# 14 Day Clutter Purge



## dibbles (May 1, 2016)

It's May 1st, and I've decided to try to do a clean out of the closet, kitchen, craft stuff and general crappage that has accumulated around here. I don't think I can do a full 30 days, so I'm going for two weeks. One thing on the 1st, two on the 2nd, etc. I expect it will get challenging toward the end, but will force me to get rid of stuff that is never realistically going to fit again, get used again, and just generally taking up space. 

Anyone else want to join in?


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## nsmar4211 (May 1, 2016)

I'm already in what I call my "tornado mode"..... so sure, I'll join! Is it one drawer a day or an entire room?


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## dibbles (May 1, 2016)

One item May 1, two May 2, three May 3, etc. Donate, toss, give away. In 14 days, it will be 105 items.


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## MySoapyHeart (May 1, 2016)

dibbles said:


> One item May 1, two May 2, three May 3, etc. Donate, toss, give away. In 14 days, it will be 105 items.




105 items... Oh dear, if I did that I would have nothing left, lol... : P

But seriously, yesterday I cleaned up the place where I keep my soap & lipbalm stuff. I didn`t throw away all that much, but it became so neat, tidy and clutter free.

Now if I could only find the time _(Err, I mean urge.*cough*_) to do the same with my closet space...


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## snappyllama (May 1, 2016)

That's a great idea!

It might still be snowing, but I've been in spring cleaning mode for a couple of weeks. I'm doing mine on more of a room by room basis.

Garage: done. That was a massive undertaking since we have been doing home renovations off and on through the winter. Everything just ended up piling in there for months. 

Walk out basement (my office, laundry room, game room, bathroom): underway. I still have relatives staying with me so I'm working around a few extra bodies and their stuff. The laundry room is actually being painted today so once we get rid of that debris it will be perfect. My office is pretty much under control, but I'll vow to clean out all my desk drawers this week.

I'm most worried about doing my closets. I hate clutter so end up over stuffing closets so I can hide my mess. Who knows what lurks in the dark recesses?!?!


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## IrishLass (May 1, 2016)

I think I'll join in, too. I'm not going to do the 'one thing on the 1st, 2 things on the 2nd', etc.., though, because if I hold myself to that, I can pretty much guarantee you that I will never even get started! LOL Instead, I think I shall just pick one area a day to declutterfly, no matter how big or small.


IrishLass


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## dibbles (May 1, 2016)

IrishLass said:


> I think I'll join in, too. I'm not going to do the 'one thing on the 1st, 2 things on the 2nd', etc.., though, because if I hold myself to that, I can pretty much guarantee you that I will never even get started! LOL Instead, I think I shall just pick one area a day to declutterfly, no matter how big or small.
> 
> 
> IrishLass



Yay!! I think it will help knowing there are others doing this too. The picking one area a day doesn't work for me. I start out great, and can get through the easy rooms, and then...it's nice outside...I could be making soap...I have to go (could be anywhere) and there won't be time today. It's kind of like how creatively I can put off exercise. I don't know if I'll actually be able to keep up with the daily increases, but I think even papers and things like that can count.


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## Steve85569 (May 1, 2016)

ANYTHING around here that's not a boat or other seasonal item has 6 months. If we haven't used it in that amount of time the rule is sell it, give it away or throw it away. I worked out of town one year ( in the bush) and DW Jan sold the boat! She was right it had been a year with no use.
Clutter purge is easy for us. Nothing lasts long set out at the road with a "free" sign on it. The sign usually goes too.


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## SparksnFlash (May 1, 2016)

I'm in!  Started late, but found my 1 thing, so all caught up.


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## likeablelady (May 1, 2016)

dibbles said:


> It's May 1st, and I've decided to try to do a clean out of the closet, kitchen, craft stuff and general crappage that has accumulated around here. I don't think I can do a full 30 days, so I'm going for two weeks. One thing on the 1st, two on the 2nd, etc. I expect it will get challenging toward the end, but will force me to get rid of stuff that is never realistically going to fit again, get used again, and just generally taking up space.
> 
> Anyone else want to join in?


How i envy all of you doing your cleanup. I am disabled and soap when I have a good day or a few good hors.Sometimes I cannot get to the cleanup right away. I wish I cold join yo, as I need it BAD, but I will just have to live vicariously through all of you.


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## earlene (May 1, 2016)

Hey, I'd be happy to join.  It's almost the end of the day, but I'm sure I can find something before the day is over.  I do need to open the accumulating mail and that will surely mean tossing out some clutter once I do that.  I just finished cleaning up in the kitchen so I want to rest for a little bit, but I'll let you know what I toss out.

ETA: This may seem like not a big deal, but I tossed out a Large Tea Box.  When I started soaping I didn't have any molds and was using tea boxes as molds.  Now that I have actual soap molds, I really don't need to be saving empty tea boxes every time I use up the tea inside.  So one down on the 5/1.


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## Susie (May 1, 2016)

I cleaned out a drawer today.  I can do two tomorrow.  I doubt I can find 105 things to clean.  I just got moved in totally, and cleaned everything then.  And I started spring cleaning earlier.  But I will continue to clean, so count me in!


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## dibbles (May 1, 2016)

Susie said:


> I cleaned out a drawer today.  I can do two tomorrow.  I doubt I can find 105 things to clean.  I just got moved in totally, and cleaned everything then.  And I started spring cleaning earlier.  But I will continue to clean, so count me in!



You don't have to clean out 105 things. The idea is to just remove one thing on the 1st of the month, 2 things on the 2nd, 3 things on the 3rd, etc. It can be anything, just to get it out. I have a button jar, and I could technically count that as 30 things if I were doing this for a month. I'm going to make an effort to count something like that as 1. Same with all the little bottles of acrylic paints I haven't touched in longer than I can remember, which I've amassed for various crafty projects. So, I have a donation bag with 1 pair of pants sitting in it tonight. Tomorrow there will be 2 more in there, since my closet and drawers are a priority. Glad you are in!


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## The Efficacious Gentleman (May 2, 2016)

Can I buy 110 items before I start this process?


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## dibbles (May 2, 2016)

The Efficacious Gentleman said:


> Can I buy 110 items before I start this process?



Sounds like a plan!


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## Susie (May 2, 2016)

dibbles said:


> You don't have to clean out 105 things. The idea is to just remove one thing on the 1st of the month, 2 things on the 2nd, 3 things on the 3rd, etc. It can be anything, just to get it out.



Oh, then I am way ahead of the game!  I tossed 8 or 9 items and emptied a whole drawer.


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## fuzz-juzz (May 2, 2016)

I'm on front of you all haha!
Just joking.. I cleaned out our wardrobe, daughter's wardrobe, linen press, bathroom cupboards, kitchen cupboards and more. I threw out and donated heaps of stuff. 
I was bit late with spring cleaning, it was already late summer here in Oz when cleaning bug struck. But it felt so good!


