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We have been decluttering and getting rid of stuff for a few years. I used to look at stuff and not want to get rid of it. Now, it's like, ok, haven't used it in a while, gone. Fees liberating.
Look up Swedish Death Cleaning |
I think I'm in the early stages of decluttering. I'm making an attempt to clean up some things around the outside of my place - things I've hung onto thinking I might have a use for them. I've done a good job of usiing up some of it, but now it's time to clear out the rest. After that, Who knows?
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At about the 1 minute mark the 3rd video finally gives us some methods for decluttering and downsizing. If you don't care to hear some random guys' life stories, skip the first two videos.
One year we used a method to get rid of clothes that worked pretty well. We designated one area of the closet rod for clothes we had worn. After wearing something, it would go on that part of the hanger. After a year, we got rid of all the clothes that we had not worn. Pretty simple, and helps overcome the "Oh, I might want to wear this someday" trap. |
We did a MAJOR job of that 10 years ago. We were empty nest, and decided to make a change. We sold our moderately sized 4br home in the 'burbs and moved to a 2br apt for 8-9 months, then we got rid of more stuff and switched to a 1br apt. It was tough to get rid of all of the stuff that we got rid of initially. After some time to aclimate, we were able to get rid of some more stuff. We did/do still have a storage unit with some stuff. We are back in a home, but it's smaller. We still have a storage unit that will eventually get emptied, at least, that's the plan.
It was nice to declutter. I got rid of some stuff (tools mostly) thinking, "if I need those again, I'll just buy them." Yes, I can and have and will continue to, but a lot of the stuff has increased dramatically in cost. But it still wasn't the wrong decision, I don't think. |
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I'm currently in between jobs, so I went to my father and said that I have plenty of time right now, let's work together to clean out his study and the garage. He surprisingly agreed. I told my other siblings that they should mostly stay away because my father did not want a bunch of different voices and ideas coming at him, and asked my siblings to take the lead on other parts of the house once we had finished these first two. We started with his study and went through every single thing, about 20 hours of work. we found a bunch of stuff to donate and even more to trash. I was patient and only had to challenge him a few times on stuff that he should get rid of...like all of his worn out shoes. He complained a lot but was very happy with the result. When we started talking about doing the garage next he told me that I would need to get a large dumpster and some day laborers....when he brought up those points I knew he was invested in the idea and looking forward to a cleaned out garage. Between my dad, me, my kids and a few day laborers we had a total of about 125 man hours into the garage. We filled a 40 yard dumpster, donated a dozen car loads of stuff and did a bunch of cleaning. After all that, he is now at the point where the spaces are organized and workable, but he still has far too much stuff he will never use. I'm not pushing him on that...he has the space now to work with what he has. Here is the garage after the cleanup: http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1738171284.jpg |
When we got married, we moved a lot of stuff into the garage. So much that we could barely get in it.
After 3 weeks of decrapifying, we were able to get two cars in. |
Baz, I want to say something about, ah, er, motorcycles, but that would be the pot calling the kettle black. :D
I am pretty sure I have clothes I haven't worn in a decade. I like the used-not used side of the closet idea. Does this mean I should get rid of some of the metal pieces I have saved for projects? I guess if I have to ask I already know the answer. Best Les |
Ever since buying our house back in '85 I've always been adamant that cars should be and will be parked in our garage. Lucky for me I found a house that had had an extension put on the garage when the family room was added too. I need to dejunkify my space too but it's hard to do having grown up with a Dad who was a child of the depression and made use of a lot of 'stuff' others were tossing out.
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I do not like clutter, but I do not want to get rid of my things...and am still accumulating more. It seems to me that one can have lots of crap (some that they do not even need) without necessarily having clutter. As long as one can afford not to do so, why would "downsizing" be desirable? Too far to walk to the front door to answer it? Too much to clean/upkeep? I would be more inclined to buy a bigger home and/or a bigger garage for more cars/tools than the opposite.
One thing I do see as a pain is simply maintaining a lot of cars, getting an annual inspection on each, driving each enough to ensure they run ok, etc. |
My wife and I use the six month rule. If you haven’t used it for six months, it’s time to donate or trash it. I’m more liberal with tools, just because you don’t use every tool for every job. But we are both pretty OCD about organizing and having a designated place for everything, so there’s never stuff just laying around.
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I have way too much stuff, mostly wood working tools, but they have a lot of value, so to get rid of them, I need to go through the hassle of listing on eBay.
The other issue, is they are mostly small, so getting rid of a few doesn’t get me much extra space, so I have put in a lot of effort to make a dent. |
I remember moving into my parents' house 60 years
ago... it was a Tuesday (I ain't lyin..) election day... we ate Kepley's BBQ at the bar after they voted .... I am clearing out stuff from back then ... I have stories.... and under great protest from mom :D My clutter is only half that old .... and 99% less of it. Just threw out boxes of Top Secret IBM data communications stuff ... and every doc since....1984 :D I'll be purging more too! ...and not look back :) edited: My great-grandfather built a barn about 100 years ago I still see ... the other side had even more barns and land .... Southerners with land and barns keep stuff ... it's in our DNA :D |
When I emptied out my parents house, I found canceled checks that the bank sent back to my grandmother from the 60s and 70s. They had all sorts of just useless crap.
We have done a few purges, and today I purged a lot of accumulated bit of paperwork. I threw away the instruction manual for the waffle iron we threw away about 32 years ago. Some furniture purchases on furniture we donated years ago when we bought new furniture. I do need to get up in my attic and toss out a bunch of stuff that has not bee used in over 30 years. It is just the effort of going up there before it gets hot and starting the process. |
Me too Glen.
When I packed up my mom's stuff I put it in the attic at my place 22 years ago and haven't looked at it since. |
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So why can't I bring myself to get rid of years of Playboy mags?
