Category: Clearing out the clutter

Decluttering again.

Published on by TracieLeave a comment

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

I’m back into the groove of getting all of the things that we don’t love and want to surround us out of the house.  It’s been quite a while and the donation pile has grown substantially.  Like, its turned into Marjory the trash heap on Fraggle Rock and its taking over my bedroom.  No worries!  It’s almost FALL and I’m in a decluttering mood again, so it will all find a new home soon.

Let’s see what’s going to live with someone else:

As always, we have too.many.things.  Such as coffee mugs.  And a standing rib roaster that I’ve never in the seven years I’ve owned it used.  My poor digital crock pot.  I broke the sleeve in it, but there is nothing wrong with the crock pot.  I asked them before I donated it, and they said no problem.  Someone will pay a couple of dollars for it.  And wouldn’t you know it, two days later I found a sleeve at a yard sale.  Oh well.  It’s a good thing I already had a backup. 🙄. No, I didn’t buy the sleeve as another backup, but I had to force myself to leave it there.  Yes, I know I have a problem….

I’ve been going through my cookbooks again.  I told my Mama, if I haven’t picked it up in the last year and I know that they have it at one of my local libraries it is going to go live with someone else.  I’ve also been burning through my magazine collection.

Another spare colander and more candles for the candle making lady….

More extras:  a vase, a diffuser that only works as a nightlight now, and an extra digital photo frame.

Even more candles, bowls, and knick knacks.  I bought this tuna squisher because it looked more useful than the one I’ve had for the past 24 years and it wouldn’t go into the tuna can!  Can you believe that.  So maybe it’s not a tuna drainer.  Any ideas what it was actually for?  ( I looked it up and apparently you are supposed to cover the top of the can with this type of drainer.  With mine I can set it inside the tuna can to squish the heck out of the tuna like I like to do.  Life is all about preference, isn’t it?  Hahaha.)

More extra bowls, saucers, and baking pans.  I’m trying my best to cull everything down to what I need and want…..

Two MORE lamp shades, I swear they are multiplying in my hidey holes.  A knife block that I hate having on my counter.  I use one of these in my kitchen drawer and I LOVE it.  I also have discovered that I am a knife hoarder.  The things you discover about yourself as you are decluttering….  More candles, corn on the cob holders that no one uses but me and Hayden because Denton and Liva cut theirs off the cob – oh and I have another set of 24.  Just in case we have 12 people over to eat corn.

And last but never least, MORE CANDLES and jars.

That’s it for our donations last week.

What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Still Decluttering…..

Published on by TracieLeave a comment

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

I completely forgot to post this, so everything you see here was donated, oh about a month ago.  I hope that you didn’t want to come to my house and get any of this stuff…….

Denton and I have started in the garage.  I don’t even know where this school desk came from!  I think it must have been stuffed in the back by the previous owners.  Yes, we have owned our house for over eleven years.  Why do you ask?  Also, I convinced Denton to part with ONE of his three weight benches.

More randomness from the garage.  Headphones that no one in my house will wear.  And bookbags……

Shoes that Liv says are too small, a Roku that hasn’t been used in I don’t even know how long, and other things that do not need to live at my house any longer.

The ever revolving stack of magazines.  I am still culling my cookbooks.  It is painful you guys…. But necessary.  I am going to go through them all again later this summer.

We ended up with two copies of Inception with our last movie haul, so someone else can enjoy this copy.  I am still replacing the doorknobs in our house.  More candles for the candle making lady.  A hamburger press – I found another one that I LOVE.  How do I describe this thing???  It has a spring type thing that allows you to pop the burger out of it after you form the patty.  It works like a dream.  So this patty maker can go live with someone else.  And they can bang it around and mutter while trying to get the perfectly round or square patties out of it.

Also, I am donating some of our multitude of dog supplies.  This harness I bought was laughable when it came to size.  No way it would fit Oreo.  The aqua colored leash has a matching collar and it’s pretty cool.  It lights up.  But I figured that I didn’t need to attrack more attention to myself and Oreo at night when he does his business at the edge of the Little Woods as we call them.  There are ….. things ….. in there that I don’t want to come out at night.  Blinking and flashing lights might just be too much temptation. 

More of my beloved cookbooks.  That I haven’t opened in many, many moons.  They can go live with someone else now.

Extras.  I always seem to have extras of everything.  I don’t need them.  I don’t need them.  I don’t need them.  Maybe if I tell myself that over and over I will stop buying all the extras.  I had to force myself to walk away from a very lovely crock pot the other day…..

