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Post by MamaAngie on May 27, 2014 7:11:50 GMT -5
Bag #15 done yesterday - started working on purging in the toy area. I have one full bag of toys to part with and just a small sack of trash gathered. Filled a bag of items to go back to daughter's room that were toted out by 3 yo into his mess of stuff. I will continue to work here through Saturday and I hope I can do a bag a day. That will put me at 20 bags, which I think is pretty good for only working here and there on this thread. Looking forward to jumping in with both feet into the June Purge-a-thon!
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Post by RoadRunner on May 27, 2014 10:01:37 GMT -5
62 more yardsale clothing items to line for air freshness. 10 mins digital clutter -- organizing videos taken with personal camera.
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Post by aquamarine on May 27, 2014 12:43:26 GMT -5
Rob said " Of course, I couldn't just toss it all like a sane person, I had to look at EVERY flyer and card first. "
I have found a few important papers and things to make a note of by doing this. I scan through books one last time before donating them too. Not only is it a check and a final attempt to extract information, it is a way of saying goodbye and letting things go!
I can't compete with all the action on here, but I did take two bags of donations to a charity shop recently.
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Post by catcat on May 27, 2014 22:42:11 GMT -5
Today is the only day I had free enough to do one of my big haul outs from the attic. And I did. A whole 30 gallon trashcan & 2 extra bags, although one of them contained 1/2 of the Hydrangea bush I cut back. And vacuumed. The stuff I tossed was old but useful , & I had to claim amnesty for not donating it b/c I have to clean & wash up everything I donate. It wasn't all useful. Some was a bunch of very old books from 1918, from a sort of relative & I ended up with them. Some were a few of my lesser cared about Nursing books which I recycled. Pretty out of date anyway. I ached ---big time, took 2 Aspirin.
catcat
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Post by robnoxious007 on May 28, 2014 2:09:00 GMT -5
rob! Do you notice any difference in yout home? What portion would you say is gone? First of all, and please, I mean this with all sincerity, Thank You, I appreciate the congratulations, and your support. Very, very much. That said (and very much meant) your seemingly simple questions are not ones I can answer now, not properly, and that even contemplating cause me a GREAT deal of anxiety. 75 days and 75 bags later I am still in level 3 to 4 squalor. This hurts to admit and it hurts to type. It hurts to contemplate and ... it's difficult. Unbelievably. There is progress, there is movement, literal and figurative. I can move around my house more. Rooms that were not usable for their intended purpose are now being used for their purpose, in some cases on a limited basis, but still, I'm cooking in my kitchen. The thought of answering your simple questions... I almost couldn't come back here. The answer is too horrible. The good news is I couldn't NOT come back, either. But I had to address it before I could go on. It's not just this board, I post daily on the Facebook group, as well. I use the boards for different purpose, at the end of the day. I encourage you to find my first post on this board for a better explanation of that. In short, *here* is where I spill my guts -some-. Still, I haven't done tonight's bag, and I almost didn't. I started work this morning at 7 am. I was *there* at 7. I got home from my second job at 11:30 pm. This is very normal for me. My "bags" are often not huge, but something goes out or get cleaned/straightened every night. It has to, or I will live the rest of my life in criminal level filth. It is, I hope, becoming a habit. The truly good news, the real win here, and maybe the actual answer to your question, is that I'm down to the stuff that actual hard decisions and stuff I really need to confront are. I've throw out enough trash, I'm down to actual stuff, and I can no longer look away. But there are *** piles and piles of it. And any thought of result, or what a result may look like, spins me right out. Again, and I really, really want to stress this, YOU had NO way of knowing this. AT ALL. You were being entirely supportive, and asking a harmless, encouraging question. I am the one with a problem here. The only reason I air it at all is in hopes of moving past it. There have been other "tips on maintenance" here that have struck a similar chord, but I just gritted my teeth and moved on. Ironically, I very much think that you asking a question that so cuts to my core about this, that I found myself unable to flinch from or ignore speaks to you as an insightful and intelligent person. Speaks very highly of you actually. It's just after 12 now. I am going to compose myself a bit, find my "bag" for the night, and will report in when I have done so. I had intended to map out the next 40 days, but that will have to wait. It will have to be a small maintenence bag and short entries on both sites tonight. I apologize for the long dramatic rant, and thank you lucie and anyone who happened to read this mess for the indulgence. It is intended in no way to harm or disparage anyone, and is being post solely in the hope that I can end this sort of madness in my head and grow into something more positive. Thank you.
