DECLUTTERING

[Lynn2000]

My next project, but probably won't happen until after the holidays, is not quite decluttering, but scanning photos onto my computer. I want to make a photo book for my mom, but have to get them scanned first.

Scanning can be such a pain at the time, but I find it so worthwhile later, when I can organize, backup, and share photos so much more easily, and not worry about keeping the originals easily accessible.

One thing I do is put as many photos onto the scanner as will fit and then scan them all at once. Then, keeping them in the same place, I flip them all over and do one big scan of the backs (if there's anything written on the backs). Then later I can crop this group of pictures down into individual ones. My scanner is rather old and makes horrible noises as it's scanning, so I like to keep the number of passes as low as possible. 

[siamesecat2965]

My next project, but probably won't happen until after the holidays, is not quite decluttering, but scanning photos onto my computer. I want to make a photo book for my mom, but have to get them scanned first.

Scanning can be such a pain at the time, but I find it so worthwhile later, when I can organize, backup, and share photos so much more easily, and not worry about keeping the originals easily accessible.

One thing I do is put as many photos onto the scanner as will fit and then scan them all at once. Then, keeping them in the same place, I flip them all over and do one big scan of the backs (if there's anything written on the backs). Then later I can crop this group of pictures down into individual ones. My scanner is rather old and makes horrible noises as it's scanning, so I like to keep the number of passes as low as possible. 

Good idea! I hadn't thought about that. I don't want to do all of them, and I have done quite a few already. I jsut bought a new printer that scans. I also want to take some of my mom's photos, many of which I don't have, and scan those. 

[Bijou]

I went through several plastic bins yesterday and made a nice trip to the thrift store.  I finally parted with all that yarn that has been holding me captive and is of no use to me.  I stored some things upstairs in the storage rooms.  I have a real hard time not keeping everything that someone gives me out in sight, but there just is NO room! 
This morning was the biggie, though...I went through some of my beading things and reduced the keepers from a gigantic bin to a much small one.  I still love beading and all the stuff that goes with it, but just not at my house, anymore.  It's a start.  It's hard for me to part with those things.

I've done that with all my scrapbooking stuff. I never have any time anymore, and I had so very much it was annoying me. I got it down to a manageable level, i.e. can be hidden in drawers etc. So I'm very happy about that.

My next project, but probably won't happen until after the holidays, is not quite decluttering, but scanning photos onto my computer. I want to make a photo book for my mom, but have to get them scanned first.

It does feel good to get that sort of thing under control, to me.  I've pretty much decided to make paper my project basis.  Paper-cutting, collage and origami.  And I love my wire and tools so that stays.  Everything else is going away.  I have given away all of my paints and think I might take my books up to my son's on Thanksgiving (we host at his house) and let the family just take what they want.  My family really enjoys art/craft stuff and I think they'll all find good homes.  I might do the same with my beads.

[Coralreef]

I went through my clothes, with my sister's help and moral support.  Close to 3/4 of it did not fit anymore.  They are piled up on the guest bed, waiting for DIL to stop by and check if she wants anything.  I give it about 2 or 3 more weeks, then it will go to the thrift store.  It will make someone happy, a lot of it is designer clothing and pretty much looks like new. 

Now I have a huge empty closet and I will not buy new stuff, unless it is to replace something worn out. 

[GratefulMaria]

My mother moved in with us at the end of the summer, so we're combining furniture and household goods.  It's going nicely for the most part -- she and I can both agree on what to keep when there are duplicates.  There are knick-knacks, though, that she'd just love to have me curate for her.  She wants them, but not badly enough to find space for them in her room.  I've taken quite a few of her things already and purged a lot in anticipation of absorbing them, but there are still some items that just won't find a home here.  I guess I'm in the middle of decluttering plus pre-decluttering at the same time.

[Amara]

Fellow readers and booklovers know how hard it is to get rid of books. While I am not nearly as bad as I used to be I still probably own several hundred books. But I have been thinking about paring down even more.

Yesterday I had a discussion with one of my best friends, Lynn. She is a passionate reader too and a Vine reviewer so she often gets books that way. But as she is now a devoted Kindle user she rarely buys books. Still, she had so many that their house was stuffed--her husband collects valuable record albums--that they had a storage unit to house about two thousand of her books along with some other things. That storage unit was costing them $600 per year.

Last week they decided to get rid of it so she called a couple of book dealers, two of whom bought her more valuable items. Then the guy from the famous Bart's Books of Ojai came out and took all the rest. They ended up about $2,600 richer, and now she is considering pruning her home's bookshelves out.

