If I'd had my way it would have been a lot more ruthless, but D. can't do without all his organ periodicals from the year dot (which he did do without for about 15 years until his parents brought them over when we lived in Belfast - grrrrr!).
At least, being single, I only have to growl at my own maddening idiosyncrasies 0_0
I know what you mean though - we had a fairly ruthless declutterance the last time we moved, as we were going to a smaller house (although adequately, and rather cleverly, provided with storage space). If I'd had my way it would have been a lot more ruthless, but D. can't do without all his organ periodicals from the year dot (which he did do without for about 15 years until his parents brought them over when we lived in Belfast - grrrrr!).
Organ journals! Don't get me started. Mr Cats has two filing cabinets of them and a bookcase and they still arrive, about four every month. I did once point out that when I retire (which isn't imminent) we won't be able to keep everything we now store as we won't be able to have a house the size of even an average manse like this one (not ye olde Victorian monstrosity, but still with four bedrooms and two studies). He said he intends to die before then, which would leave me to deal with them all! I, of course, have no clutter (this is almost true).
I just seem to have a knack of being pathologically untidy. I work at it all the time, so the house looks tidy, but the cupboards - arrrghhhh!
🙄🙄🙄
I can so relate to this! In my new house, the cupboards are all just sleek modern slabs....but behind those slab doors lies the wild crushed chaos of my inner being :O(
I am feeling inordinately pleased with myself: Last week, I got a helper to take me to my Official Workplace, where I cleaned out my desk, and filled two large recycling bins. I took very little home with me.
Of course, what I did take home with me will now need to be sorted out/disposed of, but it's doable. Sometimes it feels good to be ruthless.
I needed a storage box for clothes that would fit under my bed in the camper I am building, I had the perfect one under the bed in my recently cleaned guest bedroom filled with my winter clothes. So now I have a nice neat camper packed with summer clothes for trips, but a bed in the guest room that was so neat covered with winter clothes. Two steps forward and one step back.
My decluttering emptied various storage boxes, which worked really well until I was supplied with various yarns, silks and fabrics that had become available as various shops closed down. Which yarns and silks refilled one of the really big storage boxes. I am using them in Guides projects as fast as I can - selling friendship bracelet kits at the craft fair and at the May Fair. I need to make some more up for an international camp (visiting American Girl Scouts) happening this month.
Oh, Good Lord... I have to buy another bookcase! And I still have books in storage! In my city a number of neighborhood have free 'book chalets' as I call them, in the front yard. One drops off books or picks up. I have vowed to myself that every day I must drop at least one book off. Only 4000 days to go.
Later this week I'll be helping a friend box up stuff as she prepares to move into an "active retirement" apartment...
A group of us boxed up tons of books, but we ran out of boxes -- luckily without too many books left unboxed. We were all invited to take anything we wanted (the books she's keeping were hidden away) -- I managed to get out of there with only three books and a boxed CD set. (And I dropped about a dozen of my own books at our library's used book collection yesterday, so my total is still down from what it was.)
Today I didn't exactly clear the pantry, but you can at least get in there and stand up now. The wine is on the rack and out of sight and temptation - for the present. Had to be done before Chilperic gets back from China in a couple of weeks. If he can't immediately see what he wants, he assumes we're out of it. Hence the 6 packets of Udon noodles, and far too much olive oil.
I've only got to keep on top of it for a few weeks. Crosses fingers and cuts off the circulation.
I have great plans for converting the ( tiny) spare bedroom into my study, so I can remove my clutter there from the rest of the house, which will thereby miraculously become tidy. I have visions of being able to keep such a small place very tidy by being ruthless with my paperwork, filing, family history stuff etc.
I am having huge trouble getting a joiner to even make contact to arrange to come and quote for the work. I want it done yesterday.
We filled another skip with Stuff from the Dowager's house yesterday. I daren't stop and think how many more we'll need! And Mr. S managed to get the loft door to open, only to reveal an awful lot more cr*p that will need disposing of...
I filled three skips with stuff from my parents’ Outbuildings, loft, junk room and garage. A house clearance company filled another one with furniture they could not take to sell. That is in addition to what we took to charity shops.
No easy task. I am determined my children will not have the same problem, but husband has garage and loft full of stuff nobody will want,
Yes, shoving it into a skip is the easy part - it's the endless sorting, examining, deciding to keep or not to keep, that takes the hard work. Apparently, making decisions is really hard work!
