I decluttered my earrings - I have far too many pairs! Wrapped the unwanted pairs in plastic (sorry, Earth) and plan on leaving them at work for ^people to help themselves to. I also threw out all the single ones that have lost their partner - except for the first earrings Mr D bought me. I've lost one, but I'm keeping the other. But I still have over 40 pairs, I reckon!!
If you’re looking for an alternative to plastic and have playing or birthday cards needing to be decluttered, they can be a handy way of holding earrings.
Big declutter and re-arrangement going on here because my brother and sister-in-law who live in Chicago are coming for a few days near the end of the month. Beds are being moved and the lazy-cat chair is going into temprory storage in the garage because it takes up too much room.
I have been meaning to do a de-clutter soon, (and we all know what that means), but now I have a good reason to get organised.
I'm so delighted that they are coming I am even enjoying doing it.
Tip if you have a big piece of furniture to move over carpet - like a bed slip a piece of laminated paper under the legs furtherest away from you, slightly lift the ones closest, and push.
Don't do this if you have a back injury - I can't afford the insurance claims.
Our asbestos garage roof is being replaced at the end of Jan / early Feb, which gives us a month to declutter the garage. I'm quite excited - we've never had a deadline to sort the garage before, and hence have only cleared enough in the past to dump more junk in.
It's not going to be cheap; half the cost will be the legal removal and disposal of the asbestos panels. The cost has been putting us off for several years, but asbestos removal costs are only going to go up, and it's a relief to finally be doing it.
Also, the back garage door was replaced in December, and so I no longer have the slight worry, every time I go in, that this will be the time that the door comes off its hinges completely.
My sister's having a new kitchen fitted next week, and my brother and I are going over later today to assist with the necessary declutterage of the cupboards.
The North East Quinie, looking for something in the back of a kitchen cupboard, found her great-grandmother's limpet mincer. We've been storing it for decades but have never used it. The NE Quinie wanted to know more about it, and so I googled. Apparently they can be used to process drugs?!?
There must be a lot of Scottish grannies birling in their graves at that thought!
Some quite useful declutterage started at my sister's - the family room at the back of the kitchen is now devoid of garden chairs, shelves full of board games, boxes of toys for when her grandchildren visit and sundry cooking and baking items.
A few sets of folding shelves have been stashed in my brother's lock-up with a view to furnishing a possible future Château Piglet - I hope we're not tempting fate ...
I am at the stage with mess everywhere. An outsider coming in would doubt I had actually achieved anything, I do myself sometimes, but as well as making the place habitable for three people rather than one, I am sorting things to donate to various places. While this may slow me down a bit I am hoping it is a step towards a less cluttered life. I have discovered that I will probably never have to buy another sheet in my life, nor another pair of stripey socks (unless I see more deep purple ones on sale ) .
I'm pleased I washed most of the bedding as the next week's forecast threatens possible showers on most days. Yes, it is summer here.
Re: the sale of Château Piglet, the closing date is 24th January. Whether I'll be able to afford to buy anything here will probably depend on my finding work here, which is a Whole Nother Thing.
Well done, Piglet, to get another offer in so fast!
I have decluttered the Dower House as far as I dare. However, even after 4 months I have no firm date for exchange of contracts or completion, so yesterday I rang the agent acting for me and said if I didn't get a date very soon I would put the house back on the market.
We have to insure it, heat it, look after it, pay to keep it clean and the grass cut, while everyone else - and there are only two parties in the chain - f*nnies around wittering about floor plans and the like.
So, I daren't get rid of any more furniture until I'm sure it's sold
And the charity I emailed before Christmas about taking the saleable stuff still haven't got back to me. If they don't, I can see it all going to house clearance, which would be a shame.
Crikey, Mrs. S - I hope mine doesn't drag on like that! It shouldn't - as far as I'm aware there isn't a chain, as there was no mention of the buyer having to sell, although I believe she has to provide proof of financing by the 10th - the day after I get back.
Presumably if that is all in order, I'll have to get all hands on deck* to pack what I want and dispose in some way of what I don't, all in the space of two weeks. <eek>
* Some of my friends have, rather unwisely, offered to help ...
No, ours shouldn't have either, @Piglet . I don't know what the real issue for the purchaser's purchaser is, as from what I know they are a cash buyer - but no-one but me seems to have any idea of urgency...