So am I. I have pared before and feel as if every book I now have I love. And I do. But I no longer feel the need to keep many. For me, the library is fine. But because I don't have any dead weight, so to speak, I haven't really had the motivation to begin. Until I saw this post from The Improvised Life, an e-newsletter to which I subscribe, this morning: http://www.improvisedlife.com/2013/11/13/lighten-look-shelves-filled-books/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+improvisedlife+%28The+Improvised+Life%29

Now I am motivated. I have seen shelves like this before but somehow her post has infused me with a new sense that this is right at this time. I don't have many "objects" since I object to mindless clutter--and I won't go out and buy any just to fill space--but I have a strong sense that this look is exactly what I want. More simple. Airier. More artistic while remaining readable. Just kinda neat, ya know?

I know what I am going to be starting tonight.

[Bijou]

This week I went through a bunch of boxes of old papers and ended up with a huge black trash bag full of shredding.  I also ended up with a huge trash bag full of papers that don't need shredding, envelopes, newspapers, etc.  Gosh.  I couldn't believe it...and that's not the bottom of the paper pit.  All those trees!  I've been contacting the catalog stores that somehow got my name when I ordered something online, and am telling them to stop sending, already! 
I have more to go through, but I sometimes don't know what I need to keep and what to throw out, and when. 

[siamesecat2965]

This week I went through a bunch of boxes of old papers and ended up with a huge black trash bag full of shredding.  I also ended up with a huge trash bag full of papers that don't need shredding, envelopes, newspapers, etc.  Gosh.  I couldn't believe it...and that's not the bottom of the paper pit.  All those trees!  I've been contacting the catalog stores that somehow got my name when I ordered something online, and am telling them to stop sending, already! 
I have more to go through, but I sometimes don't know what I need to keep and what to throw out, and when.

I live alone and am AMAZED at the amount of trash I have. Mainly paper. shredding, catalogs and other stuff that gets chucked. Simply amazing. its never ending!!! 

[Outdoor Girl]

I'm really good about sorting my paper as it comes in and the stuff that can be recycled goes back out regularly.  But the shredding pile?  Builds up.  I do get to it at least once a year at tax time because when I file the documents on which the taxes were based, I pull out the oldest folder of tax documents and shred those, as well as any other shredding hanging about.

[AmethystAnne]

This weekend is when I have decided to work on my kitchen. It has become the dumping ground for the stuff (from other rooms) that is to be shredded, recycled, or donated.

My Mom and Dad gave me a nice wooden kitchen base cabinet he made years ago. I have to declutter to make room for this cabinet.

[Bijou]

I am also cleaning my kitchen this week.  Mine is also a catch all.  It drives me mad.

[VorFemme]

I had to change a light bulb over the sink today.  Decided it would be easier to change light bulbs in future if I switched the fixture 180 degrees, so that I can access all three little screws holding the milk glass cover in place. 

The resulting shower of grossness is also going in that thread (let's leave it at "bug dust" in this thread) - but on THIS thread, I am now mightily motivated to clean the kitchen counter and get rid of some of the clutter.  I may "enjoy" the collection of various glass & ceramic containers lined up with a basket or two - but they are "just" out of reach unless I stand on a ladder & lean way over...

Everything is going through the dishwasher - as I want to get things CLEAN.  If I had a steam sterilizer like my mother used to use when canning fruits & vegetables at home or the autoclave that she used at work...I'd be shoving everything into it.  But the closest appliance I have is the dishwasher.

But the danged light fixture got rotated 180 degrees and it got CLEANED, too.

My "collection" of cute kitschy things is going to get smaller....

[Outdoor Girl]

Well, my decluttering plan is going to be put into high gear.  I have someone coming on Tuesday to give me a quote on cleaning and I want her in before Christmas.  And then once a month hereafter.

I don't have a lot of time so I think my plan will be to toss everything into rubbermaids that I can stack in a corner in my craft room.  Then, as I have time, I'll go through a rubbermaid or two.  I wouldn't normally do it this way but with Christmas coming, I don't have the time to do it the way I'd like.

I do not clean before the cleaner comes but I do tidy so she can find the floor to vacuum and mop.

[VorFemme]

Yeah - finding the floor is a good thing...I need to work on that in the sewing studio.  I cleared the storage area due to a leaking drain - and it shows.  My sewing room looks like a before shot on one of the home makeover shows.

[Outdoor Girl]

Yeah, my craft room is affectionately known as the hoarder room right now.  It is also my kitchen overflow room, where I keep all my cake decorating stuff and all the cake pans and muffin tins.