Not quite a horder - decluttering

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I think my last frontier would be my DH's stuff. That will probably have to wait until he is gone. I have no idea how many books and CDs he has, but it is really a lot. I only want to save my books if I want to re-read them or if I think they would go out of print. I do read books again and have a collection of books written by Native Americans that might well go out of print.

We have both a cellar and a half attic. The attic has suitcases and linens. I've gotten rid of most of the clothes.

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BTW: I really do recommend The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo It is a different way to look at the task of de-cluttering. Gave me some good pointers. Still more to do, but once I get the bedroom tiled and all the bedroom furniture painted (which I'm doing myself), I will get back to de-cluttering.

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I've been slowly trying to go through our stuff and I have warned the husband that it might be a long time to get through it. My biggest problem is with clothes. I am at my highest weight ever and have struggled with my weight through the years. I have so many clothes that don't fit. I know that I need to lose weight and I had been unable to get around very well for several years and recently had both knees replaced. I am now able to exercise again and hope to get back down to a healthy weight. The clothes I have that don't fit are not in unrealistic sizes. We are out of storage space and the closets and drawers are just stuffed.

I read an article in a magazine one time that said that you should get rid of all clothes that don't fit and not beat yourself up over this anymore. It was written by a lady that was overweight and had decided to accept herself as she was and be happy. While I am glad that this lady is happy, as a breast cancer survivor, knowing that it is important to get excess weight off to help prevent it from coming back, I also know that you feel better without the excess weight. I just kind of feel like keeping those clothes around allows me to from time to time see if I am making progress towards getting back into them and hopefully I will get back to them and then not have to spend a lot of money to buy new clothes. One of the other cons to having all of these different size of clothes around is that it does make it hard to find what does fit because all of the clothes are smashed together.

I just wondered what others thought and have done in this situation. Thanks!

I sorted mine by size and put them in plastic tubs. I had a few that will never fit again but had great sentimental value. They are in a box called sentimental memories. Look at each size and pick out pieces you can build a wardrobe around. Nice sweaters, pants, skirts, jackets. Get rid of things you never liked when you were that size, or T shirts & blouses that are too worn to wear out to church or work.

There's a thread called Wednesday weigh in. We post our losses and gains each Wed. You don't have to say what the numbers are, just whether they went up or down.

I heartily endorse glennie's recommendation of the book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up". I've read many books on the subject; this one is the best. She suggests keeping things that spark joy. It is also a great way to shop. I look at things and realize they spark no joy and I am making many less purchases which equals less clutter.

She also gives great tips for folding clothes. And I love her suggestion on organizing a closet. Go from darkest and longest clothes on the left, and work your way to the right, like a reverse rainbow, blue, green, red, orange, yellow, then white. I rearranged my closet and it works much better. I also did dh's closet and it was an incredible improvement as he crams too much in there with no clue what he has.

I agree with the philosophy of getting rid of clothes that don't fit. Both dh and I have taken tons of clothes to Goodwill. You really don't wear all the clothes in your closet that do fit.

Anyway, I make some adjustments to the ways offered in the Tidying Up book and it is really immensely beneficial.

Wish me luck this weekend. I'm going to an event called Zero Landfill. Decorators and designers bring things they can't use, like bolt ends of fabric, carpet, textiles, etc. You have to sign up to get a ticket and bring your own bags. Everything is donated and free. They say art teachers get stuff for their students for the whole year. I would like to find material to make a sofa cover.

Wren- Zero Landfill, love the name. Re-use, recycle, repurpose. Good luck finding the fabric!

cowgal: I have to say that book really changed how I look at my clutter. And there is a definite peacefulness about the house when there is less clutter. Right now, my house is a mess as I'm painting all my bedroom furniture, and stuff is everywhere, and in 2 weeks, the bedroom carpet will be ripped up and tile put down. ONCE THAT IS OVER, then I can seriously get back to decluttering,, and I can't wait. This mess is making me nuts.

And maybe try taking your clothes to a different place? Homeless shelter? Is there an organization that helps displaced women who are escaping abuse or have lost their homes? We have one organization here that looks for nicer clothes, for job interviews.

Can't wait to hear what you think of the book.

Onco- my sister uses that rule of thumb. For every one thing you bring into the house, two things should go out. It is declutter shopping!

Jazzygirl, how nice to de-clutter and make people happy at the same time.

I have a question--I feel as though I am buried in papers. Does anyone have an idea for how to sort through them and keep only the papers that will be needed for the future? And also, a quickermethod than shredding for destroying documents which I don't want to just put in my recycling? I have thought of using my fire place for that but it is still much too warm to burn them. :-)

Thanks

Mandy, in my town, there is a group, the ARC, which gives employment to mentally challenged folk. They have a shredding business. ARC is a big nationwide organization, so not sure if they do that everywhere, but you could see if you have a place in your town.

Mandy, I hate the clutter of paper, too. I did a quick google of what to keep and came across a simple list from Suze Orman, and since she's a well known financial guru, she would know what she's talking about. I will post it here. And I have a shredder and spent a couple hours shredding years of stuff, but taking it all to a place like Staples or Office Depot sounds like a good option, too.

Financial Clutter, What To Keep And What To Get Rid Of

Keep till warranty expires or can no longer return or exchange

• Sales Receipts (Unless needed for tax purposes and then keep for 3 years)

What to keep for 1 month

• ATM Printouts (When you balance your checkbook each month throw out the ATM receipts)

What to keep for 1 year

• Paycheck Stubs (You can get rid of once you have compared to your W2 & annual social security statement)
• Utility Bills (You can throw out after one year, unless you're using these as a deduction like a home office --then you need to keep them for 3 years after you've filed that tax return)
• Cancelled Checks (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
• Credit Card Receipts (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
• Bank Statements (Unless needed for tax purposes and then you need to keep for 3 years)
• Quarterly Investment Statements (Hold on to until you get your annual statement)

What to keep for 3 years

• Income Tax Returns (Please keep in mind that you can be audited by the IRS for no reason up to three years after you filed a tax return. If you omit 25% of your gross income that goes up to 6 years and if you don't file a tax return at all, there is no statute of limitations.)
• Medical Bills and Cancelled Insurance Policies
• Records of Selling a House (Documentation for Capital Gains Tax)
• Records of Selling a Stock (Documentation for Capital Gains Tax)
• Receipts, Cancelled Checks and other Documents that Support Income or a Deduction on your Tax Return (Keep 3 years from the date the return was filed or 2 years from the date the tax was paid -- which ever is later)
• Annual Investment Statement (Hold onto 3 years after you sell your investment.)

What to keep for 7 years

• Records of Satisfied Loans
• 
  

What to hold while active

• Contracts
• Insurance Documents
• Stock Certificates
• Property Records
• Stock Records
• Records of Pensions and Retirement Plans
• Property Tax Records Disputed Bills (Keep the bill until the dispute is resolved)
• Home Improvement Records (Hold for at least 3 years after the due date for the tax return that includes the income or loss on the asset when it's sold)

Keep Forever

• Marriage Licenses
• Birth Certificates
• Wills
• Adoption Papers
• Death Certificates
• Records of Paid Mortgages

* These documents should be kept in a very safe place, like a safety deposit box.