Who is destashing in 2010?

[mrsbornkuntry]

I didn't think I would get to anything today, DH asked me to sit down and watch his new Harry Potter dvd with him so I did and fell asleep. I got a second wind this evening, especially since DH cooked dinner so while the kids were in the tub I dusted and cleaned up the hallway. I put all of the misc. game pieces back in the boxes they go in, straightened up the books and games and dusted the shelves. I didn't get around to decluttering the books, but honestly there's probably few children's books I would let go of right now. I threw out some paper trash and a Hungry Hungry Hippo game with no marbles.

I also straightened the linen closet, but didn't really throw anything out of it either. It's tiny and I hardly use it, but I store my "stockpile" of kids' toiletries in there so I took a quick inventory.

Tomorrow I plan to do under the bathroom sinks in all 3 bathrooms and start working on my bedroom. I probably should go through my clothes as well and take out the ones that don't fit, I usually just kind of skip over them when I'm dressing. I'm not sure I'm ready to do it yet.

 

[acename]

Dh was in a cleaning mood tonight. He does that sometimes and will clean and declutter for hours. So he put up two shelves for dvds and we straightened those up. I also went through some more of DD's toys and tossed a few broken things and consolidated bins and things like that. Tomorrow I'm going to clean up my craft table. It's pretty bad so that will be a big task.

 

[QVCshopper]

For those with big DVD / CD collections, you can buy a storage book and then get rid of the plastic cases. I did this and it saved TONS of space. I don't really have to declutter much, but this in inspiring, so I might take on a few small projects I've never gotten around to (the infamous junk drawer, etc). I'm a Peter Walsh follower, and also enjoyed reading the Clutter Cure.

 

[muffyn]

alright I am in!

I am 1st starting with magazines. for some reason I cannot ever throw out a magazine. I Paid $5+ for the darn thing , I could NOT talk myself into tossing them out!
looking in my closet I must have a couple thousand magazines.. yup.

I literally had to force myself to drag a pile out & go through them. but I have started. right now , they are mostly from the 70's 80's. a lot of home decorating ideas / computer magazines / etc. I have clipped some articles out of them, but righ tnow they don't even add up to what one magazine was.
I am pretty proud of myself. have gone through a couple hundred so far. . I am saving the occasional .'reminder' ones ,, like gee what did that look like in the 70's.. or, wow computers were that expensive?
so far it is ok. but I will definately slow down when I get to the Islands/travel & others that I really want to keep.
I think my next project is looking & tossing out my kids toys,, which are 30-40 yrs hanging around here, like old books & I keep looking at the metal doll house on a shelf. guess it will be next.

 

[talulabelle]

alright I am in!

I am 1st starting with magazines. for some reason I cannot ever throw out a magazine. I Paid $5+ for the darn thing , I could NOT talk myself into tossing them out!
looking in my closet I must have a couple thousand magazines.. yup.

I literally had to force myself to drag a pile out & go through them. but I have started. right now , they are mostly from the 70's 80's. a lot of home decorating ideas / computer magazines / etc. I have clipped some articles out of them, but righ tnow they don't even add up to what one magazine was.
I am pretty proud of myself. have gone through a couple hundred so far. . I am saving the occasional .'reminder' ones ,, like gee what did that look like in the 70's.. or, wow computers were that expensive?
so far it is ok. but I will definately slow down when I get to the Islands/travel & others that I really want to keep.
I think my next project is looking & tossing out my kids toys,, which are 30-40 yrs hanging around here, like old books & I keep looking at the metal doll house on a shelf. guess it will be next.

my neighbor has a magazine problem too. One problem is she is older than the internet generation, so she is afraid that there is something in them that she will need one day. (a recipe, an article on health etc) I have tried to tell her that A) a need has never arisen thus far. B) If the need ever does arise, there are so many that she would never find it anyway. and C) Hello! THe internet...tap tap on the keyboard and you can google any recipe or article in the world that you want. No need for hardcopies. She even saves old catalogs incase she needs to order someting one day! I am always telling her you can order over the internet and that the stores don't even stock what was in those catalogs anymore. At very least, a new catalog will come in a few months.

