Destash 2022 Time to eject the dreck!

Taking a break from the garage work (still not finished after 2+ months but getting there). Spent some time this week going through a box of old tax records while I watched some TV. I even found the return from our first year married (1977)! I know we don't need to keep more than 6 or 7 years but I think I want to scan the older ones before shredding them. I am shredding things like the receipts for donations for the old returns. Lots more old papers that were just thrown in banker boxes while I was working so this will keep me busy for quite some time. It does feel good to get rid of unnecessary papers. I even threw away the majority of my old business cards, keeping a few just for the memory.
 
Productivity has been on the decline in general.
A shirt, half dozen books, container, and 7 handmade items made their way out in the last couple weeks.
Could have been better, but at least it's some kind of progress.

Total: 395 items
 
August was another slow month between vacation abd recovery from emergency surgery while on vacaction not as much left the house that I wanted gone.

13 storage containers - sold

2 rolls of weather stripping - Gave to DS for his house
3 pair of shorts - donated
2 books - donated
15 plastic hangers - donated
11 promotional pins - donated

1 roll of painter's tape - used up
1 gallon of paint - used up
2 AA spare batteries -used up
1 partial gallon of bad paint color - set to dry out and dispose of

5 cardboard boxes - recycled
5 expired/unneeded medications - drop off at med recycling

61 Items left this month
243 of 500 items or 48.6% of goal
 
I just started to help a family with health issues and death of a family member unpack a house. So much stuff.

Thankful for a close goodwill. Resale shop. St Vincent Paul. Recycle center. Garbage pick up.
 


Not much done lately - two trips to New York and Maine, watching friends' kids, squeezing the last bit out of summer... It didn't leave much time for decluttering. (Though it looks like I got a lot done, because DS took a bunch of things up to school. 😆 )

I should get back in the swing of things next week.
 
does the stuff in the freezer(s) count? we've been hit by covid for the past 2+ weeks and no one feels up to cooking (appetites are pretty slim as well) so i've just been grabbing odds and ends of frozen leftovers that can be defrosted and easily microwaved. so while i've re-aquired half a dozen or so freezer containers i've also managed to clear about a shelf and a halves worth of space (tossed some of the stuff that got hidden behind/forgotten about as newer leftovers had been piled in (bye-bye partial bags of freezer burned sliced cheese and such).

sticker shock on meat prices last year vs. this is pretty boggling:scared:
 


For Family member. I shall update as we make accomplishments. The goal: empty a large walk in closet off the kitchen. To make in into a pantry type area.

There was so much stuff on one side I didn’t even know there was shelves in there. Any who. On the one side I found at the bottom of the closet 8 boxes of glass shelves that you use at a gift store.

I asked around and I found someone who would take them. And luckily the day I stopped to get the heavy monsters, a neighbor arrived home and loaded them from the porch to my vehicle and at work, the takers son was available to unload them.

We have most of the stuff out of there.
 
Today attacked the kitchen!
Took out 7 bags. Will donate 2 boxes to good will.
Recleaned off the kitchen table- I shared what is the point of getting rid of stuff if you can’t use what you have and you can see some difference.
The pantry is useable :)
Yesterday ran clothes around -donations and resale, and took electronics to recycle. My brother ran in and put the large old TV in for me.
 
I've had some stuff going on the last couple weeks so I haven't been able to go through much. I was forced to clean out my fridge when the compressor went (no I'm not counting all that stuff) and there were some personal things to deal with, so I've been distracted. Everyone's okay though, and that's really all that matters.

I did use up a few bottles of old products that I've been trying to get through as well as a few books. I'm not counting the stuff that was stolen as being 'decluttered', though those items are technically gone.

Total: 411 items
 
After work: Tonight we took 2 gentle vehicle loads to a family member. 3 tubs of nascar cars.
Lucky us -the neighbor put them from the porch to the jeep for us. And the other brother unloaded them. And tons of other NASCAR things.
It was brutal just getting them out of the basement. There are more to go.
And out went an air purifier tonight. And another little load of clothes went to goodwill today.
Next Wednesday is the next time we both have off. I don’t know which room is next.
 
