separated pictures and they are in labeled boxes. But the boxes are everywhere.

Hi Declutterers!

Yesterday I was rewarded for previous efforts in decluttering/organizing. I'm working outside now and wanted to edge the sidewalk. I haven't gotten around to it for several years. DH is gone and I was able to walk right down to the basement to find the attachment with all it's parts and head back upstairs and locate the manual telling me how to assemble it. Yay! While I was outside the first hummingbird hovered over. I went right back to the basement and got the hummingbird feeder (WHICH WAS CLEAN!) and had it hanging in the yard in minutes. Credit!

This morning, I had an email reminded of an important report which needs to be filed by month's end. (Whew! Thank goodness for reminders) It reminded me I had two other mandatory paperwork tasks, too. I moved the paperwork up to #1 priority. It's all done now. While I was doing the 1st Qtr tax report I remembered that last year I would do the next quarter at the same time. I decided I had time to do all 4 qtrs. and they are done....sitting in a file. All I have to do for the rest of the year is print and sign. Credit.

My daily life is so much easier when I take care of what I have, make a concerted effort not to acquire more and plan ahead so I can save every precious moment I have for things I enjoy.

I'm going back out to the yard today but have already done my 3 Essentials: dishes, laundry, make bed.

PS: the lawn got edged which was great exercise and as I was going in the house after putting my tools away for the evening the hummingbird was at the feeder! Decluttering and organizing has made it possible for me to find joy in the simple beauties of life.

Yay for progress everyone!

PS talking about the old thin me really resonated with me, too. I'm sure it's why the majority of the clothes I held onto just didn't feel right when I finally got to that size. I am a different person now and I'm glad all that old stuff is gone!

Debbie:

What beautiful rewards of your decluttering efforts. Ease and Joy. That is something to work for. Thanks for sharing……love it when life is easier.

I read in a book last night that chaos is layer upon layer of pattern. It made me think of beck and why it is so important to have a plan and template to follow. It reduces chaos and feeling out of control. Instead you get to connect to what you want to be about and then take action to make it happen.

Happy Decluttering and Cleaning to all of you. May you feel space in your heart, mind and home today.

:o I read this at a little after 8 this morning...and made myself get up from my comfy chair, go upstairs and do it!! 2 hours later, I have one large bag of trash outside to go in the bin; and 3 large boxes of items to go to Re-Use Center! :D thank you for the unintended but definitely needed prompt!

awesome! :cheer2: NOw onto the basement, right?

THERE it is..proof that these efforts can make such a difference! I applaud you Lexxiss :cp: for that concrete evidence :D Wow you did ALOT that day! May I ask, regarding your uncle's home, is it because you have to clear it out completely for a sale or move? or you were able to convince him that 'these things need to go NOW'. Just nosey I guess :D I also do not know what 'the lid' is :^:

Hope I did not exclude anyone!

I am kinda embarrassed that you regulars only see me in the spring, and in the late fall..those are the 2 times of the year I have multiple weeks off, and I'm either enterting my spring awakening/energy, or still riding the high of summer :D before sliding into my winter grayness. Boy that sounded depressing :devil:

I see in my kitchen that there is large box of tools/household repair stuff that could go out of sight in the back..I think DH and DS probably think 'shoot, something's gonna break soon enough so leave the darn box easy to get to' :rofl: but now items are piling up on top of that darn box so I'm going to take care of that.

New projects? a huge project would be DH's bureau, he does NOT care about the items/clutter/thick dust on it, and it looks HORRIBLE. And the bureau itself is 1960's ugly :rofl: that would mean cleaning off the bureau, cleaning it OUT of old clothes, cleaning that section of the room; getting it out of the house and in teh car; and bringing up a spare bureau that is lurking somewhere on the back porch. Eh, I 'll think about this one :D

EVERYONE, kudos on our battles!

onebyone, thanks for pointing out the British English in my post which I don't notice at all, of course! The tip is sometimes called the dump. It's run by the local council and you take large things there to get rid of them: you tip them out there. (N.B. If you dump some rubbish on a piece of waste land, say, it's called "fly-tipping" because you do it "on the fly", that is secretly and illegally. Think the meaning is slightly different in NAm.)

Holly, my uncle's memory is patchy and he sometimes doesn't know how to do things. He also finds it very hard to learn new things. He lives on his own. Although my mother and another uncle support him, they're both in their 80s. When I'm there (I live 300 miles away) I do as much as I can. I'm his executor (of his will) but I interpret that to include as much support before his death as I can give.

Lots more since I last posted. Garage mostly clear, new lightweight cleaner bought, well-rotted horse manure dug into greenhouse soil for tomatoes and courgettes (zucchini), very much loose change (small coins) bagged up and exchanged at bank. (Tried to give this £ to my uncle but he told me I should keep it for my trouble. :) Just like the old, old days when I was little.)

Now on the way home. I must try to keep up the good work there.

Great work, everyone! Even one or two things removed every day all add up. And if we don't remove them they also add up - but in a bad way!

I see, well it is wonderful that you do so much, when you are there!

Oh, that made me smile, that was sweet :) And thank you for using British idioms, and then translating :D I have never seen the word 'courgette' before...do you call eggplants 'aubergine'? Yes indeed 'on the fly' here means doing something in a hurry, but not necessarily illegally.

