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Post by desposito on May 31, 2024 17:13:18 GMT -5
Summer is officially here, let's have a productive month working on our homes. Inside and/or outside, there's always plenty to do this time of year.
Then come back and report how you're doing. 
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Post by def6 on Jun 1, 2024 8:25:20 GMT -5
I plan to join the June purge-a-thon!  |
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Post by desposito on Jun 1, 2024 9:46:48 GMT -5
Hello def! I will probably be on the Purge-a-thon too--I'm hoping for big things this month!
I decided to go with 13 goals again, I took some away and added some.
1. Getting back to baseline as many days as possible 2. Do phase 2 of food closet cleanout, reorganizing the shelving unit that holds non-food items 3. Do phase 2 of fridge cleaning, old stuff is out, reorganize shelf containers for easier use 4. Filing--file all financial papers (only) from filing basket 5. Bird supply shelves--clean off, organize, and move upstairs 6. Basement - 60 minutes 7. Book data entry - 60 minutes 8. Old paper - 60 minutes 9. Password project - 60 minutes 10. Plant goal--repot 4 plants or cuttings 11. Seedlings--consolidate remaining, evaluate still needed for yard, start new 12. Houseplants--decide on some to put on enclosed front porch or outside
Diane
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Post by phoenixcat on Jun 1, 2024 10:29:35 GMT -5
Refreshing my May list here as well because I didn't do anything on it.  . Will also pop into the purge-a-thon but I usually participate on the "group" thread. No travel plans for June and my possible jury duty is very late in the month so I have an opportunity to get the upstairs "good enough" with just pockets of things to do mostly related to stuff that is remaining from my parents and FOL/FOM. 1) Do a de-clutter reset of our master bath and closet. It was done THOROUGHLY a year ago when we moved back into it after the renovation so mainly just the last year of "add ons". 2) Laundry room including cupboards - about 50% done - already emptied shelves with small pillows - some shelves are in constant use so relatively OK. I've also cleaned out the fridge that is in there within the last couple months. 3) One or two small de-cluttering tasks in the closet of guest room #1. Mostly a large collection of my parents' record albums. 4) Cupboards and drawers in the two entertainment units. Some are projects for another day such as things that are severely tarnished and need professional help. But some are things that can be scaled down or eliminated. Lots of tiny broken things "to be repaired" that can probably be thrown away at this point. 5) Set up an exercise area in the basement and find some programs on apple fitness that I can try.  PC |
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Post by goldenthreads on Jun 1, 2024 14:13:17 GMT -5
Thanks for the thread, Diane!
Right now I have just one modest goal for June: I want to declutter at least one thing every day. I must make this a regular part of my life, and it's not right now, and I can't keep living like this. I have a sort of secret goal of a certain number of things per day, but I'm concerned about jinxing myself with posting it.
I'll be back in a few days.
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Post by desposito on Jun 1, 2024 18:21:36 GMT -5
Hello phoenixcat--I'm glad you get a break from traveling. What kind of albums did your parents have?  I decided to get rid of all of mine when I moved because I no longer had a working stereo system, and although it was the right decision, I do wish I had some of those albums on CD.
Golden, I like your "one item a day", it seems so do-able. What kinds of things do you have the most trouble letting go of? Most of us seem to have a two or three categories of stuff that we find harder to get rid of than the rest. For me it's books, paper and any kind of stationery/office supply item.
I did a little work in my basement already and I'm just overwhelmed with how messy it's gotten down there. Too much stuff, and my hardware corner is totally unorganized. Oh well, that's what these challenges are for!
Diane
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Post by phoenixcat on Jun 2, 2024 11:26:53 GMT -5
Diane - forgot to thank you for starting the June thread! Thanks! All kinds of albums. My parents had one of those huge stereo consoles and when they finally got rid of it - they had milk crate bins full of albums. Ironically I rarely heard them listen to music except at Christmas time - we have some comedy albums like Bob Newhart that my Dad enjoyed. Of course, you can find anything online anymore. During mom's final days - I pulled a few of her favorite albums and asked Alexa to find the recordings. Most of the albums were nostalgic from performers they saw in person or ones they danced to in their early courtship. Not a lot of Elvis or Beatles unfortunately. Maybe a bit of Frank Sinatra and Pat Boone.  . Another thing I have to confirm value online before moving to a donate pile. I may keep a few to add to my albums - I played my Rocky Horror until it was about worn through!  . And, I have both the movie and the theatre recordings. In my clearing out at mom's in the years after dad died - we did find a donation location for about 4 bins of albums. It was a charity that hosted dances for the mentally and physically challenged. But there were still quite a few remaining - guessing about 100-150 albums or so. |
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Post by desposito on Jun 8, 2024 11:32:29 GMT -5
PC, there are still charities that accept LP donations, since they are still popular with a small segment of the population. And believe it or not, I like some Frank Sinatra!
