2015 destash - Purge Purge Purge, Purge is the word

[OceanAnnie]

I struggle with the same thing. The 3 main things I have to focus on daily are dishes, laundry and paper. The stacks of papers that have been there will still be there next week, just don't add to them. Find a system to process mail and school papers as soon as you walk in the door.

Papers: Each of my kids has a tote with their color files, one for each school year and personal papers. As soon as papers come into the house from their back packs, that goes into a box next to the mail bin. As I sort the papers some goes right to recycling and some go into the box. The box gets filed every Friday into their totes.

Mail: Same thing. I file it as soon as it comes into the house. Junk mail goes right into recycling. Bills go into my bill book, credit card applications go right into shred pile.

Dishes: I make myself either do them every night before bed or after I take the kids to school. I like to do them at night because I can run the dishwasher after the kids go to bed and before I get in bed. It runs while I prep for bed and read.

Laundry: I started with one hamper but that became Mount Washmore very quickly. So I switched to 3 smaller hampers - whites, lights, and darks. Sadly it takes up more space in my room (house is small and no good place for hampers) but with 6 people in the house and 5 of us are runners, I have at least one load of laundry every day. I just cycle them out as much as I can.

The rest of the days are upstairs on Mondays and Tuesdays. Downstairs on Wednesdays and Fridays and Thursday is my day to have breakfast with friends and craft, etc.

I got the hanging file bins! Love them! I started a better organizing system for all of our papers today. I'm so glad.

Thank you for mentioning the bins. I hadn't seen them before.

 

[MAJPLO]

Ugh. The kids are bringing in stuff from the garage (gifts they got at relatives' that we hadn't brought in the house yet) and are making messes everywhere. I know one of my priority areas is the playroom but I also have a huge file drawer of papers to go through and shred. Not sure I know where to start.

 

[Ava]

Some progress today - put away some off-season clothes and linens that had been sitting in our bedroom in a pile for months, and pulled out some jeans and shorts that DW decided she'll never fit into again. Those went in a bag for donation.

Also picked up the rubber mat that we had in the corner of the living room for the baby to play on when she was just learning to sit/crawl. She's almost 20 months old now and doesn't stay in the same place for more than a minute, so I don't think she needs that any more! And her toys are neat for now, although that won't last long.

Tomorrow we plan to go out and return some Christmas gifts, and I also want to go to Bed Bath & Beyond (we have a GC) and see if they have pop up hampers for the stuffed animals and maybe a puzzle storage rack or some smaller bins to help organize the kids toys. I feel like once we have their stuff under control the whole apartment will feel less cluttered, so that's my focus right now.

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

WOW I did my look at the budget board for a couple of days and we are at 5 pages! The last time I look OP had just started the thread and no one else had posted.

I was not on last night because I went through my food storage containers and threw away miss matched lids and bottoms and a pitcher that I loved but it leaked. I also pulled out a few items to sell or donate. I need to figure out how to organize the containers and lids better. I should have thrown more out, but I figure if I have a few extra it will not matter if I give some out and they do not come back.

I hope to do more later. Right now we are taking DS to a mirror maze and 5 Wits. I bought the certificates on roupon and the mirror maze one is about to expire.

This is exactly what my focus is this weekend! Wish me luck. I'm trying to figure out the best method for my storage containers too. I have from all the Tupperware storage, to glad holiday, and set from the HSN type sales.

I scrubbing the floor and getting my stool in front of the double cabinet. I bought stacking shelves at Aldi and want to reduce to one side the storage and the other canned goods. All my appliances and gadgets are going down in the pantry. I never seem to do well with canned goods downstairs so I'm swapping out.

I'm going to take the cast iron cookware down there too. Except my fry pan and Dutch oven. I use them once a week or more.

Thanks for your post!

 

[Ladygoldenhair]

One tv is really big and heavy, so not sure what to do with that, could use in basement as an upgrade, but we didn't take there 4 years ago because it was so heavy that I wonder is it really worth it now? ...

I have a huge about a 39" tube TV, it works, but not like the flat screen, I don't know how to get it removed it weighs a tom. I also have the old projection screen downstairs, but it needs work.

I need to think out which to keep, and how to remove.

 

[Deffenm]

I am in again. Made great progress in 2014. This year I need to focus on the kids' room. They have too many clothes that we need to go through. I plan to purge their clothes in preperation for Community wide garage sale in May. Whatever doesn't sell gets immediatley boxed up and taken to goodwill.

Most of the house is in pretty good shape. I need to organize master bedroom closet, crawl space in basement, and garage. These areas always seem to get cluttered.

 

[MAJPLO]

Working on the kids playroom today. Although this is definitely a multi-day project. I think.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I got the hanging file bins! Love them! I started a better organizing system for all of our papers today. I'm so glad. Thank you for mentioning the bins. I hadn't seen them before.

I'm glad you found them! They have really helped me keep all the kids stuff together. And when they move out on their own they get 2 totes. One full of papers and one full of Christmas ornaments!

