Re: Declutter 2019: What have you purged today?

Eager2Learn · ‎10-21-2011

1/10: Tossed a box of Jasmine tea (came in a collection & I hate it), and a box of plastic wrap that is dated 9/18/91. I can't believe I've been dragging that box around since then! (10 items gone YTD). Oh yes, I finally cooked a half package of spaghetti that's been in the pantry for a year or more.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Trinity11 wrote:
My husband retired this past November so my decluttering is at a standstill. He keeps everything and if I throw something out or want to donate it, he takes it out of the car and or garbage can.

I just found a new Dooney handbag in the guest room closet that I "thought" he had brought to the church for donation. I found it too heavy to use and wore it once. Apparently, he thinks since it is new, he can carry it for me when we go out. LOL

Still going to continue getting the house in order for the Spring, though. It is just going to be a very, very loooooonnnnnnggggg process.

@Trinity11

Ok, note to self......get the stuff gone BEFORE husband retires. I think I have about 10 years. I better get moving! LOL

Twins Mom · ‎04-03-2016

Dropped off sheer drapes and box of books and picture frames. Baby steps.

Hoovermom · ‎03-19-2010

I have gotten inspiration for all of you who have contributed to this thread. I am a "thrower away" type but have held on to some things (seasonal) that I thought I would use again or give to my future DIL. Now that DS has married her, I realize she is "Mrs. Pottery Barn" and I am "Mrs. Classic Traditionalist" and she would never enjoy using my "stuff", so out it went. Three huge boxes are ready for a donation pick-up next week. It feels great reclaiming my cabinets. As many of you have mentioned, I did not want my DH or DS to have the task of deciding what needed to be given away or kept should something happen to me. Thank you all for your candor on this thread.

rnmom · ‎03-11-2010

@Eager2Learn-There is absolutely nothing wrong with doing baby steps. If one small area and one item a day is what you are comfortable doing, then by all means, that's what you should do! It would be worse to get overwhelmed and then not do anything at all.

You are absolutely right, 365 items by the end of the year is a lot. I just tell myself, every item that leaves my house, either trash, donate, or recycle, is one less item to have to deal with in the future. It all adds up. I'm cheering you on!

rnmom · ‎03-11-2010

@Gr8tfulsoul- Nope, you're not late! Welcome to the party! I do a lot like you too, I don't do a lot of big purges, I am constantly doing small purges all year long. I have growing kids so I tend to do more purging when the seasons change and we're getting rid of too small clothes and replacing with new. But items are ALWAYS coming into the house and if I didn't do periodic, small purges, it would get overwhelming quick.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Eager2Learn wrote:
Last year, I pulled a bunch of t-shirts for donation, and a few days later put all but one back. Since the thought of doing a sizeable purge is overwhelming to me, I'll be taking baby steps. I'm going to concentrate on 1 small area per day, with the goal of getting rid of 1 item. It might take me a year to do what some of you are doing in a month, but I'm a work in progress. I tried to envision this pile of stuff going out, 365 items by the end of the year is a lot. I'm going to try to keep a running total, and I'll start my count as of 2 days ago, when I started posting here.

@Eager2Learn

Purging is like anything else, if you feel overwhelmed, or if it is uncomfortable for any reason (attachment issues), we tend to just not do it.

So breaking it down into as little pieces as necessary is a perfectly good solution.

I hope you find what I have, that once going, you get momentum and the results give you such pleasure that the letting go or getting at it becomes much easier.

I started selling many things on FB local pages this last year, and I have to say, it really hurt in the beginning. Letting go of things that were favorites or passed down from family were particularly hard for me. But the more I do it, the easier it gets to let go.

I go through every cupboard, closet and drawer every year, but I tended to rearrange and donate a little. I now have no end date in mind (as we have a basement, and it has a lot of stuff in it, some we use and want, and some we don't), but am on an effort to bring in less (and that is going much better, I bought much less this last year than in previous ones) and move more out.

I don't want to set myself some goal at this point, that makes me feel like I'm getting rid of more than I want. I have lots of time (not planning on a move or don't seem to have health issues that would warrant extreme downsizing at this time) and I want to make decisions that I can live with years down the road.

We hope you enjoy our journey, as we shared all last year, and so many of us come here to keep motivated and get ideas and support. Welcome!

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Mom2Dogs wrote:
Today I am cleaning the master bedroom..it's a big room and will take several hours to clean everything, go thru the drawers, etc. So far I have found NOTHING to get rid of. I have been on a continual purge for years so I am not surprsied I have not found anything but I have not looked at the closets yet.

Getting rid of clothes is hard...my lifestyle is pretty laidback, but I have some nice things in the closet that coud go but just cannot seem to do it...they are just clothes!! I may hang on to 1 each color of nice pants, black and brown and possibly keep one dressy dress and a skirt or two...uh oh....does not seem like I am getting rid of to much dressy stuff....I wish it was easier for me to purge clothing........

What do you do with cards? I have a large box FULL of them....birthday, holiday, etc. The cards I received when my parents died are tied with a bow and can be pitched when I am gone, I am not throwing those away.

I'm from another era, and love cards and letters. I have done something to keep them better under control.

I went through my little drawer that I keep for new cards for various occasions. It is pretty small, but holds a lot. I sorted them by occasion, dumped ones that I had for years and never used because I never really liked them well enough to send to anyone (I tend to pick up cards cheap at thrifts). I so enjoy the drawer now not being over stuffed, and know that I have several of each kind (thank you, birthday, Thanksgiving, etc.) and since I have hardly anyone to send to now, they should last a long time.

I also have a small decorative box that I keep new Christmas cards in. I have a weakness for Lang cards and buy the boxes of them when they go on sale after Christmas. I have limited myself to what will fit in that box, and store it with the Christmas decor. Limiting the space allowed for cards has really kept me in check about buying/acquiring them now.

As for cards received, every few years, I get in my hope chest and pull out the ones I've saved. I find that over the decades, some mean more (like the few from my dad who died when I was 18, and those from great aunts and uncles that were like grandparents to me), and others hold no real fond feeling anymore, as people have moved out of our lives for whatever reason. I try to keep it to one bundle, and even some of the more special ones, I weed out over time. Some that are especially beautiful I use in my vignettes when decorating.

Yeah, I'm definitely a bit sappy when it comes to cards.

Mominohio · ‎08-08-2010

@Eager2Learn wrote:
@Mom2Dogs Yes, what is it about clothes? My closet is so crammed that my shelves are starting to bend. I know there is at least one dress in there from the early to mid 70s! Yet I can't seem to let them go.

This is one area I never have issues with. I've never liked clothes and shoes, and I don't want or have very many. I sometimes wish that was my vice in over buying/collecting, as they take up way less space than the things I do have a hard time parting with (dishes!!!!!).