Anyone up to de-cluttering with me???

B

BAM

Cathlete
With all the talk of throwing things out on another thread, I thought that those who wanted to clear their house of stuff but have put it off like me, might want to group together and get it done. I know that we would probably have questions on some things through the process that we could help each other with, plus just the support and motivation would definitely help. We could set goals for ourselves and keep each other in check. Anyone up for it? Let's free up our space and ourselves!!!

Bam:)
 
I like throwing things out! Ask anyone who knows me... I'm the queen of throwing things out! I'll join in. Be warned though... I'm ruthless ;)
 
OH! Like Shelley, I toss a lot. I call it 'visual clutter' and my friend and family KNOW not to put STUFF on my kitchen island, my half-wall, or to bring anything to my house without TELLING me it's coming FIRST! I'll join!

Gayle
 
I love it too and can go on some real rants! Any form of cleaning is the best therapy for me. I'm in - and have a sentimental side too so I do hang on to special things . . . just get rid of the crap. I hate crap!! It brings me down and boggles my brain. Free yourself - decluttering is a great way to do that :)
 
Bam, I'm completely on board. Last October I came here and confessed and got a lot of really helpful replies.

http://69.0.137.118/dc/dcboard.php?..._id=446699&mesg_id=446699&listing_type=search

I'm a flylady convert now and, while it's taken me all this time to de-clutter and establish new habits, I have to say I can definitely see light at the end of the tunnel. My ultimate goal is to have this place company ready for my kids so they can have playdates here.

Amy and Jody I thank you both every day for pointing me towards flylady.com.
 
OMG, I am SOOOOOOOO excited! Sounds like I've got some professionals on board. Should I be askeerd? :eek: Since you are all pro's, perhaps I should let YOU set the rules. Uh oh, now I'm really putting my life on the line. Hopefully some novices will join in. Anyone have ideas on how to start? Here's a list of what I need to do and it's not in any particular order:

1.) Go through all my file cabinets and, ahem, get rid of what I don't need, so I guess rules for that.

2.) I have 2 rooms in the basement. One is finished, the other is not. The finished side needs MAJOR organization, cleaning, clearing, etc. It has the majority of my exercise stuff down there but I haven't used the room for that in awhile. It's just been a great room to throw stuff in. BUT in my defense, the stuff I've thrown in there, actually does belong there. :7

3.) The other room in the basement is a typical basement area that has collected lots of stuff in a not too organized way. This needs to be attacked!

4.) I really need to go through my clothes and determine what I truly don't wear and never will. I'll need help in this area for reasons to be exposed as we get near.

5.) The kitchen drawers, cabinets and pantry - need I say more?

I think this is a good start for me. I have one question though. Does listing this and actually putting it "out there" give the responsibility to the universe to fix? Didn't I do my share? }(

Bam
 
Suzanne, I checked out flylady a couple of years ago and thought it was pretty cool and doable. Did I do it? Well, uh, here I am.;) I'm so glad you have gotten your cluttering under control. Sounds like you've got a reachable goal and I bet you'll reach it soon!

Bam
 
Clutter Free Check-in

I’m in! I need strong and organized women like Shelley and Gayle to hold my feet to the fire and help me decide what to toss and what to keep. I am a sentimental saver. I save everything. I still have the little treasure chest full of orange “Cathe” m&m’s from the 2007 Road Trip! :9 Do m&ms go bad? :p

I desperately need to tame the paper tiger. I have years and years (decades and decades if I am being honest) of cards, letters, bank statements, etc. In addition, I have a clothing crisis. I have a wardrobe in every size from 8 to 28, and all those clothes will not fit in my closets. The top of my bed is covered with workout clothes, and my bathtub is full of clothes too (hanging up to dry). Do not even get started on my workout shoe collection! Yes, I need an intervention! :eek:

I never bonded with the Flylady. I read Peter Walsh’s It’s All Too Much last year and made some progress before I started backsliding. I recently bought his weight book called Does This Clutter Make My Butt Look Fat? He believes there is a connection between the clutter in my home and the clutter on my butt, and I do too! I like Don Aslett’s books too. Clutter’s Last Stand is my favorite of his.

Clutter’s Last Stand or Clutter Free would be a great check-in name. Shelley and Gayle, get your boots on and get ready to kick my butt!

Just so y’all know that I am not a lost cause, I have managed to get my workout space in order. This is my Bible study, prayer, and workout space (affectionately known as my war room where I take on hell and fat!):

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=18887636&uid=3778596

P.S. I have acquired more workout toys since these pictures were posted! ;-)

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
I really, really need to go through my closet and my makeup....:eek: time to spring clean for sure, bag up stuff for the Salvation Army I haven't worn in over a year---its hard for me to do that, I went through a period of time in my life where I owned one pair of jeans and three shirts, some underwear, a bra and one pair of shoes. I know, I know, let it go already right? I need Shelley's help here.;)
 
O.K. I'm getting psyched! This could REALLY work wonders here! I'm thinking since we all have common areas to clean up, each 7 days or so, we can work on that area. I assume we'll start a thread for this so whatever we decide to call the thread, we will put the area we're working on that week. i.e. Clutter Free Basement or Clutter Free Kitchen or Clutter Free Closets. How does this sound so far?

