Who is destashing in 2010?

[mrsklamc]

Not going to make my goal this weekend. There was a lot more paper on the desk than I thought, but I DID make it through the papers, the car and the laundry. I just did NOT have the energy to go through the whole closet again. I will keep that on the to-do list for the week. Hope others have great tales of de-stashing to tell!

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

I'm going to join all of you. February is my month to do major destashing. I am trying to decide if I should just donate and freecycle items instead of selling them. I might earn a $200 or so selling things but I am afraid that actually listing them on Craigslist etc. will just not get done and put me back in the same mess. We live in an apt. building and there are no garage sales allowed. So if I just donated them each day after cleaning it might feel more like progress is being made.

I agonize with the selling vs. donating too, but donating usually wins out because of the instant gratification and ... well, I'm almost ashamed to admit this, but I actually get high dumping my junk at the Salvation Army. Boy, nothing beats the rush of excitement I get unloading my car and handing this stuff over to the workers, never to be seen again... the junk, not the workers.

Now if only I could find some way to dump the various Disney planning VHS and DVDs. I hate throwing them out because I like to recycle things. But geez, who would even want them? I might try donating them to the library (I donate books to the library quite often), but not sure if they would even want them. I might have to bite the bullet and throw them out. There are only about 6 -8 of them. Why do I have such a hard time throwing them out?

I can donate the rest of our VHS (movies, etc) to our library. They accept them and sell them at the annual bookfair. Some people are still buying these things, I guess.

 

[DisneyMarathon]

Your local pet shelters/rescues will be delighted to receive your old blankets or towels.

Currently, shelters across the country are overwhelmed with dogs and cats. People are dropping off their pets at shelters at a rapid pace. They received them as Christmas gifts and then realized that these "gifts" are costly to keep - time, money, patience. Sadly, shelters experience this influx of pets every year.
Some of the pure breds puppies end up at the shelters too.

 

[tinkerbellmagic]

Your local pet shelters/rescues will be delighted to receive your old blankets or towels.

Currently, shelters across the country are overwhelmed with dogs and cats. People are dropping off their pets at shelters at a rapid pace. They received them as Christmas gifts and then realized that these "gifts" are costly to keep - time, money, patience. Sadly, shelters experience this influx of pets every year.
Some of the pure breds puppies end up at the shelters too.

Great idea!

I gathered up all my yarn and even bought some new yarn the other day, and any time I am watching TV, I am crocheting those little 18" x 18" blankets for animals at the shelter.

 

[DisneyMarathon]

Tinkerbellmagic,
I can guarantee your local pet shelters/rescues will be so happy to receive them from you!

They are usually non-profits and rely on public donations. Due to the current economy, donations have gone down a lot for them.

The local county animal control centers at my area are even worse. Their facility is poorly maintained due to lack of funding and too many unwanted dogs and cats.

Many people do not realize that they are lots of adoptable pets at the shelters. No need to spend thousands of dollars to buy a pet.

 

[DisneyFreq]

I actually made a "dump" at the mission today. A big no no according to the sign since it wasn't within in operating hours. BUT SHEEESH! i couldn't help myself. I filled the whole bed of a pick up truck...and not a small one. It was time to say goodbye to that junk.

 

[sherry7]

Hello everyone. I saw this thread when it first started a few weeks ago, but since I was getting ready to leave on vacation, I didn't join in. I'm hopping on the bandwagon now though.

I have a clutter problem, although not nearly to the extent of those people on the Hoarders show. We are expecting a baby in May, so I am on a mission to get my house straightened up before she arrives.

I've actually donated multiple boxes of stuff to Goodwill in the last few months, but I don't feel like I hardly made a dent yet. I have a LOT of work to do over the coming months.

Our entire house needs painted badly, and DH is making that his winter project. (He does highway construction, so he's off work for most of the winter.) Today, he cleared out the 4th bedroom (aka storage room), to get it ready to paint. Meanwhile, most of that crap is now piled in the corner of my living room. I need to sort through it before anything gets moved back in there. We also had a Bowflex in that room, which he took apart and moved out to the garage until we can sell it. One of his co-workers is coming by to look at it this week, and hopefully he will buy it. Hopefully, he'll get that room primed tomorrow, and painted the following day.

