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[queendiva]

Started a new Donate bag with 2 pairs of pants.

Christmas shopping is all but done. This week I will be returning a few items that I have decided not to gift as I already had "enough" and exchanging one pair of pants for size.

Pulled two more dressy dresses for consignment later this week.

[Snoopp]

@KBEANS  you are so nice to adopt the little dog.  Dogs grieve too,  so he might be missing his former owner.

I added an ice cube tray that I could never get the hang of to my donate pile.  It is the type that is enclosed and you crack it to get to the cubes, but it never worked right for me.  Maybe someone else can figure it out.  I added a new dress that I know I won't wear so I hope someone will like it.  

I'm not bringing much in these days.  Just skincare items and makeup.  No home decor, even if I am tempted.

[queendiva]

This morning I went to several different stores to return unwanted items.

Kohl's: returned a pair of fleece lined joggers aka sweatpants. While the price was right, the quality was not as good as similar joggers bought at Costco. It was a wash as I bought two plush toys for essentially the same amount as the return.

Marshall's: returned 2 small beauty stocking stuffers totalling $10.00. Picked up 3 reusable shopping bags for $3.00.

Costco: returned a pair of pants and a throw blanket. Wanted the pants in smaller sizes. Only available in s and xs in store. Really wanted those black ponte pants so reluctantly spent the time to drive to another Costco and bought them there. Another wash between the return and purchase.

I don't want to stand in endless lines to return after Christmas and now I (hopefully) will not have to. I am finished with my shopping and plan to stay away from the B&M stores until well after Christmas (sales).

Also trashed a B&BW shower gel that I received as an early Christmas gift yesterday. It smelled awful!

[Snicks1]

Hello all, I've been MIA on both this thread and in decluttering, lol. Still haven't gotten much accomplished in that area, but have plans for after the holidays. Too much going on right now to even start a project. I content myself with tossing the occasional item when I find it.
The stuff is coming in tho, in waves, haha. It's all either necessities or gifts tho, so it is expected at this time of year.
Hopefully, I will "see" you all in the New Year. Happy Holidays!

[rnmom]

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@aprilskies wrote:

I finally took my last set of donations to the S. Army.  Unfortunately I pulled some things out.  But I have a few days off this week and I will get after some decluttering.  And if not, definitely organizing.  

I did did manage to give a family member a fan I wasn’t using,  It was new, I just didn’t like it.  It was good to get that out. 

I am trying not to bring anymore in but I am having a hard time with that. Maybe after the Christmas season, I will try a very low buy.  Some of these sales have been tough to pass. But I don’t need any of it in reality. 

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@aprilskies - That's nice that you have a few days off this week. I definitely find it easier to declutter and organize when I have the house to myself. Unless of course, I want to work on the kids room, then I need them there. Or hubby's stuff. But as a general rule, I do better alone.

I just got the last of my Christmas shopping done, so hopefully I won't be bringing a lot more items into the house. There are a couple of things that I wouldn't mind picking up, like new dog beds, or a new pair of winter boots, but those are specific things that I want to replace what I already have here that is old and wearing out. I also want to cut back on buying just to buy. 

[rnmom]

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@Snicks1 wrote:
Hello all, I've been MIA on both this thread and in decluttering, lol. Still haven't gotten much accomplished in that area, but have plans for after the holidays. Too much going on right now to even start a project. I content myself with tossing the occasional item when I find it.
The stuff is coming in tho, in waves, haha. It's all either necessities or gifts tho, so it is expected at this time of year.
Hopefully, I will "see" you all in the New Year. Happy Holidays!

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@Snicks1 - Yep, you sound exactly like me right now. Lots coming in, not much going out, and not a lot of time to tackle it either. I have made a bit of unplanned progress with my son's things that he's outgrown, but that's about it.

I hope to make a pass thru the entire house after the first of the year if I can. I don't know how much will be decluttered, but I want to at least organize and see what all we have. 

Our local nature center/overnight kids camp is looking for donations of gloves, coats, boots, towels, washcloths, socks, etc for kids that forget their items at home and need some there. I don't think I have much, but I do have a coat they can have. I want to look thru my winter items this weekend and see if I have any gloves that the kids have outgrown that they can have. 

