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Decluttering progress

January 31st, 2019 at 10:12 pm

I've been able to do the following decluttering since last fall:

1. Got rid of some books when I painted the family room floor:

2. File cabinets: getting rid of old medical bills and other unneeded or unwanted paper files. I'd hoped to winnow this down enough that i could get rid of a 2-drawer filing cabinet, but that didn't happen...yet.

3. Kitchen cabinets: Donated some old dishes and other stuff taking up room.

4. Four under-sink cabinets: Set aside some very old cleaning supplies and duplicate items for my town's next Household Hazardous Waste Day. I must have a 10-year supply of rug cleaner and scrubby sponges.

5. Various "junk drawers."

6. Went through a pile of tablecloths, dish towels and place mats kept in a cabinet in the dining room.

7. Random articles of clothing: I find this one of the harder categories to do as I can always justify holding onto something in case I lose weight, etc.

8. Two linen closets (towels and bedsheets) have been tidied up.

Each time I tidy up a storage space and make everything neat and tidy, I feel very satisfied. However, what I take out is somewhat modest, and I feel I could thin things out more aggressively. I'm always fighting my natural frugality and desire not to waste things that "could" be used.

I'm not sure what's next. There is still the issue of the many hundreds of my mother's slides of each piece of art she created. I need to convert all these into jpgs, and I did buy a little gadget to do that, but never really learned to use it well, and it was very time-consuming and tedious to use.

My basement could also use a look-see.

3 Responses to “Decluttering progress”

  1. Wink Says:
    1548986714

    When I downsized from my house to the condo I finally did a really big purge. Many things I had been holding on to just in case I needed it, or it was my mom's. Looking back, there isn't one thing that I donated, or sold, or tossed that I miss or regret not having! But I understand the struggle!

  2. rob62521 Says:
    1549139071

    I'm pretty impressed with your decluttering! Good job!

    I struggle with getting rid of things. I know it is part of the Depression Era mentality my folks drilled into me -- don't get rid of that, what if we have another Depression and you might need it!

  3. creditcardfree Says:
    1549158951

    Nice job on your decluttering!

    If you follow the Minimalists, they suggest that one can part with any 'just in case' item that would cost $20 or less, and can be found in a store within 20 minutes. The odds of actually needing many of these 'just in case' items is slim. I'm pretty minimal compared to most Americans, but this tip helped me get rid of items I might otherwise keep due to my frugal nature. Obviously, I have some of those types of items, but I have far less than I once did.

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