Heather, I'm going to look at your picture trail now!

Bam
 
RE: Clutter Free Check-in

Heather, I'm impressed by such a neat area. Perhaps you should be one of the leaders of the pack! :)

Bam
 
I'm going to say good night now but I'm very thankful to all of you who will join in and give support and advice. Just to give you a little insight ast to why I am so hyped up about this, I have been giving lots of support and advice to people in my life. So much so, that it has contributed to some health issues of mine because I just got drained. When it came time for me needing some support back, it just wasn't there. Having all of you here, gives me the support and encouragement that has been missing for me. You all will be able to help me clear out a part of my life that I just didn't have the energy to address. For that, I thank you all ahead of time. (((((((((( BIG HUGS ))))))))))!!!!

Due to my work schedule tomorrow, I won't be able to check in until the evening. However, please continue offering suggestions and hopefully we can have our guidelines set by the end of the night.

I truly thank you all!!!!!!

Happy Bam! :)
 
You can do it!! I'm also a de-cluttering queen. (except for my garage, which is my dh's domain!!! :eek: ) I have a small house, so I have to keep it de-cluttered or else!!

I love to clean and reorganize closets. I'm ready to tackle my girls closets again, put away winter clothes and pull out spring clothes, etc. As I put them away, they are all organized into tubs of save for next year, save for hand me downs (one good thing about having 3 girls!), goodwill, and anything else is thrown away.

I've helped my Mom de-clutter and she said she's much happier having less around to keep clean! :)

Make sure to keep us posted on your progress!
 
Clutter Free Check-in

BAM:

I am definitely not qualified to be a leader of this group. Shelley or Gayle would pass out if they saw my closets! You would not believe how much stuff I have stuffed in there. Then there is my “wall of shame” with stacks of boxes of paper clutter. But I can do this.

I suggest a generic check-in so we can go at our own pace. We do not all have the same rooms, and some of the detail work will take me longer than 7 days. I am interested in slow and steady progress, not adding more stress and pressure to my life.

We should move this to the check-ins forum too. This is my recovery week. I am planning to start this weekend.

Blessings,
Heather B.

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV).
 
I'm a seasonal de-clutterer!! I usually do it in October and May, so, I've already gotten in the mood! I'll be doing a lot of purging in the next couple of weeks...I LOVE IT! We take stuff to Good Will, and the stuff that no one would want, that's broken, etc. goes out back for our neighborhood clean-up, which happens on May 3rd.

This exercise also helps me from buying stuff that I really don't need; I'll think, "Now, where is this going to go, and am I going to just be tossing it out in a couple of years???" More than likely, it stays in the store!
 
I just wanted to stop in and say Happy Decluttering. I am a clean freak so I have a major Fall and Spring that I do and mine is all done. I just did all my clothes last year and purchased all new this year so I am good in the clothes department for about another 10 years.

I am proud of all of you for taking on this task you will feel so much better and organized you might even find some things you forgot you had. Good luck I will like reading about your decluttering.

beth6395

"You didn't pause your dvd and go make popcorn did ya"
-Cathe Friedrich

http://www.picturetrail.com/juicyfruities2002
 
I definitely need to do this.
I have somehow managed to amass enough stuff for, maybe, 3 people in a rather small house. I just decided I want to make my second bedroom (which is now a "junk" room) into a workout room, so with that motivation, I hope to make more headway.

I definitely don't like to throw things out, so I need to find a way to recycle or donate whatever I can.

This week is the last week of classes, with finals week next week, so I intend to use May as a declutter/rearranging time.

I still have notes from classes I took as an undergrad (just my French class stuff), many books that I will never read again (but have underlined and annotated, so I don't think the library wants them donated).

I've started by sorting through my collection of old fitness magazines, realizing that I'll probably never look at them again, and that there's better and more in-depth info in books anyway.

It seems like a daunting task, but I think that by chopping away at things bit by bit, it will work.

I went to a workshop on "The Whole Professor" a while ago, and some of it addressed goal setting. That could come in handy here. You take a piece of paper and make a chart with 4 columns per goal. Then in the last column, you write in the final outcome and put a date. then in the second column, you write in the date that is half-way between now and then, and specific goals to accomplish by then. I think the first column is just the description of the goal, and the third column with more tasks to be accomplished by a time between the second and fourth columns.
 
You've got great timing Bam! I woke up this morning and just HAD to do some decluttering. I get into the mood sometimes... I went through both closets and have a great big pile of clothes to take to Goodwill tomorrow. :D It feels soooo good and satisfying to have some freed up space in the closets!

Next is the office...:eek: :7 I'll make a committment to tackle that tomorrow afternoon. ;)

Great idea, thanks!
 
I wish I could come over and do it with you or for you! I love cleaning, and throwing things in the trash or giving things away! I go crazy every couple weeks and purge!!!!

Good Luck!!!!

Mary
 
Kathryn - just to allay your fears, when I say "throw out" I mean recycle or donate. Unless of course it's something that I can't do either with. I'm quite sure nobody wants my holey socks:p
 
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