August 2020 to Jan 2021 Declutterfest
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SummerSkier wrote: »so now you will for SURE find your missing iron!!!
🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣😂🤣
But...but... it has a digital screen.... LOL
Um the old one leaked?
🤣
Yep, I know! And, bad news, I’ve decided to keep the old one when 😂 we find it for when the new one breaks or for messy ironing of eco-dyeing etc haha
I swear I can think of multiple reasons to keep anything
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PS those were my first purchases except for another book since May 14, 2020 (a really nice side benefit of decluttering is more careful purchasing lol)
Our spending is dramatically down from last year: no commute, not eating out, grabbing lattes, etc. happy about that!1 -
Decluttering Update:
A few minutes here & there add up!
Inspired by @nebslp I have been Whack-a-moling my emails on old work laptop. Is that ever freeing!!!?!! I still have another one to do after this, but “slow & steady wins...“
60 mins over 4 days
1) We got pretty unusable, overhead storage space emptied out in kitchen , moved all toilet paper, tissues, paper towels there. Bulky but won’t knock us out if we pull them down on us 😳 10 mins
2) Moved a bunch of plants to more beautiful spaces. Husband agreed to keep front entrance totally empty - so will take some more rearranging but we are 1/4 down & now have a beautiful orchid (which has a bud that I had it noticed!!) with glowing orange LEDs on fake branches - gorgeous at night
5 mins
Was trying to find a good place for my stamp collection albums & walked by an OLD small entertainment storage unit. Looked inside. Two, not 1, slide projectors haha SLIDES!!! Haha and a bunch of boxes of slides in disarray on top shelf. Moving all that to memorabilia/photo area...cleaning & will house art supplies & stamps etc in the unit. PS we probably haven’t even opened that unit in15 years & haven’t used a slide projector in 20?!!
10 mins to empty/clean, move items
Husband set up electrical work station in his office, using old desk that was my sewing area. I cleared out some work stuff that was stashed in dining room.
20 min total
This sounds like a lot typed, but most of these are quick jobs.
Carry on! Have fun! Maybe pick one item you love & place it by your bedside, your journaling area, where you sip your tea/coffee? Little things can make us much happier!!
Hugs,
Maddie 💞1 -
Gosh yall have been busy! It's funny how even tho they are quick jobs you really can get a lot accomplished in just 15 minutes. I finished up the old gallon of paint today but I did go on line and order a new can delivered from Home Depot which arrived today. Just in time for me to continue my 15 minute work tomorrow morning. I probably have 2 more days to finish up this line of fence completely and then I have one other section to do. Then I will seal it all up and put the tools away and save it for years from now when I replace boards etc...
here is yesterday and today where I only touched up a little as the stain was about used up. Funny but my Aug I will and the declutter and the manic Monday stuff are all jumbling together in my brain this week.
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Hi! Great progress everybody👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 I’m going to show one section of my sewing room before/after pics but don’t know how to combine them. I’ll try though! I did that Straightening up in early aug. I have 3 other sections I’ll post sometime. The before Was pretty bad, but I had been busy with sewing projects And had little crafters here with me. Wish I could say it still looks like that but I have been making masks and things happen🤷🏻♂️
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Oh MADDIE!!! I think we found your iron!!!!!
seriousy tho what a tremendous improvement @nebslp what a pretty and well organized sewing space you now have!
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SummerSkier wrote: »Oh MADDIE!!! I think we found your iron!!!!!
seriousy tho what a tremendous improvement @nebslp what a pretty and well organized sewing space you now have!
Hahagaga
GO @nebslp WOW! ‘Tis the story of the creative : Make/Create, Clean/Re-Organize, REPEAT!!!
Ditto for anyone working with little ones!!
