Not quite a horder - decluttering

Many here have donated . Thank you !........Wandering around and cheerleading again

Donate today, make a difference directly in all our lives. By supporting BCO, we support each other. Thanks and Hugs

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/110/topic/834331?page=1

Link to the mainboard donation page

https://secure3.convio.net/bco/site/Donation2?df_i...

Hi ladies!

My regular consignment shop called yesterday to say they had some room to take some things this week so I scrambled to bring in a few items I had put aside for the other place, but specific to what they wanted. I still have things to bring to shop #2 on Saturday too and looking forward to being done with the closets this weekend.

As part of the items today, I took in one of the last things I had of my mothers I knew I did not want to keep. Big step for me, but it has been hanging in the back of the closet for 10 years and finally felt ready to let it go. Both the ladies there have gone through the same thing with their mother's stuff, one woman loosing a mom the same year as I did. They said the coat I brought in will be nice for an upcoming vintage fashion show they are doing. That made me smile, my mom would love that her coat is going to be in a fashion show. I still have a lot of things of my mom's. but won't ever wear this coat.

The good news is the woman buying this shop I was at today was there today and has an E-bay business. I have a high end mountain bike I am wanting to sell and the bike shops here suggested to put it on E-bay for the best price. I asked her about it today and she said she could help me. I told her maybe next spring, I won't get as good a price in the winter as I will in the spring or summer for any bike. Another solution to another thing that needs to go.

After this weekend, the de-cluttering is going on hold for awhile as I have a new contract starting and my focus will be on work for awhile.

Mel- congrats on getting the bags to donations. It is nice to come away with a good feeling!

I posted this on another thread, but thought I'd better check in here too so you all know I'm still sorting. I'm using the "one in; two out" method, and it helps.

Sorting paperwork is the hardest for me. Just today I finally parted w/my baby brother's 7 diaries from his HS & college days. He died in 1994 and I brought them home when I cleaned out his place. He had no children & I have one son who would not be interested in reading them. I couldn't even touch them for all these years. I ended up tearing out some selections of special pages meaningful to me several months ago, but it took until today to consign the rest to the trash.

Well-said Jazzy,,,, it is the hardest thing to let go of,, the things that remind us of the ones we have loved that have passed on.

Wren- I love what you are going to do with your mom's bed jacket. You lost her so young. Hugs sister. She is with you always.

It is nice to repurpose items, especially if they are so sentimental.


I went through cupboards this week organizing Christmas decorations. I never went overboard on the stuff, t doesn't take much to make the house feel Christmasy. But I donated a few things to Goodwill. I have Christmas village houses I used to assemble under the tree with a train when my son was little. I still cannot part with them, so I'm just moving them from the cupboards downstairs to one room upstairs where I store stuff.


I like to redesign decorations I've grown tired of. A Christmas centerpiece had seen better days, I pulled it all out of the lovely dark pot, tossing what I didn't like. With what I kept, I combined bits and pieces of other holiday floral arrangements in a round silver tin. The lovely dark pot was used perfectly this summer for a kitchen table centerpiece with seasonal dried hydrangeas. This way, I don't buy new stuff, but I get new looks.

Mandy- I am sorry that you were injured worse than you realize. You sounded pretty banged up from what you shared before, but a head injury is another story. How nice that your friend helped you with the closet.

I went to the new consignment store today with a selection of items including some shoes and boots, scarves and wraps, and a mix of other clothing. I brought 26 things and she took 24 of them! She said "you have nice things!" In addition to liking the weekend appointment availability, my account will be visible on line so I can see how things are doing and when I have money in the account. I will take more there in the future. I think I am about done for now with the closets!

Well it has been awhile. I started decluttering last year and was well on my way till June. In June my chronic vertigo got really bad and I fell. Ended up in the hospital with too many drugs to try and stop the vertigo. Made me weak so I ended up in a rehab center. Because I was a fall risk they kept me in bed or a wheel chair for 3 mos. At 62 I had a long time to think about my life. Needless to say I finally escaped and when I got home the place was a stale smelling mess. It took 2 straight weeks with the windows open to air it out. Older homes are like that. I left some people in charge of my yard and garden that did not do what I paid them to do but I have it all cleaned up now and ready for next year. I downsized a lot from my garage. Junk from years ago.I sold my big snowblower. It was always too big for my driveway and it sat there. Now I can just pay a service to do that work.

