One big box and 3 bags of Christmas decorations out the door. Nice.
DH joked that the kids can someday decide who gets which Godzilla Christmas tree ornament. Yes, we have 2.
Clutter = stress.
https://www.houselogic.com/organize-maintain/cleaning-decluttering/clutter-depression
Small thing but I noticed some of my cloth reusable shopping bags have started to tear. I have somehow accumulated a lot of them so I tossed the torn ones and threw the good ones n the wash.
^^ This is a good task done. I have a bit of an obsession with reusable bags and get sort of attached to them! I hate to get rid of any! I have washed them and that usually helps - or if it makes them worse then in the trash they go. (Some people collect trinkets when they visit other placesā¦I collect reusable bags from places we go!)
I just did a review of those cloth bags also - donāt need 10 Wegmanās wine carrier bags - out they went. I did save the āsentimentalā ones - I could never throw out a strand book store bag for example.
@BunsenBurner, my dh and I are working on the same thing. We filled four boxes with VHS tapes yesterday and need one more box to finish the job. I was delighted to learn that a nearby charity thrift store still accepts tapes. Iām going to replace a few with Blu-ray discs, but plan to mainly look at Netflix and Amazon video for the others if we ever want to watch them again.
Not sure what weāll do with all of the shelf space, but Iām determined that at least 3/4 of it will remain empty. Iām thinking of putting patterned wallpaper on the back of the shelves for color without adding more to dust.
Chucked a bunch of old audio cassette tapes! Goodbye, twentieth century.
I never burn scented candles - never - just threw out a bunch of them (must have been hostess gifts).
I hate scented candles. They wouldnāt have even been in my house.
^ I like certain scented candles- spicy scents such as cinnamonā¦
I have been reading these posts and getting inspired. Finally put my inspiration into action and attacked my piles of clothing this weekend. Threw out old socks and undies, and organized what was left so I can actually see what I have.
Goodwill will get a large bag of clothing today from my closet!
Just went through my stacks of empty amazon boxes. Threw into the recycling the sizes I would never use and the ones I had way too many of the same size.
Ha @kiddie Weāre box hoarders (and unfortunately have a basement with too much space). Once upon a time, we needed the smaller boxes to ship gifts to family members, but shipping has become so expensive, that is now a rare event. Now we tell ourselves weāll need the larger ones for a future move, but weāve been on our home for over 25 years! Your post inspired me to take the plunge.
Thankful to my parents for selling their home last week and calling the donation trucks. Whatever they decided to keep is in storage. Now they just have to figure out where to move. Even sold one of their cars. Inspired me to prepare my home for sale by getting rid of things that will not go with us.
Started the whole house clean and purge. Up today, master bathroom cabinets. Purged unused items, refilled shower dispensers, and filled a bag with garbage. Only one bag, but every bag out is progress.
I have always been a āless is moreā person and enjoy getting rid of stuff I donāt use/need/want. My hubby was more of a āwe should probably hang on to thatā kind of person. I used to tell him we should purge more because we wouldnāt want our DD (an only child) to have to go through all of our belongings after weāre dead and gone, especially since items seem to gain more sentimental attachment after someone has died. Well, here I am 18 months after my husbandās death and, though Iāve been able to let MANY items go, there are a few things of his that neither I, nor my daughter, will ever use, but I canāt seem to part with it. The first trip I made to Goodwill after his death resulted in a panic attack because I felt like I was abandoning him after dropping off those items. Iāve kept several pieces of clothing for which Iām having a teddy bear made for my grandson, and a quilt made for me and for my daughter. For those of you have lost a spouse, were you able to purge all of their items?
@SplashMom: It seems to me that if having your husbandās belongings brings you comfort, thereās no reason not to hold on to them. Thereās no time limit for getting rid of them, either.
I have things that were my motherās or fatherās, and Iāll never wear them or use them, but owning them and looking at them from time to time reminds me of happy times.
Iām sorry for your loss.
@SplashMom there is no right or wrong way to handle your emotions regarding physical possessions. Do you want to DISPLAY items? If so, the teddy bear and quilt are great ideas. If you just need to know there is still a part of your husband in your house, maybe a plastic storage box in your closet or attic is enough to comfort you.
Other ideas-make a shadow box/display case, or take photos of bulky items before you donate them and make a scrapbook. Keep a few of his favorite books and DVD movies. Be sure to include your DD in decisions about donating his items.
I do not have any experience losing a spouse. I have taught scrapbook workshops with parents who have lost children. They wanted/needed to tell their childās story. Not just how they died, but how they had lived. The small, silly moments were very important to these parents. It was important to them to document the everyday things.
Sending hugs your way.
@SplashMom It takes however long it takes. Donāt rush things if you are not comfortable. I have some pretty useless things of both my parents, but Iām not getting rid of them. If it inspires a memory, it is useful.
One thing that helped my mother let go of my dadās clothing was knowing it was going to someone who could really use it. He mostly had very casual, working-in-a-manufacturing-plant kind of clothes. She heard of someone in the community who was about the build of my dad, and offered them to him. He was grateful to get them (nobody made a ton of money in my town).
Thatās a possibility ā¦ find someone who will be happy to have them.
Thank you for the replies, @VeryHappy and @powercropper. Your ideas are appreciated. Grief is a personal journey, so no two people do it the same, but it really does help to hear how others deal with it.