Over the past 2 1/2 years we have cleaned out our house top to bottom. We also renovated 3 1/2 baths, kitchen, family room, living room, mud room. Just finished cleaning out/ organizing basement utility room and had the floor painted. Last thing - waiting on new master bedroom carpet to be installed, then painted. I’m considering getting the closet fitted with new shelving, etc. we also had outside trim painted and installed a whole house generator.
I wish I had kept track of how much we donated, left on the curb or thrown out. The attic is now empty and the crawl space and utility storage room have very little in them - feels so good!
I still have a few bins of family pics and about 6 plastic tubs of paperwork to go through/shred in the office but I will finish that up during these winter months. A young neighbor asked if we are considering selling soon ( youngest graduates college in May) and I said absolutely not- we need to enjoy this for a while!
Just cleaned out my parent’s wedding album (was my grandparents as it is titled “our children’s wedding”). I was able to safely remove the b&w photos from the yellowed plastic and paper and throw out the big heavy album it was in. Sad that I can’t even identify my parent’s bridal party (with the exception of my father’s two sisters).
Went through my cookbook pile. Lots of instruction books for cooking utensils I no longer own. Donating a few, putting aside a few signed ones where a family member met the famous chef author. (Chucked my air fryer manual - I assume I will get a new one with the replacement unit).
I received my father’s photos today (he recently went into a skilled nursing facility). Went through all of it, moved photos out of big albums and merged them into my other photo storage boxes. Very satisfying.
Also went through my linen closet - unused linens. Lots of tablecloths I will never use. Made a big bag to donate. Cleared out an entire shelf.
I went through some closets and boxes over the weekend and picked a bunch of stuff to donate. There is much more I should get rid of, but it was a good step.
I also find that sometimes it takes two rounds to really clean out stuff. I did a bunch of clean up starting about 10 years ago and thought I had gotten rid of tons. Over the past year going trough those same closets there was plenty more to get rid of.
Trying to clean out the attic to create a walk-in closet in the portion with a tall ceiling. I saved way too much of the kid’s papaers/artwork etc. but purging now. Have created several boxes of recycling and of garbage. Hoping to spend some good time on it the next couple of weekends.
Currently, no large closet anywhere so offseason clothing goes in a bin in the attic. Just Sunday found bin with some sweaters I hadn’t seen in 2 years or so! Nice to have them back.
Trying to get DH to focus on getting rid of stuff. He tends to just pile up boxes feeling like if it is organized it is OK to keep it.
I went through my dresser and closet today, sticking with my one piece of clothing in, one goes out. I now have 23 empty hangers. we started wearing scrubs at work so little need for dress sweaters or dress pants. Most of my summer tops were pre-COVID and looking worn. 3 bags to Goodwill, 1 to trash. D2 took a sweater that I rarely wore because the sleeves were too long. Looks better on her than me.
Did not get to the denim drawer……probably in a few days.
Got a fair amount done on Sunday in the attic. Now working on the old kids stuff. Have realized that the cute clothes/blankets/towels are generally not worth saving, except for the handmade clothes from my SIL and blankets from others. And a very few cute items.
The toys and books are harder to parse. Hoping for grandkids some day and some Grandma’s house toys and books! Along with the ones that are signed by the giver.
But still nice to have bags to go to charity and the trash (very hard for me to trash stuff, but some worn out things are wanted by nobody).
I too spent time this week ing dealing with some kid stuff, plus some clothes of mine. I got rid of some kid toys, plus a bunch of clothes I’m sure my son won’t want. We have a glider and rocker, plus a couple of bags for whatever charity is coming to pick them up tomorrow.
When I can’t part with items, I’ve been at least successful getting some of it better organized. Our batch of beloved children’s books is now gathered in a box and labelled, instead of being stashed at the back of a linen closet shelf.
We recently consolidated paperwork for the past 2 years in folders in my husband’s filing cabinet in upstairs office. I’ll quit keeping them (and incoming tax related paperwork) longer in a plastic bin drawer in the kitchen pantry.
Now it’s time to attack the DECADES of annual taxes/paperwork that has been stashed in (and near) an tall metal filing cabinet in the basement.
I’ll keep most of the stuff for past 7 years saved (2 years in upstairs file now plus the plastic pouches, lower right).
I’m thinking most of the rest of the stuff (except maybe from the year we moved / built house) can be tossed. But probably on first pass we will save the tax forms, just toss the supporting paperwork
There is a town shredding event April 1st, so we have a deadline. But… I’m hoping to get it done today.
Three big, heavy boxes for Shredding Event (two paperwork, on checkbook carbons), box for recycle, lots of folders and envelopes and paperclips for reuse and recycle. Also a pile on the chair of old (pre-2016) tax paperwork from the kids, which they’ll probably not want.
For now we’ll keep the federal and state tax forms back to 1983, with a few key things from stock sales (where we still own more shares). There is a big stack from 1993 when we moved and built out house… that will require another pass to organize and thin it down more. For a while hubby was helping, and it’s always fun going down memory lane with him. Progress got slower when I learned the Shredding Event with the city prefers staples removed.
The first cartoon in that link ^^^^ makes me think of an adorable dress I bought in – wait for it – 2017, that still has the tags on it. I was looking for a dress to wear to S1’s wedding and, while this wasn’t the right dress, I loved it. Still love it. If someone invites me to a wedding, I might even wear it. Would someone please invite me to a wedding??!
Just got back from visiting MIL (in memory care) and going to her house to assess. SO. MUCH. STUFF. We will be going back in about a month to spend more time cleaning out the stuff (w. H’s sisters and BIL).
I was planning to clean out a few things of my own (I got rid of a lot when we moved last year) but now I am motivated to clean out even more.
There is a window in late middle age when the kids are grown when this really needs to be done. I do not want to wait until I am physically, mentally and emotionally unable to do this.
Please give your kids the gift of clearing out the “stuff” now. They will thank you later.
My three filing drawers (plus a nearby spill-over pile) of disorganized old tax paperwork for 1983 to 2018 is now down to about a half a drawer. Someday I can skinny it down some more, but for now we are pleased with the progress.
I also have a few more folders to add at the front of the drawer with house information (title search, build/purchase info and more) culled out of the collection.
Of course the filing cabinet also had two drawers full of memorabilia folders and stacks. Working on them now. Hoping this encourages hubby to sort through his EIGHT boxes of stuff from his old work office, piled on top of the filing cabinet and nearby.
we started wearing scrubs at work so little need for dress sweaters or dress pants. Most of my summer tops were pre-COVID and looking worn. 3 bags to Goodwill, 1 to trash. D2 took a sweater that I rarely wore because the sleeves were too long. Looks better on her than me.
Someday I can skinny it down some more, but for now we are pleased with the progress.