uncluttering one day and one thing at a time

why do i even own hegel's philosophy of history

2011-07-29T19:40:17Z

Posted by: beachlass

OUT: 21 books!

I think that squares me up for the new books I bought.

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sense and sentimentality

2011-07-11T15:13:52Z

Posted by: beachlass

In the ongoing project What is in this closet, anyway?! I have started to unearth the sweaters that my much loved and missed grandmother knit for me. In the 1980's. In acrylic. Which is pretty much indestructible.

What do I do with them. I will ask my daughter when she gets home, maybe they are the right kind of retro for her. But... I am a fibre snob now, and a competent knitter in my own right.

I think I am getting close to being able to let go of them, after something that is shoved in the back of a closet isn't really being enjoyed.

Suggestions Support?

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Huzzah!

2011-05-10T20:26:55Z

Posted by: beachlass

In one of those rare moments when procrastination pays off, I checked our local landfill schedule to see the fees for electronic waste, only to discover that they've been re-cateogorized as "e-waste recyclables" and drop off is free of charge.

So we loaded a moniter, hard drive, imac and television into the car and took an afternoon drive to the dump! And now I have much more floor space in my back sunroom. We also did some sorting of the craft drawers, and picking up on the floor; and snagged a bagfull of various odds and ends for the garbage.

The downside - I'm pretty sure "e-waste recycling" is code for shipping my toxic unwanted electronics to somewhere like China where someone will break them apart with their bare hands, at the cost of their health and living environment.* So maybe I should look for an overseas charity when I get paid at the end of the week.

*If you ever have a chance to see Edward Burtynsky's documentary Manufactured Landscapes, I HIGHLY recommend it; a visually stunning journey into the shaping of landscape through rampant industrialization. It includes a trip to a village in China where people are taking apart electronics by hand to reclaim metals.

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books! argh!

2011-05-04T00:57:38Z

Posted by: beachlass

OUT: 47 children's books

I had another go at the children's shelves tonight. I still let myself hold onto anything I remembered as one of the kids' favorites, or mine, or books that just are so good. (Of course, we have a lot of children's books that fall into the category of so good. It's not like I made a habit of buying crappy kids books.) Letting go of books seems to be a constant and gradual process.

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Wow, April - What did I ever do to you?

2011-04-26T14:26:22Z

Posted by: beachlass

last week's shopping therapy
IN: 3 new dresses
OUT: stack of clothes culled from my closets

books on depression and eating disorders (yes, it's been that kind of month in our family)
IN: 15

this morning's project - sorting through the huge pile of "I'll deal with it later" papers
OUT: recycling bin full of paper
FOUND: tax papers, $180 cheque, $25 grocery gift card

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makeup

2011-04-12T15:13:34Z

Posted by: beachlass

Putting away the gift bag of shampoo etc last night, I rummaged through the bathroom baskets o'stuff until I found a corresponding number of things to throw away.

OUT:
a cheap bottle of nail polish belonging to the teenager (who isn't living here fulltime anymore)
a half full moisturizer that I've had longer than this house
an almost full container of powder that I bought for my weddding and have kept for twice as long as the husband
an unopened bottle of red manic panic hair dye that no one is going to use
and from my bedroom - some lingerie/restraints left by my ex-girlfriend (almost 2 years ago)

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bits

2011-04-11T20:39:14Z

Posted by: beachlass

My bedroom decluttering continues in bits and pieces. Saturday was pretty much devoted to outside yardwork, as we've had our first truly warm days over the weekend. Today I took two big bags of garbage, and more than two bins of recycling to the curb for pickup. Finally gone are: the box/packing from the new (3 months ago) TV; the 2 stacks of empty plastic plant pots (last summer's), half a dozen (or so) magazines.

And a big sentimental item: my stuffed unicorn from when I was a child. It was so incredibly special to me; but is now 30 years old and not wearing the age particularly well. I had been wondering if I'd already binned it; and then found it. I didn't think, just stuffed it in the bag and kept going.

IN: a gift bag won at my curling supper, with tweezers and hair product; a new ring (sparkly!). One of the topics at supper? Getting rid of costume jewelry.

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clearing surfaces

2011-04-06T22:15:37Z

Posted by: beachlass

I tackled my writing desk this afternoon - threw out quite a bit of miscellaneous paper that had accumulated on it; tidied up the stationery.

Also OUT: 30 children's books!

IN: 2 novels, video game, dvd, 2 cds

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busy weekend, baby steps

2011-04-04T16:04:36Z

Posted by: beachlass

Both Saturday and Sunday nights I went up to bed and realized I hadn't done any decluttering. So Saturday I took a few minutes to throw out some papers (kids' art, receipts, misc whatever) from my dresser top. Sunday I ditched about four pieces of costume jewellry; and an entire box of costume jewelry I'd saved from my daughter's big room cleaning a few weeks ago. I didn't open the box, just threw it away sight unseen.