The next project for him after that is painting the baby's nursery (also pretty much a storage room right now, although we like to call it the guest room, lol). Right now, I can barely walk into that room...I need to sort through it before he can even start painting in there.

I've been sick with bronchitis since I came home from vacation last weekend, so I've gotten literally nothing done. I haven't even completely unpacked our suitcases yet, because I've been feeling so lousy. I did work on the linen closet today for awhile, since I could do most of it while I was sitting in a chair. Actually only 2 shelves of it are linens, and the rest is excess bathroom stuff. I ended up tossing out 2 trash bags of stuff that was either just junk, or medications that were expired. Plus, I tossed a bunch of raggedy towels in a pile for DH to use while he's painting. I still have 2 or 3 hours work left to finish getting it all organized. I always have a problem with collecting too many toiletries...I even stopped CVS'ing a few months ago because we just have too much stockpiled right now.

So in all, I need to do these rooms/areas, probably in this order:
4th bedroom
3rd bedroom (future baby nursery)
master bedroom
master bathroom
main bathroom
upstairs landing
dining room
kitchen (not much work to do there, thankfully)
living room
computer room
1/2 downstairs bath
laundry room
DS's bedroom (probably saving this until summer, when he doesn't have college classes)
basement (I doubt this part will happen for several years!)


Does anyone else have a problem with paper clutter? I mean stuff like bills, bank statements, etc. This is a never ending battle for me. Every time I seem to get it partially straightened up, I fall behind again. I have a file cabinet, but I don't file things on a regular basis and it's a complete mess. Right now I have 3 or 4 plastic storage bins of papers that either need filed, shredded, or just tossed. I'm thinking I'm going to save that part for the last month of pregnancy, when I don't feel like doing much.

 

[talulabelle]

I'm still moving through the house. I have lost speed, but have not stopped. I have gotten all of the rooms pickedup and clear, but most every closet in my house is STUFFED with stuff. What I have noticed is that now that the house is less chaotic, and my kitchen counter is clear every day, I don't mind folding laundry so much, because I I have a big clear place to do it. So my laundry room is caught up and cleared out. It is easier to take the time to attack a cabinet or closet when I am not feeling guilty about the condition of the rest of the house, or scared that someone will show up unexpectedly at my door.

This is the best and biggest thing I am noticing....the declutter bug is catching! My family is enjoying the less cluttered house and is JOINING IN! My daughter took me up to her room to show me that she cleared out her dresser and had made a pile of all the things she has outgrown or doesn't wear! I was gone shopping for most of Saturday and my husband was home with the kids. Usually , he would either watch tv because he wouldn't know where to start on the house, or he might do some dishes or laundry foding for me if he was bored. But, the dishes were done! The laundry was up to date! THe house was clear - so he was bored with nothing to do, and he went up in our closet and took out 2 boxes of old paper work (some of which dates to 2000) and cleared them out and filed what need to be filed!!!!! I was floored when I got home.

Still have lots to do, but we are making slow steady progress. I am concentrating on maintaining everything that has been accomplished so it won't go back to a cluttered mess, and then when everything is maintained for the day (laundry caught up, dishes in dishwaher, kitched cleaned up, quick tidy of the whole house,) Then I go and try to attack one problem area that needs to be totally decluttered and organized. I'm hoping get through the whole house in a few months.

My biggest task will be my pictures. I just have boxes of pictures that at one time were in their envelopes, but years of kids finding them and going through them, has produced big messy boxes of pictures all scattered and out of order. Also, since I got a digital camera about 5 years ago, nothing has been printed and the disks are all disorganized. Every thing I find is going in one area of my guest room. When I am done organizing EVERYTHING else, I plan to set up a folding table in that room and start sorting, printing , putting in albums, and organizing. This way, if I have to stop in the middle of the project, I can leave the room and the piles, and LOCK the door behind me! I started trying to organize pictures a few years ago on the dining room table, and the kids would come in and start looking at the pictures when I had to stop to do something else, and they would mess it all up...I got frustrated and stopped. This time, I plan to get through the job.

