Not quite a horder - decluttering

GINGER!!! How scary...hope you find answers and resources, and are improving every day!!! Big hugs....

Gingerbrew - It sounds like you have "chemo brain" to me, not dementia. I have it also, although it is slowly getting better. I still often search for words when talking which can be frustrating. I feel as though I am not firing on all cylinders. I am definitely not thinking as quickly as I used to pre-chemo, but I do see an improvement.

Anything to do with numbers was a labor four months ago, even fairly simple things like writing out checks. That seems to have gone away, thankfully, but typing is still problematic. I make far too many typo's and have to go back to correct half the words and spacings in each sentence so that even a short post on here takes far longer than it should. I am learning to go slower and check more often, but it still annoying. 

Neuropathy in one or both of your feet can definitely affect your gait. My brother, who is a big strong guy otherwise, has it in his left lower leg and foot and I can see how it affects his way of walking. 

Hope you are feeling better.

Ginger,

Take care.  (((((Hugs)))))))

Was Teka chasing the bunnies out?

Teka - Gotta wear that mask!!!

UGH! The dust and dirt that arises when you clean out your garden sheds!!!

DH and I managed to do that last weekend... we have several small sheds in the back yard that were filled to the brim with junk. I mean, "open-the-door-see-a-wall-of-crap" filled.

So I hauled EVERYTHING out, put "like with like" items together, threw out old, almost empty, or expired stuff. DH vacuumed the insides with the shop vac, then I wiped every thing down with Clorox wipes before putting things back. 

All I have yet to do is put labels on a few shelves, so we know where things go.

Took a few days, but we were so happy afterwards! Now my back patio doesn't look like a junkyard.

Ditto!  Blessings, congratulations on getting your DH on board.  Like items with like items is the key to the road to organization.

Our son went on vacation two and half years ago and decided to stay. We never touched his room convinced that he would return any day. Finally said enough is enough and have been cleaning and packing up all of his belongings. At least we now have a guest room again but the other bedroom is now one large storage room.

I need some ideas on how to store papers.

I have TONS of boxes labeled "SORT" because I never got around to filing anything. I do have a four-drawer filing cabinet (cheap, Walmart) that is full of DH's stuff, but I have my own stuff to file.

I also have several bankers boxes with folders of stuff in separate categories, but it seems like I am buried under mounds of papers! And more comes in every day...

I've thought about getting one of those receipt scanners, but then how many places want the ORIGINAL receipt if you have to return something?

Any ideas on how to sort and organize and store papers?

LOL I thought I was the only one with boxes labeled "To Sort".

Boxes of paper, not many at all. We moved across country and the prospect of having to PAY to keep papers inspired me to dump tons of papers that I previously thought I needed. Even of those that I did bring along, I haven't looked at ANY of them since then.

I have baby books from each of my kids and a manilla expansion folder each for their papers, momentoes, class photos and such. For my paper momentoes I have a couple boxes.  I have about 10 photo albums and I thiunk 12 photo boxes full of semi sorted photos. I have tons of photos on DVD and hard drives.  

I doubt that helped but please let us know how you proceed.

Hugs Ginger 

Meece you are wonderfully organized, my hero. 

Ginger

For years I had a real walk in pantry.  One you could walk into and actually pace in.  maybe 4 x 8, but it was soooo nice.  When we built this home the floor plans could not be altered so it has a walk in pantry in  the corner, but all you could do is walk in and stand there.  If you are lucky you might be able to turn around.

If I ever designed a house it would have the biggest kitchen and a great pantry.

It is recommended that you keep bank statements for one year, and then seven years for the records and cancelled checks which are related to taxes.

O. M. G. !!!!!!!!! 

This afternoon I went out into the garage to get a pack of dividers for a binder I'm putting together. I have an old chest of drawers out there chock full of office supplies.

When I opened the drawer, this HUGE wad of shredded paper popped up at me. I stood there like a dummy, thinking "What the ..." and then it hit me "MOUSE NEST!!!!"

I ran back in the house and got DH, and he backed the car out of the garage so he could take all the drawers out.

Have you seen those videos of kitties playing with the roll of toilet paper? How they keep unraveling it til nothing is left? 

Well, apparently this mouse found the roll of adding machine tape and started chewing/pulling on it. We found it in three different drawers.

The good news: no Mama mouse, no babies, and no birthing mess.

The bad news: lots of little mouse turds, and - fresh, wet,  mouse pee on one of my notepads!!!!!

Needless to say, everything got tossed in the trash except for items that were in sealed packages, and things that could be wiped clean with Clorox wipes. I was wearing surgical gloves, but no mask, when I thought "Hantavirus!"

That's what sickened many tourists to Yosemite this summer. (We don't live that far from Yosemite.) But DH says these aren't deer mice, they're just field mice.

SO - bottom line - totally cleaning out the garage has become our newest priority. 

UGH!!! 

Down here in the oilfields the field mice and kangaroo rats have been known to be hantavirus carriers.  That's an unfortunate way to declutter the dresser in your garage!