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## paillo (May 2, 2016)

Right in there with you all too. Only I'm in last month of packing up the house to move, so LOTS of de-cluttering. Donating tons of stuff, tossing what really is junk, throwing burnables on burn pile (I'm gonna miss being able to do that). Extremely satisfying


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## kittensmom (May 2, 2016)

I always have to explain to my husband that when clean it gets worst before it gets better.    All the stuff/junk had to come out first


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## Susie (May 2, 2016)

I am probably going to start my "clean one thing a week" after I hit the one year anniversary of moving in here.  The idea is to clean out one drawer, or one cabinet, or one three foot section of closet each week to avoid having to "spring clean".  I am also starting my hubby out with all his hangers turned facing outward so that anything not turned the correct way has to go next year.  I am not so bad at saving clothes as he is.


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## TeresaT (May 2, 2016)

I actually started clearing out the garage on Saturday.  That is also the day I reaffirmed that manual labor is not for me.  However, since I intend to get the garage converted to a soap studio, I have no choice but to persevere.  I'm off from work tomorrow, Thurs and Fri.  I was supposed to be off for the rest of the week, but I remembered I have a test scheduled for Weds.  Since I'm the one GIVING the test, I thought I better actually show up.  I'm going to be really upset if the one person that said he'll be there is a no show and I miss a day off.


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## tigersister (May 2, 2016)

I'm in. I've been in the process of decluttering off and on the last couple of months. I have a box of kitchen stuff, a bag of books, and a few articles of clothing to give away already. I've stalled more recently, and this will give me the motivation I need to get rid if more stuff.


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## earlene (May 2, 2016)

earlene said:


> one down on the 5/1.



Today I carried forward the theme of tossing no longer needed 'potential soap molds'.  I also began putting together a box of soaps to mail to my DIL.   

5/1: 1 item 
5/2: 6 items


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## LisaAnne (May 2, 2016)

I'd like to purge my winter butt in fourteen days.

Butt, I will catch up and declutter with you all. So I need to toss 3 items.


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## mzimm (May 2, 2016)

dibbles, I'm not In need of the cleaning project just yet, but I had to tell you that "general crappage" is now my most fave expression.


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## Barbsbreakingbath (May 2, 2016)

*Clutter removal*



nsmar4211 said:


> I'm already in what I call my "tornado mode"..... so sure, I'll join! Is it one drawer a day or an entire room?


I'm doing it too, when I moved into my apartment, I left boxes in the closet and in the corners that I never even unpacked. That was 3.5 years ago. Now I'm finally getting rid of them. One had 3 year old toiletries. Another had 5 year old spices.
One thing I've learned from my lotion making- throw out that 5 year old half empty bottle of lotion, no matter how much you paid for it. It is probably rancid and could be filled with icky beasties.


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## Barbsbreakingbath (May 2, 2016)

*Cleaning*



likeablelady said:


> How i envy all of you doing your cleanup. I am disabled and soap when I have a good day or a few good hors.Sometimes I cannot get to the cleanup right away. I wish I cold join yo, as I need it BAD, but I will just have to live vicariously through all of you.



I I am so sorry. I have degenerative disc disease, and cleaning/de cluttering can be pretty painful. I've found it helps to work for 15 minutes, take a break for 15, go back to work etc. I have a "grabber" and that helps a lot to, although the cats hate it.


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## dibbles (May 2, 2016)

likeablelady said:


> How i envy all of you doing your cleanup. I am disabled and soap when I have a good day or a few good hors.Sometimes I cannot get to the cleanup right away. I wish I cold join yo, as I need it BAD, but I will just have to live vicariously through all of you.



Just join us in spirit. You should absolutely make soap when you are having a good day, rather than squander it cleaning.


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## maya (May 3, 2016)

I'm working on decluttering, too. I did my clothing, shoes, etc. and went to several clothing swaps and got less but better IMO stuff. I am continually working on the basement, slowly but surely. 

I like UFYH for supportive stuff. Do what you can when you can with no pressure according to your abilities with no judgment is kinda their thing. I love it but what it, That F stands for a word that may offend.  un****yourhabitat.       com


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## TeresaT (May 3, 2016)

I am currently working on what was supposed to be my sewing room.  I've already gotten rid of a huge garbage bag full of junk.  That's my "1" for today.  I'm going to go ahead and fill up another bag and start on tomorrow's "2" because I do have to work tomorrow and can't purge much.  I did not realize how bad my house stinks until I was holed up in that room.  Apparently Shredder had hit every carpet in the house.  My carpet cleaner is going to get a major work out Thursday and Friday!

ETA:  I just went into the curing room (whose door has been open all morning) to dump some stuff on the floor as a temporary holding place and found a chewed up bar of soap.  I do believe Ivy will be farting bubbles later today!!  She's my only soap eater in the house at the moment.  (Max is at the dog sitter.)


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## penelopejane (May 3, 2016)

My son visited and helped clean and declutter the laundry where I soap. I had to save embeds, oil containers, plastic cups and cardboard dividers but it was lovely having the help.

I am decluttering one room (slowly) at a time.


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## snappyllama (May 3, 2016)

Whew...

Linen Closet is done. 
Hall closet where I keep cleaning supplies, lightbulbs, Easter Baskets (why, just why?) and so many other things... DONE. I feel like taking a victory lap!


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## penelopejane (May 4, 2016)

Today I am going to tidy and CLEAR the three horizontal surfaces in my combined kitchen/lounge/dining. Maybe this should be a 14 week Clutter Purge! I need the extra time


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## earlene (May 4, 2016)

earlene said:


> 5/1: 1 item
> 5/2: 6 items



Yesterday, I tossed a bottle of rancid peanut oil I didn't even realize I had, from my cooking cupboards.  Also chose more soaps to send to my DIL and started boxing them up.  Tossed out more recyclable things.  In fact the recycle bin is now overly full.  I had to take some stuff out and re-arrange it to get more to fit.  The count for 5/3,  hmmm. thinking, calculating.

Today I mailed 4 pounds of soap to my DIL, so I am just going to count that as my 4 for today.  It doesn't make a huge dent in what I have on hand, but it helps.  I think it is something I should do on a monthly basis; mail soap to someone in the family each month on a rotating basis.

5/1: 1 item 
5/2: 6 items
5/3: 10 items (probably more, but wasn't really counting) 
5/4: 4 pounds (of soap)


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## Barbsbreakingbath (May 4, 2016)

My hobby room almost done. I cheated and went vertical- bought the 29.95 plastic shelves from Costco and reorganized, and threw away. Found out I had about 5 lbs of Shea butter, none of it expired. Oops.


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## TeresaT (May 4, 2016)

Barbsbreakingbath said:


> My hobby room almost done. I cheated and went vertical- bought the 29.95 plastic shelves from Costco and reorganized, and threw away. *Found out I had about 5 lbs of Shea butter, none of it expired. Oops.*



AWESOME FIND!!  That's like pulling your winter stuff out of storage, sticking your hand in your coat pocket and finding money.  Oh the stuff you can do with that windfall!!


