Mini Declutter Mon Feb 8 - Sun Feb 15, 2016
 

Hello. We meet again!
Welcome to this week's decluttering thread. One week to shine a spotlight into those dusty corners of our environments wherever they may be: home, office, or a stop on the internet highway! Set a goal for the week and make it happen.

Good to see you here!

Lexxiss wrote:

This was good to see. I do this as well, hearing my Gran saying "Never leave a room empty-handed".

This week I'll be getting the painting things ready in the garden room, and buying any new supplies. Thanks to this thread, the garden room is *much* clearer and can double as a workroom - which is its purpose.

Painting the sitting room will start next weekend as the SO is abroad for a week. Fewer bodies etc will make moving furniture and so on much more straightforward.

I spent my morning time typing notification to my defaulting tenants. No time for "taxes" however I did to to my online rental account and printed out 12 months of e-statements. It does move me forward and I didn't have to think much. Credit.

PS
Silverbirch, I rarely leave a room empty handed. It sure helps. Another effective strategy for me is if I have something in hand that needs to go in the cupboard or trash...etc...I don't set it down midway I follow through.

Yes, I try to do this as well. Sometimes it makes me forget what I was doing in the first place but as the house/office get tidier that happens less often. Unless there is some kind of emotional uproar and then I can lose track if I'm not concentrating. That sounds normal to me. :)

It feels like it's been a long time since I visited, but only a a week. Last Saturday I was hit with a stomach virus that took me out for most of last week. Aside from sleep and making tea or heating broth, I didn't get anything done. Funny, two weeks ago one of my goals was to clean my bathroom, which was accomplished. Since recovering I spent this weekend washing, scrubbing, and laundering everything including the bathroom again! It makes me feel like I'm ridding my home of residual illness.

My goal for this week is to vacuum stairs, upstairs bedrooms and hallway and continue clearing kitchen table.

I'm very appreciative of this thread. It continues to reinforce the mindset of small practices adding up.

Hi everyone,

I wasn't feel well last week and didn't accomplish much. My goal for this week is the same as last week - to clear off the dining room table.

Lexxiss and Silverbirch - I also try to not leave a room empty handed and it is helpful - don't always remember - thanks for the reminder

By way of a snapshot. I can make some progress on it all this week and I intend to!

Mail stack. Current state: couple of days. Goal: empty.
Progress: none

Tickler. Current state: February 1. Goal: today.
Progress: cleared a few days because I was looking for something

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: none needed

Email. Current state: 1000 total, 380 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: falling behind

Checkbook. Current state: new statement arrived. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: none

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

This thread is helping me so much. I sat in Living room admiring the clean and cleaned up area with bookcases so neat and felt great!!!

Laughed at those who make any trip thru house (or garden) do extra by putting something in its place. I agree, I do this and like you sometimes forget the original reason for moving thru the house till I sit back down.

Task this week is getting receipts in box logged in and backed up and area clear for next batch of receipts.

Sandy

Found the paint shade that I'll paint a living room wall - most likely one evening toward the weekend when DH is working, and will buy the paint on the way home from work one evening.

DH has been fixing our washer, so I'll get back to laundry tonight. I got it all done on the weekend and we just listened to the racket. Then cleared out a few throws for Goodwill and they need to be washed separately - will do them up and drop off this weekend with other items. My mom's "get rid of 10 things every weekend" has been done.

No major undertaking for me tonight, though - trying to stave off DH's sickness and I just want to get healthy dinner made and kitchen cleaned as nice as it is now. :)

My goals this week are to spot clean and sort the table mats, and/or work on the photos- maybe finish a scrapbook that is 70% done, from my life years ago pre-kids, while I can still remember the names of folks in the photos!

Nationalparker- I like the "get rid of 10 things every weekend" idea!

Managed the mail yesterday -- which is better than nothing!

Mail stack. Current state: yesterday's mail. Goal: empty.
Progress: cleared two days

Tickler. Current state: February 1. Goal: today.
Progress: none

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: cleared several things that came from the mail

Email. Current state: 1064 total, 426 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: falling behind

Checkbook. Current state: new statement arrived. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: none

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

job finished! At least till DH goes shopping again.

Adding in the different job of filing, putting in notebooks, or trashing the piles here on Computer desk before Monday.

I went through my email and unsubscribed to ones that aren't relevant right now. Took a little extra time but should simplify my inbox later.
I can always resubscribe later. Lol

Took a pile of paperwork over to moms to file with company stuff....receipts from as far back as 2013.

Found some permanent places for items I've acquired.

Gave a bag away that I didn't want anymore

Besides all I went to Costco and purchased only food related necessities..no impulse purchases.

