(no subject)

[yukonsally]

Hello!

When I started the decluttering around my house, it was easy--I had bits everywhere, so when my friends and I had the challenge get rid of one thing on April 1, two things on April 2, etc, I did very well. When we got to 30 things on April 30, it was hard. And that's where I am. The hard stuff. Digging in. Making the hard decisions. Addressing sentimental value and potential hurt feelings.

Giving away the thing does not mean I do not value the person.

That took me a minute.

Lately, I find little things that, if I gave to a secondhand shop, would get lost or thrown away. So I offer them to friends on facebook. I don't mind shipping because honestly, I have so many padded envelopes that are also clutter! The most current facebook giveaways are tons of beads, some knitting lapel pins, and a keychain. All have gone to good homes/not my house.

How's your week shaping up?

Comments

[kalloway]

I'm definitely going to be offering up jewelry & craft supplies once I get to that part of my decluttering. I don't mind mailing things out either, within reason.

I just got rid of a bunch of excess furniture over the weekend, which was amazing.

And had my dad over today to look at how we can make my master bedroom closet into a useful space instead of the... weird space that it is (condo from the 1970's, how do you architecture?!). So I know everything is on track to getting better!

I need to see if I can do some 20/10's and find more of the dining room table.

[yukonsally]

Getting rid of the big things is the best because you can really SEE the progress!

[kalloway]

I had no idea how happy being able to walk around the dining room table would make me!

[msilverstar]

I took a check to the bank! A big check, so not exactly clutter, but the bank is really inconvenient.

[yukonsally]

Mental clutter is still clutter!

[tanaqui]

With the "Hard Stuff", I find it usually takes looking at it two or three times before I'm ready to let (some of) it go. I'm getting rid of stuff this year that I didn't feel able to let go in previous years, as I either get less sentimental/more ruthless, realize I'll never look at certain things again so there's no point in keeping them, or realize that if I haven't used/done something with an item by now, I'm almost certainly never going to, so I should let it go.

So at this point, it may be enough to concentrate on the easy part of the Hard Stuff (getting rid of duplicates or anything that's in such poor condition it's not really usable, etc) and organising what's left to go through in another 6 or 12 months when your brain's had some time to think about whether you really need to keep it.

Anyway, good luck with your ongoing uncluttering!

[yukonsally]

Exactly! I tend to identify things I could get rid of but am attached to, and ponder them for a few days. Then I can let them go. I just gave away a sewing machine after this process--one my mother gave me because she didn't want clutter. Had I known that's why she gave it to me, I would have let it go long ago.

[fred_mouse]

I'm also working on the hard stuff - giving away the dreams is also tricky (this book was for this project, this fabric I bought to make x for Y, I love this fabric, but what am I ever going to do with it).