 

[sherry7]

I'm still moving through the house. I have lost speed, but have not stopped. I have gotten all of the rooms pickedup and clear, but most every closet in my house is STUFFED with stuff. What I have noticed is that now that the house is less chaotic, and my kitchen counter is clear every day, I don't mind folding laundry so much, because I I have a big clear place to do it. So my laundry room is caught up and cleared out. It is easier to take the time to attack a cabinet or closet when I am not feeling guilty about the condition of the rest of the house, or scared that someone will show up unexpectedly at my door.

This is the best and biggest thing I am noticing....the declutter bug is catching! My family is enjoying the less cluttered house and is JOINING IN! My daughter took me up to her room to show me that she cleared out her dresser and had made a pile of all the things she has outgrown or doesn't wear! I was gone shopping for most of Saturday and my husband was home with the kids. Usually , he would either watch tv because he wouldn't know where to start on the house, or he might do some dishes or laundry foding for me if he was bored. But, the dishes were done! The laundry was up to date! THe house was clear - so he was bored with nothing to do, and he went up in our closet and took out 2 boxes of old paper work (some of which dates to 2000) and cleared them out and filed what need to be filed!!!!! I was floored when I got home.

Still have lots to do, but we are making slow steady progress. I am concentrating on maintaining everything that has been accomplished so it won't go back to a cluttered mess, and then when everything is maintained for the day (laundry caught up, dishes in dishwaher, kitched cleaned up, quick tidy of the whole house,) Then I go and try to attack one problem area that needs to be totally decluttered and organized. I'm hoping get through the whole house in a few months.

My biggest task will be my pictures. I just have boxes of pictures that at one time were in their envelopes, but years of kids finding them and going through them, has produced big messy boxes of pictures all scattered and out of order. Also, since I got a digital camera about 5 years ago, nothing has been printed and the disks are all disorganized. Every thing I find is going in one area of my guest room. When I am done organizing EVERYTHING else, I plan to set up a folding table in that room and start sorting, printing , putting in albums, and organizing. This way, if I have to stop in the middle of the project, I can leave the room and the piles, and LOCK the door behind me! I started trying to organize pictures a few years ago on the dining room table, and the kids would come in and start looking at the pictures when I had to stop to do something else, and they would mess it all up...I got frustrated and stopped. This time, I plan to get through the job.

Congrats! It sounds like you're on the right track, and it's great that your family is "catching the bug" as well.

OMG, I didn't even think about my pictures...they're a total mess, since I haven't put anything in albums since I started working in 1997. The digital files aren't quite as bad though, since I make it a regular habit to backup to an external hard drive. Oh well, that project is probably the last one I'll ever get to.

I'm still feeling crappy today (darned bronchitis), but I'm going to sit down at the kitchen table and go through some paperwork. We were gone on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks earlier this month, and I've barely even looked at the mail that piled up, other than to separate the bills. Meanwhile, DH is upstairs painting the ceiling in the 4th bedroom.

 

[thebigkahuna]

I've got a large shopping bag that I just keep adding to! It's on its way out the door...I just added another shirt yesterday that I think is *adorable* but is a little to tight, and I'd rather not ....well, lets just say the words "muffin" and "top" came to mind.

When I donate that bag I will start another -- now to tackle the paperwork.....out of curosity, how long to you keep papers?
Tax returns I will keep for YEARS, but I keep paycheck stubs and I've never had to look at one ever....maybe it's time for a shredder!

 

[kfeuer]

I've enjoyed reading about everyone's progress!

We're still prepping our house to go on the market. I've spent the day pulling everything out of my kitchen cabinets, wiping them down, putting down fresh liner and then deciding what goes back in. I've got a huge box for our upcoming garage sale and a bunch of stuff to throw away. The parts that are done look so nice!

I've heard organizers say over and over that if you bring something new in, you should get rid of something old. I've realized today how true that is. I'm bad to see kitchen gadgets 75% off at Target and pick up a new one without getting rid of any of the old ones, which is how I'm the proud owner of 3 ice cream scoops, 5 meat thermometers, 4 sets of measuring cups, the list goes on! I've chosen my favorites and the rest are going! What a difference it's made in my drawers to get rid of all the duplicates. From here on out, if I see things on clearance that I'm tempted to buy I'm going to ask myself if it's really that much better then the one I already have.

Keep going, ladies!

