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[Susan Louise]

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@mousiegirl wrote:

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@Susan Louise wrote:

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@Mominohio wrote:

In reading this thread, I had a couple of revelations and things to say.

Many of you know that I have said for several years now, that I will be able to take back control of my home once my son moves out. Well, he did that in October, got himself a rental small duplex, but what is great is that for a 21 year old's first place, it has a basement and a garage! 

I sent over half of his clothes (older home, so he has very small closets) at least 6 big tubs of kitchen wares (truly was able to outifit his kitchen totally for like a family), linens and bathroom items. 

Over the last couple of months, I'm gathering some of his other things, and taking him a laundry basket full about every three weeks or so, as I don't want to overwhelm him, and his space is limited. 

Gave him a sofa, end table, lamps, bench, lawn chairs and some other bigger things, so that kind of stuff is out of my hair. But there is still a lot of things of his that I'd like to see out of here, I just know it would over burden him for the small space he has. But it really had made a difference in my outlook and in the space I have in some areas now, as I've gone through three closets since Christmas day, and a big desk that is in his room and he wouldn't deal with, as well as the dresser in his room. 

@Susan Louise

When you described having several shelves of dishes, I have to say I envied you. I have five very big shelving units (ceiling to floor and very wide) in the basement with extra dishes/bakeware/serveware (and those shelves are stacked full) in addition to a packed kitchen, and an extra hutch in the laundry room full. It is so far out of control (even though it is all organized by pattern and color and season, clean and easy to grab, and most used at least once a year) that I simply bypass it every year when purging as I don't even know where to begin. 

I don't have many clothes, shoes or handbags, no makeup or beauty products, so I guess my excess comes in the form of dishes/bakeware, and home decor! I just keep thinking 100 tubes of lipstick or 25 blouses would store in much less space than the same amout of dishes! LOL

I re organized and purged what I call my blanket closet yesterday. I should have taken before pictures, as everything was in those plastic bags that you suck the air out of (Space Bags), and while I like the fact that things are kept out of the dust and moisture, accessing your things in those, when stacked six or seven high, is simply trecherous! So I bought the newer (but on clearance) extra large Kano boxes and put my quilts and blankets and throws and extra throw rugs in them. Now I should be able to unzip the front to pull out just what I need, and not have to dig and move things, or give up and not use things because the are too hard to get to!

My constant goal is to get all areas of my house, and the things stored in them accessable and easy to use.  I hate to open a cupboard, drawer or closet and have to fight and dig and scratch to get something out, then spend half a day to put it all back once I find what I need/want. 

I want to open up the storage space, and have easy access for obtaining or returning the items I need. Every year it gets a little more like that in more areas!

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@Mominohio  Wow! That is quite a lot of dishes/bakeware/serveware!  The number of storage areas you mention between the 5 wide shelving units, spare hutch, etc alone sounds like it would probably fill up our entire basement.

I think it's all relative to space used and the sq ft in one's home/apt/etc.  

For me, 2 full shelves with high piles of dishes/bowls/serving pieces in our small home feels about the same as your large storage areas in your much larger home. What is the sq ft of your home? Our upstairs living area is just 875 sq ft.

All I know is that just before Christmas I knew I just couldn't stand it anymore. Having the extra 'stuff' makes it so much more difficult for us to set up our tables for growing seedlings/plants for our gardens which I will be starting at the end of next month. DH and I have to move so much stuff as it is from 2 tables we use most of the yr for other things. I use one table for additional food supplies since we have such a small pantry in our kitchen. DH uses the other table for projects he works on in his tiny machine room that is just 4' x 6'. Underneath the table with the food supplies I keep are all the gardening/sowing seeds supplies. Under the other table is all our wild birding & hummingbird feeder supplies.

All of that has to be moved to the other side of our basement. It really is a nightmare to do this when there is just too much stuff. The 'greenhouse' in our basement starts getting set up toward the end of January and stays that way til the last week of April. I'm not able to get the basement 'back to normal' til about June since it takes me about 4-5 weeks to get all the plants hardened off and then planted which takes up most of my time in May.

Here's a pic of what the 'greenhouse' in our basement looked like last Spring on 4/10/2017...a couple of weeks before I put the plants outside before hardening off...