Congratulations!!1 -
ok - that's how I will introduce my home to beling. The creative household. complete with cats. 0
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LOL! My iron probably cost all of $10, probably a Black Friday special! I keep looking for the nice kind that are on all of the quitling tutorials but they're very pricey and I, on the other hand, am somewhat cheap!!! Oh, I meant to say frugal
@MadisonMolly2017 I hope you love your new iron. I've never seen one with a digital screen. What will they think of next!?!
I was glad I posted my pictures because this morning I looked around and thought "it looks like I've been going crazy again on my cutting table and the floor around it". Remembering how it looked all picked up made me decide to put things back in their spot. It took less than 5 minutes and I felt like I had accomplished a huge deal! Aha! I believe I'm formulating a new goal for next month
I am officially below the 100 mark on my emails. I 3-hole punched all of the ones I kept and filed them in my gigantic 3 ring binder. They go back to '98 and I got teary eyed just reading a few of them. Great memories, maybe some not so great, but they are my life.
@MadisonMolly2017 Not only does your decluttering sound like a lot, it IS a lot! I bet you love looking around and opening all those cupboards now. Organizing is such great fun once you figure out a system that works. I put my tiny Iceland cup in the bathroom now and enjoy seeing and using it every day, as well as a ceramic bird that I got in Majorca last summer. It makes no sense to buy things on a trip and put them away. Get them out and enjoy them! Same goes for pictures, something that I will be working on soon.
@SummerSkier TY. Did your new paint match up with the old? (fingers crossed).
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It matched!!!! 👏🏼👏🏼
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@SummerSkier looks like a perfect match. What a nice looking fence you have😊0
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This week is going by so quickly. And so many wonderful posts for me to read tonight!
@SummerSkier, your fence is turning out so nicely. You certainly did a lot of hard work. 15 minutes at a time! I didn't know that HomeDepot delivered paint also! The fence is looking really great! I love the trees and your grass is looking good!
@nebslp, your sewing room is beautiful and all tidy! Well done indeed!! I really like your window and the slanted ceiling in the room. I miss having windows framed with wood.
Yay for you having your emails below the 100 mark!! I'm working toward that, as one of my digital decluttering intermediate goals.
@MadisonMolly2017, good for you for fixing your sewing machine. YouTube is so incredible for everything we can learn how to do, or fix. I just read in our little neighborhood newspaper the other week that the demand for sewing machines have skyrocketed and shops are having difficulty keeping them in stock. The place that is well known around here for repairs of sewing machines reported that it has a waiting list for repairs and checkups on machines that have not been used for years until now with more people at home and wanting to get back to sewing. So that is great that you fixed your machine yourself!
How cool is that that even irons have a digital screen now! LOL I just now checked to make sure that I know where my iron is now. During spring 2019 Decluterfest I moved it to a new home and hoped that I actually remembered where it was. I haven't used it in a long time obviously 😏. I used to use it a lot.
Good use of those practically unusable high up storage spaces. That was funny, but true. about that TP and paper towels won't knock you out if they tumble down 😂.
Good job on all the mini declutter/reorganizing projects that you have blitzed through!
August 10 and 11th. I decluttered both counters on either side of the sink. I stashed the juicer in another storage area to get it off the counter and out of sight. It had become a permanent fixture even though I haven't used it in quite awhile, as a matter of habit and no longer useful there. At least for now.
I went through each cabinet and drawer on sink side. The left side upper cabinet with dishes/ glasses / mugs had been decluttered spring 2019 and nothing new has jumped in there so all was good. The lower cabinet is the "tupperware" plastic and mixing bowels cabinet. That also has remained tidy and in order since I learned how to store each piece with its lid on. This not only keeps order but severely limits how much can be stashed there. It has maintained itself for over a year now! The right side of the sink upper and lower cabinets hold a variety of things and so I decluttered some, but mostly reorganized.
My main work was done under the sink, which is mostly cleaning supplies. So I took everything out and looked for older product that I really don't use anymore or got pushed to the back. I found a few, so I used them up on a little cleaning spree. Then reorganized. I also went through the cleaning supplies under both bathroom sinks and did some more extra cleaning to use up almost empty containers and was able to declutter empty packages. I straightened up all 3 cleaning supply areas.