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## penelopejane (May 4, 2016)

I have cleaned the kitchen, sealed the granite and cleaned the oven - at the flick of a switch. All hail pyrolitic ovens.


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## Barbsbreakingbath (May 6, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> AWESOME FIND!!  That's like pulling your winter stuff out of storage, sticking your hand in your coat pocket and finding money.  Oh the stuff you can do with that windfall!!



Yep. Body butter, Shea butter soap, and Shea butter everything else for me and the family. The 6 pounds of palm oil will just have to wait. This is why I need inventory records.


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## Susie (May 6, 2016)

Cleaned my soaping cart.  That's kind of cheating, because I could not find something, so, of course, I had to remove every last item from there only to discover it already on the counter.  You know, of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.


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## TeresaT (May 6, 2016)

Susie said:


> Y*ou know, of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.*



Ah, yes.  The mind is a terrible thing to lose.  

OK.  I've nearly finished the "sewing" room.  I have not seen this floor in a few years.  Yay, me!!

I still have a LOT to do to this room.  Painting the walls is top on the list.  However, actually getting rid of the tons of junk that was in there was a huge step in the right direction.  I originally planned (and still have that idea) to turn the unused closet into a "book nook" to house my myriad collection of books.  There are a couple of book cases in there and right now the extraneous junk that I need to put in the storage shed in the yard have been tossed in there. (A heater and a couple of other things.)  But there are literally 4 boxes and 6 bags of books crammed on that floor that need to be shelved.  I'm going to replace the store bough book shelves with built in shelves.  Eventually.   I'm just glad that I can see the floor again.  Oh my gosh, you should see how many bags of crap I threw out.  (No, you really should not!)  And I've got a huge plastic bin full of fabric and batting to give to one of my friends the next time she's in town.  That's in the closet in the curing room.  (Which needs to be sorted next, but is not nearly as bad as this was.)

ETA:  Funny story about the paint job.  In 2007 or so, I was on TDY in Germany.  I left $$ for my mother in case of an "emergency."  This room, when my mother lived with me, was the "TV room."  When I went to Germany, the walls were white.  When I came back, the walls had been painted with the "emergency" money.  The kicker?  She used lime green MASKING TAPE as the border between the colors.  She did not go out and get actual decorative border paper.  She used LIME GREEN MASKING TAPE!!!  When she moved back to Philadelphia a few years later, the first thing I did when she left was rip that damned tape off the walls!  I do have to give mom her props, though.  She managed to put that tape on in only three strips and it was perfectly straight.  Three strips across the whole room.  That was one strip from the window to the door, which covered two full and one partial wall.  Then a wall between the door and closet.  Then from the closet to the window.  I have no idea how she did that! :think:   That woman terrifies me.


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## dibbles (May 6, 2016)

Today would have been my mom's 84th birthday. She was NOT a keeper of unused things*. So, today I will get rid of 12 things instead of 6. Happy Birthday Mom!

*However, knowing I am overly sentimental and could not dispose of 'memories', she would manage to give me those things that she didn't want to store, but didn't want to get rid of either, saying "I thought you would really like to have-fill-in-the-blank". Very sneaky.


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## Rowan (May 6, 2016)

dibbles said:


> Today would have been my mom's 84th birthday. She was NOT a keeper of unused things*. So, today I will get rid of 12 things instead of 6. Happy Birthday Mom!
> 
> *However, knowing I am overly sentimental and could not dispose of 'memories', she would manage to give me those things that she didn't want to store, but didn't want to get rid of either, saying "I thought you would really like to have-fill-in-the-blank". Very sneaky.



Dibbles, happy birthday to your Mum too.  My Mum did exactly the same to me when she downsized! My house has become cluttered with my parents memories. That inludes furniture, pictures and whatever they could think of! They were incredibly clever. If I said no, they asked my DH. I love my Mum dearly, but when she sat in my living room and said it feels like I've come home, with all my things in your house, it was too much. I have wicked plans though, ha ha :twisted: when I next decorate, I'm going to sand down all their furniture and paint it! That way I can keep the memories but make them my own too. You might hear the screams in America when they find out, he he


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## earlene (May 9, 2016)

Barbsbreakingbath, great job on your hobby room.

TeresaT, great job on the "sewing" room. 


According to the plan suggested by the OP, I think the total should be up to 45 items gone by end of today.  Not there yet and probably won't quite make the goal.

Today I decided to clean up the canned goods shelf in my pantry & tossed out 10 canned good items.  

5/1: 1 item 
5/2: 6 items
5/3: 10 items (probably more, but wasn't really counting) 
5/4: 4 pounds (of soap)
5/5: ? (I don't recall)
5/6: ? (I don't recall)
5/7: 1 clothing item to donation
5/8: 2 soaps given to MIL
5/9: 10 canned goods


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## dibbles (May 10, 2016)

I'm still on track...today I fished 9 more things out of the closet. I went through my soap molds (I have a lot of single cavity molds from my M&P days), and a friend that still does M&P is coming tomorrow morning to pick up a bunch of them. I'm keeping some, but most are just hogging up valuable real estate in my soap/craft storage space. That feels like an accomplishment!


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## Barbsbreakingbath (May 10, 2016)

Thanks, been doing 1/2 hour a day. Right now it actually looks worse, because I'm trying to organize. All my tools going into covered bins. All my butters, waxes additives going into sealed, labelled containers. Then time to sort through the fragrance oils and toss out the expired.


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## Susie (May 10, 2016)

I have accomplished nothing for the last couple or three days.  But tomorrow I am off, and I have in sight the living room in general, and the table I used to study/do homework for my class, specifically.  I must get all my nesting spots cleaned off and cleaned up before I will allow myself to make more soap.  I also have started a small crochet project and I saw the crochet supplies...EEEK!  That will be probably Thursday's task.  I work on Wednesday all day, so I guess I am doing the clutter purge in fits and starts, but I will prevail!


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## Susie (May 10, 2016)

OK, progress:

Cleaned out two binders that then got moved to the "notebook and binder" bin.  I could claim 1000's of items, but no, I will just claim two.

Cleaned out spiral notebook, and put it in the aforementioned bin.  That makes three.

Filed soap recipes in the appropriate binder.  I should get a gold star for that one, as the table was full of them.  I am going to count that as another one.

Filed crochet patterns to try in their appropriate binder.  That makes five.

Filed food recipes to try in that binder.  That makes six.

Created binder for upcoming vacation stuff.  That removed eight items from the table, but alas, I will only count it as one additional thing.  

Removed various and sundry non-paper items from table and living room in general and put them back where they belong.  That makes eight.

Re-organized soaps that are curing (you do not want to see the bed in my spare bedroom!) to allow additional soaps to go on top of chest of drawers.  That should be nine. 

