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Forum THE LOUNGE De-clutteirng…exhaustion doesn’t cover it!

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    • MimzMum
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        I’ve got about a week here that just me and my daughter will have some extra time to de-clutter our house. But the mess is so enormous that I just look at it and get depressed. Right before my son returned to college, he went through his own room and was supposed to toss out a bunch of stuff…of course it really just wound up getting reorganized and put back where it was, only slightly neater. >.<

        I know the idea of using two sets of boxes; one to keep and one to toss…plus I’m trying to think of how lovely it would be to have more space for bonding bunnies. Still, it’s so hard to feel like I’m making progress when just cleaning out one room tends to make it seem more cluttered than it was if I’d left it alone.

        I feel like I’m trying to eat the whole elephant in one bite here…but little bites make me feel like I’m not getting things accomplished. Plus snow will be here soon. >_< What do you folks do to keep yourselves inspired during a large chore like this? (Besides jars of coffee...)

        BTW, if it seems like I’m not online much for a few days, this is why. (Plus my computer is giving me grief and sounds like it’s about to give up the ghost.) Naturally I’ll try to pop in to see what you all have posted here. ^_^


      • RabbitPam
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          I’ve been feeling a bit of the need to declutter lately also. With the breakdown of electrical things like TV and computer, I started the shifting of stuff, and that led to the Goodwill Bag. It’s daunting.

          You can use the moving day approach: pick one room to be sanctuary, and thoroughly clean and declutter it first. Usually it’s a bedroom, but it can be a livingroom or the place where you hang out the most to relax, even the kitchen. The idea being you have one room finished. You can leave the mid-mess of the project to rest in there until you do it again the next day. It really does help.

          The other thing is that the Out box has to go ALL the way out. It becomes part of the pile if not. So even if you stack the goodwill boxes in the truck and throw a tarp over it for protection until you drive into town, do it. And one box? Hahahahahaha. Get several ready.

          Clear floor space does wonders for feeling less cluttered. So if it stays, it goes on a shelf, in a drawer, or in a closet. The floor only holds the legs of furniture or bunny cages. Otherwise, get it up or out.

          Label boxes of Keep stuff, close, and stack in storage if they are sentimental but not in use. Put away out of sight. The next piece of the project in the future is going through those boxes to see if you still love it 1-3 years from now. I am at that stage actually, now that I don’t have to move.

          A family member has a 3-year rule for clothes. It works. If you haven’t worn it in 3 years, it’s goodwill or trash. If it was when you were at a different weight,  then if you “get back to that size” you will want to treat yourself to new clothes to celebrate, not wear that old thing. Also in 3 years it is out of style. If it’s a classic, wash it and put it with your daily clothes and wear it now. If it’s strictly sentimental, put it in a bag or box and store it away. If it’s got stains or holes but you love it, rip it and put it into the rag bag. Clean the surfaces with it after you’ve decluttered.

          Don’t be afraid to pass up Goodwill or the equivalent if you can’t get there. Throw things in the trash. The amount of trash you create vs. the amount of space you free up is worth it. There are others who dumpster dive, who salvage and find down the line who will spot something worth rescuing. But the choice of having a big Donations box around or clearing it out IS an option. If it’s wood, cloth or cardboard, it’s biodegradable so it’s not so bad.

          Don’t let the household Hoarder hover. Make him leave. Do NOT let him see the trash or go through the Goodwill boxes later. Do not wait to do that yourself. If it’s a good decision and gone, Make it GO OUT IMMEDIATELY. All the way out. You’d be amazed how easily you will forget the thing but not the memories.

          Here’s what takes the longest: the “oooh. I remember this. Let me tell you about the time we….” (*sits down amidst piles and reminisces about when it was bought, used or worn.*) Resist this urge!!!! The best way is to ask a good friend to work on this with you. They hold up a piece to show you, you can only say Yes (keep it) or NO (it goes out) and They Move On. If you start to talk about it, they set it aside, tell you to shut up, but MOVE ON.
          Your daughter can actually do that for you, and you for her.

          If you can finish 2 rooms completely in a week, you’re superman and deserve champagne.
          Good luck.


        • Sarita
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            Pam has some good advice.

