Yikes!

I've become an unreliable blogger. It's been a month since my last post. And...nothing new really. But more donations going out the door. This is a good thing!

Here's what I've done:

two car loads to the Goodwill
recycled a box of old school papers
cleared out two bags of my clothes that I don't like (will go to Goodwill soon)
reorganized the pantry and added a few kitchen things to the donation bag

If you're reading this, consider doing a Flylady 27 fling boogie--find 27 things to toss, donate or recycle.

Movies

I've been seeing a lot of movies lately. It costs a lot to take just me and the kids to a matinee, let alone all four of us. It costs more in fact than to buy the DVD when it comes out. When I realized that, I understood instantly why so many people buy DVDs--it's cheaper than going to the movies.

But I love seeing a movie in the theater. I have favorite seats. There's the magic of the previews and the tension that builds as the lights go down. That's worth a lot.

So I'll stick with my pattern of seeing the big movies in the theater and getting most of the others from the library. I'd rather pay to see a movie in the theater than wait and buy it and see it only on the small screen.

Not much to report

Really, nothing too exciting on the clutter front here. I did drop off several bags of donations at the Goodwill and have plans to tackle the immense pile of shredding that has been accumulating. My shredder is broken, so it's either get a new one or use a service. I have about a bankers box worth. Or, there's the more meditative approach: put on a movie and methodically rip or cut out the identifying info I don't want to share.

I've been letting magazine subscriptions lapse and find I miss only a few. If I buy more than one issue at the newstand, that usually means it's time to re-subscribe.

Bag o' Cords

This afternoon, I strong-armed Sweetie into going through a couple of the drawers in our workbench. They're huge and full of miscellaneous junk. We filled a grocery bag with unneeded cords and connectors and now the drawers are tidy. If you need an adapter or extension cord or flashlight, you can easily find one.

Whew!

Garage-A-Rama

Just took a pick-up truck load of donations to the local Goodwill. Yay me! Garage has more space. Still needs some rearranging, but that'll wait until another day.

Time for a clothing purge

It's spring so they say and time for a seasonal clothing purge. In the next few days, I'm going to go through my bureau and closet and pull out anything wintery I didn't wear this winter. Some I'll keep, others will go to the Goodwill.

I'll do it in 15 minute or one drawer bursts, so as not to get overwhelmed.

It will be fun!

Still there is too much

I haven't been doing much dedicated decluttering lately. I've taken on some new responsibilities and haven't had as much time to focus on it (yes, I know, 15 minutes at a time!).

Still, there have been donation deliveries to Goodwill. I've donated a few things to the local school auction. I've avoided new purchases.

So, essentially, not much to report.

Welcome MMX!

It's a new year, full of fresh promise and possibilities.

A friend of mine recently shared his "list" with me. Similar to resolutions, but less loaded, don't you think? His list was very specific, with clear outcomes and definate goals. Not too long, ambitious enough to make him reach but not so much that he'd give up a week in.

My goals this year include: explore what a basement remodel could look like in terms of design, cost and what I could do on my own without a contractor. I want to declutter more (when don't I?), but I have some specific goals. I'd like to reduce the amount of stored "back-up" items that I have. There are items I have saved that I do not need to keep. Those must go out the door.

'tis the season to declutter

Time to go through everything and let go of what's not needed, loved, used in time for the New Year!

Let go and make space for new experiences, new friends, new recipes, new everything. If your home is too full, there's no space for anything fresh to liven it.

A donating we will go

I have a few bags for the Goodwill. Books & CDs that didn't sell at the used book store & record store, some clothes, toys, etc. I hope those will go out the door today or tomorrow; depends on the other items on my agenda.

In other news, guess what holiday is coming up? That's right, it's Cluttermas! This year, we'll be doing fairly minimalist gifts. Gift cards, food gifts and such for the adult friends in our life. Small, probably home made gifties for kids. For my kids, they'll get the usual pajamas on Christmas Eve and a few gifts under the tree. We do try to get them at least one item that they've specifically asked Santa Claus for. Other than that, a book or two, and maybe a game for the Wii.

How do you keep the holidays from turning into a clutterfest?

Sold more on ebay and donated more stuff too

Same old, same old. Sold a few things, donated a few bags. I'm going through file cabinets now, purging old utility bills and stuff like that. I've got a big pile to shred, but my shredder broke. I don't want that to be a stopping place, so I might burn them instead. It's cold and a fire would be nice.

Martha Update

Well, I listed some of my Marthas on eBay. I actually did this a couple weeks ago for some of the special issues I had. Those sold, yay, and I got them shipped out.

We'll see how this batch does. They seem to be sold by theme these days, so I sorted out my winter holidays ones. I'll sell those, then try to donate the rest.

Give me strength!

Trying to let go of Martha

I have many issues of Martha Stewart Living. I want them to go away. I want to keep them. This is a problem.

I need a push to let them go...

Feeling less like a hoarder

Since I've been watching the A&E show Hoarders, I've felt less like one. I do have attachments to stuff and I do still have a lot of stuff. But I am able to let go of possessions. When I bring new items into my home, I release old ones. I'm truly in recovery I guess.

Anyway, today I've cleared out a cupboard, putting items out for use or donating them. Nothing exciting.

Last week, I shipped a box of cds and DVDs to Second Spin and soon I'll get a check. What a relief to have those gone!

Here's something that's been happening. I'll see something and get angry at it, even say out loud "I don't want that!" but it's something I have an attachment to or something that needs to go to a specific place for donation. I just hate wasting emotional energy on things.

Why I love the Goodwill

Because...
I can get a pair of sporty capris, a SIGG water bottle, a pair of men's slacks, a lambswool sweater, a sports bra (new!) and a pair of Gap jeans all for $20. That's less than just the sports bra, even at Target.

And...

because they'll take all the clothes that are no longer my style (but likely someone else's), the books I've read and no longer need to keep, and the dishes that look just fine but don't fit my cupboards.

Hoarders on A & E

I watched the latest episode of A&E's "Hoarders". As I noted earlier, it's chilling to watch. I guess I can't say more than that right now.

More old school papers

I'm on to second year of college. Found my physics and math notes, quizzes and labs. Boy did I suck at those two classes. Simply incomprehensible. Made me feel stupid, that it was so opaque to me. Makes even less sense that I would keep them--why? To remind me of how awful I felt taking those classes?

Moved on to college papers

I just tossed physics and math class notes into recycling. I paged through them and found them just as incomprehensible now as I did way back when. Feels just fine to let them go.

I have saved them for 23 years.

Decluttering the old school papers

I am in the process of letting go of my class notes from grad school. I pulled out this stack, about 18" tall altogether, of binders, folders full of handwritten class notes, sylabi, and various hand-outs. I haven't looked at these papers, other than to move them from spot to spot, since I got my degree. So, why am I still holding on to them, 14+ years later?

Why? To prove I attended school. In case I needed to refresh my knowledge of a subject. To use as reference. Have I ever done any of those? No. No and now that I realize that, they can go.

I have my degree and credentialing. I don't need the materials that helped me to get them. If I need to refresh my knowledge, I can take a continuing ed class or read an up-to-date text.

Decluttering the inbox

I have an email account I use for offers, discounts and remote email. I've been overwhelmed with the emails I receive there and have recently started reading the messages to figure out how to unsubscribe (instead of my usual delete, delete).

It's working. My inbox is much less full, I can see the offers I actually use and I can see my personal messages.