<p>Congratulations, BB. I should be so lucky.</p>
<p>I visited my sister this weekend and dropped off a nice baby gate and a carload of toys. She has a grandchild now, while mine are only imaginary. When the time comes I can either get things back or tell her to find new homes for them. A win-win.</p>
<p>Mr B got rid of an old clock that bit the dust! Typically, he would put such things on a shelf in the garage saying that someday he would try to fix it or use it for parts, but this time it went straight into the garbage can! Party time!!</p>
<p>Now that DS2 is back from camp and starting at a school with uniforms, I believe all but 2 pairs of shorts will be going to Goodwill.</p>
<p>Whew! Enlisted dhâs help this weekend. He hauled >150 books to my trunk to be dropped off at a thrift shop along with 2 bags of clothes. Tomorrow, an organization is sending a truck for 2 beds, 3 bookcases, 2 side tables, 2 chairs, an ottoman, a bench and a lamp. Dh is dropping off another load of old computer parts at Best Buy tonight. </p>
<p>Other than vacuuming dust bunnies that were hiding behind the furniture, I didnât do any cleaning and yet the house looks so much cleaner and lighter. The only hard part was choosing which books to donate. I waited until our kids went through them and took what they wanted, which is one reason it took a year to get that done.</p>
<p>2 in the trunk to drop off</p>
<p>Tossed several boxes of outdated health info tonite. Clearing up our storage in my nonprofit and it feels GREAT! So happy!</p>
<p>My BarnardGirl was going through stuff in her room yesterday. One bag for donation, one bag of trash. </p>
<p>Sat in on a decluttering presentation today. They had a number of useful tips.</p>
<p>Their acronym for dealing with all items is to put them into one of 4 piles via SORT
Sell
Offer item to someone (family, friend, etc.)
Retain (& find a specific spot for item)
Toss</p>
<p>They had a series of 4 questions for each item (paraphrasing):
When was last time item was used?
When will item next be used?
How important is the item?
Do I have a place to store the item?</p>
<p>They also suggested decluttering the least used spot first rather than one that one is most attached to, as it will help build momentum. They stressed setting reasonable goals and small mini-goals. </p>
<p>They also emphasized reducing acquisitions and being sure you have space before buying ANYTHING. They also mentioned sharing with a friend you see once a week or so that you are decluttering so they can encourage and ask you for progress updates periodicallyânon-judgmentally.</p>
<p>They work with realtors to ready homes for resale and help folks relocate to new spaces. They charge about $75 per hour and say that their total charge ranges from $800 for a small job to $20,000 for a large job, with many falling in the $2500-8000 range. They also hire contractors and make sure that no payments are given to contractors until the work is completed to their satisfaction. It was interesting. They say that they can have success where family members may have a tougher time because of memories, relationships, etc. Their efforts can greatly increase curb appeal of homes and make them safer to live in. They pay special attention to high traffic areas to keep them safe for folksâsafety is a BIG issue for them.</p>
<p>Interesting article in the New York Times:</p>
<p><a href=âMoving to a Smaller Home, and Decluttering a Lifetime of Belongings - The New York Timesâ>Moving to a Smaller Home, and Decluttering a Lifetime of Belongings - The New York Times;
<p>I am enjoying this thread so much. Decluttering was my first empty-nesting project when the kids went off to college. It was pretty much a full-time job for a year or more. It felt so wonderful to have the house all cleaned out and I know all of you are going to be âvery happyâ when you get to that stage, too. Then we moved and downsized to around a third the square footage. We had to get rid of a lot of pretty good stuff: gifts to friends, auctions, consignment, yard sale (organized by friends who insisted on running the show), goodwill, and finally a company that comes and takes away all your remaining stuff and gives you a little money for it. </p>
<p>Since we are collectors, we are still adding objects to our household but I have a much easier time these days leaving a treasure in a shop for someone else to purchase and enjoy. I donât need to own everything myself. I keep telling myself that over and over and over âŠ</p>
<p>Tackled a kitchen cabinet â put all of the Disney souvenir mugs in the donation box and tossed assorted baking ingredients (sugar/flour) that are no longer part of our eating plan.</p>
<p>There are 10 contractor bags of clothing on the curb for Easter Seals to pick up tomorrow. Phew. </p>
<p>Ooohhhh, you folks are good!</p>
<p>Ken, Midge, Alan, Skipper, Skooter, Ricky, Stacey, Tutti, and Kelly.
Oh my goodness, the entire community is still living in my parents basementâŠand my children had the most fun with poor little " Tootie"</p>
<p>Dragonmom, that was a fun little time trip post. I had forgotten about Skipper, Skooter, Stacey, & Tutti. Donât remember Ricky or Kelly. It was almost as good a âmoment in the 60sâ as the ChickenFat commercial that Apple was broadcasting so heavily early this year. My mother would have been a great member of this club because she got rid of all my Barbies when we moved in 1970. I was in the 7th grade and too old for them, but have wished for them out of sentimental reasons many times through the years. I think that is why that I am reluctant to part with kidsâ toys. </p>
<p>I have been like a house on fire lately purging old magazines. I have typically gone through a yearâs worth of Southern Living magazines each summer to tear out recipes I want to try. This summer, after tearing out the recipes, I went to the computer, searched for them, and pinned them to my Pinterest boards. Then I threw away the torn out pages. Earlier this summer I got rid of the complete series of Mary Engelbreit magazines (no longer published) and the early years of Martha Stewart Living. Boy, those were heavy.</p>
<p>Iâve also been hanging out with Barbie and Skipper (in the attic). When I opened the case I was amazed at the quality of the clothing-- tiny little zippers and buttons (before there was velcro). Even more incredible were the garments my mom made-- lined skirts and jackets, little nighties with mini lace and pleats. (She majored in textile design at RISD.) I am going to get it all cleaned and buy a new case for it once Iâm settled in my rental.</p>
<p>Today I noticed that someone put two pressed back oak dining chairs with caned seats at the curb for trash day tomorrow. I couldnât help myself; I threw them in the back of the car and took them to Goodwill.</p>
<p>BTW, that NYT article was the âmost emailedâ for a good part of the weekend though now itâs slipped to the second spot. We are not alone. :)</p>
<p>I took my big bag today. Filling up another for WednesdayâŠprobably cookbooks.</p>
<p>Since the Easter Seals picked up the clothing donations, tomorrow night, Iâm hoping to have the energy to take a lot of things out to the trash. The purging has begun in earnest. </p>
<p>In my garage are something like seven â yes, seven â doors that our contractor removed during our kitchen remodel. All are in great shape, painted, with hardware. They would make someone very happy. DH has promised that he will measure them so I can accurately post them on craigslist or freecycle. Getting rid of them would go a long way toward emptying the garage. (One of my goals, before I die, is to park at least one car in the garage. ;)) )</p>