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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 9:31:40 GMT -5
Who’s ready to make a summer goal to finally make a big difference? To move from the planning stage to the action stage? To jump off the indecision cliff into the river that’ll carry you to your decluttering goal? Okay, can you tell I’m carried away about my summer goal? I’ve come a long way in getting my apartment the way I want it, and the only thing I really think of as a problem is books—because I’ve reduced everything else here. However, since I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the concept of making your stuff fit your space, instead of the other way around—I’ve taken an honest look at various storage places in my apartment. I actually do NOT have the other items under control—I’ve reduced them, but they still take up too much room. I have every closet, drawer, shelf, etc. full to the brim, which is why my books have to be in boxes in all my rooms. Plus, I seem to have been ignoring things that are still out in the open, as if they didn't exist. So, my summer goal is to go through the 12 categories of stuff that I have too much of, decide exactly how much space I’m willing to use for each of them, and then pare down until the stuff fits. Books are included, but I’m not expecting to finish the book part—although I have finally accepted that books must also follow this formula. But I hope that the other categories will be finished by the end of the summer, and that I’ll be well on my way with the books too. I had a summer goal in the past of regaining access to areas of my apartment blocked by stuff, and it made a huge impact, I was very happy with the result. I hope that this goal will have the same or greater effect—if it works, it’s the final step (well, other than the “forever” step of maintenance) towards getting my place the way I want it. It would feel good to have as much stuff as I have room for and NO MORE. Please join me if you’re ready to make a larger goal. You don’t have to do it perfectly, you just have to make a tentative plan for the next few months and then try your best. We can keep each other on track! Diane
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 9:55:53 GMT -5
As I think back to my years of building up stuff, the idea was, “this stuff is important, I have to somehow make room for it”. As I would collect more stuff, I’d brainstorm ways to fit it all somewhere—packing things in more tightly, adding another bin or cabinet somewhere where there was a tiny bit of space—in other words, the amount of STUFF was the criteria I had to work with—I had to fit it somewhere. The concept of doing the opposite—making the SPACE the criteria. so that the amount of stuff is what has to be adjusted—was and is a scary concept for me. It took a lot of thinking about that idea before I could consider it. It was clear, if I looked at it objectively, that this is the key—this is how people with uncluttered places look at their belongings. So I’ve been trying to apply the space concept here and there, to various categories of stuff—I even used it with books once or twice! But I see that I need to really get serious about it, and follow through with one category after another. It’ll really be a different way of thinking about my stuff, although I think I’m ready to do it. As always, the books will be the biggest challenge and will take longer, but I can live with that. I’ve come up with a final list of categories, and will work to try to get them all done except for the books—and I want a good start on the books too. Some will be mentally easy but very time consuming (hardware/household miscellanea) and some will be mentally difficult but quick (holiday items). Books will be difficult AND time consuming. I’ll also have to figure out where I have each category stored now, and how much room there realistically is for that category. And then purge til it fits. 1 Kitchen stuff 2 Files of paperwork 3 Holiday items 4 Pet supplies 5 Decorative items/gifts 6 Clothing 7 Hardware/household 8 Stationery & office supplies 9 Pantry-food 10 Books – Fiction Series 11 Books—Fiction Non-Series 12 Books—Non fiction A breakdown of the categories Kitchen stuff—the problem here is that I used to do a lot of baking, and I loved it. I had to stop, because I was eating too much of what I made. I got a lot of satisfaction out of the baking process though, and am still not ready to give up the idea that I could bake and also control how much of it I ate! So I have lots of pans and cookie cutters and things like that. Paper files—I have no problem getting rid of paper files, I just have to have the time required to examine everything before I get rid of it. My important papers are in order, I just have too many of them because I keep things longer than required. I also still have a few small boxes of unsorted, non-essential paper to go through Holiday items—Christmas and Halloween. For Christmas it’s cards that I've had for years but haven't used yet, some