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Post by 1rarebeautifuldove on Mar 18, 2016 19:01:58 GMT -5
Do Bags of stuff to be sorted through count too? I have a lot of bags with all kinds of things in there! There are quite a few that have things that I haven't unpacked from my trip to Russia a year and a half ago.
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 18, 2016 22:31:48 GMT -5
lucie i think the toys, books and christmas deorations are fine for you. I was thinking more about baggage as peaceandfreedom so eloquently put it. I think totes of preschool toys would be a challenge if the "children" are now in their 20s. As long as they are still playing with them, i think stashing them in a bin between visits is a good idea. peaceandfreedom you nailed it perfectly. I would say all of my bins, boxes etc with the exception of holiday decorations and some memoramilia are "baggage". Lots of deferred decisions in there. Lots of years of inattention and neglect. mynicehome good luck on your bin today. 1rarebeautifuldove bags definetely count! I have lots of those too. My personal sorting order is open piles first, then bags (since they tend to slid around and dont stack well) then totes and boxes. Thats just what works for me.
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Post by peaceandfreedom on Mar 18, 2016 23:32:01 GMT -5
Tonite I pulled the last of the loose papers out of that first bin, so it is empty. I've been thinking a lot about how to approach my whole paperwork decluttering project. (I work best if I can think a project through and come up with some distinct steps to follow. Sort of keeps me on track.)
I think that, for me, my current attempt to just sort loose papers into broad categories, is the right approach. Separating like with like. Because I have absolutely no idea of what I have in other bins, boxes, etc., there would be little real success if I only dealt with now finding homes, etc., for the contents of this one box first, because no telling what will turn up in the next box or bag. So, I think I just need to continue with sorting the next container, then the next, and so on. My category piles will grow. Then at some point I will make a next pass through the categories. By then I will likely have uncovered duplicates of some things, or perhaps by then some other scheme of organization will have occurred to me that I can implement at that time.
But I feel that I basically need to get a grip on the enormity and the volume of the problem before I can really decide what to do with it. (Sort of like KonMari saying to put all your clothes in a big pile on the floor--so you can see the size of the problem. BTW, I did not do that when I went though my clothes--I did it in smaller batches and it worked just fine.)
I have no idea of what is the best approach, this is just what my gut feeling is right now. Going through this first bin, I sometimes felt like an observer watching myself going through the stuff and discovering what was in there. In a way, it didn't feel real because that particular bin was accumulated in a past life that is far behind me.
I think I might be rattling right now, but I just needed to express this. Ideas are most welcome!
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 19, 2016 0:42:51 GMT -5
peaceandfreedom great job on getting through that first bin. I have alot of papers too. I did a similar thing, sorting all the bins first into broad categories. Now im working through the categories. You might find it helpful to set up boxes, labeled for each broad category. I found that piles could be easily tipped over and then need to be resorted. Labeling helps because its a long term project and in a month, i will have forgotten which box was which. I set my boxes up under a table. I can sit on the floor and sort into in the boxes. Then when they are full and heavy, they are accessible but out of the way. It also left the tabletop clear to work on smaller piles.
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Post by jendela on Mar 19, 2016 2:25:35 GMT -5
Hi Unswamping - another great idea for a challenge. I would love to join you and everyone else in sorting out the bins, bags and boxes, except that first I need to carefully sort through the random bundles that are covering everything else, without setting off an avalanche or tossing important papers. This is a delicate process. I have been working steadily on getting as much random paper into my recycle bin as possible, but I still have so much to go. I recently got some boxes of old stuff down, and now I am not sure I can hoist them back into the high cupboards, so they are adding to the clutter. I have to think that it is good thing they came down now, they are heavy enough now and as you say, not something that I want to be dealing with in another 10 years or so.
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Post by cyn on Mar 19, 2016 3:28:24 GMT -5
IMO, the Big B's aren't a problem if they're used to store items. That's what they're for, right? I'm sure that if Martha Stewart has 40 bins in her attic, they're all labelled and she can readily rearrange her seasonal displays - with the matching table linens & throw pillows - and it's not an issue. Bins are great - until they're misused. My own B's have been *terribly* abused: any time I needed to clear a table, I stashed the old unopened mail in a bag - and as the bags piled up (and tumbled down) I'd collect them all in a box, and shoved it somewhere. I still have tons of these boxes hidden away here. I have a whole closet filled with bags & boxes like this. Then the bins...I've got bins of clothing that I can't put away, because the closets are filled already ^^^ my clothing is a hoard, going back decades. I've pared it down by half, but it's still way too much - and not the right size, sigh. A good idea would be to get rid of it all. I've got bins of junk from my childhood - toys, old tests, jewelry, Avon bottles - a collection of kid's crap. Same MO as cleaning my table - I'd dump drawers into bags, and the bags ended up in boxes - then into bins. That's my complete circle: bag it up, box it up, bin it up, stack it up. How can I live like this? Easy - the bins are pretty colours! Telling myself that all my bins need to be empty isn't accurate. What I need to do is empty them of all the plentiful crap, and then refill them in an orderly fashion (a la Martha) so I know what I've got & where it is. And be reasonable about how many I can store, by deciding how much I really even want to store. I shouldn't have a bunch of disorganized bins here, and this thread is going to motivate me to fix them.
