2013 Destash- this is the year!

[hops&dreams]

it is overwhelming to read all of this thread, but I'm on page 3, and will keep reading and getting inspired. I've decluttered DD's nightstand, and 1 bookcase. She has done another bookcase, but as she's a 9 year old, I'll go back over it. I've gone through part of her closet. In all that, I've gotten rid of 1 trash bag of "stuff", 2 paper boxes of books, and about 2 paper boxes of games, etc. I'm about halfway through her closet. Places that need attention and are tackle-able:
under kitchen sink - 1 hr
laundry room closet - 1 hr
front hall coat closet - 20 mins
under my sink - 1 hr
under Dh's sink - 20 min
under DD's sink - 1 hr
DD's bathroom closet - 1 hr

Then I get to things that are downright overwhelming projects:
my closet - at least a day. I need to weed through clothes that I've hoarded because I *might* get that skinny again. I will, but those clothes won't be nearly as fashionable anymore. I'll keep the expensive basics, like dress slacks for work. Otherwise, I can rebuy tshirts, shorts, etc.

my craft closet - it's a walk in closet stacked floor to ceiling with craft stuff, and has gotten random stuff thrown in as well. I tried de-crapifying it last year, and on the 4th day (2nd weekend) I gave up, boxed it back up and shoved it all back in, in a mildly organized manner. I need to go again... :-(

Tonight, I will try to tackle a drawer in my kitchen.

Thanks for the inspiration and encouragement. I guessI just have to remember that slow and steady may not win the race, but it sure will finish it.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

I've decided I need to set some sort of Decluttering goals otherwise I'm going to get sidetracked and be all over the place.

January - kitchen and dining room

February - 2 hall closets and main coat closet

March - master bedroom closet and dresser, master bathroom

April - backyard shed - need to do this one before it gets too hot out

May - master bedroom and bathroom including closet

June - Daughters bedroom

July - sons bedroom

One of the big issues I have is my husband is a pack rat. I can't work on anything when he's home because he goes through what I sort and wants it all kept. So I'm going to have to work with him about that.

So today -
I cleaned a kitchen counter off - recycled the Christmas catalogs and 52 receipts that were sitting on the counter and put the new stove, air conditioner and fridge paperwork into the home file. I also cleaned out the 2 folders for the kids school information recycling most of it that was not needed anymore.

I also found paperwork regarding my doggies cancer treatment - she got lymphoma and despite chemo, didn't make it. This was over a year ago. I also had her collar there. So I put her collar with the picture I have of her in my bedroom and shredded the treatment paperwork. That was a hard one.

Tomorrow I think I'll get started on the 4 cupboards above that area so that whole side of the kitchen will be done. Hopefully by the end of the week.

So far in the kitchen between the 2 days I've worked on it - one cupboard done and one counter top done.

 

[mrsklamc]

I'm excited. Peter Walsh liked one of my tips on his Facebook page.

Well please share!! What was it?

 

[starwood]

Someone said they just got a neat receipt and I said you can use Evernote for free but you just need to tell it where to file it.

 

[happydisneyfamily]

What a great thread. I am joining in because I want this year to be different. I have been getting rid of stuff since November because I knew we were getting more stuff in the house for Christmas. It has helped however it has been a whirlwind of holidays with family visiting on Thanksgiving and then on Christmas. We got back from our vacation yesterday so now it's time to really clean up. We got Christmas decorations all put away yesterday and I managed to get it down to two boxes of what we really love and got rid of the rest. Today I managed to get a grocery bag of items filled with things to throw out. Now to search for more. Slow and steady cleans the house.

I think I will tackle the linen closet today. We got towels for Christmas so I am going to finally wash them and then get rid of anything really old and worn. We also got more toiletries, shampoos, soaps etc. that are sitting in there haphazardly so time to organize.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Now to get rid of this huge thing! You would think some one would buy it for $75?

We had a weight lifting bench that I finally just took apart in like five or so huge pieces and took it to the salvation army. When we dropped it off, the guy said, "Couldn't you have dropped it off all put together?" LOL! Wondering how he thought we would fit it in the car that way.
Prior to dropping it off, I had cleaned it up and included the user manual (I try to do this with all my giveaways), and put the screws labeled neatly in a zip lock and taped securely to the bench. I only took it apart enough to fit it in the van, so there was not much putting together, really. Anyway, I was thrilled to get it out of the basement. Much more room now. I'm actually always so grateful to the Good Will places for taking my "stuff" off my hands. Driving away from the Salvation Army after dropping things off always gets me practically giddy with excitement.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Thanks to this thread and you all we had a great 2012 destash in our home. There is more to go for 2013.

2012 Destash accomplishments:
1. Cleaned out and organized spare room. Made this into a bedroom for our Nephew.
2. Both Hallway closets cleaned out.
3. Master bedroom closet cleaned out and organized.
4. Laundry room cleaned out and organized.