 

[sherry7]

...........When I donate that bag I will start another -- now to tackle the paperwork.....out of curosity, how long to you keep papers?
Tax returns I will keep for YEARS, but I keep paycheck stubs and I've never had to look at one ever....maybe it's time for a shredder!

Paperwork is a HUGE problem of mine, and I've had a hard time finding a filing system that works for me. I'm still sick with bronchitis, but I just spent about an hour going through our backlog of mail. We were on vacation for 2 1/2 weeks, so it was quite a pile!

Tax returns should be kept forever. I've also heard 7 years, but we got audited a few years ago, and ended up having to provide stuff older than that to prove our point. My pack rat tendencies paid off in that circumstance, lol.

Technically, paycheck stubs should only be kept until you receive your tax wage statement for that particular year and also the annual statement that you receive for Social Security paid in. At that point, you should compare the numbers and make sure they all match up. The pay stubs can then be shredded. It might be a good idea to keep the last pay stub from each year though, with all of the totals on it. That being said...I have every single pay stub from the age of 16. Perhaps I should consider following my own advice, lol.

I think I might have finally found a filing system that works better for me. The old system of throwing it in a plastic storage box and storing it in the basement wasn't working so well.

I have 2 monthly bill organizers, similar to this:

It basically looks like a notebook with folders, with 1 folder pocket for each month. One of mine is from a school fundraiser (very flimsy), and I have another nice sturdy one that I got in the office supply department at Walmart. I guess you could make your own as well, by using a 1" binder with some school folders in it.

I labeled one of them "Financial Statements". When I get our statements from checking, savings, investments, 401k, retirement accounts, etc, I place them in the correct folder for that month. I just put January 2010 in there, so I took out the statements for January 2009, took a quick glance at them, and shredded them. You should get a year end financial statement for most of these types of accounts, and those would be the ones to stash away in your file cabinet.

The other bill organizer is labeled "Bills". This is for utility bills, credit card statements, insurance bills, etc. After the bill is paid, I slip it in the folder pocket for that month. Like above, I shred the old ones when I get to that month the following year.

I guess you could just use one bill organizer instead of two, but mine was too overpacked, so I separated them since I already owned two. I previously tried this same system, by using a monthly file folder in my file cabinet. That didn't work for me, because I had to walk to the file cabinet in order to put it in there. With the bill organizer folders, I just keep them in a china cabinet drawer near where I normally pay the bills.

DH had a more productive day that I did. He started the painting job, and did the ceiling in the 4th bedroom and all 3 bathrooms. He's going to do a prime coat on the bedroom tomorrow, and hopefully the first coat of paint as well.

 

[comicguy]

Sold another 100 comic books over the weekend and pocketed about 130.00

I am making some room and some money
All of this is going towards the 2011 WDW trip as I have already saved up the money for the 2010 trip.

I ,love decluttering and making money at the same time.

 

[decaff38]

Took another bag to consignment. Sorted through a pile of papers and threw away socks with holes in them. Cleaned out my car. Starting a new bag and going after another cupboard this week. THink I may go after hubby's bathroom on Sat. ( he will be gone). Starting with laundry room organizing. Not allot to do but it just feels awkward. Then on to the tax papers . Goal to get it all together and filed by the end of Feb.

 

[thebigkahuna]

Tax returns should be kept forever. I've also heard 7 years, but we got audited a few years ago, and ended up having to provide stuff older than that to prove our point. My pack rat tendencies paid off in that circumstance, lol.

Technically, paycheck stubs should only be kept until you receive your tax wage statement for that particular year and also the annual statement that you receive for Social Security paid in. At that point, you should compare the numbers and make sure they all match up. The pay stubs can then be shredded. It might be a good idea to keep the last pay stub from each year though, with all of the totals on it. That being said...I have every single pay stub from the age of 16. Perhaps I should consider following my own advice, lol.

tax returns I don't have a problem keeping and storing, but I found paystubs from 2002! From a company that doesn't exist anymore! I think I should be able to let those go....(but it will be difficult, paperwork sticks to me!)

 

[thebigkahuna]

I think I might have finally found a filing system that works better for me. The old system of throwing it in a plastic storage box and storing it in the basement wasn't working so well.