So this is what I learned in rehab. I wore the same 6 tops and 3 pair of jeans for 3 mos and never missed any of my other clothes. I came home to 3 closets still full of clothes I never wear. Some I moved with me here from Cali in 04. I am home and using a walker getting stronger. It will take time but I am determined to get rid of 2/3 of my clothes. I will never get rid of linen stuff for summer or sweats for winter but other than a few dresses etc in case I need to actually go someplace I am done. Donate donate donate. I want it all gone. 8 coats and I only wear 2. The list is long. Then I am headed to the basement to get rid of all that extra stuff. I donated 15 bed pillows still in plastic I had stored in the guest room. How many people hoard pillows? I gave a Ralph Lauren original bedspread I have never used to a good friend that has helped me while I was sick. It was beautiful but if I did not use it in 8 years it needs to go. I have a lot of work to do. I will do it.

Bunkie- well I am sorry for all you have been through and ending up in rehab, but what an interesting observation about wearing a handful of clothes and not missing the rest. The professional organizer folks tell us that we only wear anywhere from 1/4 or less of what we have in our closets. I love being able to find the things I love to wear more easily with getting rid of all the things I don't wear. Some lucky charity will benefit from your ephiphany very soon.

Wishing you good health and happy purging days too!

Bunkie, glad you are doing better. I can imagine your frustration at not being able to get things done as quickly as you'd like. And I agree--we only use at most 1/3 of the clothing that we have. I have gotten rid of bags of clothing and I have many bags to go. My goal is to have a cleared out closet for the New Year--that will be my present to myself--a closet filled with only things that I like and wear. :-) But this week I am taking it easy so that I recuperate from the concussion.

Hugs to all and especially to you Bunkie.

Mandy1313

Bunkie - I too am glad you're on the mend. I agree, I've only worn 3 pants & 5 or 6 tops most every day. I keep thinking I may go back to work, in which case I'll need the jackets & coordinating tops - most of which I haven't worn in 2 years. I even had several pair of dressier pants tailored so they fit correctly - but haven't worn those either. And most of my favorite tops have a wider neck (or boat neck) and since I have to wear my stupid LE compression bra/vest 24/7, the heavy duty straps always show at the neck. Ugh. I really need to bite the bullet & have another wholesale clean-out.

Photos are a problem. DS says he only wants the photos. I'm sure he'll share with DD. I want to cull them somehow. They took a photo of 5 generations when I was a baby. It's nice to have all my grandmothers in one photo. Looking at them makes me think wanting to be thin is unrealistic.

Photos are my next thing. Clothes done by Jan and then all the photos into CDs. I went into albums of them yesterday and I have so many that I do not need. People I met once on a cruise 15 years ago, pictures of buildings on vac....people in my family I never knew . Going to downsize them all.

Gadgets....omg I have an Emeril deep fryer in the box 4 years old. All sorts of stuff. Donate donate. Oh yeah I also found a big plastic bin full of Southwest S&Ps. What was I thinking? Donate, donate.

Divine MR - Most of this stuff is from my working days in Cali. I have been retired for 11 years. it all goes. Like I said 2 church/funeral outfits and maybe a skirt/blouse/jacket/pants thing. Done. Shoes....yes all gone. Only thing I keep are my collection of cowboy boots. I may end up retired in NM.AZ or someplace like that. Too expensive to give away.

I decided to make categories and sort into them. I have us before marriage, us after marriage, DD's family, DS's family, friends, and trips. I plan to let each child take what they want from their family's lot and let them look thru each other's leftovers and take what they want. DH does not believe in ever throwing away a photo, no matter how blurry. That's why I'm sorting.

So I went into the dreaded closet that opens out on the flatroof. Just started throwing clothes on the floor. Some of it I still love but after 10 years of not wearing it I tossed it all. Saved 2 Jackets I have always loved just in case. The end. It also contained a big ole plastic bin full of Ralph Lauren bedding from my loving everything Southwest days. I tend to use solids now and just decorate with pillows and some artwork. speaking of that I also found my bin with 25 posters from travels I never framed. Going to go through them and maybe keep a few but the rest are gone.