Clothes,

More clothes….

And dishes.  I still have too many of everything as you can see.

That was everything that went to my local Salvation Army, sometime in May.  The donations have slowed down tremendously at my house, even though it doesn’t look like it from everything above.

I am gearing myself up for another task later this summer, now that I feel like I have my house under control – somewhat.  Do you have to do that?  Gear yourself up for things?  I am a planner; flying by the seat of my pants is not my preference in any situation.  Especially ones that need to happen a lot.  Anyway, that’s another conversation for another day.

What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering/30 Simple Days ~ 04.16.19

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This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

I got a phone call from one of my sweetheart’s earlier this morning.  He calls me regularly and tells me he loves me every time we start to hang up the phone.  I’m going to call him Bob and he is somewhere in the vicinity of 90 years old.  He is an amazing man.  The little snippets of his life that I am privy to are unbelievable.  Example:  When we first moved here to our tiny town, he and I were having a conversation one day and he asked me where I was originally from.  When I told him the name of my tiny hometown he said “How about that!”  He was in a foxhole in Korea in 1951 with a man from my hometown.  What are the odds?

We talk about everything and anything.  Today’s topic was decluttering.  Bob is doing what sounds like Swedish death cleaning to me.  He isn’t dying.  He is hale and hearty, and seriously could live another twenty years.  He’s active; he golf’s two or three times a week, drives to see one of his remaining sister-in-laws in Detroit almost every year and cleans his own home every single week from top to bottom.

But he said he’s tired of being surrounded by THINGS.  Things he has to dust and clean every week.  Things his family have already told him they don’t want.  And when he finally does go home to heaven to be with his beloved wife, who’s been gone for over a decade, he doesn’t want to leave his family with all of this stuff.

This entire conversation was prompted by him questioning whether or not our local Salvation Army would take the crystal he was tired of dusting each week in his china cabinet or if he should just chunk it into the garbage!  I assured him that they would definitely take it and that he needed to get one of his grandkids to come over and check to see what it was worth first.  He still has his mother’s china.  Which thankfully is going to one of his great-granddaughters who actually wants it.

All of that to say – our conversation renewed my zeal to get ALL THE THINGS out of my house that we don’t love.

Let’s see what’s going to live with someone else this week:

I told my brother that things are getting serious now.  I’ve started in on my Christmas stuff.  Also, Denton has joined Hayden’s bandwagon of only wanting black socks.  I have no idea whose is whose now.

I also sat down and made a huge dent in my travel books.  I think I only have five left now.

Note to self:  Don’t buy the book until you hear back from Daddy.  He texted me after Hayden and I had already checked out and said “Yes, I have this one.  You bought it for me.  I love you.”  Hahahaha.  So don’t be surprised when you see this in my latest book haul.  Never fear, it can now go to live with someone who doesn’t already own a copy of it.

More extras of things that we don’t need…..

Even more extras…..

And the clothes……

I have started making myself reach for things that I haven’t worn in years.  If I don’t want to put it on my body, it goes straight into the wicker go-away basket.  If I do want to try it and then decide after wearing it for the day that I don’t like it, it didn’t fit well, or it just isn’t my style anymore – same thing, straight into the wicker go-away basket.

My goal this year is to completely pare my wardrobe down to only the actual things that I love and I know fit me well.  That might turn out to be only 14 items, but I’d seriously rather only have those 14 items in my closet than a bunch of stuff that I have to shove past to get to the things I actually want to wear.

Woohoo!  My wicker go-away basket is empty!  It may only stay that way for a day or two, but I haven’t seen the bottom of it in a while.  I am loving this get it all out of the house every week thing. It’s working out very, very well.  Everything has been bagged up, and put into the Pilot to be carted away tomorrow morning.

What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering/30 Simple Days ~ 04.10.19

Published on by TracieLeave a comment

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

Another week down and I actually dropped off everything once again at my local Salvation Army TODAY.  Progress is getting it done, people.   It was completed late according to the schedule I have running inside my head, but it’s a task that I can still check off in my planner.  I cleared another load of stuff that wasn’t being loved out of our house and someone will gain a new treasure this week.

Let’s see what’s going to live with someone else today:

Another lamp.  A bunch of photo frames and come calendars that I found…..

A door snowman and more candle supplies for the candle lady.  A bottle of Axe that Hayden will never, ever use.

OH look – another brand new bottle of Axe, a nightlight, my old wallet, pants hangers, bicycle helmets that won’t fit anyone in my house anymore and a whirly-whistle thing.  That thing is actually pretty cool, but no one plays with it sadly.

