Where to from here?
 

Hi

I was at my locker and I removed an extra long Rubbermaid type bin, an extra large Rubbermaid bin, and a regular size Rubbermaid bin plus two flat cardboard boxes. Well not flat but they are low sided filled with a variety of things. Nothing in that box or the other one which is slightly smaller makes sense why they are in there together. I also removed a smallish cardboard box. The bins I peeked in and left them in the newly reclaimed studio storage space. The cardboard boxes are in the trunk of the car. I felt depressed having to face the contents today. I will get to it and deal with it all tomorrow. I am looking to cull and condense the contents before I bring the next load over. It looks like two more trips. It'd be faster if I just moved them but going through the stuff like this is better in the long run and it is well overdue.

Just wanted to post an update.

By Sunday night
 

Hi

By Sunday night the locker will be empty. That's the promise I'm making myself. It's good timing as I have a place to display my art at the end of the week and if I come across any gems in my locker I can get them into the light of day and maybe even sell something thereby recouping some of the locker money spent over the year (s?).

The regular household cleaning needs to be done this weekend too plus the living room is getting away from me so I guess it's a back to basics weekend.
CREDIT: got out of bed and did two sinkfuls of dishes. More to come but I feel lighter for starting it. It is interesting to me that when it comes to dishes I am more at peace doing them late at night vs "wasting my time" (yes I think this) during the hours I am actually active and want to do stuff. I'm all for what works.


Lexxiss: I have come here to view your before and after garden pictures many times. I'm not sure if I thanked you for posting them. They inspire me. For a reluctant gardener you've done a fantastic job. What a big big change.

today's the day
 

Hello

After many delays and less-than-I-thought-I'd-do attempts, I do believe today I will be able to say bye bye to the locker. And, if not mistaken, tomorrow would be the day I'd be charged for another month so it's great timing.

I have about 9 boxes that have been moved over into the studio storage area so it is something that I know I can do when I can focus there again.

BUT for today, the focus is only on completing the locker and getting out of the contract and that's that.

I will have an update later.

DONE see pic attached.

onebyone, I haven't congratulated you for getting your locker finished. :congrat:

I've just been keeping to my usual routine in the house and am continuing to make an effort to keep moving forward outside. This is the time of year I run out of steam outside and unfortunately, the weeds just keep growing. Although I think it will be several years, (if at all), before I will completely purge the creeping bellflower I can say I don't have one blooming in my yard right now. That's a success because they say 1 plant can have 15,000 seeds. The area I covered with cardboard seems quite clear and I'll keep it covered.

I haven't been using my computer at all and recognized this morning that something is bugging me in the office....don't want to be in here. So, I did a declutter which was mostly filing some paperwork that just sits because it's important and mostly from back years. I did it. Credit. We shall see if that helps. I continue to have a box for thrift. It doesn't have much in it but I added a nice shirt today that is too big. Yay!

Hello - Popping in with a question that has been on my mind here for a few months:

What are your thoughts on keeping items with intention of selling on ebay or craigslist for nominal amounts - $20 here, $50 there, $10 here ... keeping these items around for possibly a year or more to do this (having NOT made the first attempt at doing it yet despite thinknig about it for a year).

I'm greedy in that I want to get money for things (some easily shipped by mail, others need to be packed) but on the other hand, it would SURE be nice to just donate this stuff, pass on to friends (the sports-related memorabilia that I know some would want).

I'd like to figure out why I'm so torn. Also like to figure out why I'm scared to just jump in on ebay and post things. I wish I could find someone who did it for 25% of what you got :)

Knationalparker, I will share my experiences with you. When I first started this Beck inspired declutter many years ago I had a big yard sale. I had all kinds of things from furniture to small antiques. It was a huge project and I made between $300 and $400. After that, things came in smaller batches and I decided, personally, that what I needed to do was get stuff out of the house. I picked my favorite thrift store and hauled a lot of stuff over the years. I felt good thinking of it as a donation to charity. My thrift store benefits the local senior center. At that time, I took certain items to the basement that I thought I could get money for. I really hesitated with craigslist just because of that not knowing people factor. Down the road a bit, I decided against another yard sale. Then with the event of Facebook, there have started to be local garage sale groups. The groups are local and private. You have to be approved to join in the two that I belong too. I have had very good luck with putting smaller valued items on these Facebook pages. Mostly items in the range of $20-$30. I have also used these groups for free items. It's saved me hauling them away. Somebody came to my door and got them. If, however, the item doesn't sell reasonably fast I just put it in the thrift box again take down my post. My goal was to simplify my life with less stuff and I'm really glad that I've been able to accomplish that.