Went through closet to remove clothing that is too large (yay for weight loss!) put 12 items in bag for donation.  That makes 21.

Then I made dinner and promised myself I would deal with crochet stuff Thursday.


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## earlene (May 10, 2016)

Okay, I think I interpreted the goal differently than intended.  I thought 'toss out/get rid of' but in re-reading it looks like the goal was really more along the lines of  'deal with/clean-up/organize' where tossing out might be involved, but not the ultimate goal.  Well that changes everything.  I was only counting things I got rid of (gave away, threw away, donated, or re-cycled).

Now I can re-evaluate what I have accomplished

5/1: 1 item 
5/2: 6 items
5/3: 10 items (probably more, but wasn't really counting) 
5/4: 4 pounds (of soap)
5/5: ? (I don't recall)
5/6: 34 bars of soap wrapped & labeled
5/7: 1 clothing item to donation + about 4 dozen bars of soap wrapped & labeled
5/8: 2 soaps given to MIL; approximately 2 dozen bars of soap wrapped & labeled
5/9: 10 canned goods tossed out
5/10: 1 item (5 pounds cocoa butter broken into smaller bits & repacked); 16 bars of soap gathered to be my bring-along project for our upcoming roadtrip*

I am on track after all!

* Bring-along project for roadtrip:  Because this roadtrip includes my husband, which means limited space in the car for extras, I am bringing soap & some felting supplies so I can felt soap in the evenings.  It takes up less space than all the soapmaking supplies I would tend to bring along when I travel alone, and it is less messy.


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## TeresaT (May 10, 2016)

I have finally gotten organized.  I've shown you the sewing room.  Now my soaping supplies, laundry room and dining room table.  I am very excited about the laundry room and the dining room table.  I haven't seen the surface of the table in ages.  The laundry room floor has had laundry piled on it forever and a day.  I usually end up sorting (well, my style of sorting) and leaving the stuff on the floor while I wash/dry/fold the loads.  The problem is I never actually get to the fold and put away part.  I usually end up digging through the basket or dryer.  So, I moved my dresser from the closet to the laundry room.  Now I can remove the stuff from the dryer, fold it and stick it in the drawer.  Since I live alone, it works for me!  The shelves I had in the kitchen holding the soaping supplies are in the curing room waiting to be filled.   I still have stuff to do, but the clutter has been cleared.  Yay me!!   (These photos are probably overkill, but hey!  I can see my floors and my shelves don't have stuff falling on my head anymore!)


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## Guspuppy (May 10, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> So, I moved my dresser from the closet to the laundry room.  Now I can remove the stuff from the dryer, fold it and stick it in the drawer.



This is a great idea and I would totally do it if my washer and dryer were not in the basement. I'd never get myself to traipse down to the freezing basement in winter to get dressed though, so I'll just keep having baskets of clothes on the couch, big chair, hearth....until I either wear most of them or finally fold/put away! But I do love the idea.


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## snappyllama (May 10, 2016)

Today I did my make-up. I rarely wear it, but I couldn't believe how much there was and how old some of it was. I'm down to one small travel pouch! I did find out I actually have to buy some eyeliner though. Hopefully the department stores won't be having any of those "free gift with purchase" sets. I always get suckered by them.

I also did nail polish. Waaay more than 10 things were chunked. 

I also went through a bunch of documents on my PC. That counts, right?


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## TeresaT (May 10, 2016)

Thanks, Guspuppy.  It does help that I have a single story house and the laundry room is closer to the working shower than my bedroom is.  I would grab clothes and bring them in the bathroom with me.  This made it a bit easier.


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## dibbles (May 10, 2016)

Everyone is doing great!! I feel like such an underachiever. But this #of things corresponding to the numerical day of the month is working for me. Doesn't take a bunch of time, and so far very doable for me. I'll be gone a good part of June, but I think I might do it again in July and August, and assess from there.


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## Steve85569 (May 10, 2016)

I have a 30 YARD dumpster at my sister's house. She is downsizing into an apartment. She is a four star general at general crappage.
We have "found" things that have been misplaced( buried) for years. Been doing a room a day for the last several days. Almost have the dumpster full.
I have completely lost count of the once useable items that we have had to discard.

This is an EXCELLENT idea!!!


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## lenarenee (May 11, 2016)

I didn't join the de clutter because I already did quite a bit several weeks ago (spring starts early in California).

However we have the _toy room of doom_. One kid, (only grandchild), one thousand toys. Legos, Roominate, Lincoln Logs, Keva planks, Littlest Pet Shop critters, Hot Wheels, and a kazillion stuffed animals. I'm extremely grateful she's not a princessy type girl, but all her stuff comes in multitudes of teeny tiny parts. 

She had a day off from school this week so we finally started putting things in order and can use the room to play in again. So in one fell swoop we've reduce the inventory by 100 plastic spiders (scratching my head on that one!), 20 stuffed animals, 15 dried cartons of playdoh, shoebox full of unfavorite Hot Wheels, unwanted art projects, 13 Barbies with various accouterments, (she hates dolls but can't get grandma to believe it), 2 shoeboxes of rocks she dug up convinced were dinosaur bones, and a few other toys she's outgrown. She plans on holding a yard sale to earn money to give to the sunbear sanctuary. 

Now, somebody needs to work on condensing my soap supplies into one and only one area. Any volunteers?


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## lenarenee (May 11, 2016)

Steve85569 said:


> I have a 30 YARD dumpster at my sister's house. She is downsizing into an apartment. She is a four star general at general crappage.
> We have "found" things that have been misplaced( buried) for years. Been doing a room a day for the last several days. Almost have the dumpster full.
> I have completely lost count of the once useable items that we have had to discard.
> 
> This is an EXCELLENT idea!!!


 

It really is, isn't it?  And your sis may have collected all this stuff, but kudos to her for being able to sort and discard so much of it!


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## Susie (May 11, 2016)

I interpreted the "rules" differently than what was stated because I moved just a year ago, and did a MAJOR purge then.  I am not a "keeper of unused items".  I tend to keep things pared down fairly routinely (hence only needing to get rid of a dozen items of too large clothing).  What I did need to do was clean/clear areas and re-organize.  

I also have a habit of cleaning out one thing a week.  One cabinet, one drawer, or one 3 foot section of closet.  This keeps areas from becoming really bad, and it keeps me from having to "spring clean", which I abhor.  I just keep a bag in the closet, and donate it when it is full.  I turn the hangers facing outward each spring, and whatever is not turned the other way by the next spring, I evaluate with a *very* critical eye.  Except for winter coats.  I rarely need them, so they last forever unless they become the wrong size.


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## Steve85569 (May 11, 2016)

lenarenee said:


> It really is, isn't it?  And your sis may have collected all this stuff, but kudos to her for being able to sort and discard so much of it!