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About 9 years ago, we did a major downsize and declutter. Pretty much got rid of everything - personal property, house, business, collector cars, etc. It took 2-3 years to get rid of it all. Really, just wanted to jump off the daily hamster wheel and do a hard reset. Bought a 1-ton dually and a 40-foot 5th wheel and lived stress-free for 5-6 years. Eventually, we decided to sell the travel setup and buy a small house. We have been re-cluttering ever since :D but our foresight in buying the smallest house we could tolerate acts like a governor. If something goes into the house, something else must go out.
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Iv been going through stuff the past 2 months my garage is getting pretty full. I could have a garage sale but probably just put it all out for a curb alert when the weather gets better. Each area I clean I dont really get rid of much but organizing it reduces the clutter significantly and now I know what I have. Better stuff goes on ebay and I made like 3k on that stuff so that makes up for the nickel and dime junk im going to give away.
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Now you need a 40x40 workshop! |
Marie Kondo.
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I was just looking at some stuff from my mother's house. There are about 1000 post cards as well as some letters from the late 1800s to about the 1930s. Some earlier. Most are addressed to my great grandmother. I guess she kept all her mail. There are also many photos of the period of people that I do not know. Apparently, my mother ended up with these when her mother died.... who, in turn, must have ended up with them when my great grandmother died. I cannot bring myself to throw them away, but I will probably never read them or do anything but pass them down to one of my kids (when they clean out my house). I wish I had received at least the photos before my last great aunt died (as she had a great memory and could tell me who they were). Probably relatives, but they could just as easily be strangers. I don't even know who the people are in my grandmother's photos from the 50s and 60s. I wish people would have labeled them (but I don't do that either...as I know who the people are).
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The last two houses we sold, we downsized and decluttered after each one. Now we are in a 2250 square-foot townhouse. The interior is not bad and Ms. rocket has decorated it with reclaimed furniture that she has refinished.
We have a quite a bit of stuff in the garage… we keep our garbage cans in there, but I need to add shelving and organize it better for my car, parts and tools. |
What put me over the threshold was clearing out Mom's house after it was flooded 2 years ago - plus more recently when it was listed for sale. Add to that a whole bunch of motorcycle parts!
I also have quite a bit of materials leftover from when I had my landscape, irrigation, and lighting business. Boxes and boxes of stuff! Including 2 trenchers! I'm happy to report however the attic is completely void of any of it! Hoping to get a workshop shed constructed outside to help with some of this but really and truly could dump a bunch of stuff no longer needed. |
Baz - what's the story on the trenchers? Is it worth a trip from ATL to get one?
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They haven't been run in a few years and will need some restoration work. |
I just put up another building. It seems easier.
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My wife has been decluttering her stuff and the house stuff.
Now she is working on my stuff! |
I hear you, Baz!
I've tried decluttering a few times. It never goes as well as my initial enthusiasm thinks it will. I seem to run out of steam because, you know, focus and concentration. :rolleyes: (Plus, I have a ton of tools and supplies and just random stuff, that may or may not ever be used by me again, but I hate the idea of letting it go - creative intention, perceived value; call it what you want. It's hoarding. And there's always the aftermath, where later down the road I need or want one of the few things I was able to part with. So there's that in the back of my mind! Here's two tools I'll likely never use and a little stash of pegboard that could be used for something.:rolleyes: This is so typical! This little scene repeats itself in seemingly every corner of my house, shop, shed, (mind )..... (drill, baby, drill) http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1738252050.jpg It would probably behoove me to entrust someone to help go through and decide what really needs to be scrapped, because I'm one of those people who can look at a broken object and see what can be done to repair it, but how important is it, really? I'm sure many of you can read between the lines here and picture my stash of mostly working appliances and electronics, half finished projects and stacks of material for future builds. There's a lot. There used to be a show on cable where some guy would put out two big tarps on the lawn, and then go through the victims treasures one by one and try to decide what to keep and what to toss. It was a pretty depressing show really, but it had a train wreck quality to it, that spoke to my reality! Anyway, thanks for this thread, Baz. It was cathartic for me to be able to sort some of my thoughts. |
I think I have come to the conclusion that it's time to put my Boxster up for sale in the spring . It is such a great car but so is my 996 . I am also thinking about selling my car trailer . I got rid of the boat last year but added a 5th wheel camper . I have so many tools for just being a DIYer . But it is somewhat painful to sell things off . But you can't take it all with you either .
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My wife says I don't buy cars, I marry them. I buy cars and I eventually put a lot of sweat equity into them, plus I attach a lot of memories to experiences that involved the cars. I had a tough time selling my truck in November 2023. I had so much trouble with the idea of selling the Porsche coupe that I'd owned for 50 years that I gave it to my son instead of selling it to a stranger. I still have a Speedster, a Carrera, and a VW bug that I have a lot of wrench time with. It's going to be hard to see them go.
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I "decluttered" a little bit today by giving this little guy some Nascar hot wheels this morning. I figure it's better to see him smile and have fun with them than have them sitting in a box. [emoji38] https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...d8e8cb4db4.jpghttps://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/202...42ed926f8f.jpg
Sent from my SM-S916U using Tapatalk |
Great picture! My boys always lined up their Hot Wheels too.:D
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https://forums.pelicanparts.com/off-topic-discussions/1148583-hoarding-hoarding-hoarders-who-hoard-hoards.html |
^^^^
Hah! A blast from the past! FWIW, the Kona is gone (replaced with a Specialized Crux, so back to even) and the glove hoard has been thinned by 2/3's, but I still have a honkin' load o'stuff. And I still can't bring myself to bin 'valuable stuff', even though it would be in everyone's best interest. |
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