[Zhoen]

Ok, so I'm getting a little bit of an early start, but you know with these things you gotta do what you can, when you can, or it all just gets away from you! (My house is proof of that!!!)

My goal this year is to go through EVERY space in the house/on the property and either use things or get rid of them. Grocery-wise, I'll be doing a rotation over on the pantry page, but we have owned this house since before the kids were born and I bet if I moved enough furniture, I'd probably find a binkie or two, so it is BEYOND time. (And full transparency, this is a carry-over from LAST YEAR's plans... I did get SOME things off last year's list completed, but this year, I want a BIG push...)

So far today I have very effectively purged a bunch Christmas candy by putting it in my stomach! 🤣 I'll be achy and sorry later, but it was yummy and I'll be up all night for work anyway, so oh well.

I have a bag of things I'm taking to wort tonight, but I won't count them until they are ACTUALLY gone...

Who's in?

 

[hikr00]

I really need to be in. We lived in our last house for 25 years and when we moved we went through everything and I did a huge purge. Dh was reluctant to part with his stuff so that wasn’t overly helpful but I felt good about my stuff. I swore I’d never let my stuff take over my home and here we are! Seven years later and I’ve allowed myself to accumulate too much stuff. My husband and his stuff is out of control too. Lol. But I don’t think I’m going to get him to let go of anything.

 

[Contrary Housewife]

I'm continuing to chuck stuff in the recycle bin or trash, as needed. Also have a donate box in the laundry room.

If it took you 20+ years to accumulate stuff, it's reasonable to expect it to take a few more to get rid of it all.

 

[dlrcpa]

Yeah, don't be like my neighbor who today had to have his rental car towed away. Because he lost the keys. I am sure somewhere in his house. Quite the spectacle because car was facing towards the garage and the wheels were turned at an angle and steering locked - because no key. Tow guy dragged it up the driveway at an angle because front wheels diagonal. Maybe he got it up on the flat bed after that, not sure. I wonder what that cost. Neighbor will probably find those keys ... someday. Or his son will when he cleans out the house in the end.

 

[KimB]

I’m with ya. As I sort and organize (starting tomorrow after work ) I will have a toss and a donate pile. I also need to stop stuff from coming back in.

 

[josantoro]

Yeah, don't be like my neighbor who today had to have his rental car towed away. Because he lost the keys. I am sure somewhere in his house. Quite the spectacle because car was facing towards the garage and the wheels were turned at an angle and steering locked - because no key. Tow guy dragged it up the driveway at an angle because front wheels diagonal. Maybe he got it up on the flat bed after that, not sure. I wonder what that cost. Neighbor will probably find those keys ... someday. Or his son will when he cleans out the house in the end.

I have a FB friend with a house that sounds (from her description) hoarded up. She has 5 vehicles she needs to sell (she's a widow) and can't find the keys and/or titles to any of them.

 

[CPA-Kim]

I've been a minimalist for years and rarely accumulate things I don't use. When I buy a new computer, the old one gets handed down to a friend or donated to the church. Same with televisions and other electronics.

I don't have anything in my closet I haven't worn in the last two years. The thrift stores love me.

I even got rid of 90% of my books and only use Kindle or audio books.

I do an inspection every year end to see if there are more things I need to donate and I'm starting to give away my jewelry to friends and relatives since I rarely wear any of it. They were all gifts but I really don't hold any one item near to my heart except my mother's ring. That will soon go to my grandniece.

I can't imagine having relatives going through boxes and boxes of stuff after I'm gone. My mother did the same thing. She unloaded all her "stuff" long before she was gone.

I have a friend who is a hoarder. She lives in a beautiful home and was a CPA. She made lots of money but couldn't part with stuff she inherited from her aunts, uncles, and mother. She turned her beautiful home into a dump. You'd never know from the outside. It isn't dirty like the ones you see on TV, just full of junk, boxes, crates, etc. She hasn't even gone through some of the boxes her uncle left and he's been dead for over 10 years.

 

[marthamfi]

Yes I think people get overwhelmed with stuff and then sometimes mental health issues. Moving does keep things in check but when you are in a place for long time. well lets stay can't be bored here. dh was I just filament I didn't know I had.. I said we really just need to take pics of rooms open cabinets etc to show what we have because if we had a fire .. of course been on the list for years but should do soon.

always have a thrift store box going but need to do a post holiday clean up. bit by bit of the house. closet at a time.

 

[KimB]

I’m setting the timer for 10 minutes a day. Todays project was one of our desks. After over an hour I still have 4 drawers to go through. Very stressful for me to see the clutter and then not always know if it should be saved or not. I have a bag of keys that I have no idea what they once started or opened. And a bag of religious items that I might drop off at church. Lots went in trash. The partially written in journals I threw made me feel so quilts for the $ I wasted. I’m not a hoarder just very unorganized.