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Took the tree down today and 90% of the decorations are packed up and back in the loft. I wanted to go through them and purge but just wasn't in the right mindset to do it.
I purged 3 small trees we had in other rooms and a few smaller holiday decorations. Those went to goodwill.
I also have 4 boxes of books to take to the used book store tomorrow. We loaded them up Thursday but after double checking their website we decided to wait until Saturday. Wednesday and Thursday's they only take books for credit. We still have over $30 in credit from the last trip we took. The rest of the week they sell for cash or credit so we are taking the cash this time.

We also got plastic window covering to keep the drafts out. We did 3 windows today to try it out and it seems to be helping so we have another 15 windows to go. But I did dust and wash the windows before putting the plastic up so I guess that's sort of decluttering right?!?!

 

[MAJPLO]

I spent about eight hours in the playroom today and still have more to do tomorrow. I'd like to get some wall shelves in there and bring in a small table and an old toy box from the garage. I think it will make the whole room more functional. I got rid of a bag and a half of trash and filled a pretty big box of stuff to sell or donate. Tomorrow I will keep going in the playroom then work with the kids and DH in the kids bedroom. And tackle the tree. Ahhhhh feels good but I still have soooo many cluttered dysfunctional areas in this house.

 

[texasroni75]

Finally threw away our artificial Christmas tree. We've had it for 10+ years, and the last three years I kept telling myself "this is the last year" since it was deteriorating. It would practically shed as much needles as a real one would . I don't know why it was so hard to part with it, but it was almost traumatic putting the pieces in the trash can yesterday LOL. But, now that it is done, I feel really good!

Tossed a few of our 'older' Halloween and various holiday decorations too - things that were just not looking so great anymore.

Also, went through kitchen cabinets and drawers and packed away a few more items for oldest DD to take with her when she moves out. And, threw away some linens that were looking tired and worn (some we've had for over 15 years!). I still have a few large totes of items to donate - but DH hasn't gotten around to it. Now that he's doing more restoration side-jobs in the garage, and he could use the extra space, maybe that will motivate him to haul them away.

It's also time for me to completely empty out my pantry, making sure the items in the back that are nearing expiration get used up.

 

[jenrose66]

Thanks for the recommendation! I just downloaded the sample to try.

I'm in again! I am really in the mood to declutter. Usually I love all of the Christmas clutter, but this year, it's really getting to me. I am trying to hold off on my urge to pack it all up. DD20 won't be home until next week so I need to leave at least the tree up for her.

I want to go back through several spaces and hit the "hidden" areas from this past year. I think this year I might try to tackle things by month.

Anyone have any blogs or challenges they like to follow for this?

Ok, we are watching Frozen and I'm looking up places to recycle items.I found a mail away place to send our broken Christmas lights and Best Buy will take our old TV and vacuum. Some of the garage items are broken or unused but I hate to throw out things that can be recycled. I plan to get all of those taken care of before I go back to school. First mini-goal of the new year!

I'm with you! Christmas clutter gets to me EVERY year. DH and I have cut down quite a bit on what we get get our three kids for Christmas, but we have a large family that buys them stuff and 2 of our kids have birthdays close to Christmas. The sheer barrage of stuff literally depresses me, plus with school vacation and having everyone home, things get overwhelming fast!

I had our tree down by 9:30 am on 12/26! I couldn't take one more thing in the living room...

 

[jenrose66]

Thank you thank you thank you bernardandmissbianca for starting the new thread. I'm not sure what I will do first tomorrow but it will definitely be something. Part of my struggle is often balancing keeping up with the day to day stuff in addition to getting to some of the existing clutter.

I have the same problem. I really enjoy Peter Walsh. In his book "It's all too much" he says you should spend 15 minutes a day (or something like that) getting rid of what you don't need. It doesn't sound like much, but I guess if I'd put that into practice it would have an amazing cumulative effect.

 

[Teresa Pitman]

I just spent 20 minutes cleaning out my underwear drawers. Can't believe how much old undies I had shoved in the back of the drawers that were either too small or torn or had stretched-out elastic. That was actually quite satisfying.

I also cleaned out several drawers in my home office (I work from home) and yesterday I bought some banker's boxes so I can box up old file folders that I need to keep (just in case) and make some room in my file cabinets. Hope to get that done today.

Last year I did a lot of work organizing my kitchen. So far, it has "stuck" and I am enjoying how much easier it is to cook when it's easy to find the things I need (not to mention that I actually enjoy looking in the drawers now!). That's helped to motivate me to work on other parts of the house as well.

TP

 

[MAJPLO]

I have the same problem. I really enjoy Peter Walsh. In his book "It's all too much" he says you should spend 15 minutes a day (or something like that) getting rid of what you don't need. It doesn't sound like much, but I guess if I'd put that into practice it would have an amazing cumulative effect.

I definitely want to start this. But being off work for the last two weeks I really needed to tackle some of the much longer jobs. And I need to be honest and do the 15 every day it is possible but be easier on myself for the days when I might literally only be home for fifteen minutes! Getting there....

 

[OceanAnnie]

I'm glad you found them! They have really helped me keep all the kids stuff together. And when they move out on their own they get 2 totes. One full of papers and one full of Christmas ornaments!