I know that I need to a game plan for 2013. Instead of randomly picking which room to declutter I decided on the following purge, organize, clean schedule:

January
-Christmas decorations and put away what we keep (thanks to Bernard and Miss Bianca for your tips from Destash 2012 thread)
-Old receipts.
-Over the counter meds in bathrooms and hallway closet.

February
-Family room.
-Repurge Laundry room.
Seems like the clutter bug keeps putting stuff in here.

March
-Office/Craft Room.

April
-Kitchen
-Dining Room

May
-Garage

June
-Living Room.

Its a lofty goal. Not sure on how I'm going to do. But here's to the start of the 2013 Destash. Good luck to all of you!!!

Ok, I just read through all the pages and didn't see this about Christmas decorations. Help please! Can anyone point me to it? TIA SO MUCH!

Ditto! I searched and searched but cannot find the Bernard and Miss Bianca Christmas decorations 2012 tips! Does anyone have a link? Thanks a bunch!

 

[acename]

I haven't posted yet, but I've been following along and have been super busy destashing this week.

Here's what we've gotten done:
-Master bath linen closet sorted and straightened
-mater bath vanity and drawers sorted and straighten
-everyone's sock drawers (I seriously threw away at least 20 socks that didn't have matches, where the heck do they go?)
-kids pjs and play clothes
-my chest of drawers
-pantry
-cooking utensil drawer
-under kitchen sink
-Christmas decorations
-a couple of bins from the garage

I have a huge stack of boxes and bags to take to a charity yard sale, several things to take for consignment and some other pieces I'm hoping to sell on facebook.

THe next thing I really need to tackle is my daughter's room. I'm dreading it because she's very attached to her things. If I mention getting rid of a few things she tears up. There are so many things she doesn't play with anymore. Should I have her help me? or should I dig out a few things here and there and see if she notices? Any advice? She's 5 if that makes a difference.

 

[mrsklamc]

I haven't posted yet, but I've been following along and have been super busy destashing this week.

Here's what we've gotten done:
-Master bath linen closet sorted and straightened
-mater bath vanity and drawers sorted and straighten
-everyone's sock drawers (I seriously threw away at least 20 socks that didn't have matches, where the heck do they go?)
-kids pjs and play clothes
-my chest of drawers
-pantry
-cooking utensil drawer
-under kitchen sink
-Christmas decorations
-a couple of bins from the garage

I have a huge stack of boxes and bags to take to a charity yard sale, several things to take for consignment and some other pieces I'm hoping to sell on facebook.

THe next thing I really need to tackle is my daughter's room. I'm dreading it because she's very attached to her things. If I mention getting rid of a few things she tears up. There are so many things she doesn't play with anymore. Should I have her help me? or should I dig out a few things here and there and see if she notices? Any advice? She's 5 if that makes a difference.

If talking her through it isn't working, I suggest boxing up some things and putting them in the garage for awhile...then explain after a couple of months that she hasn't noticed they were gone, doesn't play with them, can they go now? Or, some people do this and rotate the toys in and out if they have the storage space. Suddenly there is a whole new set of toys to play with!

 

[Debbie]

I'm doing the Peter Walsh challenges. Did Day 1 yesterday, Days 2 and 3 I actually did last week.....so that brings me to 4 today. I shall clean and tidy up the remotes, and get another couple of ornaments off the tree. Gotta set goals that I can achieve. Yesterday, however, I got all the nativity sets, and the Around the World Christmas Pooh's put away. Little steps. Baby steps.

 

[TarzansKat]

Did some awesome work yesterday! Cleaned out my closet and my tall dresser, donating three bags of clothing / shoes. Felt SO good.

Hoping to get to my other dresser this week, and keep the ball rolling!

 

[mrsklamc]

Someone said they just got a neat receipt and I said you can use Evernote for free but you just need to tell it where to file it.

Cool!

 

[k_reile]

Your post gives me hope. Our fourth bedroom is this way. It has overflow from when we moved into the house a couple of years ago, and is housing extra toys, baby things, etc, etc. Just too much stuff. Time to purge!

LOL!! We will have lived in this house for 10 years this July and we have never been able to use it!

 

[TarzansKat]

LOL!! We will have lived in this house for 10 years this July and we have never been able to use it!

I am so glad I am not the only one!

Our fourth bedroom just became this dumping ground. And honestly, if I haven't touched it in the 2+ years that we've been here, it's time to reassess it's place in our home.

