2019 - A Clutter Free Life

Barny1979

Barny1979 wrote: »

948. Paper work recycled including old payslips

949. Tissue paper recycled
950. Recipe book dropped off at friend’s

choille

choille wrote: »

505 - 24 items of make up binned.

507 - 2 of OH's manky jumpers found in shed binned:o

508 - big sack of electric wiring binned.

509 - OOD medicine to be returned to chemist for disposal.

Barny1979

Barny1979 wrote: »

949. Tissue paper recycled
950. Recipe book dropped off at friend’s

951-960. Out of date porridge pots recycled
961. Shoe box recycled

Gem-gem

Hello...
Continue to clear the clutter - 7kg of clothes sold £2.80 made. Unwanted mail; passed on books; used up hot chocolate sachets; turned 4.5kg of tomatoes into tomato passatta;

But...
Mother is downsizing so some additional items have entered the house.

Mrs_Salad_Dodger

1. SMALL TASKS WILL BE DONE ASAP
2. I WILL LEAVE A ROOM TIDIER THAN WHEN I ENTERED
3. KITCHEN WILL BE LEFT CLEAN & TIDY EVERY NIGHT
4. WHEN DEALING WITH CLUTTER I WILL USE ‘Daisy1571’s idea of ‘WHAT WOULD I DO WITH THIS ITEM IF IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE’S ?’
5. IF I WAS STARTING FROM SCRATCH, WOULD I BUY THIS?
6. BE LIKE A POSTAGE STAMP - STICK TO ONE THING UNTIL YOU GET THERE

Sunday has been on & off drizzle all day Cleared down a few more programmes from my planner. I fast forwarded through the motorcycle races but DH watched them all from start to finish. He then went off to Doncaster to pick up a new project on which he won the bid - cannot remember what it is :rotfl: but it will keep him busy when it is raining :rotfl: DSis has spent most of the day in her room watching N*tfl*x. I did manage to weed out the front for 25 minutes in between rain showers :rotfl: The only other thing I did was spend a couple of hours making dinner H*iry B*k*rs Somerset Chicken with boiled potatoes, fresh carrots & fresh green beans. Fed DSis & she thoroughly enjoyed it.
I decided to wait for DH - he got home 10:15 p.m. (having left at 3:15 p.m. ) - the project is a rusty pillar drill :rotfl: I love 💖 my warming drawer :rotfl: - kept the chicken & potatoes warm & then just cooked the carrots & beans whilst DH got changed out of his motorcycle gear (which was needed as he did get rained on ) Dinner was delicious & there is enough for tomorrow night’s dinner :T:T & maybe a portion for the freezer (I know, I know I am supposed to be emptying the freezer ) Now watching SCD - so far I like the safari park lady
Oh & last night watched BGTTC & Simon went up in my estimation as he pushed the Golden buzzer for Stavros Flatley & Son :T:T :j

3386 - 3395 Two drinks cans, glass bottle & metal cap, 3 lots of cardboard packaging, plastic tray, plastic pot, magazine, glass jar & metal lid - Recycled
3396 Bag of kitchen detritus - Binned

Excellent work TC77 :T Yah boo sucks to the neighbour :mad: you gave them plenty of notice but there is no pleasing some people You have my admiration for not rising to the provocation & tidying up & disposing of what was technically their rubbish :T

Well Done: villagelife :T you do know you can count it (after all we won’t know if your DH moves it back into the house :rotfl:) & great work on the mending :T; GreenQueen :T congratulations on the new room ; short_bird :T through the 500 barrier :T; serendipity2706 mending ABSOLUTELY is decluttering . Sounds like your bunnies had very happy lives - old age is the way to go ; you have powered through the 500’s, 600’s & are making short shrift of the 700’s Sa1sysoo :T - absolutely excellent decluttering :T; & Barny1979 - steady progress :T; Gem-gem when can I come round for hm passata - good work on the decluttering :T

