2014 - destash thread The Year of the Great Purge

[Cheryl726]

I am the QUEEN of setting random goals. I decided last week I wanted 500.00. Why I picked this amount I don't know.

In 10 days I did 483!

Had garage sale of honest JUNK - netted 100
Found 2 cookie sheets with tags still on never used - returned to Kohls for 60 and sold the gift card on line.

Returned an electric mini pie maker I got as gift to BBB for 105! Sold gift card for 84 online.

Put a few junky things on auction - have 76 and 5 days left

Returned unopened cosmetics I decided I didn't need.

And instead of taking Verizons trade in of 80 on my old iphone, I sold it for 160 on Craigs list so I count this as 80 as that is above and beyond...

And a few AMAZON buy back on books...

I have NOTHING left in this house to sell. I have ZERO clutter!! And it is wonderful. Everytime I find a small box of stuff to sell I act immediately on it so it never builds up. Soon as school is over, I will sell DDs texbooks on line and her old backpack and lunch bag. Always a market...

Wow that's awesome!

 

[sarahk0204]

DH is home and was inspired to clean out the garage. He wanted access to the power washer that was behind all of the stuff from from my dad's house. So, I went through the stuff. I cleaned up a bag of hangers so that my kids can finally use grownup hangers for their clothes. I'll drop the kid hangers at the thrift store. I emptied another bag that contained clothing to be dry cleaned. I have to go by the $2.25 cleaners tomorrow, and then I'll take my dad's stuff out to him and donate my mom's (she died in 2006, but there were a few items of clothing my dad hadn't dealt with). DH also threw out some stuff during his garage cleaning, like the booster car seat that is pretty close to its expiration date. Our garage is much cleaner, and the pile of stuff from Dad's house is smaller!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Nothing major but I've gotten the dishes completely done 2 days in a row. This a big deal in my house. Lol

 

[OhMari]

Nothing major but I've gotten the dishes completely done 2 days in a row. This a big deal in my house. Lol

Did you ever get rid of coffee cups or glasses, because they do not fit in the cupboard. I had 2 coffee cups and 6 plastic cups I threw in the garbage today. And my dd saw them in the garbage and told me, I threw away her Milwaukee Brewer cup, that she received after she bought a $14 Margarita

 

[dpswift]

Nothing major but I've gotten the dishes completely done 2 days in a row. This a big deal in my house. Lol

Yes totally understand. I have a sink full that I have been working on. It can be a challenge. One of my dogs licks dishes if the washer is open to fill it, I also at least need to rinse the dishes before they go in.

I also have been having to work a lot of 2pm to 11pm shifts.

 

[dpswift]

Did you ever get rid of coffee cups or glasses, because they do not fit in the cupboard. I had 2 coffee cups and 6 plastic cups I threw in the garbage today. And my dd saw them in the garbage and told me, I threw away her Milwaukee Brewer cup, that she received after she bought a $14 Margarita

This happens all the time. They just keep multiplying.

 

[thebeesknees]

Did you ever get rid of coffee cups or glasses, because they do not fit in the cupboard. I had 2 coffee cups and 6 plastic cups I threw in the garbage today. And my dd saw them in the garbage and told me, I threw away her Milwaukee Brewer cup, that she received after she bought a $14 Margarita

Yeah, I finally did a purge of those a few weeks back, and then DH got home from a conference last night and brought me a new mug shaped like a cow's udder as a souvenir. I've told him before not to bring stuff back but he always feels guilty for being gone to these conferences for so long that he likes to bring stuff for everybody. Now I need to figure out what in the world I'm going to do with this thing - it's not exactly the kind of item I want to keep around here but I don't want to hurt his feelings!

 

[OhMari]

Yeah, I finally did a purge of those a few weeks back, and then DH got home from a conference last night and brought me a new mug shaped like a cow's udder as a souvenir. I've told him before not to bring stuff back but he always feels guilty for being gone to these conferences for so long that he likes to bring stuff for everybody. Now I need to figure out what in the world I'm going to do with this thing - it's not exactly the kind of item I want to keep around here but I don't want to hurt his feelings!

Do you have a Christmas Exchange, that is suppose to be fun gifts?