 

[sherry7]

At the moment, I just feel like crying. I got awful news at work today. This affects my whole plan about de-stashing, so I'm going to vent to you all in an effort to get this off my chest. There are plans to close our building by the end of this year. We will be transferred downtown. There's no possible way that I could stay in our current house with that long of a commute (close to 4 hours a day with traffic), especially with a young toddler to think about. If this does in fact happen (and it's fairly definite), we will have to sell our house and move closer to my work. DH works out-of-town during the week, so he only has to worry about commuting twice a week.

After the initial shock was over today, one of the first things I thought about was how much stuff I'd have to move, and where I would put it. We have a fairly large house right in a semi-rural area, and there's no way we'll be able to afford this big (or nice) of a house closer to the city.

So, I guess that my de-stashing has a new purpose now...so I can downsize into a smaller house. I never realized before today how much I really like my house. I like the area, the school district, and the low taxes. With a few small exceptions, I like the house itself. Now that I'm faced with the reality of having to move, I'm mourning the loss of my house already.

Sorry, I know this whole post is kind of off-topic. I needed to vent, although I'm not sure that it helped. I feel sick to my stomach, just thinking about this.

 

[dsneprincess]

Sherry7, I hope it all works out for you. This is a very hard position to be in. I hope it all works out for you.

I was able to get through my hall closet. 1 bag of shoes & 4 garbage bags of winter coats to donate. Yay!!

I also got through about 1/2 of my receipt drawer to either file away or dispose of & 3 stacks of coupons. (Not bad for having a toddler "helper")

I was also very careful on the after-Christmas clearance racks to be sure it was needed or would be used up quickly & not stored. I am trying very hard to eat at home & plan meals out of what is here & only supplement with perishables. I am trying the no-buy & de-stash at the same time. (Should probably go for a trifecta & a weight loss as well, but Rome wasn't built in a day!)

I would also like to see the Christmas ideas if anyone can find a link. I had a ton of ornaments I packed away of the tree & made a note (not mental, LOL!) to go through in October.

 

[mrsklamc]

At the moment, I just feel like crying. I got awful news at work today. This affects my whole plan about de-stashing, so I'm going to vent to you all in an effort to get this off my chest. There are plans to close our building by the end of this year. We will be transferred downtown. There's no possible way that I could stay in our current house with that long of a commute (close to 4 hours a day with traffic), especially with a young toddler to think about. If this does in fact happen (and it's fairly definite), we will have to sell our house and move closer to my work. DH works out-of-town during the week, so he only has to worry about commuting twice a week.

After the initial shock was over today, one of the first things I thought about was how much stuff I'd have to move, and where I would put it. We have a fairly large house right in a semi-rural area, and there's no way we'll be able to afford this big (or nice) of a house closer to the city.

So, I guess that my de-stashing has a new purpose now...so I can downsize into a smaller house. I never realized before today how much I really like my house. I like the area, the school district, and the low taxes. With a few small exceptions, I like the house itself. Now that I'm faced with the reality of having to move, I'm mourning the loss of my house already.

Sorry, I know this whole post is kind of off-topic. I needed to vent, although I'm not sure that it helped. I feel sick to my stomach, just thinking about this.

I'm so sorry! Is there any chance of finding another job closer to home? I know it's a terrible time to be looking.

 

[Debbie]

Sherry7. And, this IS on topic. Whether you end up having to move or not, purging is good for the soul.

I got day 4 of Peter' Walsh's plan done, got a fair number of ornaments packed away, we added plastic to 2 windows to help with the heating, and....I cleaned out one email account. Deleted almost 500 emails, filed a few important ones for future reference and moved from 17 pages to 3 A good day!

 

[carebee21]

At the moment, I just feel like crying. I got awful news at work today. This affects my whole plan about de-stashing, so I'm going to vent to you all in an effort to get this off my chest. There are plans to close our building by the end of this year. We will be transferred downtown. There's no possible way that I could stay in our current house with that long of a commute (close to 4 hours a day with traffic), especially with a young toddler to think about. If this does in fact happen (and it's fairly definite), we will have to sell our house and move closer to my work. DH works out-of-town during the week, so he only has to worry about commuting twice a week.

After the initial shock was over today, one of the first things I thought about was how much stuff I'd have to move, and where I would put it. We have a fairly large house right in a semi-rural area, and there's no way we'll be able to afford this big (or nice) of a house closer to the city.

So, I guess that my de-stashing has a new purpose now...so I can downsize into a smaller house. I never realized before today how much I really like my house. I like the area, the school district, and the low taxes. With a few small exceptions, I like the house itself. Now that I'm faced with the reality of having to move, I'm mourning the loss of my house already.

Sorry, I know this whole post is kind of off-topic. I needed to vent, although I'm not sure that it helped. I feel sick to my stomach, just thinking about this.

I'm so sorry I really, really hope that it all works out for you.

 

[MAJPLO]

Would someone mind posting the Peter Walsh tip of the day? I'm not on Facebook and the last I read here was the one about the ratty, scratchy towels.