Hopefully next week I will actually do some proper decluttering

MrsSD
3396/4038

Teresa_Dunne

Well, I have a workroom, in which I do Warm glass work, stained glass, jewellery making and art.
....last Tuesday a cupboard collapsed right in front of me, blocking the door, it had lots of stained glass in it. It was precariously balanced, so that it would break very expensive art glass either way it fell. So I had to empty it whilst it was it was 90degrees. I managed to get lots of the glass out without it tipping further. Cut a long story short.....all the catelogs I had in there going back years were the heaviest items.....so most are now in the bin.
Lots of glass is smashed, into Mosaics size pieces. So, now I’ve re-evaluated my SG work, there is one project that I want to do (replace the Sg in my kitchen doors) hopefully by Christmas, and the I will get rid of all stained glass and tools & equipment. So ms cherryfudge get rid or they might fall on you too! (Lots of bruises and a split , if you’re asking)

System

I have just discovered there is such a thing, having already decided that that is what I am going to spend the next couple of months doing even though I didn't realise it had a name!!!!!!

I am in in the unfortunate position of having not just one household's collection of "stuff", but the detritus of two sets of grandparents, one uncle, three great aunts, my mum, my dad and myself (things I left at my parents when I left home, like my foreign doll collection and my stamp collection). I just spent the last eighteen months or so clearing my late parents house of all these things (it didn't take eighteen months, but it wasn't exactly my 9 - 5 job!!). The house is now tenanted but my two-bedroomed house, my loft, a rented lock-up and a rented storage container are all full as I couldn't afford the time to go through every single item in every single box although I checked the contents and, in some cases repacked, and then transferred it to an emptier space!!!

I have sold many of the things of obvious monetary value (three tee sets, cutlery, a large mirror vases a couple of paintings and similar items) but most of what is left is either of sentimental value eg aunts' school prizes from 1916, various certificates from education and training from 1918 up to 1960, job applications and job references from a similar time frame (my great aunt visited South Africa in 1922 to visit her late father's grave) and decided she wanted to work there as a teacher (she was already a teacher in UK) and we have all of the correspondence to and from her and a school in Capetown as well as her diaries. She moved back to the UK in the 1950s along with her clutter!!!!!!!!

I can see the value of this Swedish Death Cleaning (as I can see the value of decluttering generally and wish I had better will power to crack on with it) as I know that my son won't be as sentimental about the certificates and school prizes and such as he didn't know any of the family members to whom they relate. I knew all of them. The only person he can really remember is my dad who passed away at the end of 2017 - he doesn't really remember my mum. He does not need to be the person who chucks everything else out. It's not ideal being an only child (I am, and he is) as it's quite a responsibility dealing with other peoples' possessions on your own.

My husband grew up in an RAF family so his attitude is "get a skip", but aside from the sentimental value (and indeed loyalty ………… if successive family members have hung on to paperwork which is now over 100 years old, who am I to bin it) I do feel there will be some monetary value tucked away somewhere too. As I said, the obvious items of monetary value were dealt with early on while I was sorting out probate.

Obviously my own stuff (CDs, books, toys, ornaments and other clutter) is different matter and I shall be looking to get rid of that via Music Magpie, Schpock, charity shop etc. Incidentally, is it just me or are charity shops all getting very snooty and refusing most of the donations because they are "last year" / "wrong colour" ? or they don't have enough storage space. I won't be doing boot sales as they fill me with absolute dread and if I do go I NEVER sell anything

Looking at the extremely long thread on here (which I might one day read in its entirety) I hope to get some inspiration and virtual support from those with more will power and less emotional attachment than I have!

I have promised myself that as a reward I will sit and relax with the 6,000 or so slides, and hundreds of photos dating back to the 1890s. Just need to get it all done before the darker evenings start becoming the lighter ones again. Looking at slides is definitely a Winter pastime.

GreenQueen

"Swedish Death Cleaning"

Mrs_Arthur_Crown wrote: »

I have just discovered there is such a thing

Wish I could thank this one twice. It really concerns me that as parents get older and move on (and out of) life we have gathered more and more of this type of "stuff", and it's much more difficult to decide what is clutter and what is heirloom. My parents in particular were inveterate hoarders. My widowed mum is now nearly 80, and resistant to anything being sorted in her lifetime:sad: - feel that it would be much easier to get some of her input.

