2014 household purge/declutter challenge

[Spirit Deer]

I did several of the difficult boxes so far today. I have a few left and I'm hoping they will get done today but I'm not counting on it. Still, I'm making some progress and that's all I care at this point. I've been doing some other things too, moving into the empty spaces that have been created by making new storage systems and getting rid of things.

So far I've purged three thirty gallon trash bags of crap from the sewing room and have been able to make changes that help my storage spaces all function better, plus I added nine feet of shelving. The closet is going to be a challenge, but I'm hoping to do a major purge of fabric from that to make more space and greatly reduce my to-do list. Then I'll have room for some of the totes that are necessary but currently in the way.

[mauimagic]

I am gifting myself today and tomorrow for cleaning up and decluttering our main rooms to be ready for when my Friend arrives....this is an exciting deal for me since I usually do not chárge ahead when cleaning!

[Spirit Deer]

Deadlines can work wonders!

I made some progress today, not as much as I hoped but much more than if I did nothing. And after four or five years, I finally found my good Gingher shears! I'm so relieved! I had started to believe they fell off a table into a trash can and got thrown away by accident. Lucky me, they finally turned up!

[mauimagic]

Love Ginghers too - so glad you found yours!

[stinkbug]

More purging today. Emptied and shredded files. Cleaned out another tote of misc junk in the sewing room. Junk. Cleaned out my thread basket of all the old, old thread. Old thread is just no good for sewing! Condensed batting into one big tote. Have one small box for the thrift shop and 1/2 a kitchen trash bag of garbage.

[mauimagic]

I have been shredding papers too - and organizing other papers

[LexTysMommy]

Been working hard getting uncluttered, and purging things. Took 4 large black garbage bags to goodwill, 4 garbage bags to garbage, shredded tons of paper, and have done every room except the kitchen. It will be hard for me to realize what to keep in 2 cabinets and 2 drawers, and what can be moved into two tupperware bins downstairs.

Good job everyone so far! Impressed with craft pictures spirit deer!

[Alaska]

I'm glad everyone it getting so much done! I wish I was! Lol
I just got word today that a contractor is available to do some work on my house, like replacing all the windows and putting in new insulation so...I have to seriuosly rearrange furnature so nothing is in front of a window. Holy moly. I don't even know where to start in some of my rooms. I am planning a big haul to the landfill tomorrow after work but figuring out what to take is a battle. I think I'll take a bunch of bags of clothes I've sorted to the donation station at the church.

Of course the sucky thing about the contractor coming (he starts on the 14th) is that I'm a night shift worker, I work 12 hour shifts from 1830-0630. When the hell am I going to sleep? WHERE am I going to sleep if he's taking out all the windows? I'm scared! Lol! At least at that time my son will be off on a trip to the hospital in Anchorage, 800 miles away by plane so I don't have to worry about it disrupting him.

I did manage to purge a few things over the last few days, I got rid of two old winter jackets to a charity for kids. And gave three seasons of an old show on DVD to a friend. So 28/2014 I better pick up the frickin pace if I plan to make it to 2014 by Dec 31st! Lol, can't wait till spring when I get my vacation time so I can have serious time to purge the house.

[Spirit Deer]

They won't take out all the windows at once. Ask them which ones need to be done on what days, and clear those as needed.

Can you sleep at someone else's house while the work is being done?

Hang in there. It'll all work out. Congrats on the upgrades! You'll love how much warmer the house is when it's all done.

[KathyB]

I would like to join.

I really would like to purge and organize my craft supplies this year.

And possibly some clothing as well. I have some does not quite fit things. And some experiments in sewing and dyeing that did not turn out as nice as I would like.

It is mostly those areas though there may be other parts of the home as well. The common areas of the house are not too bad, since my husband does not have a problem throwing things out. It is mostly the craft room and my closets and drawers.

I am not sure if I would label myself a hoarder or not. I am not as bad as the extreme cases you see on the TV shows. I am not as bad as my parents are. But sometimes getting rid of stuff can be anxiety provoking. Sometimes it is mild, but at times it can get pretty bad. So it is good to have support.

I am not sure about 2014 things, but I will see. I suppose it depends on what you mean by every little scrap counts. Because I litterially have scraps. I have a drawer of fabric scraps that are probably too small to make anything with but I kept them anyway just in case I want to make anything with them. So if I counted them all, it might add up...

[nuisance26]

Cleaned out my thread basket of all the old, old thread. Old thread is just no good for sewing!

~That's weird. Maybe it's in how it's stored? I'm still using thread spools from the 1930's that I inherited from a little old lady in my hometown. They've held up in every project I've used them for from clothes to toys to quilts to rugs.~

[CPA-Kim]

I donated and gave away most of it but sold about $1,500 on e-bay. I cannot function in an disorganized environment. After going through every piece of paper, every piece of clothing, and every drawer, I felt great. Now I'm going through everything once more this month to see if I missed anything and thinking about selling a few more things on e-bay.


Decluttered living room

[CPA-Kim]

[Spirit Deer]

Wow! My house will never look that neat! Congrats! It looks like you have a beautiful water view there, too.

I'm still going through the difficult boxes but slowly getting there a little at a time. I'm finding places to put things that have never had a real home before, and I love that. I'm actually optimistic I'll be able to fit everything in, and it'll be organized once it's back in there. Hard to believe.

[sabrelvssammy]

LOVE your home Kim - what a nice relaxing place to live in!