Posters, wall pieces, and photo frames we no longer need….

A throw pillow that I don’t want on my bed anymore, another lamp shade, miscellaneous towel holders from the bathroom, and two flower pots.

Another stack of magazines…..

Two shelves, a curtain rod I found in the garage, two wall plaques, some leftover yard sale stickers and a random pot with it’s own shelf….

One of the light fixtures from the garage and my beloved Nuwave.  I LOVED this appliance you guys.  I even took it on vacation – twice!  I used it outside to sear our steaks.  That was its purpose in my life.  To keep smoke out of my kitchen and to keep my fire alarms quiet.  Searing steaks is a serious business at my house.  I’ve perfected our steaks now.  Turn the heat up to screaming hot, put the steaks on (half frozen) for three minutes – flip and in another minute and a half they are ready to come off and rest.  But this process makes a LOT of smoke in my house.

Enter my Nuwave.  Problem – my Nuwave only works on Low, Medium and High now.  Every time I put it on the sear setting it glitches out.  I’m sorry Nuwave, you’ll have to go live with someone who doesn’t need you to sear a steak.

Random shoes from Hayden’s closet…..

Clothes….

More clothes….

And last but not least, more clothes……

Aaaaaand that’s it for this week.  It’s all been bagged up, and hauled away this afternoon.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

30 Simple Days: April

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If you’ve been visiting with me for long, you know that I thrive on routines.  It’s the only way I actually get anything done.  My routine can and will be disrupted; but, if I have steady, doable things lined up, then they will probably get done.  Eventually.

One of the new habits that I want to be more consistent with this year is getting the donations out of the house.  Are you still there?  I know that every time I announce one of my monthly habit builders that I lose some of you.  I understand why.  Normal people already know these things.  In case you’re new here:  Hello!  My name is Tracie and I’m NOT normal.  Welcome!

Decluttering isn’t an issue for me anymore.  I’ve got a definite routine where that’s concerned.  My problem is that all the stuff that I’ve gone through sits patiently in my house.  Waiting to be taken away to be given a new life with someone else.  So, for the entire month of April, every Tuesday is going to be Donate Day.  If I can get this firmly entrenched in my brain, the rest of the year should be a breeze.

I learned a long time ago not to put my donations out in the garage.  They will just live there.  Permanently.  Just off the top of my head I know that right now there are things out there that need to be taken away:  a computer that we used three computers ago; a box of clothes that Liv stopped wearing in the second grade; at least two light fixtures that I replaced five or more years ago…..The list could go on and on.  Out of sight is out of my mind.

Yesterday, I took the week’s donations away and it made me feel so good to get it all out of the house.  I know that eventually I will get to the point where there won’t be so much to take away each week.  My house stays in flux most of the time.  I bring things in to try and if they don’t stay, they need to be rehomed.

Example:  about six months ago on trash day I noticed that one of my neighbors had put out with their garbage a big black art piece framed with glass.  Hayden has an art print by Brassaï that I got him for Christmas a few years ago and I knew that it would be the perfect frame for it.  I called her up and asked if I could snatch it.  She immediately said Sure!  I brought it in and propped it up downstairs and forgot about it.  Although I have to walk past it every day, and I would think “I need to frame his poster”, it still didn’t get done. 

Fast forward a few months and Denton calls to tell me that he was building a fort of some kind downstairs using that frame as one of his “walls” when it collapsed and shattered into 9 zillion pieces.  – Don’t ask, I have no idea what he was constructing or why, I think it had something to do with Batman…..  –  That frame and art print have sat downstairs waiting to be delivered to their new owners for weeks now.  I didn’t want the art print, it was going to be donated at any rate, I just wanted the glass and frame for Hayden’s print.  Sigh.

Hopefully making every Tuesday my donation day will keep my house free from all the things building up into a monster.  Routines are good things:  trash day in my house is Wednesday, so I take the recycle away then too.  Usually.  Hey, by the way, my local recycle center has started taking plastic and glass again.  Glory, Hallelujah!  Now we have somewhere to take all of that plastic recycle that’s been sitting in my garage.  Along with the other things that need to go away.

Do you have plans to make simple changes in your life this year?  I would love to hear  about it!  How’s it going so far?

You can find all of the posts in this series here.

Decluttering ~ 04.02.19

Published on by TracieLeave a comment

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

Last week I made the declaration that Tuesdays were going to be my haul it all away day.  Or something to that effect.  I am happy to report that for at least one week, I have remained faithful to this statement!  Let’s all pray that it continues.