Things are moving on at a frightening pace chez Piglet. A house inspection has happened, and it looks as if this sale is going to go ahead (crosses trotters). If it does, I have to be out of the house by next Tuesday ...
I've had a removal bloke out, and he didn't panic at all, which was helpful, but it has prompted the beginnings of declutterage.
I've cleared D's clothes into "bin" and "drop-in centre" bags, and will shortly be undertaking a similar edit of mine - my wardrobe is long overdue a clear-out.
As for the rest, the removal bloke said it would be the work of no more than a day, and his chaps would do all the packing and wrapping.
For my most recent move (now 20 years ago), I had a similarly tight time-frame. I found it easier to de-clutter as I was unpacking in the new place. But I was moving across town, not continents.
The less I take with me, the cheaper it will be, so I'm really trying to pare things down. I've just heard from my estate agent that the buyers are happy for me to take whatever I want of the furniture and leave the rest, which is a huge help.
The less I take with me, the cheaper it will be, so I'm really trying to pare things down. I've just heard from my estate agent that the buyers are happy for me to take whatever I want of the furniture and leave the rest, which is a huge help.
Oh yes. That will really help. All the best with the decluttering!
I’ve got art class today - the first for Echo. Hopefully he’ll settle well, he did a good job at settling when ‘cafe training’ yesterday. Luckily we are drawing today so I only have to take a pencil as we get the bus home.
Piglet, you have a big job in front of you so don't forget to ask for help with meals or sorting or whatever. Also, if you are not sure whether you can part with something, remember that you could take a photo of it and remember it that way. I've used that when something I really loved cracked or broke and I had to throw it out but didn't want to lose it. All the best to you!
I've just had a quote from the movers, which gladdens my heart - it's a fraction of what we paid to get our stuff from Newfoundland to New Brunswick.
I'm hoping I can offload my "posh" dinner service - preferably to Evergreen Traders, the local pawn/second-hand shop, as I think they'll be the easiest. It's not that I don't like it (it was a wedding present from D's parents and came from his father's auction house - I understand we were offered it because his sister, who married the previous year, had turned it down*) - but I really don't think I'd use it enough to justify the hassle of taking it with me.
It's Royal Doulton, but a rather dated design, so I'm not expecting to get much for it.
* When she saw it, she said, "oh, he palmed that off on you, did he?"
After swearing off any new purchases that were not truly necessary, I ended up buying a very nice blue blanket from out local thrift shop. I was only $4.00 and as my guest room has blue bedding it seemed good to have an extra blanket for winter guests. On the up side I was in the thrift store donating a bag of cook books. I love reading them and have a rather large number, but so many good recipes are on line now I decided the time has come to par down. So I guess I am even.
I confess I'm planning to take a good few of my cookery books with me, but as I'm only taking a few small shelves-worth of other books I don't feel too guilty about it. I don't really like using the Tablet for reading recipes while I'm cooking, as the screen gets all manky, and printing them out would be no better than bringing the book with me!
And, like GI, I enjoy reading them. I will pare them down a bit, but there are a few that I wouldn't be without.
The January Cure is a long-standing Apartment Therapy tradition, helping you reset your home for the year ahead. These 20 daily assignments are hosted by our cleaning editor Taryn Williford, who will give you quick cleaning and decluttering lessons you can master on a weeknight. You can join at any time, and catch up with assignments here and with our printable January Cure calendar. You can also share and chat with fellow Cure participants on Instagram at #thejanuarycure and on The Apartment Therapist Facebook group.
The "assignments" are detailed at that link. You can also sign up for the related e-mail list, and get daily reminders. And it's all free!
I love this site. All kinds of tips and how-tos for taking care of your home, and virtual tours of homes.
Another good incentive -- I have cleaners arriving in about an hour. So of course I have to clean up first! Actually, having them come in once a month does mean I keep my house tidier and cleaner in between.
If I could afford the sort of house pictured in GK's January Cure thingy, I could afford to employ a cleaner to keep it decluttered.
Someone has sent me a weighty tome cataloguing in tedious detail all the activities of the Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters over the last century (D. was the president for a couple of years in the 1990s, and very active in everything they did). It was a kind, well-meant gesture, but I'm trying to downsize!!! It's not even as if it would be of interest to anyone outside of a very small niche market, so I can't even give it to a charity shop. I abhor the idea of throwing books away, but needs must.
