2023 Decluttering Thread

**james.hendrickson** · 04-02-2023, 03:57 PM

Good point - I totally just went into to my email and deleted about a gig of old crapola.

**ua_guy** · 04-02-2023, 04:26 PM

Good reminder, I always liked these threads. We don't typically keep a lot of clutter around, but after many years, it seems like we've ended up with a lot of completely worn out stuff, and a lot of completely obsolete electronics. The electronics are tough...finding places which will recycle the device and also any batteries.

**disneysteve** · 04-02-2023, 04:29 PM

Originally posted by ua_guy View Post

a lot of completely obsolete electronics. The electronics are tough...finding places which will recycle the device and also any batteries.

Before you trash, donate, or recycle, I'd recommend checking their resale value. Obsolete electronics can bring good money. There are a lot of "dead tech" folks out there. Even if the items aren't working, people buy them for parts to keep their own unit running.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 04-03-2023, 09:09 AM

Originally posted by disneysteve View Post

Before you trash, donate, or recycle, I'd recommend checking their resale value. Obsolete electronics can bring good money. There are a lot of "dead tech" folks out there. Even if the items aren't working, people buy them for parts to keep their own unit running.

How do you sell these dead tech?

**disneysteve** · 04-03-2023, 10:36 AM

Originally posted by LivingAlmostLarge View Post

How do you sell these dead tech?

eBay, same way I sell everything else. Or Marketplace if it’s something big that you don’t want to ship.

**crazyliblady** · 04-24-2023, 01:06 PM

Originally posted by disneysteve View Post

It has taken me until April, and took a reminder from scfr, but here's a new decluttering thread for 2023. It's probably a good time to start it as many are embarking on spring cleaning, planning yard sales, etc. We definitely have some work to do around here. I'm hoping to spend a few days in the garage sometime soon now that the weather is milder.

Similar to James, I discarded a bunch of crapola from my email and unsubscribed from a bunch of email lists.

My city is soon having a city wide pickup where someone will come and pick up large items that you can no longer use.

So, in preparation for the city wide pickup, I have been trolling my basement and garage for stuff for the pickup and anything else to discard. So far, I have gathered an old light fixture cover (from about the 1960s or 1970s), some old aluminum siding pieces I use for a gardening project, pieces of an old dining table, and a boxspring.

The city wide pickup will only accept wood furniture, boxsprings, and mattresses. From what I gathered, I will be putting out pieces of an old dining table, a headboard, and a boxspring. I will be putting it out a couple of days early in case someone wants to take it to use. I will take everything else to a domestic violence center or a local thrift store.

I am also going to go through my closet and cupboards to find anything I am not using.

**Thrif-t** · 04-26-2023, 05:41 AM

We got new carpet in 4 bedrooms yesterday, so I purged a lot!! Lots of clothes to goodwill, I decided to get rid of a desk that's been in my bedroom that just basically collects junk and clutter. I went through all the drawers and purged and got what I wanted to keep into one copy box. Giving the desk to my sister. Still in the process of putting the rooms back together (man that is a lot of work) and I'm sure I'll be getting rid of a lot more. But it feels so good!

2 of my kids are out of the house but still have some of their stuff stored in their old closets. I can't wait till they get bigger places and can take their crap out of here!! My one daughter had a note in a box of her stuff that asked me to please not throw it away cause she wanted it.ha I had to laugh, she knows me too well.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 04-27-2023, 03:41 PM

I've been throwing stuff away and consigning more kids clothes. I also returned ski rentals. Next up is cleaning the garage this weekend.

**scfr** · 04-28-2023, 10:11 AM

I haven't posted on this thread for awhile, but the progress at my mom's place has been pretty cool. At some point in the not too distant past she made a breakthrough from a semi-hoarder to someone who ENJOYS and is able to quickly make decisions about giving things away. This is not to say that things are perfect (as we make progress in one area I see other problem areas popping up) but overall it's been a huge shift. She's started coming up with ideas on her own and giving things away to friends between my visits.

**LivingAlmostLarge** · 05-02-2023, 12:10 PM

i sold today for $160 two unused wardrobes from our garage. listed sunday on fb marketplace and gone. i am back parking in garage after our weekend, 5/21 plan is to redo our pantry upstairs and reorganize the kitchen

**disneysteve** · 07-13-2023, 07:04 AM

It's been a while since I posted here. We haven't stopped working on decluttering. My wife and I recently cleaned out a bunch of stuff from under the one dresser in our bedroom. The other day, I finally noticed (not like I haven't seen it a thousand times) that there are two very old cases of vitamin water in the basement, years past their expiration date. I brought up one case and dumped it and recycled the bottles. I'll get to the other case shortly. I dealt with a box of things I had kept from my late cousin's house and got that out of here. I mentioned this on my ebay thread but I started listing a number of things that had just been sitting around waiting to be sold, and I've already sold several of them.

We never managed to have a garage sale in the spring so I'm aiming for the fall now. I'm still accumulating things in the garage for that.

**kork13** · 07-13-2023, 09:41 AM

Originally posted by disneysteve View Post

The other day, I finally noticed (not like I haven't seen it a thousand times) that there are two very old cases of vitamin water in the basement, years past their expiration date. I brought up one case and dumped it and recycled the bottles. I'll get to the other case shortly

FWIW, the "expiration" date for most consumer products is merely a CYA for the company. Your vitamin water probably actually says "best by" or "use by" .... Those dates are merely estimates made by the company after which they can no longer guarantee the quality/freshness of the product.

When (and how) does flavored water expire? Unless the flavors/additives somehow precipitate out of solution, or perhaps light/heat has has deteriorated it somehow, the stuff is likely the same as it was when you first purchased it.

**disneysteve** · 07-13-2023, 10:29 AM

Originally posted by kork13 View Post

FWIW, the "expiration" date for most consumer products is merely a CYA for the company. Your vitamin water probably actually says "best by" or "use by" .... Those dates are merely estimates made by the company after which they can no longer guarantee the quality/freshness of the product.

When (and how) does flavored water expire? Unless the flavors/additives somehow precipitate out of solution, or perhaps light/heat has has deteriorated it somehow, the stuff is likely the same as it was when you first purchased it.

Yeah I understand the Best Buy date. This was sugar-free though and artificial sweeteners do break down over time and not taste right. I don’t know that they’re harmful but you can definitely taste a difference when they go bad. These bottles were dated 2018 so I wasn’t taking a chance.

**scfr** · 07-13-2023, 02:29 PM

The decluttering at my mom's continues. As I've been able to access areas that were previously inaccessible, the need to periodically step outside to take a couple breaths and say the serenity prayer increases. I thought the dust & bugs were gross. Then a couple weeks ago I encountered my first dead & decomposing dead mouse (inside a dresser). I'm earning my good daughter badge for damn sure.

2023 Decluttering Thread