I am the one that gets to sort through 15 years of mail. Ugly.
Her daughter ( my niece) has noticed several boxes that she packed up to move - three moves ago - still packed. They just go to the dumpster.


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## lenarenee (May 11, 2016)

Steve85569 said:


> I am the one that gets to sort through 15 years of mail. Ugly.
> Her daughter ( my niece) has noticed several boxes that she packed up to move - three moves ago - still packed. They just go to the dumpster.


 
Fifteen years of mail???  My morbid curiosity has to ask - what does that look like?


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## TeresaT (May 11, 2016)

I've taken tomorrow and Friday off. Time to tackle the shed in the yard. I've lived in my house for 14 years. Some of the stuff in there has been boxed for 16 years, from when my mother moved in with me and I had to make room for her. She returned to live with my sister in 2009, so any of her stuff is going directly into the dumpster. I have to go through my stuff to pull out a the few mementos of my career that I want to keep and then dump the majority of the rest. I used to collect porcelain dolls. I have no idea what kind of condition they're in after being boxed up for 16 years, but there's no where in my house to put them even if they are in good condition. Kind of sad that I lost such a big part of myself. I guess that's why I've put the "big purge" off for so long. Getting rid of my mother's old stuff is going to be really cathartic. However, getting rid of MY old stuff is going to be like losing my identity all over again. Then again, that "girl" died a long time ago and was replaced by a strong independent woman. So, it's definitely time.

OK. Really TMI this time...


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## earlene (May 11, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> I moved my dresser from the closet to the laundry room.



Great method!

I have a built-in table for folding laundry in my laundry room.  Above it, a hanging rod to the hangers upon which the hanging clothes are put before I carry them to the bedroom closet.  I love my laundry room, even though if I had designed it myself, I would have done a couple of things differently.  But it's the best laundry room I have ever had except in my first house, where the laundry room had a utility sink that I found very useful, and the floor slanted slightly downward toward the door which led outside.  So if & when there was an overflow of water (which unfortunately happened several times) I could just sweep the soapy water out the back door.



Steve85569 said:


> Almost have the dumpster full.


Great job on your sister's house.  What a very nice brother you are.



Susie said:


> I just keep a bag in the closet, and donate it when it is full.


I have the same system for donation, but I moved the bag from my closet to the laundry room a few years ago, as I tend to wash cothes before donating anyway.  The bag is on a shelf by the door to the garage, so a very short distance from the laundry room to the car.



Steve85569 said:


> several boxes that she packed up to move - three moves ago - still packed. They just go to the dumpster.



Been there myself.  I had so many shoes at one time (in a former life/lifestyle) that when my husband & I got married & moved into a house with a much smaller closet than I was used to having, almost all my shoes ended up stored in large boxes in the garage, for years.  I learned to get along just fine with only a few pairs of shoes that fit in the closet.  At one point I decided it was time to purge those shoes. Long-term garage storage of fine leather is really not a good idea.  Sadly, many of them were not even good enough to donate after years of  hot/cold/moisture changes that they had to endure in that environment.
  ~ ~ ~
Okay, I did a count of the soaps wrapped & labeled over the past few days, after finishing up with a few more this morning.  Twelve dozen.  I told my husband and he asked what I am going to do with all of them.  I will be sending some to each of my brother's for fathers day and several to my Dad's widow.  I haven't sent her any of my soaps yet, but I think she might like them.  Or she can share them with her friends and family.


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## lenarenee (May 11, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> I've taken tomorrow and Friday off. Time to tackle the shed in the yard. I've lived in my house for 14 years. Some of the stuff in there has been boxed for 16 years, from when my mother moved in with me and I had to make room for her. She returned to live with my sister in 2009, so any of her stuff is going directly into the dumpster. I have to go through my stuff to pull out a the few mementos of my career that I want to keep and then dump the majority of the rest. I used to collect porcelain dolls. I have no idea what kind of condition they're in after being boxed up for 16 years, but there's no where in my house to put them even if they are in good condition. Kind of sad that I lost such a big part of myself. I guess that's why I've put the "big purge" off for so long. Getting rid of my mother's old stuff is going to be really cathartic. However, getting rid of MY old stuff is going to be like losing my identity all over again. Then again, that "girl" died a long time ago and was replaced by a strong independent woman. So, it's definitely time.
> 
> OK. Really TMI this time...


 
That sounds like the beginning of a really big but painful story Teresa. 

If it really bothers you to lose that much identity, maybe keep one small box?


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## TeresaT (May 11, 2016)

lenarenee said:


> That sounds like the beginning of a really big but painful story Teresa.
> 
> If it really bothers you to lose that much identity, maybe keep one small box?



Thanks, lenarenee.  I was just looking at the mess in there and don't even know where to begin.  But I've got to go through it.  There are a lot of memories in that shed.  Many, probably most, are fond memories that have just been tucked away because there was no where to put them.  I want to dig those out and give them a new life.  However, there are going to be a lot of not so good memories, too.  Those definitely need to be purged.  The problem is, when I was packing them up, I didn't realize at the time I was mixing good with bad.  Only time gave me that perspective.  

I'm sure it's not going to be that bad.  I always plan for the worst that can happen, hope for the best that can happen and usually end up somewhere quite happily in the middle.  I just don't feel like taking a trip down memory lane and ending up junking up my newly purged house because, "Oh, that's where that is!!  I remember when..."  That would be just my luck having the entire  contents of the shed transferred to the house.:shock:


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## Susie (May 11, 2016)

When I sold my parents' house (48 years in the same house), I had to do the whole house purge.  I was downsizing quite a bit.  What I did for those things I really wanted to keep, but had no room, I just took pictures of the items.  I kept the pictures, and sold the items.  I have not regretted it one bit.


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## snappyllama (May 11, 2016)

I went through the same thing when my Mom died. I took a good last look around and then donated pretty much everything that another relative didn't want. 

I kept a candlestick set that had special memories and one small clock. When my husband's grandparents and father died, we ended up keeping a set of glasses, amazing cast iron pot, nice china, and one ancient green-stamp measuring cup. If I couldn't use it and didn't have a particular spot for it, I didn't bring it home. It would be too hard to part with more things once I felt responsible for them...

This weekend I watched my sister in law anguish over moving boxes and boxes of mementos that have been moved between Austin, Houston, Colorado, back to Houston, back to Colorado and now are on their way to North Carolina -  lamps that need rewiring, souvenirs from trips she didn't take, large furniture, wedding dresses... all of it is stuff she feels compelled to hang onto even though there really isn't room/any need for it. Watching it get dinged and broken in all the moves is excruciating for her. It's like she is losing them all over again when she loses their things.

For my own stuff... I move fairly often. So I just don't become attached to anything. When we were evacuated for a forest fire a while back, I grabbed kids, pets, laptop (so I could work), one photo book that I hadn't gotten around to digitizing yet, and our important documents. It made my priorities pretty apparent. Everything else was already kept in my mind's eye...