I just hope that I can apply the principles to myself, sometimes is do what I say not do what I do!

Siebrie

My parents are doing this, and have for the last 8 years. They started by redecorating the spare bedroom, which is the largest room in the house, and also serves as computer room, study, model train room, and linen cupboard; it's 4x5m, so a very nice size to keep loads of stuff and books. All the books and the shelves have now gone, my Dad sold most of them. The room now has a good double sofa bed, which we sleep on when we visit for a week at a time three times per year, and the odd weekend. Dds sleep on old twin mattresses next to us on the floor.


They started out at a leisurely pace, but have stepped it up when they saw how much time it took, and how exhausting it was, for my Aunt and Uncle when they moved from a 5-bed, 3-floor house to a 1-bed apartment 2 years ago (they started a year before moving to the newbuilt apartment, and were not finished by the time they had to move). For the last 4 years, every time we visit and sometimes over skype, they show me a bagful or boxful of stuff that they want to get rid off (either their own or Aunt's). I can take whatever I like, they will either sell or donate the rest. I think they do one shelf or 15 minutes per week, and it shows.


They are also still helping Aunt relocate stuff; Uncle has since died, and Aunt is now sorting through his stuff. He was Head of a University Hospital Lab, doing research with 250 staff, and had many interests besides (Chinese, atheism, etc). She is grieving, and getting rid, and can only concentrate for about 15 minutes as decisionmaking wears her out.

Blue_Doggy

Mrs_Arthur_Crown wrote: »

I have just discovered there is such a thing ...

... most of what is left is either of sentimental value eg aunts' school prizes from 1916, various certificates from education and training from 1918 up to 1960, job applications and job references from a similar time frame (my great aunt visited South Africa in 1922 to visit her late father's grave) and decided she wanted to work there as a teacher (she was already a teacher in UK) and we have all of the correspondence to and from her and a school in Capetown as well as her diaries. She moved back to the UK in the 1950s along with her clutter!!

Is there a teaching or women’s archive which would like your great aunt’s papers? The 30 years she spent in South Africa must been very interesting.

I can see the value of this Swedish Death Cleaning (as I can see the value of decluttering generally and wish I had better will power to crack on with it) as I know that my son won't be as sentimental about the certificates and school prizes and such as he didn't know any of the family members to whom they relate. I knew all of them. The only person he can really remember is my dad who passed away at the end of 2017 - he doesn't really remember my mum. He does not need to be the person who chucks everything else out. It's not ideal being an only child (I am, and he is) as it's quite a responsibility dealing with other peoples' possessions on your own.

... aside from the sentimental value (and indeed loyalty ………… if successive family members have hung on to paperwork which is now over 100 years old, who am I to bin it) I do feel there will be some monetary value tucked away somewhere too...

I have promised myself that as a reward I will sit and relax with the 6,000 or so slides, and hundreds of photos dating back to the 1890s. Just need to get it all done before the darker evenings start becoming the lighter ones again. Looking at slides is definitely a Winter pastime.

I know where you’re coming from with this, but not the quantity you have to deal with. I’ve spent the last (I won’t say how many but it’s several ) years sorting my parents’ stuff - mostly my Mum’s. If I say that she kept all the birthday, Christmas, Easter and other cards they’d been sent over 50 years of marriage you’ll have an idea of what sort of a collection there was. As you say, the loyalty factor operates, as well as all the reminders of one’s own childhood.

Because I can’t finish the job very quickly, I’ve bought some of those decorative storage boxes to hold partially sorted items. When I identify something but am not ready to move it out or on, I wrap it or put it into a bag, labelled with what I know about it, and then put it into one of the boxes. If it’s still around when I’m no longer able to do any more with it at least the next generation will know what it is.

I have zillions of photos my Dad took on his cycle tours in the 1920s and ‘30s to go through.....