Declutter 2021 Challenge

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floridacatlover
Posts: 8038
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

MackerelCat wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:21 pm I'm stuck in the office during lunch (again) and was entertaining myself by looking up estate sales in the city this weekend. There was one house that actually gave me anxiety looking at it. It was a living estate sale, meaning the folks were cleaning out their home, and they apparently had held onto almost everything they'd bought since before the 1970s.

It is a huge house and the stuff is neatly arranged, as it's being done by an estate sale company, but it's just an unreal amount of ... thoughtless purchasing. Now I have the urge to go home and clean out cabinets. Gah.
In talking about decluttering the other day, my friends and I were talking about a former exec at our company. We used to go to her Christmas parties. Not that the things were old, but every surface in the entire house was full of every chachkie you can imagine - all expensive of course and beautifully arranged. She loved the Southwest U.S. Every wall was covered with photos not of her family but of her with well known people in our area. (She had a housekeeper to do the dusting - of course!) I always returned home thinking I really didn’t have clutter after all - at least compared to her.
floridacatlover
Posts: 8038
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

I decluttered my old basket “office” and got rid of 95%. I did find a few things of “value” (at least to me). Second passport (wish I looked that good now!), documents from headstone purchase for a single uncle who lived here in Florida, couple of sentimental items from work including my old badge, few notes from my mom, the Canadian money.

On the same shelf there were two empty Craftsmen tool bags that I put in the donation box.

I also decluttered (threw away) more from my bathroom.
ChristmasTrees
Posts: 3960
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 12:53 am

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by ChristmasTrees »

MackerelCat wrote: Tue Apr 20, 2021 1:21 pm I'm stuck in the office during lunch (again) and was entertaining myself by looking up estate sales in the city this weekend. There was one house that actually gave me anxiety looking at it. It was a living estate sale, meaning the folks were cleaning out their home, and they apparently had held onto almost everything they'd bought since before the 1970s.

It is a huge house and the stuff is neatly arranged, as it's being done by an estate sale company, but it's just an unreal amount of ... thoughtless purchasing. Now I have the urge to go home and clean out cabinets. Gah.
Mackie..every time I see a show or magazine with a lot of stuff..I want to declutter...and I don't have a cluttered house!
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MackerelCat
Posts: 7226
Joined: Thu Aug 27, 2015 9:44 pm

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by MackerelCat »

Trees, I used to sometimes watch "Hoarders" and would jump up the second the credits rolled and start cleaning like crazy.

Trying to live in a house where every surface is covered in stuff, even if it was nice stuff, would make me a nervous wreck. I like room to clean and space between objects.
Mackie
HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by HappyDaze »

I did a bit of decluttering yesterday. I know, I love to say that I "don't have clutter" but I got a bee in my bonnet and decided that I did.

I had some candles that had burned so low, they would no longer light - put them in the freezer, popped the wax out, scrubbed the glass containers and put them in the recycling.

I had two decor pieces that said "welcome" - one when you first come in my back door - and another when you come through the second door. I decided that saying "welcome" once is enough and got rid of one.

A sugar bowl I never use went to the yard sale box and I eliminated an entire book shelf from the great room area. Three books went the way of the yard sale box, along with an ice cream scoop and an old grater.

I save my glass peanut butter jars for food storage, etc. but put 4 of those into the recycling because I had too many. I tossed a rubber scraper that was stained and "chipping" and a few random items that had found their way to the "junk drawer."

I'm happy to say that my junk drawer now contains only a stapler, box of staples, 2 rulers, a roll of tape, batteries, a calculator, a candle lighter, and stamps.

I tossed a dried up bottle of mod podge from my craft drawer.

I found 4 brand new tubes of "holiday scented" lotions that came from Bath & Body Works (got them as an office gift) that I had put into a basket in the bottom of my free standing cupboard and a couple of forgotten craft projects that I started and didn't finish.

I eliminated an entire book shelf of "decor" from the great room area and now DD is using the book shelf for her pantry or books or something, I'm not sure. Interestingly enough, it is the book shelf she had in her bedroom as a child.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
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Jackielou
Posts: 13395
Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Declutter 2021 Challenge

Post by Jackielou »

I did manage to fill another donation bag with items from my sewing/craft room. I will be in there again today and will be organizing/decluttering more.

This puts me up to 140 items gone from my house...Hopefully a few more will be out the door very soon.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
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