Good Will won't even take them - so that proves there is no worth left in them. I try to tell her it is not wasteful to put them in recyling, that they have served their purpose and she should regain her space. But she just can't do it...she grew up in the depression, and getting rid of things is too hard for her. When ever she spends a large amount of time going through them to see if she can get rid of them, she takes the ones that she parts with to doctors offices and trys to give them to me and other neighbors. Honestly, they are so old, I think the ladies at the drs; offices just pitch them when she is gone. Same with the neighbors. I have started taking them just to help her get rid of her clutter. I put them staight in my recycling bin. For some reaon she can't do it, and it makes her feel better if they are passed to someone else. I let her pass them, and I CAN pitch them so I do.

They are just paper, you got your $5.00 entertainment value out of them when you first received and read them. They no longer hold $5.00 worth. You can just pitch them. Don't spend too much time going through each one.

 

[holyschmolly]

And After:

.

Love the idea of the Mickey balloon turned wall hanging!!!

I read the thread & am inspired!!

My plan for today is to clean out the laundry room that has become a catch all. I realized last night I am barely squeezing in.

Wish me luck!

 

[naomi78155]

Just went through DS 5 book shelf and got one big box for consignment, one box for donate and a bag of trash.

What to do next?

 

[mrsbornkuntry]

Love the idea of the Mickey balloon turned wall hanging!!!

I read the thread & am inspired!!

My plan for today is to clean out the laundry room that has become a catch all. I realized last night I am barely squeezing in.

Wish me luck!

Thank-you, each year I get the kids a big character helium balloon for Valentine's day, then when the helium runs out if they're still in good shape we put them on their walls with that tacky putty stuff.

I finally finished upstairs today. I cleaned out all three bathroom cupboards and my bedroom. Now I need to get all of the things we don't want out of our house. Do thrift stores still take toys or am I going to have to put them all on craigslist?

One of my kitchen cupboards full of plastic bowls and lids needs decluttered so that's next on the list and I also have a buffet with drawers that needs some attention. I'm done decluttering for today, though, I need to finish up the laundry.

 

[StephMK]

Way to go everyone!

I have been dealing with some paper clutter today. Mostly some calls I needed to make to straighten out some insurance issues. Not done but at least I started the process.

I haven't done any organizing today but want to clear out the medicine shelf. I don't know why that gets sooo messy with things just thrown in. I want to get a few things listed on CL or ebay and finish vacuuming & dusting today. Then I can work on the pics & some scrapbooking tomorrow when DH takes the kids out for the afternoon.

 

[Aisling]

Thanks for this inspiring thread!!!!

I've destashed my garage (I never realized how BIG it was with all the junk inside it) and the coat closet so far. I had coats in there from when my kids were in elementary school and now they're college age and almost college age! I went through the "winter box" and tossed all the ratty, holey gloves and put the too-small snow boots in the good-will bag.

Next is my kitchen cupboards. They're stuffed to the gills with things I haven't used in years and will most likely never use.

It feels GREAT to have less "stuff".


By the way, the before and after pictures are a major inspiration! Keep up the good work, everybody!

 

[muffyn]

my neighbor has a magazine problem too. One problem is she is older than the internet generation, so she is afraid that there is something in them that she will need one day.
They are just paper, you got your $5.00 entertainment value out of them when you first received and read them. They no longer hold $5.00 worth. You can just pitch them. Don't spend too much time going through each one.

I know I know...

I found a magazine with the article on the 1st survivor "who will win etc etc"
uh,, am having a tough decision to what to do with it.

I know what you are saying about the internet . but I think its kinda the Love Kindle or hate Kindle. I love the feel of books & printed paper stuff in front of me NOT on a computer screen.
like many of you I do have thousands of photos stored on my computer but it is not the same. I actually ordered print outs last year of 4000 of them and have been putting them in albums. nothing is the same as looking through a photo album/scrapbook with all the little other pieces of paper from trips & stuff.

when I get caught up to magazines in the last 6 months ( I am trying to do the oldest ones 1st) I plan on taking them to a nursing home, or some place. I really think they could use them.

oh & catalogs? I have a few that are many many years old ( sears & such) I just think its a 'trip' to see what we wore back then ( along with pricing) & there is that paper feel...

well I am slowly fixing this. so really am proud of myself so far..