Voices I had to stifle

Hey, that's still useful!
Someone you loved gave you that!
It's vintage!
Shouldn't this be sold/reused/donated?
Why aren't I doing more? I'm so bad at this!

Items in: four books from the used bookstore, two of which I've read over the weekend, the other two are for the kids.

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April - 30 Days to a Cleaner Bedroom

2011-04-01T19:09:57Z

Posted by: beachlass

My goal for April is to reduce the clutter in my bedroom.

I started today by putting away my laundry. (Baby steps)

OUT: 3 (stretched out tank top, capris and black short sleeve top too faded to wear for work)

IN: nada

It was hard to let go of the black top. Even though it's really faded. Even though I have other short sleeved black shirts. Even though it doesn't button up across my chest. I felt the anxious "What if I need it sometime??" voice crying in the back of my head. I'm reminded that I find it harder to let go of things if I'm stressed because that "What if?" voice is stronger, scared of not having enough.

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happy happy, joy joy

2011-03-07T18:53:48Z

Posted by: beachlass

7 IN (birthday shopping on the weekend): clothing, assorted, awesome green sandals, blue heart rock, tote bag (they just gave it to me! put my clothing in it and gave it to me, I swear!)

22 OUT: assorted clothes, linens

When I went looking for things to go out today, as well as tackling the pillowcase drawer (which, really, I hardly made a dent in, but it's a start) --- I tried looking for equivalent items to get me started. So... bought a new belt, got rid of an old belt, new funky patterned shirt, got rid of old patterned shirt, new dress, old dresses. It helps me let go of things I might otherwise want to keep, because I've got proof that I don't need to hold onto it, just in case.

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one more step along the world I go

2011-03-03T15:42:47Z

Posted by: beachlass

Today I was reminded that I don't need an hour for decluttering; I've got enough disastrous corners in the house, all I need to do is spend 5 minutes in one of them, and I'm sure to find things to throw/give away.

IN: one vest

OUT: seven pieces of clothing, mostly from the corner of my closet including a long abandoned half-knit sweater.

FOUND: two pairs of cords that fit!

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still snowing

2011-02-28T17:04:35Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN: a new (to me) coat from ebay
OUT: 5 coats - 2 kids raincoats that are now too small and 3 of my coats

So I got my new coat this morning. (Parcels in the morning! So exciting!) And after I got the boy shooed off to school checked to make sure the internet was still here, I went to look for coats I could release. Because: coats. I have lots. I like coats. And jackets And wraps. And big bulky sweaters. And live where we have lots of weather.

The first one went into the bin, with some regret - a classic denim jacket I've had since high school (more than 20 years ago!) - all hand embroidered by me with early 90's feminist slogans and characters/symbols from fantasy novels. Let's be serious. I am never, ever, ever going to wear that again. No one is, especially with the half-finished dragon on the back.

The other two were differently hard - because they're Still Good. One is too short, in a way that is just unflattering for someone with my cup size, and the other is a perfectly good aubergine coloured full length wool coat. That was a hand me down. That I never wear, because I prefer my black coats. And there's this voice in my head saying: "But! What if you need it someday?" I'm not sure what full length coat emergency I'm supposed to be waiting for, voice in my head.

ETA:
Also out! 9 cookbooks!
Given to my daughter, who is mostly living in the city these days.

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I have my own bag, thanks.

2011-02-25T17:32:47Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN: a tote bag. I know. It's a sickness

OUT: 3 bags (insulated lunch bag, canvas tote bag and vintage purse) and a pair of skates

ORGANIZED SLIGHTLY: all the other bags, OMG

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live with intention

2011-02-25T04:53:16Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN: dvd, tote bag
(the dvd is for work, and the tote bag was cute! on sale! helped qualify me for free shipping! Yes, it's a sickness)

OUT: little fern I received for Christmas, and subsequently killed through neglect
overly large shipping box for above tote bag/dvd and attendant packaging
lego box from kid's most recent project (Fallingwater House, so cool)

PICKED UP: all the other tote bags that had fallen on the floor in the front hall.

REALIZATION: I have too many bags of the purse/tote variety. And none of them are in the car, where they'd be most useful.

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one less pile

2011-02-21T15:05:00Z

Posted by: beachlass

SORTED - the pile of mail on the kitchen table

TOSSED - all the envelopes and mailing enclosures

PAID - all the bills

OUT - 2 boxes of recycling, 3 big bags of garbage to the curb

eta

PUT AWAY - my laundry!