            I started decluttering about 3 years ago and am still decluttering. It does take time and it takes a commitment to declutter. I am lucky that I have a few organizations that will pick up stuff from my home – they come usually once a month and that has helped me tremendously – but I also have a goodwill close that if I ever wanted I could drop off there. I am much more inclined to donate than toss too. Even weird stuff like a bunch of buttons that came off clothes (you know those extras) – I put those in the charity box.

            I agree in the beginning it’s daunting – but you have to remember it won’t take one week to clear out the clutter. Just do a little at a time and quit buying stuff to replace it – that’s important too.

            Once I got the big declutter done and MM this doesn’t happen in one week or one month – take your time but do something at least daily. If you have a box to give to charity put one item a day in there – no matter how small. Keep that box going. It was hard for me too at first but I’ve kept up the momentum and each day that I see more “white” space in my house, the happier I have become.

            I think what inspires me about this is the idea of all the freedom I will have once the clutter is gone. It motivates me. Freedom from dusting around a bunch of nick nacks. Freedom from just worrying about all the stuff I have. It’s so liberating to just have what you need and try to find inspiration in doing things instead of owning things.

            I’m kind of down to the end of my decluttering, most likely still have a good year to get where I really want to be, but I am happy with my progress. And the less I have, the less I want.

            There are alot of inspirational blogs that I read too that have helped me.


          • Sarita
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              Here are some of the blogs that I find inspirational:

              zenhabits.net/

              http://www.smallerliving.net/vicblogs/

              simplerabbit.com/

              rowdykittens.com/

              unclutterer.com/

              The Zen Habits one is excellent – I highly recommend this one.  I really like Simple Rabbit too – she doesn’t post alot but her posts are very inspirational.

              Good luck in your quest for decluttering and freedom – just take your time – you didn’t accumulate all your stuff in one week and you won’t declutter it in one week.  But once you get going you will be inspired to keep going.


            • kralspace
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                Hang in there Mimzmum, that’s a very hard job you’ve set for yourself.

                They are right, if you can get just one room done so you have a place to zone out and enjoy how nice it is, you’ll stay inspired to keep going. Over the last 10 years my house got stuffed to the brim with everything from my parents, stuff my daughter wanted to leave there once she moved out, you name it, it was in my house. My house is around 80 years old so you know what few closets there are are tiny.

                Some items like all my dad’s early 50-60s movie cameras, projectors etc were hard to deal with. They’re sentimental, but not things I want and he would have killed me if I just gave them to Goodwill or the trash.

                I began listing items on the local Freecycle board and giving them away. Outside of the always greedy who try to get everything listed with rude “I want that, where are you so I can get it” I also got dozens of emails of people telling stories about how they have boxes of films and movies and have never seen them because they don’t have the equipment. You can pick someone who will really appreciate what you’re offering and not have the feeling that you just ‘got rid of it’. I wound up giving most of the movie equipment to a guy who was willing to let the others bring their film over to watch it.

                It really helps you to turn loose of things like that when you have someone else who will appreciate it. Some just post “curb alerts” and anything you put out gets taken…lol

                Sarita sent me the Simple Rabbit site, it’s good reading!


              • Monkeybun
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                  This is something I need to do as well… we’ve been in this apartment for a year and a half.. and we still don’t have everything unpacked and put in its home lol. Brittany can tell you lol. It’s a disaster zone, especially the computer room. Must… clean….


                • LoveChaCha
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                    My dad and I are trying to declutter as well  We might be/will be/possibly moving if the house passes inspection!!  The people are almost done with the house and I’m locked upstairs in my room (they already did upstairs). We dropped off some stuff today at donation and my dads bumper got scratched up on his new car Stupid bad parking!!

                    MIMZ, IS THAT A POKEMON ON YOUR AVATAR?

                    Monkey, my apartment I shared with my mom was really really really messy. It took forever to get rid of stuff before I moved. I felt SO overwhelmed, but I had people that my mom knew – to help organize/throw away stuff.. I couldn’t do it alone.. OMG


                  • Monkeybun
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                      Hope it goes well today Britt!