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@Susan Louise  This looks great!  I have a very tall growing lights unit.  Do you grow in the tubs without individual pots?   I have been using the flats holding the little pots for good drainage.  I havn't used mine for years as I usually just put the seeds in the individual pots outside that they will mature in, but want to get an earlier start this year, so DH had better get that rec room finished soon, then I have to get someone to lay the floor, then I can get to seeding.

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@mousiegirl  The beginning stages don't require nearly as many lights of coarse due to the space they take up. DH adjusts/adds the lights set up as needed when the seedlings germinate/grow when he sees what I need as I repot them into the 3" peat pots. There are 24 peat pots per container and there are usually between 12-15 containers by the time I harden them off...so an average of 300+ plants for the gardens.

In the pic below you will see 2 flats/containers with covers with seeds still germinating in the middle...those I had yet to put in 3" peat pots. The other containers show those with the 3" peat pots...4 rows of 6 in each.

[Susan Louise]

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@lucymo wrote:

@Susan Louise  That is an amazing seed starter and growing area.  I can see how it would be great working there.  Almost time to start the new plants and we'll be closer to spring which makes me happy. 

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@lucymo  Thanks Lucy

I find when I am working with anything related to gardening my mood just elevates naturally. When I am potting or repotting I think I feel like someone who makes pottery with their hands all covered and caked in wet clay they are at one with the spinning wheel...and the same with me with my hands covered in dirt/soil, surrounded by hundreds of peat pots and thinking about the wild birds returning.

I guess in a way it's like therapy for the soul. Before I started gardening it used to be crafting/knitting/crocheting/needlepoint that used to give me that feeling.

[Susan Louise]

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@lucymo wrote:

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@GCR18 wrote:

Good job Susan.  You have to get into the mindset and you are half way there.  My taste in decor changed over the last year.  I bought a handful of new items this year that made me take stock of what I have.  Storage space isn't a problem, but I don't want to have more than can fit in the designated area.  My winter goal is to cut back the decor by 1/4.  I want to be able to see everything at a glance.  

Can't part with my valerie square mg pedestals, love them.  I use the brown and champagne often.  The round ones with the mirror on top can go.

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@GCR18 @Susan Louise  I understand that we all have different items that fit into our spaces but our goals are the same, to reduce the overload. It was such a hassle for me to decide what to use to decorate this year so I have stuff everywhere, what I used and what I unpacked but didn't have need for.  So now it's almost time to pack up and I'm determined it won't all go back into storage. It's way colder than it should be so hard to work in the unheated garage this week but hoping to next week.  I do hope we can be better this year than last in the buying vein, me anyway, for sure.

@GCR18, I love those square pedestals too but I have those, round ones, plain ones, sets of three all in several colors, plus ones from other places. I have several sets of clear glass pedestals from other stores, numerous other types of pedestals.  I have to ask myself how many does one woman need. I've lost my mind with pedestals. I recently got Jill's Hobnail pedestals, H215228, in cream to use with the cream Magnolias and the Bronze ones too.  So, I have to part with some of them but not my Valerie square ones. 

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@lucymo  Those square pedestals are wonderful for your home! You have great large spaces and a fabulous diningroom table to put them on. If we had your home I wouldn't get rid of them either.

You have quite the pedestal collection. I remembered seeing Jill's hobnail ones but chose to get VPH's Cardinal/wreath ones instead...the ones with the ole' stink eye I had to fix...LOL

I was going to use them this year but chose the plain white ones for either side of the tv instead. Funny how I totally forgot about them til now, so I bought 5 sets of pedestals this year...not just 4. Feel comforted in knowing you are not alone in pedestal madness! So getting rid of the 6 sets of 3 MG ones and 2 sets of 2 sets of square MG was quite liberating.

Overall my pedestal collection is down to 8...2 natural, 2 white, Cardinal/Wreath, and the 3 sets gold/silver/chocolate of the MG with the inserts....a fairly reasonable amount to be able to change decor out without being overwhelming. I figure I also have the set of 3 VPH trays in white and gold which serve the purpose of lifting/changing heights so absolutely plenty of options in that category!