of which I can get rid of—and more decorations than I need. Even when I have a tree again, I have way too many ornaments for it. Halloween decorations—I have such a weakness for Halloween themed items. I’ve purged some of this already, but need to do more—and it’ll be hard to let these things go. Pet supplies—I still have a little cabinet full of stuff from when I used to foster kittens, besides my other pet stuff. I kept some of it because you never know what you’ll run into, and some of the items have been helpful with my own cats. But the meds have now expired, and that cabinet needs a clean out. There are still lots of animal supplies that I will keep, but I should be able to reduce them quite a bit. Decorative items—I have some things stored away that I bought as possible gifts—it’s time to either give them to people or get rid of them. I don’t buy Christmas gifts or even birthday gifts for people anymore, so there’s no sense saving them for that purpose. I also have decorative things that I had saved for myself that I no longer want—I had purged most of that during the last few years but I know there’s a little more that could go. Clothing—as I think about this one, it’s going to be harder than I thought, but not for the same reason as for other people. Most people love clothing, and buy tons of it. I HATE shopping for clothes, I buy the most comfortable, practical stuff I can find and then I forget about it. I don’t have a lot of clothes, but I realized recently that I have no storage space for it at all—I’ve put other things into all the places most people have clothes. I have one tiny and two medium sized closets in this apartment, the two medium and half of the tiny one are filled with everything besides clothing. I have dressers, but only a few drawers have clothes. As a result, my clothes hang in my bathroom or sit in a pile in my DR or hang on the back of my bedroom door. They are always visible, and it’s starting to drive me crazy. I want a place for my clothing—sparse though it is—to be put away out of sight. That means purging something else that’s in my dressers. Hardware/household—I have 2 kitchen drawers, 2 file cabinet drawers, a DR cabinet, 2 bathroom drawers, 2 bathroom cabinets, 2 tool boxes as well as an uncontained pile under my DR table, of hardware and household stuff. I’ve been afraid to throw a lot of it away because I’m not even sure what it is and if I’ll need it. I’m more than ready to go through and close my eyes and get rid of it—but it’s going to be very time consuming because lots of it is tiny stuff. Stationery and Office Supplies—Next to books, this category is my biggest weakness. I LOVE office supplies. Going to the store to buy new school supplies was the only thing that made starting school each fall bearable. I’ve purged a lot these last years, but should probably go around again—and this is another category that is all over the apartment and needs to be contained. Pantry-food—I’m including this one here even though it’s been an ongoing project and part of my spring goal. The amount of pantry stuff is finally starting to go down, I’m seeing good progress. But if I don’t add it here I’ll neglect it and I don’t want to go backwards. Books! The big one. I’ve divided them into 3 categories to make it more manageable, also because those are the mental divisions I use to store them now. Complicated by the fact that I also have SALE books and TRADE books. I haven’t included the trade books because I’ve been working on them and really think I’ll soon have those reduced to a couple of bins in the basement. The Sale books are different—they’re part of a job, there isn’t a whole lot I can do about them except keep working to try to get them out of here—but they’ll take up as much space as they have to until I do, so I’m not worrying about them for this goal. My own books are the ones that I will fit into designated space, or else let go. It literally makes me nervous to even say those words, "let go", about my own books. This is where I need to decide what I want more--to keep every book, or to have the home I want.
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 10:02:36 GMT -5
Oh, and I consider "summer" to be from May 15th (close enough) until September 15, because that's when the weather starts to get cooler. I plan an elaborate goal for summer since I hate the heat so much, and it takes my mind off of how miserable I am in the heat and humidity. If I'm going to be miserable anyway, I might as well be doing something practical that will help my apartment look better!
So I have 4 months, and when I make any kind of goal I like to kind of plan out the time, that way as it gets later I can gauge if my progress is keeping up with the time I have left.
I told myself when I was planning this goal that I wanted to get my place back to good enough maintenance before starting, but since I'm down to just two cluttered rooms, I'm going to start on my goal this afternoon. I'm afraid if I wait I'll lose my enthusiasm--and I'm going to need it!