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## Steve85569 (May 11, 2016)

lenarenee said:


> It really is, isn't it?  And your sis may have collected all this stuff, but kudos to her for being able to sort and discard so much of it!



Piles. When an area got so full of mail you lost the path they moved to another part of the house. Hoarders or just not able to make a decision on what to toss and what to keep.
That and she's been working full time up til last September AND taking care of an invalid husband. 
36 hour day. The book is about alzheimers but he has had strokes.

We are down to one closet and the kitchen. There's a light at the end of the tunnel and it's NOT an oncoming train! YAY!!!


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## lenarenee (May 11, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> For my own stuff... I move fairly often. So I just don't become attached to anything. When we were evacuated for a forest fire a while back, I grabbed kids, pets, laptop (so I could work), one photo book that I hadn't gotten around to digitizing yet, and our important documents. It made my priorities pretty apparent. Everything else was already kept in my mind's eye...


 
Absolutely!

When that black smoke starts rolling through your neighborhood it's amazing what items lose all importance while you run through the house tossing things into suitcases. Purse with ID, pets, clean clothes, favorite toy, computers. (little one was safe at school) Anything else is gravy and count yourself lucky if you got time for more. 

Shoot that reminds me. We have two guinea pigs now; need to make another portable emergency cage for the new one.


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## TeresaT (May 13, 2016)

I can now fit two cars into my two car garage.  Too bad I only have one.  I have gotten rid of the junk on the front porch and the back porch.  I never realized they were so big!  I have also gotten rid of the leaves accumulating up against the front of the house and the junk in the ditch on the side of the house that my neighbor tossed in there. (RANT:   I have never thrown crap in my yard; I have over an acre and a half.  I may let it go to seed, literally, and annoy the neighbors with my jungle, but I do not throw stuff in my yard.  My neighbors, however, find it perfectly acceptable to toss their empties and butts in my yard.)  Tomorrow, I will get into the shed.  That is actually the last thing I need to do and I will have purged my home of 99.99% of the junk I've accumulated.  There are some things I found in the garage (videos, CDs, DVDs, cassette tapes) that I need to look at and disinfect then check to see if they actually are worth saving.  They were in a box on the garage floor.  My garage leaks during heavy rain. Lots of water damage.  Most of them were in plastic cases; however, my LoTR extended DVD trilogy was the "collector's" edition.  The cardboard decorative cases are ruined and they smell funky.  I thought that stuff was in the shed.  So much for my ability to think...  I am exhausted.  I need to go get Max from the doggy sitter and try to get Chase and Ivy to come in the house.  They're getting a little too used to this "freedom" thing.

ETA:  I found an Ace Hardware "welded steel" 5 gallon paint mixer in my garage.  Do you know if this will be safe to use with lye solution for mixing large batches of soap batter?  If not, I'll toss the mixer.  My painting days are long over.


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## nsmar4211 (May 13, 2016)

Went through part of the closet and made up for missing a few days. How many old socks do you really need?

Bought a rack for the collection of fragrance oils that is taking over my bookcases...hrm moving stuff counts right?

Planning on looking through the test soaps and seeing what is donatable and what needs to go...and then tackling one drawer of the file cabinet. 

I'll get there!


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## Steve85569 (May 13, 2016)

nsmar4211 said:


> Went through part of the closet and made up for missing a few days. How many old socks do you really need?
> 
> Bought a rack for the collection of fragrance oils that is taking over my bookcases...hrm moving stuff counts right?
> 
> ...



Organizing counts!
We finished filling the 30 yard dumpster at sister's old house and got her moved. Then DW and I celebrated by going through our kitchen pantry closet. Made a carload trip to Goodwill and half filled our garbage can.

Now I can get more cake mixes and chocolate chips!:mrgreen:


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## LisaAnne (May 13, 2016)

TeresaT said:


> I've taken tomorrow and Friday off. Time to tackle the shed in the yard. I've lived in my house for 14 years. Some of the stuff in there has been boxed for 16 years, from when my mother moved in with me and I had to make room for her. She returned to live with my sister in 2009, so any of her stuff is going directly into the dumpster. I have to go through my stuff to pull out a the few mementos of my career that I want to keep and then dump the majority of the rest. I used to collect porcelain dolls. I have no idea what kind of condition they're in after being boxed up for 16 years, but there's no where in my house to put them even if they are in good condition. Kind of sad that I lost such a big part of myself. I guess that's why I've put the "big purge" off for so long. Getting rid of my mother's old stuff is going to be really cathartic. However, getting rid of MY old stuff is going to be like losing my identity all over again. Then again, that "girl" died a long time ago and was replaced by a strong independent woman. So, it's definitely time.
> 
> OK. Really TMI this time...



 you might be surprised. I can't imagine you anything but the strong and funny women I see when you write. The final goodbye.


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## snappyllama (May 13, 2016)

I'm rebelling tonight. No de-cluttering for me... I had an insane week at work, cooked a scratch dinner, and still have to pick up my nephew from work. For the rest of the night, I'm going to veg and plan tomorrow's adventures.  

Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech). I plan on soaping in the morning and then making a list of all the supplies I'll be treating myself with - after my move. I cannot believe I haven't bought anything fun since Christmas - the list is getting very long.


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## Steve85569 (May 13, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech). I plan on soaping in the morning and then making a list of all the supplies I'll be treating myself with - after my move. I cannot believe I haven't bought anything fun since Christmas - the list is getting very long.



62 for me in the morning.

How did this happen!?!?


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## Susie (May 13, 2016)

Steve85569 said:


> 62 for me in the morning.
> 
> How did this happen!?!?



I'm not quite there, yet, and I still ask myself the same thing.  I think they (the time doctors) add a year every time I sleep.


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## dibbles (May 14, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech).



Happy Birthday snappy!

Day 14 - the last day of my clutter purge. Still much to be done, but I have made a start, and this seems to be a method that works for me. I'm ready to go put 14 things in the donation bag! 

Thanks to those of you who played along with me. Steve and Theresa - kudos to you! Huge effort and so much accomplished.


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## nsmar4211 (May 14, 2016)

Last day?!?!? OH no!

Ok, today will be clean out a drawer. That'll easily be the rest of what I needed.

We should do this again soon!


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## penelopejane (May 14, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech). I plan on soaping in the morning and then making a list of all the supplies I'll be treating myself with - after my move. I cannot believe I haven't bought anything fun since Christmas - the list is getting very long.




Happy Birthday, snappy! 
I hope you have  a great day and a fantastic year!


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## penelopejane (May 14, 2016)

Steve85569 said:


> 62 for me in the morning.
> 
> How did this happen!?!?




Happy Birthday, Steve! 
I hope you have  a great day and a fantastic year!