I have 2 monthly bill organizers, similar to this:

It basically looks like a notebook with folders, with 1 folder pocket for each month. One of mine is from a school fundraiser (very flimsy), and I have another nice sturdy one that I got in the office supply department at Walmart. I guess you could make your own as well, by using a 1" binder with some school folders in it.

I labeled one of them "Financial Statements". When I get our statements from checking, savings, investments, 401k, retirement accounts, etc, I place them in the correct folder for that month. I just put January 2010 in there, so I took out the statements for January 2009, took a quick glance at them, and shredded them. You should get a year end financial statement for most of these types of accounts, and those would be the ones to stash away in your file cabinet.

The other bill organizer is labeled "Bills". This is for utility bills, credit card statements, insurance bills, etc. After the bill is paid, I slip it in the folder pocket for that month. Like above, I shred the old ones when I get to that month the following year.

I guess you could just use one bill organizer instead of two, but mine was too overpacked, so I separated them since I already owned two. I previously tried this same system, by using a monthly file folder in my file cabinet. That didn't work for me, because I had to walk to the file cabinet in order to put it in there. With the bill organizer folders, I just keep them in a china cabinet drawer near where I normally pay the bills.

I wanted to say that I really like this idea too - I'm gonna find something similar & get organized!!

 

[sherry7]

tax returns I don't have a problem keeping and storing, but I found paystubs from 2002! From a company that doesn't exist anymore! I think I should be able to let those go....(but it will be difficult, paperwork sticks to me!)

Don't feel bad...I have them dating back to 1987. When I run across them, I'm just going to keep the last stub for each year (which should equal a very small amount in my file cabinet). Even if a company has went out of business, you may have to prove at some point that you paid taxes, etc from that job.

I know what you mean about paperwork! I have several plastic storage bins that are full of paperwork. I know that 98% of it just needs shredded, but it's the matter of going through it to find the remaining 2% that needs kept.

I need to see if there's a shredding service in my area. I have a good shredded at home, but it would be easier to just toss it all in a box (or plural boxes) and let someone else do it quickly. I think I'm saving that job for the last month of pregnancy, when I don't feel like doing nothing much.

I wanted to say that I really like this idea too - I'm gonna find something similar & get organized!!

That particular one was from WalterDrake.com...but it's probably similar to those flimsy ones they sell for the school fundraisers. My nice one came from Walmart, or you should be able to find one at Staples, Office Max, etc.

 

[thebigkahuna]

Don't feel bad...I have them dating back to 1987. When I run across them, I'm just going to keep the last stub for each year (which should equal a very small amount in my file cabinet). Even if a company has went out of business, you may have to prove at some point that you paid taxes, etc from that job.

I know what you mean about paperwork! I have several plastic storage bins that are full of paperwork. I know that 98% of it just needs shredded, but it's the matter of going through it to find the remaining 2% that needs kept.

I need to see if there's a shredding service in my area. I have a good shredded at home, but it would be easier to just toss it all in a box (or plural boxes) and let someone else do it quickly. I think I'm saving that job for the last month of pregnancy, when I don't feel like doing nothing much.



That particular one was from WalterDrake.com...but it's probably similar to those flimsy ones they sell for the school fundraisers. My nice one came from Walmart, or you should be able to find one at Staples, Office Max, etc.

I can't feel too bad about it, something made me hang onto all of 'em this long, hanging onto 'em till I can find the last ones & shred the rest won't kill me (I hope! LOL) I will definitely look for one of those binders - that's a great idea!

 

[mrsklamc]

After we get the car paid off DH and I are going to buy an all in one printer with a document feeding tray. Then we will go through a lot of those documents we think we can probably toss and scan them. That way we'll feel better about shredding them.

We will be keeping our tax returns forever though.

I like the idea of buying a 12 month accordion file and throwing everything in there for the month instead of filing by individual companies. Then it can easily be found by date.

 

[mrsklamc]

Are you guys still going?

I messed up. I got a big TV for my husband on Freecycle and now we need a new piece of furniture to put it on. So much for not bringing new stuff into the house.

While I am continuing to destash the house, my MAIN focus now is trying to lose some pounds...and I have to say, the "instant gratification" from getting rid of the STUFF is WAY better than waiting and hoping my weight loss efforts are being productive!

How's it going for you?