The kitchen drawers were also not in need of any reorganizing this year. Except the one drawer where address books (there should be only one 🙄) are kept and some small tools. That drawer is actually a paper project, which will happen at a later date. The tools are minimal so they are ok.
I worked on emails once this week so far. About 150 ish left.
All of the 'stove side' of the kitchen's cabinets/ drawers have remained tidy since I did a major declutter/ reorganize in spring 2019.
Last month I had given some really nice kitchen things to my neighbor that I decided in spring 2019 that if I never used them in the next year they would be decluttered. And so they were! Why do I keep something just because it is really nice, even if it was useful for only once or twice, or sometimes not at all, and bought it because I was tempted at a Pampered Chef party lol. She loves PC also and she was totally delighted to receive them. She enjoys cooking/ baking. Which I don't so much. So win-win on that give away
August 12 and 13th, I've been working on the storage area between the kitchen and the back door. I folded the kitchen towels that were recently washed and put them where they belong. Then I cleared out left side of the bottom shelf. This is where I now store the juicer and I found a place for the coffee maker as well, as it is not used often at this time. The paper cutter and hole punch had been stored there since the days when the children used it a lot for school or art projects. They are now in the 'Little Room' which is my creative space. I'll find a home for it when I get to that area. The Little Room is an area that definitely did not remain decluttered or tidy since last Declutterfest 😁🤣.
The right side of the storage area is used for some outdoors/yard things. I'm still working on that side. Most of it will just go back in and/or more than likely some things will be stored back in the garage since I'm finaished out there. My little part of the garage for yard/ garden has already been decluttered/ reorganized. That will be tomorrow's work.
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This is such a fun thread. The fence is pretty old so upkeep will hopefully keep it another 10 years. I am slowly learning after being in this house since '91 that a little maintenance can go a long way towards saving money. I only wish I had know that earlier as I ended up spending a LOT of money on the garage and the outside rotten boards etc in previous years. But I am not really cut out for hands on type stuff. Or maybe I just don't like it. LOL.
And now I have had to check my irons also. Which I rarely use. Last time maybe in 2018. AHA! I have 2. One is cordless and one is old fashioned and both are in my junk room which is a project for another year. OMG!!!!!
ANyway, I think anyone who joins this conversation from now on will need to tell us about their irons as a rite of passage.
Maddie we will need a picture of the digital iron when you get it!
TxGardner Marie, I am laughing about your under the sink decluttering. I did a MASSIVE one a few months back in the bathroom because OF A LEAK!!!! And the entire base broke thru. Quite ugly but I think that counts as decluttering even if it was an emergency. And I fixed the leak myself which was just a valve that had come loose. Quite proud of that because even my neighbor was not able to help.
Nebslp, meant to tell you that I notice the same thing about myself as far as trying to KEEP things neat once I finally get them that way. Glad your sewing room is keeping up. My kitchen table I decluttered last year and so far it has stayed quite pristine. My dining room table tho. OMG. That is another one for 2021 perhaps. WHo knows.
When I was married my ex used to declutter things in this manner. Take EVERYTHING THROW IT IN A BOX AND PUT IT IN THE GARAGE. It friggin drove me nutz. Like a whirlwind and all the "stuff" never to be seen again.
OK - time to quit chatting and get on with my morning.
SummerakabON1 -
FENCE IS DONE!!!! OK I still have one little panel on the other side of the house to do tomorrow (5 boards) but this project will be a wrap soon.
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@texasgardnr
I had typed a response right after you posted & it got “eaten”
WoW woW woW
I can not believe how much you got done!!!’
Look at how much of what you decluttered before remained decluttered!! That’s the Real WIN!!