It looks as if the house sale will go ahead (still crossing trotters for no last-minute hiccoughs), so back to the wardrobe I go ...
I confess I'm planning to take a good few of my cookery books with me, but as I'm only taking a few small shelves-worth of other books I don't feel too guilty about it. I don't really like using the Tablet for reading recipes while I'm cooking, as the screen gets all manky, and printing them out would be no better than bringing the book with me!
And, like GI, I enjoy reading them. I will pare them down a bit, but there are a few that I wouldn't be without.
I do print them out and put them into a binder, so rather then shelves of books I have a binder with only those that were a family hit and I want to cook again.
I may have to encourage more overnight visitors. I don't have any of my 3 piano students coming to my home for lessons this academic year and that has been my recent best incentive to keep the house clean and tidy. But, I don't regret my decision to go to their homes this year, as they are less inclined to cancel on me last minute!
On the other hand, I have a feeling it's my mind which needs more de-cluttering at the moment.
The only time my house seems to be company-ready is when I know there is company coming. A regular visitor would do me a lot of good. Hope your mind simmers down.
A friend with a compressor came and pumped it up. I love sitting on it because it strengthens my core, which is apparently a Good Thing. I may even start a new trend of fitness for lazy people
Visitors do not help with decluttering in the North East Household because we have perfected the art of scooping up all the clutter and depositing it in the study. Instant tidiness in all areas likely to be seen by visitors.
Yesterday Hubby and I did our annual post holiday ritual -- taking everything out of the kitchen cupboards, cabinets, drawers and assessing……. Husband is excellent at asking “Did we use it this year?” If both say “yes’, it stays. Then he jumps in with the more difficult question: ‘’Do we really think we’ll use it this coming year?” And, darn it, he clearly remembers year by year what my response was! So we have freshly lined shelves and drawers (thanks to the roll of wallpaper I snagged at a yard sale) and bags of items to go to the leave/take shed at our recycling center.
This morning was easier -- we went through the pantry! Several Le Creuset frying pans got reprieved for another year, as did the crepe pan, but the brioche pan is on its way to a baking friend in Virginia.
Basement tomorrow….. (attic got its purge when we put holiday things away). But then there is the back of my closet……. Groan
Basement tomorrow….. (attic got its purge when we put holiday things away). But then there is the back of my closet……. Groan
I'm so glad I don't have a basement, a usable attic, or a garage. But speaking of closets! I have to have the doors on my bedroom closet replaced, which means everything has to be taken out and later put back. In both directions (out of the closet and back in) each item will have to justify its existence to my satisfaction or it goes to the thrift store. (I did the same thing just a few years ago when I had the closet rod and shelves replaced. I don't remember why my handyman didn't do the doors at the same time.)
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.
Comments
I have been meaning to do a de-clutter soon, (and we all know what that means), but now I have a good reason to get organised.
I'm so delighted that they are coming I am even enjoying doing it.
Tip if you have a big piece of furniture to move over carpet - like a bed slip a piece of laminated paper under the legs furtherest away from you, slightly lift the ones closest, and push.
Don't do this if you have a back injury - I can't afford the insurance claims.
It's not going to be cheap; half the cost will be the legal removal and disposal of the asbestos panels. The cost has been putting us off for several years, but asbestos removal costs are only going to go up, and it's a relief to finally be doing it.
Also, the back garage door was replaced in December, and so I no longer have the slight worry, every time I go in, that this will be the time that the door comes off its hinges completely.
Who knows what we might find???
There must be a lot of Scottish grannies birling in their graves at that thought!
The decluttering Chez Nen proceeds at a snail's pace. A very sleepy snail at that.
A few sets of folding shelves have been stashed in my brother's lock-up with a view to furnishing a possible future Château Piglet - I hope we're not tempting fate ...
I am at the stage with mess everywhere. An outsider coming in would doubt I had actually achieved anything, I do myself sometimes, but as well as making the place habitable for three people rather than one, I am sorting things to donate to various places. While this may slow me down a bit I am hoping it is a step towards a less cluttered life. I have discovered that I will probably never have to buy another sheet in my life, nor another pair of stripey socks (unless I see more deep purple ones on sale
I'm pleased I washed most of the bedding as the next week's forecast threatens possible showers on most days. Yes, it is summer here.
Once I get to Edinburgh my main priority will be to find work: there won't be much point in having a château if I can't afford to run it!