[RedTop]

Bagged up 17 more catalogs for Fridays trash pickup, and filled the shredder basket half full of junk mail.   

[geezerette]

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@rnmom wrote:

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@aprilskies wrote:

I finally took my last set of donations to the S. Army.  Unfortunately I pulled some things out.  But I have a few days off this week and I will get after some decluttering.  And if not, definitely organizing.  

I did did manage to give a family member a fan I wasn’t using,  It was new, I just didn’t like it.  It was good to get that out. 

I am trying not to bring anymore in but I am having a hard time with that. Maybe after the Christmas season, I will try a very low buy.  Some of these sales have been tough to pass. But I don’t need any of it in reality. 

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@aprilskies - That's nice that you have a few days off this week. I definitely find it easier to declutter and organize when I have the house to myself. Unless of course, I want to work on the kids room, then I need them there. Or hubby's stuff. But as a general rule, I do better alone.

I just got the last of my Christmas shopping done, so hopefully I won't be bringing a lot more items into the house. There are a couple of things that I wouldn't mind picking up, like new dog beds, or a new pair of winter boots, but those are specific things that I want to replace what I already have here that is old and wearing out. I also want to cut back on buying just to buy. 

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@rnmom 

Ooh, I really need to think about a couple of new dog beds too.  The covers can be washed, but the foam inside has gotten smelly.  But decent ones are so expensive for a large heavy dog.

I've started another donation bag.  An old purse and a fall throw that I decided I don't like.  I also have a large pot and a deep frying pan that I don't use just for myself anymore that I haven't decided whether to give to a friend or just take to the donation store.

[Reva]

Shredded lots of old bills, receipts, etc. for recycling pickup.  My DH is a saver and article clipper so I went through some piles and shredded them when he wasn't around.  All were several years old and I know he wouldn't even remember them.  I also brought another bag to AmVets with tops and slacks I haven't worn in a while, and some Christmas items I no longer use.  I get such a high whenever I donate and I have to do it on the sneak because my DH can barely part with clothes that no longer fit him!  We are total opposites that way.

[gidgetgh]

So....this kind of hit me tonight.  

I'm moving exactly 3 weeks from today.  Feels like tomorrow, feels like 3 years from now. Like suspended time or something. Like time has no meaning.

I have lived a pretty clutter free life all my life.  Do I have stuff? Sure. Did my husband have stuff?  Yes, manageable mostly, but too much in the basement. 

I still have a few pieces of furniture I have to get rid of. Taking them with me isn't an option. I have no room for them. I am not going to take them with me and shove them in the garage.  It's just not how I live.  I try really hard to not let possessions control me. I have tried selling these pieces, including through a Facebook Live, which is definitely thinking outside the box.

One of the items is my mom's dining room table and chairs (I AM taking her hutch).  It's a drop leaf table, from 1967.  It also has 2 extra leaves. And all the pads.  Stuff, stuff, stuff.  And it's in really good condition.  And no one wants it, including me, because a lot of people don't do formal dining room furniture anymore and those who do, don't want something from 1967. I totally get that.  I have 3 weeks or a little more to figure out a plan for it and a few other pieces.  

Anyway....

In 2004, I helped my husband clean out his parents house.  Helped him dismantle their lives.

In 2011, we helped my dad dismantle my moms life by doing something with all her things after she passed away.

In 2016, we dismantled my dad's life after he passed away and we got rid of his things.

In 2020, I dismantled my husband's life after he died and I parted with most of his things.  

And now, with this move and substantial downsize, I am kind of dismantling MY life.  Kind of a sobering thought. It is a little emotional to be honest. It is not that I am really attached to these things, it's just the thought that it's now my turn. That I am never again, more than likely, live in a house big enough to have ALL these things. 

I always use the word dismantle because it's like a harsh word. And I mean it that way.  It's hard to clean out other peoples things and dismantle their lives. It is harsh.

So, I have this dining room furniture and a dresser and chest of drawers that I got when I was 12 and in perfect condition and they are in a guest room.   I am struggling with these 3 items.  I have an end table that I couldn't care less about.  I will probably freecycle it. And then I have a sideboard thing that my husband made when we got married in 1991.  I don't want it.  I'm not taking it and no one wants it.  I'll get through all this, but it's hard. 

Anyone want a dining room table and chairs, LOL?