                    • LoveChaCha
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                        Thank you. I’m not sure when or if the family still wants it.. I think my dad and I are going to get the notice next week sometime. The family is already approved for the house, which makes the process a lot faster. If the house sells, my dad and I have a move in date at the apartment

                         

                        I hate organizing  The new apartment will help so much.


                      • mocha200
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                          really briit? i love it!


                        • Beka27
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                            I know you want this Mimz. This has been a common thought from you in the 2-3 years I’ve known you. Do it for yourself, and for the bunnies. There’s nothing in the world like watching them zoom thru the house, doing binkies all the way. They can’t do that in a cluttered house. Feel free to post updates. I want to know how you proceed.

                            Where are you starting, and why? Can you start in the most functional room and work your way back?


                          • bunnytowne
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                              Gosh I wish I could get hubby to throw stuff out.   To him cleaning up decluttering means re arranging too.

                              Had a flat tire the other nite.  He has so much junk in his truck he couldn’t find the tools for the jacks.  We called a friend not too far and he came to help.

                              while waiting hubby took lots of stuff out of his truck and asked me to pick what he should keep so I did.   I thought alriight finally. Getting rid of stuff.

                              Hmpf woulnd’t you know it he put everything back in the truck.    I fall over in shock

                              I thought he had finally learned his lesson but nooooo.   Gosh Well his garbage not mine. Let him deal with unloading it all and then putting it back in. 

                              Not my problem.


                            • MimzMum
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                                OMG, everyone, thank you for your encouragement and great advice! ^_^ My eventual goal is to be as spartan as possible and still be comfortable. We don’t need to get down to only four walls and a floor, but…hmm…actually, that would be terrific! lolz…

                                Brittany, yes, that’s a Pokemon from Black/White…it’s a Yorkshire Terrier type CANYOUBELIEVEIT? My daughter and I haven’t stopped giggling about that, since we’ve had Jenna for about 5 months now and it looks just like her! It’s one of the few new Pokes that is decent looking. ^_^ I think they must’ve allowed a bunch of kids to design the new lot, they all look so weird.

                                There was once this great t-shirt that said “simplify” repeatedly on it in ever decresing shorthand until you get to the bottom of the column and it just says, “S”. THAT would be amazing if I could get to that level of ‘unstuffed’! ^_^

                                Besides being able to dust easily, or vacuum, the house doesn’t have many windows (to help conserve heat) so any excess just adds to the gloominess of the place. The house itself really wasn’t planned out very well, but all the extra junk doesn’t help.

                                Kralspace, I know what you mean about people who just come to your ads looking for ‘free stuff’…we’ve got plenty like that up here. We once had a beautiful wide screen Mitsubishi TV that we hauled up here from the 48 and it went on the fritz, (this was one of those huge console types…not the flat screens you see today), so we were just looking to get about $100 for it since the rest of it was in good shape. It was originally about $1000 and it was almost brand new. The parts alone were worth at least that much. Some creepy old couple drove out here from about 50 miles away just to try to beg it off us for free. It was scary. They asked us all these questions about it for about 30 minutes and then just said, “Sure, we’ll take it, load it up.” And my husband was kind of blank wondering where the money was and they just stared at him like, ‘ain’t you just gonna to give it to us?’ Freaks.

                                Yeah, I had to realize that the whole place is NOT going to get done in one week, much less the few days we have remaining. And I’m afraid no one is getting photos of the inside of this hovel until it is clean…I don’t want “Hoarders” coming to my door for a scoop!

                                Anyway, the big room to be done is my front room off my kitchen. That is the one that you can’t move around and the computer is right there too. What needs to be taken care of are all my legal papers which are caddywampus in a few boxes on the floor here. Those I’m going to have to set aside to be ferreted through later…I have no idea which ones I’ve copied to my hard drive and which I haven’t.

                                The blogs look great! I am going to enjoy those as a treat for myself after I’ve gotten some space cleared in here. Don’t want to get stuck sitting at the computer when there’s work to be done. Wish us luck!


                              • RabbitPam
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                                  Good Luck!

                                  Mimzmum? Are you there?

                                  I hear you…what’s that rustling paper…wait, I think I see a foot…now I hear laughter…no, that’s Pip gfawing at you.

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                              Forum THE LOUNGE De-clutteirng…exhaustion doesn’t cover it!