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Post by mynicehome on Mar 19, 2016 7:16:13 GMT -5
Got through the one box. Going to get through a second one today.
Part of the reason my bedroom is taking so long is because I don't normally stow/store miscellaneous stuff in bins or boxes. Each item is taken care of in one way or another...keep and put somewhere, toss, or donate. The bins in my basement are from after my mother died and, yes, those ones have miscellaneous stuff in them. I also have about six labelled bins of my own down there...Xmas, curtains, kids' stuffed animals from childhood. I have boxes to go through right now because of stuff I brought in to decorate my bedroom as well as stuff that came off the tops of two dressers which I rid the room of a few weeks (months?) ago. I do have the room to just stash and stow but I don't want to do that.
I like the feeling of paring down. I haven't missed a single thing I've gotten rid of, don't even remember what they were in particular. And, I'm proud to say that I've not done any "serious" thrift store shopping in months. Before, it was nothing to come home with bags and bags of things for no particular reason at all other than I liked them. No more.
Everyone here has been doing well with their "B's". Congratulations to all!
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Post by peaceandfreedom on Mar 19, 2016 8:41:20 GMT -5
Unswamping, thank you for your description of how you are proceeding. You well described what is starting to evolve in my own efforts. And BoyOBoy do I ever know about bagging it up first ("just till I can get to it next week," of course) and then boxing up the bags, etc. isn't it funny how we are so much alike here. And I'll bet we all thought we were just inventing our own special "storage" systems too, as we went along! Onward!
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 19, 2016 10:13:57 GMT -5
jendela so glad you like it. I have random bundles too and i think thats a great "B" to add. I think im going to edit my first post. cyn you are so right about misused and abused bins. Although im sure martha has a warehouse of color coded, neatly organized bins, no stash and dash in her bins. Ive been doing the same thing with piling, bagging, boxing, stacking. Its time to clear it out! mynicehome great job on starting the second bin! Youre in great company here with the bins of assorted stuff. peaceandfreedom glad that was helpful. Paper mountain takes a long time to chip away at. Its condensed decisions, there coukd be thousands in a box so its so going. Every paper out through is a victory and one that should be celebrated. Great work!
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Post by cyn on Mar 19, 2016 14:51:15 GMT -5
Guess what, gang? Yesterday I bought more bin & boxes! I did. I bought a really cool lidded plastic translucent blue shoebox-sized bin, and also the most *incredible* set of 6-sided cardboard stacking boxes. They're beautiful! They're covered in a vintage floral pattern, and there's 8 of them that fit into each other. So, I can fill the smaller ones and keep them in the larger ones - or I can make a cool display out of them, while they store my stuff. Note: I said, "Store my stuff" - not, "Hide my garbage" - maybe I need a tattoo? I was thinking about my constant churning, and wanting to put the brakes to it. If I had little boxes for jewelry (like my new stacking ones) then I could empty my bins instead replacing the contents - that's what I'm doing right now, minus finding crap to toss or donate. But I've seen enough from peeking into those big bins, to know that I'm going to have to get tough with myself. Especially the clothes! Unswamping your sorting by categories idea makes so much sense! I'm going to try that next week. I have enough big bins that are already empty that I can make 'like with like' bins happen now.
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Post by 1rarebeautifuldove on Mar 21, 2016 10:54:57 GMT -5
Worked on an open bin last evening, 11 things went into trash, 4 into donate, I put 5 away. There are still a few more things in that bin. It didn't have a lid so all is dusty in there.
I also took a couple things out of a box. Don't remember what I did with them.
I found several very small plastic bins with lids that I am using to sort things into so they are somewhat sorted. I put some alligator clips in one, little tiny nails in another, and have been tossing a lot of miscellaneous screws that were extras from put together yourself bookcases.
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 21, 2016 13:43:15 GMT -5
1rarebeautifuldove great job on sorting through that bin. Getting rid of those pesky leftover screws is a great idea. Hmm, probably one i should implement. I have tons because almost all my furniture is diy assemble. And those useless instructions that i probably didnt read the first time. I saved for....? Sounds like you are makng great headway. cyn hows your energy? Heres some coffee Lets grab a bin each and we could sort together!
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Post by creativechaos on Mar 21, 2016 15:29:06 GMT -5
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Post by cyn on Mar 22, 2016 12:11:33 GMT -5
creativechaos I haven't BIN doin' too much this week...until today: Unswamping I'm going into my doom room and removing every single box & bag - the bins are on the porch already, ha. I'm pretty sure if I unpack the boxes, the stuff might sort itself. Either it's a keeper or a goner. I've got to get serious this week! The bags of fabric can get moved into the closet, I hope. I need to declutter that space asap, and get ready for carpet guy.
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Post by Unswamping on Mar 22, 2016 13:08:15 GMT -5
cyn it would be nice if you could transfer your keeper fabric into some empty bins, then put them in the closet. You know because of . Great job on hauling all that to the pirch. I havent done any bins yesterday and today (yet) but i did get the armchair moved out to the deck and just arranged for pickup tomorrow. So i guess i should get it down the stairs and out to the curb. Its only about 8 or 9 steps and they are wide so it shouldnt be too bad. I just hung a wall scone in the living room too, so now i have some light and can see what im doing. ETA: chair and cushion are out at the curb. Being picked up tomorrow.
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