I’ve said it before and I’m sure I’ll say it again – one of the daunting factors about decluttering is that all of that STUFF takes a lot of space.  At least in my house it does.  If I’m not diligent about getting it out of the house it makes me feel smothered.

So the good thing about this new weekly process is that I can take a deep breath, after I load it all into the car.  For a couple of days anyway.  Progress!  It’s progress people.

Let’s see what’s going to live with someone else today:

Books, books and more books…..

Books that have been read…..

Some books that we have multiple copies of…..

Books that we know are never going to be reread…..

Books that can now be loved by someone else.

Clothes.  Now, when I take something out of my closet and it makes me feel bad, or sad, or it just doesn’t feel RIGHT, it goes straight into the donate pile.  I’m not keeping anything in my closet that I don’t love.

In a few months, I may be naked.  I have a LOT of clothes that are just – meh.

And they have to go.  Also, have I mentioned how much I HATE to shop for clothes?  Yeah, there is that factor.

767 Taste of Home magazines.  Not really, but seriously.  I cannot remember the last time I picked up one of these to read.  Now someone who will no doubt appreciate them can give them a home.

More clothes…..

A couple of CD’s that I missed from last time.

A pair of Pottery Barn curtains that I loved for a couple of years that have been patiently waiting in a closet.  Oh look, another purse!

More pants that are too big, yay!  A robe.  Do you know how many times I’ve worn this robe?  That would be a big fat ZERO.  It’s lovely.  It’s plush.  It’s also hotter than Hades and I can’t stand it.  Now someone who likes to live in a plush, warm robe will be very happy.

Aaaaaand that’s it for this week.  I’m loading this all up and getting it out of my house.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering ~ 03.26.19

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This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

I’m trying to do better in the “Actually Get It Out of the House” department.  It makes me tired to see all of the donations sitting in my living room.  My family would appreciate it if they could actually sit on the sofa occasionally too.  So, with that in mind I’ve decided that every Tuesday will be “Take the Donations Away” day.  At least it’s going to be a win today.  It’s all already loaded up in my Pilot and waiting to be dropped off!

Let’s see what’s going to live with someone else today:

Cookbooks.  I made a sweep through my cookbooks over the weekend.  These, I decided, could grace someone else’s home.  Don’t look Tracie, don’t look.  They WILL be dropped off today.

More magazines that have been read.  One of our copious copies of Uncle John’s books.  Which are cool.

Even more luggage!  A basket and a glass container.  Which I found in one of my cabinets and Denton and I couldn’t figure out what was actually in it.  Labels are good.  And necessary apparently.

An air purifier.

A lamp.  I have a problem with collecting lamps.  I find them and fall in love with them, but then I have no where to put them all.  Sigh.  But look!  My landing is pretty clear!

More random coffee mugs, that hopefully Liv won’t notice are missing…..  Are the people in your household picky about their water bottles?  My people are VERY picky.  We are trying out new versions and these didn’t make the cut.  Also, I am now going through my flower vases.  Prepare to see more of these leave my house…..

Oh look, another lamp.

Aaaaaand that’s it for this week.  There is more stuff just waiting for me to bag it up and stuff it into the Pilot, but this stuff is actually going straight to the Salvation Army today.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering ~ 03.11.19

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This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

I am back with another round of donations!  I’ve been collecting things and piling them in a corner of my living room for a couple of week now.  Classy, I know.

We have separate area in our living room where my childhood piano lives and it’s just a handy spot to put everything.  Where do you store your donations until it’s time to haul them away?  I am VERY hesitant to plunk them in my garage, because, hello.  They would just live there forever, wouldn’t they?  Yes, they would.

I have my white wicker laundry basket that lives in my closet for the clothes that are going away, but it’s not big enough to hold everything that I’m donating; so it all migrates to the piano landing in the living room.  Not ideal, but it works for now.

Let’s see what is going to live with another family this week:

Liv has been clearing out her closet again.

She hasn’t grown in ten years, but styles change…

Books, a random Christmas ornament, a bracelet, and a bottle of detangler.   Since Liv’s hair is as short as Hayden’s, I think we can let this go to someone with hair.  Not me.  I only use a Wetbrush – otherwise, I would NEVER brush my hair.  Have you tried one?  It’s something that should be on your must buy list!

Magazines that have been read can now go onto someone else.  These I have held onto, because they are Cooking Light magazines.  Which I love.  But, I haven’t opened them again since I read them the first time.  They have to go.

