. My mason was supposed to finish up the basement walls today, but was MIA. He said he'll be here tomorrow.
It's very easy for me to waste an entire day basically reading stuff online. So, since we're in an awful heat wave and I don't plan on going out except to the gym after lunch, I decided to do more decluttering. I really can't stand living with so much stuff around that really has no place to go (but OUT) in my small (1650 sf) home.
It often drives me nuts. I really like the concept of "Every thing has its place." That has hardly been the case here for 10 years, really since my mother passed. I've been gradually letting go of her things for the past 10 years but I just wish I coud speed up the process. Plus just the fact that having lived in one spot for 30 years tends to encourage "accumulation."
So today I chose to tackle clothing. This one's hard for me. I look at things in my closet, some of it not worn for YEARS (like dress clothes), and I say, well, it's a little stretched out but I can layer it under something. Or, it's something I wore to the office, but maybe I'l need it. Or, I bought this in the last few years, but it was a "mistake" and now if I get rid of it I'll never "recoup" the loss. And so on and so on.
I was able to purge 15 pieces of clothing, plus a Mexican blanket and a pair of sneakers. I think I could do more, clothing-wise, but I also hate to waste money. Still untouched are 2 homemade things that don't fit me, but my grandmother made: a robe and a sweater. Also 2 or 3 items that belonged to my mother that also don't fit me but were in her favorite color: turquoise. I still get emotional contemplating getting rid of them. People say just take a picture, but that would not really make it any easier. I don't know what they're going to take.
Over the weekend I decided to offer my big chair and a half on Buy Nothing. I've had it forever and am just tired of it, and am generally trying to lighten my load before I possibly move within the next few years. It's in very good shape and has washable cushions. Right after posting it, I saw a nice oak bench with cushion that someone was offering, and I jumped on it.
Sigh. i brought it home. But only one person expressed interest in the chair (maybe the timing is bad due to the heat wave) but turns out she has no one to help her carry it, and I have a bad knee. So she passed on it, even after I offered to ask for help on our local town group, where people will occasionally ask for a ride or help of some sort, and get it.
So now I've made things worse by adding a bench I have nowhere to put. I'm my own worst enemy.
I could wait til fall and post the chair and a half again. That often works.
I have been gifting lots of other stuff these past few weeks, mostly stuff from the attic, where I have tons of art and even just frames I probably will never use.
Also today I was in the linen closet and gifted piles of standard sized pillowcases, which I don't need because I now use 2 longer length pillows, which I just prefer. (I kept a few of the standard size for the fold-up twin bed guests very occasionally use.) I must've gifted 25 pillowcases! So now the linen closet only looks "moderately" stuffed instead of "greatly" stuffed.
I want things to look SPACIOUS so when potential homebuyers come, it will be more inviting. I mean, I am one person, yet my clothes take up 3 closets (1 in each bedroom). Then I have 2 linen closets upstairs: one has nothing but sheets, blankets and a bulky comforter (plus my vacuum and 2 hampers) and the other holds towels mostly, plus winter scarves, hats and purses. I just have too much of everything!
I think I'll take a break for lunch.
PS I recently communicated wtih "Jon" from this site and told him about the main SA glitch I've encountered: how you will often lose your entire post upon hitting the Publish button. Long ago I got into the habit of saving all the content as a precaution, but anyway, he said he would fix that; if you have any other issues, let me know, or just send a message yourself.
June 23rd, 2025 at 06:15 pm 1750702523
Ah, just giving you a hard time, no worries. Less is more, but sometimes, more is more too.
June 23rd, 2025 at 08:29 pm 1750710550
It's hard to let go, especially if you struggled because you are always used to trying to make do. But I have faith you'll figure it out, a little bit by little bit.
June 25th, 2025 at 02:10 am 1750817406
4. Put things in a box and put the date on it. If you need something out of it and use that item, take it out. But whatever is left in the box one year (or 6 months, whatever you decide), don’t even look in the box, get rid of the whole box.
A change of mindset is also helpful. For clothes and household items, I try to imagine someone who might really need it, while I have it but don’t need/use it. That makes it easy for me to pass it along.
Best wishes on decluttering!
June 25th, 2025 at 01:52 pm 1750859530
June 26th, 2025 at 01:29 pm 1750944579
June 26th, 2025 at 02:28 pm 1750948106
If all you do is move things from one space to the other, you'll be repeating this exercise for years to come, possibly the rest of your life. Sometimes there is just TOO MUCH STUFF crammed into a given living space, and no amount of reorganizing will make it better. You just have to lose the stuff.
Good luck!
June 26th, 2025 at 11:58 pm 1750982292
Not adding to the clutter is a really big part of decluttering. If you toss out 10 things but bring in 11 new ones, you haven't accomplished anything. But if you toss out 10 things you don't want or need and bring in 2 that you really like and use regularly, not only do you gain space but you gain enjoyment from the new things.
June 27th, 2025 at 02:05 pm 1751033122
June 27th, 2025 at 06:48 pm 1751050128
Clearing out clothing is something I've begun as well. I got rid of business clothes after I retired, and I continued with a second pass on the closet overall, and now planning a third. I get inspired by the Marie Kondo books. It's making me raise the bar for clothes that I keep and clothes that I buy. It must fit, be comfortable, have a color or pattern that appeals to me, and look flattering. I rewarded myself by adding a shelf and some shoe cabinets to my closet so things are neater. I realized that 80+% of my wardrobe was black, navy, grey, and brown. Safe colors but not happy colors.