I have decluttered the Dower House as far as I dare. However, even after 4 months I have no firm date for exchange of contracts or completion, so yesterday I rang the agent acting for me and said if I didn't get a date very soon I would put the house back on the market.
We have to insure it, heat it, look after it, pay to keep it clean and the grass cut, while everyone else - and there are only two parties in the chain - f*nnies around wittering about floor plans and the like.
So, I daren't get rid of any more furniture until I'm sure it's sold
And the charity I emailed before Christmas about taking the saleable stuff still haven't got back to me. If they don't, I can see it all going to house clearance, which would be a shame.
Mrs. S, for 'stressed'
Presumably if that is all in order, I'll have to get all hands on deck* to pack what I want and dispose in some way of what I don't, all in the space of two weeks. <eek>
* Some of my friends have, rather unwisely, offered to help ...
I've had a removal bloke out, and he didn't panic at all, which was helpful, but it has prompted the beginnings of declutterage.
I've cleared D's clothes into "bin" and "drop-in centre" bags, and will shortly be undertaking a similar edit of mine - my wardrobe is long overdue a clear-out.
As for the rest, the removal bloke said it would be the work of no more than a day, and his chaps would do all the packing and wrapping.
Now for the things that aren't clothes ... <eek>
Oh yes. That will really help. All the best with the decluttering!
I’ve got art class today - the first for Echo. Hopefully he’ll settle well, he did a good job at settling when ‘cafe training’ yesterday. Luckily we are drawing today so I only have to take a pencil as we get the bus home.
I've just had a quote from the movers, which gladdens my heart - it's a fraction of what we paid to get our stuff from Newfoundland to New Brunswick.
I'm hoping I can offload my "posh" dinner service - preferably to Evergreen Traders, the local pawn/second-hand shop, as I think they'll be the easiest. It's not that I don't like it (it was a wedding present from D's parents and came from his father's auction house - I understand we were offered it because his sister, who married the previous year, had turned it down*) - but I really don't think I'd use it enough to justify the hassle of taking it with me.
It's Royal Doulton, but a rather dated design, so I'm not expecting to get much for it.
* When she saw it, she said, "oh, he palmed that off on you, did he?"
And, like GI, I enjoy reading them. I will pare them down a bit, but there are a few that I wouldn't be without.
The "assignments" are detailed at that link. You can also sign up for the related e-mail list, and get daily reminders. And it's all free!
I love this site. All kinds of tips and how-tos for taking care of your home, and virtual tours of homes.
Anyway, thought you might want to know.
Golden Key - that sounds helpful - will check it out when I am back in the land of the living.
It's 8 p.m. I have totally exhausted myself and am going to bed. Aroha is annoyed because she is usually outside for another hour.
Someone has sent me a weighty tome cataloguing in tedious detail all the activities of the Ulster Society of Organists and Choirmasters over the last century (D. was the president for a couple of years in the 1990s, and very active in everything they did). It was a kind, well-meant gesture, but I'm trying to downsize!!! It's not even as if it would be of interest to anyone outside of a very small niche market, so I can't even give it to a charity shop. I abhor the idea of throwing books away, but needs must.
It looks as if the house sale will go ahead (still crossing trotters for no last-minute hiccoughs), so back to the wardrobe I go ...
I do print them out and put them into a binder, so rather then shelves of books I have a binder with only those that were a family hit and I want to cook again.
One day, maybe!
On the other hand, I have a feeling it's my mind which needs more de-cluttering at the moment.
And speaking of which, the château is now SOLD!!!
Further update: I am setting myself the challenge of getting my study clutter free by the end of January!
See, now that would belong on the quotes page if only context could be given. Lol.
This morning was easier -- we went through the pantry! Several Le Creuset frying pans got reprieved for another year, as did the crepe pan, but the brioche pan is on its way to a baking friend in Virginia.
Basement tomorrow….. (attic got its purge when we put holiday things away). But then there is the back of my closet……. Groan
I'm so glad I don't have a basement, a usable attic, or a garage. But speaking of closets! I have to have the doors on my bedroom closet replaced, which means everything has to be taken out and later put back. In both directions (out of the closet and back in) each item will have to justify its existence to my satisfaction or it goes to the thrift store. (I did the same thing just a few years ago when I had the closet rod and shelves replaced. I don't remember why my handyman didn't do the doors at the same time.)