What did you declutter today? 2012 Edition

[snafu]

Mid year is a terrific time to clear out your desk, shred extraneous paper since 80% of the papers we retain are never needed or looked at again. It's all about retrieval, you need to be able to find what you need when you need it, no matter the system you use. Legal documents, tax related and warranties get the highest priorities but experience taught me the rest needs some reason for retention. What do you think?

[My English Castle]

Decluttering Again

Today was a good day for decluttering. I dropped three huge boxes of things off at the charity shop--everything from video tapes to clothes and toys. My goal is 25 boxes of stuff by the end of May. So 3 down, 22 to go. Tomorrow I'll sort through winter hats, gloves, and scarves. If time, I'll start on the Christmas stuff.

[My English Castle]

More Decluttering Yesterday

I freecycled an old bed frame and dropped off a large box at the Salvation Army.
I cleaned out the car and threw a bag of misc junk in there away.
Hooray! More to come!

[disneysteve]

It has been far too long since I've posted

My wife has recently taken up quilting which has brought a bunch of new stuff into the house: material, zippers, accessories, thread, etc. Right now, they are all over the place and we need to start organizing them. That will require that we clean out some other junk and organize our existing storage spaces to accommodate the new stuff.

This morning, I started with our hall closet. It had a random variety of stuff, some good, some not, some needed, some not. So far, I've taken out half a dozen childrens' board games that we no longer want. Those will go to Goodwill, hopefully today. At the same time, I'll also drop off 2 cartons of books that I had packed up in the garage a few weeks ago and never took over. The closet also held a few old cameras that we no longer use. One, the oldest, is definitely going to Goodwill. I haven't checked ebay yhet to see if the others are of any value.

Back to work....

[snafu]

yahoo DS, I hope you'll carry on closet by closet, shelf by shelf, drawer by drawer as you were so motivating.

[breathemusic]

It wasn't today, but I never really check these boards on the weekend. Over the weekend I made a trip to Good Will and dropped off a few boxes of books, picture frames, stuffed animals and all sorts of various things that I've decided to get rid of since I've moved from one bedroom in my group house to another. I hope to get rid of more things and eventually get rid of one of the book shelves in my room that I'm using to store various things. I definitely still have way too much!

[My English Castle]

Little Bits

This morning while trying to get a credit from the phone company, I found my file with utility bills and shredded 12 months worth. I usually try to keep a year's worth of bill stubs to compare energy usage, but there were two years in there. I wasn't sure whether they actually needed to be shredded, but I did. Another bag of DD's outgrown clothes went to a friend, and I combined some half full bottles of mouthwash, shampoo, and vaporub.

I also found a stack of student essays, graded but never picked up. Into the shredder with those too.

I'm very happy with the entry way closet, and hope to get similar results this week in other parts of the house.

[shaggy]

Took everything out of my filing cabinet and put back only what I truly needed. Got a label maker and all new folders. Might do another pass to remove a few things but overall it's great to have it purged.

I also pulled 4 books to get rid of. That doesn't sound like much but I only have ~120 books.

[snafu]

Great job Shaggy!

80% of retained papers are never looked at again; it's all about retrieval! You need to be able to find the paperwork you need when you need it without stress. With Income tax filed and refund deposited to your account, it's a great time to purge papers. You need to keep legal documents, contracts, birth, marriage, DMV, death certificates, Military & SS records, retirement/portfolio purchases and solds. IRS can ask for verifications for 7 years but 3 yrs seems to be their current model. It can be very helpful to be able to verify medical medications and care sometime in the future. It's very efficient to scan records if you have access to a scanner. Keep paperwork for items you believe have potential for dispute. If you've had to dispute billing, you need a paperwork trail.

I suggest simplicity. Rather than get overwhelmed, clear out 10 files each time you sit down to watch TV. The commercials are boring and getting rid of excess paper is satisfying. The kids usually enjoy shredding; the challenge is any part with account numbers or driver licence identifiers.

[My English Castle]

Big Piles of Junk

I'm pleased to report that our recycling bin is now filled with ancient rinsed containers of hotel shampoo, lotion, and a really strange ice cream container full of pine needles, apparently my DD's stab at perfumery or perhaps alchemy. Many half-full bottles were combined, plenty of grungy junk pitched, old magazines recycled, hotel soaps in the donation pile. Tonight I scoured DD's sock drawer for many outgrown socks, tights, etc. Pure delight.

[snafu]

It's so much work to look after too much stuff. Your bathroom is often the smallest room and benefits from a major de-clutter session to have what you need where you need it, when you need it for spring/summer.

BATHROOM: purpose defined as personal hygiene, body functions, grooming. Purge anything that doesn’t contribute to those goals. Invent storage by becoming a space planning strategist. Medicines need a dry, safe location to avoid deterioration. Is there a [linen] cabinet nearby that can hold a box of medicine [RX/OTC]?

Grooming needs good lighting and a mirror. What is your major challenge? Too much stuff results in a cluttered vanity & messy drawers. It's important to purge expired cosmetics + keep in mind colors change seasonally. One idea for hair accessories is an inexpensive, easy to use, clear pocket over the shower rod storage often sold for jewelry storage . Cutlery trays control vanity drawers but empty cereal boxes cut to measure are very effective.

What are your bathroom essentials? An easy DIY way to expand storage capacity in a vanity cabinet is to add vinyl covered wire shelving cut to measure. Add a Dollar Store over-the-door hooks for towels & robes. Store combs & brushes in a vase or Mason jar. Keep a small amount of cleaning products + micro cloths for cleaning mirror, sink/tub/commode, tile & floor. *homemade products are cheaper & safer*

Luxuriating bath: An over commode Etagere or some type of shelving is effective to hold extra tub supplies [shampoo, conditioner, bottles, soap, sponges, brushes, products that resist moisture. You can easily keep your tub deck clear with an over the shower nozzle rack to corral sponges and bath products. Some people prefer to hang these at the back of the tub using suction tabs to stay in place. Kiddies toys stay corralled in a mesh bag hung over the nozzle.

Your vanity countertop needs consistency and you can easily cut visual clutter significantly by using one product line or decant into inexpensive easy to use, large, restaurant squeeze bottles [label to avoid confusion]. Liquid soap in a pump type dispenser is far neater than bar soap. Evaluate shelf life & highlite expiry of cosmetics, sunscreen, OTC products. Assign vanity drawers or a colored basket to each family member for hair, skin, nail products. Hang a mesh laundry bag to keep laundry & wet towels off the floor, limit floor space to a toilet brush canister, tp tower & waste basket.

...just some thoughts

[My English Castle]

yep, more today!

The clerk at the charity shop said hello to me like an old friend today when I walked in with a big bag of clothes and a medium-sized box of other stuff. Two pairs of shoes, a pair of slippers, old sweaters, an ancient denim skirt, DD's outgrowns etc. More to come!

[My English Castle]

yep, more today!

The clerk at the charity shop said hello to me like an old friend today when I walked in with a big bag of clothes and a medium-sized box of other stuff. Two pairs of shoes, a pair of slippers, old sweaters, an ancient denim skirt, DD's outgrowns etc. More to come!