My Christmas/holiday wreaths are down to just 3...that is HUGE for me! They are H212754, H212806 and from 4-5 yrs ago the H203453 which I still love and use the tree from the same set often. I only have 2 Fall wreaths I have been using for several yrs now...so 5 all together. I don't put up wreaths for Spring/Summer.

I have also found that by taking pics every year of the set up of all the decor from season to season, I have an easier time of letting go of some things. I keep them all organized by year/season in a folder on my desktop making it easily accessible too.

For example, having a pic I took of when I decorated with the large Dicken's Caroler's cloche, it helped me to let go of all 3 of the cloches. Even though I never used the church cloche, having the great small white wooden church this year which I love (and see myself using for many years) it became an easy purge.

As you mentioned, we all have different things to purge, but I hope I gave you some ideas on what might help in the process of letting go. Truly, taking pics is really great because it allows you to still see the piece without taking up prime real estate

[Susan Louise]

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@SunValley wrote:

@Susan Louise It’s a grueling process but oh so worth it. Good luck. Sounds like you have a plan. That’s half the battle. Lol

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@SunValley  Grueling is right! LOL  Later today I'm making one last drop off to Goodwill for the year. Have you completed your purging? or are you able to keep up with the maintanence throughout the year?

[jeanlake]

@lucymo  I think half the population are collectors, because they're comfortable with that and the other half get nervous when stuff piles up, because they're uncomfortable with that. It helps that my dad was military, neat as a pin, and a machinist - who freaked out around clutter. His psychology used to drive me nuts, but as an adult -- I'm a milder version of him. When he passed, his apartment was so easy to clear out. (Thank, dad) Husband's first five years were on grandparents' big farmhouse in Arkansas. Lots of outbuildings, lots of clutter bug stuff. We've been managing our differences for 38 years.  The big Compromise.     

[SunValley]

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@Susan Louise wrote:

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@SunValley wrote:

@Susan Louise It’s a grueling process but oh so worth it. Good luck. Sounds like you have a plan. That’s half the battle. Lol

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@SunValley  Grueling is right! LOL  Later today I'm making one last drop off to Goodwill for the year. Have you completed your purging? or are you able to keep up with the maintanence throughout the year?

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@Susan Louise It’s easier if I purge/reorganize periodically throughout the year. For example, it’s easier for me to declutter Christas when it’s all pulled out and actually used. I know what I need to donate or toss. Less tiring too.

[phoenixbrd]

@Carmie  Sounds as if this house was for sale.....they are not doing themselves any favors with the clutter.  If I was going to sell my house, the first thing would be to downsize drastically furniture and collections (which I've done quite a bit).  When I looked at that photo, I thought how easy it would be to just go to each wall and fill boxes with all the "stuff".  Then call Vietnam Vets for a pickup.  So much easier to do when it is someones else's clutter!

[mousiegirl]

@Susan Louise  About gardening, I always say that it feeds my soul.

[phoenixbrd]

@Susan Louise  I love your growing space!  You must have a bountiful garden! 

[Carmie]

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@phoenixbrd wrote:

@Carmie  Sounds as if this house was for sale.....they are not doing themselves any favors with the clutter.  If I was going to sell my house, the first thing would be to downsize drastically furniture and collections (which I've done quite a bit).  When I looked at that photo, I thought how easy it would be to just go to each wall and fill boxes with all the "stuff".  Then call Vietnam Vets for a pickup.  So much easier to do when it is someones else's clutter!

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Pretty much the whole house was like this and yes, it was for sale.  The house had many antiques.  I am sure they were worth something to the homeowners. They probably paid a good amount of money for it and I doubt they would just donate it.

Personally, if the house was in a location closer to the Lake we hang out on all summer long, I would not let the clutter stop me from buying the house.  The garage of this home had stuff packed from the floor to the ceiling.  They are probably moving because they need a warehouse for their possessions.

i’d hate to have to pack up all that stuff and move it.  It would be my worst nightmare.  I hate to move.  We have only owned one house before the one we are living in now. We are looking for another, but I won’t need to move all my stuff.  I will just buy new stuff for the summer home o and have it delivered and probably take some items from my prime residence there and get new stuff for home.