I am feeling reasonably pleased with myself: With the aid of my aide (for lifting things), this morning I went through a corner full of filled bags (still with items from my last overseas trip), books, and papers, and cleaned out virtually everything. It's been staring at me since last fall, so it's good to do something with it. There's lots more to do, but it's a start!
Who would have ever thought that someone would come and collect loads of removal boxes...packing paper...and sheets of card ?
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Gotta love these recycling sites...
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Thanx Freegle
@Boogie No-one is mourning the loss of a precious guitar?
No, it was mine - I dabbled over the years but never gained any proficiency. It has a lovely tone and deserves to be played.
Did I mention we’re having visitors in August?
It’s good having a deadline for decluttering efforts. The bedroom (where they are sleeping as it has an en-suite bathroom) is DONE, hurrah - it has taken weeks. The last of the charity bags are lined up in the hall. Now to order the new carpet!
Now to the kitchen.
Today the professional oven cleaner is here. I left the house at 9am and took the dogs a long walk. Then I dropped Tatze at my friends house and went shopping with the puppy. I’m home now and he’s still at it!
Puppy and I are in the front room - thankfully I had a coffee at my friend’s house as the kitchen in very much out of bounds. I’m looking forward to a gleaming cooker. I was ashamed of it and aforementioned visitors will be staying in our house for a week while we go walking in the Yorkshire Dales with another set of visitors.
Who would have ever thought that someone would come and collect loads of removal boxes...packing paper...and sheets of card ?
When we had our stuff moved into this house, we were doing a house-sit for friends, so we had time to sort things out before actually moving in. We stacked all the dismantled packing boxes and paper in the kitchen, and just before we actually moved in, we phoned the removal people*, who came and took it away so that they could use it again.
Win win.
* Considering they'd had nearly six months of storage fees out of us, it was the least they could do!
Last week I decluttered several items in the direction of my grandchildren.
I gave a pile of books to one lot while they are still ( just) young enough to read them, and I gave a jade bracelet to a granddaughter on her 18th birthday. She was out when I dropped by, and I am sorry to say I have not had a Thank you, not even a text or whatsapp message.
Puzzler - I know how hurtful it can be when youngsters don't acknowledge gifts that have meant a lot to you. I gave my niece my favourite ring of my mother's just a pretty amethyst, but it was my favourite ring too. I felt it was time to pass it on. I heard nothing in response. I wanted to write to her and ask if I could have it back!
Ask. Say, "Did you get the... ? I haven't heard anything from you..." Because if they did, the shame will be salutary for them, and you'll not dwell on their misdeed anymore. And if they did NOT, well, you need to know that. (Can't tell you how frustrated we got with our host church which completely neglected to inform us of donations received for our ministry, meaning that we had no idea and of course therefore never wrote thank you notes)
@Lamb Chopped I think I did eventually write along those lines, and I hope it had that effect! Re those donations received for your ministry without proper notification Grrrrrr!
Puzzler - cupboards and shelves can liberate us fantastically! I moved a year ago, and watched as room by room I was able to get all my stuff off the floor and put away. It was bliss! All best wishes with the study!
I've been making serious inroads on my bookshelves (as well as other areas). I don't like the sight of empty bookshelves, and if I remove entire bookcases, the rooms they're in now will look strange. I've been trying to shift things around, but I'm not sure how much more shifting I can do (especially since I'm also trying to declutter knick-knacks and other potential shelf fillers).
Removing the empty bookcases might make the rooms look strange for a wee while, but once you've rearranged the rest of the furniture, they'll look so much bigger!
My study move will make one book case redundant, but what do I do with it? It is of no intrinsic value but DH made it many years ago for my 21 st birthday IIRC.
I hesitate to dispose of any bookcases because I have two large built-in bookcases that I will, of course, lose when I move into senior living (probably about five years from now). I have nowhere to store extra bookcases, and really no way to rearrange the room without them. So I keep spreading things out, putting an occasional knick-knack on an empty shelf, etc. When it does come time to downsize and move, I will be very grateful that I've been gradually downsizing for several years -- and probably sorry that I haven't done more.
Well done on the long term planning Pigwidgeon. I helped my mother's cousin before she moved into care. Her house was 2 bedrooms with a one bedroom flat and a large shed built underneath. It was particularly bad because the family had lived in the house for about 85 years. Also she had helped numerous aunts and uncles clear their houses adding to the amount of stuff that was there. The shed contained DDT, which has been banned for years.