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Post by razy on May 28, 2014 2:30:27 GMT -5
robnoxious007 I find myself checking in each day to see if you have filled your bag. You haven't let me down yet! Your tenacity is inspirational. You are sounding like you are a bit overwhelmed right now. It happens. I am sure even people who have clean and tidy houses and only work one job get overwhelmed at times. Don't apologise for ranting - ranting can be energising, both for the ranter and the reader. I look forward to the next edition. Kia kaha
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Post by robnoxious007 on May 28, 2014 2:38:37 GMT -5
Thank you, razy. I very much appreciate that. One bag, one day. A small, half full bag from the kitchen, but it is out the door, and I've started the 39 days to American Independence Day.
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Post by razy on May 28, 2014 3:18:01 GMT -5
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Post by imamess on May 28, 2014 3:36:33 GMT -5
Robnoxious, I am amazed that you have filled a bag on two challenges already. I would have dropped out long ago. I also look every day for your posting and mostly silently cheer you on. Your progress has been fantastic and I applaud you and your efforts! I really don't know how you have done all of this especially with the hours that you work.
I too am down to the things that require decisions, things with sentimental attachments, things that I might use or things that I do use and I use the excuse of working in the yard or garden or barn and then being too tired to do anything in the house. If you can do what you have in the last couple of months, I can get off my behind and do something too. Thanks for the inspiration.
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Post by RoadRunner on May 28, 2014 4:45:17 GMT -5
4 inches of papers filed at school. 10 mins of digital clutter. 62 items ready for Saturday's yard sale.
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Post by lucie on May 28, 2014 5:53:19 GMT -5
robnoxious007, thank you very much for your answer even though it caused you an anxiety. You are doing great job at never missing a day and finding that bag every day and I was amazed that anyone can carry on with such a tenacity. With you working hours it is wonderfull that you still carry on. Please take steps as small as you need so you will not get overwhelmed. As people here say, we did not get to this state in a day, so it will not be fixed in a day either. Just take your time And do start that new thread, I am looking forward to checking it
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Post by Ally on May 28, 2014 7:08:52 GMT -5
robnoxious007, You have done an awesome job! You are not alone in your squalor. I have been at this site for something like 3.5 years and still have an embarrassing amount left to clean up. I'm sometimes hesitant to admit this, because I don't want to discourage newbies with how long this process an be. Part of the problem is that I have some deep seated thought processes that needed to change, and it takes time for that to happen. I have to forgive myself for my past mistakes and faults and keep moving forward. Keep coming back. It will get better. One step at a time. Trash day is tomorrow. I'd like to get a few bags of trash out and maybe fill a bag for donation as well. I'll check back in later. Rob, I'll start a new thread. I'm going to continue here until the end of the month, and then I'll join you in the new one. Here's the link to the new thread. takeonestepatatime.proboards.com/thread/24144/bag-day-challengeI didn't take the time to figure out the days, so I just called it "a bag a day challenge".
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Post by aquamarine on May 28, 2014 13:16:15 GMT -5
Rob, if you keep on the way you have been doing, you will end up with a home that you can be proud of. If you can keep up with the dailies, bring in less than you take out and chip away at the past you will get there. You do work extremely long hours though: will you be getting any holiday soon?
Starting with obvious rubbish and doing some recycling was by far the best way to start. Now comes the difficult part: deciding what to keep and what to discard isn't easy. Congratulations on being able to move more freely and doing some cooking. You need time to adjust to this before moving up to the next step.
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Post by RoadRunner on May 28, 2014 21:34:23 GMT -5
Thanks for starting the next thread Ally I will pop over to that thread after Saturday. Saturday is yardsale day!!!!!! Today was a slow day I did not even get to my digital clutter which is something I do every am with out fail. There is always tomorrow.
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Post by catcat on May 28, 2014 22:51:28 GMT -5
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