I posted on Instagram that I *might* be a hoarder.  Children’s books, that were not the kids favorites.  (Except for Brown Bear, and guess what!?  This is an extra copy!)  Sigh.

None of these made the cut either.  Are you interested in what I actually kept for my non-existent future grand-children that my kids keep telling me I am not going to have?  Maybe I’ll do a post about them.  The books, that is.

This picture.  I inherited this from my Mama.  It’s Home Interior.  “Someone” broke the glass in it.  It also could have been “It wasn’t me”, but “No one” is taking the blame.  Yes, I could find a piece of glass to replace it, but I’ll let someone else do that.

More things that I found that need to live with someone else.

And even more things that are taking up space in my house….

Look!  I have culled out five cookbooks.  I can’t look for long, because my hands are already itching to put them back.

The more I declutter, I find that I don’t need other things that were HOLDING things.

Curtains, pillow shams, a shower curtain, and other bits and bobs.

Even more random items….

MORE backpacks…..

A quilt rack that I have moved from place to place, that actually has no place.

My giant cutting board.  Oh man.  I have a lot of cutting boards, but this one, you guys.  It’s 25 X 18 inches and I love it.  But I got it wet and and the wood is slightly separated now.  It’s fine for looks, but my cutting boards actually need to function, so this one can grace someone else’s countertop as a pretty thing.  I have to replace this one ASAP.  The other ones just aren’t big enough for my everyday cutting.  Yes, I did know that I am a very picky person.  Please don’t email me to let me know that you noticed.

And that’s it for this week.  There is more stuff just waiting for me to bag it up and stuff it into the Pilot, but this stuff is actually going straight to the Salvation Army today.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering ~ 02.23.19

Published on by Tracie2 Comments

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

Note:  This post may contain affiliate links.  Check out what that means to you here.

It’s time for another round of donations at our house.  It feels like a never ending cycle, sometimes.  Maybe one day, I’ll start my decluttering for the day, and I’ll actually have to look for something that doesn’t belong anymore.

Here’s what I’ve gathered up and is going to live with someone else today!

I’ve finally made a dent in my unending collection of cookbooks.  Shocker I know.  I was in the mood to get things out of my house that I know I’ll never use again.  These are the 32 that didn’t make the cut.

I never have a problem getting rid of my magazine collection.  It’s been awhile for my magazines.

We have way too many coffee mugs at our house.

Random pillows and waffle weave dish cloths.  I hate those dish cloths, so I don’t know why I keep putting them back in the drawer.

We are slowly replacing all the things in the house that we know we need, like that pencil sharpener.  I bought one like this for Liv as a Christmas gift (she actually asked for it!) and it is amazing.  The one we are giving away WILL sharpen your pencil, it just takes forever and chews off half the pencil first.  No thanks.  Also, I discovered that I am not a wax melt kind of person.  I’d rather have candles burning than deal with the mess that inevitable happens with these things.  Also, we keep the burning candles up high now away from Batman.  He is afraid of heights, so now he can’t set himself on fire anymore.  Only we would have a cat who is afraid of heights.

Now let’s talk about printers, shall we?  I have bought a multitude of printers over the past ten years.  I got so sick of replacing either the ink cartridge or the printer itself that I started investigating and finally chose this one to replace ALL of ours.  I haven’t regretted it yet.  I also haven’t had to replace its toner cartridge yet either and I bought it last October.  Win!

I am becoming very picky in my forties and things that don’t bother most people drive me crazy now.  Like the cord on that red lamp.  It’s vintage and beautiful, but whoever wired this one up did it so that the cord comes out of the top of the lamp instead of the base.  It’s been driving me bonkers looking at that every day so it has to go.

We also invested in a water filter that lives under the sink, so it took the place of my soap dispenser that did live on my sink.  I’m not sorry.  I LOVE that water filter and it has saved us a LOT of money so far in water bottles.  Not to mention, I don’t need to recycle all of those bottles now.  I’ll tell you all about it later.

I found this Barbie downstairs in the laundry room and started to stick it in the box of Barbies that Liv kept when she stopped playing with them.  And then I asked myself ‘Why’?  Why would I keep something that will probably never get taken out of the box again – especially when we didn’t even know it was down there – when there are at least 50 more in that box already?  Going away.  And why do I have sixty Christmas boxes?  I’ve never used more than ten or fifteen at Christmas, so that’s what I kept.  The rest are going to live in someone else’s attic.