SORTED TO GIVE AWAY/OR THROWN OUT - 12 items of clothing

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There'a a floor in that room?

2011-02-19T21:48:14Z

Posted by: beachlass

Helped my daughter clean her room today - She's been mostly moved out since September, and home in between trips.

OUT: 2 garbage bags (of garbage) 6 bags of clothes

IN: Nothing!!

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What IS all that stuff on my bathroom shelves?

2011-02-19T01:06:28Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN
a teenager, her assorted stuff and her new betta fish
dog toy

OUT
18 assorted bottles from the bathroom

METHOD TO MY MADNESS
I checked expiry dates on things like sunscreen, hunted for empty/mostly empty bottles and tossed anything I couldn't remember acquiring recently

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unclutter @ 2011-02-16T12:23:00

2011-02-16T18:27:49Z

Posted by: beachlass

OUT: Me! To NYC for most of the past week.

IN: Fashion Week samples and goodies
5 assorted makeup samples
MAC Wonder Woman glitter
3 makeup/gift bags
1 set of hairdressing combs (I think I'll give those to my stylist)
5 skeins of Habu yarn
ballet flats
Models Union Now button

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more books

2011-02-03T01:19:36Z

Posted by: beachlass

A couple of people have posted about purging books from the To Read pile or shelf. So tonight, I took a deep breath and went to the bookshelves.

IN: a new fuel pump for my car, and lots o' snow
OUT: 15 novels - either read once a long time ago, or never read and owned for years and years

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today can be over now, yes?

2011-02-02T02:08:11Z

Posted by: beachlass

Out - jacket with broken zip
Also broken - my car
In - blistering headache
Also In - boys playing endless rounds of Call of Duty
Expecting In - a foot of snow by tomorrow morning

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clean all the things?

2011-01-31T20:19:23Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN

magazine (subscription)

OUT

a couple of bottles of stuff I threw out rather than guess their age and put in the bathroom
an LED stick on light
small stack of papers
whatever was left on the kitchen table when I rescued (and put away!) all the "to keep" items
the big cardboard box from my new (pink!) filing cabinet
knifeblock

FOUND

some yen and toonies
2 letters I thought I'd mailed two weeks ago *facepalm*

CLEARED OFF

dining room table
kitchen table (I don't even know when I had it last cleaned off)
telephone stand
kitchen counters
kitchen shelving unit

CLEARING OUT

the kids' books, cds and knife block are going into the car to go to the thrift shop on my way to yoga class
empty wine bottles will be returned
recycling and garbage got put out this morning

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unclutter @ 2011-01-31T10:31:00

2011-01-31T15:32:40Z

Posted by: beachlass

For the last few years I've started out with a lot of energy for decluttering, and then, sometime in the winter/spring get derailed. And once I'm derailed, it's been hard for me to get refocused. (Oh hi there feelings of incompetence and inadequacy, you are not my friends)

So this morning I'm starting with a bit of reading, hoping it will inspire me to get moving. And I think I'll turn off the radio news, and turn on the tunes.

READING

Flylady - yes, she's relentlessly cheery, but sometimes I need that. I've been following Flylady off and on for years, and her 15 minute timer trick is my default cleaning tool.

Happiness Project - Eleven Myths of De-cluttering, including:

"I need to find the perfect recipient for everything I’m getting rid of."

All the cds I sorted as "out" are still sitting on the piano bench, because I'm not sure where to take them. They're beside a stack of children's books that I sorted in SEPTEMBER to give to a prison programme, in a prison two hours away. And let's not talk about all the things in my house that belong/ed to my best friend who decided that I was the perfect recipient or that I agreed to store indefinitely.

Zen Habits - Trying to give myself credit as I read through this list of 15 Tips, because some of these are habits that I am on my way to establishing.

*deep breath*

Okay. I'm going to crank up the music and get started. My goals are to get some stuff actually out of the house today, and to clear off some surfaces.

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unclutter @ 2011-01-30T17:33:00

2011-01-30T22:42:53Z

Posted by: beachlass

Oomph. All my routines thrown off by a spate of meetings and my girl's whirlwind visit.

Today I managed some tidying.

In - the remnants of her luggage, a really lovely pair of shoes she bought me in the city
Out - a handknit pair of fingerless gloves that the dog chewed :(

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It is very, very chilly here today.

2011-01-23T21:09:10Z

Posted by: beachlass

IN: One teenage daughter home from a two month trip overseas, with accompanying luggage, laundry and gifts.

OUT: Whatever was on the floor when I swept under the kitchen table. Tape measure, socks, pencils... I just threw it all away while throttling down the voice saying "But that's still useful!".

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