Diane
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Post by sleepymom on May 13, 2014 11:52:07 GMT -5
I have some big home improvement goals for the summer. We are thisclose to having our refinancing done. The appraisal was last week, we haven`t yet seen the report, but any time now. They are waiting for a crucial piece of paper from the VA, but our part is all done, we`re just waiting. I think it`s going to be ok, but either it will or it won`t, and we`ll try again soon if it doesn`t go through for some reason. We have some things we need done, that we will have to pay someone to do (porch roof, gutter, electric, and windows are what we`re hoping to get done). I also have a couple of painting projects to do. I know I can do the prep work in small bits (15 minutes or so at a time!), but the painting will require a couple of full days, and I`m not sure when I`ll be able to get to it, so been reluctant to start the prep work. I could be doing that now, I suppose, just to get started. I also want to maintain all the work we did to prepare for the appraisal, and work to improve other things we didn`t get to, closets, paperwork, and general cluttery bits that remain. Here we go...
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 14:48:56 GMT -5
Hello sleepymom, you have a great goal, I hope the refinancing goes through soon so you can get started. Are you going to try to do the painting before the other work gets done? Do you have an outside job, so that you'd have to wait for days off to plan the painting?
I'm already traumatized by working on my goal this afternoon. I decided to test my theory that the holiday stuff would be quick to get rid of, because I really don't have that much. So I opened the bin that has my Halloween decorations, plus some other misc. stuff I was keeping. I started going through, and realized I did purge some things last fall, when I moved my bird cages around to get the birds away from the windows during the freezing cold winter we had. So I looked at the stuff and said--you know, this isn't a good place to start--these are all things I really like. And I closed the bin! Just like that, the first resistance I felt I was going to stop. So maybe I should have started on something easier, but oh well. So, after about 30 second of staring at the top of the bin I opened it back up, and did find a dozen Halloween items and 3 other things that I can part with. That only removed a third of the bin, though, so now I have to decide if half a bin is a reasonable amount of space to dedicate to my Halloween stuff. I think it is, especially since a few of the items are gifty gargoyle type things, not necessarily Halloween. Plus the other 1/6 of what's still in there are non-Halloween things I'm keeping. This is HARD. I packed the Halloween stuff into a small box to donate, and took a big shuddery breath. It's going to be an interesting summer.
Diane
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Post by wind on May 13, 2014 15:06:23 GMT -5
Do you have more dishes than you need? (Like, how many coffee cups do you NEED vs how many you do you own?) Or more tupperware type stuff than you need, remembering that you can always cover a bowl or plate with plastic wrap or foil if needed? For the books, do you know where their new home will be? Knowing where they're going to live after leaving you can make it easier to radically reduce the number that you feel the need to keep. Or, it does for me, at least. I think half a bin of decorations for your favorite holiday is perfectly reasonable. You've just discovered that that isn't actually what needs purging. I think you'll have better luck with nickknacks and kitchen stuff.
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 15:49:32 GMT -5
Hi Wind! My kitchen stuff was purged really well over the last two years, I don't have any cabinets in my kitchen so I have a narrow, 4 1/2 foot tall free standing cabinet that holds everything that I use on a regular basis. This is one thing that I did succeed with--I said I would fit all my regular kitchen stuff in the cabinet, and I did. It has mugs, bowls, small and large dishes, the couple of pots/pans that I use, a glass microwave steamer dish, strainer, etc. I pared everything down, so I think I need everything that's in the cabinet. In my pantry I have one large pasta pot that I'm hanging onto even though I now have figured out how to make pasta in the microwave! My main kitchen problem is the baking things. There are some on the top shelf of my pantry, and another two shelves worth in a cabinet I have in my DR. That's what I hope to pare down, at least some. Even if I decide to bake again, I don't need every possible size and shape of pan.
As for my books, I've been struggling with those for a while. I do have good places to donate my books, it's more a question of me being willing to part with them.