Three light fixture’s that have been replaced but not donated yet.  And a random belt, cord and spice container.  No Mother, I am not going to clean that outside light fixture before I donate it.  I’m sorry and I will apologize to Vicky when I donate it.  But, if it doesn’t leave here today, it will sit in my garage gathering even more dirt and dust waiting for me to clean it before it can be donated.  On and on and on forever.

More candle jars for the candle making lady, books, Cd’s, a phone and its base, some of my cast iron that never gets used and an essential oil diffuser that only stays on for ten minutes at a time.  I don’t have time for that but someone might.  BTW – don’t donate your trash!  I always ask them if they will take something and give up its history; they will price it appropriately and people who like to tinker will take it home to see if it’s salvageable.  When I donated our dead electric fireplace, they put $50.00 on it with a sign that said it didn’t work and a woman bought it for a decoration.

Random toys, a bunch of lunch containers, and a set of wooden bowls Denton came home with one day.  He was so proud because he knows I have a love for wood bowls.  But I don’t like these.  I thanked him properly, and sweetly, but I did ask him if he minded if I get rid of them.  Life is too short to clean things you dislike.  He’s fine with it.  He is very like me when it comes to gifts.  A gift isn’t a gift if it comes with strings, or guilt.  Now, someone who does love these bowls can clean them every week.

More things that we have too many of.  Wooden spoons, corn on the cob holders – I still have ten sets, shesh – a cheese slicer I’ve only used once and hated, a pair of sunglasses that I hate the way they fit, and a milk glass bowl that I just dislike.  Don’t worry, I have three other’s that I love and use every week.

Finally, a failed project.  Did you know that you can use the old 1980’s cassette holders to hold washi tape?  You can, but I discovered when I got this one home that it’s not a cassette tape holder.  I have no idea what it is, but it’s not solid all the way back and washi tape falls out the opening in the back so it’s useless to me.  This is going to live with someone else, and I’ll keep my eyes open this summer at yard sales for an actual cassette tape holder to repurpose with our washi tape collection.  Meanwhile, our washi tape lives in a jumbled heap in a basket in Liv’s room.

When we finally took everything inside our local Salvation Army this afternoon, it took three buggies.  Three buggies!  Vicky asked me if my house was empty yet.  I know she must believe that I am a hoarder with stuff piled to the ceiling in all the rooms and I just don’t want to say so.  I’m not actually a hoarder, but someone with a big house and lots of collections of stuff that I truly don’t need.  That’s probably something a hoarder would say, though, right?

We took three full shopping carts of stuff into the Salvation Army and brought one thing out.  This:

Pinkie.  The ceramic match to Olivia’s Blue Boy that she found at a yard sale last summer.  What are the odds?  Liv was ecstatic.  Which means she smiled.  She takes after my Daddy.

And that’s it for this week.  There is more stuff just waiting for me to bag it up and stuff it into the Pilot, but this stuff actually got donated today, and now I can have some breathing room before I drag more things out of the closets.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.

 

Decluttering ~ 02.06.19

Published on by TracieLeave a comment

This is the space that I am devoting to documenting my decluttering journey.  You can find all of the other posts here.

I’m in the mood to clear out all the things I no longer need from out of my house.  Every time I think I’ve made a dent in the things we have collected over the years, I find loads more that need to be taken to my local Salvation Army.  Here’s what’s going away today.

Remember when I KonMaried my purses?  Yeah, all 46 of those are finally going to live with someone else.  They have been patiently waiting on my landing for the past – oh – three weeks.

I also KonMaried my collection of photo frames.  These are all going to live at someone else’s house too.  I know for a fact that I’m going to have to go through my photo frames again since this was only one part of the stash that I have, but I say this is progress.  Right!?!

I also gathered up all of the used candle’s for the candle making lady….

I went through the luggage that was piled at the foot of my bed.  Again, this is only part of our luggage collection that I need to go through, but, progress…..

And then I went through the house and rounded up a bunch of random things that we no longer need.  This is why I hesitate to buy things at actual stores.  First, you generally have to pay full price for the thing.  Bummer.  Second, it may or may not work properly.  Take that shower caddy in the back.  No matter what I do with it, it WILL NOT stay on the wall.  So, it’s going to live with someone else who can scream at it when it falls on their toes in the shower.

I’m still culling the undergarments way down.

And that’s it for this week.  There is more stuff just waiting for me to bag it up and stuff it into the car, but this is going away immediately, so that I can have some breathing room before I drag more things out of the closets.  What have you hauled away recently?  Do tell.