At least 5 hours in the bedroom. Filled the outside cans. Took a load to goodwill. And brought a load home to my garbage cans. Maybe half of it done. (I left for 2 hours- so it was 7 hours for them).
Bopped back into the kitchen to finish the last cabinet. It was pretty much all spices- I set a timer for 15 minutes said that all we got time for this. Anything old-pitch.

We laugh at the amount of found tape, socks and hangers.

I picked up DH on the way home so he could get an oil change for his vehicle and I said ok but you are going to have to have stuff on your lap and at your feet to fit in here :)
 
September declutter efforts.
Not much left the house again this month as I was still recovering from suregery and mandated not to lift more than 5lbs until I go back for follow up surgery as well as returning to the classsroom and trying to catch up on everything from missing the first two weeks of school (trainings, IEP's, paperwork, etc...). So the end result not much left the house and barely 50% of the way to my goal :(

1 cardboard box - recycled
1 grocery Bag of misc papers - shredded and recycled

1 ripped pillow case - trashed
2 replacement light bulbs - used up

1 pinboard with various Disney pins - hung up and displayed!


6 Items left this month
249 of 500 items or 49.8% of goal
 
Finished the bedroom, my part. They have to decide where the saved stuff will go. 8 bags went out.
1 bag was VHS tapes- Taped nascar races.
I small load will go to Goodwill tomorrow.
So much has to be shredded/sorted. Their job.
Popped back into the laundry room and sorted 4 quick tubs boxes there. I was pretty sure there were mostly empty. It is where we started. And the freshness of everything stays where it is -was alive.
Now it is - ok that can go.
Next up. The area again around the sitting chair (which will be just putting it in clear tubs). and then the Sunroom. In maybe 2 weeks till we both are off at the same time.
 
My DH decided he has too many jackets (he does). He pulled 1 fleece, 1 leather & 4 other jackets from his closet. I pulled out 6 throws we never use, 3 pairs of shoes, a small wallet & 2 sweaters. We took those to Amvets this afternoon.

After we got back from our vacation last month, I realized what a mess our suitcases are. I had different sunscreens, hand & eye glass wipes, first aid items, tide wipes, travel size toiletries, Lysol sprays, etc. I had 2 or 3 bags for each of those things. So I went thru them all, tossed outdated sunscreen & OTC meds. Consolidated everything so I have 1 bag for each category, now stored in a container that I will pull from when I pack. I also went thru our Magic Bands. Tossed all the 1st generation plus about 12 others. I have a nice box they used to send annual passholder magic bands in. So I organized all the bands I kept in there. I had a stack of empty Disney gift cards I had consolidated & used over the last few years that I also trashed.
 
Today was the baking cupboards. = Four specialty pans I no longer needed put in the donation bag and bunch of old/expired/"won't actually use the rest of that necessary-for-one-recipe ingredient" stuff thrown out.
 
I went in today between feeding the farmers lunch and supper to start another bedroom. While they worked. This is the deceased bedroom and they said it would be hard and they just wished it would be done.

I ran thru all the drawers.
And the Tops of all but one piece of furniture. Pitching tons of small items. Keychains. Pens. Old socks. Candy. VHS tapes again. Dumping drawers.
Boxed up books. There is probably 2 loads of wash to donate. I got one bag clothes to get rid of.
I filled one outside garbage can full.
I have 4 boxes for the grown kids to take.

And I took all the bags they had ready to go that they shredded. 4 bags.

I found another stereo in there. Maybe a DVD player. I didn’t even look at it. And 2 more electronics. And I see there is a large mirror that will be to be disposed of, taller than me.
I found 3 black shoes with no matches yet and 1 white. Here shoe here shoe…..

I finished the room. I was hustling in there. I did 2 loads of laundry to get out of there today. As soon as it was done. I run it to that place today. I only found one shoe. 2 have no match. Almost filled the other garbage can. Ran by goodwill to donate on my way home. Brought 2.5 bags with me here. I broke the coo coo clock - it can be glued. The rest has to be decided keep or to the grown kids.
 
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