I worked another 30 minutes, this time on the Christmas stuff. I found many working light sets, some of which I'm giving away, and four non-working sets--I don't remember if they were working or not when I carefully wrapped them up in bags and put them away...I hope not, but I certainly can't guarantee it. It would be like me to have kept them to see if I could change bulbs or some such nonsense. I also found some garlands and some ornaments to give away. I stopped after 30 minutes, but I'll have to go back in there and work some more because the bins are now partly empty and I have to figure out how to get them back together. While testing the lights and deciding to give them away I found myself moving really slowly, like I had to remind myself what I was doing. This is a very interesting experience.
I think the light thing is part of the "life you don't lead" syndrome. I do put up Christmas decorations, but not that many--and my image of a perfect Christmas is a house (note: house, not condo--large, old house--NOT condo) with every inch decorated for Christmas. This will never be my life. I'll never own a house, let alone the kind of house I would like. If I did own a house, I would not have the time or energy to decorate (and undecorate) every inch of it. Time to let the multiple light sets go! But it does feel wrong while I'm actually looking at them....
I am saving several light sets--my favorite blue ones, which I can use any time of the year, and some of the colored ones. Last year I put a whole tangled set of lights into a glass jar and set it on my mantle. It looked so pretty! I might do more of that next year.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 16:54:30 GMT -5
Okay, so the first change in plans involves NOT keeping track of how much time I'm spending on my goal this summer. It was an idea that sounded good, but the only benefit will be for me to be able to say "wow, I spent XXX hours on my goal this summer." And it would involve being constantly distracted the whole time trying to keep track of the time. A victory for me to avoid one of the "too much time spent on the mechanics and not enough time actually working" traps.
I spent another 2 sessions on the holiday stuff, and have come up with more to give away. It's kind of weird, I think this was a great day to do this, because I'm giving away things that I never thought I would. Including things that I've used for years--and now--well, maybe I don't need them anymore. If I decide I want a decoration on my front door this year I'll just find something else to use.
Unfortunately I'm in the "big mess, looks a lot worse" stage, so I can't stop yet for the day. My neck muscles are starting to hurt from tension, I think.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 17:53:43 GMT -5
I'm going to have to stop soon, I'm getting a tension headache now too. Continuing to let Christmas things go. I guess there were a few more ornaments and things than I thought. And I'm not even thinking about the fact that the thrift store where I usually donate things might not even take holiday items now since we're so far away from Halloween and Christmas. There's always Freecycle, I guess, which I joined recently but never did offer anything because of not wanting to actually let someone come to my door to get stuff. I still have holiday stuff in my storage unit that I was going to donate to the thrift store but forgot all about last year. I also forgot that I wanted to list the various places stuff is stored now for each category, so for holiday items, I had 3 18 Gallon totes in the 2nd bedroom, a 4 drawer dresser and 1 copy paper box full in the closet of my 2nd bedroom. The copy paper box holds my mantle decorations, and I know exactly what's in there so I'm leaving that alone. Oh, and I also have a Christmas tree in a box in the basement, which I think I might get rid of. When I get another tree it'll probably be the pre-lighted kind. I'm not sure how much space I'll have gained in either the drawers or the bins because I don't think I can finish this today, I'm ready to pull my hair out. Diane
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Post by wind on May 13, 2014 18:04:54 GMT -5
You can finish later tonight or tomorrow!
The mental part is the hard part. Once you start moving stuff out of the house, it all goes smoothly and quickly from there. You HAVE done a lot, even if it LOOKS worse right now.
eta: I suggest craigslist "curb alerting" the Christmas stuff. It's super fast and easy.
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Post by sparkle on May 13, 2014 18:57:35 GMT -5
As you know, I'm working on my project in another blog so I won't post here often but I will be reading and thinking of you every day. I'm glad to have friends on similar paths. I'm interested in how you broke it down and am going to do something similar as a guide. I should not be surprised at how many categories and issues we have in common.
I can't picture how you have a kitchen with no cabinets. Can you elaborate?
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 19:05:58 GMT -5
Thank you Wind, the mental part is definitely the hardest. I do have to make sure things get out fairly quickly though, I don't want to change my mind about anything I decided to get rid of!