I just looked at my list on here and realize I left my #13 goal off the list! It is going through my 2 drawers and 2 boxes of plastic bags, since I no longer have a dog to pick up after. I can get rid of a lot of them.
This week I did 60 minutes on book data entry which brought me up to date on the last 5 months of my reading. I still have lots of books to enter from prior years. I also did 50 minutes in the basement, 30 minutes on filing and 20 minutes on old paper. Returning to baseline is hit or miss, right now I'm not there because of 2 rooms--the messy kitchen downstairs (I should stop calling it a kitchen--it's a work room) and my reading room upstairs because of moving things around with the new bird.
I also realized I can't do part of one of my goals this month, I don't have room to move the bird supply shelves upstairs because the next step with the new bird will be to put his cage next to the old cage, which means there will be no room for the shelves yet. But I can clean and organize them, so I'm leaving that goal on the list.
1. Getting back to baseline as many days as possible - not very many days this week
2. Do phase 2 of food closet cleanout, reorganizing the shelving unit that holds non-food items 3. Do phase 2 of fridge cleaning, old stuff is out, reorganize shelf containers for easier use 4. Filing--file all financial papers (only) from filing basket - 30 minutes done
5. Bird supply shelves--clean off, organize, and move upstairs 6. Basement - 60 minutes - 50 minutes done
7. Book data entry - 60 minutes - This goal is done! 8. Old paper - 60 minutes - 20 minutes done
9. Password project - 60 minutes 10. Plant goal--repot 4 plants or cuttings 11. Seedlings--consolidate remaining, evaluate still needed for yard, start new - consolidated, all remaining seedlings are on first floor or on back porch
12. Houseplants--decide on some to put on enclosed front porch or outside 13. Purge plastic bags from 2 drawers and 2 boxes
Diane
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Post by mylittlescholar on Jun 10, 2024 16:24:11 GMT -5
Hi everypony!
Immediate goals are to get summer-ready.
- Finish the summer winter clothing swap
- Put a sunshade in the front of the house
- Figure out where I can set up my blender to make smoothies (involves moving furniture)
- Install the tiny free air conditioner we picked up from the no buy group in the bedroom--DVD worked on this today, we just have to add some insulation!
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Post by mylittlescholar on Jun 12, 2024 21:47:40 GMT -5
I've made a little progress. Will be shifting to prepping for a camping trip with the RV next. Then will return next week.
DONE: - DVD found a pool noodle to insulate around the tiny air conditioner. It is not strong enough to chill the room, but it does bring the temperature down to tolerable. I hope to figure out a way to cover up the installation; the plywood is not painted and the noodle is *gasp* purple.
- I ordered some more tote boxes. Have been pulling and folding winter and too small clothes into one, to make some room in the closet. Probably will need to do more.
- I have been catching up on laundry. Reorganized all the pants that are in drawers.
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Post by TwinkleToes on Jun 13, 2024 4:54:28 GMT -5
My biggest goal for June is decluttering my bedroom
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Post by desposito on Jun 15, 2024 18:40:51 GMT -5
Hello TT! Nice to see you here!
DVD found a pool noodle to insulate around the tiny air conditioner.
This made me laugh, scholar--the first year that my handyman installed my air conditioner he very neatly put blue painters tape all around it to close all the gaps. Every time I looked at the A/C I thought--it's blue... So the next year I bought Scotch insulating tape, which is clear. At first he was skeptical, he thought it would take the paint off, but it's made to peel off without taking paint if you peel it slowly. So after it was done he said it looked very nice and he took a photo of the box of tape, which I assume meant he was planning to buy some to put around his own A/C! I couldn't believe a handyman didn't know about clear insulating tape, but, there you go! Now I look at the A/C and it looks very nice. I know insulating tape won't help your situation, but maybe some pieces of white foam PVC sheet? That is, if the pool noodle is even with the wall, they are rigid. If not, maybe some kind of flexible foam sheet.