Starting to Organize
 

This year my husband asked me to focus on organization instead of weight loss so this board is absolutely great. I have not read the Beck Diet Solution but have requested it at my local library. This month (only 6 days left) I am going to finish sorting the piles of paper that are in my collections/craft room and put all old paperwork in the garage. It's just a baby step but my craft/collection room is the biggest challenge and I can only get one thing done at a time. My husband's "collections" aren't mine to pare down so start where I can.:dizzy:

Hi everyone, wow, a lot of progress from everyone and a lot of entries to read through since my last drop in. So many boxes of clothes, paperwork done, hummingbirds fed etc! I am impressed and also motivated.

Two large bags of clothes ready for drop off at the recycle centre. One old trundle bed base on the verandah ready for collection and a box of papers sorted and ready for shredding this weekend.

That will give me walking through space in my spare bedroom which is nice.

This will allow me to do another round of 'shuffling' where I go into a room and remove everything that does not belong there, I clear cupboards, benches, boxes etc I take it to the room it does belong to and leave it in a pile there. I then go through the pile in the target room and put all away. One room done and stuff close to where it needs to be.

Each time I do a round of this there is less to shuffle as I will have removed stuff that is rubbish or broken and thrown it away. I also find that I have duplicates of things that i have brought because I couldn't find the original. I make the decision to keep the multiples or not. I have four tape measures, the retractable type, ????

It's making it easier to find things and to finally sort out then lack of storage that was the start of the problem (my nature caused that small problem to snowball). I love when when someone asks to borrow something and I can not only find it but am able to give them a spare to keep if they want. Sometimes they do and bingo, happy me, happy them.

My aim is to have logical places for things I need and for it easy to be able to out things back n those places when I am finished with them.

I'm Australian so I understand both Englishisms and Americanisms! We will have to see if any 'Okerisms' slip into my posts.

We may have collective Spring Fever-unless you're in the Southern Hemisphere that is!
 

Hello Everyone

Today I am home but struggling to even make a to-do list. So, after reading all the activity going on and reported in, I'm heading down the hall to my clothing pile. Here's my clothing pile to do list. I will report back later. I will work until DH gets home for work maximum.

1. sort through clothes on the floor YES
2. sort through clothes in laundry basket(s) YES
3. sort through items that are in the small suitcase that's in one of the laundry baskets (yep) Not Yet
4. put a wash on with the clothes that are to keep or to give away YES
5. look and see what else is on the ground and sort/relocate it if need be Not Yet

Technically I have fulfilled my challenge to 1) get my clothes off the floor 2) be able to open my dresser and 3) sort them out of the baskets. Yay! Credit. More to do with looking to see what's inside the other stuff I found.
The other objects with stuff in them were uncovered. Oh I did another thing: two loads of laundry once I took stuff out of the baskets. *creditx2*

Oh how I understand this! but as you say, we have to start where we can. congrats on your baby steps!

Electro - congrats on your progress! And how revealing it is to find multiples because the originals couldn't be found..yay to you for lending items and making the items stay with their new owners :D

congrats on your progress also onebyone!

This morning, out of the blue I just marched upstairs and started working on DH's side of room..end result, one large bag of trash; SIX large boxes of clothing and household stuff OUT and given away at the Re-Use center; vacuumed thoroughly. He said 'nice job'...I guess he's a master of understatement :rolleyes: :devil:

Back home. Washing machine on. I'll do something (just one little thing or so) tomorrow.

'Nice job', everyone! :grouphug:

Quick check-in.

Washed and hung out (and brought in) three loads of washing. One broken glass measuring jug to recycling, one plastic measuring jug to painting things, new glass measuring jug installed (hand-me-down from sister's husband's grandfather's house). Washed up once. Everyone has unpacked and put away their cases. Mowed lawn. Cut back a little more of a rose and ivy hedge. Moved old clippings to a compost bin. Lots of stuff waiting by door to go down to the car.

Phew. I hadn't realised I'd done so much. Thanks, onebyone, this thread is really helping me to just get moving.

Me again! How are you all getting on? I'm on a roll, it seems.

One old rucksack from the early 80s has bitten the dust, another child’s one is heading for Oxfam, a third new one has been put away. Paper recycled and front of car tidied up a bit after being on tour.

Most shopping done for week.

Two or three hours in garden. Pruned back honeysuckle and ivy. Took out a bay tree (with assistance of the DB) in order to build a raised bed. Lots of squatting and reaching to clear up twigs and leaves.

Home stretch of this challenge
 

Hello All

I have one bag on the porch waiting for the Diabetes pick-up people. It was half full and then I just tossed a downfilled jacket in it that neither of us wore in this, last, horrendously cold winter. So if we didn't wear it just now, we won't be.

My week is busy and so I want to get something more done but will have to choose well, as I want to succeed! 3 more days left.

I'm going to declutter under the kitchen sink to see if I can fit a recycle bin in there. That would solve part of the garbage dilemma in this kitchen.

And if I get to it, I will declutter the drawer beside the sink and the small cabinet beneath it.

And clear off the kitchen table again.

What's going on with everyone else??