Oh also cleaned out ONE cupboard & the garbage bag was stuffed.. unreal.
on to the next. I mean do I reallly need to keep all those large sipper slushie cups that the family collects over the years?

& all you who are decluttering.. have any of you made a decision on dishware you have piled in cupbaords that you never ever use? I could probably feed over 150 people at one time.

 

[mrsklamc]

I found a magazine with the article on the 1st survivor "who will win etc etc"
uh,, am having a tough decision to what to do with it.

Richard Hatch. Pitch it.

I was diagnosed with cancer on the 1st of October. One of the many things that went through my head as I was going through that process was that if my illness had been a more deadly type, someone would have had to go through all my crap. No one would know what was valued and what wasn't.

 

[dtr_angel]

I boxed up two more boxes of clothes and shoes tonight. I have a box and a big comfortor bag full of clothes that need washed and folded to go to goodwill as well. I feel like I'm making serious progress! I'm trying to get as much done as possible, I won't really be able to do anything after school starts on the 18th until spring break. I pretty much have my own house done, but still have a ton of stuff still stashed at my parents house that I am working my way through.

Keep up the good work everyone!

 

[comicguy]

Founs a slew of empty shoe boxes (6 boxes) yesterday that went out with the trash.

It is hard for us to get much done during the week, so if has to be done on the weekends. I hope to fill another box with "junk, stuff, things, ect...) later this morning.

Every little bit that leaves the house is a blessing!!

 

[mafibisha]

This is such a great thread.

Ok so I'm doing great tossing stuff until I think of our two oldest kids. Before I blink they'll be doing the college to apartment thing and will need stuff! And furnishing a first apartment can be expensive, even when buying stuff on sale and at garage sales

So how do you decide what stuff to save for your kids?

 

[mrsklamc]

This is such a great thread.

Ok so I'm doing great tossing stuff until I think of our two oldest kids. Before I blink they'll be doing the college to apartment thing and will need stuff! And furnishing a first apartment can be expensive, even when buying stuff on sale and at garage sales

So how do you decide what stuff to save for your kids?

How old are they? What types of items are you considering saving? Do you have reasonable space to store whatever you are thinking of saving, or will it interfere with living your life now to keep it?

 

[gk90]

I destashed by listing 15 items on eBay, 1 didn't sell, one I withdrew (ski suit, after listing I found a big stain on it that I couldn't get off, will just give it to charity), 11 out of the 13 are shipped out and after shipping fees I now have $470 from buyers in my Paypal account!

Some of that will go for eBay fees and for several of the auctions I did a 10% charity donation thru eBay but whatever profit I made is much better than having the stuff just hanging around in the garage and closets!

I'd forgotten what a chore it is to pack and ship items, specially when some of them are odd shapes (like skis) that need custom packaging. Still, I had a big stash of cardboard & packing material that I'd saved for whenever I eventually put these items on eBay so that's more stuff out of the house as well.

 

[LovableGluttons]

Aaahh spent the morning in the garage and now my car fits!

The dumpster is full though, and trash pickup was this morning!

 

[robsmom]

Made more progress. Christmas is totally put away. Used some new Christmas Ball containers purchased on sale after Christmas and threw out 2 boxs and 3 bags of stuff including assorted ornament boxes, the old candy canes, broken items etc. Had to have some plumbing done on Thursday and pulled everything out from under my bathroom sink. Only about 20% of it went back, the rest went into the trash. Having a painter come this week to paint 2 rooms so we did not put any of the regular stuff back out. The family room looks clean but too bare. Goal will be to only put about 50% of the regular "stuff" back on the tables, fireplace, etc.

 

[comicguy]

Got rid of 25 books and a photocopy paper box of paperwork from my 1st year teaching from 3 years ago (not sure why I kept that stuff, most of it was junk!!)

My yard sale pile is growing slowly but surely!!