Last week I decided I wanted to finally digging out a whole bunch of raspberries that were in a place that they just didn't work. I was trying to clean the area for my new greenhouse. I think in a couple of seasons I can pot some raspberry plants and maybe make three or four dollars apiece but for now I just wanted them gone. I made a post for free raspberry plants and the whole batch was gone in the afternoon. I didn't have to put my hand to the shovel.

Thank you!! I'm really stuck in this mindset and not sure why. I think we're talking a lot of retiring (in 10 years, but I say by golly I want to talk to a financial advisor bc if I work another 5 and didn't have to ... GRR ha ha) but trying to get our minds around how to get more space here and what do we need. The Goodwill store is right near us and have benefitted from so, so much and I'm in an area where clothing/coats/shoes/books, all that is hugely needed, so, like you, I like supporting them. I used to use FreeCycle but the emails were unmanageable but cleared sharp white garden rock from previous owner quickly! I forgot about that - thank you!

I searched and found a local enough company that will sell your stuff on ebay but it has to net $50+ for them to take it and then you get 55-70% of the price, but unless it's the full baseball card collection, nothing will garner that.

Thank you, Debbie! I need to weigh the "gone now" vs. sentimental (bins of old comics and comic digests and real books) vs. possible value (foreign dolls, music boxes) vs. what are we doing with the space if we get it bc I don't want to get rid of stuff and still not have enough room for DH's garage. Typically I'm a quick decision maker - but my mind is stymied on this. I think our police station is a meetup place for Craigslist sales (?) but I'm still uneasy.

Thanks for listening/sorry for rambling here. Thinking out loud.

Your idea for in a couple of years is on my radar for retirement - i want to plant a cutting garden and sell bouquets at farmer's markets...and what doesn't sell goes to a senior center :) who knows.

the money thing
 

Wow Lexxiss. Superkudos to you! Awesome to have others happily do the work that needs to get done.

nationalparker My DH was a big ebay seller. I sold my artwork on ebay when it made sense to do that. We have both used it for years. He no longer sells, just buys and he buys collectible comics within a very strict range. Ebay can be a pain with shipping/packaging etc, but if the thing is a true collectible I'd try it but not without doing homework first. What you need to do is search ebay for the exact thing you are going to try to sell. Search "completed auctions" which is one of the advanced search features I believe. You want to see what the final selling price was. Some ebay things are sold as Buy It Now which means a fixed price-no auction action. I have decided like Lexiss to just get rid of the stuff. We have some local charities who will call and will come by to pick stuff up. we also have a town run drop off recycle depot.
As for the emotions involved I have little wisdom or advice for you there. I have a box of dolls with doll clothes on the dolls my grandmother made. I don't like dolls, but they are from my childhood. They are in a box. I am lost with things like this. For now I have many many other issues so the dolls can wait. I guess that's how I get over-cluttered in general. I put it off. See? No advice there!

Hi
 

Hi. I was going to go to the pottery studio, but I will go tomorrow. My old friend is coming up on the weekend so I need to deal with the apt. again.

Today I will make decisions about the bedroom. I want space in there.

Also, DH started but did not complete the dishes. I will do that.

And I will do "the usual" when I am striving to make my place look normal: clear the livingroom surfaces.

If I can manage these things today, then I can focus on the grander mess in the, you guessed it, dining room area. This has become my perennial junk room.

Oh, well.

Will check in later re: progess made.
And progress made=I went through the stuff on the bedroom floor. Some went into donate bag, others are earmarked for linen closet, and others went into dirty laundry or dresser drawers. That's was it for today. Credit.

Reading this today: The Life - Changing Magic of Tidying Up
 

Hi.

I'm going to spend time today reading The Life - Changing Magic of Tidying Up
by Marie Kondo. Some friends who also have trouble with clutter and deciding what to do with stuff have found this book helpful. I'll give it a shot too.

I am also going to take 15min and work in "my dining room storage facility".
If I rented the square footage to some stranger I could get upwards of $100/month for that space.

:D

Wow, when a money value is put on space it really opens my eyes.

i've shredded and shredded old papers that I can't just throw away and taken 6 loads out to dumpster. Now one file drawer has some open space!!!
Another cabinet has 1/2 shelf empty. Second file drawer has 1/3 of it empty now. Still have stuff to go, but I feel lighter.

As summer draws to an end
 

Hello Everyone

This thread, and my decluttering efforts, were sporadic this summer. Big Credit once more for getting rid of the locker during this session though!