 

[Zhoen]

So I DID remember the bag-o-junk yesterday to bring to work... and by that I mean I drove away without it and then circled back around the block!!! So that got rid of a bunch of scrub tops and bottoms that H and I weren't using... he changed jobs and doesn't wear those shirts anymore, and I had just a bunch of things I'd grabbed at thrifts and decided I didn't like the fit of...

Also unloaded one big can of popcorn-- we got 2 big ones plus one little one from my side of the family (couple of teachers in that mix, so a lot of regifted vanilla teacher gifts -- which is excellently frugal, but one giant can of popcorn is plenty, thanks...

I won't make any more progress until later in the week now... when I am working it's just work-sleep-repeat...

The partially written in journals I threw made me feel so quilts for the $ I wasted. I’m not a hoarder just very unorganized.

I feel this! I have a relative that gives us all some type of journal EVERY year, and every year I donate it because I know I won't really stick with it (plus I live with a bunch of nosy buttheads... I do journal, but it's on my laptop under password protection!)

 

[Spirit Deer]

I'm in on this one. With one house jam packed after 25 years and, finally, a place to hold rummage sales at the new house, I'm more than ready.

It's hard to donate items in town, but we need to make more of an effort to have things ready when we go out of town.

We will also be attending more garage sales in search of items for the renovation, so will be bracing ourselves to be very selective in what we buy. I'm hoping this thread will help make me even more mindful.

 

[MaggieTru]

i need to be in... did grt a big bag of recycling out today. baby step!

 

[KimB]

10 minute purge/ organize top of kitchen cupboards and desk #2. The purging will be heavier when I get to inside the drawers and cupboards. My foreign exchange student commented “I’ve never seen the kitchen so clean.” Hours of work left

 

[hikr00]

I collected a bunch of those metal containers that cookies, nuts, candies, popcorn etc come in and bagged them up for the grandchildren. They love them. I always hang onto them thinking I’ll use them for something but I never do. The kids will love them. My daughter will not be thrilled though. Hahahahah.

 

[bookwormpeg]

Send pictures of some very large glass storage jars I had to my daughter and she said she wants them....five jars out of my kitchen. It's a start....

 

[marthamfi]

lol what my mom does.. I say no and then she sends it home w kids. ah the recycling of gifts lol always knew if sil got a lot of chocolate we got extra gifts lol miss my groups that are gone moms etc we took turns bringing snacks great way of getting rid of extra choc etc.

New year must of got family going cus ds rearranging and cleaning his room. ds his office etc. bought up paperwork from groups we were in over 20yrs ago and long gone. ds spilled peppermint oil in his room too so potent back there. so haven't looked downstairs to the pile but dh is off so can bring to thrift store. latest from ds keyboard and power surge

 

[KimB]

Spent a couple hours in bathroom #1decluttering drawers and cabinet. I threw 2 small bags of old makeup, toothbrushes etc. Dh gets dozens of small tubes of skin creams and sunscreens from his dermatologist. I emptied them all together. I found a space for organizing the stock of toiletries I’ve accumulating. I told my daughter she should ask me before purchasing toothpaste, shampoo or other toiletries or OTC’s as I probably have it.

 

[rujerro]

I love this and am in....I have nice suits that I have not worn in 6+ years since changing jobs. My current job's dress code and drug policy has been changed to attract workers.
My bedroom will be the first purged. I keep things in my dresser and some are kid's things but I have no need for them. DS1 tells me how valuable stuff is but who wants to sell it online? Too much work and if it's posted on ebay, the fees are too much. Remember when I tried to give DS1 all of his toys and the boxes full of his stuff just to hear him tell me to give them to DS2 since he doesn't want them? I'm a warehouse t this point.

 

[to the max]

i ll look around here..we downsized few years back..we've been storing only necessary things..

 

[Spirit Deer]

I just purged a whole giant pile of spammers. 🤬 Does that count?

I also went through a pile of papers and got rid of a bunch.

We cut, pulled up, and bagged the last of the industrial carpet left in the house in town, except for the stage which has an asbestos issue. It's not technically purged since we haven't hauled it to the dump yet, but it sure feels good to have it ready to go.

I went through the stuff left behind in the basement kitchen by former owners and got rid of anything mildewed or useless, then we pulled out all the old drawer and shelf liners and trashed those with the carpet. Once we get water turned back on in the spring, I can wash out the cabinets and repaint inside.

Found another burned out fluorescent tube to add to the bag of them ready to recycle.

We removed an old speaker and its wiring from the former nursery, which will become a pantry. Removed the magnet from the speaker and stuck it to the steel tool cabinet for use when we inevitably spill one of the pails of nails we're accumulating. Trashed the speaker.

Hoping to haul trash sometime this week. The van will be packed.