You’ve inspired me! I can’t wait for your next update!!!1 -
@SummerSkier (aka bON)
My husband has a tendency to do the boxed-out-of-sight out of mind thing but what I’ve realized is he wants to declutter in his own. So he’ll go into the garage or a closet & clear stuff our 10-20 mins. He’s definitely making great progress over time!
Dining room table!
Yeah, basically when I have space like that now, I just analyze what’s on it. Categorize what I don’t trash, recycle, or return to existing storage place.
That gives me an idea of the files, storage spaces, etc. that I need to create. Sometimes, I look through a file drawer to see what I can toss to make room for more recent needs/interests. Ditto storage areas.
Or you could go through in categories - one per month!
Or, mark it off like an archeological dug, and do 1/12 per month! 🤣
I’m a big believer in little wins!!
Or just leave it to 2021😂😂😂😂😂0 -
My Declutterfest Update:
Spent most of my time Re-organizing my art studio storage drawers. Since it’s all in a room & a half & since I’ve been using it 2 years, I’m improving the locations & groupings of items.
And I used the iron - works like a dream. So excited I forgot to take pics! Will send next time!
While doing g that I moved most of sewing / measuring tools to just under the ironing/cutting space!
Also brought down all fabric from old location (had backup supply there) still figuring out where to place.
Set up one area of drawers for “ways to attach” things. Glue, tape, clips, brads, snaps, wire, clay..
I’m enjoying laying out areas by function more or ex:
Texture making tools
3-D Things to use in collage
We are stalled in our earlier decluttering mostly due to heat & new shelving delivery is delayed.
Oh, and I bought 2 bras. Now have ordered a few more (sone sports bras) since I exercise a lot every day. Still not sure I have all the sizes right, but it’s done for now!!!
Next up: more shorts. I own one pair. LOL0 -
<pout,snivel,whine> no iron pics.
I have a suggestion for the sports bra if you don't like the ones you ordered online. well never mind. The brand I bought a few years back underarmour seamless appears to be no longer made. I had to buy a "large" which is strange but inflated sizing I guess.
Hope decluttering is going well for everyone. Interesting about laying areas out by function. I work with manufacturing groups and have for a long long time (since the 80's) and it is interesting to watch how the support structure changes over time and then changes back and then changes again. Sometimes you want to scream "um don't you remember that did not work" but c'est la vie.
lunchtimepostingitis0 -
Hi! Finally catching up here. You are all working your hinies off! It's a great feeling to look around and see what you've done, isn't it!?
@texasgardnr Kudos for keeping some of your kitchen cabinets/drawers organized since the last time you worked on them. Those seem to be easier to keep in order than those "little rooms" (creative spaces). For some reason they seem to be very high maintenance areas!! Maybe because it's easier (and safer) to fling little fabric and pattern pieces around than it is to fling silverware (lol)!
@SummerSkier Your fence looks amazing! Methinks you may be becoming one of those "hands on" people yet after hearing about the sink fix and seeing your fence skills.
@MadisonMolly2017 It makes perfect sense to group things in functional locations. Sometimes I get so used to things being in certain areas things that they stay where they are out of habit. Instead, I should do some creative thinking as to how to make it easier to locate/use different items. Hmmmm! And, by the way, the only bra better than a sports bra is NO bra...LOL!!!
I continue to work on keeping my emails below 100. I missed yesterday and opened it up today to 40 new emails. Now those are gone and I'm down to 78 (at the moment...it won't last long!) I also spent two part days going through our retirement papers and making a chart starting in 2006. Next I have to call the financial planner with questions. I guess next is actually making sure I have a list of all of the questions I need to ask before I call. Why are there so many steps to everything?!?! Then it will be on to picture organization, a HUGE task so it feels very daunting. I have a chart made up to help me keep track of what I've done with my digital photos. I looked up how many images I have and my computer said over 31,000 but I don't think that's possible...is it
And there are the physical photos to deal with as well, but I have a muddled plan in my mind that I will work through. I can't think about it right now. 0