Down in Denver with my bike today. it's 70°. We should still have five more feet of snow coming this winter. I will make hay while the the sun shines.

Keeping up, but that's better than falling behind!

Mail stack. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: cleared

Tickler. Current state: February 4. Goal: today.
Progress: cleared 4 files

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: kept up

Email. Current state: 1058 total, 419 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: 6 fewer total, 7 fewer unread

Checkbook. Current state: new statement arrived. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: none

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

Significant progress on both the Tickler and email. Today, I'll be doing good if I keep up with incoming.

Mail stack. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: cleared

Tickler. Current state: today. Goal: today.
Progress: caught up!

In Box. Current state: one phone message that will probably wait until next week. Goal: empty.
Progress: kept up

Email. Current state: 776 total, 188 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: 286 fewer total, 231 fewer unread

Checkbook. Current state: new statement arrived. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: none

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

weekend plans
 

This weekend I'd like to get the dishes done, clean off the dining room table and clear away one box. I plan to work on paintings in the small dining room area that remains clear. Could not plan on doing that before so Yay for that.

More tomorrow.

Anyone else planning anything for the weekend?

I head back to work tomorrow so my "weekend" is short. This morning I picked up and put away the bedding/yoga mat that my friend slept on when she was here. It had been piled on a chair in the tv room. I've been making an effort to keep to my 15 minutes tidying every morning. Credit.

I was going to print the big company report for my mom but found I have one more question for her. Credit for trying.

Today!!!! Work in the yard! Funny, here in Colorado I seem to have the opposite weather than everyone else I associate with here (except KarenRN). The good news for me today...52 degrees. The good news for everyone else is that the weather always travels West to East.

I'm going to clean out some beds and do and initial yard raking. I'll get some exercise and things will look better. Yay!

I would like to make progress on this today. The weekend Tickler files are packed and I want to get rid of some of those items, not just keep pushing them forward.

Mail stack. Current state: yesterday's. Goal: empty.
Progress: none

Tickler. Current state: today. Goal: today.
Progress: kept up

In Box. Current state: empty. Goal: empty.
Progress: kept up

Email. Current state: 771 total, 184 unread. Goal: empty.
Progress: 5 fewer total, 4 fewer unread

Checkbook. Current state: new statement arrived. Goal: balanced as soon as statement arrives.
Progress: none

Credit cards. Current state: months behind. Goal: checked as soon as statements arrive.
Progress: none

I spent three hours in the yard this morning. It felt great! It makes me really happy to be working on transforming myself from that person who just wished it would happen to the person who's making it happen. Credit.

I picked up all the dog messes while my husband raked. After he put in his time I went back out and cleaned out the entire flower bed on the front sidewalk which is about 100 feet long. Just as I was finishing the wind started blowing so I let some of The old leaves blow down towards my mothers house. LOL. Fortunately the predominant wind here always takes things away from my yard. I love it!

It will snow again. It will be freezing cold again. But it was sunny today and I am five hours closer to a beautiful yard with my husbands help. I'm grateful for that.

Well, I did the opposite of this decluttering thread. I went to Pier 1, a favorite store, to spend a whopping $10 rewards cash, I bought a set of four dinner plates at 20% off ... figuring I would take the remaining amount off a visa gift card, so not "our" money. Since it's 100% me that really enjoys it. Anyway, to use their reward, you needed to use their credit card. Oh, OK. I use and then transfer $ to cover it, so no chance of any interest. But this was AFTER I stopped at Marshall's and bought some very inexpensive Easter smaller plates. One set for me and one for my sister. I told DH we'll use the gift card for a dinner out. But I've added to my plates and now will struggle to find a place for them. I can clear out clothes, purses, shoes, but by golly I struggle to not buy more dishes. A dream job for me would be to arrange set decor for photo shoots of food/tablesettings.

Goal tonight is to clean kitchen and have dining room table all cleared of today's mail and marketing oddities. Just make it look clean and serene.

progress report-this will be short.
 

Hi.

Progress report: none.

Not one thing done in this apartment. No cleaning no clearing no moving anything around. In fact, I have added to the mess by cooking. Tomorrow I will refocus and choose one thing to move me forward.

I took a super long nap after work. Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest. Got up to take the dogs out at 830pm....wide awake. DH is in his shop. I figured if I was up I might as well do something.
Laundry done
Dishes done
Put away a few misc. items

Went upstairs and finished the company books and printed the copy for mom. Moved to personal tax stuff. Realized I had printed out 2014 stmts last week so I put them in the shredder and printed out 2015. The office looks cluttered. I will put some things away before bed. Credit.

Thanks to everyone who participated last week. Now, to keep things tidy, I will end this thread. The new one is HERE.