My dh has to go to John Deere and Catipillar events and he is always bringing home the latest (scale size) back hoes, dump trucks etc. What the heck do we want with these toys. I finally got a tote and went through the whole house and found way over a dozen. I am going to save them for our grandkids-someday-for the sand box.

 

[thebeesknees]

Do you have a Christmas Exchange, that is suppose to be fun gifts?

My dh has to go to John Deere and Catipillar events and he is always bringing home the latest (scale size) back hoes, dump trucks etc. What the heck do we want with these toys. I finally got a tote and went through the whole house and found way over a dozen. I am going to save them for our grandkids-someday-for the sand box.

White Elephant exchange! I like the way you think! On the bright side, since the kids only have 3 days of school left and I am in charge of the used uniform sale at school, I was able to go through and donate a bunch of their things and get that out of their closets. I get first pick of the used uniforms since I coordinate the sale, so I am not worried about being able to get what they need before the fall.

 

[sarahk0204]

DH is home and was inspired to clean out the garage. He wanted access to the power washer that was behind all of the stuff from from my dad's house. So, I went through the stuff. I cleaned up a bag of hangers so that my kids can finally use grownup hangers for their clothes. I'll drop the kid hangers at the thrift store. I emptied another bag that contained clothing to be dry cleaned. I have to go by the $2.25 cleaners tomorrow, and then I'll take my dad's stuff out to him and donate my mom's (she died in 2006, but there were a few items of clothing my dad hadn't dealt with). DH also threw out some stuff during his garage cleaning, like the booster car seat that is pretty close to its expiration date. Our garage is much cleaner, and the pile of stuff from Dad's house is smaller!

$15.75 at the cleaners and 1 box of clothes to the thrift store. Started another box for next week.

 

[Ephany]

Did you ever get rid of coffee cups or glasses, because they do not fit in the cupboard. I had 2 coffee cups and 6 plastic cups I threw in the garbage today. And my dd saw them in the garbage and told me, I threw away her Milwaukee Brewer cup, that she received after she bought a $14 Margarita

All the time. DD and DH love those things. Generally what I do is move them to a back cabinet during a clean out. If they're still there the next time we do a purge, I can generally donate/toss them without too much argument. Some I don't mind. Our local waterpark has a cup you buy at the beginning of the season and get discounted refills that year. They're the same size every year, so they stack nicely. Sometimes it's nice to have cheap cups handy for craft projects and such.

My dh has to go to John Deere and Catipillar events and he is always bringing home the latest (scale size) back hoes, dump trucks etc. What the heck do we want with these toys. I finally got a tote and went through the whole house and found way over a dozen. I am going to save them for our grandkids-someday-for the sand box.

DH likes to bring me t-shirts. I've asked and asked him not to. They're always unisex size, uncomfortable and have slogans on them. Blech. I have a drawer that's completely full of nothing but these shirts. I can't give them away 'cause it would hurt his feelings. Thankfully, DD thinks they're cool and as soon as she's big enough, they're hers!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Did you ever get rid of coffee cups or glasses, because they do not fit in the cupboard. I had 2 coffee cups and 6 plastic cups I threw in the garbage today. And my dd saw them in the garbage and told me, I threw away her Milwaukee Brewer cup, that she received after she bought a $14 Margarita

I have. What I did is we emptied the cabinet, everyone picked 2 cups each and the rest went in the basement. If we dug them back out after 6 months, we kept what we dug out. I just took a box of 12 mugs to the trailer for the rummage sale at school.
I've also done that with pots and pans, we dug one thing out at Christmas, an extra lid. The rest are going to the sale.

I did the water bottle drawer this week. We got rid of 8 water bottles. Mostly freebies from various places.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Oh and I recycled 4 tea tins. While they were cool, I could not justify keeping them.

 

[dreamin_disney]

I have one more week of work then I'm off for the summer!!!!!!

Tonight we pulled up to the driveway and opened the garage door and OMG its getting embarrassing. one side of the garage is packed with stuff. I have room for my car but it reminds me of the hoarder show or the people that live in their cars, where the house or car is packed expect for where they sleep or sit. My house is not messy but I wonder what the neighbors must think lol!

My plan is to fill one big box of misc household items and post it on CL, then group clothes and also post of CL. I'm gonna try and make some $$ for our trip in December to Oregon. Whatever doesn't sell will be donated. I'm tired of the clutter!