Me too. I looked at Lowe's and was surprised they didn't have them. I was picking up a few things at Target and out of curiosity looked and there they were, waiting for me.

You have some great ideas! The kids would love to have their papers when the time comes. To know they will be taken care of: properly stored and organized for them is a relief to me.

Our kids have a collection of Christmas ornaments too. I'll be using the idea for the totes for their ornaments as well.

Took the tree down today and 90% of the decorations are packed up and back in the loft. I wanted to go through them and purge but just wasn't in the right mindset to do it.
I purged 3 small trees we had in other rooms and a few smaller holiday decorations. Those went to goodwill.
I also have 4 boxes of books to take to the used book store tomorrow. We loaded them up Thursday but after double checking their website we decided to wait until Saturday. Wednesday and Thursday's they only take books for credit. We still have over $30 in credit from the last trip we took. The rest of the week they sell for cash or credit so we are taking the cash this time.

We also got plastic window covering to keep the drafts out. We did 3 windows today to try it out and it seems to be helping so we have another 15 windows to go. But I did dust and wash the windows before putting the plastic up so I guess that's sort of decluttering right?!?!

We have a couple of consignment stores I've been taking things to over the last few months. I need to go to the pet consignment store. We have some items that we haven't used and it would be nice to get some money back for them. Plus I'm interested in what they have that we might need later.

I have sold some things to kid and adult consignment, home goods consignment, and a sporting goods consignment. I need to look into a book consignment store. Thanks for sharing that. It's easier to part with stuff when you can get a little something back!

 

[RellaSprinkles]

I'm in!
Today I donated a Target bag full of clothing that my 6yr old dd has outgrown. I'm guessing 10 items. Possibly more, but I'll stick with 10 for my counting purposes
We have a children's clothing exchange in town where you can donate good used clothing (no spots, must be in good shape) and you can also shop for items you could use. It's a great way to pay it forward and occasionally find something you need as well! It's made it so much easier for me to part with items I was sentimentally attached to (like my dd's adorable Hanna Andersson dress..). Last time I went, I found an adorable WDW hoodie for her!

I'm going to try to keep track of items that have left my home (whether through donation, trash, or sale). I think it will be great motivation to see that number climb!

Plus another 38 items out today to Goodwill.. two trash bags full, including one old Disney duffle bag (it was cumbersome- no wheels, so we never end up using it), an old backpack, a few VHS tapes, a few baby board books, and some clothes.
Total= 48 items out of my house so far for 2015!

 

[mrsabbott]

Well, I will jump in here too! Hubs and I were both planning to do some major decluttering and purging in our home this year. Our hope was to get things ready so we can put our house up for sale in about 2-3 years and buy a bigger one to fit our family (or at least one with larger bedrooms)!!

Turns out, Hubs just might be getting a job in ORLANDO and we just might be moving there in a few months!!

If this job works out I will have to get serious about the purge! As it is, I have been slowly loading up bags of stuff into the back of my SUV. I have a load to drop off at a local charity. I have decided that I am NOT going to attempt to have a yard sale.. I don't have time between work/school/family/potential move!!

I keep thinking that I should just go room by room. We recently purged our DVD collection by 1/3. I've gotten rid of bags and bags of clothes! That is an ongoing thing. I've gotten rid of a lot of toys, although I could stand to purge a few more if I can get it past the kids! I desperately need to go through our kitchen cabinets and drawers and start getting rid of stuff. We have a lot that we never use and I don't know why I insist on keeping it. Time to move on!

 

[bcwife76]

Alright, well so far we've cleaned out the kitchen pantry. It's a start! Sunday all the Christmas decorations come down.
Then, in no particular order, we need to clean out our master bedroom closet, the kids playroom, go through old magazines and recycle them and figure out a good storage system for kids art work/report cards, etc. Phew.....

 

[RellaSprinkles]

Well, I will jump in here too! Hubs and I were both planning to do some major decluttering and purging in our home this year. Our hope was to get things ready so we can put our house up for sale in about 2-3 years and buy a bigger one to fit our family (or at least one with larger bedrooms)!!

Turns out, Hubs just might be getting a job in ORLANDO and we just might be moving there in a few months!!

If this job works out I will have to get serious about the purge! As it is, I have been slowly loading up bags of stuff into the back of my SUV. I have a load to drop off at a local charity. I have decided that I am NOT going to attempt to have a yard sale.. I don't have time between work/school/family/potential move!!

I keep thinking that I should just go room by room. We recently purged our DVD collection by 1/3. I've gotten rid of bags and bags of clothes! That is an ongoing thing. I've gotten rid of a lot of toys, although I could stand to purge a few more if I can get it past the kids! I desperately need to go through our kitchen cabinets and drawers and start getting rid of stuff. We have a lot that we never use and I don't know why I insist on keeping it. Time to move on!

A move is the BEST motivation for a major purging!
And I've wasted so much time and energy on yard sales. It's so much nicer to have that instant gratification of having things gone NOW. So I think I've seen the last of my yard sale days.
Good luck getting things out without the kids seeing! I saw a funny cartoon on Pinterest that really spoke to me.. something about feeling like a drug lord when you're smuggling out broken crayons! My kids would keep everything if I let them!