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## penelopejane (May 14, 2016)

dibbles said:


> Happy Birthday snappy!
> 
> Day 14 - the last day of my clutter purge. Still much to be done, but I have made a start, and this seems to be a method that works for me. I'm ready to go put 14 things in the donation bag!
> 
> Thanks to those of you who played along with me. Steve and Theresa - kudos to you! Huge effort and so much accomplished.



I can't give up now, I've inly just begun! 
Thanks for the impetus to start me on my journey.


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## dibbles (May 14, 2016)

Steve85569 said:


> 62 for me in the morning.
> 
> How did this happen!?!?



Happy Birthday Steve!


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## dibbles (May 14, 2016)

nsmar4211 said:


> Last day?!?!? OH no!
> 
> Ok, today will be clean out a drawer. That'll easily be the rest of what I needed.
> 
> We should do this again soon!



Well, the last day for me. Anyone that is on a roll and wants to continue, should go for it.

Usually this is a 30 day decluttering - I just felt like that would overwhelm me toward the end and I wouldn't stick to it, which is why I set my goal for 14 days. I do think I will do it again. I'll be traveling for a couple of weeks in June, so maybe July and August. Unless the summer lazies set in.


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## TeresaT (May 14, 2016)

Happy birthday snappyllama and steve!  I hope you both had great days today.

Yesterday drained me, so today I just slept all day.  But, I really need to get started on the shed.  So, I'm going to take some ibuprofen, massage some Ben Alternative Lifestyle on my aching muscles and get out there.  (FYI:  I don't care who Ben sleeps with, he makes ME feel better!!)


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## earlene (May 14, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech). I plan on soaping in the morning and then making a list of all the supplies I'll be treating myself with - after my move. I cannot believe I haven't bought anything fun since Christmas - the list is getting very long.



Happy birthday.  I hope your soaping & list of supplies went as planned. Yes, it does sound like a nice gift to yourself.



Steve85569 said:


> 62 for me in the morning.
> 
> How did this happen!?!?



Happy birthday, Steve.




TeresaT said:


> I can now fit two cars into my two car garage.   Too bad I only have one.
> <snip>
> ETA:  I found an Ace Hardware "welded steel" 5 gallon paint mixer in my  garage.  Do you know if this will be safe to use with lye solution for  mixing large batches of soap batter?  If not, I'll toss the mixer.  My  painting days are long over.



Congratulations on your garage clearing!

I actually saw a video some time ago where the person making soap was using just such an item.  In fact that same person even made a video about how to make a box to hold the mixer so he could put the bucket of soap batter below the mixer and not have to actually hold the mixer in his hands while mixing the soap.  If I remember correctly.  It's been awhile & I can't really find that video, but her is one about using a paint mixer for soap making.
[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYTD1G_reNY[/ame]



dibbles said:


> Well, the last day for me. Anyone that is on a roll and wants to continue, should go for it.
> 
> Usually this is a 30 day decluttering - I just felt like that would overwhelm me toward the end and I wouldn't stick to it, which is why I set my goal for 14 days. I do think I will do it again. I'll be traveling for a couple of weeks in June, so maybe July and August. Unless the summer lazies set in.



Thank you, dibbles.  Yes, I don't think I could have managed 30 days either.  As it is, if it hadn't been for the wrapping and labeling of soap project, I don't know if I would have managed to get so much done anyway.

Other things I've done:
Tossed out a jar of moldy dandelion oil infusion, jar and all.  I am such a saver of glass jars, this was not easy for me to do.  Sad that the infusion was growing mold (next time I'll dry the flowers in the oven instead of just on the counter.)

Gave away 2 more dozen soaps (mentioned this in another thread, but not this one yet.)

Major cleaning in the master bedroom.  General cleaning of my soap making work area.

We are going on a short roadtrip starting early tomorrow, so all I have planned for the rest of the day is to finish up in the bedroom (clean sheets as the mattress is airing out now), put the rest of my soaping supplies away (did a rebatch this morning) and pack for our trip.


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## TeresaT (May 14, 2016)

Thanks for the info Earlene.  His is red and mine is black, but other than that, it's the same.  (I'm jealous, BTW.  I wish mine was red.)   

I started in the shed and darn if I didn't do what I didn't want to do!  I found a container of tupperware that my mother bought in 1987.  How do I know it was purchased in 1987?  Because the stuff was still in its plastic bag and the receipt was in there with it.  This is ORIGINAL tupperware microwave dishes.  And a sectional "lazy susan" thingy.   That stuff is in the "keep" pile.  

I've also started going through the ceramics that she painted when I was a child.  My mother was an incredibly talented woman.  Ceramics, crocheting, construction, wallpapering, it is amazing what that woman was able to do.  I guess when you don't have a husband around to help you and have two kids to raise, you get to figure stuff out really quickly.  Anyway, I was originally going to give all that stuff to my next door neighbor to sell and be done with it.  However, I'm thinking that maybe I'll do that myself.  Maybe.  These are a couple of items that I am keeping for myself.  The tiny pumpkin was painted by yours truly when I was about 10 or 11.   If you look carefully at the photo the witch, to the right is a statue of a dog.  My mother painted that of my dog, Mickey, when he was a young stud of about 3 or 4 (OK, he was actually neutered at the time but he thought he was hot sh!t on a gold platter).  She actually made him sit like that so she could get the markings on his head and body perfect.  Which she did.   I'll have to photograph that and post it.

ETA Mickey's photos (notice the markings on his back).


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## earlene (May 14, 2016)

Yup, Teresa, your mom was  talented.

I did a bit more than planned for today.  While cleaning the bedroom, I decided it's time to change out the winter linens for the summer linens, so into the wash go all the stuff I now have to store until next winter:  Duvet cover, down comforter.  Guess I'll be doing laundry for a few more hours, as the comforter takes a long time to dry.  But the bed is made and my suitcase is waiting on the bed for me to decide if I am done packing it or not.  

While gathering roving and needle felting materials to bring on my trip, it made sense to consolidate and do a little re-organizing there, too.  So they are more neatly stored than before.  And I have one small bag of stuff to bring with me.  I have been planning for months to do some ball-team themed felted soaps for my brothers, but my last attempt was not exactly what I was going for and I had run out of the colors I needed.  Since then I have purchased more.  There are certain colors I can't seem to manage to dye myself and come up with the right shade, so I ended up buying black & a couple of reds in San Antonio last time I was there & a couple of purples when we found a fiber shop on our last roadtrip to the Smokey Mountains.

Speaking of fiber, I had planned to attend the Southern Illinois Spinners and Weavers Fiber Festival today, but when Hubby asked if I wanted to go to Arkansas next month (that's what I thought he said) I said yes.  As it turns out it was 'next week', which is now tomorrow.  So I did not go to the Fiber Festival after all.  I am sure I would have come home with a lot of fiber and a few new tools, though, so in that respect, no new clutter.  But I will be looking for a fiber shop while we are in Arkansas just for fun.

I put away a few more felted soaps that I had not put away a few days ago when I was organizing my newly wrapped & labeled soaps.

