Not quite a horder - decluttering

mine are in a wastebasket right in my liv rm!!!gets me to goodwill much quicker.. im finding as i go aslong, i can't stand stuff just cluttering about.. maybe there's hope yet!.3jays

I love Habitat for Humanity.  They have a huge resale store in our town in NC and I call them up and they are out with their truck the next day to pick up almost anything.  In Fl it's Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Good to know 3jays.  Didn't realize they had a resale store there.

I don't know if it's spring, but I sure have the itch to change things and get more organized with my "stuff." We bought a new refrigerator for Christmas, and I tried to get the old one given to someone who needed it.  Called Habitat for Humanity and another local charity several times a day for several days, but could not get anyone to pick up the phone or give me a call back.  Asked a lady at church who is also a local political representative if she knew of anyone in need.  It was actually almost new - I just hated it since we got it with the house 4 years ago - the previous owners included it.  So I ended up sending it with the guys who delivered the new one - they told  me they don't know for sure but it probably ended up trashed or for parts.  The manufacturers don't like "old"  models on the market as they want to sell new ones.  I felt bad, but I did try, and I did NOT JUST KEEP IT IN MY GARAGE IN CASE I MIGHT NEED AN EXTRA ONE!!

I hit the Macy's sale yesterday with my star rewards, treated myself to some new smaller clothes, so now I definitely have to stay with my program and rid my closet of some old ones to free up some hangers!  I won't buy more hangers for that reason alone..it forces me to eliminate something.

Linda:  I always do keep an extra refrigerator in my garage...we use it for drinks and things that we don't use on a daily basis.  It comes in handy when I'm entertaining to cook ahead and store. 

Linda and anyone who may have large appliances they want to get rid of but are still in decent condition, you might try and look up a local used appliance store who may take it off your hands.  I've done that before because many times landlords will buy used to replace brolen appliances in their apartments 

Kaara, that's an excellent idea about not buying more hangers.

Someone probably already has brought this up (lot of pages here to read!), but I learned on www.flylady.com about the 15-minute declutter route. That you can do anything, clean anything, if you are willing to work on it for 15 minutes at a time until it is done.

My favorite hint from that site deals with the refrigerator and cleaning it. This is a horrible job, right? But flylady pointed out that nobody has to clean the WHOLE thing at one time. Just do one shelf. Then at another time, tackle another shelf.

I've spent a lifetime being the world's worst housekeeper, but I'm working it now...15 minutes at a time.

Kaara, I've done both... found this really great wooden chair by the road, it was old and had the rounded top which worked perfectly for my "shabby chic" desk.  The best thing it was painted green, with cream and some other colors under it and it was chipped just like I wanted... perfect!

Patoo, I think it's funny too. Craigs list actually has a curb alert for those checking out what people throw away.

I went to my favorite GW today to donate and well yes, buy.... got some great shorts for the GS's and found a couple of books. I was looking for a carafe for my coffee maker. I dropped the one to my coffee maker on the floor.... ugh. I really like the one I have so will try to find something that will work. If not, then the whole thing goes to the trash.

3jays:  I hear you!  Mine doesn't want the cleaning lady to touch his office and in the meantime it's getting filthy because he isn't cleaning it!  I suggested the other day that he might want to think about cleaning up a bit in there because it was starting to smell...not a good suggestion:(

I'm just going to ignore it from now on.  When he's gone, I close the door so it doesn't bother me.  I don't need stress in my life right now, and conflict causes me stress.  Thank goodness it's just one room and I can close it off from my view!  The rest of the house looks great.

3jays and Kaara - remind me again one of the reasons I stay single - thanks.   (just kidding - I'm sure they are both extra-super great guys).

mine's great, also. has never faltered in 21 years, but the "cleaning" stuff is driving me batty!!!i LOVE that saying, Kaarra.. aint it the truth!hahaha 3jays

I heard a pretty interesting discussion last night on Diane Rehm's show, about the growing number of singles/singles with partners in our country and the changing image from being a person who is lonely to being a happy individual. One even mentioned the joy of being able to be a minor clutterer at her location while her partner's location is minimalist. The author being interviewed has a book titled "Going Solo". (Klinenberg, not Roald Dahl's book by the same title).

A.A.

Hi Teka, glad to hear about you daily cleaning and decluttering.  I'm working at it too.!

I had an unsettling experience a couple of weekends ago. My husband and I were out in the garage with all our Christmas boxes spread out and stuff scattered everywhere. Tossing more & grouping like items together.  We were trying to sort out stuff between our kids and make a box specifically for them of stuff they wanted to keep from younger years. The floor was covered. We had empty paper boxes, packing wrap and a couple of tables piled up high too.  Our garage door was up as it was warm here in Arizona.  Then my neighbor drives up our driveway on her bicycle and proceeds to quizz us "Are you having another garage sale?" "What in the world are you doing?" "How did you get so much stuff?"  "I put my Christmas away on New Year's."  blah blah blah.  Then . . .  "This looks like a hoarders garage."  I was speechless.  Then she went on to talk about the TV show. YIKES !  That's not me and not any of my friends. But now if you've got a pile of papers or a mess are you a hoarder? I don't think so. Makes me mad. So, how do you feel?

Just like cooking makes a mess while you are in the middle of it, sorting through a major source of "stuff" can be a mess while you are in the middle of it. The finished product is worth going through the mess. 

Hoarders keep adding to the mess rather than ever getting it cleaned up and put away.  The question is was the Christmas assortment in better shape at the end of your work than before you started?  Did you manage to throw away or give away the things that you no longer want or need? 

The problem isn't yours, it is your neighbor's.  If she has to have Christmas cleaned up and put away on New Year's Day, she may have the cumpulsive disorder that is just the other side of the same coin as hoarding.