DD lost one of her retainers I told her she needs to clean out her room or when shes in school and I'm off I'm clearing out her room. I hope we find her retainer or shes paying $150-$175 for it

Update- dd is just relaxing on her ipod and it made me so mad!!! I went in her room and told her I'd help her clean it up(she HATES when I do that). I couldn't even focus where to start...major disaster!! I told her I'd sit on her bed and tell her what to do cause I had no idea where to start. As she started picking up stuff and sighing with attitude I got mad. I told her let look under her bed and I lifted up the board and mattress and OMG!!!!!! Under her bed was a mess!! I told her it was hoarder looking!!!!. Didn't help that her dad was helping me hold up the board. I think dd was shocked with embarrassment. I swept everything out from under her bed and told her to start there and clean it up. I had though maybe her retainer fell on that side of her bed. Her retainer was in her backpack wrapped in a paper towel but only one was in there. So not sure if the other half fell out when she pilled it out of her backpack or if she threw it away at school. I already had her check the lost and found and no luck.

As she cleaned up her mess, I went into my spare room and went through my papers to shred. I threw out a small waste basket of junk mail envelopes & trash. Then I filled up a kids beach pail with receipts and a clear plastic shoe box container full of bills and junk credit card offers and transfer checks to shred. I'm looking for a chiropractor bill and a massage therapy bill to submit for medical reimbursement but no luck. Well atleast I got some stuff done...baby steps-lol!

 

[dpswift]

I am still far behind where I want to be. I was able to get DD 21 to part with a big bag of shoes. Hopefully i can get some more work done before I go to work today.

 

[StephMK]

Yeah, I finally did a purge of those a few weeks back, and then DH got home from a conference last night and brought me a new mug shaped like a cow's udder as a souvenir. I've told him before not to bring stuff back but he always feels guilty for being gone to these conferences for so long that he likes to bring stuff for everybody. Now I need to figure out what in the world I'm going to do with this thing - it's not exactly the kind of item I want to keep around here but I don't want to hurt his feelings!

I think we need a pic! Then it needs to be shared in an exchange, it sounds hilarious.

I have one more week of work then I'm off for the summer!!!!!!

Tonight we pulled up to the driveway and opened the garage door and OMG its getting embarrassing. one side of the garage is packed with stuff. I have room for my car but it reminds me of the hoarder show or the people that live in their cars, where the house or car is packed expect for where they sleep or sit. My house is not messy but I wonder what the neighbors must think lol!

My plan is to fill one big box of misc household items and post it on CL, then group clothes and also post of CL. I'm gonna try and make some $$ for our trip in December to Oregon. Whatever doesn't sell will be donated. I'm tired of the clutter!

DD lost one of her retainers I told her she needs to clean out her room or when shes in school and I'm off I'm clearing out her room. I hope we find her retainer or shes paying $150-$175 for it

Update- dd is just relaxing on her ipod and it made me so mad!!! I went in her room and told her I'd help her clean it up(she HATES when I do that). I couldn't even focus where to start...major disaster!! I told her I'd sit on her bed and tell her what to do cause I had no idea where to start. As she started picking up stuff and sighing with attitude I got mad. I told her let look under her bed and I lifted up the board and mattress and OMG!!!!!! Under her bed was a mess!! I told her it was hoarder looking!!!!. Didn't help that her dad was helping me hold up the board. I think dd was shocked with embarrassment. I swept everything out from under her bed and told her to start there and clean it up. I had though maybe her retainer fell on that side of her bed. Her retainer was in her backpack wrapped in a paper towel but only one was in there. So not sure if the other half fell out when she pilled it out of her backpack or if she threw it away at school. I already had her check the lost and found and no luck.

As she cleaned up her mess, I went into my spare room and went through my papers to shred. I threw out a small waste basket of junk mail envelopes & trash. Then I filled up a kids beach pail with receipts and a clear plastic shoe box container full of bills and junk credit card offers and transfer checks to shred. I'm looking for a chiropractor bill and a massage therapy bill to submit for medical reimbursement but no luck. Well atleast I got some stuff done...baby steps-lol!

Kids are done in my district and I just have 2 workdays left. I had to laugh at your bed story! Your DD sounds like mine, she has my packrat tendencies.