So as this thread draws to an end I find myself newly inspired by the Magic of Tidying book. I have been reading it and today I took the time to begin following the Konmari method as described in the book. I was totally resistant to it until I came to the part where she says your home will reflect who you truly are today, and if you love books, you will have books. If you love loungewear, as she does, you will have lots of it. Me? Not so much with the loungewear.

Somehow I "got it". A lightbulb went on and I understood that my place can really reflect *me*. So I'm not over-thinking but acting and I started with the clothes as she suggests and I dumped all my clothes on my bed, the only truly large clear flat space I have, and I touched ever single one and I chose only by the criteria she suggests: ask yourself "does this bring me joy?". Now, I have not done this perfectly, which we all know is not possible anyway. Probably I will do this again even though she says "one time is all that is required". I have kept clothes that don't fit right now. I have kept things for their use as work clothes. They feel good to work in and that brings me joy. I did have great fun getting rid of all the athletic socks. Boy did I discover I HATE those socks. HATE THEM. And I re-discovered my love of colour. And of socks with toes. Love those. I have three pairs that bring me great joy when I see and touch them. I also love silky socks. But those athletic ones? Hate them and they are all gone. I thanked them for their service to my feet and I said goodbye to them.

I've rolled up my chosen socks, as she suggests, like sushi rolls and they are in the drawer "relaxing". I rolled up my clothes and placed them into a drawer and hung up the rest of my stuff. Half a closet. Half a sock drawer (socks + underwear). One full drawer of tshirts and a few stretchy yoga type pants. A laundry basket of stuff to wash and another basket of clothes to place into my other dresser drawer. These are things that I like but don't quite fit yet plus really worn work shirts I still want to wear. They are not in the drawer as DH came home and I had to cook dinner and then make the bed and he is exhausted so I had to just stop. When I told him I had accomplished going through all my clothes I added that it only took me a few hours since I really didn't have much. He said "it only takes me 10 minutes." I didn't say anything. Whatever. YOU GUYS KNOW what this means to me. *credit* for beginning again with the decluttering or rather for continuing once again. Sushi roll socks in my drawer pic attached!

This is a good week/day to be doing this. Garbage day is Wednesday morning as is the scheduled Diabetes pickup. I will probably stay home tomorrow and tackle a bit more with an eye to giving/throwing away since both will happen on Wednesday.

Having a home that I love is going to happen. Magic Tidying Lady says 3-6 months of effort. I'll aim for that.

How's everyone else doing? Fall doesn't arrive until Wednesday Sept 23rd. Still 9 days to get that last little project done!

Continuing
 

Today I cleaned my side of the bed and the table beside the bed. Long overdue. Tomorrow I am buying blackout drapes.for the bedroom. DH is thrilled. He was even agreed to install the curtain rod. Progress on all fronts.

I have a.bag of clothes for donation and two extra bags of trash. Great.

curtains up.
 

DH is already in bed. I put the new black blackout curtains up without removing the crummy crumbling window blinds the landlord had up when we moved in. Black curtains are quite funereal. And also dramatic. I'll work up the drama angle as I get the space in order.

As a bonus I took down the black and grey city skyline vinyl shower curtain I bought when we came to the big city and replaced it with a new palm trees on the beach with turquoise water and sand and blue sky shower curtain. I like it. I doubt we're going on a vacation but I can think about it and remember when I did go and imagine going again. DH didn't say a thing about the shower curtain. Did he see it? I'll know in the morning. Maybe.

Guess that's it. Just reporting that I followed through. The donation bag was picked up and the garbage is gone as well. Credit. I have not completed the laundry from my clothes-sorting yesterday and I have yet to replace my sushi-rolled basket of clothes into my second dresser drawer. Tomorrow I will complete that bedroom task and tomorrow I will also remove my desk from the bedroom and donate it. I'd rather have the space now. So this will require a sorting of the contents of the desk (not too much) and I will also clean that area and the top of my dresser. I hope to have the tv in working order in there. I really missed being able to laze in bed and watch it the other day when I was so worn out. I'd like to do that. Not often, but when I want to.

One more thing on my wish list for this session: clean the kitchen table on and under it once more as well as finish the dishes=putting them away. I am starting to cull my dishes and mugs and when I drive the desk over for donation, I'll have a box of dishes and mugs and other kitchen stuff (may as well tackle the kitchen drawers. Why not?) Just decided this so I wrote it here where I will be reminded.

Thanks for reading.