I understand cats make excellent fillers of empty bookshelves, and rearrange themselves regularly.
Many years ago, one toddler granddaughter, now in her teens, went missing. After a big search police were called in. They could find no trace. She was nowhere near able to open screen door to front yard. More search. She was found, sound asleep, on such a shelf.
I found a great way to declutter, switch closets. I decided to move my closets around and put my clothes closer to the bathroom that has a tub that I use rather then the master bath which only has a shower. I pulled everything out of both closets into the living room and in the switch saw things I could easily get rid of.
Comments
At least, being single, I only have to growl at my own maddening idiosyncrasies 0_0
Organ journals! Don't get me started. Mr Cats has two filing cabinets of them and a bookcase and they still arrive, about four every month. I did once point out that when I retire (which isn't imminent) we won't be able to keep everything we now store as we won't be able to have a house the size of even an average manse like this one (not ye olde Victorian monstrosity, but still with four bedrooms and two studies). He said he intends to die before then, which would leave me to deal with them all! I, of course, have no clutter (this is almost true).
I just seem to have a knack of being pathologically untidy. I work at it all the time, so the house looks tidy, but the cupboards - arrrghhhh!
The next in line is one in the utility room, full of silly nic nacs (sp) I’ve no idea why I’ve got them. Tea light holders etc etc etc
🙄🙄🙄
I can so relate to this! In my new house, the cupboards are all just sleek modern slabs....but behind those slab doors lies the wild crushed chaos of my inner being :O(
Today I did two cupboards - the ‘dog’ cupboard and the ‘mess’ cupboard. My aim is to have all the cupboards in the house tidy at the same time.
This is a huge ask - but the battle continues!
Well all I can say is the best of British luck! *Rolls eyes*....
(eek!)
Of course, what I did take home with me will now need to be sorted out/disposed of, but it's doable. Sometimes it feels good to be ruthless.
ROFL
A group of us boxed up tons of books, but we ran out of boxes -- luckily without too many books left unboxed. We were all invited to take anything we wanted (the books she's keeping were hidden away) -- I managed to get out of there with only three books and a boxed CD set. (And I dropped about a dozen of my own books at our library's used book collection yesterday, so my total is still down from what it was.)
I've only got to keep on top of it for a few weeks. Crosses fingers and cuts off the circulation.
Parcelling it up has been a marathon - now I need to go out for more parcel tape.
@Boogie No-one is mourning the loss of a precious guitar?
I am having huge trouble getting a joiner to even make contact to arrange to come and quote for the work. I want it done yesterday.
No easy task. I am determined my children will not have the same problem, but husband has garage and loft full of stuff nobody will want,
.
Gotta love these recycling sites...
.
Thanx Freegle
No, it was mine - I dabbled over the years but never gained any proficiency. It has a lovely tone and deserves to be played.
Did I mention we’re having visitors in August?
It’s good having a deadline for decluttering efforts. The bedroom (where they are sleeping as it has an en-suite bathroom) is DONE, hurrah - it has taken weeks. The last of the charity bags are lined up in the hall. Now to order the new carpet!
Now to the kitchen.
Today the professional oven cleaner is here. I left the house at 9am and took the dogs a long walk. Then I dropped Tatze at my friends house and went shopping with the puppy. I’m home now and he’s still at it!
Puppy and I are in the front room - thankfully I had a coffee at my friend’s house as the kitchen in very much out of bounds. I’m looking forward to a gleaming cooker. I was ashamed of it and aforementioned visitors will be staying in our house for a week while we go walking in the Yorkshire Dales with another set of visitors.
Win win.
* Considering they'd had nearly six months of storage fees out of us, it was the least they could do!
I gave a pile of books to one lot while they are still ( just) young enough to read them, and I gave a jade bracelet to a granddaughter on her 18th birthday. She was out when I dropped by, and I am sorry to say I have not had a Thank you, not even a text or whatsapp message.
{{{{{{{Everybody}}}}}}}
Somehow I don't think my dog would approve (and I'm allergic to cats). But thanks for the suggestion.
Many years ago, one toddler granddaughter, now in her teens, went missing. After a big search police were called in. They could find no trace. She was nowhere near able to open screen door to front yard. More search. She was found, sound asleep, on such a shelf.