I got very little done this week, I did do the last 10 minutes of basement sorting so I finished the hour, but that hour was the tiniest drop in a bucket down there--there's so much to do! I also did 20 minutes on sorting bags, I do have a small bag of bags to purge but I won't count them until I'm done--I'm only getting rid of the odd ones, I use the standard grocery bags for small garbage bags, and the larger size shopping bags for the larger garbage cans.
I did do a seed project, I took all the leftover seeds that were being "stratified" in the the fridge for a long time and I picked out the ones that still looked good, and planted about a dozen seeds--these will all be perennials that I hope will grow enough to be put out at the end of the summer, when they're able to do okay over the winter and come back next year. If they grow, that is, they might not. The rest of the seeds will be thrown away, when I get around to cleaning off the plant table again.
So, not much done, and I'm not sure what'll get done next week since we'll have a heat wave. But it might be a good time to work on my password project, which I haven't worked on in months--that I can do sitting down near the air conditioner.
Diane
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Post by desposito on Jun 23, 2024 9:41:11 GMT -5
I did get some things done this week, thanks to the horrible heat which has me limited to a couple of cool spaces, one of which being the room with my computer.
I finished my hour on old paper, my hour on my password project (another project that will require a LOT more time) and my food closet cleanout. The closet didn't take long since I was just doing one area, I wasn't able to get rid of anything from there but I do know better what I have there, plus I found some new food storage containers that I forgot I had, so that's good.
I'm almost done with my fridge project, I just have to make labels for my new bins and make a full list of what I have in there for the front of the fridge--I have to commit to doing a better job at not wasting food.
Baseline efforts are hit or miss--one room on each floor is still messy, the rest of the areas I've been able to keep decluttered.
I'm debating about what to do about the bird supplies--I'm almost thinking I should leave the birds on the first floor for the summer--I'm not sure why I'm thinking this current heat wave will be the last of the summer--almost certainly it will not be! I feel much more comfortable with them in the area that I know will be cooler. Maybe I will leave the birds and supplies downstairs until fall. They can be like senior citizens--spending the summer in one place and the winter in another!
1. Getting back to baseline as many days as possible - hit or miss
2. Do phase 2 of food closet cleanout, reorganizing the shelving unit that holds non-food items This project is done!
3. Do phase 2 of fridge cleaning, old stuff is out, reorganize shelf containers for easier use Almost done
4. Filing--file all financial papers (only) from filing basket - 30 minutes done
5. Bird supply shelves--clean off, organize, and move upstairs 6. Basement - 60 minutes - This goal is done!
7. Book data entry - 60 minutes - This goal is done! 8. Old paper - 60 minutes - This goal is done!
9. Password project - 60 minutes - This goal is done!
10. Plant goal--repot 4 plants or cuttings 11. Seedlings--consolidate remaining, evaluate still needed for yard, start new - consolidated, all remaining seedlings are on first floor or on back porch, some new seeds planted from fridge cleanout
12. Houseplants--decide on some to put on enclosed front porch or outside 13. Purge plastic bags from 2 drawers and 2 boxes - one drawer done
Diane
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Post by mylittlescholar on Jun 25, 2024 18:03:54 GMT -5
 Diane! and thanks for the tip about clear insulating tape! we still have some cracks to cover, so I will start with them.
SUMMER/WINTER CLOTHING SWAP REPORT
sorted my shoes--have some to donate, some to put in storage I was able to put away all the summer shoes I found a home for the long summer dresses the rest of the swap is stalled I have been keeping up with laundry and put everything away from the camping trip I am very tempted to buy some more skechers but there will be future sales--I'm on no buy for the rest of the month
Next up for this is to swap out the hats and scarves. I have brought the big storage tub down from the attic so far. I also want to hang up some light scarf-wraps that are in a drawer so I don't forget about them.
SELL BOY CLOTHES REPORT no progress, but I hope to report that I have started later today
SHADE CLOTH REPORT
I learned that the hold up is accessing the attic to anchor the shade to the rafters.
DVD has a plan for that
TIKI ROOM PREP REPORT I realized I had an empty cabinet and so gathered up all the small tiki totchkes and stored them in there
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Post by TwinkleToes on Jun 27, 2024 9:44:07 GMT -5
I have only finished half my bedroom and there are only a few days left in June. Will work on it today.
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