I am still far behind where I want to be. I was able to get DD 21 to part with a big bag of shoes. Hopefully i can get some more work done before I go to work today.

That is an accomplishment! DD20 will hang onto shoes until they are about falling apart - esp. flip flops.


I am having trouble turning my brain off from the last week of school. The good news is that all that energy has motivated me to do some serious cleaning. I found a pic of a closet on pinterest that I fell in love with - crazy, I know. Anyway, it inspired me to do something with mine. Mine was a MESS.

I pulled out a bunch of clothes that don't currently fit and put them in my hope chest. (I am actively losing and hope to use them later this summer) Organized the rest by sleeve length, color, and moved my shoe racks together so now there is room for my boot collection. I had donated a bunch over the winter but found another bag of stuff.

I took everything off the shelves, folded the sweaters and bought some containers. I found some cheap, cute fabric to put on the back of the shelves and am setting up a jewelry station on one shelf. All of my perfume is now on a cute little tray and if I could get DH to clear his side, I'll be very happy. DH says he has a bunch to donate so I'm hoping tomorrow he'll do it so I can drop off several bags.

I went through my dresser & bathroom again and tossed some random pieces. I also donated a purse, some gifted, never used bath stuff, and one tankini top that was just a bad idea and still had the tag.

Hoping to get some more done today and need to finish the closet project by hanging the fabric and making an earring organizer (another pinterest project)

Hope everyone is enjoying the weekend!

 

[dsneprincess]

I took a carload to a friend for a garage sale. I am having a hard time with the train table & storage drawers I took because DS used to enjoy. I would send 45 minutes setting it up & he would knock over in 45 seconds. It was huge & he hasn't played with in a while, but still makes me sad. DH was overjoyed with the found floor space.

I almost got my living room to summer arrangement today. We have glass doors that give us much more room closed and seems to keep both rooms warmer, but the air needs to flow for the summer, so I usually try to open at least 1. Since little DS is getting bigger, I am going to try opening both, we will see if that works or not. Obviously, I don't want broken panes.

In all this re-arranging & de-stashing, the dining room got loaded back up with folded clean clothes off the drying racks and the kitchen counters are buried with stuff I am not sure where it goes or has to go to __________. Of course, DS borthday party is Friday, so (no) pressure here! Rofl......

Tomorrow deck furniture is getting cleaned and put out. We were waiting since house needs painting & decks need work, but that is Mid- July at best & too long to wait any longer, KWIM? Off to bed to get an early start again tomorrow.

 

[OhMari]

I woke up this Memorial Day, with such big plans, I have the rest of the week of too" Within a minute of waking up I realized I didn't feel so good. I got the stomache flu. I am hitting the 7 hour mark and I took Shower and came downstairs. My dh looked at me and asked me, "whatcha wanna do." I don't think I will be getting off the couch anytime soon.

 

[thebeesknees]

Had a charity pickup last week and I am still finding stuff, so whatever charity calls next is going to get a pretty decent-sized load. The kids are off school starting on Thursday and we are going to tackle the basement together. My big kids are outgrowing the need for a playroom, but my little guy still has quite a bit of stuff, so we are going to try to rearrange things down there so there is one spot for the bigger ones to hang out and watch TV, and a different dedicated place for my youngest's toys. Right now everything is all mixed together and they annoy each other by getting in the way when one wants to watch a movie and the other one wants to play. I have 3 dress-up bins overflowing with clothes and my daughter is 10 now and hardly touches it so I will have her go through and see what she can part with. We really only use that stuff when they have to dress up for something for school so it can get pared down. My youngest son only dresses in his superhero stuff, so the fireman, policeman, etc costumes can probably go. I am going to check with the preschool to see if one of the teachers there wants it.

OhMari, hope you are feeling better today. The stomach flu is the worst!

 

[Alexle2007]

Managed to make a nice dent in cleaning out the 3rd bay of our garage so we can park all of the vehicles in it again. Just waiting for the racks to go on sale at Target again and then I'll be all set to finish it. Went through several huge stacks of receipts today and purged them and organized all of the bills and other paperwork so it can be easily located now. Still have a long way to go especially cleaning out the pantry of Pfaltzgraff Tea Rose dishes/accessories that have been sitting in the house brand new for the last 10 years. I think it's time to donate them. (We don't yard sale and have never tried Craiglist's)