I cleared a space on my worktable so now I can pack the small cooler to take on our trip.  The worktable is not all taken up by soaping supplies, at least for awhile.  I managed to put a few away!


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## Ruthie (May 15, 2016)

This is such an interesting conversation.  I've been absent for a while (fell and entrapped the ulnar nerve; finally gave in and had surgery on it) and during that time I have renewed my interest in minimalism.  So since I've been reading a lot on the subject, I am noticing the number of people who are decluttering/organizing rather than purging.  Either is a good thing, and to each his own.  But that part of the conversation has fascinated me.

I am 4 days from retirement.  And though I've been purging my house for some time, my classroom is a different matter.  The problem is, there is so much GOOD STUFF there that someone who follows me could put to good use.  But the time is fast approaching when it must be done.  Thankfully my aide is there to help.

So I come here to get inspiration to begin soap making again and get drawn in by the 14 day Clutter Purge.  I'll blame it on Adult ADD.


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## doriettefarm (May 15, 2016)

snappyllama said:


> Tomorrow is my birthday (a big one - blech). I plan on soaping in the morning and then making a list of all the supplies I'll be treating myself with - after my move. I cannot believe I haven't bought anything fun since Christmas - the list is getting very long.



Hey snappy, we're birthday twins!  Hope you had a good day yesterday . . . mine was full of pizza and beer


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## snappyllama (May 15, 2016)

Happy Birthday!


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## SparksnFlash (May 15, 2016)

Happy Birthday to Ruthie and Doriettefarm!!  My Dad's Bday was today.  Good people are born in May.

As for the 14 day purge - I tried, and if one counts all the small stuff in boxes, probably reached the "item" amount, but was hoping for more.  

I have stuck to my commitment of not purchasing anything 'non-consumable' until I've dejunkified my house.  So, things have gone out, but nothing new's come in.


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## Susie (May 15, 2016)

Happy Birthday, all of you!

I am, unfortunately, taking a break from the purge/organize fest due to doctor's orders, and my body rebelling.  My summer cold has morphed into bronchitis.  I have a LOT of trouble breathing with the least exertion.  Even my soaping is on hold.


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## lenarenee (May 15, 2016)

Susie said:


> Happy Birthday, all of you!
> 
> I am, unfortunately, taking a break from the purge/organize fest due to doctor's orders, and my body rebelling. My summer cold has morphed into bronchitis. I have a LOT of trouble breathing with the least exertion. Even my soaping is on hold.


 
Take care Susie!


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## dibbles (May 15, 2016)

doriettefarm said:


> Hey snappy, we're birthday twins!  Hope you had a good day yesterday . . . mine was full of pizza and beer



Happy Birthday - even if it is a bit late. Pizza and beer - sounds like it was a great day.


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## dibbles (May 15, 2016)

Susie said:


> Happy Birthday, all of you!
> 
> I am, unfortunately, taking a break from the purge/organize fest due to doctor's orders, and my body rebelling.  My summer cold has morphed into bronchitis.  I have a LOT of trouble breathing with the least exertion.  Even my soaping is on hold.



I hope you feel better soon. The not soaping would be so much worse than the not purging/organizing. Little batches = not too much exertion, so hopefully you will be able to do that before long.


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## snappyllama (May 15, 2016)

Feel better soon, Susie!


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## penelopejane (May 16, 2016)

Susie said:


> Happy Birthday, all of you!
> 
> I am, unfortunately, taking a break from the purge/organize fest due to doctor's orders, and my body rebelling.  My summer cold has morphed into bronchitis.  I have a LOT of trouble breathing with the least exertion.  Even my soaping is on hold.




So sorry to hear that Susie. I hope you get better soon. 
I'm currently taking meds for 4 weeks before they do a biopsy to see what's wrong with my lungs. I week to go [emoji21]


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## TeresaT (May 16, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> So sorry to hear that Susie. I hope you get better soon.
> I'm currently taking meds for 4 weeks before they do a biopsy to see what's wrong with my lungs. I week to go [emoji21]



I don't want to "like" this post.  AT ALL.  I hope everything goes well for you,   the meds worked and it was just a nasty infection.  Praying for you.

Get well to you, too, Susie.  I hope your recovery isn't too long.


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## dibbles (May 16, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> So sorry to hear that Susie. I hope you get better soon.
> I'm currently taking meds for 4 weeks before they do a biopsy to see what's wrong with my lungs. I week to go [emoji21]



I so hope everything turns out well for you. You will be in my thoughts.


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## Susie (May 16, 2016)

penelopejane said:


> So sorry to hear that Susie. I hope you get better soon.
> I'm currently taking meds for 4 weeks before they do a biopsy to see what's wrong with my lungs. I week to go [emoji21]



Praying for you!  Not being able to breathe is horrible!  

Hopefully mine is short term.  I got steroids, antibiotics, and cough syrup.  I'm not feeling much better yet, but tomorrow should be lots better.


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## Steve85569 (May 16, 2016)

Prayers for both PJ and Susie.
Breathing is a good thing. Here's best wishes and prayers for a speedy recovery for you both.


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## Ruthie (May 20, 2016)

Oh my, prayers going up from here, too, for you PJ and Susie.  I had a spinal fusion when I was a child, so my ribs do not expand.  Add the fact that now my weight is way too high, and that makes it more difficult for my diaphragm to do the work.  So I struggle to breathe with just a little exertion.  Last night was my DGD's high school graduation which we found out at the last minute was moved from the stadium to the gym. So we were arriving later than we would have liked and trying to hurry to get one of the remaining seats.  But we were 3 blocks away and walking uphill.  I did my best to hurry!  But by the time we got seated I was panting like a dog.    DH and I had already decided to diet when summer break started, but now I am even more determined.  

As for my purge update: The classroom is finished.  I threw out so much GOOD stuff.  But it would mean little or nothing to the incoming teacher, so there was no choice.  All I brought home was a few books and 3 CDs.  Still have 2 shelving units to go pick up.  They will be nice for curing soap.


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## Susie (May 20, 2016)

I'm finally starting to feel better, everyone!  Thanks for the prayers!


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## penelopejane (May 27, 2016)

Good news for me. I do not have lung cancer. I have "Organising pneumonitis" which is an inflammation of the lungs. Cause unknown until the blood tests are done in a month which will hopefully reveal the cause. Treatable, eventually.  18 months to diagnose and 3 specialists later. Moving forward! [emoji2]


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## Ruthie (May 27, 2016)

Sounds like that is pretty good news, PJ.  I'm happy for you!


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## Susie (May 27, 2016)

That is very good news!  You know what it is, and it has a treatment!


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## penelopejane (May 27, 2016)

Susie said:


> That is very good news!  You know what it is, and it has a treatment!




Yes an incredibly scary few weeks.. Looking forward to being 100% well again in future. In the meantime researching...and decluttering!


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