I'm happy to say that the messy 2nd bedroom bothered me enough that I went back in there and put the bins back in order, and combined everything that was left in the dresser into one drawer. So I went from 3 bins to 2 and from 4 drawers to 1, although the 3 drawers that were emptied are each a little smaller than the large one that I filled back up. But that means I reduced the bins by 1/3 and the dresser by about 2/3, not bad. I really am not finished though, because I forgot another holiday storage item--I have a small bin (maybe 3 gallon) that I have my Christmas cards in, I still have to go through those. And, the tree is still in my storage unit in the basement--I won't count it as finished until I get that out of there, assuming I'm set on getting rid of it. Plus...now I'm thinking that instead of 2 bins and 1 drawer, it would be more efficient to move the stuff from the bins into the 3 drawers that are empty, so all the holiday stuff is in one place. So, lots left to do.
I've not done anything else all afternoon, so should get some other things done around here in the remaining couple of hours before bedtime.
Diane
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 19:28:06 GMT -5
Hi Sparkle, yes, I will be watching your blog too! I live in a condo, and when I bought it about 18 years ago, the only reason I was able to afford to buy it was because it was run-down and never updated in any way. I was able to afford some essential basic repairs, like updating some electrical wiring that was in bad shape, but I could never do major remodeling. The kitchen is small, and on one wall is a sink that doesn't work, and is almost falling off of the wall (propped up with wood). The drain works, so I can bring water to it and use it, but the faucet leaked so badly I had to shut the water supply off. And although installing a new faucet would not have been terribly expensive, I felt there was no point in doing that because the whole sink had to be replaced. Then I lost my full-time job and never did get a chance to have anything done. Anyway, above the sink there are 3 open shelves on brackets, which I do use, but as you can imagine they look kind of messy. Next to the sink is a refrigerator, which is 18 years old and which I expect to expire at any time. Across from the sink and refrigerator is my clothes dryer, which does not heat (tumbles, but with no heat), my free-standing cupboard which is about 2 feet across, 1 foot deep and a little over 4 feet tall, that's where my dishes, etc. are kept, with a microwave on top of it. Next to that is my stove, which also does not work. Next to that there's room for a 15 inch built in type cabinet, as though there were cabinets there once and they tore everything out except this little piece in the corner. There is a small drawer in it, which I use for silverware, and a cabinet underneath, that's for cleaning supplies. That's the only actual counter too, but I have to store stuff on it so I can't use it as a counter. One short wall has a small radiator on it, and a window, with no room for anything else. Then on the other short wall there's a door to the small pantry, which holds my washing machine and shelving up to the ceiling. And, there is also a built in shelving area with drawers between the pantry door and the door to the DR. So there is some storage, but it's open and messy looking. I should mention that in many ways I'm thankful that the place wasn't updated. I love OLD stuff, the built in storage shelving area is original to the apartment, very old-fashioned looking, which I love. The drawers are wooden and not on any kind of track, so you have to force them in and out. But I love living in an old place and an old building--I just would prefer having plumbing and appliances that work!! I will now go to the 2014 items out thread to list what I'm getting rid of. Maybe I should wait til it's actually gone, but if I list it as gone, I'll be too embarrassed to take anything back! Diane
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Post by Ally on May 13, 2014 19:53:33 GMT -5
dtesposito, I could identify with everything you wrote, but one of my main issues is sewing/craft/yarn/fabric/etc. My start day will be tomorrow, and my end day will be when my class starts this fall. Yes in addition to working full time, I plan to start back taking classes, one at a time, until I finish my B.S. degree. Maybe I'll finish by the time I'm 65.
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Post by dtesposito on May 13, 2014 20:37:55 GMT -5
Hi Ally! Wow, you will have your hands full in the fall--will getting your degree help your current job, or are you studying something new? Anything you can get done during the summer will be really helpful if you'll be even busier in the fall. I have a small amount of fabric and craft stuff, well contained, so they're not on my list. I haven't used any of it for some years though, so I could argue that they should be. But I think I've got enough on my list for now. Diane
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