@swimcatsmom, does anyone in your area do a free recycle day for electronics? I thought the only chance to recycle old televisions, microwaves, computer equipment in my area was the spring clean-up day sponsored by my city/county government. However, I found out last year that our local electric company does a free fall collection week. Maybe something similar in your area to get rid of the scanner and microwave? You are doing great, especially with tweaking your husband’s viewpoint!
Also, check Best Buy. In my neck of the woods, they take stuff for recycling.
We have a local moving company that you can hire to empty a house into a dumpster. Two men and a truck, they are a franchise and may be in your area. You can decide what goes in while they are there. If you think you may need more than one dumpster load, you can arrange to have it emptied, and then immediately refill.
The good news is I filled 2 and a bit bags yesterday and today and threw away an old dresser (well it’s in bits in The garage). The bad news is its because a pipe in the master bath sprang a pinhole leak. Good news part of that is H HAD to call a plumber cause we did not know where the water was coming from. He quickly found the leak and fixed it, discovered we had had a small leak in the wall from a faucet in the shower, and fixed the terrible low water pressure issue we’d had for years in that ?. Bad news is we have a big hole in the wall, the carpet in the bedroom was soaking wet, and when we moved the couple of pieces of furniture that had been in front of the wall where the slow leak was, the carpet where the bottom of the furniture rested on the carpet was black. The one old dresser fell apart when we moved it.
The frustrating thing was the bedroom was the room I had made the most progress in so was probably my most comfortable spot in the house! I guess a good thing that I had decluttered so much in there or dealing with the aftermath would have been even harder. Spent last night and half today sucking gallons of water out of the carpet with a rented bissel . Had to move everything out of to one side of the room and am sleeping in my son’s old room for the foreseeable future.
So I need to make lemonade out of this lemon. I wanted to get rid of the old ugly dresser anyway - was expecting to meet with some resistance as it predates me but when it fell apart that was the end of thst. Carpet needed replacing anyway. As we have moved several pieces out of the room I am thinking I should take the opportunity to move everything out of the room then paint it, recarpet it and only move back in what instant to be there. Will kind of throw me off plan for the rest of the house but as we’ve done so much work moving stuff already seems a shame to not capitalize.
Stuff being set made me fairly ruthless about filling the trash sack.
Trying hard to find a silver lining here!
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@swimcatsmom You have worked hard and so deserve a room that is done! This may be the universe’s way of rewarding your hard work.
Yes, you deserve a personal sanctuary.
Hmmm…tear the carpet out and get rid of the bed and everything completely. Buy new all for you and only you.
If too much $$ buy new to you/used. Take the room!!! The fairies are helping you :).
I finally finished a project which allowed me to separate 4 large bags of papers that must be shredded (Office Depot).
And filled 3 bags for good will. Goal is to double that by this weekend.
I have a giant itch to throw away something. I think the old pair of dress shoes Mr. has been using as yard shoes will do. His current pair will become yard shoes, and a new Ecco pair will take the spot by the front door. Oh the circle of life of my husband’s shoes. 
One of my favorite holidays is coming up: My town’s Annual Spring Cleanup. On Saturday they will send garbage trucks to pick up anything out on the curb. But on Friday tons of “ treasure hunters” come around and pick things up. I like to put up my “ good stuff” on Friday morning, the stuff I’d normally take to Goodwill. People get very excite when they see say a pair of Hunter boots or brand new salad set still in the box (I got my mother in laws one year after they moved and she insisted on me taking it…I didn’t need it). I have no intention of letting this stuff go to the garbage trucks, if it wasn’t picked up by those driving by I’d put it in my car Friday night and take it to Goodwill, but it always goes and I feel like I made someone taking the initiative really happy.
@maya54, that sounds absolutely delightful.
@swimcatsmom: I agree that you deserve a private sanctuary – and a lot more!!
Also, you have my permission to use the story of the leaking pipe and the rug and the dresser to goad your husband into worrying about what else might be lurking behind piles of stuff all around the house.
@maya54 we have the same thing! Last weekend was community yard sale, an awesome push for me to clear out every year. Then following is the spring pickup by the service department!
Well I have a 30 cubic yard dumpster being delivered Friday afternoon. We have it for 29 days which is about when I leave to go visit my brother in England.
When my daughter heard about our flooded bedroom and ruined carpet she asked if they could come help with that and some dejunking. She is a science teacher and it’s their last week this week. She’d like to help with some of the dejunking before it gets too hot so plans to come May 21-23 (was 20-23 but she got an interview for a new teaching position fingers crossed) by herself then 26-28 with her husband. I’d like to have got the garage door fixed first cause it would have been easier to get things out of the garage but I couldn’t get that done by then so went ahead and rented the dumpster.
I can’t quite visualize how much a 30 yard dumpster will hold - a lot but we have an awful lot. It costs around $355 each time we empty it. It may be a 2 step process with having it 29 days now then another 29 days in the fall when it cools off some. If you keep it over 30 days and don’t empty it 2 times in the 30 days they charge an additional almost $200 rent so it may be more practical to do it in 2 stages especially as I will be gone almost 3 weeks.
We spent last weekend cutting the bedroom carpet and pad up and putting it in black trash sacks. The wet stuff is all gone (well it’s on the back porch in bags till we get the dumpster). Whew, that stuff stank. My whole house was smelly. Then I stripped the old wallpaper from the master bath. Goal is to repaint both rooms then decide on flooring. I’m pretty off carpet right now. That water coming out of it after the leak was ? gross. I’m leaning toward the luxury vinyl wood look planks.
I’m slightly intimidated by the whole thought now that I am getting some help. If we can get the garage cleaned out and some of the outside junk and the back porch then the rest will begin to feel doable.
H knows it’s happening - I asked him yesterday if we should rent a 20yard or 30. he thought 20 was big enough and said rather dourly with 30 we could just empty the garage without even looking at stuff ( sounds good to me :)). I dragged him to the city waste department to set up the rental and they guy there pointed out if we weren’t sure what size to get the price differential was $55 for 50% more space so I went with the 30… He’s not thrilled but I think he accepts I’m adamant this time. I filled 5 bags with stuff from the garage while he was at water board last night. Anything That was worthwhile is pretty much destroyed and pretty sure we’ve had mice or rats chewing on stuff. My hope is he’ll just keep out of the way and not interfere.
Wish me luck!
@swimcatsmom, that’s a huge step forward - good for you. It’s nice that your daughter is helping too.
I suspect even your husband will be happier when you get some of the stuff out of there.
Your life is about to change. Congratulations.
I told her today at least she won’t have to deal with this when we die. Unless I predecease her Dad in which case all bets are off. She said then she’d turn the gas stove burners on light a candle and run away ??
Yes it’s wonderful she and her husband offered to help. My spirit is willing but the body is weak. Having a couple of thirty year olds lend some muscle is godsend.
@1214mom - I think he will be if he can get over us throwing out trash. He has some wonderful tools buried under the junk in the garage. Maybe he can find something fun to do with his time if we unearth them.
@VeryHappy thank you! Yes, it’s changing one way or another.
@swimcatsmom - Sending lots of good vibes for successful clean out days!
May the decluttering be swift and successful for you, @swimcatsmom!